I must be in the foreign Holocaust movie mode. This one, unlike the last, didn’t just make me sad…it ripped my heart out. How a movie can make my throat tighten, tears well, and stomach knot while at the same time find sweet innocent ways to make me laugh I don’t know. I never would have thought a comedy/drama about the horrors of a concentration camp would ever work. But not only does it work, it excels.

The humor comes from a loving father doing everything he can to protect his young son from the nightmares around them. And maybe that’s why it gets me so much. It’s hard to see any child suffer. That alone is enough to choke me up. But throw in the idea that I have to watch my own children suffer and the knife twists inside me. I want to shield my kids from pain and suffering. I want them to be happy and feel like the world accepts and loves them. Yet there are places where that just doesn’t happen. So as I watch this show and put myself in the place of the father, it melts me. It inspires me to be a better parent to my kids. I certainly don’t face a fraction of his troubles. He shows how parent’s sometimes must resort to extreme measures…even put themselves in harms way if that’s what it takes. It’s hard to imagine the hardships people face around the world. I’m beyond fortunate in my life.

If you don’t sprechen deutsch prepare to read subtitles. It’s also long (2 1/2 hours) but, to it’s credit, I didn’t even realize that until it was over and I saw the time. It’s well done, I can see why it won an Oscar.

I can’t imagine having to escape from my country and start a new life in a hard new land…walking away from wealth and privilege to work on a farm. It’s something that I find myself sometimes wishing would happen to me. It would have to happen to me cause I doubt I’d ever do on my own. But something like that would be good for me.

Life is full of hard knocks. I learn through trial and mistakes. But rough times are not fun so when I watch people struggle in relationships, make poor choices, and push through their trials, I’d like to think that maybe I’m learning something from them. I’d rather learn from their mistakes than have to make them myself. As I experience heartache, anger, and frustration during a movie like this…maybe I’m growing a little bit. Maybe I’ll understand people a little bit better. Maybe I won’t be so judgmental. Maybe I’ll be a better person. With the amount of emotion this film pulled out of me, I have to think so.

There were a few points in this movie I was disgusted. It’s too easy for me to judge people sometimes and some of the choices they made and the things they said pushed my buttons. But I liked the characters and I didn’t want to be angry at them, so I had to let myself understand and empathize with them. Which wasn’t easy because some of the topics are ones that haunt me from my own life. But then, that’s why they pushed my buttons in the first place.

In the end, I resolved my issues with the characters. I certainly can appreciate that life is hard and we all do what we feel we have to in order to survive. We all hurt and feel pain and just want to be happy. Well, most people I know want happiness. Being torn from my home and family, thrust into a the middle of Africa, and then hearing the horrors that befell my loved ones left behind would wring out the best and worst in me. This was a very sweet movie and helped me forget about all of the stupid things I stress about…at least for a little while.

I stumbled across this book a couple years ago before my wife and I were married. A friend had left it at her apartment and I started thumbing through it and couldn’t put it down. I left it on the coffee table and went home with the intent of finding it at the library. When her friend left to go home to New Zealand, she left it with Sandi to give it to me. I finished the book within a few days.

I’ve never understood how my dad could plug away at the same job, year after year after decade. He never complained, in fact, he seemed to enjoy it. It’s never been like that for me. I could digress into an entire disposition about my struggles with work. Maybe it’s my depressive nature, my existentialistic core, or maybe I’m just spoiled rotten and don’t know how to buckle down and work. I get bored with jobs. I like new challenges and I like to be doing things that actually feel meaningful. When those things fall into place I dig in with a passion that might be better described as an addiction. But I’m picky as to what “meaningful” means.

I’ve often felt out of place in the modern world, like I just don’t fit. Don’t get me wrong, I have good jobs and I get good reviews from my employers. I just don’t feel happy about it. I feel like I’m wasting time and spending most of my time doing stuff that doesn’t matter at all. I often wonder if I missed my calling in life…my passions are writing and photography but I got a Masters in Accounting and computers. I can make good money doing those things so I don’t bail and pursue what I love. I keep telling myself some day I’ll do it. When take the time to write or take pictures I enjoy myself so much I feel depressed that I can’t do them all day long. That’s me, too often seeing the storm instead of the rainbow.

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I read this one for the first time years ago. It’s one that I have to go back and reread from time to time to help calm me down when I’m feeling flustered because I want more stuff. Although I read the entire book, the first few chapters were my favorite and the ones I revisit from time to time. It helps stop my wallet from hemorrhaging money and puts me in a mindset where I can really look at what I want.

It’s so easy for me to try and soothe my frustrations and unhappiness buy buying stuff. I mean, I work hard and I deserve to buy stuff, right? A new Xbox game, a new video card, or a new gadget puts a short term thrill back into my life. If my mind has been purged of the frantic need to purchase (which this book helps to do), it becomes a decision rather than a compulsion. I may or may not still buy the stuff, but at least I’m making a conscious choice.

I’ve still got a lot to overcome but this book helped a lot. It’s about conscious living and making decisions based on the things we really want out of life. Reading it gave me a sense of peace and relaxation when it comes to finances. And that says a lot because normally everyone knows to stay away from me when I’m on the computer doing my finances (I transform into a rabid dog and will bite your head off).

This movie surprised me. It didn’t get a lot of press and my expectations were low. But I’d seen some good reviews and thought it sounded interesting. Moments after I clicked play I remember thinking, “this could be really good.” It had a great start. Then I sat spellbound until the end. I had no idea I had just stumbled across a movie that would end up being one of my all time favorites. Then I watched it the next night again with my daughter. I dont’ know when the last time I even watched the same movie twice was, let alone one night after the other.

It filled me with passion. It angered me. It made me want to stand up and do something to help change the world. It’s an emotional roller coaster through flying daggers, bullets, blood, and mayhem. If you like action, conspiracy, government cover-ups, and seeing somebody stand up to The Man, then I think you’ll enjoy this movie. I just wish they would have played a longer version of the 1812 Overature during the first part of the show.

This is one of my all time favorite books. “The Giver” is a book geared for older children. When I first read it, I just loved knowing that kids in the world reading stuff like this. I couldn’t convince Aubree to read it, so we read it together and it instantly became one of her favorites. We have both now read it 6 or more times.

I spent a good deal of my life running from various emotions and fears. I think to some degree we teach each other to avoid certain thoughts and feelings. Whether its death, religion, fears, dreams, or whatever….there are places we just don’t let our mind go…and that’s too bad. This is a great book that encourages us to think openly, question, and stand up for what we believe in.

I have to bite my tongue and not say a few things that I’d love to say…but it might throw off the ending for you if you haven’t read the book yet. The ending really brings up a good question though…and I think I agree with Pi and I was touched by how the investigator wrote his report of the story. You know…well, dang. I guess I can’t say that….I really enjoyed a lot of the thoughts Pi shared with throughout the story. I was especially found of his amusing theory on zoo’s….how the ideal zoo makes the fence the exact point where the animals territory ends and the human’s territory beings.

I love animals, religion, philosophy, fiction, and adventure….so I loved this book. My only regret is finishing it. My daughter Aubree goes through the same sort of remorse when she finishes a book, sad we can’t keep reading. I loved spending time with Pi floating out on the ocean.

In the summer of 2004, I read a review of the Broadway play “Wicked” and thought it sounded like a cool story. I was excited to see the old story of Oz from the eyes of the Wicked Witch of the West. I’ve always felt that if I could really see life from even a “bad” persons perspective, I would understand why they made their choices. I may not agree with what they have done, but I would at least understand. I was in Toronto during the last three days of the musical “Wicked” and although I tried, couldn’t get tickets. I went four times to the drawing an hour before curtian call for the final 20 tickets available. They were given away lottery style. My name wasn’t drawn, darnit. I’m generally a lucky person and I was sure I’d get in…hehe. Wishful thing. So I bought the book and the soundtrack and fell in love with both. My kids and I can now sing along with every song on the CD.

The book and musical are very different. The book a dark tale meant for adults and the musical fairy tale that is fun for the whole family. The story lines are different so you won’t ruin one by seeing/reading the other.

PosteNote: We went to the musical in Seattle and it was incredible!  Oh my gosh, if you have a chance make sure you see it! It was fabulous!

Make sure you see them all…series 1, 2, and the Christmas Special. I loved “Office Space,” but this even topped that one. I’ve had a boss kind of like David Brent…and that made it even more funny (and painful at times). The things he says…it’s so sad and pathetic it’s funny. My guess is that if you liked “Office Space,” enjoy Dilbert, and you laugh at dry British humor…you’ll love this one.

Note: Now they have an American version of the Office, which is also funny. But the British one is classic. Well worth watching.

I love photography and enjoyed the passion Busca-Pe has for taking pictures. This show, however, wouldn’t have needed the photography angle that to keep my attention. It is inspiring to hear stories of people who beat the odds and overcome the difficult situations that life has given them. (Especially for me…I have so much yet still find life to be tough.) I forget, all too often, how good I really have it…and every once in a while I need a movie like this to slap me in the face.