RV Winter Rambling 2006-07

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside…..”

The weather turned cold and windy for a few days in mid January – the whole country was in a freeze and we were experiencing the whiplash. So we put aside Geocaching for some indoor pursuits like shopping and seeing a couple of movies.

I’m an aficionado of musicals and “Dreamgirls” had just opened in Yuma. I left Fernie at home happily watching the NFL playoffs and trotted off to a matinee. I queued up in a short line for tickets and was next when another window opened up and the cashier called out “May I take the next in line”. I slid over – it was my turn – and a gauche old man body checked me while trying to whip in front of me to cut me off. He had a netted ball cap with about six inches of air space above his heavy-jowled florid face, an old plaid shirt and drooping, baggy blue jeans – not a picture of sartorial splendour. It was obvious what type I was dealing with.
“Are you trying to push in?” I asked acerbically.
“Be my guest,” he answered loudly and snidely while not moving one inch out of my way. He enraged me but I didn’t want to show my anger, which would give him satisfaction, so I smirked and in a clear and resonant tone, retorted condescendingly, “If you understand the meaning of good manners, please use them”. His dumpling shaped wife shrivelled with embarrassment and slunk backwards pretending not to be with him but he didn’t budge and just looked at me with a stupid expression on his face struggling to find words. “I said be my guest” he mumbled, obviously inarticulate, but he edged closer to me forcing me to back up. Feeling revolted at the proximity, I moved over to the front of the line-up and said “I’m not going to lower myself to argue with such ignorance”. By now, the queue was lengthening and several people gave me their verbal support “What a horrible man!” said one “Good for you!” said another. The perpetrator stood speechless not knowing what to do. I went up to an alternate cashier, paid my $5 (what a deal – it pays to be a senior) and that was the end of that. I don’t know whether he and his wife ever came in – the last I saw as I went through the door was him trying to coax her.

The theatre was about half full and mostly older folk – older than me. I settled into the cushy seat and let Dreamgirls unfold. The film was tremendous entertainment; the music captivated me while I settled into a nostalgic reverie. Those were ‘my’ times and the artists sang ‘my’ music. Beyonce’s, Deena was a ‘not-at-all-subtle’ imitation of Diana Ross (and the Supremes) and Eddie Murphy’s portrayal of James Thunder Early was a parallel to James Brown. Eddie did a really commendable job and I knew he’d be winning awards for the role. The songs he sung were great but I’m not sure if it was his singing voice or if it was dubbed. Newcomer, Jennifer Hudson as Effie was surprisingly outstanding and after her ‘show-stopping’ “I’m Not Going” I heard some elderly ladies snarkingly commenting, “Well, that’s enough of that screeching”. When the film was over, I was left with that wonderful warm feeling of having truly enjoyed the experience but I don’t think anyone else in the theatre that afternoon liked it by the comments as they left. But it wasn’t their era.

Fernie joined me for the next movie – probably afraid I’d get into another confrontation and he’d have to protect me. A remarkable film, “The Queen” revealed the ‘behind the scenes’ behaviours of the royals after Princess Diana was killed. Outstanding acting by Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II – she became the queen. If she doesn’t cop best actress this year, I’ll be awfully surprised. The film humanized the royals in a way that no book or documentary could do. Not that I’m a big follower of the royal family, but I was brought up by a parent who was which makes me quite interested. I found it so touching seeing the interaction between the queen and her husband. Prince Philip saying “Are you going to bed now ‘Cabbage’?” really made me laugh. Another fine performance by the actor (……gee, I don’t know his name) who played Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The weather got warmer again after a couple of days and so it was back to the fresh air for some Geocaching.

posted by O'Leary @ 8:04 AM