(Weekend Musings) The Motorcycle Diaries, Lindenberries, 15 mph, and Other Things

Though not necesarily in that order.

Saw Phantom Menace Friday night in preparation for the upcoming release of Revenge of the Sith. It was not the best, closest, most uninterrupted viewing I'll ever have, but I'm finally quite certain of this: it is definitely a level (or two) below episodes 4 and 5, for sure.

Sharon went camping with Lucy and her cousins and I had the chance to spend Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon alone at home-my first night home without Lucy and/or Sharon since Lucy's birth. Kind of wild, and unbelievable how much I got done. From finishing off a brick border to our front bush/planting area, transplanting about 30 ft of wild strawberries in front of our house, mowing, sawing up brush for firewood, and a buttload of stuff inside the house. And I still had time to go sleep in till 9:30 Sunday morning (not sure I've slept past 7:00 in the last year) and go to a local coffeeshop for morning coffee, a leisurely read of The Minneapolis Observer, and a breakfast of waffle with lindenberries.

I also managed to go for a run on both days-first time running around my neighborhood without Lucy in quite a while. It was a rare treat, in the course of each run, to take a little winding half-mile trek through the woods down by the river. It's a cool little diversion that is "off-road" in the truest sense of the word-there's two little spring-fed streams to leap, as well as a couple of giant downed logs (one must be 2 1/2 to 3 feet to clear), and one other spot where you must leap atop a log and run along it for about 20 ft. Basically a lot of fun. As I was heading down my street for the final half-block, I did my usual kick into full spring mode. Then, when I stopped, a van pulled up beside me and a guy told me he clocked me at 15 mph. Not too shabby.

Last night, as part of celebration for Mothers' Day, we watching 'The Motorcycle Diaries,' which Sharon had wanted to see for a long time. It was good-possibly very good. Sharon did like it a little more than me, though I think in another time, in another mood I could have been really really taken with it. Basically, the story of Che Ernesto Guevara (a Argentine guy who became a human rights activist) during the part of his life in which he discovers some of the injustices that people in South America face that compel him to this higher calling. But the story itself (as the movie states a couple of times) is not about heroic deeds. Ernesto (who is a semester from graduating medical school) takes off on a road trip with a friend, intending to go all the way down the South American coast from Buenos Aires, up the other side all the way to Caracas, all while riding double on a shitty old motorcycle called "The Mighty One." I will say the authenticity of people they meet along the way is absolutely amazing, as is the scenery. Would definitely recommend going in "the queue," Mixxy & AJ.