Indy is Back!

Yup, call me a pushover. Today is the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and yes, somehow my teenagers convinced me that it was essential to be there at 12:01am this morning to be among the first to see the long-awaited return of Indy to the big screen.

My acquiescence might be due in part to the fact that I was already running on a sleep deficit yesterday (four hours of sleep the night before) when they began hounding me to take them to the middle-of-the-night opening. Then they pulled a trump card: "Hey, your mom used to take you to Krispy Kreme in your pajamas at midnight for hot donuts and a cold carton of milk..." Well, that didn't take two and a half hours and usually happened on weekends, but I was already caving in anyway.

Probably the real reason I agreed to take them is that I've always adored Indiana Jones and all the kitschy slapstick. The clincher is surely Harrison Ford himself -- even Chloe says he's "hot" -- in a role that no one else could ever do. Whatever shortcomings the critics may hang on this sequel, there's still enough to thrill die hard Indy aficionados.

But the best part of all is that I've been dubbed the "Coolest Mom in The Universe" for taking them to the movies when all their friends were wisely sound asleep. I'm probably entitled to that moniker until at least the end of the school day this afternoon. And then I'm going to take a nap.