Now THAT'S a Road Trip

The last (nearly) two weeks have been something just short of a Chevy Chase movie. We left our home in the wee hours of December 26th with the sole purpose of getting somewhere warmer and drier than the Puget Sound. Actually, we'd planned to visit some friends and family along the way. Suffice to say, we covered a lot of ground in our minivan and have (so far) emerged relatively sane and alive.

In a nutshell: We went from the Seattle area to just outside of Sacramento in one haul. The next day, it was off to Pasadena to visit a friend, and jump off from there to make an appearance at a dear friend's 50th wedding anniversary in Palm Desert. While stopping off at a Starbuck's in Palm Springs, a rather large man with an equally large burst of grayed beard entered, only to be stopped by a very excited little boy who was eager to thank him for the bicycle that had been left under the tree.

The next day, we surprised the boys with a trip to Disneyland, where we squeezed the most out of the day--opening (8 am) to nearly closing (11 pm). From there, it was off to Vegas for New Year's Eve, then through Death Valley on our way to Reno to see my partner's grandmother. Next day, we headed back to Sacramento, where I sit right now, not so eager to make the drive back to the northwest in two days. My youngest is overwhelmed at all the things he wants to put into his journal to share with his class on Monday.

Saw "Sweeney Todd" last night with Johnny Depp (I didn't see it WITH him, just that he was in it). Amazing film. I've decided that there's probably nothing the man can't do as an actor. While I was startled and a bit put off by the amount of gore, I don't think the film could have been done in any other way. I needed to be darkly humorous and the character was, after all, "the demon barber". I suppose it would have been hard to make him completely demonic if you couldn't get the audience to gasp. Helena Bonham Carter, while her singing wasn't particularly strong, is spot-on in the role of his accomplice. Sublime. I think that Depp and Burton are the John Wayne and John Ford of today's generation. Or Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart. Just a director and actor who truly "get" one another.

The rest of the family is playing conasta while I type this. I've never been much for card games. I can play them, and usually have fun when I can be roped into them, but in the end, I'd rather read a good book or play something that relies on creativity rather than strategy. I'm selfish that way.