Dear Jeff Bridges

Jeff, I am listening to you singing some country music on AOL music sessions (http://music.aol.com/sessions/jeff-bridges-what-a-little-bit-of-love-can-do-sessions/?ncid=webmail13) and I just had to write you a little shout out. Thank you for putting your heart and humor into your work and life. I love that you laughed when you mention how you will have your granddaughter call you "Dude-pa"... that is one step up from what I call my gramps, "G-pa." You ARE the "dude." I am so glad that I KNOW WHAT THAT IS!!! HA! I had to watch the movie with the volume way down low because of all the cussing. I would buy a clean version of it, but I think there would be almost nothing left! Do you know, after I watched The Big Lebowski, I went and bought a sweater like yours. Actually, I bought two. I found them on ebay. One was actually a nice sweater with a great design. The other one came free with the first one. It has a giant deer on the back- I figure it will be perfect for and "ugly christmas sweater party" or something silly like that. How did you wear that sweater through that whole movie? It's sooooo scratchy!!!

I'm trying to think of the first movie I saw with you. I think it was "The Mirror Has Two Faces." I watched it with my mom. I thought you were handsome, and I loved Barbara's "perfect bite"... but I was really bummed because she never looked fat to me. So her whole transformation didn't matter. She went from fab to fab. FAKE!!! Anyway, the next one I saw with you was "Blown Away." That film is one of my all time favorites forever and ever. I watched that movie too many times to count. No one understands why. People just look at me with total confusion when I say that's one of my favorites (right up there with Last of the Mohicans.) There are so many parts in there that actually cause me to giggle with glee... I hold my breath and grab the couch white knuckled as I wait for the next thing. Those creepy scenes were you're looking through the house to find a bomb- the suspense as you pull the light switch. Ahhh!!!! The car scene! Your dad blows up!?! Tommy Lee Jones sings U2.. AHHHH!!! I LOVED IT!! I also loved the ending credit song so much. I played that part so many times, the tape died.

Let's see. I saw Seabiscuit, but I wasn't really into horse movies.... of course, Iron Man- but I don't even remember your part. I was too distracted with the awesomeness of Robert Downey Jr., but I'm sure that was the point. I was amused by The Men Who Stare at Goats. You played the best Rooster Cogburn there ever could have been next to John Wayne- it was a very enjoyable dark remake of True Grit. Then I watched TRON Legacy and then I had to watch it again and again and again. I don't like to rewatch movies... only my favorites. You actually made it on my "favorites list" twice- maybe three times if I count Big Lebowski- but that's not official yet. Lastly, I saw Crazy Heart recently. I had that netflix disc on my desk from March to August. I just didn't have a lot of time and if I did, I didn't feel like watching it. I finally popped it in, and was totally blown away (do you like my pun? ha ha). I loved your singing so much, I bought the soundtrack. I'm surprised how much I liked that one- because I'm not a big country fan. It was good enough that I went and looked up all those old country singers on wikipedia and now I'm a whole lot smarter for it. I'm loving your music and it's making my morning. Thanks! Oh, and I also have to mention that I admire you as an actor because you seem professional and "normal" in the sense that you don't make a big deal out of yourself. You were also never afraid to let your hair flow. Go get em, Dude-pa!

Thanks for the entertainment, the music, keeping things interesting.

A fellow Crazy Heart,

Jill

Bears Bears Bears

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!!!

Bears are neat. That's all there is to it.

What kind of a creature is a bear? They are stranger than you imagine. Their noses are longer, their eyes smaller, their body stranger than I expect. Every time I look at a picture of one, it is far different than what I THOUGHT it would look like. I could never place them before, but after seeing a National Geographic article with lots of bear pictures-(in trees eating berries), I'm guessing they are sloth related. They have similar giant claws and structure. I have also heard "pig" before, but that is still hard for me to see. Pigs are hooved. What is a pig? Well, I guess that is a thought for another day. I'm just astounded by the created realm and all the neat things God put in it for us to marvel at. Enjoy some bears with me!

UPDATE!!!!!!

After posting this, I sat at my desk, looking at a little figure of Smokey Bear that I purchased in Klamath, CA earlier this summer. I wanted to buy all the Smokey merchandise I could find- because when I was a little kid, I had a big crush on that bear. He was so wonderful and honest. He gave me responsibility and trusted me to do what was right. He was strong and would save me from fire. Oh, what a bear! But then, as I went to find a good picture of Smokey, I realized that maybe I can't VISUALIZE a good bear with my eyes closed COULD be because I picture the cartoon version instead of the real thing.... hmmm... just remember... only YOU can prevent forest fires!

On The Precipice:::

I'm leaving for Hawaii tomorrow! Well, really later today... since it's 1am. I was going to write about my painting class, but I guess it will have to wait. I should have taken pictures of my progress every week, but I'm pretty sure this one will still have a LOT of improvements left to do. Each week I want to rip my paper up- I get so frustrated with it and see all the things I'm NOT doing well. But by the time I had a week for the frustration to wear off, I'm ready to go back. Tonight I found painting to be stress-relieving for the first time. It's usually stressFUL. Instead of freaking out about what to pack for my trip, I took a few hours to dabble with water and color... and it was really enjoyable. I think I'm going to like the final results that come in a few more weeks. My classmates gave me hope- everyone says the first one is really rough. Sounds normal. I think I can hack it.

Reflectons: Daniel Day-Lewis, Part 1

While I'm reviewing movies, I can't stop without mentioning some of Daniel Day-Lewis's

movies. He's always been one of my favorite actors. I think I watched Last of the Mohicans 500 times. For a long time I didn't try his other films because I thought they were too adult for me... I guess I'm a grown up now, so I decided it was time to become a Day-Lewis connoisseur. To be honest, it was Gangs of New York that pushed me into watching everything he ever made. Have you seen that man's crazy moustache?

Did you know there are fan groups dedicated to his moustache alone? I am now in that fan group. The man is amazing. I would read a book about him if it ever comes out. The brilliant thing is that he seems so private, his bio will probably always be a thing of legend. I read his wikipedia page in full and then decided to follow all his pages on facebook. There are so many stories about him online since he's such an intense method actor. (My personal favorite poke at him is the tumblr page dedicated to Day-Lewisisms- so much funnier than the Chuck Norrisisms that kept us amused a couple years ago.) He gives me a little bit of hope in his craziness.... the fact that he would learn to butcher meat in order to play the Butcher....

that he would learn to shoot and skin animals and basically BECOME Natty Bumppo (yes, I know the film was COMPLETELY untrue to the book, but really, who cares? In this case, and maybe the only case in my experience, the book loses and I cheer loudly)... that he would train like a boxer to play the boxer.... yeaaahhhh..... I think that's neat. Who knows if these tales are true of him, but- wikipedia isn't always wrong, right? There are so many things I want to learn how to do and I'm working towards that. He inspires me because he is dedicated and disciplined and because he is actually GOOD at what he does. I don't want to be an actor, but I do want to vigorously apply myself to my chosen fields. I want to excel. Who doesn't? I guess we can't all go on vacation in Florence for a couple years and learn how to be a cobbler and live in anonymity... or can I? I am well past my adolescence- when these things get cooked up in our heads-- but I am not past dreaming and pursuing my dreams.

This brings me to my thoughts concerning his films in the order in which I viewed them thus far:

1. Last of the Mohicans: one of my "all time favorite" films. I unabashedly love everything about it, especially the music, especially the first 5 minutes of deer hunting in hair-flying slow-mo, especially all the shooting and fast running. Yes, there is romance, but it doesn't all end up happy, and for some reason I like that a lot. DD-L, you made me wish I was adopted into a running, shooting, tracking, smarty pants Indian family in the same way I wished I had red hair like Anne of Green Gables.

2. Gangs of New York: I remember when I first saw the trailer- I got chills watching the characters parade around in their tall hats. Cameron Diaz and at that time, Leonardo DiCaprio, were two of my least favorite actors.... but it didn't matter, it was a gloriously costumed extravaganza with Natty Bumppo. It took me 9 years to finally see it and I can't help but think of it as a masterpiece. I don't recommend this movie to you... I don't want to watch it with you... but I want to frame shots of it all over my house. Maybe in my future kitchen- beside a painting of a pig that wears a top hat. I also want to read the book which inspired the film- what a fascinating history lesson. Herbert Ashbury also wrote about other cities, including my beloved San Francisco... I can't wait.

3. The Ballad of Jack and Rose: This one had many disturbing themes. I "enjoyed" watching it because I think it did a great job of dealing with those taboo items that we don't really dwell on much more than briefly during a history or ethics lecture. It's the kind of story they make kids read in high school. Not really surprising since Rebecca Miller, DD-L's wife, daughter of Arthur Miller, was the director. What must that lady's life be like? She was the DAUGHTER of Arthur Miller- the guy who wrote the Crucible. Man, did I have some serious issues with that story when I was in 11th grade. It all makes sense. She must have been exposed to so many dysfunctional ideas growing up- and she tried to twist it all into something beautiful. I don't know that she was glorifying the issues or just pointing them out. It's hard to tell-- but it was such a tragedy, such a waste of beauty. Thinking back to how horrified Jack was by what his daughter had become, how devastated he was by the things he failed her in, and by his apology to Rose at his death, maybe it wasn't a glorification of dysfunction

after all. It was just a sad story. I never want to watch another of her films. This one may be very "TRUE" but it does not add to the beauty.

The only thing I actually loved..... was the house they lived in, the free greenery, and his amazing tattoo.

4. A Room With A View: Ookkkk. I need to take a moment and mentally gather myself after seeing DD-L's character... WHOA. I love that he played such a horribly wimpy, dispassionate, pathetic excuse for a MAN. I found this picture that describes him as "upper class twit." That's pretty accurate. I found the "bathing in the creek" scene to be incredibly disturbing. Viewer Discretion Advised. How completely unnecessary was that 10 minute run around the creek?!? I know it was making a brief point that George was better suited to the family than Cecil, but.... that was ridiculous. And WHY did the priest have to get in on it as well? Apart from that, their tour in Italy vividly reminds me of some of my European adventures, and I love Helena Bonham Carter's amazing crazy hair.

5. The Boxer: Most surprising to me was how much I liked this movie. It wasn't really the story or the characters.... apart from contrasting DDL's wimpy Cecil with manly boxer Danny Boy... I just loved the lighting. I love the blue. I actually took a bunch of screen captures because I want to paint them. The colors. The intensity. The dedication to do what is right (apart from the adulterous relationship between the main characters. I really feel Maggie's pain, but.... that doesn't make it right. A little oxymoron there.) So, I think I will choose to paint these scenes in the future. They're beautiful. And I also want to learn how to jump rope like DD-L. I hated it in high school, but I think if I had seen clips of this guy jumping rope, it would have all made sense to me. I would have picked up my rope and commanded it to obey me- instead of awkwardly lumbering over the rope, giving pathetic hops here and there only to be tangled and defeated. No. I can learn to jump rope.

6. My Left Foot: Can you handle this? I could write a long essay about this film. DD-L did a killer job showing the world Christy Brown. Irish Brown was born with cerebral palsy and his parents didn't realize how brilliant he was until he was a teenager. He went on to learn to paint and write a number of novels and volumes of poetry. DD-Lhad to contort his body and play a very troubled character. This movie was so uplifting and so hopeful-I was in tears a few times for the poor guy who had to battle his prison of a body and who finally found love and an outlet- writing and painting with his left foot. This was such a striking story, (it reminded me of a book that formed a heart of compassion in me during my early years- Bright Valley of Love), I had to read all about Christy Brown afterwards. It turns out, he was a really manipulative man. That definitely came through in the movie, but when I found out the extent of it- that he had an affair with a married woman BEFORE he met the lady portrayed at the end of the story, I was disgusted. He really was such a terrible guy. Turns out he was the heartbroken AND the heartbreaker. Sadness. He died at 49 with an amazing life story, a mediocre artistic ability that he could have improved. Wikipedia says he choked on his meat and that perhaps his wife didn't bother trying to save him. I was so sad when I read about this man who really needed the Lord. Now I want to read Bright Valley of Love again for a more edifying understanding of this theme.

So, that is all for now. There's still a number of films to see. I can't wait for There Will Be Blood. Daniel Day-Lewis has effectively worked his way to being an inspirational person in my life- despite the sadness of some of his films. I can't really blame him for taking any of the roles he has.... sometimes stories just need to be told. He's an amazing story teller. I am listening.