Heard at the Movie Theater
To answer a few recent questions ("What do you do for me-time?" and "They have zebras at your fair?"), let me just say this. I go to movies alone, probably too often, considering the price of of a movie ticket, but I do. I like the communal experience of watching a movie with strangers. What I do not like is the presence of small children in a movie theater when the movie is not animated and rated G. Tonight's small child (at the 7:30 p.m. show) was loud and then cried and had to be carried from the back row of the theater all the way to the front and out the door. Uh, can you say "distraction"? PLEASE PEOPLE, I AM BEGGING YOU, HIRE A BABYSITTER WHEN YOU GO MOVIES WHICH ARE INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUR PRESCHOOLER!
A-hem. Okay. Where was I? Oh. So, during the movie In Her Shoes, a character tries on an outfit. Another character says, "Jackie Kennedy?" "No," the character responds, "Jackie Onassis." At which point, a girl to the right of me leans over to her friend and says loudly, "Who's that?"
Well, maybe you had to be there. I found that amusing.
I have to say, this movie pleasantly surprised me. I laughed. I cried. I wished I had more than one tissue stuffed in my pocket.
It did not, however, make me nostalgic for my own sister, the one who hasn't spoken to me in more than three years.
Finally, yes, we did have zebras at our fair. An entire barn held exotic animals, African cattle and pygmy goats and other furry, fuzzy creatures not seen at your local farm.
And now back to me. What do I do for myself? Well, I read blogs and I write. I read books and I write. I leave my house in the evening as often as I can, sometimes to grocery shop in peace, sometimes to see a movie, sometimes to prowl the aisles at Marshall's for bargains. I occasionally enjoy a decent break in the middle of the day when the babies and toddlers all nap simultaneously and then I eat lunch and read the newspaper. Whenever I have a break in the action, I give myself permission to sit and read or rest rather than clean.
It's not much, but it's enough for now.
A-hem. Okay. Where was I? Oh. So, during the movie In Her Shoes, a character tries on an outfit. Another character says, "Jackie Kennedy?" "No," the character responds, "Jackie Onassis." At which point, a girl to the right of me leans over to her friend and says loudly, "Who's that?"
Well, maybe you had to be there. I found that amusing.
I have to say, this movie pleasantly surprised me. I laughed. I cried. I wished I had more than one tissue stuffed in my pocket.
It did not, however, make me nostalgic for my own sister, the one who hasn't spoken to me in more than three years.
Finally, yes, we did have zebras at our fair. An entire barn held exotic animals, African cattle and pygmy goats and other furry, fuzzy creatures not seen at your local farm.
And now back to me. What do I do for myself? Well, I read blogs and I write. I read books and I write. I leave my house in the evening as often as I can, sometimes to grocery shop in peace, sometimes to see a movie, sometimes to prowl the aisles at Marshall's for bargains. I occasionally enjoy a decent break in the middle of the day when the babies and toddlers all nap simultaneously and then I eat lunch and read the newspaper. Whenever I have a break in the action, I give myself permission to sit and read or rest rather than clean.
It's not much, but it's enough for now.
posted by Melodee at Friday, September 30, 2005
6 Comments:
When the movie Give my Regards to Broadstreet came out, my wife heard a girl at the candy counter ask - "You mean Paul McCartney had a group before Wings?
I know this is none of my business,but I am one of those horrible have to say what I think kind of people, even on a blog (which by the way I love reading).
I remember you had a post not long ago about your fathers funeral and how your uncle was at the back of the church just standing there. You said your father and uncle had been in a feud for many years. I thought how sad, I am sure that uncle regretted never having made up and having to stand back there knowing he was too late.
Then you said you are also in a feud with your sister. I didn't know what it was over until you added the link today. I understand that you are angry and hurt that your sister would take such private and personal pictures and keep a copy for herself. But you must have been close at one time (close enough to want her to be at the birth and take pictures). Don't you worry that something will happen and you will be the one standing at the back of that funeral hall (horrible image I know, I am sorry), but if something were to happen. Do you really think you would be OK with not having spoken to her for all these years over pictures?
Sorry if this angers you, of course I hope it doesn't and I do love reading your blog. You sound like you have so much going for you now after years of heartache wanting a family. Don't you miss sharing your joys and your daughter (since that seems to be when the feud started) with your sister?
I, too, am one of the few movie nerds (no offense) that will go to see a film alone. Usually because it is a foreign film with subtitles (and my friends don't want to "read" their movie) or it is a non-mainstream art film. I just love them.
Our local theater is hosting an "art" series. Saw two art films in September: Broken Flowers and Mad Hot Ballroom. Mad Hot is a documentary and fun for the whole family; Broken Flowers was... well... an art film. (Need I say more?)
I love going to movies alone and hardly ever do it any more, maybe a few times a year. I've long admired your ability to pull yourself together and get out of the house of an evening. I'd suggest meeting to share a popcorn at a movie in Seattle sometime, but then nether of us would be getting to go alone. Hmm.
Tracy--
Thank you for your comments. You're right, of course, that it's ironic that my dad and his brother (and sister, too, for that matter) didn't speak for years and that now my sister and I don't speak.
And it is sad. It's especially sad that she has completely cut my children out of her life. (She has no children, no husband/partner.) However, this has been her choice. She chose to steal from me and when I confronter her, she chose to ignore my email. When we were at the same family event, she chose not to speak to me. Last summer, I knew she was coming here again (she lives in Japan) and I emailed her to ask if we could discuss the reason we aren't speaking. She emailed back that she'd call me. I asked her to please communicate with me by email so we could resolve our issues. She ignored that email. She never called, though she was in my area for two weeks.
The ball is in her court and I do believe I've done all I can do.
We have never been close for many reasons, so there really hasn't been any sense of loss for me. She is prickly and impossible to get close to, though I have gone out of my way for many many years trying to reach out to her. My invitation to photograph my birth was one of those extensions.
So, I know it looks like I am following in the sad tradition of my father's legacy, but I have done all I know how to do. If the other party does not wish to communicate, what can I do?
--Mel
Mel, we have a similiar situation in our family. I can relate.
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