Any day which includes time with our niece Lorelai is a wonderful day. So is any day where my best friend Marshall is in the picture. Put the two together and it’s more fun than a single day can easily hold.
Marshall’s immediate reason for coming to Racine was so he and I could go enjoy that cultural masterwork, The Simpsons Movie. It was a relatively crowded theater but I’m pretty sure that he and I laughed harder than the whole rest of the the audience combined. What a laugh riot – and I think the fact that we were splitting a gut together just added to the fun of it all. The only complaint I have is that the movie is so dense with jokes and gags that as I walked out of the theater, I could hardly recall a single joke or hilarious line. I suppose that was good news for Kathy (who is not a Simpsons fan at all) because she was spared the headache of having me try to reenact half the movie for her. That’s not likely to happen until I’ve seen again – maybe a time or two. But take it from me- if you are a fan of the show, you will appreciate the movie so much for the pains taken to be true to the show- and yet there is something somewhat epic about the storyline that makes the film seem like more than a bloated TV episode. . . This feels like it had to be a movie. And it’s laugh riot, start to finish. Prepare yourselves!
As if we hadn’t already laughed enough, we then headed over to Bob’s condo, where he had just served supper to Kathy, Polly, Mark, and Lorelai. And for the next two hours or so, we were all royally entertained by our delightful niece Lorelai, who was in great form even for her. There’s something so soul-nourishing about being in the presence of someone so vibrant, so open to the world, in such a perpetual state of delight and wonder. It’s also so nice that she’s not as timid as other girls her age- She is not all that afraid to cozy up to someone she’s never really met before or even seen before. . . like Marshall. Those two were quite the pair, as easy with each other as Astaire and Rogers. Not that they were tap dancing around the apartment or anything, but just so tremendously comfortable with each other and just having fun.
The evening included some fine ukelele playing by that famous duo of Bob and Lorelai. . . with dad doing the chords while Lorelai strummed the strings with a fairly impressive sense of rhythm. We also heard her rattle off the answers to an array of questions put to her by Mark, such as her full name, her address, the names of her parents, and everything but their social security numbers. We were even treated to a little taste of Mark and Lorelai’s opera singing, where Mark will sing in some made up melody “I thought the dinner was delicious” and Lorelai sings her reply with quasi-operatic intensity, “My favorite was the corn on the cob.” We eventually sat down in front of the TV to watch home video of Lorelai from a year ago. (Don’t accuse Polly and Mark forcing home video on unsuspecting guests. It was entirely my idea.) We had a ball- and Lorelai was as transfixed as anyone.
And at the end of the evening, when it was her bedtime- and nearly ours as well – she gave hugs to everyone, including Marshall. I know there may be a day in the future when she may be going through the Obnoxious Elevens or the Tense Twelves and will be a bit more guarded with her affection. For now, she delights in sharing it- and nothing is better for brightening this corner of the world.