Ticket For 1 Please!

Just this past week, Mark came home from work, took Lake and gave me the evening to myself.  Anything I wanted to do was mine for the taking.  Should I go shopping?  Get my toes done?  Read all the new magazines at Barnes & Noble while sipping a latte?  Nope.  Not when I could immerse myself in 120 minutes of Robbie P, Reese and a torrid love affair!

I walked into a small theater in a pretty swanky area near downtown.  I paid for my single ticket to Water For Elephants, and as the girl handed me my ticket, she gave me one of those “Oh, a movie by yourself – that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever seen” smiles.

Once I got seated, I peeked around the dim theater.  It was a matinee - the 5:05 show - so there were only about 10 other people seated.  The only other singleton was a man who appeared to be in his late 60s.  I wondered if maybe he was a widower or if his wife was shopping down the street and he didn’t feel like moping around the Chanel boutique watching her try on suits and handbags.  There had to be a reason for him to be there unaccompanied.

Except maybe, just maybe, he didn’t need a reason.  Maybe he simply enjoys a good movie alone every once in a while.

Going to the movies alone is one of the things I do that gets the most bizarre reactions from friends and family.  The conversation usually goes a little something like this:

“What did you do today?”

“I went to see Water for Elephants”

“Oh, good – who’d you go with?”

“Nobody.  I went myself.”

“What?  Noooo.  Why?  You’re not that person, are you?”

Usually I say it was spur of the moment, or we didn’t have anyone to watch Lake.  But the truth is, I relish going to the movies solo.

So yes, I am that person.  The one you see in the theater and feel bad for, because they must be a total loner.  Or the person that you assume doesn’t have 1 single friend to see a movie with. (Well that might be a little true now that I’m in Dallas, but that’s neither here nor there. . .)

But the reality is, I’m the person that doesn’t have to share my popcorn or drink with anyone.  The person that can set my belongings down wherever I want and not have to catch-someone-up on what they missed when they return from a bathroom break.  The person that can put my elbows on both armrests and not have to awkwardly lean to one side for the duration of the film. I’m the person that gets to enjoy a movie all by myself. 

Now don’t get me wrong.  There are exceptions.  Some movies are simply meant to be seen with others.  Would I see a horror flim alone?  Absolutely not!  And the Sex and The City flicks - a must-see with girlfriends!  All other genres are fair game for independent viewing J

So the next time you find yourself with an afternoon all to yourself and a new release at the local theater, go ahead be that person.  You can get your latte on the way home.

A Mother’s Day Sandwich

All you truly need to make a good sandwich is the bread and the meat.  It’s all the other additions that make the sandwich great.  The tomato, lettuce, mayo - again, not needed, but very much preferred.

My mother’s day was the sandwich.  Perfectly good all on it’s own.  I woke up to a beautiful day, a loving husband and the most perfect little boy I could’ve ever asked for.  Brunch at Ocean Prime (My favorite!  Having one in Dallas makes me feel just a little more at home.) and an afternoon shopping at North Park Mall.  I couldn’t have asked for a better Mother’s Day.

But I got one - actually I got a whole week.  Because my mother’s day was sandwiched.  By mothers :)

In the days before mother’s day, my mother-in-law came to visit.  Her first trip to Dallas was amazing.  As a family, we ventured through the Dallas arboretum, ate Tex-Mex in Uptown and Lake played with his first set of Legos.  His Daddy’s Legos, in fact. Nonni saved them some 25 years and traveled to Texas with them in hand.

Then in the days following mother’s day, my Mom (and Dad) came to visit.  It was my Mom’s 2^nd trip to Dallas (she helped us move in) and it couldn’t have come sooner.  We visited The Sixth Floor Museum, shopped at the Galleria Mall,  and rode the Uptown Trolley.  Before their departure to Ohio,  Mimi presented Lake with his very own sweeper.  He is officially a bonnafide cleaning boy.

The past two week’s experiences, just condiments to my sandwich.  Thank you to my Moms for making it taste soo good.

1 Month Down!

We’ve officially been in Dallas for 1 month!  Here are 5 take-home points I've discovered about my new city.

1)  Go Blonde or Go Home!

I don’t care if it’s bright golden, dark ash, honey, light pale, platinum or strawberry.  All-over color or highlights, I’ve seen it all – on pretty much everybody.  Walking down the street in Dallas reminds me of the game “Duck, Duck Goose,” except is like “Blonde, Blonde, Brunette with Blonde highlights.”  Normally something like this would bother me, but I fit right in, which is nice J

2)  OU?  Oh, Where?

People in Dallas ask, “Where did you go to school?”  I reply, “OU.” 

          
            From there the conversation goes a little something like this:

“How awesome!  Oklahoma is a great school!” 

“Oh, no” I say, “Ohio University.”

“Oh, geez.  Sorry about your luck with Tressel. . .”

“Actually, that’s Ohio State in Columbus.  I went to OU in Athens.”

“So you traveled abroad?”

“What?”

“Athens, is in Greece, right?”

“Ha, no, actually it’s in Southeast Ohio.”

“Oh, ok, cool.”

Noted:  In every other part of the country, OU is known as Oklahoma University.  I’m thinking that my new response to “Where did you go to school?”  will sound something like this:  “Ohio University.  Not the Buckeye’s, but the Bobcats.  In Athens, a small town in Southeast Ohio.  Yes, it was cool.”

3)  Chicago Aint Got Nothing On This Windy City.

The month of April brought showers all right.  Here in Dallas, we had 7 newsworthy storms that included thunder and lightning and hail, oh my!  I actually rewound the news (I Love DVR) when Jennifer Lopez, yes our newscaster’s name is Jennifer Lopez, said there would be “baseball-sized hail” and “70 mph winds” during one storm. 

Now in Ohio, hail is a rarity, so I understand if you don’t believe me.  But go ahead and check it out for yourself.

4)  It’s true what they say:  Everything’s bigger in Texas!

If you’re like me, I thought that by everything, they meant hair, boobs and diamonds.  I mean, the April issue of D Magazine lists the “52 Things Every Dallasite Must Do!” and #40 is Get Fake Boobs.  Apparently Dallas is the #3 city in the country for plastic surgery, and they are none too happy being the second runner-up.

But enough about boobs. . .other things are bigger in Texas, too – including price tags!  My Ohio-made grande, non-fat, sugar-free vanilla caramel macchiato cost me $4.15.  Here in Dallas?  $4.60!  The barista in the West Village laughed out loud when I asked if the drink would taste better here in Texas.  Not better, but still delish.

5)  Didn’t you hear?  Bentley is the new Camry.

Mark, Lake and I have made eating outside at Urban Taco a Sunday evening ritual.  Good food, great margaritas and fantastic car watching.  Yes, even better than the people watching!  It’s nothing to see multiple Porsche Cayennes (Mark and I joke they must have had a sale on them!), Range Rovers, Maseratis, Mercedes G550s and Bentleys.   And not just any Bentley; It’s not surprising to see a Mulsanne cruising down McKinney and pulling up for a valet.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not so sure I would let some 19 year-old kid with a cheap vest parallel-park my $325,000 vehicle.  Just sayin.

Maybe when I trade-in my hybrid. . .