Weekend Movie

Well, this weekend was lite on the movies, with only getting to see "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian". I enjoyed it, and really appreciate that it exists, even though it isn't one of those awesome, got-to-see movies. Instead, it is a simple movie, with lots of clean humor, which I think is rare these days. I hope it lasts a while. It is certainly worth seeing on the big screen, and most definitely worth renting, if not owning, on DVD. All the fun elements from the first movie were there, the disrespectful capuchin monkey, the little guys, Ghengis Khan, etc. They were woven together with a whole new bunch of characters in a fun new episode of Larry Daley's (Ben Stiller) life. I hadn't realized until now that three of the characters were 'played' by Hank Azaria, who happens to be up 183% in popularity this week.

I ended up at the movie after a two-hour walk in Griffith Park. It felt a lot longer actually...I guess I am pretty out of shape. I was walking with someone who insisted, either subconsciously or sociopathologically, on taking the more inclining trails to view points over the hazy LA basin. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the view, but I also can't say that it did anything for me. I'm happy I was able to get out the house and have the exercise, but the experience only rekindled fond memories of England's well-groomed, accessible national trails. The time and space along those trails felt dense with history and purpose. This is not to say that the trails in Griffith Park do not have history and purpose, on the contrary, the existence of the park in the middle of the Los Angeles sprawl must have been a major fight in urban planning, and from my walking partner, the source of many fond memories. But it just didn't resonate with me. I will go back to explore more, maybe I missed something.

Sunday turned out to be a wonderful day, which I almost blew by forgetting all about my brunch date to finally meet Mischa and her family. This wonderful woman and fellow UCSC alumnus is heading into shoulder surgery on Tuesday and had arranged a final meeting with her daughter, son-in-law, and their daughter- the wonderful, bright 2-year old granddaughter. I've only just met Mischa a couple of months ago as an attendee to the movie meet-up group, which I am a local organizer for. I don't know if it is my UCSanta Cruz immersion or not, but we clicked unlike most anyone else you happen across. The same went for a friend of hers that lives in LA and often accompanies her to the movie events I host. In any case, Mischa is a fascinating person. Although I don't know her all that well, I have to admit to being somewhat worried about this surgery she is going into. This isn't the first, as she has had at least one hip and a back surgery, but it seems like she is worried about this one. Her last instructions to her daughter as they were packing up was to point out where her will and passwords were. In the mean time, she has also been busy giving things away. I will be a bit worried until I hear word, hopefully on Tuesday that all is well. It is so rare to come across someone you find fascinating, fun, and just a genuinely nice person. My best wishes are with her.