I'm on a mini-vacay, and it feels so good. I slept in until I realized everyone was awake and decided that it was only right that I also get up so we could all eat some breakfast. I walked out of my room and saw Ben in the living room with what was clearly the face of someone groaning but without any of the noise. Then I looked at the clock. 8:32. AM. I guess I didn't really sleep in all that much. And nobody else seemed to, too.
Last night I watched what was probably the most bizarre movie ever, "Barbarosa". It starred Willie Nelson and Gary Busey. No lie. It was completely out of control. It was a story of mixed-race love that had Willie killing anybody that had any problem with his taking a non-white wife. He would stalk his "wife" around their hacienda and infrequently visit her long enough to make at least one baby. Gary Busey was Willie's sort of sidekick and would be seen riding around him and asking him questions. And at this point Gary Busey was no teenager; he was a grown-ass-man so it was weird to see him being kind of a kid when he is definitely a giant-ass-man. It was interesting to see the dental work that Busey has had done. He no longer has a gap between his front teeth and his eye teeth are no longer the width of toothpicks. But then I think about that mugshot of his from a few years ago and I can't help but wonder if much has really changed for him.
I have no idea exactly how Barbarosa begins because we tuned in during its second hour. I feel like we could put the pieces together from all the little chunks of story we got. It was a weird movie. Tonight we watched the 25th Celebration of Dollywood. Over the last few years a space in my heart has grown larger for Dolly. I didn't think much of her before, other than that she wrote one of my favorite Whitney Houston songs and that she was the subject of the bizarre childhood rhyme, "Chinese, Japanese, milk carton, Dolly Parton". But I would say that I have grown to appreciate her for both her music and her uncanny drag queen-ness.
She was looking particularly draggy tonight. After singing a few of her own solo hits, she brought out Kenny Rogers and Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus. There must be something in the water over there at the Cyrus home that is aging everyone. Miley sounds and looks like the Southern version of a Real Housewife of Long Island. And Billy Ray has decided to be some sort of elder Country statesmen by appropriating a kind of Johnny Cash -ish cadence to his voice. That was weird. He's not old, but he couldn't keep up with Dolls at all. She sang with Porter Wagner, the oldest of old, and he could do it. Keep up, B-Ray. Please.
I took an awesome nap on the couch this afternoon that felt real nice. Whenever I see an overstuffed couch or a really plush spot of carpet, I am overwhelmed with the need/desire to lay on it and take a nap. Writing that out makes me realize that I share another trait with my dog Lyle. I do love dogs.
Well, I have some more Wikipedia-ing to do tonight. I think I'm going to start with getting some more in depth background on Barbarosa and see where that takes me.
Jon
