Holiday Lessons Learned

Well well well, there was quite a bit of snow in New York last week.  I of course experienced next to none of it as I was "stranded" in California where the weather was mellow and warm.  Thank goodness Continental couldn't get their act together and I got stuck there for three extra days.

During my enforced vacation I learned quite a few things:

The Black Swan is actually not a lovely movie about ballet, but a terrifying horror movie.  Still I enjoyed it, despite yelping audibly in the theater.  Perhaps it was the makeup that won me over in the end.  That or Natalie Portman's gorgeous performance.

The King's Speech is just as good as everyone says.  If I was in a poncy movie reviewer mood I would say something about it being an elegant portrait of a troubled but deeply good man, and something about the touching friendship that forms between two strangers.

But I'm not so I won't.  I'll just say that Colin Firth is absurdly good and Geoffrey Rush is fabulous as always.

I also learned that Up is an adorable movie, perfect if you are in need of a pick me up.  Who couldn't be charmed by an old man who attaches thousands of balloons to his house in an effort to move it to South America?

Other lessons?  5 Hour Lamb is delicious for Christmas dinner, although 4 hour lamb might be even better.  4 month old nieces are very cute and lots of fun to play with.  There is nothing quite like a slightly dying fire, when the hearth is warm and the fire is not raging so much that one can't sit in front of it.

But most important lesson learned?  Home is the best place to be for the holidays.