Anyone want to go watch The Holiday with me?

This is the first time in my whole life that I've had to work between Christmas and New Year's Day. I've always either worked for someone who was closed during that week, or I've taken the time off.

I don't like it one bit.

So this weekend we were planning on going out of town. I was very excited at the prospect of feeling like I had an actual vacation. And now for the big letdown.... due to Addie having a bad cold, we're not going anywhere this weekend. So we'll be here if anyone wants to get together. I'd really like to see The Holiday and I know Col won't want to so if you're interested, call me. We'll do lunch.

A year of movie reviews

I really haven't been to very many movies this year. Rather than anxiously awaiting a movie's opening weekend, we usually end up going to the dollar theater on a whim and watching whatever is playing at 7:30. The following is a brief review of every movie I saw in a theater in 2006, beginning with the most recent.

Ratings Key:
1- Liked it - Would Recommend
2 - Liked it ok - Probably Wouldn't Recommend
3 - Didn't like it - Wouldn't Recommend

The Prestige - 3
The Illusionist - 1
Marie Antoinette - 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - 1
Click - 1
The Da Vinci Code - 2
Pride and Prejudice - 1
The Sentinel - 2
The Producers - 2
X-Men: The Last Stand - 2
Mission Impossible: III - 2

Most of these I waited to watch at the dollar movies, so take that for what it's worth. I saw a lot of movies on DVD of course, usually because we wanted to wait to watch them edited on Clearplay.

Because she is my alter-ego.

Playmobil at its best.

Breaking the pot luck mold.

Having grown up in a culture that promulgated pot luck meals, I am no stranger to them. Our official company party is always the first week in January and is a very formal affair. This year, we also had a Christmas gift exchange/pot luck lunch. As far as I was concerned, history dictated that there would be a plethora of jello salads, casseroles and homemade desserts. Such was not the case. Instead, there was an abundance of food from AJ's including pasta salad and cocktail shrimp as well as a honey baked ham and other non-homemade deluctables.

Though I will not sneer at the tried and true pot luck, I highly recommend planning them with people who have more money than time.

A riddle

What row of numbers comes next?

1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221

Just in case the government owes me money...

I stole the idea from Brian Sack to look up my name and see if I happen to have any unclaimed funds floating out there.

I don't, but about 200 other Aubrey Carters do.

It's all fun and games until somebody poops in the tub.

Can you count all the things wrong with this picture?

Besides the obvious racial issue, be sure to not miss the spelling of "Russian". Oh, and just TRY to do that with your left hand.

Swingers

Supporting the troops

All of us here at work chipped in and put together several large boxes to send to the troops in Iraq.


Waiting in line at the post office yesterday, we were a little nervous to find out how much postage would be. Little did we know - any packages sent to the troops only require postage to NYC, and then the military takes care of getting it overseas.

It turned out to be a great experience, especially since the lady at the post office was from Québec so we jabbered in Québecois (French... sort of) for awhile.

Hopefully the packages we sent will arrive in time for Christmas, and will bring a little Christmas cheer to those who will be away from their families this holiday season.

Who's Who

Looks like I'm moving up in the world.

A Christmas music recommendation

I have been sampling online Christmas music streams and I have a couple to recommend for those of you who, like me, sit at a computer most the day.

This one is out of the Netherlands. You'll need to click on the orange link that says "Open de online RTL FM player". It plays pretty much the same music you'd hear on your average American Christmas station, but the commercials are in Dutch and therefore a lot less annoying.

This one is out of France. It plays the songs you're used to as well as music you probably wouldn't hear on your average American Christmas station - international Christmas carols in a variety of languages. Also, it will keep things interesting by throwing in random selections such as a song I just heard that was on The Muppet Christmas Carol.

And just as a side note, some interesting pictures come up when you search google images for pictures of Christmas carolers. Like this one. And this one. Oh, and this one. I chose the picture that looked like it was made on a Lite Brite.

Now don't get any ideas...

Last night one of the local news channels featured a special report about a new way to steal gift cards. All you have to do is get the numbers off the card and then call in until it's activiated, at which time you can start spending it online.

I don't know about all of you, but I had never thought of that. Granted, even if I had thought of it I wouldn't have done it, but I hadn't even thought about the possibility of someone spending a gift card with only the number on it. Which made me think that a lot of people watching TV last night had never thought of it either. The difference between me and some of them, is that now they'll try it.

I went and told Col about it, as he was in the other room and had missed the report. He allayed my fears when he said, "People who would do that don't watch the news." He's probably right. They're busy watching CSI.

Overheard at AJ's Fine Foods

"Hey there Charles, how've you been?"

"Not so good. I was in the hospital all last week."

"Really? Why?"

"I had a gall bladder."

"That's too bad. It seems like you're always having health problems."

Cooking With Baby

I've submitted a pilot to The Food Network for a new cooking show called "Cooking With Baby".

I'd be like Rachel Ray, except that I wouldn't be able to see what I was doing.

Fortunately

Usually, when I open a fortune cookie, there's not really a fortune inside. Rather, it's full of advice, or ancient Chinese wisdom. Today Col and I went to lunch at Pei Wei. Addie was thoroughly amused by the paper-wrapped chopsticks that she amazingly never tried to put in her mouth. And for once, my fortune cookie actually contained a real live legitimate (though very odd) fortune.

"Hidden in a valley beside an open stream, This will be the type of place where you will find your dream." (Photograph provided)


Of course my first thought was "Which valley?! Which stream?!" I was complaining that it wasn't specific enough when Col opened his, which was thankfully much more detailed.

"Hidden five miles due east you will find a key which unlocks the door buried 6.5 feet below the ground on which you stand. The door will open, revealing 3 more doors. Choose wisely. One door leads to imminent destruction." (Not photographed)

His may not have rhymed, but at least he was given some specifics.

Déjà vu

I know a lot of babies do the "army crawl". However, I never realized how much it resembles the "one-armed Terminator crawl".