Friday- Attended a surprise going-away party at a local bowling alley. I hadn't been bowling in years, and it was a blast, and almost like entering a time warp. The decor and most of the clientele appeared to be twenty years behind the times, as evidenced by the rare sighting of a mohawk/mullet hybrid, circa 1986. By bowling, I mean candlepin bowling. It's just known as "bowling" by Massachusetts natives, whereas the other kind of bowling is referred to as "big ball bowling" or "cartoon bowling" because, like anvils and people cheering by clasping their hands together and silently raising them from one side of their head to the other, the type of bowling where the balls and big and heavy and you stick your fingers in them only exists in cartoons. I was stunned the first time I went bowling in Indiana: "Oh my gosh! Big ball bowling! It's real! Wow, the balls are so heavy! And you stick your fingers in the holes! Dirty!" To my dismay, the new, trendy bowling alleys that have popped up in downtown Boston over the past couple of years all offer big ball bowling instead of candlepin. I'm a big fan of regional cultural differences, be them accents, cuisine, or bowling styles in the United States, and am therefore personally opposed to the homogenization of bowling styles. Viva la candlepin.
Saturday- Went out to breakfast, swam at the gym, put in some face time at an NFL draft day party, and visited some friends and their brand new baby at the hospital. The proud new parents are from Spain, and I learned something new about Spanish baby clothing: in Spain, it's traditional to dress both boy and girl infants in a fancy gown called a faldon. The baby's grandmother had brought a whole set of faldones and traditional handmade outfits from Spain, and had a great time showing them to the visitors at the hospital. After visiting hours ended, I went home and watched Capote. I enjoyed it, especially because I had read In Cold Blood several years ago and was therefore familiar with the story and interested in how the movie would portray the relationship between Truman Capote and the killers he interviewed for his book. Philip Seymour Hoffman obviously excelled in the title role, and I was pleased to see both Chris Cooper and Catherine Keener in their supporting roles. It's strange to think that Harper Lee worked as Capote's assistant, considering that she is currently probably the more well-known of the two writers.
Sunday- Went to a bridal shower, then shopping. How very girly of me. I did have a grilled steak for dinner, though.
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