Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Clapping Crowd

So, yesterday, I went with my host family to the Alderwood Mall to see the latest installment of the Indiana Jones series. I enjoyed it. We all enjoyed it. It is the perfect example of what a film adaptation of a comic book take on pulp-noir serial adventures ought to be. This was a fresh take on the series, yet it also felt completely faithful to what has come before.

There - that's my movie review. I recommend you see it if you enjoyed the other movies in the series.

I don't, however, recommend that you see it at the Sutter theatre, at the Movies 8 in Yuba City, the Peach Tree Theater, Marysville State or Tower theaters or at the Marysville Drive in. Some of the listed locations have the excuse of having been out of business for several years. The others have no excuse for the misery which they inflict on their patrons.

I recommend the hexadecaplex theater where we went.

The seats are comfortable enough that after an hour and a half, I was not in pain. These seats are mounted securely to a non-sticky floor set at roughly a 45-degree grade, moderate enough to avoid feeling precipitous while steep enough that a short viewer seated behind a tall one should be able to see the (large and undamaged) screen without impediment or distraction.

Before the movie began, we sat and enjoyed first commercials like one might see on tv, including a cute Iron Man-themed LG spot and a hysterically funny ad featuring Michael Bey, and then we saw trailers for upcoming movies like Hancock and Kung Fu Panda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Pixar's newest offering: Wall-E, all of which looked appealing.

Before the trailers, though, the last commercial that aired was a recruiting spot for the U.S. Marine Corp, an ad which the audience applauded. This is when I remembered reading something, I believe it was on Monte Cook's blog, about Seattle-ites applauding and the end of movies.

After the trailers, but before the movie, I was delighted to see a reminder from the theater to stay quiet during the show so as to allow others to enjoy the movie too. I was delighted to see this, and more delighted to see it honored, for the most part, during the movie itself.

The sound was terrific. The movie was very good. I had a good time and I think that though I haven't been to the movies even a dozen times in the last ten years, I'll have to start going again once Shel gets here.

When the movie was over, the audience did applaud, and I applauded with them, but I don't know if it was more because of the movie or the theater. I love this place and still can't believe that it's taken me this long to get here.

Some Updates

So, we went on our vacation and then safely returned. I did forget part of the power cord for my CPAP machine, but our hosts were able to provide a cord that covered the need, so it all turned out in the end.

We visited a sci-fi museum, saw some locks (like stairs-for-ships locks), attended a little-league game in the rain, visited several excellent restaurants, and visited with good friends we hadn't spent more than a few hours with since the last millennium.

We had a great time. Well, at least I had a great time and Shel tells me she enjoyed it as well, though by the time we were headed home, she had come down with a sudden onset virus and allergies at the same time on top of the stress of travel and the malnutrition endemic to eating out frequently.

On our way home (a 700+ mile drive), we stopped at Shari's restaurant. They serve deep-fried cheese ravioli and some tasty, tasty pie.

They also claim to sell Gardenburgers. Unfortunately, what they bring instead when you gullibly order a Gardenburger is instead a generic soy patty.

I contacted Kellogg foods, the owner of the Gardenburger name, and they have assured me that they will destroy all vestiges of the Shari's Restaurant enterprise burn their employees at the stake (I think that their actual phrasing was something more all along the lines of "We'll look into it," but I figure that one has to read between the lines).

Now, I have returned to the home of the friends we visited. I don't want to give away their location because I don't want the rest of you to overrun the metropolitan area, but instead I will refer to the city as "The Emerald City."I haven't wanted to whine too much here about the troubles I've had job-hunting, suffice it to say that I had been looking for work in the twin cities since February and haven't gotten so much as an interview. (Only one employer even acknowledged my application.)

I've been here since Saturday night. I started job hunting on Monday (yesterday, for those keeping score.) and I got a placement with a temp agency today.

The job is filling in for an administrative assistant to an exec at a local television affiliate and the chief apprehension amongst my new supervisors is that I will be bored at this new job. I assured them that if it becomes necessary, I will bring a novel, and they agreed and offered me the job.

I have a lead on a house to rent - they're cheaper in this market then they are in the depressed little twin cities from whence I so recently hailed. I'm loving the weather here, since it's 20 degrees cooler than what I would otherwise be forced to endure.

Things are going swimmingly. I feel at home in a way that I never have before. This is the goal and the means.

I miss Shel.

I miss my dogs. I miss my family. I miss the comfort and familiarity of home.

I never want to leave.

I'll try to keep you posted, but I'm productively busy to an extent that I have too long missed. Things are lookin' up.