lazy weekend

I love these lazy, uneventful weekends we've been having lately because it means we get to watch some World Cup Soccer games. Steve, who used to play soccer, is passionate about the game — to the point where Sunday morning, when I was still in bed, I heard him bring the newspapers inside, and moments later, his yell: "Oh my God!!" I waited for the horrible news: Another terrorist attack? Bird flu strikes Minnesota? No. It was the news that France had beaten Brazil. Definitely an upset! I really watching enjoy soccer, too, compared to, say, football. (And the players are so good-looking.) When England lost to Portugal in penalty kicks Saturday (after losing David Beckham and Wayne Rooney midway through the game), I confess, I cried along with the Brits.

We went to see the new wing of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Sunday. I was impressed, if only because the extra space allows the museum to showcase more of its collection — and the MIA has quite a good collection, considering that it's in Minneapolis and not New York, London, Chicago, etc. The new wing especially gives the modern and Impressionist collections room to breathe. I look forward to going back (with baby in tow!) when I don't have to sit down to rest every five minutes and pee every 15. With the recent remodel at the Walker Art Center and the new Guthrie Theater opening on the river, it's an exciting time for the Minneapolis arts world.

Movies watched: The Devil Wears Prada (fun! I just love Meryl Streep), St. Ralph (cute, family-friendly movie about a 14-year-old boy who decides to run the Boston Marathon), and Happily Ever After (interesting French film with writer-director-actor Yvan Attal and Charlotte Gainsbourgh, who also are a couple in real life, as a married couple exploring the question of whether love and fidelity can last in marriage.) Movies on deck for tonight and tomorrow: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (on DVD) and An Inconvenient Truth (the global warming one with Al Gore). Yes, we saved the documentaries for last.

Oh, and meet the newest member of our household, the Kenmore 16032 dishwasher. Our old one (which looked ancient) gave out on us, and since it's old and was cleaning our dishes quite crappily, we decided to bite the bullet and get a new one. I hope it won't have any problems, as we declined to pay Sears the additional $140 for the service plan, although they gave us the hard sell.