My Near-Empty Happy Place

What could be better than a near-empty movie theater? A near-empty restaurant. A near-empty elevator. A near-empty freeway. A near-empty anything. Let's face it, the SJG loves the near-empty situation. Fewer people means less annoyance. Anti-social? Intolerant? How dare you. Well, maybe a little. "She hates noise," the eldest whispered to his lovely wife yesterday. "I heard that." This after the sons had already made fun of their favorite mother, the woman who birthed them long ago, the gal who got them through their bar mitzvahs and basically all educational activities from pre-school on. "Ma," the youngest said, "why didn't you pick seats in the middle?" "Because I like to sit on the aisle." The razzing continued until I pointed out that the near-empty theater meant they could sit "anywhere you eff'n want to, so move already, don't do me any favors." Ultimately, in a nice clump, we shifted toward the middle, God forbid the young people should be miserable, and soon, "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" began.

It's so wonderful, I don't know what else to tell you, other than everything about it -- KHJ and Robert W. Morgan and the 1969 soundtrack; Westwood Village looking like the Westwood Village of my childhood; old TV show clips of "Mannix"; El Coyote, Casa Vega and Musso & Franks -- transported me back in time in the best way. El Coyote was our absolute favorite hang in early '80s, Casa Vega our go-to first Mexican restaurant when we moved to the Valley in '86. Longtime hubby still eats lunch regularly at Musso's. Nostalgia-wise, what more can you ask for?

My favorite shout-out: Seymour, host of Fright Night on KHJ-TV 

Tarantino peppers this late '60s culture fest with his crazy brand of dread, suspense and on-going threat of unhinged yet shockingly hilarious violence. And of course, brilliant acting that will knock you off your seat and potentially send you to the chiropractor, masseuse, acupuncturist or orthopedic specialist of your choice. But it's worth it. In other words, we all loved it, supremely. Go see it if you haven't already. You will sincerely dig it.