 |
 |
 |
 |
Time on Thursday that I decided maybe I would go for a visit to the home city of both my Music Stylist and my friend Ames: Approximately 9:30 AM.
Time on Thursday that my flight left Minneapolis: 2:40 PM.
Breakfast treat that I like as much as Sun Country Airlines: Powdered doughnut.
Gallons of gratitude I owe to Ames for acting like visiting with approximately eight hours of notice and crashing on her couch was the most normal thing she ever heard of in her life: 462
Number of days my parking pass at Ames's apartment complex was good, making my rental car safe and sound: 4
Likeability of Ames's apartment, compared to Minnesota apartments I have had: 6.2 times as likeable
Number of in-unit washer-dryer combinations I have ever had in MY apartment, Fancy-Pants: 0
Number of episodes of The Brady Bunch Ames and I watched on TV Land over the weekend: 10 (approximate)
Prevalence of idiots in suits at first restaurant/bar visited on Thursday night by me, Ames, and MS: High
Drink apparently most similar to Corona, in eyes of waiter at place serving 400 beers who believed I owed it to myself to branch out: Creek water
Delightfulness of MS's favorite "I hate this bar" joke: Life-threatening
Content of joke: "This place is a little too Paddy O'Touchdowns for me."
Days MS knew Ames prior to shaking his fist furiously at her, just as he often shakes his fist at me: 3
Movie Ames and I saw on Friday, while MS slaved away at the office: Akeelah and the Bee
Number of storylines present in Akeelah and the Bee involving dead family members: 2
Number of needed storylines in Akeelah and the Bee involving dead family members: 0
Number of disturbing gender-politics problems with Akeelah and the Bee: 1
Likeability of small child playing Akeelah: Enormous
First person to arrive at agreed-upon location for lunch on Saturday: MS
First person to call to report that agreed-upon location did not exist: MS
Time delay before report via text message that agreed-upon location did actually exist, followed by the redundant remark, "I am stupid": 2 minutes
Time spent in window alcove of MS's favorite bar/cafe hybrid drinking beer and discussing messy aspects of life (mine): 4 hours (approximate)
Number of weeping fits during window-alcove conversation: 0 (I rule!)
Event unexpectedly collided with repeatedly during weekend, including at bar/cafe hybrid where performances were occurring: Fringe Festival
Pleasantness of woman repeatedly urging MS and myself to attend one of 24 consecutive hourly performances of same piece taking place nearby: High
Number of hourly performances we attended: 0
Length of time I have lived where I now live, roughly defined: 9 years
Frequency with which I walk into restaurant and am greeted personally: Very low
Length of time MS has lived where he now lives, roughly defined: 3 months
Members of our party instantly recognized by guy seating us at Thai restaurant: 1
Number of seconds after we were ushered inside from pleasant umbrella-style outdoor seating that it started to rain: 13 (approximate)
Number of days MS's parking pass at Ames's apartment complex was good, keeping his car safe and sound while we all chatted inside: Trick question; we forgot to get MS a parking pass.
Approximate asshole score of Tow Truck Guy who spoke to MS on the phone about having towed his car (scale of 10): 11.2
Number of signs anywhere near where MS was parked reminding him that he shouldn't park there: -6
Number of fist fights MS engaged in with Tow Truck Guy at Tow Truck Office regarding towing of car: 0
Number of glare fights MS engaged in with Tow Truck Guy at Tow Truck Office regarding towing of car: 1
Greatest Breakfast Of All Time: Original Pancake House Apple Pancake
Original Pancake House location frequented by MS and family: Madison
Acceptability of apple pancake from alternate east-coast location: High
What east-coast location had decided Apple Pancake needed to make even better breakfast: Ice cream
Perfectness quotient of finishing weekend with Apple Pancake, followed by even more Brady Bunch: High
Excellence of weekend: [boing] [Apologies; measuring device broke]
That's PRINCESS Fancy-pants, and don't you forget it!
![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.frolicanddetour.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]So, what is the disturbing gender-politics problem with Akeelah and the Bee?
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]WARNING: Comment contains Akeelah and the Bee spoilers.
Well, let me tell you how the denouement goes down. Akeelah, of course, makes it to the end of the National Spelling Bee, and it's down to her and the very, very stereotypically intense Asian kid with the very, very stereotypically controlling and mean Asian father. (Problem in and of itself, of course.) Akeelah gets this ponderous look on her face, and her coach (Laurence Fishburn) realizes that Something Is Up. But before he can talk to her, she goes up there and throws a word that we know she knows. She does this because she realizes that the other kid will be off the hook with his father, and she doesn't really need to win anyway.
The other kid, however, is onto her, and he throws the word ALSO, so that he doesn't win. He then comes over and tells her that she has to do her best, dammit! He doesn't want to win this way! (Bleeeeargh.) So then, they go at it head to head, and in a preposterous sequence, they both get all the championship words right, so it's a tie. Yay! Or: Boo.
What Ames and I talked about afterwards that felt icky about it is that it's like she does the stereotypical Girls Are Nice thing, and then the boy gives her permission to do her best and be smart, and then she goes all-out and it's a tie. Like... I get what they're saying, and I know that many a sports movie has involved some consideration of self-sacrifice and the merits of competition throwing for the greater good, but there is a very uncomfortable dynamic watching this smart girl receive permission from a boy to try her hardest. I would have preferred the movie be delivered without that particular lesson that for girls, victory is all about pleasing everyone and understanding that victory isn't really important. In a sports movie, you ought to get the victory at the end. The Karate Kid didn't settle for a tie with the Cobra Kai.
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]
... there was no Miagi-san to help unleash the power of the kata, as in KK-2 ?
maybe the boy's grandfather should have stepped in.
Glad the weekend rocked... not sure of the city, but it sounded like Seattle from the rain.
good Thai restaurants are valuable places to know.
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]Coincidence?
http://imminentfiction.blogspot.com/2006/07/cliffs-of-moher.html
If so, I think it's cool that we think alike.
If not, I think it's cool you read my blog.
Either way, cool.
Paddy O'Touchdowns. Heh. ;)
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]Aww. It is a coincidence, actually, but a nice one.
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]Yeah, that's what I thought. I've read enough of your stuff to know that you give props when they are due. Perhaps we both stole the idea from the same place. ;)
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]"The other kid, however, is onto her, and he throws the word ALSO"
Heh. On first reading, I was picturing the kid spelling out "A, L, S, E, W." And I was thinking, "That doesn't seem like a final-round spelling-bee word."
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]Regardless of anything else in the post, the quality of the apple pancake at the original pancake house is important enough to mention twice.
Heck, you don't have to eat the whole rest of the day.
at 09:58 AM on 07.24.06
[ link ]Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
