Dinner and a Movie

I went to dinner and a movie tonight with my sister Anna and my friend Maria. For dinner we went to one of my favorite places in Arlington, the Lost Dog Café. They have great sandwiches, pastas, and pizzas, as well as an endless selection of both imported and domestic beers and ales. We ate in, but you can also get carryout or delivery. Sadly, I live outside their delivery area. I might just have to move. It is pretty close to Virginia Hospital Center (aka Arlington Hospital) and apparently our residents who do rotations over there order from the Lost Dog all the time. Tonight I had the Healthy Dog, Anna had the Eagle, and Maria had the Phoenix. Other favorites include the Billy’s Philly, the San Diego, the California Dreaming, and the Bureaucrat. They also have excellent fries and milk shakes.

After dinner we went to see “Ladies in Lavender” at the Shirlington Loews Cineplex Odeon. We were by far the youngest people there, but we didn’t really care. The movie takes place in 1936 and is about a pair of Cornish spinsters who discover a charismatic young Polish violin virtuoso castaway on the beach below their home. You’ll have to see the movie if you want to know what happens. Maggie Smith and Judi Dench play the two sisters and of course they are fantastic as always. I suppose there is a reason why they were both made Dame Commanders of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The movie would certainly be too dull for many people, but I really enjoyed it. I guess I’m kind of a dork. One of the things that made the movie really great was the music, as the premise is that the Polish young man is a violin virtuoso. The soundtrack includes original pieces as well as pieces by Massenet, Sarasate, Debussy, and Paganini. The violin solos are played by Joshua Bell who is basically a classical music superstar. He has performed with nearly every leading symphony orchestra and conductor and recorded 27 albums.

After the movie, we went back to my parent’s house to drop off my sister, but also to have some of my mother’s excellent peach blackberry cobbler. It was good even without ice cream. I have to say, my mom really knows how to cook and bake. Now I’m just at home relaxing. After I’m done writing this, I think I’ll watch my favorite new show, “The Closer” with Kyra Sedgwick.