Blizzard?

Hey, it’s still comin’ down.  Good time to post a journal update.  It’s been a long time since we’ve been snowed in.  Too bad it’s not a school day so all the teachers could have a break and the kids could go sledding – assuming they still do that.

Here in the USA, like many places, it’s the Christmas season.  Two things happen: good feelings around family and friends engenders giving presents and warm hugs; then there’s stress, commercialism, over-indulgence and crazy expectations.  As years pass, I’ve begun to wonder if it’s all worth it.  I guess some Christians can still enjoy what’s left.  Personally, I’m discouraged.

But, I’m not sad.  There’s the new movie: “Avatar.”  I’ve waited since summer for this one.  SAM was a good sport and went along to the first morning showing on opening day. She liked it. I give it a WOW!  One of the great movies – up there with LOTR visually.  The story and characters weren’t “Citizen Kane,” “Gone with the Wind,” “Godfather,” “Blazing Saddles,” or “The Wizard of Oz,” but not bad.  3D is an enhancement here, unlike “UP” where it’s fine without.

Buckle up and go see it.

Videos, movies, etc. or passive story telling are picking up speed.  I’m afraid SAM and I are one of the last generations that still read words and see our own fantastic images in our mind (not someone else’s ideas.)  Oh well.  Recently I’ve enjoyed “The Big Burn” a tale of the founding of the US Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir and TR and a horrific forest fire in 1910. SAM burns through four books for every one of mine.  Lately, she’s liked: “Empire Falls,” “Razor’s Edge,” “I Know This Much is True,” and “On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.”

My son tipped me to a new class of non-portable computers, sort of a “nettop” that is very small yet can function as home theater appliance or a desktop replacement for medium duty.  Examples are the Dell Zino, Apple Mini, Acer Revo and the Asus Eee Box. They’d probably be OK technically for most office work, but that’s another deal where egos have to be accommodated as well.  Oh, how I miss all that.  HTPC? check out Boxee.

Our season’s holiday cards are out (early for me) just in time for a story in the WaPo about falling traffic in this great analog tradition, chore and expense.  I for one love getting cards and even those well spun summaries of the last year.  Now that folks are learning to attach stuff to an Email, the end of the holiday card, like the polar bear, is inevitable.  If you didn’t get your card, I either don’t have your address or we never got along very well.  SAM and I had a wonderful year.  If you can stand hearing more about it, just click on the gondola.

And of course, all our best wishes to you and family this season and for the coming year.