I was going through my bookmarks the other day and stumbled upon my blog. The fact that I ‘stumbled upon’ it should tell you just how often I’ve updated this recently. Oddly enough, it’s not because I haven’t been writing. I’ve actually been writing like crazy. I should really do a post on Zenwriter and how it’s changed the way I write creatively. (And I promise I will do one as soon as I manage to talk about the software without sounding like Billy Mays)
As much as I’ve been writing, I miss updating my life through this blog. Even more, I miss the ability to look back in this blog and see what I was thinking, feeling, and experiencing at different times. So I’m going to start trying to update more, starting with whatever I’m thinking about currently.
Since last Monday I’ve spent a large portion of my time online following the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. I am a person who is naturally curious and I thrive on information. Even when something disturbs or scares me, I still want to know more. It’s that characteristic that keeps me watching horror movies till the end or searching google images for pictures of bugs despite my phobic-esque fear. There are times when I’m proud of this desire to soak up knowledge, and there are times when it’s not healthy. I have to admit that over the past 10 days I’ve followed my curiosity to some pretty sketchy parts of the web. Early this morning when I was watching an online documentary about airplanes that secretly release chemicals over major population centers I realized that my search for knowledge had possibly outlived its usefulness in this case. It’s hard to tell sometimes when you’ve crossed that line, and thankfully there was a spookily voiced youtube video to provide the stop sign for me.
The picture above is from Unstoppable, a 2010 movie starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson. I watched it again today and it was just as suspenseful as the first viewing. I’m not joking here, I literally chewed the collar of my t-shirt during a really tense scene. I love this movie (and no, not just because it has Captain Kirk) because it holds up for repeat viewings. My favorite movies are ones that I can watch over and over again. Sometimes it’s ones that I watch with friends and family like The Princess Bride or Lord of the Rings, sometimes it’s ones that I enjoy watching for emotional reasons like Narnia, Stargate or Life is Beautiful. But my all time favorites are usually action flicks that don’t lose any of their excitement on repeat viewings. Unstoppable is like that for me, no matter how many times I’ve seen it (and I believe the first time I watched it, I rewatched again in less than 24 hours) I’m always emotionally invested. I know the outcome but the movie is so well done that it doesn’t matter. Don’t you just love movies that can not only sweep you away once, but over and over again?
I SO relate to this! I obsessively followed the Boston bombings updates that entire week, and eventually started annoying everyone around me because it was literally the only thing I was thinking about and/or talking about. I don't get my fascination sometimes with scary, even macabre stuff...but there we are.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Thanks for warning me away from Flight. I heard from some (unreliable) sources that it was good...your review clinched it for me: I'm avoiding it at all costs.
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