RELAXIN'.

Had a great Christmas Day with the family, complete with my annual Christmas Day Run up at Sawyer Camp Trail and a delicious dinner in San Francisco at my Aunt's house with all the wee cousins. There is something so great about having kids around at Christmastime, and it is even better when you are old enough to drink champagne when said children start getting a little wired and out of control. And, when you can leave and go home to your house where it is quiet and you can watch Liza Minnelli on the television.

I love champagne. And I love me some Liza.

After a morning filled with coffee and a yummy breakfast with the Mom and the Sister, I will run, go to the movies, and head up to SF to my friend's annual Boxing Day Crawdad Races. Yes, you read that correctly.

Crawdad Races.

As you can see, it is a high class affair.

Dresses, ties, slacks, sweater vests, and racing Daddios.

I can be seen talking to my friend, Santa Graham. I believe this shot is from 2006?

It truly is spectacular and one year my 'dad (Prince Valiant) was the winner!! I will report back with the results from the '09 races. I'm sure there will be some intense face-offs, like in years past.

MERRY MERRY.

Happy holidays, everyone.

I have thoroughly been enjoying my time at home (hence the light blogging) and am looking forward to it continuing for the next week!

Merry Whatever-It-Is-You-Celebrate!!!

I WAS RUNNING ERRANDS.

And saw this place:

They are really taking Christmas seriously.

STILL SLEEPING.

I have been doing a REALLY good job at sleeping since I've been home. I mean, I would give myself an A+ and put myself on the Honor Roll right at the top. And then I would be president of the Honor Roll Nap Club.

Or whatever.

Anyways, I did go for a run yesterday and it was GORGEOUS outside and then had dinner with one of my buds I went middle school through high school with. He is now back teaching at our high school and we both find it extremely tripppppy.

I realized I never really gave an official review of Up In The Air:

I really, really liked it. It is extremely subtle, simple, and not what I thought it was going to be. But, I love it when movies are like that - when you have an idea of the general vibe from the trailer but then it steers you in another (good) direction that you didn't quite expect.

This movie is cast unbelievably well, so kudos to you miss-casting-director-whose-name-I-can't-find-on-the-google-machine-right-now. You did great!

Jason Bateman:

I have always loved you and will always love you. In my mind, you literally can do no wrong. You are one of my top loves and I still cry out with pain every time I realize that Arrested Development is no longer on the air because that means I can never be on it and portray your love interest.

*Insert sound of pain here*

I digress.

J'Batey is a deliciously funny fellow in this movie, he cracks my sh*t up, he is slightly schloozy (new word meaning a combo of both sleazy and schmoozey even though I just made up schmoozey, too) and he makes what could have been a throw-away role a definite keeper.

MISS ANNA KENDRICK

(yes, you get all caps here)

You rule.

You are two years younger than me, yet you have already been nominated for a Tony (when you were 12 for High Society), then you were in the hilarious movie Camp which only like 5 people saw and I was one of them and I loved it, and now you turn up and do this. I could really hate you for it, but that is impossible because you are so freaking good.

Anna shoves it right back in George's face, which is not an easy task to do, but she isn't all shovey about it; it doesn't appear to take the effort of said shove. The girl is ON. There are moments where she could have been extremely annoying and instead she is riotous in an honest, subdued, extremely earnest and endearing way. I lurved her. We are really going to be friends someday.

I can feel it.

So: go see it. It is mellow, but thoughtful, moving, and funny.

Woooot.

P.S. Oh, and Georgie? You were great, too. Very honest, sweet, sad, and yes - even though you're getting up there you are still a fox. And, you wear pants really, really well.

HOME SWEET HOME.

I am back in California and have been doing a lot of eating, sleeping, eating and sleeping. My first night home I took a looooong bath, went to bed at 8:00pm and woke up at 9:30am.

Tired? Guess I was.

Yesterday consisted of lounging around, going to the gym, getting a facial, and going to the movies and dinner with my Mom. Saw Up In The Air and LOVED it.

Today was full of lunch with my aunt in San Francisco and now I am going to take a nap. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, so I need to rest up for the rest of my vacation. Lounging around takes a lot out of you...

COUNTDOWN: ONE DAY.

Today is my last day in the city before I head back to California, and it is going to be a busy one. Visiting a friend in the hospital, packing, errands, last minute band practice and our final Rooftops show of 2009!

If you're free, head over to Banjo Jim's at 8:30pm and come check us out. We might even be playing a tune suited to the season...

Hope to see you there!

THIS ONE IS FOR MY MOM.

Diddy Wants To Be Obama's Son

Rap mogul and businessman Sean 'Diddy' Combs wants to be adopted by U.S. President Barack Obama.

The hitmaker feels partly responsible for getting Obama elected because he thinks hip-hop played a big role in his political success - and he'd love to be part of America's first family.

He tells Playboy magazine, "I think we are probably responsible for (Barack) Obama being in office, yes. If nobody else is gonna say it, then I'm gonna say it. The confidence, the swagger we instilled in our communities made that possible.

"I met him (Obama) twice... If God said I could pick one person to be my father, I'd want to be Sean Combs Obama. That's how dope he is. I hope he reads this interview and adopts me.

"I wouldn't even need to be in the will. I got my own money."

Sanchez: I know you're jealous of that phone.