cruel yule

My word for the holiday is "Yikes!"

As in, "We survived another trip to ATL — Yikes!" Or, "The BF met my entire extended family, including the ex-cons and the future-cons — Yikes!"

Anyway, here's a quick summary of the great Holiday Goodwill Tour of 2005.

Number of hours it took us to get to LaGuardia on Thursday: 3.5 (due to the transit strike).

Number of boats employed in our trek to the airport: 1.

Number of nights spent in ATL: 4.

Number of friends we saw on the trip: Unclear (at least a dozen, though many more were missed).

Number of times I drove to visit my parents: 3.

Number of times I drove to visit the BF's parents: 2.

Total hours spent in the rental car during the trip: 7 (approximate).

Minutes spent in line outside the Georgia Aquarium: 45.

Hours spent inside the Georgia Aquarium: 2.5.

Hours spent playing Pictionary with friends: 3.5 (approximate).

Percentage of Pictionary rounds won by my team: ~25%.

Number of gifts my family gave the BF: 1.

Number of gifts the BF's fam gave me: 4 (not including stocking stuffers).

Number of gift cards received: 2.

Number of gift cards given: 1.

Number of items currently on my Amazon Wish List: 21.

Number of items received from said Wish List: 1.

Number of NIV Bibles received from family members: 1.

Number of flashlights received: 2.

Total number of really pointless gifts received from family: 5.

Number of said gifts that the BF then re-gifted to his extended family: 1.

Percentage of gifts from "Santa" that pretty much sucked: 66%.

Number of "Santa" gifts left in the Dumpster behind my friends' house: 1.

Total number of gifts given to friends or relatives that involved puppets: 3.

Number of meals over the weekend that included turkey and/or ham: 4.

Gallons of vodka and/or gin consumed over weekend: Unclear (not enough, damnit).

Number of times I lost my temper with my father: 1.

Number of times the BF and I discussed taking a tropical vacation next year in lieu of a holiday trip to ATL: 5.

In other news, I got in the mail today copies of the holiday card I illustrated for Creative Loafing. Quite cute. Here's a peek.
Happy Ho Ho Ho.

do you hear what i hear

I've been listening to holiday music since middle November, which I fear is just about to drive the BF batty. Last night he sat down next to me on the couch and asked, "Isn't your Christmas CD finished yet? The season's almost over."
He's right. And no, my disc isn't done yet. Almost there.
Anyway, all this merriment wasn't for nothing. Today my piece on Xmas playlists ran in the Loaf. And today I'm burning the first copy of my holiday disc, which will be handed out to friends this weekend. A preview of the cover art is above.
Ten days till Christmas. Tick tock.

hollaback mountain

I've spent so much time with Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist over the past week, I feel like we're old friends.
After seeing a screening of Brokeback Mountain last Friday, I now understand why Towleroad and other gay blogs have been so freakishly obsessed with the film: It’s a masterpiece.
OK, so maybe that’s overstating the case. There certainly have been movies that affected me more, and I’m reluctant to agree that this is the “gay Gone With the Wind," as one writer called it. But I will agree that the film deserves its “epic” nomenclature. Read my full review here.
After Friday’s screening, I had a chance on Sunday to attend the press junket, which included face time with Ang Lee and Heath Ledger. Both are quoted in my Blade cover story this week.
You'd think I'd have saddle sores by this point, but no, I wanted more. I read the Annie Proulx short story the film is based upon Sunday night, and nearly cried again. Amazing work. The New Yorker has kindly reposted the story on its site. But see the film first, seriously.

Anyway, now that the smoke has cleared, I realize I didn’t get to write much about the fascinating role the two women play in this movie. Anne Hathaway especially relishes her turn as Lureen, a Texas daddy’s girl whose bleachy hair gets a little closer to God with each passing scene. The Princess Diaries chick can actually act. Who knew?
I don’t usually put the word out that something is a “must-see,” but this is a notable exception. If the film is opening this weekend in your town, GET THEE TO A THEATER. If you’re like me, you’ll be thinking about Jack and Ennis for days afterward.

you'd better watch out

So the BF's putting together a photo album for his family for the holidays, using the nifty bookmaking tool that's part of iPhoto.
I noticed today that he'd added one of our pictures from the Macy's Parade, a shot of the Garfield balloon. His caption:

Watch out!
A balloon almost killed a girl, but we had fun nonetheless.

Wow. Happy holidays, folks.