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

Bi-party-san...

Tuesday marked our 3rd election party. Jim and I held our first one at the Jam House in 2000 when we had just been dating for a year. Our prior parties have been heavily right-leaning, but this year we had a mix of Democrats and Republicans, and no fights broke out- maybe because we had two viewing rooms. Although the evening did not end with the result we were hoping for, we still had a good party...

First, some shots of the decorations...
We ate on color-coded plates...
Um... I see a lot of blue plates here...
We had plenty of food...We served "Left Wings" and "Right Wings" - They were a hit...

Here's hoping for a better outcome in 2012 :)

Useless Information...

So apparently, Marissa has tagged me. Not really sure what that means, but I guess I’m supposed to blog 7 interesting things about myself. That might be a stretch- I’m not really that interesting...

1) I like to invent things. Unfortunately, none of the inventions make it past me thinking them up. I was recently reminded of one that I thought of years ago: African-American band-aids. Why are band-aids automatically peach colored? In other parts of the world, are they still that color? That makes no sense. I was reminded of this the other day when I saw a black woman buying clear band-aids. Maybe that is supposed to be the solution, but I still think our band-aids are racist.
-Another good invention is a mapping website where you can type in all the places that you need go (in no particular order) and it orders them in the most efficient route so you don’t backtrack and you save gas. Maybe this already exists, but I haven’t come across it yet.

2) I would live at DisneyWorld…. no, really. Even though it is not Disneyland, which I am more nostalgic about, it is bigger and in many ways better. Jim and I both love it and can’t wait to go back. Being there makes me feel like a kid and the stress of the real world is gone.

3) I have a theory that every other week is long. So if I have a week that flies by, the next week drags on forever. The only break I’ve found to the pattern is when we’re on vacation. In vacation world, one week seems like a day- vacations are always over too quickly.

4) I love candy. Jim says candy is for kids, but I can’t help myself- I adore it. Not even 'grown up' candy like Dove dark chocolates... I'm talking about old-fashioned pure-sugar goodness, like Skittles, Necco wafers, gum drops, Sour patch kids, the list goes on…

5) I have zero sense of style. Clothing stores intimidate me because most of the stuff that is ‘in’ looks totally weird to me. Obviously I just don’t understand the trends because everyone else likes the stuff and wears it and looks great. I think I need to go on ‘What Not to Wear.’ I’m not as bad as some of those people, but I’m still pretty clueless. I mostly just go for comfort and practicality. Bo-ring!

6) I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I never pictured myself in a 9-5 desk job, which is where I am, and I think I could be doing something more fullfilling. I don’t mind my job, just not sure if I can do this the rest of my life.

7) I am a germ-a-phobe. I’m not completely OCD about it, but borderline. I don’t touch doorknobs, elevator buttons, etc. I have developed work-arounds for most common situations so I don’t have to touch anything I think is ‘contaminated.’ Hotel rooms generally freak me out. Ironically, I probably get sick about the same amount as everyone else.

Ok, all done. I’m tagging Jennifer! And I’m hoping Jim will contribute his own list as well.