The First Week

Well, we made it into the first week without blowing up; Elvis turned 70 and celebrated at the FBI; more disaster relief is pouring in (though most of it seems to be from other countries than the U.S. - see Australia give $815? For a country of only 30 million, that sure trumps our per capita $1.18; the U.S. Senate has no problem lining the Executive Branch with masochists and war criminals; and Nancy Pelosi is now a political pariah for actually doing what Al Gore and John Kerry failed to. On the home front, it's been a fantastic week - my little boy is growing by leaps and bounds and is moving along quite nicely in the developmental aspect of things. He's turning over, grabbing his feet, grabbing other objects from you and placing them in his mouth, he's holding his bottle when he feeds and he's now learned to operate the t.v. remote. While my wife and I are so proud of him in his development (yes, he's ahead in certain areas, which we all knew he would be as he's preternaturally accellerated) he's also just the joy of my life. Tickle wars, cartoon character voices, the Joyful Noise dance (Chris and Steve, you know this one) bring absolute delight to the little guy and pure amazement and peace to me. We're already considering our little man's little brother or sister, which is a bit overwhelming since we're just starting with this one.

Got a raise at work! Fantastic, a three percent cost of living raise, which in my district is a nice raise. However, my health care out-of-pocket nearly doubled so with my raise, I'm bringing in two hundred dollars a month less. Figures.

Saw some interesting movies of late - "Saved!", which is a tongue-in-cheek light poke at contemporary Christian life among teens who are trying to figure their lives out while thinking they have everyone else's down, and "Closer." This is a disturbing, cold, and very detached film. Well directed, written and acted (though the New Yorker is ripping Julia Roberts to pieces), the movie's premise and plot development keep me, ironically, as far away from any of the characters as I'd ever like to be. What I watch is not a twisted web of deceit, anguished love, and sex used to patch up glaring holes in relationships but four people who I would never wish to associate myself with. The four main characters are so jaded, dejected, morose and afflicted with so many character flaws that the film, mercifully in one hour forty minutes flashes through the love quadrangle and leaves us with these people even more disturbing and disturbed than we find them. Nathalie Portman, who is truly drop-dead gorgeous, is pure gild - beautiful on the outside (and there's much 'outside' seen in this film - not just a Star Wars character anymore!) yet rotten and faithless on the inside. Jude Law plays a man willing to love but not trust who ends up getting burned by both Portman and Julia Roberts who plays a photographer willing to wreck any happy relationship that may come her way, and Clive Owen plays the man that knows just how to twist the knife in your back as he kisses your cheek. Maybe I'm no more looking for the type of raw drama that pulls back the scab to expose the wound underneath, but "Closer", while flawless in its execution, surely left me cold.

Picked up the Simon and Garfunkel "Old Friends" cd/dvd package and this set has brought back the wonderful memories of their concert tour and will serve as a nice way to bring the duo back regardless of their friendship status over the years. Also picked up a two-cd set of music from the movies of Woody Allen. These forty-two songs show that music is actually a character in each of Allen's films and one that plays a vital role. The latest tune being from 1949, the music gives me a real education in war-era swing and big-band jazz. I've really taken to the music and have delved into the swing genre over the last two or three years as my flair for jazz has grown. Listening to music from Allen's "Radio "Days" brings me into the 1930s, a time which I'll never truly know but think I do when I put that music on.