Lately, Lisa and I have been going to the movies without reading reviews. She shocked me Friday night by bringing me to see Solo! A Star Wars prequel! I didn’t even know that’s what we were seeing. I just said “You pick any movie, I’m there.”

I’ve gone to hundreds of chick flicks, expecting nothing in return. It’s an unspoken rule. I go to space flicks with a nerdy friend, alone or not at all.

I don’t dare ask if she enjoyed it, but she did laugh a few times. Maybe she has the hots for Alden Ehrenreich. He did beat out 3,000 other actors for that hunky role.

This I can tell you, it’s not bad. Scene stealer I didn’t expect- a female robot with attitude. Kind of a sexy Lost In Space robot vibe. Can a robot even be sexy?

I was so unprepared, I didn’t even recognize Emilia Clark from Game of Thrones without the blond hair.

Then there’s the scene stealer you do expect- Wookie character development. That’s how you know a prequel is done right. Characters who were one dimensional become three dimensional. The backstory satisfies your curiosity.

Audiences like this movie. The critics not so much. But isn’t that what’s wrong with society these days? Too much criticism. It’s just a movie. It’s supposed to be fun.

Lisa taking me to a Star Wars film felt like Sean Hannity having Thanksgiving at Rachel Maddow’s house. What just happened? Was she just messin with me?

I think so.

So much of life is predictable, it’s fun to mix it up. Do the unexpected, and enjoy getting out of a routine.

I never expected to be a full-time handyman. But I’m lovin it. I joke that I’m doing many jobs most Americans don’t want to do. I do dishes. Specifically, unload the dishwasher. I’m also in charge of going to the dump. Only these days it’s called the “recycling center.”

There’s something you don’t want to have to do. Separate and categorize all the refuse from your indulgent American lifestyle. Cans, bottles, glass, cardboard, metal. The garbage goes in the compost. There’s almost no actual trash if you are honest about it.

So let me circle back to critics. And I’m talking about all of us, since the internet has anointed everyone as a commentator.

I’m fairly certain Lisa and I enjoyed the last few trips to the cinema more than we would have if we read all the reviews and watched the movie trailers. We walked into “A Quiet Place” with no idea what the film was about.

Discovery is more fun than observing what you’ve already heard about. That means being there, and watching it unfold, as the artist intended.

These days everyone has a global media platform. It’s agenda is to engage us and hold us as long as possible. This megaphone lures us in by giving us a feeling of power and connectedness. In truth, it’s also disconnecting us in ways we might not notice.

Life’s simple pleasures do not translate to fame of any kind. You can post a beautiful sunset and a few people will like it. But if you create a bonfire and rake someone over the coals, sparks will fly!

I’ve said it before. These algorithms are so effective at hooking us that we humans are becoming characters in their video game. I’d rather be at the recycling center.

Do the unexpected. Like somebody you don’t want to like.

Take your husband to a Star Wars movie when he least expects it.

Bob