Icicles, booze, hobbits, and secret agents
Hmm, winter's here. There are icicles hanging off my car, and I couldn't roll the window down tonight. And the step outside my front door is covered with a fine layer of ice, which I have only had to pick myself up off of twice now. And my furnace is struggling to keep the temperature at 65 degrees. So I took a hint from our former Russian enemies and bought a bottle of vodka for warmth. Which was directly responsible for at least one of the instances where I had to pick myself up off my frozen front porch. It's a vicious cycle.
It's amazing how movies that have absolutely nothing to do with the holidays have become essential viewing during the holiday season. Beginning in 2002 the Lord of the Rings movies have become standard fare for my family during Thanksgiving weekend, and I attempted to keep that tradition alive this year even though my family was thousands of miles away. I managed to get through the extended versions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers that weekend, but it took most of the last week to get through the extended version of Return of the King (I watched it in thirty minute increments, usually while eating). I like the extended versions of the first two movies, but I prefer the theatrical version of the third installment. The extra footage added slowed the story down and took away a lot of the suspense.
And now I have moved onto the James Bond movies. Over the weekend I saw Dr. No and From Russia With Love, and tonight I'll try to fit in Goldfinger. Unfortunately, at that point I will encounter the first gap in my collection. If anybody is looking for cheap Christmas presents, I still need Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, The Living Daylights, and License To Kill. Yes, these are among the worst of the series; why do you think I've waited to buy them...?
Now that my supply of homework has dried up (however temporary it may be), I may be going a bit overboard with diversionary entertainment...