An Evening at the Movies

My dad really wanted to see Public Enemies, and being, myself, a fan of both Johnny Depp and movies where I grow attached to the bad guys, I agreed to along. WG said he'd go if I, and I quote, "need company." Well, nah, I had my daddy, so the company part? Covered.

Well, Public Enemies was fabulous, as was the evening. I met Daddy at the theater right after work (yes, I did have packing to do; yes, I am moving on Saturday, but some things, like spending an evening at the movies with Daddy, take priority). He had brought sandwiches, which I hid in my giant work purse, and we settled in with a coke and the previews.

The movie was great. It had strong dialogue, really interesing cinematography (think the Bourne movies, minus the whip-lash), and Johnny Depp.

Johnny Depp...John Dillinger...JD...JD...methinks it was meant to be.

Of course, this was about more than the movie.

This was about using one of the last nights when the only one I'm coming home to is Marley (though I'm sure that cat would actually like a detailed schedule of my comings and goings) to spend time with my pops. Because, after all, I am a Daddy's girl, through and through.

And oh? Mr. "If you need company, I'll go?" Well, when I told him about the movie, he said, "Why do you always go see good movies without me?"

sigh. boys.

Oh well, whoever you go with, you should go see Public Enemies and enjoy your dose of Johnny D.

Falling Asleep But with a Radio in my Head

Seeing as how I'm nearly falling off my chair with exhaustion (this is what happens when a geeky girl stays up until 1 in the morning trying to get to level 20 on WOW...this geeky girl was successful, thank you very much), I think that all I can muster the strength for today is Friday Song Lyrics.

And you know what, it's about darn time.

So, here you go, the songs that, for a myriad of reasons, are currently circulating in my addled brain.

1) Cyclone by Baby Bash (this is just about one of the more offensive songs I've heard, yet everytime it comes on the radio, my hips start shaking and, white girl that I am, I think that I need to add it to my workout mix)

Now look at that peppa'
On the back of that bumpa'
She aint even playin
When she's shakin that ruppa'
And oh, you aint know?
She gets lower than a muffla'
Even with her girlfriends
Show stopping with a hustla'

The way she move her body
She might see the Maserati
She wanna put it on me
Tryna show me her tsunami
She make it hard to copy
Always tight, never sloppy
And got an entourage
And her own paparazzi

2) Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston (when exhausted, clearly only hip hop will do)

See it started at the park
Used to chill after dark
Oh when you took my heart
That's when we fell apart
Cause we both thought
That love lasts forever (last forever)
They say we're too young
To get ourselves sprung
Oh we didn't care
We made it very clear
And they also said
That we couldn't last together (last together)

3) Umbrella by Rihanna (the Jay-Z re-mix) There is no easy reason why I love this song. I like that she says "Um-ber-ella," but other than that...eh...lack of sleep makes me wanna dance, you, 'cause that's how I roll.

No clouds in my storms
Let it rain
I hydroplane into fame (Eh eh)
Come'n down with the Dow Jones
When the clouds come we gone
We Rocafella (Eh eh)
She fly higher than weather
And she rocks it better
You know me
An anticipation for precipitation
stacks chips for the rainy day (Eh eh)
Jay, rain man is back with lil Ms. Sunshine
Rihanna where you at?

You had my heart
and we'll never be world apart
Maybe in magazines
but you'll still be my star
Baby cause in the Dark
You can see shiny Cars
And that's when you need me there
With you I'll always share
Because

When the sun shines
We’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath
I'mma stick it out 'till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella
You can stand under my Umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

4) No One by Alicia Keys Just about the only hip hop song I can get WG to listen to, and a perfect suggestion for his Christmas mix cd (thanks Irenie!).

I just want you close
Where you can stay forever
You can be sure
That it will only get better
You and me together
Through the days and nights
I don't worry cause
Everything gonna be alright
People keep talking
They can say what they like
But all I know is everything's gonna be alright

No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I'm feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you

When the rain is pouring down
And my heart is hurting
You will always be around
This I know for certain

You and me together
Through the days and nights

5) Anyone Else But You by the Moldy Peaches (as performed by Michael Cera and Ellen Page) - Because I am currently OBSESSED with that soundtrack, when not shaking my ruppa to Cyclone and other songs that have no place in my musical repertoire.

You're a part time lover and a full time friend
The monkey on you're back is the latest trend
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of a train
I kiss you all starry eyed, my body's swinging from side to side
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Here is the church and here is the steeple
We sure are cute for two ugly people
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

The pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive me
So why can't, you forgive me?
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

I will find my nitch in your car
With my mp3 DVD rumple-packed guitar
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu du

Up up down down left right left right B A start
Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

You are always trying to keep it real
I'm in love with how you feel
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

We both have shiny happy fits of rage
You want more fans, I want more stage
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Don Quixote was a steel driving man
My name is Adam I'm your biggest fan
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Squinched up your face and did a dance
You shook a little turd out of the bottom of your pants
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu du
But you

Slow

What with power outages, thunder, lightning and rain, I had no choice but to stay inside my apartment all weekend, now did I?

Except for Friday night, of course. I stopped on my way home for gas and found it curious that the power was out at two of the three gas stations by my place, but I figured this was a fluke. Certainly, I would have power, right?

Wrong. I walked in to find WG trying to chop chives by candlelight, hoping against hope that the power would return at any moment and he could finish making his potato soup. No such luck. I had to console him with a bit of a nap and a trip to see the movie he's been dying to see, Juno (bonus Dwight sighting in the movie, for all of you Office fans out there)...we had NO. WARM. FOOD. TO. EAT., people. We had to get out of the house. I can't NOT eat hot food when it's pouring rain outside. So, we got our meal, entertained ourselves at Best Buy playing some odd animal version of tetris...and then went to our 10 o'clock show. I assumed that the power would have to be on by midnight when we returned.

It wasn't.

So, I showered by flashlight and crawled into bed (a bed heated by own personal heater -- sidenote, why are men like furnaces? they burn all their heat outward...there has to be some kind of scientific reason for this), hoping to find the power back on in the morning.

Hurrah! It was.

And so my weekend of gadgets and gizmos and games could commence! Yippee! I scurried down to the gym to workout to the sound of booming thunder, then scurried right on back into my cozy apartment for a day of Warcraft (I'm a geek and proud, gosh darn it), Wii and...uhm...I can't think of anything else that starts with a W. Mostly, it was Warcraft.

And that's when it hit me.

I always have this long list of things to do, and I try to to a little bit of everything each day. After spending five hours on the couch playing a video game, I realize it's all about quality time. Quality time, folks, means that I don't try to squeeze in half an hour of gaming, an hour of working out, an hour of cleaning...but that I spend signficant chunks of time on one sole activity. Maybe that's how I finally become an expert at something instead of mildly good at a lot of things. Now, that's not to say that I'd like that "expert" ability to be with Warcraft, but still, realization had. Moving on.

With the power back on, WG was able to make his longed for soup, and so, I left him in the kitchen for several hours. I didn't even once offer to help! Look at me not being all up in his space.

So, we have soup to last us to the apocolypse, and his craving was certainly satiated.

And then we nearly fell asleep playing Mario Galaxy 8 on the Wii (dang those stupid computer characters - Luigi is a moron and Toadette totally capatalized on that...). Ahh, living in the lap of luxury.

Sunday, more of the same, but this time, I made it a point to play Wii first, ah ha, so as to get in my quality time on the Harry Potter game. Then I cleaned the apartment...so, some kind of quality work got done.

We finally managed to find my dad in Warcraft, and the men came and rescued me, much to my chagrin, from a bit of a...situation...I'd gotten myself into, and it was great fun to play that little ole game online with both WG and my dad. And, from what I hear, my dad got quite the kick out of being able to be a virtual hero.

Evening came, along with my odd little meal of bratwurst and rice (and salad...we must keep ourselves in good health, people).

And then I was back online, perusing the job descriptions. I've found (and applied for! woot!) one job I like so far, and I continue to be picky...but we had a little conversation like this.

Me: Do you want to live in upstate New York?

Him: I don't know anyone there.

Me: And it's too cold. Do you want to live in Maryland?

Him:....

Me:Maryland?

Him: I could do that...

Me: Wait, the job's in Baltimore. I am not living in Baltimore.

Him: Good.

And so the quest continues.

And then it was time for bed and a new week.

And here I am, at work on a sunny day, oddly craving the rain and, understandably, craving the weekend.

They Hunt and Go to Church

We stepped onto the plane just in time to hear a man say, "Tomorrow, I'm going shoot something!"

But because we were going to Oklahoma, we knew what he meant.

We arrived on Thursday, picked up our luggage and ran into one of WG's dad's employees who was picking up his daughter...a woman who had actually sat right next to WG on our flight from California. Oklahoma is a small state.

WG's sister picked us up.

I spotted a slightly weaving ginormous, brand spanking new, red Chevy pick-up truck with a big bold OU front license plate and said, "Is that her?"

Sure enough, the girl who usually drives a little Pontiac Crossfire was barely handling the biggest truck known to man, WG's father's brand new purchase.

I took one look at her hair and knew for certain that I would not be asking her to take a pair of scissors to mine anytime soon. She's fashionable in her crowd, but her style is a far cry from mine. She had short, platinum blond hair with a darker brown underlayer, and, what I learned later were "extensions for volume." Uhm. No thank you. WG kept teasing me, "Would you like me to ask her? Did you want me to tell her to bring her scissors over?"

We stopped off at WG's dad's house to change clothes and visit with his dad and step-mom. We walked into his dad's office and saw about six gun cases out on the floor. If I hadn't known it already, I knew then that I surely was a long way from California.

Thanksgiving was an assortment of people who look like WG. Well, more like a pod of people clearly cut from the same genetic pool. Since I've only met a small portion of my man's family before, it was both refreshing and startling to be around so many people like him. They were loud, but not brash. They were curious about me but not obnoxious. And they were all there to eat the 950 different things on offer for dinner. And his cousin's wife was just about to give birth (honestly, that baby could have just slid on out at the dinner table).

It was at the dinner that I met his mother for the first time. She gave me a big hug, talked to us for a bit, and then went back to enjoying her Thanksgiving with her family and her boyfriend of four months. I don't mean this as a bad thing. I wasn't given the Spanish inquisition (or whatever they call it in Oklahoma), and I wasn't the focus of 23 people curious about their relative's California girlfriend.

Friday, I got to witness WG assembling his mother's Christmas tree in all it's glory. This meant four hours of very careful winding of lights around a vast number of individual branches. I handed over the lights, as I have been trained to do after two decades of being my dad's holiday-light-hanging assistant. I'm apparently the only assistant he's ever had who he didn't want to yell at throughout the process. I'm also the only assistant who's ever made out with him :Þ.

On a mid-morning outing to the world's largest Wal-Mart to pick up MORE lights for the tree, we had an interesting encounter.

Me: Hey, I see a dead deer in the back of that truck.

WG: I swear, I've seen more guns and dead deer in Oklahoma this trip than I ever have in my entire life. They've all come out to scare you.

Me: I see a dead deer in the back of that truck, and I can tell by the placement of it's antlers that the head is no longer attached.

WG and his mother laughed and laughed and laughed.

That same day, I also got proof that WG existed before the age of 14. I saw baby pictures! I saw screaming from the birth canal, brand new WG for the world to see, naked and all. And the scary thing? He looked just like himself. You know how there are people who always look the same, well that's WG. His mouth has the same set, thin line when he's displeased, the same smirk when he's up to trouble, the same light in his eyes when he's actually happy. I like that.

In the evening, I got to witness him playing Settlers of Catan with a glint of determination in his eyes that isn't usually there when he plays with amateurs. Seeing WG in his home environment, with people he's known for years, meant watching him come alive in a way I haven't experienced before.

Saturday involved exceedingly cold weather (well, exceedingly for a California girl standing outside for five hours straight) and some real, live
Oklahoma football. And those boys were big. They looked like giants out on the field as they tackled the OSU quarterback and knocked off his helmet. I had turned into a real Oklahoman by that point, and realized it as I caught myself thinking, "Son, you best put your strap on a bit tighter next time."

Ah, but it was fun to watch as WG saw the Pride of Oklahoma rush the field. I could see him fall back into his memory, and, for one of the first times, I didn't feel jealous, didn't want to pull him right back to the present time with me.



Sunday, I awoke in bed beside the man I love. Almost as soon as I opened my eyes, he said, "Happy Birthday," and a rush of warmth filled my body. I missed my mom and dad, felt a longing for some of the birthdays of the past, but I also felt truly blessed to be where I was. Thanksgiving is meant for gratitude, but, despite some evidence to the contrary, it is on my birthday that I feel most grateful for my blessed life. I had texts and calls from my parents and friends throughout the day.

We went to church and attended a worship service led by Vicky Beeching, then to lunch (there were so many "then to lunch" moments throughout the visit that I thought I might have to roll out of the state on Tuesday), then back to his dad's farm to ride a four-wheeler around and heard the faint echo of hunters' bullets as they tried to chase down some white-tailed deer.

We learned that his cousin's wife had given birth, and there is now someone else in the world to share my birthday.

It poured rain that night. We drove to Oklahoma City in the rain, both commenting on the difficulty of holding hands while he drove, because he was in another of his dad's jumbo trucks, and were further apart than we are used to. It poured rain, and we walked around "Bricktown" (aka downtown Oklahoma City). It poured rain and we settled down for crawfish etouffe and then went to see August Rush.



And as we drove back to the farm, the rain turned into snow. It snowed on my birthday.

Before we knew it, it was Monday, and our last full day in Oklahoma.

We strolled down the rode in the truck to his grandfather's farm, where his grandfather toured us around.

WG: How old are these colts, Grandpa?

The Grandpa: Well, they were born in May last year, but they'll be two on January 1st, according to the American Quarter Horse Association.

Me: That's better than being born on December 1st and turning one on January 1st.

And his grandfather looked at me with approval. "You know a little something about horses."



And then we went to lunch in a restaurant where they let you eat peanuts out of a bucket and throw the shells on the floor.

The rest of the day we spent in Oklahoma City. We stared in confusion at the bombing memorial, not sure what to say, not sure how to make sense of the tragedy that happened there. Parts of the building still stand as a memorial, so it's hard to forget what used to stand in that very spot.



Then, WG, his dad, step-mom and I went ice skating. And I rocked. And by rocked, I mean I didn't fall on my bottom. WG did. I laughed.

And finally, one last dinner in Oklahoma. A fine, glorious, Napa-worthy meal (accompanied by wine made by WG's winery, but purchased at full price by his dad, with WG shaking his head throughout the whole exchange) of decadent pasta and tiramisu for dessert.

One cozy turn around a vast park filled with Christmas decorations, and it was time for one last talk with his step-mom, who had drunkenly advised me in Las Vegas not to settle.

"I may have been drunk when I said it, but I meant it. It's important not to settle."

"Well, I respect my father very much, and I wanted the man I dated to be worthy of my father's respect. And WG is a good man."

"It's true. We all think very highly of him. He is a good man."

And with that, WG and I went to sleep in a room full of clocks so that we wouldn't miss our 4:45 wake-up call for our 7 a.m. flight.

And then we came home.

A Beautiful Weekend

1) Starting out Friday evening with dinner at my parents' house. A fabulous time was had by all - there was roast beef, and perfectly done potatoes, and these loverly brussels sprouts. Then we watched Heroes. It can't get much better than that. It was also quite endearing to watch WG explain to my dad the he doesn't really want to see American Gangster (the movie my dad and I have been going on and on about to each other for months).

WG: Eh, I don't really want to see it. I don't like those kinds of movies.
My Dad (with an open mouth and an unbelieving expression in his eyes): You DON'T LIKE THOSE KINDS OF MOVIES? How can you not?
Me (trying to change the subject just a tad): They had an article with the real life guy's daughter in Glamour...
My Dad (now mumbling to himself): Sarah and I love those movies...
WG: Well, I'll see it...
My mom (perky in the background): Maybe we can all go together!

2) Pumpkin Carving with fabulous library friends! Yay! Our wonderful hostess provided the pumpkins, the carving gear, the yummy snacks...the works. A fabulous time was had by all. That seemed to be the order of the weekend. I greatly enjoyed getting dressed up with my blue wig and the rest of my martian costume, and it was fantastic to hear WG laugh heartily at himself as his costume makes him look just a tad silly.

3)Bridge School Benefit Concert- hearing Regina Spektor live for the first time and John Mayer live for the fourth time was amazing. I sang along, listened to the music and said to WG (my own personal band geek who can play three instruments well), "You know, I may not play music, but I listen to music. Just as there are leaders, there must be followers. There are those play music and those who listen. I listen." During the concert, with a perfect Hollywood movie blue sky speckled gently with whisphy white clouds, I worried that I would wake up from a dream. I also realized fully and for the first time that I have been with this man for over a year, that we are a couple, that I have survived a year with a man in my life, and I was happy.

I Heart Johnny Depp

In just over three hours, I will get to see the long-awaited third movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Needless to say, given the title of this post, I am, in a word, stoked.


I remember waiting in a loooooong line at a Burbank movie theater to see the first film with my then-roommates. It was probably the best movie I saw during my time in L.A., and it was one of the better outings with the roommates.

The second flick I've seen twice...most recently with WG, because he wanted to see it, understandably, before watching the third. The second time through, instead of being unbelievably long and somewhat boring (I think it was my state of mind at the time), it was quite marvelous.

My love affair with the gritty, grimey, odd man known as Johnny Depp most likely began when I first saw one of my favorite movies of all time, Edward Scissorhands, way back in 1990 (wow, Johnny and I have one serious long-term relationship).

Tangent: A scene from my most recent birthday.

Me: "Oh my gosh! Edward Scissorhands!! I've wanted to own this movie FOREVER!"

Later

WG to my mom:"So, did she ask for this movie, cause we've been talking about it."

My mom: "No. It's one of her favorite movies. I just saw it and bought it for her."

WG: "Wow. That is fantastic! We have so much more in common than I first thought."

See, Johnny's so great he even helps my reality-world love life! Tangent over.

That love affair, while sometimes falling by the wayside for passing fascinations with Matt Damon and other pretty-boy actors of that ilk, I've remained mostly true to Mr. Depp. In that Christan Slater vs. Johnny Depp era, I was always in the Johnny Depp camp.

I've loved him through
* The Corpse Bride
*Secret Window (also a Stephen King story, how can you go wrong??)
*Once Upon a Time in Mexico
*Chocolat (swoon)
and all the rest (except maybe Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas...).

Johnny Depp is old school, new school and his own kind of school, and I'm anxious for his antics as Jack Sparrow.

He's a marvel of an actor, and I just can't wait to see what Jack Sparrow is up to tonight!

The "Geek" Woman

We went to go see 300 last night. It was truly an experience. Blood. Gore. Violence. Love. Hot guys. Women with impossibly perfect hair. All set in Ancient Greece. How can that go wrong, I ask you?

And, it can't.

I love this stuff. I know it goes against all of the female stereotypes (but when have I jumped on the bandwagon of stereotypes?), but those kinds of movies are what I really enjoy watching. Don't get me wrong, I'm happily sitting here watching American Dreamz, laughing at goofy, mildly attractive Hugh Grant, but once I got over a boy who dumped me by watching Blade (you know, the fabulously cheese Wesley Snipes vampire hunter movie?).

At work this morning, I talked to one of the resident comic book experts and 300 fan, a married mother of two boys. I said to her, "I wonder if your husband and my boyfriend realize how lucky they are to have women like us who actually want to go see these movies."

And she said, "Oh yes, Geek girls are hard to find."

"We're one in a million."

"Absolutely."

You're Gonna Love Me!

So, I watched the Academy Awards, and as it turns out, I actually got to see them live (considering that everything happens in California, it's amazingly rare that we get to see any awards show live)!

Anyway, I just want to say that, although I would have enjoyed seeing that little girl from Little Miss Sunshine (one of my new favorite movies) win the Oscar fror Best Supporting Actress, I am THRILLED that it went to Jennifer Hudson.

When she got voted off American Idol waaaaay too early the Fantasia year, I was upset for days (this was when I actually got Fox and could watch American Idol with the proper amount of dedication and attention). When I read in a magazine, "Oh, and by the way, Jennifer Hudson just scored a role in Dreamgirls," was happy in a, "Oh, yay, she'll get her chance, still." But winning an Academy Award!? Wow, this girl has come FAR.

So, I just want to say that she had it right in her big solo. We do love her, and there is no way she's leaving Hollywood anytime soon!

I love it when the Oscars do something cool and unexpected like this! In honor of Jennifer's win, I'll keep my avatar over there dressed in her Oscar finery for another few days.