A Sunday Morning Narrative

Yesterday afternoon I spent about two hours doing laundry, picked up an order of honey walnut prawns and combination fried rice from Tsing Tao in Campbell, then circled home and spent a lazy afternoon watching a movie.

I was in the mood for something very good that I hadn't seen in a while, so I opted to watch "Winter's Bone" again.  One of the things about a good movie is that they can be watched over and over and each time you glean something more from them.  "Winter's Bone" is one of those movies for me.

Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, and Garrett Dillahunt all turn in amazing performances.  When you compare Garrett's performance with his role in "Raising Hope" you come away with an awareness of an actor whose range is astounding. John Hawkes has that same ability.

After the movie wrapped up, I spend some time hooking up one of my early Christmas presents to myself, a sound bar for my television.  It was a low cost Phillips one, from Radio Shack.  Given the small size of my apartment I really couldn't justify a higher end system.  There is no sense in having a stereo that can go to 11...when 2 or 3 is actually about as high as you can set it without intruding on your neighbors.

Then, I watched an episode of "Elementary".  After it wrapped up I went to bed early, laying down about 7:30 PM with Orson Scott Card's "Ruins" and reading for about an hour before I fell asleep. I slept pretty soundly.  I woke up about 11:30 PM, briefly, then fell back asleep.  One of the things about living in an apartment is that, periodically, you wake up for no apparent reason. Every now and then you'll know the reason that woke you - some sound, some passage, some external thing.  But, usually, you don't, you simple wake up.

All in all though, I got a good night sleep.  On waking, I folded and put away my socks and underwear from yesterday, exchanged texts with my sister, and set up my iPad with iLapse to capture a time lapse sequence of sunrise. Then, a bowl of maple and brown sugar cream of wheat, a cup of black coffee, and I've settled in to watch an episode of "Fringe" as I contemplate the day.

I have a stack of work in front of me and I will tackle it at some point in the day, but most likely later in the afternoon. This morning my plan is a bit of writing (here and in a few emails) and then breakfast, perhaps a bit of wandering, and a movie. I am thinking about seeing Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln", but the jury is still out on whether or not I am inclined to a serious drama today.

I do have a bit of inner work to do, mainly in consideration of my inner turmoil, so I may tackle that today, setting aside some time later in the day for meditation and contemplation. The recent changes in my personal relationships have left me...I don't know how to describe it, but with a certain degree of emptiness.  I need to contemplate that emptiness.

Two Days In One

Friday was a day mostly dedicated to a single errand.  I dropped my car off at Midas to get a complete 50,000 mile service work-over.  Tony picked me up at the garage and we had breakfast at Goodies II, then he dropped me off.

I spent most of the morning watching the DVR and doing a complete scrub and clean of the kitchen, including stripping and waxing the floor and some minor re-arrangement. I had a work meeting from 12:30 to 1:30, then walked the mile plus down to the garage in the heat of the afternoon. I picked up the car and ran a couple of errands, then came home for the evening. 

During the evening I watched "The Hunger Games" (I am a huge Jennifer Lawrence fan since seeing "Winters Bone"). Then, the best part of the evening - T.R. was back in NC, so we had a wonderful conversation at the end of the night.

Saturday, I started with a second call with T.R., and then we spent about two hours surfing the web, Stumbling and Tumbling and looking at The Verge and other favorite web sites.

Then, breakfast with the guys and a day of assorted errands, conversations, and heat dodging. I got home about six thirty, and hoped for another conversation with T.R., but I suspect she was tucked into bed and sound asleep.

So now, I am winding up the night, casually slipping into the evening. I actually thought about going to sleep about 7:00 PM, but I thought that probably wasn't a bright idea!  So, I have been watching incidental programs on my DVR, writing, and reading.  A good Saturday all in all.

The Hunger Games

The highlight of the day, for me, was seeing "The Hunger Games" with Jennifer Lawrence.  I am a big fan of the books, so I was looking forward to the movie and wasn't disappointed.  Pure escapism fiction at it's best and excellent casting in the talented Ms. Lawrence. I also count myself a huge fan of "Winters Bone".  If you liked the Hunger Games and you've never seen Winters Bone, I would definitely recommend it.