Brother Blue

During lunch with friends on Sunday the conversation turned to physical affection. Who are you comfortable hugging and when is a hug appropriate with friends, family, and co-works?
One of my friends shared a story for when she was in high school youth group. The topic of the conversation was physical intimacy. The question the presenting “older couple” asked was, “What is more intimate, a hug or a kiss?”
All the youth said “Kiss, of course.”
Then the couple when on to share that when they were in a fight a kiss was okay (and demonstrated a quick peck), but there was no way they were going to hug. A hug was way to intimate because you were entering another persons and they were embracing you.
Interesting thoughts.

I love movies. I can see as many as 6 in one week I the theater.
I often like movies others don’t. (Knight’s Tale anyone?)
But some how I am out of step with everyone on this.
Last week I saw the movie Pan’s Labyrinth.
It is receiving rave reviews (96% of the 131 reviews at RottenTomatos.com are positive). It is receiving award nominations (Golden Globe, SAG, and Oscar). I have even received e-mail from friends telling me to go.
I heard an interview with the writer/director Guillermo Del Toro. I loved everything he said. “adult fairytale.” “importance of disobedience.” “importance of stories and fantasy.” “for a movie to be about all time it must be about a specific time.”
The movie itself is beautiful. The magical creatures and worlds are amazing. Wonderful, amazing and scary. (The faun puts the Chronicles of Narnia to shame) Not a candy coated fairytale, but what a child’s imagination is really like.
With all this being said, I found the movie horrifying. It was anything but hopeful and it was brutal beyond recognition. There were four times in which I had to cover my eyes because the violence was so extreme and real.
And maybe that was the problem. I have a feeling I am going to see Smoking Aces in the next few weeks and won’t even flinch. The violence will be so cartoonist it won’t be believable.
But Pan’s Labyrinth might be a fairytale, but the violence is real. Way to real for my taste.

I don’t know what to do with this:

[via Random Good Stuff]

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
Mary Pickford (1892 – 1979)

From Seth Godin’s blog:

“It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”
David Brin

It is nice to know others are thinking of you.
At the same time I am note quite sure how I feel about this:

Saw this t-shirt and it made me think of you.
Love, Olivia

Thanks! Thanks a lot.
[think of someone else today]

I have never used the term hero in describing others. For me it is easier to say “who I would like to be when I grow up…” They are people who have characteristics I admire. In the last few days I have been introduced (at least through history) to a new person to add to this list. I thought it would be a good time to review them all. (in alphabetical order)
Karen Armstrong: Author and historian. I am impressed with her willingness to follow truth were ever it leads. For her it lead to places that required her to give up many things that were dear.
[Wikipdia bio | books]
Harold Saxon Burr: Doctor, teacher and researcher. Burr was a scientist who was willing to go against the grain for follow a path which he felt would best help the heath and well being of people. Burr taught at Yale Medical for 40 years starting in 1929. Many of his hypothesis and theories we seen as ridiculous. After others tried his experiments (with no success) he returned to the lad to find where his ideas were incomplete. Some research he returned to for more than 20 years. His ideas, then seen as quackery, are today the foundation of such things as EKGs and PEMF (magnetic fields used to spur bone growth). He followed where the fact lead him, regardless of what the scientific community thought of his work, in order to improve heath/medical care.
Michael Carotta: Author, catechist, teacher, and trainer. He is a great storyteller and amazing trainer.
[books]
Malcom Gladwell: Author. Most famous for his books The Tipping Point and Blink!. He is also a regular contributor to New Yorker magazine. He genius is his ability to synthesize. He can take research and information form many different disciples and weave them together in to a single, useful narrative.
[web site | blog | books]
Jerry Goebel: Musician and companion. I love e-mails from Jerry. They say things like, “Could you please call before 4pm. After then I will be behind bars.” Jerry works with marginalized youth. He works with adolescents in prisons (over 30 prisons) and those who paths could easily lead to that. He is a man of great faith who understands faith is an action reflected in how we live, not in the words we say.
[web site | books]
[Note: Last week there was sale on one of Jerry's books Songs of Hope. The book is a collection reflections on the Song of Psalms through the eyes of working with the poor, marginalized, and prisoners. Lots of people took advantage of the sale.
I would feel bad if others missed out on this chance to be touched by Jerry's work.
For that reason we are going to continue the sale for a few more days. This week if you use the code "hero" in the on-line store you can get the book for $1 plus shipping. Buy as many as you like. Share Jerry's amazing words with your friends and family.]

The plan is to walk across Norway (or at least 300+ miles of it) this August.
I will be traveling with full pack, camping gear, and three days of food at all time.
The goal is to make it a pilgrimage, not an unbearable physical chore. I want to enjoy the scenery, the people, and the quiet retreat of pilgrimage.
To this end I am getting in shape. I have changed my diet and build an exercise plan.
But because I started 7 months out I am able to ease into this slowly.
Every morning I go for a walk. Every few days I am adding a little weight to get use to walking with a full pack. To begin with I started with 3lb leg weights, then moved to 4lb and 5lb. I have since added wrist weights. The next step is a backpack which will get fuller and fuller (up to the 70 or 80 lbs I am going to be carrying).
As I have moved up in weight, it has been no chore. I don’t feel winded. It is just my normal pre dawn walk.
Two nights ago I took a walk with out any weight. Just an after dinner stroll. I felt like I was flying. My let we so use to being restricted by the weight that they moved in a fashion that was pulling me into a jog.
All I had done over the previous 15 days was a few lbs at a time.
Little by little, getting stronger, and I am not killing myself to do it.

Swedish maxim:
“There is no bad weather, just bad clothing.”
[Via Seth Godin]
[Note: Sale still on. Songs of Hope for $1 plus shipping. Use the code "new_math". ]