Wednesday, August 03, 2005
How Do I Spell Relief?
C-R-A-I-G-S-L-I-S-T, that's how! I wasn't in a great mood this evening. I spent a good deal of time trying to deal with my feelings for Hyde and her immediate departure for a vacation. I won't lie to you: I shed a tear or two while considering my actions and writing comments on my blog as well as hers. Obviously, I needed a distraction and I needed one right away. I figured the best idea was to see the popular comedic film Wedding Crashers but the last thing I wanted was to see a funny movie by myself. So I turned to CL and asked if anyone wanted to go with me (link will expire very soon).
I got in touch with a young woman named Alice who wanted to see the film tonight. A quick volley of e-mails established a location and time to meet and we were off. I walked down 2nd Ave to the theater, finding myself very sweaty in the latest wave of humidity. I arrived and started wiping myself off with a napkin when I realized Alice was already there. She suggested we go Dutch and I had no problem with that. The only problem of significance was the curious lack of air conditioning in the surprisingly crowded auditorium. It's August, goddammit, cool us off already!
The movie, I'm happy to report, is pretty funny. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are funny and spontaneous so much of the dialogue between them has a free-spirited, ad-lib feel to it. Of course, anything Walken says or does these days comes across as hilarious. There are problems, however. There's an abundance of romantic comedy clichés including my pet peeve, the "unlovable boyfriend." Whenever a "hero" character falls for a woman who's already dating/engaged/married/whatever in these movies, that other guy is always the biggest jerk in the entire world who couldn't possibly have landed such a sweet, beautiful woman in the first place. He also brags about his affairs with other women and routinely (and openly) expresses radically conservative, borderline misogynistic behavior in front of her. This allows the hero to "steal" the woman without appearing like a cad. If you can ignore these cheesy moments, the movie should keep you chuckling enough to make it worth your while.
After the film we left thesauna auditorium, went for a stroll and hit up a bar for a drink or two. Unfortunately, we ended up walking about ten blocks and poor Alice was wearing heels. I should make a greater effort to familiarize myself with more bars around town so I don't have to go wandering around looking for a refreshing beverage. We ended up at some Irish-type place on 42nd & 2nd where the bartender nearly ignored me until I waved him down. Then he managed to give me two different drinks instead of refilling the first. Custom sadly dictated that I give him a dollar tip per order.
Besides my gripe with the service, I did get an opportunity to chat with Alice. Meeting people at the movies is odd because you can't really go through "getting to know you" stuff while the movie is playing, you just stare at the screen and postpone the conversation until later. She told me about juggling two very different jobs, one of which she pretty much started and runs herself. I was very impressed by her double career and, if I may be frank, her appearance. She was a lot more attractive than the other dates I've been on lately, almost an "out-of-my-league" feeling. I'm not going to say I was intimidated by it but I wasn't as responsive in the conversation as I could have been. Maybe it was her work ethic contrasting with my care-free student lifestyle? Did I have career envy? What a creepy thought.
In any case, we parted ways without either of us drinking too much. It was a lot of fun to hang out with her and see a movie. I'm glad I took another spin on the CL wheel of odd fortune and made another connection with a fellow New Yorker. Our evening finished, I walked home and, well, started typing.
The next few days should be a little more active for me with my mother coming to town. Less time for me to ponder the intangibles I suppose, and that's a good thing. If anyone can help me enjoy summer in New York and feel better about everything, it's Mom.
I got in touch with a young woman named Alice who wanted to see the film tonight. A quick volley of e-mails established a location and time to meet and we were off. I walked down 2nd Ave to the theater, finding myself very sweaty in the latest wave of humidity. I arrived and started wiping myself off with a napkin when I realized Alice was already there. She suggested we go Dutch and I had no problem with that. The only problem of significance was the curious lack of air conditioning in the surprisingly crowded auditorium. It's August, goddammit, cool us off already!
The movie, I'm happy to report, is pretty funny. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are funny and spontaneous so much of the dialogue between them has a free-spirited, ad-lib feel to it. Of course, anything Walken says or does these days comes across as hilarious. There are problems, however. There's an abundance of romantic comedy clichés including my pet peeve, the "unlovable boyfriend." Whenever a "hero" character falls for a woman who's already dating/engaged/married/whatever in these movies, that other guy is always the biggest jerk in the entire world who couldn't possibly have landed such a sweet, beautiful woman in the first place. He also brags about his affairs with other women and routinely (and openly) expresses radically conservative, borderline misogynistic behavior in front of her. This allows the hero to "steal" the woman without appearing like a cad. If you can ignore these cheesy moments, the movie should keep you chuckling enough to make it worth your while.
After the film we left the
Besides my gripe with the service, I did get an opportunity to chat with Alice. Meeting people at the movies is odd because you can't really go through "getting to know you" stuff while the movie is playing, you just stare at the screen and postpone the conversation until later. She told me about juggling two very different jobs, one of which she pretty much started and runs herself. I was very impressed by her double career and, if I may be frank, her appearance. She was a lot more attractive than the other dates I've been on lately, almost an "out-of-my-league" feeling. I'm not going to say I was intimidated by it but I wasn't as responsive in the conversation as I could have been. Maybe it was her work ethic contrasting with my care-free student lifestyle? Did I have career envy? What a creepy thought.
In any case, we parted ways without either of us drinking too much. It was a lot of fun to hang out with her and see a movie. I'm glad I took another spin on the CL wheel of odd fortune and made another connection with a fellow New Yorker. Our evening finished, I walked home and, well, started typing.
The next few days should be a little more active for me with my mother coming to town. Less time for me to ponder the intangibles I suppose, and that's a good thing. If anyone can help me enjoy summer in New York and feel better about everything, it's Mom.
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I would happily go out with Alice again. Given the timing of this trip I've got coming up, we won't have very many opportunities to try again though.
Whether or not she dug me, I can't say for certain. I was on the quiet side and there were those occasional awkward conversation gaps, but I had a lot of fun.
コメントがあります？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.Whether or not she dug me, I can't say for certain. I was on the quiet side and there were those occasional awkward conversation gaps, but I had a lot of fun.
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