Work has finally started to slow down (for now) and I've been able to set aside some time for the finer things in life.
Lia Daniele Kerner-This goes without saying.
She & Him Vol. 2- I really love this album and I find myself listening to it a lot at work. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward continue to refine their sound, making the best Indie record Nancy Sinatra never made.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox- Lia and I watched this the other afternoon and thought it was absolutely hilarious. We've been quoting it to each other ever since. Wes Anderson needs to make more movies--one per year will do (as long as the quality holds up).
The "Perfect" Townhouse- Shhh...(Lia and I think we found it--but we're trying not to jinx it).
Springtime- Now that the snow has melted away and the grass has turned from tan to deep green I have no problem walking the dogs. Deep breaths of semi-warm air is good for the soul.
Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago- This record hasn't gotten old yet...and I dont think that it will ever.
Flying Dog Pale Ale- The best beer ever, in my humble opinion.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers- I started this a while ago and work got crazy so I had to pause. But seriously this book is incredible and I recommend it to everyone.
The Pacific on HBO- The sister miniseries to Band of Brothers, this engaging miniseries tells the stories of three marines during the Pacific campaign in WWII. It's brilliant, thought-provoking, and extremely well-made.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
David and Lia’s (5 Year) Bucket List
1) Pay Off Credit Cards
2) Leave the Country (Twice)
3) Attend a music festival
4) Attend a film festival (Cucalores doesn’t count)
5) Take a road trip (longer than 2 days of driving)
6) Potty Train Marlee
7) Go to one Steelers game a season
8) Buy a house
9) Find jobs we like (or advance in the ones we do)
10) Visit California
11) See more concerts
12) See all best picture nominees each year
13) Read (at least) 5 books a year
14) Write a screenplay
15) Learn an instrument
16) Go to Europe
17) Get a big screen TV (and a blu-ray player)
18) Enter one short story contest
19) Volunteer
20) Do something special with our siblings
21) See EVERY Bruce Springsteen tour
22) Exercise together more
23) Go skydiving
24) See a broadway play
25) Vacation every single summer (and get a tan)
26) Visit our friends more (buy cowboy boots when visiting Lindsey Johnson in Texas
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Consistency is Good
So lately things have been crazy. Work has been crazy. I haven't had much chance to breathe as we are writing 3 different proposals for the government and I've had to work late nights, weekends, and early mornings. If I could say one thing that is a bummer about my job it's the not knowing what comes next. But then again that makes it fun, to a certain extent. It keeps things interesting and stops it from being mundane. But sometimes consistency is good.
For instance I love that when I come home I can count on the dogs jumping on me, wagging with excitement to see me. I love that my fiance comes home everyday with hilarious tales from the NRA (it is still funny to me that she actually works there). I love that every Tuesday from 9-10 my favorite show, LOST, comes on. But alas, this is the final season of LOST--so the impending end of another consistency is near. Of course LOST will, one day, be replaced after it's end--and if it isn't Lia and I can always relive the fun on DVD. But for now, in the show's final weeks, Lia and I will tune in faithfully every week.
Perhaps this is why sports can be so easy to love. The Steelers play, every sunday (save for one bye-week) during football season. They are always there. They may not always win--they may dissappoint you, but they always try the next week to make up for it. Consistency like that is absent in a lot of people's lives.
Changes are coming up in my life. We have a wedding that is less than half a year away, we've begun house hunting, and talks of kids have emerged (we have agreed to wait a few years however :-) ). While it may seem with all that happening my life may be far from consistent, somehow knowing that I will come home to Lia everyday is all the consistency that I need. (That and maybe the Steelers maintaining winning records)
For instance I love that when I come home I can count on the dogs jumping on me, wagging with excitement to see me. I love that my fiance comes home everyday with hilarious tales from the NRA (it is still funny to me that she actually works there). I love that every Tuesday from 9-10 my favorite show, LOST, comes on. But alas, this is the final season of LOST--so the impending end of another consistency is near. Of course LOST will, one day, be replaced after it's end--and if it isn't Lia and I can always relive the fun on DVD. But for now, in the show's final weeks, Lia and I will tune in faithfully every week.
Perhaps this is why sports can be so easy to love. The Steelers play, every sunday (save for one bye-week) during football season. They are always there. They may not always win--they may dissappoint you, but they always try the next week to make up for it. Consistency like that is absent in a lot of people's lives.
Changes are coming up in my life. We have a wedding that is less than half a year away, we've begun house hunting, and talks of kids have emerged (we have agreed to wait a few years however :-) ). While it may seem with all that happening my life may be far from consistent, somehow knowing that I will come home to Lia everyday is all the consistency that I need. (That and maybe the Steelers maintaining winning records)
Monday, March 1, 2010
Are There Rollercoasters In Heaven?
People have told me that Im stragely comfortable with death. I think a lot of it has to do with my faith, but also for some reason I have always just thought of it as another part of life. Something that we all will have to go through at one point or another. Lia's grandmother passed away last week, bringing up all sorts of new discussions about death, dying, and the grieving process.
It is interesting to be on the fringe of the whole process. Grace was certainly a part of my life, but not nearly to the extent that she was of Lia and her family's. To watch each person in her family deal with this tragedy in their own way was interesting. Some people decided to take on everything--all of the responsibility of getting everything done for the ceremony. I wondered whether they were doing it for themselves or for their grandmother--coming to the conclusion that it was probably both. The pastor at the ceremony stated that these days, funerals seem to be more for the living than the dead. And I think that is true.
Other people decided to grieve in their own personal way, smiling and going along with everything, letting a tear fall whenever they thought that no one was looking. I dont think that there is anything wrong with this. Some people would say that they are bottling up their emotions, but I think they are just trying to avoid having to say things that other people won't/can't understand.
I dont have any of my grandparents left. The last passed away when I was around 16 years old. Thats about 7 years since anyone connected to me by blood has left the earth. I remember it was strange--expecting to be going up to Pennsylvania in the summertime to visit my grandparents, only to spend it vacationing in Asheville or someplace else. Though I know they are still with me, I cant help but wonder what they are doing now. If celestial bodies actually can "do" things.
One of the hardest things for me to come to grips with is the actual idea of heaven. Not believing whether it exists or not--I know that it does--but just what people do up there. I always seem to be coming to the same paradox. How can there be no sadness? Would we even know what happiness is if we have nothing to compare it to. Isn't it the bad times that make the good times so great. How can things be fun if there is no real risk involved? Wouldn't roller-coasters be redundant in heaven?
Just to clarify--Im not wondering how heaven can exist. Im just wondering what it would be like. I guess it's just that Im thinking of this in human terms--where our minds work by using limitations and boundaries. In heaven neither of those things exist, therefore trying to figure these paradoxes out is pointless. Its impossible to solve them with our human minds.
The only thing we can do is wait.
It is interesting to be on the fringe of the whole process. Grace was certainly a part of my life, but not nearly to the extent that she was of Lia and her family's. To watch each person in her family deal with this tragedy in their own way was interesting. Some people decided to take on everything--all of the responsibility of getting everything done for the ceremony. I wondered whether they were doing it for themselves or for their grandmother--coming to the conclusion that it was probably both. The pastor at the ceremony stated that these days, funerals seem to be more for the living than the dead. And I think that is true.
Other people decided to grieve in their own personal way, smiling and going along with everything, letting a tear fall whenever they thought that no one was looking. I dont think that there is anything wrong with this. Some people would say that they are bottling up their emotions, but I think they are just trying to avoid having to say things that other people won't/can't understand.
I dont have any of my grandparents left. The last passed away when I was around 16 years old. Thats about 7 years since anyone connected to me by blood has left the earth. I remember it was strange--expecting to be going up to Pennsylvania in the summertime to visit my grandparents, only to spend it vacationing in Asheville or someplace else. Though I know they are still with me, I cant help but wonder what they are doing now. If celestial bodies actually can "do" things.
One of the hardest things for me to come to grips with is the actual idea of heaven. Not believing whether it exists or not--I know that it does--but just what people do up there. I always seem to be coming to the same paradox. How can there be no sadness? Would we even know what happiness is if we have nothing to compare it to. Isn't it the bad times that make the good times so great. How can things be fun if there is no real risk involved? Wouldn't roller-coasters be redundant in heaven?
Just to clarify--Im not wondering how heaven can exist. Im just wondering what it would be like. I guess it's just that Im thinking of this in human terms--where our minds work by using limitations and boundaries. In heaven neither of those things exist, therefore trying to figure these paradoxes out is pointless. Its impossible to solve them with our human minds.
The only thing we can do is wait.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The David's: 2009
So a while ago my friend Chase was telling me about how good of a year 2009 had been for movies. I kinda shrugged my shoulders and smiled while nodding my head. It was pretty good, I thought to myself, nothing spectacular. District 9, Inglourious Basterds, and Up were pretty good--but I didn't see anything on the horizon that I thought was really going to floor me.
And then I started to see them. Moon. The Cove. (500) Days of Summer. Avatar. Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker.
Each of these movies floored me with their ambition and risk-taking. Where was the Hollywood Oscar bait movies? The only musical that was in sight was Nine, and apparently that sucked. So what we were left with was original films from audacious filmmakers. 2009 really was one of the best years for film.
And with that I present "The David's". First a list of 10 movies that I felt were the best the year had to offer (in no real order)--then a few personal little recognitions.
Best Films:
Moon
The Hurt Locker
Up In The Air
Inglourious Basterds
Up
District 9
Avatar
(500) Days of Summer
The Cove
Where the Wild Things Are
Star Trek
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
Best Actor: Sam Rockwell in Moon
Best Actress: Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress: Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
Best Original Screenplay: Tie between The Hurt Locker and Moon
Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air
Best Special Effects: Avatar
Best Score: Michael Giacchino for Up
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Moon: See It Now
Moon is one of those movies that proves all that you need to make a classic film is original ideas, a good script, and a powerhouse performance. I will say that not only does Sam Rockwell deserve to be nominated for an oscar--but he deserves to win the damn thing. It is the best performance since Daniel Day-Lewis' in There Will Be Blood.
The flick's set-up is a rather simple one. You have a guy, Sam, who works on a space station (located on the moon, obviously) harvesting H-3, which is being used for energy down on Earth. It is just him and a helpful robot, Gerty. The deal is: he works on the station for 3 years, by himself, after which he gets to go home to his wife and daughter. Of course, things never go as planned and Sam runs into several obstacles (which i will remain spoiler-free on).
In my opinion this flick ranks up there with the great Hard-Sci-Fi films like Children of Men and Blade Runner. It is emotionally-riveting and the philosophical questions that it raises are more than thought-provoking. Im gonna keep this blog a bit short because, simply, words escape me on this film, as I was so surprised and impressed by it. All I really need to say is Moon is my favorite film of the year, and I think you at least need to go see it.
Oh, by the way--it was made for only 5 million dollars. Incredible.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Someone's Going to Emergency, Someone's Going to Jail
Lately I havent been able to stop listening to the Don Henley song "New York Minute." Really it's just the first two verses that really hook me in and after that the song never really let's go of its grip. The verses go like this:
Harry got up
Dressed all in black
Went down to the station
And he never came back
They found his clothing
Scattered somewhere down the track
And he won't be down on wall street in the morning
He had a home
The love of a girl
But men get lost sometimes
As years unfold
One day he crossed some line
And he was too much in this world
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore
The song goes on to state that in a "New York minute everything can change." I think that the brutal honesty of the song is its strong point. That life is flying by at a speed we can't wrap our heads around--so we need to take every chance we can get to do what we love. In a Six Feet Under episode a character once raised this sentiment by stating "You can't take a picture of this." No matter what you do--nothing lasts forever.
Now what got me hooked on the song is the West Wing episode "Someone's Going to Emergency, Someone's Going to Jail," where one of the main characters, Sam, has been working long hours because he found out that his father carried on an affair for years with his mother. It's an understated episode that starts off with a beautiful montage of Washington DC at dawn set to the Don Henley tune. But I didn't necessarily take anything about "fathers" per say from the episode. What I found more intriguing is how heartbreaking it can be to find out the truth--in anything. Sometimes the most damaging thing to a person's heart is to find out that the things you believe in are not necessarily true--or in some cases may actually just be wrong. I guess the idea of "ignorance being bliss" is really true, to a certain extent.
Would I rather my parents hadn't told me the details of their divorce? Maybe, it hurts to think of them as flawed human beings. But what happens when I find out the truth as I get older? What happens when I realize that the morals that I modeled my life after, never really existed in the first place? The truth always comes out and when it does--it can be devastating. I am proud of my parents and who they are. I guess all we can do is try our best to be as honest and as good--because we have no idea how much a facade can hurt someone.
Harry got up
Dressed all in black
Went down to the station
And he never came back
They found his clothing
Scattered somewhere down the track
And he won't be down on wall street in the morning
He had a home
The love of a girl
But men get lost sometimes
As years unfold
One day he crossed some line
And he was too much in this world
But I guess it doesn't matter anymore
The song goes on to state that in a "New York minute everything can change." I think that the brutal honesty of the song is its strong point. That life is flying by at a speed we can't wrap our heads around--so we need to take every chance we can get to do what we love. In a Six Feet Under episode a character once raised this sentiment by stating "You can't take a picture of this." No matter what you do--nothing lasts forever.
Now what got me hooked on the song is the West Wing episode "Someone's Going to Emergency, Someone's Going to Jail," where one of the main characters, Sam, has been working long hours because he found out that his father carried on an affair for years with his mother. It's an understated episode that starts off with a beautiful montage of Washington DC at dawn set to the Don Henley tune. But I didn't necessarily take anything about "fathers" per say from the episode. What I found more intriguing is how heartbreaking it can be to find out the truth--in anything. Sometimes the most damaging thing to a person's heart is to find out that the things you believe in are not necessarily true--or in some cases may actually just be wrong. I guess the idea of "ignorance being bliss" is really true, to a certain extent.
Would I rather my parents hadn't told me the details of their divorce? Maybe, it hurts to think of them as flawed human beings. But what happens when I find out the truth as I get older? What happens when I realize that the morals that I modeled my life after, never really existed in the first place? The truth always comes out and when it does--it can be devastating. I am proud of my parents and who they are. I guess all we can do is try our best to be as honest and as good--because we have no idea how much a facade can hurt someone.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Avatar: The Experience of 2009
So I saw Avatar (in 3D, of course) with my fiance and my Dad the Friday before the "Blizzard of '09". In fact the blizzard started while we were in the theater--when we came out there was already a good four inch white fuzzy blanket covering everything. It was a surreal experience going into a theater seeing just light flurries and coming out to a winter wonderland. But perhaps the only thing that could trump the sights outside of the theater would be the visual specticle we saw inside the theater.
Sure, what you have heard about Avatar is true in a certain sense--it's long and the dialogue is a bit hokey--but to me those a strengths rather than weaknesses. It is long because Cameron wants to envelope you in this world that he has created. He wants you to go on the same journey of discovery as the main character, Jake Sully. The dialogue is hokey--but only in a fun way. The type of way that puts a smile on your face rather than makes you roll your eyes. It's a fantasy/sci-fi movie--so the writing will feel a bit different, if not odd.
One reviewer stated that Avatar is "the closest we will get to visiting another planet." and I whole-heartedly agree with her. Cameron's attention to detail is what makes this film special, and this is due to the innovative 3D technology that was created specifically for the film. Once you get used to the 3D--which I will admit takes about 15 minutes--you forget that you are even wearing 3D glasses, or that you are even watching a 3D movie. You are literally watching an experience, and it works best if you simply let yourself get lost in it.
I guess the best way to sum the whole experience up is I felt like a kid watching Star Wars for the very first time. I wasn't critiquing it. I wasnt trying to spot things that looked fake or felt unreal. I was simply marvelling at a created universe that felt enormous and mysterious. I wanted to know more about this place that seemed so alien--yet somehow still made sense. I never doubted what was on (or in this case, in) the screen. I accepted it and came out giddy like I was when I was 8 years old and Luke Skywalker just blew up the Death Star without his radar.
In the Arcade Fire song "Wake Up" Win Butler sings "Now that I'm older, my heart's colder". I've always found myself able to relate to that particular line. Sure Im still more optimistic than most people my age, but I can still feel that when I was young the world was full of possibility and you literally could do anything that you wanted--even if it meant something as fantastic as exploring another world. When you're a kid you just think Sure, it's easy to visit another world. You just build a space ship and you go there. Done. Another film this year expressed a similar sentiment to which I wrote about earlier: Where the Wild Things Are. While Where the Wild Things Are showed me what is lost from growing up, Avatar reminded me of what it felt like to be a kid. And if a movie can do that--if it can make you feel like a kid for two-and-a-half hours-- then God bless it.
Sure, what you have heard about Avatar is true in a certain sense--it's long and the dialogue is a bit hokey--but to me those a strengths rather than weaknesses. It is long because Cameron wants to envelope you in this world that he has created. He wants you to go on the same journey of discovery as the main character, Jake Sully. The dialogue is hokey--but only in a fun way. The type of way that puts a smile on your face rather than makes you roll your eyes. It's a fantasy/sci-fi movie--so the writing will feel a bit different, if not odd.
One reviewer stated that Avatar is "the closest we will get to visiting another planet." and I whole-heartedly agree with her. Cameron's attention to detail is what makes this film special, and this is due to the innovative 3D technology that was created specifically for the film. Once you get used to the 3D--which I will admit takes about 15 minutes--you forget that you are even wearing 3D glasses, or that you are even watching a 3D movie. You are literally watching an experience, and it works best if you simply let yourself get lost in it.
I guess the best way to sum the whole experience up is I felt like a kid watching Star Wars for the very first time. I wasn't critiquing it. I wasnt trying to spot things that looked fake or felt unreal. I was simply marvelling at a created universe that felt enormous and mysterious. I wanted to know more about this place that seemed so alien--yet somehow still made sense. I never doubted what was on (or in this case, in) the screen. I accepted it and came out giddy like I was when I was 8 years old and Luke Skywalker just blew up the Death Star without his radar.
In the Arcade Fire song "Wake Up" Win Butler sings "Now that I'm older, my heart's colder". I've always found myself able to relate to that particular line. Sure Im still more optimistic than most people my age, but I can still feel that when I was young the world was full of possibility and you literally could do anything that you wanted--even if it meant something as fantastic as exploring another world. When you're a kid you just think Sure, it's easy to visit another world. You just build a space ship and you go there. Done. Another film this year expressed a similar sentiment to which I wrote about earlier: Where the Wild Things Are. While Where the Wild Things Are showed me what is lost from growing up, Avatar reminded me of what it felt like to be a kid. And if a movie can do that--if it can make you feel like a kid for two-and-a-half hours-- then God bless it.
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