Lunch Story
Shobhit got home from work last night right after I finished writing my review for Toy Story 4, and when he asked what grade I gave it I told him: B+. He immediately said, "That's bad!" Huh? Since fucking when is a B+ bad? Maybe it's just that I so often have a lot of complaints about movies I give a B+. That doesn't mean they're not still really good! And I feel I still make that really clear in my reviews, how much I still liked them and why -- as I did with this one.
Shobhit remembered, though, how much I loved Toy Story 3 back in 2010 -- my favorite movie of that year, in fact. Honestly that's a massive bar to clear anyway, and it really comes as no surprise to me that the fourth installment is not even better -- that would take a fucking miracle. I will admit, however, to being slightly let down by it, just because yet another installment in this franchise really has to work hard to justify its own existence, and this movie does do that, I think, but only just barely.
I heard on a podcast recently that some people are regarding Toy Story 3 in retrospect as not quite the great movie everyone thought it was at that time. Well, you know what? I am not hopping on that train!
I will say, though, that this movie ends with an even greater sense of finality to the overall narrative thread to the Toy Story universe than the last one did. I won't spoil why, but it does take this gang of toy characters into an unprecedented direction, and, let's say, fragments it in a way it never did before.
I took a calculated risk in deciding to bus to the U District to see that movie rather than biking, even though biking was much more reliable in terms of timing. But, I wanted to be able to read my library book, which I obviously can't do on a bike. So, I walked to the #49 bus stop at Broadway and Pike, even though One Bus Away could only list "scheduled arrival" times for that route, for some reason having no real-time arrival data. I think the bus that miraculously arrived right on time for the one I wanted had to have been an earlier-scheduled bus just twelve minutes late, because it was packed, and I was unable to sit down -- and therefore pull the book out to read it -- until about two thirds of the way there.
The arrivals were wonky on the way back too, but a bus came in just a few minutes, so all was well. I got a few more pages read, and then got home in time to write up the review just before Shobhit got home. Then I made chai and we watched an episode of Cheers.
So we just had our "goodbye lunch" for Helen, across the street at Boat Street Kitchen. I think someone figured out that she has 10 work days left before she retires -- although, I could swear I heard "July 3," and that's actually eight work days away.
Kibby did not make it -- I'm not sure I've even seen her in the office today -- but Darrell decided he'd like to join, so there were still eight of us out for lunch, the others being myself, Scott, Noah, Kevin, Jeff, Justine, and of course, Helen.
Last time I was at Boat Street Kitchen it was for a Birth Week lunch with Sara, two years ago. I had the same thing then that I had today: tomato bisque with the goat cheese baguette, only this time I had the bowl instead of the cup. Their soup is rich and delicious and the goat cheese baguette is phenomenal. They don't have a lot of vegetarian options otherwise, though -- I was really hoping for a sandwich, but the only vegetarian sandwich they had was an "artichoke heart salad sandwich." The fuck? First of all, I don't want a sandwich made out of just a salad. Secondly, I sure as shit don't want the salad to be made of artichoke hearts! Yuck!
Darrell picked up the tab, though -- I suppose that probably means actually PCC picked up the tab -- and of course we all appreciated that. I did not talk a whole lot at lunch, in fact I probably did the least, but even though I've worked with Helen here at the office for several years and I like her a lot, I don't have the long history with her, particularly working at different individual stores over the years, that others do. So when Darrell asked for "Helen stories," I was really glad it never got to me. I don't have any Helen stories.
She was pretty pointed about not wanting any kind of party, though. This small affair was much more her speed. For the record, whenever I leave PCC, retirement or not (I mean, shit, I've already been here 17 years as of this August), I want a fucking party!
[posted 12:38 pm]