Tag: Spinach

Pizza, Salad, and a Movie: Love and Friendship

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Ham
  • Jalapeños
  • Spinach *

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(I had a wedge salad with chicken.)

We my husband chose jalapeños since I’m not eating pizza right now (and for a while), and I don’t like them.

Movie:

Love and Friendship

All in all, I liked this film, but lots of characters are introduced early in the opening credits, and it was hard for me to keep track of them – almost overwhelming. It was distracting as I tried to follow the plot. However, I love Jane Austen, and if you do, too, I think you will like this movie.

One reason we chose to see it was that it was playing at the right time (7:15). Other films we want to see were playing either too early or too late at our theater of choice: Ghostbusters, The Secret Life of Pets [me], and Star Trek Beyond [him – I just don’t like Star Trek.] Pets was playing at 7:00 so that was doable, but after Finding Dory last time, he requested we not watch an animated movie, and I agreed. Maybe next time, though. Or maybe Ghostbusters at a different cinema.

I ain’t afraid of no ghost.

*He asked for Sliced Tomatoes, but he got Spinach instead, and said it was tasty.

 

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Pizza and a Movie: A Royal Affair

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Anchovies
  • Poblano Peppers
  • Spinach

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Movie:

A Royal Affair*

*You’ll notice the movie this time wasn’t one currently out in the theaters. That’s because my husband and I had planned to go see The Martian (and still do), but because it was playing at 7:00 – a bit early for us, after going down to the Corner Pizza first – we decided to go home instead, and watch A Royal Affair on Netflix.

I had seen it before, one time when he was out of town, but I love movies about any kind of royalty (and the affair part makes it juicy). Both my husband and I like foreign films, and  since our daughter (who’s studying in France) recently visited Copenhagen (and saw the Amalienborg Palace), we thought it would be interesting.

It was.

The movie came out in 2012, and it’s based on a true story. The actress who portrays Caroline Mathilde, Alicia Vikander, starred in Man from Uncle (U.N.C.L.E.) this year, and she did a great job. Turns out, royalty has problems, too.

The pizza we chose was three shades of green (sort of). At my insistance, my husband picked all the toppings, and these are what he chose.

I guess he was in a salty, spicy, and healthy mood.

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Black Mass

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Chicken
  • Red Onions
  • Spinach

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Movie:

Black Mass

Johnny Depp is another one of my favorite actors, and this was a compelling film. I like Johnny best in movies like this; another one I liked him in was Blow. This film was solid, and the account of real events was incredible. “Stranger than fiction,” as they say. I found the story fascinating, and in one scene having to do with James “Whitey” Bulger’s family, I was moved to tears.

The Pizza:

My husband wanted one of the toppings to be chicken. We’d only had chicken once before (I think), and he asked me to choose the other two toppings.

“What if I select the two we’ve already had with chicken?” I asked, knowing that he’s keeping track of our topping combinations, and that he doesn’t want to repeat one that we’ve already had.

“I don’t think you will,” he said. Then, ever the mathematician/statistician/probability/keeper-tracker, he added, “What are the chances?”

“Maybe there are only certain other toppings that I would even think of, to have with chicken,” I protested. “I mean, it’s not like I’m going to choose italian sausage and pepperoni with it.”

“Good point,” he said.

[Actually, we had the second half of this conversation (starting with, “Maybe there are only…”) the next day, but I’m using artistic license in telling it this way, here. Instead of replying when he asked, “What are the chances?”, the truth is, I merely tossed my head and chose the other two toppings, fully confident that, if we’d already had that exact same combination, he would veto it immediately.]

The pizza was good; chicken goes well with spinach, and the onions added a bite.

Back to truth and fiction, and artistic license. One thing I remember from grade school (and remember marveling at, when I fully understood it) was the principle (?) of  “willing suspension of disbelief.” In Black Mass, though you knew the film was based on a true story, you almost had to do that – willingly suspend your disbelief. As an author, when I write fiction, it’s what I want you to do, as the reader. It’s what I’ve done, countless times, as a reader.

It makes everything so much more real.

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Fresh Garlic
  • Portobellos
  • Spinach

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Movie:

Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

This one was another vegetarian pizza, and all topping selections were my husband’s.

Initially, I balked at the choice of garlic, and even offered to switch it for jalapeños (on only half the pizza, though). But I like garlic, it’s healthy, and with all the other ingredients on the pizza, I knew it wouldn’t be overpowering. Besides, he didn’t agree to switch.

The pizza was very good, and someday, I’ll agree to jalapeños – just not yet.

Now for the movie. Poignant, witty, cleverly done, well cast, and well acted…and, in the words of one reviewer, “rips your heart out.” Shades of the films The Fault in our Stars and 50/50. The awkwardness of high school faces cancer (the “dying girl” has leukemia) – and the result is both relatable and difficult to imagine.

However – as a mom (and a caregiver), not as the patient – I could relate to the film more than I couldn’t. My son was in college, so a little older than the dying girl, when he was diagnosed with cancer. In my latest book, ALL THE ABOVE, I tell his story from my perspective.

The movie brought one particular passage in that book to my mind:

“My thoughts traveled back to when I was nineteen and in college, a time when my biggest concerns were writing papers, studying for exams, and meeting boys. If I had been told one day that I had a brain tumor, my whole world would have crashed and collapsed. 

I would have cried for days, if not weeks. Like Jack, I would have mourned the loss of my summer, the plans I had looked forward to. [But unlike Jack,] I would have felt very sorry for myself. I would have wanted to stay in my room and hide.

I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the crushing blows that just seemed to keep on coming for Jack.” 

Unlike pizza topping choices, you can’t even try to bargain about cancer, notwithstanding that bargaining is one of the stages of your grief.

But you can hold onto hope.

me, Jack 11-6

Me and Jack in Fall 2010. His hair was just starting to grow back after radiation treatment.

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