Oy, Whatta Weekend!

I was out of bed, showered and dressed by noon on BOTH days!!! Amazing, I tell you. I need a day off to recover.

On Saturday, WeeMonkeyGurl had a "Cheetah Girls" party in the canyon. If you're not the mother of a female between the ages of 5 - 12, then you won't understand. If you have a daughter/niece/sister/cousin/classmate/etc. of that age that watches Disney Channel, then you totally understand. In any event, picking her up was a good excuse to keep on going - to THE VALLEY to check out Stitch Cafe. It didn't hurt that there was a Special Event being held that evening.

I found the drive over (from Beverly Glen) to be very enjoyable - but I don't think I could do it every day. It was a beautiful afternoon, the monkey was asleep in the back seat, and I had the tunes cranking. Once "over the hill", I started coughing, but soon acclimated to the soup they call air over there. The store was easy to find, and they were just getting set up for the festivities.

What a great store.

Despite being frazzled and a bit overwhelmed, everyone there was extremely helpful. You could tell they love what they do. WeeMonkeyGurl snuggled down in a window couch and worked on her casting on (while periodically pleading for new yarn.) I indulged in fondling the silk and mohair, and finally came away with some nice, practical stuff I could actually afford and use (didn't hurt that it was 25% off). There were a few racks with yarns at 50% off. There were yarns that they hand-dyed in the shop. The store itself is bright and lovely, and I could see making that journey again.

Afterward (while filling out a "knitting trivia" questionnaire), we enjoyed the sound of bluegrass music, the WMG snacked on marshmallows, cotton candy, popcorn and lemonade, while I sampled some Everglo (it was mixed with gingerale, so relax!) Me and the WMG thought that *every* yarn excursion should be so wonderful.


On Sunday, I decided it was finally time to see Pirates 2. :) Since I had waited so long, I didn't have many choices in theaters, but it was showing at my favorite, El Capitan. This is one of the world's most gorgeous movie theaters. The only bad thing about it is the location - it takes about an hour for me to get there from home, and I live about 2 miles away. Plus, since half the traffic is non-local, and the other half is drunk, it makes the drive even more fun.

There was a Capt. Jack Sparrow look-alike (NOT!!!!) outside the theater. I didn't even look at him, for fear the disregard would show in my eyes. But there were other things to keep me entertained - they have an organist that plays before the movie. I *know* its a bad shot, but hello, CELL PHONE. Plus, I wasn't sure photos were allowed. In any event, he does a number of Disney movie songs, with his special interpretative skills. It really is entertaining.
They have a balcony on either side that is decorated for the film. Again, really more lovely than my camera reflects. They had a raffle - two free tix to Disneyland (WMG was *very* disappointed we didn't win). And they had a special prelude to the movie that was absolutely the best way to begin. It scared WMG senseless, and, as her mother, I couldn't have been more pleased.

Of course, the movie itself was everything I expected. My love for Johnny Depp knows no bounds, and this only reinforced it. To all the naysayers that had criticisms of the movie (specifically, it was at once too long and felt like the ending was arbitrary), I say, "POOH TO YOU." There is nothing I would change, and nothing I felt unnecessary, and the special effects were phenomenal.

Afterward, there is a room where you can see props from the movie, such as Ms. Swann's (I just love saying that - If you're a long time MadTV watcher, you'll know what I'm talking about) wedding dress.
The "toe necklace" and other goodies
One of the evil undead
And a whole host of other things.

All told, for the same price you'd pay to go to the Grove (with similar driving/parking issues), you really get the full experience at El Cap.

Oh, and Lizzie? BACK OFF. The Captain's MINE.