I don’t know who I am playing against. TAKE THAT, STRANGER.

OK, so here’s the picture-and-stars-free list: 100.txt
and here’s the hooray-for-pictures-and-stars version: /movies

er, anyway.

Surprise surprise, I saw a lot of sequels this year (10). I also saw quite a few foreign movies (10, not including movies from the UK). 10 movies are also in the “I am kind of embarassed to admit that I watched this” category.

100th Movie? National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Entertaining. Far-fetched, but “It’s a movie.” I liked the first one more.

Movies I Can Cross Off Of This List: A Clockwork Orange, Amelie, Taxi Driver
Yes, I gave in and watched A Clockwork Orange. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I loved Amelie. Taxi Driver was not that great, but I’ve seen worse. I can also cross off Casablanca (enjoyed it), but I watched it in 2005.

Five Stars: El Laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth), Le Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amélie), and Lola rennt (Run Lola Run)
Amélie is definitely my favorite out of the three. I’m not sure if I would give Pan’s Labyrinth or Run Lola Run five stars if I watched them again.

Pleasant Surprises: The Namesake, Knocked Up, 28 Days Later, Stranger Than Fiction, American Splendor, I Am Legend

Let Downs: Heathers, the departed, annie hall, no country for old men
Movies I heard were “OMG SO GREAT!!!!!@$@$@!”, but were just okay for me.

Sequels That I Loved: 28 Weeks Later, Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
Pretty sad since I saw quite a few Part Twos and Part Threes this year. I don’t know if I should even include OOTP here because I’d probably like it even if they really butchered it.

Movie That Received 0 Stars: Out Cold
Someone brought it during movie night and said that it was one of his brother’s favorite movies. yikes.

When I was around 12 years old, I would get into bed and tuck myself in, but the light switch in my room is on the wall opposite from my bed. So I’d yell and ask one of my parents to turn the light off for me. Ah, laziness…

My dad bought me The Clapper that Christmas. I remember being let down because I was sure that it was something else that I really wanted that year. Anyway, it wouldn’t have been that bad of a present if the stupid thing worked correctly. Yeah, lights will turn off when you clap twice and turn back on when you clap three times… but it will do the same if it detects any loud noise made twice or three times in a row. Do you know how annoying that is?

Knock. Knock. Lights off.

Ha. Ha. Lights off.

America’s next top model disappointed me last night. (Actually, the whole season was disappointing.) I didn’t like the final two girls, but, man, I cracked up when one of them caused that dude on stilts to fall.

Heroes (Volume 2.. season 2.. whatever.) was disappointing, but I think I’ll keep watching.

Grey’s Anatomy, I am finally trading you in for The Office. The show just hasn’t been the same ever since Meredith Grey died for an hour and then came back to life.

I haven’t watched Desperate Housewives in a while, but I caught a bit of the last episode. I believe a huge tornado went through Wisteria Lane. … Yeah.

December 2007 Collaboration at Rice Bowl Journals.

Name 5 favorite Christmas songs?
I kind of don’t like Christmas songs, but there is one that I really like: “Christmas Time is Here”
Once, I found an mp3 of Stone Temple Pilots doing a version of the song. No bullhorns were used in their version. I have to find it again.

Name 4 gifts you plan to buy for others.
# I bought a B&N gift card for Leila’s Hannukah present
# I knitted fingerless mitts and an ipod holder for Elah’s Hannukah present
# I bought handmade earrings for someone who reads this blog from time to time…
# I might buy my cousin a handmade wallet that has zombie / monster hands on it

Name 3 things you would like for Christmas.
One is very expensive, one not so expensive, and one that I’ve got to get myself
# A printing press.
# any of the sea creature patterns from this shop
# A graphic design job in or around New York, New Jersey, or Philadelphia

What 2 places do you plan to be during Christmas?
# Home
# At the movie theater

What is 1 important person, place or thing you love about Christmas?
gingerbread.

# To create a realistic-looking compost pile, artists photographed and researched the way real produce rots. Fifteen different kinds of produce were left to rot and then photographed, such as apples, berries, bananas, mushrooms, oranges, broccoli, and lettuce.

# To find out how to animate the scene where the Head Chef is wet, they actually dressed someone in a chef suit, and put him in a swimming pool to see which parts of the suit stuck to his body, and which parts you could see through.

Well, not really. My free moo cards arrived today. They’re adorable and I really love how the one of my cousin reading at the Seoul Airport turned out…

but it has someone else’s information on the back. Hers, actually.

—-

In other news, have you seen the new iGoogle themes? I love the JR theme! I’m feeling a bit inspired and received my new “canvas” in the mail today, but I’ll have to wait. I’m making books for someone and they need to be shipped out soon.

“Are we exchanging presents this year? Becaauuuuse I don’t go to family parties anymore… and you’re the only cousin i like. JUST KIDDING, COUSINS WHO SEE THIS ON THEIR NEWS FEED, JUST KIDDINNGGGG.”

I got really bored and made a time-lapse video.

I am knitting these in the video… and all of that is only about two rounds. I usually like working with DPNs (double pointed needles), but I am knitting with size 0 needles for the first time. It feels like I am using Ker Plunk (REMEMBER KER PLUNK?)sticks to knit. Not fun, but I’m getting used to it.

So I didn’t really want to tell all of you about the rest of the unemployment debacle, but I’m sort of confused about their decision. And by “sort of” i mean that i am completely fucking confused and i wish they sent along an extra page that dumbs it down for us.

The tribunal said that he did not quit voluntarily, but, technically, by refusing to accept the reinstatement, he refused suitable work.

So the first line under Decision says something like:
Claimant is not disqualified under [insert law here] because he did not quit voluntarily.
then the next lines say something like
Claimant is disqualified under [law stuff here], as of 9/2/07 through 9/29/07, for refusing work without a good reason.

The decision of the deputy is reversed.

Today, my dad received a letter stating the amount that he’s supposed to pay back and it is only four weeks worth of benefits (he’s been claiming for almost three months) — Does this mean that he was only disqualified for that month or will he get another letter telling him to empty his bank account? It doesn’t say on the decision to keep claiming or that he was eligable from 9/30 to now.