POST-CHRISTMAS UPDATE

It appears that everyone's Christmas went very well. Good times were had with few complaints.

Jill and I had a quiet Christmas, opening our presents around 10am after enjoying a nice sleep in - except for a call around 8:55am - after staying up late wrapping, baking and cooking.

Jill got a nice set of anodized aluminum cookware (15 pieces) from Nino & Sundaye, but from me she got Series 1-5 of Are You Being Served? on DVD



and a new cell phone service. Her phone number stays the same.

I, on the other hand, got a new cell phone and my new number is as follows:

503.522.1236

It's Verizon, so all of you on their network can call with fewer worries of burning up all of your monthly minutes. We received many other gifts and we are grateful to all. If you haven't received yours yet, it's on the way soon enough.

KATE BREAKS HER ANKLE

Tom called to ask how Christmas went and then relayed that Kate broke her ankle dancing at one of two wedding receptions they attended over the weekend. Apparently, some irresponsible person spilled wine on the dance floor and didn't say anything. Kate slipped, and well, use your imagination. We wish Kate a very speedy recovery!

Tom also mentioned he got the dish network satellite television for Christmas. Lucky devil.

RETURN OF THE KING

Just do yourself a favor and go see it. It's the fastest 3 hours and 10 minutes I think I've ever spent. And, besting only the Making Out During Schindler's List episode of Seinfeld, I don't think I've seen something so deftly weave so many storylines in such a frantic manner.

Here is a link to Rotten Tomatoes' review of LOTR:Return of the King. That website is a clearinghouse of links to pretty much any and every film critic nationwide that has any credibility, as well as many on the internet and elsewhere that aren't quite as prominent. You can look up any film and the collection/concensus of reviews.

The Tomatometer for LOTR:ROTK is an astonishing 97% approval given the length and expectations of the film. Just go see it!

INGA CHOW-MONREAL UPDATE

My old Baylor friend Inga Chow-Monreal wrote and is going through the ups and downs of pregnancy. She and her husband Richard are expecting a boy sometime in March or April. Undoubtedly the kid will be an athlete.

It also looks like Inga's family is trying to plan a trip to China (they're ethnically Chinese, although their family has been here for more than a few generations). She expressed that she was worried about whether or not she would get to go, but I think things will work out just fine for her. Congratulations Inga and Richard.. keep me updated!

UPDATE: MOO, EH?

It turns out the Holstein heifer with Mad Cow Disease (I'm not a cow, I'm a duck) up in the Yakima Valley of Washington is actually from Canada! This story, from Winnipeg, gives details. But notice that the cow is very clearly "US" in the headline but complicated DNA tests are being run to check its nativity. Nevermind the cow's eartag already identified as denoting Canadian origin. If the eartag don't fit, you must acquit.

Canada had a case of Mad Cow back in the mid-1990s. In 1997, Canada and the U.S. banned feed that contained cow parts, specifically rendered brain and spinal chord material - which carries Mad Cow bacteria. But it turns out the cow was born before the 1997 ban and more than likely, purchased from Alberta ranchers and used as a dairy cow in Washington until it was slaughtered and processed.

The Vietnamese restaurant Jill and I enjoyed for lunch yesterday, Green Papaya Bistro, had a beef recall, so Jill couldn't have Pho beef noodle soup. But the chicken sauteed in curry and lemongrass, as well as my udon curry chicken noodle soup, were both outstanding!