Movie Review: The Greatest Show on Earth

This 1952 Best Picture winner was one of the better ones for sure. It was in color which was a huge plus. It featured real footage of circus acts that were amazing. It included elephants, dogs riding on horses, little people, clowns, acrobats, and amazing costumes.

The plot was good except for the love triangle, or square. I really didn't care if any of the characters ended up with each other. Actually the only character I really felt empathy for was Buttons the clown, played by James Stewart. That character had the added twist of being wanted for murder, hence why we wore makeup all of the time.

This movie also features Charlton Heston in one of his first ever movies, actually considered to be his breakthrough movie. I also read trivia that this was the first movie Steven Spielberg saw when he was 4 years old.

Book Review: Practicing His Presence

Courtney gave this to me to read I think when we were dating. I have a big box of books that I have to read from various people. So that is why some of the books I read are so random.

It honestly did not make much of an impact on me. And I was doubtful that the lifestyle exhibited in the book was really what I endorsed.

In a basic summary, this book contained writings from two men; Frank Laubach (1884-1970) and Brother Lawrence (1611-1692). The basic idea of their writings is that people should think about God every waking moment, and also focus all of our energies on loving him.

I have been in a presence of mind in the past where my mind is totally focused on some spiritual ideal, and it really wasn't my favorite time of life. I can see through these mens' writings that they have focused themselves totally on this ideal. It may have been good for them, but not for me. I would rather think about God at certain times throughout my day. But I will not ask Him to help me click my mouse to His Glory, or strange things like that.

Nevertheless, it is good to keep an open mind, and to hear others' perspectives on things. And through the extremity of others, there is usually some moderate application to one's own life.

Book Review: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Masterful. Inspiring. Thought-provoking.

I think I will read this book once every year, because I'm sure I will get a little something different out of it at different stages of my life.

At this stage of my life, the most helpful part was about how to listen and relate to others. There are certain things about this that I'm good at, and some that I'm horrible at, so the tips in here were helpful. So the second half of the book was much more interesting to me than the first half, which was about personal initiative and organization.

The best thing about this book is the personal message to my Grandmother in the front cover:

To Mother
Now you don't have to get
it from the library.

From: Andrew + Sylvia

Also, I'd like to thank the St. Louis trip and Matt for driving there, for giving me time to finish a big chunk of this!

St Louis trip slideshow

Movie Review: Murderball

We watched this with Mary, Steven, and Maya (who slept through the whole thing). It is about quadriplegic rugby players (a sport formerly called Murderball). It chronicled the competition between the Canada and the USA teams. The Canadians had a coach that basically just wanted to get back at the USA team for being cut. A common misconception is that quadriplegics can't move their arms, but the case is that they have limited or no movement. It also shared the personal stories of some of the athletes. It was enjoyable and interesting.

Movie Review: An American in Paris

And we have color! And it worked well with all of the bright costumes. An American in Paris featured Gene Kelly dancing and singing to the music of Gershwin. The plot was good too, about a love triangle, until at the very end the plot kind of blew up, and the movie ended with a 17-minute ballet to the piece "An American in Paris".

Overall better than the other old movies we've seen recently. 1951 Best Picture.

Movie Review: All About Eve

This movie had a great ending that almost made up for the length and slowness of the movie. When the credits rolled we were surprised to learn that the pretty blonde was Marilyn Monroe.

This was about a drama queen and an adoring fan who seems harmless at first, but keeps getting in the way of the drama queen's personal life and career. Still haven't seen an old movie that I'd call "great" since It's a Wonderful Life.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention it won 1950 Best Picture.

Croc-Rockin' at the Sprint Center

We went to the much awaited Elton John concert at the first act of the Sprint Center.

I was actually really nervous beforehand about city driving and parking. It turned out that it was very easy, and there were plenty of spots. Much better than my experience with Municipal Auditorium.

As we approached the entrance, we got scared off by a sign that said "no digital cameras". It turns out that they didn't check us for the camera, and we could have brought it in.

As we went in, the lady taking the ticket told us to take the elevator to the 6th floor. As we traveled through the packed crowds, we realized that she got her words mixed up, and she meant the escalator. We later went back down and got drinks at the Quik Trip, which did not have jacked up prices. On the way back up, the escalator broke and we walked up it for a few floors.

Our seats were in the back. There is a very steep incline towards the main floor. There is almost no room for people to cross in front of you. And I was touching shoulders with the people next to me. The seats are well padded, but for space reasons, I'd call them uncomfortable up there.

Now for the show. The band was great and played for 2 hours and 40 minutes.

I got this set list from http://backtorockville.typepad.com/back_to_rockville/2007/10/review-elton-jo.html#more

Set list: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (I didn't know this one)

The Bitch is Back (This was funny because they flashed the word "Bitch" on the screen throughout the song. Not really what I was expecting!)

Madman Across the Water; Tiny Dancer; Levon; Believe; Take Me to the Pilot; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road;

Daniel (This is my song!)

Rocket Man; Honky Cat; Someone Saved My Life Tonight; I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues; Burn Down the Mission; The Bridge; Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word; Candle in the Wind; Bennie and the Jets; Philadelphia Freedom; Sad Songs Say So Much; I’m Still Standing;

The end was the best. We stood up and clapped, and sang with them:

Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)

Encore:

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me
Your Song (He dedicated this to Kansas City, because they've always been the nicest people to him, and he sang it to us)

As we were leaving, we were treated to a fireworks show above the Sprint Center.

I really enjoyed it, and I was happy to be there at the opening!

1.5 years

We've been married a year and a half!

Debt-free BBQ

Even before I met Courtney it was her dream to have a party once her SBU debt was paid off. We put her dream into action. And God blessed our time with good weather and with a lot of friends who came over to celebrate with us. We were so excited during the time, that we forgot to take pictures. We had about 15 people on our deck, which has built in benches. At one point I announced that our program was about to begin, and that everyone would share how much debt that they have.

Then we took it inside and played Catch Phrase. We also had a time where we talked about money and debt, and people asked us for advice (Thanks, Nell!). It was not a conversation that we usually have with friends, but I find that at our age, the topic of money is coming up more often. We'd like to thank Courtney's ministry supporters, since they allowed us to pay off the debt sooner. Also, one last thanks to Dave Ramsey and the live event for inspiring us to pay off the debt with intensity.

Best of September

I almost forgot to do the "Best Of" post.

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: The Simpsons Movie
Best New-To-Me Restaurant: none
Best Life Happening: having new tile
Best Book I Read: Unforgettable Men in Unforgettable Times

Book Review: The Cat Who Moved a Mountain

I have done 3 book reviews now without having seen a movie. We have been busy on the weekends, including doing our debt free BBQ, which I'll write about soon.

This was a good book about Qwilleran going to the Potato Mountains (the name provides a bunch of opportunities for puns). He helps to solve a murder mystery (of course). But this is one of the only books that doesn't have a murder in it. It is all about a murder that happened before the book began, and an imprisonment of an innocent man. It also features class warfare between hicks on Lil' Tater and city dwellers in "Spudsboro".

I also believe that this continued the trend that Qwilleran and the cats live in a different dwelling in each book.

Book Review: Every Man's Marriage

This was the first book I read about marriage as a married man. I felt that it was geared not toward me, but toward really immature men. It actually made me feel quite good about myself. Let me explain.

I opened to a random page and picked an example of this immaturity. "A man once asked us, "You speak so much about serving and giving in. Do you ever feel as if you aren't head of your home?" The answer is no..."

Let me randomly pick another page...."On the eve of their wedding, Brad told his wife, "I just want to make something clear between us. My job will always come first, and you need to know that going in". That statment clearly revealed where Brad's passion lies."

So there are two examples of how this book was intended for men who have no clue.

The one thing I did get from it is the concept of honoring your wife's essence. This is when a wife has some strong desires that do not make sense to the man. The example in my life would me how Courtney does not want me to wake up and do things on Saturday while she is still sleeping. I personally would enjoy getting up and getting things done, or enjoying reading or playing music. But I soon learned that Courtney is happier if I sleep in. I am honoring my wife's essence by staying in bed.

But this book was generally stating the obvious most of the time. It was for men who didn't have the example that I had growing up. It also may be that we haven't been married long, but if that's the case, just don't tell me!

*Also I have a wife who makes it easy to be a husband!

Rockies Win!

For no apparent reason, I was rooting for the Colorado Rockies to get into the playoffs. They played the Padres in a one-game playoff to see who got to go. It was not on TV or radio, so I followed it on the Internet, whilst doing other things. The Rockies ended up winning 9-8 in the 13th, over coming a grand slam by the Padres in the early innings.

I believe I am rooting for them because they are an underdog, and they have won 12 of their last 13 games. I love the National League, and I wish the Royals were in it.

The Altar

I went to something called The Altar at YouthFront Camp South. It's amazing what happens when you are away from home for over 24 hours, with no access to the Internet. (I did manage eventually to find out that K-State beat Texas, and that the Colorado Rockies still have a chance at the MLB playoffs.)

An author of one of Courtney's favorite books, Chasing Francis, was the speaker for the weekened. His name is Ian Cron. He is an expert on the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Then I sealed the tile last night when we got back. And Courtney went to a shower for Lyndsey Krusen (soon-to-be-Zouein). I may shave my face soon, now that I have sealed the tile. It has been over a week for sure.