Domestic Geek

I'm sick and I am too out of it to come up with something mindboggling this week. So, I present to you (in no particular order):

Thirteen of My Favorite Movies

1. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
   My favorite of all the Star Trek Films. The crew comes back to 1980s earth to bring a couple of humpback whales to the future.
2. Xanadu
   My guilty pleasure. Olivia Newton John, Gene Kelly, muses, Greek mythology, big bands, rollerskating, soundtrack by ELO. Good times.
3. My Cousin Vinny
   This was one of the first movies Marcus and I saw together. It's his favorite movie and has some awesome dialogue. Vinny Gambini: "Perhaps the laws of physics cease to exist on your stove. Were these magic grits? Did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?"
4. Amadeus
   The story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart told by Antonio Salieri from an insane asylum to a priest. While I'm sure many liberties were taken with the story line, it was a great movie. Plus, Tom Hulce made a great "Wolfy." Great soundtrack album, as well.
5. Toy Story
   I love everything that Pixar has put out, but this one is still my favorite by far. I love Randy Newman's music, too.
6. The Matrix
   This movie really got me to thinking. What if we really are stuck in a Matrix and our lives are only in our minds? Hm. I was totally intrigued by the symbolism and stuff the film makers put into it. The 2nd one was pretty decent. Too bad the third one sucked monkey balls.
7. Pretty in Pink
   I love the movies that came out in the 80s. This one is by far my favorite, probably because I had a thing for Andrew McCarthy.
8. The Princess Bride
   Classic fairy tale type of story, but funnier. I loved Cary Elwes in this. Inigo Montoya: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father prepare to die."
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
   Yes, one of the reasons I love this is my thing for Johnny Depp. Plus, Orlando Bloom helps, too. It's a good story, though. The special effects are pretty darned cool.
10. American Pie
    I couldn't decide whether to put this or Porky's on the list. They're both hysterical. I think I chose thing because I love the band camp chick.
11. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
    Not the one that Johnny Depp made recently, but the original 1971 version. I love Gene Wilder. The boat scene scared me when I first saw it. The soundtrack was awesome, too.
12. The Wedding Singer
    I like just about everything Adam Sandler does, but pair him with Drew Barrymore and you get an awesome movie (I really love 50 First Dates, too).
13. Grumpy Old Men
    Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau made a great team. It cracked me up watching two old guys fighting over a girl.

Yesterday Steve Jobs announced during his keynote address at Macworld that the rumors were true. Apple, Inc. (no longer Apple Computer, Inc.) has indeed developed the iPhone. I usually wait for stuff like this to become a couple of years old before I get one, but I'm seriously contemplating getting one when they are released in June.

Thirteen Reasons I Want An iPhone

1. It's made by Apple. I love Apple's products. They're easy to use, functional and visually pleasing.
2. The screen can be either landscape or portrait. The screen orientation changes depending on how you hold it. I think that is genius.
3. It has a 4GB hard drive. That's the same drive size and the iPod nanos. That's quite a bit of data you can have with you.
4. It's a mini computer. It runs apps, has OSX, etc. — all in one tiny little package.
5. It's relatively affordable. It's proposed $500 price tag is in line with other models of "smart phones."
6. It has a camera. I really would love to have a camera phone. It featues a 2 megapixel camera and a photo managing application.
7. It is an iPod. While I just got an iPod for Christmas, I don't always want to have to carry two devices around.
8. Google Maps. I love using Google Maps. There are many times I wish I had access to it while out running errands. You can also call from your phone right from a map lookup.
9. WiFi. Not only can you connect to the Internet via your phone plan, you can connect via wireless networks.
10. Touch Screen. You control everything by touching the screen. A keyboard even comes up when you need it. Clever.
11. Visual Voicemail. You don't have to listen to all your VM at once. You can pick and choose on the screen.
12. Widgets. I have some great widgets installed on my desktop. It would be great to be able to check for the cheapest gas while you're out and about.
13. It's a PDA. Calendars, email, etc.

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Sorry this is way late this week. Between the snow storms, the holidays and the dog, I don't know what day of the week it is anymore. I decided that this week it's time for a little reflection on the year I had in 2006. Definitely not one of my better years by a long shot. Hopefully I'll remember that tough life lessons I had this year and won't repeat them. I also learned some good things, too.

Thirteen Lessons I Learned This Year

1. Don't Work with "Friends" — Don't accept a job with people you know previously, especially if the "boss" is someone you considered a friend.
2. The Graphic Design Industry Sucks— There is an oversupply of designers and therefore the pay has fallen off dramatically. There is also an overabundance of bad designers willing to work for those low wages.
3. Don't Be Honest With Your Employer — Don't turn down a raise because you hate your job and are up front that you are looking to work elsewhere. This will bite you in the butt.
4. Soda is Bad — I gave up drinking Coke/Pepsi this year. The detrimental effect is has on a person astounds me. I don't get heartburn hardly at all anymore.
5. Being a Freelancer Sucks — It was something I always thought I could fall back on and I was wrong. I don't have the temperament to deal with stupid clients.
6. Envy gets You Nowhere— I've spent a good portion of this year focusing on what others have and becoming bitter in the process.
7. I Don't Need So Much Stuff — I've been slowly purging myself of "stuff" and I'm finding I really haven't missed anything I've tossed. There is still much to get through, but one box at a time.
8. I've Been Living in the Past — Being unemployed for so long did give me time to really delve into my own thoughts. A lot of the revelations I have had have really surprised me. I was still berating myself and taking action based on things that happened over 20 years ago. I have really been stunted in my emotional growth. Now that I've learned what I was doing, 2007 will be the year I change that.
9. Doing Something for Charity Feels Good — I really enjoyed doing the Blogathon this year and was overwhelmed by the feeling I got from it. I will definitely be looking for ways to be more charitable in the near future.
10. I Can Really Count on Marcus — It's amazing that he has stuck with me through this really low point in my life. I know he truly loves me and I am thankful.
11. You Can Have Really Good Online Friends — This is the first time I've reached out to the people on the Internet and I've found some really wonderful, caring people out there.
12. Dreams Aren't Enough — I have lots of good intentions and wishful thinking is a bad habit. I have been always thinking I'll do this someday or I wish I could do that. Good things can't happen to you if you don't help. The only thing that gets results is action.
13. I'm a Good and Worthy Person — As strange as that sounds, I had a hard time believing it. I've always been the first to bash myself. "I'm not attractive" or "I'm such a loser" or "I'm not (whatever) enough." The truth is I'm not perfect, but I'm talented and I have a lot to offer. It's a lesson I'm striving to reinforce a lot in the coming year.

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Wow, I haven't done one of these in a while. Since Denver was hit with a blizzard and I'm snowbound, I present to you:

Thirteen of my Favorite Holiday Songs

1. Deck the Halls by Mannheim Steamroller — You know the Christmas season is upon us when you hear anything from them.
   
2. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12_24) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra — I love this group. Someday I'm going to see them live. Did you know they used to be the metal band Savatage?
   
3. Snoopy's Christmas (Snoopy vs Red Baron) by The Royal Guardsmen — For some reason, this song makes me get all teary.
   
4. Santa Babyby Eartha Kitt — I like Madonna's version, too, but you just gotta love Eartha's sexy voice!
   
5. Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney — This is so happy and bouncy. My mom used to love it. It makes me think of her.
   
6. Gabriel's Message by Sting — I absolutely love this song. It is so hypnotic and peaceful.
   
7. Twelve Days of Christmas by Bob and Doug McKenzie — Not your traditional 12 Days song, but hey, you need a little humor during the holidays to keep from going insane, y'know?
   
8. The Little Drummer Boy by Chicago — I love a lot of Chicago's holiday tunes. Their harmonies are so cool.
   
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies — This has a great beat and I just love BNL anyway.
   
10. Colorado Christmas by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band — Hey, I live in Colorado...you've got to love this song!
    
11. White Christmas by Bing Crosby — It's a classic and I love Bing's voice.
    
12. A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives — You just have to smile when you hear this one!
    
13. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey
    

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