I had a pretty good weekend. Let's review.

I visited my buddy Ned, the guy with shingles, on Saturday afternoon. He's in week 7 of the worst pain he's ever felt. His advice to you all? Get your shingles vaccine!

On Saturday night, Hank and I went out to see a movie at the newly re-opened Sundance Kabuki Cinema. This theater charges about $2.00 more than most San Francisco theaters, but for that $2.00, you get:

1) Comfy seats

2) The ability to RESERVE YOUR SEATS ahead of time, even online.

AND

3) If you're sitting in the balcony of theater 1, each pair of seats has a side table within easy reach, upon which you may place tasty cafe snacks or adult beverages. Like a martini. IN THE THEATER.

That's so awesome. Charging an extra couple of bucks for a more luxurious movie experience is such a great idea. There's a theater in Oakland, the Parkway, which has offered a beer and pizza movie-going experience for years, and it's great too. Now San Francisco has its own hoity-toity upscale version of that, but with first-run movies. And you can reserve your seats online and then stroll into the theater just as the movie starts without worrying about whether you'll get stuck in the front row. Meanwhile, if you do get there early, there are no commercials! Just a fantastic idea, so completely worth an extra $2.00.

On Sunday we went to a preview opening of the new California Academy of Sciences. It's all sleek, modern, and ecogreenimental. The exhibits range from the traditional to the ADD-friendly multimedia extravaganzas. I can't wait to go back and see all the stuff I missed the first time around.

Sometimes our family goes for months without getting out and enjoying the amenities of living in a vibrant city, but we've done pretty well the last couple weeks. Makes me happy.