The Friday Five, 5/23/25: 5 things I've been up to this week

It's been another busy week, and I'm glad for a three-day weekend to hopefully do some relaxing, although I have a bridal shower in Marshall, MI (about a 1.5-hour drive) to go tomorrow, so it'll still be a bit busy.

Engagement party at Royal Park Hotel, Rochester, MI
Engagement dinner at Royal Park Hotel, Rochester, MI

What I've been up to this week:
  1. Engagement dinner at the Royal Park Hotel, Rochester. Last night I attended an engagement dinner for my friend Margarita—I believe we met in line for movie screenings, so probably around 2009-10 or so, and we've been in touch since then. It was a beautiful party—I had never been to the Royal Park Hotel, but I had seen it before, because I have another friend who lives very close by, and it ended up being gorgeous. My friend is hosting a bridal shower tomorrow too, which I'm also attending—I'm glad she's having these events because her wedding is over Labor Day weekend, in Saugatuck, when, ironically, I might *be* in labor (my due date is late August), so unfortunately I will have to miss the wedding.
  2. Attending the Cinetopia Film Festival in Ann Arbor. I have been going to this festival since 2014; it took a hiatus in 2020, due to COVID of course, and then also in 2021-23, and it came back last year, in 2024. Because it's a bit of a drive (~40-45 minutes) from where I live now to Ann Arbor, I try to stay over for it; when I was in my late 20s, I'd stay at a friend's house and see 15+ movies in one weekend, and I don't have the energy for that anymore, LOL, but I was able to book a hotel room at the Doubletree on North Campus, and I saw six movies this weekend. You can see my reviews of those here.
  3. Dining out/getting takeout. A lot of good places this week due to the film festival. Last Friday, my husband and I got Doordash from Pink Garlic, our favorite Indian place in the area. On Saturday, I met friends for lunch in Ann Arbor and we tried out Spiedo, a new-ish Mediterranean place, and it was a bit pricey, but delicious. For dinner on Saturday, one of those friends and I went to Blimpy Burger, one of my A2 favorites (I've been going since it was in the tiny house near Division St.), and for Sunday lunch, I met another friend at Frita Batidos, another favorite. 
  4. Seeing Kiki's Delivery Service at the theater. On Wednesday, my husband and I went to Emagine Novi for Studio Ghibli fest, which is going on there and at other nationwide theaters through August. On Wednesday they were showing Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), which I had never seen, and it ended up being very cute; I'd give it 3.5/5 stars. 
  5. Watching TV shows. I started Sirens on Netflix yesterday and am really liking it—unfortunately it's a limited series, so there are only five episodes (I'm already on episode four). I watched the season finale of The Studio this week, which was good, and watched the penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale, which was fabulous; I'm a bit sad there's only one episode left in the series, which will be airing next week. Nine Perfect Strangers is back on Hulu, too, and so far I'm liking season 2 more than season 1. Grosse Pointe Garden Society is also airing new episodes, on Peacock/NBC. 
Onion rings at Blimpy Burger, Ann Arbor
Onion rings at Blimpy Burger, Ann Arbor

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