Good Stuff

Good Book: I started to read Island of the Blue Dolphin when I was much younger, but I didn't have time to finish it, and it hadn't captivated me in the first few chapters. I started reading it again last week, and I understood why it was a Newbery Award winner. The mental strength and compassion of the main character is beautiful. I wondered while reading it, would I cope so well if I was left on my own? But it wasn't just the story that was good, the way it was told was excellent too. It reflected the subtle changes in perspective as people get older and experience new things. It balanced humor and fear and excitement with the day to day living. It showed the way loneliness effects the mind and the soul of a person. I understood why I didn't really get into it before. It was a slower more reflective type of story, but by slowing down, I got to see the world through another person's eyes.


Good food: I made a recipe called "Easy Paella." After doing lots of research I realized that it wasn't the proper way to make Paella, but it was still really good. And it was relatively easy. I now want to make paella the "proper way" - over an open fire! It had lemon juice and saffron and sausage and rice and peppers and lots of other yummy stuff combined in a very yummy mess.

Good Movie: Thursday some of us friends were talking about wanting to see The King's Speech. Friday afternoon, one of those friends discovered that it was playing in a local "less-expensive" theater, and invited us to go watch it with them. It was an enjoyable time together, and part of that was because the movie was good. I couldn't come up with a better word, because "great"conveys exclamation points and cool stuff, and watching a man work on his stutter can't really be described as "beautiful," but "moving" and "enriching" don't really capture what I am trying to say either. It is a movie I would definitely recommend, so go watch it, if you haven't yet, and then you will know what I am trying to say.

It was well acted, and the storyline was good, but I think what stood out to me most was the perseverance relationships require. People make mistakes and hurt each other and sometimes mislead each other, but true relationships overcome all those things. They require honesty to point out faults and humility to accept that those faults are true. And these relationships happen because within them, each person knows he is safe; safe from being exposed and from being dropped if he doesn't measure up.

Good music: Thomas got the sheet music for some Battlestar Galactica music. He played some of it; it seems really hard, but I am so excited for him to learn it. My favorite pieces is "Wander My Friends" and I have had it stuck in my head for several days now without minding at all.

Good game: I have been able to watch three soccer games recently. All of them were lots good. I liked the one where Real Madrid beat Malaga 7-0, because goals are fun to watch. I enjoyed watching Real Madrid beat Racing Santander 3-1, because they played well, even without Christiano Ronaldo. But my favorite was the one where Schalke beat Bayern Munich because of a goal from Raul!