Day Four: Whew, I'm Full

Day four of the five in celebration of the fiftieth opened with a short bus ride to meet mom for a longer bus ride to the downtown area. Tickets in hand we trek to screen seventeen.

I hadn't revealed to mom that this will be my second time seeing "The Kids Are All Right". Today's trip wasn't really my idea. Well, going to the movies was my idea (sort of) but I didn't choose the film. "Kids" won by virtue of the fact that it was not an animated, mind-bending drama, slapstick-ish humor featuring guys, action-packed thriller starring Angelina Jolie. My mom doesn't "know movies" but she does have very definite ideas about what she doesn't want to see.

If you haven't seen it I won't spoil it for you. I'll say we both enjoyed the film (me more than she) and no, I never told her this was my second time. I ate my weight in popcorn, which was a tactical error since the second item on the agenda was lunch. Another short bus ride leading to tourist mecca, Navy Pier. I have yet to decipher my mom's fascination with this place, but I decided to play along and be easy rider. Whatever, wherever.

We ordered sandwiches (me: Pesto Chicken Panini and mom: Italian Beef) from Connie's took seats at an outside eating area and set about to enjoy the weather, the food, the people watching, and more. Dessert (for me) consisted of a cup of ice cream. We walked a bit (more) and then boarded a bus and headed toward home.

An outing with mom wouldn't be an outing with mom without a detour or two somewhere along the way. On this trip we detoured to a discount dry goods store and then to a grocery store. Deborah was not amused, but she's playing easy rider today.

It was an all day affair and for the most part quite pleasant.

Day five is not yet constructed save a previously postponed errand. The bulk of the day will be spent (I suspect) wrapping my head around fifty and all that these days have brought, meant. There will be organizing for the week ahead and the final verdict on the chocolate martini taste tests.

And oh yeah, my thoughts on Pretzel M & M's. Another treat gifted by the new recruit.