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21 row(s) meet your search criteria for December , 2003.
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Christmas Letter - December 25, 2003

There are people in this world who don't like Holiday letters - in fact, they tend to rip them apart. Most letters we get are fun and informative - we enjoy receiving them. We've written a letter each year we've been married, and try to make them fun to read. This year, I took a spin on the poetry wagon, and wrote our letter in a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas style.

It is in the extended entry if you'd like to read it.

Show the rest of the story...

#  | 09:03 PM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: Fyi)

A Christmas Story - December 24, 2003

My favorite Christmas movie is the 1983 classic A Christmas Story. It get's watched to some extent every year. My wife doesn't find it as entertaining as I do, but I don't find her favorite, Bing Crosby's 1954 White Christmas watchable either. To each their own I guess, and I'm thankful we have more than 1 television in the house.

There are probably lots of things I don't know about "A Christmas Story", but I would never have guessed that the writer/director also did Porky's - story here. I find both movies very watchable, and do pause on them whenever I come across them on cable.

While it seems Porky's got him enough Hollywood "street cred" to get A Christmas Story made, it also appears that his career obviously peaked with those two. Following a Hollywood tradition, he wrote the requsite sequel to Porky's, the abominable Porky's II. And followed up with such blockbusters as Rhinestone, Turk 182, and a number of other flops.

#  | 10:03 AM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: Fyi)

BestOfMe Symphony #3 - December 22, 2003

The BestOfMe Symphony over at one of my favorite places, SnoozeButtonDreams is up again. The Symphony is designed to showcase those older blog entries that maybe didn't get noticed the first time around. This week I didn't submit my work (I thought I'd give it a rest), but submitted two entries from one of my favorite places Mister Crunchy. Go to Jim's and check out this week's Symphony!

#  | 10:03 AM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: Web-Assignment)

Bakersfield Makes News - December 20, 2003

I grew up in Bakersfield, California. For most people, the only Bakersfield they know is that there is a freeway offramp from Interstate 5 ("The 5") about 2 hours north of LA, and 4 hours south of the Bay area. Those who don't venture the 30 miles east into the city think Bakersfield consists of a truckstop, a Denny's and several gas stations. The truth is that it is a small city of about 266,000 (in the city) with about 15 public high schools. It's hot in the summer (around 100 degrees consistently), cold and foggy in the winter. Our idea of a white Christmas was fog so thick you couldn't see across the street.

In hindsight, it wasn't a bad place to grow up. Free from most bad influences of bigger cities, even I ended up without being convicted of a crime. When I was 18, I left home to go to college in the LA Area, and without the benefit of hindsight, I thought it a great place to be FROM.

Bakersfield doesn't get much play in the news. A murder here, a kidnapping there, mostly little stuff like that.

Today I read about a 275-Pound Prostitute Strips Attacker and think that little town is really trying to break out of it's shell.

#  | 07:51 AM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: News)

BestOfMe Symphony #2 - December 19, 2003

Earlier in the week I was shamefully remiss in forgetting to promote The BestOfMe Symphony over at one of my favorite places, SnoozeButtonDreams. The Symphony is designed to showcase those older blog entries that maybe didn't get noticed the first time around. This week I had two entries in: "Harassing the Brother - Sara Scores 1 for Little Sisters Everywhere!" (written in June), and the "Mens Rules that I got also in June from my buddy Neil.

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New Pictures! - December 19, 2003

Last night I also added about 42 new pictures in the Gallery. Most of them are in the "Through Garrett's Eyes" album as he got a hold of the digital camera and began snapping pictures. Most of them turned out pretty well, many are not really composed well, but at least there is a subject, and the camera is reasonably level.

#  | 09:23 AM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: Fyi)

New Feature! - December 19, 2003

Last night I added the capability to add a comment to individual pictures in the Photo Gallery. So if you are so moved to make a comment on a photo, now you've got a way to do it.

#  | 08:23 AM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: Fyi)

Marie and the Moral High Ground - December 18, 2003

Marie went out shopping the other night. Her goal was to satisfy one of my family's Christmas traditions - the gift of pajamas. But what makes this tradition memorable, is that while we took pride in being "Christmas Morning" people (believing that people who open all their presents on Christmas eve are twisted), Mom and Dad would always wet our appetite for Christmas by allowing us to open 1 gift on Christmas eve. Strangely enough, it would always be pajamas. I'm not totally sure what the intent was, but that was the tradition. As a kid, I thought it was a little cheesy, and not surprising, but it was one of those traditions that I remember from my childhood about Christmas, so I'd like to preserve that tradition for my kids.

So Marie was out shopping for pajamas, at mall-anchor-mega-corporate department store, bought two sets of pajamas, paid for them, and proceeded into the mall to enjoy more of the Christmas Shopping Experience. Moments later, she realized that the total purchase price was lower than expected, and pulled out the receipt. Low and behold, the young mindless retail slave had forgotton to scan one of the pajamas. Conflicted, Marie wandered the mall, wondering what to do.

As you might have guessed from the title of this post, she went back into the store, found the retail slave, and told the clerk that she had not charged her for both sets of pajamas.

I can only imagine the stunned silence from the throngs of other shoppers and the retail slaves behind the counter upon hearing this statement. When they emerged from their stupor, the clerk dutifully took her credit card and added the charge to her account.

When she got home and relayed this story to me I was probably as shocked as the clerk was. But I shouldn't have. I've always known that my wife is a good person - one who recognizes right from wrong and refuses to acknowlege any presence of grey area in between. Not only is my wife a "square", but she's got sharp corners.

I believe in the grey area, in fact believing there are many shades of grey. While knowing i've stepped across the line into a darker shade of grey, I would have happily gone on my way, believing that Christmas Karma had shined upon me, even if it was a measly ten bucks.

But what would you have done?

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Future Career? - December 18, 2003

I was wasting some time over at the Borders store - the real brick/mortar version - and was looking at the books in the writing section. I was there mostly related to this weeks assignment in my Class, but also just to waste a little time. There I found lots of titles about "How to get your work sold", "How to Find an Agent", "Write your screenplay now" etc. and it got me to wondering - could I make a career out of this? I do enjoy doing it when I've got something to write about.

As I moved around the store looking for some stocking stuffers, I passed by a clearance table that had a "Homer Simpson Magic 8 Ball" for 25% off. Jokingly, I gave it a shake and asked "Could I make a living being a writer?".

I turned over the ball and it said "Forget It - Loser". I laughed and went back to work. Is there anything fundamentally wrong with asking Homer Simpson for career advice?

#  | 10:04 AM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: Writings)

New Pictures in the Gallery - December 16, 2003

25 New pictures posted in the Gallery last night. Enjoy!

#  | 01:11 AM |  Comments Closed (0)  |  (Tags: Fyi)


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