Do you ever have a day when...

-You like a movie just as much as the book it's based on? I saw Shopgirl this afternoon and loved almost everything about it. It is beautifully filmed and completely captures the humor and melancholy undertone of the novella. Jason Schwartzman is perfectly cast as Jeremy (hilarious!), and the acting is solid throughout. Even when you think you are totally wrapped up in the emotion of a scene, the wonderful music draws you in more. My only criticism is that the occasional narration was unnecessary and semi-cheesy. I cracked up when Steve Martin narrated that his character, Ray, has a house in computer-oriented Seattle. I felt like he was saying "computer-oriented" and had the urge (ok, and sometimes I acted on it) to make air quotes any time they flashed a clip of the city.

-Your sister decides she must come for a visit with your nephew (the bobblehead) for a few days before her maternity leave ends? They arrive on Thursday! Yay!

-Someone you've worked with for over a year tells you he just learned that you say your name Megan rather than Meegan? You know he's heard your name several times, so you wonder why he failed to make the connection on pronunciation a year ago. It sort of reminds me of the first few times I met my now close friend's husband. We kept seeing each other at parties and every time he would come up to me and say, "Hi, my name is Keith." Not good for the self esteem, as I started to ask myself if I was utterly forgettable. After the third introduction, I reached my breaking point and said very huffily, "I KNOW! We've met. Several times." He's great, and we laugh about it now.

- You finally get around to unpacking that last box from your move three months ago? I don't know what's wrong with me, but I couldn't stand the thought of dealing with it. I just kept sliding it to different spots in my apartment before it could make a permanent imprint on the carpet. The box ended up wedged behind my bed for my housewarming about a month ago, and there it stayed until tonight.

- You fail to get your Halloween costume together in time? Instead of dressing up as Napoleon Dynamite's Rex Kwon Do for the party and walking around saying, "Do you think anyone wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I'm wearing these bad boys?" in your American flag pants, you're forced to go with one of the old standby costumes in your closet. My standby was a poodle skirt my mom had made for me when I was 13. I've worn it off and on over the years, but the last time was probably about five years ago. Let me just say that my ass has changed since my teen years, and the waistband of the skirt is made of tough, government-strength elastic that stretches to a point, and then there's no give at all. Getting myself into that thing this time took about 10 minutes of maneuvering and a little pain. As the night wore on, I started to think about how I'd get it off. For a brief moment, felt lucky not to have boyfriend or one night stand to witness the humiliation of difficult skirt removal. Time for a new standby, I think.

-You feel that the perfect thing happens for you at the perfect time? In general, I believe we're all experiencing what we need in any given moment, but there are certainly instances when we feel this more than others. Sometimes we fight it and sometimes it's okay. My favorite moments are when I notice that every part of me is in alignment and flowing with what is happening. I had this experience Friday while doing energy work with my friend Amy. I'm interested in energy healing and have studied it a bit, but I'm still a sometimes skeptical novice. I went in to the session with no expectations, but then everything she tried and we talked about resonated so clearly with me. In an hour, I felt like I was given the little push I needed to remove blocks and shift my thinking in a healthier direction. I felt overwhelmingly happy and surprised by the outcome. It made me feel great all weekend and reminded my inner grump girl to appreciate how quickly and easily things can change for the better.

In music news...I am infatuated with the song Ultimatum by The Long Winters and recommend the band to all. Good day.