The One With Black Bag

 

 

Emmie, Kif, and I spent the evening at AMC Danvers watching the movie Black Bag. While I did not have it on my must see list, I did think it sounded interesting,particularly where it was a spy thriller.

 Ironically, it was not the type of spy thriller in the vain of James Bond, Jason Bourne, or No Way out. It was basically Bridge of Spies meets Twelve Angry Men with a solid focus on character development and a character driven plot.

 Essentially, there is not a lot of action - only plot development and dialogue. Intriguing, yes. But, not fully my cup of tea. Emmie liked it and Kiff was a fan.

Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10.

 

The One With Sal

 

 

On February 28, Kiff and I ventured up to Portland Maine to see a comedy show featuring Sal Vulcano from Impractical Jokers.

 The word "ventured" certainly is an apt description. We left around 5:20 and promptly ran into snow along the way. Yikes! It slowed down traffic and we made it to Portland just in time.

 The Venue - the Merrill Auditorium - was quite a nice place. Homey, plenty of parking nearby, and easy to get in and out of.

The show itself was great and memorable. There was a host - who did a little comedy himself. Then, one of the writers of the show came out to do a set of jokes. He was really good. However, he encountered something I have never seen in person at a show before - a heckler. And, the heckler heckled  not once, but twice. Still, he did a great job plugging away.

Sal was awesome. He was definitely animated, particularly after hearing the heckler in the back. He got into chatting with a crowd and was quite a hoot! In fact, his set was amazing. We would definitely see him again. He joked about his life, his marriage, the fact he became a father for the second time, and how he planned on protecting his house with a machete. All and all, an awesome show!

The One With Snowmobiling

 

 

 

For the second straight year, we went snowmobiling with Northern Extremes in North Conway. Last year, we had an amazing time as a family going for our first every snowmobiling event. So, when the time came up this year to do it, we were all in.

 Unlike last year, we had an idea what to expect - a fun filled ride through closed roads in the White Mountains. What could be better than that. Well, as we found out, we were fortunate to have our same guide from last year - Parker. He is awesome and wanted to make sure it was a fun time for all.

 While we doubled up last year (Kiff driving with me, and Bri driving with Emmie), this year Bri had her own snowmobile (Kiff went with Emmie). That made for a fun adventure. She was a little timid at first - which we thought would happen - which is why I ended up behind her, in case she needed help. However, as time progressed, she got into the swing of things. However, she did go airborn not once but twice when she hit a bump - which did cause her to be a little cautious a few minutes after that.

 The snow was a little bit softer this time around, which made for a great ride. It was also deeper than last year, and led to some bumpy spots (Kiff and Emmie knocked helmets). We also saw were able to move a little faster than last year, going on an extra loop (called Albany Brook) that we didn't do last year.

It was a fantastic trip and one we can't wait to do next year when Kiff will be able to drive.

 

 

The One With the Academy Award Shorts

 

Kiff and I went to Cinema Salem today to watch the Oscar nominated shorts. While I was not sure what to expect, it turns out it was a great experience.

 First, when we walked in, clearly this was a true Cinema Salem experience - quaint indy movie theater. We were in a very small screening room with about 20 other people who were there for the same reason, which was near.

 Kiff got a drink, I got some popcorn - it was great.

We then watched all four shorts. They were really good, though the "Last Ranger" which did not win (a one about a woman thinking she was a robot did) was my favorite. It was about a park ranger protecting rhinos in Africa. It was amazing!!!

All and all, a fun experience.

The One With Captain America and the Brave New World

 

 

The ultimate way to spend a Valentine's Day is with Captain America - or at least the original one (which Emmie would agree with).

 

Although the reviews coming in about the movie were poor, we were still looking forward to it.  And, the movie did not disappoint. Clearly this movie is about relaunching the next chapter of the MCU (Phase 6 will be coming up soon). The movie made it a point - several times - to explain that President Thaddeus Ross was asking Captain America to form the Avengers again. The other two Hulks, including Ross's Red Hulk, were in the movie. The Winter Soldier made an appearance (his character is running for Congress). And, their is a new Falcon.

 

Overall, it was a great movie.

 

 

The One With Murray

 

 

Tonight we went to Boston to see Impractical Joker James - Murr - Murray host a comedy show at Laugh Boston.

 

Now, it is the first time we ever went to Laugh Boston, which is in the Seaport at the Westin Hotel (which is like its own city). However, it probably won't be the last. We did learn a valuable lesson....try to get a table instead of premium seating. The tables are a little small.

 

However, the show was phenomenal. Murr broke it down into two parts. The first part was humorous story telling, about the show, about his life, about his encounters with Ring doorbell security, and some of the "oops" moments he has had on the show. The second part is audience participation. He borrows peoples' phones (with their permission) and sends funny texts...then helps undue any hiccups he caused. Then, he sends out his cohost - and one of the Impractical Joker crewmembers - to do similar challenges on the show.

 

It was an amazing time. It last 90 minutes, but the time flew by. We even had him pass in front of us, which was pretty cool. And, we also found out they will be releasing a movie based on one of Murr's books  this fall. Super cool show and a super cool time. Even Emmie, who is not a huge fan of the show, loved it.

 

 

The One With Dancing with the Stars

 

 

Tonight, we did something I had wanted to do for a while....we went to the Boston viewing on Dancing With the Stars. Having watched the show for a long time - and knowing how much our family and my parents loved it - I was eager to see what it was like.

 

First things first - it was a high intensity blast of fun. The dancers were amazing, the dancing itself was stunning, and it was a whole lot of fun. The crowd was definitely into it, including the young females who were big fans of Alan and Gleb. Bri enjoyed seeing Alan, who she met at a dance competition when she was much younger. Kiff was excited to see Rylee. And, I am always a fan of  the host, Emma. 

 

Not only was there so much dancing backed into a two hour show - with a short intermission - there were so many different genres of dance and music for the audience that everyone, young and old could enjoy it. And there definitely was a multi-generation audience.

 

Here's looking forward to seeing another one in the future.