Shameless plugs

I wasn't sure if this post was going to be product reviews or a recommendations so it was decided they should be called...shameless plugs.

Movies I enjoy/recommend
Smokin Aces - If you are in the mood for a fairly fast moving feds, gangster, other unsavory character movie go see Smokin Aces. Gratuitous violence - A+ (people are shot, one guy ends up on fire, and one character carries a chainsaw). I was told there was no story or plot but with that expectation I was surprised at how well the story worked & it was refreshingly original! Alicia Keys, Andy Garcia, Ben Affleck were great & Jeremy Pivens nails his role as an empty gangster attempting to get protection from the Mob. Ryan Reynolds role as a Fed is believable but disappointing considering his anti-establishment image. Not to spoil the surpise ending, Reynolds redeems himself!!! This movie almost pulls off pulp fiction cool & style with a mainstream Hollywood story.

Pursuit of Happyness - I HIGHLY RECOMMMEND!!! You don't see too much in the way of great performances but the story is PHENOMENAL!!! Will Smith's son Jayden co stars and steals a few scenes from Will. Thandie Newton gives a stellar performance, almost more so then Will Smith. She has got to be the most under-rated actress in Hollywood and movies like this one make one wonder why she isn't in more pictures or winning awards!!! The story of this movie alone is worth admission price!

A Sniper's Journey - I forget the author but he is telling his stories of serving in the Armed forces starting in Vietnam and ending with Operation Desert Storm. The author tells his story as honestly as he can with his & the war's high points, low points, his character flaws & admireable attributes. The story doesn't glamorize war or violence so it serves to remind us of our most precious possession, our humanity.

Shattered Dreams by Larry Crab - Larry covers the book of Ruth from a new & vibrant perspective. He pulls out lessons I remember learning as a kid and presents them in a new way in which their relevance is obvious and extremely valuable. I am a Larry Crab fan and have been reading his books for years and they just keep getting better & better!

My own worst enemy

While driving home after work I couldn't help but count the number of times other drivers would cut other people off, run stop signs, and almost come close to hitting cars. I distinctly remember an acute spike in my blood pressure as one driver caused me to step on my brakes with quite a few cars behind me. As that reckless driver disappeared into dark snowy side streets I clenching my steering wheel thinking "Who has the nerve"?

I continued on my way driving more aggressively & taking more chances. I told myself all the other drivers where just slow & overly cautious in snowy weather. Less then two hours later I was leaving a restaurant parking lot, turning left onto a busy street. I made the brilliant choice to wait until traffic from both lanes was on top of me to turn and the blaring horn of one driver asked the same question I asked earlier...who has the nerve?

I knew it the second it happened. I didn't need to hear his horn or have it ring in my ears for a few minutes after ward but it did as a more welcome sound than crashing glass or an ambulance or someone crying. Both the driver who cut me off and I got lucky tonight. We didn't end up in accidents that easily could have been caused by the results of our actions.

The funny thing about hypocrisy is you don't see it until after the fact. How long would I have driven angry, recklessly & aggressively if it weren’t for the turn out of that restaurant & someone honking at me? I may have just driven around like that one night and never thought about it again. Who is to say what would happen the next time I was frustrated with drivers in snowy weather? What if I was in a hurry or upset again? We all justify our actions, and for what? To feel better?

As much as I was upset with the guy who cut me off I know that tonight...I'm no better than him and I'm just as upset with myself & my actions. As I drove home I couldn't look at myself in any reflective surface because the guy with the nerve to drive recklessly would be staring back at me. Despite avoiding my reflection as I drove home I slowed down and drove conservatively without taking any risks. It was my first step to getting away from or getting better than my own worst enemy.

Interviews

I just watched the auditions for the current American Idol season. Everyone must watch those and wonder what those people were thinking?

I just had a couple job interviews and they went okay but I was so nervous it seemed like everything wasn't going well. I am afraid to know if my interview was secrectly taped and the interviewers will gather secrectly to watch & laugh at my interview. Duane rejected from Interview Idol!

At one point in the second more serious interview I was asked to recall a stressful situation and how I handled it. All I could think of was the time I went to Babies R us and freaked out (If you are a single man or male, it is pretty scarey in there) so that is what I told them.

If an Interview Reject show ever comes out...look for me!

Those promises

Its mid January and I'm still trying to figure out my New Years resolutions. It maybe February before they are complete.

Last year I resolved to remember & use the names of wait staff at restuarants and thank them & I kept that one. I resolved to read 6 - 12 books in 2006 and I read at least 11 books. I did make it a goal to run in a half marathon and didn't do that one because of a sprained ankle that was resprained a few times. I resolved not to eat too much chocolate and I broke that one. I did resolve to eat more chicken...I think I kept that one.

Most people I know & talk with don't make resolutions. Everyone seems to point out they are great motivators for a little while but eventually you will break them. I know that despite completeing some of my resolutions there were many days I was not on track. I was not moving towards completeing the goals set before me.

Growing up I use to think resolutions were for people who had problems, outcasts, or people with too much time on their hands. I use to think they were for people who choose not to live life or people who were afraid of things. The older I have gotten I realize at various points in my life I have resembled all those stereo types and they didn't explain why news years resolutions or goals were made or broke each time New Years day rolled around.

I make resolutions because I want to keep in mind I am a work in progress. I am not perfect and not nearly complete. I am not the person I want to be and maybe I will never achieve him this side of the gravity line. But I still make resolutions or goals on New Years. Resolutions help me remember and inspire me on some level to keep striving, keep pursuing my passions, keep living. Eventually, some day, at some point in time...I will make it.

Prune Juice

A few weeks ago I was with some friends and we were sitting down to watch a movie and they offered me something to drink. I had an upset stomach for a day or two and wasn't sure what to drink. They offered me some prune juice and I drank it. It tasted good and my stomach quit hurting. And I liked it!

When I was younger my grandfather use to have phrases that made me laugh. One of them was "Prune juice, Grandson". I use to laugh because he was talking about something that sounded awful to drink and most likely something I would never drink. Now days...I wouldn't mind enjoying a glass of Prune juice with my Grandfather.

2007?

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!! I hope 2007 is full of everything you hope & dream.

My News Years was spenting hanging with some friends & family. We ate, drank, laughed, and got to know each other. Hopefully it was an indicator of good things to come in 2007!

My real Secret Santa

In my idealistic opinion the closest any gift can come to capturing the meaning of the Christmas season will be a gift given; to someone who doesn't know you, someone who can't repay you, it will be given to someone in need, and will cost one something (or any combination of those options).

This is the gift I get excited about! I don't know who I will give it to and I don't know when it will happen. It maybe well before or after Christmas but I listen & watch for opportunities or people who are in need of help. The last few years I have ended up helping out single parents with kids but I don't have any specific preference. One year a guy attempting to get back home to visit his family over the holidays was given a bus ticket, another year a stranded motorist was taken to a gas station and had his gas bought for him. The important thing for me is seeing the opportunity and taking advantage of it when it appears, regardless of how significant or insignificant it appears to be. It may mean I'm late to an event, or don't use the extra shopping money on myself then that is the price I pay.

I don't write all this to brag as there is a point to this post. This year I was fortunate to hear about someone in need and be able to get some information about them and help them. It was something I was looking forward to and at the same time one of the few things that really worked out for me this time of year. There were many goals I wanted to accomplish but didn't do this holiday season. I wanted to spend more time shopping, finish a few books I had started reading months ago, decorate a Christmas tree I bought (it is now New Years and I still haven't done it), I wanted to visit more friends who were in town, I was supposed to have a couple blind dates (no ones fault...things didn't work out due to time/schedule conflicts & being snowed in) and I was attempting to get out of doing a paper for one of my classes but it would have hurt my grade too much so I'm turning it in late (and I haven't done much research for it). December 2006 will go down in history as the month that could have held many bright, fun, eventful, productive, activities but DID NOT.

Despite all my frustrated plans I take comfort & joy in knowing I was able to truly help someone in need. It is weird to know even though the things I place value in or are important to me are out of my control and frustrated I can still choose to help someone. It is much more meaningful because it reminds me of what is truly valuable this season.

(Although a couple dates, a decorated Christmas tree, and being able to dodge a homework assignements would have been great Christmas gifts!)