December 21, 2001

OK, so yesterday, I'm at Borders.* On top of the table where they keep the discounted books, I find a "to-do" list. Here is what it said:

Parents
Books
Clothes for baby
Kappy's
Gift. cert.
Have fun!!!

And the "Have fun!!!" part was underlined, and seemed to be etched slightly darker than the other words. Yes, it's that hectic time of year, when we become so busy with shopping, working, going to office parties, trying to get things in order by the end of the year, wrapping gifts, and cooking that we have to remind ourselves every once in a while: hey, HAVE FUN. And don't forget to underline and use three exclmation points. Circling it might not be too bad of an idea either. (And here's something odd: the list is not just a list of items to buy, and it's not just a list of people to buy for. It's a mix! Let's hope this person understood what he wrote down. I wouldn't want him to go out and buy some parents for someone, or buy a new sweater for the books he has at home. Oh, and for you folks across the country, Kappy's is the local liquor store chain. So THAT'S how this person is going to have fun...)

I also passed a little old woman, possibly of Russian descent, muttering to herself something that sounded like "Ninja...ninja...ninja...ninja...ninja...ninja..." But I can't verify this, and wouldn't know how to comment on it if I could.

If you are a regular visitor to this site, you've probably wondering, where's the new content? How come you haven't updated in weeks? I thought the book was supposed to be released MONTHS ago? These are all legitimate concerns. If I could go into a detailed explanation, you'd understand. Believe me, you'd understand. Things here have been...crazy. Yeah, that's a lame excuse. OK, more than crazy. Blah, blah, blah. The new release date for the book is March 25. Oh my God three months away! It's true. It has to be. As for those free gifts promised to those who ordered the book way back in the Stone Age, you'll get those in about a month. Apologies all around. Much apologies. Let's just say that and move on, shall we? Thanks. Your understanding will not go unrewarded.

Big things coming up for the web site on January 7: a new design, a new menu page so you don't have to click through a separate opening page, and three new sections: CLIPART FICTION THEATER, which I've talked about before. It might be renamed, because I'm thinking about doing more with it than Clipart. You'll understand when you see it. LETTERS is still giving me a pain because I don't have enough of them yet and that's a really generic title for the section, but it will be up in some form until I figure out what to do. And, as promised, a new novel - a free one - that I am sending out in installments via e-mail. I'm not sure if I'm going to include it in my regular monthly newsletter (sign up below) or set up a separate newsletter for it. I'll let you know.

This week's movies: Christmas-themed, of course. I watched my tape of my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life the other day, and will probably watch it again when NBC airs it on Xmas Eve. Supposedly the network was only supposed to air it once a year, making it a "special presentation." But it's already aired once this year, around Thanksgiving, I believe, so this extra showing is a bonus of some sort. I don't mind. Like I said, it's my favorite movie (I know, a boring, predictable choice). I didn't even mind when the copyright wasn't renewed and every single station in the country ran it once a day. It's one of those movies you have to watch if you are surfing around and land on it. It's really a darker movie than you'd think. That section where George becomes "never born" and no one recognizes him and the town has turned into something shabby...that's more scary than most movies that are labeled as such. One problem though: Clarence says he is "AS 2," which stands for Angel, Second Class. Well, doesn't the S already stand for second? Why do they need the 2? Is heaven a mess of red tape too? And watch Zuzu carefully. She sees Jimmy Stewart put those petals in his pocket instead of on the flower.

The other movie I'm watching this week is that jolly holiday classic...Three Days of the Condor! What better way to spend a cold evening, huddled up with hot chocolate on the sofa, watching Robert Redford avenge the deaths of his fellow spies? Tis the season! Actually, it's a Christmas movie only in the sense that it takes place during the holiday season. It's really a movie about murder, not being able to trust anyone, and being on the run alone (until Faye Dunaway shows up at the ski shop). I have this habit of not only watching movies that are clearly holiday classics (the above-mentioned It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story), but also movies that have ANYTHING to do with this time of year: Three Days of the Condor, Havana. And while I dig out seasonal CDs by Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Vince Guaraldi (Charlie Brown Christmas), I also get my stack of Christmas-themed TV shows ready: Spenser helping an unwed mom while tracking down a gang of thieves, Jimmy buying everyone but Matthew a new Miata for Christmas, Bart stealing the video game from the store, Mulder and Scully trapped in the house on Christmas Eve, Tim trying to win another house lighting...

Yes, I think I've just invented a new entity: behold the Christmas geek!

So that's it for now. If you're on the web and want something new to read until the relaunch, I'm writing for a new zine, Nine Planets. New column up now; Best and Worst of the Year soon to follow. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Oh, and don't forget to HAVE FUN!!!. See you on January 7.

*Why do many of my Notebook entries involve Borders? Never mind. Self-explanatory.

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