Balmy SA, a nice place to spend a vacation. It's been a fun week here in the S'th. Lots of hanging out, lots of relaxing, and several third world nations-worth of eating. Dios mio man. Really. The foodstuffs of the week:
Tamales, Ham Sandwiches, Cookies*, Lard Kakers**, Ham, Potatoes, Chili, Enchiladas, Cheeseburgers, "Puppy Chow," Pizza, Taco Rice Casserole, Sonic, Pork Chops, Nachos, More cheeseburgers, Ribs, Chicken Fingers, and finally Neva's chicken, beef, potatoes and veggies dinner.
* - By cookies, I mean chocolate chip, butter, frosted, dipped pretzels, generally insane assortments of chocolates, Peanut Butter Cups, a general good God Y'all assortment.
** - Lard kakers pretty much served as the breakfast staple the entire week. In the grand Deb / Beck Kaker-Off, I think Deb beat Beck to the punch, clearly crossing the finish line first, but Beck won in the authenticity / tastiness categories. Either way, my dad was very happy all vacation long, dubiously combining "I need to lose weight"*** comments with kaker-face-stuffing. And chocolate cake for breakfast, the lard kaker heir apparent.
*** - Speaking of weight-loss, there's a rumor flying around the Rochester-Texas Sewing Circle that some sort of dieting contest is happening between now and the wedding, and the smallest winner / (ugh) biggest loser gets to be the mother of the bride. Interesting.
So yes, while in some circles 2007 may be the Year of the Pig (in a Box), in this particular circle (ha!) it's going to be the Year of Not Eating. A summer / fall with limited exercise (due to my foot) and a complete my-fault lack of restraint in dining At this particular instance in time there are 212 pounds of Nyet, and in order to be at a reasonable 23 BMI that needs to be down around 170. Interesting. I guess what I am saying is that I am throwing my hat in the collective ring; that I, too, want to be the mother of the bride. Somewhere, the ghost of Sigmund Feud is having an orgasm. But seriously - if anyone wants to send a prescription for amphetamines up my way, they will be duly taken. Or, if you're into Spanish, drunk.
So, in the interest of time, and since I successfully managed to not post at all from Texas (this post is being finished in the usual locale) (and in my defense it's a little difficult to write with people watching over your shoulder), here is a minimalist, one paragraph write-up of the vacation that was:
Sunday night, got in late for Christmas Eve festivities at the Ellises, and it was good to see Grandpa, Randy, Luann, Pat, Ron, Jordan, Frank, Paige, Aaron, Mom, Dad and Deb. We ate, presented, and stayed up very late playing imagine-iff (which I dominated, finishing metaphorical miles ahead of Jordan "2nd place" Engel). Christmas morning was the usual insane affair, though it started a good 2 hours later than normal - seems our youthful 5 am enthusiasm has waned of late. But good gifts, and good times. Dinner at Max's, more covert Timberlake discussion, and more good times. Tuesday we hit the Cafer, then showed Grandpa how to beat penguins bloody with a club, then Dad and I hit golf balls, then dinner and chill times at home. Wednesday, Dad AJ Wright and I went shopping then met up with Deb / Mom to see The Good Shepherd (see below). Wed. night Taco Rice casserole at home, and Thursday my dad and I played a catastrophically bad round of golf - I shot a 111, he shot a mumble mumble voice trailing off. In my defense, that is probably the fourth time in my life I've played a whole 18 holes of golf, and the last time was roughly my sophomore year in college; i.e. 8 years ago. In both of our defenses, the wind was blowing about 25-30 mph. Friday was another relaxed day, and we hit up the Texas Hamburger Company that night, a burger joint which quite oddly had neither a variety of cheese nor beer. Interesting. We went home to the Ellises to play a, hmmm, let's call it "ill-thought-out" version of the Amazing Race Home Version on DVD. I mean, wow, really. But not coincidentally, Deb, Paige and I won that as well. Huzzah. Saturday we hit up Chili's to celebrate "my birthday," which was fun, and that afternoon / night went to the wedding of a high school friend of mine Neva, which featured Neva's awesome singing *after* she had nearly broken down in tears during the vows. Tres professional. The reception was fun, Dewars was drunk and the unbeatable dancing of parental Johnsons and Ellises occurred, nary a tall girl's heart was broken, everyone dressed appropriately and no one fought on my last night in town; truly a memorable occasion. Oh, and the best man DID NOT refer to Neva's breasts in his toast. Because that would be inappropriate and awkward. My dad and I high-tailed it out the next morning at 5 am, I read a goodly amount of blush-inducing Scottish tales (tail?) on the plane rides home, and here I sit.
that about does it. I additionally managed to go running four times during the week, and I am fast on my way to a smaller version of myself. Not really. Starting... now. He said. Swallowing a brownie. The last brownie. I promise.
The Good Shepherd (2006): 59
It is entirely unshocking to me that this movie is getting mixed reviews. It's fairly slow-paced, meticulous, and given that the subject matter is spies, intrigue, and the birth of the CIA, amazingly actionless. I found it entertaining enough, but Damon's performance as a non-talker, straight and humorless spy was just that - so in a sense, it was a spot-on portrayal, but in another, it made for some un-riveting drama. Angelina Jolie was a wacko casting choice. There were some sadly predictable plot lines, and some rather poorly set up "big quotes" in the movie, as well as some entirely unresolved central mysteries. Blah. I did find the thing generally enjoyable, and I have to say the reason that people are left with such a negative impression is that whatever was working about this film in the first 2/3, when things were bouncing between present day 1960 and Dillon's start in the '40s, disappears once the flashbacks catch up. So, entertaining, but a far cry from "The Godfather of Spy Movies;" I think a big source of the problem might be that stodgy, privileged, Skull & Bones belonging, overly serious and blindly patriotic white dudes are perhaps just as thrilling as you might expect.
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