a trio of films, or parting is such sweet sorrow

This weekend turned out harder than I thought it would be...


I guess I haven't really given too much thought to the fact that I am not just leaving a place, but people as well.  I have been so busy counting down days and preparing for my travels this summer that I have lost sight of some of the loved ones I will rarely get to see once I head out of the Southwest. 

eh, coulda been better

On Saturday I had a chance to spend time with four women who have come to mean quite a bit to me: Mel, D, Jessie, and Djay.  Oh, and Mel had her two precious twin boys in tow as well, Aiden and Elliott.  We went to see the first of the three movies I saw over the past two days (yup - you read right: three movies) by heading to a matinee showing of Pirates of the Caribbean IV: On Stranger Tides in 3D.  The plot and screenplay were a bit slow at times, but seeing Geoffrey Rush is always a pleasure, and the costumes were good, as they usually have been with the Pirates movies.  I just can't believe they still have another two to go until this whole Pirates thing is done!

number 2: not much better

After a quick trip to replace a pair of sandals that I sadly left in San Francisco (I hope whomever has them enjoys them as much as I did - shoot, I liked them so much I bought them twice!), I headed off to have dinner with my friends Kevin, Sue, and their daughter Ande.  We grilled steaks at their house and, after some rice pudding, all piled in Sue's Prius to do see Super 8, the new Spielberg/Abrams summer blockbuster.  I am a bit tired of the alien flicks, but the fact that it was a period piece (of sorts) and Kyle Chandler (of Friday Night Lights fame) played a great Deputy Sheriff role made for some nice moments.  And even though the film wasn't the best, it was nice to be able to watch a silly movie with some good friends.  I am sure the movie will make big bucks - a lot of folks seem to love this sort of thriller...just not me.  At least one of us liked it (if you guessed Kevin, you're right).  

lucky number 3

The piece de resistance was the movie I saw on Sunday night, which was the new Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris.  The movie made me want to fly to Paris immediately and speak (what little) French as I walk around the city and scribble notes in a sketchbook.  Although Allen wasn't in the movie himself, Owen Wilson was an amazing stand-in.  All his nervous and anxious moments were classic Allen, as was the humor throughout the movie.  Even the beginning of the movie made me think of Allen's 1979 classic Manhattan with all of the city shots used to set the stage.  Plus, the cast was nothing if not amazing.  Rachel McAdams was great as were Carla Bruni, Adrien Brody, Kurt Fuller, Marion Cotillard (love her!), and others.  If you haven't seen it yet, this is the first must see of the summer to me.  It was Woody Allen through and through, and was just a darling film.  


While watching three movies in one weekend is far from the norm for me, it was great to be able to spend some times with friends.  It's hard, this moving thing.  The more I think about it, the more difficult it will be for me to leave some of these people in a few weeks time.  Up next: more time with the same folks I saw this weekend.  It seems like there isn't enough time, but in the end, I know I have made some friends who will be around for a long long time indeed.