'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

With no flight to be found, so we're here at the Hyatt, while we're stuck on the ground...

Yes, in an unexpected turn of events, we're spending Christmas Eve at the Hyatt Regency in Pittsburgh (on Delta's dime). Although it's not the traditional holiday we're used to, we're trying to make the best of it.

Our room... pretty nice!

We were given meal vouchers, so we grabbed lunch from Au Bon Pain and brought it back to the room.
Tonight we had our Christmas Eve dinner at the Olive Press, the Hyatt's restaurant...
After dinner, we played Wii Bowling in the lounge - not bad!
Posing by the tree in the lobby... Hanging out in the lobby...
Now we're settled in our room watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' - and with any luck we'll be on our way in the morning. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas at the Zahnisers...

This Saturday we had our 'Christmas Morning' at our house. We ate fresh baked cinnamon rolls while the cats opened their presents and then had breakfast casserole before tearing into our stockings. It was a great Christmas. Enjoy the photos.

The tree with presents...

Bear's favorite gift. Jim calls it his Man Cave...

Another popular item, "The Kitten Mitten"...

A BIG gift for Jim...

It's a new desktop computer...

Carrie's BIG gift from Jim. An aquamarine flanked by 2 diamonds in white gold...

Posing by the tree before dinner out with friends...

We went to Bravo with our friends from YMC, Chris & Karen, and Nate & Heather.

A To-Do List for Christmas....

I know we all have a lot of things on our plate (and I don't just mean cookies- ha!) this time of year, but here is a list of things I consider to be neccessities at Christmas time.

1. Give generously... to loved ones and strangers. Giving presents is my favorite thing about Christmas.
2. Go to church... Even if you don't ususally. What better time of year to give it a try?
3. Eat a seedless satsuma (mandarin) orange. They are in season right now and are a Christmas staple at the Godwin residence.
4. Watch 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' - another Godwin tradition.
5. Build a fire in the fireplace (or watch one for free on TV with Comcast ON Demand)
6. Eat nuts that you shell yourself.
7. Open 1 present on Christmas Eve.
8. Sing along with Christmas music on the radio... It will be over soon so you might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
9. Stop counting calories... it's only one week.
10. Spend time with people you love.

Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - The Dark Knight

Well, Saturday night we finally got around to viewing the latest Batman sequel, The Dark Knight. I have to say that I greatly prefer this current incarnation of the Batman series to the 1990s Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and whoever-else-played-Batman version. Those movies were just too campy for me. I really enjoyed Batman Begins and was looking forward to seeing this next installment.

I must say that overall, this film was a dissappointment for me. Maybe Heath Ledger's death around the time of the film's release clouded some of the judgement of critics. I really think that his performance as the Joker was over-hyped. And at times, I found him to be downright distracting. Having said that, the Joker has some of the most insightful lines of the film, which I will elaborate on later. The replacement of Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes by Magie Gyllenhaal didn't really do much for me either. And yes, that thing that they did with Batman's voice was annoying too.

In a nutshell, this movie was slowmoving and at times confusing. The longer the movie went on, the less interested I became in the plot, but a strange thing happened. I found myself becoming very interested in the question that the film raises - how do you fight a war against an absolutley evil enemy that cannot be reasoned or negotiated with? Sound familiar?

Gotham has descended into chaos; corruption has found its was into every corner of the city. Along comes the Joker and takes this madness to a new level. Batman is faced with an enemy that doesn't have a typical material motive - he just wants to see the whole system burn. The Joker has some great twisted insights on morality that I found to be some of the most compelling lines of the movie. As for our hero, he is faced with some tough choices. He engages is torture; there is illegal wiretapping and temporary suspension of basic rights; the people of Gotahm are told things that aren't true under the guise of being for their own good. Again, any of this sound familiar?

Along the way, Batman takes on the heavy burden of fighting this war. He is villified by his friends and enemies for going to far in his fight against the Joker. But he is convicted that what he is doing is necessary; maybe not morally correct, but necessary. There is a great line by one of the hostages in the film. Faced with a moral dillema, he laments that "no one is willing to get their hands dirty" to resolve the situation. Well, The Dark Knight is all about getting his hands dirty.

At he end of the day, Batman doen't betray his most important core value, but he crosses the line and pushes the envelope about as far as it can be pushed, far beyond what those around him are willing to tolerate. As his butler Alfred puts it, he will have to "burn the whole forest down" to win this war. He finds himself alone and his image tarnished. I'm guessing that his approval rating is at about 28%. So much for the rewards of public service.

So, did I like this movie? Well, I didn't really like the movie, but I loved the questions that it raised and am looking forward the where all of this leads Batman in the next installment. I think it would make for some lively political discussions, but that's not enough for me to recommend The Dark Knight. I have to reluctantly say, "Dont go."

Does This Pose Make Me Look Fat?

What kind of cat sits on his butt like this?

Ours, apparently... What a weirdo :) Here is another view with his front paws holding his tail.

Maybe this is some kind of cat yoga??

Best Lines from Bad Christmas Song #5, 'Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart'

A crowded room
Friends with tired eyes
Im hiding from you
And your soul of ice


Nothing says Merry Christmas like a bitter ex.

This is Your Cat. This is Your Cat on Drugs...

We were wrapping presents for the cats tonight and so we had out some catnip to sprinkle in the packages (makes the unwrapping process a little more exciting for them). Anyway, we locked them out of the room while we worked but they could smell the catnip through the door. So when we finished, we gave them each a little. If you've never seen what happens to a cat on catnip, here's a clip... (no kitties were harmed in the making of this video)

Best Lines from Bad Christmas Song #2, 'Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time'

The word is out
About the town
To lift a glass
Ahhh don't look down

What... is he on a ladder?

Best Lines from Bad Christmas Song #1, 'Step Into Christmas'

I'd like to sing about all the things
Your eyes and mind can see
So hop aboard the turntable
Oh step into Christmas with me

Holiday Poll...

Those of you that have heard our Christmas CD already know what Holiday songs we like. Here's your chance to view our most hated songs and weigh in on your least favorite selection. These are the tunes that truly make us cringe. See poll to the right...

Each day this week we'll reveal some choice lyrics from one of these gems, so check back.

Jim's Item of the Week...

Throw away those bland "big box store" ornaments, and deck the halls with something really old-school. Instead of going to a hundred yard sales looking for vintage decorations, make your life easy and pick up a set of Christopher Radko's authentic "Shiny Brite" ornaments... just like Grandma had. Although they are not the "real" thing, they are exact replicas of the vintage Shiny Brite designs of yesteryear... even down to the packaging. They come in sets of various shapes and sizes. This set (below) retails at Macys or Macys.com for $39.99, however you can almost always get 1/2 off on Christmas stuff this time of year. Yes, they are more expensive than what you will find at Target, but they are well made and will keep your tree looking 'shiny and brite' for years to come.

Have Bags, Will Travel...

Since we do a fair amount of air travel, Jim and I decided it was time for new luggage. We looked at several places, but ended up scoring this online at Macys.com during the Black Friday sales. These are from the Tommy Hilfiger Fieldhouse Collection. Jim chose the brown set and I chose the Navy. Can't wait to try them out!


His...
Hers...

Thanksgiving Recap / Christmas Ramp-up...

After spending a wonderful day with Jim's family in Greenville on Thanksgiving and scarfing down plenty of delicious food, we drove back to Pittsburgh and regrouped for Friday, aka 'Thanksgiving Reloaded'. Rather than hitting the crowded malls for the day, we spent the morning relaxing and then popped the bird in the oven (15 lbs- for 2 people) around noon. By 3pm, our feast was ready. Here are a few shots of the food... which we are still eating today (Tuesday) - and we still have leftovers. I don't care, Thanksgiving food is my favorite meal.

You didn't think we'd leave the kitties out, did you? Here they are, enjoying a little turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.

Bear was chowing down...

We also took time over the long weekend to get the Christmas decorations up...

Here is a close up of the new hand-knitted stockings we got this year. The big ones are from http://www.annieswoolens.com/ and they are such nice quality. I am really happy with them. The kitties stockings came from http://www.flyingcatsandcars.com/ and I got them embroidered to match ours. In case you can't see the detail, Bear's has a black kitty and Bailey's has a white one.

Deep Thought of the Day...

Years ago, Jim and I had a pastor at Bethany in Grove City who told us that this season is not just about Thanksgiving, it's about 'Thanksliving'. Kind of a corny saying, but there's truth behind it. It's nice that we give thanks on one day in November, but it would be better if we lived our lives with gratitude on a daily basis. How does that play out? Well, I think it starts with not approaching life with a sense of entitlement, but rather being gracious and humbly accepting everything God has blessed us with. And also realizing that we are not always going to have things easy. We are told we will face trials and temptations... but that should not diminish our gratefulness to God.

All that being said, the Thanksgiving holiday does provide a good jumping off point for getting us in the mindset of gratitude... Particularly heading into the Christmas season, which is a time when we can get overwhelmed with busyness and stress. Remembering the little things we are grateful for can help make the season a bit more peaceful.

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

L.L. Burrrr...

Today was the day of the Grand Opening of L.L. Bean at Ross Park Mall. Since Jim was taking the day off, he agreed to go early and try to be one of the first 500 customers so he would get a free gift card. Mind you it was 26 degrees this morning, with a wind chill making it feel like 4.

When I called him at 8:15, he had been outside the store for 25 minutes and was around number 460 in line. The doors opened at 9, but it took him another half an hour to actually make it to the entrance. His feet were pretty much frozen solid by that point. In the end, he was rewarded for his efforts with a $25 gift card. Here are some snapshots from his adventure.

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Jim's view of the line behind him....

The glimmering oasis...
This is what my mother would call a "hornet's nest"....
The BIG boot...
This is my favorite picture...

Free Stuff from the Doctor....

Dr. Pepper that is.

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on http://www.drpepper.com/ . They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Why, you ask? The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the new Guns N' Roses album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

I don't personally care about the album, but I'll take the free pop (that's soda to you in Pittsburgh) :)

Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - Get Smart

Somewhere around the age of 6 or 7, Get Smart was my favorite TV show. I would faithfully watch it in reruns back in the day when we could only get three, maybe four channels. Glligan's Island and Gomer Pyle rounded out my after-school viewing trilogy. I like to think that my taste in entertainment has become a bit more sophisticated since then.

Get Smart is the latest in a long list of remakes of classic 1960s TV hits. I guess Hollywood thinks that there is a market for bringing these shows to the big screen, even though it seems like most of them are disappointing. I reluctantly have to say that Get Smart falls into that category.

The characters have been updated and placed into the present day. This time around, Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) still works for the super-secret agency, CONTROL. Unfortunately, he's only an intelligence analyst, dreaming of becoming an agent in the field. But after the agency is attacked by their arch-rival organization, KAOS, the Chief (Alan Arkin) finally gives Smart his chance. And of course, Smart get paired up with the lovely Agent 99, played by Anne Hathaway. Tha't pretty much all you need to know - I won't bore you with any more details.

Some of the spirit of the original show is there — both the good guys and bad guys are at times bumbling idiots. There are secret agent gadgets, some humorous cameos, and a few funny lines. Notice I said "a few" - that's the problem. I just didn't find this movie that funny.

On paper, I thought Carell looked like a good choice to play Maxwell Smart, but for me, he was the usual Steve Carell character. Most of the time I thought that I was watching Michael from The Office. And the classic Maxwell Smart catchphrases just seemed forced coming from him. Again, Anne Hathaway seems like a great choice, but her Agent 99 is not very likable for most of the movie. Carrie thought she was just plain mean.

There are some top-notch action scenes worthy of any spy movie, but that's not enough for me to recommend this movie. Here it comes... Missed it by that much! - I say, "Don't Go."

Website of the Week...

Here's another cool website that Carrie found. Expressionery.com features custom stationary stamps, as well as many other personalized items including gift packs, embossers and notecards. As for the stampers, these handy little devices will add some flair to your mailings for the holidays, as well as any other time of the year. No matter what your style, they seem to have a custom design. These stamps are great for the backs of envelopes, or just get yourself some fancy paper, stamp it, and presto — you've got yourself a high-falootin' piece of stationary. And the best part is, now through the end of the year, they are offering 40% off your total purchase and free shipping. You can't beat that. Here's how our stamp turned out... pretty nice!
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Update: I've removed the image of our stamp due to unknown visitors to this site. Look for it on your Christmas card!

Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - Indiana Jones IV

In our effort to work our way through the entire Shia Labeouf film catalog (kidding), we recently watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about another Indiana Jones sequel. It had been a long time since The Last Crusade and I was skeptical — are George Lucas and Steven Spielberg just milking the franchise to make a few more million? Well, probably yes, but if the movie is good, then so be it. I'm a capitalist too.

The movie catches up with Indy (Harrison Ford, of course) during the 1950s. It's the Cold War and Communists have now replaced the Nazis as the villains. The plot is pretty complicated and involves commies, aliens, the mythical city of El Dorado and, as the title states, a crystal skull. But as with most Indiana Jones movies, you don't need to concern yourself with these kinds of details. It would be like taking in the scenery on a roller coaster ride.

The film has all of the things that you would expect — exotic locations, swarms of really big ants, quicksand, snakes and the obligatory Indy-leaping-from-vehicle-to-vehicle fight scene.

I have to admit that it was nice to see Harrison Ford back in the role of Indiana Jones. By the way, does this guy ever age? Sheesh - I hope I look that good when I'm 66! He delivers some funny one-liners and looks very comfortable in the old hat and jacket. Shia Labeouf does a fine job as Indy's sidekick and we even get a surprise appearance from one of Jones' old flames, who has her own surprise for Indy.

Was this movie as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark? No. But let's be honest, Temple of Doom was no masterpiece either. I think critics that did not like this movie are looking at the other films in the series with rose-colored glasses. This is a sequel that will fit in very well with the other films in the sure-to-follow boxed set. I say "Go."

Jim's "Item of the Week"

Just in time for Fall, the item of the week is the Casabella Grip Garden Rake. As usual, I was skeptical of this contraption, but after much protesting, Carrie talked me into giving it a try.

The unique feature of the rake is the removable end — the rake, actually. It has a convenient curved slot that allows you to hold the "raking" part of the rake, in effect turning you hands into rakes. Think Edward Scissorhands.

"What advantage does this give you while raking your leaves?" you may ask. Well, you know when you've got almost the whole pile of leaves placed into the bag, but there are still leaves on the ground? With the Casabella Grip Garden Rake, after removing the handle, you can easily gather up the remaining leaves with the detached end without having to stand up and re-rake, get back down on the ground and repeat until all of the leaves are bagged. This feature is also very helpful in flower beds or along the house; anywhere you may need to be on the ground or in tight surroundings. Trust me, it's much faster than trying to get those remaining leaves with just your hands. Clean-up's a snap!

This is from the product description... "a built-in grip in the head that allows you to easily scoop up leaves and debris after raking. The extra wide head and strong, yet flexible tines are designed for efficient clean up." (For those of you keeping score, that is the first time the word "tines" has appeared on our blog. Probably the last.)

The rake is also lightweight and the tines* (that's twice) do not seem to clog like our old, cheap Wal Mart rake. The sliding foam pad on the handle is also a nice touch.

We got our Grip Garden Rake at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $15. I liked it so much, we got two. Now Carrie has no excuse for not helping:)

Jim's "Music Minute"

I am by no means an expert on the genre of bluegrass, but in the last few years I have become more interested in traditional American music, bluegrass being in that category. Even though I may have only a remedial knowledge of the style, I can certainly tell when I'm in the presence of great musicians, and that was the case Thursday night at the Palace Theater in Greensburg.

There is a reason that Ricky Skaggs is a 13-time Grammy award winner - he's awesome. On this trip to Greensburg, he was backed by his 6-piece band, Kentucky Thunder. All of these guys are world-class musicians who were tight and in the pocket from the opening number to the obligatory encore. In a strange way, I felt like I was at the symphony. For those of you not familiar with bluegrass, it requires a tremendous amount of technical ability. Most of these guys could put any heavy metal shredder to shame. I was especially impressed with the lead acoustic guitar player, but each member of the band was equally skilled.

Skaggs played a nice mix of tunes from his more recent albums - traditional bluegrass favorites, some of his older songs re-arranged for bluegrass and just some of his favorites. He even put down his mandolin and played guitar on a few songs. Like jazz players, bluegrass musicians are all about keeping their music pure and true to the style, and Skaggs in no exception. His show was every much a bluegrass history lesson as it was a performance.

I should also say a few words about the venue. The Palace Theater is a wonderful place to see a show. It's a beautifully restored old theater in downtown Greensburg. It's not very big, so no seat is a bad seat. I highly recommend visiting their web site to check out their schedule. Find a show that you'll like and visit this gem.

After a very busy week, this concert was a welcomed oasis. Seeing live music is good for the soul - I should do it more often.

Here's a clip of Carrie's favorite song that they play.

Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - The Incredible Hulk

Another movie that I never got the see when it was in the theaters was The Incredible Hulk. You may ask, "Wasn't there a Hulk movie a few years ago?" Yes, there was, and it was not so good. I really can't remember anything from that move - I think that I actually fell asleep about half way through. I do remember that the Hulk was a very bright lime green for some reason, which they thankfully have corrected, among other things, in this 2008 version.

For the non-nerds out there, The Hulk is the monstrous, green alter ego of Bruce Banner. After being exposed to gamma rays during a botched lab experiment, Banner finds himself at risk of turning into the Hulk whenever his heart rate goes above 200. Needless to say, the lends itself to a transient, solitary lifestyle; ever-searching for a cure to his condition.

Marvel always does well when they stay faithful to the origins of it's heroes, and this time around they have done a top-notch job. Edward Norton is great as Banner - a mild mannered, intelligent guy that is desperately trying to contain the monster within himself. And what a stellar supporting cast - Tim Roth, William Hurt, Liv Tyler - WOW!. Superhero movies have come a long way from the days of B actors and cheesy special effects.

The was a very worthwhile second attempt at a Hulk movie. They re-booted the character and gave him his rightful place in the Marvel movie universe (stay tuned through the credits to see a cool cameo appearance from another Marvel movie character). Brilliant special effects, a compelling story and great actors - what more do you want?. There are even a few well-placed shout-outs to the 70s Hulk TV show.

The Marvel movie empire is going strong, and after this summer, I'm really looking forward to what they have in store for us in the next couple of years. I say, "Go."

Retro Hulk ------------------------------------ 2008 Hulk