Upsan Downs

So, last night's movie group get-together was a bit of a seesaw.

Stranger than Fiction was great, unexpectedly good for what was advertised as a bit of a gimmick comedy. Will Ferrell was restrained and engaging as the surprisingly sympathetic IRS auditor coming to grips with his imminent demise when he finds out he's actually a character in a novel. Maggie Gyllenhaal is captivating as his new-found love interest and Emma Thompson steals the show as a twitchy, chain-smoking, eccentric, creatively-blocked writer who ultimately has to reconcile her art and her humanity. Dustin Hoffman (as a sort of slightly-saner Bernard from I Heart Huckabee's) and Queen Latifah (as a no-nonsense publisher's operative) round out the superb cast. The film was deeply affecting; as absurdist as the plot was, the characters, even the minor ones, were all real, complex, and important. The story never descended to cliche, and managed to present its resolution with honesty and respect.

For a while, Otis and I thought that we were going to see the movie alone. The Cap Hill crowd was not going to be represented, so Otis and I had dinner at the old Demetrio's (which is now a Romio's) by ourselves before heading to the Crest. The usually-early Stella was nowhere to be seen in the packed theater; she arrived during the trailers, shortly after JagGirl and dvd. Jimmy the K had called to say he was going to try to make it, but we never did see him. We had the pleasant surprise of being joined by Kris-10 and Rye-N, but we didn't see them in the back of the auditorium until after the movie had ended. So, there wasn't much time for pre-show socializing.

Well, this merry band started to caravan to the LFP Third Place Books, with the potential of seeing Jimmy and maybe even Soapy there, but Otis and I never made it. A little ways there, Otis felt nauseated, with a gurgling urgency in her innards. I changed course for home; I don't know if it was sympathy or proximity, but all of a sudden I wasn't feeling too well myself. We didn't make it home in one jump; a pit stop at a gas station became necessary. Suffice it to say that we both spent most of the late evening in some distress, often curled up, and frequently in the smallest room of the house. Otis seemed to have the worst time of it, but some peppermint tea at midnight helped a little.

I am up and feel normal this morning; I have even been out to the store already. Otis is still asleep, but she appears to be comfortable.

So, a shout out to all the gang: sorry we missed the afters! Hope you had a good time! And you might want to think twice before splitting a calzone at Romio's.