A Blast from The Past?

Generally I’m too busy to sit down and watch movies where my presence isn’t required—as is the case with “family movie night” which means that I have seen almost every animated movie made in the last decade. My favorite movie is “Kung Fu Panda.” It was quite embarrassing to admit to my adult friends but they were generally sympathetic and admitted that they, too, have trouble finding time to watch films made for people who no longer wear braces.


But I got some adult movie time tonight. It took a runny nose and empty look on my face to prompt my husband to ship me off to bed early. I highly suggest it—works better than the “I’ve got a headache” line. So, I flipped on the television and settled into AMC and the 80’s movie night. As luck would have it, they were showing “The Lost Boys.” For those of you youngins that read my posts, that was the first movie with sexy vampires—yep they existed before Edward Cullen. I have some strong memories associated with that movie. Halloween date night, the midnight showing was filled with costumed vampires and the smell of popcorn and untroubled youth. It was bliss. I had a very strong crush by the time I left the theater, but it wasn’t my date I was crushing on, it was Jason Patric to whom I devoted my love and a large movie poster that took up much of my dorm room wall my freshman year.

But tucked into my blanket, the sound of my children protesting bedtime floating up the stairs, the movie seemed—well, lame. It was filled with limp lines and hair large enough to house parakeets. The boy’s swaggers were less awe-inducing than I remembered and the special effects were laughable. I found myself longing for an episode of Grey’s Anatomy from my Tivo.

I guess you can’t go back. It’s an argument that I have with my husband from time to time. He was the football stud in High School and I was the brainy girl who couldn’t wait to go to college and live like a grown up. He’d love to go back to High School, I’d rather lose my hair. If we had met in High School, I’m pretty sure he would have sooner stuffed me into a locker than dated me. Youth is filled with a shallowness that makes Jason Patric’s pierced ear seem rebellious and the dream of marrying him like a good idea. We see life through rose-colored glasses where each day things can only get better because we’re young and life is designed expressly to fulfill our every wish. Maybe that’s why my husband would ask the Genie to take him back but it’s also why I wouldn’t make that wish.

I like who I am. I like the woman I’ve grown into. It’s taken the tough experiences to coax her out of me, but it was worth it. While I look forward to tomorrow, I also have no illusion that every day is going to bring me everything I want. But it will probably send me everything I need. And right now I need to turn off this lame movie and get some sleep. But wait! “Better Off Dead” starring John Cusack is up next. I used to love that movie—I bet it’s just as good as I remember it.