Last Saturday, despite feeling dreadfully tired at 4 p.m. after doing nothing more strenuous than emptying a few slots on the DVR by catching up on Grey's Anatomy and America's Next Top Model (yes, exciting, I know. Be jealous), on a whim, I decided to get out of town. I had Special Olympics the week before and Habitat for Humanity the week after, so it was a rare free weekend during a busy season, and I didn't want to regret on Monday having let it dwindle away.
Jason wasn't feeling up for the adventure, so I enlisted this McHottie.
We quickly changed into more publically presentable clothing and hit the road before I could change my mind. Although we departed without any real plan in mind, knowing we'd have an hour drive to figure it out, the abrupt change to Saturday's leisurely pace was energizing in and of itself.
First stop became Barnes & Noble. If such a thing as Heaven truly exists, mine will be the ethereal version of Barnes & Noble. Just to walk in and smell the store... and not even the Starbucks... is a little glimpse of Nirvana for me.
I have been suffering Book Hangover, you know, the last book (actually two) having been so great - The Weird Sisters and Running with Scissors - that I haven't been able to find a new one to capture my attention as equally. So, I grabbed a stack of those that caught my eye, or interest, and parked for a while at Starbucks to peruse the merchandise. I really hate that my favored B&N got rid of their big comfy chairs. I could spend a whole day kicked back there, thumbing through books... of course, reasons such as that may very well be the reason they disappeared. Regardless, I did find three that I was anxious to read- THREE! THAT I BOUGHT! Seriously, did Santa come early or what? (Ugh... let's not think about how close the holidays are.)
Then, we tossed back & forth the idea of whether to grab dinner or just get snacks at the movie. When decided that simply popcorn and drinks at the theatre would likely cost as much as a smart dinner, we opted for the latter plan and hit Panera. Although not of equally Nirvana status as B&N, I do really adore Panera also. Especially cheap Panera! Cameron had an unexpected gift card tucked in his wallet from International Convention over the summer. He wasn't sure if it still had money on it... but when we checked.. cha-ching! Five dolla' dinner!
Lastly, we went to see "Gravity" with Sandra Bullock. I have had a girl-crush on Sandra Bullock long before she became a Mega-Star. Yet, I still wasn't overly eager about seeing this particular flick. It didn't seem the plot was going to be much more beyond Sandy floating around in space... and it wasn't... and yet SO good! Despite how enamored I may be with her, I would not call Bullock a "serious" actor. It's her awkward kooky-ness that I love... but if she does not get a nod for and Emmy, or Oscar, or whatever it is actors get, she will have been robbed. This movie just PUNCHES you in the gut. Everything about her character is so believable (despite some ridiculous criticism I heard about her hair not floating properly in zero-gravity). I just cannot imagine how someone would embrace the real-life terror of going into space and looking down on Earth as a career aspiration, let less if something went wrong in that predicament. It is completely unfathomable, and yet so believable in how it is portrayed. For as much as I am singing the praises of this movie though, I have to admit the lost screws floating through space was a gratuitous and trite use of the 3-D effects.
Alas, we returned home late in the night... and I spent nearly 12 hours Sunday on lesson plans and grading. I must admit though... the stress of the school grind was a bit lighter Sunday after having relaxed and played Saturday night. Sometimes play time does need to come before homework ;)
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