"There's no place I can be, since I've seen Serenity"

On May 26th, I worked from 8-12, went to my best friend's house and piled my stuff in her car. We made the drive from Mobile to Atlanta in pretty good time, checked into a hotel, and found the movie theater. There was already quite a line of Browncoats waiting to get in. The atmosphere outside the theater was festive, with a charge of excitement in the air. You could tell this was a group of people who were getting the treat of a lifetime! We waited in line for about an hour and were finally let into the building. During that hour, I noticed that people who were coming to the theater to see other movies were looking at us with curious interest. One girl even asked if we were in line for Star Wars. We laughed and told her about a little movie called Serenity that would be released in September. I think she thought we were geeks, but we didn't care!

The movie started at 10 p.m. and we cheered to see Joss Whedon appear on the screen. His message to the fans was heartfelt and funny. So funny. The man is a comic genius. He said the movie was made in part because of the dedication of the fans. He said "we've done the impossible and that makes us mighty" which is a favorite quote from Firefly. The fans cheered when he ended his speech with the words, "welcome to Serenity."

I'm afraid I can't say much about the movie itself, because to say anything about the plot would spoil things, and that's the last thing I want to do. This movie is complex yet simple, beautiful yet gritty, and emotional yet hilarous. Seriously, the comedy in this movie is the best! Snarky humor is my favorite anyway, but even if you don't like snark, you'll love it in this movie. Whedonesque humor has a unique quotability. You will find yourself quoting it often, in fact.

So how does a TV show translate to the big screen? Flawlessly. Nathan Fillion's Captain Malcom Reynolds plays much better on the big screen. He's a larger than life conflicted hero who makes choices that are not always popular, but are made to ensure the survival of his crew. Another character that is enhanced on the big screen is Adam Baldwin's Jayne Cobb. The man relishes each line. He plays Jayne with so much fun and flair that you know he's playing his favorite role ever. It is a rare and beautiful thing to witness, but the actors in this movie love their characters and that love shows on the screen. The chemistry between the actors is phenomenal, and, even though the story is much darker than any of the stories in the series, the humor is just as funny, perhaps funnier.

The version I saw was unfinished and had place holders for music and effects. However, it was practically perfect just the way it was. I hope they don't change anything other than polishing up the effects and putting in the original score.

Joss and Co. keep saying it is up to the Browncoats to help promote the film, so here I am, doing my part. GO SEE SERENITY ON SEPT 30!!! You will not regret it. You will see a film with action, drama, sci fi, adventure, mystery, humor, love, relationships, space ships, gorgeous people, and an awesome script!

It really does have something for everyone.

Go to www.serenitymovie.com for more information on the movie.

To find an advanced screening near you, go to www.cantstopthesignal.com There's one on June 23. Tickets are on sale now!

"Well, here I am..."

Okay, so it's not totally original. But it is actually a quote from something. Yet another Firefly quote... are you really shocked to see another one? By now you should know I'm obsessed. But anyway, a bounty hunter who was trying to capture River ends up floating in space at the end of the last episode, "Objects in Space." He says the words, "Well, here I am..." as he's floating into the oblivion of space. That's sort of how I feel at the moment.

Well, here I am. I enjoy my life very much, but it's not much of a life, if you know what I mean. I go to work, I come home, I play around on my computer while watching TV, I go to bed, I get up, I go to work, etc. On weekends, I spend time with my family, which is good, but I don't do anything else. Not really. I've been thinking a lot lately about how I can shake things up a bit. You know, just force myself to change. I need to step out of my comfort zone and really challenge myself to be in new and exciting situations. I found a church I want to visit. I have never been very comfortable going somewhere by myself. I don't eat alone in restaurants and I don't go to movies alone. For some reason, the idea makes me feel like a pathetic loser or something. But it's not true. Losers are people who let the fact that they are not with someone keep them from doing the things they enjoy. I will not allow that to happen to me anymore. Just because my friends are in different cities or are unavailable, that doesn't mean I can't go to a movie, to a play, or visit a new church. So I'm going to go to that church. And this coming Thursday, I'm going to go see Star Wars III by myself. Just because no one in my family likes Sci-Fi doesn't mean I should miss out. :)

So hopefullyl in a month or so, I will be posting about all the exciting things I've been doing instead of the fact that I'm just "here." We have such a short time on this earth, so why should we waste that time sitting around at home when there is so much to do, so much to experience, and so many people to meet? I, for one, do not want to miss anything.

"No child should ever feel the pangs of hunger or the pain of hopelessness...

...I encourage you to help fight hunger in America and bring hope to a hungry child"

These words were spoken by First Lady Laura Bush in support of the efforts of food banks and other hunger relief organizations in the United States.

I bring up the above quote because June 7 is National Hunger Awareness Day. There are some things that individuals, churches and organizations can do to help fight hunger in America. This is an issue close to my heart because I work for one of those food banks that work so hard to feed the people in our community. For information on what you can do to help, visit www.hungerday.org and take some time to look at the events in your area. If there are no events in your area, contact a local food bank and see what you can do for them on Hunger Awareness Day. If you can't contribute in any other way, wear an orange ribbin on June 7 and tell people it is to remember that hunger in America is a problem and that there are people working to solve it.

"My life, on occasion, happens to suck beyond the telling of it."

As with many of Joss Whedon's lines (from Buffy, Angel, or Firefly) I really identify with the above quote. Spoken by Buffy, these words sometimes just float into my mind and are the most appropriate words to think and say. Right now I feel this way. And I have no idea why. Well, I guess it can have something to do with a little bit of letdown, because I've spent the better part of the last four months on a project at work that is now over. For some reason, now that this event is done, I feel a sense of loss about it. Also, I'm having one of those bouts of loneliness I wrote about in my previous post. My friends are busy, and my family is very involved with my sister, whose health is questionable right now. She's been going to doctors and having tests, which seem to point to frontal lobe seizures. And of course, they should be concerned with her and involved in the process of finding out what's wrong with her. I feel that way too, but for some reason, tonight, I feel like a teenager who is being neglected by everyone I care about. I feel like having a tantrum or something. I'm way to old for that, though. And even when I wasn't way too old, I didn't have tantrums. I always thought there were kind of stupid. Anyway, so I'm having a pity party right now. I'm serving "poor me" sandwiches and "pay attention to me" tea.

I feel like one of the characters in The Sims, the computer equivalent of playing with dolls. It's a truly remarkable computer game that everyone should try, but I digress. I feel like one of the characters because they always have a little meter that tells the player what levels the characters have of different important needs. There are bathroom, hunger and rest meters, but there is also a social meter. Right now, I feel like my social meter is completely red, which is a very bad thing. I need to interact with people and that's just not happening right now. I don't know what to do, apart from going somewhere and trying to meet new people.

Okay, this is getting to be a stupid little rant by a stupid little girl. Sorry about that. I should go now before it gets any worse.

"Lord turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted." Psalm 25:16

My devotion for this evening was called: "Lonely or Alone?"

David's psalms always speak to me. He cries out to God in such a real and tangible way. Sometimes I use his words to pray, simply because they say exactly what I'm feeling. It's ironic that my devotion ended up being about loneliness tonight because it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately.

I have friends, family, a church family, and many people I enjoy being around, but sometimes even in the midst of the crowd, I feel lonely. This devotional says that often single people feel ashamed of being lonely, but why should that be the case? Loneliness is perfectly normal. Even Jesus felt it during the last days of his life on Earth.

One thing I know for certain, I have never felt abandoned by God. He has always been there for me, even in my darkest times. So even though I feel lonely and even mildly depressed about my lack of a love life right now, I know that my Father is going to help see me through it. And maybe one day, when I am ready, my Father will send that special someone my way.

Kingdom of Heaven - Bloom's triumph

If there was ever any doubt about Orlando Bloom's ability to carry a movie by himself, it should fade away during the first few minutes of this remarkable film. Ridley Scott may just have another hit on his hands with this dramatic, violent, and utterly beautiful story about a Knight during the Crusades. It was a bloody time and it is a bloody movie, but Bloom pulls off a brilliant performance and carries the movie. Don't get me wrong, there are flaws. Mostly, there is not enough time to develop the relationship between Bloom and his love interest in the film. One thing that does not suffer from lack of development is Bloom's character, however. He grows a great deal in this film, from a blacksmith, to a barron, to the "savior" of the people of Jerusalem. In the sweeping, grand way that took our breath away in "Gladiator," Scott paints a beautiful picture, intercutting the grandiose, massive battle scenes with more intimate scenes of individual characters, either in the battle or watching it. Sometimes large scale epic films tend to have cheesy or disappointing endings. This one had neither. It ended just the way it should have ended.

In a time when eyes are again turned to the Middle East, as they often are, this film is relevant and important. It tells a compelling story and entertains at the same time. And, speaking strictly as a woman, Orlando Bloom looks great even when he's scruffy and dirty from battle!

"O me! O Life!" by Walt Whitman

There has been a lot of talk (with the recent release of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) about the ultimate question. I'd say the ultimate question is basically "Why are we here?" or "What is our purpose in life?". Walt Whitman posed this question in his poem, "O Me, O Life," and I think he came up with a very good answer.

"That you are here. That life exists, and identity. That the powerful play goes on and you will contribute a verse."

What is your verse? What is mine? I used to think my verse would have to be grand and sweeping, like a starring role in a Broadway play or a Hollywood movie. Or a best selling novel. While I have not given up my ambitions, especially that last one, I have changed my idea of what my verse may be. I have decided that every day I can find a way to contribute a verse in a unique and wonderful way. I can be kind to someone. I can offer encouragement. I mentioned in a previous post that I think the world would be a better place if we all showed more compassion. I believe that with all my heart. If I am the only one shouting the message of love and compassion from the hilltops, I will continue shouting. It is a message the world needs. So no matter who you are, no matter where you are, you can contribute a verse in the powerful play.

I think the reason I feel so strongly about showing compassion is because I am a Christian who tries to live the way Christians are supposed to live. The message Jesus preached was one of compassion and love. It's time for us to show that love and compassion for each other.