How the Year Ended
So we're closing the books on the holidays, 2010 edition. I dismantled Christmas this afternoon. I feel like I haven't been to work in forever, even though it's been less than two weeks. (And yet, when I was in college, the month-long Christmas break seemed to fly.) Here's how I spent my time off.
The First Three Christmases: I didn't bring my camera upstate with me because Jesse was bringing his. Then we both conspired to forget the bag that held the camera, so I have zero photos of any of the Christmas celebrations I have had so far. (The fourth, and last, is this Saturday. In the spirit of fairness, I won't take any pictures of that, either.) It was my first trip to Rochester, and I learned that the Rochester celebrations are not really appreciably different than the ones my family throws, with lots of people and food. I also got to see Rayme, which is awesome because I haven't seen her since September, which is far too long. Being in Rochester meant that I also got to exchange presents with Jesse on Christmas Day for the first time ever. We both got each other a haul of cds, but he also got me Decemberists tickets and I got him a t-shirt that has yet to arrive, so I think I got the better end of the deal. We also came home with a tidy sum of ornaments commemorating our first Christmas as a married couple.
Movies: Over the break, I saw All Good Things, True Grit, Somewhere, and Blue Valentine. Of those, Blue Valentine was the only one I didn't really care for (although it wasn't bad so much as insubstantial), and True Grit is the only one that probably would've made it onto my top ten of the year had it seen it before I finalized it (probably after Alice but before Scott Pilgrim).
Broadway: Jesse and I slipped into Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson before it disappeared forever. The problem with waiting until the end of its run is that I gave it enough time to be a bit overhyped for me. I liked the music and performances-and, of course, the subject matter. But the beginning seemed to repeat itself a lot-so many scenes either began or ended with him saying "I hate the Indians!" without much happening between that and the previous time he said "I hate the Indians!"-which is a problem for a 90-minute Broadway musical. After it got rolling, though, it got much better, but the beginning made me feel like it could have been worked on a little more, or that I would have liked it better if I saw it Off-Broadway.
Bowling: I normally wouldn't post about bowling in and of itself. But we all went to the arcade after bowling, and I won a lot of tickets playing an arcade version of "Deal or No Deal" (which I played like I would in real life, by taking the first deal and going for the easy money), and we traded it in for this plastic lizard that was supposed to grow to 600% of its original size if you soaked it in water. I don't know if that 600% figure is correct, but it grew so much that it was barely a lizard anymore, and it was so disgusting that I had to share the "before and after" with you all.
So, be warned: Bowling prizes may not live up to their promises. Of course, the bowling was part of a lovelier trip to Saratoga, where we watched Noah Baumbach movies, hit up after-Christmas sales, and discussed get-rich-quick schemes, and not even a disgusting lizard could ruin that.
The Snowpocalypse: Overrated! Well, we actually missed most of it. I can't believe that being in Rochester and Saratoga meant that we saw less snow than if we actually stayed in Brooklyn. So, we didn't really get caught in any of the horrible mayhem, just the annoying aftermath of having to shovel out a place for me to leave my car upon our return, dealing with the blackening slush on unplowed streets and unshoveled sidewalks, and not getting our mail. But I don't have any couldn't-get-back horror stories, so we mostly came through unscathed.
New Year's Eve: It was a fantastic evening in Sunset Park. Four Loko was consumed, rounds of celebrity were played, and 2010 made a raucous exit. Also, are people really sad about the scarcity of Four Loko? Pick your battles, people. That stuff is gross.
Party Down: It popped back up again on Netflix Instant. Jesse and I raced through all ten episodes since we've been back. Man, that was a good show. It had a great mix of anthology-style elements with the little dramas going on at each party, and season-wide arcs (although the Henry/Casey thing didn't interest me as much as the rest of the show, but that's never really my bag). And, even though I love Jane Lynch, I think that Megan Mullally's character was even better for the show, because it brought something different. (I thought there was a lot of overlap between Constance and Kyle.) I think Starz made a huge mistake in not caring about the show, but soon I'll get to see Adam Scott on Parks & Rec, and that'll have to do.
And, Just Because It's Awesome: We ate Penguin-shaped pasta.
A Final Thought:. My Aunt Nancy, pictured on the left, passed away right before Christmas. She was a terrific lady and she will be missed. Every Christmas, she would make all of the cousins the best apple-cinnamon bread as Christmas presents. (I got some in college care-packages, too.) I told her I wanted to learn how to bake it, so she gave me a bread pan and the recipe as an engagement present. I'll think of her every time I attempt to make apple-cinnamon-and I have a long way to go before I get as good as she was.
(Photo by Chris Ware.)
The First Three Christmases: I didn't bring my camera upstate with me because Jesse was bringing his. Then we both conspired to forget the bag that held the camera, so I have zero photos of any of the Christmas celebrations I have had so far. (The fourth, and last, is this Saturday. In the spirit of fairness, I won't take any pictures of that, either.) It was my first trip to Rochester, and I learned that the Rochester celebrations are not really appreciably different than the ones my family throws, with lots of people and food. I also got to see Rayme, which is awesome because I haven't seen her since September, which is far too long. Being in Rochester meant that I also got to exchange presents with Jesse on Christmas Day for the first time ever. We both got each other a haul of cds, but he also got me Decemberists tickets and I got him a t-shirt that has yet to arrive, so I think I got the better end of the deal. We also came home with a tidy sum of ornaments commemorating our first Christmas as a married couple.
Movies: Over the break, I saw All Good Things, True Grit, Somewhere, and Blue Valentine. Of those, Blue Valentine was the only one I didn't really care for (although it wasn't bad so much as insubstantial), and True Grit is the only one that probably would've made it onto my top ten of the year had it seen it before I finalized it (probably after Alice but before Scott Pilgrim).
Broadway: Jesse and I slipped into Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson before it disappeared forever. The problem with waiting until the end of its run is that I gave it enough time to be a bit overhyped for me. I liked the music and performances-and, of course, the subject matter. But the beginning seemed to repeat itself a lot-so many scenes either began or ended with him saying "I hate the Indians!" without much happening between that and the previous time he said "I hate the Indians!"-which is a problem for a 90-minute Broadway musical. After it got rolling, though, it got much better, but the beginning made me feel like it could have been worked on a little more, or that I would have liked it better if I saw it Off-Broadway.
Bowling: I normally wouldn't post about bowling in and of itself. But we all went to the arcade after bowling, and I won a lot of tickets playing an arcade version of "Deal or No Deal" (which I played like I would in real life, by taking the first deal and going for the easy money), and we traded it in for this plastic lizard that was supposed to grow to 600% of its original size if you soaked it in water. I don't know if that 600% figure is correct, but it grew so much that it was barely a lizard anymore, and it was so disgusting that I had to share the "before and after" with you all.
So, be warned: Bowling prizes may not live up to their promises. Of course, the bowling was part of a lovelier trip to Saratoga, where we watched Noah Baumbach movies, hit up after-Christmas sales, and discussed get-rich-quick schemes, and not even a disgusting lizard could ruin that.
The Snowpocalypse: Overrated! Well, we actually missed most of it. I can't believe that being in Rochester and Saratoga meant that we saw less snow than if we actually stayed in Brooklyn. So, we didn't really get caught in any of the horrible mayhem, just the annoying aftermath of having to shovel out a place for me to leave my car upon our return, dealing with the blackening slush on unplowed streets and unshoveled sidewalks, and not getting our mail. But I don't have any couldn't-get-back horror stories, so we mostly came through unscathed.
New Year's Eve: It was a fantastic evening in Sunset Park. Four Loko was consumed, rounds of celebrity were played, and 2010 made a raucous exit. Also, are people really sad about the scarcity of Four Loko? Pick your battles, people. That stuff is gross.
Party Down: It popped back up again on Netflix Instant. Jesse and I raced through all ten episodes since we've been back. Man, that was a good show. It had a great mix of anthology-style elements with the little dramas going on at each party, and season-wide arcs (although the Henry/Casey thing didn't interest me as much as the rest of the show, but that's never really my bag). And, even though I love Jane Lynch, I think that Megan Mullally's character was even better for the show, because it brought something different. (I thought there was a lot of overlap between Constance and Kyle.) I think Starz made a huge mistake in not caring about the show, but soon I'll get to see Adam Scott on Parks & Rec, and that'll have to do.
And, Just Because It's Awesome: We ate Penguin-shaped pasta.
A Final Thought:. My Aunt Nancy, pictured on the left, passed away right before Christmas. She was a terrific lady and she will be missed. Every Christmas, she would make all of the cousins the best apple-cinnamon bread as Christmas presents. (I got some in college care-packages, too.) I told her I wanted to learn how to bake it, so she gave me a bread pan and the recipe as an engagement present. I'll think of her every time I attempt to make apple-cinnamon-and I have a long way to go before I get as good as she was.
(Photo by Chris Ware.)