I have been thinking about gratitude a lot this past month. I know its easy to look for the bad and frustrating things in life. Work can be stressful hard to put up with. I deal with angry and inconsiderate people some of the time. Even the other day I had to ask someone to grab the salad dressing in the grocery store because I am too short and can't reach the top shelf. But I also realized If we just stop and think we do have so many great things to be grateful for.
"We tend to take all the gifts and pleasures and happiness and the joy without saying much to God. We take our health and strength, our food and clothing and our loved ones, all for granted; but the moment anything goes wrong we start grumbling and complaining and we say 'Why should God do this to me, why should this happen to me?'
How slow we are to thank and swift to grumble."
"As we pause to thank Him for the blessings of the past year, we must not forget to thank Him for the lessons we have learned through our difficult times. We are not to be thankful for just the pleasant, easy things, but ALL things."
Calling a movie the best Twilight film to date isn't exactly high praise, and at this point, it isn't likely that newcomers to the series are going to be drawn to theaters. However, should a loved one drag you to the latest adventures of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and gang, don't panic: There's more to like than you might expect.
There are dream sequences, hallucinations, micro close-ups of vampirized veins crystallizing inside the body, werewolf-vision, Bride of Frankenstein shoutouts, a giant cake made of corpses, and more blood than in the other three movies put together.
Meanwhile, much of the dialogue is genuinely funny stuff, comprised of series in-jokes fans will appreciate.
Edward and others sometimes use their powers as much for frivolous things as life-and-death matters. And the finale veers into horror territory: the birth scene pushes PG-13 to the limit, and the wolves are genuinely menacing for the first time.
But let us not over-praise: the movie's good relative to expectations, but it still has issues. Like the soundtrack, from the overly busy score to the dull and annoying pop songs that punctuate every moment. The acting by the three leads is better than it's ever been, but the supporting cast members often feel interchangeable. Kristen Stewart in particular has improved and didn't completely suck in this movie. Only in tiny moments. That might be because she didn't really have to act this time around. All she had to do for most of the movie was lie on the couch and look sickly.
Most who attend the movie, however, will have no such misgivings. And should be forewarned to sit through the first half of the end credits to see the lead-in for Part 2.
Stiller stars as Josh, the longtime manager of a luxury high-rise in Manhattan; it's actually the Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle. When the financial guru who lives in the penthouse is charged with stealing billions from his investors — including the hardworking tower staff — Josh comes up with a plan to steal their money back. Alan Alda plays this Bernard Madoff figure with just the right mix of affability and sleaze.
One of the genius elements of the script — credited to Ted Griffin ("Ocean's Eleven") and Jeff Nathanson ("Catch Me If You Can") — is that it actually fleshes these characters out, which makes you care about whether they can pull this thing off. And the vivid childhood memories Josh and Slide have of each other is a running joke that adds to the movie's absurdity; Stiller is solid and hits just the right tone as the righteously indignant anchor at the center of this increasing mayhem.
At the same time, Josh strikes up an unlikely flirtation with the tough-as-nails FBI agent on the case, played by Tea Leoni. She grew up in working-class Queens, like Shaw, and she's disgusted by the flashy swindler he's become. Leoni has one great scene in which her character gets drunk with Stiller's and turns a little too forthcoming; it's a great reminder of what a natural comedienne she is, and it makes you want to see more of her.
The heist itself is, of course, completely ridiculous, but that's part of the point — and part of the fun. Ratner keeps things moving so fluidly that you'll probably just roll with it. And his film is lighted and shot so beautifully (the work of two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Dante Spinotti) and it feels so substantial in terms of production values, you can't help but be drawn in. These feel like actual people doing actual stunts — especially during the crime itself, which takes place during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade — which sadly seems like a rarity in this age of computer-generated extravaganzas
I went bowling with my roommates, Kaisha and Kira. Kaisha's boyfriend, Tevana, came with us. I was worried about making a fool of myself because I haven't been bowling for 3 or 4 years. Tevana was a big talker. He thought he was pretty hot stuff and that he was going to beat us all. Well as you can see from the picture, that did not quite happen. Kaisha and I were neck and neck the entire time but here were the final scores
I have to go on a rant after watching the CMAs this past week. There are many people who are country "haters" and I partly understand why. There are both really talented musicians and writers in the country business and there are writers it seems who are just cranking out songs with no regard to how stupid there lyrics really are.
Here are three examples of groups that write their own music and that I really enjoy listening to.
Taylor Swift. I really like her music. Her songs might be a little juvenile but I love her writing style. She is great at unfolding a story through her music. Her words are always genuine and they flow like poetry.
I love the Zac Brown Band, particularly this song Colder Weather. There lyrics have great structure. They are simple but heartfelt and powerful.
I have really come to enjoy the Band Perry. I love the fact they they are siblings and that they get to create such great music together. Their lyrics are full of imagery and they I think the emotion is able to resonate with a lot of people.
Now. . here are a few examples of the artists that give country music a bad name.
Luke Bryan. His song Country Girl Shake it for Me
Here is a chorus and a verse from this awesome song.
Country girl, shake it for me Girl, shake it for me Girl, shake it for me
Sombody's sweet little farmer's child With a gattle in her Bud to get a little wild Pony-tail and a pretty smile Rope me in from a country mile So come on over here and get in my arms Spin me around this big ole barn Tangle me up like grandma's yarn Yeah, yeah, yeah
I mean what the heck is a gattle? Tangle me up like Grandma's yarn? really?
One last song Eric Church sings a song called Drink in My Hand
Yeah fill it up, throw it down
I got a little hungover still hanging around Yeah that hair of the dog is howling "hey there man" All you got to do is put a drink in my hand.
Here are a couple of great titles I've also found.
She Got The Gold Mine and I Got The Shaft
Come Out of the Wheatfield Nelly, You’re Going Against the Grain
My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend And I Sure Do Miss Him
I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through The Goalposts Of Life
Thank God And Greyhound She’s Gone
I’ve Got The Hungries For Your Love And I’m Waiting In Your Welfare Line
