Making Headway on the List

I got a couple of movies checked off my list this weekend. Atonement was good, living up to the hype, but it was different than I expected. The ending was a little weird, wrapping things up in a tragic way. Anyway, go to it for a good cry.

On the lighter side of things, I also saw National Treasure. While not art, the original was surprisingly entertaining and engrossing. The sequel was surprisingly painful and derivative. The first half was embarassingly lame. Oh, well.

On the video front, Stardust was a fun, romantic fantasy that I enjoyed quite a lot. I suppose I liked it so much because it's about a cute nerd who does good. And it's also about finding your true love. Again, what's not to like?

Now, I am dying to see Juno. Then the Water Horse. We also saw a bunch of previews that look really, really good.

Meal 1 and Meal 2

X-mas eve: Per Elinor's request, we had turkey meatloaf for dinner. Simple but good. The mashed potatoes my sister made were to die for. Decadent and rich, it was perfect with the light and zesty meatloaf! Some fresh green beans, a salad and there you have it! Plus, gingerbread cookies for dessert. We shared them with Santa....

X-mas: the big family dinner. I only have one of four tables of food pictured. This is the main stuff, turkey, ham, sushi, salad, potatoes, yams, corn, stuffing, curried veg, okra, rice....all the usual stuff. Table 2 was desserts. Table 3 -- appetizers; Table 4 -- more apps, but lighter fare like fruit.

Mmmm.....the holidays

Pretty, cute eh? I made gingerbread cookies with the kids on X-Mas eve. They were delicious! Too much food, tho. Too much to eat. But look at the cuteness!

Because I'm Behind

I'm terribly behind in my moving going, so I'm going to make a list in order to keep track of those movies that I still wish to see:

1. Atonement -- the most romantic movie of the year. With James McAvoy, my favorite
2. Juno -- so excited to see this.
3. National Treasure -- not a must-see in my book, but the last one was fun. It got panned, tho
4. Walk Hard -- this, on the other hand, got great reviews. My favorite director, Judd Apatow
5. The Savages -- haven't they been showing this preview for like a year?
6. The Water Horse -- very excited about this as well.

Good thing most of these flicks are at one theater -- a few movie marathons and I'll be good. But when?

Ok, I think that will do it. What have I been seeing? I took the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks -- surprisingly sweet and nostalgic. The kids say it's the best movie they've ever seen. We also saw Enchanted, which I'm not sure I totally agree with the ending.

This Place Has Soul

Hold the phone! I have to tell you about a recent dining experience of mine at Alligator Soul. I can't believe I forgot to write about it. It was nearly perfect despite:

1. the restaurant is in Everett

2. the restaurant looks like it was a Denny's in a previous life

3. the people who eat there look like they are from Everett

What is with all this disdain of Everett? I don't know. I am a snob, I guess. But, listen to this:

1. the food was kick-ass!

2. it was so busy there that the service couldn't help but be slow. However, they made up for it by being super cool and super nice.

3. STRONG drinks which were upgraded for being late. And we got a personal apology from the bartender

Ok , now about the food.

1. Crawfish etoufee. Yum! It had a kick, which I was not used to. But so flavorfull. Not at all like the brown gray at New Orleans.

2. Hamhock on creamy black eyed peas and braised greens. This did not sound especially spectacular, but omg. So good.

3. appetizer of fried up sweet potatoes, okra and pickels. Ok, so I don't even like pickels. I'm kind of 'whatever' about okra, but the sweet potatoes....

4. Bread pudding. Hard to comment because we got this to go and I did not get around to eating it until a few days later.

Anyhoo, I would go back in a heartbeat. And, it was so much fun. Live music. A totally crazy hostess. I'm the skinniest person in the restaurant. GO! Have fun. You'll love it.

More Silver than Gold

I was so looking forward to the Golden Compass that it had to be a bit of a disappointment. Unlike Narnia or Eragon, which both surpassed my lowly expectations, this movie could've been great, but lacked that certain something. Plus, I found the talking, fighting polar bears to be rather distracting. No magic here, I suppose. It's still a good ride, but you leave feeling less than satisfied. Plus the girl struck me more as snotty than sassy.

I fear that I'm lagging behind in movie-viewing this season. Onward and upward!

Brunch Time

I've been saying for quite some time now that I would have brunch at my place. It finally happened -- in between winter storms, no less. There was snow. Then there was brunch. We had quite a spread of waffles, sausages, potatoes, every kind of pastry imaginable, mimosas, bloody marys, a baked french toast, bacon, japanese sweets....did I miss anything? Made to order eggs and toast. Here's a little sample.

And then there was rain like I've never seen. And the flooding. Oh, my.