Someone Told Me It's All Happening at the Zoo

I awoke to another sunny day in San Francisco this morning and met my friend for brunch in Hayes Valley. (Note: this summer has been so cold. We're talking 50's. Last week we had a heat wave for a couple of days, and then it dropped back down to the 60's. So when I wake up to sunshine on the weekend when I can actually enjoy it and I'm not sitting behind a desk in a dark room that faces a pigeon-filled alley way, I get a little excited.)

After brunch, my friend and I wanted to take advantage of this sunny day and do something exciting in the city. So we eagerly decided to take the MUNI across town to the San Francisco Zoo, a place neither of us had ever been since living here. The MUNI ride was a little sketchy. There was a foul BO stench for the majority of the ride (not unusual) and we rode the L line through parts of the city that I didn't even know existed. Such as, Forest Hill: SF's very own Stepford community.

Once we arrived to the Sunset District where the zoo is, I realized that my outfit of shorts, a tank top and a short-sleeved cartigan - an appropriate choice for brunch in Hayes Valley - was a very big mistake. Had I known we were going to the foggiest neighborhood in San Francisco, I may have opted to wear more clothes. After checking out the $40 oversized zip-up sweatshirts in the gift shop, I decided to buck up and stick out the weather and the dirty looks from old people who were offended by my bare skin in a family place.

We then realized that we overlooked the fact that the zoo is a place for small children. Though children in a zoo can be incredibly obnoxious, this made for amusement at times. Especially at the primate exhibit when we overheard a seven-year-old boy say to his father, "I'm really bored." Apparently so were the animals, because with the exception of the galloping giraffes, most of them had their backs turned to the spectators as though they were trying to punish us.

Many of the animals seemed very sad, and it made me second-guess the idea of viewing caged animals. Lots of them had very little space to roam, and many of them were in areas alone with no other animals to mingle with. I did enjoy the penguin feeding, and the man who was caring for this injured bald eagle was quit interesting, in an awkward eye contact kind of way. We encountered a very relaxed kangaroo, and I chased a roaming peacock around for a couple of minutes until it got frighteningly territorial.

Everything else was sort of just eh, and the foggy weather wasn't helping my disposition. Maybe I have grown to expect a lot from zoos since my vast experience consists of consistent trips to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park (now known as the Safari Park) when I was growing up, but I really wasn't impressed by what the San Francisco Zoo had to offer. I think what excited me the most was the gift shop filled with fluffy stuffed animals. I love stuffed animals.

Tout Seul a le Cinema

One of my favorite things to do by myself is to go to the movies, especially if it's a movie that might make me cry a little. There's something about it that's so liberating and calming; watching and thinking and quietly crying to yourself in a dark theatre surrounded by strangers.


So this past Saturday, I awoke at 9am (internal alarm clock sucks) and showered off Friday night's festivities. Then I picked up a bagel and iced tea at the corner cafe and hopped on a bus to the AMC 14 to see a 10:50am showing of The Kids Are All Right, a film I have been wanting to see since I read rave reviews from this year's Sundance. Though I probably could have found a few people to see it with me, I was tired of waiting on the agendas of friends. And I knew it was the perfect movie to see alone; whereas if I had seen Inception without the party of five that joined me, I would have been utterly disappointed when I had nobody to debrief me on the timeline of dreams.


When I walked into the theatre there were about fifteen people already seated, most of whom were in groups of 2 or 3, but a few solo viewers like myself. I settled into my seat, lifted my feet to rest on the seat in front of me, and silenced my phone - normal things one would do when attending the movies with friends. Fortunately, the previews weren't too enticing and nothing I hadn't already seen so I didn't feel left out when I had nobody next to me to whisper "I want to see that!"

Now, on to the film itself... You may have heard some ignorant folk describe this film as "the lesbian movie" - so wrong. Yes, there are two lesbian women in the film who play the role of the concerned parents, Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. They worry that their son might be getting into trouble with his crude friend, they're proud of their daughter's high school accomplishments but sad about her going off to college, and they work hard on keeping their marriage successful - with regards to sex, social activities, and of course playfully picking at each others faults. Sounds like "normal" straight parents, right?


This is not a family film, but it is certainly about family. When Joanie, the daughter played wonderfully by Mia Wasikowska, turns eighteen her fifteen-year-old brother, Laser (Josh Hutcherson) - who is longing for a fatherly relationship like the ones he sees with his pals and their dads - begs her to reach out to the sperm doner who is seemingly an integral part of their family. After some thought, Joanie reaches out to the sperm bank and gives permission to be reached by her doner, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). Paul is a motorcycle-riding, successful farmer/local restaurant owner who we later find out dropped out of college because it "wasn't his thing" to pursue his passion for cooking. Needless to say, the moms aren't thrilled to learn of their kids evolving relationship with Paul, but they try to embrace it for the sake of their children. Paul is more than happy to acquire his insta-family without the real burdens of fatherhood, but he soon learns that parenting is a lot harder than it seems - or does he?

Without giving too much away on the plot, I will say that there are some unexpected turns and folds that will leave you aching and tearing up, making you feel as though you're a part of this onscreen family. I cried. Twice. It felt great. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are outstanding as their characters, and Ruffalo may even get a Golden Globe nod. Wasikowska shines once again, proving that this is only the beginning of what's going to be a tremendous career in acting, but the real show-stopper is Bening. Her portrayal of a tense, worrisome mother who balances running her house with her demanding job as a doctor, indulging in the more than occasional glass of wine to calm herself down (that description sounds eerily like my own father) - is exquisite and outstanding. The film was a truly wonderful and eye-opening viewing experience, and I recommend it to anyone who does or doesn't know a thing or two about family - I think that includes all of us. And if you can't find anyone to join you, catch a weekend matinee... tout seul.