He had it coming

He had it coming
Originally uploaded by Mike F.

Maybe he looked at Quincy the wrong way; gave him the Stink Eye, so to speak. Maybe he was taunting Quincy since he gets to sleep with our son while Quincy has to sleep downstairs. Maybe he challenged Quincy to a fight.

Whatever it was, he lost. Quincy beat the stuffing out of him. That will teach the other toys to mess with Quincy.

I didn't get much sleep last night. Can you tell?

Ready for the Storm!

Ready for the Storm
Originally uploaded by Mike F.

It's the "Storm of the Century!" Well, at least the storm of the winter. So far, that is. Really, the way they talk on the radio and TV you'd think we lived in south Florida or something. Yes, it's going to snow. Yes, we might get a good amount. Yes, people are going to drive like morons. It happens every year. I did go out and buy some powdered eggs today. You know, just in case...

At least the Target parking lot is ready for action. Look at that purple and green stuff. I have no idea why the ice melting stuff is that color, I've only seen the white salt that is behind it. The purple stuff kind of looks like a snow cone. A little? No?

Anyway, we are going to get some snow tonight and into tomorrow. We could get 3 to 8 inches. We'll see where we end up in that range. Now, If you'll excuse me, I believe some freeze-dried food is calling my name.

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #66: Under the Hood

Carly wants some pictures of what keeps our cars running. This is the best I have for you:

Here's a relatively wide shot of the engine compartment:

Here is a close-up. Notice there is no battery here, just a plus terminal to use while jumping. I had to read the owner's manual to find out it was in the trunk. Not today, mind you, but the first time I was looking for it.

That's all I have this week. Not very exciting, I know.

Go over to Carly's site to see what other's have posted.

How we spent a lot of money seeing a movie

To start off we went here. I'm not sure why I'm linking to their site, it is not very good. It looks okay, but it just doesn't work well. We are not the only ones that thinks so either.

Anyway, we did this a few weeks ago. We were given a gift card for Gold Class Cinema last Christmas, I think, so it was about time we went. Plus, with the economy they way it is, we weren't sure how long the place would be around. Movies are expensive enough when going to a regular theater, not to mention a Gold Class cinema.

We asked for a gift card for this place when we heard it was being built. It seemed like a good idea to go to a theater with nice comfy chairs, eat while you are watching it, and most likely have no children making a bunch of noise. We were going to see and "R" rated movie, so there should have been no kids, but you can never be sure.

Let me describe how it works. First, you try to make a reservation for a movie you want to see. You get to pick your seat, which is an added bonus. Then, when you go to the theater you tell them your name, they won't be able to find it because their website blows, but the people are super nice. Ours was reserved under the name "Gold." Not our last name, but notice it is part of the name of the theater. We should have said we were part owners.

So, they greet you and sit you down in a lounge area and get your drink order, then your dinner order. I think this is a good idea since it reduces the distractions in the theater. It would be hard to pay attention to the movie if everyone was getting their order taken.

After we placed our order, they came at sat us in our nice chairs with electric reclining action. How cool is that? We are offered blankets and a pillow, but we decline so we wouldn't fall asleep.

The first thing we noticed was how different the previews are when you are not going to see a "G" rated, animated movie. Sadly, the previews were better than the movie. But that's not the theater's fault. I blame everyone who made The Men Who Stare at Goats. I mean, come on! The previews looked great, but that had all the good scenes, unfortunately.

Our food came, just after the movie started. Since there are no tables, just the drink holder-type things, you have to hold the plate in your lap. But, the plates are designed in such a way that it works. I had a steak sandwich and Jenn has sushi. She didn't like her food too much. But, really, sushi in a movie theater, what did she expect? But, that gave us an excuse to order the cookie platter. So it worked out well.

If you looked at the site a bit, you might have noticed the layout of the seats. It works out really well, the waiters were never blocking my view. Of course, we only had six other people seeing the movie, but I think it would have been okay even if it was full.

Overall, I think it's a good way to see a movie for a special occasion. Just pick a better movie than we did.

 How much was it? Well, I'll let you figure it out. 

(No, I was not paid to write this. But, if anyone who works for them sees this and wants to give me a gift card, feel free. :)

Weekend Assignment #295: Keeping warm

As Karen sits in cozy and warm Tucson, she wants to know what us poor saps in the Midwest (and other parts of this Earth) do to keep warm during the winter. I think it is fitting that I write this up on the day we get our first measurable snow in Chicago. (I think some of the suburbs got some the other day, but that doesn't count.)

Weekend Assignment: #295: Even in Tucson, things can get a bit chilly on December nights. What is your favorite way to keep warm?

Chilly? In Tucson? Okay, I'll cut Karen some slack since she used to live in Syracuse, NY and I see that it is in the 40's there now.

In our lower level it can get pretty chilly in the winter. Part of the reason is because it is an open two-story area in the main living room, so all the cold air pools right by the couches. You can almost see it. Or, at least your breath. Also, the siding on the house is as old as me, it needs to be tossed out and replaced. I think getting some new insulation and siding will help keep the downstairs much warmer. I hope.

When it is chilly, I usually put on what Jenn likes to call my 'old man sweater.' It's just a zip up fleece thing, but since I wear it all the time, Jenn likes to make fun of me. Though, when I am on a stretch of days off I do tend to wear it a lot. It's like the flannel shirt Michale Keaton wore in Mr. Mom. So maybe she's not so far off. Hey, at least it's not a sweater that Mr. Rogers wore, or anything.

We do have a fire place in the family room, but we aren't in there a whole lot. There is no TV, so what's the point?  Also, we've been waiting for the kids to get older. They are old enough now to stay away, but now we have to clean the chimney out and make sure the dogs won't jump in there. Maybe next winter.

Extra Credit: What is the temperature setting on your thermostat?

Because of the chill I mentioned early, we tend to keep the thermostat set at 73 degrees. This way it is tolerable in the living room and roasting in the bedrooms upstairs. I try to turn the thermostat down a bit at night, but I often get caught and have to turn it back up. I don't like to be warm when I sleep.

I don't drink coffee...

Antique coffee
Originally uploaded by Mike F.

But this doesn't sound good to me. No, I'd rather have fresh coffee, please. Thank you.

I imagine this is the kind of coffee you would drink along with the piece of cake from Charles and Diana's wedding you won in an auction. Or, maybe something older. Like a piece of cake celebrating our nation's independence? Either way, I'll pass.

I wonder if the other things in their vending service are antiques as well? I hear the 1985 vintage Twinkie is superb!

No, No, NaNo, NaNo, No!

I couldn't come up with a better title than that. This isn't really an update since I haven't done any NaNoWriMo updates through the course of the month. One would think that my absence from here would mean that I have succeeded in accomplishing the 50,000 word goal. One would be wrong. Now I'm going to go on and list all the people I want to blame for my failure. Okay?

Me.

You really didn't think I was going to lay blame on anyone else did you? I'm not saying I didn't try, or that I gave up, I just don't think I had the resolve to get it done in the one month time frame. I had more things to do than I thought I would this month. Not to mention, the midnights I had to do in the beginning, me getting sick, and the kids getting sick.

I'm a total waste of space when I work midnights, just ask Jenn. I thought I could get some stuff done in my waking hours, but I couldn't get myself to do that. I'm sure Jabba the Hut would call me a weak minded fool.

I did pound out some words when Jenn was out of town in the middle of the month. Although, by the end of that week I was pretty tired of being on duty all the time and took a break one day. I did get to do one day of writing sprints with Mr. Unfocused when he was on a business trip. See, that man has the willpower and dedication that I don't. And, he won by writing over 50,000 words. Go congratulate him. Tell him I said so.

So how far did I get? (I just realized I should have told you Mr. Unfocused's numbers after mine so I don't look so weak.) I got up to over 17,000. But, you know what, I'm not too mad at myself. I'm sure if I tried a little harder I could have made it halfway to the milestone, but still, that is 17,000 more than I had before, right?

I think I'll keep going with it though. Why not finish what I started, right? There is always next year!

This April is Script Frenzy month. Who wants to do it with me?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go for a run. I have a Santa 5K to run this weekend and I haven't done a whole lot since my race last month. I'm not sure if my legs remember what to do.