Introducing...

My new blog, devoted entirely to film reviews! Someone told me I should do this, since I talk about movies so much. I’m no Roger Ebert, but hope you’ll enjoy the site. I started working on the layout and getting a few films up a couple weeks ago. I think it’s now ready to be officially launched. You can access it through the “Film Reviews” page on the side column, or by clicking HERE.

Please feel free to give me feedback or suggest movies you’d like reviewed. I’m trying to highlight some of what I think are great movies from the past, as well as stay current with new ones. Each post includes the original poster, a 1-5 Star rating, a brief synopsis, a link to the original theatrical trailer, and memorable quotes. You can go ahead and express your own opinions using the comments section and/or response buttons.

By no means am I shutting down this blog. I love writing it—even if it is somewhat sporadic lately. Thanks to everyone who’s subscribed! It’s encouraging to know people are reading this. So don’t worry about it, just mosey on over to my new side project, “Rainy Days and Mondays” if you’re curious… you know you want to.

When You Can't Crawl

Sometimes life knocks you flat on your back very unexpectedly. When this happens, you have two options: continue to lay there or try to get back up. While it may be tempting to wallow in despair, you can’t do that forever. Just because you want to get back on your feet doesn’t mean you always can on your own. Sometimes, you need someone to help you.

I’ve become convinced that friends are essential to an existence. C.S. Lewis once said that “friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” I think that sentiment sums up my feelings perfectly.

A couple weeks ago, life hit me hard. I’d already been having a bad time of it, but then something completely blindsided me. This was not one of those moments in which to be making new friends—it was one where you thank God for dear brothers and sisters who already know you. These are the type of friendships which can only been built over years of laughs and tears.

My friends are so wonderful that when everything goes pear-shaped, I can call any of them in the middle of the night and she’ll immediately want to help. I love my friends so much and I only hope that can be such a good friend to them if they ever have such a need. You know what they say, “when you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t even do that, find someone to carry you.”

Centipede IV: A New Hope

This afternoon I returned to my office to find an old foe lying in wait for me: un ciempiés de muerte! Brashly perched on the wall behind my desk, it crouched just above my phone. Completely taken aback by this sneak attack, I was unprepared for the surprise visit. The months of silence had lulled me into a false sense of security and I had dropped my guard.

As my enemy and I stared each other down, I thought back to how many people had never believed in its existence. A lack of evidence has given rise to the general sentiment that I was overreacting, possibly even imagining the danger. Slowly, carefully I reached into my pocket for my cell phone—this particular monster would not perish unnoted. I snapped a quick picture.

My old friend and ally Laura is no longer with us in this library, having moved on to a better place. This particular specimen of evil was relatively small compared to some others I had faced. However, considering its location on pale taupe wall, this crafty devil could not be squished for fear of leaving a smudge: a different approach would be required.

Emboldened by Laura’s distant cries of “Kill it! Kill it dead!” I went in search of a new and fearless champion to slay the beast and discovered Ashley. She was hard at work on the laminator, a horrid machine which is no doubt in league with the centipedes. Hearing my pleas for help, she immediately left her post to come to my aid.

We searched high and low for the perfect weapon and finally settled on a napkin from the coffee station. Marching straight into my office, Ashley paused only to comment on the repugnance of the spawn of Satan. In one fell stroke, she yanked it from down from where it had been fleeing toward the cabinets, slaying it amidst loud cheers.

The body was disposed of in a public trash can to serve as a warning to other trespassers. While preceding Centipedes of Death have been full-grown to maturity, this was only a young scout. Doubtless, there is a nest nearby. The arrival of Spring has awakened the terror with new vigor. Dark and perilous days may be ahead of us, but we have a new strength on our side. We will prevail.

Overcompensation

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re trying too hard? You keep doing whatever it takes to make everything perfect and failing miserably. No matter how hard you try, you never fully succeed. There’s always one more detail left unfinished, paranoid that there was one more word you should have said. All you want is one unspoiled moment in a day.

Today was one such day in my life. Even after I’d had my morning coffee, I just could not get the day going. Nothing I did seemed good enough. Admittedly, I was the only one noticing any mistakes; however, I could not shake the feeling that I was ruining everything. I found myself obsessing over the tiniest mistyped words—isn’t that what they have spellcheck for?

Overcompensating for a lack of contentment is exhausting. All day, I felt like a hamster in a wheel, running and running and getting nowhere. Why? Because my stylist was careless with my hair and I now look like a slightly deranged leprechaun. I’m worried that when people look at me all they will see is a dumb little blonde girl with bad highlights.

Sometimes you (I) need to take a step back and readjust the paradigm. Yes, I still need to get my hair fixed, but that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly incompetent at my job. The little things in life need to stay little. Overcompensation can knock perspective dangerously askew. Perfection is a worthy goal, but not at any cost. Some things are worth the worry, others are not… the trick is knowing the difference.

Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman

Everyday life can get so boring sometimes. The daily routines can be come mundane and tedious. Trying to live in such a dull world can be soul-sucking, so I’m constantly trying to find new ways to make things more exciting. Whether it’s speaking in a Russian accent all day or having breakfast for dinner, I simply must do something to shake it up.

The other day, I only had half an hour after finishing one job before I had to leave for my other one. As I rushed home to quickly change clothes, I thought it would be so much better if I could just keep one uniform under the other like Superman. Then I could just switch from mild-mannered librarian to personal assistant extraordinaire instantly.

All day, I’m Clark Kent… but every evening I become Superman, able to leap tall web protocols in a single bound! One of these days, I may even get myself a cape (a very fashionable one, of course). When I finally get to return to my Fortress of Solitude, it’s only to prepare to do it all again the next day. Evil databases and fax machines never take a day off, so neither can superheroes.

Somehow modern culture manages to make superheroes of us all. Whether you’re juggling work and school or two jobs or raising a family, everyone ends up wearing several uniforms with very little time to change between emergencies. The trick is to always be yourself, no matter what you’re doing: be the same Clark Kent and Superman that you are in the Fortress of Solitude.

In Like A Lion

Welcome to March! This is the wonderful time of year when you never know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow—or even this afternoon. The groundhog supposedly saw his shadow this year, so that means Spring is on the way. It’s going to be a bumpy ride between here and there and not just because of all the drunk drivers along the way.

There’s lots of fun to be had in this chaotic month:

• Mardi Gras
• spring break
• The Ides of March
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Purim
• the first day of Spring

Whether your month is coming in as a lion or a lamb, try not to worry about it. It can only get better from here, right? Eventually. Be prepared to look the lion in the mouth and tell it to hurry up and turn into a lamb already. In the meantime, remember to always carry your umbrella-ella-ella and don’t pack away your snow boots yet.