Tuesday, June 9, 2009

A Wordle, Words, and Wordiness

First the Wordle:

(double click on image to enlarge)



If you've never heard of a Wordle, you can go here and make your own. It's really fun because you can choose your own fonts and colors and designs and put in any words you want. For this particular Wordle, I had the program just "grab" words from three of my recent blog entries. It's a cool activity for kids, too. So go Wordle, already!

And now for the "Words" part of the title

First of all, I must say that you all have some very interesting sleeping habits; I think the guest book included just about every sleep/wake schedule known to mankind! Some of you go to bed early (like me) and others of you are awake til all hours. Some are up at the crack of dawn (unlike me) and others are later-in-the-morning risers. (Like Nathan, whenever he can get away with it.) I really enjoyed all of your entries; it was fun reading! And I'm especially glad I'm not the only one who needs to be in bed early. That makes me feel better.

And on the subject of the guest book, "Mary from Iowa" asked what movie Nathan and I saw the other night. We went to "Knowing" which I pretty much enjoyed although it was a little scarier than I had anticipated. Since it was an Apocalyptic story, I found it interesting from a Biblical perspective, to see how they would handle an end-of-the-world scenario compared to the Bible's account. I must say it was a bit of a depressing movie because the world really did get destroyed at the end. In a lot of movies like that, someone is usually able to "save the day" (and the earth) before total destruction happens.

I wouldn't see it again but I thought it was worth seeing once. It definitely gave Nathan and me plenty to argue about all the way home as we discussed the movie's viewpoint vs. the Biblical viewpoint.

(Note To Self: Try to never attend a movie with a 19-year old who attends a Christian university. He will be WAY more knowledgeable than you about philosophical meanderings, theological subtleties and movie making in general.)

Speaking of Nathan, Steve and I appreciate those of who you have taken the time to e-mail or sign the guest book with suggestions on financing Nathan's upcoming college year while being (currently) unemployed; your comments were extremely helpful. We should know some final things in the next day or two, but I think we might have some solutions percolating, some inspired by your advice.

I was so proud of Nathan when we sat down with him in his room recently and had "The Talk." (No, not THAT talk, the College Talk!)

I don't know about you, but if I were nineteen years old and my parents had just sat down with me to tell me that there was a fairly good chance I couldn't return to college for my junior year, I would be more than a bit bummed.

Nathan listened pretty calmly, asked a few pertinent questions and got kind of a sober, sad look on his face. Steve and I left his room after the conversation to give him some private time to digest what we had told him. I didn't know if he would end up staying in his room all night and just wallow in despair--that's probably what I would have done at his age.

But no, in about fifteen minutes the door to his room opened and he emerged looking calm and at peace. He ate dinner, teased his sister and spent two hours playing Apples to Apples with us. I was very proud of his mature attitude in accepting the fact that life doesn't always turn out the way we want. (And the sooner we all learn THAT fact, the better!)

Well, this was supposed to be a short post, but I guess I got carried away with wordiness. I'm good like that.

__________________________

Some questions:

What is your favorite movie?

What is a movie you've already seen this year that you would recommend to the rest of us? (I'm ALWAYS on the look out for great movies.)

13 Had Something To Say (Just click here!):

Anonymous said...

Have you seen Secondhand Lions?
It's not a new movie, (2003, I think)..but it's a good family movie. I recommend it. :)

Kim

Anonymous said...

I agree with Kim, Secondhand Lions is a wonderful "feel good" movie!

Traci
Hunker, PA

Anonymous said...

My movie taste may be a bit different but you asked and therefore I answer: I have many favorites movies but one of my favorites is Sophie Choice (1982). It has a great story and wonderful acting. It will haunt you a few days, but it is a movie you don't forget.

Rainman and Kramer vs kramers are great movies too.
Lord of the rings will always be one of my favorites because it was the first non-Danish movies I saw. Then I like feel good movies too - like Ice Age.

I like War World movies too like The boy in the striped pyjamas and Sophie Scholl the last days. I like a teen movie like Bend it like Beckham too.

I hate scary movies.

~ Trine

lesley said...

Nathan.....growing into such a resilient guy. And you're right, life has a way of throwing unexpected obstacles in everyone's path. I have always found it so hard to watch my boys struggle with large disappointments and challenges. But at the same time I value the fact that they can 'practice' it with support from their family. It is such an important skill to have a handle on as an independent adult.

Favorite all-time movie? The Sound of Music!!

Anonymous said...

Becky
do you know what the Bird is for a morning person?
Just this morning the book by Evelyn Christianson that I was reading had a chapter on Morning Larks vs
Night Owls. She said Larks twitter and sing in the morning, but by the end of the day, they're not doing too well.

So,I say sing in the morning and be 'wise' enough in the evening to go to bed early, right?

Haven't gone to the movies in several years. Actually like re-seeing kids' movies.
Big Bird in China (one of my absolute favorites!)
Babe
Peter Pan
Sound of Music

also liked Rain Man

mrs pam

Pam D said...

I'm one of those who loves silly, fun movies; some favorites include
Ferris Bueller
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Mary Poppins (even now!)
Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, etc.
My favorite so far this year is Night at the Museum 2... I really love Amelia Earhart in the movie. Her confidence and cheery demeanor are a real "pick me up"!
Oh.. I also like Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias, but I'm not so fond of the sad parts. There's enough in life to bring us down without PAYING to have someone do it to us (imho...). And I know I'll think of a hundred other favorite movies once I hit "publish".. so I'll probably comment again!

Marysienka said...

Have you seen Slumdog Millonaire? I saw it 3 times (I, who can barely stay awake for an entire movie generally!) ;)

The last movie I saw was Angels and Demons. It was interesting. Symbols are fascinating (and add a bit of science and I'm totally satisfied!)...

Now, I'm just waiting for the next Harry Potter movie (in a month)! :o)

Anonymous said...

We took our granchildren (8 and almost 6) to see UP and I'm not sure who laughed the hardest. Our grandson (8) was laughing so hard the row of seats was shaking.
Diane in Apex

Anonymous said...

Slumdog Millionare is great too. I recommend that. Have Sarah seen the Inkheart movie too? It is a good movie.

I saw Angels and Demons but I did not like it so much Oh by the way MILK is a great movie too

Anonymous said...

I liked the wordle! It's such a fun word to say ("wordle, wordle!") and a neat idea too. However, in The Smith Wordle,I thought "Becky" should be larger letters and Snowy isn't mentioned at all--gasp! The Wordle people need to get their Wordle act together.

There now, aren't you glad I'm around to give unsolicited opinions?

As for movies, we watch a lot of old classics so we're kind of out of the loop. However, we did recently move up into the 21st century long enough to see "Fireproof" with Kirk Cameron--great movie!

Wordle, wordle!

Love, Deb

Jennifer said...

That Wordle thing is too cool!! Can't wait to try it....I'm not too creative, though!

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