Back out in the world.

I saw my first in-theatre movie in Cambridge tonight, finally venturing out to see Atonement, about which I was so excited before I left that I was all, "I'm going to see it the first Friday night I'm there!" And then I arrived, and joined the cinema (because it seemed like something good to do), and proceeded to put off going to the show for two weeks.

My favorite Chicagoan friend and I used to talk about how we saw movies--because, as is the case with almost everything else in our lives, we have completely different relationships with cinema-going. I love to go to the movies alone. It's not a matter of principle: I also love going to movies with other people. But sometimes I really enjoy doing the whole process of movie-going by myself.

I suspect that my enjoyment may go up even more this year, since my local arthouse theatre is fully licensed, which means one can buy a glass of wine at the concession stand and carry it right into the theatre.

The movie itself was beautifully done, though I'm startled by the force of my reaction against it. To play out the nuances of that reaction, I'd probably need to reread the Ian McEwan novel that the film adapts, and it's not likely that I'll find or make time to do that anytime soon--not with the line-up of things I have ahead of me, like, you know, starting to write my own book (t-minus two days now...). For now, I'll simply say that when it opens near you, you may well want to see it, especially if you've read McEwan.

Today was another day of high winds, and as I walked to town--both times I walked to town--I realized something I did exactly right in my packing for this year: I brought my entire collection of scarves and shawls, even though it seemed almost excessive. I have already worn all of them but one. In weather like we've had this week--where it might be 68˚F but where the winds might be pushing 20 mph--something that can wrap around one's neck, many times if necessary, is the perfect layer. Especially for those of us still trying to capture and project just the right je ne sais quoi before the Long Vacation ends and everyone else returns to this university town.