A Bonding Weekend.

I drove back to the old stomping grounds for Jared's wake. The gang used to go to a local bar for trivia nights and beer. It was bliss. That bar became an Irish tavern some years back, and the wake was appropriately held there. The organizers had reserved a back room, and I entered to find more people than I expected. His wife, Chris, and mom were there, as were relatives and the comic gang. Some couldn't make it, and they didn't think I could either. I was a surprise for everyone.

Between the wide and mom was a chair angled against the table, saved for the missing guest of honor. We passed around pictures of Jared and his family, ordered drinks, and then the announcement was made: This is a wake. There is no crying at wake's. Let's start trading Jared stories. And we did. Lasted about an hour and a half. I made sure Chris had my numbers and reminded her I'd be in town once a month to visit Mom as well. If she needed anything or just wanted a distraction, she should call. And then I went to Mom's house to sleep.

We had a long Waffle House breakfast with two of her friends from the hospital. We all get along famously. One of the waitresses passed around fundraising Christmas cards that resembled Thomas Kincade works, and I remarked how much I despise his stuff. Mom was surprised, and I asked if she had seen the Kincade store in the next county's mall. She hadn't. A road trip ensued. We mall-shopped for a while before returning home for my small list of repairs. It didn't take long. I also showed Mom some more of the internet, explaining Facebook and eBay to her, before I went back home.

I assured Your Sis we would watch the new Bond film on opening weekend and encouraged her to see it first with a gal pal while I was tending to widows. They both enjoyed the shirtless parts of the first film, and they hadn't seen each other in forever. We watched Casino Royale again Saturday night to refresh our memories (and it's a good thing, this new film relies heavily on Royale). She did schoolwork Sunday while I had another hourlong mentor meeting, and we saw the new film that night. She's fighting a bug and staying in the sick bed. She has another state workshop to attend later this week, and she's trying to clean off her to-do pile before Thanksgiving.

I read my script throughout the weekend to brand the ghost dialogue into my brain, and it seems to have worked. I have the rough outline of those scenes in memory, and I still have four days before we're to bee off-book. Watching two Bond films helped my British accent, I think. The annual theatre award supper is this Friday, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect to get something.

Quick Review: The plot that continued from Royale is great; the new story with the obligatory corporate villain is thin. It's two-thirds of a great movie.

Picture of the Day
A New York protester against the Mormon Church and its efforts against gay marriage.