It was a date in 4 Acts. Act I started out the evening right. We went to a Saturday evening worship service at Crosspoint UMC at their South Hanover location. It's in a strip mall and fronted by a coffee shop, Perking Point. Nice place, nice people and good worship. Off to the movies for Act II and then dinner for Act III. The movie, Les Miserables is nearly 3 hours long and we went for dinner afterwards. I can't remember the last time we had dinner at 10:30. Probably not since we left Kansas City 16 years ago. Looks like this part of the world is starting to grow up. Dinner in a restaurant that didn't close the kitchen before 10 p.m.! My daughter couldn't believe we were just getting to dinner that late. I told her this is what life is like before children and when children are big enough to handle Mom and Dad going out for a good time. Hey, we are still young enough-dinner at Luby's Cafeteria at 4:30 can wait!
Les Miserables is a must see. For those of you who are hibernating in a cave for the winter, it is a filmatic opera, released Christmas Day. Not a musical. Huge difference. A musical is action and dialogue interspersed by sudden bursts of song. An opera is action and sung dialogue, with very little spoken word and interspersed with arias. Opera in film is quite different from operatic theatre. For one, close-ups allow all to see the emotion in the singer, not just hear the emotion. Another is the obvious difference in scenery, just as in any play or musical turned film. This particular opera is not just a take your wife or girlfriend out kinda movie. My husband liked it so much, he is reading the unabridged novel by Victor Hugo (he also wrote The Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Les Miserables is an emotionally charged story. The short version: parole breaker Jean Valjean is running from the law, in the form of policeman Javert, while raising and protecting an orphaned girl. The story begins at the end of Napoleon's reign in 1815. The story ends following the June Rebellion of 1832. The movie is well cast, with powerful performances from all. There is very little happiness (get a clue from the title!). I can only imagine how physically drained the actors must have been after a day of filming.
The film has won 3 Golden Globes and is nominated for 9 BAFTA awards and 8 Academy Awards. It's really good. I will watch it again some time. But not any time soon. I need to recover. I can't handle that much emotional intensity again so soon.
So, Act IV of date night? A lady never tells.
Happy New Year!
I can still say that. It's only the 8th of January. There must be a grace period allowing for the New Year greeting for at least a couple of weeks after January 1st. If there isn't, there should be. For people like me. You know, procrastinators.
I've only delayed writing my first post of 2013 because I haven't been sure about my subject matter. I have composed many posts as I lay in bed at night instead of sleeping. I think I should have just gotten out of bed and written them since I have now forgotten most of what I wanted to write. Does that mean I'm getting older? Nah, couldn't be.
I lie. This is the year for me to feel over 40. My oldest turns 18 in March, graduates high school in May and goes away to college in August. My husband and I celebrate 20 years of marriage in June. It seems impossible that my husband and I could possibly be married 20 years and my first born has been on this side of the womb for 18 years. It doesn't seem as if 20 years have passed. 20 years ago, 20 years was a long time away. And it was only a short time ago that we found out I was pregnant. Please don't mind my occasional outbursts of crying as those realities hit me every now and then.
The end of 2012 had us in the air traveling to St. Louis and KC to visit our families. Ahhh, the joys of air travel. I truly believe some passengers forget they are going to be in an enclosed, self-contained tube with wings, sitting practically in the laps of the other passengers. Fellow traveler, eating beans with onions and washing it down with a beer isn't always appreciated by your seat-mate. Save that for when you get to your destination. And did you know, they sell breath mints in most of the airport shops? If my eyes are closed, that doesn't mean I'm trying to better concentrate on the narrative about the ails of the five hairy cats you acquired from the pound. To the passenger sitting in front of me, did you know, suddenly reclining your seat right after the flight attendant has been around with drinks causes wet pants? And it is always amusing to see the passengers who just have to be first to get off the plane, at the baggage carousel waiting with everyone else, including those of us who got off the plane last. I witnessed on one flight a woman who practically walked over people in her hurry to get off the plane. Maybe she was claustrophobic or refuses to use the plane's restroom. Who knows? Whatever the case, if you are in the back of the plane, you won't be getting off with the passengers in first class, so just cool your jets.
Despite all that, (and the seat-kicking kids) I still like to travel by air. It beats being on the road for 10 hours one day and still having to face the same the next day. I like wandering around the airports, too, when there is time. What a great place to people watch. Maybe I'll share those observations later.
Blessings in 2013 to you and your families from me and mine.
I've only delayed writing my first post of 2013 because I haven't been sure about my subject matter. I have composed many posts as I lay in bed at night instead of sleeping. I think I should have just gotten out of bed and written them since I have now forgotten most of what I wanted to write. Does that mean I'm getting older? Nah, couldn't be.
I lie. This is the year for me to feel over 40. My oldest turns 18 in March, graduates high school in May and goes away to college in August. My husband and I celebrate 20 years of marriage in June. It seems impossible that my husband and I could possibly be married 20 years and my first born has been on this side of the womb for 18 years. It doesn't seem as if 20 years have passed. 20 years ago, 20 years was a long time away. And it was only a short time ago that we found out I was pregnant. Please don't mind my occasional outbursts of crying as those realities hit me every now and then.
The end of 2012 had us in the air traveling to St. Louis and KC to visit our families. Ahhh, the joys of air travel. I truly believe some passengers forget they are going to be in an enclosed, self-contained tube with wings, sitting practically in the laps of the other passengers. Fellow traveler, eating beans with onions and washing it down with a beer isn't always appreciated by your seat-mate. Save that for when you get to your destination. And did you know, they sell breath mints in most of the airport shops? If my eyes are closed, that doesn't mean I'm trying to better concentrate on the narrative about the ails of the five hairy cats you acquired from the pound. To the passenger sitting in front of me, did you know, suddenly reclining your seat right after the flight attendant has been around with drinks causes wet pants? And it is always amusing to see the passengers who just have to be first to get off the plane, at the baggage carousel waiting with everyone else, including those of us who got off the plane last. I witnessed on one flight a woman who practically walked over people in her hurry to get off the plane. Maybe she was claustrophobic or refuses to use the plane's restroom. Who knows? Whatever the case, if you are in the back of the plane, you won't be getting off with the passengers in first class, so just cool your jets.
Despite all that, (and the seat-kicking kids) I still like to travel by air. It beats being on the road for 10 hours one day and still having to face the same the next day. I like wandering around the airports, too, when there is time. What a great place to people watch. Maybe I'll share those observations later.
Blessings in 2013 to you and your families from me and mine.
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