Get ya popcorn ready!

So for the TO reference but it light of the topic I plan to write about, it seemed appropriate,.

It's been almost a month since my last post. Where has the time gone? I've been practically living out of my suitcase(s) for the month of May. So, I have been doing some really fun stuff. I got to see some great friends and talk about the things that make me happy in life. For those who know me well, know that I love to watch movies. When I am happy, sad, or just trying to kill time, I watch movies. At home, the theaters, a party, wherever. If there is a movie on, I plan to watch it. I have even gone so far as to require any woman that I have seriously dated to be a fan of my favorite movie, The Usual Suspects (It generally doesn't go so well).

I say all this only to introduce my post for today. While I was in Chicago, I went to see Terminator: Salvation with Rob and Lance. In normal movie-goer fashion, we discussed our likes and dislikes upon completion of the movie. After we discussed the movie, Lance said something really interesting to me. He said that I should be a movie critic. At first I dismissed it but after I got back to Midland and promptly watched the Blockbuster Movie (The Illusionist) that was waiting in my mailbox. I began to really think about it. What would it take to be a good movie critic? I know what I like but who's to say what I like about movies is what others will find valuable information about movies.

Movie critics usually get ridiculed for not understanding what the general public likes in movies. Which from the outside looking in makes sense. Critics often write about the artistic nature of the film, the subtleties of the dialogue, emotional engagement with the character and connection to the audience through the third wall. The normal every day person wants to see believable acting, good action, good effects and a compelling but not to intellectual story (IMHO). So this observation begs the question why? Critics are normal people too. My attempt to answer the why is that movie critics watch movies for a living. I would compare it to those who drink a particular beverage frequently. You know the taste completely. All of the subtleties of the interaction between the sugar, water and other additives. So when something is a little different, you pick up on it right away. I think the same applies for movie critics. They watch movies so much that the normal everyday movie does not excite them. Movies that are made to be commercially appealing can come off as bland because what is fresh and exciting for the occasional movie watcher does not satisfy the right-brain of those whose job is to identify what is special in pieces of cinema everyday.

So, I now sit here pondering what would life be like if I had chosen to become a professional movie critic and not a supply chain professional. I have a feeling it would have ruined movie watching for me. The thing I like about movies is the surprise, especially when you get surprised after having watched the movie multiple times, and the ability to become fully immersed in a film and forget everything else that is going on. As a movie-lover, I don't think I could ever give up that connection to cinema.

Do we have to thank the servicemen all of the time?

It has been over a month since my last post which is ridiculous considering a whole lot has gone on this past month.

With that being said, let me clear up something about my title. I am very appreciative of all the sacrifices that our members of the United States Armed Forces make in order to protect the freedoms and privileges that we as a country hold so dear. I also fully understand how that sacrifice effects the family and friends of our proud military men and women.

So, why the question? I probably should provide a little background. I spent the past week celebrating the nuptials of my closest friend from high school who is also a United States Marine. A decent contingent of Marines that he works with flew to St. Louis for the ceremony so I spent a lot of time. Regardless of where we went, as soon as it was discovered that they were Marines, a chorus of praise and adulation filled the air. I will never forget the looks of anguish on there faces after having to respond to endless iterations of the same and somewhat shallow "Thank you for your service." In my opinion, they seemed more stressed than honored to receive the praise.

I am all for giving credit where credit is due but after what I saw this weekend it begs me to wonder, do we really need to thank every different soldier that we meet with every chance that we get? It seems that ever since 9/11 and the War on terrorism began, the country has entered into this hyper-appreciative, hyper-congratulatory spirit for all of the "boots on the ground." Maybe its just me, but it seems to dilute the significance of giving genuine thanks. This in by no means reflect that I believe that people are not being sincere in their expressions of thanks. However after being with a group of soldiers for multiple days in a row, it seems that they have heard it so much that they are becoming desensitized to it.

Obviously, they are cordial and appreciative of the thanks but have you ever seen someone who is truly grateful for a word of thanks? If you have you know that it is an expression that cannot be faked and it is abundantly clear that the brief word of thanks struck a cord within them somewhere. I believe that is the kind of thanks that our men and women of the military deserve. To give you an example of what I mean, at my friend's wedding, the father of the bride gave a heartfelt and almost tearful thanks to all of the past and present military men and women in attendance during his toast. You could see that his heart was in it and because of it every current and former military person at the reception had that same expression that I commented on earlier in this paragraph. It was a joy to see the impact that the 1-minute expression of thanks had on the entire room.

For those that read what I have written and have become offended, I am sorry. However, I stand by every word in this post. I believe that it is great that people feel compelled to thank our military personnel for there service. From now on, however, instead of issuing a blanket thank to every soldier that I meet, I plan to reserve them for the special moments when I know those selected soldiers will understand the immense depth of my appreciation for their selfless service to our country and the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made, to keep me and my loved ones safe.