Cheesy Nachos

Mom and I went to a sneak preview of Charlie Bartlett last night at Lloyd Cinemas. Is it just me, or shouldn't people be just as respectful at sneak previews as they are at "regular" viewings of films? Here's a sampler for the crowd we watched the film with: the girl next to Mom -- probably in her mid-teens -- kept laughing SO hard that she would laugh over scenes so no one could hear the future dialogue; a couple teens behind us decided to start having a full-volume conversation without regard to anyone else in the theatre; and -- here's the real winner -- there was a drunken man in front of us who (against my will) provided plenty of entertainment. He kept shouting things up at the movie -- "Thatta boy! Get the girl!" -- and he stretched his arms around the women on both sides of him (I'm still hoping they'd actually attended the screening with him and weren't strangers) and at one pointed shouted out his self-appointed "name" like he'd replaced Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves: "I am Michael of Two Women!" (Keep in mind that he slurred all those words.) The highlight? He got up no less than three times to go get nachos & cheese, stumbling across the crowd the whole time, and the first time he came back he even forgot where he was sitting -- an usher had to use a flashlight to help him locate his "Two Women."

Mom and I rolled out eyes A LOT (and got some chuckles too).

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of change and bustle and activity: I put in my notice at VOA and have received lots of love, support, and teary eyes from my coworkers, participants, and volunteers; I've been working with Our House of Portland to figure everything out for my start date in March; I had last week off, and I got to spend a couple days with the fabulous Tara Beckham in Newport, lots of time writing, lots of time being worshipped during my full body massage and acupuncture sessions, and I made sure to give Ollie and Luna lots of attention. Those two pups are a riot! I also had a special evening with Marianna catching up; sent off my care package to Callie (winner of my monthly name drawing for my Twelve Months of Christmas contest); and sent packages to Aaron and Jordan, too. Speaking of J, he just got a new dog from the shelter named -- yep -- Brooklyn.

Tara gave me Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love and I've been devouring it (ha, ha) like a rabid fiend. It's exactly what I need to be reading right now in the midst of a breakup, a new career opp., shaving my head, loving my new tattoo, and figuring out this whole What the Heck Is Life All About thing.

My writing is coming along well (the muse and I rocked out to some great '80s music this A.M., and Heart's "Alone" stands out as a Nathan Song of the Moment). I even dressed Cassandra, my mannequin-muse extraordinaire, in my old Lemont band jacket from 5th grade (it's red and silky and has "Nathan" written on the left breast). Yes, I'm a weirdo. But you knew that.

Okay. I'm off. But I must same I'm excited to see Jennifer in The Vagina Monologues tomorrow, and this weekend will be filled with more bustle -- Tara and Brad visiting, volunteering at OHOP's fundraising auction -- so I'm sure I'll have plenty to report.

Oh, and if any of you are wondering, "What did Nathan post this picture of Audrey and Cooper today?", my answer is: Just Cuz.