Birthdays should be like any other day

I had a birthday recently, my 39th birthday. A friend of mine sent me a comedy clip where the jokes were about how everyone acts like they should not have to do anything on their birthday. The comedian also pointed how society makes a big deal of birthdays & puts a sort of pressure on people. It did not seem all that funny until I started talking with people about my birthday. I noticed everyone has the same type of question. Everyone was asking if I would do anything fun or have big plans for my birthday.

At first the questions seemed funny in light of the comedy clip I watched but the more I thought about it there does seem to be this weird expectation to do something because of the birthday. My guess is people are asking one question while intending to ask another. The idea of doing something fun or having big plans is another way of asking if one will celebrate in some way. I am willing to bet that most people have good intentions with those questions but it still comes out in an odd way & gives off another vibe or impression.

I am torn about how to handle my birthdays. Some years I want to spend a night with a few friends over dinner, some years I want to be alone and enjoy a glass of wine, and some years I want a huge party or event of some sort. Most of the time I alternate between spending time with a few friends to enjoying a nice dinner & glass of wine out on the town. I am probably getting old enough that a huge party or event is not what many people my age or my friends would expect.

I am tempted to start my own unique celebration of taking some time off work & traveling somewhere. Then I would have my own unique way to celebrate that would be something I could use to questions about my fun or interesting birthday plans. I may have to implement it next year. Until then friends, enjoy your birthdays no matter how you celebrate.

Movies nominated for Oscars

I did see quite a few of the films nominated for best picture. I try to see as many as possible, if not all of them. Every now and then I will see a film that was nominated for best supporting actor or actress if they are not also nominated for best picture. I have noticed many of the films nominated for best actor & actress as well as best supporting actor & actress are also nominated for best picture. I feel if I view the films nominated for best picture then I will have an idea of what most of the other performances are for some of the other films nominated in other categories.

Anyhow, I digress...here some of the movies nominated for best picture and my brief thoughts on the film.

12 years a slave
Had an amazing story with a great cast. It was entertaining, touching, and very inspiring. I enjoyed the way the protagonist responded to all of live's challenges and set backs with a strong unyielding will to live. It was some great points. I thought some of the best performances for supporting actor & actress were in this film. I don't think it deserved best picture but it is a great film.

American Hustle
I heard someone say you either love this movie or hate it and I struggled with both. I was not sure if it was suppose to be a drama, or a spoof of a story, or straight comedy. In many ways it was in genre of film by itself. Many of the comedic moments were amazing & hands down some of the most original lines & moments in film. The performances were great & if you want to see an entertaining film go see this film.

Gravity
I strongly felt and still do, this was the movie that should have won best picture. Everything about it was well done, visual effects, story, acting, directing, script, etc., etc. This is the type of film that should inspire people to do anything in film & in life. Hands down the best film I have seen this year! Go see this film!!!

Captain Phillips
I was hesitant to see this film but I enjoyed it. It has just the right amount of tension, drama & action to keep the viewer's attention through the film. It does not move too slow or too fast. I think most people know the story the film is based upon and how those events ended. I am not a Tom Hanks fan but he delivers an amazing performance that I enjoyed. If anyone enjoys Captain Phillips harrowing account, I recommend this film.

Dallas Buyers Club
This film was one of the best movies I saw this year. Everything was done well, like Gravity, but this film is not a fictional story for entertaining purposes like Gravity was intended to be. This film follows the story of Ron Woodruff who discovers he has HIV in the early 1980s. Little was known about the virus at the time & this tells of Ron's journey to find helpful treatment & provide it to others. I am not sure how accurately the film follows Ron Woodruff's story but it is inspiring movie with amazing performances! Go see this film!!

Crazy Colorado weather

I live in Denver, Colorado and our weather has been crazy bipolar the last month and half. We could have a sunny day with sixty degree weather and the next day has a high of twenty with rain & snow. It has been doing this every week for the last six weeks! It is driving me nuts!!

I have known bipolar people with mood swings that are not as sever as our weather. Most of my ex girl friends did not have mood swings as bad as the weather has been, and I have dated some crazy moody women! (Sorry to my ex-girl friend's but since we are no longer dating I can admit the truth about how moody you all were!!)

Today I am sitting in my office staring out my window at downtown Denver. The snow was coming in so thick I could not see more the two blocks in any direction. It was windy & cold as well! Less than fours later it is sunny & mildly warm.

The saying about Colorado weather is so true. If you don't like the weather just wait five minutes.

Weekend plans foiled, again!

My social activities & plans to relax each weekend for the last four or five weeks have been for naught. I have had plans to go snowshoeing, check out a couple movies, and make it to a poker game. Each weekend something has come up which foiled my plans

A couple weekends I was sick.
One work week was long and I was exhausted so I cancelled my plans over the weekend to relax.
This last weekend I had a stomach flu.

My hope is I can stay healthy this week & be relatively free from stress so next weekend I can catch up on the poker, snowshoeing, & movies I wanted to view. I am feeling better right now & plan on doing my laundry, chores & shopping done during the weeknights so I can have fun next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed & wish me luck!