make no BONES about it...see the movie...

have you read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold? If you have not...you should. But do yourself a favor...see the movie FIRST.



having read this book several times (and by several, i mean at least 3 times), i had a certain expectation of the movie. admittedly, i was all assuming that some massive injustice was about to take place as i took my seat for the viewing of the big screen adaption. my expectation was that director, peter jackson completely butchered the book (pun not intended). c'mon, i was trying to be realistic here. we know how a "movie based on the best selling novel" usually goes. but at the last minute, i decided that i could watch the movie with an open mind (translate: pretend that i'd never read the book) and relieve myself of any predetermined opinions that I might have (did) form based on reviews of friends who saw the film before i had the opportunity. and i have to say, i walked away pleasantly surprised.

however...

mr. jackson, while depicting the story semi-close to the way it's written, there were a couple key elements that i felt that you grossly overlooked. firstly, i think you missed the mark on developing the characters of Ray & Ruth. these two characters forge a remarkable friendship within the pages of the book. i would have loved to have seen more of that on screen. another missed mark, in my opinion, was lack of relationship between the detective & susie's parents, specifically her mother. also during the scenes when her mother returned from her lil "healing hiatus." i don't recall the book handling the reunion as an immediate happy reconciliation of the family. i plan on reading the book again as soon as i can recover my copy (still packed from moving). i feel the need to refresh on this, just to be certain.

overall, i believe it was a good movie. i'm confident now that the B+ rating that i saw posted on Yahoo! was well deserved. on a side note, i did watch the movie with someone who'd never read the book. she informed me that she will be reading the book ASAP as she rambled on briefly about how much she liked the movie and she's eager to compare the two. it'll be interesting to hear what she has to say as well...

the true meaning of life...

(as requested by @briankl92 - i luv u man!!)

"what is the meaning of life?"...now there's a question that has plagued me for about as long as i can remember. i thought i knew the answer once or twice back in my early 20s. i would realize that it really wasn't chocolate chips, rolled onto a spoonful of peanut butter. nor was it managing to ration it and not fully consume it before i came down.

i wrote about the secrecy of the meaning of life alot in old journals that i wish i hadn't destroyed. i could compare my answers...b/c i think today, almost *cough* 20 years later, i truly can say that i FINALLY know the true meaning...

the truth is that in order to truly embrace and understand the true meaning of life, we must first be able to understand what truly matters most to us in this life. Once we have soulfully & honestly muddled thru our compilation of our desires & needs, we break it down to the basics. Then the true meaning is revealed unto us.

my list was fairly simple...
(and not particularly ordered)

*happiness
*love
*family
*friendship
*spirituality
*growth

now keep in mind...

we cannot truly appreciate true happiness, unless we've known a great saddness.
we cannot truly experience love without experiencing the great pains that come with the opposite.
we cannot truly treasure our families & friends unless we've ever encountered a time when we've felt truly alone.
we cannot grow personally or spiritually unless we've opened our minds to accept the gifts of the universe (my gifts come from God)...and in accepting those gifts, further growth is obtained when we can comprehend the idea that sometimes those gifts are not of that we want, but in some form or fashion, those gifts are exactly what we need. or will need. embrace those gifts.

life itself is a journey.
the journey for every person is different.
and each journey serves its purpose.

if you're asking me, and @briankl92 did...i think the true meaning of life is revealed in the purpose of your personal journey.

so sit back, ponder & speculate, what's your purpose?



and totally off topic...
does anyone else see this sunset above and feel the urge to cry out... "SERENITY"...?!?! yah me either ;)