A Busy Day Off

Sunday November 4th, 2007 - Lake Villa, IL

This was supposed to be a day off but I ran around more than if I was working. I didn’t mind because it was all fun but now I’m really beat and will be dragging tomorrow. I have a lot of work stuff to do tomorrow so I’m sure I’ll be dead tired but it’s ok. I had a lot of fun. If and when I get old I’ll have that many more memories to look back on at the home.

The first stop today was at my friend Shelley’s house to watch the Packer game. She is a former student from years ago and has been inviting me over for that long for a game but I have always either lived far away or was out of town working. Now that I live in the sticks it makes it a lot easier. We’re only about eight miles apart now and this was the big week.

One thing about Packer fans is how ‘the game’ means everything. We dress for it. We’re psyched about it all week. The food and beverages are ready. It’s game time. It’s a disease that is incurable and we admit we have it but until there is a vaccine we’ll keep showing up on Sundays dressed to watch the game. Shelley had a Favre jersey on and I had a Freeman (as in Antonio) #86 road jersey I’ve had for a while. It’s a law to wear a jersey on Sunday.

Shelley’s husband and two sweetheart daughters were there too and we had a wonderful meal of home made crab cakes and watched the Packers eek out a thrilling victory. What a great way to spend a Sunday even though the outcome was in doubt much of the time. I’m in a good mental space right now so it was fun to hang out with friends and watch football and eat good food and play with the kids. They’re about 6 and 4 and I brought them some bubbles and Happy Meal toys and trinkets I had laying around and we had a total blast.

When the game got intense the kids went in the other room because WE were too loud. I thought that was hilarious. They came back in when we quieted down and we resumed a game of Go Fish we’d started after halftime and the crab cakes. The kids were funny and I always love being around good kids who like to have fun. This was a very enjoyable time.

I wasn’t done running though. Jerry Agar invited me over to watch the Patriots/Colts in the late game and that was hyped all week beyond belief. Since the Packers won I was in a fantastic mood and that was enjoyable too. His kids are much older and we always have a fun time so that was also worth the trip. I had dinner over there so that took care of all my good food for the day. I did splurge and have a Pepsi but it was only one and I did say If I cheated I’d do it on Sunday. I have been making pretty good choices so I didn’t feel guilty at all. We all had fun and a lot of laughs and I didn’t think one Pepsi would ruin that vibe.

On the way home I passed a theatre and American Gangster was playing so I decided to see it before I heard too much about it from everywhere else. I wanted to study it for what I could learn from it for my own movie script project. There is a formula and since I heard it was based on a true story and so is mine I didn’t hesitate to go see it. I wanted to learn.

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are both great actors and I liked the movie but I’m sure there were a lot of liberties taken and things cut out. That’s what we’ll end up doing too. My partner Rick sent me the next scene and I’m going to write some more this week.