Thursday, July 08, 2010

Repairs, Convention and Chick Flicks

Another fun day waiting for a service person to call or show up. This time, it's a window that needs replacing, and they have to come out and measure the glass, but I haven't heard a thing from them about what time. I don't think they have to come inside to do it, and it's pretty obvious which window it is, because it's the one that's so fogged up between the panes that it's opaque, but still, they are supposed to let me know, and I hate this sitting around, waiting for a call. This is also further proof that there seems to be some kind of financial balance equation in the universe. If I ever get extra money, unexpected expenses will suddenly arise to consume it. I got a big tax refund, mostly because I made almost no money last year and my estimated taxes were way overpaid, and I had plans for that money, to do some things that weren't crucial but would be nice. Then I had medical bills with this shoulder and now house repairs that have to be done or I'll be fined by the HOA.

I suppose I could look on the bright side and think of it as the money being provided just before it's needed, but I think I'd prefer not to have the hassle at all, even if it meant not getting the extra money. Now I'm kind of worried what might happen if they make the Enchanted, Inc. movie and I get that money. My house will probably collapse.

In other news, I'll be an author guest at Mythcon this weekend. That's a mostly academic conference about fantasy literature, especially that of the Inklings (CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, etc.) and transformative mythology (incorporating mythological elements into other stories). I was thinking of attending just to learn, but then they invited me to be on some panels. A few of the presentations sound pretty esoteric but rather interesting, and the Law of Convention Scheduling seems to be in place, in that all the things I most want to hear are scheduled opposite each other, while there are also slots in which there's nothing of interest. I have learned, however, that I seem to get the most out of those sessions where I didn't think I was interested in anything and just picked something at random. I think I may even join the society that puts on this convention because I think I could learn a lot about one of my subjects of interest. Maybe they'll have membership forms there.

I need to figure out what to wear, as this isn't a typical SF convention and seems to be more academic in nature. I doubt I'll need to bust out the suits, but I may dress in nice casual. I've been dressing up more for cons, anyway, because I figure that I spend most of my life in jeans and t-shirts, so I may as well use my nice clothes every so often. Plus, I've put a lot of work into my legs, so I may as well show them by wearing skirts. Otherwise, what's the point of all those ballet classes? Because there will be air conditioning, I probably won't be able to show off the arms and shoulders that are getting sculpted by all this physical therapy. At least I'm getting some benefit from all the therapy bills -- well, in addition to less pain and more mobility.

Finally, I'm suddenly in the mood for a good chick flick, and there don't seem to be a lot of options right now. I'll have to check IMDB to see if there's anything coming up. This could be, but isn't limited to, a romantic comedy, but I could also go for a nice Merchant-Ivory-style period piece. Just no sappy Nicholas Sparks-style "I meet my one true love and then one of us dies of cancer" type movies. Although the chick flicks haven't been big summer fare traditionally, in the past few years they've found that they can be successful providing female-friendly counterprogramming to the typical summer movie, but I guess Meryl Streep was busy when they were filming this summer's movies. I've almost been desperate enough to watch All About Steve on HBO.

Hmm, nothing that sounds like what I want is showing up on IMDB until maybe August when Eat, Pray, Love comes out, but I really don't like Julia Roberts, so I don't know if that will work for me. I may just swing by the nearby Blockbuster store that's going out of business and selling off its stock to see if they've dropped their prices even more. There were a couple of movies they seemed overstocked in that I might be willing to buy if they were a dollar or so cheaper. I'd never heard of them, but they intrigued me.

Ooh, just saw that the next Nanny McPhee movie is coming out in August, too, as well as some romantic comedies. I guess August is chick flick month. I do enjoy spaceships, car chases and explosions, but sometimes I'm in the mood for something different.

No comments: