Lay In Provisions

'Cause this one's gonna be long.

Labor Day weekend was a doozy. I won't bore you with the details of work - I'd rather jump to the good stuff. On Thursday, Nate asked me what my schedule was for the weekend, and I told him the Sunday was pretty much clear except for a half-hour meeting at work. When I asked why he wanted to know he said he was taking me on a date, but the destination would be a surprise. I said "A heels date, or a tennis shoes date?" He said a tennis shoes date, but that I had to get some exercise before we went. This meant the date would be either one of two things: strenuous and physical, or gluttonous and yummy.
It was the latter. Nate took me to the A&W in Dexter, because he heard that they made really good chili dogs. And I love chili dogs. We had chili dogs (foot long, of course), fries and onion rings, and icy cold mugs of A&W root beer. The chili dog was not the best I've ever had, but the anticipation of a surprise date, coupled with the fine accoutrements (damn good root beer!) made the whole experience worthwhile. Chili dog - B, surprise date - A+.
After the chili dogs (and some Dairy Queen for dessert), Nate and I decided to rent a couple movies. Usually, renting movies is a hassle. There are plenty of Helga movies, and plenty of Nate movies, but not too many Helga and Nate movies. This time, however, we lucked out. We started with The Matador, another movie we wanted to see in the theatre but were too poor to afford. This movie was great. I totally loved it. Pierce Brosnan plays his usual dashing character, but with a twist: he's an assassin! And he meets up with Greg Kinnear, a businessman who's on a trip to Mexico. Some hilarity with bite ensues. Later, the two reconnect, accompanied by Kinnear's wife, played by Hope Davis. She's amazing. The last movie I saw her in was American Splendor, and she's nothing like that character (thank God - she's so awkward in that one). She made me laugh out over and over. The Matador is fun and clever and I highly recommend it. And that's all I can say because I don't want to ruin anything for you. The Matador - A-
On Monday, we watched our other rental, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I had heard a lot of good things about KKBB, particularly about Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer, but didn't really know the story. But I'm glad I made the move to rent it, because it was PHENOMENAL. If I had to classify it, I'd call it a "crime dramedy." That is, there are crime elements (and enough shooting to satisfy those of you who like their movies bloody), and there are drama elements, but sometimes, it's just really damn funny (that's "-edy" as in "comedy"). So, Val Kilmer's character is Perry? And he's gay? So they call him Gay Perry? That's funny. And for maybe the first time in his fabled career, Val is very, very good. Understated. Funny with some depth. And Robert Downey, Jr., who my mother once called the best actor of his generation, is perfect. Totally perfect. Being off the drugs helps, but I've never seen him better. And, as a bonus, he sings the song over the closing credits. If you haven't RDJ sing, check out this movie for that, because it's worth it. Again, don't want to give anything away, but this is a movie you have to see. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - A

That's my weekend.

overall Labor Day weekend - A