I remembered that a movie I really wanted to see had just come out, so I found the earliest showtime (noon) and the closest theater (about two miles from me). Realizing I was hungry, I decided I should find somewhere nearby to get some cheap breakfast before the movie, and I remembered that my USF-grad friend (her name is Mele, pronounced MEL-ee... don't know why I haven't just referred to her by name before now...) had recommended a local crepe place called Genki, so I meandered my way over to satisfy my famished belly.
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| Genk you very much... |
Inside, the place looked like a Japanese convenience store with a wide assortment of prepackaged foods and a little counter, behind which a middle-aged man and a young woman who couldn't have been much older than me were chopping fruits for the crepes. They had some savory options, but I've got a heck of a sweet tooth, so I opted for a strawberry crepe with vanilla ice cream. It couldn't have taken more than a minute for them to cook my meal. Interestingly, they put the crepe in this paper sleeve which turned it into a cone shape, and as it cooled, it got flaky and crunchy like a wafery ice cream cone. It was unlike any crepe I've had before, and I scarfed it down as I walked toward the movie theater. [Side note: on the way, I passed two other guys holding similar crepe-cones from a different shop, so I guess it must just be a thing here?]
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| Heaven in a cone |
Visiting the movie theater was a fascinating experience. The theater was owned by Sundance, which I have to assume is the same company that runs the Sundance Film Festival, and it was called a "kabuki" theater, which seemed to only factor in through the Asian decor in the lobby as seen in the picture below. [Fun fact: "kabuki" is actually a traditional form of Japanese theater involving elaborate costumes and makeup, none of which has anything to do with this particular cinema.] The ticketing was equally unusual. Every ticket included a $2 service charge which was used to keep the theater environmentally-friendly and allowed them to stop showing non-film-based commercials before the movie (i.e. Regal Firstlook), and the seats were assigned so at the counter, once I paid, I had to pick on a touch screen where in the theater I wanted to sit. The concession stand served a variety of organic foods and self-packaged candy as well as alcohol (but don't worry, I didn't drink anything). All of these weird parts aside, it was definitely one of the nicest theaters I've ever been to, clean and efficient and with very clear projection and sound. I will probably go back there a few times this summer for other movies I want to see.
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| I bet my mom wishes she could grow bamboo that tall... |
The movie itself was called Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and it was based off of a book that I read shortly before flying out to SF. The book had been recommended to me by a Mask and Wig friend, Jordan, who had heard of it because this summer he is interning for the Fox production company which distributed the movie. I was disappointed by the novel, as I found it bland and the main character hard to relate with; I would describe him as Holden Caulfield if he had actually been prescribed Xanax. That said, the movie got rave reviews and I wanted to give it a shot.
I am thrilled to say that it was a stunning, heartfelt, tear-jerking adaptation which blew the book out of the water in every sense. It had a distinctive John Hughes-esque quality to it and the characters were much easier to connect with through a visual medium. More importantly, it tackled the subject of teenage illness and death in a much more down-to-earth, truthful and gut-wrenching way than my guilty pleasure from last summer, The Fault in Our Stars. Watching it made me think a lot about my relationship with my friend Alex who passed away after freshman year at Penn from bone cancer, and the emotions shown in the movie were very similar to what I experienced in the aftermath of that tragic loss.
Anyways, after the movie, I walked a couple blocks to a nearby Safeway to pick up lunches for this week and to buy a plastic travel mug (since I'm a coffee fanatic now and all). Then I walked home and, for the rest of the day, have not done much of anything. I worked a little on putting together the picture frames I have to make for my kids, watched the first episode of the new season of Orange is the New Black, ate some chicken nuggets, sent some e-mails, watched the season finales of Veep and Silicon Valley and prepped for this week at work. I started to feel bad that I was lazy this afternoon because I hate feeling like I am wasting any of my time here in California, though it was nice to have a few hours to relax a little before the chaos of work begins again. Nevertheless, I started writing a list of things I want to accomplish while I am here so that if I ever find myself bored again, I can just look at the list, pick something and do it.
For my final note of the day, going back to Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, the film conveys the idea that a person's life continues to unfold even after they die through the people and things they leave behind. I thought of this blog and how perhaps someday, many years from now, my grandkids might stumble over it and learn a little about their Grandpa Nate's summer in San Francisco. Maybe it will inspire them to take a few risks themselves. I certainly hope it does.
Until next time,
Nate
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| Here is a picture of all of the teachers I am working with this summer! It was taken on a selfie stick. See if you can spot Mele. (Hint: I photoshopped her in... ;-P) |
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