Grilling Season has officially started!

We had plans yesterday to take Amy to The Franklin Institute for a Star Wars exhibit but we had car problems and had to cancel. We'll go next weekend but in the meantime we were stuck at home doing nothing. Nothing. :(

Fortunately, it was a very nice day so it was the perfect opportunity to lug out the picnic table and grill from out the garage for the start of Endless Barbecue '08!

It wasn't a major to do or anything. Just pork chops and bratwurst but still it was a good beginning for The Summer of Meats 2008.





The only thing missing is cornbread but that's only we didn't really plan ahead. Like all of life's funnest fun things, this was an impromptu dinner.

Poor Little Haimstie

This past weekend, our little hamster, Nutmeg, has been sick. We're not really sure what's wrong. She seemed okay on Friday night when I got home, if not a little bloated. I thought she was just getting fat. I mean, she was up and eating and running around in her ball, so I didn't automatically think "sick", you know?

But then Saturday night something seemed very wrong. She didn't get up at all. She spent the night in her little sleeping area, not getting up even to eat or drink. She also seemed even more bloated than she did the previous night. She did the same thing Sunday night, and I was really worried about our poor little girl.

Onil has been keeping an eye on her. He said that she didn't get up Monday night either, but he put a little food and a piece of a wet paper towel in her sleeping area so she could get a little nourishment and moisture. She seemed to be doing better last night. He said she was up and eating and drinking -- she even ran on her wheel for a little bit.

So if you don't feel completely ridiculous saying a prayer for a hamster, please remember our little Nut. Hopefully she's on the mend.

2008 Summer Movie Post

We're a movie family. Actually, me... not so much, but everyone else really digs them. Despite my usual ambivalence towards movies, however, this season is shaping up to be the best summer for movies in a long time. Last year we were looking forward to Spider-Man 3 (BLEW), Pirates of the Carribean 3 (BLEW), Knocked Up (BLEW), Transformers (AWESOME) and Super-Bad (okay). We were sadly disappointed. Onil probably had a bunch of other dumb arty brainy movies that he was all jazzed up about, but I don't go for that crazy bullshit. I'm all about the blockbusters, baby.

To that end, I'm here to discuss the summer movies that I'm looking forward to this year.

IRON MAN - The first movie up promises to be the most AWESOME movie of the summer. Seriously, this thing looks like it's going to rock. We've been seeing the trailers for a while now and every new trailer that comes out adds another layer of munchy crunchy awesomeness. Robert Downey Jr. is just killing me -- based on what I've seen in the trailers he seems to be finding the perfect balance between being tongue-in-cheek and serious in his role as Tony Stark. Amy and I were discussing whether or not this was going to live up to the awesomeness that the trailers are promising, and she made a great point. She said that last year, with the Spider-Man 3 trailers, we just kept seeing the same fights over and over and the movie wound up blowing. We're getting no such vibe from Iron Man. Every new trailer just gets better and better. We really can't wait for this thing -- it's our big New York movie this year (also because it happens to open on Free Comic Book weekend, but it will still is a great movie to see in NYC). Favs better deliver! Most Anticipated Scene: ROBOTS KICKING EACH OTHERS' ASSES. The end.

KONKLES OF NONYA: PRINCE CASPIAN - The trailers have been looking good for this movie, too. We all liked the first Konkles movie so we're hoping this one similarly rocks. Most Anticipated Scene: Aslan waking up the wood nymphs and the water naiads and gods. Also excited about the promise of werewolves.

SPEED RACER - The best thing I can say so far is that I love how bright this thing is. I wasn't so sure about a live-action Speed Racer, but the one trailer I saw looked interesting. I'm not so sure if they'll be able to sustain the storyline -- it may wind up being bright and flashy and not much else. But Chim Chim looks so damn cute in his overalls! Most Anticipated Scene: You know it's going to come down to a race between Speed and RacerX at the end. Are we there yet?

INDIANA JONES AND THE QUEST FOR THE KINGDOM SKULL MADE OUT OF CRYSTAL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT - Honestly, does this movie have the longest motherfucking title in the world or what? This is another one I hope lives up to its promise -- but I'm not so sure. Amy's not feeling it at all but that may have to do with the fact that Shia LeBeouf is in it and she can't stand him. Frankly, the addition of Shia LeBeouf is the only thing making it for me. Most Anticipated Scene: Onil's all giddy because the trailers have been showing Indy in a warehouse. He thinks it's a callback to the end of the first Indiana Jones movie.

HELLBOY 2 - Loved the first Hellboy, the second looks good, too. I love Pan's Labyrinth and Guillermo Del Toro is bringing his fantastic creatures back to Hellboy 2. I can hardly wait! Most Anticipated Scene: None in particular, although Amy and I were all excited to see the creature with eyes all over its wings. Straight outta Revelations, yo!

THE DARK KNIGHT - Whooo! Batman is back! And he's... well... doing stuff! YEAH! Actually, I've seen a couple of trailers for this and it looks interesting, but beyond Heath Ledger as the Joker, nothing really stands out to me. Still, though... BATMAN!!! WHOOO! Most Anticipated Scene: The first creepy scene with the Joker. Because you know it's going to be motherfucking creeeeeeepy.

STEP BROTHERS - Will Ferrell + John C. Reilly = comedy awesomeness. I don't care if there's one joke in this entire movie and they flog it to death -- I can't wait. Most Anticipated Scene: The one with Will Ferrell in his underwear and/or naked. Come on, you know there will be one. The man simply cannot keep his clothes on.

TROPIC THUNDER - I watched the trailer. When Ben Stiller showed up I thought: meh. When Jack Black showed up: Meh again. But when I realized that the black dude was none other than motherfucking Robert Downey Jr. in black face I was totally SOLD! It's hilarious! You have got to watch the trailer just to see it. He's doing the best black accent, but it's not even like the dudes you hear on the street or the subway. It's like he was forced to watch 70s blaxploitation movies for a week and he decided to totally rip off Shaft or something! It's just great. Seriously, this is Robert Downey Jr.'s year. How glad am I that he didn't die when he was a huge cokehead? Most Anticipated Scene: Any with Robert Downey Jr.

So that's it. Those are my most anticipated movies this year. There are a bunch of other movies we'll probably wind up seeing. Kung Fu Panda comes out on my birthday weekend and we need a movie for that (come on, it's got Ian McShane in it -- Al Swearengen himself!). Onil is excited about seeing The Hulk, but he's the only one. Amy hates the Hulk and I hate Edward Norton. He is also intrigued by Wanted, but unless I hear better buzz about it he may just have to wait for the dvd -- and the X Files movie and The Mummy are dvd movies as well. No one wants to see Sex & the City, Zohan or Get Smart (seriously, Steve Carrell, get a new agent). Anna will want to see The Happening (or, as Onil typoes it "The Hapopening") because she likes the M. Night movies, and I might want to see it too because Marky Mark was awesome enough in Boogie Nights to make up for any bad movies he might do until the year 2014. I was disappointed by Knocked Up and Super-Bad, so the Judd Apatow backlash is in effect enough to make me not want to see Sarah Marshall or Pineapple Express.

We'll be sure to regale you with reviews when we actually see these movies.