Both of my last posts seem to have hit triple digits, which is cool, but I can't help but wonder if there is some little internet robot somewhere randomly clicking my page and giving me views. It looks as if I am getting some attention in India and Italy for some reason, which is cool if it is real. Hello to my international friends!
Currently life is going quite well for the Andrews clan. The girls are growing fast. Hope seems to be talking more and more each day, and Barbara is starting to read a few words. I think the most exciting thing abut being a parent at this stage is watching a child grow and learn things that we often take for granted. As the days progress I am sure that I will look back at this time with fondness, so I guess it is good that I recognize and appreciate what I have. So here is my first Early Spring Musing: be grateful for what is happening right now.
On the entertainment side of life, life is also progressing. Some things that I had hoped for have proven to be disappointing. The Shannara Chronicles that I had been so excited about has not met my hopes and expectations. To be fair, the show is good. Lots of excitement and fun. My issues have to do with the creative licence of the show in deviating from the story line given in the novel. Characters are being added and omitted and changed, and it presents a story that is very different from what I had read. I get that not everything can be kept the same, but when enough changes make you wonder if you are watching the same show, you lose something. The author is behind every change, and he has that right, but I also have the right to be disappointed. I had watched the first four or five episodes as they aired, but since then stopped. The rest is on my PVR and I'll watch it later, but it's not a big deal for me to stay up to date. Besides, the Flash and the Big Bang Theory continue to entertain, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow has been fun. Still, I wished that Shannara had been better. Second Early Spring Musing: life has disappointments, and that's OK. It also means that disappointments in life do not have to be "bad" things.
Looking ahead, Heather and I are excited about taking a vacation together to Las Vegas for the 50th Anniversary Star Trek Convention. We will be gone in August for about a week. This has mixed feelings for me. I love spending time with Heather, and before the kids came going on a trip together was something really enjoyable. I miss those times, and it will be nice to do a trip again. What gives me any reservation is leaving the girls behind. Barbara and Hope are so wonderful, and I really look forward to the time when they are big enough to be able to come on such trips. We will miss them terribly, and I hope that as we are enjoying ourselves in Vegas we won't feel guilty over not having them with us, but that might be tough to do. I think trips like this are important for a couple, but it should not negate (or be interpreted to negate) how important our kids are. Third Early Spring Musing: enjoying one thing does not mean you don't miss out on other good things.
So there we go. Just some random stuff going through my head. In the meantime, getting back to one of my traditions, a Top Ten List. I think for this I'll do my Top 10 Favorite movies based on my Flickchart rankings.
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Such a well made movie.
9. Star Trek: First Contact - whew! A Next Gen film made it!
8. The Lion King - most epic of all the Disney animated films
7. The Incredibles - the best of Pixar (I love the "where's my super suit" bit)
6. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - a classic movie from a classic novel
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - the only Best Picture winner on the list
4. The Princess Bride - I think that this is the only non-franchise movie (Incredibles has a sequel coming out in the next couple years, I think)
3. Star Trek (2009) - a great reboot
2. The Avengers - so much fun!
1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - was there ever any doubt?
