a-list and a legion

I wanted my AMC A*List to have a theme of "spooky goings on" this week, though that didn't quite turn out as expected.

"Arthur The King" was actually based on real events that occurred during an endurance race in the Dominican Republic in 2016.

I would say that it reminded me of my dog, Toffee, that I brought back to the States with me from Panama...

but she had been healthy and well there.

Mark Wahlberg brought a lot of heart to this movie, as he does.

However, the only spooky part was when the dog caught up with them at a checkpoint that was about two days from the one they'd last seen the dog.

That was more a miracle than spooky, though.

"The American Society of Magical Negroes" wasn't spooky, either, but did have some magic.

Nice to see David Alan Grier as the recruiter for the group, ever on the lookout for members who would embrace its doctrine of dispelling fear from white civilians, mostly male.

Here's the thing, though: the movie could just as easily been called "The Society of Sisters, Wives, And Girlfriends".

That was another group who were charged with dispelling fear from men, mostly white, though also some black.

At least that group's moniker had an acronym emblazoned on a funky ring!

And, although SOSWAG wasn't revealed until the end of the movie, I found myself thinking about my time in the Navy as a CTM, doing electronics maintenance alongside the men in the mostly male field, and the steps I would take to make sure they knew I was competent, but not competing.

After all, in the late 1970's when I was new to the field, many men were not accepting of me doing the same work - and therefore earning the exact same pay - as them.

That meant I made sure I worked twice as hard to make sure they knew I was for real...

and not in the field to find a husband.

So, when the big reveal came about the "work wife", I just loved it!!!

Sorry about that little spoiler, but it was absolutely necessary.

There are plenty of others in the movie, so go see it!

(smile!)

Now, what was that theme again?

Oh, yes: "spooky goings on".

"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" had that in spades! 

How utterly wonderful to see Ernie Hudson, Day Aykroyd, Annie Potts, and Bill Murray still in on the ghost busting FORTY YEARS LATER - amazing!!!

How glad I am to not have to deal with teenagers, after seeing the selfish, stupid actions of the 15-year-old girl in this movie!!!

My one problem is, perhaps, a silly one - I keep thinking of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.

I know that character from the Marvel Universe is named Scott Lang, just as I know that the teacher-father figure in the Ghostbusters Universe is named Gary Grooberson, so the two are not the same person...

but both are played by Paul Rudd, in several movies now, and I knew him as Ant-Man first.

Yeah, sounds like a First World problem to me, too.

(smile!)

 

That was all done by mid-afternoon today.

This evening, I had my usual third-Thursday meeting of American Legion Post 36.

There were only seven of us there: me, Doug, Billy, Clark, Michael T, Jay, and John.

That was not quite enough for anything requiring a vote, so it was good that there was no new business to discuss.

Doug brought steak and cheese Firehouse Subs for us, and I made sure to thank him.

Mostly, we spent the first hour chitchatting and the biggest part of the second hour going over old business and Legion protocol.

That let us out early!

I made sure to admire the bar, which now has its protective finish on.

Isn't it absolutely beautiful?

We're realistically thinking it will be six months before Two Firsts Club is open.

First the kitchen has to get done and then approved by the City.

Then, onward with flooring and ceiling tiles, TVs and wifi!

Progress!

(smile!)