Girl's Day Out

Went out today with the girls (12 of us) for lunch at Piero's Acqua Pazza located at the River in Rancho Mirage. I had a spinach and mushroom omelete with goat cheese. Also came with steamed buttery vegetables and red rose potatoes on the side. I thought the food was good, a little pricey and service was slow. The slow service could have been attributed to our large group.

Then after lunch we went to a movie to see Memoirs of a Geisha. I really enjoyed the movie and loved the story line. Some who had read the book, said the book was better than the movie. Amy thought it was a "Chick flick."

The movie is based on the internationally acclaimed novel by Arthur Golden. The following is a synopsis from Movie Vault: The story begins in the years before WWII when a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang). Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man who is out of her reach (Ken Watanabe). Nine-year old Chiyo, a poor fisherman's daughter, is taken from her family and sold to a geisha house. From her start as a common household maid, she blossoms into one of Kyoto's most renowned geishas, surviving the envy and treachery of the competition.