One of the biggest, unsaid things about couplehood is that your social life doubles. With a person now a fixutre in your life, you find yourself going to additional weddings, Xmas parties, and family visits.
Oddly enough, you'd think that with all this exposure to banquet halls and backyard barbecues, that I'd be some great raconteur. Oh God, that's not even remotely the case. I went to a friend's 30th birthday party the other day, and I was reminded of how I haven't socially progressed beyond the seventh grade.
Witness:
--While introducing my girlfriend to a person I've known for years, I completely blanked on this person's name. There's a photo of me holding this person in my arms, yet I couldn't friggin' remember her name. Ugh. (Sorry, Brooke.)
--At the restaurant, I accidentally ate the discarded pea pods, instead of the fresh ones. This may have happened once or for a period of minutes. Either way, I'm doomed to be like Patrick Dempsey in Outbreak.
--I was reminded of just how awkward it is to enter a party. I wish I were some big, brassy type like Mae West or Rosalind Russell, who could just enter a room and bellow, "HEY EVERYBODY! THE PARTY HAS STARTED!" As a straight man, I legally can't do that, so I just shuffle in.
Self-mockery aside, I had a very nice time with some very friendly people. And I was reminded of something else--the bonding power of movies.
When one of the dinner guests mentioned where I was writing reviews, that got the table started. People wanted to know what I had seen, and were more than happy to chime in with their opinions. The conversation got animated very quickly.
And that reminded me of something: Everyone has a favorite movie, one that defines their life in unseen ways. Everyone's usually loves talking about it because it's simultaneously profound and meaningless. Talk about religion or politics or sports, and the passion becomes volatile.
When you talk about movies, the passion is 100% benign and 100% spirited. Everyone can be an expert. That's why I love 'em so much.
1 comment:
Hello, Pete -
Just found (and am enjoying) your blog today - will continue reading, but wanted to say that it was via a Google search for Dennis Quaid and Bonnie Raitt that I was directed to your entry about the video that featured them.
I'm going to be doing a brief introduction to "The Big Easy" at a film series in Cape May, NJ tomorrow evening - I want to highlight the music angle.
Keep going, as my nephew says.
Mike Murphy
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