November 12, 2995
Rain clouds blew out last night. We only got a slight drizzle about four yesterday. Sunny and clear today. Elephant Butte lit up and pretty this morning.

Yesterday afternoon Kathy called at my office about 4:15 and asked me if I wanted to sneak off and catch a movie. I was trying to post my blog and the blog-town-window wouldn't accept it. She said the movie Derailed started in a half hour at Desert Ridge and did I think we should try and make a run for it? I wondered at the time why she picked Derailed, but my mind was on the blog deal and I assumed one of her clients had recommended the movie. I certainly had no intrest in seeing it and had my heart set on Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang or a new doc called New York Doll (about a band member of the old rock group New York Dolls, who hit bottom, became a Mormon librarian, then was rediscovered in a Doll revival in England and then died of cancer five weeks later), but I said nothing and forwarded my blog to Jason to hopefully fix and met Kathy in the True West parking lot. We made it to Desert Ridge with about five minutes to spare, I ran ahead and got in line to get tickets ($14 for two, cash), and a quick stop at the refreshment highway robbery stand for popcorn and water ($7.50 cash for water and popcorn! Water and popcorn!). Got seats in the front row (stadium seating) and sat back for the big seduction.

Jennifer Anniston and Clive Owen were quite good, but then they got to the hotel scene and it turned nasty, dark and extremely violent. After the broken nose and umpteenth kick in the balls, Kathy leaned over and said, "I don't think I can take much more of this." I leaned over in the dark and said, "Then why did you pick this movie?" She looked at me stunned. "I thought this is the movie you wanted to see?"

The movie sucked so bad. It was all plot turns and insincere violence (as opposed to sincere violence like in The Wild Bunch or Saving Private Ryan). I hated the whole damn thing. Some smart-ass film school script, trying so hard to be clever. Totally unbelievable and unsuccessful.

"You owe me," I said walking to the car, like the pouty-little-hubby-only child-Bastard I can be. I made her go to El Conquistador for dinner (okay, it wasn't that hard to do) and had a Pacifico and the conquistador taoos. She had the chicken mole ($25 house account, includes tip). Great to see Mark and Maria and they showed me a write-up in the paper by Mad Coyote Joe that said I loved the place, so "where the hell" had I been. "To a really crappy movie," I told them with a smile.

Had a book signing down at the Shea and 101 Barnes & Noble at two today. About seven people showed up, but they all bought books and raved about the magazine, so that was fun. Of course I bought two books ($37.44, so it cost me to go to my own signing).

Deena's coming out for dinner tonight. She's having roommate problems, as in a roommate who doesn't have a job, lays around on the couch all day and doesn't have the rent kind of problems. Good lessons to learn before you get married to someone like that. Fortunately, Kathy didn't learn this until it was too late.Ha.

"When war, politics, and writers mix, the results are seldom inspiring."
—George Packer in the New Yorker
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