You’ve Gotta Laugh

This blog is all about celebrating our life as a couple.  It’s called Adventures in Date Night, and typically Date Night is when we go out to eat or drink or do something fun.  But Date Night doesn’t have to mean leaving the house and spending tons of money.

Marriage is hard.  Everybody tells you that.  You have two different people who bring with them two different sets of life experience.  They have to live together, work together, problem-solve together, raise kids together…  I’m going to add that in my opinion, it’s essential that they laugh together.  We’ve had our fair share of difficulties in our time together, Mr. R. and I.  It’s called life, really.  Many of our difficulties could be solved by winning the Powerball, just saying.

But I have noticed that when we face a challenge, we always find a way to laugh at something.  Because on top of being able to work together, we love to laugh together.  We have since our very first date when he ordered a strawberry margarita in his deep, basso profundo voice.  I was hooked.

This couple is getting it right.  I think I’d come up with higher stakes than who cooks dinner.  But do you love the little shout-out to The Hunger Games?  I’m going to have to hunt up a couple of Nerf guns.

Saturday Night Serenade–Smile

Mr. R. and I have been having the best summer.  His odd work schedule, which we hated while I was still working, has been an absolute God-send.  We’ve stayed up late at night, slept in late in the morning, hung out until time for him to go to work.  We’ve had the luxury of being able to enjoy each other.

I’m studiously ignoring the fact that shortly, I’ll be back to the grind, and we’ll be back to the weeks where we don’t really see each other from Sunday night until Friday afternoon.  There is a possibility that he’ll get back to a more normal schedule before too long.  I just want to make sure I appreciate the moments.  I love this song.  It reminds me of how I feel about my sweet.  I hope you like it, too.  Happy Saturday night!

Smile

You’re better than the best
I’m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler than the flip-side of my pillow (that’s right)
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
It lets me know that it’s okay (yeah, it’s okay)
And the moments when my good times start to fade

[Chorus:]
You make me smile like the sun,
Fall outta bed
Sing like a bird,
Dizzy in my head
Spin like a record,
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool,
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold,
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

Even when you’re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack
And just like that
You steal away the rain
And just like that

[Chorus]

Don’t know how I lived without you
‘Cause every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile

You make me dance like a fool,
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold,
Buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Oh, you make me smile

[Chorus]

(Oh, you make me smile)
Oh, you make me smile
(Oh, you make me smile)
Oh, you make me smile

You Just Never Know

Mr. R. called me last night while he was at work.

“J.J.’s dead.”

“What?”

“J.J.’s dead.  He didn’t come to work and he didn’t call in.  He wouldn’t answer his phone so we came over here.”

“Where are you now?”

“We’re at J.J.’s house.  Scott went in and found him.  He was on his bed.”

According to Mr. R., J.J.’s car was in the driveway with the wipers sticking up.  There was a bucket of water and a sponge beside the car.  The assumption is that he was washing his car and began to feel badly so he went inside to lie down.  He lived alone so it wasn’t until he didn’t show up for work that he was missed.  Coworkers had to break into his house and find him.  He was forty-four.

That’s about the saddest story I’ve ever heard.

And a sobering reminder to do the things you mean to do, sooner rather than later.

Say the things you mean to say, sooner rather than later.

Love those around you and let them know that you do.

Because you just never know.

Date Night Extraordinaire–Part 2

This was so great it deserves a post by itself.  After the movie, Mr. R. and I made our way south from Jupiter to the West Palm Beach neighborhood of Northwood Village where we decided to go to a restaurant where I’ve never been and he hadn’t been there in a  long time.

Photo from Pinterest.

Our apres movie dinner was at the Sunset Bar & Grill at 2500 Broadway.  I knew as soon as we walked in that I was going to love the place.  It’s an ancient 1920s art deco building that has been lovingly maintained and restored into a funky, quirky joint that’s exactly the reason I avoid big-box chain restaurants.

We were greeted by super friendly staff who immediately made us feel welcome, telling us to pick a table.  Although a few tables were occupied and there were a handful of guests at the bars (inside and out on the patio), the place wasn’t crowded and we easily found a booth to our liking.

Photo by Mr. R.

The decor is funky, artsy, shabby chic and according to their website the painted canvases I saw all around the place are by local artist Deborah Kerly from her “Broadway Series” and are permanently on display.  Also catching my eye was a vast and eclectic collection of beautiful red glass vases arranged throughout the dining room.  I loved the various funky light fixtures as well.

The menu offered so many things that sounded amazing that it was hard to decide, but eventually I opted for the Sunset Crab Cakes while Mr. R. chose a Ribeye cooked medium rare.  The problem there was that he couldn’t decide whether he wanted it grilled or blackened so he actually asked the server to choose for him.

Photo by Mrs. R.

When our dinner came out, his steak was blackened and he was very happy with it.  My crab cakes were without exaggeration the best crab cakes I have ever had, ever.  Our entrees were accompanied by homemade mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, fresh green beans, a tiny dollop of sweet potatoes, and a drop of some kind of stuffing.  Everything was delicious.  Having had our share of snacks at the movie, we each ended up taking home about half of our meals, which were heartily enjoyed the following day.  Before we left the Sunset, we were treated to a slice of their homemade coconut creme pie which was out of this world, and I don’t even like coconut.

Oh, and the music.  Throughout our time at the Sunset, we were serenaded by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, and Nina Simone.  I overheard one of the servers telling someone that it was the Frank Sinatra station on Pandora.  You couldn’t have chosen a more perfect soundtrack for an evening at the Sunset Bar & Grill.  It was my first time there.  It won’t be my last.

Date Night Extraordinaire–Part 1

Last night was one of the best date nights we’ve had in a long time and Mr. R. deserves all the credit.  It was he who said, “Hey, let’s go see that new Judd Apatow movie, Trainwreck,” to which I said, “Okay.”  Movie-wise, it really was his turn to pick since the last movie we went to see was Fifty Shades of Grey, which he hated.

And so it was that he went online to see where it was playing.  Turns out, it was at the new luxury theatre in Jupiter, Cinepolis.  I’m not going to kid you.  Tickets to the luxury side (half of the multiplex is still regular) are not cheap.  Prime time shows will cost you $19.75 while matinees are two dollars cheaper.

But it just so happened that we had a $25 Fandango gift card.  We chose the 4:45 showing and that meant we paid the matinee price.  Ordering our tickets through Fandango, we only paid $13.50 for both of us (includes the online fee).  AND we chose our reserved seats when we ordered them, so we didn’t feel the need to rush to the theatre, worried that we wouldn’t find two seats together.

We found the theatre lobby to be very upscale with lots of small tables and a large full-service bar at the luxury end.  Bypassing the snack bar because , we moved to the right side of the lobby, the luxury side, while the regular theatres were to the left.  Mr. R. showed the ticket girl his phone, having had the tickets texted to him, and we were on our way to Theatre 4.

Unfortunately, they were still cleaning and we had to wait for a long while, but when we finally entered we quickly found our large, fully reclining leather seats among the few that are there.  The luxury theatres only seat about 70 guests and the majority of seats are in pairs.

Mr. R. and I sank into our seats and fiddled with the controls until we figured out how everything worked.  By the time we had our feet up, we knew there was no turning back, no possibility of ever returning to a regular theatre experience.

Once we were comfortably ensconced in seats C1 and C2, we checked out the menu to see what we might order.  I immediately went for their Private Label sauvignon blanc, sans the little green fly.  And being a creature of habit, I chose popcorn, which was really fresh and good, not some old, popped-a-hundred-miles-away-and-shipped-in-last-week crap.

Mr. R., being adventurous, chose the cheese and fruit plate.  There were several different kinds of cheeses, grapes, apple slices, dates, spiced walnuts, and a variety of crackers.  All of these were cheerfully delivered to us by the server who was responsible for our row.  And this was before the movie started.  Throughout the movie if we wanted anything at all, we pushed the little button on the armrest and our wishes were granted.  It was awesome.

Now the movie…

If you’re familiar with Judd Apatow’s work, you know what to expect.  The humor tends to be a bit crass so it’s not for the easily offended.  Trainwreck is about a millennial magazine writer, played by Amy Schumer (who incidentally wrote the script), with serious commitment issues.  Her “sort-of” boyfriend is played by pro wrestler John Cena.  Have you even wondered how John Cena looks naked?  Imagine no more; he’s pretty much like the action figure of He-Man, sans the blond pageboy.

Schumer’s character Amy is assigned to write an article about sports medicine specialist Aaron, played by Bill Hader, who becomes her new love interest.  Both Schumer and Hader are likeable as are the cast of supporting players, not the least of whom is the surprisingly funny and heartfelt LeBron James of NBA fame.

One of my favorite scenes has James, flanked by Chris Evert, Matthew Broderick, and Marv Albert in cameo appearances,  performing an intervention on Aaron, who James believes has gotten in too deep and too fast with the hard-partying Amy.  The cherry on top is Albert’s play-by-play narration of the intervention.

Bottom line, we really liked Trainwreck.  It was a funny and sometimes poignant story, punctuated by moments of hilarious (if crass) humor.  If you liked The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and This Is 40, you’ll enjoy this movie.  And I’ve become spoiled; I’ll never go to a regular movie theatre ever again.

Now after the movie…  (to be continued)

Saturday Night Serenade–I Feel Lucky!

Tonight’s serenade is a moldy oldie by Mary Chapin Carpenter.  It’s called I Feel Lucky, and well, I do.  So here’s to a Happy Saturday Night!

Um, Ew!

It’s Thursday night.  I’m just a girl trying to relax at the end of a long day.  I thought I’d have a nice glass of wine.

Only when I took a sip, something was odd.  I mean, I’m no expert but Sauvignon blanc isn’t supposed to be lumpy, right?  Or fluttery?

I spat wine across the room.  And I owe the swear jar.  Does motherfucker count as one word or two?

Oh my God.

I love this! Carpe diem!!

Wonder Of My Worlds

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Grrrr!

So…I am hating the new tweaks to WordPress.

Nothing works the way it used to, they’ve hidden the freaking names of the bloggers…

Why?  Why would they do such a thing?  Is that a Monday thing?

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a cliche for a reason.

Can’t we just go back to the way it was a mere twelve hours ago?  Remember all the good times we shared?  It can be that way again.  If we both just try.  Please?  *wipes tear*

Saturday Night Serenade–Hamlet

It’s Saturday night and Mr. R. and I are taking Date Night to Shakespeare by the Sea.  I wrote about this the other day.  This year the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival is presenting the timeless tragedy Hamlet.  For tonight’s serenade, I wanted to come up with a song that fits the bill, something dark and tragic.  (Please know I’m giggling as I write this.  I’m twisted like that.)  I wanted something that was definitely not a banjo song.  It’s impossible to play a sad song on a banjo.

Finally, I came up with How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths.  For me, it takes me back to dancing ass to elbows in the wee hours of the morning on the packed black and white checkerboard dance floor at Respectable Street on Clematis in downtown West Palm Beach.  That was before they put hardwood over the whole floor.  Sigh.

Anyway, I think if Hamlet lived in the modern age, he would probably have written this song.  Don’t take it too seriously.  And happy Saturday Night!