Friday, January 21, 2011

The King's Speech: My Journey to the Movies

Wow, it seems like so long since I last blogged. Life has been somewhat hectic since then, but it's also been a very good week. BJ returned from his boy trip, thank God, so life is back to usual in our little family of four (this includes Tex, of course).  It's not as though we actually have been 'home' much since his return though, so there has just been no time to sit and get my thoughts down on paper, er, screen.

One interesting thing that has been different about my life in the last year is the lack of movie-watching.  BJ and I sadly joke about how we used to enjoy watching good movies, and how we have frequented the movie theater in the last several years of our marriage (which was basically when we could afford it). However, a journey into my movie-going recollection led to the shocking realization that I only watched three movies in the theater in the whole of 2010! Three! For those of you who might be interested, these movies included Avatar, Toy Story 3, and the latest Harry Potter movie. Sadly, BJ dragged me to the first two of these, I must admit. The last trimester of my pregnancy with Silas began in February 2010, and at that point my restless leg syndrome had gotten so uncomfortable that sitting in an upright chair for two hours without getting up sounded like supreme torture, not to mention the fact that my belly was too big to kick my feet up on the seat in front of me to get comfortable. Then Silas was born in the beginning of May, and of course that made the journey to movie theaters nearly impossible. When we did get a babysitting opportunity from a family member, we typically spent the time eating in peace, catching up on some household business, or sleeping. Feedings were three hours apart and, since I was breastfeeding, I had to be present for them, so movies at the theater were few and far between.

This being said, today we had a Silas-sitting opportunity, thanks to BJ's mom Sus. BJ was intent on seeing a movie and I definitely did not want to see a movie, but 1) I couldn't figure out why I didn't want to see one, and 2) I couldn't think of any better alternative. So, resigned, I went with BJ to the movie theater to see The King's Speech. Oh. My. Goodness. I so loved this movie! I can't even tell you how thrilled I am that BJ talked me into going. I have no idea what my problem was: this movie cast includes two of my very favorites with Helena Bonham Carter and Colin Firth, so what's not to love? The piece is a historical account of King George VI's experience with a speech impediment, with Firth playing the king and Bonham Carter playing the Queen Mother (whom I suddenly liked for the first time).  The film was touching, witty, and absolutely hilarious. I can't even say how many times I laughed out loud in the theater, although admittedly this script was right in line with my sense of humor.  All in all, it was an excellent day with many thanks to Sus for taking great care of Silas, and many thanks to BJ for forcing me out of the mommy-box that I sometimes accidentally carve for myself and then close myself into. I give The King's Speech an A+, and the popcorn was righteous too.

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