Christmas Eve 2012

Christmas Eve was rather a quiet affair this year. Mid afternoon, while Lisa was at work, I took the kids to my parent’s to exchange gifts and holiday greetings. We got my Dad a fresh pumpkin pie and a pumpkin scented candle, and my Mom a “as seen on TV” pillow for her derriere.

As usual, they (well, they and my sisters combined) went overboard on gifts for the kids; in prior years they've even overshadowed what I give them under the tree. 

YaYa got a zebra throw blanket, a Taylor Swift DVD (“Just for You”), a red Taylor Swift t-shirt she wore non-stop for days

Some owl merchandise, Taylor Swift perfume and a DVD of Psych’s Halloween episodes

LuLu got a pair of panda hats, a Snuggie, and a stuffed panda, a peace sign robe, along with some clothes.

Smiley got a Knex building kit, a Star Wars ‘fighter pods’ pack (Darth Vader is red. Smiley was confused, and so was I), and a set of Pokemon cards.

Ginger got a Cocker Spaniel toy, a Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, and Prince Charming doll, and a LaLaLoopsy doll!

Afterwards we picked up Lisa from work and hurried home to prepare a small spread for my in-laws and some friends. While Lisa’s Entourage showed up, not a one of my friends so much as returned an RSVP. Duly noted gentlemen, duly noted.

That was at 7, and by 8 it was winding down. We decided to present the kids with one gift from us, as we do every Christmas Eve. And as on every Christmas Eve, the gift was the same – pajamas. The idea being if you want to open any gifts the next morning, you had best be camera ready in your new duds the minute you wake up.

Apparently Ginger had forgotten this ritual and was expecting far more than pajamas, and had a holy fit. You can see a small bit of that in these photos!

At 10:30 Lisa and I, along with the Entourage and a total of seven children, went to Mass. The kids were great there, and upon our return they headed right for bed.

Before I conclude this Christmas Eve post, I want to mention our ‘Santa Key”, which we (read: Lisa) crafted years ago to explain to YaYa how Santa entered our (then) apartment, seeing as we didn’t have a fireplace. While Lisa was oddly adamant Ginger no longer believed in Santa, she was dead wrong. She believed, and was thrilled when I had her place the key in our mailbox “so Santa can unlock the door” on Christmas. J

3 Films For Your Consideration

Armless is a dry comedy about John, a man who leaves his wife and journeys to New York to find a doctor willing to amputate both of his perfectly healthy arms. He suffers from 'body integrity identity disorder', and since he was a child he has fantasized about a life with only ‘nubbins’ in place of his limbs. This is news to his wife, who heads off after him, and the doctor he consults under a case of mistaken identity.

 At the risk of sounding crass, this is obviously Nutty Nutterson territory, but the filmmakers never treat their subject with contempt, doing their best to have us empathize, if not with John, then with his caring and shell-shocked wife.  While the movie as a whole is impressive there are a few patches of stiff, awkward dialogue and what appears to be a serious shortage of funding. Some of the sets – the doctor’s waiting room, for instance – appear to have been furnished with the budget leftover from an elementary school Christmas pageant. 

Grade: B

Looper is a time travel thriller set in 2044. Thirty years from that future time travel will be possible but illegal, practiced only by the mob, who sends victims back in time to be killed and disposed of by hit men called Loopers. Their name is derived from their fate; every Looper must eventually kill his future self and close his ‘loop’.  Joesph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a Looper whose future self, Bruce Willis, ignores the established protocol and escapes into the present. Now Joe – young Joe – must find him or face the horrific wrath of the mob, and prevent his older self from changing history.

The movie got great reviews and great word of mouth, and I couldn’t wait to see it.

The verdict? Meh.

It was good, but hardly a game changer. The actors were good, the script was polished, the idea was neat, and minus her obnoxious accent I found Emily Blunt appealing. I can’t isolate a specific flaw, but it just didn’t click for me.  Maybe it was just a case of inflated expectations, or the fact that I just didn’t like Joe, be it the young or older version. 

I grade this a B+

The Car is a 1978 film starring James Brolin. He plays a sheriff’s deputy in a small Southwestern town, and the last two years of his career have been spent doing nothing more than writing traffic tickets. Enter a mysterious 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III that is responsible for several hit and run deaths. As the death toll rises it becomes obvious that this is no normal car, and rumors of a supernatural driver – or no driver at all – begin to gain credence. Can Brolin stop the rampage before it claims even more victims?

I really got a kick out of this film, and have nothing but praise for it. Citizen Kane it is not, but it does a great job ratcheting up the fear in that small town, and the scene in the garage in the third act just plain gave me the willies for a second.

‘70’s horror rocks.

Grade: A

There are Other Jobs

Update: I'm unemployed for the time being. Michaels hired me as a floral designer and I spent the last 15 minutes of my employment there cleaning another persons fecal matter from the bathroom floor/seat/rim/etc. When "talked to" about my lack of team spirit I was informed I may be called upon for bathroom duty again. I'm not too good for bathroom duty but I was never told this was a part of my job description and if it was I would have asked for more pay! I was making a baby memorial when I was called for bathroom duty, blessed my children are happy and healthy. There are other jobs.

- Lisa

Dinner Success

I'm not trying to romanticize it, because it did end horribly, with Smiley and LuLu getting into it and whipping broccoli at each other BUT for a moment dinner was grand. I made chicken breasts with diced tomatoes, mashed potatoes, the before mentioned broccoli, and sautéed cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. There were literal thumbs up from around the table, and best of all (to me) Smiley and YaYa  both gobbled up the mushrooms.

Rest in Peace Little One

Lisa encountered a couple yesterday whose newborn son passed away. I didn't know 3 week old Owen, but if you've got a prayer to spare for his family I'm sure they'd appreciate it.