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Last week I headed out to my favorite theater, the Fox Bay and saw the 3-D movie “Up”, another movie courtesy of the folks at Pixar (the same folks who brought us WALL-E). The film was a comedy/adventure about a 78-year old balloon salesman named Carl Fredrickson (voice of Ed Asner) who ties hundreds of balloons to his house and flies away for the adventure of a lifetime. Shortly after his launch, he discovers, much to his dismay, that the rather annoying 8-year old neighbor boy Russell has stowed away on his porch. What follows is a wacky adventure as Mr. Fredrickson and Russell explore new lands in South America.
Themes themes of letting go and unfulfilled dreams give the movie a “heartful” aspect but not so much as to overshadow the themes of adventure (complete with a villain), fun and inner childhood. The movie basically takes you through an entire spectrum of emotions - seriousness, happiness, comedy, suspense, action and thrills. The movie lifted my spirits and made me laugh - and gave me ideas to ponder. And the talking dogs are a hoot!
And speaking of dogs, dog lovers are going to adore Dug, an adorable little mutt with Master issues.
I highly recommend this movie if you get a chance to see it. Big fun!
Last week we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and kayak on the Milwaukee River. I already have 18 ft. sea kayaks which are not really suited for river paddling. So at the end of last year, I decided to get a recreational river kayak - specifically the Old Town “Otter”. So this week was my first time out in it and I fell in love with it! I was amazed at how easy to steer they are - they turn on a dime. For some reason, I felt much more in control in this kayak as compared to the sea kayak.
Old Town "Otter"
The first day out, we paddled from Grafton to Glendale. What is convenient, is that the kayak launch in Glendale is within walking distance from my house. This leg of the river was not new to me as I have traveled it a couple of times before in a canoe. Did see some interesting critters though: a couple of Blue Herons, an enormous snapping turtle, numerous ducks, geese, woodpeckers, etc. - but the highlight of the trip was to see a pair of owls. Now it’s not too often that one gets to see an owl in the middle of the afternoon, not to mention a pair of them! I don’t think they were horned owls as I didn’t notice the horns - barred owls perhaps? It looked pretty close to the one in the photo below - I do recall that it had an especially round head.
The day after, we were back on the river again. This time, heading South towards downtown Milwaukee. I had never paddled this section of the river so it was completely new for me. As we paddled down, a baby fawn stood on the bank of the river and with wide eyes, watched us go by. Bad day to have forgotten the camera! Further down, we were fortunate to come upon a falcon splashing away in the water. I have no idea what kind it was as we couldn’t get close enough but it was definitely a falcon as I’m familiar with its cry. This is why I so love paddling on the river because you never know what sort of critter will turn up.
I much enjoyed the scenery of this new stretch (for me) of the river. What was different was that there were several spots of faster water - semi-rapids if you will, which made the route especially interesting. At the very end of the journey where a dam used to be, the water was considerably faster and rapids-like. As I am not a whitewater kayaker, I was a bit tense upon first encountering it, but the fun far outweighed any nervousness - what a blast! Who knows? I may become a whitewater paddler after all.
I just signed up for the Celebrate your Life conference in Chicago during the weekend of June 5th. It’s been several years since I’ve been to a workshop or major conference so I figured that I was due.
What attracted to this conference, is that several of my favorite non-fiction authors will be there: John Holland, Brian Weiss, Caroline Myss, Neale Donald Walsch and Sonia Choquette. Heck, with that kind of a lineup, how could I refuse?
It’s funny - when I received the email regarding the conference, I didn’t hold out much hope that I’d be free that weekend. Being a Wedding Officiant, I am pretty much booked every weekend from May until November. But lo and behold, I checked my calendar and have not one thing scheduled for those three days. Now what are the chances of that happening?
So I am officially registered for the conference. Anyone else going? If so, let me know!
I saw an awesome art house film the other night called “Let the Right One In” - a Swedish coming of age vampire story. A young girl, Eli, moves in next door with an older man and her 12-year neighbor Oskar notices that she has some unusual habits. For instance, she doesn’t go to school - and she only comes out at night. They become close friends and at his insistence, she agrees to go steady with him. Eventually, Oskar discovers that his new girlfriend is a vampire - but his fondness for her is stronger than his fear. Meanwhile at school, Oskar is tormented by bullies and through is friendship with Eli, learns how to defend himself. And when the going gets really tough for Oskar, Eli steps in to help.
I found this movie to be absolutely awesome - one of the best vampire movies I’ve seen in awhile. It is not your typical horror movie - nor your typical warm and fuzzy coming-of-age movie. The characters were extremely well-developed and believable yet with a certain rawness about them, which I found quite refreshing.
The movie has been out since 2008 playing in various art houses around the country but it only just recently made it to my local theater. If you get a chance, I highly recommend seeing this movie. But if it doesn’t play anywhere near you don’t fret - it is to be released on DVD on March 10th, 2009. I also understand that an English language remake of the film is scheduled for 2010.
The movie is based on the bestselling book with the same name by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. I haven’t had a chance to check out the book yet but it has now been added to my reading list.
Our mission is “to help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling.” - Hostelling International
I am all about inexpensive travel and a few years back, it stumbled upon Youth Hostels, one of the best kept traveling secrets. Now, any time I travel, I first check first to see if there is a hostel at my destination.
When many people think of youth hostels, they think that they are just for the young - typically, those 25 years old or younger. In actuality, Hostels are open to everybody and provide inexpensive, overnight accommodations no matter what your age. These days, there are more and more people 55 years and older using hostels, as well as entire families. While there are some places in Europe where the age limit is 25 or 26, it is extremely rare.
How much do Hostels cost?
Room rental varies by location. In bigger cities like Chicago or San Francisco, I have paid about $25-$30 a night. Hostels in smaller towns can be as low as $15 a night. It certainly is lot more inexpensive than staying at hotels.
How is a Hostel Different from a Hotel/Motel?
Hostels typically offer dormitory-style rooms although private rooms can be obtained for an extra fee. All hostels provide a blanket and pillow - linens are another story. Most often, they are included in the price - if not, they usually can be rented from the front desk. In the past, folks would bring their sleeping bags along just in case but the majority of hostels no longer allow them.
Hostels usually have dining areas or cafeterias and often come equipped self-service kitchens. Some even include hot tubs and swimming pools!
The building itself can vary. Some hostels make their homes in historic buildings like a castle or a lighthouse. Others might be a renovated barn on a farm.
Can anyone stay at a hostel?
There are no membership requirements for Hostelling International Hostels although if you are not a member, you will end up paying a higher rate than members. Membership runs $28 for adult and $18 for senior citizens. Children under the age of 18 stay for free.
So if you are an adventuresome type and want to save some money while traveling, hostels are definitely worth checking out.
Last night, went out to see Coraline with some friends and I loved it! Written by Neil Gaiman (one of my favorite authors by the way) and directed by Henry Selick, Coraline is a fantasy/horror movie about a young girl who enters a parallel world.
I read the book awhile back so I had to go see the movie when it came out. While the story is aimed at young adults, this is a story that anyone can enjoy (as an adult, I found parts of it to be quite creepy). A fun movie if you get a chance to see it. Check out the trailer below:
Many of us are unwilling or unable to let go of the past. We carry this burden with us and instead of sending our energy to our work, our goals, or to spark our creativity, we end up sending it to resentments, grievances, past wrongs, and anger. I refer to this as “investing in a mausoleum” - because sending your energy to past events never pays off.
This reminds me of the story of two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, who were traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain had just fallen. Near a village, they came across a lovely girl wearing a silk kimono and sash. She was trying to cross the road but the mud was so deep that it would have ruined her kimono. “Come on, girl”, Tansan said. He picked her up and carried her over the mud to the other side.
Both monks walked in silence until they reached the village five hours later. Finally, Ekido could no longer restrain himself. He said to Tanzan, “You know very well that monks are not allowed to go near females - especailly the young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that? Why did you carry her?”
“Negotiating with companies during an economic downturn can be surprisingly effective.”
I couldn’t agree with this more. Simply just asking for a discount is probably the most overlooked way to save money. As a businessman myself, I very often receive requests from prospective customers asking for a discount. I run a small computer courseware company and often, I will receive a request like, “Will you give a discount for a non-profit organization?” or “Do you offer discounts to government employees?”
My response usually is, “Sure. How does 15% sound?”
I think about it this way: which is preferable, an order for $1,020 or no order at all? I had someone call me one day and ask me: “I am checking out several courseware companies. Will you give us a discount?” Without even thinking, I offered my standard 15% discount. The customer placed the order right then and there. Now, he may have placed the order anyway…or he may not have.
During these economic times, I feel that companies will even be more willing to negotiate. Recently, I was contemplating joining a local health club. I made an e-mail inquiry and was quoted a $195 initiation charge and a $78 monthly membership fee. Just for grins, I e-mailed them back and said, “That’s a bit pricey. Do you offer any discounts?” The next day, I received an e-mail with a new quote: no initiation fee and $68 a month. I’m still thinking about it.
A friend of mine recently called her cable company and asked for a discount. They knocked off $20 off of her monthly bill. So don’t be afraid to ask for discounts from your cable company, health club, credit card company (you can often negotiate lower interest rates), local retailers, etc.
The worst thing they can do is to say is no….but they may say yes.
Yesterday, I posted about the importance of keeping a schedule. I later received an e-mail asking me how specific the schedule should be. My answer: as specific as necessary to make it work for you. If you feel that you need the discipline to plan out every moment of your day, then by all means do so. The important thing is that your schedule succeeds in keeping you on task and helps you to accomplish your goals. While I do have a set time for my daily goals, I keep my schedule flexible enough so that I can rearrange things and times if need be.
Below is my schedule at the current moment in time. It is continuously open for review and modification:
One of the most important things that you can do to be more productive is to create a daily schedule. When I first started working for myself, I had a standard “To-Do List” - a list that included all of the things that I wanted to accomplish during the day. For some reason however, I was never able to get through my list. Some days I did fairly well and got through the majority of the items on my list. Other days, I was only able to get through one or two items. At this time in my life, I felt that since I worked for myself, I didn’t have to follow a set schedule. I wanted to be free, spontaneous and not feel that I had to structure my life.
I enjoyed the ability to do whatever I wanted but still became frustrated by the fact that I just wasn’t able to accomplish my daily goals. This was when I realized that in order for me to manage my time effectively, I would need to create and follow a schedule. I came to understand that there are different types of freedom and that if I did not learn to discipline myself to follow a schedule, I would not have the freedom to accomplish my goals. Eventually, this would mean that I would have to go back to working for someone else and adhere to someone else’s schedule - something I definitely did not want to do. While working at home meant I could set my own schedule, it did not mean that I could abandon a schedule all together.
