A Trip to the Movies and Other Pleasures

Hello, dear friends,
Today is my day off, and, since my girls are on vacation, it also happens to be the first day in a long time that we can spend together... So, we decided to go to the movies - to see "Wonder Woman." (Well, I decided, and they agreed to come, but that is a small detail...)
What a treat that movie was - with the inspiring story, great cast, and even - visual effects. I am not usually one to fall for technologically enhanced explosions, but 3-D views of the Sacred Island that the "Wonder Woman" Diana is from made me feel like was walking right alongside her. I was afraid that the story was going to focus on the romantic relationship (Amazon princess + American "pauper"), but, again, I was pleasantly surprised, for the "love line, " while present, did not overshadow the message of the story, and a healthy dose of humor prevented it from becoming soppy. Well, the message of the story was about love, but the view of it was definitely more realistic than I am used to seeing in the movies: a mother's love for her daughter is often mingled with fear; the love of Diana and Steve is not so much a "hot and passionate affair," but a connection of two people who are both on a mission, are very different from each other, and try to learn about each other as much as possible in a very short time, while also working on their - not quite common - goals. Diana, a woman from a different world, constantly challenges the notions of "our" society about women, leadership, and power. Finally, in her search for the villain, she discovers that evil does not necessarily look it, or, at least, not at all the way she expected. At some point, it even looked like the "hero" and the "villain" could reach an agreement, for all they had was a difference of opinion, really... (I said afterwards that, being a "sucker" for intelligent argument, I would have probably given in... to which my daughter responded, "Mom, it is a good thing for humankind that you are not a Wonder Woman.") Indeed, it is.

In other news... I treated myself to a gift recently. After a little over a year of hard work, my family is with me again; my daughters and I are reunited. During the time apart, I have learned to enjoy the simple things in life and get along without so-called "necessities," such as a car, a computer, or a DVD player. After things started getting to the point that we, as a family, agreed on as "normal," I gave myself a reward... I thought of it as a combination birthday, Christmas, and Mother's Day present....

A Simpson's House Lego set.

The "Open" view of the model - with all the details inside.

It took me about five days to put it together (not counting the breaks in between - for work, stitching, housework and life), and when the time came to connect the garage to the house (yes, it connects, so that the house can "close" and look like a regular two-story box with a garage attachment), something went wrong - and... the walls collapsed on both the garage and the house side. I cried "Nooo!" and left it to sit alone for a few days, commenting that the house turned out to be "not prepared for the earthquake". Then, after calming down sufficiently, on my following day off I sat down and devoted the morning to rebuilding the disaster. It worked - as it should have. But, to save myself the aggravation, I decided to leave the garage detached - and the model open... It is more fun to look at the details anyway rather than stare at the closed "house" box...

Inside the garage. Loved the miniature tools and broom.
The cabinet door opens.

Lisa and Maggie...

Lisa's room has a vanity and a camera...

On the wall, there are pictures of Grandpa and Maggie..

Bart's room has personality, with the poster and the comic book.

Finally, a few little details...

Ned Flanders doing the BBQ.. 

A mailbox - complete with the letter!
I loved putting it together, along with Lisa's camera, the BBQ pit, and the kitchen cabinets...

How did it end up at Homer's???

Marge with the vacuum cleaner... 

I know that to some people it may seem like I am being childish. So many things to take care of, so many serious problems, issues, worries - and here I am, playing with the... dollhouse. To these people, I would say - I have been taking care of things all my adult life, and at times I feel that I need a break. This is simply a self-care kit of sorts. I loved working on it... and that is all that matters.

Until next time,