In Search of a Far Green Country

A love letter to "Parks and Recreation"

2011-12-13T03:25:00.000-08:00

To the creators, writers, actors, and crew of “Parks and Recreation:”
When news of your show first started showing up on NBC commercials
between “The Office” and “30 Rock,” many of us got nervous. The faux-documentary style, along with the appearance that it was about a group of strange personalities working together in a probably un-enjoyable environment under an eccentric boss played by a well known face from the comedy world, let us to believe that this was going to be an arbitrary and redundant knock-off of “The Office.”

How wrong we were.

You are now in your fourth season, going strong and making us all laugh. You are better than ever “The Office” was, and are possibly the best thing on TV right now, with the possible exception of “Modern Family.” Indeed, I see things on your show each week that I believe prove it to be not only great comedy, but revolutionary television.

I’ve enjoyed “Parks and Recreaton” ever since its first season, but it’s only been within the past month or two that I’ve begun to realize how special the show really is. Unlike “The Office,” your show likes each of its main characters. It doesn’t have the cynical outlook that makes each joke at the expense of someone, which is so prevalent in “The Office.” These characters enjoy working together and being around one another. It’s clear that your show believes in something better than laughs taken from awkward or offensive situations: it believes in the good (and the hilarity) that can happen when a community of people work together and help one another.
However, you don’t whitewash the characters, regardless of how much you care for them. These are real people with real problems and real flaws. Tom is generally selfish, and a major player. April is hopelessly negative. Andy often doesn’t listen and gets in the way frequently. There is not one character on the show who doesn’t have some kind of flaw that would make them difficult to be around at one point or another. You never let those flaws define them, though. Tom’s womanizing comes off as endearing, and we get the feeling that he communicates in the languages of “doin’ it” because he just doesn’t know how to express deeper feelings in another way. We see a playfulness in April that comes out with almost everyone, but especially with Andy and Ron. Andy’s childish excitement and naïveté make it difficult to be frustrated with him for long about anything. Ron cares very much for everyone in the department. For all his talk about how well Leslie treats everyone, he has made sacrifices for and offered sage council to almost all of the people working under him, particularly Leslie, April, Andy, and Tom. What got me thinking about how remarkable the show is, though, is what you did with Leslie in one of the more recent episodes, “The Smallest Park.” We have always known that Leslie is headstrong and will often “steamroll” people to get what she wants. She does this to several people in this episode, and Ann calls here out it (again demonstrating a healthy friendship in which honestly and forgiveness are important). What’s caught my attention most was that Leslie acknowledged what she was doing, understood that it was hurting people she cared about, and expressed a desire to change and acted on that desire. Question: how rare is it that in any show, let alone a sitcom? Answer: extremely rare, if not altogether unheard of. In “30 Rock,” for example, the characters of Liz, Jack, Tracy, and Jenna all have their flaws, but those flaws haven’t gone anywhere and are not likely to go anywhere because they are what make the show work, and it’s hilarious and that’s fine for that show. It would have been easy to keep Leslie as the “steamroller,” and it probably would have worked, too, but you took a major risk by having the lead character in your show address one of her deepest flaws head on. Now she has to change, and in addition to having one of the funniest shows on TV, you have a situation comedy in which the situations are not going to be approached by in the same way all the time by this character. She is growing and moving forward. It was a huge risk to take (can you imagine “30 Rock” if Liz decided to stop being pathetic or if Jack began to focus on people instead of money?), but I am glad you did, and it started paying off even in that episode. And when conflicts like this arise, the characters treat one another with grace! They forgive each other. You clearly believe that there is something more to be found in comedy than just laughing at the discomfort of others.
Another major strength of the show is that its main focus is not romance. From the first episode of “The Office,” we knew that Jim and Pam were going to end up together, and the show has never been about anything other than that relationship. This worked until they got married, and then there was no more tension between the two of them and it just became about how cute they are together, which can only last for so long. In “Parks,” you made friendship, not romance, the relational center of the show, which has allowed us to get the know the characters as individuals. This makes it much more exciting when two characters enter a relationship (Leslie/Ben, April/Andy). We care more when we like the people for being themselves, not the couple for being a couple.

I’ve been talking a lot about how the show works dramatically, but it is a feat comedically as well. If there has ever been a cast assembled from so many actors with strong backgrounds in stand-up or improv, I haven’t heard of it. There is no weak link in the cast, and the chemistry they have with each other is unbelievable. I hope the day comes where at the very least Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, and Aziz Ansari have all received some sort of award recognition for their work, but frankly all cast members are brilliant and deserve it.

It is refreshing and glorious to see a show that knows how to be funny without being cruel, and is about people who care for one another.

All my love,
Erik Naydiuk

PS
Those are the general reasons why I love your show. Here are some more specific ones:
-How you handled the obligatory wedding episode that all shows must at some point have.
-How you handled the obligatory death episode that all shows must at some point have.
-The ending of “Citizen Knope.”
-Jerry Grgich (the butt of many jokes, but clearly loved.)
-Ron f*****g Swanson
-Tammys 0-2
-Burt Macklin, FBI
-Jean Ralphio
-Leslie’s sugar addiction
-Ron and April’s relationship
-Leslie and Ann’s relationship
-Joan Callamezzo
-Perd Hapley
-Crazy Ira and the Douche
-The universal hatred of the library
-etc
-etc
-etc

2011-05-31T23:57:00.001-07:00

Somedays I feel like I am a little kid asking God: "Please, please, can I do this? And this too?"

The fact that it seems like he might be starting to say "yes" is terrifying and wonderful.

An Interpretation of Fergie's Rap from "Boom Boom Pow"

2011-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

"I like Batman comics
Chickens are stealing my clothes
And imitating everything that I do
I am standing on a piece of poop

I am a robot
You are really late
I like explosions
Explosions in the future."

4/2/11

2011-05-10T14:12:00.001-07:00

I've been asking who I am lately. Who am I at my core? What makes me come alive? How can I claim those things and use them to further God's kingdom and benefit those around me? I saw two movies tonight, both of which I had seen before: Rango and True Grit. This was my second viewing of Rango and my third of True Grit. I like Rango a heck of a lot more than I thought I did and I am in love with every frame of True Grit. Watching both of these movies tonight was a profound experience. I saw pieces of myself, ugly and beautiful, in characters in both movies: People asking themselves who they are. People realizing that they have no idea. People finding out the answer to that question. People discovering things in them that they didn't know were there, that surprise them, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in bad ways. People learning that they love. People getting what they want and realizing that they're not ready for it, that they're even scared of it. People being given what they need even though it hurts like crap and they don't want it.

Movie watching is sacred to me. I am beginning to realize what may have been obvious to those around me for a long time now: Movies are part of what makes me come alive. They speak to my deepest core in a language I, for some reason, know very well. Perhaps that is why a good movie will usually put me in an exceptional mood while a bad one often offends me deeply. The best ones invite me to sink into their story, to know and love their characters, to go on a journey, to feel danger and boldness and wildness and beauty. When I get to talk about movies, I feel an excitement that I seldom feel elsewhere. When I get to watch them, forget about it. You've lost me for the next 120 minutes. Within movies, I often find myself: my deepest fears and insecurities, my wildest hopes and craziest dreams. Within movies, I often find hope and grace and justice and love. Within movies, I often find God. For that, I am grateful. I used to want to make movies. Maybe I still do, I'm not sure. I don't know that a film set is a place I would do well on or thrive in. In fact, I know from experience that even when things are going well and I like the people I'm working with, a movie set is a place that has a draining effect on me. I do wonder though: Could something that effects me so deeply be a part of my vocation in life? Now that I type the question out, the answer seems to be an obvious, 'yes'. I guess I just don't know how. Part of me still believes that that would be too good to be true. Maybe the point of tonight was me realizing that this is a deep, significant part of me and the rest will come later.

2011-04-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

I am a spaceship
Screaming across the sky
Burning through clouds and fog
I am hurtling towards goodbye [but also hello and i love you], worried that I will break it when I hit
Or perhaps that it will break me.
I am a spaceship
Big, loud, dangerous,
I am still sitting on the launchpad (and I am falling from the sky)
Rending, roaring, tearing, fighting:
Important pieces are coming off, flying away and falling behind
There's no going to get them, they are gone and
Maybe not so important after all
I am a spaceship
On a collision course with what? I don't know.
But I will get there and I will make a mess.
I will be loud. I will hurt.
I am a spaceship, living and dying

And living again.

I am a spaceship with some unknown final destination
I am a spaceship and I won't be stopped.

Rainy Day - For Matthew Price

2011-03-18T15:17:00.001-07:00

yeah.

2011-01-30T23:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went for a walk with my iPod and pretty soon after that decided to listen to Over the Rhine's new album, The Long Surrender, all the way through. It was good sad and beautiful and whatever - there's probably a whole slew of blog posts in that experience. Anyway, the first lyric on the album is

"Come on boys
It's time to settle down
What do you think you'll gain from all this running around?"

I feel like I am one of the boys that lyric is directed at. I run around a lot. Not physically (I like cake too much for that), but in my head and my heart. I worry about things and try to work them out in my head, often before I even know all (or any) of the details. This probably doesn't make me much different from anybody else. I currently have two favorite things to worry about. The first is the month of May. I have a couple of exciting opportunities that I could pursue, but I am having a lot of trouble deciding between them. The second is next fall. I don't know if I can afford to come back to school, and if I can, I don't know if I should. For the past week or so, I've been quite stressed and worried about it. It's caused me to become rather cynical and to start thinking pretty poorly of myself and of my friends. I'm sure I've probably seemed at least OK on the surface, but when I'm at my worst I can have a great poker face, and at my best I often can't help but be a mess (it's hard for me to remember that that is indeed my best). Anyway, it wasn't a good place to be. But I realized something this evening as I was walking about and playing in the woods: I've been obsessing over finding the "answers" about what I'm doing in May and in the fall, but the answers aren't really what I'm looking for or even what I want. What I want is Jesus, now. I've been mistaking solidifying my May plans and my school plans for the face of Jesus. I mistake a lot of things for the face of Jesus. My friends, time with my friends, music, food, movies, and lots of other stuff I'm sure. These are all good things, but when the Lord comes second to them, I've found that they are at best distractions and at worst self-destructive vices.
But I digress. Point: What I'm doing in May doesn't matter. What I'm doing next fall doesn't matter. God will take glory from it, and that's all I really need to care about. There's too much life to live and not enough time to fill it with worries, obsessions, and fears about things like that. Whatever my path is, I will be set on it whether I want to or not, so all I can do is focus on what's happening right now and seek the Lord in that.

This has been What's Going On In My Life Right Now...join me next time to find out what will be happing to me then.

"Jesus my Lord, my life, my light, oh come with blissful ray
Break radiant through the shades of night and chase my fears away
Won't you chase my fears away

Then shall my soul with rapture trace the wonders of Thy love
But the full glories of Thy face are only known above
They are only known above"
-Thou Lovely Source of True Delight

lemon out.

2011-01-26T18:48:00.001-08:00

"Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery."

-The Road

It's that time again...

2011-01-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is for my benefit, I don't really care if it gets read. These are my predictions/preferences for the Oscars this year.

Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
James Franco in “127 Hours”

Prediction: Colin Firth
Preference: Colin Firth

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

Prediction: Christian Bale
Preference: Where the crap is Andrew Garfield? He is my choice. But out of these, Geoffrey Rush

Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Prediction: Natalie Portman or Annette Bening, probably Natalie Portman
Preference: Annette Bening, thought that's a hard choice. This is a really strong category this year.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Prediction: People are saying Hailee Steinfeld, so that wouldn't surprise me. Neither would Melissa Leo or Jacki Weaver.
Preference: I have not seen Animal Kingdom yet, but I vote for Amy Adams.

Animated Feature Film
“How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
“Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Prediction: Toy Story 3
Preference: Toy Story 3

Art Direction
“Alice in Wonderland”
Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Inception”
Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
“The King's Speech”
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
“True Grit”
Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Prediction: Hmm. Inception or True Grit.
Preference: True Grit or The King's Speech.

Cinematography
“Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
“Inception” Wally Pfister
“The King's Speech” Danny Cohen
“The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
“True Grit” Roger Deakins

Prediction: True Grit or The Social Network
Preference: True Grit

Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
“I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi
“The King's Speech” Jenny Beavan
“The Tempest” Sandy Powell
“True Grit” Mary Zophres

Prediction: Alice in Wonderland
Preference: I haven't seen enough of these to know.

Directing
“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
“The Fighter” David O. Russell
“The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
“The Social Network” David Fincher
“True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Prediction: David Fincher
Preference: David Fincher or perhaps the Coens.

Documentary
“Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
“Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
“Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
“Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Prediction: I've not seen any of these, but have heard a lot about them all...let's say Exit Through the Gift shop for now.
Preference: None right now.

Film Editing
“Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
“The Fighter” Pamela Martin
“The King's Speech” Tariq Anwar
“127 Hours” Jon Harris
“The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Prediction: The Social Network
Preference: The Social Network

Foreign Language Film
“Biutiful” Mexico
“Dogtooth” Greece
“In a Better World” Denmark
“Incendies” Canada
“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

Prediction: Biutiful
Preference: None right now.

Makeup
“Barney's Version” Adrien Morot
“The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Prediction: The Wolfman
Preference: None

Music (Original Score)
“How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
“Inception” Hans Zimmer
“The King's Speech” Alexandre Desplat
“127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
“The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Prediction: The Social Network
Preference: How to Train Your Dragon. I'm so glad this got nominated. I'm a little sad not to see Black Swan and True Grit among the nominees.

Music (Original Song)
“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Prediction: I have no idea.
Preference: I haven't heard any of these except the Toy Story one.

Best Picture
“Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
“The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
“Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
“The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
“127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
“The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
“True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Prediction: The Social Network
Preference: The Social Network, maybe 127 Hours or True Grit.

Short Film (Animated)
“Day & Night” Teddy Newton
“The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
“Let's Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe
“The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
“Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois

Prediction: I have no idea.
Preference: I love Night and Day.

Sound Editing
“Inception” Richard King
“Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
“Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
“True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
“Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger

Prediction: Inception or True Grit?
Preference: None

Sound Mixing
“Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
“The King's Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
“Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
“The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
“True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Prediction: Inception or True Grit?
Preference: None

Visual Effects
“Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
“Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky and Joe Farrell
“Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
“Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Prediction: Inception
Preference: Inception, I suppose.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Prediction: The Social Network
Preference: The Social Network

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
“The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
“Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
“The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
“The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

Prediction: The King's Speech
Preference: The Kings's Speech or perhaps The Kids Are All Right. I have yet to see Another Year, and I want to quite badly.

couldn't sleep. wrote some stuff.

2010-12-31T02:08:00.000-08:00

[1]
Will my insecurities become my tomb?
I stay with them though the door is open and I am free to go.
Who will take care of them if I leave? They need someone to watch over them.
Don't be silly. They've already been dealt with.
Not by me. I need to know what happens to them and where they go.
Sometimes it's good not to know. Besides, if I were told, I would only find them again in a different place.
Then I'll just stay and tend to them and make sure they're comfortable.
I'm tending to nothing. Comfortable is dangerous. These games end messily.

[2]
i'm no tragic hero,
though I often want to be.

i sometimes feel that part of me being killed.

hallelujah. let it die.

let it die.

[3]
Some night soon we will stand on a dock.
Stars will dance in the water.
The Moon will be soft and bright and cool.
The woods will stand fresh and tall around us and we will feel safe and perilous.
Maybe we will laugh.
Maybe even sing.
We will love.
Someday one of us will point to the sky at a star growing larger and brighter.
And brighter.
A horseman! riding his white steed across the sky.
He will coming swiftly to us, to mend and to make well.
He will not delay.
We won't be ready, but we will be made so.
We will go Home.
Some night soon, we will stand on a dock.

[4]
There are people who are old and young at once, filled with the wisdom of many years and overflowing with the joy of few.

[5]
At the end of this road there is a city
Filled with songs and laughter
Made of forests to get lost in
And beaches that never end.
The sun is always warm
The stars are always out
And the rain is always cool
The people are always singing
In this city at the end of this road.
Let's walk there together.

2010-09-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

I am excited about all the early reviews I've read that compare The Social Network to movies like Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Rashomon, and The Graduate.

2010-05-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

“And he sang to them, now in the Elven tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they past in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness.”
-The Return of the King

Is there a more beautiful sentence than that?

2010-05-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

"There, peeping among the cloud wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for awhile. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself. Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master's, ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo's side, and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep untroubled sleep."
- The Return of the King

I want to be just like this guy.

2010-05-04T18:20:00.001-07:00

“Meneldur was a was a man of gentle mood, without pride, whose exercise was rather in thought than in deeds of the body. He loved dearly the land of Numenor and all things in it, but he gave no heed to the Sea that lay all about it, for his mind looked further than Middle-Earth: he was enamoured of the stars and the heavens. All that he could gather of the lore of the Eldar and the Edain concerning Ea and the deeps that lay about the kingdom of Arda he studied, and his chief delight was in the watching of the stars. He built a tower in the Forostar (the northernmost region of the island), where the airs were clearest, from which by night he would survey the heavens and observe all the movements of the lights of the firmament.”
-"Aldarion and Erendis" in JRR Tolkien's Unfinished Tales

I think I have found the Tolkien character that I relate the most to! The whole quiet disposition, bigger on exercising thought rather than the physical, and the love of the stars. Now I need to build a tower.

Thoughts on characters...

2010-04-29T22:43:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make. I watched Twilight recently. It wasn't something I did because I wanted to, it was because I watched Alien with a good friend of mine and it frightened her so badly that she wanted to watch something she could laugh at to calm herself down. I thought I was going to laugh at it as well, but in the end I was just frustrated by how poor it was.
That's not the point of this post, though. I also, more recently, watched a film called Gosford Park. It is a murder mystery that takes place in England during the 1930s, and it's wonderful. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it last Monday night. It is full of rich characters. So full, in fact, that it is hard to keep track of who's who for a little while. But it's more than worth it in the end.
I'm confused about the craze surrounding movies like Twilight. There are far less characters in Twilight than in Gosford Park, which would make one think that they are better developed and more memorable. Not so. I can remember vividly each of the twenty-plus characters in the latter film, where none of the characters in Twilight seemed in any way remarkable or memorable to me. Why are people more drawn to movies where boring people do things in a boring way, rather than intelligent ones that cause audiences to think and reflect?

I know these thoughts aren't particularly new or original, but they are what some of my thoughts have been spent on this past week. I encourage everyone to see Gosford Park, it really is a marvel. That's all.

2010-03-20T23:54:00.001-07:00

So long, bloggers. I'll see you in LA.

My (very annotated) thoughts on Where the Wild Things Are

2010-03-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

I know I love it. I'm not sure I've "cracked the code" yet though. I'm not convinced that there is a "code" to crack. I know that it made me think, and I know that it is one of the most honest films I've seen about what it means to be human. I feel that it is one of those films that will get better with time and repeat viewings.

War Games

2010-03-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

This is my final essay for Writing 122, may it rest in peace. If you detect an inflammatory tone to this one, it is far more intentional than the one on voting. Enjoy if you like.

Video games are an increasingly popular form of entertainment in modern culture. There are several different game-types, including (but not limited to) roleplaying games (RPGs), in which the gamer gets to develop his characters skills and complete quests independently, real-time strategy games (RTSs), in which the player constructs and commands entire armies, and shooters, in which the player usually plays through some sort of plot, but doesn’t get to do anything with his character’s skills or abilities. A popular sub-genre of game within the shooter genre is the war game, in which the player usually plays as a soldier in a historical war (generally Word War II) or a fictional war loosely based on modern technology and political climates. Such games make light of war and are morally wrong.
These games seem to forget that war has been and is a reality that many people take personally and approach with great care and delicacy. In the past, people have sacrificed others and even themselves to accomplish their missions in the name of duty, king and country, liberty, or what have you. These games make light of those sacrifices in the name of entertainment, as well as reducing the weighty and important military decisions that must be made in combat and war to objects to entertain gamers and couch potatoes.
War games also exploit the pain of others, both physical and emotional. In the fairly recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, there is a mission in which the main character is acting as a double agent in a Russian terrorist group. In order to keep his cover, the player must attack an airport and fire upon crowds of travelers and bystanders in order to reach some objective. This is beyond offensive. It is a mockery of such tragedies and 9/11 and school shootings like Columbine and Virginia Tech and reduces them to objects for entertainment. Even more offensive is that the reason for the mission in the plot is to expose the main character as a double agent. There are many other ways to achieve this goal without having the player act as a terrorist. There is another mission in which the player must navigate slums in South America and hunt down insurgents. During the mission, the player pursues the insurgents through peoples’ homes, disregarding any collateral damage they may be causing. While these things do happen, is it necessary for them to be included in video games for the purpose of entertainment? The answer should be an adamant “no.” In fact, the presentation of such violence as entertainment, while not as extreme, brings to mind the “torture-porn” genre of films that includes the Saw and Hostel series, which displays violence for its own sake and presence the pain and torture of others as something that audience should take pleasure in.
Some may argue that war games exist to educate the uninformed about history and warfare. Were this true, then the games wouldn’t be as inaccurate as they are. For example, in Modern Warfare 2, a general is shown on the battlefield bearing only a pistol. This is inaccurate for two reasons, the first of which is that a general would not be present on the battlefield, as he is a high-ranking military officer and cannot afford the risk of being shot. Second, were a general to be in combat, it is unlikely that he would be armed with only a pistol. He would at least be given the weapons that any common foot soldier has. Included also in the game is some almost science fiction-esque technology, notably a “heartbeat detector” that functions as a sort of radar system to detect enemies in environments with limited visibility. The game also has some preposterous chase scenes, including one in which the player must race a snowmobile through Siberian mountains and jump a vast ravine to escape his pursuers. There is nothing inherently wrong with elements, but it is unrealistic and debunks any argument that claims such games are educational. If the player truly wished to learn about war, he could watch Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, Kathryn Bigelow’s recent The Hurt Locker, the popular HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, or (heaven forbid) read any number of books on the subject.
While there are serious issues with war shooters, not all shooter games have said issues. There are other sub-genres, most notably science fiction. The immensely popular Halo series is about a war between humanity and several alien races that takes place five hundred years in the future. There are also many shooter games that take place in storylines and universes established by film, such as many Star Wars games, including Republic Commando, Battlefront, and Battlefront II. There have also been several James Bond video games created, though they are not as popular as the previously mentioned titles. These games are different because they are entirely fictional and entirely implausible. They satisfy the gamers’ desire for an intense, action-filled shooter, while not offending or degrading the reality of people’s sacrifice and pain in war. It is likely fair to even consider them more fun, as they are under no pretense of realism. If the player would like to be see war portrayed in a realistic, non-offensive manner, he could watch any number of films that show both the violence and reality of combat and wartime, as well as showing the profound effects that war has on its participants.
While video games are an extremely popular and prevalent form of video game, there are boundaries that should be drawn. War games, war shooters more specifically, are morally reprehensible creations that are often mockeries of war and reduce its realities to objects of entertainment. Such treatment of war is wrong, and should be avoided.

Robert Frost’s “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”

2010-02-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

I much prefer this one to the previous one. I love Robert Frost.

Robert Frost was a New England poet famous for such works as “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” is
about perseverance and fulfilling responsibility in the face of the hope of the rest of death.
The first stanza is as follows: “Whose woods these are I think I know/His house is in the village though/He will not see me stopping here/to see his woods fill up with snow.” This tells the reader the setting: in the woods on a snowy winter evening. It also infers that there is no one else nearby, which would mean that no one can see or hear what the speaker of the poem is doing or saying.
In the second stanza begins with “My little horse must think it queer/To stop without a farmhouse near.” This lets the reader know that this pause in the speaker’s journey is unusual. So unusual, in fact, that even his horse, commonly regarded as a simple animal, is confused. The final two lines of the stanza are “…Between the woods and frozen lake/The darkest evening of the year.” Again, Frost uses words associated with winter to keep the image of a cold, snowy night clear in the reader’s mind. “The darkest evening of the year” suggests dark circumstances, as if the speaker is going through a difficult period in his life.
At the beginning of the third stanza, the speaker’s horse “gives his harness bells a shake/To ask if there is some mistake.” This again brings up the fact that it is odd for the speaker to stop in the middle of the woods at night, and not something that he is accustomed to doing. As stated early (though this time more explicitly in the poem), it is so unusual that even the horse is questioning his master, wondering why they have stopped on this cold, hard night. The stanza continues: “The only other sound’s the sweep/Of easy wind and downy flake.” The language (easy wind and downy flake) suggests that though it is a dark winter night during a difficult time in the speaker’s life, he finds the environment calming and is, at this moment, feeling rather peaceful.
The fourth and final stanza of the poem starts with “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.” This goes beyond the mere suggestion of peaceful feelings that Frost has been using up to this point and blatantly shows that the speaker has strong positive feelings about this spot in the woods. Interestingly enough, however, Frost uses “dark” alongside “lovely,” even though he used “dark” to suggest negative elements of the speaker’s life. This suggests to the reader that though the speaker loves the woods, there is a darker element to his attraction to them. The use of “deep” suggests that the woods are not a frightening, impenetrable icy deathtrap, but a place that the speaker could enter comfortably. The next lines in the stanza are, “…But I have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep/And miles to go before I sleep.” This suggests that the speaker would like to stay in this peaceful haven, but he cannot due to life responsibilities he has, likely to do with a family, a career, or both.
Throughout the poem, Robert Frost uses words and phrases associated with winter: snow, frozen, darkest evening of the year, harness bells, and downy flake. In literature, winter is the season associated with death (spring is birth, summer is fullness of life, autumn is its twilight). The speaker’s wistful words about being tempted to remain in the “lovely, dark, and deep” forest suggest that he wants to die. While this desire must initially seem morbid and unhealthy, upon closer examination it becomes apparent that it stems from a sort of tiredness, a weariness that can only be satisfied by “the eternal sleep,” used here as a metaphor for death. However, no matter how tempting it may be for the speaker to give in to his world-weariness, he acknowledges that he has “miles to go before [he] sleeps,” meaning that he has unfulfilled duties that he must attend to in his life before he is laid to eternal rest. The horse’s confusion in the second and third stanzas also suggests that something is a little out of place about the speaker’s desired: the shaking of his harness bells is the only sound that disrupts his master’s silent reflection in the cool, inviting landscape. This creates a contrast between the speaker’s hidden desire to lie down and die and the reality of the responsibilities that await him at home. It is almost as if the sound of the bells is a sort of “reality check” to the speaker, calling him back and causing him to realize that pleasant though his dream may be, he has things in the present life that he must attend to before he is allowed to “go to sleep.” The repetition of the final line, “And miles to go before I sleep” works as a sort of dialogue the speaker has with himself. It is as if he is wistfully repeating the promise of the rest awaiting him as a comfort to help get him through his journey.
In “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost uses wintry imagery, a contrast of sound, and repetition to write a wistful work of poetry that creates a peaceful, weary, and ultimately determined feeling. He acknowledges that his speaker is weary because of the hardships that he has had to confront and endure in his life, and makes it clear that he cannot give up because he has “promises to keep, and miles to go before [he] sleeps:” responsibilities that simply must be taken care of before he can die and be put to rest.

Voting: The Permanent Resident’s Withheld Right

2010-02-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

This post and the post following it are my second and third essays for my Writing 122 class. If this one seems a bit inflammatory, it's because it's supposed to be an argument, and I added some filler words to meet the word count. I got an A on it despite that though, so here it is:

Voting is the tool by which we elect our government officials, by which we make laws and policies, and by which we form the framework of our very nation. Voting is considered by many to be a crucially patriotic responsibility to all those who are living under the jurisdiction of the government of the United States of America. However, there are those who cannot exercise the right to vote simply because they have not been granted it: permanent residents, also known as legal immigrants. These legal non-citizens have every right and responsibility that United States citizens have, other than the ability to vote. Such an exclusion from what is widely considered to be a fundamental right seems almost petty or juvenile. Legal non-citizens should have the right to vote.
Permanent residents of the United States are, like citizens, required by law to pay income taxes, property taxes, and in almost all states, sales taxes. Tax dollars are used to approve and enact government policies, to enforce state and federal law, and to establish and maintain community programs. They are also the money that is used to pay the salaries of politicians and government employees. Most laws are passed because of the outcome of a vote, and all politicians come into office because of a vote. On any given election day, voters are essentially allowed to put their opinion forth about where they want their tax money to go and what they want it to be spent on. However, permanent residents are not given the ability to make this decision. Because they cannot vote, they are essentially given no say in what their tax money is spent on. Furthermore, because they are required by law to pay taxes, those who can vote are essentially, albeit perhaps unknowingly, making those decisions for them. Since exempting legal immigrants (or anyone else) from paying taxes is out of the question, it follows that they should be given the right to vote on policies and laws and for elected officials, just as other taxpayers do.
All young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six residing in the United States are required to register with the Selective Service agency. The Selective Service is a system that contains the names and information of all registered persons eligible for service in the armed forces. While there is currently no legally sanctioned military draft in the United States, the list exists so that if a draft were instated, a lottery could be taken from the names entered in the system. Permanent residents are not an exception, and according to federal law must register, like everyone else, within thirty days of their eighteenth birthday. The Selective Service website, sss.gov, says that the agency’s mission is “to provide manpower to the armed forces in an emergency and to run an Alternative Service Program for men classified as conscientious objectors during a draft.” The United States government decides when the United States goes to war, and the members and officials of the United States government are decided through elections. If permanent residents are required by law to put their names and information into a lottery for a potential military draft, then it only makes sense that they should also be able to vote for those who would potentially be making military decisions.
The fact that legal non-citizens are not able to vote could very easily be construed as offensive or degrading. One might deduce that because permanent residents are granted all of the rights and responsibilities that citizens are granted other than suffrage, the United States government thinks that permanent residents are somehow incapable of having political opinions and stances or that said opinions and stances are invalid and not worth a vote. As the name implies, permanent residents are more than likely to have plans to be living in the United States for an extended period of time, perhaps even for the rest of their lives. As such, they will obviously form political opinions of their own, usually based on their financial status, employment situation, and other various factors by which United States citizens also generally form their political opinions. Since permanent residents are living in the United States presumably to stay and contributing to the society within (and perhaps without), it only makes sense to acknowledge their right to have their say in each election. To say otherwise would be to say that noncitizens are somehow of lesser value than citizens and therefore don’t deserve to have their opinions heard and accounted for in an election.
Around two hundred years ago, early American colonists fought a revolution in part because the British monarchy was taxing them without giving them any representation in Parliament. According to Wikipedia, legal immigration is higher now than it has ever been before, with over one million new permanent residents moving to the United States each year. While it is relatively small compared to the total population of the country, that number represents a significant percentage of that total population. It would be inaccurate to say that these people are being misrepresented, because in order to be misrepresented, one must first be represented. It follows that it is the responsibility of the government of the United States of America to give its permanent residents the right to vote on all decisions, be they major or minor, especially if they are expected to pay taxes and put forward the names of their sons to defend a country that they cannot, as of now, help to shape. It simply makes no sense for a nation that began a revolution against taxation without representation to treat any of its legal residents in the same way.

2010-02-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

This little article excites me for three reasons.
1. Alfonso Cuaron, the director of one of my all time favorite movies, Children of Men, is making another movie. And it takes place in space.
2. Wanted 2 will not be happening. I did not like Wanted one bit.
3. Angelina Jolie is in it, and she won me over with Changeling in 2008. She will be playing two characters and will be essentially the only actor onscreen for much of the movie.

Since Matthew did...

2010-02-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

I should post my Olympic colors as well.

2010-02-09T21:22:00.001-08:00

Why is the term "act of God" only used to refer to tragedy?

Oscars 2010

2010-02-01T22:42:00.001-08:00

This is mostly for my own benefit...I posted my prediction and preference under each category. I also deleted the the documentary categories and the short film categories because I haven't seen them, nor do I really know anything about those.

Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Prediction: Jeff Bridges
Preference: Jeff Bridges

Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Prediction: Christoph Waltz
Preference: Probably Christoph Waltz, but I haven't seen The Messenger or The Lovely Bones (or The Last Station, for that matter), and I hear the two nominees in those films do great work.

Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Prediction: Hmm. It's between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. If I had to choose, I'm probably leaning more towards Sandra Bullock, but who knows?
Preference: Where is Tilda Swinton for Julia??? She was crazy good in that movie. She is my preference, but out of these I guess I'll have to go with Meryl Streep.

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Prediction: Mo'Nique
Preference: Before I saw Crazy Heart, it would've been Mo'Nique, no looking back. Now it's Mo'Nique with a few rueful glances backward at Maggie. The two from Up In the Air were excellent as well.

Animated Feature Film
“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
“Up” Pete Docter

Prediction: Up or Fantastic Mr. Fox. Up might not get it because it's also a Best Picture nominee. But it might get it for the same reason.
Preference: I think Up should win Best Picture, so Up. Or Coraline.

Art Direction
“Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Prediction: Avatar
Preference: Avatar

Cinematography
“Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Prediction: The White Ribbon or Inglourious Basterds. Or maybe The Hurt Locker. I have to watch that one again.
Preference: I think I would prefer The White Ribbon, but I haven't seen it yet.

Costume Design
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Prediction: The Young Victoria. It's a movie about old royalty that takes place in Britain. They always win.
Preference: None. I haven't seen any of these.

Directing
“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Prediction: Well it's between James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. I'm going to say Kathryn Bigelow, but you never now.
Preference: Lee Daniels

Film Editing
“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Prediction: I'm pretty bad at noticing/remembering good editing in a movie, but I'm going to say The Hurt Locker.
Preference: Probably District 9...

Foreign Language Film
“Ajami” Israel
“El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
“The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
“Un Prophète” France
“The White Ribbon” Germany

Prediction: The White Ribbon.
Preference: I haven't seen any of these yet.

Makeup
“Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
“The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Prediction: I have no idea. Usually this category is really obvious.
Preference: None. I have to see The Young Victoria and Il Divo.

Music (Original Score)
“Avatar” James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
“Up” Michael Giacchino

Prediction: Michael Giacchino
Preference: Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Prediction: The Weary Kind
Preference: The Weary Kind. I haven't heard any of the other songs, but looking at them it seems pretty obvious. Plus it's a really good song.

Best Picture
“Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined
“District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
“The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
“Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Prediction: Again, it's between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. I think The Hurt Locker will win, but you never know.
Preference: Up. Up. Up. Up. Up.

Sound Editing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
“Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Prediction: Avatar
Preference: Probably Up or Avatar, but all of these, I think, are pretty deserving.

Sound Mixing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Prediction: Proably Avatar.
Preference: Not Transformers. Haha, probably Avatar or Star Trek I guess.

Visual Effects
“Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
“District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Prediction: Avatar
Preference: Avatar

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
“An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Prediction: Up In the Air
Preference: In the Loop

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

Prediction: Inglourious Basterds
Preference: Up, but I am pretty desperate to see The Messenger, and the Coens usually write well also.

2010-01-28T23:42:00.000-08:00

You want to see this movie.

Up

2010-01-14T23:52:00.001-08:00

This paper is the first of four I have to write for my WR 122 class...it is on Pixar's Up. Let me know what you think of it.

In 1995, Pixar, the popular animation studio owned by Disney, released their first film, Toy Story. The movie was a groundbreaking success, and since then, Pixar has made nine more films, each one of them succeeding both critically and at the box office. The studio’s tenth and most recent film, Up, is particularly impressive in that it works on three fronts: as an entertaining family movie, a rousing adventure story, and a dramatic film with real life relevance.
Up tells the story of Carl Fredricksen. It opens with a four minute montage showing his marriage to his wife, Ellie, from their wedding day to the day of her funeral. Their lifelong dream was to go to Paradise Falls in Venezuela together, but they never had the chance. Many years have passed, and Carl’s neighborhood has been transformed into a construction site in the midst of a major city. A company executive wants his property so he can develop it, but Carl won’t budge. A series of hapless events take place, and Carl is forced out of his home. However, before he can be picked up to go to a retirement community, Carl decides to fulfill his promise to Ellie and go to Paradise Falls. He attaches thousands of helium balloons to his house and it lifts off, on course to Venezuela and his and Ellie’s dream. On the way, he discovers a stowaway: Russell, a Wilderness Explorer looking to earn his final merit badge: assisting the elderly. Eventually they reach the Falls and meet several unique characters, some of them friendly and others decidedly not.
Pixar has always been known to produce films directed at children, and Up is no exception. It is rated PG for “some peril and action,” much of which is fairly “cartoony” and occasionally even comical. The type of humor in this movie is unique for the genre: it often lies in the dialogue, and it is never slapstick. The film has a sense of humor that both adults and children can appreciate and enjoy.
Roger Ebert writes of the film: “The adventures on the jungle plateau are satisfying in a Mummy/Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones sort of way.” Those films are all rated either PG-13 or were made before the PG-13 rating was in effect, and Up’s action sequences somehow manage to measure up to them without resorting to violence and gore. There is a chase sequence along the edge of a towering cliff, a battle aboard an enormous airship that could be in an Indiana Jones movie, and an old villain as formidable as any in the previously mentioned films. Indeed, as he tells the tale of his search for “what is rightfully his” and those who have come to “steal” it, we are frightened, similar to the way we were frightened by the sinister Nazi interrogator, Arnold Ernst Toht, in Raiders. The ability that the film has to evoke that kind of response from an audience and still keep the movie effective and family-friendly is a unique and incredible achievement.
The final and perhaps most important aspect of the film is its dramatic aspect. The aforementioned montage of Carl and Ellie’s marriage includes a tragic miscarriage, and is perhaps one of the most heartbreaking and poignant scenes in the movies in 2009. It is this hauntingly real scene that gives the audience an emotional connection to Carl and makes him a relatable character that we care about. Carl’s house represents his heart, essentially. As he initially takes flight, the house floats up into the air with no problem, parallel with Carl’s light and hopeful spirits. When he reaches Paradise Falls, however, he must “walk” the house as the balloons begin to run out of helium and it loses its buoyancy. He pulls the immense weight of the house behind him, trying to fulfill his and Ellie’s dream by bringing it to the top of the falls. Carl is eventually forced to choose between saving his house and saving one of the friends he meets at Paradise Falls. He chooses the house, which hurts his other friends and alienates him from them. He goes on without their support and finally reaches the falls, where the balloons can no longer support the house and it finally sets down. It is there that Carl realizes that fulfilling his and Ellie’s dream has become an obsession that has been hurting those around him, damaging his relationships, and making him miserable. When he resolves to return to his friends to right the wrongs he has done, the house is too heavy. He begins to empty it of the furniture that is inside it, the remnants of his old life. As the final cabinet is pushed out the door, the house takes flight, both it and Carl are freed from the weight of old memories. Russell, too, has dramatic relevance. Multiple conversations take place that reveal that Russell’s parents are divorced, and his father is not much of a presence in his life. It is clear the situation has left him confused and desperately in need of a father figure. This shows the damage that can occur when a father is not around for his child. Both Russell’s and Carl’s situations have life relevance. There are many children that can relate to Russell’s situation and feel as he feels, as well as many parents who will be able to see, perhaps for the first time, the effect that their choices could have on their children. On a larger scale, the many of the older audience of the film will be able to relate to Carl’s struggles: it is human nature to put whatever it is that we are holding on to in front of others and end up deeply hurting not only them, but ourselves. It is demonstrated in Up that letting go of these tragedies and obsessions in favor of our relationships will lead us on to more exciting and fulfilling things.
Up is an astounding film in that it not only entertains its audience, but it teaches them as well. The harmful effects of divorce are explicitly shown, as is the pain that is caused by the human tendency to hold on to the past and the future. It blends three genres together and succeeds at remaining entertaining, exciting, and relevant.

2010-01-14T22:30:00.001-08:00

I am crazy about this movie. Absolutely insane. I hope it does really well at the Oscars this year. I can't handle how much I love it.

2010-01-04T16:16:00.001-08:00

The phrase "love is blind" really gets on my nerves. So does Owl City.

Avatar

2009-12-20T23:06:00.000-08:00

I saw Avatar last night (and possibly tonight), and I thought I'd try my hand at writing a review. Read it if you like. Or don't. I'm no reviewer.

Avatar, as you undoubtedly know, takes place on a distant planet called Pandora. The story is told from the perspective of a marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who travels to Pandora to "fill in" for his dead brother on a project called the Avatar program. This program requires Jake (and a few others, including Dr. Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver) to have his consciousness downloaded into a genetically engineered body of one of the natives of Pandora, ten foot tall blue humanoids called the Na'vi. His mission is to befriend the Na'vi people in hopes that he will be able to convince them to leave their village so that the humans can mine the ground underneath for a valuable mineral they are itching to get their hands on. Jake meets and befriends the Na'vi, most notably Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and begins to question where his loyalties lie. That's a very simple summary, but it covers the essentials of the plot. I know it sounds familiar, but it's so well done that it doesn't matter.

The special effects are like nothing I've seen or imagined before. It is almost certainly fair to say that this film does for special effects now what Star Wars did when it first came out in the 1970s. Using his famously reinvented 3D motion capture technology, James Cameron was able to make the Na'vi able to convey emotions and speak with as much believability as a human. It is easy to tell any of the aliens apart from another. The creatures and landscape as well are flawlessly rendered. Each plant and animal was thoughtfully and carefully created, and they are completely believable every minute they are on screen. One of my favorite things about the movie is how Cameron reveals Pandora to the audience. It would have been easy to send an arrogant, "I made this, I am the greatest director alive" message. Instead, he takes time to show us his plants and creatures, putting as much care and detail into floating seeds as he does into enormous pterodactyl-like creatures called banshees. It felt as though he were saying, "Look at this! I want to show you what I've created!" This sense of wonder and excitement is present throughout the entire movie, though it is strongest in the first half. The most significant of these scenes include Jake's first encounter with Neytiri, which takes place in the nocturnal, glowing forest, and when Jake tames his own banshee and flies for the first time. The battle sequences are quite the spectacle as well, covering multiple fronts and not distracting from the film's earnestness and emotional impact. It would have also been easy to lose any connections to characters in favor of visual effects. This doesn't happen because the movie takes time getting to know and care about each of the characters (and there are a lot of them), human and Na'vi. Because of these connections, the film's action scenes don't distract from the characters.

I've never seen 3D put to as good a use as it is in Avatar. When I've seen 3D movies in the past, there have always been moments when I roll my eyes and say to myself "Oh look, the director's using 3D there." In Avatar, I was thinking the whole time "This is happening around me. I am a part of it." Also, for some reason my eyes weren't sore afterward, which usually happens to me in 3D movies.

The movie is over two and a half hours long, but there is not a boring moment. The images on the screen are new, wonderful, and more than likely revolutionary. See it in 3D for sure, IMAX 3D if you can. You won't be disappointed.

The West Wing

2009-12-07T00:02:00.000-08:00

I keep getting addicted to new shows...

A Thought:

2009-11-17T23:55:00.001-08:00

If forgiveness exists, how can God not?

I might post something more on this later on, but I just had this thought and decided to share it now, in case I forget it.

2009-11-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

The cage has been opened. Now I must choose either to ignore my newfound chance at freedom and remain to wither, or to let go of my fear and go forth into the wild unknown and be made anew.

MILESTONE!

2009-11-14T03:09:00.000-08:00

I watched Up for the second time tonight, and I cried. Twice. I didn't cry the first time I saw it, but I realized how much the film is saying the second time and I realized that I relate to a lot of it...and I cried. I am kind of excited about it, actually. The second viewing has made me decide that Up is my favorite PIXAR movie, and my favorite movie of the year thus far. If you haven't seen it, go watch it. Right now.

Miyazaki

2009-11-12T23:50:00.000-08:00

I watch Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind this weekend. It's one of his earlier movies from the 80's I think. It was really good. I am starting love Miyazaki, he's a great storyteller and his movies are always nice to look at. Watch them.

A Note

2009-11-07T00:23:00.000-08:00

This blog has gone without a title for far too long. I've decided to change that soon, but still can't think of anything. I found a good quote from The Fellowship of the Ring though. It might stay, it might not. That depends on if I find a good title and what that title is.

2009-11-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

If you look down and to the right a little, you may notice a new music player. The second song on that player is perhaps the only song that has come close to making me cry. I even wrote a poem about it once. And it has no words. Please listen. That's all.

Oh, you could listen to the other songs too. They're pretty good.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

2009-11-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

I just bought Donald Miller's new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Last night (by that point last night had actually become this morning), I decided to read the introduction and then go to bed. This was a bad idea, because when I was done, I had to read the first two chapters, after which I had to convince myself to put the book down and actually get some sleep. Here is the introduction:

"If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen. The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.
But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. the truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful, then it won't make a life meaningful either. Here's what I mean by that:"

Tell me you wouldn't stay up far later than you should in order to get a little more of that.

2009-10-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

When my thoughts and I are left to our own devices, disaster generally strikes.

Spark

2009-10-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

I wrote this for my Writing class. I haven't turned it in yet, so if you see anything amiss before ten o'clock tomorrow morning (October 23) let me know.

Over the Rhine’s album Drunkard’s Prayer was written while the two members of the band, Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist, were in the process of restoring their failing marriage. Each song on the album reflects an aspect of the marriage in their journey towards healing. One song in particular, entitled Spark, demonstrates the desperation felt by both of them as they watch their relationship fall apart and expresses the deep-rooted need for healing. Using metaphors and paradoxes, the song states that the only way for the two of them to restore their relationship is to cast aside their selfishness and fear and choose to love one another.
The first verse opens with the line, “It’s not the spark that caused the fire/It was the air you breathed that fanned the flame.” The “spark” probably refers to a feeling of animosity felt by the speaker, her husband, or (more likely) both of them, while the “breath of air” could be a harsh word spoken by her husband, making the “flame” a fight between the two of them. This suggests that the most important part of a relationship is not emotion, but rather what is done with emotion. If her husband had not responded the way it seems he did, the “fire” would never had been lit and the issue could have been avoided altogether, or (better yet) sorted out in a rational and loving way. The verse goes on to say, “What you think you’ll solve with violence/Will only spread like a disease until it all comes ‘round again.” The “violence” referred to is likely verbal. This part of the verse says clearly that even though responding in anger may be easier and may seem like the only option, it will just cause the other person to respond likewise and continue the cycle.
The chorus uses a military metaphor to describe the relationship: “Sleep with one ear close to the ground/And wake up screaming.” Sleeping with an ear to the ground is a practice used in wartime by soldiers who are constantly on their guard for the enemy. The metaphor suggests that they, too, are always on the lookout for a fight with one another. The language used also suggests that if they on the lookout for a fight with one another, they will find one. The last two lines of the chorus are, “When we lay our cold weapons down/We’ll wake up dreaming.” The metaphor is pretty clear: if they choose to stop fighting and show love to one another, they will be free of the constant strife and contention, though such a relationship may seem a thing of dreams to them.
The final verse seems simpler than the lines preceding it, but upon closer reading is actually quite complex. It begins with, “Obsessions with self-preservation/faded when I threw my fear away.” This states that her fear and selfishness are directly connected, meaning that the fear she’s talking about is likely a fear of “losing herself,” or more likely losing her pride: admitting that she is as much to blame in their conflict as he is. Most importantly, she is saying that when she let go of that fear, the selfishness followed. When she stopped being so afraid of admitting her wrongs, she lost her self-obsession, which enabled her to care for others (more specifically, her husband) and not only herself. The verse continues: “You either lose your fear or spend your life with one foot in the grave.” The paradox here is this: the fear, as mentioned before, is a fear of admitting wrongdoing, both to herself and to her husband. The reason that she is afraid of making such an admission is that she would have to offer a part of herself to him, which she initially views as synonymous with losing a part of herself. However, the above quote says that if she doesn’t lose that fear, she’ll be living “with one foot in the grave,” meaning that she would be holding on to her pride so tightly that she would lose a far larger part of herself than she would if she laid it down and apologized to her husband (and him to her…she is the vocalist, but they both wrote the song, so it is safe to assume that the feelings are shared by them both) in an effort to bring healing and restoration about in the marriage.
The song ends hopefully: “Only love can turn this around/I wake up dreaming/Everything we’ve lost can be found/We’ll wake up dreaming.” Unlikely as it seems, the marriage can be saved. The only task that remains to the couple, and to anyone in a similar situation, is to act towards one another in love. Then the healing will begin.

2009-10-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

The questions "How are you?" and "How is life?" are very different from one another.

I would definitely watch this.

2009-10-19T16:32:00.001-07:00

If you're offended by language, be aware. There is some in the trailer. Also, some of the subject matter is pretty heavy. So keep that in mind.

Jesus Camp

2009-09-28T22:15:00.001-07:00

I just finished watching a documentary called Jesus Camp. It's about a Christian children's camp in North Dakota called Kids on Fire. It left me with a lot to think about, and I'm not sure I've fully processed it yet. One of the scariest things to me was how focused the adults in this film were on politics before God. It seemed as though they were trying to use God as a tool in order to get what they what they wanted in the government. The majority of their prayers were spent on praying for or to (yes, to) President Bush (this was made in 2006) or the end of abortion. I'm not saying that praying for our government is wrong, not at all. But when that's the entire focus of our prayers, especially at a camp directed at children (some younger than ten years old), I would contend that there is something wrong.
A lot of the language used was very military-esque...the campers were metaphorically referred to as an army and told that they needed to rise up and essentially take over. They were made to promise God that they would end abortion, and then ordered that they "better not be promise-breakers." A megachurch pastor talked about the rising number of megachurches in America as if the biggest benefit to it was that the amount of people attending them (all assumed to be conservatives) could "sway the results of any election." It was as if he didn't care about the people at all, but just about what the law said...if the law said that [insert issue] was illegal, would he then stop caring that [issue] was happening? I could be misinterpreting, but it sounds like he's worried less about the people who need compassion and love and more about "defeating" their sins.
The thing that bothered me the most, though, was how passionate the campers became about the issues. This bothered me not because I disagree with the issues themselves but because the way they were presented is, in my mind, wrong. The kids are being taught that politics come first, in not so many words. One boy even states that it's hard to follow God "because you don't really get to know Him very well." At this point, I wanted to jump out of the camera and hold him and tell him that they were wrong, that God loves him and wants to know him and that it is possible to be free. The campers weren't being taught the gospel of love, the simple truth that Jesus loves them and wants to give them the life that they were meant to have all along: a life abounding in joy unfathomable.
It was hard to watch especially after working at camp for four summers. It was like a punch in the gut to realize that while there are kids coming to great camps like Trout Creek and Jonah Ministries and learning the Truth and finding Life, there are others out there being deceived. It's devastating.
I have no doubt that the camp leaders are doing what they think is right. When they talk about it, they speak with such conviction that I found myself almost wanting to believe them, which makes things even more complicated. With that kind of conviction it will take a miracle for them to realize that they are missing the most important, fundamental part of Christianity: Jesus loves us more than we can fathom, and the only way for us to regain life as it's meant to be, as it was before the Fall, is to turn to Him and to know Him on a personal level. That is the core of Christianity, and what these generally very likable, passionate people are missing. It was like watching the blind leading the blind deeper and deeper into some sort of labyrinth. It's painful and it's heartbreaking.
This film at first made me angry, then frightened me, and then just made me want to cry (which I would have, if my cursed tear ducts weren't made of stone). It reinforced that there is something wrong with this world and that things are not as they should be. Simply put, nothing can heal us besides Jesus and this film instilled a desire in me to show people the way to Him and to everything He has for us.

I am left with this thought:

In the words of a favorite band of mine, Over the Rhine (you should like them) -
Jesus come
Turn the world around
Lay my burden down
Bring the whole thing down
Bring it down

2009-09-25T14:07:00.001-07:00

You know, spaceships are really cool.

2009-09-24T01:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I focus so much on myself and my thoughts and my feelings that I forget about God and wonder why I feel the way I do. Then I think and find it strangely hilarious that I was busy worrying about my feelings when God was right there in front of me the whole time, existing.

What I miss about 2007:

2009-09-21T23:43:00.001-07:00

2009-09-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is Snow Angel, a song by Over the Rhine...it's one of the saddest things I've heard, but it also has a wonderful (if small) element of hope to it, and I love that. Enjoy.

Once upon a winter, it seems so long ago
My one and only love and I fell down upon the snow
And as the dusk was falling from a grey and goosedown sky
We heard the old cathedral bells ring out a lullaby

Snow angel, snow angel
Some day I'm gonna fly
This cold and broken heart of mine will one day wave goodbye
Goodbye to this cruel wicked world and all the tears I've cried
Snow angel, snow angel, I'll meet you in the sky

The rumors of a distant war called my true love's name
He packed his leather suitcase and spoke no word of blame
We walked awhile together, I tried to hide my fear
He told me not to be afraid and whispered in my ear

Snow angel, snow angel
Someday I'm gonna fly
This cold and broken heart of mine will one day wave goodbye
Goodbye to this cruel wicked world and all the tears I've cried
Snow angel, snow angel, I'll meet you in the sky

They brought my love home from the war in a cart pulled by white mules
The Christmas bells rang out that day oblivious as fools
And as the snow began to fall I kissed his frozen face
They told me in his woolen coat his last few words were placed

Snow angel, snow angel, someday I'm gonna fly
This cold and broken heart of mine will one day wave goodbye
Goodbye to this cruel wicked world and all the tears I've cried
Snow angel, snow angel, I'll meet you in the sky

2009-09-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

"What are you doing? You have been shown that the wasteland can be turned to lands of bounty and sustenance. All you need to do is stop trying to change it and let it be changed. Don't go back inside the hole. You were always lonelier there. Just because misery is familiar doesn't mean it's True. Lay down your fear and venture forth into the mystery...only there will you encounter Life. Go!"

2009-09-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

I get way too emotional about Battlestar Galactica.

2009-08-28T00:32:00.000-07:00

My sin, o the bliss of the glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Battlestar Galactica

2009-06-07T15:59:00.001-07:00

WATCH IT.

I liked Star Trek because:

2009-05-11T22:18:00.001-07:00

-The opening scene. How awesome.

-It was PERFECTLY cast. I'll be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of Zachary Quinto's acting on Heroes, so I was a bit apprehensive about this. But he, along with everyone else, was excellent.

-It was good to look at. Not only were the special effects really nice, but there were some really strong pictures that I appreciated.

-The main theme is still stuck in my head and I like it.

-The plot was kind of ridiculous but the way the film was executed made me not care. I was having too much fun.

-Most importantly, the feel of it. I have never been a big Star Trek fan, but I could feel the nostalgia in the film...I felt the there was a big old reunion going on on the screen. It was as though the film was paying homage to all things Star Trek that came before it while simultaneously taking the franchise in a new direction. I loved it.

Those are my thoughts. I hope you liked them.

2009-04-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure how to start this, so I just will: I'm going to Mt. Hood Community College this fall. The funds for Biola just weren't coming in and I don't want a huge amount of debt when I'm done. There are a few other reasons too, but suffice it to say that I believe God wants me to stay home this fall. That is not to say that I will never be going to Biola. I still do believe that God wants me to end up there, but not yet. I found out today that they will hold my place in the film program as well as the small loan that they had given until I do end up going there, hopefully within the next year, maybe two.

Am I disappointed? Yeah I am. I was (and am) looking forward to moving to LA and studying film and screenwriting more than anything, and community college was the one thing I said I'd never do. But I take comfort in these things: I believe that writing is what I am meant to do with my life, and if this is true then it will happen. I also feel that Biola is the school that God wants me to attend. But like I said before, I feel I am being directed to stay home this year, which means that this is just a short delay, not a permanent roadblock (for lack of a better term).

So in short, I suppose you could say that I am staying home this year and am not as upset about it as I thought I would be.

Also: Can I just say how much I love The Decemberists's music? And the booklet art on The Crane Wife?

Blast from the Past, Pt. 2

2009-04-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Blast from the Past

2009-04-12T20:36:00.001-07:00

I was at Powell's downtown yesterday and I stumbled across an old Dinotopia book in the Rare Book Room. It brought back some of the best memories I have from my childhood. I remember being completely captivated by these images...they were my greatest dream come true!

So close I can almost taste it.

2009-04-07T16:26:00.001-07:00

Carry Us

2009-04-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

Play, sweet music
Deep into the night
Swell around us
Carry us

Tell them our story
Let your chords echo the laughs of playing children
And let them resound with the weeping of grieving mothers
It is a sad song, a beautiful melody
Climbing, sweeping, weaving
Crying out in anguish
And comforting us with measureless power

Eyes lift
Tears fall
Rain pours
Cloudbreak

Play, sweet music
Deep into the night.
Swell around us,
Lift us on high
Carry us.

I wrote this because of the song "Journey to the Line" on The Thin Red Line soundtrack. Listen to the song, I think it makes the poem better.

Oh no....

2009-04-01T22:45:00.001-07:00

I just read this little snippet on Rotten Tomatoes:

Last week, director Sam Raimi revealed that on Spider-Man 3, he didn't have complete control over what villains to include, but for the next two movies he does. For Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 (which are expected to film back-to-back) it's now been revealed that Raimi plans to tell one big story that will incorporate elements from classic plot lines from the comics, with Spider-Man 5 in particular focusing on one of Spidey's most beloved tales. In Spider-Man 4, Peter Parker will find the spider inside him lashing out, with his powers going violently out of control. Seeking help from his professor, Dr. Curt Connors, Peter discovers that Connors and his colleague Dr. Michael Morbius are actually both experimenting on incorporating animal blood (reptiles and vampire bats) into humans. When Parker loses control in their laboratory, the antidotes that the scientists were using to keep themselves human are destroyed, causing them to become The Lizard and the vampire-like Morbius, even as Spidey goes fully spider, with four more arms popping out like a true arachnid. The three monsters break out into the streets of New York, creating havok, which soon attracts the attention of a big game hunter named Kraven. Kraven's introduction will pave the way for Spider-Man 5, which may have the subtitle Kraven's Last Hunt, in which Kraven returns to New York City after Spider-Man has regained his humanity, to hunt Spidey once more.

It may be good news for some that the director has regained control over the story, but the story I read here sounds less than promising (to me, at least). Also, franchises generally just stop getting good on or after third movie (Star Wars). So I am just not excited for any of this. I hope I am proven wrong.

2009-03-28T01:53:00.000-07:00

I was born with the sea-longing that Tolkien wrote about.

On Raglan Road

2009-03-05T23:58:00.000-08:00

This song is is an Irish folk song used in In Bruges, one of my favorite movies. I decided to look up the lyrics and I really liked what I found SO here it is.

On Raglan Road of an autumn day
I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare
That I might one day rue
I saw the danger and I passed
Along the enchanted way
And I said: 'Let grief, be a fallen leaf
At the dawning of the day'

On Grafton Street in November
We tripped lightly along the ledge
Of a deep ravine where can be seen
The worth of passion's pledge
The Queen of Hearts still making tarts
And I not making hay
For I loved too much and such by such
Is happiness thrown away

I gave her gifts of the mind
I gave her the secret signs
That's known to the artists who have known
The true gods of sound and stone
And word and tint I did not stint
I gave her poems to say
With her own name there and her own dark hair
Like clouds over fields of May

On a quiet street where old ghosts meet
I see her pass me now
Away from me so hurriedly
My reason must allow
That had I loved not as I should
A creature made of clay
When the angel woos the clay
He'd lose his wings at the dawn of day

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

2009-02-23T00:14:00.000-08:00

Say what you want, this film deserved all eight of its Oscars tonight. Rarely does a movie come along so fantastic that I can barely contain my excitement over it. This year I have had the joy of seeing two such movies: Slumdog Millionaire and The Dark Knight. I can't really express the mad love I have for either of them, but I am stoked about how well Slumdog did.

2009-02-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Matthew left this morning. I am going to miss him.

I think this looks good.

2009-02-14T18:48:00.001-08:00

The Acadamy

2009-01-22T22:59:00.001-08:00

Disgusts me. That's all.

2009-01-05T23:47:00.000-08:00

I wrote these for my English class and I though they turned out alright. Enjoy.

The road winds slowly
Footprints call softly
Hinting at where they lead.
"Come follow us," they say.
"We go to white gates and grand towers,
A city of banners and horns
Where songs unheard are sung
And tales unknown are told."
The golden dust dances in the evening sun,
Lighting the path ahead.
But I cannot walk alone.

Darkness surrounds, all consuming.
I see nothing.
Woe and misery, for I am lost,
Never to be found.
Night eternal has come it seems
And there is no escape from this hopeless maze of shadows.
I look up in despair
And I see stars.

My Favorite Movies of 2008

2009-01-03T00:15:00.000-08:00

A lot of people post these, so I decided to as well.

I haven't seen all the ones I want to yet, but here goes.

In alphabetical order.

Changeling
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
In Bruges
Man on Wire
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
The Visitor
WALL-E

Some movies still on my list to see are Rachel Getting Married; I've Loved You So Long; Happy-Go-Lucky; Gran Torino; Synecdoche, New York; Ballast; Frozen River; The Reader; and The Wrestler.

2009-01-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry
I've neglected you
Let these months not be repeated
Let me give everything to you
I don't need it
I don't want it
All I need is You

My New Year's resolution is to make my relationship with God my priority again. I've taken my salvation for granted and I'm tired of it. Life's been hard for me lately, and instead of coming to God with all of my problems I have tried to handle it on my own. So starting today, I am going to do all I can to make Him the center of my life. Prayers would be awesome.

Help!

2008-12-30T00:33:00.000-08:00

I need a new name for my blog...now that I've figured out how to put an image up with the title, [untitled] looks LAME...suggestions?

To all who don't know:

2008-12-16T20:06:00.001-08:00

I am going to be going to George Fox University next fall!

Doubt

2008-12-12T23:37:00.000-08:00

I just read the play and I'm really excited to see the movie...it's quite the thinker. If that's even an expression.

Charismatic Killer

2008-12-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

I just watched a documentary called General Idi Amin Dada about (surprise!) Idi Amin for an essay I'm writing for my History class. He was such a strange man. He stated adamantly that he wanted what was best for his country, but he also refused to hear other lines of thinking on the matter. He also claimed that he new the exact date, time, and circumstances of his death. He exiled Asians from Uganda because of the effect they had on the economy at the time and he hijacked Israeli planes because he was a supporter of Palestine.

And yet, he was so incredibly...likable. He made jokes all the time (even when being asked very serious questions in meetings and such), he enjoyed spending time with people and participating in public events like ceremonial and tribal dances. If it weren't for the occasional narration in the film and my own prior knowledge of Amin, it would likely have been something of a stretch for me to believe that he secretly ordered millions of executions, some of them based only on very small suspicions.

On that note, I would recommend the film The Last King of Scotland to anyone who's interested in this area...Forest Whitaker plays Amin very well. He walks like him, he talks like him, he plays off all the little gimmicks that the dictator really had. Be warned, though: the film is rather graphic and very disturbing.

King Lear

2008-11-24T20:34:00.000-08:00

I just read that Anthony Hopkins, Keira Knightley, Naomi Watts, and Gwyneth Paltrow are all going to be in 2010 release of King Lear. I've never read the play, but I love Shakespeare and I love a good tragedy, so I am quite excited.

http://www. imdb. com/title/tt1235140/fullcredits#cast

Oh, what to do?

2008-11-15T00:24:00.000-08:00

-Tomorrow.

-Next week.

-Next year.

-In college.

-With my life.

I guess what I'm saying is that I need some serious prayer about where my life is going, what I am planning on doing with it, and what I should do with it.

2008-10-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

I walked along the silent streets
Seeking solace in the night.
Instead I saw vastness
And cowered in fear and awe.

I sat by the flowing streams
Looking for peace in the current.
Instead I saw beauty
And cried out in my imperfection.

I waited in the meeting place
Grasping for words that sufficed.
Instead I found God
And rejoiced in the quiet.

I looked through the water-streaked panes
Hearing music in the rain.
Heaven's choir gently falling
To wash dry earth in her healing tears.

Childlike Awakenings on a Spring Night

2008-05-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

It was like a dream this evening...I walked beneath the lush arbors and through the rickety gate. As I slowly walked forth, I felt the cool dew of the dusk between my toes, a relief after such a warm, beautiful day. Something caught my eye, and I followed it. It led me into the midst of young fruit trees, standing tall all around me. I looked up into their branches and saw the moon. Its quiet light shone down through and around the transperant leaves, perfectly illuminating and outlining them. I reached out and brushed one of the branches. It rustled shook off its dew, a sparkling cascade of the purest rainwater rolled from the green to the greener. The thin branches were twisting magnificently in the dim evening light. The beauty and unfamiliarity to this glorious spectacle caused me to laugh out of pure joy. I realized that it was no accident that brought me here to this celestial moonlit meadow. I lie down facefirst and breath in the earth, the grass, and the dew as we bathe in this pale pool. Closing my eyes, I heard a voice. "Come back, little one. Laugh with me. Revel in me and share in our Great Love." As I looked around I realized that there is nothing more important that can happen to a man than to take part in the pure, innocent, unadulterated joy manifest within his Creator.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

2008-03-20T17:03:00.001-07:00

Here is a much better example of some of the cinematography.

It's such a beautifully shot movie. It's very....patient. But I enjoyed it. If you don't mind watching slower films, I recommend it.

Definitely one of the most frightening things I have ever read.

2008-03-12T21:55:00.001-07:00

"But this is very foolish," said the Un-man. "Do you not know who I am?"
"I know what you are," said Ransom. "Which of them doesn't matter.
"And you think, little one," it answered, "that you can fight with me? You think He will help you, perhaps? many thought that. I've known Him longer than you, little one. They all think He's going to help them - till they come to their senses screamin recantations too late in the middle of the fire, moulering in concentration camps, writhing under saws, jibbering in mad-houses, or nailed on to crosses. Could He help Himself?" -and the creature suddenly threw back its head and cried in avoice so loud that it seemed the golden sky-roof must break, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani."

C.S. Lewis is fantastic. And Perelandra is one of my favorite books. Read it.

The Beginning

2008-03-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

Why did I jump? I will never know. No one said I had to. Looking back, crawling up from the place of my demise, all that I know to say is that I will never go back. The neon lights dance in the darkening fog, mocking me. The green swords scrape at the cavern walls, calling my name in their grating voices. Most of all, towering above that dismal landscape, the sinister golden man beckons me back, promising a life of fame and a life of fortune. I turn away and behold the sea. I hear gulls' voices filling the air, the certainty of solace drifting over the sands from thier mouths. I crawl, muddied and broken, over the pebbles, over the amber grass, over the broken shells, toward the water. As I finally collapse into the cool surf, it laps at me, cleansing my face and body from the filth that has so long pulled me down. I look up and I see it. The Light. The promise of newness. The sadness, kindness, and forgiveness. I see love radiating from the sun, and I grab it. I grab it and I hold on to it as hard as I possibly can. It takes me to the snow-capped peaks and I know for certain. I am new again.

I'm giving up video games.

2008-02-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

True, sir, true. Except at parties and whatnot. They've been sucking my soul lately and there are 10000000000000000000000000 better things for me to do with my life.

2008-02-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

Father-

Thank You so much for everything You've done for me. If You weren't in my life, I don't know if I'd even be alive right now, so I thank You. Thank You for singing and praise. I can't imagine that anything would be more terrifying to Your enemies than all Your children lost in song. Thank You for this weekend. A lot of what You taught me was almost unbearable, but I needed it. I haven't been the son to You that I need to be. Please give me the strength, courage, and passion I need to get back to where I need to be, Lord. Without You, I have none of these things. Do amazing things at school. I know You can, if we let You use us. Thank you so much for my friends and how much of a blessing they've been to me. I love You, Lord. You're beautiful.

Amen.

I really enjoyed this movie.

2008-01-25T18:21:00.001-08:00

I especially like the part at about 3:20. I think it's 3:20. The music is different, but fits the scene perfectly. Watch it!

PRINCE CASPIAN.

2007-12-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

I'm reading this book right now. Yay.

Epiphanies.

2007-11-28T21:27:00.000-08:00

It feels so good to try, to actually put an effort into something for once in my life, even if it feels like I'm not getting anywhere half the time. But it's not my job to get somewhere. It's my job to surrender and let God take me somewhere. Many somewheres, if He wills it. I've been remiss in my relationship with God, and I've decided that it's time to change that. I haven't been doing what I need to do to keep my faith strong as of late because of idiotic, selfish reasons. I could write pages about this, but that's not the point. The point is: it's not about me anymore. It never was. It isn't about what I want for my life, it's what God wants. Forget loving Him for a moment. We're so blessed to have a King who loves his people. Even if He didn't, we would be obligated to serve Him just because of the amount of power He (I was going to say has, but I didn't think that was appropriate) is. Once you realize this, it only makes sense to fall on your face and give Him your entire life. And on top of this, He truly does love us, and His love is part of what makes His power all the more compelling. Life is worth living! The fact that He loves us so much draws into the greatest adventure of anyone's life: to love Him back and give him our entire beings for the furthrance of His Kingdom, because we want to share the good news with the world! This is quickly becoming a ramble, but I just had several thoughts tonight that I needed to say.

Oh, guys.

2007-11-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

I'm really stressed out right now. I thought that beyond a doubt God wanted me to go on this trip next summer. Now I really don't know. I think I made up my mind to hastily. Please be praying for me (and Aaron and Nicole). I need to know what God wants me to do and it's really confusing me.

Well then.

2007-11-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

I have decided, along with Aaron and Nicole, that I will be going on a missions trip next summer. For sure. One hundred percent. The only problem is where to go? We have narrowed it down to either Nepal or Turkey, and are leaning towards Nepal. We are still praying a lot about it and would really like your prayers as well. Thanks!

PS We will still probably be at camp for at least part of the time we are in Oregon.

Ireland?

2007-11-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today at school, I was presented with an incredible opportunity: I may be going to Ireland or Nepal next summer for a missions trip. But it's from June 23-July 30. I want to work at camp as well next summer, but I don't know if Joe would hire me because I'd be gone for such a long time. I told the friend that I would be going with that I'd hopefully be decided by Wednesday, and I need to have my application and stuff sent in by New Year's Day. So I'm asking all of you lovely people for your prayers that I would make the decision that God wants me to.

PS This is real, I'm not pulling a Midsummer.

The War Prayer

2007-11-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is a short story we read in my Film Lit. class today when we were talking about satire...think about it.

The War Prayer
by Mark Twain

It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.
Sunday morning came -- next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams -- visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation--

"God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest.
Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!"

Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory --
An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued with his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"
The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside -- which the startled minister did -- and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:
"I come from the Throne -- bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such shall be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import -- that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of -- except he pause and think.
"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two -- one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this -- keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.
"You have heard your servant's prayer -- the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it -- that part which the pastor -- and also you in your hearts -- fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory--must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle-- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
(After a pause.) "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

The Highwayman

2007-10-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

I was talking with Midsummer about this poem this weekend, and I had forgotten how much I love it and the song that was written after it. It's definitely one of my favorite poems.

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding
The highwayman came riding up to the old inn-door.

He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, his pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

And dark in the old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter, the landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say-

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight, watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair in the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight, oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the West.

He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon,
When the road was a gipsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching, marching, marching.
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.

They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every window; and hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride.

They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" and they kissed her. She heard the dead man say-
Look for me by moonlight; Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till here fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like
years, till now, on the stroke of midnight, cold on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight; blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain.

Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding, riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up strait and still!

Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight, her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him-with her death.

He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head over the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter, the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs in the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway, down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a bunch of lace at his throat.

And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding, riding, riding.
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
And he taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

New bloggin' blog blogger!

2007-10-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I have decided to combine our talents on our new blog entitled the Sound of Photography. It features his incredible artistic skill with a camera and my writing talent. Please do read it and let us know what you think. This new project can be found at aarik.blogspot.com.

Blinded.

2007-10-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Dear humanity-

You realize you're screwed up, and you're trying to fix it. Well stop. You can't. Only the One you hate can. I don't care if you think that "my" truth doesn't apply to "yours". The real truth applies to everyone. God exists absolutely, no matter what your blindfold of lies may tell you. There is no relativity in something as important as truth. How could there be? It was never intended for there to be. You long for everything to be OK, but you refuse to follow the One who overcame what is screwing you up. You're blinded because you killed the Man who would save You. You want adventure. Drugs, sex, and alcohol, while incredibly satisfying and fun for a time, are not the place to find true adventure. No, nothing you can cultivate will bring you fulfillment. Only He who made you can do such things.

"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world."
-CS Lewis

In earnest-
We who have been made to see.

The Walk

2007-10-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

As I walk, I cannot be blinded to the beauty. It makes me see. The year begins to wane, and the trees are alight with the autumn fire. Hues of red, gold, yellow, and orange illuminate the streets as no man-made device could ever hope to. The lamps and lanterns gaze upon the blazing majesty with envy. The falling leaves dance on the whispers of the East Wind, swirling gently across the paths that I tread, tracing the air with tones of brilliance before they come to a peaceful rest on dew-laden lawns. This is the time of year where Creation reaches the peak of its glory. This is the time of year where we tired souls wake up to a shroud of morning mist, beauty concealing beauty. The awakening sun peaks through the clouds, creating a golden sunrise that that gently caresses the trees and leaves with its cool glow. The very air is permeated with the Fall, and as I close my eyes and breath in the crisp scents of beauty, I rememember. It is a gift. Thank You.

BELIEVE

2007-09-26T17:32:00.001-07:00

3

I'm sure these are getting annoying, but I'm dying from the anticipation. Don't worry, TWO DAYS!!!!!!

And as the veil is burned away, I am made living again.

2007-09-22T23:32:00.000-07:00

Well, perhaps nothing so dramatic as that, but I did realize a monumental truth that should have been obvious to me: The reason that I have been feeling distant from God since camp ended is because I am trying to figure out what's keeping me from Him, rather than just focusing on Him. Odd, the way the human heart is.

2007-09-17T19:20:00.001-07:00

I do love the rain.

Oh, the sweet agony that rends my soul!!!!

2007-09-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

This is the event of the season. I am anticipating this game just as much, if not more so, than the Return of the King movie. When I first pick up the controller to create my profile, it will assuredly be one of the greatest moments in my life.

2007-09-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Now that I have time to write, I shall soon begin the story of the Lady Godiva and her beautiful elven pirate queen captain and her crew.

Pilgrims' Trial (The Great Pilgrimage, Pt. 2)

2007-09-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

Is this weary road taking its toll on you, traveller? The fatigue comes to us all at times. Do not lose hope, for the end is near, and we follow a higher Calling than any weariness that can threaten us. Behold! In the dark. The shining. The twinkle of satisfaction. It calls to us all in times of despair. But be wary, pilgrim. There is no hope in that light. The pleasure lasts for mere moments, and then delivers you unto oblivion. Stray not from the sight of the towers, for that way leads only to death. Do not follow the dancing lights. They entice, they draw you near, and they feed the blackness of the human spirit until it can take no more. Follow not the sweet song of the flashes. Do not listen to them as they call your name, Soldier of Zion. Stay away from them. They dwell in the forest, and the forest is evil. If you wish to find the Golden City, you will fight the temptations. Stay away. There shines a demon.

If this confuses you at all, read the first one.

2007-08-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Why do we celebrate? Is it not obvious? Our reason is the simplist of complexities. We should have died. All of us. Humanity. Tortured. Torn. Bloodied and burning. We should have suffered the fate worse than death. No exceptions. But we didn't. He did. For all of us, He took the punishment. The penalty of an entire race of sinners, theives, and murderers was put on the shoulders of one man who is more than a man and our many flaws have been forgiven. So why do we celebrate? He was beaten, ridiculed, mocked, and killed for our sake. But He is now ALIVE! Is that not reason enough to rejoice? The One who loves us enough to have died for us is alive to rejoice with us. The power of God still holds true. The bond that we who have chosen the Truth of God possess is unbreakable and will hold us to Him for eternity. He will wipe from existance the forces of darkness and all who accept Him will celebrate His glory forever.

But I saw no temple in it (the New Jerusalem), for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor to it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything tht defiles or causes and abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Revelation 21: 22-27

TCBC 2007

2007-08-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

Wow. That was the single best thing I could ever have done with my life. If I'm on the verge of tears, it's not because the summer has ended, it's because I am so grateful that God put me back at camp this summer. I learned so much. I now am going to strive to be real with people. There is so much that those who don't know God are missing, good and bad, and if I'm not myself or if I'm fake then they will never know what they really need. The really scary thing that happened to me this summer was all of the exposure to spiritual warfare. Yes, demons are very, very real. Some of my friends and were attacked by them this summer, and it's a very frightening ordeal (I won't write about it here, but if you want to know, just ask.) But through all that God showed me how powerful he is and reminded me that while I am helpless against the forces of Satan, He has already defeated them and will protect me through whatever the devil throws at me.

Another incredible thing happened to me this last weekend on the beach retreat. Some friends of mine and I were out in the ocean pretty deep (up to our chests) and the the waves were fairly tall. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the tide was in fact going out. We were out in them, standing on our feet, and then a wave came. It wasn't that large, but when it passed us there was no ground. We started to get sucked away from the shore. The waves were huge and they tossed us around like rag dolls. Some other staff members came out and helped us and eventually we all made it to shore fine. I called my mother to let her know what happened, and she told me that she felt compelled when she woke up that morning to pray that God would protect us on that retreat and for that day. Six or seven of us were sucked out that day, and all of us made it in without any life-altering effects. That's proof enough for anybody to see that God is real and relevant. I am so grateful to be alive and so happy that I know the powerful, loving, wild, divine God that I do. The only God. He is the only One to live for. He showed me that this summer, and I will not forget.

Thank you Jesus for being such an amazing friend and Savior. Thank you for protecting me and loving me. Thank you for all of the new friendships that I made and for bringing me closer to the friends that I already had. I am so thankful for them all. Thank you for blessing me and all of the Trout Creek staff this summer in the countless ways that You did.

AMEN

THE CHILD SOLDIERS OF SIERRA LEONE

2007-05-31T00:42:00.000-07:00

I wrote this paper for English, and I think it'll go over well. It's long and you don't have to read it, but it'd be really cool if you did.
I just corrected a few errors from my three in the morning clumsiness, so it's now grammatically happy.

THE CHILD SOLDIERS OF SIERRA LEONE

Think back to your childhood. Imagine yourself, an eight year old boy or girl, playing in your backyard. You have a lollipop in your mouth, and are playing cowboys and Indians with your friends. Now imagine this: you’re the same eight year old child, only this time you have in your mouth a cigarette stuffed with marijuana and an AK-47 in your hands. The typical Sierra Leonean child soldier finds himself in this position almost every day.

The world is torn by war. In 1991, a civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, a small country located on the west coast of mid-Africa. The war would last until 2002. The RUF (Revolutionary United Front), led by Foday Sankoh, captured towns on Sierra Leone’s border with Liberia, intending to ultimately overthrow Sierra Leone’s government. (“Timeline: Sierra Leone A Chronology of Key Events.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1065898.stm [last updated Tuesday, 19 December 2006]). The RUF leader promised to fund his partners with profits made from their diamond mines, but went back on his word and only shared his money with his Liberian ally, Charles Taylor (“Revolutionary United Front.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_United_Front#References [last updated May 30, 2007]). The war tore many families apart, and many children had their childhoods taken from them.

Nations continue to find new methods of warfare and destruction. The latest idea: capturing and recruiting children to fight alongside grown men on the frontlines of the battlefield. It begins like this: children; taken from a village or found wandering in the wilderness trying to escape from the war; are kidnapped and brought to a base, camp, or whatever the soldiers that took them are using for a shelter. Then, the children are taught how to assemble, disassemble, clean, and adequately use weapons ranging from AK-47s to G3s to RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) launchers. During the training process, the children are given exactly one minute to eat their food, and if they cannot comply, it is taken away from them. (Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Union Square West: Sara Crichton Books, 2007). The children-turned-soldiers are taught to use their weapons by shooting at mannequins. The first real kill is sometimes made by blindfolding the child, putting a prisoner in front of his gun, and telling him to shoot (Movie: Blood Diamond, directed by Edward Zwick, released December 2007). The children then begin to be numbed to the hell that war is.

Because the children are trained as soldiers, they live with soldiers. Because they live with soldiers, they fall into the same habits that the soldiers take part in. The children smoke marijuana and sniff cocaine, as well as something called brown brown, which is cocaine mixed with gunpowder. All of the child soldiers either witnessed or commited horrendous deeds, such as amputations, or torturous killings. Such brutalities could consist of forcing people to dig their own graves and then burying them alive inside. Everyone in the country witnessed the things that the RUF and its considerable force of 23,000 child soldiers(“Revolutionary United Front.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_United_Front#References [last updated May 30, 2007]{the number}) commited. Babies were shot on the back of fleeing mothers. Anyone who so much as talked back to an RUF soldier was immediately killed. (Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Union Square West: Sara Crichton Books, 2007). The army as a whole was well known for amputating the hands, arms, and legs of civilians, especially children, in response to the government campaign slogan that said that the people have power in their hands. The RUF would amputate the arms of people so they could not vote. They also cut off the hands of all captured soldiers, saying, “You don’t hold your weapon against your brother.” Rebels would often bet on the gender of an unborn baby and then cut open the mother’s womb to see who won. Certain soldiers would also be so angry and hateful that they would literally eat the heart and vital organs of the enemy (LoBaido, Anthony C. Memorandum to a cannibal. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40981. October 19, 2004.) Such atrocities occurred on both sides of the war, but the Sierra Leone army, while they did recruit child soldiers, did not harm civilians at random (“Revolutionary United Front.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_United_Front#References [last updated May 30, 2007]). Children were the perpetrators as well as the victims of these violent acts.

Sexual abuse was also rampant during the war. One instance was reported, “The local rebel commander ordered that all virgin girls report for a physical examination. A female companion of the commander then checked the girls in order to verify their status as virgins. Those who passed the test, mostly aged between 12 and 15, were ordered to report each night for sexual abuse by the commander and his men.” Also, due to the mass amounts of abuse throughout the country the rate of STDs and HIV went up greatly. (Salama, Peter; Laurence, Bruce; Nolan, Monica L. Health and human rights in contemporary humanitarian crises: is Kosovo more important than Sierra Leone? http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7224/1569, bit about the commander abusing the virgin girls quoted from the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone). Child soldiers were sometimes commanders in the war. This meant that they, too, got the “privilege” of sexually abusing the girls when the opportunity arose.

There are some rehabilitation clinics located throughout the Sierra Leone for former child soldiers. However, they still have their war-based instincts and soldier-like tendencies at the beginning of the rehab. Ishmael Beah should know this better than most, he was a child soldier during the war. Although he had been fighting for the government, he still fought as brutally as the rebels did until he and a contingent of the children he led in battle were rescued from their camp and brought to one of the clinics. Fights broke out in the establishment involving smuggled weapons such as bayonets and grenades. Children sometimes would be able to steal the guns of their guards and would fire and kill the opposing ex-warrior children. They would even attack the staff members at the facilities because they didn’t like taking orders from “civilians”, as they called all non-soldiers. Aside from the violence, the children were haunted by memories of war. Beah writes about having nightmares with grisly things such as rooms filling with the blood of men who killed each other over and over, and having his own head sawed off by a bayonet. Even the monotonous, commonplace activities of the day were not left untouched by war. Beah says that all he could “see” was blood coming out of the faucet whenever he used a sink. He would literally have to wait until he saw water before washing his hands. There were also withdrawal symptoms from the cocaine, marijuana and brown brown, such as intense migraines. These drugs were meant to numb the pain that a soldier would experience if he was wounded in battle. They worked with long-term effects. He also tells of punching through a glass window, getting his hand stuck in the glass, and feeling nothing at all. Eventually, though, Beah did recover. He moved to New York in 1998 and completed college in 2004. He is now a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee and has delivered speeches to many important groups about his experiences as a child soldier (Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Union Square West: Sara Crichton Books, 2007). Although the war was a tragedy, we have the ability to turn around the lives of so many children and bring more people like Ishmael Beah out of the dire circumstances that they are in now.

Although the war is over, there are still 20,000 child soldiers in Sierra Leone alone (“Revolutionary United Front.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_United_Front#References [last updated May 30, 2007]), and many more throughout the world. Teens as young as fourteen commit suicide bombings in the Middle East (Rosen, David M. Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism. Library of Congress, 2005). Obviously the recruitment of children into the military is wrong and should be stopped. But what can we do? How can we change the lives of these children for the better?

We could send troops to Sierra Leon with a purely defensive intent. They would protect the people who are recovering from the war, rescue those who are in danger of further attacks from the government, and send out search parties to find missing persons give the dead a decent funeral. They might also send out squads of soldiers to find the rebels and capture them. The RUF is still active in Sierra Leone, similar to the KKK here, so such actions may be a necessity (Vestal, Rebecca. Personal interview. May 24, 2007).

Another action we might taken is creating a government-sponsored group that would be dedicated to preventing incidences like Sierra Leone’s from happening again in third world countries, were the problem is most prominent. They could establish a program that would have all children enrolled in good public schools and establish in all towns a reasonable police or security force to protect them from groups that would want to take children as warriors. A law would likely also have to be established prohibiting governments from using children in the military.

There have been some missions from organizations such as Red Cross as well as missions trips that provide medical attention to Sierra Leoneans from individual church groups and others of that nature. These should continue in greater number. Although not all of the children were made into soldiers, they were all robbed of their innocence in the war. They saw things that most people will never see, and things that no one should ever see. They are suffering from malnutrition, trauma, and some have wounds that they don’t have the means to tend to (Vestal, Rebecca. Personal interview. May 24, 2007). If we continued to send increasing amounts of food and medical supplies to Sierra Leone, things would improve in that country greatly.

Sierra Leone is crying for help. Its children have no homes, families struggle to support themselves, and desperation is in the air. It’s time to change these circumstances. Using one or more of the methods that I suggested, the country could be changed. We can make a difference in the lives of those who have so much less than us. They need to enjoy life as it was meant to be enjoyed and reclaim their innocence so that generations to come will not have to face the same hardships that they are facing today. We can be the change in them. We can make it better.

Wow.

2007-05-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

I learned tons about myself this last weekend. Mostly about what a terrible person that I am. It was a tough lesson to learn, but I'm glad I learned it now rather than later. I also learned that no matter what I've done, Jesus will always forgive me. I need to learn to accept His forgiveness all over again. You see, sometimes I lose sight of what really matters in life: My relationship with Christ. We were made to love Him. It's such a thing to wrap my mind around. Life can be so challenging sometimes, and sometimes I forget to go running back to Him. It bothers me. I become vulnerable to all sorts of things that He promised to protect us from. I sometimes have feelings of worthlessness, self-loathing, and other, worse things. It's no way to live. The life Jesus offers is full of adventure and joy and confidence. And while there are some dry places, we shouldn't go so far as to actually hate ourselves. There is a song by Skillet with amazing lyrics that pretty much defines the way I feel right now. But I know I can get out of it. The song has hope, too.

Comatose

I hate feeling like this
I'm so tired of trying to fight this
I'm asleep and all I dream of
Is waking to you.

Tell me that You will listen
Your touch is what I'm missin'
And the more I hide I realize
I'm slowly losing You.

Comatose
I will never wake up with out an overdose of You
I don't wanna live,
I don't wanna breathe
Unless I feel You next to me
You take the pain I feel
Waking up to You never felt so real.
I don't wanna sleep,
I don't wanna dream
'Cause my dreams don't comfort me
The way You make me feel
Waking up to You never felt so real.

I hate living without You
Dead wrong to ever doubt You
But my demons lay in waiting
Tempting me away
Oh, how I adore You
Oh, how I thirst for You
Oh, how I need You

What I'm trying to say, I guess, is I need major prayer to escape from the devil by the time camp starts. He's attacking me a lot, and I would appreciate whatever prayer and/or encouragement you could give.

(If you like hard rock, I would strongly recommend this whole CD. It has been a huge encouragement to me, plus it has great music.)