Getting older is tough.
It all started early this morning while I was walking to work. It was a nice day and things were going fine as I approached two ladies I usually see taking a smoke break out by the loading dock. I felt so light and free I decided to do a little hop, skip and jump move from the street to the sidewalk.
I caught my toe on the curb and did a four point face first plant right on the concrete. I thought I could hear a "thud" as I hit the sidewalk. A few things happened immediately (a) I felt like a dope and (b) I sort of knocked the breath out of myself and (c) I did a quick mental review to see if anything felt broken (nope).
The smokin ladies asked if I was okay? "Oh yes I'm fine..fine..just had a few too many drinks on my way to work."
As I got up and walked away I heard them say to each other, "That's really a dangerous spot."
Yes curbs can be dangerous I suppose, although I have successfully negotiated them for quite a few years with no serious injuries. I think they were just trying to be nice to me (thank you smoking ladies).
After my falling entrance, I had to hurry off to a meeting, so I stopped in the bathroom and washed my hands and noticed I had ripped one knee of my pants and scraped up both knees, only one was bleeding, and not too bad.
During my lunch hour I stopped at a local department store to buy a replacement pair of pants. I decided that it would be easiest to change out of the ripped pair in the bathroom there. I don't really need another pair of play pants so I left the pair with the small rip in the knee hanging in the bathroom stall, thinking maybe someone could use them. They were pretty good pants except for that hole.
Switching away from the gutter and bathroom stories, and on to a higher plain please.
I haven't visited my cybermonk friends at Interlude Retreat lately, but today when I stopped by I noticed the Thought of The Day -
"One's first step in wisdom is to question everything--and one's last is to come to terms with everything."
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
Tom Barrett the creator of that site does a great job of coming up with interesting thoughtful and useful pieces. Be sure to visit him at InterludeRetreat.com
I'm going to take "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" off my list of favorite movies. Not that I didn't like that movie, but I need to make a little room on my list. I'm adding "Elf".
I watched "Elf" for the first time last night and loved it. It's a sweet movie. I like Bob Newhart (Papa Elf in this movie) and Will Ferrell's comedic style.
There's a spot in the movie where Zooey Deschanel, with Will Ferrell joining in, sing "Baby, It's Cold Outside", that's really nice too.
My favorite line was when Will Ferrell (Buddy the Elf) describes the four basic Elf food groups as, "Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn and Syrup." I also like the term "naughty list" as in ,
Santa: "That's another thing... Buddy you should know that your father... he's on the naughty list."
Buddy: "Nooooo!"
I have to admit I cried a little at the end when Santa showed up.
I liked the innocent, nice and sweet nature of Will Ferrell as an Elf. I think quite a few people can relate to feeling sort of out of place, and naive...as well as having a fairly constant smile on their faces. What can we say, us Elves are a pretty happy bunch ;-)
One other little tidbit about the movie. Amy Sedaris plays James Caan's office assistant in the movie. Her brother David Sedaris has some really really funny bits about working as a department store elf. He tells bad kids that Santa will break into their house and steal all their electronic devices and things. It's funny stuff and he has a great voice for telling the stories.
I watched "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" the night before last. I'd give it one thumb up. Some funny parts, some crude stuff and some ripoffs (like the two guys singing girly girl songs in the car), taken from a better movie in my opinion "Tommy Boy".
No one could match Chris Farley for some of his gags. Fat guy in a little suit, or the dirty dancing scene, from Tommy Boy...or "I live in a van down by the river" from his motivational speaker bit on SNL. Great physical comedian, and just a naturally funny guy. Harold and Kumar on the other hand are neither physically or naturally funny, so they have to depend on the writing; which leaves a bit to be desired. Not to say you might not get a chuckle or two out of the flick.
