Movies we saw over the past week include Hancock with Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman. It was pretty good with a surprising twist.

Then we watched Wanted with Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, and James McAvoy. Another good movie, and since much of it was filmed in Chicago, there were familiar places.

We also rented The X-Files: I Want to Believe and Space Chimps. X-Files might well signal the end of the franchise as the storyline seemed to flow that way.

Space Chimps was well loved by the 8-year-old, who watched it three times. I watched it twice. It was very cute. Jeff Daniels was incredible as Zartog.

Zartog

The voice went so well with the character and you wouldn’t know it was Daniels by listening. It’s quite funny with enough on the adult level for adult viewing. I highly recommend it as a Christmas or Hannukah gift for the kids.

Yesterday I went to the store for cookie ingredients so I’ll be baking soon!

Early on a beautiful Sunday morning 67 years ago, the world changed.

At 7:55 a.m. December 7, 1941 the attack begins.

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor to remove what it saw as a threat to the empire’s southern expansion. The Pearl Harbor attack hurt us badly, but it also hardened our resolve and brought us fully into WWII.

Snopes has some photos that were purported to be found in an old Brownie camera years after the attack. The story was untrue, but the photos are archival and genuine.

Pearl Harbor Attack

The U.S. Navy has a Pearl Harbor site with more photos.

Chris at A Large Regular has linked to this National Geographic Pearl Harbor site in the past. It has a multimedia timeline, survivor stories, kid’s section, and more.

We’ll probably pop in our DVD of the blockbuster movie Pearl Harbor
.

Interesting question and answer in the Q&A following Obama’s announcement and Richardson’s acceptance.

Obama: Vincente?

Vincente: Thank you Mr. President Elect. What do you think about the articles like the one today in the New York Times that say or mention that the announcement of Bill Richardson for Secretary of Commerce is somehow the consolation prize for Latinos and Hispanic politicians and groups are calling Latinos to be included in your cabinet. It seems many were expecting or hoping that Bill Richardson was going to be Secretary of State.

Obama: Commerce Secretary is a pretty good job. It’s a member of my key economic team that is going to be dealing with the most significant issue that America faces right now. And that is ‘how do we put people back to work and rejuvenate the economy?’ Bill Richardson has been selected because he is the best person for that job and is going to be outstanding in helping me strategize on how do we rebuild America, how do we get businesses moving, how do we export effectively, how do we open up new markets for American products and services? His mixture of diplomatic experience, hands-on experience as a governor, experience in the cabinet, experience in Congress, means that he is going to be a key strategist on all the issues that we work on. And so the so I think the notion that somehow the Commerce Secretary is not going to be central to everything we do is fundamentally mistaken. With respect to Latino cabinet members I have appointed about half of my cabinet so far. And I think that when people look back and see the entire slate what they will say is not only in terms of my cabinet but in terms of my but in terms of my White House staff I think people are going to say this is one of the most diverse cabinets and White House staffs of all time. But more importantly they’re going to say that these are all people of outstanding qualifications and excellence. So you know one of the strong beliefs that I’ve always held and has been proven to be correct throughout my career has been that there’s no contradiction between diversity and excellence. I’m looking for the best people first and foremost to serve the American people. It just so happens that Bill Richardson’s one of those people.

I noticed that several people on President Elect Obama’s National Security Team are not as tall as he is. The lectern, the OPE* seal, and the microphones are set just fine for a taller person, but putting a shorter person at the same lectern…

Geraghty noticed this too. I have the screencaps.

Poor Susan Rice, she can barely see over the microphones.

*Office of the President Elect

Welcome National Review Readers!
Welcome Patriot Room Readers!

Snow.

I had to go shopping on Friday. I was dreading it.

But I had to go to the grocery store for a few items I needed for the second Thanksgiving dinner. We go to my sister’s house and therefore there are no leftovers. No carcass for me to make stock from. So I make the turkey and all the favorites after Thanksgiving.

Turns out I needed to make dressing to bring with, so I didn’t have the main ingredient in my stock anymore. So I had to go to the grocery store.

I set out on Friday at 9:45. There were not many cars in the lot. I went in the store and there were not many people there either. Got my shopping done quickly and even though there were only three lanes open (one was 15 items or less) I didn’t have to wait at all.

It seems everyone was out shopping everywhere but the grocery stores. Yay!

Only once did I actually venture out to try to get something on Black Friday. My mom wanted to get some Furbys. She talked my husband and me and Dad into going to WalMart at 5 am to try to get some. We got there that early. And there weren’t any Furbys. Never again.

When I was checking out at the grocery store I told the clerk that I needed new slippers too. She said, “but not today!”. I agreed completely. I may need new slippers, but not on Black Friday.

reposted from last year:

Thanksgiving Hymn

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
sing praise to his Name, he forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning:
thou, Lord, wast at our side: all glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation:
thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

Words: Nederlandtsche Gedenckclanck, 1626;
trans. Theodore Baker, 1894.
Music: Kremser

Enjoy this day with your family and friends.

I am thankful for my family and friends, our home and our pets, and for God, from whom all blessings flow.

What are you thankful for?

We had some shopping to do this weekend. A Costco run for TP and coffee. Of course the list got a bit longer once we got there. A nice fresh Butterball for 99¢ a pound, a spiral sliced ham, some beer, half and half, sour cream.
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The place was packed. We lucked out and hit the cashiers during a lull. When we left more and more cars were circling the lot…

Then we went to WalMart for a couple of things and it was packed too. After we got home, I had to run to the grocery store and it too, was packed.

Before we went to Costco we’d been to Petsmart and our regional DIY chain, Menards. We got a small, prelit with multicolored lights, artificial tree. It’s quite lovely. Fits on a table so it doesn’t take up floor space. We needed a new tree because of flooding this summer that ruined everything we had stored in our crawlspace.{/column1}
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Christmas Tree

Via Don Surber we find this GenderAnalyzer site.

Results

We guess http://musing-minds.com is written by a man (58%), however it’s quite gender neutral.

I thought, like Don, I’d try a couple of other blogs…

Electric Venom has a one percent chance more than mine of being written by a man. However, like me, Kate is all woman.

Gender analyzer thinks The Anchoress is a man too. 77% in her case…