movie cry baby...

I love to watch movies over and over again. My dad used to make fun of this and when I lived at home would beg to not have to repeat things we had already seen. I have been on a nostalgic journey through my favorite cinema lately. I am quite sure that very few, if any, of these films will be on the AFI: Top 100 list (unless they have changed to add the 10 Things I Hate about You), but, they are movies that I love and that have been standbys for my existence.

The thing that I have noticed is that many of these movies now make me cry. It is amazing how life can take things in a movie that you never even really noticed and now make it something that has you wiping your eyes. I have been a crier my entire life, and, not always a well timed one. Now I have an even shorter threshold for boo-hooing...

I guess I should just embrace this and go into all movies, whether it be animated, romantic comedy, or actual drama, with a packet of tissues and no shame and with the knowledge that feeling someone else's emotion just heightens the human experience.

violent perspective...

The past week has provided several (100,000) opportunities to really look at what life means and what it looks like to lose someone you love. The devastation in Haiti and the loss of a friends' loved one have taken me on a roller-coaster of hopelessness and disbelief.

These two tragedies look very different to the outside observer. The one that the world is watching takes death and makes it a number that we cannot fathom. I look at the pictures and read stories about the horrors that are in this small nation, but, my brain does not have the ability to comprehend that kind of loss. I think of the people who will not ever know what happened to their family, who will never have a funeral to sob through, who will not have a death certificate to pour over in hopes of a different outcome. People who will have to relive this event through thousands of pictures, piles of rubble and news stories the rest of their lives and will now have to redefine what life looks like.

The other story gets much less press. In that one, a husband, father, son and friend dies suddenly taking with him the life others had already planned out. They now face what it feels like to receive his mail, pass his favorite restaurant and to pick up the phone to call him. Also, they are now on a quest to find what life now looks like.

Disaster, whether natural or personal, happens everyday. I hope that in both cases there will be an outpouring of support and love that is supernatural and that there will be peace where it is least expected.

is it better to have lost...

and gained or to have never lost at all? The topic of weight loss is far from original early in January. Everyone is resolving to get in shape, loss the holiday overindulgence, and finally look the way they have always dreamed. Unfortunately, this will be less of a focus for most of us as soon as the heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are exchanged.

I think that being healthy is one of the noblest causes we can work toward, whether it be physically, spiritually or emotionally. I wish that I could say that I fervently work towards each on a daily basis, but that would not be an accurate statement. Enter reason for blog...

In my life, I consider losing 85 lbs doing diet and exercise to be one of my proudest achievements. I did this over years and was derailed by a loss about 1.5 years ago. I have recently become quite unhappy with how I have been looking/feeling and have made strides to get back into a more healthy routine. Today that resolve was made even stronger when pictures of my thinnest, strongest self made their way into my inbox.

Thanks for the encouragement, Mom. I really want to look and feel that way again. Soon.

my fair city...

This week I have the privilege of hosting my dear cousin Keilan here in the city of roses. I love having guests, and have had many over the (almost) 3 years I have lived here. Every visit presents the very same problem: how do I narrow down the list of amazingly fun, yummy and quirky places here in Portland to a manageable itenerary?

Keilan's visit will be relatively short, so, I think that we will focus on the very local fun of the city. I think we will take in some of the amazing microbrews, watch a pub movie, explore downtown (possibly with a voodoo doughnut in hand) and let him meet some of my friends and portland family. I cannot wait to show him my home and hope that it soon becomes his home, as well.

Consider this post an open invitation to visit. I love the city and doubly love introducing those I care about to it's charms.