Presents
The Games
Korg DS-10 ~ A way out of left field gift that totally proves my older brother is psychic. I may have mentioned it in passing outside of the net once or twice, but the fact he knew to get me this is amazing for another reason as well: I totally did not realize these were still sold in the U.S. I also didn't realize that I will definitely need to read the instructions to know what in the hell I'm doing.
Zelda: Spirit Tracks ~ I saw this one coming given that I went with my mom after my doctor's appointment two days ago to help pick up games for my brother and... well obviously, myself. So far, it's great as a relaxing yet engaging experience perfect for handheld play. Only problem is maybe it's too relaxing, meaning the game's been babying me thus far but perhaps that will change; hell it's better than the other DS Zelda's backtrack temple and I need a break from the difficult Order of Ecclessia anyhow. In case you were wondering, my older brother got Splinter Cell and SOCOM 2 for PS2.
The Accessories
DS Styluses/ Cleaning Kit ~ Self explanatory and again, saw this one coming cause I picked it out. The styluses sadly are too big to fit in the DS like the original one and stick out the back like a TV antenna but it's nice to have extras (or any, considering I don't know where my first one got to). No idea the quality of the cleaning kit yet.
Stocking Stuffers
Scratchoff Lotto Ticket ~ Self explanatory... I would insert something snarky about my family's gambling habits or love of disappointment but neither is true and it's a fun, cheap gift.
Wirless PC Mouse~ Awesomeness. I hate touch pads. Perfect college kid present.
Manicure Kit~ No I'm not gay, and every time I ask my mother if she thinks I am (I get a lot of questions for not bringing girls home and the one's I've been with aren't mom story friendly) she indigantly says no, yet here this is. On the bright side it came with scissors and I was needing nail clippers anyway. It was meant as a gag gift but may come in handy for non-manicurish things.
Door Knob Update Board ~ Basically a spongy looking doorknob with a marker and an eraserboard on it. I'd like to forget about the CA (RA) job on vacation, especially since I might go back to waiting at Outback Steakhouse which means I'll have to put on the opposite face about pot smoking (and my true face is pretty much nuetral at this point but I think you can guess which job is more "user friendly"), but it should come in handy when I go back to school.
Phone Card ~ Yes, I am the one person left under the age of 35 with a prepaid phone and I love it. Ever wanted a legit excuse to rarely ever talk to people? I got one.
Pistachios~ Mmm... pistachios.
Some money from the parents/relatives ~ Which I was going to put towards a VOX VT amplifier but may or may not use for more responsible purposes.
If it seems like I'm spoiled, I am (I'm the youngest after all), but it's in part because the family now all has decent jobs and I'm thankful for that most of all.
Charities and Giving Back
For those of you that say this season should be about being good to others and Jesus and charity and whatnot... screw you, that's a Winter Solstice tree that Thor/Santa's putting presents under and everything about this holiday is ludicrously pagan, minus the very Catholic St. Nicholas references.
Still, you should donate to a charity this season regardless of this fact because having a holiday dedicated to giving and joy, while not entirely historically accurate is still a good idea; my personal favorite each year being Save the Children equal parts 1. Because it sounds like Ned Flander's wife which is awesome in many ways and 2. they gave me a calendar.
I'm sure you've all seen the St. Jude's commercials with Robin Williams/Jennifer Aniston etc. and especially amidst talks of changing the American healthcare system, this wonderful charity seems particularly relevant.
Or any charity at all, really. Give, give, give.
Movies
Who Knows How to Fix Our DVR/DVD Problem?
So we just got the living room TV back to working a couple days ago, and to celebrate we rented Inglorious Basterds, only to find out our DVD Player wasn't playing it.
Now, it's not cause the DVD stopped working, it's definitely running, but it used to be that we'd change the channel on the DVR to channel 3 and eject the DVD and the DVD screen would show up. Now, it just stays on Discovery Channel.
We've tried every cable in/out scenario possible and unplugged and replugged everything. The TV as well as the DVR are set to channel 3 and I personally checked all our cable channels and changed the TV channel to see which one was now set to the DVD. Nada. Hell, we even programmed everything in the Time Warner guide instructions again, just in case.
Our cable service provider is Time Warner and the DVD is a VCR/DVD combo from Sylvania (who's programming code is 1944 by the way). If you know anything we can do, feel free to let me know.
Went to See
It's Complicated ~ Today with the parents and a family friend. I love John Krazinski (sp) from The Office, but after Old Dogs and this I'm a little tired of going with my now senior parents to movies about old people. That being said, it had its moments, most notably in a long scene where pretty much everyone smoked pot. Like Old Dogs, it's extremely predictable and oftentimes dull but it has some pretty good scenes here and there.
Want to See
Avatar in 3D ~ Preferably IMAX 3D. All my friends seemed to love it for its visuals. Not too interested in the story, which The Young Turks review said was "like Dances with Wolves, but much less subtle" and clearly a metaphor for Iraq. Still, it seems like a good movie to see.
Up In the Air ~ We were planning on seeing this but it's only playing in Uptown Cedar Hill, my parents were for some reason unable to get online tickets (possibly sold out), and had they got them I hate Uptown traffic at Christmas. Last time we saw Slum Dog Millionaire and while it was fantastic, it also added to my claustrophobia from the traffic with images of far worse traffic. I've heard mixed reviews, but it's by the same people behind Thank You for Smoking which I loved.
Invictus ~ Morgan Freeman + Matt Damon in a movie about rugby is far too much win, but I may have to catch it on DVD because like UITA, it's in select theaters here.
Sherlock Holmes~ Get my fix of RDJ in a hero role before IM2 FTW. It seems like a fun movie, and honestly I was trying to push for this instead of It's Complicated.
Saw on TV
A Christmas Story~ For the first time. Good movie.
Work Out
Contemplating whether or not to get my temporary gym membership. I've enjoyed doing 8am lifts MWF at school (bench monday, squat wednesday, deadlift, pull ups and cardio Friday with varying other excercise) but now that I'd have to drive to a gym rather than simply walk acroos a couple parking lots, plus my cold I'm starting to think Chris's extreme idea was worth it.
Chris is my Buddhist vegetarian friend that can ironically lift one and a half times his own weight due to former bodybuilder convictions (he ate meat before converting) and also a certified trainer. He told me to do 1000 push ups a day in lieu of a gym as it made him strong. Now, I actually did 1000 sit ups a day for some time in high school, but that's a workout I can do sitting on my ass watching a Family Guy episode (and usually finishing during a FG episode). Push ups require a bit more drive and my shoulders start giving after about 20. So I've gradually been adding 25 reps a day, currently at 150 but I might do 500 sit ups and 500 push ups instead of all push ups.
What do you guys think? Anyone with gym rat experience?
Music
Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Were Christmas Today~ Saw this performed on Jimmy Fallon. It's a cover of the SNL song he and Haratio Sanz (who's looking thinner) used to do.It's a great way to say Merry Christmas too.
No comments:
Post a Comment