The Other Guys

Good Afternoon my lovies, it's been an interesting day. Quick routine visit to the doctor, then surprised by getting the day off, organizing some sewing projects, and eating two salads later... I am surrounded by drawing materials and watching a flick that makes me laugh and smile: The Other Guys.

If you haven't seen it or heard of it, it is about two detectives at the low end of the totem pole at a police station in New York. They are the worst match up ever as partners; one has anger issues, the other can't be peeled away from his desk and calculator. The two head detectives end up dead and in their wake all the other detectives are going after their head positions. So, these "other guys" have to start working together and get to know each other to be successful and try to earn the head postings.

I love how Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are so opposite. They clash and somehow compliment each other. I just die laughing when Wahlberg eats dinner with Ferrell and Eva Mendez who plays Ferrell's wife. Wahlberg is in utter shock that Ferrell could ever get with, Let Alone, Marry someone as "hot" as Eva Mendez. Her and Ferrell liken how they first met to "You've Got Mail" with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. How their characters met really has Nothing in common with that movie, and the fact they are likening it to something that is so familiar to me, I intimately know how ridiculous the comparison is.  I have no idea why, but these characters are so ........ endearing to me in their ridiculousness. Will Ferrell brings such a nerdy personage to this movie, and Mark Wahlberg brings such sincerity to someone with over the top anger issues, I feel like just hugging this movie....

I hate to say this, I guess admit this, But I feel like life.... at least "my" life... can be like this.... And you're asking, "like what?.... two ridiculous detectives trying to get promoted?.." And my answer is "no.." I mean life is sometimes ridiculously unbelievable, we all have issues, we all react to stuff that happens differently, we are never "normal" (what is normal) and looking on the outside in, everything can seem so bizarre, but being on the inside of a situation, it's normal. Things that you have always known seem regular to you, but to me it's like hearing about life on Mars.

I sound so ridiculous talking about serious life in comparison to this movie, so I will shut up. But(!) I am happy and feel "at home" watching this.  I can't believe it is almost fall again, kids will be back in school soon, hopefully the weather will get cooler and not so hot. I hope all your summers are exciting and you were able to have some fun. If not I am rooting that there is some fun and excitement just waiting around the corner for you.

 Sincerely,
Read Riding Hood

Happy Gilmore

Today started off swimmingly when I took my dog to the river and he preceded to bulldoze right into the water (no pun intended.) I've been trying for weeks to get him used to the water and not to be afraid to get in it, and finally this morning, he plunged right in without my usual boot for encouragement...... *sigh* Anyway, it is a sleepy slow day today. Thank goodness, too.

I started off the day watching Treasure Planet. That's right, "planet," not "island." It's a disney steampunk version of the original Treasure Island.  For some reason there's always one line that sticks in my head after watching it, when the cyborg pirate, Silver, asks the boy, Jim Hawkins, "Didn't yer pap eva' teach ya how ter pick yer fights?...."

Now I am sitting back, (yes, watching Another movie)... Happy Gilmore. A few years back, I went through an "adam sandler" phase, it was around the same time I went through my phase of watching "The Night At The Roxbury" every night, for at least a month. Adam Sandler movies are so ridiculous, but I like them because they're ridiculous. Now, I am not a big one for golf, but there's a few points to this movie that I like: you have to be serious if you want to get ahead AND you have to pick your fights. If you haven't seen this movie, it's about a wannabe pro hockey player that ends up with a natural talent for golf. And he ends up needing to use his natural talent so he can win money to buy his grandma's house back.

I don't have much in common with this movie, BUT as a kid, I had to hold in my temper, then as an adolescent, I had a quick temper... FOR EVERYTHING. I would get mad and I would Stay mad. I still have my moments, (good god, do I ever,) BUT I'm better about it now, and there are some things that don't amount to a hill of beans and just aren't worth getting wrapped around the axle about. Learning to control my temper, I have learned that it isn't so much learning to control myself, but coming to understand the things and the people and the situations around me that can "cause" me to snap. The more I learn about everything around me, the easier it is for me to see the importance of the moment; I gain better perspective.

The hardest part of this process for me to learn was (and still is) knowing that to gain perspective, I have to be able to step back/away/out of a situation to look at it from an outside viewpoint; and, that can be hard on anyone if you're emotionally wrapped up in something, but it's the most important thing you can do for yourself and everyone around you.

Near the end of the movie, the guy with the natural talent, Happy Gilmore, is frustrated and angry because he is very close to losing the big game he needs to win. His grandma surprises him and shows up to cheer him on and she tells him, "Forget about him (the opposition)... I just want you to be happy."

And that is the key to it folks. It sounds cheesy and corny, but "don't get mad, get glad." A lot of the times it's easier said than done, and sometimes, it's just plain impossible. But I still wish and work for happiness, because it takes both.  Enjoy this beautiful Friday peeps.

Sincerely,

Read Riding Hood