this is gonna be a long one.

home again home again jiggety jig.

a whole 2 weeks off.
man has that been great!
i haven't had a break like that in years...at least...not one that didn't also qualify as unemployment, which does NOT feel like vacation.

( family and xmas stuff )

( new years and friend stuff )

i saw two movies while i was on break. no spoilers below.
seven pounds was the first. and i will say it was enjoyable. but it was not at all what i expected from the preview. i expected something of an action/mystery movie...instead it was a disjoined emotional roller coaster. it was well acted and well directed and is based on a great idea....but i don't think it was well written. it is not a movie i will want to watch again. 2 stars.
doubt, on the other hand, was probably the finest movie i've seen since pan's labrynth, although completely different from that movie. it was extremely finely crafted in just about every way i can think of. it is about a power conflict in a catholic school - so the subject matter will not be to everyone's taste. but it was right up my alley. to start with, the acting was nothing short of exquisite. meryl streep is always good, but this time she is complimented by the rest of the cast performing right up to her caliber - even the children and small roles are excellent and sometimes powerful and poignant. the set is great, really showing the shabbiness and industrial feel of 1960's east coast catholic schools. every piece of furniture looks like it is from exactly the right period (to my untrained eye, anyway). everything in this movie looks appropriate to the time - and this is important because although this movie touches on issues of sexuality that have profound relevance for our church and society today, there was a different attitude about many of these things (this is set just just after kennedy's assasinaction - about the time of the second vatican council 1962-1965), and a powerful force of change in the church. which brings me to the direction. which is great. the story is told in a linear way with powerful use of expressions in silence. wind is used continuously through the movie, representing change. positions are suggested rather than stated. questions are almost not asked between characters, and yet are clearly communicated all the while extending to the audience and suggesting profound theological insights. This movie is directed in a way that draws you deeper and deeper into the questions instead of solidifying your opinions. not to say you will not have an opinion about what really happens at the end of the movie. but your opinion will be just that. only an opinion. and the audience as well as the characters must take a good look at the meaning and the value of doubt. it gets 5 stars in my book. :)

i arrived home on friday night.
ross picked me up. we had a truly lovely friday night/saturday, making the most of my last couple of days with no alarm clock and staying up late. all the warmth and affection of the past two weeks seemed to drift between us. we watched the 10th kingdom (one of my stocking gifts to ross) and i loved it.  i ignored the phone and left the grocery list alone. i cuddled my very-missed cats.
sunday was spent with the in-laws and was boring and tedious and uncomfortable - but not as bad as it could be. we came home with a great deal of bison meat, a dvd of old johnny carson comedy acts, and some stuff we will have to re-gift as neither of us like cashews much. we got the xmas tree down and the dvd collection moved and the corner of our living room is ready to be viewed by the fireplace people who are coming to see if we have a reasonable hope of getting a gas fireplace installed. it will be gas, and not what either of us would most like. but it will greatly improve our quality of life to have a fireplace in the house, so a compromise is in order. we will see what we can do.

work today is still pretty slow, which is very nice. and a lot got cleaned up over the holiday lull. i am about half-way through the e-mails that piled up while i was gone. rachel and jerad are planning to come to dinner tomorrow and we are hoping to see susan and corrin later in the week.

meme from plsurkity

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
oatmeal apricot freesia. handmade by me. :)

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
er......not in the refrigerator per se....but chunked up in the freezer? yes. good for making cocktails.

3. What would you change about your living room?
fireplace. REAL fireplace.
and an alpaca rug
and some of the furniture and media center downstairs.

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
dirty

5. What is in your fridge?
leftover soup, milk, eggs, oj, bread, some veggies, leftovers from dinner last night.

6. White or wheat bread?
wheat.

7. What is on top of your refrigerator?
seed germination container and seeds. at night my lunch bag lives up there too.

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain?
dreadful. it has wolves on it.

9. How many plants are in your home?
11

10. Is your bed made right now?
no. i make it. ross does not. i get up first on weekdays.

11. Comet or Soft Scrub?
best stuff

12. Is your closet organized?
somewhat, but it needs help.

13. Can you describe your flashlight?
we have many. the one i use the most is a small red maglight.

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic when you're at home?
glass.

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
no. i don't drink ice tea much in the winter.

16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
yes and yes.

17. Curtains or blinds?
both.


18. How many pillows do you sleep with?
two.

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
no. ross can't stand it.

20. How often do you vacuum?
i try and usually fail to vacuum once a week.

21. Standard toothbrush or electric?
regular. i might go to electric....but we don't have room in the bathroom.

22. What color is your toothbrush?
blue-green.

23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch?
no, but we should.

24. What is in your oven right now?
empty shelves.

25. Is there anything under your bed?
the guest bed has wrapping paper under it.
our bed has some bags under it, but nothing else.

26. Chore you hate doing the most?
anything in the garage.

27. What retro items are in your home?
not a real fan of retro.

28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office?
ross and i share an office. it would be better if we didn't though.

29. How many mirrors are in your home?
two. one small one in the guest room and one over the sink in the bathroom. we need to do better with that.

30. What color are your walls?
in what room? the kitchen and dining room are gold/yellow. the living room is cream room, the office is green, the guest room is white, the basement and stairway are unfinished and the bedroom is natural wood.

31. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home?
yes. we have a functional sword, 2 bo staves and several guns in the house. i don't like to think about them in actual use.

32. What does your home smell like right now?
lots of things. i need to clean.

33. Favorite candle scent?
citrus.

34. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now?
dilly beans and dill pickles, cherry peppers and pepperocini

35. What color is your favorite Bible?
green nrsv.

36. Ever been on your roof?
close when i was cleaning the gutters, but no, not really.

37. Do you own a stereo?
yes. we have BIG plans for it.

38. How many tvs do you have?
one. and that is all we need.

39. How many house phones?
ross and i each have a cell.

40. Do you have a housekeeper?
not yet.

41. What style do you decorate in?
warm and cozy with a touch of arts n' crafts reproduction

42. Do you like solid colors in furniture, or prints?
solids or tweeds.

43. Is there a smoke detector in your home?
yes. two.

44. In case of fire, what are the items in the house that you'd grab if you could make one quick trip?
the cats and my bag of holding and as many books as i could grab.

new years meme stolen from ashoe

( cut for length )