Non-feature film review: Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart.

I have heard of Bela Fleck, my bro-in-law is a big fan of his jazz/folk band. It's hard to categorize the music, but it's good. So I picked up this DVD at the library.

Bela Fleck, a banjo player, goes to Africa to bring the banjo back to its roots. It is commonly only seen by Americans as a Southern bluegrass instrument. And I admit that is how I've viewed it as well.

This film features many African musicians and native instruments. Also, this will sound obvious, but the music is very non-Western. My ear is not trained to be able to follow the melody or harmony of the songs. But of course Bela Fleck was able to improvise and play great music on top of the traditional tunes.

I think it's pretty interesting overall, and it's educational, and it's not too long.

Here is the web site for the documentary: http://www.throwdownyourheart.com

Movie Review: Terms of Endearment (1983)

This won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1983!

Funny story - I make it my policy to not read anything about the Best Picture winner that I'm about to see. This includes the back cover or anything on the Internet. So the cover shows a picture of two women smiling. I said I was in the mood for a light-hearted movie, and it seemed to fit the description.
And it kind of started out that way. It set the stage by introducing two stubborn women, mother (Shirley MacLaine) and daughter (Debra Winger). Then there is a lot of family angst, with the daughter having children, and then moving away from her mother in Texas to Des Moines, Iowa. The husband (Jeff Daniels!) starts cheating on his wife even when they have 3 kids, and then the wife starts cheating on the husband with a guy who would later be on the TV show Third Rock from the Sun. Meanwhile, the mother is attracted to a wild next door neighbor (Jack Nicholson!) who is a former cosmonaut. The story with the mother and neighbor is really fun, and is the best part of the movie for me. I was smiling quite widely and laughed out loud.

But I never really got into the story of the daughter, maybe not identifying with her very well, so it was not really a tear jerker for me at the end, which everyone else seems to think it should be. And since this was a huge part of the 2.5 hour movie, that is why I felt like I was enduring the movie at some spots.

But overall it's a compelling movie. If you are a fan of these actors that I mentioned, you should see it.

Restaurant Review: Sweet Tomatoes

Sweet Tomatoes is a salad bar restaurant about a mile from my new workplace. So Courtney wanted to go there with me. And we went.

I was not too happy about paying $8+ for a salad bar, because I knew that the higher price was due to all of the breads and glutenous desserts that are made available. However, it was the freshest and tastiest salad I've had. So I would go again.

The clientele was made up of many middle aged women that I imagined were taking a break from Christmas shopping, but also some professionals from the area like myself. It was pretty well decorated - the carpet was a red tomatoes design, which Courtney said must be especially made for the restaurant, since no one else would want carpet with tomatoes on them.

We left a small tip as well since they had a person very actively taking the dishes and trays.

I felt that the salad bar was lacking in the fruit area. The only fruit there was freshly cut pineapple. So I'm not sure I understand that.

Restaurant Review: Macaroni Grill

My company took my department out to lunch, and it was about 20 people. I find it pretty funny that my new company is only slightly bigger than my last one. I love small companies! My company is really a combination of two companies, so if you add them in, and then you add the administrative and management, and you have a total of around 50 employees. My previous company has ranged from 15-35.

Anyway, they took us to Macaroni Grill, which is one of the nicest restaurants I've been to in a while. They brought me a nutritional facts booklet, but the gluten free sheet had no entrees on it. It was really weird. It listed the salad dressings and side salads, and ice cream basically. That is pretty annoying. I actually have a coworker that also doesn't eat wheat, and he recommended the Simple Salmon. It was decent.

I drank about three glasses of lemonade, which was really good. The service was great. The restaurant was packed, but the food still came out decently on time and was warm.

I had previously gone there on my first ever "date", when a girl asked me to WPA (Women Pay All) Dance during my freshman year of high school. That evening was also my first kiss, which was on the cheek as I was dropped off at my house. After a couple years of WPA's I got the courage to ask someone out to Homecoming dance on my junior year.

An interesting side note is that I'm Facebook friends with almost every possible date or love interest I have ever had.

This has been the strangest restaurant review ever, hasn't it?

Best of 2009: Books

Unfortunately, I only read 12 books this year, about a third of the number of complete books that I usually read. I did read almost as many pages probably, but have either read longer books, or haven't completed them. Next year I will focus on the top 12 books that I really want to read, instead of random books.

So...DISCLAIMERS ASIDE

Here is my take on the books I read in 2009. Click on the titles for my original reviews

BEST BOOKS OF 2009

The winner:

The Robe, by Lloyd C. Douglas

A captivating tale in the historical context of Christ crucifixion and the years afterward in the Roman Empire.


Runner up:

The Count of Monte Cristo (Unabridged)

This lengthy book drags in the middle and end, but the beginning is really awesome! It seems a bit crazy to not name this book as the winner of my award, but it's just my gut feeling.


Third:

A New Kind of Christian, by Brian McLaren

It's interesting to have fiction and nonfiction all in one book. Through fictional characters and situations, the author teaches us about changes in the culture and how that affects Christianity.

Fourth:

The Obama Nation

I don't know if it's because I wasn't paying attention, but I didn't know a thing about Obama until I read this book. A still widely unknown fact is that he was a friend and follower of communist teachers. It's not just scare tactics out there, folks - there is a lot of historical truth to the things people are saying.

Fifth:

True Faced

About learning to live out your life in grace. It was good, but I liked the four I just listed better.


SO-SO BOOKS OF 2009

Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand

He was a great man, and had a powerful testimony. It's an interesting read.

The Inner Game of Work

I kind of liked it when I read it, but I haven't applied any of the ideas in the past year. The methods are overall unhelpful.

48 Days to the Work You Love, by Dan Miller

This has nothing to do with 48 days of anything, so I'm not sure why they called it that. It just has some thoughts about work and finding work. It's difficult for career books to apply to my situation. They write the books to be able to apply to any career.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, by Mitchell Bard

I'm all for the cause of Israel, but this book is very biased for Israel, and is all about Israel. My point is that I was disappointed that this wasn't reflected in the title or back cover of the book when I bought it. Also, it has nothing to do with being a complete idiot, because this is a smart person book!


BAD BOOKS OF 2009:

Experiencing Prayer With Jesus, Henry and Norman blackaby

The most egotistic, "I have it all together" book I've ever read, teaching you formulas on how to pray as well as the authors can.


BOOKLETS THAT WEREN'T REALLY BOOKS:

2 contents, 2 realities, by Francis Schaeffer

Didn't make a ton of sense.

The Little Brown Book of Corporate Advancement

My guide to brown-nosing in office sports and cubicle land!

BOOKS I FLIPPED THROUGH

I only include books if I read them completely, but I read most chapters of the following books:

No More Mondays, by Dan Miller
Your Pregnancy for the Expectant Father
The Meaning of Life, Readings in Philosphy
Eat to Live

Book Review: True Faced

This book was recommended to me, and really reflects what I've been learning about myself. This book is about the two paths that we can take in our lives - one leads to the room of Good Intentions, where people try to please God and reach perfection by our actions. The other path leads to the Room of Grace, where people are free to share their weaknesses and know that they are already pleasing God.

Now this subject is a little to personal for the Internet, but let's just say I've spent a lot of time in the room of Good Intentions, but am now learning to live in the Room of Grace.

If you are curious to hear more, just ask!

Restaurant Review: Granite City Brewery

I went here for work for a client lunch. And it was the first time I met any of the employees at the client I've been working on for a couple of months. We met halfway between their Leavenworth office and our Overland Park office, and Granite City Brewery is in the Legends area in Kansas City KS.

I had a salad that was absolutely awful. It was a Chop Salad with Chicken tossed in Italian Vinaigrette. Actually, it was just the Italian Vinaigrette that was the bad part. I didn't know "tossed" would be "soaked and saturated".

The salad was presented in the most creative possible fashion. It was a tower, which reminded me of the sculpture in Close Encounters.

But yeah, an awful salad.

Tis the Season to Eat

I have three restaurant reviews to write

Granite City Brewery
Macaroni Grill ( I went when I was 15, enough time has elapsed to make it "new"!)
Sweet Tomatoes

The first two were for corporate holiday lunches.

Best of November 2009

Pic of the month:

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time:None

Best Book I Read: None

Best online video I watched for the First time: Distraxion


Bobby Mcferrin improvisation with Richard Bona

Movie Review: Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

At first, I had trouble accepting this musical, because it was very unusual. But in the end, it gets my respect, and it can't be compared to other musicals. The ending in Fiddler is very sad, as the Jews are forced from their homes. The other sad ending in musicals is West Side Story, but that is not as sad. The Sound of Music has some sadness to it, but is overall happy. Other than that, most musicals are happy.

In Fiddler, a family with five daughters lives in poverty. And the three oldest fall in love and get married all in the wrong way, breaking with tradition, in increasing measure. That is interesting, although somewhat repetitive. I was actually thankful that the father rejected the last engagement (which was to a Gentile), because it broke the repetition of the movie, where he would give in and bless the marriages. Although it was sad that he treated his daughter as though she was dead.

The music is catchy, although there are a few bad songs, which is normal for musicals. There are a few gems of songs - Matchmaker, If I Were a Rich Man, and "Tradition". The acting was good.

And I appreciate the emotion of the movie. In some areas, it failed to seem real, with the fake snow, or acting/dancing, or whatever. But at some points I was deeply touched by what was happening. I think film is the best way to communicate injustice, because characters are developed and I love them, and then when injustice happens to them, it affects me. Wheras, if injustice happens in a newspaper in real life, I am disconnected from the people, and not affected emotionally. I feel ashamed to live in a world where people treat each other in the way depicted in Fiddler on the Roof. And these are events that really happened, and these types of things still happen.

Restaurant Review: Five Guys Burgers

Went here with some work guys. An official Friday lunch with my coworkers will be an opportunity to experience new restaurants.

Many signs in the place tell about the health precautions that the restaurant has taken. I copied them from the web site:

Did you know...

* Zero Artificial Trans Fats
* Zero Gluten, except for our buns
* Two Mystery Shops are done each week at every location
* 38,409,200 lbs. of potatoes were used in our stores in 2008
* Millions of dollars given back to store level employees every year!



I appreciate the GF mention.

And it's one of those places where patrons learn to share the "small" fries, because there are too many for one person. Another quirk is that the "junior" hamburger is really a normal hamburger. And the"normal" hamburger has two beef patties. The only items on the menu are burgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and fries. It makes it easy to decide what to order.

It was really tasty. About as good as a bunless burger gets. I am definitely going there again!

Movie Review: Gandhi (1982)

Gandhi won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1982. It took a while to get the motivation watch this, because it is over 3 hours long. We split it between two nights. Thankfully there was a nice clean break with the word "Intermission" displayed on the screen.

I thought it would be boring, because it was going to be about a foreign, old, frail, softspoken man. But in reality, Gandhi was portrayed as very bold, wise, witty, and loving, and also well versed in culture outside of India. He was very able to be a Westerner, and wear suits, as were the rest of India's leaders, and he did this for a while. But he chose to identify with India, and that's why we wore the loin cloth and traditional Indian garb.

The nonviolent resistance that he led was actually very bold. It directly attacked injustice, not with weapons, but with noncompliance. Gandhi got thrown in jail several times, and it made the persecutors look very immoral and very bad. The fact that England massacred many nonviolent protestors made England look even more bad. In the end, an England that thought they were good, were proved to be bad, and that is why they gave India her independence.

I hadn't previously known about the Muslim vs. Hindu divisions that continued even after India got her independence. And this made Gandhi really upset.

The movie powerfully portrays the assassination of Gandhi.

There is a funeral scene that shows 400,000 people, and this is a record. This is the day before CGI (computer generated imagery), and it is predicted that this many people will not show up in a movie scene ever again. Gandhi beat out E.T. for Best Picture.

Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for Best Actor, and it is well deserved. He is half-Indian, and a British citizen.

The movie was set into motion in the 60's when Richard Atteborough was asked to direct it. But no studio would produce the movie, and they had to raise money for 20 years to make it. Richard Atteborough appears as the old professor on Jurassic Park, and is Santa Claus in the Miracle on 34th Street. He won Best Director for Gandhi.

Also features Martin Sheen and Candace Bergen.

In short, this is an amazing movie. Even though it is over 3 hours long, it was interesting the entire time, and that is an accomplishment.

Happy Day!

Four days after I was informed that I lost my job, I finally worked my last day, and left the building with my picture of Courtney as the last item. I am not saying this for dramatic effect, or to harp on the issue, but it is a powerful part of this story. I left the building with a lot of gratitude for my wonderful job at S1, and I was proud of the way I went out, with a lot of respect, hard work, and love. So when I arrived at home, I was not depressed, but I was emotionally tired. Also, I had evening activities the previous 4 days, so I was really ready to stay at home.

After dinner Courtney suddenly said, "Hey, let's go to Liberty Memorial, we can play bocce ball, and walk around." That spot in KC is our favorite place. But I eventually accepted to go only because she really wanted to.

So we drove there, and there was an event on the top of the Liberty Memorial, but there is still a long lawn. So we parked on the side, and climbed up the steep side hill and played bocce ball on the lawn. After that, Courtney had me sit down on the lawn and wait while she went and got me something out of the car to "cheer me up", about my recent job loss.

Then she came back up, and said "Dan come here". She had her hands behind her back, as if she was hiding something. So I was chasing her trying to find out what this gift was. She was standing on the edge of the hill. When I looked over the crest of the hill, I saw the most amazing message I will ever see.



It took my breath away and it was really mind blowing. We had been trying for a few months, and even though it was a short time, I had fears that maybe we wouldn't be able to get pregnant. I was taken completely by surprise. And then Courtney and I embraced, and it was an amazing moment.

Courtney had found out the previous day. She had always viewed this as her version of the engagement, that is, the amazing event that she got to plan and surprise me with! She did an amazing job!

Here are some more pictures we took:


Proud future parents!


Amazing view to complement the event!

We are made to shine

God created us to shine. Sometimes I have, and sometimes I haven't. I believe we aren't supposed to shine on our own effort. But God has given us life, and we reflect him. Just be ourselves.


Daniel 12:3-4

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens,
and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.

Philippians 2:14-15

Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory,
are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Psalm 37:5-6

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

Trees

God says we are like trees...or in some cases, branches.

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches

Jer 17:7-8

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

Col 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him

Isaiah 61:3 They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

I have noticed the following things about trees that relate to our lives, and hopefully I've been helped by the Spirit:

• They/we are dependent on outside resources for our growth.
  
• By claiming to be self-sufficient, they/we wither and become useless
• Need to be rooted in a good location (not in shallow soil) - the soil in our life represents a good view of God, or rather an accurate view of how God views us.
• Even after death, can leave a legacy. When strong trees are cut down they can be used to build strong structures. When we are gone, we can leave a strong legacy.
• Trees/we start out small and weak but can become strong. You don't see us growing, but as the years pass, you notice that we've grown quite a bit.
• We give back by blessing the world - providing a place for shade/grace environments.
  

Any other Scriptures or insights that you have?

And to put my own intentions in positive light..not trying to earn anyone's approval here or make some sort of impact. This comes out of my own yearning to know what God really thinks of me. I believe that God showed me that we are like trees. It makes sense. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

Best of October 2009

I'm excited that we are once again approaching The Best of the Year post!

Pic of the month: In absence of a good October pic, I am posting a now declassified picture from the day in August when Courtney told me she was pregnant

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Best Book I Read: didn't read any. Has a lot to do with having a new job, and also because I got into this big heavy philosophy book from my dad's college class in 1965. I also took on a couple of other activities. I may also have to foray into baby books.

Best online video I watched for the First time: James May from Top Gear rides in a U-2 spy plane

Making its Lostlifefound debut...Baby Gras

On August 28th, Courtney told me she was pregnant, in a very creative way. More on that later.

It's worth mentioning that on August 24th, 4 days earlier, I was informed by the owner of my company that "we have to make some changes to keep the company afloat and these changes are going to affect you". After a minute or so, I realized that "affecting me" meant that I was being let go along with four other people. I finished out the week, transitioning my knowledge, and August 28th was my last day. I just wanted to sit at home. But Courtney REALLY wanted to go to the Liberty Memorial, where we have gone before to relax. Anyway, more on that later.

Right now I am emptying the guest bed room of stuff, since it will be a baby room. Here are the guests we have had in the room:

1. B.J. Anderson - Aug 15th, 2006
   
2. B.J. Anderson - May 19th, 2007
3. Brandi Knouse - October 6th, 2007
4. Hayley and Arlen Redden - March 22, 2008
5. Hayley and Arlen Redden -April 26, 2008
6. Suzette Runyan - June 29th, 2008
7. Alan Boyles - October 5, 2008
8. Cara Gentry - Jan 25, 2009
9. B.J. AND Natosha Anderson - April 14, 2009
10. Dale Lusk - May 15, 2009
11. Emily AND Alan Boyles - October 23, 2009

B.J. is the winner! This blog will now show up on Google searches of your names, sorry!

The Beej after his 2nd stay

Anyway, I may start a new blog for baby stuff, and keep this as it is. But I'm not sure yet.

Due date is May 7. The mother is tired often, but not too sick.

How we told Courtney's parents

Movie Review: On Golden Pond (1981)

Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, and Katharine Hepburn appear in this Hallmark-y movie about old couple at a summer home at a lake, and it's especially about the old man who is grouchy and thinking about death all the time. And he has a strained relationship with his daughter, who comes to visit with her boyfriend (Bill), and the boyfriend's 13 year old son (Billy).

Then there's the mailman, who delivers mail by boat. And those are all the six characters in the movie.

The old man is a depressing character, but we come to find out that he is very sharp and funny. The daughter and boyfriend go off to Europe and leave the boy at the lake. The boy is not happy to be there initially, but the old man becomes like a father to him (overcoming the grouchiness).

The old man does old guy stuff like almost set the house on fire, and gets lost, and then he gets ashamed and afraid. Then the old man and boy have a boat accident, and that apparently knocks something loose, because the daughter comes back, and then the old man is better, and it ends happily. Then the old man almost dies, but then lives. Whew! I hope you didn't want to know the plot.

It was kind of a neat movie. I'm glad we watched it. It's not like really exciting or anything. It was based on a play.

The part of the old man is acted by Henry Fonda, who was the star of 12 Angry Men, so I appreciated watching this one. Also I have obviously heard of Jane Fonda, but have never seen her in a movie before. And Katharine Hepburn is apparently a well known actress, but I didn't know much about her before.

Restaurant Review: Kokopelli's Mexican

When we told the hostess we were 6 people and 2 kids, she seemed really stressed about it, and treated us like we were a nuisance. The place was really busy for a Monday, and there were a few other large groups, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. It's pretty amazing how often people eat out, you know?

I think I had flautas again. Thank God for flautas. I think it's a misconception that Mexican food is good for the wheat allergy, because most places only have about 2 entrees with corn. And one of them is flautas. Pretty much, I could ask them to substitute a corn tortilla on any entree, but I can't tell the difference easily, and they could forget. That is why I don't do that.

The chips were not that crisp. But our friends did say that it was one of their favorite places. I actually went there straight from work, my 2nd week at my new job. So that was almost 3 weeks ago!

Restaurant Review: Golden Corral

My cousin had her rehearsal dinner here. All the family was invited, and it was convenient for everyone to get what they wanted at the buffet. But, there happened to be some kind of sports team that also came by. And then there were the regular diners. So everyone was crowding around the buffet. It couldn't have been much busier.

The BBQ ribs were really good, and they were the featured item. I also had mashed potatoes, other vegetables, and maybe a couple of other gluten free dishes. I didn't have to pay for it, so I have no idea how much it costed. I tend to not like buffets because I don't eat a lot, so I overpay.

The service was good - they have waiters that refill drinks and take the plates.

In a way, it was like entering a different world, like I was visiting a small Kansas town. There was smooth jazz playing over the speakers, which didn't seem to match the decor or style of the place.