So, yesterday was my birthday, the 63rd repetition of the event. Many thanks to everyone who sent me natal day wishes, by email, mail, and facebook. What an age we live in, to be sure.
Yesterday was a day of quiet celebration. Mostly, Steve and I doodled around with certain technical arrangements in order to prepare for a Skype interview we’ll be doing sometime in the next couple weeks. As a result of this, I am now the proud owner of a webcam, which is not something I had ever imagined myself either owning or wanting to own. What an age we live in, to be sure.
In the evening, we did go out, first to Ruby Tuesday, to have what we imagined would be a leisurely snack and a glass of wine before we went off to Railroad Square Cinema to view The Princess Bride on the Big Screen. Sadly, our waitress at Ruby Tuesday was not on-board with the “leisurely” clause in our schedule. I would have had some (not a lot, but some) sympathy for her, if the place had been packed, but there were empty tables even the in the section where we were seated. Barely had our shared appetizers arrived then she was back at the table, asking if we would like a box — she gave us, perhaps, five minutes, which, even though we had the small glass of wine, wasn’t really enough time to properly dispose of it, much less the befores.
When we declined the box, she went away, to return five minutes later — mind you, we’re still munching, and talking, and sipping — to ask if we would like dessert. And maybe seven minutes after that, she arrived bearing the bill, delivered a smile and a chirpy, “I don’t want you to be late for your movie, so you just pay when you’re ready, ‘k?”
Well.
The movie was splendid, as always. It was the first time Steve and I had seen it in a theater, and the big picture did add an unexpected depth. I am all admiration for Mr. Goldman’s iron hand with foreshadowing (“I said I would come back for you.” “But you were dead!” Soft smile. “Death cannot stop True Love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”). I had half-expected that we would see the audience in costume, shouting out favorite lines with the actors, but it was a seemly and respectful audience. The difference, I suppose, between the children of the 80s and the children of the 70s.
We somehow failed to have ice cream and cake yesterday, so that’s on-board for the day, along with the usual Writerly Chores.
I hope everyone has a pleasant and productive weekend.
