Not really Friday

I can't so joyfully say "It's my Friday" this week, because tomorrow morning I trek out to do the summer sampling for soil invertebrates. I'm apprehensive because:

a. My colleague who owns the land is out of town, and if I have a problem, I'm kind of on my own. (I have a cell phone, but who would I call? For a big thing, like breaking an ankle, I could do 911, but for minor stuff, I don't know)

b. It's going to be hot and humid and my body is rebelling against the humidity.

c. I probably can't park close to my sampling site; it's still wet out and I don't want to bog down (see a above). I am telling myself if I get there and it's just still soupy to the point the samples won't be good, I can wait another week. But if they're okay, I'm not looking forward to a half-mile trek each time I go back and forth from my car (probably for each of the five lines).


Also, I really need to come in Saturday and do data entry. I rage-quit on that yesterday afternoon after two power outages within 20 minutes of each other led to (a) a minor loss of stuff I'd already typed in and (b) being kicked off the Internet - and therefore, without access to one of the plant ID sites I was using for naming conventions - for 10 minutes or so after the power came back

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I'm trying to be disciplined and not start something new, but I want to. I look at all the potential sweaters' worth of yarn and want to start one - either Starbuck, or the lacy cardigan I've had yarn on hand for for 2+ years, or....well, something. But I really need to finish one of the ongoing projects, at least (Baymax is nearly done, I have a pair of fingerless mitts close to done, and I really need to drag out Hagrid and work on it).

But new projects are so alluring. Not beset with the woes of ongoing projects (I have the Holi Festival socks in time-out, because something's wonky with the coloring - one sock is much more intense than the part of the other I have knit and that upsets me. I also have a hat that is that way - Maybe I should finish it and put it with the donation pile, I suspect someone less perfectionistic than I am wouldn't care, and perhaps wouldn't even notice).

And I know it seems perverse to work on sweaters when we are in a heat index of 105, but I find it oddly comforting; a reminder that once again, someday, it will be cool enough to consider WEARING sweaters.

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I keep thinking about wanting to go see "Inside Out" but I don't know if I will. The nearest theater likely to be showing it is an hour's round trip - so I'd have to find an hour for the drive, plus whatever the running time of the movie is, plus probably some time afterward to do grocery shopping to better justify a run for the border (there is no grocery sales-tax in Texas, and they also have better stores than we do). I don't know when I can find that time any time soon (I do NOT want to be doing it July 4th weekend, for various reasons).

Meh. I might wait until it comes out on dvd and just buy the dvd, or do it Amazon On Demand.

It's been a long time since I saw a movie in a theater and I can only imagine that people aren't any better-behaved in re: not talking, not using cell phones than they were last time. (Heck, here? I've seen people go to plays on campus and sit there and dink on their phone all through the play. Seriously, why even GO somewhere like that if you're going to do that? I mean, I get a quick text to the babysitter or some such but spending more than half of the run-time of a play on your phone?)

Heh. Earlier on Twitter, I re-tweeted something someone else said: "Warning: This movie contains ADULT THEMES such as mortgage, tiredness, bills, insomnia, back pain, debt and panic attacks."

Yeah. That's kind of how I feel about it. I mostly watch stuff aimed at kids or at "all ages" - because really, I find more universal and interesting themes in most "kids'" movies than I do in the average angst-fest or meet-cute flick. (And I don't like movies that portray dystopia. My imagination is too good and my tendency to be slightly paranoid is too great for me to be able to watch those).

I like most of the Pixar movies (Toy Story 3 made me sad). I like a lot of the Disney movies, both older and more recent ones - in fact, often the goofy 1960s or 70s live-action movies, like Herbie the Love Bug can bring on serious nostalgia because they were ones I saw in a cheap revival theater when I was a kid with my family. (And I really liked Brave. I like how it took the typical "princess" story and kind of turned it around, to the point where the princess basically said, "I'll look for my prince when I'm good and ready to, thank you very much") (I didn't like Frozen nearly as much, and actually wound up switching away from it partly through when it was on tv recently - Olaf, for one thing, was just too jarring in a movie supposedly set somewhere in old-time Scandinavia.)

But the thing that gets me is so often "Adult themes" are stuff that is really aimed at barely-post-adolescents and people I would consider real adults are either put off, grossed out, or tending to roll their eyes at those kind of shenanigans. (And I admit: I will laugh at the occasional wiener joke, it's just, an entire movie that is one big wiener joke ceases to be funny pretty fast)

The other thing, is "kid themes" in a movie (as opposed to "adult themes" like tiredness, paying bills, and work-woes) makes a much better and more refreshing escape for me.

(I should go home and finish Baymax, and then pop Big Hero 6 in the dvd player, so I can hold my new Baymax while I re-watch the movie)