Bringing it back, old school.

I'm baaackkkk. Did ya miss me?

What can I say? I heard that absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I decided that two years was the perfect length to make sure all of my subscribers were absolutely beside themselves wondering where I had disappeared to. Did it work? Have you all been on pins and needles waiting for my reappearance?

Damn. Didn't think so.

Eh, anyways. How to crunch two years of living into one, single Xanga post? My life seems too amazing for that, but, I'll try.

Let's see, I am one semester away from graduating with my BA in Communications... and then the job hunt begins. Life for a journalist in this economy-- does it get any more "bottom of the barrel" than that? Anyone want to higher me out to write your Christmas letters?

And, really, my goal is to find a job where I can write from home, because daycare costs are just too expensive to deal with. That's right, I said daycare. AFV made an AFV Jr. Actually, her name is Sydney, and, I promise, I'm not like all those other parents out there who think their kid is the cutest thing ever. But truthfully, SHE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CREATURE I'VE EVER LAID EYES ON. And I made her. Like, MADE her. I know, I know, it's the miracle that happens a thousand times a day, but unless you've been through it, you will never understand what a crazy, life changing, monumental, amazing, and friggin' painful experience it is. Painful.

AFV pregnant:

I was about 34 weeks here. I still look back in awe that my kid was in there. Whoa.

And, I went through the crazy awesome, painful experience alone. My husband was deployed for the THIRD time to Iraq, and just recently returned two weeks ago when Miss Syd was two months old. Yeah, giving birth without him sucked pretty bad. But, at least she has no recollection of her dad not being there, and he'll see her first of everything. Just kind of sucked having every nurse assume I'm a single mother, and, since I look like I'm 14, a single teenage mother. I kept telling everyone who even looked at me, "Husband is in Iraq-- SEE!? Wedding ring!" Then I got the, "Awww, poor, courageous thing!" look. Infinitely better. And I got extra banana pudding from the cafeteria lady. We're in it for the perks, people. Riiight.

Actually, I can honestly say that the last six months were the worst of my entire life. Not only was I raging, hormonal pregnant bitch all by myself, but he was in a lot of danger over there. Thankfully, he never let me know it, and kept his voice incredibly upbeat every time he talked to me, but I have Google. I know what he went through, and had it all confirmed once he came home and told me his stories. Suffice it to say, I hug him a little tighter every night, and he kisses his daughter as much as he can throughout the day. He's supposed to be AIR FORCE, not a freakin' SEAL. Ugh. /rant

So, that's what I've been doing-- chasing the light in the tunnel towards my degree, getting knocked up and giving birth to the single most beautiful baby on the planet, and dealing with my husband being gone for the third time.

Why return to blogging after all this time? Good question.

I thought about Xanga so many times. I thought about writing so many times. I even tried to write a journal while I was pregnant, thinking it would be something I would want to look back on and read about. But truthfully, those months I spent alone left me with some of the rawest emotions I've ever felt, and I don't think I will ever care to relive them. Now that my life seems to be calming down (as calm as it can be with a 10-week-old in the house), I knew it was time. I could just feel it. So, here I am. I re-upped my Xanga Premium account, and I'm here to start kicking ass and writing about it.

What's been going on with all of you? What's been going on with Xanga? Why is there still no iPhone app for Xanga? I check periodically, you know. Especially since my iPhone is my life (sorry, I recently got  32 GB white 4S, and I'm annoying everyone with how much I talk about it-- didn't want y'all to be any exception).

Talk to me, Xangans. How's it been?
AFV

Oh, and just for proof that Miss Sydney really is the most beautiful creature EVAR, here is my mini-me:

I know, I know. Gah, amazing.

A timeline of ME

'A Christmas Carol:' Same story, fresh approach

Going into this movie, one might be wary of the prospect of Jim Carrey taking on the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol," after seeing the disaster of a job he did in the adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Luckily for movie-goers, the latest remake of Dickens' Christmas staple is above and beyond what this reviewer expected.

Writer and director Robert Zemeckis allowed the movie to follow the traditional storyline of "A Christmas Carol," where Scrooge is depicted as a miser, frugal with his money and time, and is haunted by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come in an attempt to save his soul from an afterlife of haunting the earth.

Scrooge is shown as old, wrinkly and cursed with pointed bones and an extreme pointed chin, reminiscent of Jay Leno. Scrooge's business partner, Jacon Marleyis a bit more terrifying than his predecessors and uses the full extent of the theater's sound system when attempting to frighten Scrooge into submission. The Ghost of Christmas Past is an effeminate man in the shape of a candle with the flame as his head, and while speaking, the flame moves from side to side as if flickering in the wind.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is a large, seemingly Irish man with a flowing red robe, and laughs at the sight of Scrooge's embarrassment on their journey as they look into the lives of those he has made bleak. The movie takes on a darker tone during the last spirit to haunt Scrooge, as expected, when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, characterized by a figure that closely resembles the Grim Reaper, reveals to Scrooge that unless he changes his ways, the future holds a very dishonorable death.

In addition to voicing Scrooge, Carrey also lends his voice to Marley, as well as the three spirits that haunt Scrooge. As recognizable as Carrey's normal speaking voice is, viewers won't realizing Carrey is voicing multiple roles, or even involved in the film at all because of how he disguises his himself.

The real surprise is how closely the movie mimics the original Dickens tale, not only following the original plot laid out by Dickens, but also in the dialogue. Despite being released by Walt Disney Pictures, Zemeckis does not cater to the younger audience, but mostly uses phrases word-for-word from the original writing, which might make it hard for children to understand the full extent of the story; however, the look of the film will keep their attention, even if the language doesn't.

The movie was released in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, and the experience of a performance capture film has improved immensely since Zemeckis' attempts with "The Polar Express" in 2004 and "Beowulf" in 2007. Despite an inordinate amount of scenes that followed Scrooge attached to one of the spirits flying through the air, the use of 3D in the film is artistic, and succeeds in giving the viewer the feeling of actually being involved in a conversation or action scene, like when Scrooge falls into his own grave.

Thanks to the realistic look of the falling snow and the eerily life-like expressions reflected on the faces of the characters, "A Christmas Carol" is able to rise above average animated movies into an entire category all its own. Though a bit darker in some places than most parents would expect of a movie released by Walt Disney Pictures, Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol" is a wonderful start to the holiday season.

Bah humbug, indeed.

I need hugs!