I Thought We Should Talk

I wasn't able to see "Marriage Story" in the theater (remind me never to try to park near the Los Feliz theater in the evenings), so I watched it on Netflix at my friend Linda's house prior to the Oscars.  She didn't want to sit through 3 hours of "The Irishman" again, so I didn't bother to ask.  I'll watch that eventually, though.

• So, Kylo Ren and Black Widow are getting a divorce...
• I really liked those "What I Love About..." letters.  That's one of the tools I would have used if I had continued to pursue my counseling career.
• I like that they both loved each other's competitiveness.
• I loved Laura Dern's role in this movie.  Laura Dern, Laura Dern, Laura Dern!!!
• I also loved how the film portrayed both characters with faults, and not just one being the villain (more Ben Solo than Kylo Ren, then).
• Both ScarJo and Driver were outstanding in their roles.  
• Baumbach's writing is incredible in this film, and I'm really glad he won Best Screenplay at the Spirit Awards.
• I thought it was hilarious when Cassie was trying to get her part right when serving the divorce papers.
• "It's all garnish, vegeterianism."
• Me:  "You need to go to a hospital!"  That observer woman couldn't even dial 911?!
• Loved all of the Hallowe'en costumes.  Must be nice to know costume designers that will make stuff for you.
• Aw, he didn't know where to bring the kid trick or treating.
• "You *were* happy. You've just decided that you weren't now."
• "I didn't even know what my taste was because I was never asked to use it."
• “And I’ll never stop loving him, even though it doesn’t make sense anymore.”
• Dude, Kylo Ren can sing!  Honestly, he did a great job, and I'd love to see Adam Driver in a musical, because he knows how to act and sing at the same time, instead of just singing whatever.  I really liked his rendition of "Being Alive"

I cried a lot, I laughed a lot; I really enjoyed this movie.

Orders from the General

I took Tuesday off due to a couple of personal appointments, and I had a few hours between them, so I was able to watch "1917" in Dolby.  I thought I was going to have the whole row to myself, but then other people arrived, and I wondered why they weren't at work.  I guess they could have wondered the same about me, huh?  Anyway, I'm glad that they didn't sit in the seats next to me, because there were a lot of empty seats in the theater.

• When they were in the trenches, I thought, "Wonder Woman is there!"  She wasn't, though.
• Aw, poor war horses.
• Wait.  Who milked the cow?
• He sure had to do a lot of running.
• "It also has a ribbon."
• " I hoped today would be a good day. Hope is a dangerous thing."
• "Even their rats are bigger than ours."
• The cinematography was gorgeous.  I really liked the falling of the cherry blossoms.
• Oh, that's where I've seen Blake before:  Game of Thrones!  
• That singer's voice was beautiful.  No wonder they were all listening attentively.

This movie was very well done, and deserving of the accolades it's received thus far.  I like that director Mendes is honoring his grandfather's stories in this way.

The Girls

I finally had time to see "Little Women" on Sunday.  I've never read the book, so everything was new to me.  

By the way, I took the March Sisters quiz.  Here's my result:

YOU GOT: AMY MARCH

You are confident and strong willed. You have had a remarkable transition from adolescence to adulthood. You seek out what you want and believe in yourself. You are a talented artist who has matured in the best version of yourself. #AmyMarch

• Timothee Chalamet, I can't quit you.  Perhaps this is why I'm Amy.
• "I won't do it, not when I've spent my entire life loving you."
• I'm trying to get used to the fact that Emma Watson is now an adult and can portray a mother, because I still think of her as Hermione Granger.
• Jo being heartbroken over Laurie marrying Amy is one of the reasons I never had a sister.  OK, it was more because I didn't want to share my clothes, but I also didn't want to share anything else, especially guys.
• "Now I can be angry with him in person."
• I liked Amy's spirit, except for when she burned Jo's work.  I am looking forward to seeing Florence Pugh in "Black Widow".
•  "You will care for somebody, and you'll love him tremendously, and live and die for him. I know you will, it's your way, and you will and I'll watch."  Aw, that killed me.
• "I may not always be right, but I am never wrong."
• "Do what Marmee told us to do.  Do it for someone else."
• "I'd rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe." 
• I loved the scene wherein Jo is watching her book being printed.

I really enjoyed this movie.  Maybe one day, I'll actually read the book.

DLR LotD 01/24/20

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, January 24, 2020

"Outta my way." -- Ryan, greeting Sherry, at Catal

Last birthday dessert of the year:
Caramel Apple Profiteroles

Just Peachy

I saw "Parasite" at a late showing with Glenndy.  I hadn't seen any trailers, so I didn't know what to expect.  All I knew was that Cindy wanted to see it again.  The trailers played prior to the movie were not anything I wanted to see, and all I could do was narrate some of them to Cindy because she refused to watch them due to scary/yucky stuff.  Like balloons.

• "You smell like her."
• I immediately did not like the rich dad.  He was snooty, and I don't think he actually loves his wife.
• I have a box with a lock like that!  I got it while I was in South Korea.
• Peaches.  Peach dust.  I now want peach pie.
• I also want to try whatever that noodle dish was...ramen and steak or something.
• I do not, however, want to try the dog treats.
• "Jessica" being drunk was hilarious and I wanted to hang out with her, if not for the whole con artist thing.
• "They are nice because they are rich."
• Loved the rehearsal scene.  
• "I forgot something in the basement under the kitchen."
• "You know what kind of plan never fails?  No plan.  No plan at all."

I enjoyed this movie, and I think its nomination for Best Picture is well deserved.  4 more to go!

DLR LotD 01/18/20

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Saturday, January 18, 2020

"Good talk." -- Stormtrooper, ending his interrogation of Sherry, at Batuu

Singing in the Shipyard

The Last Ship

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Ahmanson Theatre

Los Angeles, CA

KP wasn't able to use her tickets to see "The Last Ship", so she gave them to me for Bro and V to use.  Thanks, KP!!  She had tickets for another day, too, so I'm glad for that.  I arrived at the Music Center a little bit early, so I bought a glass of wine and a cookie while I waited for the doors to open to the theatre.  Construction recently completed, which included a new fountain, so I just watched that while I played my game on my phone.

Sting is on a theater poster, y'all.

The doors were opened and Bro and V hadn't arrived yet, so I walked around to read the walls, which had some historic photos of performers at the Music Center.

Little did he know back then that he would
be the voice of Vader.

Prior to almost causing a
Global Thermonuclear War

Bro snuck up on me and I ignored his attempt to say hello to me, because I'm used to ignoring people in Downtown LA.  Sorry about that, Bro.  When V joined us, we went to our seats, which were first row balcony, so it was kind of scary for me to be close to the edge, but I liked our view.

Thank you, KP!

It was opening night in LA, but I forgot to look for famous people in the lobby. 

The orchestra is on the stage
as they were for Dear Evan Hanson.

Most of the cast was on stage prior to the show, and they waved to people in the audience, including us.  I'm just letting you know this because SOMEBODY said it would be entered on a blog somewhere.

• Lots of applause as soon as Sting entered the stage.  He did not disappoint!
• I loved Frances McNamee's voice!  She played Meg, and she made me cry, maybe two or three times.
• When they started speaking with their accents, V was concerned that she wouldn't be able to understand what was going on in the show.  Same here, but we eventually got used to the cadence of their speech.
• I don't know how they dance in those heavy boots.
• I wonder if the character of Ellen is supposed to represent Sting, since she is a musician and wants to follow that dream.
• So did Meg just not want to even tell Gideon that she was having his baby?  Maybe he would have come home...or maybe she was afraid that even if he knew, he wouldn't come home.  Of course, I concentrated more on the romance part of the show more than the whole shipyard ordeal.  
• The special effects of the set were really cool.  I especially liked the silhouettes during "When We Danced".

Curtain Call

I looked at the price of the vinyl album autographed by Sting, but the $100.00 price tag was too pricey for me.  So I kept with the magnet that I bought because I liked the stained glass design in the background.

I liked the poignancy of the show, and I think Sting did a great job, as did all of the performers.  

"The Last Ship" runs through February 16, 2020.  Go see him before he goes to his residency in Vegas!

Strolling Around the Big Apple

Birthday Trip to NYC

Day 3

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Travel Home

I ate some of the goodies we still had left over while getting ready for the day.  Jenn and I walked back to Pret for more Wizarding until it was time for me to go meet my friend.  I told Jenn that she would like Susanne, so she decided to join us.  Susanne just happened to be in NYC for the weekend, and I had seen her post on Facebook, so we decided to get together.  

I didn't know JT was an attorney.

Jenn's leg was feeling a little bit better, so we opted to walk to the cafe.  I wanted to go to the Philippine Embassy while we were close by, but we got turned around somehow.  While being turned around, we saw the library, and I saw someone take a picture of this plaque, which was in the sidewalk across the street from the library, so I took a picture, too, because I really liked it.

Books At Our Feet

As we walked by Bryant Park, I saw a familiar building.  Before telling Jenn what I saw, I used Google Lens to make sure that I was right this time.  

For real now: the Empire State Building!

We laughed at our ignorance, and we made sure that Pauline could see that we finally know what the building looks like.  For now.

I texted Susanne to tell her that we were almost at the cafe, and she told us that she was seated upstairs.  But when we got there, I didn't see any stairs.  Uh oh.  Susanne was in a different Bluestone Lane location!  She told us that she would meet us where we were,  so Jenn ordered our brunch: Salmon Toast and an Aussie Iced Latte.  I figured that going to an Australian establishment was perfect because we were in solidarity with those suffering from the horrific fires.

G'Day, Bananaman!

Susanne finally arrived and I introduced her to Bananaman.  I love that she said, "He is a bit obscene, isn't he?" Then she proceeded to take pictures of him and with him.

"Obscene" does not have to be bad, you know.
Susanne gets it.

The three of us had a great conversation, then we let her go because she needed to get ready to watch a show.

Thanks for a lovely coffee talk, ladies!

We still had plenty of time before our late checkout, so we found the Philippine Embassy on our way back.  

I love that sun on the flag.

Mabuhay!

The embassy was closed for the day, so we went shopping in a souvenir place next door, and I found a keychain for KP.  

This street sign reminds me of "Splash".

I felt like I was on some kind of movie tour.

Then I saw the sign for "Hotel Chocolat" and could smell the delicious aroma of chocolate when someone opened the door, so of course, I walked in.  I ended up buying something that wasn't even chocolate at all, although I thought it was, but it ended up being a nice mistake (it was a Sugar and Sour Orange Body Scrub instead of the chocolate scent that I smelled on the sample).  The cashier told me it was her favorite, and it is very nice.

Godzilla & Kong enjoying coffee
Yes, they are made of chocolate!

We walked back to the hotel, finished packing, and took a taxi to Newark.  We checked our bags and got in line for TSA.  We were there for about 15-20 minutes, but when I got to the front, the agent told me that what I was holding was not a boarding pass, but my receipt for my bag.  I couldn't get my app to work quick enough, so they told me to go back to the ticket agent to resolve the issue.  It wasn't far away, but as I started to approach the ticket line, the app started to work again and I went back to TSA.  I didn't even need to wait another 10 minutes because the line had significantly shortened, but I did have to wait a while to get my carryon item checked.  Meanwhile, I saw this:

Aw, it's my Superman.

Once I finally made it through TSA, I joined Jenn, whom was sitting at a restaurant and Wizarding.  

Our plane was quite full, and someone sat between us, but the flight was fine, even though we missed our First Class treatment.  When we landed in LAX and got our bags, Jenn's car service picked us up, and we went to her house.  

We said our goodbyes, and I gave her big thank you hugs.

Thank you for an awesome birthday trip, Jenn!  I had a wonderful time, and I wish I could treat you with the same generosity and kindness for your birthday.  Maybe someday. 

Bananaman says "Thank you for the adventure!"