Snow Day Love Story

It was snowing when I rolled out of bed this morning. It was also late. I closed my eyes for five minutes at 7...then opened them at quarter after 8. I had to work at 9! Good thing the main roads were just wet. The snow was only sticking to the grass and to the Veteran's Park end of Manor Avenue. (Also, Charlie must have had to run errands early this morning. His car wasn't there when I dashed out the door, and no one got upset with me for rushing around upstairs.)

It continued to snow lightly through around 11. I did have to push some slush off the sidewalk (someone from the complex had already shoveled the front patio earlier) and take the long lines of carts that had been brought inside to keep dry back out, but I mainly did returns. By the time I finished my break, another bagger had arrived to do the carts. I spent the rest of the afternoon organizing and hanging gift cards, including the new iTunes cards. The various colors and swirly designs that reek of the 90's-early 2000's have been replaced by plain blue cards that say "App Store & iTunes." I made sure they were in perfect order in the kiosk for when they're ready to be put out.

The snow had long ended by the time I headed home. There was still plenty of snow left on the ground, which made for a cozy backdrop while reading Heir to the Empire and writing in my journal. I left in such a hurry this morning, I didn't have a chance to get to either.

Worked on my story after I finished my journal entry. Sir Kylo Ren turns BB over to Hux and Phasma, then drags Rey into the square. Leia's already there with Snoke. Ren orders his men to hold swords on Han and Poe, keeping them as hostages until their sweethearts agree to the wedding.

Leia has just told Barnaby she'll never agree to marry him or give up her deed to the factory when a lone shadow falls on the group. Luke, the Toymaker and Leia's brother, strolls out to the town square. He's totally unconcerned, even when Snoke and Sir Kylo Ren order their men to attack him...

Got so into this scene, I didn't break for dinner until 7. Did a quick episode of Good Eats while downing leftovers. "Pantry Raids IV: Lentils" discusses the versatility of this inexpensive and very nutritional and easy to cook legume. I can definitely vouch for this one. I ate a lot of lentils when I was out of work with a broken ankle four a couple of months in late 2012. Not only are they really cheap, but they make an amazing stew.

Ended the night after a shower with Love Story, one of the great romantic dramas of American cinema. Oliver Barrett (Ryan O'Neal) meets Jenny Cavalleri (Ali MacGraw) when he has to take books out of the library where she works. She's likes his good nature; he appreciates her wit and love of music. It takes a few dates, but they hit it off and want to marry. Oliver's rich parents don't like him marrying a poor Catholic girl and cut him off without a penny. They get married anyway. Other than Oliver's continuing frustration with his father (Ray Milland) and their struggling to make ends meet, they're mostly very happy and deliriously in love with each other. It all comes crashing down when Jenny is diagnosed with an incurable disease. Oliver gives her the best care he can, even reconciling with his father to get the money. Jenny's time may be up, but she has no regrets about their relationship. After all, "love means never having to say you're sorry."

This was much better than I thought it would be. It has a reputation of being mawkish and overly sentimental...and while yeah, it was melodramatic, I thought it was mostly very sweet. MacGraw and O'Neal give it just the right tone as the nice white guy and the sassy smart girl who fall in love despite their differences. It actually reminds me a bit of The Way We Were, set in modern times and with a far more tragic ending.

The ending is my only real complaint. A lot of critics have pointed out that Jenny never looks or acts like she's even a little sick. This is where the melodrama starts to boil over, and yeah, it is a little much.

If you're a fan of romantic dramas with a boy, a girl, and a lot of problems, you'll never be sorry for checking this one out.