This is a thing that happened.

What a way to spend part of a Friday evening.

This Day in History

In probably one of the best known speeches in presidential history, Franklin Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941 to be "a date which will live in infamy...."  Now December 7 is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.  Sadly, there aren't too many people still around who actually remember the day itself, but the rest of us at least know the history.

The Valor in the Pacific Memorial, the resting place of the USS Arizona and almost 1,200 servicemen who went down with the ship, is officially a national park. I have never been, but I would like to visit some day.

Goal #49

Goal #49: Christmas shopping!

As seems to have become the trend, I am behind in my Christmas shopping again this year.  This is my week to support the economy!

Recap of goal #48: work, I did.  But as always, there is more to do.

An Ode to Uninterrupted Reading

I miss having large, uninterrupted chunks of time generally.  I especially miss having large, uninterrupted chunks of time in which I could sit down and read a book.

I read very few books these days, and that is something that makes me sad.  It's my own fault for not having made it a big enough priority in my life.  I get that.  But there are just so many things to do every day!  Finding time to brush one's teeth can be difficult, let alone time for recreational activities like reading!

Partially, I blame the internet.  I have a Twitter account, though I neither read nor tweeted anything for years.  I still am not a tweeter.  But when #Ferguson happened, and since I don't have a television, my best source of insta-pseudo-news was Twitter.

Fortunately or unfortunately, relying on it for a couple of days to find out what was going on around town was enough to get me hooked, at least for a while.  (Now my use of it goes in fits and starts.)  But there is just so much interesting stuff on the internet to read!  Does any of it really have an impact on my life?  Very few things so far (and most of those things are insta-actual-news from either @SLMPD, @downtownstlouis, or @stlcountypd), usually informing me of street closures or the like.

But all those internet articles take away from book-reading time, and I don't like that a bit.  Nevertheless, I allow it to happen.

I could go on, but my thoughts are well-enough summed up in this old Weekly Standard article that Dad sent me, so I'll let it do the talking.  I'll go back to reading.

What I Watched -- Shrek

Don't think for a second that I hadn't seen Shrek before, but I have to admit that it had been a while.

Too long, because it's stinkin' hilarious.

I couldn't stop laughing, nor could S.  Dad at one point asked us when we were going to grow up.  And my answer, if growing up means I don't get to laugh like an idiot at Eddie Murphy as Donkey, is "never!"

Bottom line: if you haven't see it: (1) why not? and (2) watch it now.  If you have: watch it again!

What I Watched -- Cool Hand Luke

S couldn't believe I had never seen Cool Hand Luke, his favorite movie. He wasted very little time before remedying that situation. And it worked out for me too, because Cool Hand Luke is one of those movies that I've heard about for years but never got around to seeing.

But somehow, despite having heard talk of the movie for so many years, I knew nothing about it except that Paul Newman played Luke and his character was a troublemaker.  And that's really enough, because the movie isn't about what happens; it's about that character.

Until the last few minutes of the movie, I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  I won't say why, because if you're one of the three other people on the planet who has no idea what the movie is about, I don't want to ruin it.  But the closing scene is just right, and that saved it for me.

Bottom line: definitely should have seen this one sooner.

Goal #48

Goal #48: work.

I took last week off, and there is now so much to get done.  I just have to keep telling myself that I'll feel better once I've accomplished some of it.

Recap of goal #47: a final thanks to Thanksgiving, for being such an awesome holiday!

Random Links

A notorious killer plays croquet.

Onion futures?  Really?

The national gingerbread house competition.

Some interesting facts about the solstices, if you have a couple of hours and a degree in astrophysics to spare.

Something unusual in the night sky.

Tired of having your bike stolen?

SLIFF

I had a very busy fall, and only managed to make it to one SLIFF showing.  (I know, I'll do better next year.  Otherwise how will you find out about all the weird movies you'll never see anyway?)  The screening of choice was a compilation, so it should really count for more, I think: "Narrative Shorts: Leading Ladies."

The link above has a quick synopsis of each of the films, so I'll let you read about them there.  But in case you're wondering, my favorite was Falling to Pieces, a moving story about a woman who seeks out the recipients of her husband's organs in an effort to cope with his loss.  I also liked Beverley, about an adolescent girl in a rough neighborhood in Britain struggling with her racial identity and family responsibilities.

Those are both pretty traditional stories - like real movies with a real plot, but shorter.  As far as weird head scratchers go, I liked Career Girl (a bit in the realm of magical realism) and The Little Death (a normal story, but one of those ones that just makes you go, "huh?").

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is enjoying their food, glorious food!