Life imitates art...These are (hopefully) witty and snarky analogies of life, literature, and a few movies here and there.
Hello! Welcome to the Brainstorm! Home of Jack-of-all-Trades! Out-there ideas! Moments of brilliance, laughter, and snarkitude!! And occasionally, deeply rooted soul searching.
First of all, I am not by any means, a movie snob. And I have always loved Disney and Pixar and the like. So when my son wanted to go see The Croods, I didn't need a lot of convincing.
May I just say: HYSTERICAL!! I laughed and laughed, Sam laughed - oh, a good time was had by all.
One of the funniest things about this movie is that one of my favorite actors was in it, and I didn't even know. Nick Cage plays the Dad, Grug, and I went the whole movie without recognizing his voice. Ryan Reynolds is Guy, and Chris Sanders steals the show as Guy's pet, Belt. Chris has so many notable animated performances from Stitch to Toothless to Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, that he was a natural. Chris Sanders is the "Dunt dunt duuuuuhhhh!" that Sam is mimicking in the picture.
If you haven't seen it, go. It will enable you to wonder, and realize/remember that no matter what we know, there is always something new to learn just a disaster away. :)
I think there is a time in everyone's life when they find something that just feels RIGHT.
Star Wars: A New Hope was the first movie I remember standing in line for at the theater. It was 1977, my brother was a senior in High School, and I somehow doubt that taking his 7-year-old sister to the movies was what he had in mind for graduation weekend, but he took me. I remember him entertaining me in the line, and one of his friends running to the 7-11 to get us cokes while we waited.
Unlike my ill-fated Mary Poppins encounter, I loved everything about Star Wars. I still do. I remember the opening salvo of the horns in the soundtrack at the beginning of the movie, and one of my brother's friends leaning over to read me the words scrolling on the screen. (I also remember my brother saying, "Hey man, she can READ.") It was so exciting! There were no animated characters singing and playing, and it was all happening in a galaxy far, far away!
Maybe it was because I wanted to be in a galaxy far, far away from an alcoholic parent and a home life that was less than idyllic. Maybe it was because I never considered there might be something out there besides Earth. Maybe I just found my niche in watching things that made sense, but no one really talked about. Whatever the reason, A New Hope felt like home, and began my journey with the Force of Sci-Fi.
Star Wars was not my first glimpse into Sci-Fi, as my brother felt that I would be better educated watching Star Trek after school than watching The Brady Bunch. And while I also watched Land of the Lost and Buck Rogers, something just clicked when I saw A New Hope. Maybe it was seeing it on the big screen. I quoted the movie (well, I still quote all 6 at varying times), and years later when I had one of my first computers, I had a Star Wars sound pack on it so that when I got an error message, C3PO said, "We're doomed," and when it shut down, Obi-Wan said, "The force will be with you, always." I carried various Star Wars lunch boxes through elementary and middle school, had t-shirts that are now considered vintage, had the action figures, and became...something more because of my glimpse into this world.
This is the original, pre-John Williams trailer for the movie. It's so awful, I am amazed anyone went to see the movie!
This version, edited for the re-release and considering the first trilogy, has a little different appeal:
Either way, it's Star Wars.
Use the force, indeed.
When I went to see Silver Linings Playbook, I didn't know what to expect. I hadn't seen trailers, and I really didn't know what it was about. I just went because my friend asked me to go, and because Bradley Cooper was in it.
About 5 minutes into the movie, I was riveted. Bradley Cooper plays a character called Pat, who is bipolar. Pat is discharged from a psychiatric hospital, and is trying to rebuild his life, which includes winning his estranged wife back. This would sound like a creepy plot, except the characters are so real, and so memorable. The writing was amazing, and I laughed out loud in so many (inappropriate) places, because the lines were just that good. ("I will apologize on behalf of Ernest Hemingway, 'cause that's who's to blame here.") Here is the official trailer:
What was most amazing to me, however, was how much I saw of my son, and of myself, in Pat. This led me to a mountain of research on pediatric bipolar disorder, and "soft" or bipolar II disorder. You know how you don't know what you don't know, then you see it and you know? I knew when I watched this movie. This movie led me to the research that led to a discussion with my son's psychiatrist about his medications and diagnosis, which then led to a change of medication and diagnosis. He is happier, more even keeled, and well adjusted...all because I saw this movie.
This movie shows two people with..."issues"...who are just trying to live their lives and control their disorders. Isn't that what we all do? Pat and Tiffany end up in love, through a series of unfortunate, and frequently hilarious, events. ("Calm down, Crazy!") Which is what real life is all about. We can always look back and see the timeline - we just can't tell what's going on when we are inside it. This movie lays out the timeline of two people, with all their errors, and insecurities, and highlights the amazing spot where their paths crossed and entwined.
A key factor in the movie is a dance competition. It is important because it is a bribe, because it is fun, because it is a dream, because it is a bet ("That is very manic indeed!"), and because it gives them both something to focus on, teaching them determination and discipline. I included the dance scene below. The dance itself chronicles bipolar emotions so well, with it's abrupt changes to different tempo's of songs with meaningful lyrics. My favorite part (which I still continue to laugh at uproariously every time I see it) is the ill-fated lift that goes horribly awry (not what is showing in the still below, although that's funny too). Yet they go on as best they can with an, "I meant to do that" attitude, trying to overcome. And that, my friends, is life. I watch this clip every time I feel like I just can't handle another minute of whatever, because if they could do this, so can I.
The first movie I remember seeing was Mary Poppins. My grandmother took me to see it in a theater, and I remember being very excited to go to the theater. I remember getting my own little popcorn, and holding my grandmother's hand as we walked toward the front of the theater, and sat on the right side of middle. I remember my grandmother unearthing peppermint candies from her bag and putting them in her sweater pocket for later. I remember being excited by the previews, and thrilled when the theater lights went down.
But it wasn't long until I wasn't excited anymore, but terrified. Most people remember Mary Poppins as the nice nanny who sang "A Spoonful of Sugar" and danced with the chimney sweep, but my memory was more like this:
Since becoming an adult, I have watched Mary Poppins with my son multiple times, and I have NO idea what scared me so much. My grandmother told the story to make it sound like it was in the beginning of the movie when she appears floating down with her umbrella, and I thought she was a witch, so I screamed, and started crying, and no amount of soothing would comfort me, so we had to leave the theater. I watched the above trailer, and still vaguely remember the feeling of terror!
However, I also now see the beauty of the movie. The fact that I didn't watch it in it's entirety until I was in my 30's may have helped abolish my terror. Oddly, though, I still knew many of the songs, such as "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and "Chim Chim Cher-ee." Now, when I think of the movie, it is more like the actual theatrical trailer:
Isn't it funny how those early memories color our perceptions? I was afraid of umbrellas, and I still shiver a bit if one is opened near me and I am not expecting it. When I see the wind turn one inside out, or I see one blown out of someone's hand, I automatically think of Mary Poppins. It's silly, really, since I actually LOVE the movie as an adult. I credit even Mary Poppins with my concept of work: "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!" (Mary Poppins)
I am motivated, and touched, by the new year resolutions I see flooding Facebook today, the last day of 2012. As I sit in our home library, watching it snow out our floor-to-ceiling window with puppies playing at my feet, I think back on my year and look forward to the next.
Twelve years ago, I vowed to live life with no regrets. UM...ahem. I haven't done much in the way of "Resolutions" since then. As a matter of fact, I find that I am drifting through most days. A co-worker suggested we all make a bucket list for our work fun-time activity, and I realized that maybe the reason I haven't accomplished much is because I haven't goaled myself with much. Degree? Check. Master's Degree(s)? Check, check. Perhaps it is because these things happened over the course of life and without specific intention that I feel a bit aimless.
So, I started my bucket list. Nothing on it is earth shattering; the things on it are things I have been thinking about for years, but never committed to paper. Yet somehow, the act of writing them down and seeing them in ink seems to make them real. Maybe it is like the love of a boy making the Velveteen Rabbit real; goals need ink to give them life.
I am not going to share a bunch of goals and resolutions here, because (a), you probably don't want to hear them all, and (b), that's not the point. What I am going to do is boil all this into a very simple phrase for my new year: I am going to live with intention.
There is a great book by Dr. Wayne Dyer called The Power of Intention. I read it years ago and just couldn't absorb everything I needed to absorb. I am going to read it again. There is a passage on page 230 that seems to crystallize everything I am thinking:
"If you bring forth what is inside you,
what you bring forth will save you.
If you don't bring forth what is inside you,
what you don't bring forth will destroy you."
No more floating and drifting. I am going to actively participate in my life, and be fully alive. I owe that to my family, my friends, and most of all - to myself.
Join me. The Yellow Brick Road is full of obstacles and scary characters, but they all teach us something and cement our resolve, when we look at them for meaning. The Yellow Brick Road is also full of beauty, love and joy. I look forward to our awareness.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Once upon a time, an idealistic young lady thought that changing the world involved perfection. So she worked tirelessly to make sure everything was just so, with all i's dotted and all t's crossed. If it wasn't good enough, she did it again. If it still wasn't good enough, she practiced and researched and did it over.
Now she knows it is called perfectionism at best, OCD and AR at worst. And she is tired.
Let's add this up, shall we? Um...working full time in a demanding educational position, finishing a (second) master's degree, working on syllabi to cross the boundaries between liberal arts and business, preparing an application packet for a doctoral program, working a business from home, researching and facilitating healing for a child diagnosed with ADHD/ODD/anxiety/depression, holding down the fort which occasionally involves home-cooked meals and housework, taking care of two high energy lovey boxers, and trying to be a friend, mother and wife.
Yes, I am referring to myself, and it's no wonder 4 different Starbucks know me by name and beverage.
I read to escape. I always have. Lately I read and keep reading and then cross reference that and read some more. Which is why I haven't blogged in over two years...I didn't have enough research on anything I wanted to say. Well, enough with the analysis paralysis.
Just do it. NOW. If you like to read, read. If you want to watch a movie for a little entertainment and escapism, watch. Sing along with the radio. Sing along with the TV while viewing Glee or American Idol or whatever makes you happy. Most of us run like a top, spinning and spinning; stopping to pick up the juggling balls we dropped and set them in motion again; dizzy as a dervish with never a moment's rest. We need escape and entertainment just to stay sane. I finally picked up a fictional tale of the life of Anne Bolelyn that has been on my library shelf for at least a year. This caused me to go back and re-watch The Tudors (Showtime) and enjoy that version of history. Is any of that "useful?" Yes, because it keeps me present and healthy.
"If you had $20 million or knew that you had only 10 years to live, would you still be doing what you are doing now?"
Provoking words from Daniel Pink, author of "A Whole New Mind:
Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future." Provoking, and easy to put
off a little longer; to think about later; to discuss another time.
It's another time. And no, I wouldn't be doing what I am doing now.
I would, however, continue my pursuit of education and literacy. Of beauty, art, music, and kindness. I would have more to say, in an informed manner, and I would speak the language of enlightenment fluently.
I would make a list of all the things I want to do, and all the places I want to see, and make it so. I would put a toe in the South Pacific, and paint watercolors from a villa in the Mediterranean. I would shiver on the deck of an Alaskan cruise, and write poetry from the craggy cliffs of the Rockies (again). I would write, and teach, and help others become the persons they want to be. I would use empathy and symphony (not sympathy) to heal hurts through organizations dedicated to the holistic wholeness of others. I would cross boundaries, create metaphors, and examine the "relationship between relationships." I would look for solutions instead of bemoaning problems. I would make play a priority (wouldn't Sam be happy!), laugh more, and revel in joy. In other words, I would truly seek happiness, and do it wholeheartedly.
So here is the $20 Million question: What's stopping me? Maybe it's what's stopping you, too. Maybe it's the pressure from the tribe to "conform," or fear of starting something new. Maybe it's inertia, because a force at rest does tend to stay there. So, I am taking the first step. Hold me accountable and ask how I am doing. Share your story. After all, $20 Million and ten years... that's not really what it takes to be happy.
