A movie, a book, a weekend and a birthday

So first off let me do a quick run through of the weekend. Friday night started at my program happy hour which I invited Matty to. He isnt actually a grad student or anything. But he knows a lot of them, and that is what is important. So we start there with a few drinks (go free beer and cider!) and then go to a friend's new place in University City at 44th and Osage-ish. A really cute place with access (though not legally) to the roof. Which (since the building is 5 stories and therefore the tallest building around) has a beautiful view of the Philly skyline minue the Comcast Center, Cira Center and Murano. So it looks like the city 5 years ago. Which is neat. Except you can see the HUP construction. But whatever, nice nonetheless. We went over to play spades (my team won!) and grab dinner. We got Vietnamese hoagies from Fu Wah. This is the mini-market next to (and owned by the same people as) Vietnam Cafe (also the same people as Vietnam in Chinatown). This was my first Vietnamese hoagie and I must say I am mightily impressed. We got chicken, our friend got tofu and for ~$4 we were pretty happy.

Saturday we wandered around the city for awhile and ended up at Washington Square for some quiet reading. There were about 6 weddings taking pictures there while we were. And lots of puppies etc. And the weather was simply lovely. And Matty made it all the way through a Citypaper before getting antsy and needing to leave. Then a quiet night at home with margaritas, tortellini and Battlestar Gallactica (Only 2 more discs in season 4!)

Sunday we made french toast and then wandered up to the Parkway to see a bit of the Philadelphia International Championship bike race and the associated goings-on. It was pretty intense. As a complete non-biker I had absolutely no idea that this was such a big deal! But yeah, apparently it is.

Then we went to Rittenhouse for some more reading after grabbing yogurts at Sweet Ending, the new froyo place on Chestnut. One of several (at least 2 I guess) new serve-yourself, pay-by-weight yogurt places in the city. We haven't tried Phileo yet, the one on South Street though have heard good things about it. It is an interesting concept and will either do extremely well or not well at all. So you choose between several different flavors and toppings and then pay $0.49 per ounce. Which is good for them because 1) the cups they give you are enormous and 2) no one knows how much an ounce is. And I have to say my green tea yogurt with oreos, chocolate chips and strawberries was mighty tasty. The green tea is very subtle and almost lost behind the yogurt twang, I wouldnt mix it with any other flavors except plain maybe. Matty tried pineapple (very good), mango and green tea and lost the green tea. So the two of us had servings on the small-medium side and it came to $10. So, similar to gelato with added yumminess of toppings.

After relaxing in the park for a bit (just long enough for Matty to lose interest in sitting) we headed to another friend's roof deck for cheese and drinks. It was a very roofy weekend. It was lovely. Another beautful view, good friends, yummy cheese and olives and brownies and other snacks. And then a ride home in an open jeep that was absolutely fantastic. Of course that much time in the sun + too little water + too much alcohol led to a very drunk Matty when we got home. To the point of me having to feed him tortellini so he would stop dropping it all over the couch (and me). He is absolutely amazing. He goes from perfectly happy Matty to drunken mess in the blink of an eye. No ones sees it coming. Not even him. I dont generally mind until he gets weepy or belligerent. He doesnt throw up, so a least that is good. And it is kinda like having a puppy.

I finished Misery over the weekend. And I was very happy with it. After Thinner I was looking forward to gtting back to some old fashioned Stephen King (as opposed to Richard Bachman). I had seen the movie but had skipped the book previously (since I had seen the movie). Basically it is the story of what happens when an author's "number 1 fan" gets ahold of him. It was very good and creepy. Kathy Bates was absolutely perfect for Annie Wilkes (the number 1 fan). I just started The Tommyknockers, which Matty doesn't like, but we will see.

Yesterday was Matty's birthday (he is 29). He wasn't looking forward to it at all. He says it is because it is one close to the big 3-0. I am not necessarily sure that that is all. But I insisted (for better or worse) that he celebrate it. At least acknowledge it. I mean, how many days do we get to celebrate ourselves? He disagrees. But I thought that this year, after everything we have been through in the last few months that we shouldn't give up any chances to celebrate life and the people we love. So it is probably just pure selfishness on my part but we are having some people over on Saturday and yesterday we had a little celebration just the two of us. We ordered Chinese in (Golden Empress, our new favorite place) and watched a movie (which I will get to). And he opened some presents from me and his mom. I got him Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I am pretty excited about myself), The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How To Do Them) by Peter Sagal (of Wait, Wait fame), The New Kings of Nonfiction by Ira Glass (of This American Life fame) yes there was a theme, and finally a membership to First Person Arts, so expect to hear more about Story Slams and Salons. Because he wants less stuff and more experiences. So I got him some stuff and a bunch of experiences.

And finally. Last night we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald of the same name, this is the story of a man (Benjamin Button, played fantastically by Brad Pitt and several others) who who is born an 85 year old man and grows younger. Brad Pitt plays Benjamin from age 66-23 and is absolutely wonderful as are the rest of the Benjamins, the story is beautifully told and beautifully filmed, the costumes (spanning almost a whole century) and the makeup (just think about it) were amazing. Cate Blanchett who plays the leading female role is very good, Taraji P. Henson who plays Queenie, Benjamin's mother is a joy to watch. And the guy with the longest name ever (ok probably not, but close) is in this. Mahershalalhashbaz Ali plays Tizzy Weathers, Queenie's man-friend. It is long (166 min) but I think it is well worth the time. Two thumbs up from me. And the Academy (sorta). This movie won Oscars for Art Direction, Visual Effects and Makeup. It was nominated for Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing, Editing, Original Score, Sound, Best Picture, Lead Actor (Brad Pitt), Supporting Actress (Taraji P. Henson) and Screenplay.

At some point I should tell you about the garden, the storm and the slug. Just to keep you wondering!