Month: December 2013

Winter vacation, day 13

I helped my father put skid shoes on the snowplow today, worked a little on getting the next issue of Kaleidotrope up to snuff, and watched a few more episodes of Babylon 5. (The first season’s less rough around the edges than I remembered it, and because it was written as a five-year story, the show almost demands to be watched in blocks.)

Then this evening, I watched Jonah Hex, which is where it all started to go south. Dear lord that is a terrible movie. There are hints of a good one lurking inside it, or at least a movie that could have been dumb fun, but the editing is so badly botched that it ends up being just a confused mess of boredom. It plays a lot like the dull sequel to the movie they left on the cutting room floor, and I think it may have broken my soul a little. (And I say this as a man who’s demonstrated questionable taste in movies lately.)

So that was…what was today? Saturday, right? This is the last weekend of my vacation, but there’s still five more days before I have to go back to the office.

Winter vacation, day 12

A quiet day, spent mostly watching several episodes of Babylon 5. (I got the complete series for Christmas.)

This evening, I Watched The Day After Tomorrow and National Treasure. (They can’t all be gems.)

I also took a short nap and took the above photo, for some reason. Exciting times, I know.

Random 10 12-27-13

Last week. This week:

  1. “Devil’s Haircut” by Beck
    Mouthwash jukebox gasoline
  2. “Winter Time” by the Steve Miller Band
    And the birds have all flown for the summer
  3. “Don’t Be Afraid of Your Anger” by Clem Snide
    And there’s towels and ice we could use
  4. “Ghost Train” by Counting Crows
    She buys a ticket ’cause it’s cold where she comes from
  5. “We Used to Be Friends” by the Dandy Warhols
    But I haven’t thought of you lately at all
  6. “One Voice” by the Wailin’ Jennys
    Singing with love and the will to trust
  7. “Hello Sailor” by the Detroit Cobras
    Gonna show you different sizes that I guarantee to fit
  8. “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra, guessed by Occupant
    We’re so pleased to be with you
  9. “Pablo Picasso” by Citizen Cope
    She’s the only one alive that knows that I’m not crazy
  10. “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan, guessed by random passer-by
    ’cause we just move forward like Buffalo soldiers

Good luck!

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time

I didn’t sleep terrifically well on Christmas Eve, more from indigestion than anticipation, more pizza dinner repeating than visions of sugar plums dancing. I got woken up early to take the dog for a walk, and I honestly thought the cold outside might actually kill me. I think I was just unprepared for it, given how unseasonably warm it had been leading up to the holiday, but I couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering until I came back inside.

All that said, however, I had a really very nice Christmas day. I had a chance to go back to sleep for a bit after I walked the dog, which was good, and then we all got up and opened presents. The rest of the day was spent in eating too much good food, playing with the dogs, and talking. Yesterday was actually the first day in the past week and a half that I didn’t watch any movies. I made up for it tonight by watching two Boris Karloff films, Targets and The Mummy. And last night, I did watch the Doctor Who Christmas special. (For good and bad, this about matches up to what I thought.)

It was a pleasantly unexciting Christmas, full of laughter and good cheer, and today was a just a much quieter version of the same.

I go back to work a week from now, but that’s still a week away. It’s been a good vacation so far, and I’m looking forward to the rest of it.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and/or Wednesday as well!

Christmas Eve

I rearranged a sentence or two in the short story today, but that was about it. The day was taken up mostly with little preparations for Christmas tomorrow.

I spent the evening watching Resident Evil: Extinction for some strange reason, then The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which was also a little strange but a much better movie. I don’t think either one is going to become a new Christmas tradition for me, but it wasn’t a terrible day, as days go.