Monday, October 21, 2013

Thinkin 'bout

On my mind -

1. Rush





















It's based on a true story.
There should be more movies based on people's real lives. Because actual people's actual lives? Are interesting.

Also, I was wondering about movies like this. Specifically the screenwriting. So I googled who wrote it, and why. Because it's fascinating, no? I mean, some guy researches a past event and writes about it in a compelling way. And then some other guy makes it come to life.

How does he decide who's story to dig into? Like, other than racing fans, who knows (or cares) about the two main players in the 1976 Formula One season? Probably only their families. But here's the thing... they are REAL people, and we can learn from their stories. There's so much to learn.

I loved this movie.
I loved that Ron Howard took a good story and made it exciting.
And I love the way Peter Morgan wrote the story. Here's what he said:

"If you’re at all interested in this, the screenplay itself is structured as a race. There’s a series of overtaking manoeuvres.  From their meeting at the opening race until the final race it’s structured as one person overtaking the other. Only until the final race are they in a position of equals. From a writing point-of-view, I wrote that to amuse myself." 

Aaack. I love that. And he's right. It totally felt like that, those overtaking manoeuvers.

By the way, Peter Morgan also wrote:
The Queen
The Last King of Scotland
The Other Boleyn Girl
Frost/Nixon
... so he's made a living at bringing historical events alive.

(Coincidently, his next project is called Heart of the Sea, and it's based on the real events behind the story of Moby Dick. Ron Howard is directing, again. Chris Hemsworth is starring, again. Why do I care? Well because the BBC and Discovery Channel are producing the exact same story, as told through the eyes of a 14 year old cabin boy, which will be on TV later this fall, called The Whale. So, yes, I'm going to watch both productions to see how two different production teams handle the same story.)

Uh,
yeah.

Quit judging me right this minute.

2. Don Jon






















Joseph Gordon-Levitt, that child actor from 3rd Rock from the Sun, and today's hot guy in Hollywood, wrote and directed (and starred in) his first movie. The topic that he chose to address? The unrealistic expectations we bring to relationships. For guys, this would be based on porn. And for girls, it would be based on scripts written for romantic comedies. Real women are not porn actresses and sex isn't/shouldn't be one-sided. And real men? Don't have Norah Ephron writing their lines for them.

Real relationships are messy and take work. Every single day.

And in the end? It's not about getting your needs met. It's about the other person. And loving them well.

It was fascinating watching a contemporary, non-faith-based movie eventually come to the same conclusion about relationships that those of us with old-fashioned Christian values have.

(That said, I don't recommend you see this movie. So don't go.)
(I'm serious.)


3. Gravity






















Stunningly beautiful.

A 'what if' movie...

Have you seen it?

I keep putting myself in Sandra Bullock's role and know that I would have had complete peace to meet my Maker in outer space. Am I lazy? Would it be just too much work for me to get back to earth? Probably.

My dad on the other hand? He would be a fighter. He would do whatever it took. He would be creative and focused and tireless in his pursuit of getting back to earth. No way he'd die in a space module.

My old man? Is doing whatever it takes. That man refuses to die. He is determined to live forever. And by living, I mean, staying alive, laying in his bed, fully dressed in his jeans, shoes, red shirt and black leather jacket, ready to visit when anyone pops by. His world is that big - and he's not leaving it.

I don't think I inherited any of that strong will from him.


4. Friday Night Lights

(You are going to think that all I do is read books, watch movies and sit in front of the TV.)
















This is the new DVD box-set that I'm watching with my mom. (Simply can't watch Robin Hood again... I've now seen all 39 episodes 4 times.) In an effort to bring balance to my life - I'm immersing myself in Texan accents to offset the obsession I have with Northern English ones. It was noted on Facebook that I've made a giant leap. And I agree, yes I have. It is a huge jump from Manchester to Austin.

That said, I am hooked. Just finished the first 18 episodes of Season 1 and HOLEY COWWWW. I am crushing on that coach. He must've been created by a woman. Some female has got to be writing his lines, because he always says exactly the right thing. Siggggghhhh.

Have you seen the show?
Man.
They're tackling every family/teen/school/culture issue out there. I love the relationship that Coach and Mrs. Coach have. We (OK, I) can learn alot from watching TV I think. Because, yes, there have been a few episodes that bring back memories of when I was married and it's enlightening watching how they navigated through the mess. There's some wisdom to be gained.

And. Did you know that this guy:





















(Taylor Kitsch, who plays Tim Riggins ...)

... was born in Kelowna, BC.  His mother worked for the BC liquor board and his father in construction. He has two older brothers and two younger paternal half sisters, and was raised by his single mother in Vancouver. He played junior ice hockey for the Langley Hornets in the British Columbia Hockey League, before a knee injury ended his career.

OK, well I thought that was interesting.

So. Anyway. I would recommend this show. It's not on TV anymore, so you'll have to watch it commercial-free online somehow or just buy the DVD set.

5. I've been thinking about new babies.
And what they mean.

.
.
.
.

They mean that alot of my friends are grandmas.
Sometimes that's just weird for me.

I just did an online 20 question thingy that calculates, very scientifically, one's mental age.
I am 37.
Which is almost exactly how old I feel.
Even before I did the test, I've been struggling with the fact that I feel like I'm 37 in this 52 year old body.
Thirty seven is the age I was when I became a single mom. And the past 15 years have been all about raising my boys. My identity and time and outlook and passion was being their mom. Where we lived, what I drove, where we went on holidays, where I worked, what I did in my spare time, was all about them.

And that ended.
Like it's supposed to.
Those years whizzed by in a whirl.

And now that they're done, it feels like I'm back to being 37 again, facing another life change. Only this time, it's not all about raising boys. It's about living another version of single-life fully and completely under a different set of circumstances.

So while I'm figuring things out in the basement of my mom's house, my settled friends are becoming grandmas:

Marj and Monica are both grandmas to Abigail:

























































New babies are so soft.
And feel so good cradled in your arms.

You just get filled with peace when you've got a content baby looking up at you. So trusting. So beautiful.

6. I am thinking about goodbyes.
And how much I hate them.

We bid farewell to 3 young adults (26 - 29 years old) this week at work (all significant to my time at Focus) as they took on new positions with different organizations.

A cloud of sadness hovered over me all week as I prepared myself for their last days. I'm so not a fan of change. Why couldn't they just stay and make this their forever-and-ever-happily-ever-after job?

Sigh.



7. I am thinking about baptisms and shares.
This weekend at church, the Saturday evening service had no sermon. Just the testimonies (life stories) of 23 folks who were getting baptized that night. So much cheering. So much happiness and hope. So many lives that have been turned around. So much joy in that place. And the place was packed. 1,000 people? I don't know what the capacity is, but it was full. Folks were on chairs in the foyer watching it on screens. It was my favorist church service ever. I didn't know a single person who got dunked but it totally didn't matter. Tears dripped down my cheeks with every share. I love hearing people's stories.

On Thursday night I was at an NA meeting with Max to celebrate the cakes (clean time) of two of his friends. It too was a packed house. (Maybe a couple hundred people?) Standing room only plus tonnes of people sitting on the floor. So much energy and life and joy and hope in that room. I loved listening to B and T's friends share their journeys with the others but directed to the new guys who were coming for the very first time. So life-giving and positive. So practical. So raw and transparent. So very, very real. And so noisy. Much cheering and affirmation.

Know what?

We have to get good at sharing our stories.
We have to get comfortable sharing our struggles and our victories.
And we have to get way better and listening to others when they are sharing their stories.



We need each other.

We are where we are, by God's design. The people in our lives?
Are there because God put them there.





So that's what I'm thinking about.


Three things I'm thankful for:
1. A great supper with my boy in Vancouver. I am so thankful he's back.
2. The colors of Fall. Seriously. This has got to be the prettiest corner on earth.
3. The entertainment industry.

Shalom, friends.
xo

1 comment:

Tricia said...

Friday Night Lights. Love that show SO MUCH, and cried after the last episode feeling like I'd lost all my friends; it's that good.