Sand, Surf and Spock

We were planning on a low key Father's Day, so we decided to make Father's Day Eve our day of excitement.

On Saturday, we started out the day by sleeping in. Pretty exciting start, huh?

We then made our first trip of the summer to the beach. There is a state park close by with a man-made lake and beach area. The water was a little cool but not too bad once you got used to it. A couple hours of swimming followed by a picnic lunch thanks to Lady Di pretty much wiped me out. I also got my first sun of the summer and got a little pink on the shoulders.

Later that afternoon, we visited our neighbor boy's high school grad party. They had a real slushy machine which was very exciting for the kids who mixed the blue with red to get purple brain freezes.

We ended the day by taking in a movie. Lady Di and Sweet Pea voted to see Night at the Smithsonian. Number One Son and I chose Star Trek. So, for the first time ever, we split the family down the middle and saw different movies. Boy, did N1S and I ever pick the right movie! I have been a Star Trek fan since junior high. But not one of those nerdy fans. No, I was one of the cool fans. You know, one of the cool fans that has seen all of the TV shows and movies up to this point. One who knows each actor's real name and can quote the Vulcan motto. One who had a Spock birthday cake for his 25th birthday. That's not nerdy, right? At least I did one thing a Trekker would never do. I left the movie right in the middle to refill N1S's root beer. I sprinted it in under ten seconds but I still did it.

Also, in my defense, I can say that I have never attended a Star Trek convention and have never worn an expensive, authentic character costume.

Although, after seeing the latest movie I may have to rethink my position on costumes this Halloween. It also may be difficult to convince Lady Di to dress as the hot alien chick with green skin to go with my Captain Kirk outfit.

Overall, it was one of my best Father's Days yet. Even though it happened one day early.

On Sunday morning, Sweet Pea surprised me with breakfast in bed. Grapenuts, toast and orange juice. She helped me finish the toast while we watched Little House on the Prairie together.

I am very fortunate to be a dad with such a great family. Everyday seems like Father's Day to me. Even if I don't go to a Star Trek movie every day.

Happy Father's Day to all fathers. I hope you made great memories today and everyday. And as Sarek would say, "Get old, and thrive." (I'm paraphrasing, ST nerds will understand)

Calling All Whos

Sweet Pea took me on her field trip today. It was a very cool trip. We got to go to the movie theatre to see Horton Hears a Who. SP's kindergarten class, along with seven or eight other classes were lucky enough to attend the cinema. When I was a kid, we took trips to the water treatment plant. We got a water treatment plant color book and a drink from the water treatment plant water fountain. Sweet Pea's class got pop and popcorn.

The movie theatre was really well organised for the munchkin onslaught. They lined up drinks and popcorn on the counter and had each class parade by and choose one of each. The adults got to fill their own cups. They didn't tell me I couldn't fill mine with mini donuts, but they still seemed a bit irritated with me being behind the counter. It was also kind of strange to be going to a movie at 8:30am. But since the weather is still a bit on the winter side, this was a fine indoor field trip. Our local theatre is a pretty large complex and our screen was good sized. Even so, we almost filled it up with kids. I got to sit with Sweet Pea and she shared one popcorn kernel with me, which is pretty generous for her.

The movie was pretty good and the kids were very well behaved. No popcorn fights, no crying and only minimal cell phone use.

I was just glad to get the opportunity to do something fun with my daughter. I got to listen to her giggle with her friends and laugh out loud at the movie. She held my hand and put her head on my shoulder. It was a great way to spend a morning. Bring on the next field trip. Unless it is to the water treatment plant. Then it's Lady Di's turn.

Refill Please

Last weekend, we took the whole family to the local theatre to see the movie, The Waterhorse.

We loaded up the family van, withdrew the kids' college fund from savings and headed for the cineplex. We were right on time, so Lady Di took the kids in to the theatre while I got the popcorn and root beer. The clerk asked if I wanted butter on the popcorn. My brain said, "Heck, yeah! Just fill the bucket 1/4 full with yellow heaven and let the popcorn settle down into it."

But my cardio system screamed, "We're going on strike, if you do."

The heart won the argument, so with dry popcorn and cold root beers in hand, I searched for my family. Number One Son was sent out to find me and lead me to the correct screen. One half hour later, I was holding an empty bucket and two kids pointing to their empty, open mouths. Lady Di looked over at me and shrugged her shoulders. She also held up a cup and shook the unaccompanied ice in it.

So Dad was off to the concession stand for a refill. That is one good thing about the theatre. This time, when they asked butter or not, I said to myself, "Since I am making this trip and missing some of the movie, I deserve a little butter."

"Load it up", I said and went to get a root beer refill.

As I walked back to our movie, I tried to eat all of the 'wet looking' kernels so the family wouldn't notice the grease increase in the bucket.

It must have worked because nothing was said and another bucket disappeared.

We all enjoyed the movie. Sweet Pea was a little sad at the end but made it through OK.

Both kids sat still throughout and that pretty much is the highest rating we give kid movies. The Waterhorse gets our four greasy thumbs up.

Are You Scared?

Now that October is here, I'm feeling that creepy feeling again. And I mean creepy in a Halloweenie sense. For some reason, every year, when the air gets cooler and trees start to look barer, I'm more interested in spooky things. Our satellite television also starts to show more horror movies. It seems a dozen or more channels are running Hitchcock marathons. That's fine with me since I do not usually watch horror films, but I love Hitchcock movies. Along with Hitchcock films, I can choose from one of the Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, or Friday the 13th sequels. If you add up all of the movies in those three series I think you come up with seventy-three or so. Or maybe it just seems like that many.

Anyway, it's a great time to catch up on horror classics as well. Nosferatu is a great silent vampire film. Plus, any movie with Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff is worth trying out. I also like the cheesy vampire movies from the seventies. The Captain Kronos, vampire hunter, series is campy enough for all. As you can see, I don't require actual fright when choosing my horror films. I like suspense and old castles. And I can even live without the suspense, as long a film has a crumbling, ancient, dusty, castle on a cliff with constant lightning in the background. Some creepy 'Phantom of the Opera' organ music is a must too. I am not a big fan of slasher movies. I don't care much for the gore, torture or rape. I'm pretty sure that I will never watch Saw. That is why I watch more of the older films. The first Halloween movie now seems tame enough for me after twenty plus years.

I am also drawn to reading more horror stories in October. There is nothing better than reading the Tell-Tale Heart by Poe on a chilly, drizzly day. Again, I like the classics better than more modern tales. Among my favorites are Frankenstein by Shelly, because it has a castle in it, and The Halloween Tree by Bradbury. Ray Bradbury has a whole list of good October stories. I usually lean more toward stories with bleak, depressing settings to match the weather. I just seem to get more out of them. This fall I decided to re-read Bram Stoker's Dracula. (Wow! Another rocking castle) I'm reading it slowly this time to really get into it.

This is the only time of year that I feel this way. I don't seem to enjoy spookiness (or castles) as much during the rest of the year. Once October is over, I have to start looking forward to Thanksgiving and then on to Christmas. By then, all of the macabre has left me. So now is the time get your Halloween fix, before the 'Happy' holidays start. Put out your pumpkins and 'bring out yer dead'.

May is Movie Month

I'm in a movie rut. Parents with kids know that going to a movie is a pretty rare treat. Many obstacles usually block any kind of a meaningful night out with your sweetie. First you need to pick a day that isn't booked with baseball, soccer, piano, chest club, field trip, conferences, birthday, wedding, funeral, Dancing with the Stars, Etc. Then you have to examine your finances to see if you qualify for a Baby Sitter Loan. Especially if you have to pick them up and drive them home, with today's gas prices. So we finally pick an open date. And luckily we find a baby sitter with an opening in her schedule. Now we have to pick something to do.

Hmmmm......

Skydiving? Spelunking? Square Dancing?

All right, dinner and a movie. I didn't say I was creative.

I generally like to eat out and see a movie. I, of course, like action movies in the theater. A movie with only a good story can be watched anywhere. But I get the most bang for my buck (or $7) from a special effects movie in the theater. Did I mention a movie rut? We generally don't go to the movies often but this month I have seen 3 whole movies. Can you believe it?

The first movie Lady Di and I saw this month was Spiderman 3. I'm sorry but I was a little disappointed. Not even the IMAX screen could help Spidey live up to the hype. Although, when the Sandman was about to make an appearance in the film, our seats were actually vibrating due to the decibel rumbling IMAX speakers. Rock on THX!

The second movie of the month was Shrek 3. OK, so this one wasn't a date. This one involved Emery's five year old birthday party. We only have one van so Lady Di and I borrowed our neighbor's van and loaded 9 five year olds and 2 eight year olds into both vans and headed for the cinema. The kids did a great job sitting through the whole film. I liked the first two Shrek films, but the third one was a bit slow until the end. If you can wait in the lobby eating 'free refill popcorn' until the last 15 minutes of the movie, you'll come out ahead.

9, five year olds and 2, 8 year olds

The last movie of May was Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End. My neighbor invited me for a guy's night out. I don't think I've been on one of those since the early nineties. Anyway, this movie was definitely the best one of the month. It was a little long in spots, but overall, very swashbuckling.

Not Johnny Depp

So, does anyone notice the subtle theme of my movie viewing? The last three movies I have seen are all third movie sequels. Is this all Hollywood has to offer? Or am I too cheap to splurge on a movie with thinking in it? Are you allowed to refill your popcorn bucket 3 times?