Farewell and good riddance to the Aughts

Here's the fourth installment of the year in review.  This time, we're saying goodbye to a decade ... my second full.  I'm not sad to see the "aughts" go.  There were generally more good than bad, but the bad moments were so trying and life-altering.


May the 2010 decade bring much happiness, prosperity, merriment and lots of posts!

Three Words to Describe 2009: Loss, Historic, Ripples

TV Show: Two way tie: Grey's Anatomy & Doctor Who

New TV Show: Gotta give this to a radio/cable tv show moment ... Danettes Dodge Ball Bets.  I would get DirectTV just for that (luckily, they are posted on YouTube)

Song: Not Meant to Be - Theory of a Deadman

Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Movie: The biggest disappointment I had when I finally got to see  ... Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.  Crappy Ending to a series that started out great!

Most Notable NFL Moment: The sign from Sunday: 75% percent of the world is covered by water, the rest is covered by Charles Woodson  (the person who thought that up is BRILLIANT)

I'll turn the channel when: any thing with Sarah Palin on! (Please, Please GO AWAY!)

Gift Given: Kelly's toys ... too, too fun

Best new tradition/habit: Ten Dozen Minutes with Jick & Skully internet-radio show. 

KoL:

Wine: 9 ~ Tomato Wine from my mom's coworker, maybe not the best as compared to "professional wines" but most interesting

Best Blog: Dooce.com

Fa a la la la la lotr

For some reason, I had a hankering for The Lord of the Rings series.  And surprisingly, it's getting me in the Christmas spirit.  I think its because there are so many messages of hope that is pulling me in right now.

These are my favorite passages from the first two movies (courtesy of imdb):

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.


Sam: I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales.
Frodo: [turns around] What?
Sam: I wonder if people will ever say, 'Let's hear about Frodo and the Ring.' And they'll say 'Yes, that's one of my favorite stories. Frodo was really courageous, wasn't he, Dad?' 'Yes, my boy, the most famousest of hobbits. And that's saying a lot.'
Frodo: [continue walking] You've left out one of the chief characters - Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam.
[stops and turns to Sam]
Frodo: Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam.
Sam: Now Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun; I was being serious.
Frodo: So was I.
[they continue to walk]
Sam: Samwise the Brave..
(I'm only as far as the Two Towers.)

There's so many things I didn't remember.  And so many fantastic little jokes throughout.  It's one of those movies that keeps drawing me back.

But every time I watch it .... I'm still mad at Eowyn throwing herself at Aragorn, even after he tells her he is bound to another.  Seriously, bitch, step off.  He's Arwen's man.  And she's Elvin.  What do you have to offer other than wielding a sword and whining?

Theoden also drives me a touch crazy (speaking of which, so does Denethor, but that's in the next movie).  Theoden gives up when the Keep is breeched.  No hope, no direction to his army, his people who were still fighting.  Actually, he lead them to their death by going to helms deep in the first place.  Eomer is only Rohirrim that I enjoy (and gets the short end of the stick).

I love that Pippin is the one who gets the idea to lead Treebeard South past Isengard to see the destruction Saruman has wrought against the Earth and the trees.

Faramir is the yummiest actor in a cast of very yummy actors.


Some of the scenes aren't as technically shiny, bright and spectacular as I remembered. I don't know if it's because I've watched the technical behind the scenes so much and I have a pretty good realization how it was put together (and totally disillusioned that that is not Elijah Wood's real hair) or if in the years since this series has come out and it doesn't seem so cutting edge anymore.

To sleep or to watch TV ... that is the question

I write to you, gentle friends, laying in bed, typing happily on my laptop.  I'm pondering watching The Fellowship of the Ring until I fall asleep or skip the middle man and just go to sleep.

The beauty of all of this?  I'm on vacation.

Woo-freakin'-whoo.  I've had a horrible three weeks.  And a pretty sucky month in general.

I've discovered the old adage of when one door closes another one opens also lends way to when you're trapped in a burning building and all the doors are stuck, if you break a window the whole house might combust.

But I can put all of it behind me and out of my mind and enjoy my time away from the rest of the world.

I'm planning on sleeping in.  Wrapping presents.  Watching television and lots of internet videos.  I'm fairly caught up on all the blogs I read, so I'm going to continue reading my 600 page book ... you know the kind, those heavy things made with paper.

I'm also going to write.  Here and hopefully my book.  Watch for posts. Over posts, and lots of catch up work with my photos on flickr.  I'm going to be dangerously close to not making my goal of more posts than last year.  I'll have to do some real soul searching as how to remedy that with a good conscience.

There's also a lot of filing and cleaning I've been neglecting and accumulating since last summer.  It may be dull but if I get some of that done I'll add years to my life.

If I can have one wish for this vacation other than warm weather and that it would never end...  I wish that this stuffy nose will go away ASAP and with it the groggy, headaches and no energy that has been accompanying it.

Most Unique To Do's I've had

My stove area has a weird spill-over burnt smell.  Cleaned it twice to no avail.  Tonight as I was microwaving some green beans, I realized it's the microwave.

To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave

America's Test Kitchen just told my not to buy my normal brand of diced tomatos--and I didn't think they tasted bad.  Their choice is 60 cents more--I'm sticking with mine.

To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave
2. Look at my tomatoes with satisfaction



I love the way my hair looks when it was damp.  It's not soaking wet, it's not quite dry. It's straight and flipping and doesn't feel as heavy.  But then it dries--thickens (is that possible?) and gets that ugly wavy to it.


To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave
2. Look at my tomatoes with satisfaction
3. Straighten my hair

Christmas music is awesome! It totally brightened my mood and helped my decorating move along.

To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave
2. Look at my tomatoes with satisfaction
3. Straighten my hair
4. Listen to more Christmas music.  Add to phone and/or MP3 player

Fall decorations have exploded all over my living room and dining room.  I had half of it put away, but then had to dig it out again to find some ornaments.  I'm in the point where it's gets much worse before it gets better.

To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave
2. Look at my tomatoes with satisfaction
3. Straighten my hair
4. Listen to more Christmas music.  Add to phone and/or MP3 player
5. Put away fall decorations, try not to let the Christmas stuff vomit over everything. Post pictures of exploding, vomiting and the pretty aftermath

I've been discouraged with adventuring because it's taking forever to reach level 30.  I've done all I can do in Hobopolis, and underwater isn't fantastically entertaining.  But, it's Crimbo, and I get to work for a mob penguin.

To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave
2. Look at my tomatoes with satisfaction
3. Straighten my hair
4. Listen to more Christmas music.  Add to phone and/or MP3 player
5. Put away fall decorations, try not to let the Christmas stuff vomit over everything. Post pictures of exploding, vomiting and the pretty aftermath
6. Keep adventuring.  Hope to reach Level 30 before I turn 30.  Hire some hobos. Punch Advent calendar.


I'm shamefully enjoying the trailor of the squeakal of Alvin and Chipmonks.  Who knew Rite Round and Single Ladies were more entertaining when sang by a chipmonk?

To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave
2. Look at my tomatoes with satisfaction
3. Straighten my hair
4. Listen to more Christmas music.  Add to phone and/or MP3 player
5. Put away fall decorations, try not to let the Christmas stuff vomit over everything. Post pictures of exploding, vomiting and the pretty aftermath
6. Keep adventuring.  Hope to reach Level 30 before I turn 30.  Hire some hobos. Punch Advent calendar.
7. Enjoy that Chipmonk commercial.  Laugh. Every. Time.


On the subject of singing.  I'm horrible.  I'm the person Simon Cowell says is atrocious because i thought I had some sliver of talent.  My music teacher in seventh grade said i had expressive eyebrows when i sang, i should have realized how bad of a sign that was.

To Do List
1. Clean the Microwave
2. Look at my tomatoes with satisfaction
3. Straighten my hair
4. Listen to more Christmas music.  Add to phone and/or MP3 player
5. Put away fall decorations, try not to let the Christmas stuff vomit over everything. Post pictures of exploding, vomiting and the pretty aftermath
6. Keep adventuring.  Hope to reach Level 30 before I turn 30.  Hire some hobos. Punch Advent calendar.
7. Enjoy that Chipmonk commercial.  Laugh. Every. Time.
8. Keep singing. Just not in public.  Never listen to myself sing.  Ever again.