SOL #7: Up Too Late

My kids have been asking me to watch the movie version of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief with them all weekend.  I've been dragging my heels, because I heard somewhere that the movie was a crashing disappointment to all fans of the book.  I've only read about half of the book myself, but I figured it wouldn't be any good if it upset a bunch of younger movie goers, who tend to be, um, less analytically critical than we adults.

(I'm now thinking of all sorts of stupid movies that are box office successes, so I kind of take back my previous comment.)

(Then again, my own children love the live action Scooby Do movie, so I stand by my statement that kids aren't very good movie critics.)

I was hemming and hawing maternally, and my son said, "If we get all of our stuff done, then will you watch it with us?"

"Deal," I said, and I meant it.

So he "cleaned" his room and did his homework, and I went into her room and helped by sorting out the art supplies while she weeded her bookshelf.  Right around when we wound that up, my husband reminded me that we'd offered to go help his mom find the glasses that were knocked off her face by an errant branch while she was weeding last week, so we rallied the troops to head over there.  "What about the movie?" my son asked anxiously, and I assured him that we'd be back in plenty of time.

I was very pleased with myself for being the glasses-finder (on the ground by the gate, in case you were wondering), and then we played a round of Clue, and then a second round, and then we waffled awhile on whether to accept her invitation to stay for pizza.  ("But the movie!..." my son whispered urgently to me.)  She was planning on catching the Downton Abby finale herself, so we took a rain check.

We stopped on the way home for pre-made dough, hoping it would speed the process up, but it was 7:30 by the time we started eating.  Normally we start bedtime at 8:00.

Tonight, instead, we started a movie.  My husband came in to join us, and all four of us weathered Medusa, lotus eaters, and a ferry ride across the river Styx.  

(I almost posted a gif of Uma Thurman as Medusa, but thought the snakes might freak some of you out.)


By the time teeth were brushed and so on, it was nearly 10:00.  "I'm going to be tired tomorrow!" sighed my daughter.  "Early bedtime for everyone tomorrow night, okay?"  Her brother shushed her frantically, but we all know he'll probably the one that asks to go to bed first.

And now I'm up too late on a school night myself, writing my slice on the fly.  I still want to try some other techniques, but they will have to wait for a time when I'm less sleepy.  The 24 hour cycle being on east coast time means I can either write late at night and be an early poster, or write in the afternoon and be a late poster.  See you all tomorrow, whether that's Monday or Tuesday when you read this!