Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do
-or because you can now and then permit yourself
the luxury of thinking so.
~Stanley Crawford
Though fashionably late, Old Man Winter did finally arrive here in the Midwest this weekend. I welcomed him with open arms.
Why? Because that childhood delight at having a ‘snow day’ has never left, it has only grown stronger as the years have went by.
I had been scheming all week long in the hopes of a 3 day weekend of being snowed in and for once the weathermen got it right. I arrived home early Friday afternoon (so it felt more like a 4 day weekend) and the festivities began. It was a weekend of:
Good Food
Fried chicken from KFC, homemade biscuits and gravy for breakfast, my sister’s amazing white bean soup (not sure exactly what it’s called), Somer sausage and crackers and cheese. Yum! Yesterday my wife made Runza’s. We ate like we were going into hibernation and it was glorious.
Good Movies
It was a Paul Giamatti weekend as I stopped by Best Buy on the way home Friday and picked up
and
(Click on the pictures for my non-spoiler reviews from 2006)
To me the mark of a really good film is how much I enjoy it on the second viewing, after all the mystery has been revealed. I enjoyed each of these films tremendously at the theatre and I can happily say that I enjoyed them just as much while watching them this weekend. Both have a few extras that are enjoyable but not enough extras for a DVD geek like me.
We also watched the wonderful documentary:
Into the Arms of Strangers is the Academy Award winning documentary about the Kindertransport that took place during 1938 after Hitler’s annexation of Austria. It was a deeply moving, incredibly told story. Several children who were part of the kindertransport participated in the documentary and it was a tear jerker. Films like this are especially important to me in a time when it is becoming in vogue to deny that the Holocaust happened. As Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans pass away I believe films like this become of the utmost importance so that we do not forget. I appreciate the honestly of this film. It doesn’t pull any punches in its portrayal of other nations, including America, who acted abominably by not participating more fully in the acceptance of refugees. It is because of this that I believe we all share some blame for the loss of life and it is also why I think it is so important to remember. I highly recommend this documentary.
On a lighter note we watched 4 terrific playoff football games (okay, the Colts/Ravens was pretty boring but the rest were great), Funny Face (from Netflix), some original Star Trek on DVD, and the Ma and Pa Kettle film, The Egg and I. The viewing weekend concluded with the Golden Globes. All in all a pretty boring affair. I was thrilled that Hugh Laurie won for House
and his acceptance speech was the best of the night. The one true horror of the evening was Vanessa Williams
Yikes! What was up with that hair?!?!?
Good Reading
I completed two books over the weekend, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle for the Our Coffee Rings book club and The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester, a science fiction novel that is part of my uberlist goal to read more science fiction ‘classics’ this year. Both were entertaining reads and reviews will likely follow. I even managed to start a third book, Isaac Asimov’s The Stars, Like Dust and get about 50 pages read.
Reading when there is ice and/or snow on the ground while huddled under a warm blanket is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have. My reading this weekend was like comfort food for my soul.
Add in a bit of playing F.E.A.R. on the PC (wanted to play it through again before starting the expansion pack which was a gift from my wife) and little bit of work around the house and it was a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries.
I hope everyone else had a terrific weekend!
I’m glad you are happy with your winter wonderland. I really dislike ice and am happy we just got snow (4-5″). The temps are a bit, let’s say, brisk. Negative 12 this morning as I drove to work. At least the wind was nonexistent.
I missed the GG awards, but I’m sure I can track down Hugh Laurie’s speech on the web somewhere.
Thanks for the heads-up about Into the Arms of Strangers. Looks like a great film. Off to Netflix…
Les, who does not see the appeal of a runza
There isn’t a Runza restaurant in Kansas City…there is one in Lawrence, Kansas which is a bit of a drive, so I always manage to eat there when I am home in Nebraska. My mom got a recipe for these years ago that my wife makes for me on occasion. They don’t taste the same as the restaurant ones but they are good nonetheless.
I’m not a fan of ice either, but I was hankering for some winter so I was in the mood to take whatever I could get. Unfortunately the weather ruined some plans of some very dear friends of mine, James and Jules, and I didn’t feel happy about that.
Sounds like an awesome weekend to me!
Into The Arms of Strangers looks very interesting, my bf will be very interested in that indeed.
It was narrated by Judi Dench but so much of the story was just told by the survivors…it made it a very subtle, moving film. It was never heavy handed, nor played up the emotional aspects. The spirit of the people in their recollections of the events is what made it so touching.
We finally got some snow last night & still had a light cover this morning.
Was a bear to drive on the ice leaving my neighborhood, but the main roads were fine.
I still need to see The Illusionist! I’m hoping I’ll like it much better than The Prestige.
It is rather nippy out here, too. I was only too happy to stay inside over the long weekend! I am like Les, the snow is okay, but I can definitely do without the ice. It sounds as though you had a nice weekend–mine went too fast as always. I finished By the Lake and mostly puttered around. I will be getting the Illusionist this week from Netflix–can’t wait!
We rarely get much snow here, but usually we’d have a little big, not even a hint so far this winter. No hail or sleet, or anything really wintery.
I was hoping we’d get snowed in so I could get in some extra reading time but no luck. I hadn’t heard of the Kindertransport documentary. That sounds very powerful. I will have to add it to my movie list.
I think you’ll like it better, Angela. It is a much more complete story.
More movies to consider! Time is truly getting crowded with so many books and so many movies just waiting!
ooh…I love that first pic of all the icy branches.
I was a teeny bit disappointed with the “Scooby-Doo” moment in The Illusionist…but really, the rest of it was so much fun that I mostly forgive it. 😉
Man, I wish I had your weekend last weekend. Sounds fun! Are you liking F.E.A.R. in spite of the stupid acronym title? 😉 We found the automatically scaling AI to be very interesting.
I’ve actually played F.E.A.R. once before when it first came out and I love it. Any game where the enemies will circle back around you, toss timely grenades at you, etc. is great in my book. All the creepy moments scared the poop out of me the first time I played it and, I have to admit, still give me shivers this second time through. I can’t wait to play the expansion pack portion.
Can “as fashionably late as late as winter” be my excuse…?
Happy New Year, Carl, with much happiness and enjoyable reading! 🙂
What a busy weekend!!! The pictures of the ice on the branches – wow!
Thanks Heather, it was fun slipping and sliding around the yard to get them.
Hey Anne, I wondered where you had disappeared to! You can use that as an excuse anytime!!!
Great ice pictures Carl. I didn’t venture out to get any this time. I decided to remain in the warmth of my house, denying the truth of how cold it is out there.
The extra day off has been a wonderful bonus, but I will, no doubt, have to go to work tomorrow.
I wasn’t thrilled at all about the weather. I cried at first. I love being at home and am thankful for my provider husband, but being at home on a long weekend is not much of a treat for me. It’s like still being at work. I adore the adventure of getting out and doing things and getting away. It was nice to have the kids at the grandparents’ homes (have to take them up on it when it’s offered!) Maybe we will be able to get away sometime. We had a good time driving around in the bad weather. (A little adventure for my soul.) James’ suburban gets around in any weather. I tortured James at the mall. The deals were good and he held in there as long as he could before he said, “I’M DONE!! He’s not much of a shopper. He worried a lot about rush jobs that had to get done, but couldn’t due to bad road conditions.
The kids are out of school tomorrow, too! Another snow day. The gal is coming to do our virtual tour in the afternoon. I hope I can have the house ready with the four kiddos here all day!
We picked out a wood stove insert for our fireplace today. I grew up with wood heat and we really miss the wood stove we had in Lee’s Summit. If all goes well, we will have wood heat again, which will be a nice supplement to help with our heating bill or during power failures. Wood heat is amazingly cozy in weather like this. When we got married and only had a furnace, I shivered all the time for several years.
I am glad you guys enjoyed your weekend at home!
Being able to have a fire in the fireplace is definitely something you will enjoy in your new home. I look forward to seeing how the virtual tour looks online, I told James to send me the link as soon as its done.
I was jealous of your and Mary’s day off today Mosker!
We have a showing tomorrow!!!! I am excited!!! I am going to post a pic of the home we have a contract on. Hopefully it will be on my blog tonight so you guys can see it. It’s really pretty. I think James will feel so proud to have us in this new home. The cool thing is the house number, 1007. Hehe!
Hey 007, cool! We are super thrilled for you guys and hope/pray it all gets in line quickly.
Ew, The Egg and I is based on a humorous, bestselling memoir by Betty MacDonald. I have the first edition on my shelf, complete with paper cover! Also, this is the first picture Ma & Pa Kettle appeared in. I’m a big fan! 🙂
Check it out! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Egg_and_I
Thanks Maggie, we were wondering if it was the first one considering that they were only a small part of the film. My wife’s parents love these and she was the one who introduced me to them.
Enjoy the ice–better you than me. :>
On the subject of documentaries, have you seen “Paperclips”? Our church group watched it recently. WOW. Talk about poignant.
I’ve heard good things about Paperclips and it is on my netflix list…someday! 😉
sorry – i think we’ve been kinda hogging old man winter – i’m glad to hear he got a bit of vacation… it sound like you might have made him happy, maybe he’ll stay for a while 🙂
Hey Mysfit! I’ve missed you. Yes, you guys have been taking more than your fair share of the snow! Feel free to keep sending some this way, at least for the next month or so. Our luck it will decide to stay winter well into spring and then I’ll be cursing what I now desire.
Your weekend sounded so cozy and wonderful. We finally have cold temperatures here today (38 deg).
I was just about to cancel Netflix when I realized I hadn’t seen Lady in the Water yet and now I also want
to see Into the Arms of Strangers. And wow, KFC, biscuits and white bean soup? That’s more than an
8-month-pregnant woman can bear. I might have to go scope out some fried chicken for tonight.
Carl, there are simply not that many hours in a 3 day weekend to do all that you did, is there?! I think 2007 is the perfect year to read all the 007 books. You can look back on it and recall, “That was the Bond year.”
Thanks for suggesting Into the Arms of Strangers. Sounds meaningful and good. We watched and enjoyed Lady in the Lake, too.
Your pictures are wonderful, Carl. I think I love winter pictures more than any other season. I read the book Into the Arms of Strangers; I’ll be adding the documentary to Netflix. I loved this weekend. I went to the store on Thursday and cooked and ate, cleaned a little, and read. I thought the timing of this storm was wonderful. I got to hibernate and thoroughly enjoy myself without having to use any vacation time.
Wasn’t it wonderful Pat! Its no secret that I am hoping that the predicted snowstorm hits on Sunday and that work will be impossible to get into on Monday. It is wishful thinking, but I’m going to hold out my hopeless hope! I think you’d love the documentary. When you watch it also watch the extras that has the interview with Lord Richard Attenborough. I understand why they cut it out but it is a very nice moment. Sorry again about lunch being cancelled on Friday…I’ll miss our book conversation and Panera!!!
We’ve had a lot of ice too. It’s nice until you have to drive on it.
and I love ‘The Illusionist’ and ‘Lady in the Water’ . Both two of my favorite movies. I rushed and bought a copy of ‘The Illusionist’ from Best Buy and so far it hasn’t left my DVD player.
Great, aren’t they Katie! Its supposed to snow again this weekend. I’m looking forward to it and yet I have plans that I hope it doesn’t interrupt….I’ve got to see Pan’s Labyrinth!!!