Monday, December 5, 2011

Great balls of fire...

Rainy days beg for a comfy couch, cozy blanket, a good movie and popcorn. 
Sunday, as I was searching the movie channels an old favorite popped up; St. Elmo’s Fire.  It had already started but I’ve seen it a few times before.  So I settled in. 
The infamous, Brat Pack…a coming of age film about finding the meaning of life…ah, adulthood.  They all looked so young.  As I watched… a few things made me wonder…things I hadn’t wondered before…
There is a scene where Demi Moore locks herself in her apartment because her life is in utter shambles and Rob Lowe breaks down the door (after she has unlocked it) and tries to tell her that she is making all of her problems bigger than they are and references it to St. Elmo’s Fire.  Do you remember?  He continues to explain that the sailors would guide their journeys around it but that there was no fire…in fact, no St. Elmo.  They THOUGHT they needed it to keep them going when things got tough. He then takes the spray can and his lighter...great balls of fire! 
I will admit a couple of things; I must have been completely swooning over Rob Lowe because I totally missed that analogy before.  Seriously, we all had a crush on Rob Lowe, before the scandal, right?  Secondly, how embarrassing…all of this time, I thought St. Elmo’s Fire was in reference to the bar they all congregated to…not the ‘phenomenon relating to weather.’    
Just so you know, in case I wasn’t the only person on the planet thinking that, according to Wikipedia, St. Elmo’s Fire is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge from a grounded object in an electric field in the atmosphere (such as those generated by thunderstorms created by a volcanic eruption).  The phenomenon sometimes appeared on ships at sea during thunderstorms and was regarded by sailors with religious awe for its glowing ball of light, accounting for the name. 
KEWL.  First of all, I love the word phenomenon and I find weather so fascinating. 
I also found it interesting that Kevin aka Andrew McCarthy was able to define the meaning of life after being with Leslie aka Ali Sheedy.  The entire movie…he is reserved…quiet, not living and then they have one night and there he is... smiling, opening up, writing, suddenly published and showing a happy that we see was sadly, one sided. Leslie's heart is still with the ass hole, typical.      
My mind wandered off as I watched, thinking to myself…what do I consider to be the meaning of life? It seems like the one burning question that no one is really able to define.  The ultimate reality is different for everyone.
In the end, the glowing ball of light for the Brat Pack was that they were growing up…pursuing dreams…moving on…and discovering they outgrew St. Elmo’s Fire.  

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A haphazard list...all about me

There is nothing specific...no pattern or objective…no aim, no real direction...no rules...just completely random things about me I thought I’d share…
Here is a random picture of me to go along with my random list...
1.    I prefer cupcakes on my birthday over a cake
2.    I am dying to go to Africa
3.    I am extremely ticklish
4.    My favorite food is Sushi but a good steak and a glass of red wine is a close second
5.    I have moved around a lot since college.  Indianapolis, Chicago, San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco including Marin County, Park City, Laguna Beach, back to PC, back to Indiana, then Chicago, Sawyer, MI and now I've landed in Indiana.  This rolling stone collects no moss.
6.    I wish I had a deeper voice…kind of Demi Moore-ish
7.    I think the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Art should be considered as two of the Wonders of the World.
8.    I love when people do the ‘little things’
9.    I put myself through college on a swimming scholarship and I have no idea how I made it to all of those morning practices
10. I’m a hopeless romantic.  However, if someone does something romantic for me I turn five shades of red, get really quiet and feel embarrassed but then relish on it for dayz
11. I absolutely love music and can’t believe my iPod died three months ago and I still haven’t replaced it
12. I feel blessed that I am a twin because she is my best friend and I can’t imagine life without her
13. The first concert I ever went to was Billy Joel with my college bestie, Marta
14. I like to go to really nice restaurants and eat at the bar
15. I always shorten words, for example, grocery = ‘groc’
16. I would like to own a loft in Chicago whether I live there full time or not
17. I don’t tell my family and friends I love them enough.  I hope they know.
18. I cry easily and I am overly-emotional.  A trait I dislike about myself
19. I think it’s interesting when people see me and think it’s Vee
20. I need the sun…
21. I never wore makeup in high school or college and now I feel like I can’t leave the house without it
22. Growing up we spent Christmas Eve at my sister Lucinda’s house.  It was one of my favorite parts of Christmas!
23. I am most proud of having started and continued ‘Generations’ with my family for over 15 years
24. I love dessert and would prefer it over any meal any day of the week
25. I have had a weird aversion to eggs and mushrooms this past year…for some reason they completely gross me out.

What are some random things about you? I’d love to know.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover

I’m not entirely sure why summertime brings out the readers.  Maybe it’s the longer days…the lazy afternoons…weekend beach time…or finding yourself on an airplane headed for vacation with a few extra hours to kill?

I’m not a part-time reader.  For those who know me, know I love to read and prefer it to watching television.  Let’s face it; there is nothing but garbage on tv anyway.  I love to get lost in a book and realize three hours later it’s midnight and I had completely shut out the rest of the world for awhile.

I recently treated myself to the Nook.  While I like it, I don’t mind the stack of book’s I have piled on my nightstand I have yet to get to.  Currently, however, I have three to four books going and a couple backed up in my Nook.  Eventually, I’ll get through them all.

That old English Idiom we all know, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” really applies to so many things, not just a book.  However, I’m guilty.  I’ve reached for plenty of books with creative covers and bought it just for that reason.  They make better displays after you’ve read them or while it’s ‘in waiting.’  I love to stack books and magazines in places to create some flare or create a makeshift nightstand or coffee table.   I have always liked going into someone’s home, seeing a bookshelf and finding out what they have read…or have in the queue to read.  Maybe some classics, a few from the NY Times best seller list, maybe a few trashy novels peppered about.  

The Nook, has a lot of pros, but one thing I found that sort of bugs me is that I have no idea what someone else is reading!  I am always looking for a new book and I’ve often seen people reading and I’ll jot down the title and go see what the book is about and put it on my list if I find it interesting…but, now what?  Hey, how do you like your Nook?  Whatcha reading?  Ugh.  Doesn’t work.

Dr. Seuss said, “The more you read, the more things you will know.  The more that  you learn, the more places you’ll go.”  It also sounds like something my dad would say.  Read everything…know your rights…knowledge is power…keep learning…no one can take that away from you.  And he is right, read, learn, study and grow and you will become.  With that, here is a peek at my magazines and books I’m currently either reading or about to dive into.  What have you rounded up for your summer reading list?  I hope you will make some time to get lost in a good book.  Leave your recommendations in the comment section…I’d love to hear what you have enjoyed or what might currently be on your list…maybe I’ll add it to mine?