Posted in Uncategorized

About the Time I tried to See Frankenstein in the Theater…

It was late October or early November. My memory likes to play tricks with things like times and dates, so I have to write everything down. It can be annoying or frustrating to say the least.

Either way, I wanted to see Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein in the theater. I had seen Nosferatu, and I hope to see The Bride and Dracula in the theater when they come out.

Since Netflix was producing Frankenstein, it had a very limited theater run, and only two theaters in western Washington were playing it, and I didn’t buy tickets ahead of time. One theater was sold out, so that made the choice for us.

Time for a short road trip to a place called Monroe, Washington which I hadn’t heard of. Apparently, it is kind of close to Woodinville. The weather was hostile and windy, and rainy and rather foreboding. Honestly, it would have been the perfect weather to go see Frankenstein, except for the fact it knocked the power out.

There was debris and broken tree branches all along the road, and over the Hood Canal Bridge the wind was so strong I felt my little car sway and shake.

When we finally got to the theater, we decided we were a bit early, so we went across the street to a Walmart and decided to buy snacks. That was when the power went out.

Walmart had a generator so we managed to buy our snacks, but it didn’t bode well for the Galaxy Theater. Sure enough, it was out there as well. An attendant that vaguely resembled Andrew Garfield apologized to people. An inflatable spooky house lay pooled on the floor.

We didn’t pre pay, so we just left, and as soon as we made it to the Woodinville AMC where Good Fortune was playing, the power was back on in Monroe. So, we decided to drive the thirty minutes back hoping we could still see Frankenstein.

The attendant tells us the servers are still not up, and then the power goes out again. So, it was a tough call, but I had to give up. I knew it would be out on Netflix in early November, so this was my one and last opportunity.

I finally got to see it on my tv. I honestly can say it is visually stunning, and would have been magnificent on the big screen. Here is hoping it is up for some Oscars, sometimes they give the movies and additional theater run. I may yet get another chance. I enjoyed it immensely, it is still worth seeing of course. But some movies look really good on the big screen. And this would have.

We ended up because of the drive back to Monroe, missing Good Fortune at Woodinville, but catching it at the South Center Mall instead because the time lined up with the way home perfectly. And that movie was fun, and I am glad I saw it. I guess things have a funny way of working out how they are meant to.

Posted in Life, Writing

List Five Things You Do For Fun.

I enjoy drawing. I have a cartoony style that is unique and unpolished. I have used it to create portraits for characters in the past. But it is mostly just fun doodles. I’d like to try my hand at painting, I used to paint years ago.

I write short stories or character studies for fun. I like to write short fiction. It is fun to wrap up the story quickly. Short timed writes are especially fun because there is no pressure for it to be perfect.

I also listen to music for fun. It is also fun to see live music. I think music is the secret to changing a bad mood to a good mood. I can change my energy based on what I am listening to. And live shows are especially fun because it is like you are one with the crowd. It is a different kind of energy.

I also like to get out of town and see new things, find new experiences. Sometimes we will pick a place to explore and see what’s there. Get to know a different place. We found a virtual arcade that way and go carts, drive in theaters too. It is kind of cool to research a place for fun things to do that isn’t typically a tourist spot. You can find some fun shopping areas too with unique finds. And I enjoy bargain hunting and finding treasure.

I also like to walk or hike for fun, or just be out in nature. Camping is awesome for getting away and recharging the soul. We hiked to the lighthouse one year which is five miles one way. Walking in sand that is also cold and rocky with the sun on your back was a unique experience, but the tour of the lighthouse was well worth it. I need to do that again. It has been awhile.

Obviously I enjoy movies and books of course, and going to the theater or even the local playhouse is also very fun for me.

Daily writing prompt
List five things you do for fun.
Posted in Life

Think Back On Your Most Memorable Road Trip.

My most memorable road trip as a child was when we drove down from NW Washington to northern California. We stopped at the Tillamook cheese factory in Oregon, and the redwood forests. I remember fitting into this tree that was so massive. And, I remember going to rest stops and I think we went to a beach someplace. The details are fuzzy. I think I was eleven.

I went on a more recent trip a few years ago with my son where we went from where we are to Hillsboro, Oregon. We stopped at Vancouver and went to the mall there. He had never been to a two story mall before, and it was busy so it reminded me of what malls used to be like. They had an arcade on the bottom part, and a go-cart racetrack outside the mall.

A lot of options besides shopping which made it more fun. In Hillsboro we ate at a good burger place called Killer Burger, and I took my son to a place for airsoft, which is why he wanted to go there. Someday, I’d like to go a little further, maybe down the coast, or perhaps further east like Idaho, or Montana.

Daily writing prompt
Think back on your most memorable road trip.