Dean and I went out Friday to Columbia City Cinema to see "Date Night" for our own little date night. I love that theater: very laid back, popcorn served in plain brown paper bag, tickets that just say "admit one" and are torn from a roll at the little lectern that is the box office. The theater has had a bit of financial difficulty of late, and the owner has been asking for donations. I hope they don't go under, as it is great to have a little neighborhood theater. So donate! Or at least go to a movie there.

And what a silly sweet movie "Date Night" is: a "married-with-kids" love story and a screw-ball comedy crime-thriller all in one. Steve Carell and Tina Fey have great on screen chemistry. I think the car chase is one of the best I've ever seen: the conjoined cars, the taxi driver with the kindle in his glove box, it was just a hoot! And Mark "nice pecs" Whalberg is wonderfully subdued in his bit part. Go see it! You'll laugh your ass off. I promise.

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Yesterday Dean and I did major yard work: we took the reciprocating saw to the two dwarf black pines that we planted about 5 years ago, that were not dwarf at all, and were growing exponentially out of control, and needed to be removed. And while we were at it, we cut down another small evergreen shrub we no longer cared for, that had grown misshapen. We are replacing the black pines with some dwarf Italian Cypresses. They are supposed to get no larger than 6 feet tall, 2 feet wide. They are supposed to have "Aromatic, lemon scented needles" and "Bright chartreuse foliage." We'll see . . .

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We went with E and B last night to see Compania Nacional de Danza at UW Meany World series. It was a fun show, but not as good as last time they were in Seattle. Though the last act, with the dangling chain curtain in the background, and the 4-legged table used as a prop for the very slow, acrobatic/gymnastic pas de deux, was pretty amazing.

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Today, Susan Rich reading at Open Books at 3 pm.

And in May, the Jack Straw Reading Series, curated by Jared Leising, has a great lineup.

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