Cockle-Warmers

Yesterday was a fun day for the tadpoles and me. Of course any day I don't have to work is fun but yesterday seemed very relaxed in comparison to our normal outings of late. We usually seem to have more things on our plate than we can possibly deal with and yesterday was a day that we just kind of 'let it lie'.

We made a trip to Lebanon (much farther than it used to be) to see a movie and meander around. I don't know what made me decide I would go buy a pair of jeans on the weekend of Christmas but being an 'non-observer', I simply forgot what day it was...categorically, that is. Anyway, to 'The Gap' outlet I did go and luckily was able to fight my way to the cash register w/ both kids intact and a couple of items I was lucky enough to secure. The lady at the register fell in love w/the littlest one, as most people do, and immediately crooned,
' what is Santa bringing YOU this year, precious'? Before I even had a chance to respond, the fiver gave her a withering glance (which we discourage but oh well) and said 'We don't believe in Santa Claus. Christmas is a pagan holiday'. Of course I was full of pride but a bit nonplussed at the same time. I smiled my warmest smile and left the building in a hurry. I swear I didnt feed him the answer, just explained what pagan means and if you ask him he says 'false gods'. His ability to 'get' stuff thrills me to my toes.

Our next stop was the absolute armpit of holiday shopping, Wal Mart, and if I had the ability to spell that out in squirmy horror font I would. The people were literally wal to wal ( ha). I was able to purchase three items and only had to wait in the express line for about thirty minutes, all the while dealing w/ the innappropriate comments and baby hand grabbing of the people behind me...ugh.

So the theater was a haven by then, believe me. It is a new theater w/ a pleasant atmosphere that is somewhat darker than is typical and the cozy smell of popcorn and new paint throughout. They have a bunch of video games by the entrance and the absolute highlight of the day was watching litt'lun climb up on the Star Wars game and carry on: 'eee-daaaaa, eeeee-daaaa'. ( No idea what that means but it means he's happy so that's what counts, right?)

We saw 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.' I read these books religiously as a child and was really looking forward to it. I was a bit distracted at first; the baby was continually dropping his milk duds and one of them landed squarely in my hair. I was back and forth for some time replacing straws and such. But when he finally went to sleep, I was soooo happy. It was wonderful to see the characters and story so faithfully brought to life. It warmed me especially to see Aslan so lovingly portrayed w/ the voice of Liam Neeson and the White Witch kept as abstract as possible-in keeping w/ the book. She was kind of the personification of all that is evil, not as three dimensional as other famous villains. Tilda Swinton looked chillingly (no pun intended) statuesque throughout. Of the children, Edmund was my favorite; true to the book, he was the most 'human'. The battle sequence was thrilling, especially during the violent clash of the Narnia 'wildlife'. And Jim Broadbent gave a wonderful and surprisingly unrecognizable performance as the Professor. I am imediately possessed w/ a strong desire to re-read the books, hopefully aloud to my oldest son. I think he'll apppreciate it much more now that he's seen the movie.


When I got home I found that trusty ol' Netflix had sent me the military comedy 'Mr Roberts', so I gave it a watch also. Mr Roberts, played by Henry Fonda, is a military commander onboard the 'bucket', one of the only American vessels yet to see any action. His ennui is further enhanced by his aversion to his crusty Captain, James Cagney. The clash of these two characters drives the movie along at a brisk pace but it's the comedy relief of Jack Lemon, as Ensign Pulver, that makes the movie. The final scene made me want to stand up and cheer....
'...now what's this crud about no movie tonight?'

'Cockle-warmers' indeed.