off to india and japan!!!

"For real??? Wait a minute, this sounds more like a double header film day than an actual trip."

But, it was a trip...to the Royal of Pooler! Hahaha!

"Just a solo?"

No, g'friend, can't you see I had company? They're not imaginary, either. That's Blue, waving at you. Then there's Ryan Reynolds - I mean "Calvin" - right behind me, and that sweet, old-fashioned, bear.

"His name is Lewis. He was the last role played by Louis Gossett, Jr., before his death in March."

Lewis, Louis - I had missed that pun! What a nice homage to that talented man.

"Agreed. So, what drew you to Pooler?"

They had two sports films playing. Perfect for a double header! Get the joke? Of course you do! The first was set in India and introduced me to the game of cricket. There's a bat and a ball, with runs that get scored, but it's certainly not baseball! "Mr. & Mrs. Mahi" featured a newlywed couple, Mahendra and Mahima, who both had the same nickname. Cute!

"That is adorable, and no doubt part of their meet-cute story."

Well, it was an arranged marriage and they thought they didn't have much in common until their wedding night. She snuck out of bed to watch a cricket match on TV... and their love of that game led them to love of each other. Very nice! The movie was more about his frustration about not being famous like his brother. I would have liked more with her, and her following her own dream at last. Lots of cricket being played in it!

"I can't say that's a sport I really know. I just haven't been exposed to it, you know?"

Yes, we're in the wrong country for that. But not for volleyball! That was the focus in "Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle", set for high school sports in Japan. At least I've played that several times! I wasn't really any good at it, much like the character Kenma. In fact, in high school, I was shy and not sports-minded, same as Kenma, and group sports didn't suit me well. I was more into solo sports, like archery. So is my niece, Aubree. She's received an award for her talent!

"That's her in the middle, right? You can sure tell that she's a Smith kid!"

Right?! Not only do we share a resemblance, we also share a birthday! For her 12th birthday this year, I gave her an Arbor Day Foundation donation and introduced her to Joyce Kilmer's poem, "Trees".

"Lots of subtext in that gift to her, including your gift of a grove to her Grandpa Harvey, who she never met. Also a nice way to bring home the meaning of Memorial Day, your shared birthday weekend holiday, since Kilmer fought in World War I and died during battle."

I did include a note about the poet, but not about Daddy and his trees. I'm sure that Bonnie would get her up to speed on that, though.

"No doubt. And how was the anime movie?"

Very, very, very fast. I had chosen the subtitled version, which was a mistake. I absolutely could not keep up with the dialogue during the volleyball games! I would have enjoyed it more if I'd been at the dubbed film. Then I could have concentrated on the action, rather than splitting my attention between reading the words and watching the game. All in all, though, this was a most enjoyable outing! And, even better: the anime was free for me! I don't know if it was a birthday treat from the Royal Cinema, or if I had amassed enough points for that reward. Not that the reason why was important, just the fact that it was free!

"Most excellent! That means this was a Tina Tuesday on a Saturday!"

Yes!!! Yes, it was!!! Marvelous!!!