As the surprise celebration was scheduled for the evening, I decided on seeing a movie and doing some errands beforehand.
I went to see a movie on its 1st matinee show for the day.
I went to see this today, Saturday, October 24th, 2015, here in Vallejo, CA, at the CENTURY 14 VALLEJO, for the 11:10 a.m. 1st show matinee, in auditorium 12, 4th row ( counting from the front ), 6th column ( counting from the left ). The price of admission was $8.00. And I bought a Lite Bites ( junior cup of Powerade Mountain Berry Blast, kid's size Buttered Popcorn and small pack of Beef Jerky ) for $6.80 at the concessions counter.
Quickie Review: The last witch hunter ( Vin Diesel ) is the only thing that stands between humanity and all of the witches who wish to annihilate the entire human race.
The audience liked this movie, somewhat. It was so-so to me. You may want to wait for this to come out as a DVD rental.
Near the end of this movie, a priest used a Holy Bible and quipped about not being able to do the same thing with an I-Pad--technology, after all has its own limitations.
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After the movie, I went to the Fed-Ex Kinko's, on Admiral Callaghan Lane, to make some xerox copies of my monthly through-the-mail course on investing. Then, I walked on over to the nearby Safeway Supermarket to buy a grocery gift card for $40.00 as the 40th anniversary gift. And I drove to the 99-Cent Only Store on Sonoma Boulevard to buy a greeting card and some stuff; I also went next door to the CVS Drugstore to get a gallon's worth of water refill for $0.35.
And I went back home to rest awhile because I didn't have a good night's sleep, and to do some meditation.
It was almost 7:00 p.m. when I went on my way to Berkeley, CA, for the surprise anniversary celebration. There were some idiot drivers on the freeway who drove 50 mph when they should have been driving 65 mph. Idiots! One particular idiot in front of me stepped on his brakes when there was NOTHING in front of his car! I had in mind to cut him off and flip him "the finger" had I not been preoccupied with doing my Zhunti Mantra. I just changed lanes, instead.
I dropped-off my car at the El Cerrito Del Norte BART Train Station to catch a train to Berkeley since I don't like taking my car to Berkeley because of the parking situation.
While waiting for the train, I walked further down the platform to find an embarking spot with the fewest commuters waiting in line. I passed by a group of black teens smoking marijuana. Damn, that stench! I wanted to walk downstairs to notify the station agent but the train was less than 4 minutes from arriving.
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On Facebook, only 8 people said that they would attend the party. But there were plenty of people at the venue, Linden's Coffee & Cafe on Dwight Way in Berkeley, CA. Both indoor and backyard dining areas were full of people.
My nephew, Eric, was the one who prepared the dishes. There were steaks, fusion Pilipino dishes, cheese appetizers, desserts and sushi.
I made sure to limit my carbohydrate intake. I only ate about half a dozen slivers of potatoes in the Potato/Crab Salad that I had. I had half a piece of cracker with the assorted slices of cheese that I ate. The Lumpia pieces that I had only had the fillings eaten by me. One time, a cousin handed me a piece of lumpia dessert with a scoop of ice cream on the side--I used the ice cream as a "dipping sauce". And, when no one was watching, I threw the rest away. And this same cousin gave me a piece of sushi which I unrolled so that I could eat its filling before throwing the rest away without anyone seeing.
There was a container of what looked like a deep-red colored punch next to the iced water dispenser. I decided to try a little sip. I put about 1/8ht of a cup in my mouth only to realize that it wasn't a punch drink at all; it was Sangria, according to a guest who happened to walk by. I don't drink alcoholic stuff! I looked for a handy trashcan--no such thing. I swallowed that thing because I didn't know where to spit it out! Why don't caterers put labels on drinks and dishes to make things easier for their guests?
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| That's my nephew, Eric, in the background. He is a self-taught chef. |
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| This is my Aunt Nena, in the foreground. I'm sorry for the blurry photo. |
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| This lady guest dedicated some songs to the celebrators. |
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| My nephew, Eric & his dog, flanked by his father and his mother, the celebrating couple. |
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| The 40th Wedding Anniversary couple has the dance area all to themselves. |
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| My nephew, Eric, the one who arranged for the surprise party, talked about his parents, as well as thanked the guests for helping the couple celebrate their wedding anniversary. |
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| The sign hanging above the entrance to the venue. |
After the party, as I headed back to the Downtown Berkeley BART Train Station, I happened by SHATTUCK CINEMAS. And since it was still early in the evening ( 9:30 p.m. ), I decided to see a movie at this theatre.
I went to see this movie today, Saturday, October 24th, 2015, in Berkeley, CA, at the SHATTUCK CINEMAS, for the 9:50 p.m. show in auditorium 7, 4th row ( counting from the front ), aisle seat, left section. The price of admission was $11.00. And I bought a small Buttered Popcorn for $5.50 and a 16.9 oz. ( 500 ml ) bottle of Mango-Peach flavored Honest Tea.
QUICKIE REVIEW: The Indian parents of an unmarried westernized son decide that they want a traditional marriage for him. Hilarity ensues!
The audience really enjoyed this movie. But no one gave it a "Hands Clapper" ending.
I liked this movie, too. Go see this movie!
I believe that this movie is a shoe-in for an Oscar in the documentary category.
This movie has many, many funny scenes. The notable ones being on Bio Data, Patel Motel owners, blind dates, online dating, speed dating and marriage conventions.
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I went up to the box office to buy my ticket for the movie, MEET THE PATELS. I showed the ticket seller my Landmark Theatres Film Club Rewards card. But she said that their reward card was discontinued a couple of years ago. That would mean that they discontinued it AFTER a card was issued to me!
And as if that wasn't enough, a woman standing behind me at the box office reeked of Sandalwood perfume! I simply can't stand the smell of it. I'm probably the only yogi in the world that doesn't like the smell of Sandalwood. And I didn't have to be a yogi to guess what movie she was there to see.
There were 4 or 5 kinds of Kernel Seasons Popcorn Seasoning at the condiments station. I put a liberal dusting of Garlic Parmesan flavor on my popcorn. And I put some Jalapeño Cheddar flavor in my empty Kernel Seasons shaker mini-bottle so I could use it later.
I would have truly enjoyed the movie even more had it not been for the fact that the smell of Sandalwood wafted in the air and made a beeline for my nostrils!
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| I don't even know why I signed-up to get this card in the first place since I hardly ever go to Berkeley, CA, to see movies. |
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| I thought that it would be funny to take a photo of this female BART Train commuter sitting on the bench with her butt-crack showing. BUT I THINK MY CAMERA HAS A BUILT-IN "MODESTY FILTER" THAT IS ON CONSTANT FULL-AUTO MODE! Ha, ha, ha., |
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| This is traffic waiting to pass through the Carquinez Toll Booth Plaza. Surprisingly, people practiced courtesy and allowed asshole drivers to cut in line--unlike what I experienced a couple of weeks back! |
After the party, at the theatre, and on my way home, I had a hard time focusing on objects as I was seeing double. It must've been the Sangria.
P.S. I'm not exactly sure on the costs for the movies as I lost both ticket stubs.
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