Although I cannot stand Richard Gere or Susan Sarandon, I found myself watching "Shall We Dance?" this weekend...and I liked it. Gere played John, a shy, quiet estate lawyer who can't help the fact that he doesn't feel that he is as happy as he could be. His wife is too busy with her job, what time they do have seems to be sucked up by parenting and jockeying their kids around. He asks her if they can go see a movie together and she chuckles, "Well, I think we can find time to at least look at the listings together." A classic case of Alone-Together. His birthday is being celebrated in the beginning of the film and his wife laments the fact that there is nothing that he ever wants... but secretly he does want something. On his daily commute home, he passes Miss Mitzi's ballroom dance school and he sees a beautiful, but sad looking woman in the window. He feels the she looks on the outside how he feels on the inside. He determines that he must meet her. Before you know it, he's joined up for ballroom dance classes - but she is not the teacher, the older woman who owns the studio is. He gets past his clumsiness and eventually finds that he can dance...and he enjoys dancing.
Actually, he falls in love with dancing. He hides his obsession from his family. His daughter notices that he is acting strangely -- happy, in fact -- and mentions it to the wife. He keeps staying late "at work" and she grows suspicious and hires a private detective. The detective finds that nothing is going on romantically and reports this to the wife, who decides to let it run its course. Still, she is hurt about being left out. The detective finds out that John is going to compete in a dance contest and tells the wife and daughter, who sneak up into the bleachers to watch. The contest is going wonderfully until the stupid daughter starts yelling, "Go, Dad!" and "C'mon, 126" - a comic screw-up occurs and...wife/daughter rush from the event. He follows. The wife finally releases her anguish at being left out. Along the way she has been realizing that she has not been investing in the relationship. They've grown used to taking each other for granted. As a result of being "found out," he stops dancing. The daughter finally says to him, "Why don't you teach Mom to dance?" and something happens...oh there are other things going on, like a big farewell party for the sad, beautiful woman... but something bigger happens. He reveals that the one person he wants to be happy with his her, the love of his life. As the movie closes, you see them dancing together...
Susan Sarandon has one particularly memorable line. She and the detective are discussing why people get married - sex, companionship, etc.. and she says that she believes people get married so that they have a witness to their lives. Someone to share in all of those moments.
I guess the word I would use to describe the movie and the thoughts it evoked would be: poignant It made me think of all those crazy mid-life feelings, of wanting to have that whole "in love" feeling, whether it is with a person or an activity, the need to have something to soften the monotony of days.
~o~
I was out and about today when a caption on a magazine caught my eye: "Why guys love your body exactly as it is!" I had to stop and pick it up to see what amazing insight they were supposedly offering women. I think most women already know: We are too hard on ourselves. We are usually the ones holding ourselves up in comparison to air-brushed images that we can't compete with. Our critical eye is ever focused on the flaws we perceive we have - be they real, or imagined. Give us PMS and, well, get a box of tissues and a good bag of chocolate. Few women are immune to it... I remember once reading an article were Kim Bassinger said she was always stunned that anyone found her beautiful.
The article turned out to be mostly about a guy who is totally turned off by plastic surgery and his search to find a woman that didn't have fake boobs, inflated lips, etc, etc. He felt that doing those things was screaming, "I don't like myself. I am not confident." He realized that was too cruel to be a blanket statement, but he said what he found attractive were the imperfections. He found real women, flaws and all, to be the most beautiful.
Along the bottom of the article several men were interviewed saying what they loved most about their significant other - with those same women complaining about the flawed parts their men supposedly loved. It was interesting. One woman berated herself on her "big" legs while her husband was totally positive that her bottom half was absolutely awesome.
So anyhow, lesson to be learned...women need to back off and learn to love their bodies instead of dis them. Maybe we should all just really LISTEN to the men in our lives sometimes!
~o~
Fun vain moment of the day regarding the doctor I chatted with last week, I'll call him "Dr. P." He is the partner of the doctor who my kids are now seeing. Well, my friend, Caren, brought her daughter to see them this morning, meaning to get our doctor but accidentally scheduled with Dr. P. He comes in, introduces himself, and asks her who he could thank for the referral to their office. She tells him my name. She said he lit up and replied, "Ohhhhhh, yes!! I just spoke with her for a few minutes last week. Tell you what - She doesn't look old enough to have a driver's licenses, much less a married daughter!!!" Woo-hooo! Gotta love these moments, especially since one day gravity and age will definitely set in...until then, I'm just going to eat this up.
Funny moment... the strange old guy who follows us at the gym and mimics our routine was there again, mimicking...AND he dyed his hair blond. Beard, too. It's...interesting. He had a hard time following us today because the two 20-something guys were there again, trying to make conversation.
~o~
Another 10% treat - although it is a bit crazy that I'm into frozen food during this ccccold winter - Ruggles Bluberries & Cream Premium Frozen Yogurt. It is GOOD. :)
~o~
Today's workout: 10 minute treadmill. 35 minutes circuit training, chest & shoulders. 20 minutes HIIT on the Cybex+.
flat bench chest press 20/50, 12/60, 12/70
dumbbell fly, flat bench 12/50, 12/60, 8/70
incline chest press 15/50, 12/60, 12/70
Done as a superset
--1:30 sprint on Cybex
cable crossover 12/60/3
bent lat raise 10/30/3
reverse cable crossover 10/40/3
Done as a superset
--1:30 treadmill sprint
stablity ball shoulder press 12/50/3
stability ball pike push up 15/3
Supersetted :)
