Iowa is truly amazing. I am completely serious when I say this. I am not trying to joke around and pull your leg. Iowa is truly amazing. Let me explain.
The seasons of Iowa are some of the most extreme in the nation. The winter is horribly cold, and the summer is horribly hot. In the winter we get snow, wind, ice, and just plain cold (well below zero) temperatures. In the summer we get ungodly heat and humidity. So the in between times are actually halfway decent. Spring and fall in Iowa are two times of the year when it is bearable to be outside for any extended period of time. But then again, spring and fall kind of suck. This is because winter and summer spread out over great periods of the year, so on the calendar when spring and fall actually start, winter and summer are still present. Summer drags on into fall so by the time fall weather comes, it is late in the year. But the worst is winter dragging into spring. Spring in Iowa doesn’t really start until the end of April at the earliest, not March 21. We get snow storms on April 14 and 30 degree weather with a wind chill that reminisces of winter. It is not right. Any human in their right mind would move as far away as possible, immediately. So why is Iowa truly amazing?
Iowa is amazing because when spring finally does roll around, everybody is in a good mood. Not one person has the ability to truly be down. The winter is so long and drawn out and cold, that the warm, nice, sunny weather is mouth-watering. Everybody has put up with the winter, and everybody is glad it is over. Iowa has the power to make everybody happy. No other place has this kind of instant ability to change everybody’s mood. If you live in Iowa, you know what I am talking about. The winter is depressing and unavoidable, but the spring is amazing and irresistible. Iowa is unique and truly amazing.
Showing posts with label amazing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amazing. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Susan Boyle
Pause this video at 1:45 and tell me what you think (if you have seen this video, what you thought the first time).
You can’t say you were expecting that. The first time I saw this video, I was completely shocked. I thought she was going to be another William Hung, and be completely terrible. Just by looking at her, I knew that she couldn’t sing well. I was sure of it. I was sure she was going to belt out something that scarred my ears and actually deserved the ripping that Simon gives out. But no. I was wrong. Everybody was wrong. I know you would be lying if you said you expected that kind of performance. She completely stunned everybody, and I think that is partly societies fault. Society labeled her as an old, ugly lady who isn’t worth a thing. And that is why everybody was stunned. You don’t expect a beautiful song from somebody labeled like that. So I think that society as a whole should apologize to Susan Boyle and from now on, not label people before we see what they can do.
You can’t say you were expecting that. The first time I saw this video, I was completely shocked. I thought she was going to be another William Hung, and be completely terrible. Just by looking at her, I knew that she couldn’t sing well. I was sure of it. I was sure she was going to belt out something that scarred my ears and actually deserved the ripping that Simon gives out. But no. I was wrong. Everybody was wrong. I know you would be lying if you said you expected that kind of performance. She completely stunned everybody, and I think that is partly societies fault. Society labeled her as an old, ugly lady who isn’t worth a thing. And that is why everybody was stunned. You don’t expect a beautiful song from somebody labeled like that. So I think that society as a whole should apologize to Susan Boyle and from now on, not label people before we see what they can do.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Man on Wire
This weekend I watched an amazing movie. Man on Wire won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and I believed that it deserved it. It was an interesting film that was amazing and captivating. I often found myself thinking and saying out loud “wow.”
I thought “wow” a lot when Philippe Petit (the man this documentary is about) was talking about his passion. Wire walking is a unique hobby, and he has perfected this skill. He was 16 when he first learned about the World Trade Centers and that is when his dream began. So he started to build his reputation. He put a wire between the two towers of Notre Dame, and he put a wire between the two towers of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. He successfully walked in each of these places and he successfully brought attention to himself and people liked him. So then he put his dream into motion. He had dreamt of walking between the Trade Centers and now he was actually making this a possibility. His dream was tangible, and he was about to achieve it.
Most often when I said “wow” out loud was when Philippewas actually walking on his wire. This man is completely amazing. The movie is about his quest to string a wire between the World Trade Centers and walk between them, without any harnesses or safety equipment. He literally was balancing a quarter of a mile above the earth on a rope that was less than one inch thick. I was completely shocked that anybody in their right mind would put themselves in that kind of situation. But, when I look at the big picture, Philippe’s life story and his childhood, I realize that this is not a normal person. He is a wirewalker. This is somebody that walks on tightropes stretched out between two points (trees, buildings, et cetera) and performs for a crowd. He can lie down, walk backward, do summersaults, and juggle while he is on the wire. This kind of person has a sense of balance unlike anything else. There is some home footage in the movie of Phillip practicing wire walking, and his friends are jumping up and down on the wire and pulling it and doing anything they can to make him fall off. But he doesn’t. He stays on the wire and walks from end to end with the wire bouncing and shaking and swaying. The concentration on his face is intense. His face is a stone mask and nothing can be done to disrupt him. He is a man that belongs on a wire.
I thought “wow” a lot when Philippe Petit (the man this documentary is about) was talking about his passion. Wire walking is a unique hobby, and he has perfected this skill. He was 16 when he first learned about the World Trade Centers and that is when his dream began. So he started to build his reputation. He put a wire between the two towers of Notre Dame, and he put a wire between the two towers of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. He successfully walked in each of these places and he successfully brought attention to himself and people liked him. So then he put his dream into motion. He had dreamt of walking between the Trade Centers and now he was actually making this a possibility. His dream was tangible, and he was about to achieve it.
Most often when I said “wow” out loud was when Philippewas actually walking on his wire. This man is completely amazing. The movie is about his quest to string a wire between the World Trade Centers and walk between them, without any harnesses or safety equipment. He literally was balancing a quarter of a mile above the earth on a rope that was less than one inch thick. I was completely shocked that anybody in their right mind would put themselves in that kind of situation. But, when I look at the big picture, Philippe’s life story and his childhood, I realize that this is not a normal person. He is a wirewalker. This is somebody that walks on tightropes stretched out between two points (trees, buildings, et cetera) and performs for a crowd. He can lie down, walk backward, do summersaults, and juggle while he is on the wire. This kind of person has a sense of balance unlike anything else. There is some home footage in the movie of Phillip practicing wire walking, and his friends are jumping up and down on the wire and pulling it and doing anything they can to make him fall off. But he doesn’t. He stays on the wire and walks from end to end with the wire bouncing and shaking and swaying. The concentration on his face is intense. His face is a stone mask and nothing can be done to disrupt him. He is a man that belongs on a wire.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Two Great Movies
This past week was my spring break (which may have been noticed by my lack of posts, or not because that is not an unusual occurrence). Spring break means two things: 1- spring weather is approaching, even though the snow hides that fact, and 2- there is a little extra time to watch movies. So this past week I had the opportunity to watch a couple of very good movies.
In Bruges and Let the Right One In are the two best movies that I have seen recently. Both easily make it into my top 10 favorite movies of all time, and come very close to the top five. This is not an easy task, but these movies deserve it with every ounce of sincerity that I have.
In Bruges is a very dark, very funny movie. It is about two Irish hit men who are sent to Bruges, Belgium because the younger one made a mistake and killed a little boy. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (the two hit men) perform beautifully together and have the special connection that portrays to the audience the emotion going through their minds. This movie was unexpectedly funny, but not the Anchorman/Zoolander funny, it was dark and witty. The dialogue was incredible, and the Irish accents gave it just the right sound to make me laugh harder to it than to a movie like Anchorman (which is one of my favorite comedies of all time). This movie also took many unexpected twists. In the beginning, the audience gets a general idea for the movie and a mood is set that has humor, but remorse (he kills a little boy, come on). But after a while I started to realize (with the hints that were given along the way) that there were two hit men for a reason. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but I would recommend that you view this film sooner rather than later, you are really missing something if you don’t.
The next movie that I watched was absolutely amazing. Let the Right One In is a low budget, non-Hollywood (key), Swedish film. Doesn’t really sound promising, and just to add to that, it’s about a 12-year boy and the young girl vampire he meets. Great, right? It truly was. I was completely and utterly impressed by this movie. There was something about the innocence of the relationship, and the caring for one another that drew me in and never let go. I came in skeptical, but left dazzled. I’m not sure what else to say about this movie, it’s hard to explain and doesn’t sound very good when I try. But trust me, this film is worth seeing. Just a side note, if you get this on DVD, watch with the English subtitles, not dubbed. When it’s dubbed, the acting loses all of its emotion. Don’t be lazy, and just read what they are saying to get the full effect intended.
In Bruges and Let the Right One In are the two best movies that I have seen recently. Both easily make it into my top 10 favorite movies of all time, and come very close to the top five. This is not an easy task, but these movies deserve it with every ounce of sincerity that I have.
In Bruges is a very dark, very funny movie. It is about two Irish hit men who are sent to Bruges, Belgium because the younger one made a mistake and killed a little boy. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson (the two hit men) perform beautifully together and have the special connection that portrays to the audience the emotion going through their minds. This movie was unexpectedly funny, but not the Anchorman/Zoolander funny, it was dark and witty. The dialogue was incredible, and the Irish accents gave it just the right sound to make me laugh harder to it than to a movie like Anchorman (which is one of my favorite comedies of all time). This movie also took many unexpected twists. In the beginning, the audience gets a general idea for the movie and a mood is set that has humor, but remorse (he kills a little boy, come on). But after a while I started to realize (with the hints that were given along the way) that there were two hit men for a reason. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but I would recommend that you view this film sooner rather than later, you are really missing something if you don’t.
The next movie that I watched was absolutely amazing. Let the Right One In is a low budget, non-Hollywood (key), Swedish film. Doesn’t really sound promising, and just to add to that, it’s about a 12-year boy and the young girl vampire he meets. Great, right? It truly was. I was completely and utterly impressed by this movie. There was something about the innocence of the relationship, and the caring for one another that drew me in and never let go. I came in skeptical, but left dazzled. I’m not sure what else to say about this movie, it’s hard to explain and doesn’t sound very good when I try. But trust me, this film is worth seeing. Just a side note, if you get this on DVD, watch with the English subtitles, not dubbed. When it’s dubbed, the acting loses all of its emotion. Don’t be lazy, and just read what they are saying to get the full effect intended.
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