I hope that you, like our little gyronaut here, have taken some time out and had some fun lately; the holidays aren’t supposed to be all hard work!

And now it’s time to unveil the winning caption from last Friday:

gemdiva Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 10:08 pm

While most kids dreamed of running away to join the circus, Timmy dreamed of running away from the circus. Especially at rehearsal time

 Another win for gemdiva! And now, to the hypothetical presentation of the virtual shoes for the imaginary ceremony, keeping the theme of casual fun in mind:

Last week’s poll about how your holidays went was answered with mostly positives, although the overwhelming favorite response was “calorie-filled” which applied to over a third of the respondents.   Distressingly, four percent of you claimed that yours was “disastrous” and another six percent needing the help of large amounts of alcohol or a therapist.  And, since it was possible to pick more than one response, possibly both.

This week’s poll is, (surprise!) about the New Year. I know you didn’t see that coming at all.

more at twiigs.com…

I am proud to present my annual list of resolutions for those who could be described as a personality type residing a bit further down the alphabet.  For those who find all that mumbo jumbo about getting fit, lowering credit card debt, and being more conscientious about cleaning the house to be just too much effort.

1. Wake Up Every Morning. Doing this successfully gives you that psychological boost you need to keep up with the rest of your resolutions. I mean, when day number 354 rolls around, how many people can honestly say they stuck to their resolution every day of the year? Not many, my friends, not many.

2. Drink More of Something.  Whether it be water, green tea, or vodka tonic, surely there is something we should all drink more often.

3.  Eat Less of Something.  If you usually can mow through an entire can of Pringles in one sitting, as long as you stop one chip short of finishing the can, you’re good. Same with a bag of M&M’s. Or that carton of Ben & Jerry’s.  You get the picture.

4.  Be Able to Run Faster Than at Least Two Other People. And if that means hanging out with 1 1/2 and 6474 year olds all the time, then so be it.  At least you will know that you have the ability to outrun somebody, and that makes you feel good inside.

5.  Educate Yourself.  Learn Latin, the secrets of making really cool balloon animals, how to churn butter, or countless other skills to improve your daily life. Remember, learning is always an adventure!

6. Try New Things. Making those reservations at that Michelin 4-star restaurant, deciding to part your hair a different way, or sleeping on the opposite side of the bed. They all count.

7. This List is Already Too Long and Too Much Work, so There is No Number Seven!

8. Avoid Movies that Will Make You Cry. Life is hard enough, do we really need to pay good money to be emotionally manipulated to weep at fictional stories? 2008 is the year to stop the insanity!

9. Get Out More. “Getting out” could be defined by some as attending the theater more often. To others, it could be simply opening your front door and sitting on the lawn. How far you take this one is up to you.

10. Your turn!

Time spent decorating: 4 hours

Time spent reading books about Christmas: 3 hours

Time spent buying gifts: 5 hours

Time spent wrapping gifts: 2 hours

Time spent telling excited child that no, Christmas wasn’t here yet: 10 hours

Time spent baking: 6 hours

Time it took for excited child to open gifts on Christmas morning: 9 minutes, 42 seconds

Will I do it all over again next year?

You bet. 

You know how it works, so work it in the comments!

From Mr.Din on Flickr

If you didn’t get this for Christmas, hurry and get the 5-disc HD DVD set of Planet Earth from Amazon, it’s on sale as well as being eligible for Super-Saver shipping.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough. The photography and cinematography are absolutely stunning, breathtaking, and all sorts of other positive adjectives ending with -ing.  The stately intonations of Sir David Attenborough add some wonderful narration.

Both adults and children will be spellbound watching this.  Although it does contain death, since there is no way a documentary about nature could not feature the hunted and the hunter, it is not done in an off-putting manner.

This video will give you just a slight taste of the wonders that await you.  And please, don’t think of my sudden YouTube fascination as slacking off so much as just enjoying the holidays!

You will recall our tentaclacious Santa Claus, the malign Cthulhu in disguise, picking up some pocket change working a few shifts at the mall. Now it’s time to announce the winner of our caption contest:

Twistie Says:
December 21st, 2007 at 10:28 pm

All I want for Christmas is not to be eaten or driven to madness by Santa. And a red bike.

and now, the virtual presentation of the hypothetical shoes for the imaginary award ceremony.

and yes, I am deeply in love with Giuseppe Zanotti and his beautiful shoes.

Mom Jeans

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Now see, this is what I’m talking about!