VIDEO: Heroes

My Profile: Favorite Books

On to books…

I’ve got to lead the list with the big one, right? If you asked me what three things I would wish to have with me if stranded on a desert island I’d include the Bible. It’s not because I’m reading it as much as I should (are we ever?). Honestly I would answer that way because having an isolated area free from life’s distractions would give me enough pause to really dig into it like I should. I think God would appreciate having a captive audience as well. Incidentally I still carry the same Bible I received in third grade and it’s full of notes, underlining and extras that I’ve placed in the front and back. In college I kept my books as clean as possible as to maximize their resale value but this is one textbook I know I’m never giving back.

You may have seen Lee Strobel’s name on my “What I’m Reading” list. Strobel is a former journalist from Chicago who covered cases and stories of a legal nature. He’s also a former atheist and in a previous book titled “The Case for Christ” interviewed scholars looking for evidence supporting the fact that Jesus was more than a morally superior guy whose life was ended unfortunately. “The Case for Faith” follows the same style as he tackles the questions of how we can believe God exists in the midst of a sinful world including questions of science and the like.

In a previous professional life I read a lot of financial and leadership books. Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” was a simplified starting point and a good road map to understanding personal finances. I’ve got a number of his books and they are easy reads for those wanting to better understand financial concepts. I also really enjoy John Maxwell’s books on leadership. He’s penned a slue of books including offerings on how to improve yourself, those around you and the groups you are a part of. Maxwell’s suggestions are always illustrated in very practical ways.

For leisurely reading I really like Rick Reilly (formerly of Sports Illustrated, now at ESPN). Reilly took the advice of longtime sports writing legend Jim Murray (also a very creative writer) to never write a sentence that had already been written. The result is some very entertaining wordsmithing. His stories have a sports topical base and are much more poignant and eloquent than the coverage typically found on the sports pages.

And I would be remiss to not give a special acknowledgement to two literary characters that significantly shaped my early years. Packed with life lessons and humor, the saga of an imaginative and ornery boy and his furry friend…Calvin and Hobbes.

I’m not a big fiction reader but am anxiously awaiting the next offering from Dan Brown. Despite some questionable suggestions on religious history in the DaVinci Code, I enjoy his style of writing and following the clues and symbolism to the final destination. His book “Angels and Demons” was outstanding and currently being given the Hollywood treatment (which will undoubtedly fail the book). The next book is based in the United States and explores some of the symbolism in American monuments and historical items. I’m ready.

Sherlock Aidan

Aidan has been playing investigator today looking throughout the house for small things that look much more exciting through his magnifying glass. I found one thing that looks pretty neat framed by his lens.

A curious sleuth has been searching the house for clues.

VIDEO: Kellen Tricks

Kellen showcases a few of his favorite tricks. We're working on animal noises (including cow, kitty, duck and puppy). He's also expanding the list of furniture items that he's conquered. Our current favorite climbs are the couches. He also likes to drag Aidan's hand washing/teeth brushing stool out into the living room to conduct his imaginary orchestra before a not-so-graceful dismount. Aidan's bed was the first climbing hot spot and remains a favorite object to scale.

VIDEO: Kellen Watching Kellen

I'm often as amused watching Kellen watch himself on the computer as I am by the videos themselves. He likes to laugh at and talk to himself while viewing. You get an idea of how it plays out here as I flip the viewing screen around so he can see himself. The video co-stars big brother Aidan who's getting just as up close and personal with the camera as Kellen.

My Profile: Favorite Movies

Alright…

How do I scale down my favorite movies? Like my music, the collection is deep and wide. There are some definite top shelf medal winners in music though. With movies it’s just a lot of stuff I really like, not one all that significantly more than another.

There are the series. The Bourne trilogy…wow. Action films that don’t feel completely impossible using primarily hand-to-hand combat instead of people simply shooting ridiculously sized weapons at each other all the time. There were a few moments in the third film where I said "Wow!" outloud after a particularly intense and exhausting scene. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies were a lot of fun as was the Austin Powers trifecta (though the first one’s not my favorite). And then there are the classics like the Star Wars and Indiana Jones flicks.

I love a good comedy and usually the less sophisticated the better. I rank Tommy Boy with Chris Farley as my all time favorite and am saddened that we weren’t able to see more of Farley after his bad habits caught up with him. I'm also shocked that the movie did not win any Academy Awards. Dumb and Dumber? Love it! Caddyshack? Fantastic.

As a sports nut I’ve seen most anything worth seeing (and too many that were not). They are admittedly formulaic more often than not but who doesn’t love to see the underdog triumph even if you saw it coming…again? Of the bunch I would not only rate Field of Dreams at the top but also rank it among my favorites of any genre. It probably doesn’t hurt that it gives some love to Iowa but I find it unique and worthwhile even without that heartwarming element. I’ve even been to the site of the film and played a little ball among the cornstalks.

I really liked the remake of Oceans Eleven with George Cloney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. They all just seemed like a cool bunch to hang out (or steal large sums of money) with. I’m a big fan of films with clever and witty dialogue and the eleven interacting makes for some humorous interactions.

And how about some recommendations? Best movies you’ve never seen (or maybe you have). Read the summary of Frequency and you’ll think you’re in for the cheesiest two hours of your life. “Man talks to long deceased father via radio” sounds like a snoozer but it turns out to be very interesting. What would you do if you had information that could change the course of your family’s history and what would altering your own life do to others? Want one that plays with your head? Try Memento which starts with the last scene and works backwards scene-by-scene as a man with short-term memory loss tries to solve the mystery of who killed his wife. I could feel my brain working overtime while watching this one.

One thing I missed being in school again was no time for movies. It’s hard to catch up and keep up but I’m hoping to find the time if not in the theaters on DVD.

So what's your favorite flick and what's the best movie I've never seen?

'Tis the (Weather) Season

We had some brief weather excitement again yesterday. There was more hail, though much smaller in size. It came and went (and melted) very quickly but some did collect at the bottom of the downspout.

My friend Scott and I got our wives and children safely in the basement and then headed outside like storm curious men are prone to do. Through the dark and slightly swirling clouds the sun peaked brilliantly from the west and a rainbow was visible throughout the ordeal.

Scott's got a future in hand modeling, don't you think?

A rainbow over the ongoing remodeling on our neighbor's house.