The Constant Gardener

Terra and I just watched this movie last night. I'd never heard of it previously, but of the movies on PPV that were showing around when we wanted to watch, it was the one that looked the most interesting. And it was. It looks like it might be a British Film (but not a comedy!), since it was about the British High Commission and some stuff that was happening in Kenya. It was in one sense very political (against big pharmaceutical companies and "colonialistic" pracitices of Britain), but it was well done so it didn't feel too preachy. It follows the story of a man whose wife is killed after she digs up some dirt on a company, and how he eventually continues her quest to expose them.
The movie started out a bit slow, and I was worried that it would be a dud. But I noticed after about 30-45 minutes that it had really sucked me in and captivated me. There is one "romantic" scene (not quite any nudity) at the beginning, and a little bit of nudity later (she's about 9 months pregnant, so it has a very non-sexual feel), but other than that it was good. Flashes of bad language, but only by certain characters, with whom the language fits. The story developed well, and the ending was both fantastic (how they zinged the bad guys) and yet not the "happy" ending that one would expect. It also showed some scenes from Africa that were quite stirring (a raid on a village where the raiders are capturing children to take them into captivity). The line in the movie is, "That's just the way life is here." It was particularly stirring since I had just heard a radio documentary on CBC about these type of raiders in Uganda (which is right beside Kenya), so the story fits with what I had recently learned. And yes, I know listening to CBC radio makes me boring. Oh well.
So, that's my movie review. I recommend you see it. Just be prepared - if you're honest, it makes you struggle with some issues that in many ways, we'd be more comfortable not knowing about.

Making Movies

Last night we had a youth event. We got the youth to come (14!!! That's huge for us!) and make movies. No prearranged plots or anything. I just set them aside in two separate groups and told them to come up with stories. Then after about half an hour I went around and started filming them. Then I downloaded it into the church computer and did some (sort of) quick editing, and away we went. I had a lot of fun, and they seemed to have a blast. I wasn't sure if they would enjoy something like this, but they seemed to. And the videos were quite amusing. That's one nice thing about Macs - very easy to do video editing and stuff. I still want to work on them some more.

Earlier today I went and watched cows with Darrian. He loves them. They're really not that exciting of animals, but somehow anything is more exciting when you have a 13 month old with you. "Cow" is also one of the words that Darrian is best at saying. It's kind of amusing.

Later, y'all.
Chris

Hockey! (Am I really posting about hockey?)

Okay, so I'm definitely not the world's biggest hockey fan, but I enjoy the game. And considering the Olympics are on, and the women just won gold, I figure I'll drop a few thoughts on the matter.

First, the women's gold medal game today was boring. Hate to say it. I love that Sweden beat the Americans, but it was a really boring game. Sweden just doesn't measure up to Canada. Still, there was a time when the Canadian men were always dominant, and now the rest of the world has caught up. Give it 10-20 years and the women's hockey will be much more interesting.

Second, the men really need to pull their socks up. I have no idea why they aren't able to score, but it could be as simple as a lack of chemistry and playing time together. Sometimes the best players just don't connect. We'll see what they do in the next little while. I also get tired of hearing how bad they're playing. I mean, they outshot Switzerland 49-18 and everyone was saying how bad they played! Come on! They ran up against a hot goalie. 49 saves! That's incredibly rare. In a normal world, they would have won that one. Sure, maybe they can play better, and it's not good that they lost to Finland, but let's not panic yet.

Finally, I got the opportunity to play hockey myself last Sunday (Feb. 12). It's only the second time that I've ever played hockey in full equipment (the first was in December). Skating is definitely not my strong point. Then again, neither is stopping. Or shooting. Or passing. Or defense, or offense, for that matter. Basically, I suck. But it was fun. Fortunately it was just a fun league. It was even at the level where I almost scored (got it through the goalie's legs, but someone else stopped it on the goal line. Dang.)

Anyway, that's my thoughts for now. Later. And remember, keep your stick on the ice.

My boy is a magnet for bruises

So in the past few days Darrian has fallen off the couch and smoked his head, plowed into the corner of our kitchen wall (big bruise on his forehead from that one), got hit by a soccer ball at Jeff's game yesterday (fortunately just a glancing blow), electrocuted himself (grabbed an outlet at the soccer game that didn't have a cover and got a good shock) and bashed his head on the corner of the stove drawer. Boy I'm glad he's got a short memory. At this rate, he's not going to make his second birthday unless we stick him in a bubble.

He's also discovered dogs. And he loves them. If he sees one - in a picture, on the TV, anywhere - he starts grinning like a fool and does his best to get to it. The funny thing is, if he actually gets beside one he just stands there and grins. Doesn't pet it or anything, just smiles at us and tags along with the dog where ever it goes. Crazy kid. If we can find the money, I sense the purchase of a canine in our future.

Seahawks lose!

Okay, so I'm not the biggest NFL fan, but still a little disappointed to see Seattle lose. Still, Pittsburgh deserved it. They came up with the big plays at the right time, and the Seahawks just couldn't seem to get on a roll. Oh well.

Okay, Pete, I bite. What embarrassing pictures do you have? And ha ha - I haven't given the youth my blogspot address yet. Mwah ha ha ha!!!

Okay, maybe that was a bit overboard, but meh. Tuff.

Of Cooling Racks and Addictions

Okay, I'm back. Anyone miss me?

I noticed something recently. I'm addicted to cooling racks! No, wait, that's not it. Those were two separate topics. Ok, got it.

You know those cooling racks that you put cookies on when they're just out of the oven? Well, tonight I was doing the dishes, and as I did each dish I would rinse it off under hot running water. My wife has trained me well. So I finished washing the cooling rack and I started trying to rinse it off. What a useless gesture! I'm waving this thing around under the tap, and all I can think is, "Boy, this is about as pointless as trying to nail down water!" So I stopped.

The other thing that I've come to realise, however, is that I'm addicted to being a dad. I love having a kid! I can't get enough of him - almost everything he does makes me laugh. Even when he's getting in trouble I find him adorable. Kind of destroys the tough guy image I've built up over the years, hey? The other night, after he'd been asleep for a couple of hours, I went in to cover him up as we went to bed. He woke up (which was kind of unusual) and tried to stand up in this kind of drunken stupor. When he finally did get to his feet, he started lunging at the blanket and laughing. Every time I moved it, he would jump at it and laugh (I should note that he didn't stay on his feet long). I finally got the blankets straightened out and laid him down and covered him up. He grinned up at me and went to sleep, just like that. Unreal how they can wriggle so deep into your emotions.

So there you go, another post. That means what, another 2 months before I have to post again? Okay, I should be quicker than that. Maybe tomorrow. I don't know - we're going to see Jeff play soccer in Edmonton, then I've got a youth event in the evening. May not have time.