Presidental Visit

The president visited my edge of the world today and all I can say about his visit is that he blocked traffic during rush hour and slowed down the buses. And as a result me. It's Friday afternoon and all I want is to get home with minimal delay and not only do I get Friday traffic, but rush hour traffic, and president traffic too. A girl just wants to go home sometimes, all oval office business aside.

Internal Dialogue

I don't know about you, but I have an internal dialogue running in my head all day. Whatever thoughts I have that I don't speak out loud are loud and clear within my cranium.

Whatever you hear come from my mouth may be something completely different from what I am thinking or it could be a compilation of what I am think, the result of my current train of thought, or my exact thoughts at the time.

Sometimes when I am blogging I let my mind run through "free association" and whatever I think of is what comes. If I let myself get to critical or analytical or editorial, I tend to slow down and the words stop and the writing stops. Just keep writing. Just keep thinking. Just keep breathing.

Do you have a running dialogue in your head?

Photography: Flowers

These are a lovely bouquet of flowers I received yesterday. Aren't they gorgeous!?

Happy Valentine's Day

smile at me softly

and take my hand

before we turn to go,

trust earth below and sky

above, their testament will show

what we have will ever grow.

Review: The Bachelor 2012 Ben Flajnik and Courtney

This week's episode takes place in Belize. There are six women left; two will go home. The four left will have home town visits. There will be three one-on-one dates and one group date. There is only a rose on the group date.

I think I always start out watching these shows, hoping that the people on them will be smart and wise, but I end up disappointed. I am not impressed by Ben. Perhaps he sees something in these women that I don't see on the camera. But, wow, has he embarrassed himself so far.

Now, I understand that these people are plied with alcohol all day and they really have nothing else/better to do while on the show, but did Ben really have to go skinny dipping? And when three different people tell you the same thing about one other person, do you think they're all really wrong and lying? No? Yes?

Let's start with the skinny dipping and maybe this is just me. But could you really continue to date someone when they've done such an intimate thing as go skinny dipping with another person when he is supposed to be staying "open" and "fair" to everyone? If he's going to go skinny dipping with one, shouldn't it be will all? (Sorry for the slight crassness, but wouldn't that be "FAIR"). He told the Shantel from the morgue that he couldn't accept her on the show because it wouldn't be fair to the other girls. How is it fair to the other women for him to go skinny dipping with Courtney? It's not. Going skinny dipping probably oriented him more strongly towards Courtney than the other women, just because it is so intimate and bonding.

And now that we're on the subject of Courtney... do you think that three different people telling you the same thing are all wrong? All three of them have doubts about her intentions for being on the show.

From what scenes the show presents of Courtney, she honestly seems like a person who is constantly trying to please others and yet is very self centered. She does what she thinks will get her what she wants. At first I know this sounds conflicting, but let me explain.

Whenever Courtney has screen time in front of the camera for commentary, she almost always make a snarky comment, followed by a silly face which seems to me that she is simply shooting the wind. And as a result, I don't think that I can take anything she says at face value. She seems to say things that she knows/thinks will elicit a reaction, whether they are what she honestly thinks or not.

During the latest episode as the women were waiting for the cocktail party to start, she seems to be more free with what she says (perhaps a little too much pina colada?) and tries to convince the women to lighten up and have a little more fun even though everyone else thinks this rose ceremony is very serious. All of her commentary is self focused rather than other focused. (Many girls act fixated on how Ben is and what they can do to make him happy. Courtney acts fixated on herself and how Ben can make her happy.)

At the same time, she very obviously has Ben wrapped around her little finger. I wouldn't be surprised if he does pick her at the end. Almost every time she sees Ben she says exactly the right thing. Oh, I "lost the spark" she will say. Which seems to confuse Ben because he thought things were going great. And to keep this girl he is obviously attracted to happy, he seeks to reassure her.

A couple times Ben takes action that seems to test Courtney, acting in "defiance" of what she obviously wants, such as inviting her only on group dates, and giving a rose to another girl on one said group date. And he questions her motivation for being on the show. She replied of course "for him" and he believes her.

...Time and TV will tell...

Park #4

Gloomy day, gloomy park.

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience

This movie is a good choice to see on an IMAX screen, especially the scenes shot in the skyscraper in Dubai. Tom Cruise even does his own stunts during these scenes. The action is steady and the story is solid. I certainly don’t remember the previous Mission Impossible movies, so I can say for sure that you can see this movie even if you haven’t seen (or don’t remember!) the previous movies. The plot line is a good stand-alone stories with ties to the previous movies and leaving open the end (i.e. with all main characters alive) to allow for future continuations if desired.

You should definitely see this movie on a big screen to fully appreciate the experience!

Movie Review: The Vow

The Vow actually ended up not being as sappy as I thought it was going to be. I seriously thought it was going to be another "50 First Dates" movie--very cheesy, very unreal. However, it was truer to life than expected. The ending wasn't all tied up in a neat little bow. Everything was not peaches in cream and perfect. Which is great! Because even though as I writer I may want to tie up loose ends, that isn't how life is, and it doesn't always make for a great story. Sometimes, a little pain, a little uncertainty is what one needs to connect and make a satisfying end, because even if you don't have all the answers, isn't that what life is?

Movie Review: Haywire

I was nicely surprised that this movie wasn't entirely taken up with fight scenes. Yes, the main actress is a professional MMA fighter, and yes, the main theme is fighting and the main mode of communication is though battles, however, it is the story and the mystery that carries this movie. Without the story there would be no reason for the main character to be fighting at all. She is a hired agent, and fighting is part of her job, however, she finds that everything is not what it seem and

she must fight to survive!

Overall, an interesting movie that I would recommend you take a look at.

Park #3

This day was cloudy, but the park made up for the bad weather with bright colors and sleeping ducks:

Park #2

Today was bright and sunny!

Writing Prompt: Note Behind the Picture

A picture on your mantle unexpectedly falls and crashes to the floor. As you go to pick it up, you notice a note hidden behind the picture. The message is from the future—and written by you. It instructs you to do something important. What does it say?

 Crash!

I spin around to see my tortie point cat leap off the mantle, my favorite picture of James and me, falling to the floor.

"Catoozie! What are you doing?!"

I rush over to the picture, to find the glass has shattered and fallen out, and the back cover is loose. When I turn the hinge to adjust the back, a small square of folded printer paper falls out. When I open up the letter I find the words:

I duck and feel fur flying over my head. Catoozie had leaped from behind me to jump back up on the mantle and now she had a small black withering, thing in her paws.Yeowling like a banshee, she jumped away with the little creature in her mouth.

What I Learned from the Super Bowl

1. Football takes a long time.
2. Defense guys are oxen and offense guys are ostriches.
3. Helmets save lives.
4. Guys like to pile on top of each other; that or they don't know how to stop.
5. Quarterbacks get the supermodels.
6. There's just as much sport as there is commercials.
7. The game elicits yelling while there is riveted silence during the halftime show.
8. The halftime show has nothing to do with football and everything to do with MDNA.
9. The game can be riveting when the clock is 00:00 and the final possible touchdown makes or breaks it.
10. In the end, it's all about a silver football that you must touch or kiss.

Play Review: How to Write a New Book for the Bible

"Writers are told to write what they know. But as Bill Cain discovers in writing about his own family, sometimes those we are closest to are the biggest mysteries of all. From the writer of Equivocation comes a beautiful new play taken from Cain’s own experiences caring for his dying mother. He asks the questions that speak to the heart of every family: What will never change…and what has to? A Jesuit priest as well as a playwright, Cain brings a fascinating view to this simple, powerful illustration of why the details of our lives and loves matter." ~The Seattle Repertory Theater

This play is one of the best plays to come out of the Seattle Rep theater this season and it is by far my favorite! I am so glad I got to see this play. I would highly recommend you go see it, however, it closes today. Sad! Well, if it ever comes back, you'll know to go take a look!

This play managed to be funny, serious, and poignant all at the same time, and not necessary in that order. According to the playwright, Cain, this is the most autobiographical play he has written. I find that the stories we tell of our lives are some of the best; much better than stories we fabricate.

Our own universal truths are those we can share with others.

(As far as I know) I have never see a play written by a priest. Most of the time now I only see priests in church, and not so much in other places. When I attended a Jesuit university a few of my professors were Jesuits.

How does being a priest affect your playwriting and vice versa? 

I’m a Jesuit priest, and the Jesuits weren’t founded to live in a cloister or a monastery. We’re supposed to go into the world, find the presence of God there and celebrate it. I’d say that was a pretty good description of what all of us in theatre do as well. Theatre is always proclaiming “attention must be paid” to what is neglected and holy. Willy Loman. Antigone. Blanche. In this play—Mary. The jobs of writer and priest—as “Bill” says in the play—are closely related. In both, you point and say, “Look. Look there. That person you haven’t noticed—he, she matters. ~Bill Cain, Interview, Berkeley Repertory Theater

Cain's play shines light on the important things. That's what writing should do. That's what art should do.

Art: Overwhelming

Groundhog Day

Today was a beautiful day and it was also Groundhog Day. I saw my shadow, please let that mean there will be no more winter! I am completely tired of the cold weather, winter, and wearing my heavy coat. I am so tired of this, that today I wore a skirt and my windbreaker in defiance. It wasn't quite warm enough for a skirt, but don't care!

Walking incentive, fabulous views on mostly clear days:

Walking 3.5 Miles Again

Today I walked to a different park than the one before, and this time I remembered to take a picture! Hooray for the waterfront!