Are you a windsock?

So, tonight I went to see the movie "Lions for Lambs" with a friend of mine. My friend complained about horrible this movie was from the moment it ended until about an hour later. Note to my thinking friends out there: Go see this movie. I think my friend disliked the movie because she is unaware of things going on in the world around her and she didn't really understand what the movie was about. During one part of the movie, a college student points out that 50 percent of college juniors don't know the names of their state senators. About an hour after the movie, my friend asks who her senator is.

There are about two dozen quotes from this movie that I could type right now. The basic premise of the movie is as follows, although I don't plan to give everything away:

A college professor of political science pulls a student into his office that he feels is not reaching his full potential. He tells a story to this student about two of his previous students. The professor says that you have to find something to stand for or you're nothing. His previous two studetnts were from bad neighborhoods, but got an elite education on athletic scholarships. These two bright students decide to enlist in the military so they feel like they are doing something to change the world. The professor tells this student of a privilieged background, that its always those that our country cares the least about that are first to volunteer to defend it and those who are privileged that take the biggest step back from responsibility. That its not what grade you get from a class that matters, but the lessons you learn from it. Meanwhile, a journalist is struggling with the fact that during her 40 years in the profession, her network has gone from gathering the facts to reporting entertainment news. A state senator with a new plan for Afghanistan calls her a "windsock." He says she "goes with the prevailing winds" and has let the majority opinion become the moral opinion.

I can't do justice to this movie. It's relatively short and the ending leaves you pondering the state of things in our society. I love the college professor character in the movie. Reminds of a mentor I was had. And the senator makes an extraordinary point when he says the government has screwed up in the war on terror and mistakes were made by those in power. But the mistakes were honest mistakes because they were made in a moment of fear to protect families, children, our values, our entire existence.

See the movie. Tell me what you think. Just when I feel apathetic and don't wanna think about the war on terror or our horrible foreign relations, this movie pushes me to think--a good thing. I don't want to be a windsock...

Faithless

Alright, so yeah, I'm pitiful at blogging. I can admit it. I'm trying, seriously. And I think it will be better after the degree is finished in December. So, I'm posting the blog I posted this week on my other site. And my goal is to post a blog of some substance about some significant something by the end of the weekend. Really. But, here's an update in the meantime:

So I'm procrastinating and thought I'd post a blog to aid in that attempt at laziness. Things are busy...really busy. The good thing about this is that my weeks go by pretty quickly because I don't have enough time to get everything finished that needs to be finished. The bad thing about this is that some things must get finished, and this may result in me being overwhelmed...frequently. Insomnia has returned after a three month hiatus. I have to say that those around me are being pretty understanding about my various committments at the time and these same people are assisting me in keeping my sanity and getting things done as efficiently as possible.

Despite the demands to get things done related to work and my own school, I've become a little apathetic towards the world in the last few weeks. I could come up with a dozen reasons why. Maybe I'm just due a meltdown. Maybe I'm just being dramatic. Maybe it doesn't even matter.

It is amazing to me how little things can add up to cause you to lose faith in all the things you believe in. I know its temporary, and I'll get my marbles back. But in the meantime, it feels hollow. Things you think you know are questioned and you're not sure you were right in the first place. So if you weren't right about one thing, could you have been wrong about more things? How can someone or something you thought was so good possibly turn out to be so bad? Do you consider yourself an idiot or blame that other person or thing? Yeah, this rant is pretty abstract. But some of you will know what I'm talking about and how much it really sucks.

And I'm missing a feeling that I once knew. Transcendence of the trivial and recognition of the higher. A sense of knowing and comfort that I worked so hard to find. And I kept it awhile. But gradually it disappeared in the daily monotony of the world. And no matter how hard I try I can't get it back. So you think maybe, if we're lucky, we get a glimpse of this for just a moment. And then we're supposed to spend the rest of our lives seeking it out again because we know its there. But if we had it all the time we would take it for granted and never be able to appreciate it? That's my hypothesis on life right now. I glimpsed it, and now I'm chasing it.

Alright, so enough being esoteric. School is hectic, basketball is hectic. I can't get my last two classes at Morehead finished quick enough. I absolutely hate Canada at this point and I wander daily why this was the only class offered this semester. I'm not sure my freshmen basketball team speaks english. I need to learn some relaxation techniques so I don't stroke out this year. Yeah, its that bad. I'm blaming all this on the fact they are all middle-school kids.

Things are hectic and rough, but I'm still thankful for all those great friends around me. Seriously. If you're reading this blog and you haven't heard from me in a few weeks, sorry about that. I'm trying to get things done and rejoin the world of the living. I'm pushing for the week of Thanksgiving when we get the entire week off at good ol' GC. Time with family and friends is just the remedy that I'm needing right now to get my sense back.

So you all know I have a Starbucks addiciton. And I pretty much love the quotes on the side of the cups there. I usually get the same one over and over. But I got a new one today and I really liked it because you all know that I wouldn't survive a day without music. So, I'm gonna share it with you all. It's a quote from a neurologist describing the importance of music to his patients. But I'm gonna paraphrase and make it apply to us all:

Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears--it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. Music is not a luxury, but a necessity.