It was a busy weekend here in the Harriet household. Friday night, AJ had his first ever sleepover at his grandma�s. He was very excited about it. He packed and repacked his suitcase (the latter after we pointed out he should probably make some room among his toys for some pajamas and a toothbrush) and was very excited to sleep in his sleeping bag, even if he was just going to unroll it on the bed in his aunt�s childhood bedroom.

It was the first time since AJ was born that Mr. Spy and I had the house to ourselves. We went to see Casino Royale at a depressing and overpriced ($9.50! Although maybe that�s normal. We usually frequent the more aesthetically pleasing if less comfortable vintage single screen houses) googolplex. I had been interested to see this movie for a couple of reasons. First, I was a big Bond fan as a kid and I still have a crush on Sean Connery. Second, the secretary of one of Mr. Spy�s clients was so convinced that Daniel Craig looks just like Mr. Spy. She was so convinced, that she printed out a bunch of his pictures from studio stills and mailed them to Mr. Spy with a note. This freaked him out a little bit. But having seen the film, I have to concur that there is at least a passing resemblance. It�s the eyes. And some of his facial expressions.

I enjoyed the film more than I expected. I had been warned that it was more violent than past Bond flicks and that�s probably true, but with the exception of the opening sequence in black and white where Bond kills someone by bashing his head on a sink and then holding him under the running water until he drowns, it was fake enough not to be too unpleasant. Craig is the sexiest Bond since Connery. I liked the various acknowledgements of Bond films past � Bond wins an Aston Martin in a poker game; his first exchange with Vesper Lynde includes a reference to money and penny that seems to be designed for that character�s absence; a bartender asks Bond if he wants his martini shaken or stirred and he replies with something like, �Who the hell cares?� I loved Judi Dench as M. But then, I love Judi Dench in just about anything. Mr. Spy and I agreed that

We came home and made a lot of noise and enjoyed not having to run the babysitter home. I missed being wakened by AJ�s feet hitting the floor in his bedroom at 6:59, but it was nice being able to get up and not have to worry about making him breakfast or telling him to stop playing Pac-man or listen to him complain about me going to yoga.

We spent most of Saturday at assorted in-laws, first my mother-in-law�s where we picked up AJ and sat around (what we usually do there) and then moved on to my brother and sister-in-law�s for my niece�s 14th birthday party.

We came home with a box full of LPs that belonged to Mr. Spy in high school and college. We�ve been having �70s retro hour here. First up, Chicago: Chicago II. I�ve only heard this in recent remixes, where the sound was cleaned up and clarified. The LP sounds totally different and somehow more impressive. The bold brass section always sounded a little too glitzy, too slick to me in the remixed versions. The original has a sound quality that suggests it might have been made from an 8-track in somebody�s basement or garage. The tightness of the ensemble is all the more impressive for the clear lack of artifice. Next up was Jean-Luc Ponty�s electric violin stylings onAurora. That one didn�t wear nearly as well. Although the second track opens with an autoharp solo. He gets points for using geeky string instruments. Of course, he�s an electric violinist, so he�s already a geeky string instrumentalist. I have to say that having listened to track one, we didn�t make it past the autoharp solo. That was enough Jean-Luc Ponty for one day.

I am now curled up with my computer on AJ�s bed, where I can see out the window, across the street to the neighbor�s yard. AJ and The Girl Next Door�s brother are over there playing with C, another kindergartner. The three of them are riding inner tubes down the steep hill in C�s backyard and into a stand of pine trees. TGND�s brother gleefully announced, as AJ arrived, that �I ran into one of the trees with my face!� He didn�t look much the worse for wear. And the trees keep them from flying off the hill and into the road. I can see them bellyflopping down the hill, hear them screaming with joy and terror. This is a good place to be a kid in winter.

[Second entry today.][UPDATE: My computer has fried. I'll be offline indefinitely. Take note, Claudia!]

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