Monday, May 11, 2009

Weekend stuff

I've often written about the family, and how well we all get along. It almost seems to be an anomaly out here. I read many blogs over the weekend where the authors either wished they had a better relationship with their moms before they died, or currently were not on good terms with their mom. Many due to some action(s) that occurred years ago, and have not been let go. Granted, I'm sure there's plenty of valid reasons, but for the life of me, I can't possibly think of what they could be. It's just something that I've never experienced, nor anticipate in the future. In my family, there's unconditional love all around, and I guess I don't appreciate it, since it seems like that should be the norm.

We did the family Mother's Day stuff a couple of times this weekend. S1 was here from Portland for the weekend. Since she doesn't make it back too often, she opted to stay with the parents on Friday instead of beers. Saturday, we all got together at my parents (Dad is still homebound because of his surgery). Actually, without the grandchildren, who were scattered all over for the night. And then we did the Sunday brunch for Mother's Day. I had a camera, but no batteries (yeah, yeah...), but hopefully I can get a picture or two from those who did! Oh, we also realized that Mom is officially the shortest one in the family now. Sort of like Yoda--short, but most definitely in control! All in all, a pretty good weekend!
As most of you are aware, Star Trek opened in the States this weekend. I first heard about this back in January of last year. So I went to see it last night. At the 10PM showing on a Sunday night. Surrounded by geeks who were on their third or fourth viewing of it. What ever happened to school night curfews??

I won't get into the story at all, but suffice it to say I was quite pleased with the end result! A few surprises, a good dose of levity, and an interesting story. It wasn't until a key phrase in the middle of the movie that one realized that any preconceived notions (that any good Trekkie would have) would have to be set aside. That being said, there were many familiar points and inside jokes. Including that wonderful rule that any unfamiliar crewman on an away mission would not be returning to the ship, finding their demise on the planet below. But the movie is not something that a non-Trekkie should avoid. Quite the opposite. One does not need to be an uber-geek to enjoy it. But the subtle quotes, mannerisms, and nods to the rest of the Star Trek franchise make it equally enjoyable for the hardcore fan.

As an aside, without giving anything away--there was an interesting "Degrees of Separation" thing going on with "House M.D." First off, Kirk's mother was played by Jennifer Morrison, better known as Dr. Cameron on "House". John Cho, who plays Sulu, starred in a "House" episode as a clinic patient with a dominatrix as his friend. Cho is better know as Harold in the "Harold & Kumar" movies (he also was in all three "American Pie" movies). And Kumar was played by Kal Penn, who until recently played Dr. Kutner on "House". See how that all neatly wraps together? Or not...
Symphony season is over, but we're well into looking ahead to the next, including the big summer concert. There's some developments that will be increasing my level of involvement, as well as being tagged for a music writing project in the near future. All with corresponding increase in pay. And that's never a bad thing!
Heard this on the radio, and then confirmed online...Simon & Garfunkel will be touring in Australia and Japan this summer. The duo, who are famous for their differences, will then decide if they can co-exist long enough to extend it to the US and Europe. I can't imagine they'll play anywhere nearby, but I've been known to travel for a good concert!

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