Happy Thanksgiving...

This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

Meet the Robot...

In case you did not receive a postcard in the mail, I wanted to make you aware of Jim's upcoming gallery show, "American Artifacts". December 4th will also mark the debut of his re-branded freelance company, Red Robot Design and Illustration. Jim has been hard at work prepping for this show so we hope lots of you can make it. And of course, there will be food!

Yes, it's a funny cat video...

Item of the Week: Real Flame Fireplace Insert

I am a happy camper.

All the time we lived at our old house, I was disappointed that there was no fireplace, especially at the holidays. When we moved, things got better... We had a fireplace, but unfortunately it was not usable, as the chimney had been blocked off.

Enter the ventless gel-fueled ceramic fireplace insert. I originally saw this item in Plow & Hearth Catalog (they have lots of great stuff), but ended up getting it cheaper from Target.com. After some intial shipping confusion on their part, it has finally arrived and we set it up last night.

These ceramic logs have a holder under them for 2 cans of Real Flame gel-fuel (think of an over-sized sterno heater) However, there is something added to this fuel so that it crackles just like a wood fire. It also comes in a larger size that holds 3 fuel cans. We tested it out tonight and I am more than pleased. Now we can have, if not the heat, the look of a real fire all winter long.

I've included video here so you can see it in action...



Want one? Try here

Jim's "Go or Don't Go" - Transformers 2

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen reminded me of Jurassic Park III. You would think that more and bigger dinosaurs, and more people being eaten by these same dinosaurs, would be better than any previous Jurassic Park movie, but no. It turns out that after a while it became tiresome and a bit numbing. That's how I felt by the end of Revenge of the Fallen, tired and numb.

You could divide the action up into two categories in this movie: Explosions, and the time in between said explosions. Oh, there is a flimsy plot that sort of connects the explosions, and many of the cast from the first Transformers movie are there to run away from these explosions, but I don't count that as a significant part of the movie.

For the record, I enjoyed the original movie. One thing that I didn't like about the first film was that I found the fight scenes between the Decepticons (bad guys) and Autobots (good guys) a bit disorienting and hard to follow. Problem not solved for me in this one, and at almost 2.5 hours, I have to say after hour 1.5, I didn't really care. Just get it over with already.

Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox reprise their roles as Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes, and unfortunately, Kevin Dunn and Julie White are back as Sam's parents. Their "contribution" to the plot may been the most annoying part of the film for me.

The movie is rated PG-13, and for a film that is based on a line of toys, there was plenty of unnecessary profanity and crude humor. I never understand why filmmakers need to throw that stuff in in this type of film. Spiderman is a great example of a film that made billions of dollars by appealing to both kids and adults without stooping to that level.

If you want to rent a great action film that came out about the same time this year, see my review of Star Trek. If you like mindless pyrotechnics, this is your film. I say "Don't Go."

Jim's Beverage Corner...

An important update on the frappuccino front. While we were at the Monroeville Borders last week, we stopped in at the Seattle's Best Coffee located inside the bookstore. I tried one of their JavaKula blended drinks in the Chocolate Coffee Crunch flavor, and I have to say, it may be my new favorite mocha treat. It's flavor leans on the coffee side, which I prefer over chocolate. The crushed Oreos are what seals the deal for me. It's like a wonderful marriage of a frappuccino and a Blizzard! The guy that made mine even stuck a little chocolate stick in the whipped cream!If you enjoy frappuccinos, run, don't walk to your nearest Seattle's Best shop. You can thank me later.

Click the photo to find a store near you...

Halloween Recap...

Our Halloween festivities were spread over 2 weekends this year. This was the first time in a long time that we had a good excuse to dress up. We were invited to the annual Edgewood Acres Halloween party, a neighborhood gathering held down the street from our house. It featured a very elaborate haunted house in the basement. The homeowners told us it takes them 2 months to set up the scenes. Here are a few snapshots...

If you read Jim's recent movie review, you probably know that we both really liked the 2009 Star Trek flick. We couldn't pass up these costumes, especially since Jim got to carry a cool phaser.

On Halloween night, we got dressed up again and waited for the Trick-or-Treaters to arrive. One hour into the designated 2-hour time period, we had not had any kids (except for our friends the Moons who brought their adorable girls by in matching princess costumes). So at 7pm, we packed up our candy and headed over to church to participate in their Trunk-or-Treat event. Luckily, we found plenty of kids who were more than happy to take the candy off our hands. We finished off the evening with a screening of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," followed by "Young Frankenstein." It was a fun night and I'm already brainstorming costume ideas for next year.