Skip to content

The Glitter of the Galaxy

We’ve had a fairly quiet and relaxing Christmas / Giftmas / Boxing Day but I feel like Sisyphus what with all this shoveling. And the degree of difficulty has only increased, thanks to the freezing rain that pelted down in between layers of snow, making it like the ice planet Hoth out there. We are effectively marooned at home. There’s nothing much within walking distance and our chances of leaving in the car anytime soon are slim to nil. My poor Mazda is frozen into the driveway. The lad and I went out this morning to chisel away at the ice blockade. It was utterly exhausting work but we barely made a dent. Which meant we had to pass, yet again, on sledding with friends this afternoon. We do have a tentative date to go tubing tomorrow (with another boy named Parker) provided we can finish clearing the driveway. And then have any energy to spare afterward. Seems unlikely. If only we had magical ice-clearing flamethrowers. What we do have? A defective Tony Hawk Ride skateboard. And a functioning Wii Fit Plus that tells me I’m 53 years old and overweight. Boo hiss to all that. At least the Wii Fit games are fun. Warmed up with some basic aerobics and rhythm Kung Fu. And I don’t even mind having the kid heckle me when I screw up. Apparently I am encouraged by such feedback, from him and from the game itself.

Now for five good things:

  • An incredible animated short: “Having been struck by a 150-ton meteorite, Henry has to adapt to living precisely ninety-one centimeters from himself.”
  • Roger Franklin, 83, is one of the city’s longest-running Santas at any one location. He has served for 21 years at the South Street Seaport.
  • I’ve only reconfirmed my Smitten Kitchen groupie status by making a veganized version of the spinach strata and the pear bread today.
  • And, not because it will ever be relevant to me, but because it’s fascinating and Saleem is an entertaining writer: HOW TO: Party With Your Japanese Boss. I love his dispatches from Japan.
  • Finally gave Torchwood a chance and got myself good and hooked, despite dodgy special effects (nearly stopped watching during the terrible Cyber Woman episode with the very obviously plastic cyborg bits). But there’s so much to love. Captain Jack Harkness! And Welsh accents! And James Marsters in season two!

In unhappy news, Vic Chesnutt has passed away. Many years ago I saw him open for his good friend Kristen Hersh. I’ve been following her on twitter and she is just devastated by this awful turn of events:

To say this is a difficult day for those who knew and cared about Vic Chesnutt, the singer-songwriter who died yesterday at age 45, can only be an understatement. “I miss him more than I’ve missed anybody ever,” Kristin Hersh (of Throwing Muses and solo fame) tells EW.com’s The Music Mix today, her voice heavy with emotion. “Fifteen years was not enough time to prepare for this. It’s just hard to imagine a world without Vic.”

blue christmas bokeh

 

a lovely white tree

 

Parker on the top bunk

3 Comments

  1. Wendy wrote:

    I’ve been so close to buying the new Tony Hawk game for my 12 year old! I’ll be sure to ask for your full review once it’s functioning. Nice work, Santa.

    Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 9:15 pm | Permalink
  2. Heather wrote:

    That short was amazing!! Thanks so much for linking to it.

    Yeah, Wii Fit can be a bit harsh, but it is fun! That sucks about the defective Tony Hawk board. Poor Parker.

    Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 9:35 pm | Permalink
  3. Sharyn wrote:

    Ugh, Wendy, I haven’t had the energy to brave Best Buy to exchange it. That’s why I do all my holiday shopping online. I could probably have mailed it back, had I been wise enough to keep all the labels and paperwork and whatnot. *slaps forehead* So it could be a while before we have a review for you.

    Heather, I love that short film so much. Sigh. And yeah, Wii Fit keeps telling me I’m unbalanced and Parker was giggling madly the first time it took my measurements and shrunk down my Mii and plumped it out, but whatever. It’s fun to play. Been doing about 45 minutes a day of aerobic stuff and I feel like I could actually keep up with it. Unless I’m fighting Parker for a turn with the Wii. :-)

    Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 11:17 pm | Permalink

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *
*
*