Rise of the Geek Squad

District 9 (B-) Solid Sci-fi actioner set in South Africa. Well, in the whole history of sci-fi, the aliens always appear in the United States, so why the hell wouldn't they appear over Johannesburg, for a change? You might think it's a satiric commentary on apartheid, but it's not. It's an action movie with elements of docu-drama to keep the movie's pacing going. This level of convolution is to hide the fact that director Neill Blonmkamp is the newest member of what I like to call, 'The Geek Squad'. Pardon me while I digress...

THE RISE OF THE GEEK SQUAD

In the beginning, there was George Lucas. A skinny hot-rodder from Northern California, he got into film after a near-fatal car crash. He went to USC to study, and made his name with a short film called 'THX-1138'. Also while there, he made friends with a gentleman named Francis Ford Coppola. Once they graduated, they formed their own film studio called 'American Zoetrope', where they could make films without studio interference. (It was their version of United Artists.) Lucas made an expanded version of his student film, 'THX', then made a crowd-pleasing little comedy set in the 'fifties called 'American Grafitti', which touched a nerve with film goers in the early 70's who were then in the middle of a nostalgia boom.

Then Lucas made 'Star Wars'. I'm sure there are lost tribes in the South Pacific who know who Darth Vader is, so I'll spare you the rehashing of the movie and the impact it's had on movie making since the late 70's. What 'Star Wars' is most responsible for, is the rise of a subset of filmmakers I like to call, 'The Geek Squad'.

The Geek Squad consists of filmmakers who favour style over content, who ooh and ah over the most mundane technical detail of the film making process, and who's eye for detail and ability to reference older films pushes out any concern for things like plot, characterization, or story. I think the problem kicked into high gear once CGI became so sophisticated it wound up shortcutting the creative process of problem solving for a film maker.

Please understand, I'm not trying to condemn a whole end of the movie industry here, I'm just trying to get a handle on a particular process of the filmmaking industry that's gone out of whack. The particular metaphor I'd like to use is of a cake. The film in and of itself consists of a cake with frosting. The story, the theme, the characterization is the actual cake itself, and the special effects are the icing. The trick is that you want the audience to eat the cake. (May I interject by pointing out that this is a very clumsy metaphor, but I'm stuck with it for now, and so are you.) The members of the Geek Squad that I'm going to list below are all united by their common ability to pile too much icing, as it were, on top of their metaphorical cake...

First, the Good: David Fincher, Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron. Sam Raimi. These are the guys who understand the balance between the icing and the cake. While they acknowledge that the special effects in their films are important, they are more than willing and capable to use complicated, time-consuming, expensive special effects in throw-away shots that last for maybe an instant on screen. (Not surprisingly, these guys tend to have money fights with the money people at the studios they're working for.) While the films they make aren't as timeless as Martin Scorsese's or as universally loved as Spielberg's, they've developed enough of a body of solid, substantial work to make any time you spend watching their films time well spent. I'm keeping an eye on Fincher, in particular. 'Fight Club' was an amazing piece of work that makes me think his best is still yet to come. What's interesting to note: they all got their start doing low-budget films, paid their dues, so to speak, and proved they all had the chops for bigger and better things. (Yeah, Fincher's got the type of career arc you'd see with Micheal Bay-about which terrible things are about to be written-but he's managed to shake off the various stigmas his early film career saddled him with.)

The Not-So-Bad: The Wachowski Brothers, Peter Jackson: While I officially like most of the films these guys have done, I have absolutely no desire to ever see any of them again. While they operate by the same standards as the Good guys in the above paragraph, they tend to get bogged down in the little details of the technical craft of film-making. One statement for the prosecution: Notice how the CGI characters in their movies tend to have more, well, 'Life' than the actual actors? Gollum, in the LOTR trilogy, has more personality than all the other characters combined. Their movies tend to drag from plot point to plot point, and you could play an endless game of "Who would you cast instead of (blank) in (movie) over (blank) with all their films. For instance, if you put Will Smith or Ewan MacGregor in the lead in the Matrix trilogy, you wouldn't get a different or better or worse movie out of it.

The Downright Should've-Been-Drowned-At-Birth-Ugly: Zack Snyder, Michael Bay, McG, Paul W.S. Anderson, Stephen Somners: Now we're in the dregs. These guys ram their production values down your throat with a chimney sweep brush. I'm pretty sure they all got their start doing commercials and music videos, and any thing that they've learned from their time in those trenches is something that they've never built on. Bay, in particular, is the most offensive. Every movie he's ever made looks like an extended Chevrolet car commercial. You know your film career's taken a turn for the worse when the nicest thing anyone can say about your work is that "The fight scenes were somewhat coherent"...

So where does Blonmkamp fit into all this? Right now, he's in 'not-so-bad' status. The thing is, he's making the wrong film. (The story involves a Michael Scott like bureaucrat getting infected by an alien fuel and slowly mutating into one of the disenfranchised aliens in the movie.) What the film needed to focus on more was his alien transformation. As it stood, the focus of the film was around the near-perfect CGI with the aliens and their armored combat suits-where Blonmkamp's short "Alive in Johannesburg" was centered around. Where he goes from here, in my estimation, is another version of Peter Jackson.



Patton Oswalt: My Weakness is Strong. (A) So what is this 'alternate comedy' of which the young people speak? Is it chuckles delivered from behind rectangular glasses and a flannel shirt underneath an ironic t-shirt of a teddy bear cuddling a honeypot and the words "Jesus Woves OO!" in script underneath? Well, my personal belief is that it's comedy that the audience gains the most enjoyment from when they themselves are bringing something to the experience. That is, their routines require that you, the audience, has a certain level of education and life experience that they are bringing to the venue that the comedian is performing in. Unlike, say, Dane Cook or Carlos Mencia, for example.

In Oswalt's case, the enjoyment derived is like listening to a slightly drunk English teacher with about fifty unpublished novels under his considerable belt. His work is literate and refined in that way you can imagine he writes out his work about a dozen times, field-tests it over and over again in clubs, and distills the best parts for us. With dick jokes. Also, there's always been an underlying glee and genuine enthusiasm in his work in that he just can't wait to bring up the absurdities in his life. It's why he got the part of the rat chef in 'Ratatouille', basically. He's truly enthralled about the things he likes, and he's equally thrilled over the things in life he hates. It's infectious.


Kate Beaton-Hark! A Vagrant (A)

How to describe the work of Kate Beaton? Well, here goes...

Kate Beaton is like your friend's bratty little sister, and you're over at his parent's basement, smoking shitty weed and playing 'Altered Beast' on his Sega Genesis. And Kate comes in and watches you both for a bit, with a sour expression on her face and her arms folded. Then she snorts, "Video games are gay!" And your friend goes, "Shut up, Kate! You're just here 'cuz you've got a thing for Tom!" And Kate turns red and shrieks in horror and says, "EWWWW! No way! I'm here to keep you two from having gay sex with each other!" And your friend throws the 'Altered Beast' case at her head as she runs off, cackling like a sea hag.

Then a short time later, Kate slinks back into the basement, stands really close to you, you look up and she shyly hands you a folded piece of paper, and says, "This is for you" while not looking you in the eyes. You open it and it's a cartoon of you getting double-dicked up the dirt pipe by Sir John A. MacDonald and Lester Pearson. You go, 'WHAT THE FUCK?', Kate runs off cackling again, your friend hits 'pause' , jumps up, chases Kate down and punches her in the upper arm. Kate squirms off, and runs upstairs crying, "I'M SO TELLING MOM YOU'RE SMOKING POT!" and slams the door behind her.

And several years later she gets a history degree, inflicts her rich, expressive comics on the world, and we all win.

First Comes Stumble...

Then comes fall. (Hardy har. Yes, I know.) But, honestly, when did this happen?! I know I posted a similar opening for August, but whoa up. *sigh* I guess I'm ready, though. Fall and winter are among my favorite seasons. And I realize that doesn't leave many others. You can guess where summer ranks.

Let's go with the to-do list!

1. Prepare for the new TV season. Ok--so preparing really doesn't mean much more than figuring out a weekly viewing schedule. I let tvguide.com/listings handle this for me.

2. Consider a closet purge. It would be a good time to go through clothes and shoes and donate some to Goodwill. They'll take books, too, but that one is a bit harder for me.

3. Remember birthdays! September is a huge birthday month for several people in my life. Off the top of my head, I'm counting 5 but should probably double-check. I probably need to go ahead and stamp some envelopes.


On the not-to-do list?


1. Allow myself to get overwhelmed at work. I started a new position about two weeks ago, and so far, so good. I just have to remember to say no to some things. (Sugar, notwithstanding.)

2. Forget to take some time off! The vacation day count is around 13, and I'm ready to cash in. :)

What's on your September calendar?

Work?

I don't think so. Today is about relaxing and recuperating, and to that end, I have a pile of magazines that aren't going to read themselves.

I do subscribe to several, and when I can't (or don't) get to them for a few weeks, I sort of feel overwhelmed. But a day like this makes that go away.

On the agenda are a few issues of New York Magazine (thanks again, K!), GQ (totally tacky cover about Michael Jackson), Real Simple, and a few catalogs. I am going to get a notepad, pen, and glass of water and just settle in. Usually I'm looking to write down new websites as well as bands, books, and movies. The variety of publications before me ensures a range of new discoveries.

Do you subscribe to any magazines?

Stop. Pause. Delay. Whoa up.

Some of the blogs, articles, and other communique that I've been reading lately have made mention to this idea. And it's definitely not a new one, but it's a good one to stumble upon from time to time.

Just stop and live in the moment. Observe what's around you and be thankful. (This is a general reminder to me as well; I'm not trying to be ultra-didactic.)

This thought struck me last Sunday as I was emptying my EnviroVac in the backyard. I just took a minute, looked around, and realized that all the things that I allow to bother me and get me down are pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. This is a view from my back yard. (The corn belongs to the neighbors.)

I'm thankful for my general health (stomach bug aside) and for having every material thing I really need. I'm thankful for blogs and chocolate and paper and (oh yeah!) friends. And for you for reading my blog. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ahh...Food...

In spite of my (hopefully) almost-gone stomach bug, I am reminiscing about a meal I recently had--at home, no less.

It's a cheeseburger! The very idea! Usually I'm not a big burger person, but every once in a while, I'm jonesing for one. I just used honey wheat bread. And those are zesty fries. Yes. Zesty. It's not exactly health food, but it's quite delicious.

Ahhhh....

One of my favorite things is to put condiments in a simple ramekin. It really churches it up, and I like the way it looks. Plus, it's so much easier to dip without the sauce getting all over the other foods.

I've had these for a long time and seem to remember getting them at Pier One for about $1 each. I hope you're digging our old-school countertops, too.

Sidenote: Ramekin is a difficult word. It's one that I see quite a bit but couldn't remember how to spell. It's not even in my Merriam Webster! I'm blaming the bug.

Argh.

In an attempt to get back to my life as I like to know it, I was going to do this nice post about slowing down and being grateful. I even have a nice picture. Then the ol' blogsite decides to not upload said picture. I tried many times. And then I was reminded that I'm not feeling well.

Since last Thursday I've been duking it out with what I'm hoping is only a little stomach bug--albeit a scrappy one. My diet has mostly consisted of chicken noodle soup and all manner of cracker--saltines, peanut butter and crackers, and, to round out the buffet, oyster crackers. Now my back is hurting, and I am so tired. Can I just whine for a minute?

......

Ok. That's a little better. That bug is putting up a good fight, but it will not get a TKO. Please stay tuned for more (and much better and more positive) posts very soon, hopefully when I'm back on solids.

Tommy Against Dirty

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love method. As they tend to do for their advocates, method sent me a little care package about a week ago. It was a flat box of four giveaway samplers, each with four mini versions of some of their most popular cleaners and coupons for full-size purchases.







As a thank-you to me, they included a little note on one side and a coupon on the other. I got this awesome T-shirt for free with my latest purchase!


It's American Apparel, people! And isn't it funny? I quite like it.

I Only Wanna Share It With You...

Confession: I have never been a huge 80s music fan. Several of my friends are quite appalled by this fact, but I stand by it. I am all 90s, all the way. However, there are definitely some jewels in the 80s crown, and Heart has to be right in the middle.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend Holly to see Heart at the Memphis Botanic Garden, and wow--what a show! Sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson are pushing 60, but they turned it out like I have not seen before. They played every song, including rock gems, classic ballads, and excellent covers of the likes of Led Zeppelin, with gusto and...well...what else? heart!

Songs included most of their hits, like "These Dreams," "Magic Man," and "Barracuda." Did you know that their hit "Crazy On You" is featured on Guitar Hero?! Holly was right; they totally ripped off Nancy's signature kick move.

But my favorite tune of the night was "What About Love." It's one of those seminal 80s songs that is just epic. When I think of music from that time, this is one of the songs that sticks in my mind. It's undoubtedly on every Time Life compilation from that decade. Don't let it slip away, people. Don't. Click that link and let me share it with you.

A Million Little Years Ago

I'm just a few years late on this one, but it's ok. And my picture (from realsimple.com) doesn't really have anything to do with this post, except I think it's what James may have looked like in rehab. Well, plus a few bruises and stitches and scowls.

Anywho, I'm talking about A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard, both by James Frey. Yes, he lied about some of his experiences in rehab. Yes, Oprah first endorsed and later lambasted him. But he also survived a very dangerous lifestyle. His first book is about his addictions to every kind of drug and alcohol imaginable and how he made it through rehab. The second one is about his best friend from rehab, an intriguing character that he calls Leonard.

At several hundred pages each, the books may seem intimidating at first, but I promise that they're pretty fast reads. It's difficult to say much without stating the obvious or giving anything else away, but I recommend trying them out. If you're offended by f-bombs and run-on sentences, then you should look elsewhere. Honestly, though, these books are stories of survival, and they're moving and funny while having tons of heart. Although he should not have embellished his story, I'm glad he shared the gist of it with us.

Quickie Specs

It's late, but I wanted to post a lil' something. This is a picture of the football field, which is surrounded by the track where I walk/attempt to run short distances.

It's at the local high school, and I like the way the sun is going down and the sprinklers indicate that it's back-to-school time.

As always, thanks for reading! I hope that your week is going well.

Playing Catch Up, Part Two

Bruno (C) After watching this so-so comedy, it occurred to me that not only does Sacha Baron Cohen have his comic character destruct after the release of the film, his 'shtick' of pretending to be a fish out of water for laughs played on the unsuspecting is played out at this point.

Chuck (C+) Lightweight comedy/thriller about a nerd who's got a government computer full of secrets in his head, and the two agents from different intelligence agencies that 'handle' him. The laughs were, for me, more of the 'in my head' than 'out loud' variety. It's a premise with a limited run, not unlike Dollhouse, actually. That is, the humour's too slight to justify watching for any length of time, and once the story arc starts to take itself too seriously, it'll have to come to it's logical conclusion. (Nerd gets computer removed, one way or the other.) Not bad, though I don't get the groundswell of support this series has achieved amongst the general public. Also, the historical precedent the U.S. intelligence agencies have set in security compromises has always been to 'shoot, shovel and forget'. Though if you're going for an outlandish premise like this, you might as well take all the gimmes you can get, I suppose.

The Wrestler (C+) The big flaw in this film is that if you're going to make the main character so beaten up and degraded by life that his only real option is to go out dying what he loves, (professional wrestling) it's a good idea to not have a charming and likable actor like Mickey Roarke as your lead. Classically speaking, tragedy is the tale of a good man coming to grief because of character flaws within himself that others can see, but he himself cannot. In this case, the only flaw I can see Roarke's character having is an inability for long-term planning. Consider this: His daughter is so estranged from him, he'd of have to have been a molester. His financial situation is so bad, he starts the film locked out of his trailer. He spends the film trying to connect not only with his daughter but with stripper Marissa Tomei, who comes across as really self-involved. (Yeah, unlike the daughter, I can understand her motivations, but c'mon, Marissa! It's Mickey Roarke, for God's sake!) As a pro-wrestler, we see him as committed and dedicated (and respected by his colleagues.) So at the end of the day, the movie just beats up on him to turn him into a Christ figure.

On a political note, I've just got a quick point regarding the defacto leader of the 'Birther' movement in the States, Orly Tate. Orly, honey, if the likes of Karl Rove and Ann Coultier are saying that the "Kenyan Certificate of Birth" is a fraud up there with Piltdown Man, it's time to get the hell out of the spotlight...

See for yourself...

The Best Laid Desserts

I set out today to make a three-layer "celestial" chocolate cake to celebrate another friend's banki-versary tomorrow. The book shows a resplendent picture of three dark chocolate cakes, cushioned by luscious whipped cream and enveloped by a creamy chocolate frosting.


First I consulted the recipe and gathered my supplies.

Then I creamed the butter and sugar. Remember to leave out butter, eggs, and most cold ingredients for several hours before baking so that they come to room temperature. This is the case for most recipes.

I ended up with a ton of rich, chocolate-y batter, which I poured into three prepared pans. Then I baked at 350 degrees for about 27 minutes. The kitchen was smelling good. And I was excited to see the results.

Unfortunately, and despite what I felt to be sufficient pre-greasing and flouring, the little buggers stuck to the pan. Badly. And I got irritated.

Then I had an idea.

I turned the broken cakes into a trifle, using the same whipped cream and substituting chocolate chips and some frozen whipped topping. (That's Cool Whip.) It's not exactly the same as the recipe, but it should be ta-ta-ta-tasty when eaten ta-ta-ta-tomorrow.

I'm trying to see this as a metaphor...and a reminder to always keep certain necessities on hand.

Purdy Ducks

I saw this commercial the other day and freaked out just a little. Not only is it flippin' baby ducks, but it's also a very good song by Joe Purdy. If you're not familiar with his low-key, simple but moving music, then you should change that on the double.

He's had music on soundtracks, most notably Grey's Anatomy and LOST, and a Kia commercial ("Just Can't Seem To Get It Right Today"), but I recommend getting familiar by the time you finish reading this post. You can play all of his music for free right here. And I'm not talking 30 second samples. It's full songs, full CDs. This seems rare for musicians today, especially independent ones.

When I worked on campus, I would pull that page up in a different window and just listen for hours at a time at a very reasonable volume. I hope you enjoy.

A Porch Concert...What Could Be Better?

Last night I was so lucky to have been invited to a house concert, hosted by the lovely and talented Deanna. It was held on the porch of her mom's house in the country, about two hours away from where I live. That's not to say that where I live is not the country. We do have a Wal-Mart, though. Look out.

Lauren Zettler and her accompanist Cam opened the evening with an excellent rendition of "Man in the Mirror," and continued with several originals that were just too good. She commented on how pretty the landscape is and how different it is from New York, her stomping grounds. She's so talented and charming.

Next up were The Stellas, most famous for their time on CMT's "Can You Duet?". Marylynne and Brad are a married couple from Canada who just bought a house near Nashville and have been singing for 14 years. They sang many songs, both originals and covers (including a chill-inducing version of "Love Hurts"), and had lots of funny moments of banter. They even said aboot for about. Plus, Marylynne counts Patty Griffin among her favorites. That sealed the deal.

We had a wonderful and low-key time, especially after the sun (and mercury) went down. I probably should've taken up Ann Marie's offer of bug spray, but I skipped it. And today my feet are red and irritated. It was worth it, though. The most.

Playing Catch Up, Part One.

Well, looks as though I've fallen behind on my 'duties' as it were, so I'll just motor on ahead and crank out some really quick reviews for ye...


Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job (B) There's funny 'ha-ha', and funny 'hm', and this is definitely on the side of funny 'hm'. Then again, so was Monty Python. Proof of Michael O'Donoghue's theorem, "Making people laugh is the lowest form of comedy".

Taken (C-) Put A-lister Liam Neeson in a C-list action thriller, drag him from contrived action set piece to action set piece and...we're done. Not a waste of 90 minutes, anyways.

Up (B+) Solid effort from Pixar. Not a classic like 'The Incredibles' or 'Ratatouille', but even sub-standard Pixar fare like 'Cars' is ahead of anything else Dreamworks is doing, so it's a win-win, as far as I'm concerned.

Let The Right One In (B) 'Twilight' for non-stupid people. Naturally, the general population stayed away in droves, as they say.

Quantum of Solace (C) Jason Bourne with a British accent.

Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe (and Newswipe, too.) (B+) Snotty, indignant takes on mostly British t.v. and news. It's a t.v. extension of Brooker's column in the Guardian also called 'Screenwipe', oddly enough. Like Robot Chicken, it's short and to the point. More than 22 minutes of vitriol from Brooker, and you'll find yourself yelling at the screen not in agreement, but for Chuck to get away from the 'telly' and hire a pro to blow him.

Adam Curtis's documentaries (A) He's a British version of Errol Morris in that his style of documentary is witty and, dare I say, playful? Unlike Morris, who tends to operate on the broad theme of discovering people who fall through the cracks in the system, Curtis's overarching theme in his documentaries seems to be an exploration of the effects when a power elite attempts to impose an ideology on a chaotic system. Inevitably, the power elite, whether it's the British government in 'The Mayfair Set' or the P.R. companies in 'The Century of The Self' winds up shooting itself in the foot and creating a bigger problem than the ones that they originally set out to solve.

I like to think of Curtis as an 'anti-conspiracy' theorist, on account that A) anyone with half a brain can tell you that great global conspiracies just don't exist- there's just too many vectors of pressure in the world. and B) Curtis doesn't seem to have any ideological agenda outside of reframing a view of the world in the post WW2 environment. So, with all that in mind, I've thoughtfully provided links to his stuff that you all can watch on your computer, too. Isn't that nice of me?

2009 SBC report: I'm going to have to break my earlier promise to see every blockbuster that's in release this summer on account of Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe looking like the most retarded, insulting crap that a major studio has ever released. I've gone on and on at length about how contemporary entertainment seems to be more bound and determined to literally insult its audience. Honestly, three hour movies based on kid's toys? That's literally a step away from, "Taco Bell Dog: the movie" or "Shamwow: the motion picture". I don't think the executives who green-light these things are sneering contemptuously at the audience. Rather, I suspect they're just throwing up their hands in exasperation, flinging crap at the screen, and hoping it'll stick. The cast and crew on these things rationalize their involvement in these, ("Hey, I've got a family to feed!") and the downward spiral continues...

Truckin' Right Along

It seems like I just did a similar post for July, no? I don't know why, but these weeks seem to be flying by faster than usual. The local schoolkids started back today, which just seems wrong to me. I know it does to them.

At any rate, it's time for my monthly lists. Some things to-do:

1. Remember Aunt Sue. She will be moved to a nursing home very soon for what we're hoping to be a successful recovery.

2. Be grateful. This goes along with thoughts of Aunt Sue and yesterday's post, but it's something I really want to be conscious of. As crunchy as it sounds, I've often read articles about keeping a gratitude journal. Has anyone done this?

3. Consider attending the local county fair. I used to go almost EVERY night as a child, but as I got a little older (about 17-ish), the shine wore off. I don't know if it was the carnies or the phosphates or what, but it lost that spark. Now, as Holly likes to remind me, it's prime people watching. The county fair brings out citizens of every stripe--and their penchant for underwear-as-outerwear.

Here are a few things on my not-to-do list:

1. Neglect my fitness. Oh, humidity, how you pain me so! Plus, I need some peppy workout tunes. What do you recommend, faithful readers?

2. Buy things just because they're on sale. I struggle with this one because sometimes I stumble upon a bargain and save money. But how many plain black T-shirts does one need without living in Paris in the 1950s and smoking skinny cigarettes with reckless abandon? I could talk for days about this philosophy (shopping, not beatniks), but I'll stop for now.

3. Text while driving! Ahhh! This is a self-imposed no-no, and I found myself doing it yesterday. Even though I was giving my brother an update on the hospital ETA, it's no excuse. I could have had mom do it from the passenger seat, but--well, she doesn't know how. Plus, TWD is now against the law where I live.

Here's to a great August! Thanks for reading!

Little Things and Big Things

Ok, so you may be wondering what a picture from Christmas is doing here in August. I would have wondered the same thing until today. Because of a visit to the hospital to see my Aunt Sue, who suffered a stroke a few days ago, I was reminded to be grateful for everything in my life--from the little things to the big things--and to try to be conscious of them at all times.

It was so hard to see this woman who has always been so in control of her life lying in a hospital bed, barely able to move or communicate with us. My niece Leah (pictured) broke my heart when she petted Aunt Sue's hand and told her she was praying for her. It really made me think about all the whining and complaining I do that I don't even mean to do or realize that I'm doing. An unexpected red light or setback at work or empty snack drawer really pales in comparison to someone fighting for her life.

This image of Leah at Christmas, so intent on discovering what Santa had brought, is a great example of the things I want to keep in mind more often. I hope you may be inspired to do the same, and while you're at it, please send out a prayer or a positive thought or a good vibe for my Aunt Sue. Thanks.