Saturday, summer movies, a departure.

Move out day for youngest
means dress up day for Bruiser.

Today, I kept working on my book situation. But first I cooked some oatmeal, to fortify myself. I spent just about the whole day. Fiction, nonfiction, literary theory and criticism. Two words: dust, and order. I had an intimate relationship with the former, and a grateful relationship with the imminence of the latter. I am currently sitting in a room where the books are in their places on the shelves, practically singing their names to me, and jostling in a friendly manner up against their various neighbors. It's a good feeling.

At 2, my son, who was wreaking order out of the basement, because he is in the process of moving out, came up and asked me if I wanted to get a sandwich. I practically dropped the books/dust from my hands and said YES. Because the Lord only knew how very much I needed a sandwich at that moment. We ate and chatted, and then returned to our respective tasks.

A bit later, he packed his worldly goods, wadded into white garbage sacks, into the van of his friend, and drove away. So we did the only sensible thing: went to a movie.

Actually, this weekend we saw two movies--Spy and Love and Mercy. Here are my thoughts and recommendations.

1. Spy is a winner, because it is super funny. I loved it, the historian liked it, my son liked it. Melissa McCarthy is at her best. Allison Janney: hilarious. Jude Law: very good. Jason Statham: a comic performance to cherish for the ages. Same director as the amazingly funny Bridesmaids, Paul Feig, and this is just as funny and just as wonderful, as fresh and irreverent and sharp, and feminist to boot.

2. Love and Mercy has a more experimental form, in some ways, and has some long spots--also, it tells a story with some dark and sad parts. But ultimately, the story of how Brian Wilson found his way back to enough health and well-being to take up music again. Since I got home, I've been watching this beautiful documentary about Smile, and it is making me cherish the music anew.

I recommend both, with the following caveats: see Spy if you know you will enjoy a ridiculously entertaining and hilarious movie with many many swears, and also some comic spy-type violence and gunplay. I looked away once or twice. But I laughed a countless amount of times. See Love and Mercy if you love that music, definitely--and if you love music and love thinking about how such music gets made.

We drove home in a rain and lightning storm, and took Bruiser for his walk in the cool after. And now, it's very quiet.