Just got back from Chico
I had a really nice trip--in my way. Much of it was spent resting from minor exertions...walking downtown all the way from M's house--a couple of blocks, LOL, but it was a nice trip and I'm very glad that I went. The weather was really beautiful and the town is so pretty with all the trees and in the older neighborhoods haphazard plantings in people's yards that made me smile. I love that people have created riotous plantings to complement the character of their homes. Down here people tend to pull plants out to create more lawn. They likes neatness above everything.
M and I went to see the movie "A Mighty Heart". This is the first movie I've been to since "Chicago". Okay, so I think movie theaters are going to make me feel claustrophobic although this (near empty) theatre was the reverse. Nobody talked. Nobody's cell phone rang so we were able to watch the movie without me getting irritated. I have to get out more. Really. I don't know if I liked the movie or not. It was hard to get over Angelina Jolie not being Angelina Jolie and it wasn't much of a role in a sense. She had to act concerned, worried, desperate, disgusted and pregnant. As I understand it, she was pregnant during the filming so that wasn't much of a stretch. To me the most compelling character was the Pakistani CID agent...an actor I think I've seen in other films.
The other thing that I liked was that a lot of it was filmed in Karachi, I think...or a Karachi like place and the wildness of the city was sort of glorious. I used to think that careful urban planning was a virtue, but one of the best examples of that: south Orange County, is so sterile. Rancho Cucamonga can't even pretend to be that interesting. I'm tired of the 'burbs. VERY tired of the 'burbs.
M and B are planning a move to Portland. I will miss visiting Chico but as it becomes increasingly Californicated I won't miss the sadness I feel every time I see a "NEW HOMES!!!" sign or a "For Sale" sign on agricultural land that includes "Great Development Opportunity!" It also made me wonder what we think we will eat once all of the agricultural land is paved over with giant houses that practically touch one another. No room for Victory Gardens there!
I'm looking forward to visiting Portland in the future, though. They have an airport and public transportation. Heaven.
As a result of being in a hotel room with a tv by the bed, I ended up watching way too much tv. It's hard for me to be in a room with a tv and to resist turning it on. I saw a lot of TV. A LOT.
M and I went to see the movie "A Mighty Heart". This is the first movie I've been to since "Chicago". Okay, so I think movie theaters are going to make me feel claustrophobic although this (near empty) theatre was the reverse. Nobody talked. Nobody's cell phone rang so we were able to watch the movie without me getting irritated. I have to get out more. Really. I don't know if I liked the movie or not. It was hard to get over Angelina Jolie not being Angelina Jolie and it wasn't much of a role in a sense. She had to act concerned, worried, desperate, disgusted and pregnant. As I understand it, she was pregnant during the filming so that wasn't much of a stretch. To me the most compelling character was the Pakistani CID agent...an actor I think I've seen in other films.
The other thing that I liked was that a lot of it was filmed in Karachi, I think...or a Karachi like place and the wildness of the city was sort of glorious. I used to think that careful urban planning was a virtue, but one of the best examples of that: south Orange County, is so sterile. Rancho Cucamonga can't even pretend to be that interesting. I'm tired of the 'burbs. VERY tired of the 'burbs.
M and B are planning a move to Portland. I will miss visiting Chico but as it becomes increasingly Californicated I won't miss the sadness I feel every time I see a "NEW HOMES!!!" sign or a "For Sale" sign on agricultural land that includes "Great Development Opportunity!" It also made me wonder what we think we will eat once all of the agricultural land is paved over with giant houses that practically touch one another. No room for Victory Gardens there!
I'm looking forward to visiting Portland in the future, though. They have an airport and public transportation. Heaven.
As a result of being in a hotel room with a tv by the bed, I ended up watching way too much tv. It's hard for me to be in a room with a tv and to resist turning it on. I saw a lot of TV. A LOT.