Paging Doctors Proctor & Gamble
Well, it's been a while since my last update, but I have a valid excuse this time. Last Wednesday, having left work for a long Thanksgiving weekend and looking forward to a feast at Eric & Jo's house the following day, my body decided that it would be an opportune time for it to completely shutdown. In the course of an hour or so, while resting in bed, I went from completely okay to having one of the worst head/chest colds I've had in ages. In one hour. Some sort of wundervirus, I suppose.
My response was swift, but not enough to completely hold back the assault. The next day I began cycling two fine products from the aforementioned Proctor & Gamble through my system. Along with chemical warfare, I stocked my kitchen with soup, juice and Powerade. With plenty of encouragement and TLC from Jessi, I forged ahead and managed to attend Thanksgiving festivities both at Eric & Jo's and later that afternoon in Pendleton, where my mother's family was gathered. It was a sad affair, though. I was listless and a tad cranky all day. I was tired, miserable and couldn't taste anything so even the bountiful feasts spread before me held no comfort. Fsck. I was sick.
What followed was a haze. I slept for twelve hours that night, from late Thursday evening well into Friday. I spent my time sleeping, watching TV and playing a mix of Call of Duty 2 and Rome: Total War (to which Jessi is now addicted as well). This continued pretty much uninterrupted, except for Saturday evening when I was feeling well enough to venture out with Jessi to Samantha's house. The three of us enjoyed a fine dinner of turkey, ham loaf, potatoes, etc. Good stuff, and fuel my body desperately needed. Afterwards? Back to the house!
Sunday, Jessi and I ventured out to purchase some groceries and stopped of at Blockbuster in search of a movie to ease the withrdrawl caused by the end of Rome. We walked out about ten minutes later with copies of Millions and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Apparently it was Adorable British Children Night at our house.
Millions was cute, but given our disappointment at not being able to catch it in the theaters (it was in limited release in the U.S.) and eagerly awaiting its release on DVD, it was a bit of a letdown. It was a cute, off-beat feel-good piece, but didn't deliver much beyond that. The most astonishing thing about it is that it was directed by Danny Boyle, who directed such deranged masterpieces as Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. Still, it was worth the rental fee and well worth the time we spent watching it.
I wish I could say the same for Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. I'm one of the few members of my generation who isn't much of a fan of Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, so what follows isn't a traditionalist's disappointment.
I consider myself a man well-equipped with both a sense of whimsy and a child-like wonder. My imagination is positively overactive. Yet I found the silliness and joy of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory to be forced. It simply never made me go "Wow!" If a movie like that isn't making me say "Wow," it's not succeeding. It had some fun elements, but overall fell flat, despite a performance by Johnny Depp that proved once again that he's about the most versatile actor to be found today. Even the talented-beyond-his-years acting of Freddie Highmore (who we loved in both Finding Neverland and Five Children & It) couldn't save the day. Poo.
So that was Sunday. Not a bad night. I was still pretty sick Monday and Tuesday, so I spent those days loafing around the house and taking medication. I finally crawled back into work today, and it's been a busy one.
There are some other events I'd like to discuss, from Sony to Iran to Tony Blair. I'll have to save those for tomorrow, since my afternoon is picking up a bit.
-Sam
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