Dolls and Movies

I met with my friend Amy for lunch today at the Peak City Grill on Salem Street in downtown Apex. She brought her laptop and showed me pictures from her recent trip to Europe. She went to Paris, Copenhagen, and Munich with her mom over Christmas. I was so jealous! She said she had a terrific time, and her pictures were beautiful. We talked about Paris for a while (one of my favorite topics!) and I was interested to hear that they didn't even check her passport when she arrived (I would be clamoring for my stamp!). Meanwhile here were gendarmes--soldiers armed with machine guns--everywhere in the city. Odd.

I'd only met Amy once before...we had lunch at Carolina Bakery and cruised the shops at Cameron Village in Raleigh. In one of the stores, I'd pointed out some nesting dolls. I have always had a fondness for them, but I don't have any. So I was very touched and surprised when she pulled out a souvenir gift for me--nesting dolls from Copenhagen! Not only did she think of me when she was vacationing, but she remembered something that I like, then actually bought it and lugged it around Europe and across the ocean for me! I was blown away. They are adorable, and absolutely perfect for me, because they are animals!


I also love that she gave them to me wrapped in the brown bag from the store they came from. Of course I will be keeping it...it has Danish writing on it! So cool.

Later I went to the Streets of Southpoint in Durham. Yes, yes, I know I said I would never return on a Saturday because it was a madhouse last time, but I was meeting another friend, Melissa, at the movies. The mall wasn't crowded at all. I did a little shopping before I had to be at the theater. I got two calendars at Barnes & Noble for half off, and a blazer at Casual Corner...they're going out of business! I was so sad to hear this, because although I don't shop there often, I love the things I have from there, and I even got my first suit ever there! In fact I will probably wear it when (if??) I get an interview here.

We saw Fun With Dick and Jane, starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni (who, for me, will forever be defined by her performance in Spanglish). It was pretty funny, as can be expected. (Spoiler alert: Stop reading here if you don't want to know details about the plot.) I was relieved that the couple does not resort to robbery until they are about to be evicted from their house, and that they have to work up to it (the first thing he steals is an Icee) but then they commit some pretty serious crimes and they are never caught or pay penance of any kind. Not even in a justice-enough-for-Hollywood form of karmically making up for their indiscretions, such as by giving money to charity or something once they return to financial solvency.

Before the movie we saw a couple previews that looked very promising. RV with Robin Williams...of interest to me because I'm familiar with the RV way of life, and because Robin is almost always hilarious. Also Click, with Adam Sandler. He gets a universal remote control from the "Way Beyond" section of Bed Bath & Beyond...which can control his whole life, from the volume on his dog's bark, to the speed of his life. The premise is similar to a folktale I used to read to my students...if you had the power to fast forward through difficult situations in your life (an argument, the flu, etc.) would you? Naturally. But then before you know it, your life is over, and you've missed it. So the lesson is to savor everything about life, the ups and the downs, yadda yadda yadda. There's potential there. And then there was the new Superman flick. It was a pretty minimalist preview--a teaser--the kind with only a few glimpses of what the movie will look like, but man, the power of music. The score, somewhat revamped, gave me goosebumps. Definitely want to see that.