New Year - New Feelings

There's an over-used phrase that with new beginnings, comes new people.  I absolutely hate trite sayings, but I've found that it's true in most instances.  This school year, 2008-2009, has come with many new twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all, and I'm far-sighted!

I consider myself a strong person.  I've been through a lot that not a lot of people can say that they have and survived without so much as a one tear shed, but this year has been different.  I have been more human, some would say.  I'm not nearly as cold hearted as I have been in the past, and it kills me when I think about it.  Not that I particularly like being that, but I like the fact that very little affected me. This year, I find myself moved by the smallest things.  My mother says it's the woman in me finally surfacing after nearly twenty years of being a rambunctious tom-boy, but I'm not sure.  Gradually, however, I'm gaining my old self back, and it feels good to be able to smile and know that it's not fake.

Anyway.  I've decided that I need to update this thing a whole lot more.  I completely forgot about it since "The Happening," seeing as the summer got crazy after that, but I think that I can take a little time out of my busy week to write and be a little creative.   Beware the return of Clutzy McGee.  I've been falling a lot... and sliding down stairs.  ;)

The Happening - SPOILER ALERT

The Happening

Well, it certainly “Happened.” With the pressure of previous box office hits of M. Night weighing on the back of his newest production, people flocked to the movie theatres. As is Night’s way, there is very little known about the film as people walk in. One might argue it’s the only reason there are so many numbers to theatres, but either way, it works.

The film itself was a patented twisted and spiraling thing that most expected it to be. But who would have thought biological warfare – but isn’t manufactured and therefore pretty much unstoppable? Yes, that’s right – mother nature is out to get us. The trees and other plant life want us off their land, and it seems they’ve tired of our antics.

Overall, the film wasn’t anything to completely boo and hiss, nor anything to write home about. Like other famous movie makers, Night turned to blood and gore to get a point across. His show of fit, however, is not a pissed off stalker or a family with a blood thirst. The blood serves as a poignant realization for all those watching that, “Hey, we are maybe overstepping our boundaries a little on what we’re doing with our planet.” No doubt Al Gore will love this film. With this realization in mind, the beginning of the movie brings up the problem of the disappearing honeybees. No bodies. No real understanding of why their numbers are decreased. Scientists say that it could be anything from a temperature change to lack of flowers to pollinate. Either way, this is something REAL that is really “Happening” in our world. Perhaps things outside of our concrete jungles aren’t running quite as smoothly as we all think.

All this aside, Night’s writing style is becoming more and more predictable. There are fewer and different twists in many of his films. Other than following into the blood bath culture, he uses such over written play on life and death as having new life at the end of the movie when everything is regenerating. As if many people who actually can understand the movie couldn’t see that coming. Honestly, he needs to pick up his game a little.

Reviews of People

Standing outside the theatre, however, the populous gave it a different review. “That was the ‘gayest’ movie I’ve ever seen. Don’t see it.” “That lawn mower scene was wicked awesome! The blood when that guy was run over – AMAZING.” “I don’t ever want to see another one of his movies again.”

It amazes me that people are so damn dense. I’m not saying that it’s going to be one of my favorite movies, or that I will MAKE or FORCE my friends to go see it, but I certainly don’t think it was bad. There is so much more to writing a movie (as in most writing genres) than people seem to understand or appreciate. It’s all about instant gratification with most people. If they’re not instantly pleased with something, or come out of the movie theatre with a warm sense of bubbly satisfaction and satiation, then it’s not worth the $10 they paid to get in.

Personally, I like to think about it. Let it seep in as I think about the movie as a whole. Relive parts of the movie with things later on and make them make sense. Also, to talk to someone about the whole thing and get their input on it opens your eyes even more. A movie like this that is so seemingly far fetched, yet almost completely plausible is a mind numbing experience to take in. There’s so much that you can think about. Like – “What set off the plants?” Throughout the movie different theories are thrown around, but none seem to be right since it keeps changing. I have my own theories after thinking about it for about half an hour as I sit in my room doing nothing, but there’s so much more.

In my opinion, if something can make me think and dive deeper into the story line and the mind of the writer, then it’s good. I guess that’s a problem with our society today – people don’t want or have the time to actually open up their mind and think every once and a while.

Peanut

For any of those who pay attention - please keep my little friend Jaylen (aka Peanut) in your thoughts and prayers for the next few weeks.
Jaylen is the smallest ("But not youngest!" she'll tell you) of ten year old triplets that I have babysat for years and years. She was born with a significant hole in her heart, but being born so small and weak, they could do little but hope for the best. Over the years, she has had many health trials, in and out of countless hospitals across the country and world (being a military brat). Now, as a vibrant, hyper and very, very intelligent ten year old, they decided that now would be a good time to perform open heart surgery and fix said problem. Tomorrow (Friday) she will undergo a heart catheratization process and then next Thursday will be her big day.

Please keep this little girl in your prayers. She has the most loving family and means the world to so many people. Hope for the best!

Gas Prices?

$4.00 A gallon really isn't that bad, when you look at the rest of the world.

European Gas Prices

Be lucky our government and oil predicaments are what they are, even if they could be better.
:)

Summer blues?

So, I'm home for the summer. It's interesting, I have been home for over a week now, and all I want to do is go back. I feel so utterly vulnerable at home. It might be the close proximity of Joshua, but I just don't know. It's been two months now, and I miss him more than ever. I keep telling myself that I wanted this, and that we're both better off without each other, but I'm finding it hard to keep believing it. I know people go through this after long relationships, but who knows. I just have to stick it out and hope for the best. But it's hard - losing your best friend. I think another reason is that I'm around my old friends once gain who are dating the same people they were while Josh and I were still together. I wish them the best, but it's so odd to be the only one of us that's single. I know now how some of these friends have felt throughout the random years. It hurts. And also, prom pictures are going up all over the place. It makes me miss dressing up, and meeting up with him those three years in a row. It's really quite silly, but at the same time, it's not. We were dating for almost four and half years, and I miss it.

I also definitely think that another reason I am finding myself so vulnerable is because other guys won't seem to leave me alone. All I really want to time and space to be myself - to be the person that's not attached at the hip anymore - but they, two in particular, won't even let me breathe, much less think of a life where I'm not dating them. Since when am I so damn wanted?!

I don't know. I guess late at night, I miss him more than ever. Life goes on though, and I'm learning more and more that I can cope and that I'm strong. Everything will work out - we'll both be happy, and the world will still turn.

I feel a little better, now that that emo post is out of the way.

Bloodah!

Okay, so admittedly I have been spending WAY too much time on youtube. For those of you who hand out with me, you know that I am obsessed with one video in particular.



I am simple enamored with this little boy. I want him for my own! And the dad cracking up behind the camera just makes how mad he gets even funnier!

So if any of you hear me say, "Nah FUNNNAH!" this is what it's from.

You Can

I have been spending way too much time on youtube lately, but a related story was sent to my by my dad, and being the kind of person I am, I had to learn more. I found this touching video and had to fight back the tears as I watched it. It doesn't really explain the situation any, but the music choice and the imagines are heart warming.

The story is that of a man and his son who compete in races and triathlons together. The son, Rick, however, was born with the umbilical chord wrapped around his neck, causing no air to get to his brain and causing irreversible brain damage, and lack of control of limbs and motor skills. But Rick was very smart, and his parents could tell that. They figured out a way to let him communicate, using a computer. The racing started with a fund raiser 5 mile run for a disables teenager at Rick's high school. He told his father that he wanted to do that, and it grew from there. "When I run, Dad, it feels like I'm not disabled anymore," he told his father, which melted Dick's heart.

It's truly touching, how devoted this man is to his son. It's amazing that people are still good in a world that is so screwed up sometimes.