HOLIDAYS!

The kids are home for the school holidays! We finally get them back, even if it's only for 2 weeks. We've had some primo fun already: a trip to the zoo, mask painting, kid-gym visits, lunhes out, movies... the great thing about having them back is the chance it gives us to engage in some kiddie-fun stuff ourselves-- not like I ever need an excuse to act like a 10 year old, but you know :)

SPIDERMAN 2

Went with the boys to see the 2nd Spiderman installment last night. Damn fun movie! The fight scene on top of (as well as inside and on the side of) the train ranks as one of the best fight scenes I've seen in a long time. The main cast have matured into their roles since the first movie, particularly James Franco, and Alfred Molina must go down as one of the most inspired casting choices of the year. His Doctor Octopus is layered, meaningful, and shaded in subtle human tones, as far from the cardboard cut-out school of villiany as you'd like to get. A thoroughly enjoyable movie.

BAD BAD BAAADDDDD...

At the other end of the spectrum are the movie nights that Cheshire and I have been discussing to replace the Sunday night Big Brother eviction parties when that particular spectacle draws mercifully to a close.

The idea is to gather a collection of movies within a specific range of awfulness. We don't want movies that are so awful they've become fond classics (Plan 9 From Outer Space, Robot Monster et al) or movies so awful that they remain simply unwatchably awful (The last 2 Matrix movies, anything by the Farrelly Brothers). Cheese, brother, that's where we're at: America 3000, Ice Pirates, Deep Star Six... post your suggestions on the message board, and we'll send round invites for the first Cheese Spectacular!

LIBRARIES ROCK

Our local library is running a bunch of workshops for ids over the holidays, and we've booked the kids in. Yesterday they spent an hour making scratch pictures. Tomorrow it's suncatchers. Next week they'll learn how to cartoon and send secret codes. Coooolll...