Blockbuster

Hello dear readers.

You join me today, revelling in the midst of a three day weekend.

Yes, for one glorious extra day I am free as a bird, the spectre of work banished from my mind, thoughts instead turning to long lazy afternoons, unhurried mornings, and perhaps the odd activity of a more recreational bent to fill this wonderfully unencumbered slice of time.

It is an opportunity that has not been wasted.

A Hip Blip
Yesterday saw that rarest of occasions, a weekend day that both my self and my wonderful wife, Tina had completely free.

It was a tad unexpected too. Tina had been on the rota to do four hours in the middle of he day but as her hip, never brilliant after her neurological stroke last year, (see here) has once again started to cause her a lot of pain,and the steroid injection needed to alleviate this apparently cannot be administered for four more weeks, she was granted some short term leave.

Now of course this is something of a double edged sword in that, although we had the time to share we were a little limited in how that time could be utilised. Long walks with the dog were out, as were gardening or shopping (yay!). Salsa lessons would have been right off the table (the dance that is, not the sauce).

Non-existent dancing lessons to one side we did have one entirely sedentary but much anticipated item on the to-do-list and that was a trip to the cinema.

All Geek To Me

Log term readers of this blog may have picked up that I am a just a little bit of a geek. I am happy to say that I have marred a lady who is happy not just to indulge these tendencies but to to join me in full on, no holds barred, foot to the floor, celebrating them. The second Guardians Of The Galaxy film has therefore been something on the radar for quite some time and the last week has seen the anticipation rise almost off the charts.

Yes, we may have re-watched the original. Yes, this may have been more than once. Yes, we may have been feeling as giddy as the proverbial smoked fish as the countdown to the film's release ticked by. There may just have been the occasional squee from one or both of us and perhaps even the odd hint of a little happy dance.

I guess the point I’m trying to make here is that we were looking forward to this film.

Thursday saw us go online to book our seats. (No way we were leaving it ‘til the day!) We were greeted by an almost but not completely full up diagram of the chosen showing. In fact by some quirk of fate there were exactly two seats that could be booked together and they were fairly centrally placed too!

Feet Up

Now this does leave aside the nominated wheelchair spaces which, if I’m honest I only ever use as seating of the last resort. The reasons for this are as follows. For one, it means me missing out on the plush comfort of the added leather seats the cinema we frequent is equipped with. It means missing out on the ability to recline with one’s feet up whilst watching the film. I mean I suppose I could pop a wheelie to get the same effect but the concentration of maintaining this might detract from the visual spectacle on hand. I'm pretty sure it would inhibit the consumption of popcorn. There is also the more than likely event of me going over backwards as a spaceship zooms overhead and landing in a painful and undignified heap.

The other detrimental factor with these mini parking bays is that they seem to always be situated on the lower tier of the cinema. This is a minor quibble but it can lead to a little bit of a stiff neck from looking up at the gigantic screen in front of you, especially with the inability to recline. If I’m being ultra picky, the fact that there’s all of of four such spaces in the entire theatre is not brilliant either. I wonder what they would do if a party of wheelchair users turned up wanting to watch the same film at the same time. Hmm, the devil on my left shoulder really, really wants to arrange this now. Quiet Stanley!

Groot Expectations

So, to alleviate these first world problems, the two adjoining seats were booked. A quick disembarkation from the wheelchair and an ungainly and slightly farcical scrabble up the three step to the upper tier and I was parked, unbelievably knackered, but happy. The physical exertion worth it.

The film itself is fantastic. Any fans of the original will be more than happy with Vol 2. I won’t be discussing anything spoilery today but it’s mix of amazing adventure, heart-warming moments and truly laugh out loud comedy are spot on. Groot continues to be the best character with a three word vocabulary ever and Drax (who apparently has become something of a hero to those on the Autistic spectrum) provides some hilariously funny moments. I would heartily recommend the film to anyone. If you’ve watched Vol 1 you’ll love it. If you haven’t then, after asking yourself some hard questions regarding your life choices, watch it and then go see Vol 2 immediately!

Now, where did I put that long weekend.

Until next time.