To discuss a month in review: October 2009

October is one of my favorite times of the year, what with the autumn foliage (suck on that Australia... just kidding, love you), its new TV shows, its football and its playoff baseball. The downside: There are no federal holidays I could take off. Let's invent one. Please leave nominations.

While you do that, let's take a look at the October Month in Review.

For a flashback, here's October 2008.

Favorite movie: "Zombieland" I love zombie movies. I love funny, quirky movies. I love random references to Ghostbusters. I love Zombieland. Easy enough, right?


Runner-Up (Two): "16 Candles" Capricorn couldn't believe it, but I hadn't seen "16 Candles" (or "Pretty in Pink, or a plethora of other 80s movies) before. So she made me watch it, and it was very enjoyable. Kind of funny watching a pubescent John Cusack.
And...
"Wanted" It was a bit Matrix/Eagle Eye, but still managed to come up with some new tricks (landing a car on the side of a bus/shooting bullets in a circle), had at least somewhat plausible answers to obvious questions (a healing pool that makes up for the fact these assassins get shot at all the time) and had Angelina Jolie, who was perfect for the role and made me forget she's got 20 kids. Unless she only took the role so she could learn how to train her kids to be assassins. Because that would be genius. Watch out, Jennifer Aniston!

Least favorite movie: "Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emporer" I am a huge fan of the first Mummy movie; I had a huge thing for Rachel Weisz, and it had all the funny lines and good action you could want this side of Indiana Jones. The second movie had the annoying kid, but still had you along for a great ride. The Scorpion King, the branch-off version starring the Rock, was, um ... how about that first Mummy? So when I finally got around to the latest Mummy, now with Jet Li and with Maria Bello, I at least hoped to be entertained. Sweet fancy mustard, no. It was believable for Rachel Weisz to be an English professor-type; it was ridiculous to ask Maria Bello to do the same. It was fun watching Brendan Fraser battle mummies; it wasn't that much fun watching his now grown-up son do it while he and dad tried to force some father-son bonding. Oh, and there are Yetis.

Favorite song: "Wishing Well" Airborne Toxic Event. Listen to it once. It'll get stuck in your head, but in a good way. Not like that "This is the song that never ends" Lambchops song. Which is now stuck in your head.

Runner-up: "Forever" Drake, Kanye, Lil Wayne and Eminem. I'm on a real big rap kick right now. It's like I'm 16 all over again, except this time it's even more awkward.

Least favorite song: Anything Mariah Carey has done lately. So I guess that includes Nick Cannon.

Favorite TV Show: "Curb Your Enthusiasm." I think I was too jaded about the end of Seinfeld to catch on to this show when it started. Now that the Seinfeld cast is making guest appearances, I'm just jumping on board.

Runner-up: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" A little uneven- didn't really love the World Series episode- but at its best, one of the best comedies going. I told Capricorn she should dress like Desert Rose for Halloween. She told me to dress like Desert Grape ... Highlight this season so far: Charlie's blind date ("I'm a full on rapist."... "You mean philathropist?")

(Modern Family gets an honorable mention, as does Say Yes to the Dress, if Capricorn had her say)

Worst TV show: "The Girls Next Door." On top of being creepy, now the girls aren't even likeable. I'm too old to date the twins. I'm in my mid-20s.

Best moment: Capricorn and I having a daylong date in Gettysburg, which included seeing Little Round Top and Zombieland- those are two different things. Runner-up: Fall Fest 2009

Worst moments: Not a worst moment for me, but man, some of you really love your Glee, don't you?

Best decision: Taking the latter part of last week to visit my college and talk to high schoolers about becoming journalists. One student was even kind enough to ask how much I make. Once I stopped crying and took the pistol out of my mouth, I was more than glad to help her. I also got to see my parents, who have updated me on everything our neighbors are doing. What are parents for?

Favorite Blog Post by Me: It's just fun to make fun of the very things we used to love, isn't it?

Favorite Blog Entry by Someone Else: LiLu did her very own Post Secret event, and the results were legen... wait for it

Blogger of the Month: ... dary. And that, among many reasons, is why LiLu gets my Blogger of the Month award for October 2009. Maybe this will finally make her family proud of her.

I have my doubts.

To discuss a Weekend Update: Civil War, Zombies and Homecoming

I would like to note I am writing this post while eating a Little Debbies snack cake. Long-time readers will appreciate that mention.

Anyway, here's a late Weekend Update, detailing a trip Capricorn and I took to Gettysburg and our other weekend activities.

The photo to the right was taken on top of Little Round Top. If you look close enough, you can see Rebel Flags being waved by Southerners hoping there's still a chance the Confederates can still make a big comeback and validate the flag on the back of their pick-up.* (* You looked, didn't you? Bet you're from the South.)
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• When the Union soldiers dug in on Cemetery Hill to fend off the Confederate advance, I wonder if they realized they were helping protect the land for future generations, so we could put a Shell gas station nearby.


• Capricorn, a South Carolina native, was more than slightly disappointed there weren't any major Confederate statues. I told her that's what happens when you lose. She did enjoy, however, discovering this random Native American statue amid all the Union soldier statues... Or, as she shouted out the window, "Injuns!"

• I never realized Colonel Sanders fought at Gettysburg. Luckily, this KFC has been erected to commemorate the now infamous Battle of Little Chicken Wing.

• What's the Over/under per year on drunk Gettysburg College students taking photos of a cannon in front of their crotch/having sex on the battlefield/reenacting battle scenes using Nerf guns? 25? 50? 1,000?
• It's a strange feeling to know you are standing on land that generations ago was the site of massive casualties and horror. The closest thing my generation can relate to is watching massive career casualties and horror on the Real World/Road Rules challenges.
  
• After our brief tour, we stopped at a TGIF for dinner. And by stopped, I mean "was told there was an hour-long wait so we went to Ruby Tuesday's." Is there a reason those types of restaurants aren't just made bigger, or is there a psychological advantage to make dozens of people sit outside listening to light rock for 45 minutes before they can eat? Does Michael McDonald help the steak taste better?
  
• It was high school homecoming time in Gettysburg, we think. Four out of five slightly slutty dresses indicated so. It made me wax nostalgic about my high school homecomings, all the nervousness about asking a girl to the dance, getting the corsage, stealing my dad's tie, pretending I had any clue how to dance. There's nothing like high school to make you feel like you will die alone.
• Next, it was on to the movies in a building that resembled a failed beach house. We saw "Zombieland." I highly recommend it, based on three things:

1. It nicely combined zombie gore with developing the human element to the story. I'm a zombie movie lover--"28 Days Later" and "Night of the Living Dead"-- so I know my zombies.
   
2. Woody Harrelson says funny things like "God bless rednecks."
3. They play a Ghostbusters clip.

• Capricorn told me to stop jumping at scary parts. So, evidently, out of the two of us, I'm the one who needs coddled and told everything is going to be OK.
  
• To accomplish this night out on the town, we had to drop off our chihuahuas at her parents' house. As her dad later put it, we basically dropped off the grandkids. This must be how it starts. I bet you Jon and Kate started with chihuahuas and then went on to children and then went on to... Capricorn, we can't drop off the chihuahuas anymore!
  
• On Sunday, her family and I went bowling. If you ever want to see a failing business model, check out a bowling center that hasn't been built and/or renovated recently. It'll remind you of the days of Trapper Keepers, Nancy Drew and slap bracelets. We all love those things, but not enough to use them anymore (Though I'd love to find a reason to use a Trapper Keeper). Same with older bowling centers-- the graphic for someone getting a strike shouldn't remind me of clip art from an Apple IIE. And the interface for the bowling scorecard shouldn't resemble the pixelated quality of Oregon Trail. If bowling centers were a cell phone, they'd be Zack Morris'. At least some new ones get it-- the one I usually use plays music videos on drop-down screens, so I can listen to Miley Cyrus and get out the ensuing anger out all at once.
  
• I wanted to write this post Sunday night at halftime of the football game, as the Pittsburgh Steelers were up 28-0 and cruising to victory. But they decided to start their now-regular second-half sucking, and like a train wreck or Heidi Montag, I couldn't look away. At least they won. It makes it easier to swallow the fact on the same day, the Pirates finished their season with 99 losses.
• Insert "easier to swallow" joke here, LBluca and Haute Pocket.