If I Had a Million Dollars...

....I'd buy you a heart.

I had an encounter tonight with a woman I've seen periodically at Cinemark, a plus-sized black woman who always has a friendly word and a hug for Kenny every time she sees us there. She's always there collecting donations for some sick person or whatnot, so we throw in a couple of bucks. I'm usually impatient, ready to get my popcorn and get settled into my movie seat. But always the social butterfly, Kenny stops and engages in a full-out conversation, and this time I actually paid attention to what they were talking about. My attention piqued when she said she had just gotten out of the hospital a couple of days ago. I asked what for, and she said some complications with her heart. Come to find out, she's there collecting money for her own medical problem, she's the person that needs a new heart. I had absolutely no idea all this time that she was trying to raise funds to save her own life. Her name is Sonia. She has 23% of her heart working right now. She needs a new one or she'll be dead in two years at this pace. And she needs $95,000 more dollars to cover her out-of-pocket expenses once they find a match. She said that without that, she'll get a heart, but they'll take her house to pay for it. My heart broke, that this is how we treat human beings in this country. People should be able to get medicine, have surgery - live - if the tools are there to make it happen. So of course my eyes welled with tears and Kenny threw a large wad of money into the donation box - I think to keep me from full-out crying in the lobby of the movie theater. It's a lot easier to turn away from the collection boxes when the heart that needs help isn't looking you in the face. I know I can't save the world, but maybe a start is to help the one in my community.

After that we went and saw I Am Legend, the new Will Smith movie. It had a very sad scene (I won't spoil it for you, in case you plan on seeing it), but it was all I could do to not out-and-out bawl in the theater. After, I informed Kenny it had been a very trying night at the movies for me, first Sonia's story and then the added heartbreak from the movie. Who would have thought a zombie-esque movie would also be a tear-jerker.

On a lighter movie note, Friday night we saw a double-header. I met Kenny for a quick dinner immediately after work, we dined on nachos and beers at Hoggys before heading over to the 6:40 showing of No Country For Old Men. Okay, so that wasn't a lighter note. Wow, that movie was intense, I had sweaty palms from the time the credits started rolling. I don't know what I thought the movie was about, I guess some old guys sitting around and talking about life or something. I hadn't seen the previews. I was wrong. Anyway, go see it. Really good.

I needed something lighter after that to prevent nightmares, so we schooched over to Enchanted, which was enchanting. Until Kenny pointed out that McDreamy as the love interest was a little creepy since he's in his 40's and the chick looked like she was about 20. Well, we just googled her and she's actually 33, so that's not as creepy. But she looked much younger, so it's still a little creepy.

It's been something like three weeks since I've done any major grocery shopping and the food situation in the house is getting a little grim. I really don't enjoy grocery shopping at all, which is odd since I like to eat. We've had the occasional milk and bread pick-up, but nothing of substance in a while. Sunday a gang of guys are coming over to watch football and all we have to offer up is milk and whole-grain toast. One would think I'd be a bit more concerned, but there's always pizza. We have to do a bit of straightening up, get some pizza and beer call it a party. The Mailman is making chili and Timmy is making baked beans and I'm trying to think of something that will coordinate. I'm coming up empty. So. Maybe I'll just make a cake. Chili, baked beans, beer and cake. Nothing says "football" like that line-up. Superbowl's at my house, People!

Meggan stopped over at my cube this past week and brought a picture of little Clementine Diamond-Ortiz. She's a beauty!

I ventured to Beachwood to embark on a little Christmas shopping today, and ended up spending about $130 on myself - again. I bought this new eyebrow shaper kit thing and tried it out when I got home. Kenny said I looked like Uncle Leo from Seinfeld. Then he looked at my hair and asked if I'd gone out looking like that...I was a hot mess today, as Rita would say. And not hot in a good way.

Wow, this is a rather boring plot of words. The heart thing is only a touching story if you met the woman, and who cares that I saw three movies in 2 days and went out looking like a hot mess. I better try to drum up something better than this drivel or I'll lose my faithful reader. Is this really my life for the past week? If so, I need to do something. Maybe I'm just out of words. Used up all the good ones for the year. Hope I get a fresh batch soon.

Peace for the week, and do something daring and interesting. I'm going to try!