A Good Video Store

There is an awesome independently run video store about 2 minutes from my house and if you live in my general vicinity, you KNOW which one I'm talking about and you KNOW the awesome people that work there. It brings out that small town vibe. Call me Rory Gilmore.

In any case, since early last Fall, I have been madly obsessed with this video store. People have stopped asking me my plans for Friday nights because I have been holed up at home most Fridays watching my movies and when I do have plans for Friday night, my movie nights are changed to Saturday nights and if I happen to be busy both nights (what? It happens! I totally have friends....) then a hole forms in my heart. A hole only romantic comedies and action flicks could fill.

In fact, let me take you back to last Spring 2008. People were talking movies and such and such movie and if I knew who such and such actor was. "No, I'm not much of a movie person", I'd say. But my. oh. my. how the situation has reversed. If only they could see me now, Don Cheadle this and Tilda Swinton that (why those actors? I don't know).

But let me just say this. This is a very good video store not because of the close proximity, prices (which are about the same as the big box places), but because of the lack of judgment. All good shopkeeps whether they be doolin' out porn, alcohol or lottery tickets know when to keep their mouths shut and let the addiction be. Honestly. There is never any judgment or questions of "Haven't you got any friends?" Because of course I don't. I rent two movies every Friday. He knows it, I know it, but we don't say it. And there's no judgment when I return those movies and get an additional movie the following day. Or when I spend twenty minutes glaring at "The Constant Gardener" wondering if today is the day I'll actually watch it (still haven't). And no judgment of whether I should just buy the movie when I've rented The Devil wears Prada thrice.

I mean, essentially it's something to do that feels like a definite plan (which maybe sounds a little lonely). Most Fridays I'm far too tired to do much of anything. I've likely had just shy of 5 hours of sleep (terrible, terrible), I go workout and then by the time I'm home, showered and dinnered, it's already 9-10 o'clock and I'm ready to sleep. My movies are just a soundtrack to my dreams.

Then I wake up in the wee hours of the night, panick that I still have two movies to watch and power through them before they're due. Often I only have time for one, so the other one is wasted money.

It's a routine, anyway.