This evening, DJ and I had a nice time in town. Such a treat for us country folk who live in Quincy. We had free tickets to Syriana (the movie), which of course I wanted to see because it supposedly has a strong message about oil and the mid-East but more importantly because Matt Damon is in it.

On my way to dinner, I strolled through the park - more like ran through the freezing darkness at 4:15 PM - and was pleasantly surprised by the sights.


"Holiday Tree" in the Commons


Ice Skating on the frog pond.

Too bad I won't ever be skating there because unless the activity involves a board and an incline, there's no way I'm voluntarily staying outdoors between now and May. Too bad there's no ice skating on the frog pond when it's actually pleasant to be outdoors, but I guess that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? Instead of skates on ice, we get naked diaperless babies peeing in ankle-high water.

The movie was...well, let me put it this way. In the first 45 minutes, I fell asleep three times, waking up magically for Matt Damon's scenes. I guess this doesn't say that much either way about the movie, considering I usually fall asleep during movies that aren't period pieces or romantic comedies. But still, I felt like it was a bit one dimensional. The bad guys were all bad and the good guys were all good. No honest struggle between what is often the lesser of two evils. And at the end of the day, the good guy realizes he's sacrificing too much and goes home to his estranged family. Good intent but kinda cliched at times. I did appreciate the nearly dialogue-free depiction of a young boy being brainwashed into a suicide bombing mission, although I wonder if it's an accurate portrayal.

But I do give Matt Damon two thumbs up.