I've seen a bunch of movies lately, what with the Chicago Film Festival adding to my usual habits. But I'm hesitant to blog about most of them, as they will inevitably work their way into the TRASH questions I'm in a push to complete, which affects a sizable portion of my theoretical audience. The things I'm at liberty to talk about are the things that are unlikely to come your way. If they make the rounds, The Twilight Samurai was an affecting film from (duh) Japan, and Chokher Bali was a prestigious Indian drama (read: not a musical) starring the painfully gorgeous Aishwarya Rai. Grimm, a folktale-meets urban-legend tale from the Netherlands, was mediocre. Avoid All Tomorrow's Parties at all costs. Having nothing to do with the Velvet Underground song, the William Gibson novel, or the music festival, it's a plodding, incomprehensible bore.



So...the new curling season starts this week. I'm in four leagues in the fall.

Monday - the "NFL event" is ironically named, as it's played during Monday Night Football, or most of it, anyway. My vice in this event is a guy a played with in last year's Sunday morning event, which we won. My skip has been a member of the club since 1951. For reference, my parents were born in '49 and '50.



Tuesday - last year the Richard Wilde event was held on Wednesdays, and my team was runner-up. Our team's been split up, but so were the winners. I'm throwing second stones in this event. I was supposed to be a sub for this league, but somehow I'm now on the schedule. I'm hoping this doesn't leave me too banged up for...



Thursday - The McBain/Penfield is the big deal men's event of the year. Played Wednesdays and Thursdays this year, it determines the six house berths in our annual International Men's Bonspiel, as well as the club championship. Most of the teams remain intact from year to year, and some people playing you only see in this event. Last year as a newbie I sat this one out, but managed to get on a rink this year with my mentor from last season, who was also my skip in the aforementioned Wilde runner-up team. I'm playing lead, but the second (another second-year player, and one of the few tolerable Yankee fans I know) and I may switch positions from game to game.



Friday - The Tartan event is the big mixed league. There's a trophy involved, and a berth in the biannual Mixed Bonspiel the club hosts. Spouses frequently curl together in mixed events, but I usually play with a woman who, like me, has a non-curling S.O. So Andrea and I entered this one together again, and are teamed with...the Sorensens. When I joined the club, I couldn't count the times I was asked, "any relation to B.?" even though they're -sen's. The Sorensens moved to Florida before the start of last season, but snowbird life didn't work out, so they moved back midseason. I ended up telling people I was his older brother.