Movies: I just watched Stranger than Fiction the other day, and it was surprisingly sweet and lovely. I’d only ever seen Will Ferrell in stuff like Zoolander, so it was nice to see that he can really ACT act. The rest of the cast was excellent as well.

Books: I started reading Soon I Will Be Invincible yesterday. I got it for Scott, so it was only right that I let him read it first. Good so far — I like bad-guy protagonists. In upcoming book news, just over a fortnight until Harry Potter 7. It comes out on a Saturday, so I can sit down and read it that whole day.

Music: Since my old ukulele was cheap and one of the tuning pegs broke, talk has once again turned to getting me a new one. I have to decide whether I want a soprano or a baritone. Right now I’m leaning soprano, but that may change. I’ll have to hit the local Guitar Center and see what they have that I can put my hands on.

Games: Did you know that Mercenaries is now on the backward-compatible list for the Xbox 360? Yes indeedy it is! Sadly, it does have some freezing problems. But so far it’s still fairly playable, as long as you don’t spend too much time in Pyongyang. And come this holiday season, we may have to pay full price for Mercenaries 2 when it comes out, instead of waiting for it to drop in price.

I made a batch of cookies for Scott to take to work, to share with his bellhop droogies.

1 cup butter (softened to room temp)
1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups rolled oats (the cheap store brand in the circular cardboard tube will do)
2 cups Wheaties

Optional: add-ins like chocolate chips, raisins, M&Ms, nuts, etc.

Mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Gradually add flour, baking soda and baking powder.

Mash Wheaties (I measure them into a Ziploc bag, then crush the bejezus out of them). Add oats and Wheaties, along with any add-ins. Stir until combined.

Drop onto cookie sheet; bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

notes: these cookies spread out when baking, so it may take a pan or two to figure out what size you want them. I ended up using well-rounded scoops with a tea spoon, and that gave me nice-sized 2″ cookies. They’re soft, but the Wheaties and oats add a great crunch as well. I have to wonder if Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes would add a different dimension.