The joys of autumn

[fenchurch]

Bleh. Just what I needed... a sinus infection. I'm really prone to these to begin with, especially this time of year, but I've developed methods over the years of heading them off before they really get started. Unfortunately, those methods are not exactly foolproof. The good news is that I managed to fight this one off for almost a week (I first noticed the early "signs" last Friday) and it didn't start to really slam me until last night... thankfully AFTER our big date (more on that later).

So. Now I'm trying the methods I've learned for keeping it from getting really bad... and hopefully they'll work. The worst part of it all isn't even the sinus infection, but the fact that I'm now in rather big danger of getting bronchitis (that's just the way it goes: slight head cold, sinus infection, bronchitis -- I just skipped over most of the slight head cold portion this time). Bleh.

In much better news... yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the day rackham and I officially got engaged!! And yeah, if you do the math, you'll realize that it's only about three weeks or so after I first asked him out and about two weeks after our first official date. We'd been spending practically every waking moment together and had just sort of fallen into talking about all the stuff we wanted to do with our lives after we were married. At that point, we figured we may as well make it official! So, Rackham had my roommate HZ pilfer my jewelry box for my mom's wedding/engagement ring (just for a temporary engagement ring until we could go together and pick one out) and at a dance, he pulled me off to a more private location and popped the question.

I must admit that neither of us would probably ever remember the date if we hadn't realized shortly afterward that it was also Mickey Mouse's birthday. So, now whenever we forget, it's easy enough to look up! :-)

To celebrate, yesterday we went to see "Quantum of Solace" at the Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas. When the theaters at Redmond Town Center closed a year or so ago, I was really puzzled... because they were always busy and had a LOT of a business from groups at Microsoft. The mall announced at the time that they already had another company coming in to that location... and I commented to Rackham that it would so cool if they got something like the Gold Class Cinemas we'd gone to on our visit to Melbourne, Australia several years ago. So, you can imagine my glee when the announcement was made that it wasn't just *like* those cinemas... it actually *was* those cinemas.

First, let me say that unless you're insanely wealthy, this is not the way to see every movie. But for an occasional treat of a night out? Perfect. The theater we were in had forty seats: Big, comfy recliners set in groupings of two, with a small table in between them. When you buy your tickets, you actually pick your seats at that time... so when you check in for your showing, they know exactly where you're going to be sitting already. You get to wait in a lounge, where you can order food and drinks (including alcohol, if you're so inclined). A waiter will then come fetch you when the showing is about to begin and help you to your seats (carrying any food or drinks you may have). The thing I love is that you can order your food and tell them when you'd like it brought in to you during the movie (during the previews, 15 minutes into the move, 30 minutes after that). They do have popcorn, but almost nobody seemed to have ordered any last night.

We decided to try the blue cheese potato chips at the beginning of the movie... they were divine! Housemade chips layered in with warm blue cheese and a blue cheese fondue. Mmmmm. About twenty minutes later we had them bring our next course, two of the "Bigger" dishes. The Wagyu Beef Burger Duo, which was two small burgers made with Wagyu beef (I know the type of beef can make a difference, but that burger was so incredible! I didn't realize it would make that MUCH of a difference), I would definitely get them again. The other thing we got were the Duck Tacos. They were yummy, but didn't blow me away like the other food had. And about twenty minutes later they brought in our dessert: Crème Brulee Spoons. Just perfect! Four won-ton spoons, two with regular and two with chocolate crème brulee. Just enough to give a satisfying taste without being overwhelming.

As for "Quantum of Solace," I kind of wish I'd rewatched the last movie before we saw this one... it had been long enough I'd forgotten most of the plot and characters, so it got a bit confusing when they kept getting brought up. I guess I just wasn't expecting that kind of continuity between movies, since it's not usually done with the Bond franchise. Other than that, I really enjoyed the movie... more setup for Bond mythos (characters we see in "later" stories, since these last two movies have been prequels, of a sort, or more a rebooting of the franchise). I love that they've gotten rid of so much of the cartoony aspects that were especially bad during the Roger Moore years. I sort of liked that when I was a kid, but as I got older, it started to bother me a lot. Overall, a fun action movie that kept everything moving at a good pace and had a plot that didn't fall apart if you even looked at it sideways.

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[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! I admit I don't remember the date I got engaged.