Loved it. I was so wrong about the trailer, we had more of Tony Stark’s awesome wit, alongside some rather more vulnerable moments as well. Trevor was brilliant, and having a rather more human enemy (if enhanced in a terrifying fashion) was good to bring Tony back down from ‘what happened in New York.’ I would have rolled my eyes at the involvement of a kid, normally, but they handled it well and there was some great dialogue between the two. All in all, a success, and the two hours absolutely flew by which is a sign of a really good film.
As you very well know, we recently got hooked on The Big Bang Theory. One of the very first things that caught our attention, and made us realise this could be a show we can get on board with, was Sheldon’s view on giving gifts. It’s exactly the same as ours, and although I’ve tried to explain it on many an occasion, I’ve never quite had his eloquence.
Penny: Uh, Sheldon, I didn’t see your present.
I liked this, but it wasn’t spectacular. A perfectly serviceable animation, nice and festive, feel-good story, with a few funny lines along the way. I did like the concept of Santa’s business as a military-style operation, and the gadgets, Mission Control, and spaceship style transport were very well done.
It has cute and/or funny muppets, great one-liners, tells the story really well and catchy songs. There’s little to complain about, it’s one of the classics that is at this point a Christmas staple. There’s little else to add, except the confusion about ‘The Love is Gone’ being included in some versions and not in others was very irritating. It also didn’t make sense as the song is reprised at the end, but wasn’t included in our version so it didn’t make any sense. But I don’t mind because it’s not the best song on the soundtrack anyway.
A week or so ago, I posted a picture of my bulging to-do list with the promise that I would get lots of things done over the Christmas period and shrink it, substantially. That was the plan. Of course, I was unexpectedly working over Christmas, which didn’t help matters, so it’s no surprise to see that the list still looks rather large.
However, I did manage to complete a lot of the items on there, and although it looks almost the same as it did before, it’s had a bit of a shake-up. The trouble with completing items on the to-do list is that they invariably lead to more items, and thus it is a never-ending circle. So, I am embracing the list in all its new and shiny glory.
A Christmas Carol is a perennial favourite, the complete and utter definition of a classic and rightly so. Short and to the point, not filled with excess waffle, and with a fantastic journey from start to finish, the book grabs you and won’t let you go. Of course, I can’t read this without picturing every step as the Muppets version, which is perhaps unfortunate to the original, but a great time for me. Some of the word for word pieces make me smile, and the songs riff through my head as I go along.
Mmm, running on Christmas Day. There were just a few people out and about, mostly those walking their dogs. Gloriously quiet and only a little bit of drizzle. I hadn’t actually intended to go out, but then I saw a couple of inspiration tweets from friends, including:
A couple of days ago, I posted this story of a good deed to my Google+ account. You may have already read it, in which case you don’t need to do so again - it’s here word for word:
Today I braved the crazy Christmas shoppers in the supermarket for my own regularly scheduled food purchases. I was not looking forward to it, I’ve seen a fight break out in front of the brussels sprouts before.
Here is my to do list looking quite a state. I have made it mostly hard to read because there are some quite fun and fabulous and secret upcoming things on there.
Christmas provides a few days off, and I intend to get this list down to a more manageable size. It used to hover around the three quarters of a page length, and that I could deal with.
A week or two ago, I posted about my favourite Quality Street options when presented with a tin of the delicacies. I had a few messages suggesting that Quality Streets were an unknown, but Roses were more popular. For example, Amy said:
I have no idea what Quality Street is but I know what Roses are and I know what Cadbury Favourites are so I’m assuming they’re along the same lines, only Britisher.
It is that time of year again, the one where the seasonal aisle in the supermarket becomes full to bursting with sweet treats - chocolate and Christmas puddings galore.
In honour of the occasion, and because wherever I turn there appears to be a new tin of Quality Street, Roses or those Miniature Hero things, here are my favourite five Quality Street sweets.
Fudge. Clearly, because it is just like a mini fudge bar, and everyone knows a finger of fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat. And by your kids, I mean me. My only complaint is that it’s in a pink wrapper which just doesn’t seem to suit the fudge thing. Not pink, surely? Orange chocolate crunch. It’s no secret that no one likes the orange sweets or the strawberry sweets, but the orange chocolate crunch is different. It’s just like chocolate but with an orange tang, rather than a weird mess of fruit flavoured creme stuff. The green triangle. An odd shape for a sweet but delicious nonetheless. Come to think of it, I’m not really sure what is in this one. Sort of, squidgy chocolatey stuff. I know they made giant green triangles at one point, but I was not brave enough to try one of those. Toffee finger. There are far too many toffee related items in the Quality Street tin - three, in fact. The toffee penny is a surefire way to need a dentist, but for some reason, the toffee finger is a bit less dramatic. It’s still chewy, and you still have to be careful of your pearly whites, but it’s the best of the three options. Milk choc block. This is a new one on me, I don’t recall there being a single slab of chocolate in these tins before, but I quite like it. I always find that a full bar of just chocolate can be quite dull, but if you get the occasional block here and there, it is definitely a treat to enjoy it by itself. Mmm, chocolate. It’s such a shame that I had to open a new tin of Quality Street just to make sure I was doing full research for this post. Maybe next Friday I’ll have to do my top five Roses. That would be a shame too.
The BBC have introduced a new trailer for their Christmas output - well, it’s more like one of those feel-good ones that has no specific content and just a lot of famous faces beckoning you to stay with the Beeb over the festive season. Works for me!
I can only say that seeing The Doctor playing Twister with a Cyberman may be the best three seconds of TV that I’ve seen in a long while.
Ah, I do love it. I love that it’s a little bit kooky. The dialogue doesn’t always make sense, and they quite often talk over each other. I always find myself starting to hate Tom Hanks at the end, the way he is messing her around, but they are so happy at the end that it’s good times and doesn’t really matter. Mr C and I were talking throughout about all the different ways this could be remade | and most of them involved Amazon!
So, yes. It is a really good film. There are plenty of bits that are unbelievable, and there’s no way you can like every single one of the stories, but it is a great piece of work. The way that you can have the smallest story (such as Stacey and him from the Office) and that is just as important as the big Hugh Grant moments, it’s fabulous. At the start, I mentioned that I forget what an epic cast this film has, and now I’ve realised that I also forget just how funny it is too. It doesn’t make my cry, which is more than can be said for other members of the household, but it’s good stuff.
It’s getting to that time of year when the inevitable will happen. It’s unavoidable, you will be sucked in. It’s that dreaded period of indulgence known as: Christmas TV.
Actually it’s not all that bad. This is the one time of year that I buy a TV guide to help keep track of what is on and when. Most of the year I can rely on perusing the iPlayer and keeping tabs on some excellent TV blogs, because I’m likely to be relying on the On Demand services more than live programming. When Christmas happens, the channels start bringing out the big guns, and I have more time to sit around and flick through the channels. This requires some extra information.
Always love Bruce saving the world. There aren’t as many catchphrases in here as I thought there were but still, I love it. I still like the second one more, but this one must have been good because it broke the dreaded two hour barrier and I didn’t even notice. Go Bruce!
If you ignore the really bad reindeer flying graphics, then the film is actually alright. It’s an interesting take on the Santa story, and it has enough real life stuff to counter the quite fantastical idea of a polar bear directing the traffic. You have to suspend your disbelief, but it does promote the nice message that Santa does indeed exist.
Suddenly, over the festive holiday period, I have become obsessed with accessories. I have never been interested in that kind of thing before - except for an ill-fated venture into necklaces and nail varnish when I was in my teens. Since then, the only accessories I have really been bothered about are a ring from my dad, an engagement ring and a wedding ring.
Roll on Christmas, and all of a sudden, I have this craving for all things accessories. I have already mentioned the bracelet that went a little bit wrong. It is in safe hands (not mine) and being fixed as we speak. I also bought another one (with matching shoes - crazy!) to go with Christmas party clothes.
For a long time, the Christmas Number One single in the UK has been rubbish. I don’t remember the last time there was a decent song at the top, but then again, there haven’t really been an enormous amount of worthy festive songs released recently anyway.
For the past few years, the Yuletide number has been dominated by the Simon Cowell sponsored X Factor winner, and that’s usual a cover version of a song that has nothing to do with snow or Santa or anything.
After the success of the chocolate covered pretzels, my mother and I decided that baking mince pies would be the next challenge. It is Christmas, after all.
After a bit of a delay as we tried to locate some mincemeat (silly supermarket two for one offers resulting in empty shelves), and we were ready to go.
Now, I cook and I bake and I enjoy it, but I’m not so good at the bit where you have to dive right in and get your hands dirty.
When I first gave up Christmas, I was so anti-everything-even-slightly-resembling-the-C-word that it was a lot of effort. I blogged about it a lot, I made rules, I set up a website, I wrote articles and guidelines about how to avoid the festive season. It was exhausting and a lot of it made me very angry.
Everyone has to have a cause, I guess.
Now, with the benefit of several years experience, I have realised what the cause really is. I’m not anti-Christmas. I just want everyone to do what they want to do.
Naturally, Christmas is all about chocolate, but as it is hard to consume the stuff via the internet, I have been looking at alternative advent calendars. There are quite a lot to choose from.
Firstly, a totally selfish plug first, we have the Sidepodcast F1 Advent Calendar 2009. If you’re slightly interested in Formula 1, each day of advent there will be a three minute podcast running through the key moments of the 2009 season. If you’re not interested in F1, the good stuff is coming up!
I’m all for the return of Top of the Pops and TOTP2, and I don’t really think they should have disappeared in the first place. There are very few decent music programs on TV as it is, I’m pretty sure the Beeb could have adapted Top of the Pops to remain mainstream if they’d really wanted to.
Of course, they didn’t, and then they announced it wouldn’t even be back for a Christmas special. As soon as Simon Cowell poked his head above the parapet and said he’d sort it out, they decided perhaps they would like to stage the show after all.
The Boxing Day sales certainly were popular, especially at the Westfield Shopping Centre. The BBC have a short video of the mass hysteria as the doors to the centre opened.
One woman even discusses the fact that she has travelled from afar, stayed overnight in a hotel, and was looking forward to her shopping trip more than Christmas Day itself.
Needless to say, this freaks me out.
Our cupboards are beginning to look a bit sparse and I need to hit the shops. Granted, I’m not going in search of food at Westfield, but I wonder how busy my local supermarket is going to be. Shopping before Christmas was a complete nightmare. I was elbowed in the aisles and shouted at in the car park. Now I must return to the scene of the crime and attempt to shop some more.
Whilst it is the norm to not even open presents until Christmas Day, nothing about me is normal. That would explain why I bought the present for myself, wrapped it, gave it to myself during a live stream of a party, and have now finished up with the present already. You know how it is.
The gift I bought myself was the Mega Bloks Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Pit Stop - a lego alternative that comes complete with pit wall, F1 car and driver.
In the good old days, I used to enjoy television at Christmas. Actually, let’s rephrase that, I used to enjoy television full stop.
My dad has always been one for guessing plot lines before they happen, working out the twists, the jokes, even the next words out of an actor’s mouth. It was quite annoying, but I guess if you can see these things, you want to share them.
Since we started podcasting, specifically video podcasting, we have been studying television programmes and production in general to see what we do that’s the same, what we don’t want to be doing, and where we need to head in the future.
Although we do try and insist on no Christmas presents, some people still prefer to buy us some things - my future mother-in-law being the main culprit. Mr C returned home one Friday night with a box full of presents. Oh well.
This year, if you ignore the copious amounts of chocolate and wine, there were actually some very useful bits and bobs in there. A mini tripod for the camera, a tow-rope for the man, and some very nice torches.
The judges on Strictly Come Dancing Champion of Champions saying that they wanted Denise & Ian to win when we could all see that Jill & Darren were the best by miles. Harry Potter VI topping the best-sellers chart when it’s not even out for another seven months. I’m looking forward to it too, but I’m not that crazy. That having got bored of the Christmas songs we were allowed to play this week, people have brought in their own CDs such as Dido, Dire Straits, Meatloaf, Buddy Holly, Dido (again), Shania Twain, and Jon Bon Jovi. They’re played low so they don’t disturb anyone, but it sure as hell disturbs me that I can hear them, but not loud enough so I can figure out what song is playing. The little “Singing Scottie” that sits on a colleague’s desk and sings “Oh, Christmas Tree”. As cute and funny as it is, it’s really loud and makes it impossible and embarrassing to talk on the phone.
With Christmas fast approaching, people are really beginning to struggle with the idea of me skipping it. They don’t seem to understand. So, to help out any who are still a little confused, I’ve laid out some of the rules here:
I do not wish to celebrate anything to do with Christmas, however, I will not ruin anyone else’s fun. For example, a colleague said he would sulk and not go to the Christmas meal himself, if I didn’t turn up (emotional blackmail), therefore I agreed to go for that reason and that reason alone. I do not wish to have tinsel on my computer, however that does not mean I cannot enter a house / room / building with Christmas decorations on it. I can still appreciate the trees, lights and general prettiness of things, without having to participate in it myself. Although I will be partaking in some turkey on Christmas day, this is in accordance with Rule 1, in which I do not wish to upset anyone else’s plans. Do not call me a hypocrite for having a Christmas Meal, or going to a Christmas reunion. To me, this is just a family meal and a family reunion - to others it is in celebration of Christmas. I am not sending out or signing Christmas Cards (no, not even to the Managing Director, who is going to do what? Fire me? Don’t look at me like that, okay?), presents, or good will messages. I will receive such gifts only so long as the sender knows that I am not celebrating Christmas, I am not obliged to feel grateful, and I will not return the favour. (This is not two-faced or selfish - they are given the information and if they still wish to part with a gift, who am I to stop them?) If I take an active step not to be a part of something, do not over-rule me. I specifically asked for my name to be kept out of the Secret Santa, so please do not feel sorry for me and overcompensate by buying me a gift anyway. I will not feel bad or left out when I am watching everyone else open their presents, so do not think that I will, or that I’m lying when I say that I won’t be upset. This will only result in either mine or your feelings being hurt (probably mine, as I find this quite insulting). Do not, under any circumstances, call me Scrooge, Humbug or any other names relating to someone who is grumpy about Christmas. I am not that person. I think Christmas is great, wonderful fun, I just do not wish to participate in it. If I was a Scrooge, I would be sending out boiled sweets or lumps of coal as a present and giving cards made from newspapers. A Scrooge is someone who begrudgingly celebrates Christmas and scrimps on the whole caboodle. I did not wish to become that person, so I chose to forego Christmas this year. Please read these carefully, as I will not be responsible for my actions or the tears of frustration that will occur when they are disregarded.
This Boycotting Christmas thing is much harder than you’d think. It started with me just saying I wouldn’t go to the Christmas Meal. Then a colleague said that if I didn’t go, he wouldn’t go and then he’d have a miserable Christmas and it would be all my fault. Well, I have principles, but they don’t stand up to that kind of pressure, so I agreed to go.
But now, there’s a Christmas Outing and a Secret Santa all about to be organised and everyone else will be enjoying it and will expect me to take part. I don’t want to take part in these Christmas activities, I’m supposed to be boycotting the whole caboodle! But, of course, if I go to the Meal, then I’ve got no excuse not to join in with the other fun festivities, so I decide not to go to the meal but then I’m back at square one all over again! Help me!
I can really relate to Luthor because I loathe Christmas but even though his plans were thwarted, I still thought it was a fun read. His wife seemed far too preoccupied with other people’s opinion. I thought it was great, heart-warming at the end, if a little too Scrooge-some in the middle. It’s a nice, short read you can get through in a day.
We had an email at work today, with an Excel spreadsheet attachment, inviting us to select our Christmas Meal Menu. I have a slight problem with this, as I am not participating in Christmas this year.
Call me a Scrooge, a Bah Humbug, a grumpy old woman, all you like, but I have legitimate reasons and they are five-fold.
Christmas is first and foremost a Christian festival. I am not religious in the slightest, despite my name actually meaning follower of Christ (thanks mum and dad). The lovely red and white bubbly personality known to us as Santa Claus was actually fictionalised by Coca Cola. Saint Nick existed and although they didn’t create the character, the soft drink makers did paint him in their own brand colours and made him accessible to children. Christmas is too commercialised and companies are always looking for a way to make an easy buck at Christmas. I don’t believe in giving presents for presents sake. If something is highly desired and sought after and another soul has the kindness to take the time to think of you and purchase something that you really want, then fair enough. But to trail the shops looking for that gift for the person who has everything, when you know you’ll end up buying socks or candles which will just end up in the bin - pointless. I’d rather save my money until a time when I could bestow a gift that actually means something to me and to the receiver. And don’t get me started on the Buzz Lightyear madness… The amount of cards, envelopes, wrapping paper and boxes that are used to give said presents is ridiculous. How many trees could have been saved if people didn’t bother? Individuals, companies, retail outlets, supermarket chains and many others all begin preparations for Christmas in the midst of September. I consider this to be a waste of three glorious months. What happened to Autumn? To Halloween? To Fireworks night? Christmas shouldn’t be mentioned until December and in my house, won’t be mentioned at all.
I really thought this post wouldn’t happen for quite some time. It’s inevitable every year, but I thought I still had a few weeks left, at least.
Doing the shopping today, I was surprised to find Halloween goodies decorating the entrance to the store. Orange and black was the main theme throughout and I suddenly realised that yes, it is October already. Pushing my trolley through the wonderland, with children getting excited over face paint, dangling skeletons and witchy broomsticks, parents trying to hurry them on while secretly enjoying their enthusiasm, and older children pretending not to be interested, I was about to reminisce over a time when I thought Halloween was a marvellous treat. But then the shade of orange turned noticeably red, the pumpkins and fancy dress outfits disappeared and I was confronted with Christmas Cards, wrapping paper and a Santa Hat. What is wrong with this country?
I just finished reading the whole of the Heat special double Christmas issue, with all the TV listings and I’m sulking because I can’t find Mary Poppins in there anywhere. I know she has to be in there someplace, but I can’t find her.
The last day of work! Then two whole fabulously festive weeks off!
Yesterday started out as the worst day I’ve ever known but it got so much better. Mr C and I settled down with take-out pizza and watched a rip-off of MTV where there were only a select few videos that were on loop. I mean, let’s be honest, there’s only so many times you can hear ‘Sound of the Underground’ before wanting to rip your own ears off.
Well, here I am once again, munching on Christmas cheesie biscuit things. I’ve changed my mind about the moans of the Yuletide season though, for tomorrow I am heading out to do my Christmas Shopping. I love to buy gifts for others, imagining what they will say once it’s opened, and how they will run off to show people. When I’m out shopping for others, I rarely imagine what they’ll have got me, in fact, I sometimes tend to forget that they’ll get me something as well. Which makes it a nice surprise on Christmas Day.
I cannot decide whether I like Christmas or not. Last night we put the tree up and it looks amazing, it really does. However, my friend decided she wanted to spray the tree with glitter, so the whole of our room is completely covered yet there’s hardly a drop on the tree. Ah, well, we have to get into the spirit, right?
No, the real reason I want to have a little moan about Christmas is because of all the amazing food that’s available in the shops. As if I didn’t have a hard enough time with foodstuffs, they come along and tempt me with all these delicious items. What’s a girl to do?
