Christmas Cards

Another Thanksgiving-ish tradition I have is on Black Friday I stay home and do all my Christmas cards. I usually start a month before and organize all my addresses and bug people to get me their addresses if they moved or if I don't have them. I then get all the addresses on labels, buy a bunch of different cards including non-holiday specific ones for the non-christian friends I have and finally curse how many friends I have.

Normally, I send somewhere between 100 and 150 cards. This year I hit 197. This is with me weeding it down. My list was almost doubled with the addition of all my LA friends and co-workers I no longer see on a daily basis so I needed to add them to the list. So, I spent all day Friday signing my name and making notes as necessary. I'm not insane and make personal notes in all of them. I would not be able to get them done by Christmas if I did. I also don't do the whole Christmas letter thing since I send regular emails out and have this blog.

This year I had to work half a day so I got a late start. It took about 6 and half hours to get them all done. I usually watch holiday movies while I do them. This year I was only in the mood to watch one Thanksgiving movie: Home For the Holidays. Then I watched one of my Netflix (The Savages) and The Devil Wears Prada. It was what I was in the mood for.

Then on Saturday I go to the post office. I mail my International cards with the clerk and buy Christmas (180) and Hanukkah (20) stamps. I then stand there and stamp all my cards. Not that anyone will necessarily notice the stamps, but I think it is a nice touch. Although, 5 people did get Hanukkah stamps on their Christmas cards because it wasn't as proportional as I would have liked.

I stood their stamping them next to a very nice woman who was sending 187 calendars to her real estate clients. We chatted about the holidays and how grateful we are that they are stickers now or else our tongues would have fallen off.

So all my cards are done and sent. Now I kept a few extra cards for those who get me their addresses late and they will also end up with Hanukkah stamps, but that's what happens when you don't get back to me fast enough.

Thanksgiving Day

Two years ago I had no plans for Thanksgiving. I decided to do a movie day at the Arclight Cinemas. I'll link the movies to their IMDB page in case you aren't familar and no spoilers, pure commentary.

I saw: The Prestige, Bobby, The Queen and Stranger Than Fiction. I love the Prestige and currently own it on DVD. Bobby was just okay and if they hadn't used big name actors, I would have become very confused. The Queen was well done, but nothing I need to own or watch again. Stranger Than Fiction was okay. It wasn't what I was expecting and probably should give it another chance.

I had such a good time that I made this a tradition. Last year I saw: Dan In Real Life, Love in the Time of Cholera and I'm Not There. I love Dan in Real Life and currently own the DVD as well as the soundtrack. Love in the Time of Cholera was just okay. John Cusak mentions this book constantly in his movies and I wanted to see what it was about. I'm Not There would have been a great movie if they had shaved about an hour off and cut the Richard Gere part out entirely.

This year I saw: Bolt, Milk, Four Christmases and Australia. Bolt was cute and the hamster named Rhino stole the show. Not as good as Pixar, but decent nonetheless. Milk was brilliant, inspiring and my front runner for Best Picture for this year so far. Four Christmases was just okay. A little far fetched, but the acting and directing was solid. Script just needed some work. Australia was good. It didn't have any the crazy filmmaking that Baz (the director) is known for. Also, it seems to have a perfectly good ending two hours in yet goes on for another hour. It was almost like watching the movie and it's sequel back to back. I do think it will win for Best Cinematography, though. Of these, I will definately be buying Milk on DVD.

I look forward to continuing this tradition. It's a great way to try and keep up with the award season and all the movies that all come out at the end of the year.

South Park has warped my fragile little mind...

Recently, South Park did a two part episode. The first was called "Pandemic" and the second was "Pandemic 2: The Startling." The episodes can be seen online HERE.

The premise of the episodes without giving anything away is: "Seeing all the Peruvian pan flute bands that have become popular recently, and the money they can make daily by selling CDs, Stan convinces the other boys to start their own pan flute band." (wikipedia)

Of course, things happen. And as Craig in the episode says :"Was there ever a moment, when you had the genius idea of becoming a Peruvian flute band, that you thought, "Hey, ya know, this might backfire."?... No. That never occurs to you guys, 'cause you guys are jerks, and you never learn from your mistakes, and that's why everyone at school thinks you guys are ***holes."

So how did this warp my mind? Well, I was downtown and I saw this:


I couldn't stop laughing. I had never noticed these pan flute bands before and now because of Matt Stone and Trey Parker I was listening and happy they were there because they prevent the...well, you have to see the episode.

Watch the Seasons Change...

I made it 11 and half months...

But the shakes never truly stopped, so I started my Netflix subscription back up. I can afford it and it'll help with the reruns that will be starting soon as we get closer to Christmas. If you are on Netflix, you can find me HERE and add me as a friend.

On my old blog back on Friendster, I would tell you what I was watching and give a short summary and a quick review. I figured I would continue doing that here as well. So the first DVDs I rented when I got it started back up were:

"Son of Rambow" (2007) Netflix description: Forbidden to watch TV or go to the movies by his ultrareligious parents, young Will (Bill Milner) gets a hold of a camera, and his mind blossoms in this nostalgic comedy. Set in 1980s Britain, the film tells the tale of the friendship that blossoms between Will and class bully Lee (Will Poulter) when the latter recruits Will to help him make a home movie inspired by Rambo: First Blood.

I highly recommend. A very cute movie and very well done. Shows how kid's imaginations can really run wild at times and that is sometimes a good thing.

"Layer Cake" (2004) Netflix description: A British drug dealer (Daniel Craig) who longs to ditch his illegal trade. But he can't do that without wrapping up just one more job involving a gargantuan stash of purloined ecstasy. The cache's original owners are after him as well, leaving him with no other choice but to run for his life while trying to make this one final deal a big success.

When they announced Daniel Craig as Bond, everyone said "Who?" and then they said to check out this movie and it would all make sense. I have been on a huge Bond kick lately, so I decided to check it out. Yep, had I seen when it came out, I wouldn't have questioned the casting at all. The plot is a bit complicated, but overall a solid British mobster film. Many twists and turns, but not surprising since this was an indy movie that premiered at Sundance. All in all, I recommend.

"Hitman" (2007) Netflix description: When a highly trained gun-for-hire known only as Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) gets entangled in a political takeover, he finds himself hunted by both Interpol and the Russian military. On the run, he tries to uncover who set him up while battling with newfound feelings for a beautiful woman. The globe-trotting action film, based on a video game, was shot on location in Bulgaria, South Africa, Istanbul, St. Petersburg and London.

This is based on a video game and I can say that it is the best movie based on a video game to date. However, that is not exactly a ringing endorsement. I will say that this is a perfectly average action movie. This is the baseline. It had a reasonable enough plot, good amount of action, doesn't try to do anything wacky with the effects, the acting was solid. It also had no extra anything - style, pizazz, reason to see it again, nothing quotable. Any action movies better than this can be considered good and anything worse is awful. It walks a fine line. Aside from that the only comments I have is that Dougray Scott is not ageing well and seeing Desmond from "Lost" with a Russian accent was weird. I would recommend it only to see how completely medium the movie is.

TED: Ze Frank and the Humor of the Web

Ze Frank is most known for his 2001 viral video "How to Dance Properly." This is a very funny stand up that starts up as he does a dramatic reading of a Nigerian email that asks for money and goes into the internet and google.



He's pretty funny in this and I've been following him on twitter ever since.

Wrong Way To Pump Gas

Some of you may not know this, but in Oregon you are not allowed to pump your own gas. They only offer full service.

According to Wikipedia: "The Oregon statute banning self-service gasoline lists seventeen different justifications, including the inflammability of gas, the risk of crime from customers leaving their car, the toxic fumes emitted by gasoline, and the jobs created by requiring mini service. In addition, the idiosyncratic ban on self-service gasoline is seen as part of Oregonian culture. One commentator noted, “The joke is when babies are born in Oregon, the doctor slaps their bottom, ‘No self-serve and no sales tax’ [. . .] It’s as much a cultural issue as an economic issue. It’s a way of life.” In 1982, Oregon voters rejected a ballot measure sponsored by the service station owners, which would have legalized self-service gas.^"

I learned this particular fact when a co-worker at Greystone came in one day to ask us if we had known there was a latch on the gas pump so you don't have to hold it. We all looked at her dumbfounded that she was 37 and just learning this. She explained she was from Oregon. After more blank stares, she explained the lack of self serve stations.

Seattle must get a lot of people from Oregon because at every gas station I have gone to there are detailed instructions on how to use a gas pump. My favorite are the picture versions that show why holding the pump upside down doesn't work.

I tried to find an image of it, but google failed to find me one.

John Barrowman

I discovered John Barrowman on Season One of Doctor Who and he now has his own spinoff show called "Torchwood." Since then I have come to be a huge fan of his. He is not only a talented, handsome actor, but he is funny, he can dance and has an amazing voice. I thought I would share a video of him and Ruthie Henshall (stage actress who dated Prince Edward for a while) singing "Anything You Can Do" on a British television series that highlights musical numbers.



On top of that, he has written a book called "Anything Goes" which Amazon describes as: "From his Glaswegian childhood and American adolescence to his starring role in the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood, this memoir traces the life and career of actor John Barrowman. John made a name for himself with remarkable West End achievements, including an Olivier Award nomination and success in the movies The Producers and De-Lovely. Television success was also assured when Torchwood won a Best Drama BAFTA. John also lays bare his personal life: his emigration as a child, coming out to his family, turning down a job at Disney, and his civil partnership with long-term partner Scott Gill. Revelatory and insightful, told with real heart and characteristic Barrowman charm, this is a wonderful tale of how one boy achieved his dreams."

It's on a list of books I want to read and on my Amazon wishlist *cough*

Quantum of Solace

Bond is back! Unlike previous Bond movies, this takes place where "Casino Royale" left off.

The premise (according to Netflix): Picking up an hour after the events of 2006's Casino Royale, this James Bond adventure finds 007 (Daniel Craig) tracking a traitor who's infiltrated Britain's MI6. The trail leads to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), the charismatic head of a world environmental agency. Behind this seemingly legitimate facade, Greene runs Quantum, a powerful terrorist organization whose plot to overthrow a Bolivian dictator masks an even more sinister plan.

I loved "Casino Royale" and this was a great follow up. I actually liked this one a little better because the action sequences didn't go on forever like some did in Casino. I also liked how they brought in a classic element of the old Bond movies without making it seem campy.

The thing that I like best about both movies is the use of score. In Casino, every time he does something Bond-like they add a couple of notes of his theme until it builds to the full blown score over the end credits after he says "Bond, James Bond" for the first time. They continued this in Quantum with his theme being a bit haphazard as he continues through the movie.

I also must say I love both original songs and had to buy them both on iTunes. "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell and "Another Way To Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keyes (the first duet for a Bond movie). Title sequences may be a bit old school, but they totally set the mood for the movie.

Here is the music video for "You Know My Name" from Casino (Spoiler Scenes if you haven't seen it):

TED: Hans Rosling on Third World Countries

This was the first TED video I ever saw. He is a global health professor who manages to present facts on third world countries in a way that makes football commentators seem tame.



I thought that the information was interesting, but had it been presented by anyone else would have been boring.

And Now For Something Completely Different..

This always makes me smile. This is Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" acted out in a version of deaf karoke.

Just A Movie

My drive to work consists of driving over the 520 bridge (aka Evergreen Point Floating Bridge) which is the longest floating bridge in the world which is 7,578 feet (2,310 meters). It's 2 lanes in each direction.

This morning there was a heavy fog with very little visibility. Driving over this bridge, you could only see the other cars and everything else was just solid looking walls of fog or mist. While this seems creepy in general, one thing pushed me over the edge. I saw a seagull suddenly appear out of the mist, fall across the bridge and disappear into the mist on the other side.

Why would this bother me? Well, maybe because the scariest horror movie to come out in years was:
If you have not seen this movie, you should. It is brilliant and scary without being gory or like those terrible torture-porn movies like "Saw." On the DVD you have a choice, you can watch it in color or black and white. Choose the black and white.

So I spent the whole drive over the bridge after seeing that seagull, gripping the steering wheel saying "It was just a movie."

Living in Another World...

I was in dire need of coffee and asked if anyone wanted anything from Starbucks. My co-worker asked if it would be alright if I take a bag of beans to get them ground. She had bought a special blend for us to have in the office. She told me to wait while she checked the coffee pot. She had to find out what kind of filter it was so I could tell them.

Umm, excuse me?

Apparently, the filter determines how the beans should be ground. Cone shaped or cup shaped, etc. Never heard such a thing.

Also, coffee cupping is the equivalent of wine tasting. And like wine tasting you taste it and spit it out. Seriously...where am I? Who are these people?

Not in LA anymore...

I realize that outside of LA most people don't watch a lot of movies, but come on. We play a name the movie quote game. No one got "Blues Brothers," "Clue" or "Office Space." Their idea of guessing something hard was a "Bridget Jones' Diary" quote that was in the trailer. I can't play with them anymore. I put up the quote from "Clue":

"Just how many husbands have you had anyway?"
"Mine or other women's?"
"Yours."
"5"
"5?"
"Just the 5. Husbands should be like Kleenex - soft, strong and disposable."

They guessed "Mamma Mia." Really? That kind of banter from "Mamma Mia"? I don't think I can play with them anymore.

I've been bad...

I know, I know. I've been really bad. I haven't posted in 3 weeks. I am going to play catch up right now. I'm going to cheat and fill them in for the days I skipped. I will hopefully be caught up after today. Sorry. I am alive.

I don't have any good excuses for it even. I just haven't had enough energy to come home and sit at the computer after being on the computer all day at work. The past few weekends have been spent catching up on cleaning and laundry and stuff and I kept putting off blogging. I told you. Not good excuses at all.

Apologies. I will be catching up shortly. Stay tuned.

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