Opening Night Or Pre-Screening ?

I have attended many movie premieres in my life so far.  Often I go to midnight showings, usually with my buddy Greg from work, but on some occasions I have been priviledged to go to earlier showings of certain movies.  Almost all of these have turned out to be disappointments (Indiana Jones 4, Charlie's Angels 2, etc.), which is only offset by the fact that the movie wasn't ended at 2:30am.

Front and Back of the special advance screening of Despicable Me 2
and the window decal featuring Flo, Gru, and two adorable Minions

Tonight, my wife and I attended a pre-screening of the new Despicable Me 2 movie.  My employer, Progressive, had signed a partnership with the movie studio to jointly promote the movie and Progressive, matching the popular characters Flo and the Minions.

The movie did more than just not disappoint ... it was simply excellent!  So much so, in fact, that I cannot wait for the movie to actually open nationwide so I can take my kids to see it (a rarity for our family since there are 7 kiddos!)  The storyline was a great build from the end of the last movie and only moderately predictable.  The characters were similar to themselves in the first movie, but they have also been allowed to expand and grow into new experiences.  And unexpectedly, for me anyway, we actual got to see the movie in 3D, which was also not a disappointment (most of my 3D experiences thus far have been mediocre at best).

Song Of The Day:
I was excited to be a part of the pre-screening but now "I Can't Wait" to see the movie again.  Classic tune from Nu Shooz, but only because I don't want to give away one of the best parts of the movie with a different song presented in hilarious fashion by a group of 4 well-dressed minions at the tail end of the picture.  So, so funny!

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Why Does Wearing A Tuxedo Make You Feel ... ?

More mature.

 

Authoritative.

Manly.

Regal.

They say the clothes don't make the man, but as one of my fellow groomsmen so eloquently stated "the tuxedo can sure make the man feel more confident!"

Today my best friend from my 15 years at Progressive, Greg Lofthus, wedded his awesome wife, Erin Logan (now Erin Lofthus).  The wedding was held at The Briarhurst Manor and was equal parts spiritual, raucous, and just plain fun.
I wish these "kids" (I can say that even though Greg is technically older than me!) a lifetime of happiness together.

Being priviledged to be one of Greg's groomsmen, I had the opportunity to rent a tuxedo for the wedding.  This is the first time wearing a tux in almost 15 years.  I must say, it was quite nice!  :)

I have no idea why, but wearing the whole get-up for the whole day was not an annoyance or bother, but was rather enjoyable and made me feel all of the adjectives listed above.  I cannot even try to explain it, but there's just something about being decked out to the nines that changes your whole approach to any situation.  People treat you differently.  You act differently.  I liked that, a lot!

Song(s) Of The Day:
In honor of this special day, here is a two-fer song of the day.  Of course the classic default song here is "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top.  And jumping forward three decades, here is a small tip of the proverbial top hat to Justin Timberlake's "Suit And Tie"  Enjoy!  :)

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Why Am I Not Surprised ?

I know it's very cliche, and you can go ahead and call me sexist for it.  I don't care.  I'll own it.  But the facts are the facts (from my perspective anyway) and this is a pretty universal truth.

Women (especially as related to weddings) just take LONGER.

This morning was the rehearsal for my buddy Greg's wedding to his beautiful bride Erin.  They are both awesome people and come from pretty darn good families too.  In point of fact, the bride (and groom, but they came together) and most of the bridesmaids were the last to arrive at the rehearsal, some as much as an hour later than we were supposed to be there.  **To be fair, we men do seem to put pressure on women to get all "gussied up" and so on, which does justify some of their excessive primping time ... but I think they play that card a little too often.  Just sayin'.  :)

On the other hand, myself and one other groomsman (with kids in the wedding!) were the first to be there.

This shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did.

Song Of The Day:
There's a song called "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" sang by the great Aretha Franklin and George Michael (an odd pairing considering the lyrics and message of the song).  This song has two meaning for the blog post today.  The first should be obvious to you (men waiting for women).  The second is a tribute to my friends Greg and Erin, who have been waiting for each other ... and I'm so glad they found each other!  What a great couple!

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Am I Missing Out On Something ?

Yesterday (4/5) was my buddy Greg's Bachelor Party.  That is the reason for this post being a day late.  We did not get back into town until around 1:30am.  The afternoon into the evening into the early morning was spent traveling to, hanging out in, and traveling home from Black Hawk and the casinos on that strip of land.

Myra holding Spencer
(this is her "cheese" look for pictures)

Being a good Christian man, Greg did NOT want anything like strippers or excessive drunkenness or crazy, stupid stuff like that.  I was (and am) very grateful for that because it meant I could still participate
(I am one of his groomsmen so I want to be part of the whole wedding experience).  Greg DID however want to go to Black Hawk for some gambling and fun ... "because I've never been there."  We groomsmen (and brothers of the bride) obliged his request.

Amid all the fun and silly spending of money, I found myself in a sort of daydream about what my life could have been like had I not met my wife, gotten married, had kids, and/or practiced the religious beliefs that I do.  No one can say how things would be different nor can you fairly judge how much joy and happiness you would have had in those different circumstances ... but ... I can safely say for myself that I do NOT feel like I am missing out on anything this life has to offer.  In those moments of daydream, I felt grateful for the way my life has gone and felt a little bad for people who were not as fortunate (not in a prideful "I'm better than you" way, but a "I wish you could experience the joy that I have in my life" kind of way).

All in all, it was a great bachelor party ... but I'm tired so it's off to bed (for a few hours anyway ... after all, there's a rehearsal in about 7 hours).  :)

Song Of The Day:
I actually do not believe there are ever "Unanswered Prayers" as Garth Brooks sings about in his popular song from years ago.  I believe ALL our prayers are answered ... just not with a "yes" or in the way we want them to be.  That said, I thought of this song on the long drive home last night ... 'and then and there I thanked the good Lord for the gifts in my life.'

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