Amy BoughnerToday was International Women’s Day and I celebrated by leaving the childcare to Joe and taking myself to Chapters and a movie. I bought the new Amanda Lovelace Book (awesome feminist poetry – speaking as someone who has never enjoyed reading poetry before). And then I went to see Isn’t It Romantic – a cheesy romantic comedy that spoofs cheesy romantic comedies. My cup of tea.
The movie starts off with young Natalie watching Pretty Woman, which is a film I have watching a few dozen times. At one point in the movie her assistant is watching The Wedding Singer – love it. There’s a shout out to Sweet Home Alabama, another good one.
I wouldn’t call myself a big romantic, but I do like these kinds of movies. You laugh, you cry.
But part of the cheesiness they address is the whole ‘two best friends fall in love’ thing. They refer to the ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ plot line – a romantic comedy I have only seen once and didn’t really enjoy (but I liked Made of Honor – Patrick Dempsey, same basic plot).
As I kid when I fantasized about falling in love it was usually a situation where best friends figure out they’re made for each other.
Earlier this week I read Sarah Millican’s book and she says you shouldn’t fall in love with your best friend because then if you get divorced you lose both.
But here’s the thing, I have a partner who I can talk to about virtually anything. We laugh together, we gossip together, we watch movies and play games. We don’t like all the same things, but he’ll listen to me go on and on about something I find interesting because he finds me interested. In fact, he likes it when I get overly passionate about a topic. He appreciates my dorkiness and sometimes we dork out together.
And when I think ‘what if we ever broke up…’ I know that the only person I would want to reach out to, to talk about it and cry would be him, and then breaking up just seems really stupid.
We promised to be Bert and Ernie for goodness sakes! It was in our vows. It was my idea to vow to be the Bert to each other’s Ernie and vice-versa and HE THOUGHT THAT WAS A FANTASTIC IDEA. You just don’t get that every day.
The man has a favourite Prime Minister.
He makes fun of me for loving British panel shows and then rubs my back while we watch them together.
And on International Women’s Day, or virtually any other day, I say I’m taking myself to a movie and he says ‘k.’
