Saturday, October 11, 2008

night rider

Now that I've announced that the mundane is in town, I shall on with it.

Notes on a Scandal is on HBO. It might be the last great film I saw in a movie theater. Sooo good. Judy Dench and Cate Blanchett are outstanding. You want suspense? A taut story? Acting so masterful that it's a study in craft? This movie brings it. I could watch it repeatedly, and that's not something I can say about many films. The only downside is that you realize roles this good don't come along for women nearly often enough. What a shame it is.

Today's Big Accomplishment was a night drive to Tar-zhay and Ross. Hmm. Things are different around here. That's for sure. In the kitty cat aisle at Target I had a ten-minute conversation with a woman who asked my thoughts on litter box training a feral kitten. There we were, casually chatting about cats like neighbors over a fence. In LA? With a stranger? Ne-VER.

I have to keep in mind that Texas is southern in its own right. Southern. Read: laid back. Read: nonchalant. Read: relaxed about things that are held down a little more tightly up in de nor'. And over in de eas' 'n wes'. I mean, I'm strolling through Target, which is about an 8-minute drive from where I live (hotness), looking for a squirt bottle so I can discipline you know who, when I see a Target employee, a girl clearly marked as such by her red shirt emblazoned with a Target logo, khaki slacks, and name tag, strolling from the cash register area toward the beauty products sucking on a pop and talking on a cell phone. Mind you, I'd already noticed a cluster of Target team members shootin' the breeze near the customer service area when I walked in. They were carrying on like it was break time at the lockers, right before the bell rings. After I saw the girl, mere minutes went by before another employee sauntered past me, loudly handling some personal business on his cell phone.

This, after Natalie noticed on-the-clock workers munching on the salad bar at Central Market the other day.

We of the gentrified manners aren't accustomed to such sights.

4 comments:

Carat said...

If you enjoyed the movie notes on a scandal, I cannot even begin to explain how highly I recommend the book "What was she thinking" subtitled "Note On a scandal" which the movie was based on.

Natalie said...

This just reminded me of when I lived in Raleigh. Fast food was not fast. They could have made it from scratch in the time it took to put your fast food in a bag. I am so serious.

Anonymous said...

Those teens don't bother me much as long as I'm attended to when I need it and as long as their conversation is appropriate for 8yo ears. I agree, that movie was fantastic

Monica said...

Nicce post