The Divine Secrets of a Southern Diva

500 Days of Summer is a quirky love story with a slight twist – it’s told from the dude’s perspective. It’s not like that is the first time, but generally those dudes are spineless whiners who let the chicks treat them like last week’s Chinese takeout. This wasn’t like this. This was a tale of boy meets girl, boy falls in love, girl is unsure and the relationship ends. It details not only the relationship, but the devastation of the break up and the heartache it can cause. It shows how being in love can cause you to see things through rose colored glasses, misinterpret events and lose your perspective on the world around you.

No one mistreated anyone else. No one cheated or took advantage of another. It was simply a story of a love that didn’t work and how gut-wrenching it can be when one person is more in love than the other.

Zooey Deschanel looked gorgeous. She was in her element as Summer, starring in a quirky film with a vintage, old Hollywood look showcasing those giant blue eyes and pale skin framed by thick dark bangs. Stunning, really. Her character was sweet and fun and hip – and she made everything around her better.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was fantastic as a love-lorn believer in “the one”.  He wasn’t a guy who dated much or was really passionate about anything until Summer. He was a dude who was going through the motions of life, working at a job he hated instead of his passion of architecture. And then there was her.

It was funny and touching. But mostly it was real. It resonated with me because I’ve been in that relationship where someone else was my world but I wasn’t theirs. It’s hard and there are a lot of pieces to pick up in the end. I love that it portrays the relationship, the break up, the aftermath and the new beginning. It’s the cycle of love and life.

Bonus that we saw the move at the River Oaks Theater. Mike and I joke about that particular strip of West Gray where it’s located being Houston’s LA. It’s lined with palm trees and all of the architecture is completely art deco. It houses great restaurants, shopping and the one 1930’s age movie theater still in operation in Houston. We’ve said for a long time we wanted to go, but this was actually our first trip. I love the beautifully carved artwork on the walls and the grandeur of the big theater. I’m definitely glad I signed the petition to not tear it down and want to see lots more films there. It has a quaintness about it and a quiet elegance of old Hollywood that is missing from most modern theaters today. Extra bonus for the European cafe we discovered next door. I had the most delicious eclair and coffee.

The rest of the weekend was spent having dinner with my two aunts and my grandmother at PF Changs, brunch today at Harry’s some shopping and a trip to Amy’s ice-cream.  First time for both Harry’s and Amy’s.

Harry’s was fantastic. We both simply had pancakes and eggs, but they have a lot of greek-inspired breakfast items that I plan on inhaling on my next visit.The service was great, the prices were low and its about a 2 minute drive from my house.

Amy’s, however, was eh. Great look, fun flavors but at the end of the day, they just aren’t on par with Marble Slab. The place itself was fun- brick walls, stained-concrete floors, indie-rock blasting with tons of fun colors and artwork. It has a totally Montrose vibe, like an ice-cream parlor for hipsters. But, I like my ice-cream served with some friendly service. I don’t want to feel like I’m being judged by a tattoo’d “intellectual” scooping up a cone full of Mexican Vanilla. I expect that kind of shit from Cafe’ Brasil and the like, but an ice-cream parlor? The ice-cream wasn’t near good enough to warrant that. So, F from Ali.

Otherwise lovely weekend. Getting my hair cut tomorrow. Setting the world on fire with my mad blogging skills. Planning a family reunion and a spa party. That’s what’s going on with this girl.

-Ali