Movie Roulette

I used to go to the movies frequently...back in undergrad, it was almost a weekly thing with me and a few of my friends.  That's not the case anymore, but I do still enjoy a good cinematic experience.  Who doesn't?  (Actually, my friend, Damien, doesn't enjoy going to the movies and I find that to be quite odd...but I digress)

Typically for me, Sundays are frequently spent with family - most often it's just me and my parents since my brothers usually opt out of said family time (or simply have "better things" to do with their time).  Personally, I like having some routine in my life and Sunday family-time is one that I enjoy.  I appreciate it much more after having lived away from my family for so long.  Off track again...

Anyway, today, I went to see 'Date Night' with my parents.  (Yes, a little odd to go to a movie titled 'Date Night' with one's parents, but oh well!)  My parents (i.e., my mom) like to get to the theater early enough to catch "The Twenty" before the film.  Personally, unless it's a movie that's likely to be quite full, I see no reason to arrive 20 minutes early just to watch mostly commercials and an occasional "exclusive look" at what's likely to be a film I have no interest in seeing.  But I still show up early to keep Mom happy...

However, this is not a post about the movie I saw, what I thought of it, etc.  No.  This is a post about all the random people that you encounter at the theater.  In particular, those people that choose to sit near you.  As I mentioned, I arrive early when I'm seeing a flick with my folks.  As such, once we've settled into our seats, it's only a matter of time until the surrounding seats are filled by others...and that's what I like to call movie roulette.  You never know who you're going to get.  It could be the loud popcorn muncher, the guy/girl that fidgets nonstop (I've probably been guilty of that one from time to time), the person that thinks the "no phone calls or texting" rules don't apply to them, the guy that thought a hot dog was appropriate movie fare (that odor should not be introduced into an already suspect environment), or the worst of them all...the constant talker and/or loud laugher.

When you arrive early, you're leaving it to fate to decide who your closest movie-going companions will be.  Today?  Today, unfortunately, was the loud laugher.  I knew there was a potential problem on our hands when the pair of ladies that sat directly behind us were thoroughly enjoying a very non-funny preview.  Given that 'Date Night' is a comedy, my concerns were quickly validated just a few minutes into the film.  Yes, I get that it's a public theater and people are more than entitled to laugh...but if you're laughing so loud and for such an extended period of time that I can't hear the follow-up punchline, we've got a problem.  Such was the case today.  I lasted all of about 5 minutes into the film before getting up and moving over to the side seats to escape the relentless cackling behind me.  Does that demonstrate a lack of tolerance on my part?  Or a lack of manners/perception on theirs?  I'm not sure which it is.  But I do know that I enjoyed myself much more after swapping seats!

Yes, I'm doing nothing on a Saturday night

There's absolutely nothing wrong with quiet Saturday nights at home.  In fact, I quite like them from time to time.  Give me a couple good movies, some popcorn, and I'm all set.  Add some good company and that's even better.  Unfortunately, this Saturday evening isn't all that lovely.  The original plan was to head to St. Augustine to catch up with an old friend from Tally.  We haven't seen each other since my birthday weekend last year (a bit ridiculous really since we live less than an hour away from each other), and I was excited to see him and have a change of scenery for a night (let's face it...Jax can get pretty old pretty quick) but the tickle in my throat from last night evolved into a near-nonstop-cough-fest today.  Thus: no St. Augustine; no Brad; no drinks; nothing.  But my DVR is now entirely caught up with all TV shows (movies are an entirely different story since I still have a ton saved...oh, and WTF is going on on 'Lost'?!?).  Anyway, the emptier DVR marks at least one accomplishment for the day.

Originally, I had big plans of getting lots done today; that didn't happen (aside from the above DVR cleansing).  I took an afternoon nap and only ventured out of my house to pick up some grub from Chick-Fil-A (for the record, that's my favorite fast food place so I'd prefer to remain in ignorant bliss if you know of some terrible franchise health code violations or other such nonsense).  During said excursion, I took note of the multiple bounce houses set up outside my local Chick-Fil-A.  Let me just tell you, those kids were having an absolute blast!  I wanted to jump in there myself and bounce to my heart's content.  Alas, I did no such thing, but it got me to thinking about how much fun life is for kids.  Why do the majority of people let that fun slip away as they grow up?  Sure, there are times to be serious...but when it's not that time, why can't we all just have fun?!?

Give me random conversations about silly nothingness.  Give me laughter so intense that it makes it impossible to breathe.  Give me friendships that you just know will last forever.   Everything was so easy when we were younger.  Why does growing up have to be synonymous with stopping all the fun?  I don't think that it has to be that way.  Henceforth, I shall do my best to hold fast to the fun whenever possible.  Who's with me?

Giving back...

I'm not necessarily proud to admit this, but I'm also sure I'm not the only one that could make the following true statement: I live a very self-centered life most of the time.

I've been doing a lot of self-reflection lately and have realized that despite the many things that I would like to change about my life, or the things that I wish would happen...for the most part, I am a very fortunate, blessed person.  I'm healthy, have a good job, a roof over my head, live close to ALL of my immediate family, and have some phenomenal friends all over this lovely country of ours.  Yet I have the tendency to continue to want more.  To focus on the things I wish I could change or the things that I wish I could have instead of appreciating all that I've been given...all that I already have. 

In an effort to focus outside of my own little box for a change, tomorrow morning I'm going to be volunteering with HandsOn Jacksonville for their monthly beach clean-up in Jax beach.  While I'm not entirely excited about getting up so early on a Saturday morning, I am looking forward to doing something that will benefit others for a change.  I used to volunteer quite a bit through undergrad, but since then I've slipped away from that.  Tomorrow is the day that I give back...again!!!

Kids are weird!

So I got to witness some odd child behavior this past weekend when I was taking Oreo for a walk.  There are quite a few kids that live in my neighborhood, but for the most part they're not bad kids.  Weird though?  I'm thinking yes.  It was pretty windy on Saturday afternoon and one of the kids that lives across the street and a couple houses down was trying desperately to stack some empty aluminum cans into a triangle/pyramid.  Why?  I'm not sure...but Mother Nature had other plans for him; every time he'd get to the third level of his stack she would send a gust of wind to blow them all down.  After the 4th or 5th such failure, this kid had apparently had enough.  He let loose with this war cry type shout and started kicking the cans away in frustration.  And here is where it got highly amusing...

I could barely hold the laughter back when I saw him run back into his garage, only to return about 30 seconds later holding one of those foam gardening mats you can kneel on.  Following another shout of rage, he began to use the gardening mat to smash the cans into the sidewalk.  He kept running from can to can, ranting and raving the entire time, crushing cans beneath his mat of destruction.  It was hilarious.  When he finally smashed the last can he proceeded to throw the mat down to the ground with one final shout of rage and bent over, panting and trying to catch his breath.  I'm telling you...this kid was on a mission of vengeance!  And I loved every minute of it. :)

Happy birthday to ME!

Yes, I'll admit, it's definitely a little self-indulgent to dedicate a post to myself on my birthday.  But since no one else is going to do it, I figured I'd pick up the slack.  So here we go...this post is dedicated to an amazing, fabulous, wonderful woman...ME!  :)

I'm really not as excited about my birthday as this post might indicate - but I am definitely a fan of all things me so here we go.  (No, I'm really not "that girl"; I'm changing things for the sake of entertainment.  Sheesh!)

I was reminded over the last day or two how nice it is to receive something in the mail that isn't a bill, circular, magazine, or even something you bought for yourself online.  While those last mailings are indeed welcome, they DO come with a price tag and that's their big downfall.  But a true piece of mail that's just for you and just to brighten your day/wish you well/send some love, etc.?  Well that's some special stuff right there! And a big thank you goes out to the senders of said special stuff.  It's much appreciated!

My birthday celebrations have mellowed in the last couple years.  Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally since we all have to grow up sometime), the last big celebration was the "over the hill" party my friends threw for me on my 30th.  (Aren't they clever?)  My friend, Damien, and I used to have joint birthday parties during the law school and few-years-post-law-school heyday, but now that we live in different cities that tradition has ended.  (Sadface)  Today will instead be a day spent with family in the afternoon/early evening and then I'll meet up with some friends tonight for a few drinks and fun.  Plus, Lent is officially over so I can actually enjoy a soda again (cheers of delight abound).

Let's be honest...I never thought I'd be 32 and single...and I definitely never thought that the vast majority of men I meet and date would continue to be immature and unreliable...but hey, it is what it is.  All things in good time, right?  In the meantime, the rest of my life is pretty great.  And that, my friends, is all that matters.  As long as there's a smile on my face, I really can't complain.  Besides, smiles are free!!!  (My dad always taught me, "if it's free, it's for me" - so I'm sticking with that)

If you're in or around Jax tonight...come share a drink with me!  (Or more precisely, come HAVE a drink with me...I don't want to share...it's my birthday after all and I want my own drink...and in my humble opinion, you deserve your own drink too!)

Cheers! xoxo