2.27.2006

Review: Elizabethtown

Disclaimer: Yes, I know that the web abounds with unqualified, opinionated, amateur movie critics, each of whom thinks that one-click publishing entitles him to broadcast his ideas. I hereby shamelessly assert my right to join them.

Go See Because: Actually, I recommend seeing it twice. It's one of those stories that gets better with a second viewing; you'll be able to see more clearly past the garish elements. You've got to love Claire (Kirsten Dunst), whose compassion and disarmingly self-deprecating confidence put her center stage in the life of Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom). Her sense of appreciation for the full experience of life, her desire to share it, and the multiple make-you-think lines in the movie--"Success, not greatness, is the only god the world worships"--make for superb entertainment.

Go Cautiously/Avoid If: You're a girl aged 12-15 and don't have a firm grip on your heart. Remember what happened when the Lord of the Rings came out.

2.26.2006

If Proofreading Were An Olympic Sport

"...I don't know, Don; she missed a comma splice in paragraph three..."

"She's a strong competitor, though, and since Paige Turner of Canada overlooked a major misspelling, the door's wide open..."

"Let's take another look at her rework of sentence 12. Watch the way she adds the semicolon, removing the need for the overused conjunction. Exquisitely done... Her artistic marks will reflect that..."

Oh, I was SO born in the wrong universe!

2.24.2006

Happy Thoughts

The rising sun made pink streaks along the horizon at 7:00 this morning. Mt. Baker peered out from between the clouds, and I woke up to that picture feeling well rested and just... alive.

...oh, I love sunshine!

Last year I had days when I wondered why we're not given a choice whether or not to exist. On a day like today, though, I wonder: if given such a choice, would I have dared to refuse to be? Would I have missed out on sunlight and friendship and exultation and hope, just because--to put it crudely--sometimes, existing sucks?

Sunny days (sorry, Phoenix, it's a Seattle thing) put life back into positive perspective for me.

Anyways, the weekend's here. If all goes as planned, I get to sleep in tomorrow and sing in church on Sunday and go looking for joy in all manner of simple things.

2.23.2006

A Very Good Place To Start

They say that all good things must come to an end... but all good things must have a beginning, too! I begin this blog in the hope of all good things. Happy reading!