Jan 25, 2009 | Personal, Recreational
Movies are something my dad and I have shared for many years now. When I went away to grad school, I would not only come home every Saturday to watch the latest HBO premier movie, but I would bring back tapes I had recorded from my residence hall’s closed circuit movie channel – movies that weren’t even on regular cable yet. Each week, I’d bring home half a dozen or so of them, and then Dad and I would make a pizza and enjoy the Saturday HBO premiere.
I’ve also shared some good movies with Dad at the theater. One of the best was Apollo 13. That’s one movie that just isn’t the same on the small screen. Conspiracy Theory was also good fun, and there have been many others.
We had meant to see the new James Bond movie in the theater, Quantum of Solace. We enjoyed the last one so well on DVD, and we thought it would be a perfect movie to see at the theater with all its action. But unfortunately, it left our local theater before we had a chance to see it. We were bummed about it until we saw that Gran Torino was coming out. We were able to catch that one.
Gran Torino was good. Tragic and heroic in its quiet, yet explosive kind of way. It was really enjoyable. But the real fun of movies is sharing them with someone, like your best girl, your dad, or in this case: both!
Jan 4, 2009 | Personal, Recreational
“So, what are the rules to this game?”
“Each player draws one card and plays one card on their turn.”
That sounded simple enough. Of course, I neglected to ask how you win the game. Even had that occurred to me, there would have been no answer to that question. The game goals are defined by the cards played. That’s right, the conditions for winning are fluid. Some cards you play have you do one time actions like draw multiple cards or steal cards from another player. And even the core rules can change by the playing of rule cards.
It was a fun evening of games and visiting: a first “couples date,” so to speak with our new friends. Now, the question is, how do you follow up a game like Zombie Fluxx? Killer Bunnies, anyone?
Oct 26, 2008 | Personal, Recreational
Now here’s an interesting metaphor. Our annual trip to Shryock’s Corn Maze took on an intriguing theme: the U. S. presidential election.
I suppose as we have to chart a course through the maze, progressing through many obstacles and making decisions at every intersection, we should also ponder the presidential election as we, the people, chart a course for our country, keep our nation progressing through many obstacles and choose someone who we think will be making the right decisions at every intersection.
Or at least for this year, making the right decisions much more often than the other candidate.
Oct 19, 2008 | Personal, Recreational
So we got some tickets to see Bill Cosby in concert down in Branson….
My first exposure to Bill Cosby’s standup humor came, of all places, in high school. Yes, I had an English teacher/coach, who, as English teacher/coaches go, was good at what he did. Quirky, but good. He actually read to our class a self-published novel he had written. Of course, his idol was Stephen King, so most of the teens in his novel died by the end. Like I said, he was quirky. As a reward to us near the end of the term, he showed us Bill Cosby: Himself.
I know, I have digressed somewhat.
But then again, so does Bill Cosby. Maybe not quite as rambling as me, but more like your favorite old uncle who always tells you stories. That was what watching Bill Cosby in concert is like now. He starts stories, moves on to others, then comes back to the first one in a way that made me feel like he’d invited us over for dinner and we were now enjoying some after-dinner conversation.
He spun his humorous stories from a chair in the middle of the stage. He was wearing a casual sweatshirt, and it looked like he was fighting a cold by the way he went to the tissue box at various times during his performance.
Though still autobiographical, his humor has changed from Bill Cosby: Himself. Of course that was over twenty years ago. Then, he talked about his family, being a father, his kids, his childhood. Now, at 71 years of age, his jokes are more about the challenges of getting old, trying to swap recipes with fussy neighbors, and visits to the doctor and dentist.
I particularly enjoyed some of the stories about him and his wife Camille. I “get” that he’s taken some liberty with the “grumpy” exchanges he describes in his routine. The deep love and understanding that makes a 44-year marriage happen always sneaks in between the lines of his jokes.
“You get to my age, you can sit like this in a room, no TV, no radio, just sitting in a room, and you can get into trouble.”
“My wife will say, ‘I just straightened up in there!’ Well, I must be the mess.”
I hear you, Cos. And Angie and I really enjoyed you having us over last night.
Oct 14, 2008 | Miscellany, Personal, Recreational
I like to surprise Angie with “extra destinations” on our annual birthday trips. (The first corn maze we went to in Columbia was a big birthday surprise.) This year was no different. The fun we had in Springfield would probably have been enough (Japanese Stroll Garden, Braums, Battlefield Mall), but I wasn’t finished yet. I took her down to tour the 417 Idea Home in Branson.
We’ve been talking about building a home for some time now. The Idea Home was a collaborative effort that took four years to complete. The home featured the best of what local architects, designers, builders, and suppliers had to offer. It was meant to be an inspiration for people who want to build their own homes using the latest materials and technology. Something that you can actually touch and walk around in. And, best of all, Angie had never heard of it.
It was great fun for both of us, and it fueled another round of design plans and revisions. One day, one day….
Aug 1, 2008 | Miscellany, Personal, Recreational
Two seats. Two sets of pedals. One steering mechanism.
This contraption is truely a compatibility test for couples that surpasses what you could get on those many of those “online dating” sites. You go through several stages on one of these things. The first, of course, it, “Hey, that looks like fun.” Next comes, “Okay, you are pedaling too (fast | slow) for me, could you (relax | pick up the pace)?” Then comes, “In order to steer this thing, we have to work together.” Then there’s a stop and a short break, followed by a pep talk by the one whose idea it wasn’t to stop and take a short break.
Then there’s communication. Deep communication unlike what was occuring before. Decisions on speed and direction are seemingly made and executed simultaneously. You turn to your mate and see she’s smiling. You realize you are too.
Riding on a side-by-side bicycle built for two on the Katy Trail near Rocheport is an education and a ton of fun at the same time.
