Mimosa Mama

Sunday

Eldon and I went to the movies yesterday, something I rarely do.  I dread standing in line for anything, don’t like crowds, and want to smack your kids when they won’t shut up.  I’d much rather wait until the DVD comes out and I can sit on my couch with a mimosa in hand to enjoy the show.

But one day, not too long ago, I got an email for a Groupon.  You know about these?  They are like half off coupons where if enough people buy them the “deal is on.”   This deal was to buy a $30 gift certificate for $15.  I get goosebumps at deals like that!

The Groupon was for a place in Salem, OR called Cinebarre, which I’d never heard of.

I followed the link to their web site, and as the realization of what they are came to me, I welled up and shed a damn tear.

It’s a cinema.  And a bar.

As if that weren’t beautiful enough, they have a full beautiful menu of delicious food, and on the drink menu, big and bold as you please, is something they call “Pulp Fiction” (everything has a clever movie themed name) – MIMOSAS!  They sell them by the pitcher!!

It’s sad that this is such a big deal, but so very few places around here sell champagne.  And when they make a mimosa, they don’t know that the best champagne is a Brut.  But this place, this place served their Pulp Fiction with Domaine St Michelle Brut, a fabulous Washington Brut.  It’s not my Korbel, but it’s close.  And beautiful.

At any rate, we decided to go out on a rare date to use that certificate yesterday.  On the way there, I said, “Isn’t it odd that we are out and about on a weekend, like, going somewhere?”  and Eldon replied, “Ya.  This is so not like us.”

I am far more boring than anyone ever gives me credit for.  Our weekends are for getting stuff done around the house, then kicking back with a drink, and since you’re drinking you can’t drive.

We broke out of the mold yesterday, big time.  When we got there we even parked in a two hour spot, knowing full well we’d be in there for three.  Living on the edge, wild and free!

Eldon and I were the first into the theater.  After sitting there for a minute I was dying for the Pulp Fiction part to start.  As I took my cell phone out of my pocket to put it on silent, I mentioned to Eldon that we should have flagged a waitress down in the hallway.

He said, “Are you texting the waitress?”

Oh.  My.  God.  Eldon, non-texter, general technophobe, actually believed that I could pick up my phone and text some chick in the hallway.

I should have pretended that I could, that I’m just that smart, because shortly after I put my phone in my pocket, in she walked, right on cue.

Eldon thinks I am a genius when it comes to computers.  I could run my antivirus software, which finds something and quarantines it, and if I mentioned that to Eldon he’d be like, “Man, Honey, you’re so smart!”  I kinda like it like that.  I think I’m pretty insecure about my intelligence for the most part, so having him think me so brilliant is good for my teeny tiny ego.

At any rate, we had a great time.  It wasn’t cheap – with our meals, movie tickets, and Pulp Fiction the total bill was right around $60, but with the groupon I only spent $30.  True, $15 of that was my money, but I spent that over a month ago, so the pain of that coming out of my budget is long forgotten.  Now it’s like free money.

Will we go back?  Most definitely!  The bummer, for Eldon, is that I made him drive.  He had one drink, I had the rest.  Since one of us needs to be responsible, he’s the logical choice, even though his driving makes me crazy on a good day.  (ya, sidenote, he did stuff like this: I tell him we’re gonna need to turn right up ahead, and he makes no move to get into the right hand lane.  I’m like hey, I said we’re turning right up here.  You wanna wait until the last second to get over there?  He says sometimes right hand lanes end, so yes, he will wait.  That kinda poor planning and stupid thinking makes me insane, but it was very important that I not be the driver, so I did my best to shut my mouth.)

I loved Cinebarre.  I love the very concept of combining food, drink, and movies.  Oh, ya, Sherlock Holmes.  It was okay.  I’m not much for action films, like I don’t have enough stress in my life I need to get wrapped up in someone else’s – but it did weave enough humor and light heartedness in to satisfy me, keep me from stressing out.

I wanted to ‘like’ Cinebarre on facebook, and my search brought up a page called something like I Will Never Go To Cinebarre.  I went to the page to see what their beef was, and saw, “They don’t let minors in except on certain days and times.”  No shit, Sherlock (pardon the pun).  The final beauty of such a place existing is the complete lack of brats.  The shocking part was that the page had 17 likes.  17 like-minded dumbshits, surprised that a bar won’t allow minors.  No, not surprised, actively angry.

Idiots.