I know everyone has posted their obligatory Thanksgiving posts about food, family, and fun. And it would be easy to follow in this same (albeit late) pattern. I could tell you about being at the RCA dome where my high school won the football state championship. Or playing games with my family. Or eating until I felt like puking. Or sitting in front of the fire, watching Notre Dame clinch a BCS bowl. But I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to share a tidbit of a conversation Lacey and I had on the road to Indiana. U2 was on the Dellpod, and Lacey was commenting on how she would love to see them in concert and would probably pee in her pants if she saw Bono up close. I asked her if it was that he was good looking, or his voice, or stardom or what and she said quite simply, "Since I met you, I guess I've just fallen in love with U2." Score one for the husband. I did it. She's a convert. Next up? Pearl Jam and Action movies.
Ok, this is going to be a very choppy post on a number of topics, most of which aren't related at all.
First of all, two must-see movies coming out this weekend. First, Harry Potter. I love the books and the movies, and this is basically the only movie franchise left for me (now that Star Wars and LOTR are gone) to look forward to. I mean, Spiderman, X-men, Superman, Batman, all those are great, but not "have-to-see-opening-weekend" great. Anyway, our local movie theater is playing all 4 HP's back-to-back starting at 3:30 and culminating at 12:01AM with the new one. If only I didn't have a wife, work and responsibility. Hmph. Secondly, Walk the Line. Movie of the year? It's a good possibility. I love the Joaquin. I love the Reese. I love the Cash. Can't wait to see it, just gotta conjure up the cash. The holidays are upon us, and that means buying Christmas presents. Speaking of that, did you know that Wal-Mart employees get written up this year if they get caught saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays"? Unbelievable. Anyway, I also want to say that I really do want to see Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley. It's a common misperception of me that I don't like anything related to chick flicks. Even my wife thought I wouldn't want to see it! I mean, I broke down, borrowed Christin's copy and read the Austen classic! So I need to set the record straight. I kinda dig so-called chick flicks. They just can't be overtly stupid and pandering. Movies like The Ice Princess, The Prince and Me and the Sisterhood of the Traveling stupidity. You know, like When Harry Met Sally. Even if they're terribly done, at least have something that other people beside 13-year old girls would like. To wrap up this rant, I'll just run down the movies I've seen recently. 1)Elizabethtown - loved it. Soundtrack (especially), use of music, performances, comedy, this movie had it all. Cameron Crowe is a freakin' genius. Favorite movie of the year so far, if you don't cout star wars (which you can't because it's in a league of its own). 2)Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - really enjoyable. Very fun movie with a very heartfelt message. Depp was awesome, the oompa loompas were hilarious, the visuals were amazing, and that kid that played Charlie was awesome. 3)Melinda and Melinda - I love Woody Allen and Will Ferrell was Woody in that movie. Hilarious. 4)The Perfect Man - yikes. Had to watch this because next up is The Longest Yard, and marriage is about compromise. 5)Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - see #4, and refer to Melinda and Melinda.
Secondly, music. I've been listening to a lot of eclectic stuff these days. I've really gotten into Kanye West's Golddigger. I want so badly to hate it, since it butchers Ray Charles, but it's just so freaking catchy! Also, Radiohead has a new song out there, I Want None of This. It's really, really good (what else is new). I found a new band to me as well that I really like, called My Morning Jacket. I don't know really what to say, except that I like them. And finally, there's been a resurgence of 80's music in my life. Really cheesy stuff like Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Billy Idol and the Eurythmics. I know, I know, I'm a loser. But I'm just a sucker these days for catchy music, what can I say?
Notre Dame has a really good chance at a BCS bowl, and I couldn't be more ecstatic. That loss to Michigan State is a very glaring problem, but other than that, and the USC sucker-punch, it's been a glorious season. I just hope and pray that Quinn stays in school, because he'll probably be the Heisman frontrunner.
I CALLED IT! Taking a small touch out of the sting of losing to Houston, I'm vindicated and Pujols is the NL MVP. Screw Andruw Jones! I was right, and I'm gloating. Albert definitely deserved it, and he had a great season.
The Colts are still undefeated, and have some of the Patriot Monkey off their back. What a glorious win. I hate New England so much, it was wonderful seeing them go down. I just hope we don't fizzle at the end of the season. It's a tough 2nd half schedule. We really need to stay hot, take some 'mo into the playoffs, and get to the Super Bowl...finally.
This one starts on our drive to St. Louis, continues through getting re-routed and delayed in Fort Myers because of Air Force One, our arrival in Miami, the first party, the reception, missing our connection out of Chicago and the drive home. Enjoy, and check out the ones you don't know. They're good.
1.Annie Lennox - Waiting in Vain
2.Elvis vs. JXL - A Little Less Conversation
3.Kelly Clarkson - Torn into Pieces
4.Allison Krauss - I'll Fly Away
5.Bloodhound Gang - The Roof is on Fire
6.Billy Idol - White Wedding
7.Salvation - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
8.I Will Survive - Cake
9.Barely Breathing - Duncan Shiek
10.Miami - Will Smith
11.Don't Let the Sun Go Down - Elton John
12.Quiet Heart - Kent
13.Wasting Time - Kid Rock
14.(Night Time Is) The Right Time - Ray Charles
15.At Last - Etta James
16.Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
17.Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
18.I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
19.Human Highway - Neal Young
20.Cabron - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Miami! Wow, there have really been 4 trips in my lifetime, where I was totally like "wow, that was amazing". The first was when my family went out to Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time,and I saw the size and scope of the mountains. The second was when I studied in Aberdeen, Scotland for a semester, and toured Europe on the trains and in hostels for a month. The third was my honeymoon in Mexico. And the fourth was last weekend, in Miami, Florida. We got flown down and put up in the Ritz Carlton in South Beach, for Lacey's cousin's wedding. Talk about your 5 star hotels (like I know). It was definitely a short vacation, but every day I felt like I was a movie star or something. It was incredible. The weather, the food, the service, the parties, everything was perfect. When money is no object, it certainly makes a difference. At the wedding reception, it felt like we were at the Golden Globes. I don't think I've ever had more fun dancing. And the scenery, ah the scenery...well, I guess I just love the pool and the ocean. Anyway, I wish I knew how to post pictures on here, but I don't. However, if you want to see some of the fun, email me at jmmelton@hotmail.com and I will send you a link. Anyway, you can call Lacey for a longer, more detailed story about our trip, or view my next post for a summary Dellpod mix that encapsulates the entire vacation, from the car-ride to and from St. Louis, to the delays in the airports, to the actual stay in the tropical paradise I like to call Miami. It was unbelievable. If you ever get a chance to party with the Brocks, take it.
I have been randomly selected to play along:
1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Post the fifth sentence (or closest to it).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.
Here goes:
"So many great action flicks, so much fun stuff...it was heaven for a burgeoning movie buff."
I guess I have to tag five people, so here we go:
1.Jon
2.Gibbs
3.Anna
4.McInnis
5.Jen
The only thing is...I'm not sure 5 people other than the ones Christin tagged read this blog. Oh well.