I Found My Thrill on Blueberry Hill!

(...that's a title of a Louis Armstrong song.)

It's also the name of the restaurant where we ate Brett's "birthday" lunch.

My Promised Post About My Recent Weekend Road-trip with Brett.



It was a fun weekend. We went to St. Louis, to specific places we'd not been together before. We must have walked about 8 or 10 miles on Saturday, in downtown, and up in the University City (?) area, where Blueberry Hill - a very famous restaurant - sits among cool shops, art galleries, and coffee-shops.

It was a pretty low-key weekend, if you call "Champagne Brunch" low-key! (I learned that a Mimosa made with cranberry juice is called a Poinsettia. Yum.)

Wait, back up...

Brett's shoulder, sans monkey.

On TUESDAY (I think), Brett was in the ER with his horrible, possessed-by-a-monkey shoulder. His current job is very physical, so by the time the weekend rolled around he had movement, but was still on some kind of painkillers, and the arm was in a sling. Fun times!

It was. It is always fun times. We just enjoy each other's company, so any "activity" or "meal" or "location" is just a setting for our fun.

At one point, I noticed that we didn't seem as in-sync as usual, and I guessed that his shoulder was bugging him more than he was saying. Later, at Blueberry Hill, I got some kind of "stuff overload" from all the very cool memorabilia. So I was kind of out of sync for a while.

My wounded hero mimicking art.



But it doesn't matter! It was still a good time, with good food, and good art. In fact, it was an exhaustingly  good time.

After meandering the University City (?) area, we both needed to relax, so we headed back to the hotel. I'd received a reliable tip on a good blues club to visit in St. Louis, so we looked at the website together, saw who was playing, looked up both acts, and decided we liked the later one better. Later as in 10pm-2am...or something.

No problem. That's why we were chilling.

...and comfortable.
...and ordered a pizza.
...and relaxed.
...and didn't want to go anywhere anymore.

BUT I HAD PLANNED TO GO OUT AGAIN!
but my feet were tired.
BUT I HAD A RECOMMENDATION!
but I could lay my head on Brett's shoulder here.
BUT - DRINKS AND AN APPETIZER TO SHARE!
but I could take out my contacts if I stay.

And here's how awesome Brett is for me, knowing how I am about following through with my plans.
He put down his computer, leaned over to me where I was playing Sudoku on my phone, looked me in the eyes and said:
"You know, we don't *have* to go out again." - notice, no CAPS, just *asterisks*.
and then...
"I'm happy to go wherever you want, but we don't have to if you don't want to."

I think my logical response was, "But I really wanted to report back to [Otis] about going to this place."

But I thought about how I truly felt right then...

And I realized that Brett was right.

(I compromised with myself by taking Brett down to a hotel restaurant for drinks and an appetizer)

Added  bonus of the perfect boyfriend setting everything right:
"Otis" saw one of the pictures Brett posted the next day and commented about the location, and Brett simply let him know we didn't make it to the particular club he mentioned, but that there will be other times.

He is so perfect for me.

10 for Ten - Four to go!

I am now 4 days away from my next road-trip with Brett. Six days ago I challenged myself to write "something" every day for the intervening 10 days.

I wrote a blog post.

I have caught up with old friends - with pen and paper!
I helped a friend with her research by answering extensive questions.
I wrote my Christmas letter - well, it needs tweaking, but it's basically there. 

It occurs to me that, 'round about the beginning of the year, I made some kind of goal-thingy to blog once a week this year. I have failed miserably. This 10-day challenge I gave myself inspires me that I really CAN do it!

After tonight, my next 3 "writings" will likely be more cards to friends, and hopefully finalizing my Christmas letter.

Then, well, the deal with this weekend is...my mistake. I saw that Blue Man Group was playing in the area and Brett said that sounded cool, so we assumed the weekend was on, for here. A couple-few weeks later when I went back online for tickets, I realized I had been looking at the wrong prices. $87.00! If it was something one or the other of us was wild about I'd consider it. But I've seen Blue Man Group, and Brett was only interested because "they seem cool".

Anyway, I suggested we "go away". And that's what we'll do. Nothing extravagant, just a new adventure to try.

Now that I'm back in a habit of writing, I will post something about the weekend afterward: Promise! 

10 for Ten

In 10 days I will see Brett again.

We get together about every other weekend, but recently our weekends were back to back, plus his birthday is the 19th, so I thought it would be fun to do something on that weekend.

(actually, there was a show that weekend I wanted to take him too, but that fell through.)

Anyway, I suddenly thought, this afternoon, that it would be fun to challenge myself for the next 10 days. Over 10 days, I will do 10 specific cleaning tasks... Over the next 10 days I will cook/bake a different item each day... 10 days of a certain genre of movie.. I will shop for 10 specific items... Something.

I solicited suggestions on facebook, and succeeded in confusing people. SO...tonight is day one and I will WRITE something each day. Might be blog posts, but I also have some cards to send to people I've not contacted since my move, and I have a Christmas letter to write, and you know, Brett's birthday is at the end of 10 days - I suppose I could count a birthday card to him if I make it special.

Any thoughts? What "10 for 10" comes to your mind? Alternatively, what subjects would make good blog-fodder, in your opinion?

Red and Brett Take a Road Trip

Overheard in my car about a half-hour on the road...

*Brett's phone rings*

Brett: Hey!

…

Okay. Bring your X-Box.

…

Just bring it.

…

See you when you get here!

Now, he had looked puzzled when he saw the number, but recognized the area code and prefix, so answered. After he hung up...

Me: Who was it?

Brett: I dunno. He just said, "I'm going to be about 20 minutes late..."

This is the fun and spontaneous man I love. A stranger calls him, sounding about the right age to own an X-Box (like what, 18-45?) so Brett plays along.

I kept randomly cracking up the whole wedding weekend, thinking of some guy showing up at his buddy's house with his X-Box, and the buddy being all, "Why'd you bring that?" and the guy getting annoyed, "Why'd you ask me to?" 

 

...Did they look up the call and find out that he mis-dialed? Did they just laugh and set it up to play? Did the buddy who was supposed to get the call leave before this guy arrived, because he never got the message that someone was running late?

Sadly, I’ll never know. Brett cracks me up!

Zombie from Hell - It's a New Look for Me

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my postings this morning, but to sum up:

A) I awoke feeling like a zombie.
B) When I got to work I felt like a zombie in hell.

The day didn't really improve. It just got tiring.
So I decided to shop after work. Might as well add to the hell. 

I hate shopping, but I had seen an "over-the-door" ironing board at Target and my little counter-top version has seemed sub-par since then.

...I hate ironing, too, but even more, I hate not being able to sit on the sweet window seat in my bedroom because of the 3 pairs of pants sitting on it, glaring at me, accusing me of negligent care for not ironing...

So I went to get the ironing board. And see what else jumped out at me.

I passed the shoes, so I looked, and even tried on a pair, but at about 8 minutes I realized my attention was fading, so moved on.

More than anything else, the worst form of hell of all is: clothing shopping. I really only buy clothes if either I'm desperate, or they practically jump off the rack at me. There was a cute top that jumped off the rack, so I tried it on. Blah. Cute on the hanger, shapeless on me.

FINE, UNIVERSE! I get it!

Ironing board. check.
Some baking needs. check.
Oh! Looking for a tea kettle...
Wait, a big saucepan is $40-$50? Crap. I need a big saucepan at some point, too. Not today. Tea kettle...tea kettle...

I know it's time to leave when I start "hmm"-ing out loud as I consider items on the shelf:
"Hmm" - considering this one.
"H-hm" - I don't know, maybe this one.
"...hhmmmmmm..." - get me out of here!

OH! And then the sweet retiree ringing me up. I loved hiring senior citizens for summer work at my old job. They're reliable, usually pleasant, and as long as they're trainable, you have a good employee who won't rock the boat. But he was meticulously slow and gave me all the details about the credit card options I had. Fortunately I was just worn out, and not on the verge of tears (which has happened from shopping overload).

I got what I needed, including 7-up so that I could make the fantastic margaritas I make. (Sorry Brett, I had to use one of your beers.)

The good news is, a margarita and some Big Bang Theory, and I can see the light!

Maybe tomorrow will be less hellish. Maybe my margaritas will ensure a solid night's sleep!

Another Reason Why Red "Doesn't Speak Klingon"

SPOILER ALERT!
If you intend to watch Star Trek: Into Darkness, you may want to skip this post. Thanks for stopping by, but fair warning is fair warning.
I will not give away any plot points, but "some people" don't like knowing anything about a movie before watching it. (I love you, Brett!)

My Movie Whore has been sadly neglected of late, what with my big move and all. I hadn't even intended to let her out of her shell yet, but partway through the movie, I could stifle her no longer, pulled out a pen, and started jotting notes in the dark. SO...

First, with all respect to my beloved, I LOVE Benedict Cumberbatch! So worth watching the movie just for him.

John Harrison...aka...


Oh, it's not a physical attraction thing, no-no. I think if I ever met Benny-boy face-to-face, I'd probably find him too skinny, too aloof, and his piercing eyes would make me uncomfortable. Not my type. But I swoon over his acting talent.

Always great to see on screen, Benedict Cumberbatch does not disappoint in Star Trek. He gives his character such life, such passion...  His brand of villainy is the kind where you love to hate him, even while he makes you sympathize with his cause.(if you've read anything about the movie at all, you know he's the villain.)

Actually, Mr. Cumberbatch would have made a great Spock.


Nimoy on the left, Quinto right. Wouldn't Cumberbatch be  better?


I am not a fan of Zachary Quinto's Spock. Leonard Nimoy breathed life into Spock. Even to this day, Nimoy makes you care about Spock, logical as he is. Quinto's Spock is...dry. Even his rare exhibits of humanity feel somehow "alien".

(Jim Parsons would even have made a better Spock, IMHO, but since Big Bang Theory was already running before this Star Trek series began, it would have just been ironic.)

This is a good action movie. Kind of like the last Star Trek. You don't have to be a Trekkie to get into the action sequences. Good fights. Great villain. Iconic characters.

Characters:

Aside from Spock, I still appreciate the casting of this crew! I have loved every Star Trek captain I've known: TOS' Kirk, TNG's Picard, Chris Pine as Kirk. Okay, I guess that chica who was Captain in Voyager didn't light my fire, but I didn't watch it much, so don't remember her much.

Bones? Pretty even, but I gotta give Karl Urban the nod for Dr. McCoy. Possibly I just identify better because we're nearer in age, possibly I just find him hot as Eomer from LOTR. He won me with his first dialog in the last movie, when he explained his new nickname "...all I got left is my bones." Haha.

Scotty? Even-Steven. Love Simon Pegg, but this character is all in the writing, I think. The original Scotty made me laugh just as much. But I have to say, I LOVE Scotty.

Uhura? I love that she's a bigger role now, but that kind of gets watered down by her mushiness in the new romance created for this series. Nichelle Nichols wins by a nose. (Through no fault of Zoe Saldana, who is exceptional.) It's just the new character-twist that bugs me.

John Cho as Sulu ROCKS!

Sulu rocks. Again, seems to have a bigger role now, so overshadows George Takei's take on the role. But this new Sulu? ROCKS! If you're not a Star Trek fan, you should become a fan of John Cho, and watch these Star Trek movies for him.




Random notes from the Movie Whore:
"42". There was an homage - surely intentional, in a sci-fi movie like this - to Douglas Adams' "ultimate answer" as defined in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (Unfortunately, the line was before the Movie Whore made me start taking notes, so I can't remember how they used it. "Suite 42"? "42 days"? No idea. The Movie Whore's gonna make me watch it again.)

They are flying a shuttle early in the film, which from a distance resembles the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars - (RESEMBLES! I said RESEMBLES! When they come in close, it's too bulbous-y to really look like it, but the overall shape is similar, and the maneuverability seems akin. Geez! Take it easy!) If the resemblance is intentional, kudos for connecting to both HHGG and Star Wars. If not, happy coincidence.

This movie does ascertain to me however, that I am more of a Star Wars fan than a Trekkie... In case there was any doubt. The storyline of Star Wars in continuous, and - complain about the acting all you want - it goes from beginning to end. Star Trek is a bit more disjointed. Like episodes of a TV show.

Huh. Go figure. 

Nice one, Gene Roddenberry. Well-played.

Finally, I doubt there is a soul alive in the Western world who could deny the iconic status of the Star Trek theme music.

The new theme (during closing credits) by Michael Giacchino incorporates the original, but with punch.

FINALLY, finally, the dedication at the end choked me up. 'nuff said.

AND... I made a comment about this movie within the last week or so on facebook that elicited an odd response.
...Now I am very confused, and must watch Wrath of Kahn to understand the response.

We May Have Reached an Impasse

You’ve seen it on TV before. I know there are scenes in both How I Met Your Mother, and in Big Bang Theory dealing with it, and probably lots of other shows, too. In HIMYM, Ted forced his new girlfriend to watch Star Wars, because it is his favorite movie. She didn’t get it, and he hid the fact of how important the movie is to him.

The dramatic saga of Red and The Transformed Non-Conformist has reached such a roadblock.

I shouldn’t be surprised. Brett and I have known for a long time that we have wildly different taste in movies. There is some overlap. We have successfully watched DVDs together during most of our weekend visits, and have been to see movies in the actual theater… what, three times? (The Avengers, Brave…what else?) But there are concessions. When I’m coming over, Brett tries to ensure that Netflix sends him something “Red-appropriate” (AKA: not horror) although we did begin an attempt at horror-indoctrination. (Brett put a lot of thought into it, but we never got beyond step one, which was actually kind of an accidental movie and not the one he intended.) When he comes to see me… well, frankly, I’m having issues with my DVD-player, so we are kind of limited in that regard.

I’ve threatened him with Bridget Jones’ Diary, He’s Just Not That Into You, Moulin Rouge, and all kinds of other chick-flicks and classics. Last weekend, I put in Breakfast At Tiffany’s – one of my top three favorite movies, ever.

He hated it.

He hated the characters.

He hated the story.

He hated … well what else is there?

He didn’t chuckle at the bits that make me laugh.

I love this movie. The Movie Whore in me watches it a lot. And quotes it. We - the Movie Whore and I - find Holly Golightly to be a sympathetic character – oh, not that I can identify with the details of her life, but the way she deals or doesn’t deal? The abstract? Yep. I get it.

What to do?

My Love hates one of my favorite classic heroines!

...My new working theory is that Brett has a subconscious tic in his brain that will not allow him to appreciate any movie that is highly acclaimed. He must find fault with it. It's only a theory, but I have some evidence: He doesn’t like Casablanca. He doesn’t like The Godfather. He is "okay" with Star Wars (or so he tells me) but not wild about it. He said he wants to watch Doctor Zhivago (possibly my all-time, most favorite movie).

I have a sneaking suspicion he will hate it, too.

It’s a classic.

It’s hailed as a work of art.

It IS a work of art, in every respect.

I love him. I love Brett, and he can have any opinion he wants. We may be at an impasse on some movies, but you know what? That SO doesn’t matter. At all. If we’re ever in a situation where we have no available movies that we can agree on, there are plenty of other things to do instead!