Us kids know
In the middle of last week I got this weird fifteen-hour fever on the warmest day of the year so far. I'm thinking maybe my body was just confused. I got better in time to go to Saratoga this weekend as planned. On Friday Marisa and I drove upstate in complete darkness, to which we are not really accustomed as usually when we drive up after work it is in the spring or summer and there is some semblance of natural light at least at first.

After stopping over at my mom's apartment with cupcakes, we went over to Rob & Sabrina's and we hung out in Rob's office, staying up late and listening to Kraftwerk and Graceland on repeat. The next day, at Last Vestige, I bought a $5 copy of Rhythm of the Saints but couldn't find a cheap Graceland so I just bought it on half.com a few minutes ago because until this weekend the only Paul Simon solo album I owned on CD was You're the One. Weird, right? Marisa and I were just talking about how great it is to find out about some band or artist who you've never really listened to and has a ton of old albums you can check out. So that's what I'm in the market for now. Does anyone have stuff to recommend on that order, besides Bob Dylan and David Bowie? Somehow I get the feeling that I wouldn't be that interested in all of those Lou Reed albums.

Anyway, on Saturday afternoon we did a little simultaneous brunch-and-movie action with There Will Be Blood and Rob and Maddie. This was only disappointing in the sense that I would've liked to make like ten more people see this movie at once. But I was happy to see it a third time and get Rob and Maddie out to the movies for the first time since they saw Charlie Wilson's War on Christmas (actually, this may not be true at all for Maddie. I'm just going to assume she only exists when Rob or I hang out with her despite all evidence that she, in fact, exists even more when we're not around). Then Rob and Marisa and I hung out downtown a bit, scored some free non-coffee from my brother at Uncommon Grounds, and met up with my dad and his lady friend and they took us out for dinner.

Rob had suggested spending our Saturday evening bowling at the less crowded and presumably crappier Ballston Spa bowling alley, which sounded sweet to me, but we found out it was closed for a private party. Which means that, yes, everyone reading this, you can all have your weddings at the Ballston Spa bowling alley. The food may be about as bad as, say, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, but you'll have an average of three and a half stars' worth of fun!

Not being invited to the private party, we retired to Rob's (with a brief detour to Friendly's for takeout ice cream) to watch the Grindhouse DVDs Marisa's sister got me for Christmas. Look, it was cold and snowy. Also, I have to say, while I'm a firm believer in the ying-and-yang equal importance of both Grindhouse movies in their theatrical form, Death Proof is a lot better-served by the DVD expansion -- though it also increases the gulf between Rodriguez's more authentic re-creation of a B-movie (he even makes Planet Terror less stylish and slower-paced than his own awesome B-movies; in terms of imitation, it's surprisingly subtle at points) and Tarantino's semi-brilliant deconstruction of one.

This morning my mom cooked us breakfast and then Marisa drove us back downstate, and we watched the snow recede pretty quickly once we passed Albany.

I'm seeing Jumper tomorrow night to review for the L Magazine, but the PR lady is insisting on no plus-ones (usually I've only faced those stipulations for indie movies screening in tiny rooms -- which are inevitably half-full at best anyway -- but in this case it's a big studio supposedly screening in a small room), so I'm going by myself. Sad for me, but good for you all that you don't have to engage in bloodsport to figure out who gets to go with me. But hey, Marisa and I are seeing In Bruges later, around 8PM, if anyone wants in.

Coming later this week maybe: mumblecore grande explosion!