the cinema

Typical movie theater experience for Tabatha:  Pay for overpriced ticket, mull over the popcorn vs. candy decision, then just decide to eat the Raisinets/grapes/taco that I brought in my purse (it varies). Sit down, remember I have to pee, leave and come back, then make a big show out of searching for my friends who I must have lost in that time I was gone to the bathroom.  They usually wave their hands wildly while I squint and block the imaginary light from my eyes, scanning each row, then walking out the door again "looking" for them.  Obviously.

This time was a little different.  I am usually pumped to go to a movie and participate in the culture...this was more like nervous.  Wearing a new risqué blouse-nervous.  Is everyone looking? Do they know I'm alone?  Maybe they'll think I'm meeting someone...

Here's where I went, in the booming metropolis that is Salina, the only movie theater -- in the mall.

Yes, the prestigious Cinema 10.  Where the girl behind the concessions walked away from her open drawer, not even completing her last transaction with me next in line, to talk to a very tan and make-upped girl about why she "quit school."  I almost cleared my throat, it was so rude.  She left me standing in line for two minutes while she carried on a personal conversation, with her money drawer wide open.  So unprofessional, these children.

I almost forgot to mention how I made the decision to see "Easy A."  I did what any 20something might do -- I trusted the internet.  

Naturally, I didn't choose "The Town" because there's someone I'm saving that gem for.  I had heard of "Easy A" a while back, but wasn't entirely sold.  But...I love Emma Stone and especially love Penn Badgley.  So there I was.

I loved it.  It was clever, well-timed, and full of interesting language that I was immediately proud of.  I love when other people impress me with vocabulary.  I laughed out loud more times than I can count, and it was so new not to look around for validation of that laugh.  Typically I would throw my head back with laughter and glance from side to side making sure my friends knew it was funny, knew I thought it was funny, and I knew they thought it was funny too.

On a side note -- you will hate Lisa Kudrow in this movie.  At first, I thought, "Yay!  Lisa Kudrow is in this?! And look at her cute dress/belt combo!"  Then I thought, "I hate you Lisa Kudrow."  And suddenly her nose looked larger than it ever has to me.  A side effect.

Moments I loved about being alone at the movie theater include, but are not limited to:  noticing when the man in front of me needed a penny for his bill of 12.01, and then giving it to him; studying the dreadlocks of the man near me intensively, laughing and not missing parts of the movie because of the need to see if everyone else thought it was funny too, running into a friend and still sitting by myself (triumph!), and laughing loudly period.  Whenever I wanted.  Even when the gaggle of girlfriends and distracted couples were silent.

Moments I did not love:   walking in a parking lot at night by myself, getting caught taking pictures of myself, and not finishing my concessions.  Just remember -- a medium popcorn is too much for a Onederful date such as this.

Oh, the waste.  I cringe.  So I brought it home.  And I probably won't eat it.  But at least I attempted to not be wasteful.

And then I took an awkward photo of myself.  I was being secretive, not only because I was in public, but I was afraid they'd confiscate my camera, mistaking me for a bootlegger.  Never.  Nevah, nevah.

Safely back in my car, I could take a picture of myself, anything at all...and this is the nugget I came up with.  

Go see a movie by yourself.  At the late show.  Not the matinée, because that seems like it could be okay to go by yourself in the middle of the afternoon.  Do it when it's the most shocking, and when you normally would have needed a friend.

That's what she said.

Adventure Two -- Montani semper liberi.

Mountaineers are always free, says Latin.  There aren't many mountains around Salina, but Lakewood Discovery Center/Park might just be the next best thing.

You can check out a little bit of it here:  http://www.naturalkansas.org/lakewood.htm

The actual Discovery Center was closed, so I went on a hike!  I'm always a little nervous to go into a wooded area alone.  It's a little too Law and Order for me (SVU).  At first, all the little noises scared me.  I purposely didn't bring music so that I wouldn't get pounced upon by wild animals/predators of the human kind without keen sense of hearing.  :)  The lack of music was refreshing.  Rather than focusing on my usual daydream, I could pay attention to the crunch of the wooden mulch beneath my feet, the sound of the wind high above me moving through the trees...and the butterfly that hitched a ride on my t-shirt for a solid minute.  

Before going on this hike, I admit I was a little distraught.  It had not been a great 15 hours preceding the hike.  My head was swimming and I needed the solitude.  It was 91 degrees.

Luckily, I left my horse at home.

A fork in the path -- you can always find something relevant to your life in nature.

I call these next photos "adventures in self-photography."  At the very least, when I get married, we'll be really good at using the timer on our honeymoon so that innocent bystanders won't have to suffer and all our pictures won't be of us awkwardly alone.

This was the most whimsical part of the woods -- Puck could have come around any corner.

This afternoon hike was filled with glorious alone time.  My mood immediately improved after being in nature -- and spending a little me time. It's hard to be unhappy in the woods.  Unless it's dark.  And there's a Blair Witch involved.  

I wanted to leave you with a little something from Henry David Thoreau, a man who did great things alone...most appropriately about the woods.  But he wrote something else that I love to think about.  

"How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live."  

How correct, HDT, how correct.  

Which is exactly what I plan to do.

WHEN It's Love

This post isn't technically an overview of a one-derful adventure, but still a one-derful thought for you...


I listen to this song a lot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR2TIzM5PaQ&feature=related


It's called, "If It's Love" by Train.  I love me some Train, and the melody of this song is beautiful, along with a select few lyrics.  


Note this stanza and bolded line. 

But I'm afraid when I hear stories

About a husband and wife

There's no happy endings

No Henry Lee

But you are the greatest thing about me

Really?
Someone else is the best thing about YOU?
The GREATEST thing?

I've made this a special point of interest because of the power music holds over some people.  We've all been there.  If I'm happy, I want a soundtrack for my happiness.  If I'm sad, I wallow in it and let the sad lyrics seep into my system.  If I need to get some work done, I crank pandora -- I love it, and so do my students.  (Who wouldn't love a little Louis Armstrong in the background?)  Sometimes it expresses those feelings I can't vocalize, and provides a comfort that I'm not getting anywhere else.  Or livens up a party!  I love this song so much, but when I hear that line, I cringe.

Let's not define ourselves by another.

When it's love, the greatest thing about you will be you.
One-derful you.