Gifts

I got Helen "Spacecat and the Kittens": the fourth book in the space cat series.

I got Owen Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Latin. We also got him a watch. I also got him a book on 1001 chess sacrifices and strategies.

This sounds like Owen-weighted gifting, but Helen got a bunch of stuff that ABM bought, so I think it evens out.

ABM I purched a camera tripod for her (a nice one), a 7 qt crockpot, the Wedding Singer DVD.

I got for myself a fleece robe and fleece pajamas to replace the tattered 15 year old robe that I had been using.

ABM got me the Lord of the Rings DVD collection. All 3 movies. plus the additional DVDs with extra scenes. etc.

I also got the directors extended version of THX 1138. This is probably the best gift from my perspective. I frankly didn't like the Lord of the Rings movies, although the third movie was pretty good in terms of the battles. Overall, the LOTR movies were (in my opinion) very poorly translated into cinema. Great scenery. Great effects. But.... cutting stuff, okay, I understand, there's only so much room, but that adding in new stuff of your own creation? and changing major aspects of the characters' relationships? That was just uncalled for.

You want to cut stuff? Okay. But don't add stuff that you came up with. That's b.s. If Tolkien didn't write it, it doesn't need to be there.

Anyway. That's it from here.

Our foot and a half of freaking snow has almost completely melted, except where it was piled up there is some residual. Otherwise, it is gone. It was almost 60 today. Same tomorrow. Freakin' amazing. Cincinnati.

P.S. Happy New Year