Spatter

Two Memes

Two more memes have come my way and I've decided to give each a go...I must be in the mood. 

The first comes via Rob and asks this question:  If you lived on a desert island and could only watch one film featuring each of the following starts, which film would you choose?  Difficult as it was in some cases to pick just one, here are my choices:

Cary Grant:                     Notorious
Humphrey Bogart:         Caine Mutiny 
James Stewart:              It's A Wonderful Life
Audrey Hepburn:            My Fair Lady
Katherine Hepburn:       The Lion In Winter
Marlene Dietrich:           Witness For The Prosecution
Clark Gable:                   Gone With The Wind
Ingrid Bergman:             Casablanca
Lauren Bacall:                The Big Sleep
Bing Crosby:                   White Christmas

Now comes the part where I add to the list.  I decided to choose Jack Nicholson, and his movie Chinatown.  Feel free to take part.  If you do, add your own star to the list.

The second meme comes via Becca and asks that I write ten candid things about myself.  Here goes:

1.    I like to have a plan.  While I'll be spontaneous, I generally function better with an outline
       of some sort
2.    I can get teary-eyed at the drop of a hat
3.    I don't like being interrupted when I'm focused on a job or project
4.    I'm a chocoholic
5.    I can't stand pushy people

6.    I feel only loosely connected to this world. If it comes down to a fight at the end of my
       life, I think I'll probably forfeit the game

7.    I believe that time and space will always be a mystery and a frustration to me.       
8.    I'm a seeker. I love to explore and I love to learn
9.    My favorite thing to study is history in every shape and form.
10.  I pretty much always see at least both sides of everything.

I think I'm really supposed to give more elaborate responses, but these are busy times and I'm leaving it as just a list.  I'm also being "disobedient" in that I never do the tagging that's supposed to be done.  As always, I just leave it up to you. 

Slumdog Millionaire

A great movie. I'm not going to say anything about it except this: don't miss it!  And oh yeah, stay through the credit roll.

New Year's

Last night's plan was to go to dinner, a movie, then over to a friend's house to bring in the new year.  It turned out the last leg got canceled.  Our friend missed one month of flea/tick medication on her dog and boom...her house became infested with ticks. Needless to say, she was tending to that little matter and called off her party.  It was just as well.  By the time the movie was over, our big meal had made me a bit sleepy and my eyes were feeling really strained.  I've been having a lot of peripheral flashing going on and I think that may be contributing.

The movie we saw was Milk, starring Sean Penn.  It tells the story of Harvey Milk and of the struggle for gay rights back in the 1970s. 

It took me back to those times and what life was like during them...in general...and my life in particular.  I give it a thumbs up. 

So here it is New Year's Day. I've made a few private and personal resolutions and have re-resolved to live according to my "do it now" philosophy.  Those who know me and those who have been reading Spatter for a while know that this philosophy has long been with me and it's served me well over the years.  I'd link you to the posts that speak to it, but frankly didn't tag them well enough to easily find them and I'm into easy today.

Something always on my "to-do" list is to explore...near and far..it doesn't matter...but I do try to get in a "far" every year.  Last year was Utah and in 2007, Arizona.  I don't quite know what this year will bring. While there's a lot left to see out west, I'm thinking I'll stay east this year.  At some point I'd like to visit all fifty states like Brian did. 

Just now though, I'm traveling downstairs to the kitchen for some breakfast, then perhaps a walk.  It's rather hot and humid, but I think it'll feel more nice than not. 

Movie Time - The Changeling

I saw The Changeling the other day..another powerful Clint Eastwood directed movie starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. 

It's  based on the true story of a missing boy and subsequent discovery of the Wineville Chicken Murders.  It's a gruesome story.  Most murders are.  But an integral part of being disturbed about this particular murder story is how the L.A. Police Department behaved. It actually happened and that makes it all the worse. The movie will  give you pause and make you think.  I definitely recommend it.


Post Note
Wineville is now Mira Loma.  The town changed its name in 1930 largely due to the vast amount of negative publicity surrounding this case. 

Christmas Tradition

It's been a long time since I've had a traditional Christmas.  I think it was in 2000 when all the family gathered on Tybee Island, Georgia.  Aside from that, I go to Christmas Eve services and then on Christmas day, it's just the two or perhaps a few of us getting together for this: 

and then, this:

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and hope too that we all get what we're wishing for:  health, happiness, and peace.

Wizard Of Oz Circa 2008

I watched the Wizard Of Oz last night.  I've watched it for...well, I've watched it every year ever since I can remember...so let's say for fifty years.  OMG!  And that little bit of arithmetic got me to figuring that the movie itself is sixty-nine years old.  It's hard to believe. 

The story is even older than that.  It was first published as a children's novel in 1900 and by 1902, it was a play.  As for the movie, it's so good on so many levels.  It's fun...I mean how can you not smile when singing along with the munchkins, watching the wicked witch cry out as she melts, or listening to so many classic lines lie "and Toto too".  And at the same time, it's modern mythology of a sort. Click  here  to read my thoughts on that.

This year was the first time I watched it in high definition.  What a treat so see every little thing and to see it all so clearly.   Talk about eye candy! 

The Streak Continues

Yesterday I saw the fourth good movie in as many visits.  This time: The Kite Runner .  Thumbs up...even after having read the book.

2 For 2

I seem to recall that last winter my movie selections were less than stellar. I'm doing a lot better this season.  So far, I'm batting 2 for 2.  This time the movie was The Great Debaters, the story of the Wiley College debate team in the 1930s.

While it does have the flavor of the many "underdog team wins big" movies that have come before it, this one is different in the sense that (1) it's a debate team vs a basketball team, (2) it's very well done, and (3) it has a powerful historical context.  I was moved to tears a couple of times from feeling both inspired and appalled.  You'll be moved too, I think. 

Charlie Wilson's War

The other day I was in the mood for a movie and some popcorn.  Several  movies have been released lately that I want to see, but on this day, we opted to go see "Charlie Wilson's War"  starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  I really enjoyed it. It tells its story ( a true one) very cleverly and the story it's telling is one worth thinking about: how the world really is a big cobweb of interactions....complicated and complex and counterintuitive.   

It brings to mind some spatter of mine: "spiders have webs, but not just they...and more than flies get caught."

There's No Place Like Home

Some 72 hours after my feet hit the soil of Blackberry Ridge, I'm finally feeling like I've caught up with myself.  Laundry, mowing, bills, email, photos, and of course, my blog have been tended to.  It's a good feeling to have it done...and it's a good feeling to be back in my own place. I wouldn't have missed my trip, but there really is no place like home.

This affirmation brings to mind "The Wizard of Oz". 

It's one of my favorite movies.  I enjoy it for its fun, its music, and the abundance of the movie stuff I pay attention to like costumes, sets, & what extras are doing when they're in the background of a scene.  But it's more than the sum of these parts.  It's a favorite of mine - of so many people - because it has spiritual themes that we all inherently understand and relate to. It is 20th century mythology.

Here are a few of those themes that I carry with me:

• each of us is a hero on a hero's journey of transformation - it doesn't matter who we are or where we come from...we're all on it
• there's no place like home -  home...whatever its form...is the sacred place where we feel secure.
  
• pay no attention to the man behind the curtain - he's human
• you have the power within you - no person or institution needs to give it to you
• wisdom, benevolence, and courage are virtues
• scary and/or nasty people...like witches...are not invincible - good does triumph over evil
• it's good to have friends to share your journey

I wouldn't be surprised if there are more than these.  If any come to mind, please feel free to post it in a comment.