it's the second to last week of the year and nobody wants to work. the design department went out for a 3 hour lunch, returning with alcohol scented breath. i fared a little bit better, late to the office because i went down to fidelity to cash in my 401k rollover check, then i spent almost the entire day still working on the diorama, going out with alex kates for a lunchtime run around the charles river on this official first day of winter. the weather was surprisingly unwinterlike however, hovering in the mid-40's. i went with my gps but the darn thing ran out of batteries at the 0.5 miles mark. when we came back, we stopped by katrinka's condo to feed her cat and her fishes. the trouble with the diorama is that it lacks energy, it feels flat. i'm going to try to find some way to arrange the squids so they're not leaning against the walls, which look fake. they should be standing, interacting with the scenery.

andrew and i met in harvard square at 7pm to catch a movie, the cooler, about a man (william h. macy) who is employed by a las vegas casino (operated by alec baldwin in a showcase of explosive intensity) for his talent to bring bad luck to any table, what in the gambling lingo is known as a "cooler". i remember when i first heard about the story it sounded so interesting. the movie is as much a fantasy as it is another story about the seedy side of las vegas. the cooler derives his skill from the fact that he's a natural born loser, but once he falls in love with a woman (maria bello), his luck (and the luck of those around him) starts to change. it's a nice little movie, a nice break from several weekends worth of epic lord of the rings action.

afterwards, he went to cvs to pick up his photos and we had dinner at pho pasteur, which closes at 10pm, leaving us about 30 minutes to eat. he got the chicken pho whle i went with the grilled chicken on vermicelli. he and i both thought that howard dean doesn't have a very good chance against george bush in the presidential election next year. we also both admired mitt romney, even though i voted for shannon o'brien, just because i was compelled to vote democrat. neither of us liked the nomar/manny trade for a-rod. after dinner, i got a ride home.