Welcome to my first Film Friday Review. I love movies, and one of my goals before turning 30 is to watch 30 Academy Award Best Picture winners. I had some rules though:
1. I wanted to watch a least one film from each decade of Academy Award history, which dates back to the 1920's.
2. The films chosen have to be films that I have never seen or never seen to completion (like The Godfather, which I've seen from the beginning, but not all the way through).
I've watched 3 films so far, but today is about The Artist (2011). First, let me admit that I'm a film snob. I am not a big fan of blockbusters, but I watch them to stay current and because that's the only thing Mike and I can agree to watch in theatres. Film snob that I am, even I had some reservations about The Artist.
The Artist is a black-and-white silent film from 2011. Yeah, 2011, when people have to be constantly entertained at all times and don't appreciate the quiet. When it's all about special effects and 3-D, The Artist is quite a refreshing departure from the status quo and pretty gutsy move for the film producers, but it totally pays off. I was expecting it to be dull, but it was entertaining, funny, and enjoyable.
The film tells the story of the rise and fall and rise again of silent film star George Valentin. George had a strong run as a silent film actor, but is resistant to change when the film industry begins introducing "talkies." The resistance causes him to lose his career and his marriage, and he ends up bankrupt and nearly dies, but he is rescued by his adorable dog Jack. With the help of a young actress named Peppy that he met while he was at his peak, he gets his life back on track.
I love the simplicity of this film and how it takes few words or effects to tell a great story. It's amazing how effective the story-telling is with just facial expressions and a few words. The most enjoyable thing about this film is the Jack the Dog who absolutely steals the show. Watch it with an open mind, and you'll enjoy it.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Wordy Wednesdays--Book Review 4: College Unbound
I love to read, and I'm in the middle of about a half dozen books. So, I'll definitely reach my goal if I read a little from each book every day. One of my goals before I turn 30 is to read books about higher education because I'm pretty settled in staying in this field for a while.
A while back, I picked up College Unbound: The Future of Higher Education and What it Means for Students by Jeffrey Selingo from the library and read it pretty quickly. It's been a little while, but the book describes how the value of an American college education has come into question in recent years, especially with high unemployment rates and no guarantee that a college degree will result in profitable career.
I would probably purchase this book and keep it for a while because it was a pretty fascinating read about how college has become more of business in recent years. The author points out that more money is spent on improving the services of the campus instead of the actual education. Colleges spend more on renovating residence halls than on hiring quality professors. The reason is because students are treated more like consumers. Residence halls, dining halls, and recreation centers are big selling points for students, who are more concerned about the amenities than education. The author even describes a school that boasts a movie theatre on campus and ice cream trucks that pass out free frozen treats to the campus. Not totally free of course--student fees cover that.
I appreciate that this book is written in a non-academic style. It includes tons of data, but it's an easy read compared to real researchy books. It also includes a guide of things students should consider when making selections about college. I don't agree with everything, but some of it is practical.
Anyway, I would strongly recommend the book to anyone in higher ed. It's a good read, a little disheartening at times, but a great look at the current state of college education in America.
A while back, I picked up College Unbound: The Future of Higher Education and What it Means for Students by Jeffrey Selingo from the library and read it pretty quickly. It's been a little while, but the book describes how the value of an American college education has come into question in recent years, especially with high unemployment rates and no guarantee that a college degree will result in profitable career.
I would probably purchase this book and keep it for a while because it was a pretty fascinating read about how college has become more of business in recent years. The author points out that more money is spent on improving the services of the campus instead of the actual education. Colleges spend more on renovating residence halls than on hiring quality professors. The reason is because students are treated more like consumers. Residence halls, dining halls, and recreation centers are big selling points for students, who are more concerned about the amenities than education. The author even describes a school that boasts a movie theatre on campus and ice cream trucks that pass out free frozen treats to the campus. Not totally free of course--student fees cover that.
I appreciate that this book is written in a non-academic style. It includes tons of data, but it's an easy read compared to real researchy books. It also includes a guide of things students should consider when making selections about college. I don't agree with everything, but some of it is practical.
Anyway, I would strongly recommend the book to anyone in higher ed. It's a good read, a little disheartening at times, but a great look at the current state of college education in America.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Travel Tuesday--Hampton, Virginia
Since I've repurposed this blog to chronicle my 30 before 30 journey, I've decided that perhaps each day can be a theme. My List is divided into several categories, so here's my plan:
The trip from Georgia to Virginia was quite draining. We were travelling during the Thanksgiving holiday season, but traffic was too bad. What made the trip so draining was having to stop so many times because my mom was getting motion sickness and the SUV we rented was a lot tighter that I was expecting.
All in all, I spent about an hour or less in Hampton. What I saw of Hampton was quite charming. It seems like a good place to live, and I liked what I saw of the Museum of Air and Space. We would have explored a little bit more, but literally 15 minutes into walking into the museum, my dad called to tell us that the house had been broken into. Sadly, we sent my brother home to deal with the mess, so he missed out on the rest of our Yankee road trip to New York.
I think I would have really enjoyed living in Virginia. It was a nice place to visit for sure. Maybe one day we'll go back and get more of an experience.
- Focus Mondays, where I will just write about my plans and update on my list.
- Travel Tuesdays will include posts about places that I've travelled and also include updates on my overall journey, like how I'm doing with my weight loss goal and other long term goals.
- Wordy Wednesdays will focus on the books that I'm reading and my reviews.
- Catch All Thursdays, a mix of different topics and updates on any goal on my list that doesn't already have a day designated for it.
- Film Fridays will be where I review the Academy Award Films that I've watched.
- Saturday and Sunday will be optional days. I will post on these days if I have something worth posting. Otherwise, I'll use these days to work on content for the other days.
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| Hampton Air and Space Museum |
The trip from Georgia to Virginia was quite draining. We were travelling during the Thanksgiving holiday season, but traffic was too bad. What made the trip so draining was having to stop so many times because my mom was getting motion sickness and the SUV we rented was a lot tighter that I was expecting.
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| The only pic of me and my brother on the drive to VA. |
I think I would have really enjoyed living in Virginia. It was a nice place to visit for sure. Maybe one day we'll go back and get more of an experience.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Every Day, I'm Hustling
Today, is Day 3 of my 30 days of hustle project, which as I explain in this post, is to write for at least 30 minutes every day for the next 30 days. Specifically, I need to spend time keeping up with this blog and other writing projects. Here's how this works: Each day, I get an email from Jon Acuff, author of New York Times Bestseller START. Each day, his email gives me an assignment toward reaching my goal.
Here's my overview:
Day 1: Determine what one thing to do in the next 30 days. I'm going to spend 30 minutes every day working on my blog and other writing projects.
Day 2: Why am I doing this? I'm doing this because being a writer is one of my dreams, but I've been too busy or lazy to really make writing a priority.
Day 3: How? To achieve my goal, I will: 1. Wake up by 5:30 every morning. 2. Set a timer to go off at 30 minutes. 3. Write first, edit later.
So far, I've been pretty good at getting up early. I have written 30 minutes each day, and I'm working on the editing piece. I'm a perfectionist, and before I type or write sentences, I usually have mulled them over and over in my head. Sometimes, if I'm not convinced that what I'm writing is perfect, I will not write it down for fear that it's not worth writing. If I've learned anything though, it's that doing is always better than intention. So, with that in mind, I'm working hard on letting go and just writing what comes out. As my creative writing professor told me in college: "Most of what you write will be garbage, but in the midst of all that garbage will be a few golden nuggets worth keeping."
I'm setting my fears aside and putting myself out there, and I hope to see results. One thing I do know is that I'll never be a writer if I never write. Here's to living out my dreams!
Kimberly
Here's my overview:
Day 1: Determine what one thing to do in the next 30 days. I'm going to spend 30 minutes every day working on my blog and other writing projects.
Day 2: Why am I doing this? I'm doing this because being a writer is one of my dreams, but I've been too busy or lazy to really make writing a priority.
Day 3: How? To achieve my goal, I will: 1. Wake up by 5:30 every morning. 2. Set a timer to go off at 30 minutes. 3. Write first, edit later.
So far, I've been pretty good at getting up early. I have written 30 minutes each day, and I'm working on the editing piece. I'm a perfectionist, and before I type or write sentences, I usually have mulled them over and over in my head. Sometimes, if I'm not convinced that what I'm writing is perfect, I will not write it down for fear that it's not worth writing. If I've learned anything though, it's that doing is always better than intention. So, with that in mind, I'm working hard on letting go and just writing what comes out. As my creative writing professor told me in college: "Most of what you write will be garbage, but in the midst of all that garbage will be a few golden nuggets worth keeping."
I'm setting my fears aside and putting myself out there, and I hope to see results. One thing I do know is that I'll never be a writer if I never write. Here's to living out my dreams!
Kimberly
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Meant for Good
Five years ago, I hated my job. I had spent the past year and a half working in electronic banking. Who knew an English degree would land me a job in electronic banking? Anyway, the job was pretty neat and interesting at first, and it was paying the bills, but after some changes in management and a new supervisor who was clueless and unwilling to learn, working there became unbearable. I remember telling God every day how much I hated my job. I told him so much and so often, that He finally took it away from me (read: I was fired).
God warned me though. It's one of the few times that I knew clearly that something would happen. It was so clear in my spirit that I could feel it, which is why the news wasn't so shocking when it happened. I was relieved.
The day I was fired, I was making plans to go to an interview in my hometown in Georgia. I was in Louisiana at the time, and I was stressed out about two things: 1. Asking for time off and 2. Getting a flight to Georgia. Thankfully, I decided not to fly because time suddenly opened up for me to drive home. As far as asking for time off, I did ask my supervisor for time off, and she said it would be fine. It was kinda dirty to make me work the whole day though, but anyway.
Word travelled fast about my firing. My old supervisor (who hired me for the position, but then left due to management changes) called me almost immediately after it happened to give me advice on what I could do or should do. She encouraged me to talk to HR to ask for the chance to resign instead, which I did, so officially I resigned.
I was reading about Joseph today, and it reminded me of this situation. First of all, I think Joseph was kind of a punk and that's what got him thrown in a pit and sold as a servant. He was a bit prideful about his visions in the beginning even though they were true. I mean he was already the favorite and now he's saying he's gonna rule over all of them. Anyway, after Joseph becomes powerful and rescues his family from famine, Joseph's brothers were worried that once their father died, Joseph would treat them harshly or kill them. Instead, Joseph tells them not to worry because what they did to harm him, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20-21).
I didn't see it while it was happening, but God meant my firing for good. Shortly after I was fired, I had found a new job (not the one that I interviewed the week I was fired). The person who fired me was fired because after I left, some of the essential processes were not being done because I was not given the opportunity to adequately train someone else to do my job. I wouldn't say that I'm glad she lost her job, but it did pave the way for my hard-working co-worker to take on a supervisory role, which makes me glad. She deserved that position in the first place, so I feel like God set things right.
As for me, I was set on a trajectory that took me from testing to advising to becoming an advising coordinator. I also left a relationship and eventually met the one meant for me. I can clearly see that what others meant to harm me, God meant for good. And I have this great life lesson to pass on to others about setbacks and journeys.
Kimberly
God warned me though. It's one of the few times that I knew clearly that something would happen. It was so clear in my spirit that I could feel it, which is why the news wasn't so shocking when it happened. I was relieved.
The day I was fired, I was making plans to go to an interview in my hometown in Georgia. I was in Louisiana at the time, and I was stressed out about two things: 1. Asking for time off and 2. Getting a flight to Georgia. Thankfully, I decided not to fly because time suddenly opened up for me to drive home. As far as asking for time off, I did ask my supervisor for time off, and she said it would be fine. It was kinda dirty to make me work the whole day though, but anyway.
Word travelled fast about my firing. My old supervisor (who hired me for the position, but then left due to management changes) called me almost immediately after it happened to give me advice on what I could do or should do. She encouraged me to talk to HR to ask for the chance to resign instead, which I did, so officially I resigned.
I was reading about Joseph today, and it reminded me of this situation. First of all, I think Joseph was kind of a punk and that's what got him thrown in a pit and sold as a servant. He was a bit prideful about his visions in the beginning even though they were true. I mean he was already the favorite and now he's saying he's gonna rule over all of them. Anyway, after Joseph becomes powerful and rescues his family from famine, Joseph's brothers were worried that once their father died, Joseph would treat them harshly or kill them. Instead, Joseph tells them not to worry because what they did to harm him, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20-21).
I didn't see it while it was happening, but God meant my firing for good. Shortly after I was fired, I had found a new job (not the one that I interviewed the week I was fired). The person who fired me was fired because after I left, some of the essential processes were not being done because I was not given the opportunity to adequately train someone else to do my job. I wouldn't say that I'm glad she lost her job, but it did pave the way for my hard-working co-worker to take on a supervisory role, which makes me glad. She deserved that position in the first place, so I feel like God set things right.
As for me, I was set on a trajectory that took me from testing to advising to becoming an advising coordinator. I also left a relationship and eventually met the one meant for me. I can clearly see that what others meant to harm me, God meant for good. And I have this great life lesson to pass on to others about setbacks and journeys.
Kimberly
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Sick Days and Snow Days
The past few weeks have gone by pretty fast and quite slowly. I was doing pretty well with keeping up with my workout routine, but then I got sick and took a few weeks off. Then, Snowmageddon 2014 hit Atlanta, and everything just stopped. I was still battling my cold, but luckily I had a few days to rest. I still have a residual cough that's driving me nuts, but hopefully, I can start running again next week.
Mostly, what I've been doing is thinking about life. My life. Our life. And I can't help but feeling how small my life feels sometimes. I'm not dissatisfied really. I have a lot of things to be happy and thankful for. I guess sometimes, things don't turn out the way that I envisioned. I can't really put my finger on this feeling or what's causing it. I just feel a little stuck or lost. Anyway, what I need to do is get back on track with my 30 before 30 goals. I've got a lot crossed out, but a long way to go and only 192 to get things done.
To help keep me motivated, I've joined Jon Acuff's 30 Days of Hustle with the goal of spending at least 30 minutes every day writing on the blog and on other projects. My biggest struggle is that I have something that I've need to write for a long time. It's been on my heart for a year maybe. It's just so personal, and I cry every time I try to write, and then I just stop because I don't know how to continue. I hope that I can power through.
No time like the present I guess. Time to get to work.
Kimberly
Mostly, what I've been doing is thinking about life. My life. Our life. And I can't help but feeling how small my life feels sometimes. I'm not dissatisfied really. I have a lot of things to be happy and thankful for. I guess sometimes, things don't turn out the way that I envisioned. I can't really put my finger on this feeling or what's causing it. I just feel a little stuck or lost. Anyway, what I need to do is get back on track with my 30 before 30 goals. I've got a lot crossed out, but a long way to go and only 192 to get things done.
To help keep me motivated, I've joined Jon Acuff's 30 Days of Hustle with the goal of spending at least 30 minutes every day writing on the blog and on other projects. My biggest struggle is that I have something that I've need to write for a long time. It's been on my heart for a year maybe. It's just so personal, and I cry every time I try to write, and then I just stop because I don't know how to continue. I hope that I can power through.
No time like the present I guess. Time to get to work.
Kimberly
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