Everybody's Different

Today's topic is about differences.  We're all different, that's easy enough to figure out and each of us are different in our own way, which makes us even more different than different people.  Differences are portrayed in different ways also.  In literature, such as The Ugly Duckling, which is ridiculed and teased for being different and then becomes a beautiful swan at the end of the story (oops, forgot to say, SPOILERS).  In books, such as Wicked, the antagonist of the story is thought of as different because she's green.  And she only got that way because of external circumstances, not her own volition.  And yet, she's tormented and teased because of being different.  Granted, you can't say the Wicked Witch of the West becomes a swan, because, well, she dies. 

There are plenty of movies that depict differences, but none more than Dumbo.  Poor little Dumbo, born with big floppy ears that were not his doing.  And yet people teased him because of them.  If Dumbo were your son and people were teasing him and making fun of him, what would you do?  Would you go into a rage, just like Mrs. Jumbo?  Would you try to let your child know that no matter what people say, you still love him?

Of course you would. 

But would you also be one of the ones that teases?

Differences and people that are different are taken in many ways.  Some differences cannot be overcome and people go to war because of them.  For the most part, in my life, yes, there are some differences that I have with others, but I try to look past them.  They're not that important.  Certainly not important enough to go to war over.  So why think of it as a problem.

His innocence and naivete are what makes Dumbo seem just like any other person that might be different. In the end, it's the differences that win out and teach everyone that no matter how different each of us is, we all matter in our own special way.



Until tomorrow.

Religion Is Not A Bad Word

For those of you that are frequent visitors, you'll know that I don't talk about religion much.  It's not that I'm not a believer.  On the contrary, I am proud to call myself Roman Catholic and while I don't always believe in some of the church dogma, I feel that I am practicing religion as it fits me.  But again, I don't really write about it mostly because I don't want to ruffle any feathers.

Today I'm not here to preach or evangelize or even talk about God.  Well, technically, I guess I'm talking about God, but . . . . . .  well, just keep reading.

This morning at mass, we had a guest Deacon that gave the homily (or sermon, for those of you that don't understand the term, homily).  This guest Deacon is currently serving as the Director of Catholic Cemeteries.  That doesn't seem like a very fun job to have and granted, it would not be one of the first positions that I jumped at (and I'm sure it wasn't necessarily his choice either).  But that's not the point.

As the Deacon was speaking, he started to talk about asking family questions about what they want done when they finally leave this world - what songs to be sung (if any) during the funeral.  Who will read the readings.  What should be said.  And so forth.  He talked and talked, but he brought a humor along with his message that I'm sure is seldom seen in the work that he does.  Then he picked up a Bible and held it up for people to see.

He said, "See this?  Everyone has one of these.  A Bible.  Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth."

It's a silly little acronym that even he can't take credit for and I'm not willing to go searching for whom to credit properly, but that's not the point either.

So what is my point, then?

Basically, I think that no matter what religion you are or what church you go to and what things you believe, I feel that if you believe that your message is true, great.  Like I said, I'm not here to evangelize or recruit.  If you read the Bible, great.  If you don't, don't sweat it.  I have Mormon friends, Baptist friends, Adventist friends and even Buddhist friends.  But they all believe that there's something on the "other side".  No matter what it is, it's good to have something to believe in. 

I guess that's my point.  Believe in something.  It definitely makes it easier to believe in yourself.


Until tomorrow.

Here We Go Again

Let's see.  If I just start typing, magically words appear on the screen.  But what was I going to write about?  I'm sure there was a reason to me dusting off the keyboard and opening the blog.  Hmmmm.....I wonder what it was?  Well, since I can't think of what exactly it was at the moment, I'll just go with my gut (and more than likely discover what I was going to write abut anyway).

I guess one of the things to mention is where I have been.  I've been right here.  Haven't you seen me?  I mean, I go to work, I come home, I eat dinner, I watch television and then I go to bed.  How could you have missed all of that?  Not sure?  Maybe you haven't been paying enough attention.  Work on that, please, especially now since its October! 

Yes, kids, October.  That lovely time of year that the weather changes from hot to mildly warm and the leaves all fall off the trees and mess up the lawn.  It's also almost time for the Autumnal Equinox (try saying that five times fast) and Halloween.  But there's something else that's great about October.  Any guesses?

Wait for it........

Not quick enough.  For those of you that missed the answer, it was, "it's another thirty one blog posts in thirty one days".  That's right.  For the next thirty one days I will be blogging.  I've had almost a month of vacation from this blog so I should have at least a few stories to tell.  And if I don't, I'll just make something up - much like I'm doing with this blog at the moment. 

However, since this is the first blog post of the month, I should also mention that happily, my Arizona Diamondbacks have won the NL West and are on their way toward losing their chance at the World Series.  I say this in all fairness to my baseball team, but (at least on paper), the Milwaukee Brewers are a much better baseball team.  However, I have faith in the DBacks that they will try with all of their might and hopefully they will fulfill my dream of a DBacks / Yankees World Series as a wonderful tribute to not only 9/11, but to the 10th Anniversary of the Diamondbacks winning against a much better Yankees team.

So here we go.  Buckle up and grab the "oh my God" handles.  I'm in the driver's seat and I'm not going to slow down until All Hallows Eve.



Until tomorrow.

The Star Spangled Man With A Plan

1942.  The height of World War II.  Hitler has men scouring the world looking for rare artifacts of the occult, not unlike the Ark of the Covenant that Indiana Jones found.....so casually referred to by the villain in this movies as a "trinket in the desert".  Ironically, it is with these rare artifacts that the Red Skull is able to build an army and weapons that can destroy not only the United Sates, but Hitler and his Third Reich as well - a plan that he attempted to achieve toward the end of this movie.

Captain America, the character has been one of my favorite heroes for a long time.  Maybe it was the campy 70s television movies that did it for me.  Maybe I just thought that a super hero that wasn't much more than a normal guy was pretty cool.

In the movie version, Steve Rogers is just a young man that wants to be more.  He wants to join the army but he's too weak, too small and too simple and yet full of empathy and compassion for people he doesn't even know.  That's exactly what a doctor sees and encourages when the doctor brings Steve Rogers to a secret military base for an experiment.  An experiment that would turn him from skinny little Steve Rogers into a superhuman fighting machine - the first of many that would help the United States win World War II.

But not all is pleasant in Mudville as the Red Skull has other plans.  His minions destroy the lab, take the serum and kill Dr. Erskine, making it impossible to replicate without more long years of research.  The superhuman project is put on hold and Steve Rogers goes from thinking he's heading to the front lines to standing on a stage as a novelty act trying to get people to do their part to help the war effort.

"Captain America" as he is dubbed by the PR people, tries to entertain the masses at home while the boys on the front are doing their part.  He's ashamed to have to do it, but he knows that he is doing his own little part to keep people's minds occupied.  When Steve heads to the front lines to entertain his troops, he's surprised to find the same people as were in charge of his "experiment".  He also discovers that his best friend happens to have been captured by Hydra and that the Colonel will not risk more men to rescue him.  Steve Rogers, being selfless and a good friend, takes matters into his own hands and heads to the location where is friend is.

It's pretty obvious that he would succeed in the mission and that he would even be able to bring back some of Hydra's technology, but not without getting himself into some trouble with the Colonel.  However, Steve Rogers also brings back information on Hydra's other facilities and weapons.  The Colonel then allows Steve to join the fight and help bring down Hydra.

In the end, Steve Rogers stays the same.  He's a good man that happens to be a superhuman soldier.  He strives to stop the Red Skull because ultimately, he killed his friend, Dr. Erskine.  There are other deaths that get blamed on the Red Skull, but being the bad guy, I suppose it's necessary to blame him for them all, right?

I'm obviously not going to give away the ending, but for those who know, Captain America actually is joining other super heroes in a movie next year, The Avengers.  Each of the Marvel movies that have come out in the past several years have been building up to that movie and I have a feeling it's going to be very good.  Captain America is about war and good versus evil, but it's also about being a good person and standing up for what you believe in.  As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, let's try to be better people and see if that can change the world.


Until next time.

Who Needs September? I'm Looking At October

Tonight (Monday), the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies.  Couple that with the San Francisco Giants losing to the Chicago Cubs and it puts Arizona five games ahead of the Giants for the NL Western Division title.  Do I think the DBacks can hold on?  Do I think they have a chance in the playoffs and therefore a chance to go to the World Series?

Probably not.

Let's just take a look at a few things:

If the season were to end today, the Phillies would win the NL East, the Brewers would win the NL Central, the DBacks the NL West and the Braves would win the Wild Card.  The Phillies and Braves beat up on the Diamondbacks on their last road trip with the DBacks losing five out of six and only getting the one win by sheer luck.  The Brewers have been tough against the DBacks this year also, which means that the DBacks would have a lot of trouble in the playoffs because they would have to face the Phillies.

So, let's just say the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies because their three best pitchers all decide to get the stomach flu at the same time and half the team ends up being sick, too, and can't play well.  So, they win and move to the Divisional Series in which they play against the Braves or the Brewers.  Let's just keep the example going that they play against the Braves and happen to win because their best pitchers all get hangnails and can't grip the ball very well.  Then it's onto the World Series.  Are the Diamondbacks strong enough to beat Boston or Texas?  Or New York for that matter?

As much as I love the Diamondbacks and think that they have the power to surprise everyone in baseball (hello, Kirk Gibson as manager of the year for the NL, people), I don't think that they could beat the Red Sox or Rangers - both those these teams have enough weapons that outshine the Diamondbacks at better than their best.

But that doesn't stop me from rooting for them.  How special would it be that nearly ten years to the date that the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees for their first ever World Series title if they could be playing again for that title.  Would it be fitting for the tenth anniversary of 9/11 - a tragedy that pushed back the start of the World Series in general - if the Diamondbacks and Yankees were to renew their rivalry?  It would be kind of cool to see that, but only if the Diamondbacks were able to pull off yet another surprise and beat one of the best teams in baseball while being considered a mediocre team.

Good luck the rest of the way, DBacks.  I'm rooting for you.


Until next time.

The Power of Baseball

Yesterday, I read two separate articles that discussed two different people and how baseball affected each of them differently.

The first, I read in regards to Mike Flanagan, the Baltimore Orioles pitcher, who, sadly, took his own life earlier this week.  A lot can be said about suicide - how it's an easy way to escape problems, how it's a selfish act and how no one thinks about those that are left behind.  And I can admit that I don't know all of the details and it's very possible that Mike Flanagan was selfish and only thinking about his own personal problems and not about the family he was going to leave behind.  But one thing that was on his mind was baseball.  The article that I read was written by ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, a personal friend of Flanagan's.  It is a beautifully written tribute to not only a great friend, but a great man, as well.  According to the article, Flanagan loved baseball and loved being a part of it.  When he was fired as GM of the Orioles, he was devastated and for good reason.  It's hard to come out of depression when the one sport that you so love and the team that you love throws you to the curb.  I'm sure a lot of us might feel the same way.  Baseball was so important in Flanagan's life that for some people, it's hard to think of Oriole baseball without thinking about him as well. 

And yes, he had his own demons that might have led to his suicide, but isn't it better to remember all of the good about someone while they were alive instead of thinking about the way they died?  I certainly do. 

I don't like suicide, for some of the reasons that I've already mentioned and I'm not here to argue for or against it.  What I am here to tell you is that no matter how you die, it's how you're remembered afterward that really counts.

As for the other article that I read yesterday, it was written in the Los Angeles Times, by sports writer, Bill Dwyre.  I received a link to the article from Joanna because the man that it is about, John Rountree, is a friend of her father's.

That article talks about the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (I still hate that name) and how much John Rountree loves to pay attention to the team.  Sadly, Rountree was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and it has gotten increasingly harder for him to enjoy the sport that he so loved.  Dwyre, for his part, talks about his friendship with Rountree and how he recently took him to a baseball game.  Rountree had not been feeling too well recently and the Angels were doing just as poorly in the standings.  But somehow, with Rountree in the stands, the Angels managed to come back and win a game in the bottom of the ninth inning.    At this point, the Angels haven't lost since and have climbed back into the pennant race against the Texas Rangers.  It seemed that for Rountree, it was like a shot in the arm and brought him out of a funk, though only momentarily.  According to the article, Rountree may not have much longer to live as his body continues to fail.  And yet, he is still rooting for the Angels.  Wouldn't it be something for the Angels to at least make it into the playoffs, just so Rountree could see a few more games?

You might think it rude of me to talk of someone dying when they are not even dead, but if you read the article, even Rountree feels his time is close.  The power of baseball is keeping him going and a few extra games at the end of the season might make him feel a little bit better.

And so, that's it.  The power of baseball.  Two different people.  Two different life experiences.  One will be missed immediately by his family and friends and baseball.  And the other will be missed eventually, and even if the baseball players of today never knew either one of them, both of them enjoyed every game they watched.


Until next time.

Oh, What A Tangled Web We Weave

We went to another movie in the park last night.  And if you couldn't guess from the title of this post, the movie was Tangled, the Disney animated film about Repunzel.  This movie, if you can believe it, has actually been developing at Disney for almost ten years.  Sure, it takes a lot of time to hand draw an hour and forty minutes of movie.  And it takes time to record the voices and the songs and everything, but ten years?  Actually, there's a reason for that.

For a while, this movie was going to simply be another princess story in the vein of all the other Disney princess stories.  However, Disney started to realize that princess movies didn't bring in a lot of little boys to see them and needed to do something fast.  Within a year, Disney changed the story around slightly to focus on a male character, Flynn Rider.  In fact, he even narrates the beginning and the end of the story - bookending the whole "boys in princess movies are cool" kind of theory.  Don't get me wrong, it works perfectly.  And, surprisingly, despite having a lot more action than a normal princess movie, it's still the story of a little girl that turns out to be a princess and the adventure that leads to that discovery.

The story is well written and the characters are very human.  The trapped Repunzel, wanting to leave her tower, but not knowing what lies ahead, seems innocent and naive at first and as she starts to understand the real world, begins to realize she's stronger than she thought.  Mother Gothel, a surrogate mother to Repunzel wants to keep the girl locked in the tower for selfish reasons, but even those reasons, are very human, like a mother wanting to protect her daughter.  Flynn, as a handsome young man, appears arrogant and overflowing with ego.  But the way his character is written, these characteristics are played perfectly.

One thing that I thought was beautifully done was the animation.  It was a CGI rendering of actual hand drawn animation, as if the drew the images on paper and then imported them into the CGI world, which gave the animation the sense of depth and color and brought it to life through the CGI.

I've been reading about this movie ever since it was announced that it was actually happening several years ago because one of my most favorite Disney animators was directing it.  You wouldn't probably know his name, but you know his work.  He has been the lead animator of Ariel, Pocahontas, the Beast, Aladdin and Tarzan.  His animation style is different for every film and yet, as the one who tends to animate the heroes or heroines, the style ends up being bold and striking each time.  And even though he didn't actually animate the characters in Tangled, he supervised it, and made certain that each of the characters offered the same bold and striking features that he put into his characters when he was animating them.

And who is this great animator?  Well, he's someone that comes from a family of four children that can be quite a handful.  His name is Glen Keane, the son of Bil Keane, who created The Family Circus comic strip that has been running in newspapers for over fifty years.  Ironically, the character of Billy is based on Glen, but it is Glen's brother, Jeff, that actually assists their father in the production of the comic strip.  Sadly, Glen was needed on other projects and had to abandon overall direction of the film, but managed to continue to finish supervising the animation before he was needed elsewhere.

There was a moment in the movie that I want to mention here. As you all know, I'm one who really likes to think about my dreams and what might lie ahead on my adventure through life. There is a point where Repunzel and Flynn are talking.

Rapunzel: I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?

Flynn Rider: It will be.

Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?

Flynn Rider: Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.

Finding a new dream is always something that I want to strive for. There's nothing wrong with having the big dreams - the big house, the money, the car, whatever it is. Big dreams are good life goals. The best kind of dreams should be the little ones - being nice to everyone at work today, not overreacting to something simple, going to church. The more little dreams you accomplish, the more confident you feel about one day achieving some of the bigger dreams.  Write down some of the little dreams.  Dreams that could be done within a short period of time.  Cross them off as you go.  It's good for the soul, just like Tangled is.


Until next time.