Life.

It's a journey, isn't it?

Opportunities come and go.
New people weave in and out.
Jobs begin and end.

Cyclical and linear.

Strange how we move forward. Some people constantly look back. I, myself, do not tend to fall into that category. Regret can often be debilitating, so I try and limit negative hindsight, chalking up my experience to lessons learned.

Right now I'm in a period of transition in my life. A time to ponder and think about the past, the present, and the future.

But what I keep taking comfort in is the fact that when something doesn't quite pan out, the lost experience usually leads to something infinitely better than I originally imagined.

In a sense, a loss can often be a gain. It all comes down to perspective.

So, today begins a new day. Let's raise a glass to a bright future!

Embrace Life

New commercial out of England. Well-done and poignant, I thought, without being overdone.

So buckle up y'all, and EMBRACE LIFE!

Missed? Opportunities

You know the cliche "Everything happens for a reason"?

Well, I believe that, even if it's hard to swallow sometimes.

I was just offered an opportunity that would have been so perfect for me, but I couldn't make it happen within the confines of my schedule. So I had to let it pass me by.

I'm bummed but, at the same time, realize something better will come along.

The reality is that this opportunity could still come back around again and work within my schedule. But if it doesn't, then I shall move forward knowing that it wasn't the right thing for me.

It's just frustrating to be offered a tantalizing treat only to have it ripped away from you.

Oh, well.

Maybe I'll just go eat some dark chocolate.

And The Rockets Red Glare

To all those in the armed services serving their countries throughout the world, thank you for your sacrifice in helping to make this world a safer place to live!

And to all my fellow American patriots:

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!

Tell me a secret

I'm IN LOVE with Post Secret.

I discovered the Post Secret blog about a year ago, and I'm addicted. Every Sunday new secrets are published. Some are sad and heartbreaking and some are funny and whimsical. There's usually always a wide variety.

Some are probably fake, but maybe not. If you lie about a secret and it's true for someone else, is it a lie in this kind of forum? Besides, the creativity itself is always entertaining.

I have yet to send a secret in, but I want to. Now it's time to think about what kind of secret I should tell ...

Go Kathy!

Finally watched Kathy Griffin’s Life on the D-List 2008 Season Finale. I give her such props. She’s a staunch Democrat, strongly opposed to the war in Iraq, and yet, last season she went to Iraq and Afghanistan to entertain the troops. And this year she went to the Walter Reed Army Hospital to meet-and-greet the injured soldiers (almost all of them amputees) and their families before putting on a show.


What an eye-opening experience to see exactly what the men and women defending our country have to go through. As Kathy said, traveling to the military bases and hospitals puts names and faces to the the numbers we see and hear about on the evening news.

Somehow Kathy kept her sense of humor while still creating an extremely emotional and touching episode. Kudos.

Yes, she’s bawdy and controversial and over-the-top. And I love her!

Movie Updates

Two days of Dream Along With Mickey and my feet are starting to burn. I can’t tell if it’s the heat or just the friction between the thin soles of my jazz shoes and the stage. I guess it’s time to build up those dancer calluses!

So, I’ve seen a few movies the past couple of weeks that I haven’t shared. First it was ...

The Orphanage :-) :-) :-) 1/2
I was so excited to see this movie because not only had it gotten great reviews, but I thought it was directed by the brilliant Guillermo del Toro of Pan’s Labyrinth (which BTW, I highly highly recommend!). However, I discovered after the movie finished, The Orphanage is only produced by Guillermo del Toro and not directed. Bummer.

Whatever. It had his style. Unfortunately, the movie fell flat for me. On the positive side, the journey was constantly surprising, the ending had a tragic twist, and several plot points were subject to discussion. However, I think it was a victim of inflated expectations.

Sweeney Todd :-) :-) 1/2
Saw this with my good friend, Brian Sumby, and this is what I’m going to say ... too much CGI. I know it’s Tim Burton’s trademark, but it was too distracting. The opening credits were cartoonish, the gushing blood was laughable, and Helena Bonham Carter just didn’t have enough of a voice for Mrs. Lovett. Her character was spot on, but I couldn’t get past her singing voice. I liked everyone else though including Johnny Depp (although the Antony was an interesting choice). I thought this adaptation was better than Rent or Phantom, but not as good as Dreamgirls. It was just ... okay.

Into the Wild :-) :-) :-) :-) 1/2
Saw this the other night with my sister, Kelly. Excellent movie. Sean Penn, whether you agree with his politics or not, is truly an artist. The cinematography alone is absolutely sumptuous. And the lead actor, Emile Hirsch ... stunning. He single-handedly carries this movie with his mostly silent outdoor activities.

Based on a true story that was made into a book, Into the Wild was developed though journal entries, interviews, supposition, and conjecture to piece together the last year or so of a young man who abandons his family and ultimately travels to Alaska in order to live off the land. (how's THAT for a sentence of explanation?!)

For the majority of the movie, all I could think of was how selfish and possibly mentally disturbed he was. However, the end of the movie made it for me. Excellent and heart wrenching. The final fifteen minutes are so frustrating, I can’t imagine what his family must have thought or felt once all the pieces of the puzzle had been gathered.

Into the Wild also contained my new life theme:

True happiness is shared.

I love that.

True happiness is shared.

Perhaps one man’s death, will awaken another man’s soul ...

Singing Prodigy

This little girl is ah-mazing!

She's the next Charlotte Church, the next Celine, the next Mariah, the next Judy, the next ... uhm ... the next ... great 6 year old?