I’m feeling a bit mopey, but there’s nothing to be done about it right now.

I had a quiet weekend dog-sitting, going for short walks in the oppressive humidity and heat, watching movies and eating herbed goat cheese on crackers, in salad, with pasta… what can I say? I enjoy goat cheese.

I saw Hellboy 2. It was pretty good. I give them much credit for use of Barry Manilow alongside creepy-ass monsters (oh, Guillermo, Guillermo, Guillermo! such imagination!) and special effects. And I paid a mere $6 to see it since (unbeknownst to me) AMC Cinemas have this “A.M.” Cinema deal where any show before noon on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday is $6. The rest of the week, anything before 4pm is a matinee, but that’s still a hefty $8.

With those perceived savings, I went shopping at Century 21 (not the realtor; the fantastic department store with an unfortunate/annoying web site). While I didn’t find shoes, I did find a work-friendly little black dress (or, LBD) that I can wear tomorrow.

Now I am trying to purchase tickets for The Dark Knight in IMAX. Most regular times are sold out, which is fine. I’m thinking of a 10 a.m. showing on Sunday; it’s not sold out (yet). I’m just waiting to hear back from friends and see if that works for them. It would mean we’d have to meet up at about 8:30 in the morning to allow time to get to the theatre (45 minutes away), get seats and enjoy the film.

And just to provide some balance to this comic book-based movie orgy… well, I can’t even say that. I just watched David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Ed Harris. It’s based on a graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. Yes, I am aware of the differences between a comic book and a graphic novel; it just struck me, though, that a lot of the movies I watched this weekend (Hellboy 2, Tank Girl, A History of Violence) were based on some illustrated story form or another.  The big movie most people are clamoring to see next weekend also fits the bill.

Well, shyeeeet.

I guess I’ll watch something Jane Austen-based, just for the contrast it provides.

While I’m quite used to paying a little extra for everything when I’m in Manhattan, it’s sometimes still a bit of an adjustment.

For example, I just stopped at a supermarket here to get some food for the weekend: a bag of baby spinach leaves, a can of beets, small tube of goat cheese, box of cereal, carton of orange juice, a lemon, a couple of tomatoes, a container of chocolate-covered raisins, loaf of whole grain bread, jar of peanut butter, jar of jelly and (my luxury) two medallions of filet mignon ($11, so that wasn’t too bad). Stuff to make salads, sandwiches, breakfast and a couple of dinners.

The total bill (for me to eat this weekend) was $67. Granted, if I went out for all those meals, I’d be paying a lot more, but I couldn’t help but think about how the same stuff would’ve cost me no more than $40 “back home.”

And for that moment, I felt a bit stodgy and country bumpkin-like. But I understand that that’s what it costs if I want to eat well and not get McDonald’s for every meal or eat toast from morning ’til night. I have friends at work who will do their food shopping in NJ before heading home to NY at night so they can save $10 or $20 or $30. I was toting a suitcase today, so that wasn’t an option.

Still, it’s going to be a nice change to be here for the weekend: spending time with an adorable doggie, walking in the park and taking photos, meeting up with some friends, and just not being home (where the quiet would probably begin to affect me, given the events of this week.)