A Good Christmas

I have been having a good Xmas so far. Spending quality time with M. Got good "loot" for the holiday. Have been a little overwhelmed by the parties filled with lots of people, visiting M's relatives, and other engagements. I am more solitary and small-group oriented than is M or her group of friends, so I will have to get better at being more social when I come here. I am scheduled to participate in the annual Risk tournament this year on the coming Saturday. Am very much looking forward to that.

Today I woke up feeling a bit under the weather. Been coughing and sneezing a bit; stuffy headed and a bit lethargic. Headachy and having some digestive issues. Took some Zicam and need to take some more. Hopefully I have caught it early and can get beyond it quickly.

No snow here. Which I'm a bit disappointed. I enjoyed my first White Christmas last year. There was a chance of snow today, but it did not appear although a little bit of frozen rain has fallen off and on.

M and I went to see Rocky Balboa yesterday. Good movie. Definitely the movie that Sly Stallone wants to go out on with this character. Harkened back to the first two, which were good movies. Didn't avoid the age question.

My suggestions to get to the payoff sooner for the movie, however are this:

• Get rid of the "love interest" and her son. While I have nothing against the two actors and they did a good job with what they are given, it is not needed for the story being told.
• Since I am getting rid of the love interest, beef up the role of the son. Make the hurt caused by living in his father's shadow more real.
• Give Rocky a couple of true lead-up exhibition fights. The start is slow and has too many soliloquies -- get to some action sooner.
• Beef up the "villain" a bit-- give him an opportunity to show that he overclasses his opponents and does not have any true competition rather than constantly telling us this. Make him more villainous and/or show that he is not so much a villain as someone who is without heart or soul.
  

Overall, I enjoyed it. Was entertained and I got to see Rocky's will not to lose (he has this more than a "will to win") come through one last time. Far, far superior to the tragedy that was Rocky 5.

Will be taking M's grandfather to the doctor's office tomorrow. Don't know my way around the town, so should be interesting. Hopefully he can get me there and back again.

All in all a good vacation so far. Disappointing that M does not have more vacation that she can spend with me, but that is just the way it goes sometimes. Plus, she is IT-- that leads to even working during vacation a lot of the time-- price you pay for that sort of job.

Anyway, M should be home in about 40 minutes or so. Guess I should start looking around for something to eat for us tonight.