Predictable behaviour

If there's one thing about my mother, it's that she's predictable. I don't mean this in a bad way, because heaven knows she could be annoying in so many much more vexing ways than these few minor peccadilloes she's picked up along the way - she never pesters me, for example, about producing grandchildren or those other domestic milestones that many people her age (she's going to be 78 in a couple of weeks) find so important, and she takes my odd hobbies very much in her stride.

However, you can be guaranteed that at some point in any reasonably lengthy conversation, my mother will ask me if I'm alright for money. She actually managed to last about 4 hours this time, which is good going for her, before asking me if I needed any cash. My mind blanked at this, since I'm not exactly struggling (13 years of gainful employment, my own house and car, yadda yadda) and obviously this wasn't what she was expecting: "Do you have any debts?" she said.

I'm not sure I completely convinced her that I wasn't a mouthful of bread away from the poor house, but I have to wonder whether she does this to my brother (who's 10 years older than me) as well or whether it's just because I'm 'the baby'.

The other thing that's consistent with my mother is that she's both extremely good at getting people's life stories out of them within minutes of meeting them, but that she's also pretty verbose herself. We went out for lunch and I ended up in a bookshop (no surprises there), leaving my mother loitering elsewhere. Within about 10 minutes, she was downstairs in the bookshop, talking with the owners like she'd known them all her life and I had to get down there before she told them every detail of my life story as well.

Still, that visit means my filial duties are done for a while, so it's a small price to pay... ;)

Movie meme, gacked from tzikeh

1. Pick one dozen movies that are ones that you have special feelings about.
2. Pick a few lines of dialogue that mean something to you.
3. As people guess the film, strike out that entry.
4. If possible, after the film is guessed, explain why that movie made the list.

'Special feelings'? Well, they're movies I love and have watched over and over, which I guess makes them pretty special. ;)

1). If you really wanted to mess me up, you should have got to me earlier!

2). I mean to have you, boy, even if it must be burglary. Withnail & I, guessed by katemonkey

3). That's just what this country needs: a cock in a frock on a rock. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, guessed by katemonkey

4). You are a sad, strange little man and you have my pity. Farewell. Toy Story, guessed by chance1562

5). Something has to be done, but nothing too original, because hey, this is Hollywood. LA Confidential, guessed by temaris

6). Oh, and Dude, "Chinaman" is not the prefered nomenclature. Asian American, please. The Big Lebowski, guessed by katemonkey

7). Pull in your reel, Mister, you're barking up the wrong fish. Some Like It Hot, guessed by xochiquetzl

8). Hey, I know everybody's coming back to take stock of their lives. You know what I say? Leave your livestock alone. Grosse Pointe Blank, guessed by ealgylden

9). Those are harsh words to throw at a man, especially when he's walking out of your bedroom. The Big Sleep (the original Bogart version, of course!), guessed by ealgylden

10). Did you lose your mind all at once, or was it a slow, gradual process? The Fisher King, guessed by atdelphi

11). I detect, like me, you're endowed with the gift of gab. O Brother, Where Art Thou?, guessed by katemonkey

12). Revolutions are contagious.