My contacts and my friends

In the last four years I have moved offices twice, changed computer systems twice, and I have gone from notebooks with my contacts to Outlook contacts.  Each time a major change comes I go through my contacts and my pile of business cards.  Some names are "blasts form the past".  I haven't seen or talked to them in ages. Some are from past chapters in my life that will not com this way again.  There is sadness in some names, but the names and phone numbers that bother me the most are those still in my world.  I see people weekly that I once shared a friendship. Now it is acquaintance.  Some of it my fault and some theirs.  Sometimes I am asked (informally) to choose a side and when I don't, then I do. If you get my drift.  Many friends and fellow Christians have rules for closeness. If I drop the ball once, I am unworthy of their time. Or- if I differ on some political, quasi-political, or opinion I am blackballed.

Here is the hard part: While I am in denial at times, I am probably seen as doing the same!

None of have too many friends but we don't do a good job of keeping the ones we have.

Playing with Matches

A book that I am reading reminded me to "the way it used to be".  This age of recycling is not totally new for in the 1950s we recycled soda pop bottles. They were worth 2 cents each!  When we bought pop, we took the empties back.

Now the idea of separating paper from cans from bottles would have been weird in Haskell. There was no trash pick-up of any kind.  One of my chores as a 9 year old was to take out the trash in the brown supermarket sacks to our 50 gallon drum of a trash can near the back of the property. I was also given a box of kitchen matches to burn it! Yes, a Nine year old can be responsible to not let things get out of hand.  After all this was not a "chore". In the sacks would be milk carton boxes, cereal boxes, and misc. other things.  I enjoyed setting them on fire and watching the fire get intense.

Scrap food did not exist. We had two pigs (my Brothers' FFA livestock) who got the "slop". and my dog, Rex, got leftover bones and gravy and bread scraps. No he did not choke. He relished every bit.

We mixed air pollution with the idea of not making land fills any bigger.  

In the 1950s we did not throw away the food we do today. My folks planned everything so that if it was cooked, it was consumed.

We have gained much in the 21st Century, but we have lost a lot too.

It is Fall and I remember the days when we could burn the leaves in our yards. The smell was tremendous. Not saying we should return.  WE have gained so much that the smell of burning leaves is sma-a-a-ll.

This is Where I Leave You

2014 Movie # 40 is "This is Where I Leave You".   Great Title for a really good movie. It is called a dramatic comedy which fits well. It concerns about the most dysfunctional family that you can meet as the four siblings come together with their mother (Jane Fonda) to spend seven days together with spouses, significant others, and children to honor the death of their Jewish Atheist father.

It is R and it is rough language , but trust me: No matter how chaotic your family is, this will make you feel better about things.  This is a tremendous cast including: Jason Batman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Kathryn Hahn, Rose Byrne, Abigail Spencer, Timothy Olyphant and Ben Schwartz.  You might not know all the names, but you have seen them many times!

An Adult film about adults coping with messy lives.

Much to see, much to consider.

I give it ***1/2 stars

Boyhood 2

In the movie, "Boyhood", the "Boy" is constantly being asked about his future, his direction, his college, etc.  The pressure for this stuff is crazy compared to my personal growth.  I knew at an early age that I liked creating things, but never thought about it seriously until maybe 16!

I took the grandsons to OSU football game Saturday.  Avery, 11, announced that he had narrowed his choices to OSU and Tulsa University.  Addison, 8, is currently forming a landscaping company and is completely serious.   When I was 11, I thought about model cars, maybe getting a motorcycle, and playing football!  Did everything but the cycle. 

When I started College at Northeastern State, I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer and design Automobiles.  I actually changed to "architecture" because of all the math in engineering.  

Glad I did.  Have not used calculus since my last test in school.

Boyhood

When I first heard about "Boyhood", I knew it was a must-see.  I certainly did not know if it would be any good, but I am a fan of Richard Linklater films.  Just the thought of filming a movie over 12 years is wild for a documentary. This is fiction! How do you keep the cast together? What about accidents, illness or change of heart?  This is groundbreaking in the idea alone.

In reality It is a masterpiece.  I watched a family over a twelve year span. The boy in Boyhood goes from 6 years old to 18.  The movie is so real it is like eavesdropping.  The story is good and the theme: What is life about?  Why do we do this? Happiness?

I don't want to talk much about this other than to say:  For me it was must see.

I give it *****1/2 stars out of five.  I have seen better movies but not better told movies.

2014 movie 39

Good Quotes

"If you are overextended you are under committed."


A book that I am reading has this quote.  One of my pet peeves in meetings and anywhere with humans is when someone starts talking as if they were the only busy person on earth and that excuses them from being responsible concerning the discussion at hand.

This quote speaks to me. If you are doing 30 different things, you are not committed to the important things of life.  A Christian has to guard against putting "things" before God. There is lies the challenge.

Fall Movies

"When The Game Stands Tall" is a great high school football movie.  It is a true story of a California High School that won 151 straight games and the aftermath of the loss that broke the string.  Good motivational movie for any competitive sports team. If I was in school I would give it ****stars, but as I am not: ***stars.

"The November Man" is a great action movie with special effects for us "Baby Boomers".  The special effects are that a guy over 70 is made to look and act like he's 30!  Fun movie in the James Bond style.  ***stars

2014 movies 37 & 38