She never says what I'm thinking but she always says it better.

In our house there we listen only to a small, merry band of trusted film critics. Richard Roeper is not one of them. Manohla Dargis (of the New York Times), along with Roger Ebert (whose The Great Movies and The Great Movies II are some of my favorite bedtime reads) and Howie Movshovitz are our favorites.

MD has released her list of the best films of 2006. My favorite line so far: "David Lynch’s “Inland Empire” isn’t for the faint of heart or lazy of thought, notably those for whom moviegoing is simply a more socially acceptable version of sucking on a pacifier." Her veiled (?) dig at Marty's *The Departed* is in a paragraph about one of my other favorite movies of the year (which I failed to mention previously), Michael Mann's *Miami Vice.*

In other news, we weathered the blizzard just fine. We have watched all three extended cuts of the LOTR trilogy (we are nerds). We have also had an unprecedented six-hour marathon of The Wire over the past day or so. Lots of films, lots of knitting, and probably some cabin fever. I have an unchecked amount of rage at the Denver Emergency Management people, who have failed to send the plows to even major north-south thoroughfares in Capitol Hill and other places around our fair city. I reported to my Dad that the old Case family blood bubbled up as we made our way down Broadway (Broadway wasn't even plowed!) and I added a few more dollars to the cuss jar. Fortunately, there is a warm wind blowing today. Hopefully some of the roads will shape up on their own.

We'll celebrate with the family here tonight (with Tamales and probably giant Martinis). We fly to New York tonight to celebrate the holiday with the folks there. We're expecting to make it into the city one day during our visit, will make one trip to the Stone (a once-a-month Stone benefit w/Zorn and friends to pay the rent for the space) next Saturday night.

Merry Christmas to you.