So long '07

Another year draws itself to a close.

I've got no complaints. 2007 saw us buy our own house. Good friends moved back home. The kids grew, our families survived.

I've got no great expectations or resolutions for 2008, other than to take it as it comes. One day at a time.

Picked up the Land of the Dead game for the XBox. It's tough. I've been getting served by a bunch of zombies. I'll need to dedicate a night or two to some serious game play if I hope to make any progress.

I also got both From Hell and V for Vendetta for Christmas. Read them both already. I've grown to be a huge fan of Alan Moore now. Thinking about doing a V costume for Halloween. The challenge there being doing an authentic comic version versus the film.

Currently, the search is on for an affordable wood burning stove for the office. It remains to be seen if that will come to pass.

Merry Meme

Mycalls posted this, so I'll share the yule cheer.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper for the kids, bags for everyone else.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real tree and wreath this year.

3. When do you put up the tree? The second weekend of December, usually.

4. When do you take the tree down? In the past, when it was good and dead. This year I suspect it'll be sooner.

5. Do you like egg nog? Hood's new gingerbread flavored is really good.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Anything Star Wars, most of which I still have. And the aforementioned Green Machine.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? We have an incomplete one somewhere. I was thinking of filling in the missing players with action figures.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My parents. They really don't need any more shit.

9. Easiest person to buy for? The kids. They're more than willing to express their desires.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail this year. usually I just forget all together.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My grandmother gave me a horrid sweater one year. Damn near scarred me for life.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? It's a toss up between A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? In earnest around mid November.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Indeed.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Italian cookies. Eggnog, pumpkin pie.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? We usually have clear, but the kids voted for colored this year.

17. Favorite Christmas song? "Merry Fucking Christmas" from the South Park Mr. Hankey album. "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" still gets me, mostly because it's always relevant.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We do a bit of traveling.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Did I mention I have kids? That'd be a yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Last year we had a Darth Vader head. This year, a star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People being rude because they are so frazzled... it seems to get worse every year.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I've got a boatload of Star Wars ornaments. Enough said.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Homemade pizza and chocolate soy milk. That'll do just fine.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A wood burning stove would keep me happy

All I want for Christmas Part 2

Is to be small enough to take one of these for a spin again. I had many a great adventure on my Green Machine.

Cloverfield Clip

Always Look On the Bright Side

Sure, it's only the first week of December and we've had a solid week of sub-freezing temps and varying amounts of that silly white stuff kids seem to love. It's been unpleasant and a bit of an adjustment, true. But on the plus side, it's perfect zombie weather. If this was post outbreak, most of the zombies would be frozen now. The ones that were still mobile would be very slow. Sure, it wouldn't be totally safe, but you could move around pretty freely and be able to off a good number of them.

Not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

I'll up the positive ante by mentioning I am also the proud owner of a pretty good sledding hill. It's not giant, but a plastic saucer would get you flying pretty good. In addition, there'll be enough snow to create an army or two of three foot snowmen.

Pretty, pretty good.

My Little Girl

Kids are funny.

Last night I stopped by Newbury Comics with Isabel. I had a few presents to pick up for co-workers, and I figured she wouldn't mind tagging along. As we were walking down one of the toy aisles, she spotted a plush doll and demanded to get down so she could see it. She grabbed it off the shelf, clutched it tight and started repeating "Baby doll! baby doll!" I couldn't get her to let go of it. She was in love. With this:


Nicholas, three years older than her, is scared of it. Isabel loves it so much, she slept with it all night, holding it in her arms.

You never can tell.

All I want for Christmas

Is the return of the Sears Wish Book



PS: Plush Pac Man is hungry for you

Stupid Couch

The behemoth has returned. When KG and I had our first apartment together, and she was preggers, we bought this huge as couch from Jordan's. It's big. It's been sitting in my parent's garage for years because we couldn't fit it through the door at our last apartment.

I haven't missed it.

Now, after finally getting our office/rec room in order, the bastard has been returned to me.

I'm not happy, yo.