One of *Those* Days

Ever have one of those days when you think it's almost the weekend, then you realize it's only Wednesday?

Or a day 10 weeks after you started a new process - 2 weeks after you thought you were done - when you find that there's one more step you have to do before you *might* (or might not) be done?

Or a day when you realize that you're 44 and you're making less than you did when you were 28 - and have less free time to show for it?

Or when you realize that you no longer know what the passion and drive in your life was supposed to have been once upon a time?

Or when you push back at the people who are trying to help you for no apparent reason?

I'm having one of those days, today.

And, unfortunately, on those days I tend to take it out on the people around me. Which wouldn't be so bad if I let it out at work. But today at work I was perky and polite and made all the right "gee, I care" noises at all the right times.

On the other hand, tonight at home I kind of snapped (well, via email) at someone offering help. And it took all my might not to - in the middle of a conversation - curl up in the fetal position in the hallway and stay there until the middle of next month - or maybe until September 25th when the next season of The Amazing Race starts and I'll need to be able to see the TV.

Yeah. It's definitely been one of *those* days.

Luckily, in just over 2 hours the calendar switches over to tomorrow. One day closer to the weekend. One day closer to the project being done (I mean... it has to conclude at some point, right?). One day closer to the Amazing Race premiere. And, hopefully, one day closer to re-finding my workday passion - and if it comes with a decent paycheck, well, let's just say that I'd love it to be one of those days.

Movie Monday - Positively Pleasing

In the past week, I actually got to see two movies in the theaters. And, yes, both of them had Ps in their titles. One of them even had a character with a propensity for playing with P-words.

The first P movie was "Mr. Popper's Penguins." I gotta admit that I wasn't sure I wanted to see it, since Jim Carrey and a bunch of penguins (one of which is named "Stinky") kind of made me think that it would be a throw-away movie. Then I found out that Angela Lansbury was in it. And, of course, I had to go.

It's a perfectly pleasant way to pass some time. Perky, perhaps a bit too reliant on the bathroom humor, but pfun, overall. Jim Carrey really can be pfunny at times, the penguins were cute (they're about half live and half CGI'd, and it's honestly pretty hard to tell the difference), and Angela Lansbury... well... she's always practically perfect in every way (my apologies to Julie Andrews). And, yes, there's a character named Pippi who speaks in preponderously large number of P-words. I don't have any idea how the actress did that without breaking up.

One of the best things about seeing the movie? We were there with a bunch of little kids around us. When the potty humor got to be too much, the kids would giggle and giggle. It made it much easier to put up with.

Overall rating: B. Possibly higher if I was a bit younger.

The second P movie of the week was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," which Christopher and I saw yesterday. Basically, they've gotten rid of most of the old cast (keeping Johnny Depp, his nemesis Barbosa, and his first mate), and tossed in Penelope Cruz and a bunch of new people. And some deadly mermaids. And the Spanish Armada. Oh, and the Fountain of Youth. And a great cameo by Judi Dench.

In fact, I think they spent so much money throwing things in that they ran out of money for lighting. Or for a humor writer.

I've heard mixed reviews about the movie. Some critics have loved it because it has reinvented the "Pirates" franchise. Some have said it went too far away from the formula that had worked so well in the other three movies. I'm somewhere in between.

I liked Penelope Cruz's character (strong-willed woman who is also a pirate and a thief), and I liked some of the ancillary characters (like the missionary who falls for the mermaid), but I missed some of the humor of the first movies. And I have to admit that the ending felt like someone had decided that they needed to wrap of the movie so it just kind of stopped.

Did I like it? Sure. But mainly because I felt like it was setting up for the next one. And, yes, I loved the one scene that was straight out of the amusement park ride.

Overall rating: B-. Better than average, but - at least for me - it deserves a great big "Needs Improvement - not working up to potential" in red ink.

Celebrating Pride

I blame the weather for the fact that, honestly, I had forgotten that it was Gay Pride weekend in the Twin Cities this weekend. It just hasn't seemed like June with the cooler temperatures and all of the rain.

I've seen the signs downtown about it. And I knew that the 35W bridge was going to be lit with rainbow colors last night (some day I'll learn how to embed video on here, but for now you'll just have to click through and check it out). And I've seen postings all over the place about parties going on. But, still, I kind of kept forgetting.

This morning, while I was out walking the dog, one of our neighbors was in her yard doing some work. She asked if Christopher and I had any big plans for the weekend - picnics, parades, parks, that kind of thing - and it took me a second to realize what she meant.

I know there are a lot of people who say that the best way to celebrate a culture (be it Irish, Greek, Hmong, or Gay), is to have a huge festival once each year to show your colors. It's a chance to be out in the open and proud of who your are "en masse" for the world to see. A chance to focus on the diversity and strengths of the group, in that "we're stronger together" way.

And I'm really happy for all of the people who make up those crowds to watch the parades and cheer for the concerts and re-connect in the parks.

Me, I'm not so much a crowd person. I get a little claustrophobic when surrounded by masses of people. I hate using porta-potties. And trying to find parking for a major event in an area with no parking lots is just not my idea of a good time.

So I'll be celebrating Pride the same way I celebrate it pretty much every weekend. I'll spend time with Christopher. We'll go shopping and eat something as a couple for all the world to see. We'll hang out with some friends. We'll celebrate living in a world where we can do all of those things while living together as a family.

Okay... so we can't get married in the state of Minnesota - yet - but New York State has made it legal this weekend. And we've got until November of 2012 to work on changing that attitude in Minnesota.

For this weekend, I plan to just be mostly happy... okay, and a little proud, too.

Like a Dog with a *New* Bone

Last night, we realized that the good-for-her-teeth, manufactured-not-real bone that the pup was chewing on was getting... well... sharp.

She actually kind of spit it out at one point, and then pawed at it on the bed, kind of giving it a "that bit me" look. It took some coaxing before she'd go back to chewing on it, again.

Tonight, while I was doing some early-summer planting in the yard (replacing some annuals which had become bunny food), the pup had been running around in the yard chasing her favorite tennis ball. Unfortunately, this meant that the tennis ball - which I had been tossing with my mud-covered hands - got a little dirty. To the point that it needed to be scrubbed off when we got back inside.

This meant that she had to move to her back-up tennis ball. Which, as we all know, is not nearly as much fun to play with as the main tennis ball, even if the main tennis ball is currently in the sink drying out after being scrubbed down.

In exchange, Christopher rummaged around and found a new bone which we had purchased a few months ago when we had one of our "loyalty points" certificates from our favorite pet food store.

This means, of course, that the pup has a new bone. She proceeded to carry it around in her mouth for a while. Then chew on it. Then carry it. Then lie down with it. Then leave it, as she searched for her tennis ball. Then go back to chew on it.

Obviously, life is good when you're a dog with a new bone.

Lunchervention

Today at work, we had a "lunchervention."

We decided that one of the newer employees - who has really been getting pounded this week by all sorts of strange situations - really needed some time out of the office to regroup and just hang out.

So two of us decide that the three of us should order in lunch (sandwiches from Erbert & Gerbert's), and go out into some other area of the building to eat it and talk. The idea worked great, mostly.

You see, my building only has 2 chairs in any common area. They're near(-ish) the vending machines one floor up from our office. And, as luck would have it, one of them was being used for a nap. So we just kept climbing the stairs. On the fourth floor we didn't find any chairs, but we did find a very large open area, so we spread out on the floor and picnicked.

We vented about work. We chatted about non-work things. We ate our sandwiches. And, amazingly, when we went back to work none of us were in the mood to throw in the towel and go home for... well... forever.

I suspect there will be more luncherventions in the future.

Movie Monday - Source Code - Green Lantern

After having not been to a movie in a while, I actually saw two last week.

The first was "Source Code" - a movie about an experimental process through which someone can go back in time to a specific eight minute window and try to solve a mystery (in this case - try to find out who planted a bomb). It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, and Vera Farmiga (possibly my favorite person in the movie, really).

I have to admit that at first I was leery about how they could stretch eight minutes into a full movie. Then, once I figured out the movie, I wasn't sure how they could keep it from getting boring. I'm happy to say that a) they did stretch it, and b) it did not get boring. In fact, it got more interesting as the movie when along.

Overall rating: A-. I found myself actually caring about the characters - and not just the main two leads; and I gotta admit that I like the end (or, more precisely, a specific frozen moment very close to the end which I won't describe further so as to not spoil it for anyone else).

The other movie I saw last week was (obviously if you read the headline) "Green Lantern." Of all of the comic book-y movies that are out this year, it's the first one I've seen. I haven't seen the latest "Pirates" movie. I didn't see "Thor." But I have to admit that I have always liked the Green Lantern character, and I also like Ryan Reynolds. Put the two together, and I was happy to go to the movie.

Christopher and I went with some friends last Friday night (opening night of the movie), and we sat in the VIP section of a theater we enjoy. Reserved leather seats. Alcoholic drinks (brought in from the lobby bar). A removable arm between our seats, but lots of space between our two seats and the next ones. And - since the VIP section allows alcohol - it's an over-21 area, so no little kids.

Oh, yeah, the movie.

It was good. It was a comic book movie. The good guy looks good in his superhero suit. He flies. He gets the girl (in this case, even without the mask on). He defeats the super-bad-guy. And, yes, the movie sets itself up for a sequel before you leave. I'm not a huge fan of 3-D (the glasses hurt when you wear them over regular glasses for 2 hours), but I did okay with this movie.

Overall rating: B+. It pretty much did what it set out to do. But, as someone who grew up reading the comics, there were a few things that I'd have liked to have seen included. Maybe they'll show up in the sequel.

Sunday = Nap Day

I had every intention of spending this afternoon with Christopher and his family celebrating Father's Day. I had called my dad, yesterday (since I wasn't going to be home today), and wished him a Happy Father's Day early.

Then we had some friends over last night for wine and cheese and conversation. For the most part, we ate and talked - no one really had that much to drink. They left around 11, and Christopher and I did a little tidying, then went to bed. Believe it or not, the bedroom was actually a little chilly, so I pulled up the covers and went to sleep.

That worked until about 4:30 this morning when I woke up HOT and kicked off the covers. I also felt kind of dehydrated (to reiterate: not a hangover - I only had 2 drinks over the course of 4 hours last night). And although I got back to sleep fairly quickly, when I was awakened by the pup at about 7:30, I was still feeling the effects of the not-great sleep.

By the time 11:30 rolled around, I'd already done some baking, washed the dishes from last night, and read the newspaper. And it was time for a nap.

I tend to take after my dad when it comes to napping. Basically, I can do a 15-minute nap and be set for the rest of the day. (I did that on Friday night between work and going to a movie.) But today I hit the bed and didn't wake up until about 1. I headed for the shower, got myself dressed, and was mostly put together by about 1:30.

At which point I asked Christopher to give his father (and the rest of his family) my best, and told him I was going to be staying home. I've spent pretty much all afternoon on the couch. I've watched some TV. I called my dad to wish him an actual Happy Father's Day. And I celebrated my heritage by napping a bit.

And now it's about a quarter to seven and I'm done with all that I was planning to do. Christopher and the pup aren't home, yet. I don't expect to go to bed for at least another 2 or 3 hours. Do you suppose it's too late in the day to get in another nap?