Second bloggirls Lunch

So Friday started out innocently enough and ended up impacting the thoughts of the rest of my weekend.

Fairly early on in the day (before lunch), I got a call from a good friend of mine who told me a rumour was going around that another good friend of mine (from a few years ago, who I admittedly haven't had much recent contact with) had himself a boyfriend. This is surprising in itself because a) he's well past the age I would guess that folks generally figure out their preference and b) cause he's had a couple of long-term girlfs in the time I've known him.

So I immediately dropped him an email. The way I figure it is, if the rumour isn't true, the boy should at least know what's being said about him and well, if it is ... I'd hope we'd once been good enough friends that he'd be honest about it.

Turns out it's all True. He mailed me back and laid it all on the line. On the plus side his current group of friends and his close family have all been very supportive. But it still kinda left me feeling weird. Not because it bothers me ... I guess just because I'm wondering about the person I knew. Inevitably by lying to himself about certain things, he must've ended up lying to other people for everyone to be so surprised by this news. Meh, I don't really care about that but, it's also started me wondering about another thing regarding "coming out". This boy has quite a developed group of guy-friends (being that he's slightly older than me already) which makes him quite lucky cause they've mostly all been mates since varsity or school or whatever. So these friends of his just have to accept him (which they apparently do). Whereas (and I could be wrong here) I don't think most boys who come out at say 21 or thereabouts have such a firm group of solid male friends ... they tend to have a lot of very good female friends (I'm not saying they have no male friends, I'm just talking majorities here, people). So I can't help but wonder if realising it (or rather, just admitting it - I'm a pretty firm believer in the genetic argument, with a sprinkling of nurture thrown in on top) later in life has been better for him? But then again pretending for so many years as he must've done (Can you really not know, is the mind that powerful?) must've taken it's toll on him too. Sigh. As long as he's happy, hey?

Anyhoo. The weekend. Varen & I headed over to his folks place (they're away at the mo') for dinner Brother Swoop, his girlf and Brother Zion to celebrate Brother Zion's 21st birthday earlier in the week. I must say, it turned out to be really nice evening. And I for one and really glad that Brother Swoop & his girlf are back together :) Saturday was a truly lazy day, with no pressing admin to be done and Varen & I both still quite exhausted from our busy week. We watched movies at home and got take-out (from Ghazals!) and pretty much lolled around doing *nothing*.

Two faiths, two empires, two rulers - colliding in 1588. Papist Spain wants to bring down the heretic Elizabeth. Philip is building an armada but needs a rationale to attack. With covert intrigue, Spain sets a trap for the Queen and her principal secretary, Walsingham, using as a pawn Elizabeth's cousin Mary Stuart, who's under house arrest in the North. The trap springs, and the armada sets sail, to rendezvous with French ground forces and to attack. During these months, the Virgin Queen falls in love with Walter Raleigh, keeping him close to court and away from the sea and America. Is treachery or heroism at his heart? Does loneliness await her passionate majesty?

I was looking forward to this cause I remember enjoying the first Elizabeth movie that really launched Cate Blanchett's career. Sadly I felt this one fell short. Was kinda weird to watch it so closely after The Other Boleyn Girl, and I will say that Cate has certainly gotten older than the first movie (a good 10 years ago, so fair enough). I dunno, I just didn't think the story they chose was that interesting. Although Clive Owen was lovely, as always :)

Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead. Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grisly remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences.

Sigh. I'd heard that this Saw movie would be going back to the good old days of the original clever and twisty Saw movie. I honestly didn't think it was that great at all. I mean it's gory in the true Saw sense of the word, but I had to read up on Wikipedia to try and figure out the ending. Not a good sign and I'm usually quite quick with these things. So, in my opinion, they tried to be far more twisty than I think they managed to successfully achieve. Disappointing.

A year after the accidental death of their father, three drug-addicted brothers -- each suffering from depression - meet for a train trip across India. Francis, the eldest, has organized it. The brothers argue, sulk, resent each other, and fight. The youngest, Jack, estranged from his girlfriend, is attracted to one of the train's attendants. Peter has left his pregnant wife at home, and he buys a venomous snake. After a few days, Francis discloses their surprising and disconcerting destination. Amid foreign surroundings, can the brothers sort out their differences? A funeral, a meditation, a hilltop ritual, and the Bengal Lancer figure in the reconciliation.

Okay, this is for all you folk who loved The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. We did watch the "short movie" before hand, Hotel Chevalier. I thought that was most bizarre and I don't know if it affected the movie, knowing some background, as it were. But I enjoyed the movie in a light-hearted sorta way :)

Sunday was the 2nd bloggirls lunch. I am disappointed that neither of the other's (Cape Town or Durbs) actually got off the ground (as far as I know) and I must say our 2nd attempt up here wasn't nearly as well attended as the last one. I sorta felt like I ended up at The Bad Mommies Blog lunch, surrounded by Angel, Exmi, Ydnic and Bridget :) Was especially fabulous to meet 3 new bloggirls. Was awesome to meet Exmi, since I've been reading her blog for absolute ages now ... and I'm thrilled to say it seems she's back online after an extended lack-of-internetless :) It was also very entertaining to meet Bridget. I've never really followed her blog daily but have visited it occasionally and I must tell you she is absolutely lovely in person and far more crazy and funny than I've found her blog to be ... if you can even imagine that!

Oh, and I almost forgot, the lunch was at Cool Runnings, a favourite haunt of my youth (the one in Observatory, Cape Town ... which has apparently closed down. An end of an era!). Let me tell you, the cocktails went down swimmingly. Even tho I was supposed to be off alcohol (I know, I know ... but cocktails, people!) I thoroughly enjoyed my Vanilla Mojito and Feeling Erie :) For lunch I had Chicken Nacho's - haven't had nacho's in ages and I did enjoy them ... but they probably could've been better if there'd been a little salsa alongside.

After the bloggirls lunch I ended up having a afternoon nap (while Varen read his book - a little role reversal from Saturday afternoon!). And that was about the weekend.