www.BrettDaniel.com

I'd like to wish everyone reading this a happy New Year in advance because I'm soon to be off to a friend's New Years party. I hate to rehash an overused joke, but I'll be back next year (with pictures of course).

Well, I've reached the halfway point of Christmas break. Here's to another enjoyable, entertaining, and above all relaxing week.

What a great party last night. It seems like just about everyone made an appearance. There was understandably a whole lot of music and singing; oddly enough, a good amount of dancing; a sprinkling of random fun; and of course, a page of pictures.

I just got back from hanging out with Megan and Debbie at the mall. As if I needed any reminder not to go near a shopping center the first weekend after Christmas. The crowds/traffic were horrid. While I was there I took a few pictures, but none save these cast pictures were postworthy. Speaking of pictures, I should have some interesting snapshots to post tonight because Charlie is having a bunch of friends over. His original plan was to have one of his (in)famous joyrides, but unfortunately he ran Gunther, his car, into a tree. Thankfully it wasn't too bad; he just has to get some dings banged out at the shop.

As you have no doubt noticed, I've added a photoblog to the right of the main page. My plan is to post a picture a day, but we'll see how it goes.

Look Ma! No cast! I went to the doctor today for a checkup on how my ankle is healing, and the doctor told me I could start walking around the house without a cast. It's about time; It's only been six months since my surgery! Unfortunately I still have to use a brace outside the house because of ice and snow, but I guess a small victory is better than none.

Now that I've had a good night's sleep, I think I'll write about why I liked The Fellowship of the Ring so much. Like many other people, I'm very pleased at how well the movie stuck to the book. There were of course a few minor differences (such as Tom Bombadil), but none nearly so glaring as to ruin the film. The way I saw it, reading the book only added to the movie. There were nuances— such as the elven cloaks, Boromir's horn, and the references to The Hobbit— that were probably lost on the minority of the audience who hadn't read the books yet. Also, and perhaps most importantly, the amazing filming and scenery almost made the movie. For instance I was amazed at the similarities between the Rivendell I had imagined while reading the book and the Rivendell portrayed in the film. It was almost spooky how alike they were. My final compliment would have to be the special effects. Utterly amazing. Everything from the different sizes of the characters to the flying shots through Saruman's lair to the CG monsters (the balrog especially) to the incredible scenery (the Shire, the Mines, Gondor, Mordor, Rivendell, I could go on and on) was thoroughly well done. I am most definitely going to see The Two Towers and The Return of the King next year and the year after.

Aw yeah!!!

Those of you who have seen the cast page recently will notice that I've begun adding pictures of the cast members. I took the pictures with the awesome digital camera I got for Christmas. It's so cool.

I really, really, really want to go see a movie today, but everyone seems to be out doing something. If any of you happen to be reading this right now, give me a call and we'll go see Lord of the Rings.

Ahhh... What a day. I just finished the annual Big Christmas Dinner, and now I have time to fool around with the cool stuff I got. Thanks to everyone. Here's the list:

• Pajama bottoms thanks to G. and H.
• An L.S.U. t-shirt (that will probably go over great next year when I'm at Purdue) and 20 dollars thanks to M., B., M., L., and B.
• A subscription to Guitar Player Magazine and puzzle books thanks to D. and G.
• Total Guitar and a guitar postcard book thanks to the Ks.
• Steak knives thanks to my sister. (Inside joke, don't worry about it)
• A day planner thanks to V.
• A purdue sweatshirt thanks to G.
• A change sorter, tire pressure gauge, and another Purdue sweatshirt thanks to L. and R.
• Carwash tickets thanks to ML.
• And to cap it all off, a calendar, a printer, and an awesome DIGITAL CAMERA!!! with many, many thanks to my parents.

Merry Christmas!!! I should have done that before the last post, but oh well.

Linux really pissed me off yesterday, but this morning made me really happy. Since Christmas is a time of giving, I'll list the gifts I gave first:

• Sister: A stuffed purple dinosaur doll and some French study things
• Mother: The first three Harry Potter books and a Harry Potter coloring book
• Father: A CompUSA gift card to go with my mother's gift of wireless networking stuff
• Grandmother: A book of car wash tickets for her new car she bought this year

I'll write about the gifts I got later today after the rest of the family arrives.

What better time than a long holiday to install Linux? We'll see how it goes. I will of course post my progress (however poor) here.

There's something to be said for Christmas gift shopping early Sunday morning. I got done in only about an hour and a half.