I love this commercial so much. I’ve always loved it. It was tragically under-aired on television, so most of my friends never got to see it. But now they can.

See it, friends!

And so ends another excellent Christmas.

This was our last Christmas as childless parents, and the years to come will be very, very different. I was even given a book this year that will get me ready for 2008!

I scored on the video game front, getting everything I had asked for… Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect, The Orange Box, and Super Mario Galaxy. That’s all I really wanted and probably all that I will want for a good long while.

I also asked for, and received, something that embodies a lifestyle that appeals to me greatly – a lifestyle of daily evening martinis, comfortable slippers, pillowy leather couches, and an adoring family.

Yes, I now own two v-neck button-front cardigan sweaters.

They lack the snootiness and hipster edge of a hoodie, and they make me look older and more distinguished. I shall make the cardigan lifestyle my lifestyle.

Hey 2008, let’s get this show on the road. 2007 is old news.

Dear Pixar,

The Wall-E trailer that you released this week is incredible. It made me excited to go see a movie, and I haven’t had that feeling in years. In fact Wall-E looks like a strong contender for the title of best Pixar film ever, potentially dethroning Toy Story 2 as my own personal favorite!

Movies about robots are few and far between these days.

Please do not screw this up.

Your Pal,
Brett

p.s. I’m sorry I never got around to seeing Ratatouille. It’s in my Netflix queue and I’ll get to it eventually.

As of November 30th, my dad is officially retired.

After 29 years of service to Toyota, he’s moved on to a life at home with my mom and gearing up for grandparentness.

Toyota’s the kind of company where you can bounce around within departments if you ever feel like moving on to something more challenging or different. My dad did a lot there over nearly three decades. He started as a regional manager in New Jersey back in the 70s, then got transferred out to California (Torrance!) in the 80s to work at Toyota’s US headquarters. Towards the end of his career he was in charge of Toyota’s national truck advertising, and finally spent the past few years as the president and CEO of the Toyota Federal Credit Union.

He had been pondering retirement a while back when Toyota decided to cut expenses by severing support for anything not directly related to the production of cars. Several departments in Torrance were axed, and the credit union was unfortunately included. My dad’s final job was to find a suitable credit union to merge with, and to oversee the merger to completion.

On December 1st the Toyota Federal Credit Union ceased to be, and the merger with Western Credit Union was complete. My dad is now working as a freelance consultant with Western for a while, and after that he’s free as a bird. He can either kick it at home 24/7, keep consulting with Western if he’s needed, or he can take another consulting job with any of the other credit unions that keep calling him.

So here’s to my dad – a hard worker, a great provider, and a supportive father. He’s paid his dues, and now he gets to enjoy his golden years – financially secure, spending quality time with family, and not working.

I love you, Dad!

And Mom.

Also, Tammy.

I have mixed feelings about my dry cleaner.

They do an okay job with my clothes. But they won’t let you pay with a credit card if your bill is under $10. They’re trying to dodge the transaction fee bullet, but their customers are the ones who suffer.

This is 2007. Who carries cash anymore? Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don’t.

I discovered this week that Visa and MasterCard don’t allow their merchants to impose minimum transaction amounts, so my dry cleaner was in violation of this policy!

This morning I reported them to MasterCard and I feel like a badass.

There’s a new sheriff in town and his name is BRETT.

The Xbox Dashboard update came out today. I fear that this may overshadow today’s biggest news – the Culdcept Saga demo is now available for download!

I’ve already played it about a dozen times. It’s so great, and so true to the original on the PS2 which I loved so much. As a sequel it doesn’t really introduce anything new in the gameplay department, though. The voiceovers are much better and things look great in HD of course. Playing online is new, and this is a game that can absolutely benefit from online play.

There seems to be a real problem with caching data from the disk, though. In fact I wonder if it does any caching at all…a lot of the animations skip, jump, and stutter as data is loaded in the background. I’ll chalk that up to it being a work in progress though.

Go download the Culdcept Saga demo immediately. It’s the one title that got me to buy an Xbox 360 back in the day…two years ago when it was first announced.

And oh yeah – Culdcept DS is in the works, too! It’s Japan-only for now though…

Last night we took the official ‘expectant parent’ tour of the hospital where my daughter will be born, Saddleback Memorial in Laguna Hills.

I liked it. As soon as a baby pops out they slap an ID bracelet on its arm. If that bracelet ever crosses over a big red line in the carpet surrounding the maternity ward, the whole place goes on lockdown. Alarms go off, doors seal themselves, and your baby’s kidnapper is thwarted. And really, who wouldn’t want to steal my baby? She’s destined for greatness, you know.

The labor rooms are pretty swank. They’ve got hardwood floors, great views, a big wooden armoire with a nice TV and room for lots of clothes, and all kinds of equipment in them so that your baby never needs to leave your sight if you don’t want it to.

All we have to do is show up with a pregnant lady and a car seat, and they take care of everything else – diapers, supplies, whatever. Our baby classes start this week too. So exciting!