The Book of Eli might be on the agenda for this weekend

Kelley (my wife) casually mentioned to me the other day that a coworker of hers and her boyfriend go to the movies at least once a week. This struck me as a sensational thing to do at first, and it was significant enough to start a discussion on why we shouldn't be able to do the same thing. I mean, I'm a movie fan, ya know? I really, really love movies. So, going to the movies that often should be dandy in my book. But something subtle, in the fine print of subconscious memory told me that it was a bawdy, irresponsible, and spendthrift thing to do.

Kelley knows this side of me. The careful, cautious, reserved Kris. She knows that I am loathe to spend money wastefully, and even have a difficult time doing it (especially in copious amounts) when it is well earned. Now, I don't want to delve too deeply into the reasons why I think I'm frugal, but suffice it to say that for a large part of my adult life times were tough. Often times there wasn't money enough to go to the movies. So I think that people get used to thinking and behaving in certain ways, and it becomes difficult to change those behaviors even when circumstances allow for it.

Nevertheless, Kelley doesn't have the emotional attachment to money that I do (not that she grew up rich), and has no problem throwing caution to the wind if it means a good time might be had. Needless to say, she's been a healthy influence on me.

Thus began the deconstruction of the thought processes that lead me to the conclusion that seeing a movie a week is reckless. And through this conversation and analysis I began to recognize that some of my behaviors had paralyzed my ability to enjoy the things that I love. The natural conclusion that I arrived at is that times aren't as tough for us now as they have been and seeing a movie a week, or even just a couple a month isn't out of the realm of possibility.

The fact is, life is for the living. Being careful with money is an awesome trait, and I'm glad that I have it. But I am also glad that I have a loving, caring wife that balances out my... shortcomings and gives me a different perspective on how life can be. I love you with all of my heart, Kelley. Thanks for being the yang to my yin.

Well, we never came to a solid conclusion on whether we would or wouldn't make it a priority to see 4 movies a month or 2 or 3. We never set a goal, or came to any hard and fast rule on our movie going future. But, we have seen three movies in as many weeks. Perhaps that's a trend, or perhaps there have just been several movies we've wanted to really see lately. Time will tell.

But as I write this tonight, I make plans for the lad and I to see The Book of Eli while Kelley is away at a wedding tomorrow. I'm a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic story (as my faithful readers know), and Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman are two of the finest actors walking the planet today. Sounds good to me. Catch the trailer below.



What did you think? Will you see it, or wait for it on DVD?

Kirk out