Thanksgiving aftermath

I went absolutely nowhere near a mall yesterday! I've done that whole Black Friday thing several times - and it can be fun - but on the whole I'd rather wait until next week. I read that the initial reports on sales is that they were actually weak - so I predict many good bargains in the weeks ahead. I also read through all the sale papers - and there was nothing that made me say, Hey, I've got to be at (walmart, target etc) at 5 am to get that care bear or whatever.

So, instead I was a complete homebody. I actually baked bread! It smelled so great baking on a cold morning. And then I made one of my favorite long recipes - oven beef stew. It has to bake for 5 hours (!) so I'm reluctant to make it and leave the house. So a perfect day to make it - and it was yummy!

I also watched a whole pile of DVDs I'd rented. On the whole, I was disappointed in my selections. The best two: Coach Carter was good - I'd been wanting to see it since I heard Ken Carter speak at a conference last month. Happy Endings was a quirky, indy from the director of The Opposite of Sex. A black comedy - pretty funny in spots. Tom Arnold was pretty good in it.

I also saw Lemony Snicket. Yawn. And another indie - with Anthony LaPaglia - called Winter Solstice. Just a nice story, kind of bittersweet. And finally, the biggest disappointment was Miracles. About two young boys who find a bag of money and how it affects them. I'd really looked forward to seeing it - but I wasn't prepared for a quirky film in the tradition of Amalie. I may have to try it another time when I'm feeling more whimsical.

Going to see Rent (the film) tomorrow - looking forward to that.