I Was Right!

A discussion arose last night about how to determine when Leap Year was. It was pointed out that whenever it is an election year, February also has 29 days. This is generally true, I pointed out, except in several rare cases, when every fourth year is NOT actually a leap year. People scoffed, said "Silly Jessie, doesn't know what she's talking about..."

Well, turns out I did know what I was talking about. According to Wikipedia, "The Gregorian calendar, the current standard calendar in most of the world, adds a 29th day to February in all years evenly divisible by 4, except for centennial years (those ending in -00), which receive the extra day only if they are evenly divisible by 400. Thus 1600, 2000 and 2400 are leap years but 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not." [Emphasis mine].

It's not often, but it happens.

First Post of 2007

The old has gone, the new has come. I like the idea of making New Year's Resolutions, and having a chance to start over and try something new. So often, though, people try something new, but everyone always seems to go right back to the old way. Or maybe you improve in one area, but fail in another. It's like that Seinfeld episode where Jerry discovers he always comes out even in everything he does.

So, with that in mind, here are the things I'd really like to do better with this year.

• Spill less. I did pretty well the first night of 2007, let's see if I can keep it up.
• Don't get burned. Yes, this was my failed resolution of 2006, but we're trying again. It may mean I'll need to stay away from hot stoves, or crappy guys, or both, but I'm hoping the benefits will be worth going against my instincts.
• Stay healthy. In mind (read more), body (eat right and exercise), and spirit (more Bible reading, less stress).
• [Update] Hug more, put foot in mouth less.
  

That is all. Feel free to list your own resolutions, and check back to see when I fail mine.

Eragon - 30 seconds of your time, to save you 2 hours of your time

Sigh. I went into this movie with fairly low expectations, based on the trailer I saw, and the fact that I'm always disappointed by book adaptations. Yet I was still disappointed.

I'm willing to accept that the film version will not always be an exact replica. It took me quite some time to accept Harry Potter - Prisoner of Azkaban as a really good movie, simply because I was annoyed that it wasn't always true to the book. I don't entirely know who was fully responsible for the disaster, but I would have been able to forgive the poor screenplay, if the acting, directing, and/ or photography had been decent. But the acting was overdone and lacked any subtlety or emotion. The scenes were choppy and hacked together. Worst of all, the photography was bland. An epic dragon movie has a world of potential for great visual effects. Saphira the dragon could have been beautiful. Fly over shots could have been breathtaking. Battle scenes could have left the audience on the edge of their seats. None of this happened.

I've been trying to determine who would enjoy this movie. It seems like the mother of two small children in front of us liked it. No one else in the theater seemed to. Perhaps the simple minded who fall for the cute little dragon and the unnecessary romance between Eragon and Aria. Sigh.

Getting Healthy Is Hard

Today was my first day at the gym in at least a few years. I started jogging a few months ago, but gave that up quickly, so this is my new plan to get in shape. Cardinal Fitness is a nice place to be. not too crowded (though I'm sure that will change after the first of the year), lots of new machines (that I have no clue how to work), and incredibly polite, helpful staff (not so much). I had my Rio Chiba with me for music, but even if I didn't, their system was playing fun, energetic tunes.

Now I just need to work on my endurance/ attention span.

Breakfast, A Beagle, and Cute Babies

Well, it turns out that I was extra good this year, because Santa surprised me with a brand new digital camera! My Canon point and shoot has made the past several days infinitely more exciting! Hopefully, as I learn how to use my new toy to its fullest potential, it will make this blog infinitely more exciting, too!

Some pictures...

My cousin Jack (before the projectile vomiting incident)













"Who is that?" "Jenna!"











Baby Evan, the sweetest, tiniest addition to the family















I did promise a beagle...













...and some breakfast.



More photoblogging to come, when I get better at it.