a blogger's story

i had a conversation with a colleague about the film julie and julia today and i came away from it a bit surprised. this person's contention was that they didn't care for "julie" at all. she was boring, narcissistic, and treated her husband like shit. their take was also that the only good part of the film was that of meryl streep playing julia and that segment of the film had the only lively engaging scenes. 

my experience differed immensely as i had sympathized so much with the julie character in j/j. she had been living awhile in a rather uninspired mindset and got this idea to do a blog in order to jumpstart her passion. being rather at a loss for a subject to write about, she chooses julia child and her cooking which is fodder she already has a natural interest in. she begins this new process of blogging, and researching the subject of her blog. she becomes infatuated with this woman she admires from afar, as the struggles and tenacity thatchild mastered during the finding of her  vocation could so easily be echoed in julie's own situation.

taking a cue from her self-proclaimed mentor, julie develops her own passion for what she is doing and infuses some of julia's fortitude in order to stick with her blogging project. and she get sidetracked by the distractions that can come with recognition and even fame. as she becomes engulfed in her new julia world, she has less time for the life she had up until then. her relationship with her husband starts to become unglued, probably because the boundaries had shifted without an understanding. here is where i differ most with my friend's opinion. i don't believe she treated him poorly or unfairly. she cooked for him almost every day for heaven's sake. he ate well, and she often tried to share her new love with him at every turn it seemed.

another critique i heard was that the only interesting part was the julia child section of the movie. well, this does have truth in it. julia child is an icon in the american celebrity landscape. her distinct and comical speaking technique, her recognized relationship with delicious food and the romantic french culture are tailor made for mass appeal. and i also know that my life can often become more exciting and seem engaging when i am reading a book about someone fascinating. my life changed forever as i read about the ex-pats like stein, fitzgerald, and hemingway.

but part of the appeal here is the love of julia child as seen through the eyes of a similar middle aged woman who also had love and marriage, but no personal fulfillment. and the take away from this film remains for me that there is a price for really finding your dream and following it. it is not easy to be fulfilled and it requires more than just hard work.it requires willingness. but the satisfaction of finding one's passion and working to make it part of one's life, changes drastically the landscape of what is possible.

before "julie and julia", i have found that amy adams is adorable to me. a friend remarked that she had lost him at "enchanted" but my take away was very much the opposite with that film. i found her performance in that film to be almost vaudeville-esque and quite amusing. and it had been a similar experience with the "Miss Pettigrew" film. and the (maybe) naive quality that she emits in "the wedding date" sealed the deal for me becoming a fan. "sunshine cleaners" and "doubt" have not disappointed, either.  and come to find out, she was raised in colorado, not far from the Denver area. maybe that's some of the allure.

i guess the reason i am posting this, is the fascination i have with the different takes on the same film. the same subject can so easily inspire such different responses. and maybe i'm a little sensitive about this particular film. there aren't too many that i have seen that revolve so centrally around blogging. i loves me some blogging. it has been a solid friend to me these last  3 years. i have grown, i have cried, i have hidden from life at times, and i have learned how to google myself. i have corresponded with people whom i would have never otherwise met and my world has become richer.

today's sound choice is adele with "take it all". 




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dig

We All Have A Sickness
That Cleverly Attaches And Multiplies
No Matter How Hard We Try.
We All Have Something That Digs At Us,
At Least We Dig Each Other
So When Sickness Turns My Ego Up
I Know You'll Act As A Clever Medicine.
If I Turn Into Another
Dig Me Up From Under What Is Covering
The Better Part Of Me.
Sing This Song!

my holiday weekend is only half over and i am already overflowing with quiet awe. i have managed to do a good thing or two, and i spent (or should i say overspent) some money on things i have been coveting these last 6 months. this has brought me to a place of feeling pretty damn good.

i spent friday evening with my mother. we got her a blackberry and added her to my account. she will have one less monthly stipend and and have more minutes to gab with, and i really am spending no more either. we went to see julie and julia, as i had been saving that experience to have with her and she's been travelling. i am glad i did. no apologies here for digging chick flicks. i suppose it's genetic. but what was fascinating and enthralling was this presentation of yet another example (or 2) of persons following their hearts, taking chances, and finding themselves and redemption in the process. i cried, no surprises, as i love crying at films, and i didn't think that i was very cognisant of watching meryl streep "act" at all. i lost sight of the actress and was very much interested in the story. and the scenes in and around paris found me hungering for more.

now interestingly, the food, although definitely a character in the film, did not enchant me. perhaps i see enough in my paltry nights as a cater waiter on a regular basis. however the dinner parties i did find enchanting, as well as the scenes of "julie" blogging about her experiences. none-the-less, i enjoyed the film, enjoyed spending time with my mother, and remembering what it was to have passion about writing.

i am planning on shopping a bit more today. i am going to a brunch with sin. there is a guy from texas who is a mutual friend and i may try to meet him and say hello. and there is another person i would like to see. sadly, i have noticed a gland in my neck swollen and feel a runny nose, not to mention i woke up feeling like i'd gone through a thundercloud. but mega-dosing on algae should help with that somewhat. besides tomorrow i can kick back at home, putter around the house, and get well.

i also am looking to re-engage with therapy. i am a bit reticent about it no doubt, because there are a couple of issues that keep raising their ugly heads. but i don't want to leave these issues on the burner any longer. i do think they are somewhat primal, which may mean some challenges in the next few months. on my birthday, a co-worker told me that a few members of my team were feeling as if i were a "golden step-child". i was being allowed to do things that others on the team had were not allowed to do. simple enough i suppose, but it triggered something inside me that found me reacting as if i had been attacked. i am not sure if i am very sensitive to being "talked about" or if i felt that a trust had been breached. whatever it is, i am sure it was an over-reaction. this is a recurring theme in my life and i need to root it out. it causes me to let friendships and associations slip away. it causes me to leave jobs. it causes me to start a self-destruct pattern. yuk! i really don't want to dig any deeper right now.

but what are the alternatives?

today's sound choice is incubus with "dig"