Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Oddments


Nice sky tonight to end the old year.



I'm pretty grinchy about Christmas movies. Never seen White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th Street. Not even A Christmas Story (gasp!). Excepting Charlie Brown and that ancient stop-motion Rudolf (which rocks), I don't like any of the old animated TV "classics."

But I love, absolutely love, It's a Wonderful Life. Dark and moving, complex and profound. Zuzu's petals gets me every time.

Pretty fond of Bad Santa too.


Dock Ellis, the guy who pitched a no-hitter on acid, as well as once tried to hit every batter in the Cincinatti Reds line-up, died back on December 20. In our homogenized world, his full-tilt craziness will be missed.



The girls got Rumplestiltskin for Christmas. What a gloriously weird, dark story. I had forgotten. Everyone is so mean! The girl's Father, the King, Rumplestiltskin. She's pretty much all alone. And faces death every night. But ends up living happily ever after.

Although she's still married to that creepy King.



Puked all day yesterday. Yikes. The stomach flu, I assume. All worn out today. My New Years celebration will consist of snuggling in bed with the lil Hucky and watching some calm, undemanding romantic comedy. I'll be asleep well before midnight. Still, not a bad way to finish out the year.

Hope you have a happy New Year yourself.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just saw our sky guy on the nightly news telling us about this amazing end of year line-up! (That and the leap second this year...)

I'll be peering into the heavens. WIth two small (well, one medium-sized) boys complaining about how cold it is!

Anonymous said...

I was out and about last night in the marginally freezing weather shooting fireworks, but between the POW and ZING I kept finding myself gazing up and over the treeline. Very nice show there, too.

Happy Gnu Year!

Unknown said...

Ew, sorry about the stomach bug. No fun.

The sky was pretty awesome.

Anonymous said...

So, I guess that was Venus the kids and I spotted in the Target parking lot tonight. I mean, not in the parking lot, but while we were standing in the parking lot....

Wizardry said...

Excellent night sky out on new years. You would have been proud to see my devotion to the glimmering stars. People would come outside from the house, usually to have a cigarette or something; I was sitting in a small patio chair, ash tray on the table and a small notebook next to it. Everyone would ask the same question, "what are you doing out here," and I would always reply, "take a seat, look at the stars." They would then go back inside. Its was really unfortunate they had to miss out.

Mutha said...

happy New Year. I had forgotten how mean everyone is in the Charlie brown Christmas until I saw it this year. Damn -- those nameless girls are horrible.

It's a Wonderful Life is my all time favorite movie -- not even just for Christmas time. I have seen it countless times -- but when George prays at the bar and when Harry Bailey comes through the door at the end, I cry like a baby.

Clowncar said...

I love that Venus/crescent moon thing, Daze. Actually, even without Venus, I love the very thin crescent moon, a couple days after new moon. So insubstantial, like a ghost. Hard to find, cuz it sets right after the sun does.

Happy gnu year, yourself, Irr. I can picture you lighting fireworks with a New Years cigar, them chomping back down on it.

Ew indeed, Nance. It was epic puking. You coulda written poems about it. Not poems anyone would wanna read, but still.

Yep, Dayzee. The only thing you probably can see through the lights of the Target parking lot is Venus.

Cool, Vic. Too bad nobody too you up on the offer. Didja see Mercury? It was bright as a penny. I've only seen it a few times myself, so having it out and about was a treat.

It's such a good movie, Mutha, and so many heartfelt moments. The speech where he explains what everyone's money is doing, and how they are all unknowingly connected by it, makes me choke up too.