Inception & Movie Grading 07/19/2010
I’ve decided that I’m going to enjoy movies a lot more if I only grade them on the way they draw me into the story. · If I feel a part of the story and at the end I’m glad I made the journey- it gets an A. · If I don’t care about what happens to the characters and feel that I can stop watching in the middle without regret- it gets an F. · If it’s somewhere in between- it gets a B, C, or D. “Inception” gets an A. I saw it last night with Brad and I was really sucked into the story from beginning to end. I don’t have any idea what happened. I was lost for most of the movie. I don’t feel anymore “unlost” by the end. But I was riveted from beginning to end. Could I find problems, loopholes, directing errors, poor acting choices, etc.? I’m sure. But getting sucked in for the ride is what makes good entertainment. So I’m going to leave it at that. Humility and Fathering 07/08/2010
I was humbled to discover that I'm featured on Weebly today! Humbled, because I haven't blogged enough lately to make me feel like I live up to my old slogan: "your daily dose of philosophy, politics, and religion." (so I changed it) About a year ago I took a job where I was training every day- giving thoughts, feedback, and coaching to new sales and service reps with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and it drained my ability to do the sort of research and planning it takes to actually articulate thoughtful posts each day. I wasn't able to put the time and dedication into it as I had in the past without regurgitating things that no one really wanted to hear about again. Then, last November our second son was born and it became even more difficult. I realized that the most important thing outside of working wasn't coming up with new thoughts and ideas, it was spending time with the two most terrific kids a man could hope for. Thus, my posts have become very few and far between. And while it makes me sad that an area of my life that I'm VERY proud of and excited about has had to take a back seat for a while, I think it's actually proof that I've been growing. You see, my wife told me a few months back that she thought I was a much more selfless person than the man she married, and I honestly wasn't really sure that I could put my finger on what she meant. Today, I figured it out. If this site- which is my pride and joy- can be placed aside in favor of my wife and my two kids, then I feel very good about my priorities. In fact, the place in life that I find myself a part of right now is in some ways the end game of this entire blog anyway! For what else are Philosophy, Politics, and Religion good for if not to point us toward a life worth living. I think I've found that. My life is very worth living. If I to spend too much time here, crafting my ideas on what the good life means and why it's so great would actually diminish the enjoyment that I'm having right now. So while I've enjoyed that many of you have stopped by today to view my blog and figure out what's happening in my neck of the woods- I need to make it clear (mostly to myself) that this site is going to be somewhat bland for the next couple of months/years. There are two little boys and an amazing woman who have captured my affections and chronicling my own ideas on God or Life cannot come close to the thrill of loving them. Have fun on your journey! I hope to hear from you soon. Cheers, Nathan |