The Aerie
Just to prove that my life isn't an endless cycle of gloom and work, I
actually had some fun this week.
[1][P5150002.JPG] First was the lunar eclipse, which I'd really rather
present in all its own entry... but then what can I say that fill an
entire entry about a lunar eclipse? It was... cool!
For the first time in I don't know how many lunar eclipses, time and
circumstance conspired for excellend Midwestern viewing. The weather
was pleasant, the sky was clear, and there was no wind at all. I broke
out the tripod and digital cameras and got some 16-second exposures,
and the leaves on the trees weren't blurred at all. That's a calm
night!
[P5150007.JPG] So I stood outside for over an hour (when, to be
honest, I should have been watching the kids -- they stayed up till 11
p.m. on a school night!) grabbing snapshots of the lunar eclipse as it
progressed, and playing with different settings on my digital camera.
At one point I think I adjusted one setting too many, because the
focus went kaput and it wouldn't focus on infinity anymore! I'll have
to figure out what went wrong...
Then Friday my spouse returned home from her week-long writing
retreat, to my great relief. Being a working single parent is HARD!
[P5150009.JPG] After I'd spent the week home with the kids, she was
willing to let me go see "The Matrix Reloaded" last night. I didn't
want to go alone, so I tried calling a couple of friends but they were
both busy. Then as I was actually driving to the theater I called our
friend Debbie. I had been initially reluctant to call her because she
had for years forsworn ever visiting the Mall of America, rightly
considering it an abomination and canker upon the landscape. (I of
course have much weaker convictions and frequently visit the Carbuncle
of the South Metro Area). But I figured, well, the movie is
everywhere, and if she doesn't want to go to the MOA we can always
catch a show somewhere else.
Despite her objection to the MOA, despite having only two minutes
warning (really), and despite working both Friday and Saturday, Debbie
dropped everything (in this case, gardening tools) and I picked her up
and off we went. Impressive flexibility!
[P5150015.JPG] That's what friends are all about!
So with her dinner of popcorn and soda in hand, we went to see The
Matrix Reloaded -- having to sit in the neck-straining front-row in
order to find seats together. Her recollection of The Matrix was weak,
and she had a tough time remembering why what was happening was
happening, but she enjoyed the movie and had a good time.
When we left the theater I proposed dodging in to a showing of X2,
which was starting at 11. I really expected her to say no: she'd had
no dinner, she had to work both Friday and Saturday, and she was
tired. She went for it! So on our illicit two-for-one we went to see
the sequel to a movie she'd never seen.
[P5150070.JPG] It was a great time! We didn't get home until 1:30 in
the morning, but I really enjoyed her spontanaeity and enthusiasm to
have fun.
And in a quick display of karmic balance, I'll now spend today
emptying out the room that flooded last Wednesday whent he sump pump
jammed.
But it's a beautiful day for it!
P.S. Anyone who appreciates the female form will appreciate Rebecca
Romjin-Stamos' reprisal as the shapeshifter Mystique in X2. There was
a whole scene where Ian MacKellen, as Magneto, is seated discussing
well, something... while Mystique stands beside him, visible only from
knees to neck. I have no idea what Magneto said!
P.P.S. I'm going away for MY retreat this coming week, so unless I
happen to toss another entry off tomorrow, no updates for a week! Now
you'll have to reshape your expectations about what to do with your
time...
[2]Last
Posted by Albatross at May 17, 2003 12:00 AM