Monday - Mostly OK

Yesterday, Monday, was mediocre at best. There was no court order, which I more than half expected. The advocate said to call today, as it might be available this morning. I decided to take Vindya to the movies. (You may recall that this was my plan for Sunday. However, Sunday is everyone's day off, and when we got to the theater at 11:30, the 2:40 show was sold out.)

The movie theater is at the large, fancy mall down the road. The ticket window is outside. We stood in line to get tickets. There was a big TV screen at the front which showed all the movies, what language they were in, and how many tickets were left. Tickets come in two categories - royal, which cost about $3 and let you sit in a big armchair with your own personal table and executive, which cost about $2 and are regular theater seats. I got us two tickets to Cars, and we went inside.

To get into the mall (in fact, to get into just about anywhere, including most hotels) we have to go through a metal detector, and then women are directed to the side, to a little booth, where another woman checks you with a wand and/or looks into your purse for contraband. The entrance to the theater was on the third floor. We had to go through another metal detector and get searched again. This time, they informed me that photos were not allowed. I had a camera in my purse, which they let me keep, but I had to turn over the battery, for which they gave me a ticket.

Then we too the escalator to the fourth floor. As far as I could tell, the whole floor belonged to the cinema. There were multiple screens, and also several different food court type areas, and places with stuffed couches and chairs, as well as some more regular benches. We had to wait to go in, because the theater was being cleaned. As we went in, we got 3D glasses for a 100 rupee deposit. I'm blind in one eye and can't see 3D, but the glasses keep the image from being out of focus, so I took one for each of us.

When we went in, our tickets gave us specific seats. We sat down, and an usher came up to take our order. I asked for popcorn and two cokes. (Actually, I asked for some of the more iterating things that I had seen in the food courts, but they didn't deliver, only the basic movie food - popcorn, soda, candy.) While we waited, there were ads and previews. Each one was preceded by a screen shot of its permit, showing that it was, for example, an ad for Garnier, who was the director, the producer, the corporate owner, and what language it was in, as well as the dates it was approved to run.

Then we watched the movie. It was in English, so I knew what was going on, for what that was worth. (I never saw Cars, and I was just looking for Click and Clack, but apparently they aren't in the sequel.) Vindya seemed happy with it, especially with the glasses. Half way through, they stopped for intermission, and we were all instructed to leave the theater and refresh ourselves.

After the movie, we exited through a door at the front, which led directly to the third floor again. There was a person refunding money for the glasses, and I was able to get my battery back.

Then we wandered around the mall a little. Vindya likes to be carried, which I am happy to do since she is so little. She also flirts shamelessly with everyone we see, and I suspect that she would happily go off with anyone who talked to her. About half a dozen different Indian Americans came up and talked to us. They all knew someone whose passport took four months or more, and someone who had adopted a child and not been able to get a visa to the US for the child. I tried to mentally dismiss this as not at all the same, but it wasn't helpful. Other than that, they were all nice and friendly, and wished me a Happy Independence Day.

Vindya was delightful, friendly and full of fun. She had the giggles, and even after we got back to the room was in a good mood. I finally fell asleep thinking that we have turned the corner with her, at least.