BBQ-ed out

Yesterday Dave had a cookout at his place. He cleaned up his yard and it was almost unrecognizable! There was a triangular canopy Jose and he got from Ikea that was lined with X'mas lighting for that customized effect. The tree cuttings, scraps, piles of leftover from whatever project Dave was working on all disappeared. It was too neat to believe! Sometimes all it takes is a party to make over your place.

Dave made lots of vegetarian BBQ items. From grilled asparagus, zucchini, orange bell peppers, to fancy marinated mushroom burgers (paired with grilled onions and American cheese), it was pure meatless heaven with fun, festive grill marks.

Tonight when I came home from the gym I had two dinner choices. I picked the BBQ plate my neighbor got me on Sunday. I could have gone with Dave's vegetarian extravaganza persoalized just for me, but then I would have to toss the plate with steak from Sunday. So I heated it up and finished the whole thing. Dave's would have to wait. I think I might be BBQ-ed out for now.

CH emailed me today to say hi. She mentioned a movie The Fall that I saw a couple of weeks ago with Dave and Jose. I really liked the film, and I was going to, then somehow forgot to write about it. The movie started out like a Calvin Klein commercial: beautiful people moving in slow motion, carefully orchestrated frames in wide and then close shots, in simple black and white, which all hinted that this movie was going to be a stylish feast for the eyes. The story began slowly, and at times almost awkwardly. The conversations between the girl and the stuntman felt improvised in the beginning as I felt these two people really just began to know each other. Then, the more the stunt man's story developed, the darker the film turned. It went from lightearted to calm, then to troubled. Still, each scene inside the story he told to the girl was visually stunning and generous, impressive in details. The costumes, the colors, the set-ups, the actions, they looked effortless but obviously were done painstakingly and nothing was overlooked as far as the style was concerned. Fortunately for the audience, the story was simple and solid enough that its dramatic, visual poetry didn't overshadow the bones of the film. I really enjoyed watching, and looking at The Fall. Don't miss it if you have a chance to see it.