Gas Lighted

I’m testing a theory whether it is possible to gaslight yourself. Gaslighting is defined as a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual, hoping to make them question their own memory, perception, and sanity. It is therefore appropriate that a gas stove was the initiator of this internal quandary. I’m adjusting once again to solitary living while my wife continues to bask in the glory that is Las Lajas, Panama. I returned home last night after work to find the gas burner on the stove still lit from my early morning breakfast prep before leaving for work. What kind of idiot does that?! Me, apparently.

View out my Office Window Today
I Prefer Last Week's View

I was given a dose of my own medicine at dinner last night as my wife video called me from the condo pool area where she’s hosting a group of her family. I think it was worse for me because I knew exactly how much fun they were having in that tropical paradise while I was prepping for today’s eight inches of snow. The highlight of my night was having the snow blower start up on the first try. Doubting my seemingly rapidly debilitating mental processes (here is where Cantankerous Friend would pounce) I took on the cerebral task of reinstating my wife’s message sign wall last night. She has a full complement of Christmas signs that replace the usual ones for the holiday season. I was a little smarter this year in that I took a photo before the signs came down so I’d have a reference point. It was still a pain in the ass but I found I like having the wall to greet me each day as I walk in the door. An energetic black lab would be preferable but we can’t have everything.

Reference Photo

I received some startling news at the movie theater. I’ve got one of those Starpass cards where you can accumulate points to earn free tickets and popcorn. Needless to say I’ve been fairly accumulative when it comes to points because of my movie going habits. I haven’t paid much attention but they changed the system a few months back and instead of giving you the ticket when you earned it the award is just registered in the system. A guy, who I’m nominating as employee of the year for my theater, was concerned enough to point out to me that I had bunch of unredeemed free movies that were scheduled to expire over the next month. I asked him how many and he gave me a piece of paper to start writing and by the time we were finished it turned out I have 21 free movie tickets to use before the  end of February. I think I can do it.

Last night’s effort at reducing the total was Jumanji – Welcome to the Jungle. This movie had a pretty tall expectation to ascend. The original Jumanji was principally shot in my hometown and therefore had a special place in my movie going heart. Ascend it did because it didn’t tread upon that well liked Robin Williams original. There was a cool homage to the original when the new characters stumble upon the house Williams built while trapped in Jumanji but everything else was new. It was a great concept of transporting the usual high school stereotypes into new bodies for the game. A nerd inserted into the body of the Rock, the jock into a diminutive zoologist, the mousy girl into a Lara Croft type, and finally, and most hilariously, the hot popular girl into the body of Jack Black. This was really fertile ground which was ably assailed by the writers and especially the actors. Rock and Kevin Hart continue their roll as excellent foils for each other but Jack Black dominates inhabited by the hot girl. The story dragged at times but the actors all deliver and bring home the promise of the plot on all levels. A really fun movie and hey, it was free.

The Bad Cinema project count rises to #90 out of 100, with Night of the Blood Beast, just about as bad as you would think.