So, Christmas is over and the New Year has begun... I trust you all (i.e me and some lost looking for free porn).... had a good whatever. I spent two weeks in the basement of a friends house (or more correctly in the basement of his mother's house) drinking beer and playing video games. Only venturing out to eat upstairs and buy more beer at the grocery store... needless to say it was a very enjoyable couple of weeks.

One of the highlights of my time in Harrisonburg, was that we got a free 12-pack of beer at the Kroger's (or maybe Krogers') supermarket. I can honestly say I have never got free beer at the supermarket before.... and I can't really remember how it occurred. But regardless, I am forever indebted to that employee... and it meant that the rest of the beer (a couple of hundred dollars worth) we bought those two weeks came from Kroger's.

Getting a headlamp for Christmas was one of the more interesting points.... it is something of a family tradition. I was somewhat dubious at first... but already I've had course to use it a few times. I'm not quite a convert, but I'm certainly less dubious.

Bad Santa.... I'd seen a couple of reviews for this film and a few of the TV ads. And there wasn't anything else, so we went along to see it.... and it was very funny. It was very rude, very foul mouthed and very good. "You ain't gonna shit right for a week", became something of a catchphrase after seeing this movie. Although not, I hasten to add, in the same connotation with which it was used in the film.

I discovered that poodles are not (just) big poncy fluffy haired dogs. They have two and they are both pretty much gorgeous.... and the big one could well have been one of the hunting dogs, poodles were back in the good ol' days.

Yesterday while I was browsing the BBC news site (fantastic as it is), I discovered a link to Bush in 30 seconds, which if you don't know is a advertising contest sponsored by moveon.org voter fund. They have the 15 finalists one of which will get (I think) shown on national television during the week of Bush's state of the union address. Being an uneducated (on the intricacies of the American political system) Brit, I have no idea when this is. Anyhow, I thought some of the adverts were quite good.... and others I thought played to strongly on the: "that nasty Mr Bush has sent our poor little soldiers over to die in Iraq" theme. Although I understand that here in the good ol' US of A, people have much stronger feelings regarding there military then we do at home. And no I'm not saying that we Brits (or me in particular) like to see dead British soldiers, or dead American soldiers.. we don't much like seeing dead Iraqi soldiers either. But still it was interesting

I just hope that something happens that causes the dollar to strengthen. Because at the moment I have taken nearly a 20% pay cut due to the dollar/pound exchange rate. And that ain't no fun at all.

Finally, I'd just like to mention how bloody attractive Natalie Portman is... I saw her on the Daily Show (or something or other on the Comedy Network). And frankly she is gorgeous. In my current fantasy world it is a toss up between her and the Scarlett Johansson (I had to look up how to spell both of her names). At the moment Natalie (in fantasy land we are on first name terms) is winning... but in the real world I like to keep my options open.... so if either of you are reading this...