Figured It Out

I think I finally figured out why I don't like New Year's Eve, why I'm the New Year's Grinch. (And, no, it's not just because Seacrest is taking over Dick Clark's best job.) Most people look forward to the partying, drinking, and New Year before them. I, however, do not. It's because Christmas is officially over, and I have to wait a whole year for it to come again. :( USA is showing Elf all day today, back to back to back, but that doesn't even seem to cheer me up. I don't want to take my trees down; I don't want to take my old school stickies down; I don't want to put my Christmas movies and CD's up. I want to move to the North Pole. Husband reminds me that if Christmas was everyday I wouldn't enjoy it as much. Perhaps. But if the Christmas season, with all it's goodwill, giving, smiling, happy music, shiny paper, and jingling, was all year, I think I'd be just fine. Plus, I could wear my novelty penguin Christmas socks year-round, and that, dear friends, would be a treat. :)

Officially Sick

Got a wonderful comment from Alyssa yesterday saying not to get sick...unfortunately, that sentiment came a little too late. It's been coughy-phlegmy central here, but there is a silver lining. I've gotten to get reacquainted with Jack Bauer, America's #1 hero of all time, in the last 24 hours (pun INtended).

Yesterday we finally watched the November special, 24: Redemption. Ah, Jack was in his prime! And, he had Robert "Begbie" Carlyle to help him. I was so stoked when he killed another man with his legs. Oh, but wait! This time, he killed a man with just ONE leg! (By breaking the man's neck, obviously!) After that, we were on such a Jack high, we decided to re-start Season 4 (the one with the Middle Eastern terrorists...you really have to keep track of your 24 seasons by what type of terrorists are involved).

The upcoming season deals with an imaginary African country called Sengala (or, Senegal anyone?), Jon Voight as a main baddie (it's about time he got on some quality show like 24), and the return of...my favorite CTU agent...TONY ALMEIDA!!! Buuuuuuuuuuut, he's turned!!! He's totally bad*! My only question is this: What 80's teen heartthrob will invade CTU this season? Season 5 saw Sean Astin on the beat, and Season 6 saw Ricky Schroder take up residence at CTU. If the only pop culture icon I have this season is Janeane Garofolo...well, I want my money back.

*No, I didn't give anything away: it's all in the previews.

A Holiday Absence

Yes, that's what happens when your laptop goes crash-bang-boom, and it won't charge, and it has a wicked pop-up virus. But I trust you all had a very merry without my posts. It was another wonderful Christmas here.

The 23rd found us picking out a new favorite color for the house: PINK. Yup, if you haven't heard the lil Peanut will be a girl, but she won't be allowed to be girly and she'll have to love sports (Cubs and Illini, yo). This is an order from both parents. We also had an icky, gross ice storm.

Christmas Eve saw us once again viewing my two traditional C.E. movies: A Christmas Carol (circa 1984 with George C. Scott) and It's a Wonderful Life (yes, the hormones made me cry even harder this time). Seriously, they never get old. I love them more each year, and if the little one doesn't love these Christmas faves as much as me, I'm sending her back. ;)

Christmas Day is the best day of the year!!! I made a breakfast spread this year with a completely made-up b'fast casserole (which was quite good). We made the rounds round the Paign, opened lots of pressies, and I even got a special one that night--a beautiful square-cut emerald. (Yes, yes, I do have the BEST hubby ever.) We relaxed the night away with Dark Knight, Doctor Who Uno, and HIMYM (extra points if you know that one).

Alas, this day, Boxing Day, I'm sick--fending off a head cold and sore throat. I've pumped myself full of Vitamin C through juice, organges, and kiwi. We've whiled away the hours watching Jack Bauer to get pumped up for January 11...and his A-kicking has actually made me feel a bit better.

Anyhoo...if you're STILL reading, I hope you had a great Christmas. I hope you were with the ones you love the mostest. And, I hope you celebrated and remembered the birth that made this the most wonderful time of the year. God bless!!!

Spreading Christmas Cheer

If you've been a faithful reader over the last couple of years, you'll know that I LOVE Christmas. You'll also know that I love "It's a Wonderful Life." It's my favorite Christmas movie ever, and it's my second favorite movie of all time. (Extra points if you know what #1 and #3 are.)

Don't have time to watch my fave Christmas movie this year? You won't watch it on Christmas Eve like I will? Well, I'm here to help you out. (I can't believe I haven't posted them gem yet, but it's better late than never. In fact, some of you might have already seen this.) Click HERE to see "It's a Wonderful Life" in 30 seconds...re-enacted by bunnies. It's quite a thing to behold. Seriously, check it out...it'll only take you 30 seconds after all. :)

Maybe the Best Birthday EVER

Yes, my birthday is in November, but I didn't get one of my gifts until last weekend. My awesome, wonderful, loving husband got me an appointment to meet Magellenic penguins at the St. Louis Zoo! It was supposed to be a small affair, with a tour guide and only one other couple. BUT, the other couple canceled the morning of the tour, so it was just Martin and me! I was so excited!!! I tried to feel bad for the other couple, but I was just so darn excited!


We saw where they lived, where their food was prepared, and the HUGE room that keeps all of the circulation tanks for their clean air and water. It was amazing. Then, at the end of the tour, two Magellenic penguins waddled out! They were brother and sister. The sister, Shadow, was afraid of her brother, Fidget. She kept to the corners, and when she tried to come up, he would fight with her. He kept nuzzling my lap, and he sang to me twice! It was magical. Our tour guide's name was Meg White. However, she had no social anxiety, because she was VERY chatty. She was extremely knowledgeable and welcoming. She also gave me a free, stuffed Gentoo pengy!


It was an amazing day, and it's one I won't soon forget. I want to publicly thank my husband for being the best gift-giver ever and always making my gifts seem inadequate and impersonal. :)

#3 and Counting?

Feeling a bit nostalgic about the holidays, I went back and checked my posts for December '06 and December '07. Last year we saluted the great Mary Steenburgen for her work in not one, but TWO, Christmas classics. This year she racked another one up with "Four Christmases." From what I hear, this one won't be going into the classics column with Elf and One Magic Christmas, but I think it still deserves a lookey-loo. I'm going to try to hit that one up this weekend* (even though it is only 88 minutes long and labeled a dud by Sissy). Speaking of Sissy...even if the movie sucks, at least I'll still get to see Sissy Spacek.

So, Ms. Steenburgen, faithful partner of Ted Danson, we commend you on a third holiday flick. Let's see how many more you can shoot in the upcoming years.

*I'll probably just get to the ticket counter and blurt out Twilight, though. I'm missing Forks and all of its inhabitants.

YIPPEE!!!

Christmas break was supposed to start tomorrow, but SCHOOL WAS CANCELED TODAY!!! And guess who doesn't care if there's an extra day added on to the end of this year? THIS GUY! Even if I wasn't el prego (and had to make it up in June) I wouldn't care. An early start to Christmas break is a gift one doesn't get too often, so I'm reveling in it. I watched some Ellen this morning and moved on to the Griswolds. After a leisurely lunch, I have addressed all my Christmas cards. I'm hangin' out in my bright orange fleece-lined Old Navy sweatpants and Bears hoodie. I'm also rockin' some stellar green and red Holiday toe socks with penguins on them. I look so hot right now. The 5-disc-DVD-changer is loaded with Christmas movies, and this has been one of the best days ever*. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year!!!


*For more on another one of the best days ever, check back tomorrow.

Seriously?

You don't want to direct these beauties again?

Really? Yeah? You're saying that? You're nuts.

Catherine Hardwicke has chosen not to sign up for the next Twilight film adapation, New Moon*. In fact, Sissy reports that the only actors to have been signed+ so far are the star-crossed leads, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Rumors have it that Taylor Lautner, who plays third angle, Jacob, hasn't been signed yet, because they don't know if they can make him look burly enough. Again...REALLY? It's called a movie adaptation! So he won't be 6'5"...Who cares??? Only dimwitted little teenage girls who want the films to look EXACTLY like the book reads. Oh, well...I should be in charge...of everything.

*Thanks to Alyssa for passing on this Yahoo! article.
+If Mike Dexter doesn't come back, I'm not going!!! He's a god!

And the Winner Is...

Of course it caught my eye when one of Yahoo!'s top stories today was the Top 25 Teen Idols. I've built my life around them. From the Monkees to the New Kids to Take That to NSYNC, I've loved them all. (I even flirted with Menudo a bit, but the language barrier was too much.) I have to admit that even I was a bit surprised with the #1 teen idol...very happily surprised, but surprised nonetheless. Was it Spears? No. The Tumberfoot? He wishes! Tanya Tucker??? Wait...how did she even get on that list!?! (Um, it wasn't her either.)

His work often goes unrecognized. (He's often overshadowed by David Cassidy, who followed in his gooey, heartbeatey footsteps in the 1970's.) When I first saw him, at the ripe ole age of 8, I was instantly in love: his accent was to die for, his back-and-forth dance movements divine (and oh so easy for an awkward, uncoordinated 8 year old to mimic), he was so cute and little (just a bit taller than me!) and his puppy dog eyes! Ah! I was in love!!! I was convinced I would marry him...even when my dad broke the news to me that his show was simply in re-runs, and he was in his late forties. I was unperturbed. I didn't care. I would find that little jockey wannabe from Manchester, bring him to Champaign, and convince him that we were meant to be.

It's the one...

The only...

DAVY JONES!!!

To see the rest of the list*, click HERE. (I cannot express enough how glad I was that it wasn't Miley Cyrus. However, the fact that she's in the Top 3 is disappointing.)

*I did have a lot of problems with the list, but I thought I'd revel in Davy's glory rather than pick it apart and try to figure out why BSB is higher than NSYNC, and the Beatles are completely absent...but maybe I'll save that for another day.

Vince Trumps the Vamps!?!

Move over, Edward & Bella! There's a new couple in town!

I guess he's still money, cause puffy, pudgy, still lovable lil baby, Vince Vaughn, dethroned teenage America's favorite film, Twilight, from the #1 spot at the box office. His second holiday fest in two years, Four Christmases, co-starring Academy Award winners Reese Witherspoon and Sissy Spacek, came in at the top spot this past T'giving weekend. Maybe everyone wanted to be festive and see family dysfunction, sprinkled with a bit of dry heaves, Favvy-Favreau, and mayonnaise salad, instead of feasting their eyes on the vampires of Forks. Well, I chose the latter, but I'm sure I'll get to la Savoy soon to see the Christmases x4...that is if my iron levels don't drop too low first.

Who would you rather see???


OR