Mellow and accomplished at the same time.

[gurdymonkey]

mamapduck expressed a need to have some girl time this weekend and I had the need to get some projects done, so I suggested she join me here for the day. I threw some laundry in the washer and met her at BART. We stopped at the Peets on Park Street for some refreshment, then hunkered down in front of the Gaius Auklandus Memorial Monolith (the old monster 32" TV he gave me) for cable movies, card weaving (her) and sewing (me). Despite the fact that my cable remote is suddenly having issues, we caught "Fallen" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou" (neither of which she had seen before) on the On Demand channel.

I made it through "O Brother" without wanting to cry either. It was time see if I was ready to take on a House Favorite after five months anyway. It's only the movie that inspired Rich to buy old timey CDs and try to learn banjo, not to mention both of us being able to sing every note in the thing and recite most of the script.

EDIT: I happened to admire the colors and pattern of what mamapduck had on her loom. She finished it and gave it to me, being at the stage in her weaving career that she makes more than she will ever need and is happy to find it a home. Black, white and grey diamond pattern with red edges. Looks like I will have to make something wooly and early period to put it on at some point.

Alameda has plenty of restaurants I've wanted to try, but most of the time when I eat out it's in Berkeley or SF or somewhere near an event site. After living here more than two years, I finally got to try Kamakura with mamapduck. I had the ohitashi (boiled spinach in a light sauce) and the chirashi sashimi bowl, she opted for tempura and their hamachi plate. This was washed down with Ohyama sake, dry and fruity at the same time. We were enjoying some green tea ice cream when the hostess appeared with complimentary umeshu (plum liqueur) as an aperitif. Food was good, service was brisk, I'd go again.

Anyway, Mitsuhide's obi is sewn and just needs to be painted. My old white kosode which was in desperate need of mending after Twelfth Night has been repaired. Laundry is done.

Comments

[kareina.livejournal.com]

I understand the feeling of being able to get through an entire something that would remind you of a loss. It was a long time after Kylson's passing before I could listen to certain songs at a "bardic" without crying. I'd offer my congratulations at reaching a place where you can enjoy the movie again without tears, but I'm not certain that "congratulations" are quite appropriate.

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" is one of my absolute favorite movies. Part of the charm is the music, the rest is the setting in Mississippi, where my mother is from and where a lot of her extended family still live.

[czina.livejournal.com]

Heheh - thanks for the image of G. learning the banjo :) That made ME smile, which is a good thing when thinking of friends. And it makes me smile to think that YOU were ... at peace with it, too!

Pang.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Let's just say he TRIED to learn banjo. He bought one with a synthetic head. He bought books. He closeted himself in the bedroom and diligently went plunkity plunkity plunkity every night for several weeks. Then he stopped, claiming he was not "musical" even though I could hear the progress he was making.

What he meant was he was not as musical as I am. I tried to encourage him to keep at it, but he just didn't have the patience.