Castles in the Air – The East End

So I like to dream. I like to dream in detail, even. Why keep them to myself? The “castles in the air” quote is almost cliche, but I love it. I love that we are free to dream grandiose dreams and to work to make them real. I have dreams for what Tulsa can be and I believe that with work they can happen. I post on TulsaNow’s message board and decided to move this one over here and do a few more of them for old time’s sake. I’ve been busy with the new restaurant and haven’t been blogging in a while. Things are calming down now and I’m finding myself needing to write.
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau

Dozens of ideas have been thrown about over the years regarding Tulsa’s East End or East Village. This area is largely regarded as roughly 3rd or 4th to 8th or 9th from Elgin to HWY 75. It is largely made up of empty unused surface parking, some land owned by Bill White, including a dealership, some old Nordam property and some signs of life on the North end with Micah Alexander’s little neighborhood, the Pride center, etc.

Here we go. Here are the elements I’d attempt to weave together if I was a big fancy rich developer and could lay the framework for the whole area out ahead of time (which is what should really happen here). One at a time type development in an area like this with no clear vision for the whole space could cause us to lose the ability to do something truly notable).

1. Park: Imagine green rolling hills with mature trees, landscaping, picnic areas, playgrounds, a disc golf course (or at least a place for some touch football), a baseball field, climbing wall, and/or azalea garden type place where people would want to get married, an outdoor theater for Shakespeare in the park type events and outdoor concerts, and a space for picnic in the park movie showings, and of course…a couple fountains.

2. 365 days a year carnival: Picture a walk up Ferris Wheel, Carousel, Sky Ride, Roller Coaster, Fun House, with street vendors integrated into the park selling hot dogs and cotton candy. This would be a fun, moving, and really unique element which would provide some compelling attractions to our citizens and to visitors…and as for their geography within the neighborhood, they should be situated in such a way to help bridge the park to…

3. Retail: Think Tattered Cover Bookstore, Crate and Barrell, NikeTown, Puma Store, Coach, Billabong, Izod, Adidas store, Trader Joe’s grocery, Einstein Bros Bagel and Coffee, etc. What I’m suggesting is this – attractive notable retail that people from all over the metro area would be compelled to visit and that is recognizable to convention visitors. Mix the chains with unique local boutiques and restaurants (including a restaurant/bar/movie theater) and you have Tulsa’s absolute best shopping experience – Store to store, pedestrian style shopping on stone walkways with outdoor sidewalk dining, a nearby park and carnival with Tulsa’s beautiful skyline backdrop. Woodland Hills Mall? No thanks. Utica Square? Hoity Toity. Promenade Mall? Yeah, no. Tulsa does not have a pedestrian oriented “get it all in one place” type of thing that isn’t completely out of reach financially for most citizens or a boring and unoriginal indoor shopping mall.

4. Residential: Put residential units above much of the afore-mentioned retail in true mixed use construction with additional condos or row-homes butting up against the highway. People living in and amongst the action guarantees that there is always life in the area.

5. Museums and Interactive Experiences: Childrens’ museum – cool. Interactive music experience highlighting Tulsa’s unique music heritage and providing Tulsans with a fun, interactive, always changing celebration of music – really cool. Add to that a place for summer music camps, for students from local elementary, middle, and high schools to perform, and a music store selling local music…really really cool and a big part of reinforcing Tulsa’s growing identity as a music/entertainment city….and a big reason for people to visit downtown.

6. Integrated Parking Garages: This one is important. Parking garages that are wrapped in retail, underground, or otherwise integrated into the other elements mentioned would serve to preserve as much of the precious land in the area as possible and would serve as a profound example to the surface parking loving citizenry of what happens when you solve the issue of parking with creativity and purpose. We don’t have to have a big ugly parking garage. We can put parking under things, on top of things etc, but the goal should be to create an environment where cars are rarely if ever seen and completely unnecessary to get around.

Lastly, my hope for this unique and appealing part of downtown would be that it would serve as the large hub of continued retail development that would head west down 5th street all the way to Denver and as east through the Pearl District up 6th street. The entire north side of 6th street from the highway all the way to Peoria is prime…except the VFW, right? Leave that. Let’s not forget to head north down Elgin all the way to the ballpark. The East End, or whatever you want to call it, is the most critical piece in the downtown development puzzle. It is our opportunity to create a place that has all day appeal to all kinds of people. It’s not night-life oriented. It’s not car oriented, it’s not just geared towards young professionals or empty nesters. It’s not dependent on an event center like a ballpark or arena. It’s got way more moving parts than that and it works because it’s easy to get to (the BA dumps you right there), appealing to live in (can you imagine a cooler place to live?), and a unique treat to visit (suburbanites as well as Tulsa’s rural neighbors would love some Nike store, carnival rides, etc). You put downtown’s trolley/bus transit hub there and people can easily head north to blue dome and brady or west to the civic center and arena or south to TCC and church and 18th and Boston.

And this next part is not my idea at all, but I think it’s great. You know that big ugly brown graham cracker looking building across Elgin from the East End? Mark the whole area by projecting images up on to that building. You get rid of the ugly and you create a large, moving, ever-changing work of art towering over the east end. Maybe put big white screens that cover the stick out a bit in a fashionable way from each side of the building and fill them with moving images, announcements of festivals, etc…. Cool idea if you ask me.

In time as Tulsa’s master plan is updated, the Pearl District starts to take shape, the ballpark is open, and the Blue Dome is more alive, the void that is the East Village is going to become even more obvious. Hopefully our zoning and infrastructure planning are improved to make something like this appealing for investors and developers.

Check back for my unfettered dream for Rt. 66.

Joe Momma’s

I’m at my wife’s parents’ house in Columbia, Missouri right now. It’s the day after Christmas. For the first time in nearly 8 months, I’ve been away from Joe Momma’s for three days in a row.

That didn’t keep me from working today. I brought paperwork up here that needed to be organized and I made phone calls that I needed to make and worked on ad designs in the car the whole way up here.

I’ve also slept more than I ever thought possible. I fell asleep at 7pm tonight. No reason.

So much has happened with my life and with the restaurants in the last several months. There are some great stories and some that are boring.

My mom thinks I should write a book about it all. Maybe I should. Sadly, this is the first time I’ve had time to write anything that didn’t have to do specifically with the day to day operations of the restaurant and now that I’ve started I don’t really know what to say.

It’s open. It’s crazy. It’s fun. It’s a ton of work.

I was telling Julie on the way up here that working on our business is not like working for someone. If I had a real job and someone expected me to work 100 hours in a week, I’d laugh in their face. I’d tell them about how I have a family.

For some reason, I’ve made attachments in my mind about the restaurant that justify the work. They make it not so bad and they make the time away from my wife and kid somehow more excusible in the moment. I think to myself about how I’m building something for the future of my family. I think about how it will all be worth is someday, when I’m less busy and am therefore able to reap the rewards of freedom that owning my own business is supposed to offer.

I hope I’m right. I miss my wife. I miss my boy.

The past few months have been interesting. They’ve matured me. They’ve made a more hardened business man out of a guy who is known for being laid back and playful. I find myself hoping that I haven’t lost the things that made this fun. I find myself becoming the things I swore I wouldn’t. I don’t want to be separated from my staff. I don’t want them to fear me. There just seems to be this thing in our world that says if you’re ever goofy, or childlike, you can’t be taken seriously. I find myself feeling like I have to prove my intelligence, my capability, my hard-assness…to my staff, my partners, my subcontractors, and my neighbors. It’s as if they will not…absolutely will not respect me until I’ve shown them that I mean business…and when you mean business, you definitely don’t smile.

…and I hate that.

I’m very big. I’m taller than most everyone and I’m bigger than them too. I am an overwhelming person. I have a deep voice and an expressive face. I can be a bear. When I’m pissed, I imagine that I’m scaring the shit out of people. They get more defensive towards me than they might towards others and they sure as hell get scared. Knowing this, I try to temper the times I act angry. I know that the sheer size of me makes that a bad idea in a place where people need to be happy and secure in order to do a good job. It’s made for some interesting occurrences already. I simply don’t get to be stressed, even though I have the right to be the most stressed out person in the building. I don’t get to be frustrated, even though things not going well have a direct effect on me and my family. I don’t get to be tired, even though I’m working more than anyone else. I have to fake happy, easy going, chill. . . because the mood I’m in is obvious and contagious.

I’m doing okay. I’m optimistic. Things are going well and are getting better all the time. I should be praying for peace and energy and continued resolve. If it occurs to you, you can join me.

Thanks for reading.

The “ME” I want to be.

So I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about who I am and who I want to be in all aspects of my life. Some of them are simple and somewhat meaningless, while other areas are the biggies.

So…for all three or four of you to read, but more importantly for me to write, here is the “me” I want to be.

I want to be the kind of husband who my wife is always glad to see.

I want to be predictable in my temperament and my response to stressful situations, but romantically unpredictable, always surprising, always fresh.

I want to always think of my wife and her needs and desires before I think of my own.

I want to love sacrificing my desires for hers.

I want to be the safest place in her world.

I want to remind her every day that I think she’s wonderful and beautiful.

I want to provide for her financially.

I want to encourage her spiritually.

I want her to count on me to lead our family spiritually and to guide our steps with the help of my God.

I want to be the kind of Dad who always finds spending time truly interacting with my children more important than the show I’m watching, video game I’m playing, computer at which I’m staring, and business I’m running.

I want my kids to trust me to care for their hurts the right way.

I want them to trust me with this completely.

I want to be patient with them, understanding of them, and consistent with them at all times.

I want them to grow up knowing that they are loved because of who they are, not what they do.

I want to continue to be like a kid in the ways that kids like. I want to unashamedly play with toys and games. I want to build tents out of sheets in the living room and tell stories in the dark with my kids. I want to engage my imagination with the imagination of my children and create amazing worlds together in our minds.

I want to ask more questions about other people than I do.

. . . because I want to care more about them than I do.

I want to tell others how great I think they are more.

I want to complain less.

I want to never curse old people drivers again.

I want to be the most fair person in the world.

I want to know more people from other races and have them call me “friend.”

I want to allow myself to be saddened by sad things.

I want to know more about: blues music, wine, Cuba, web and graphic design, and guitar playing.

I want to finish my screenplay.

I want be healthy in mind, body, and spirit.

I want to dunk a basketball again.

I want to come home from work, make a great meal, light candles, and listen to fantastic music on an LP with my wife.

I want to sit on my deck and smoke a cigar more often.

I want my siblings to look up to me and to count on me to be the best big brother.

I want to play more with my dog.

I want to be better at shutting the hell up and listening.

I want people to leave my presence feeling better about who they are, not who I am.

I want to be involved in city development.

I want to not care that I don’t give a rat’s ass about playing golf, even though I feel like I should for some stupid reason.

I want to unashamedly represent Jesus to people like football coaches do when they go on TV and say that their team has honored the Lord and he blessed them….even if they are full of crap.

I want to stop caring so much about doing Christianity a certain way and care more about allowing Jesus to really change me and my life.

I want to be thankful always.

I want to be like my Dad in so many ways.

I want to be cool under pressure…and I’m not at all.

I want to see all people the way that God sees them, rather than the tainted way that I tend to.

I want to keep writing right now, but I have to go to bed.

College

I’m 28 years old. I haven’t been to college in nearly 8 years. After a few years of racking up huge student loan debts at John Brown University, I moved back to Tulsa and signed up for class at the Community College. I don’t remember the reasons, but I didn’t really go to class and therefore was awarded several failing grades. Later I resolved to make it work and enrolled again, only to fail to complete my courses. Please don’t get too hung up on the ignorant choices in my past. They are there and they don’t make sense. I can’t even begin to figure out why I lost my academic scholarship to JBU, made more bad grades, came home, and flunked Community College.

I am now banned from attending classes at Tulsa Community College. This is quite humbling as it is called Community College because anyone in the community can attend….anyone except me.

I’ve decided to go back to school. I own a pizza restaurant now and am set in my career and am even quite busy with my own business and a relatively new addition to our family, and yet I really want to finish college and hang copies of my degree all over the walls of every home and office that I enter. I called the community college to verify that I am still not allowed to attend. Yep. I have to go somewhere else and take nine hours and then reapply to TCC. I have to prove that I am in fact capable of completing a class.

My other options in Tulsa are slim as I clearly stand no chance of being admitted to the academically rigid University of Tulsa or even Oral Roberts University. OSU, however, has a branch in Tulsa and since OSU is full of rednecks and hillbillies from every little podunk nook and cranny in our fine state, I assume that perhaps their standards are slightly lower. Nope. I went down to their office last week and was told that I should visit Langston University’s Tulsa branch as they definitely have lower academic standards.

Langston is a primarily “black” school. I have no problem with black people or with the schools that they might happen to attend, but I didn’t expect to ever find myself in the admissions office of Langston University, begging to be admitted. My experience in the Langston admission office was classic.

I walked in to the office and immediately discovered that other than a mentally retarted boy who was being cared for by another lady in line before me, I was the only Caucasian. I enjoyed looking around and listening to the conversation of those before me as they attempted to select classes and make decisions for the coming academic year. More than that, I enjoyed that everyone in the room seemed to be looking at me wondering to themselves why the big white kid was standing in line behind them. I saw more than one raised eyebrow and head cocked to the side. “Which one of these was not like the other.” was ringing through my head as I smiled to myself and watched them back. The gentlemen directly in front of me looked like he stepped right out of a rap video. He had his hat on crooked, his shorts pulled down below the round part of his ass, his shoes were untied, he had some “bling” around his neck, and a large Carmello Anthony jersey hanging from his large shoulders. I immediately comforted myself by stating in my own mind that if this guy can go to college, so can I. I had to chuckle when he walked up to the counter and asked that his masters degree transcript be put in the same envelope as his undergrad transcript because the college to which he was applying didn’t need them to be seperated. Not only does he have a degree, he has his masters degree and is going to more college somewhere else. Stereotypes beware.

When it was my turn, I walked up to the very nice lady at the counter and explained to her my situation. After inspecting my unimpressive transcript, she immediately began talking to me as if I was stupid and deaf. “HONEY, LET ME HELP YOU.” “Here we go,” I thought. “I’m her new charity case.” “WE’S GONNA FIND YOU SOME COURSES THAT BE REAL EASY, OKAY?” “That sounds great, Ma’am.” “LET’S SEE, HERE’S ONE! THIS ONE IS SO EASY YOU’D ALMOST HAVE TO TRY NOT TO MAKE AN ‘A’.” “Great. Sign me up for that one.” “OH, HERE’S ANOTHER ONE: HISTORY OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN. HONEY, THERE AIN’T NUTHIN WRONG WITH SOME WHITE FOLK BE KNOWIN’ SOME BIZNESS BOUT SOME BLACK FOLK.” “So true,” I say. “Sign me up for that one too.” Later in our very slow and loud conversation, I revealed to her that I own my own business and that at one point I had an academic scholarship. I think I was hoping to dissuade her from more yelling and from treating me like I was an idiot. It did not. I just laughed on the inside. It wasn’t humbling as much as it was amusing. How do you get more humbling than being refused admission to the community college anyway? The good news is that I’m going back to college. I’ll be taking 12 hours at Langston University this fall on top of running Joe Momma’s. I’m reminded of the idea that it is really about the journey more than it’s about the destination. I fully intend to ace my courses, enjoy them thoroughly, and come out of my college experience a more mature and complete person. I’m mostly just looking forward to being the only white kid in the “History of the Afro-American,” cause there ain’t nuthin wrong with knowin’ some bizness ’bout some black folk.

Rap

The physician in your mind scrawls out prescription after prescription while saying, “This pharmacist will treat you right. He will cure all your pains tonight – Filling up your glass with Bourbon or Gin.” “Hey buddy, where you been?” You wonder to your sad self if there’s a better way to medicate. You dare when you’re sober to speculate: What could heal my pain? What could stop the rain in my brain that’s driving me insane? The answer is not in your hand my man. It’s not in happy hour specials or a great house band, but rather when you stand and say, “Hey you…Help me please.” You see the crime is when these peddlers of late night potions pour and pour to keep your little glass full while making your pocket book and worse your soul more empty. Do you see the pattern my friend? Do you know the end? What’s around the bend? I’ll tell you what I see from where I’ve been. It’s more of the same old shit different day, so what d’ya say we find another way to beat this? I know, I know. You can rock and roll while the hole in your soul continues to grow. Look at yourself, with your hopes on the shelf while you keep that black vinyl stool occupied. It’s your front row seat to where dreams go to die. “He’s a nice guy.” they say and you buy the lie that they have hopes for what’s best for you. You’re a sucker if you think that crazy mother fucker cares beyond the tips in his jar or maybe the cheap small talk he throws your way, like “how was your day?” or “let’s play some Steve Miller on the juke box.” Friend, this can end. Your greatest achievement doesn’t have to be your new high score on some lame bar top game where your name flashes in spaces one through four. There’s a door to more, so deny the next pour, drag your self ‘cross the floor and say “peace out suckers! I’m movin’ on. Bye Bye Brandon, Retro, Kyle and Jon. Have a nice life and wish me luck with mine.”

I love my boy.

How can you not, right?

Mat Kearney

I can’t stop listening. His music stirs me, his lyrics inspire me. I highly recommend it.

Here are part of the lyrics from “Won’t Back Down.”

You found me once and for all
I laid it down in the sinking ground
The hopeless undertow

Singing out the gentle sound
Rattling through my smoking screens
My broken dreams last night

Hallelujah ripped through my veins
I heard the hammer drop
My blood in the rain
Hallelujah came like a train
When all is lost
All is left to gain

My updated top movie list.

This list is not complete, but here are my top 120ish movies so far. As I remember more, I’ll add them. Enjoy. They are not ranked in exact order, but by the score I gave them. Please know that I was not rating the quality of the movie, but was rating how much I enjoyed the film. I do not in any way consider Dirty Work to be as good as a classic like An Affair to Remember, but I do enjoy them each about the same amount. . . albeit for entirely different reasons. I’ve gone through and added the movies that I’ve seen that have stuck out to me over the past year or so, but I’m sure I’ve forgotten some.

10
Braveheart (1995)
Easily the best epic type movie ever. It never gets old.
Casablanca (1942)
Who cares if it’s black and white? This movie would be great in any era.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
This movie has been the one constant in my ever changing Top 5. It helped to inspire me to love our language.
Fight Club (1999)
Rule number one about fight club is: you do not talk about fight club.
Garden State (2004)
Zach Braff is amazing. His first film is one of my favorites. Every time I watch it, I spend a few hours clicking away on my own screenplay afterwards.
Love Actually (2003)
There may never be a better Romantic Comedy type movie as far as I’m concerned.
The Matrix (1999)
Be honest. When you first saw the Matrix, you were as blown away as I was.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Inconceivable.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino’s masterpiece. The greatest acting performances by Sam Jackson, Travolta, and Bruce Willis all rolled in the same movie. . . impressive.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Only seen it twice. Only needed to see it once.
Se7en (1995) I love this movie.
Shakespeare in Love (1998) Shakespeare himself would be proud of the twists and turns and dialogue in this one.
Snatch. (2000) This movie made Guy Ritchie look like a genius. The movie he later made with Madonna in it only tainted that perception a little.
Walk the Line (2005)
I’ve always loved Johnny Cash. Now everybody loves him. Thanks to this movie.

9
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
At least for now, this may be the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.
An Affair to Remember (1957)
So sad. So Romantic.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
When in Rome.
Big Fish (2003)
This movie is fun to watch. One of the coolest visual effects movies ever.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
You’re out of your element.
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Great acting, great story, great music.
Dirty Work (1998)
What hurts the worst is the lack of respect.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Great acting. Cool story.
The Family Stone (2005)
Mmmm. Makes me want to be a part of the Stone fam.
Finding Neverland (2004)
I have always loved Peter Pan. Since I was a boy I’ve loved to imagine and to dream of neverlands of my own. I pray my own kid doesn’t ever totally grow up either.
Freedom Writers (2007)
So I’m a sucker for teacher movies and this is the best one ever. I cried about ten times.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Great acting, soundtrack, story. One of the most creative ideas for a movie ever.
Gladiator (2000)
The second most tolerable epic type movie.
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Adam Sandler at his best. . . back when he was funny.
High Fidelity (2000)
Introducing Jack Black.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Don’t hold it against me that I have a Tom Cruise/Renee Zelwegger movie on my list. Maybe if they’re both together it’s like two negatives making a positive..
Layer Cake (2004)
Not as good as Snatch, but still fun.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Everything about this movie was great. I love Kevin Spacey.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Nerdy, yet cool.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Nerdy, yet cool.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Nerdy, yet cool.
Meet Joe Black (1998)
How is it that Brad Pitt makes so many good movies?
Memento (2000)
Crazy. Cool. Creative.
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
This movie will always stir up a good kind of memory as it came at a key point in my string of relationships with women.
The Natural (1984)
Baseball movies are almost better than baseball itself. . . especially this one.
The Notebook (2004)
Ohh the romance. My wife’s favorite movie. I think this is everyone’s wife’s favorite movie.
Reality Bites (1994)
Late in my senior year of H.S. when I was just beginning my granola, alterna phase, this movie and Jakob Dylan were the biggest reasons.
Rocky (1976)
Boxing movies are always better than boxing. No question.
Sabrina (1954)
Bogart and Hepburn. Need I say more?
Schindler’s List (1993)
Wow.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
This is so many people’s favorite movie. . .for good reason.
Sideways (2004)
Paul Giamatti is maybe my favorite actor. I love this movie.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
M. Night. . . shamalamading dong. The whole twist ending thing that he does was the best the first time. . . when we didn’t expect it.
Spanglish (2004)
The first time I’ve been able to tolerate Sandler when he wasn’t acting like an idiot. He was great in this great movie.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Who is Kaiser Sosay?
V for Vendetta (2005)
Absolutely love this movie. Probably the smartest script and dialogue in a very long time. The brothers Wachowski have channeled original Matrix greatness again.
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Another one of those great romantic comedies. Both Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal’s best performances.
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Freaking money. Baz is amazing.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
I’ve seen it a million times, though not since I was about 10. Must be good though to be able to watch it so many times.

8
All the President’s Men (1976)
Made politics and journalism cool to me at the same time.
Batman Begins (2005)
Bout time we get a good Batman movie.
Big (1988)
I remember seeing it in the theatre when i was a kid…and I remember wanting to be Big, but not grown up.
Billy Madison (1995)
Shampoo is better. I go on first and clean the hair.
Boondock Saints (1995)
Brothers. Killers. Saints. This may be the best movie never to appear in a theatre.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Matt Damon is twice as cool as Ben Affleck.
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
still.
Collateral (2004)
Tom Cruise. . . what a freak. This movie suited him better than any he’s ever made.
The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
Wow. Real.
Die Hard (1988)
Yippykiyiya!
Elf (2003)
Will Ferrell being himself. Lots of laughs
Elizabethtown (2005)
As much as I dislike Kirsten Dunst, I love this film. She’s not even so annoying in it.
Erin Brockovich (2000)
This movie was solid. Julia was great.
The Game (1997)
Crazy story. Crazy ending.
Glory Road (2006)
Racism will make you sicker than ever after watching this film.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Again, makes me want to write.
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Sean Connery. . . so good.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
I used to run around with a whip on my belt because of Indiana Jones. Not kidding.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Blood. Guts. Fighting.
Man on the Moon (1999)
I love Andy Kauffman. Would’ve never known anything about him without this film. Also, Jim Carrey was amazing.
Moonlighting (1985) (TV)
Best TV show ever. Started with this movie.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Check out the cast. They were all great. . .except Keanu.
Notting Hill (1999)
Can watch it over and over. . . and do.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
These guys are great. Soundtrack made blue grass cool to me.
Old School (2003)
Hilarious. Vince Vaughn’s best.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Two words: Keira Knightley
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Oh Indiana.
Rain Man (1988)
Gotta watch Wapner.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
A dude’s ear gets cut off in this movie. . .on screen. Are you freaking kiddin me?!? First R movie I remember watching.
A River Runs Through It (1992)
Again. . . Brad Pitt in a good movie. . . even though he sucks.
Scream (1996)
Scares the crap out of me. Seriously. I cover my eyes for half the film. Dialogue is great.
Shaft (1971)
Who is the man who would risk his neck for his brother man? Shaft! Can ya dig it?
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Soundtrack’s great, story is very cool. Reminds me about why love is great.
Somewhere in Time (1980)
Rent it. . .and try like I do to pretend that Superman is not the lead.
Star Wars (1977)
I was born in ‘78 I grew up on this stuff.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Couldn’t leave it out.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
People knock this one, but I love Ewoks and those bike things that flew through the trees.
Swingers (1996)
I could never eat here anyway.
Tommy Boy (1995)
Fat guy in a little coat.
Top Gun (1986)
Before Tom Cruise became a freak. . . he made this movie.
We Are Marshall (2006)
I’m the biggest sucker in the world for movies like this.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Hilarious. Vince Vaughn is the funniest man alive.
What About Bob? (1991)
Baby Steps

7
50 First Dates (2004)
A good romantic comedy. Funnier than most.
Anger Management (2003)
Jack. . .and Sandler. What more should I say?
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Football movies. . . are never as good as real football.
Benny & Joon (1993)
Johhny Depp is an odd odd man. But it pays off in this one.
Big Daddy (1999)
More Sandler. More laughs
Casino Royale (2006)
Best Bond ever.
Closer (2004)
Wow. Crazy film about relationships. Awesome dialogue.
Club Dread (2004)
Better to watch this one with a bottle of rum.
Crash (2004)
Not as profound as people make it. . . but it’s still very cool.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
I hate Ben Stiller. If Vince Vaughn was not in this, it would suck.
Dogma (1999)
Kevin Smith makes great films. . . except that one. . .Jersey Girl?
EuroTrip (2004)
Under-rated. Hilarious
Finding Forrester (2000)
I liked it better the first time I saw it. . . when it was called. . . Good Will Hunting.
First Knight (1995)
Oh Richard Gere. . . You’re so manly.
For Love of the Game (1999)
Kevin Costner Baseball movie. . . what do you know?
The Goonies (1985)
Best movie from my childhood. . .and favorite childhood nintendo game.
Groundhog Day (1993)
Bill Murray is good enough to make up for the ever-annoying Andi McDowell.
In Good Company (2004)
Topher Grace is great. Another one of those movies that makes me want to write. I love relationship movies.
Inside Man (2006)
I love a twist….and Denzel.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Yes they do.
The Kid (2000)
Disney. Doesn’t always suck.
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Fun.
The Ladies Man (2000/I)
Yeah. . . well. . . I am da ladieth man.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Guy Ritchie could make a movie a day and I’d make sure to watch them all.
The Longest Yard (2005)
Sandler and Rock. Coulda been better. Still good though.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Scarlett Johannson’s coming out party. She was great. Murray was just as good. Relationship movie all the way.
Man on Fire (2004)
Tony Scott in all of his lunatic glory….and Denzel.
Mr. Deeds (2002)
John Turturo is a funny man. Sandler used to be.
Office Space (1999)
Yeah. . . . ummm. . . Peter. . .
Out Cold (2001)
I can watch this movie a million times. It’s stupid. . . stupid good.
Phone Booth (2002)
Collin Ferrell made a fan out of me in this one.
Pretty Woman (1990)
You have to like this one.
Primal Fear (1996)
The ending of this movie straight up pissed me off. . . and made me love Ed Norton.
Ray (2004/I)
I love Ray Charles. . . even more now.
Road Trip (2000)
Tom Green. . .I think the last time I laughed at him was in this movie.
Sin City (2005)
This movie has no plot. Literally none. . . but it’s still captivating. . .and fun to watch.
Stepmom (1998)
If you don’t cry in this movie, you don’t have a soul.
Super Troopers (2001) ‘
Broken Lizard guys are funny. Sadly, the main guy would later do Dukes of Hazzard.
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Again, Brad freaking Pitt in a cool movie that is in no way made cooler because of him.
Unbreakable (2000)
I love comic books. . . and love Bruce. . . and like this movie a lot.
Varsity Blues (1999)
Winers on the glass at the alano club?
The Waterboy (1998)
You can do it!
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore just works.
Wild Things (1998)
I don’t like this movie for the reasons you might guess. I just think it’s fun to watch. Cool twists, cool cheesy acting. Cool wierd Florida atmosphere. Cool ending.
Wimbledon (2004)
Yeah. I don’t know. I just like it, ok?

Cath Lab

Every Friday we take pizzas to the Cath Lab at St. Francis Hospital. Often times I am the one to take this delivery. It’s the most annoying delivery we take on a regular basis. It requires parking in an annoyingly crowded part of the parking lot, walking up hill with 8 pizzas, 2 calzones, 2 orders of Toasted Ravioli, and 2 large group salads. Then, because they never have a catering cart by the door, I often have to lug the food around a few corners and through some construction to the service elevator, take it to the third floor, and then walk what seems like a half a mile to the cath lab break room.

Over the last two years, I’ve probably taken this order fifty times. Each time I take it, I walk past the Cardiac Intensive Care Waiting Room. The room is often full of older people, carrying the burden of fear and concern for those they love. It is not a happy place. While hospitals are often full of sick people, I wonder how many rooms are as nervous and afraid as this one. Because heart disease and ailments rarely affect young people, most of those waiting have a lifetime of memories with those who are sick. They know that heart failure is the number one cause of death in America. (Nearly 30% of all deaths are due to heart disease. You think Cancer is sad and scary? Heart disease has it beat by nearly 7%. ) Today as I was leaving the floor and I walked past the waiting room again, the most amazing thing happened. I felt compelled to pray. I prayed for the people on that floor. I prayed for the patients and their families and their doctors. I prayed for peace and for health, and that God would strengthen the hearts on that floor and keep them beating. By the time I got in the elevator I felt as though I was in the presence of God. I felt energized and alive. I felt God smiling. I was smiling. I had hope for the families in that room.

I’m not a cheesy evangelical guy. It doesn’t occur to me always to pray for the sick or the needy. I’ve walked past that room twice a Friday for two years. While I’ve given thought to its occupants, I’ve not given them prayer. I feel like today, God asked me to pray for them. I don’t know how all that works, but I know that the feelings surrounding that trip to the cath lab were new to me. The prompting to pray was new to me. I will pray every time I pass that room for the rest of my days. I will because I care about those scared people and because I know God listens.

I want so badly to be like Jesus to people; to care for them and to allow my heart to break when I see pain and injustice. God is showing life to me amidst my pursuit of this. I can’t wait to see where this relationship with Him goes.

Blood Diamond

Go see this movie.

Tonight I went to see Blood Diamond with my friends James and Jeff.  The quick review that I read before it said something about it being preachy and liberal and typical Hollywood.

If it was preachy, then it’s sermon was that we in America should wake up to the fact that our need to adorn ourselves with priceless minerals could be (or could have been) responsible for fueling the rebellion in Sierra Leone and that we should make ourselves aware of the origins of American imports. If it was “liberal” I can only assume that refers to the idea that gratuitous scenes of war violence in which children were brainwashed and drugged in to becoming soldiers for the rebellion are meant to instill sympathy and/or social outrage.

If it was typical Hollywood, I can only see that it was typical because they chose to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as a South African diamond smuggler instead of a real South African, or because they felt the need to tie a romantic storyline in to a social commentary/action movie, or that Jennifer Connoly looked hot in every scene even though she was running around Africa through the jungle half the movie, or that things blew up and people got shot, or that even though the backdrop for the movie’s conflict was a rebellion in the all black country of Sierra Leone, a white guy was still somehow the hero of the movie…

The movie was great. It was entertaining. It was eye-opening. It was compelling. I cared about the people of Africa. If being Liberal means “cares for people” then I guess I’m becoming a liberal. I always thought “liberal” referred to the fiscal element of politics. Liberals spend more money than conservatives, right? They are more….liberal with dollars. I guess I’m too dim to see how “liberal” applies to concern for others.  Maybe it refers to the amount of “givadamn” someone dishes out. Liberals are more liberal with their givadamn?

Anyway. I consider it good when a movie causes me to care. . . all the while entertaining me. Hotel Rwanda was great in that I cared for the people. It was not great in that I wasn’t really that entertained. Several times during Blood Diamond I was literally on the edge of my front row movie seat.

Slight subject change – I discussed with Jeff in the car afterwards that if being a Republican means that I don’t care…about the poor, the Mexicans, the Africans, the Iraqis,  then I’m done with allowing myself to be called a Republican.

While I’m all for lower taxes and smaller govt., I’m not for the attitude that the poor deserve to be poor and that they have opportunities to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and all that crap. The “serves ‘em right” mentality that the Republicans are famous for is gross. I can’t do it anymore. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that it’s the government’s job to care for the needy. I’m saying I don’t like that being a Republican has come to mean anti-poor people. I don’t want to be pigeon holed here. The whole Assumption that one word can sum up what a person is really bothers me.

So, for those of you that care:

I am a Christian, anti-death penalty, pro-life, low taxes, small government, environmentalist, humanitarian, pro-war (mostly), pro consolodated school districts, pro local control, anti gun control, Bush voter, Barrack Obama fan, Glenn Beck listener, Fox News watcher, Pro controlled immigration, Pro life senteces for child molesters, Pro tort reform, pro term limits, pro voters bill of rights, pro black, pro women, anti Sean Penn, friend of homosexuals.

Some Democrat friends of mine who give me a hard time for listing myself as a Republican on Myspace or Facebook or something, were recently shocked at the number of supposedly Democrat beliefs I hold. When I expressed in response that my understanding of “Republican” was one who prefers smaller government and taxes, they responded that those types of issues weren’t even ones they cared about. We are seeing a birth of a generation who cares little for the politics of politics, but cares greatly about things like the environment and civil rights and equality, etc. The social issues are trumping the money issues for the majority of young Americans. They consider themselves Democrats because they care about the environment and about gay rights, not because they believe that the government knows best what to do with our money. A new wind is blowing. I kinda like it to be honest….and because of it, I can no longer call myself a true Republican. Instead, I’m bringing back the Whig party.