Yesterday was Coeur d’Alene’s annual parade downtown, it started around 5pm and lasted about an hour. We took chairs down this time to be more comfortable, but it was difficult getting a spot to put them even though we arrived 30 minutes early. Many people “staked out” their spot and left to come back 10 minutes before the parade started, which I don’t think is quite fair to everyone else, but oh well.
The parade wasn’t all that, either. Many of the floats were just the same as the 4th of July floats with Christmas lights on them. The holiday spirit was real nice though. People are getting into the Christmas mood now, and this is truly a great time of year. I do have one serious complaint, though. One of the floats had a guy in a robe being crucified, with blood running down his arms and everything. Extremely creepy and (depite being a devout Christian myself) inappropriate. I don’t want to get in to a big religious thing here, but the real, true gifts that Christ gave were his atonement for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane and the fact that he was resurrected. Yes, He died for us, but that takes a back seat to the atonement and resurrection.
It’s really like one step below militant fanaticism if you ask me, this shockingly gruesome display of torture. It’s one step below gun-toting, heathen-killing crusades. And before you get all up in my face, I spent two years in a foreign country as a missionary, so don’t go off on how I don’t know what I’m talking about. There’s a right way and a wrong way to celebrate this season, and that float was in serious bad taste.
Back on a good note, the fireworks display was great, we had a reay duesy of a show. It’s always better than the 4th of July fireworks display, too. I didn’t take my camera this time because I had to carry two chairs down to the parade and the water, it was just too much to tote around for three hours.
Yesterday I went with my sister-in-law , her husband, and her husband’s brother to see Casino Royale, the new Bond film. The opening scene reminded me of this video of Russian free-runners I saw online many many months ago. I agree with other reviews that the opening scene really set a pace just a bit too high for the rest of the movie (I think it was by far the most exciting part of the film), but overall the movie was quite good, and I have no reservations about the new James Bond. He did a great job. Lorien wouldn’t come with us because it wasn’t Pierce Brosnan anymore. I personally prefer the Sean Connery days myself, but he’s not exactly making many movies anymore, so I take what I can get.
So to sum it up, go with an open mind and you’ll be surprised at how much you like it. It’s definitely worth watching.
Well, I suppose it could also be a cheese ball, it just depends on how you shape it:
Cheese Log Recipe
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp summer savory
1/8 tsp parsley
1/8 tsp dill
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp basil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly, shape into ball or log (use wax paper, it’s less messy). Coat outside of log or ball with ground pepper. Enjoy with crackers, chips, or whatever. My brother-in-law Greg makes this every time they come for Christmas (or the season thereabout). It’s quite tasty.