I've Returned, With a Vengeance

Hi Everyone,

Well, I don't believe in taking vengeance, but apparently I've returned with one! Anyway, I was checking out blogs this morning, and I suddenly got inspired to return and revamp this blog. So I hope you like the new design. I picked the background for a couple of reasons. Have you ever looked at a satellite picture of the world and been fascinated by it? That's one reason. Another is that I usually live off in my own little world. That's why I got this blog up and running. Let me know what you think of the new layout. Any questions, concerns, condemnations, you can comment.

Anyway, I think I owe you, the reeders, an apology. I had said I was going to do weekly posts from now on, but then I went back east, and between all the work, I got off track, and posted very little. I would like to tell you some about the two months that I spent out; the eight weeks I spent in Barre, MA and elsewhere in Massachusetts, and my two weeks traveling via highway back out here to Long Beach. This will require a couple of posts, so bare with me a while.

There are many things I would like to talk about. Not just political, but religious, spiritual, some personal things (but not too many, since this is the internet). This blog is now brand new, and the weekly (or maybe twice a week) postings will now resume. And I've got plenty of things here for you, the reeder. See you soon!

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.

What Will You Be Doing This 4th of July Weekend

Hi Everyone,

Well, I've gotten behind on my blogging again. The reason is that I've been working on my aunt's farm and my grandfather's house here in Barre, MA (location shown on the map above). So I've been doing some work for them for the past few weeks. Anyway, I'm back up and blogging, and I will post some on my experiences here. It has been an eventful last few weeks, so I can't wait to fill you in.

My question her is, what are you going to do for the Fourth of July? I will be going to a cookout with some of my aunt's friends. My family back in Long Beach, where I live, has some interesting plans of their own. So I would like to hear, how are you going to commemorate the Declaration of Independence, 234 years later? See ya!

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.

It's My Party Now!

Hi Everyone,

Well, while I was out, I had a little, um, how shall I say, birthday! But not just any birthday. A week ago last friday, I turned 20. It was a wonderful birthday. I got up early and had breakfast up in Santa Monica with my Dad and Brother. I hung out up in Santa Monica and LA for most of the day. I went out to dinner with my family and my Mom made a nice cake.

So anyway, I dig the presents I got. I got two books, one of which I really wanted to read, and I got a nice new shirt, which fits quite well. I also got some new stuff for my room, which I've been putting together. So that worked out really well.

As always, hanging out with the people I cherish was wonderful. I spent a lot of time with my Brother, as well as my Mom and Dad. That's the best thing about birthdays. I really love just doing thing the way I feel like on my birthday. My favorite part of my birthday, though, is being with friends, family and all the people I cherish. That was what made it. I'll have some more posts up for you soon. See ya then!

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.

More Thoughts on Avatar: To Sum It Up

Hi Everyone,

Well, in case you were wondering, I did finish watching Avatar. So I will sum up, in full, what I thought of it. Again, don't automatically accept my judgements of it; watch it and make your own. After all, watching it is an amazing experience. Also, I will distinguish between the aesthetics of it, how it was made, and the content, what I thought of its subject matter. So how did the rest of the movie strike me?

The rest of Avatar did not do much to change the view of it I laid out a few weeks ago. In the second half of the movie, the mining company and its military security force begin moving in. It turns out the Na'vis' holy sanctuary rests on a huge deposit of unobtanium, the valuable material that the company is prospecting for. The force begins to launch an assault on the site, and many Na'vi are lost in the skirmish.

Then comes decision time for Jake. The Na'vis feel betrayed by him, since he was working for the people who visited this disaster on their land. So Jake, who has fallen in love with the female who took him in to the tribe, decides to stay with them and fight the miners. By this point, the miners have thrown him under the bus anyway, along with his companions in the avatar experiment.

I said before I expected there would be a hollywood-type ending. I was not disappointed by that. I will say this for the ending, though; I was surprised how well Cameron was able to make a formulaic style of ending engaging and watchable. For the type of conclusion so typical of big blockbuster films like Avatar, Cameron somehow managed to make it work. So the movie was definitely engaging.

So here's what I liked and didn't like about Avatar. First, like I said, the visual effects were unbelievable. Just seeing the movie would be amazing to anybody's eye. The movie was engaging on so many levels. It never became dull or went on and on, though there was some preaching about a network of life, but that was small.

That brings me to my next point. It was wonderful to see a movie like that getting the message out there. However, I said before that the message seemed to come second to the visual splendor, which was considerable, and the action. There is a practically endless amount of movies dedicated to the supremacy of the culture of dominance, the importance of suspicion, and the virtue of warfare. It was nice to see some counterbalance to that.

Now, what did I not like about Avatar? Well, it fell back on the same well-worn Hollywood themes and devices so common in these movies. It relied on a climactic battle royale scene in which there is a clearly defined good guy and bad guy. The only difference here is that the actors have been switched to different sides than usual. What would have made it truly captivating was if they had moved away from that theme in some way. I don't know how someone would do such a thing, but then again, I'm not a screenwriter in Hollywood.

Anyway, to wrap up the review of Avatar, I thought it was good, but in my view, it had some flaws that dragged it down. Still, I enjoyed the film immensely, and I would recommend it to anyone. Anyway, I apologize for the lateness of this post. I have spent the last few days working on my Aunt's farm, and I have been unable to get on the internet for the last few days. I am now going to be back on my regular weekly post cycle. See ya soon!

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.

Thoughts on Avatar: Close, But Still a Swing and a Miss

Hi Everyone,

Well, today I will talk about movies again. This time, Avatar is the subject. Avatar, you may remember, was released last December with much pomp and fanfare. Much was made of its visual appeal. The film cost $250 million to make, and took four years to make (planning and development began as early as 1994). When it was released, it broke several records at the box office and was a gigantic commercial success.

I didn't necessarily want to see it in theaters, since anything which is so widely hyped tends to draw my skepticism. However, I have been eager to see it for quite some time. I heard that it promoted the sanctity of native cultures, the importance of a connection to the natural environment, and the transcendant connection of all forms of life. I also enjoy movies that involve travel to distant planets. So the prospect of a sci-fi space movie that expressed a "new age-y" message of harmony seemed like it would be right up my alley.

I got to start watching it yesterday night, friday night, on netflix. The movie is 2 hours and 42 minutes long, so my family and I watched half of it last night, and will watch the other half tonight. So here I will talk about my impression so far.

The film follows Jake Sully, a marine who is hired by a private security force working for a large mining company. The company has hired him to protect a plant they operate on Pandora, a moon in the Alpha Centauri system, much like Earth. Jake lacks the knowledge most scientists on Pandora, but possesses an iron will to overcome his troubles moving. The film implies that the Earth has been ridden with wars in the time between now and the film's future setting; since it is set in the year 2154.

Anyway, Jake is put in an avatar, the body of a na'vi, a creature who lives on Pandora. Jake controls the body of his avatar with his mind somehow. Anyway, he wanders deep into the Pandoran forest, tangles with various forms of wildlife, and meets a female of the na'vi tribe. She resents him at first, but takes him to her village. They decide, again, with considerable reluctance, to take Jake in. This is about where we left off, when Jake is learning the ways of the na'vi. In one scene on the floating mountains, the Hallelujah Mountains, they are, quite literally, showing Jake the ropes.

So far, my feelings about the movie are about what I thought they would be. I like it overall, but I do have some issues with it. First off, I find this much more believeable and identifiable than

Star Wars was. Again, this one touched on concerns much more important to me. This energy industry embodies the current corporate model of the profit above all. As the head of the industry says "The one thing the bosses hate more than bad press is a bad bottom line." I think it is a good thing that this is being brought up in a movie with as much critical and commercial success as Avatar.

That leads to my next point. It seemed that this had at least as much to do with special effects as its perceived message. There were several scenes where the na'vi talked about the connections to all life forms and the world of nature itself. The way this was presented, though, is often second behind the visual graphics and effects, which are amazing. Knowing that this is also James Cameron's creation, who also did Terminator and Titanic, it isn't a surprise that the visual appeal would be a top priority for him. However, I feel disappointed in that the film seems to be sacrificing an opportunity to reexamine life, in order to wow everyone with uber-cool special effects and rake in a fortune at the box office.

I have only seen half the film so far, though. I have heard that the end of the film consists of a grand battle between the na'vi and the humans. Again, this smacks of a concession to the formula of Hollywood. Rather than trying something different, the film seems to be reconstructing a well-worn equation with the newest graphics. That is their decision, but this is my decision to weigh in on this. But again, I have only seen part of this. I will report back here when I have seen the whole thing. See ya then!

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.

The Quest of Vivian O. Reed (1924-2010)

Hi Everyone,

Well, I gave you all my word that I would dedicate an entire post to my Grandmother who passed away last week. I am here now to follow through on that. The picture above is one I found of her ("Grammy," her grandchildren called her) with me when I had just been born. This picture was taken 20 years ago, come next month. That is her holding me as a baby.
I use this because I cannot stress enough how important family was to her.

Vivian Odh was born on March 30, 1924, in Winnetka, Illinois. She was raised in Evanston, Illinois, with her parents, and her younger sister, Audrey Pearl. Vivian (called "Vivie" by those who knew her) attended Northwestern University, and graduated within days of being married to Thomas Reed, my grandfather. They were married in June of 1947. They lived in Illinois, Texas, Minnesota, Indiana, New York State and Massachusetts.

She raised four children, my aunt, Katherine, my father, Phil, and my uncles, Peter and Kevin. Any of them will tell you that growing up with her was an extraordinary experience. As a devout Christian scientist, she regularly attended church and has an extraordinary base of faith. She loved working with people, particularly with children, and spent many years of her life as a teacher, both in regular school and sunday school. She was patient in dealing with people, even with me back when I was not as easy to talk to. She called us and sent us letters regularly.

There isn't much this post can do to pay justice to the woman that was Vivian Reed. She had a strong, indomitable spirit. Even during the last few weeks, she remained surrounded by relatives who loved her deeply. I was not able to visit her in that time. The nurses who visited her said several times that she would be gone within a day or two. Yet several times, she remained. It was as if she was waiting for someone. My father spent the last three weeks with her, and transcribed a few things she said.

Thinking of a favorite memory of her is difficult now. There are many memories I have of her fondly describing her rich experience of life to me. I didn't always understand, or appreciate her wisdom. Sometimes I wouldn't listen because I wanted to do my own thing. Later, I came to appreciate listening to Grammy's insights. I also enjoyed listening to her tell stories about my dad when he was growing up. She also told stories about me, so I never got too judgemental.

Sometimes Grammy may have seemed aloof or in her own world, but those who knew her knew that this was not the case. She cared not only for her family, but her friends, and her neighbors. Anyone who knew her for a length of time knew how lucky they were to have Vivian O. Reed in their life. I am just beginning to appreciate now just how lucky I was in knowing her.

My sincerest thanks go out to her, and also to my grandfather, Thomas, to whom she was married for 62 years. He is a lucky man. I wish the best for him, for Vivian's family, her children, her grandchildren, including me, and her friends in Massachusetts, back in Colorado, and elsewhere. I will give thanks for the gift of her life, and will celebrate the legacy of Vivian O. Reed.

I don't know how much more I can say that will pay adequate tribute to my grandmother. I will just say that her life here was a gift to all who were touched by it. Her love, her light, will always shine. I'll have more up soon. I apologize for the lateness of this post. It has taken a week to gather up the appropriate thoughts and feelings for this post. See ya soon.

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.

An Emotional Day for Many

Hi Everyone,

Well, I've come back in the middle of the week again. Maybe the reason I keep returning in the middle of the week is that I keep having a lot to write about. However, today I am less excited than I was last week. Today finds me more sad, but not necessarily a bad kind of sad. The kind of sad that is oddly peaceful. Today, I will wax somewhat emotional, but I promise it will be for a good reason.

This past friday, I talked about the theater class I really enjoyed taking this semester. Well, yesterday was the last day of it, the day of the final. Our final was to read a monologue we had written. We were to perform it for the class and ourselves. We were continuing from last wednesday. I read through it throughout the morning.

I decided to read my monologue near the beginning. My monologue was written from the perspective of a teenager back in school. I was talking to a friend, or to someone who I could depend upon. No one else understood me, so I told this person, emotionally, that I felt alone, and that I was willing to have people in my life, I concluded by asking if they would be my friend.

I asked with some emotion, since this is how I often feel. I often feel that I am without a reliable friend or counterpart, outside of my family. Since my best friend moved away, to Washington state, back in 2005, I have been mostly by myself, believing, like the character, that I was alone in my perception of the world.

This is why yesterday was so important. After each of us finished our monologues, which some of the people had trouble performing, we talked about our experience in the class. One girl, in particular, said many of the things I had felt about the course. She said basically many of the things I was going to say.

As I went through middle and high school, I became self-conscious and reserved. I rarely opened up to anybody. As I mentioned about this class, I was able to interact, ironically enough in an acting class, more openly than I have, at least recently. This was very important to me. I said as much, and then we left class and resolved to connect via the best way we knew how... Facebook. We even started a facebook group for people in this section of this class. Sadly, the professor will move St. Louis next fall, but I was able to find the aforementioned facebook group, and yesterday I was voraicously friending the people whom I recognized from the class.

Often, I have felt like I didn't appreciate something enough while it was happening to me. Have you ever gotten that? Well, I often come across this feeling. I didn't have that with this class. Even though I was sad yesterday and today, and for the last few weeks, I certainly appreciated it much as I experienced it. I feel like I really learned something about interacting.

In improvisation, we learned about "saying yes" going along with a story someone else states. For instance, if someone in the act asks "Why is your hand on fire?" responding as if your hand really was on fire. I often have trouble saying "yes" to life's little "improvs." I want there to be the right idea that will make things work. In the improv, however, I learned that it works better if you go into it without an idea, and let one randomly emerge. This summarizes why this was so important.

That was yesterday. This morning, when I woke up, I was told by my family that my Grandmother passed away early this morning. She was my father's mother, and she lived to be 86 years old. I cannot think of many things to say about her. I could not possibly say everything that needs to be said in one blog post. I will say some words here, and elaborate further on Friday.

I will say that she was a wonderful person. She was devoted to her family, children and grandchildren. She was also a devout Christian Scientist, and a teacher for many years. She was a good friend to those she knew and made an big impact on the people she met, even the hospice nurses who helped her for the last few weeks. She passed away peacefully, having been at home, receiving care for three weeks.

I will give a full biographical sumnation of my Grandmother on friday. For now I will just say that she is survived by her husband, my grandfather, her sister, her four children, my aunt, two uncles and my father, seven grandchildren, my cousins, my brother, and, by your humble servant. Her love and her light will always shine. See you all on friday!

This is the Daily Reeder, Over&out.