Yesterday I went to Central Pres. for church. My parents went along with me. Like me, they are disappointed in the state of our current church. All of the members were recently asked to do pastoral evaluations, and even with that, we know nothing will ever change. Our church will slowly die out, because like us, other members will eventually become tired of the politics and anger in the church. It's just not something you think to deal with at church. Anyway, we went to Central through the wind and rain, and it was a nice service. Even though it was Stewardship Sunday (the give-us-money Sunday), the sermon was still pleasant, humorous, and even pensive in spots.

For lunch we went to Santa Rita, which is much prettier than the Tres Amigos restaurant that used to be there. The walls are vibrant, there are mirrors on the backs of booths, and it is a very open space, very conducive to eating in. I got spinach quesadillas, which were pretty tasty. Our friend Janette coaxed my mom into trying the Suiza sauce on a spinach enchilada plate, and it looked delicious. I look forward to going back there, for sure.

Later on in the afternoon, I made my way over to the Dobie Theatre to catch a showing of Sideways. I took a book and read before the movie began. When the previews started, there were only about 20 people in the theatre. I hope more people are coming to see the film (or have already seen it), because it is quite a wonderful film. Paul Giamatti just continues to impress me with his acting talents. He was as good (if not better) in this film as he was in American Splendor. Both films are a sort of comedy, but Sideways is quite ponderous in comparison. I will admit, about a quarter of the film is spent on wine, which I know nothing about. I don't like the taste, and am definitely not into the culture of wine-tasting and wine and cheese parties. That being said, I still much enjoyed the film. It is mainly about Miles (Giamatti) and his relationship with (Jack). It doesn't seem like there would be much there between them, yet they are very close. What I took from the film was one of the last thoughts stated in it. Mya (Virginia Madsen) has left a message for Miles, telling him not to give up.

I loved the ending of the film, which left things up to interpretation. You got a pretty good idea of where the lives of the characters were headed. I don't think that there was anything I didn't like about the film. Of course there were two spots where I had to cover my eyes because the characters were doing humiliating things (that's another post). I could say I loved this film and I would watch it again. Paul Giamatti is that good.

Even Thomas Haden Church was good, and I haven't seen him since his "Ned and Stacey" days. Both of the female actresses were great, but not as much in the film as I would like. Really, it's a road trip film, and the women are just part of it.

So that was my Sunday.
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