THIS & THAT

A few quick thoughts, notes and comments from the Little Condo on the Prairie:

--I know the Southern Senators who temporarily derailed the auto bailout plan were doing it for their own politically selfish reasons (mainly, they make a lot of cars in the South but the companies are all Japanese and the shops are all non-union, and the last thing a Southern senator wants to do is to help the unions), but part of me still doesn't want the bailout to go through. I've calmed down now from my last post, but you have to wonder where the handouts end?

--Four Christmases (PG-13): Not a bad movie, not as totally predictable as you might think and even though Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn have little chemistry with each other, they each light up the screen in their own way. I enjoyed it. Give it a "B".

--Take a quick survey of yourself and your friends. Out of every five people you know, how many have been laid off or are really worried about being laid off? For myself, I'd say its four out of five.

--As I write this, the Nuggets, the DENVER NUGGETS, are the second best team in the Western Conference. I have a feeling it won't last, but what a difference Chauncey Billups and a little defense makes.

--Only 13 days left until Christmas and I'm making my first uneasy foray into the malls tomorrow. Like a lot of Americans, I'm not buying very much this year (just a few things for Tracy, really) but I'm curious to see if there's a palpably different atmosphere in the stores and malls than there has been in past years.

--Must see movies of the Christmas/Pre-Oscar season: Milk, Frost/Nixon, Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire and Gran Torino. No, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ISN'T on that list, but I'll probably wind up checking that out too...eventually.

Everybody have a nice weekend and I'll check in again soon!

Peace...