Entertaining

 I will share a somewhat unpopular opinion: I don't like superhero movies. 

Oh boy, that's good to get off my chest. See, I live with people who looooove them. My boyfriend and my youngest son love everything superhero; they will watch every movie and series that comes along, often multiple times. They never get bored of it. I play along and will watch a movie once, but ask me to watch it a second time and I'll likely flinch...a 3rd time, and I will tell you that I don't intend to spend my waning years on earth passively absorbing entertainment I didn't like all that much the first two times. 

My boyfriend only seems to really like movies with elements of fantasy...whether it be superhero, sci fi, or something in between, if it doesn't defy natural law, he's not very interested. I'm the exact opposite; I want character driven, slice-of-life movies. And it's not that I don't think sci fi or Marvel movies can be fun or entertaining; they just don't hold my interest much and I find myself bored with them.

I have thought about it a lot because I want to like them; it would certainly make choosing "what to watch" with my partner a lot easier. And I think it's because there's no drama. Now, I know that seems insane on the face of it - what could be more dramatic than the world blowing up unless they find the last pretty rock? But it IS. Because in worlds where anything is possible and natural law and physics don't apply, anything is possible. I cannot suspend my disbelief that the good guys can't just pull off a hat trick whenever they want because, well, what's stopping them? Not really anything. 

Now, I suppose you could sort of say the same thing about any fiction; if a writer is making up a story, he or she can resolve it any way they want to. They can change the facts of the story easily to get to the desired outcome. But because those types of movies don't have an "anything can happen, even breaking every law of physics" sort of backdrop, there's more suspense. How the problems get resolved takes more creativity and thought. And, in many cases, it actually means something to the audience and can be useful (not to mention we probably have a frame of reference for the situations, depending on where we are in life). 

So yeah...I think I do have it figured out, why I don't care so much for fantasy. And I don't know if it will ever stop bugging me that it seems to be the only thing my partner likes, but lucky for him, I'm not perfect either ;)

Engaged

It seems marriage is in the air – and kinda quick! My assistant came to work the other day with a new engagement ring. And another coworker is very pregnant (and engaged). It didn’t take either of them long after meeting their beaus to get to that point.

 

Me? It’s been 2 years and 5 months with this fella, and no ring in sight. And I can’t bring myself to care about it an awful lot, because we’re happy. We recently bought an expensive bed together – I figure that’s a pretty big commitment (I mean, besides the one where we’ve been sharing a home and a life for 2 years). Sometimes I think about the romance of engagement, and the status of being a wife and having a husband, and I think I might want those things again. But I’m a very practical person, and my practical side grimaces a bit at those things. It isn’t that I’m not committed or think that he isn’t, so much as I know that things just end sometimes. And while I’m not sitting around just waiting for that to happen, I know it’s a possibility (two divorces will do that to you). The ending is a lot less tricky when the law’s not involved. And besides: he hasn’t asked me.

 

I get ads online for pretty rings all the time. I’ve actually thought of buying one just to treat myself. But then I think: I probably need to buy a new washing machine first. And stuff for the yard. And figure out things that are going to start costing me when the youngest starts college soon. So I just look at them longingly and close the tab.

 

I’m engaged with my life: with my sons, with my dogs, with home and career. I’m engaged in a largely satisfying relationship without needing more labels just yet. I’m engaged with friends and activities and all kinds of things. After a year of withdrawal from many things, I’m re-establishing my connections. And at the moment, it’s all the engagement I need.