Good evening!

Well, the holiday season is officially over. Well, at least it is from the retail standpoint. Our store did insanely well this afternoon, thanks to all those crazy boxing day shoppers.

Seriously though, who actually goes out shopping on boxing day? In my not-so-humble opinion, you have to have a screw loose to enter a mall as a paying customer on December 26th. The queues that you stand in to save $5 on already clearance merchandise are mammoth and your fellow shoppers are about as friendly as a gaggle of harpies.

I'm having trouble grasping how masochistic my fellow Canadians can be. You certainly have to be to have a wonderful, relaxing two days with your friends and family and then subject yourself to the unspeakable horrors of shopping centres.

I, for one hate it. I work in a mall store... a very popular mall store. This is the last year for me, no matter what. Even if I fail to break into IT for this entire year, I am quitting retail for good and taking something up just so I can avoid dealing with that bunch of snarling baboons again.

For any boxing day bargain-hunters out there, I have one request. If you're stuck in line during your day, please think before you complain. It's your own damn fault. You're the one crazy enough to be shopping instead of spending time with your family. By entering a mall on the 26th of December, you automatically forfeit your right to whine about your 20 minute wait in line. You also grant me the right to laugh at you. Leave your I'm-too-busy-to-be-here-but-I'm-doing-you-a-favour-by-shopping-here attitude at home, please. On second thought, leave your whole self at home.

Other than that, this holiday has been wonderful. I hope you all enjoyed the break with your loved ones as much as I did! I'll be back within a day or two with my music countdown.

- Colin (invincibleironman@hotmail.com)

It has been brought to my attention that I missed out on a few holiday wishes. I'd like to begin today's post by extending my holiday wishes to include Quanza, Ramadan, and the ever-popular Festivus. Merry Whatever-it-is-you're-celebrating!

Indeed, the new year is upon us. What better way to lead into the next year than by recapping a year of two of my favorite pleasures in life - movies and music. So this is the first of a two-part series, with today's focus on my movie picks of 2003. Here they are, in order of their greatness:

1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - What can I really say about the final installment of the LoTR trilogy? It marks the end of a cinematic triumph that will not be outdone for years to come. And what a glorious end it was! I felt goosebumps rush down my arm no less than six (!) times during the course of the epic final chapter. Critics can complain about the long ending all they want, but it does not hinder Peter Jackson's masterpiece. The trilogy needed to be wrapped up appropriately, and it was nice to see a film provide that service to its fans. It was definitely better than Two Towers, and on par with Fellowship in my eyes. Look for Return of the King to sweep almost everything at the Oscars this year... including the big one.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean - This is perhaps the most fun you'll ever have watching a movie. Johnny Depp cashes in a masterful performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, altering my thought process to make his name synonymous with the word "pirate". I can watch this film over and over again and never be bored. Pirates has recaptured the Disney magic that everyone said they lost. If you haven't seen this yet: Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

3. The Last Samurai - Tom Cruise probably has more critics than fans out there. I'm not sure why, but I'm almost certain it has something to do with Vanilla Sky and Nicole Kidman. Once in awhile though, there is a film that will change a person's opinion on an actor. The Last Samurai is that film for Tom Cruise haters. At the very least, his toughest critics should see it and pretend it's not Cruise; missing this film would be a travesty. It paints a relatively accurate picture of Meiji-era Japan's internal struggles (minus the part about the American samurai). The whole movie shines with a beautiful portrayal of the samurai way of life, including the most brutal battle sequences. Kurosawa would definitely be proud of this film.

4. X-2: X-Men United - Being a huge fan of the comics, this is an obvious choice. It picked up where the first film left off, improved on the dialogue and character development, and expanded the scope of the plot. The addition of Nightcrawler to the already excellent assortment of characters only served to whip me into a further frenzy and the ending makes me froth rabidly for the inevitable sequel. This one's on par with, if not better than Spider-man as far as comic book adaptations go.

5. Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions - Say what you want - the Matrix is our generation's Star Wars. Yes, it's cool to bash the Matrix. Yes, the Architecht is a silly device to make Reloaded seem more intelligent than it was. Yes, it relies on first-year philosophy topics to drive the plot. Like Star Wars, it has cheese to the max. However, it presents us with some of the most incredible fight scenes ever seen. Also, Smith is really damn cool.

6. School of Rock - The filmmakers of School of Rock probably didn't actually have a script to go on. It seems like they just told Jack Black to do anything he wanted to and pieced all the footage together to make a movie. That's fine with me, because somehow I was treated to an hour and a half of pure rock and roll bliss. Mr. Black, you are a very, very funny man.

7. Bend it Like Beckham - At first, I thought this one was going to be a drag. Then, I thought that it might be a really cool soccer movie. Then, I started to dread the thought of sitting through a chick-flick masquerading as a sports movie. So I watched it... and it was good... really good! It's not as much about footie as you'd think, but more a glimpse into what it's like to grow up as a minority in England. Good, heart-warming stuff with a good splash of humour.

8. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - This is perhaps the weirdest movie I've seen all year. The excellent Sam Rockwell plays the part of Chuck Barris in this twisted pseudo-biographical look at the mind behind the Dating Game and the Gong Show. The first half of this movie is perhaps the worst film I've ever seen. However, the second half is so good that it lands George Clooney's directorial debut on my list. For those who enjoy black comedy, this is pure gold.

9. The Rundown - The Rock seems to really be hitting his stride on the big screen. Couple him with a villainous Christopher Walken and a bumbling Seann William Scott, and you have action-comedy gold. There are two great scenes in particular to watch for: Walken's Tooth Fairy speech, and the inevitable moment that the Rock gets his hands on a shottie. The Rundown is fun as hell. Period.

10. Old School - I experience a guilty pleasure when it comes to American college films. American Pie, Animal House, and Van Wilder have all etched their way into my mind forever. It's no surprise then that Will Ferrell has beer-funneled his way into my heart as well. Oh great, now I have a craving for late-night KFC...

Well that's all folks. Tune in during the next couple of days for a music wind-up, should you feel the urge. If you have any comments about my movie choices, you know how to get in touch.

Peace out movie-lovers!

- Colin (invincibleironman@hotmail.com)

This time of year seems to always sneak up on me, no matter how much I try to brace myself. All of a sudden it hits me, and in that moment I am simultaneously jubilant, anxious, stressed out, and slightly saddened. The whirlwind of holiday emotions kind of hit home today as I made a few realizations.

First and foremost, I wish you all a happy holiday season. No matter what you are celebrating, may you enjoy the company of your friends and family. Only the best wishes to you all.

As always, Christmas is a time for celebration for me. My family still clings to the roots of the holiday and tries to always keep its meaning at the forefront. We have always tried to stick to traditions, though they become increasingly difficult to keep alive. Hopefully we can keep this up and forge new ones as our family expands and changes.

My holiday shopping is nearly complete. I have a few loose ends to tie up, which will probably be finished by the end of the day. Oh thank heaven!

I am always in awe of how old friendships are rekindled at this time of year. With all the hustle and bustle, I am honoured by those of you who go out of your way to get in touch. It's been really nice to hear from Becca, Amber, and Megan over the last few weeks.

Unfortunately, things must always change. Some of the "regulars" have been displaced as of late, and as such are celebrating their holiday season in far off places. Kathryn has returned home to the Land of Oz, Bryan has moved on to a new adventure in exciting Kitchener, and Heidi is probably eating chocolate of untold splendor with ze Germans. Bryan returns (albeit for a short time) in a few days, but I still miss you all dreadfully. May all our paths cross again sooner rather than later, preferably at a cabin setting roughly 20 minutes north of Grand Beach. Merry Christmas to you guys! Those in Winnipeg over the holidays will be raising their glasses of eggnog for you.

So with the night closing in around me and my eyes heavy, I leave you all with the fondest holiday wishes. Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, and have a great Snowflake Day!

- Colin (invincibleironman@hotmail.com)

Oh Lord, forgive me for I have sinned. And you might as well forgive me for future sins too, because this is going to probably be semi-regular.

I swore up and down that I would not do this, no matter what. Not even the super-hype of Tech TV has been able to sway me into the realm of blogging. That is, until now...

Driven by my desire to keep my writing skills sharp and inspired by my best friend, I am now a blogger. At this moment it is unclear whether this practice is good or evil. For all I know, I could have crossed over to the dark side. However, I am certain that I have reached a new level of geekdom.

This spot is going to be for my own random musings. The topics will probably be near to my heart, ranging from pop-culture rants to more personal subjects. Please feel free to comment on my posts, should you feel the urge.

I realize that this is probably going to be wholly boring for most of you. Alright, it's probably going to be boring for all of you. If you don't want to read this anymore, I understand. The back button can be found on your upper left browser window, as well as on most fancy keyboards and mice.

Those that are too far away for me to keep up with regularly might find this a good way to keep track of where I am in life. Of course, I'll be posting stories of recent goings-on. What would a good blog be without funny stories?

And now I'm going to make my first real post.

Ciao.

- Colin (invincibleironman@hotmail.com)