It's really amazing what you find when you are cleaning up for a move.  Tuesday I spent some time going through a box of old video tapes, cleaning out the junk before moving.  I found lots of old movies I had recorded: Aliens, 2 copies of The Blues Brothers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and a bunch of old monster movies.  One of the gems that I found was actually an old home movie of Christmas from 1991.  It was the year that I got my Super Nintendo.  I looked so unenthusiastic at getting the newest Nintendo system even though I was ecstatic on the inside.  I really have no idea why I acted that way.  I was a junior in high school.  Maybe it was uncool to look happy.  My best guess is that I pretty much assumed I would get it because that's what I really wanted.  It made me feel bad that I didn't look happy or appreciative of the gift.  However, my spirits were turned around as I discovered on the same tape Christmas with my grandparents (Grandmother and Granddaddy). 

All of my memories of my Grandfather were really bad.  The most memorable event that I could recall was me calling him a liar in a game of Battleship.  That has hung over me ever since his death.  Other memories I have are him in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and the stories I heard from my parents. 

The first thing I saw was him opening Christmas presents.  Erika asked who it was because she had never met my grandfather before.  It was interesting watching him react to the presents and playing with the wrapping paper.  He was acting silly, but it helped me to remember the good things about him.  I feel happy about remembering him instead of the dread I felt before.  Now that I think about it a little more I miss him.  I never tried to forget him, but I never liked remembering him either because of the bad memories.

Anybody that thinks moving is fun needs a serious head examination. The past week has been spent packing boxes upon boxes of trinkets, toys, games, etc. I have a bunch of crap. :) We have enough boxes that a homeless person could build a castle. Boxes are stacked along the walls creeping ever so slowly toward the ceiling. There's barely any decoration left in the apartment. Amidst all of the action, I've been able to post a new review. Check out my comments on Anchorman. Not sure what's coming this week, so just keep checking back.

Things I have learned recently:

• You know the litter box needs to be cleaned when your cat won't use it.


• Electronic gambling is terrible. No matter what they say about being fair, the fact is that programs can be manipulated to payoff when you want it to.


• My way of packing boxes and Erika's way of packing boxes are completely different.

I know it's been a while but I finally got the review of Spiderman 2 up as well as new trivia. The Metamorphosis looks to be delayed until I get to Tuscaloosa. As usual the best laid plans go to waste.

It's amazing how a full-time job and getting ready for a move can consume your free time. With my online class included I work over 40 hours a week. On top of all of that I've got a list of things to do to get ready for a move to Tuscaloosa. This week I've called so many people my ear is begging me to never use a phone again. Erika is going to Montana tomorrow and while she's gone I've made a list of things I need to do. I need to clean up this or pack that or fix that horrible plaster job I did from 4 years ago when I punched the wall in frustration. On top of all of that I want to relax and do things that I wouldn't otherwise do (stay up late playing video games, surfing the web for hours, going to gaming tournaments). I may be more tired after the weekend than I was before if I plan to accomplish everything on my list. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any better the closer the day comes. After the preparation, it's time to start packing. I can't express how fun that might be. Sticking my finger in a meat grinder might be less painful.