Good Times

Pretty nice weekend. I had a good time with the kids and was supposed to go to this 70s Disco-themed martini party on Saturday night, after I dropped them off. Something came up and I canceled, only to find I handled it faster than I thought and could actually go, and this was after I wisely got two pages of IJ#3 written. But I really didn't want to dress up now, and the prospect of just hanging out and watching a movie, eating some pizza and relaxing sounded better. But just as I had settled in, other friends called me to come over to their own little non-themed gathering, so I went. Had some wine. And then it turned out a couple of them were going to the other party, so we went, too, just without costumes. It's funny--the party was actually kind of dead, but perked up once we got there. I had a bit of a martini but I don't think I finished it. I was already pretty drunk. Danced with the female friends, the hostess, and her sister, with whom I had a nice chat after. A teacher somewhere in L.A. or Orange County. She left right after, but I actually think we hit it off, at least as much as you can in a short time at a party, yelling over the music. One great thing about showing up at a party with female friends is that you look safer and cooler to other women, I think. That's my tip for the day. I don't expect much of this, given the distance, but I'll see if there's any interest there. If not, hey, dancing with a pretty girl was still a nice way to spend part of a Saturday night.

The aftermath, though, has been a drag-ass but otherwise okay Sunday. Woke up at 10:00 on my friend's couch. We had eggs, bacon and fried potatoes and coffee. This is right near my ex's house, so I took the dog for a walk, and that little bit of sun and exercise was good for me. Add a leisurely shower, shave and a smoothie, and I was more or less fine. Watched the movie planned for last night--CROUPIER--plus the third disc of season one of THE SHIELD. CROUPIER is a good, if mannered, crime film that would have been deadly dull, or laughable, without the magnetism of Clive Owen. He's just very charismatic, and has a great voice, which is even more important due to the great deal of voice-over narration in the film. The last fifteen minutes were a bit of a jumble, though. THE SHIELD "continues to impress", as we hack critics like to say. Each forty-six minute episode is just so full of twists and rich character turns every episode is a new stand-out. The turns in Aceveda's life; all the Strike Team shenanigans; Dutch's brief triumph--all magic. I would've probably liked Dutch's serial killer storyline to go on longer, but whatever. Nice that the blond guy on the Strike Team shows some dimension, though it's the right move to keep Shane as the idiot of the bunch after his initial wave of guilt at the start of the series. I'd like more for Sally to do but watch over Julian, but man, is that character's arc gripping, depressing...frightening. He's the only character who hasn't a single moment of joy other than his fleeting, guilt-ridden relationship with Tomas. More than any other show I can think of, THE SHIELD really presents a viewer with a lot of ethical questions. Nothing is black-and-white; everyone makes mistakes in judgment--sometimes even commit crimes--that can be argued or rationalized or defended, as many of these wrongs do help others or have positive benefits.