Crazy Christmas Lights

I guess I'm envious of people who go all out and decorate their yard like a crazy person, but that may be because the only decoration we have in our yard is some of those weird moving deer.  I just love it when you realize there's a traffic jam on a residential street because everyone stops in front of the house that looks like a Christmas light factory exploded in front of it.  So classy.  But I'm optimistic that Christmas lights can create a beautiful, and quite tacky, art show in anyone's front yard.

Person of the Year

When I think of Mark Zuckerberg the first thing that comes to mind is obviously Facebook, but now he has a new claim to fame as well.  TIME magazine chose him as the 2010 Person of the Year for his involvement in the popular social networking website.  I personally can thank Zuckerberg for hours of time procrastinating my homework while browsing the website, but he's made a bigger impact than that.  One in twelve people in the world have a Facebook account, and 70% of those people DON'T live in the United States.  Almost half of all Americans have a Facebook account and there are 550 million members total, which looks like this, 550000000.  According to TIME magazine, if Facebook users made up a country it would be the third largest in the world, only behind China and India.  Zuckerberg has undoubtedly connected the world in a way no one ever has before.

But why did Zuckerberg receive this award THIS year, and not say, last year.  Well I think it has quite a lot to do with the fact that the popular movie, The Social Network came out in October and opened the countries eyes to the founder of the internet phenomenon.  But Jesse Eisenberg didn't exactly portray Zuckerberg in a positive light.  He made him look like a cheating, morally uncentered, greedy man who cheats his own friends out of good fortune.  But obviously the movie did Zuckerberg some good as it was him, not Eisenberg, who came out with the title "Person of the Year".  Even if Zuckerberg does seem unlovable, I can't deny he's revolutionary and definitely affects my life.  So thank you Mark Zuckerberg, for your Facebook contribution to the world.

Mark Zuckerberg, you make me optimistic that I can connect with almost anyone I would ever want to as easily as I can type their name, and that's pretty cool.

Christmas Classics

So lately I've been watching a lot of Christmas movies, seeing as the holiday is coming up real soon.  And it has got me thinking about the classic movies.  People always think of The Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, and It's a Wonderful Life as the classic movies, and my family even has a tradition of watching some of these movies every year.  But what will our generation have to offer to the list of classic holiday entertainment?  Well there have definitely been a lot of Christmas movies over the past few years, but I don't really think that Christmas with the Kranks really deserves classic status.  So what does? Well I think I've come up with a list of Christmas movies I know I for one will be watching for years to come.

1) Elf.  Undoubtedly one of the cutest and best Christmas movies ever, Elf features Buddy the elf's struggle to fit in it New York City after spending his entire childhood in the North Pole believing he was an oversized elf.  Buddy has more Christmas spirit than anyone I've ever seen before, and his cheer makes me light up.  He makes me wish I could call a major corporation and I would be greeted with, "Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?"  Throughout the movie Buddy attempts to make his father from whom he was separated at birth (who is on the naughty list) love him and embrace the Christmas season as a magical time, while also convincing everyone else that Christmas cheer is one of the most powerful things in the world.  It can even make Santa's sleigh fly.  My go-to holiday movie, and favorite comedy pick for the winter season is, without a doubt, Elf.

2) The Polar Express.  I grew up reading the originial picture book every year around Christmas time, and when a feature-length film came out I was excited beyond words.  Tom Hanks is the voice of six characters in the movie, including Santa Claus himself, making this movie a shoo in for classic status.  Although it deviates from the plot of the book (how could it not, it's based on a picture book), the movie is still fantastic.  It's filled with adventure from the moment the little boy decides to board the Polar Express.  The musical numbers throughout the movie highlight the characters overall cuteness and good qualities, and the movie is filled with an underlying suspense.  Whether I'm concerned about the poor little girl getting her ticket back, the train making it safely to its final destination of the North Pole, or the lonely boy finally getting a Christmas gift, I'm always at the edge of my seat waiting to see what will happen next. I love when the staff of the train sings about hot chocolate or the sweetest little girl and lonely boy singing "When Christmas Comes to Town".  The Polar Express makes Christmas feel like the most exciting time of the year, and all I really want is to find a train in front of my house on Christmas Eve.  To finish off the most enchanting Christmas movie I've ever seen, there is a sentimental bit at the end about the true believers of Christmas taken directly from the picture book.  I love the sincerity.  The Polar Express is a definite classic in my eyes.

3) How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  Another movie based on a children's book (by Dr. Suess also titled How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and embellished with details, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic holiday movie about the true meaning of Christmas.  Most of the movie takes place from Cindy Lou Who's point of view, following the life of the notorious Christmas hater, the Grinch.  From the beginning of the movie it's implied that we are to hate the Grinch, but little Cindy Lou Who learns about the Grinch's past and comes to pity him.  The Grinch hates Christmas so much that he dresses up as Santa and attempts to steal Christmas from Whoville at the bottom of the mountain, but even after stealing all the gifts he finds he cannot steal the joy from the little town.  Everyone gathers around in the square, happy to be together, and sings even though there are no gifts to enjoy.  The Grinch learns that Christmas isn't about material things, but about the spirit and love involved with the holiday.  In the end his heart grew three sizes, and the Grinch returns all thet presents to the Whos.  It's quite heartfelt.  Also a musical, How the Grinch Stole Christmas grabs your heart and makes you think about the real meaning of Christmas and really makes you thankful for everything, and will probably leave you singing "Fah who for-aze".  So How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic holiday movie I'll continue to watch every December. 

All of these classic movies make me optimistic that people will continue to produce quality Christmas movies I'll want to watch over and over again.  People still know how to make the Christmas spirit come to life on film, and I'll always have proof.

Amir's video letter to Santa

Around this time of year a lot of people are getting really excited for Christmas, and a big part of Christmas is Santa Claus.  Now I know most people are too old to believe in Santa, so that usually means there's a lot humor in a grown who still believes that Chris Cringle still comes sliding down their chimney on Christmas Eve to bring them gifts.  And perhaps the people who grasped that humor best are Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld, stars of CollegeHumor's shorts entitled Jake and Amir.  Together they write, film, act in, and produce shorts made specifically for the internet viewers.  Amir Blumenfeld won the People's Voice Webby Award for Best Individual Performance and Jake and Amir won the People's Voice award for Comedy Series this year.  Some of Jake and Amir's best videos are featured here.

But back to holiday spirit and comedy.  Jake and Amir created a short last year around Christmas that takes the best of a twenty-some year old who still has faith in Santa, a misunderstanding of Jewish principles, a complete lack of understanding of various expressions of speech, a hostile video letter to Father Christmas himself, and open threats to the Big Man if he doesn't give the bad boy all the toys and leave his reindeer behind.

You can watch this fantastic holiday video here, but just a quick warning, it doesn't contain the cleanest language even if some is bleeped out or the word "fooey" is substituted.  But it will most likely get a laugh out of you and make you just a little bit more excited for Christmas to roll around.  Jake and Amir make me optimistic that I'll always have a constant source of laughter, even if their videos only come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

P.S. If you were wondering what my favorited Jake and Amir video is, it's Nutrition.  Thank you Amir for making even poor health choices funny.

Shell's are all the rage

Case in point, Marcel the Shell.  If you haven't seen this viral video yet, well I don't know where you've been.  Marcel is probably the cutest creature that's "partially a shell" ever been exposed to humans.  I don't know anyone else who can make pulling around a piece of hair tied to a piece of lint so unforgettably adorable.  I even pity poor Marcel at some points, so weak she can't even lift a crayon and can't fulfill her life dream of owning a dog.

But Marcel's best quality isn't her shoes, her face, or her unbelievably adorable voice.  I think it's her ability to create extremely quotable phrases out of hardly anything, and stream them together into the best video I've ever seen.  Out of nowhere, I feel as if I can just say, "Guess what I do for adventure?" and someone will surely respond, "Hang-glide on a Dorito."  This quality might only be topped by the fact that in a crowded room, if someone yells "Now this is a story all about how...", the whole room can finish The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song with no troubles.  But I think Marcel is getting there.

Voice performed unedited by SNL star, Jenny Slate, she has the background to create hilarity out of anything.  USA Today interviewed her, and she claimed there is over a half-hour of unused audio.  Apparently Marcel feels like she has a real talent for musical performance.  Jenny Slate says they want to leave Marcel the way she is, but personally I'm hoping for a sequel.  I want to hear Marcel's beautiful voice again.  And just for my own entertainment I've come up with a top five list of Marcel's quotes.

1) "My brother once got in a fight with someone else and guess how he killed him.  He impaled him on the brush.  (Sounds very violent.)  We won't fight unless we're provoked."
2) "Sometimes people say that my head is too big for my body, and then I say 'compared to what?'"
3) "My name is Marshell and, uh.  Oh no, that's not the first time I've done that.  My name is Marcel, and I'm partially a shell as you can see on my body, but I also have shoes and, um, a face, so, I like that about myself, I like myself and I have a lot of other great qualities as well."
4) "His name [the piece of lint] is Alan.  Guess where I found him?  Under a tooth.  Well you know what they say?  Lint is a shell's best friend."
5) "Guess what I use to tie my skis to my car?  A hair.  Guess what my skis are?  Toenails from a man."

I'm optimistic that Marcel will continue to make me laugh as long as I can perfectly quote her, and hopefully Marcel will make everyone else laugh as well.

I'm LOST

As I was browsing for possible Christmas gifts, I remembered a quality show from the past six years of my life.  Lost.  Although the show wrapped up last spring, I still find myself asking questions about what really happened.  Why did that giant statue of a leg only have four toes?  What makes the others feel like they need to converse in Latin?  Why was Ben transported to the middle of the Sahara Desert after turning a wheel completely surrounded by ice? Plus about a thousand more.  All these questions got me thinking, I really need to rewatch that show.

Now don't get me wrong.  I don't want to be a crazy Lost encyclopedia that can tell you about a framed British 20 Pound on the wall in a season episode with a picture of the famous physicist Michael Faraday, somehow signaling Daniel Faraday will later become a character.  That would just be creepy.  But if I need any of that information, I may as well just look here.

But I do want the DVD collection, seeing as I'm not quite advanced enough yet to have a Blu-Ray.  So I googled "Lost the complete collection", which led me to this Amazon result.  And for the low price of $139.99 you can buy the entire series.  AND the creators also feel like they need to get a little carried away with the extras.  Does it really need to come in a giant case with a island replica on top that clearly isn't going to fit in my DVD cabinet?  Although the Senet game seen in season six is cool, how will I even know how to play?  And yeah, having Jacob's ankh is great and all, but why?  And oh yeah, there's a black light torch to uncover secret clues hidden within the box set.  The set also comes with 37 discs.  37!  And one hidden disc.

This new level of DVD experience isn't just happening with Lost.  Now you can buy Harry Potter Ultimate Edition's that come with some pretty sweet bonus item's of their own.  I, for one, would really like a Minerva McGonagall trading card.

So even though this Lost collection sounds a little absurd, I think I'm going to go for it.  I could use these collectibles, I guess...  Maybe someday I'll be so good at that weird board game that I could even beat Jacob.  And I'm optimistic that even these bonus features won't be able to cloud the real excellence the Lost series had to begin with.

Tomorrow will be a better day

Josh Rittenberg, a sixteen year old in Manhattan, wrote a short essay for National Public Radio's book "This I Believe", based off the 1950 radio show and the current revival.  His entry was entitled, "Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day"  Rittenberg wrote,

"I'm sixteen.  The other night, while I was busy thinking about important social issues, like what to do over the weekend and who to do it with, I overheard my parents talking about my future.  My dad was upset - not the usual stuff that he and Mom and, I guess, a lot of parents worry about, like which college I'm going to, how far away it is from home, and how much it's going to cost.  Instead, he was upset about the world his generation is turning over to mine, a world he fears has a dark and difficult future - if it has a future at all.

He sounded like this: 'there will be a pandemic that kills millions, a devastating energy crisis, a horrible world-wide depression, and a nuclear explosion set off in anger.'

As I lay on the living room couch, eavesdropping  on their conversation, starting to worry about the future my father was describing, I found myself looking at some old family photos.  There was a picture of my grandfather in his Citadel uniform.  He was a member of the class of 1942; the war class.  Next to his picture were photos of my great-grandparents, Ellis Island immigrants.  Seeing those pictures made me feel a lot better.  I believe tomorrow will be better than today - that the world my generation grows into is going to get better, not worse.  Those pictures helped me understand why.

I considered some of the awful things my grandparents and great-grandparents had seen in their lifetimes: two world wars, killer flu, segregation, a nuclear bomb.  But they saw other things, too, better things: the end of two world wars, the polio vaccine, passage of the civil rights laws.  They even saw the Red Sox win the World Series - twice.

I believe that my generation will see better things, too - that we will witness the time when AIDS is cured and cancer is defeated; when the Middle East will find peace and African grain, and the Cubs win the World Series - probably, only once.  I will see things as inconceivable to me as a moon shot was to my grandfather when he was sixteen, or the Internet to my father when he was sixteen.

Ever since I was a little kid, whenever I've had a lousy day, my dad would put his arm around me and promise me that "tomorrow will be a better day."  I challenged my father once: "How do you know that?"  He said, "I just do."  I believed him.  My great-grandparents believed that , and my grandparents, and so do I.

As I listened to my dad talking that night, so worried about what the future holds for me and my generation, I wanted to put my arm around him and tell him what he always told me, "Don't worry, Dad.  Tomorrow will be a better day."  This, I believe."

Josh Rittenberg's essay shines with the optimism few can find in themselves to envision for the future.  Most believe, "Things seem bad now, they'll probably only get worse."  But Rittenberg makes a good point.  Things have been bad in the past, and good has always come out of it.  In the midst of whatever is going to happen, there will be good right along with it.

Rittenberg's optimism was not unlike that of Nicholas Humphrey in one of my earlier blog posts.  He wrote an article in What Are You Optimistic About? entitled "The Best Is Yet to Come", which focused on the unimaginable great things that are undoubtedly in store for the human race in the future.

Perhaps one of the most powerful aspects of Rittenberg's essay was how relatable he was.  He wrote this essay when he was sixteen in the times we are living in now, and I'm sixteen.  We share the same future ahead of us so any good he sees is in the future for me, too.  He raised my spirits, as I'm sure he did to many others as well.

Now, looking into the future I need to see some good.  First, I have to assume I have a future and the popular 2012 apocalypse doesn't actually happen.  So, assuming I live past my freshmen year in college I would like to be able to think some brightness is out there.  Any of the ideas Rittenberg mentioned would be fabulous, a world-changing invention or a cure to disease.  As long as there is some significant change to look forward to, making our future worth getting to.

I'm optimistic that the future holds some good, as Rittenberg claims, that tomorrow will be a better day.  I'm optimistic that even though the future looks bleak at times, things are looking up.