2011

Happy New Year everyone!  Here's to a brighter tomorrow! 

he proposed...

and I said "Yes." 

The proposal was very sweet and a surprise!  It happened the day before Thanksgiving but I didn't want to post anything about this until I had a chance to let people know in person as much as possible.  But now Mark is wondering why I haven't posted anything about it a month later.  So here's the post because he wanted it.  We're thrilled to finally be getting married.  The ring is a peridot gem with diamonds on the side...sounds like something to eat for lunch!

Some people have asked me why it's not a diamond and the simple answer is because I didn't want a diamond.  The only way I would've considered a diamond if it were a conflict-free diamond or a CZ but it's nearly impossible to know if the stone is truly conflict-free even with the certification.   Anyway, I preferred color to a diamond anyway.  My favorite color is green and the peridot is the right shade of green.  It looks fresh, alive and it reminds me of new growth in spring that I hope our marriage will be for us. 

christmas in california

This is how we do Christmas in California.

christmas cinema, honorable mention

These are movies that don't really have to do with Christmas but are fun anyway.   "Sound of Music" is good anytime of the year.  How could you not want to sing-a-long during the Christmas season?  To my memory "Beauty and the Beast" and "Anastasia" don't have overtly Christmas scenes but they have snow, so it counts.

this is "christmas"?! (no, it isn't)

Jin mentioned on Sunday how he heard on a radio program how an Atheist caller commented that even though he didn't believe in a God he still thought the story of Jesus was the best story out of all the "Christmas" narratives available.  This was an interesting thought...let's do some deconstruction and see if we agree.

Santa Claus: "good" children will receive their toys on Christmas if you write Santa a letter to tell him what you want.  1. Sucks for all you kids ranked under the column titled "eh just average" 2. Sucks for all you ADULTS.  3. Sucks if you're homeless 4. Sucks if you can't afford the growing cost of postage

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer: a bullied and emotionally abused animal will only find acceptance among peers not by the quality of his character and integrity but solely by proving to be useful to them in a time of need.  Yea, that makes for a lasting friendship. 

Frosty the Snowman: a group of children magically make a snowman come to life by the power of a silk hat only to watch him slowly commit suicide by exerting extreme physical activity all the while knowing he would melt to his watery death...all in full view of the children.  "Don't you cry." 

Baby Jesus: peace and goodwill for all mankind declared at his birth.

christmas cinema, romantic comedy

Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan...c'mon.  "While You Were Sleeping" is another one of my favorites...lots of one-liners in this one.  Then we've got all the Brits and their rom-coms.  "Serendipity" was actually a pretty bad movie but Jeremy Piven did a good job I thought.

christmas cinema, family

These family films are heart-warming and fun.  "Hook" is probably one of my top 10 movies, such a great film in spite of Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell.  The 1994 remake of "Miracle on 34th Street" wasn't too bad either...what ever happened to that little girl?  And of course, "Elf" which has great one-liners and also has a great soundtrack. 

christmas cinema, kids

Fun for kids, fun for adults.  "A Charlie Brown Christmas" probably has one of the best Christmas soundtracks...classic.  I've opted for the original version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" because Jim Carrey in a grinch costume just creeps me out.  

staring at the sun

Just another day in Southern California.  Tomorrow it was supposed to rain but no longer and today the clouds have broken apart to let the sun shine.  I was driving on the freeway and it just took my breath away.  The light was just so brilliant and warm.  Hard to believe that it's almost Christmas.

christmas cinema, guilty pleasure

You might not rent these but if they were on TV you'd probably linger to watch a good 5 min.