Monday, March 15, 2010

Pet Therapy

I was exhausted yesterday and my stomach was unpleasant this morning so I called in sick, when back to bed and proved it by sleeping for more than an hour. When I woke up, I found myself surrounded by all three cats. This is very not like them, especially Charlotte, who usually cannot abide Joey. I guess it was the novelty of having me home and still so late in the morning. Maybe they sensed I wasn't feeling well. At any rate, they were so cute I didn't want to disturb them so I stay very still and then fell back asleep.

When I woke up again, I felt better. I credit my three feline physicians.

Movie Monday -- Date Night

Share your best or worst movie date, movies featuring movie dates or how you use movies for dates these days, linking back here at The Bumbles.

It's not a remotely sexy or romantic movie, yet it led to the date where I knew he cared about me. We went to see a matinee of JFK. It was clear and sunny when we went into the theater, but that's a very long movie and the sky was cloudy and threatening when we left.

En route to the parking lot, the sky opened and dumped a ton of water on us. We ducked into the nearest bar, ordered a pair of Sam Adams', and started talking about the movie. And talking. And talking.

As one who has read Death of a President more than once, I was very prepared to discuss how factually inaccurate the Oliver Stone epic is. The gentleman I was with was my match in terms of geekiness and he argued that the film didn't have to be accurate, it was cinematically solid. We argued the artist's responsibility to the truth -- moving from bottles to pitcher and from pretzels to sandwiches. The bar began to fill up and I realized I was very underdressed compared to the rest of the clientele. In the ladies room I saw the toll the rain had taken on me. My hair was frizzed out and my eye makeup had washed away. I was mortified to realize I'd been sitting there with him for hours looking like this!

When I got headed back to the table, I saw two -- two -- predatory pretty young things actually leaning on our table for my date's benefit. Naturally I was miserable.

"Too strident. Too old. Too plain. Too geeky. Too serious." That's how I was bemoaning my date performance on the way back tot he table. I was quite sure the girls making time with my guy could somehow get through an evening without using phrases like, "Warren Commission" and "book depository."

When I got back to the table, all he said to his new friends was, "Excuse me," as he pulled out my chair for me and continued the conversation just where we left it. My internal monolog switched to, "He likes me! He likes me! He likes me!"

Uncle Update

When I visited my mom yesterday, I looked at the paperwork he was served with and it's obvious that the one instigating all this is his his only daughter, my cousin. Their father/daughter relationship has always been complicated, much of it frankly his fault, so I don't judge. She knows all his money is gone because he has called her, asking for the coins he had given her sons/his grandchildren. My guess is that she wants to force him to sell his house before he loses it, and then use the proceeds to pay for his managed care.

It's cold to see it written out, portraying my once-dynamic, wealthy uncle as incompetent. But he has run through $2 million in two years, most of it at the gambling boat. And while he gave up his handguns long ago, he still has rifles. So I understand that what she is trying to do is for the best.

But what of Bennie, the gray/white striped cat he dotes on? I was going to offer to take Bennie. I'm good with critters and besides, it would be nice to offer to do something for him now, when he has no money, so I can repay the kindnesses he has done for me without him suspecting my motives. But my mom and I talked about it, and it may be best for her to take Bennie, if need be. She has more room and her heart is still store over the loss of her Lucy.