...every day is meme day... Ok, not really. I’m a little behind with my Friday Forums, and here’s the questions from last week so that I’m all caught up with that and the Musing on Movies for this week. So far the week has been ok. Reviews have been turned in, I’ve got stuff to do, materials to order, some Secret Service (or some sort of government bodyguard armed with guns and those little round pins with the seal of the United States) guys were in my building yesterday. The usual junk of the week.

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1) What are your favorite autumn foods and beverages?

It’s autumn, isn’t it? Ah... as the weather gets colder my thoughts turn towards the ideas of casseroles and stews. Things like chicken and dumplings and lasagna or baked pasta comes to mind. I start thinking about baking things, although I haven’t really this year so far. I don’t really change my beverage choices during the autumn though. The increase in making hot chocolate comes when winter officially hits unless it's a really cold late fall.

2) Do you have any fun things planned for this fall, such as attending an autumn festival, going apple picking, hosting a Halloween party, etc.?

Other than the planning for Halloween and Thanksgiving (whatever *those* plans turn out to be), I don’t have anything special going on for autumn. I don’t normally anyway – it’s just another season on the calendar and it’s when the weather gets colder. Except in late September to early October when we’re sure to have a heatwave. Like we're having now. It's cold in the mornings (45 degrees this morning), and warm in the afternoons. We're talking 80s warm, and probably higher over the weekend if the weather guy on the radio this morning is to be believed.

3) What has your autumn weather been like so far? Is fall your favorite season? What is your area's autumn weather typically like?

So far, it’s been a heatwave. Upper 80s and low 90s last week, and cool in the mornings. This week it's high 70s to mid 80s and cold overnight. This is normal. Fall is not my favorite season save for the fact that Halloween is in the middle of it. I love Halloween. I much prefer late spring for the relative low deviation in temperature between the highs and the lows. That and the smell of the world after a good quick rain or with a high dewpoint really makes for a nice morning as the sun comes up.

4) What will you be doing for Thanksgiving this year? Do you usually have a traditional one [turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries], or do you eat out or fix a nontraditional menu on Thanksgiving Day?

Ah, Thanksgiving. The eternal question. Ideas were floated around this year for the family going to Disneyland. We’re talking about the extended families too. BILs and SILs and kids galore. I don’t know what anyone else’s firm plans are, nor do I know mine. In all honesty, I don’t think I care as long as I get some turkey, some stuffing and I don’t have to have prolonged exposure to the ILs (excepting MIL and FIL, because I love them) or my own parents.

And yes, you can take from that statement that we have a rather traditional Thanksgiving – turkey, mashed potatoes, pull apart rolls, etc – except for the one year that DH and I were on our own for it and we had Cornish game hens. Oh wait, maybe that was Christmas. I don’t remember now.

5) Some people start Christmas shopping in October. Do you?

Christmas shopping in October? Well, only if I find something that’s completely appropriate for someone and I don’t think that it’s going to be around when I want it in November/December. Actually, I *do* start hunting for DH’s present in October, because that’s how long I usually need to find just the right thing for him. I really don't have a clue where to start looking this year, so I'm going to have to start cruising wish lists and thinking up some good ideas.

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**National Past Time**

"This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you
catch the ball."
~~Bull Durham

Well, we've covered over-all favorite films. Let's break it down a little more by starting in on genres. Baseball playoffs are upon us, which inspires me to ask: What are your favorite sports films? What sports films do you think are terrible? Do you tend to watch a lot of sports movies or very few, or do you avoid them completely? Which sports (if any) do you watch on television? Are those the same sports you enjoy as movies?

Best sports movies? "Bull Durham" was great. "The Natural was better". "Slap Shot" was mildly entertaining. I’ve not seen "Miracle" yet, although I should. "The Rookie" was pretty darn good too. Oh, and "Bend it Like Beckham" - that was a really funny movie too.

Seeing a trend? Baseball and hockey, two of my favorite sports. In. The. World. I can honestly say that because I’ve not found a rugby movie yet, although one *should* exist by now, and I adore rugby. If there were a rugby movie out there and was beloved by me, then I could say that my favorite sports In The World were covered by my favorite sports movies.

Hear that, Hollywood? We need a movie about rugby. And if there is one out there, then I apologize and you didn’t advertise it enough in the U.S. because I never saw any press for it. At. All.

Ah, but I digress ever so slightly. Worst sports movies ever? Maybe Major League - as a sports movie it sucked. As a comedy where the cast of players just happened to be a baseball team, then it was good. I don't go hunting for sports movies to watch, unless they happen to be something really worth watching. Good backstory *and* good sports action.

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Well, that's it for the memes today. Tomorrow? Don't know what you'll find here because I've not decided either.