Just got home about an hour ago from a run to Lost-in-the-Woods County over the past couple of days. The Spawn and I went to represent Clan Mondo at my nephew’s graduation from Wide Spot In The Road High School — Mrs. M wanted to go, but it conflicted with her final day with the first-graders for the year, and she had to say her goodbyes and such. It was a very nice ceremony, and the nephew (who came to the Spawn’s ceremony last year) will be going to my M.A. institution, where he plans to major in civil engineering. I would have posted sooner, but the wifi at our motel was weak, so here’s a bit of this-and-that since I’m back home.
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The Spawn and I got into Wide Spot In The Road Thursday afternoon, and decided to catch Captain America: Civil War at the local Rialto. Both of us had been exposed to a fair number of spoilers, but we enjoyed the movie anyway (in fact, the Spawn liked it more than she thought she would.) Downey’s Tony Stark was sufficiently insufferable. (Observation: Shouldn’t Stark take the rap for the whole Sokovia thing? It was HIS FREAKING ROBOT that went off the rails.) Cap was sufficiently noble, even if his priorities were screwy in many ways. (Another observation: Several people have commented that the conclusion of the Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier plot implies that Stark’s position was the right one. I think it’s more important that what happens to Bucky is something Bucky chooses for himself.) Marisa Tomei is a bizarre choice for Aunt May (Why, she’s just a year older than I… SHUT UP, TRUTH!), but the kid playing Spidey did a nice job, and I particularly like his voice in the part. The highlight of the mass melee, in my opinion, was Paul Rudd’s performance as Ant-Man (with a twist that comic readers should have expected, but that still made me smile in surprise.) So it was a good time.
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One weird thing about the screening we caught is that there were no previews. None at all. There was a thirty-second spot advertising the projection equipment, and then BANG, right into Civil War. I don’t recall the last time that happened to me in a theater, and I know it was a first for the Spawn. Good thing we got there on time, and it did mean we hadn’t finished the popcorn before the movie started.
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By the way, even though X-Men: Apocalypse opened yesterday, the Spawn and I are waiting until June’s HeroesCon trip to catch it, so HUSH!
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I packed nine CDs for the 12-hour round trip. I made it through 8.6 of them. Sonic Planning Achievement Unlocked.
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You know you’re in small-town Kentucky when a valedictorian’s speech quotes “Freebird.” I managed not to make a scene.
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The Spawn and I stopped at a bookstore in Johnson City, TN, while making our way home. I picked up the first of Joe R. Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard series (conveniently titles Hap and Leonard). I read the first 20 or so pages while I was having a drink at the bookstore, and I’m already looking forward to diving back in once I finish my online activity here. I know that the Sundance Channel has turned the books into a TV series, but despite the presence of Christina Hendricks, I haven’t seen any episodes. If you have, let me know if it’s any good.
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Alternating feet update: I completed another 10K and change on the installment plan Monday-Thursday, and have managed short bursts (3 minutes or so) at 4 mph. I know De Re Militari claims that 4 mph was the pace of the Roman Legions, but that’s pretty quick, at least for this English professor, and I can’t help but think that if I were about to meet a bunch of spear-wielding Celts, I wouldn’t be in such a damned hurry. Oh, well — I guess that’s what decimation was for.
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When I got home, I heard that Tropical Storm Bonnie is apparently going to hit the South Carolina coast tomorrow, and we’ve been told we may have heavy rain tomorrow. I’m glad the Spawn and I beat it here, but as you might imagine, the words “heavy rain” make me a little nervous these days. Here’s hoping it isn’t too bad.
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And here’s the obligatory music bit to wrap up today’s potpourri. It’s a bit downtempo, but it’s a song that gets stuck in my head from time to time, so here it is. Written by Jimmy Webb, this is Art Garfunkel’s version of “All I Know.”
See you soon, and stay dry!
Professor Mondo 