Alice in the Wonderland and some Bluegrass

Our weekend was very good. Dan arrived late Thursday night. He got Friday off because he was on call the weekend before. So, we had a three day weekend to be together somewhat. We spent some time with Mother on Friday and Sunday. We took some time for ourselves Saturday.

Here are a couple of things we managed to do:

Alice in the Wonderland

We went to see a movie Saturday afternoon. Dan found “Alice in the Wonderland” showing at the local AMC theater in closed captioning (CC). I have wanted to see it since seeing a few trailers on it and Dan loves going to the movies. So, off we went. The nice thing about AMC is that the “normals” can watch the movie without seeing CC. The deaf uses a simple device, which rests in a cup holder that enables them to see CC.

Anyway, Alice in the Wonderland is your typical Tim Burton movie – odd and dark. This is not your typical “Alice in Wonderland” story as the main character, Alice, is much older and she falls into wonderland without remembering her earlier adventure(s) as a younger child. She’s the only hope against the Red Queen.

I enjoyed watching this movie. However, it is not a movie I would watch again nor is it a movie I would purchase when it comes out on DVD.

If you desire to watch it, I would wait and rent it when it comes out in DVD for cheap or even wait until your local library has it and then watch it for free.

Bay Area Bluegrass jam

We went to the local bluegrass jam Saturday evening. Many people show up early and have jam sessions. They also have concerts so to speak that begins at 7:00pm. I was more into the jam sessions this time around as the bands playing weren’t my cup of tea. I really enjoyed the “slow jam” where beginners of all ages tend to hang out to learn the ropes. I also enjoyed a couple of other jams that spontaneously formed. A few were very lively and one group even played/sang an unusual version of “happy birthday” song to an 18 year old banjo player. We stayed there for approximately two hours before heading home.

If you really want to attend a bluegrass jam and even concerts, I highly recommend going to this particular one which is held every third Saturday of the month (except for May and December). Lots of people there and it’s free to attend. You can even gets eats (typically hot dogs and a drink) for cheap. You can also get coffee and/or homemade snacks for a donation of 50 cents each.

Dan is now on the road and on his way back home. The only thing bad about having a longer weekend is that the goodbyes are harder to take. I really had a good weekend. I just wish it didn’t have to end.