9:55 p.m. | 2003-08-11 The Diner, Gang Signs And The Movies. One of the main highlights of my weekend was, of course, my traditional Saturday brunch at TheDiner, as food is one of my most favorite things. Plus, it�s also when I spend time with MyDad. Of course, regular readers know that MyDad died almost nine months ago, so he just attends in spirit. And, just so you know, I don�t talk to him at brunch either. Well, not out loud anyway. I started the brunch thing as a grieving tool. MyDad and I went out to eat every day for breakfast and dinner when I was in high school. At breakfast, we both read the paper. Back then, he went for the world news while I concentrated on the local news. Now I cover both. And, I have to say that this tradition has really been a great help in the whole grieving process. I picked TheDiner because it�s a locals� place, the staff is very friendly and they�re great service providers, and they have a wide variety of food choices (which is important when you go there every week). Unfortunately, Mr. Chris informed me that TheDiner is closing this Wednesday (it was sold), so I�ll have to find a new place for MyDad and I. I have a couple of places in mind, but we�ll see which direction I head come Saturday. I actually believe MyDad led me to TheDiner as I�d never been there before and I felt very strongly that it was THE place I needed to go at the time, so I�ll see where he leads me this weekend. I went to TheDiner for lunch today for one last visit. It�s really sad for all the staff and the regulars. Most of the staff members have worked there for many, many years and most of the customers have been visiting for quite a long time. It�s been a good place but I�m sure I�ll find another one. I was walking home from brunch when I noticed a man walking through the alley perpendicular to me; I was walking though a breezeway between two buildings. He continued walking, then stopped and doubled back so he could walk past me. When he neared me, I smiled and said hi. He snarled, threw a hand sign in my face rather violently and kept going. After he had traveled past me, he turned around and shouted �I WILL live!� at my back. The whole thing was a little odd to me. I presumed the sign he threw was some sort of gang sign as I know sign language and I�m quite familiar with other common hand gestures. Now, he didn�t look like a gang member, crazy person or like he was hopped up on anything. He did appear to be very, very pissed off though. A little anger management issue perhaps? As I was turning the corner, I glanced back only to find him glancing back at me. Fortunately, he didn�t try to engage me in a stare down. I did engage in a stare down just recently though. That�s one of the things you have to face when you live Downtown. A youngster, who is either a thug or wanna be thug, played that little game with me recently. He lost, of course. Hell, I suffer from chronic pain so I can stare down anybody at anytime. And, so far, I haven�t been able to decipher exactly what that �gang� sign means but I still have some folks I need to consult about all that. I will tell you that I can�t do that particular sign myself without holding down some fingers. It�s a difficult sign. I give Mr. Angry Guy some credit there. I can do a lot of signs, but not that one. I saw Seabiscuit this weekend. It�s a good flick although I can�t righteously give it two thumbs up. The story is fantastic and that made it all good for me. However, the beginning is way too slow, fragmented and sometimes disorienting. Not that I could do better, but I�m sure that someone out there could lay out the background in a smoother fashion. But, once you get to the main part of the story, it flows very well. There�s not a whole lot of character development, but it really isn�t about that. What this movie excels at is capturing the essence of a moment in history when there was a shift from hopelessness to hopefulness. Triumph over tragedy. And, in a truncated way, it also captured human nature under such circumstances. It�s definitely worth seeing. However, if you can�t sit for over 2 hours, I�d suggest you rent it and view it in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace. Holy Shit! When did I become a movie critic?! Take that with a grain of salt� Finally, my heart goes out to those such as girlsdontcry, and the other folks in Europe, who are suddenly facing a record-breaking heat wave without air conditioning. Anywhere. I mean, really, they�re not set up to deal with all that. And, apparently, there are no more fans in France. I�m guessing that�s not a good thing. your thoughts? seed flower