Happy Halloween!

I don't know what I like more about Halloween, carving the pumpkin or roasting the seeds. Both have their own rewards. I'm not exactly an artiste, mind you, but I think I do alright. Check out last year's dog and smiley for comparison.

This year I went with a dead-eyed, tongue-waggin' smiley and a Phillies "P" to celebrate the World Series victory.

Pictures with Alex in costume will be on the family blog this weekend.

Phils Win!

Sweet.

Tribute to Ticket to Ride

Those who know me know I'm a huge fan of the various flavors of the Ticket to Ride board game. Pretty much since the game came out there have been folks putting together alternate maps for home play. Well, Jens Tønnesen has gone above and beyond the call of duty not only by cataloging what's out there in a clear and intuitive interface, but by designing some wonderful, professional-quality maps himself. His map of Asia and the London Underground look good enough to be licensed by the makers of the game.

Now I've just got to figure out how to print them out.

Oh, and if you've never played before, here is a list of the various flavors from my most to least favorite.

1. TTR: USA 1910 Mega Game (this is a must-have expansion to TTR: USA)
2. TTR: Europe
3. TTR: Nordic Countries
4. TTR: Switzerland
5: TTR: Märklin
6. TTR: USA

I've not tried TTR: Card Game, TTR: Mystery Train Expansion, or TTR: Dice Expansion yet, but I will. Oh yes, I will. I expect only the card game will be worth the purchase price.

Now go shopping.

October 2008 Movies

I am starting to wonder if one of the downsides of having a DVR (or two), is that you never seem to want to bother watching DVDs anymore, Blu Ray or otherwise. That probably explains why I haven't bought one in ages (although as soon as I get a 40% off coupon at Borders, I'm buying The Fall on Blu-Ray). The latest seasons of The Closer, Burn Notice, Monk, and Psych have all just finished up. The Shield, Pushing Daisies, and The Office are kicking off, and I'm going to give Heroes another shot (albeit with a short leash). Plus, I've been trying to get through a measly six episodes of Slings and Arrows (Season 2) with little success.

I've seen 3 movies in the theatres this year, and maybe watched 20 or so DVDs. Here's my top 20 or so movies to see right now, some still unreleased, some increasingly ancient. The starred ones I've got on DVD or Blu Ray yet still haven't found the time to watch. A few movies have dropped of the list from last time just because I don't much care about them anymore.

1. The Fall*
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
3. The Dark Knight
4. Iron Man*
5. Quantum of Solace
6. How To Lose Friends & Alienate People (just for the Pegg)
7. Choke (just for the Macdonald)
8. Idiocracy*
9. Children of Men
10. The Departed*
11. Invincible*
12. Pan's Labyrinth*
13. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
14. In Bruges
15. The Fountain*
16. Gone Baby Gone*
17. Revolutionary Road (just for the Winslet)
18. Persepolis
19. Zodiac*
20. Hellboy II - The Golden Army
21. Tropic Thunder
22. Ghost Town (just for the Gervais)
23. The Wrestler
24. The Spirit