So, I saw this movie Sunday afternoon, after the Steeler game. This movie has been hyped as the Oscar favorite for Best Picture, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
The movie is adapted from a novel written by an Indian author. It takes place in Mumbai, and it's basically built around a man's attempt at the Hindi verson of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". He gets to the last question before the show runs out for the day, and they doubt that he would be able to answer 19 questions correctly before getting to the 20million rupee question, so they take him into custody for questioning, thinking he's cheating. The first 3/4 of the movie is spent telling his life story, and demonstrating how he knows all of these answers based on events in his life. The last quarter is when he attempts the final question and everything going down. (All of this still really hasn't ruined the plot for you).
I have to say, this movie reminds me a lot of the movie "Crash". It's probably better than Crash (I actually hated "Crash" - worst best picture winner of my lifetime, and that's an incredible feat to be worse than "Titanic"). It's just implausible to believe that 19 questions he's asked on a gameshow he knows because of events in his life. I've been delaying this post because I've been trying to think of an example of how to show this from my life, and I just can't because it's too stupid. For example, one of the questions he answers is: "What is in the right hand of the God Rama?" He knew this because of some event in his life. This would be like me going on "Millionaire" and being asked: "What are the four symbols in the CMA church's logo?" Obviously I'd be able to answer this because I have attended this denomination my whole life. Ask my Presbyterian friends, even someone like Dave, and the chances that they'd know this are slim, I think. (Answer: cross representing salvation, laver representing sanctification, pitcher representing physical healing, crown representing the Coming King; these are the four pillars upon which the CMA is built, to my knowledge).
Anyway, the movie is just a highly implausible love story but it is touching. This movie I wouldn't recommend either way. If you were going to see it, you should, but if you were undecided, you'd have to look elsewhere for advice.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Frost/Nixon
Basically there are three movie seasons: summer movies, holiday movies, and everything else. Summer movies are the fun "popcorn" movies; they are blockbusters, usually action films or franchises that have a built in audience and make a lot of money. Holiday movies can be these blockbusters but also is the time where the arty Oscar films are released. That's why the holiday season is tied for my favorite movie season.
One of the Oscar-type films this season is called "Frost/Nixon". It's based on the play that has been running on Broadway for a couple of years now. The play is based on the series of interviews that was performed in 1977 between British talk show host David Frost and the disgraced 37th President of the US, Richard M. Nixon. Going deeper than just the interviews, the movie delves into the process of getting the interview set up, as well as the psyche of both Frost and Nixon, to show what each man had riding on these historic interviews. Here are my thoughts on this movie:
1. It's a fascinating subject. I think too often in movies, people just assume "Nixon" as a subject (as an example) and make a movie about him. I think I find that what makes movies and people more interesting are singular events that are told in great detail. That's what this movie is. Obviously we could see Oliver Stone's "Nixon" or watch something like "All the President's Men" to hear about Watergate. This movie is original in its singular focus.
2. Frank Langella plays Nixon. He is getting Oscar buzz for his role, and with good reason. He reprised the role that he played on Broadway, opposite Michael Sheen, who plays David Frost. Michael Sheen, it has to be noted, was excellent in "The Queen", which was a movie that was similar to this one, where it examined the nascent stages of Tony Blair's time as Prime Minister and his relationship with the Queen, which coincided with the death of Princess Diana. Both actors are brilliant in this movie. Langella gets to the psychology of Nixon with gusto. He nails his paranoia, his sixth sense of cheapness, his hatred of people, and his feeling of inferiority.
Well, really, those are my only thoughts on the movie. Go see it. But here are more holiday movie season thoughts:
3. I love going to the movies, but I really hate that most people don't know theater etiquette anymore. Here are a few hard and fast rules: (a) When you enter a theater, get a seat as far away from everyone else as possible. Do not sit directly behind someone. If you are sitting in the row behind them, sit a couple of seats to the right or left; (b) do not kick the seat in front of you. I repeat: DO NOT KICK THE SEAT IN FRONT OF YOU. If you are old enough to leave the house and go to the movies, you are old enough to mind your feet the entire time. There is nothing more annoying that having your seat kicked throughout an entire movie.
4. Here are other movies that I am looking forward to before the Oscars on February 22:
-The Wrester: Mickey Rourke is garnering a lot of Oscar buzz.
-Gran Torino: I'm not an Eastwood guy, but this movie looks thrilling.
-Rachel Getting Married: Anne Hathaway is getting major props for her role as a recovering addict.
-Slumdog Millionaire: Getting a lot of hype as the Best Picture.
-Doubt: an intriguing tale of racism in the Catholic church in the Bronx
-Revolutionary Road: Leo and Kate together for the first time since Titanic, which I refuse to see
-Ben Button: It might be too long though.
I may be forgetting some others. What are you looking forward to seeing?
One of the Oscar-type films this season is called "Frost/Nixon". It's based on the play that has been running on Broadway for a couple of years now. The play is based on the series of interviews that was performed in 1977 between British talk show host David Frost and the disgraced 37th President of the US, Richard M. Nixon. Going deeper than just the interviews, the movie delves into the process of getting the interview set up, as well as the psyche of both Frost and Nixon, to show what each man had riding on these historic interviews. Here are my thoughts on this movie:
1. It's a fascinating subject. I think too often in movies, people just assume "Nixon" as a subject (as an example) and make a movie about him. I think I find that what makes movies and people more interesting are singular events that are told in great detail. That's what this movie is. Obviously we could see Oliver Stone's "Nixon" or watch something like "All the President's Men" to hear about Watergate. This movie is original in its singular focus.
2. Frank Langella plays Nixon. He is getting Oscar buzz for his role, and with good reason. He reprised the role that he played on Broadway, opposite Michael Sheen, who plays David Frost. Michael Sheen, it has to be noted, was excellent in "The Queen", which was a movie that was similar to this one, where it examined the nascent stages of Tony Blair's time as Prime Minister and his relationship with the Queen, which coincided with the death of Princess Diana. Both actors are brilliant in this movie. Langella gets to the psychology of Nixon with gusto. He nails his paranoia, his sixth sense of cheapness, his hatred of people, and his feeling of inferiority.
Well, really, those are my only thoughts on the movie. Go see it. But here are more holiday movie season thoughts:
3. I love going to the movies, but I really hate that most people don't know theater etiquette anymore. Here are a few hard and fast rules: (a) When you enter a theater, get a seat as far away from everyone else as possible. Do not sit directly behind someone. If you are sitting in the row behind them, sit a couple of seats to the right or left; (b) do not kick the seat in front of you. I repeat: DO NOT KICK THE SEAT IN FRONT OF YOU. If you are old enough to leave the house and go to the movies, you are old enough to mind your feet the entire time. There is nothing more annoying that having your seat kicked throughout an entire movie.
4. Here are other movies that I am looking forward to before the Oscars on February 22:
-The Wrester: Mickey Rourke is garnering a lot of Oscar buzz.
-Gran Torino: I'm not an Eastwood guy, but this movie looks thrilling.
-Rachel Getting Married: Anne Hathaway is getting major props for her role as a recovering addict.
-Slumdog Millionaire: Getting a lot of hype as the Best Picture.
-Doubt: an intriguing tale of racism in the Catholic church in the Bronx
-Revolutionary Road: Leo and Kate together for the first time since Titanic, which I refuse to see
-Ben Button: It might be too long though.
I may be forgetting some others. What are you looking forward to seeing?
Monday, December 22, 2008
Ten Years Ago Today
It is with a heavy heart that I blog about this topic.
It's kind of cliched in our world; a senior in high school with lots of promise is tragically killed in some type of accident. Ten years ago today, December 23, 1998, this cliche came to life for my senior class. Our friend Jim Kennedy was killed in a car accident. Jim was in my class, we were seniors, and he was a great guy. He was popular, funny, sarcastic, friendly, and loyal. He was a star soccer player, becoming the school's alltime leader in assists.
He was someone who I had known since I was 9 years old; we played baseball together. When we were 10, my dad was the manager of our team. It was Dad's first year managing, and he didn't know too much about the players that were my age. I remember the night that he came home from the draft. He showed me the roster; one of the 10 year olds on our team was Jimmy. My dad recalled that when he drafted Jimmy, not knowing anything about him, another manager (Mr. Molnar) winced in agony; he was hoping to get Jimmy as a steal later in the draft.
I remember the events of December 23, 1998 very vividly. It was the last day of school before Christmas break, and it was a Wednesday. It was a half day of school. I was in the library during 9th period study hall with two friends, Joe Gramc and Justin Bonus. We were hanging out, counting the minutes until school would be left out. About 10 minutes before the day ended, Joe's older brother Matt came into the library with a grim look on his face and told Joe that he had to go. I didn't think too much about it at the time.
I went home from school, and I honestly don't remember who called me a few hours later. All I remember is that I called Bonus. He was taking a nap, and his mom answered the phone. I told her that she probably should wake Justin up for this. He came to the phone, and I broke the news to him: Jim had died in a car accident that morning. Justin was incredulous; I could hear the agony in his voice as he didn't want to believe it.
There was a big group grieving session at the house of Jim's girlfriend, Ali. She was in the car with him, and walked away; she was wearing a seatbelt, he was not. I can't remember who all was there; I just remember that it seemed like our entire class was there. We were grieving together.
Jim's viewing was on Saturday, which was the same day as our family Christmas party, which was at our house. I had to dress up and leave the family party early in order to see Jim in his wake. It was a horrible experience. His funeral was three days later. It was at Northway Christian Community, which is a huge church, and it was packed to the gills. I remember Meghan Ott singing "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLaughlin; to this day, I prefer not to listen to McLaughlin songs because they remind me of Jim's funeral. The pastor that day, Scott McCabe, told a story about Jim being at the Rams' hockey game the Sunday night just three days before his death. According to Pastor McCabe, he had a conversation with Jim about his faith, and Jim was saved that night - a clear sign of God's divine plan.
As a senior class, we grieved for most of the rest of the school year. There was a basketball tournament at the high school for the holidays the week of Christmas break. At the first game, we had a moment of silence for Jim. We also began the tradition that week of preserving Jim's parking space. He was particular about this space; parked there every day. Our class decided to save his space for the remainder of the year. We spray painted our farewell messages to him on this space, and for the rest of the year kept people from parking there. At the holiday basketball tournament, someone parked in his space, and about 30-40 students walked outside to physically move the car of the person parked in the space. They lifted it and moved it to another space (I was not involved, as I was the PA announcer for the tournament).
I remember that earlier that fall, I had gone to the football game at Hampton with Jim and a couple other friends. We were parked up by the high school, and walking to the football field, when some kids in a Mustang drove down the street. In my estimation, they were driving way too fast, and I yelled at them to let them know that. They stopped, and invited me to talk with them in not so many nice words. We were yelling at each other, and they wanted to fight. Jim stepped in, told them they were being stupid, and got them to get going on their way.
These are just a few of my memories of Jim. I can't believe that it was ten years ago today that he passed. Ten years ago today, we were sitting in the middle of a living room in Treesdale, consoling each other over the loss of one of our best friends. Ten years ago today that Jim's life was cut tragically short. The only thing that gives me comfort to this day is the fact that, someday, I will see him in Heaven.
It's kind of cliched in our world; a senior in high school with lots of promise is tragically killed in some type of accident. Ten years ago today, December 23, 1998, this cliche came to life for my senior class. Our friend Jim Kennedy was killed in a car accident. Jim was in my class, we were seniors, and he was a great guy. He was popular, funny, sarcastic, friendly, and loyal. He was a star soccer player, becoming the school's alltime leader in assists.
He was someone who I had known since I was 9 years old; we played baseball together. When we were 10, my dad was the manager of our team. It was Dad's first year managing, and he didn't know too much about the players that were my age. I remember the night that he came home from the draft. He showed me the roster; one of the 10 year olds on our team was Jimmy. My dad recalled that when he drafted Jimmy, not knowing anything about him, another manager (Mr. Molnar) winced in agony; he was hoping to get Jimmy as a steal later in the draft.
I remember the events of December 23, 1998 very vividly. It was the last day of school before Christmas break, and it was a Wednesday. It was a half day of school. I was in the library during 9th period study hall with two friends, Joe Gramc and Justin Bonus. We were hanging out, counting the minutes until school would be left out. About 10 minutes before the day ended, Joe's older brother Matt came into the library with a grim look on his face and told Joe that he had to go. I didn't think too much about it at the time.
I went home from school, and I honestly don't remember who called me a few hours later. All I remember is that I called Bonus. He was taking a nap, and his mom answered the phone. I told her that she probably should wake Justin up for this. He came to the phone, and I broke the news to him: Jim had died in a car accident that morning. Justin was incredulous; I could hear the agony in his voice as he didn't want to believe it.
There was a big group grieving session at the house of Jim's girlfriend, Ali. She was in the car with him, and walked away; she was wearing a seatbelt, he was not. I can't remember who all was there; I just remember that it seemed like our entire class was there. We were grieving together.
Jim's viewing was on Saturday, which was the same day as our family Christmas party, which was at our house. I had to dress up and leave the family party early in order to see Jim in his wake. It was a horrible experience. His funeral was three days later. It was at Northway Christian Community, which is a huge church, and it was packed to the gills. I remember Meghan Ott singing "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLaughlin; to this day, I prefer not to listen to McLaughlin songs because they remind me of Jim's funeral. The pastor that day, Scott McCabe, told a story about Jim being at the Rams' hockey game the Sunday night just three days before his death. According to Pastor McCabe, he had a conversation with Jim about his faith, and Jim was saved that night - a clear sign of God's divine plan.
As a senior class, we grieved for most of the rest of the school year. There was a basketball tournament at the high school for the holidays the week of Christmas break. At the first game, we had a moment of silence for Jim. We also began the tradition that week of preserving Jim's parking space. He was particular about this space; parked there every day. Our class decided to save his space for the remainder of the year. We spray painted our farewell messages to him on this space, and for the rest of the year kept people from parking there. At the holiday basketball tournament, someone parked in his space, and about 30-40 students walked outside to physically move the car of the person parked in the space. They lifted it and moved it to another space (I was not involved, as I was the PA announcer for the tournament).
I remember that earlier that fall, I had gone to the football game at Hampton with Jim and a couple other friends. We were parked up by the high school, and walking to the football field, when some kids in a Mustang drove down the street. In my estimation, they were driving way too fast, and I yelled at them to let them know that. They stopped, and invited me to talk with them in not so many nice words. We were yelling at each other, and they wanted to fight. Jim stepped in, told them they were being stupid, and got them to get going on their way.
These are just a few of my memories of Jim. I can't believe that it was ten years ago today that he passed. Ten years ago today, we were sitting in the middle of a living room in Treesdale, consoling each other over the loss of one of our best friends. Ten years ago today that Jim's life was cut tragically short. The only thing that gives me comfort to this day is the fact that, someday, I will see him in Heaven.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Most Quotable Movies
So, Keith and I were discussing this today. I was making the argument that "Dumb and Dumber" is the funniest movie of our generation, and I think this is true because of its endearing quotability. He disagrees; he says he doesn't find himself quoting this movie often. So, I've been pondering this, and hereby offer my list. One caveat: Seinfeld is the most quotable piece of media ever, but is not a movie, so it's not here obviously. In no particular order:
1. Dumb and Dumber - the story of Lloyd, Harry, and a briefcase is the funniest movie of my generation, I will always make this claim. How many quotable lines from this movie? Well, offhand: no food, no jobs; how do they know I got gas?; soup du jour; eat up and we'll tell ya; how's your burger; totally redeem yourself; big gulp; nice hooters...this is just off the top of my head. Now, of course, some of these would never have relevance in everyday life. I'm not going to say the "nice set of hooters you got there" to just anybody for any situation. But, a lot of these lines fit any situation. It's as close to a fact as you can get that this is the funniest movie of my lifetime.
2. Tommy Boy - this is the runner up to the funniest movie of my lifetime. Some great lines in this movie. A particular favorite of mine: "I've got a fridge. You can put six packs of b...soda in there, candy bars in the freezer...anything, you wanna keep cold, Tommy!"
3. Grease - probably the most quotable movie musical. Obviously I sing all of the songs, but some great lines in this movie exist. A personal favorite: "A hickie from Kenicke is like a Hallmark card. We care enough to send our very best." Or, how about Danny: "I didn't go with her, I just went with her."
4. Rounders - one of the most quotable non-dumb and dumber characters in John Malkovich's KGB. He uses a horrible Russian accent, but his quotes helped facilitate the poker boom that we've experienced in the last 10 years.
5. Karate Kid - my buddy Quattro's favorite movie. My favorite line? Probably: "Put him in a bodybag, yeah!"
6. Father of the Bride - this one would have been higher on the list, even though its not in any particular order, except that I just remembered it and I'm too lazy to go back and change the order. Some examples of my favorite lines: the exchange about the cake (a cake, Franc, is flour and water!); "I don't think you want the word 'pit' on a wedding invitation, George"; the George rant at the supermarket about wieners and buns; the opening monologue.
7. The Wedding Singer - full of 80s jokes, this movie has lots of great lines. "See, Billy Idol gets it!" "The best man! The better man!" Any Glen Guliya lines. A treasure trove of great quotable lines.
8. Home Alone - "Look what you did, you little jerk!" "You're what the French call 'les incompetents'!" "Yeah, we did, but it's all gone, so somebody's gonna have to barf it up!"
Well, this is my list for starters. What are your favorite lines from these movies? What other movies would you add to the list?
1. Dumb and Dumber - the story of Lloyd, Harry, and a briefcase is the funniest movie of my generation, I will always make this claim. How many quotable lines from this movie? Well, offhand: no food, no jobs; how do they know I got gas?; soup du jour; eat up and we'll tell ya; how's your burger; totally redeem yourself; big gulp; nice hooters...this is just off the top of my head. Now, of course, some of these would never have relevance in everyday life. I'm not going to say the "nice set of hooters you got there" to just anybody for any situation. But, a lot of these lines fit any situation. It's as close to a fact as you can get that this is the funniest movie of my lifetime.
2. Tommy Boy - this is the runner up to the funniest movie of my lifetime. Some great lines in this movie. A particular favorite of mine: "I've got a fridge. You can put six packs of b...soda in there, candy bars in the freezer...anything, you wanna keep cold, Tommy!"
3. Grease - probably the most quotable movie musical. Obviously I sing all of the songs, but some great lines in this movie exist. A personal favorite: "A hickie from Kenicke is like a Hallmark card. We care enough to send our very best." Or, how about Danny: "I didn't go with her, I just went with her."
4. Rounders - one of the most quotable non-dumb and dumber characters in John Malkovich's KGB. He uses a horrible Russian accent, but his quotes helped facilitate the poker boom that we've experienced in the last 10 years.
5. Karate Kid - my buddy Quattro's favorite movie. My favorite line? Probably: "Put him in a bodybag, yeah!"
6. Father of the Bride - this one would have been higher on the list, even though its not in any particular order, except that I just remembered it and I'm too lazy to go back and change the order. Some examples of my favorite lines: the exchange about the cake (a cake, Franc, is flour and water!); "I don't think you want the word 'pit' on a wedding invitation, George"; the George rant at the supermarket about wieners and buns; the opening monologue.
7. The Wedding Singer - full of 80s jokes, this movie has lots of great lines. "See, Billy Idol gets it!" "The best man! The better man!" Any Glen Guliya lines. A treasure trove of great quotable lines.
8. Home Alone - "Look what you did, you little jerk!" "You're what the French call 'les incompetents'!" "Yeah, we did, but it's all gone, so somebody's gonna have to barf it up!"
Well, this is my list for starters. What are your favorite lines from these movies? What other movies would you add to the list?
Friday, December 12, 2008
Favorite Things – Holiday Edition
So, I can’t do favorite winter things yet, because it’s not winter until December 21 or so. That’s also the shortest day of the year, and one of my favorite, because the sun sets at approximately 2:30 pm. It’s like we are living in Alaska for a day!
So, here’s a list of my favorite holiday things. Feel free to blog about your own favorites!
1. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” – hands down, the best song of the holidays. I don’t officially consider it Christmas season until I hear this song. I love singing it, it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. She has such a great range (8 octaves!) and it really is in use on this song. A magical part of the Christmas season.
2. Christmas Eve service – as a child, this was one of the worst parts of the season. It just seemed like church would last forever (when it reality I don’t think it was ever more than 1.5 hours – we did have some interesting “special visitors” but that’s for another time). As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to have a better appreciation for what this service means. It is a favorite moment of mine when our church makes a circle around the sanctuary, lighting candles and singing “Silent Night”.
3. Family Christmas party – Mom’s side of the fam has a party on a Saturday before or after Christmas every year. The best part about this party is the “Card Game”. It is a simple game of deception. You need two decks of cards, 5-6 gifts/objects to “win”, and a memory. You hand out the cards to everybody, then call out the cards from the second deck. When your card is called, you select a prize. Then, once the prizes are all in circulation, you have to request the prize from another person. It leads to a lot of laughter when people are made to look stupid because they don’t remember who has the prize they requested. They all have specific names, like “green package with red bow” and if you don’t call it that, you are wrong and don’t get the prize. So yes, I love the card game.
4. Gift opening traditions – in our family, we open presents from the kids Christmas Eve and from Santa Christmas morning. It’s always fun to race home from church and get excited to open gifts. Then, we always beg (to this day, even!) to open more gifts until we are reminded that Santa hasn’t come yet (for the kids, of course).
5. Waking up early – I still, as a 27 year old, cannot sleep on Christmas Eve. It’s not as bad as it once was, but I wake up at 7 am. I’m like my father in this way; he and I are the ones that make everyone else get up early. This has caused a lot of consternation with Beth, because if you know her, she’s not really a “morning” person, at least not that early.
6. Old Videos – I remember when Dad and Mom used to videotape our opening of gifts. One of my favorite memories is when Jer was a young lad, maybe 3 or 4, and he would open a gift and scream (in his other-worldly low voice for a kid), “hey mom, I got this!”
7. Gifts gone awry – no, this does not refer to Moulin Rouge; instead, it revolves around my penchant for asking for things that I don’t really use much. Past items include a telescope and an acoustic guitar. I’m sure my family can chime in with other gifts that I have wasted.
8. Christmas cereals – when you grow up in a family with three kids, there are bound to be disagreements about stupid things. Two of our most vehement disagreements were over fast food (Jer always wanted McDonalds, I wanted Burger King) and cereal. As a treat, mom would buy each one of us a box of cereal that we wanted for Christmas. It stopped probably when I was in high school but it is a fond memory of mine.
9. Christmas music – I’ve already covered Mariah, but there are a plethora of other great songs that we hear for approximately 6 weeks a year, both secular and Christian. It was an even bigger joy to know that Jer enjoys Christmas music a lot.
10. New Years Day – New Years Eve is consistently the most disappointing day of the year (except for this year—Brut Sun Bowl!) but NYD is awesome. Memories of our family going to breakfast (not at Bob Evans) and then going to the mall are very fresh. Then we get home and watch football all day. One of my favorite traditions is ordering grilled cheese from Eat n Park at 9am on New Years Day.
Well, I originally intended this post to center on the whole holiday season, but was able to come up with a lot about Christmas exclusively! I love Thanksgiving as well, but I guess you’ll have to wait to hear about it until next year.
So, here’s a list of my favorite holiday things. Feel free to blog about your own favorites!
1. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” – hands down, the best song of the holidays. I don’t officially consider it Christmas season until I hear this song. I love singing it, it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. She has such a great range (8 octaves!) and it really is in use on this song. A magical part of the Christmas season.
2. Christmas Eve service – as a child, this was one of the worst parts of the season. It just seemed like church would last forever (when it reality I don’t think it was ever more than 1.5 hours – we did have some interesting “special visitors” but that’s for another time). As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to have a better appreciation for what this service means. It is a favorite moment of mine when our church makes a circle around the sanctuary, lighting candles and singing “Silent Night”.
3. Family Christmas party – Mom’s side of the fam has a party on a Saturday before or after Christmas every year. The best part about this party is the “Card Game”. It is a simple game of deception. You need two decks of cards, 5-6 gifts/objects to “win”, and a memory. You hand out the cards to everybody, then call out the cards from the second deck. When your card is called, you select a prize. Then, once the prizes are all in circulation, you have to request the prize from another person. It leads to a lot of laughter when people are made to look stupid because they don’t remember who has the prize they requested. They all have specific names, like “green package with red bow” and if you don’t call it that, you are wrong and don’t get the prize. So yes, I love the card game.
4. Gift opening traditions – in our family, we open presents from the kids Christmas Eve and from Santa Christmas morning. It’s always fun to race home from church and get excited to open gifts. Then, we always beg (to this day, even!) to open more gifts until we are reminded that Santa hasn’t come yet (for the kids, of course).
5. Waking up early – I still, as a 27 year old, cannot sleep on Christmas Eve. It’s not as bad as it once was, but I wake up at 7 am. I’m like my father in this way; he and I are the ones that make everyone else get up early. This has caused a lot of consternation with Beth, because if you know her, she’s not really a “morning” person, at least not that early.
6. Old Videos – I remember when Dad and Mom used to videotape our opening of gifts. One of my favorite memories is when Jer was a young lad, maybe 3 or 4, and he would open a gift and scream (in his other-worldly low voice for a kid), “hey mom, I got this!”
7. Gifts gone awry – no, this does not refer to Moulin Rouge; instead, it revolves around my penchant for asking for things that I don’t really use much. Past items include a telescope and an acoustic guitar. I’m sure my family can chime in with other gifts that I have wasted.
8. Christmas cereals – when you grow up in a family with three kids, there are bound to be disagreements about stupid things. Two of our most vehement disagreements were over fast food (Jer always wanted McDonalds, I wanted Burger King) and cereal. As a treat, mom would buy each one of us a box of cereal that we wanted for Christmas. It stopped probably when I was in high school but it is a fond memory of mine.
9. Christmas music – I’ve already covered Mariah, but there are a plethora of other great songs that we hear for approximately 6 weeks a year, both secular and Christian. It was an even bigger joy to know that Jer enjoys Christmas music a lot.
10. New Years Day – New Years Eve is consistently the most disappointing day of the year (except for this year—Brut Sun Bowl!) but NYD is awesome. Memories of our family going to breakfast (not at Bob Evans) and then going to the mall are very fresh. Then we get home and watch football all day. One of my favorite traditions is ordering grilled cheese from Eat n Park at 9am on New Years Day.
Well, I originally intended this post to center on the whole holiday season, but was able to come up with a lot about Christmas exclusively! I love Thanksgiving as well, but I guess you’ll have to wait to hear about it until next year.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Catching Up
Well, I've been gone from the blogging world for awhile. I spent last Wednesday and Thursday in Harrisburg, then was home Friday after work but went up to Grove City all day Saturday, then headed back to Harrisburg yesterday and got back today. For some reason, my internet wasn't working all weekend, but I fixed it today (and by "I fixed it", I mean that it came to work through its own volition). So, here are some thoughts:
1. I was in Harrisburg for staff meetings last week, then yesterday had to go back for our State Nurses 2nd step grievance meetings. In our state contract, the nurses file grievances at their facility, and if it is denied, they can appeal to the 2nd step procedure. The 2nd step meetings are every 3 months, and there is a panel of 3 management and 3 union people listening to the cases. I acted as a sort of attorney for the three cases. I was able to settle all three, I am happy with 2 of the settlements for sure. It was a good experience and I will go back in February.
2. It's a good time to be a Pittsburgh sports fan. The Steelers are playing well, Pitt football is going to the prestigious Sun Bowl, and the Pitt hoops team is #3 in the nation. I can't help but feel that this won't be complete until the Pirates contend for their division...
3. OK, I'll stop dreaming now.
4. Tomorrow I am attending a meeting in Oakland of people who are trying to start up the Pittsburgh chapter of PA Pro Life. I will let you know how it goes.
5. These gas prices are great! It is nice to fill up an empty tank and not spend $20. However, gas is about $.35 cheaper in Carlisle than Pittsburgh. How is this possible?
6. I will be posting my Favorite Things: Holiday Edition pretty soon. Look for it!
7. Small group is venturing down to the Mount next Monday night! I need to do some cleaning before then, although I generally keep a pretty clean apartment.
8. Gossip Girl is the best show on TV right now. And it stinks that Dirty Sexy Money's best episode aired the week after it was announced that it was canceled.
9. Beth only skims my blog. She probably won't even see this!
10. Well, that's about all I have!
1. I was in Harrisburg for staff meetings last week, then yesterday had to go back for our State Nurses 2nd step grievance meetings. In our state contract, the nurses file grievances at their facility, and if it is denied, they can appeal to the 2nd step procedure. The 2nd step meetings are every 3 months, and there is a panel of 3 management and 3 union people listening to the cases. I acted as a sort of attorney for the three cases. I was able to settle all three, I am happy with 2 of the settlements for sure. It was a good experience and I will go back in February.
2. It's a good time to be a Pittsburgh sports fan. The Steelers are playing well, Pitt football is going to the prestigious Sun Bowl, and the Pitt hoops team is #3 in the nation. I can't help but feel that this won't be complete until the Pirates contend for their division...
3. OK, I'll stop dreaming now.
4. Tomorrow I am attending a meeting in Oakland of people who are trying to start up the Pittsburgh chapter of PA Pro Life. I will let you know how it goes.
5. These gas prices are great! It is nice to fill up an empty tank and not spend $20. However, gas is about $.35 cheaper in Carlisle than Pittsburgh. How is this possible?
6. I will be posting my Favorite Things: Holiday Edition pretty soon. Look for it!
7. Small group is venturing down to the Mount next Monday night! I need to do some cleaning before then, although I generally keep a pretty clean apartment.
8. Gossip Girl is the best show on TV right now. And it stinks that Dirty Sexy Money's best episode aired the week after it was announced that it was canceled.
9. Beth only skims my blog. She probably won't even see this!
10. Well, that's about all I have!
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