Phantoms and Synthesizers

Dun dun dun dun din! Dun dun dun dun dun! The Phantom of the Opeeeeeeeera!

Singing in text form is hard.

So we just happened to be all dolled up last Friday night and boarded the Metra to downtown with a bottle of wine, when lo and behold, we bumped into Laura and Blake looking snazzy and ready to party! So we savored the vino together, watched Blake accentuate his lips, and listened to the last-minute choir practice occuring across the aisle from us.

After a fine Italian dinner, we made our way to the Cadillac Theatre to behold everyone's favorite French theatre menace, The Phantom of the Opera. Truly a wonderful experience, one which left us all singing to each other instead of talking.

Thank you Blake and Laura for a great night.

Congrats to Dr. Card

We're seeing a lot of purple these days. Congrats to Dr. Card, aka Katrena, for completing her doctorate in physical therapy (PT) . We got to watch her walk the stage, and then overeat with her at Buca De Bepo. So remember folks, the next time you contract muscle atrophy, or get 3rd degree burns, Katrena is your one-stop-shop for therapy!

Golden Globe Nominations are out!

Here we go... it is the beginning of Award Season...

The Golden Globe nominations are out today… I have to say, for some of the nominations, I am surprised, some I was not surprised at all… and lots of them I must now go see the movie.

I will be challenged, however, because most of the movies have not even gone out for wide release. I was able to see Atonement last weekend downtown, and anticipate I might be able to sneak in a weekend trip downtown to see Juno. Otherwise, I have my work cut out for me…

Movies I now need to see (that are actually out):
- Michael Clayton
- Juno (limited release)
- American Gangster
- Gone Baby Gone
- No Country for Old Men
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Into The Wild
- Jessie James ( I refuse to write out that whole silly title!)

Movies I will have to see once they come out in Chicago:
- Charlie Wilson’s War ( I did not realize this was a comedy)
- There Will Be Blood
- Sweeny Todd
- Grace is Gone
- The Great Debaters
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
- The Kite Runner (I guess I have to go at least see this one… I did not enjoy the book, but I must stay relevant)

Movies I have to look up and see if I can rent them:
- A Mighty Heart
- Eastern Promises
- The Brave One

Check out the nominations yourself… let me know what you think! http://www.goldenglobes.org/news/id/81

Allison – the movie nut.

Beer!

This just in: Big mugs are cool.

Pepper Christmas 2007

A lovely evening was had by us and a thousand other Pepper-ites at Navy Pier this weekend. Here's to cocktail parties and prom dresses!

Merry Christmas to all you construction people out there!

Christmas in the Ice Storm!

It's been an Indian summer here in Chicago, followed by a mild fall. So when does mother nature decide to hit us with the first winter storm of the season? Why, the night of our Christmas party of course! But thanks to the bravery of our friends and family, we had a wonderful turnout for the Smith Christmas 2007. Even more importantly, we had a wonderful time, and everyone got fat and happy celebrating the Christmas season.

We learned that Allison's aunt Roseane is a master of Christmas trivia, and that Jen Riddle is a connoisseur of spotted dick (no, her husband Mike has nothing to do with that, get your mind out of the gutter).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_dick

Merry Christmas to all!