Hello all!
Last night Eve and I went to see Titanic in 3D. Maybe that's not such a big deal to anyone, maybe it is...for me - it was a BIG deal.
So, you're asking why that's a big deal to me? No - it's not because I love Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet so much! No - it's not because I identify with Celine Dion! No - it's not because I am such an History buff or a Titanic officionado! It's because when the movie was first released I was in custody in Winnsboro, LA. It was released in 1997 and my son came to visit me to tell me about this blockbuster he went to see that was unlike any movie he had ever seen. I remember telling him that I thought that would be a silly movie to go see..the Titanic sunk and all that, but wow...a 3 hour movie about it. He told me, "NO, Mom - it's a really good love story, and they show way more than just its sinking". I really, never got it while I was incarcerated.
When I came home in 2004, I had a list of movies that I wanted to see because I had missed them in the theaters, all those years. Titanic was on the list. After Chris told me he saw it 3 times and many others raved about the movie - I figured I should watch it for no other reason than to understand current culture and iconic changes in the world. I had missed a lot, and it was wise to learn how the people who lived outside of prison associated with their world. Eve and I watched the movie on DVD not long after I got home.
Well, I understood. I fully grasped how different James Cameron approached a project, and I understood how the story of the people - particularly the two portrayed in this movie - lived and died on that ship - that night. I was moved and thrilled, and more than just a little saddened by the loss of so many lives in a cold and icy sea.
Since I have seen the movie, I have watched many Discovery or History channel documentaries about Titanic. I have been to the Moody Gardens exhibit where the artifacts speak in hushed voices and seem frozen in time. I cannot hear the word Titanic without feeling the loss of so many brave people. I have learned that Titanic was not doomed to sink, but rather destined to be a legend. She was expertly captained, and amazingly engineered. Her sister ship, fashioned at the same time using the same blueprints, sailed for 25 years without incident. I do love all things Titanic, but not for the love story, but for the rememberance.
When 'they' said that Titanic was being re-released to the theaters, I was elated. I did not know, though that I would be overcome by emotions in the way that I was. The movie is, of course, so beautiful. The 3D aspect was wonderful. But...the entire film consisted of a new appreciation for the people I knew represented those who lost their lives and those who survived, and an inner dialogue with my self. I remembered little conversations from all those years ago, I remembered the look on my son's face when he excitedly told me about the movie, I remembered how it felt to see the movie on the small screen. What I did not expect was the wash of a feeling something akin to relief as I exited the theater. This iconic film, in all it's larger than life glory, was now a part of my memory in a way that only the theater can enhance. I, too, fit in with all the people who saw it back in 1997. Finally, I can say that I have seen Titanic and that I saw it at the theater.
Weird, I know...I have always been a little on the odd side. Still...there truly aren't enough words to describe how seeing this movie at the theater makes me feel like I didn't miss so much of my own life anymore.
Toodles y'all!!!! Thanks for letting me ramble!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Finally moved in
Wow, it's been a whole month since I posted...bad Kim!
So here's the new news. The move was an absolute fiasco. Eve doesn't feel the same as I; however, first and foremost, we did not pick the move date. Our apartment manager told us what day she had pushed the paperwork for the move. So...I was prepared to move on or around the first of April. Sharon set everything in motion for the 16th of March. We got, and bought boxes, and worked liked worker bees to have everything in order for that date (I expressed concern that I would not be ready by the prescribed date). I saw the apartment in its worst state 3 weeks prior to the move. I was assured that everything wrong would be in perfect condition within the time frame. Eve saw the apartment two weeks prior to the move date and it was untouched by any maintenance or clean up staff. Eve and I looked at the apartment 6 days prior to the move and the only work had been the carpets being removed and the counters resurfaced. We immediately went to the office and the assistant manager came over and did a walk-through. I told her that I would need a definitive answer no later than Monday (We were in the apartment - unfinished - on Sunday) about whether or not the unit would be ready on the 16th because I needed at least 48 hours to reschedule the movers. On Monday, I was reassured that the apartment would be completed by 12:30 on Thursday March 15th, so I could get the keys and start moving fragile and kitchen stuff over. Well, we got the keys at 2:30 on Thursday and the painter was just starting to paint the downstairs...the cleaning woman had not been able to get into the unit yet. No repairs had been made to the water damaged areas, many things did not work, the refrigerator was going out, the bathroom toilet leaked, and the list goes on....I was livid..in tears, and just didn't know what to do. The management said that the cleaning lady would be there at 8 in the morning and that she would be out before my movers got there. She didn't show up until 8:45. The movers arrived at 9:20, packed up the old house, and were at the new unit by 10:45. They were moving boxes and furniture in around the maintenance man and the cleaning woman. The painter damaged the newly resurfaced counters in the kitchen and downstairs half bath...I couldn't put stuff away because the kitchen cabinets had still not been painted. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
Adding to our frustrations, I cannot unpack some stuff, and then 6 days later I have to go out to the ranch to babysit the dogs. Dad couldn't find ANYONE to do it in my stead, so I commuted to work from Chappell Hill to Kingwood for five days! That's 78.2 miles one way. No unpacking could be done...
Then, work was crazy because of spring break and I was completing 12-16 dogs per day making for long, hard, and arduous days. I was whooped and would come home and try to unpack stuff and complete some school work.
So...after 5 weeks in our new house, I have everything put away inside the house. All closets and cabinets are in order! We still have minor repairs that need to be done, but all in all...we live here and we love it!!!!!!
It's amazing how just 250 extra square feet can make a difference. The walls aren't closing in on us...the animals are way, more relaxed and we're loving the space. I have my own office again, so I feel productive, and definitely more human.
We got lots of new stuff...a new refrigerator (At the apartment's expense), washer and dryer, and a completely new decor for the master bath. This past weekend we painted an accent wall in the master bedroom and the entire master bath, including resurfacing the wash basin in a beautiful hammered bronze finish. YAY!
For me, school is fine, work is going, and I feel more focused than I have in a long time. For Eve, we feel the benefit of her raise, she is doing contract work for the company that wanted to hire her back, and life in general feels nice. We are going to Rome and Madrid in August for a school function and we're really looking forward to the trip. We're also planning a trip to Durango, CO over the Christmas holiday. It'll be fun - I just know it.
So...my friends and family...thanks for letting me rant! I love you all and will post again soon.
So here's the new news. The move was an absolute fiasco. Eve doesn't feel the same as I; however, first and foremost, we did not pick the move date. Our apartment manager told us what day she had pushed the paperwork for the move. So...I was prepared to move on or around the first of April. Sharon set everything in motion for the 16th of March. We got, and bought boxes, and worked liked worker bees to have everything in order for that date (I expressed concern that I would not be ready by the prescribed date). I saw the apartment in its worst state 3 weeks prior to the move. I was assured that everything wrong would be in perfect condition within the time frame. Eve saw the apartment two weeks prior to the move date and it was untouched by any maintenance or clean up staff. Eve and I looked at the apartment 6 days prior to the move and the only work had been the carpets being removed and the counters resurfaced. We immediately went to the office and the assistant manager came over and did a walk-through. I told her that I would need a definitive answer no later than Monday (We were in the apartment - unfinished - on Sunday) about whether or not the unit would be ready on the 16th because I needed at least 48 hours to reschedule the movers. On Monday, I was reassured that the apartment would be completed by 12:30 on Thursday March 15th, so I could get the keys and start moving fragile and kitchen stuff over. Well, we got the keys at 2:30 on Thursday and the painter was just starting to paint the downstairs...the cleaning woman had not been able to get into the unit yet. No repairs had been made to the water damaged areas, many things did not work, the refrigerator was going out, the bathroom toilet leaked, and the list goes on....I was livid..in tears, and just didn't know what to do. The management said that the cleaning lady would be there at 8 in the morning and that she would be out before my movers got there. She didn't show up until 8:45. The movers arrived at 9:20, packed up the old house, and were at the new unit by 10:45. They were moving boxes and furniture in around the maintenance man and the cleaning woman. The painter damaged the newly resurfaced counters in the kitchen and downstairs half bath...I couldn't put stuff away because the kitchen cabinets had still not been painted. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
Adding to our frustrations, I cannot unpack some stuff, and then 6 days later I have to go out to the ranch to babysit the dogs. Dad couldn't find ANYONE to do it in my stead, so I commuted to work from Chappell Hill to Kingwood for five days! That's 78.2 miles one way. No unpacking could be done...
Then, work was crazy because of spring break and I was completing 12-16 dogs per day making for long, hard, and arduous days. I was whooped and would come home and try to unpack stuff and complete some school work.
So...after 5 weeks in our new house, I have everything put away inside the house. All closets and cabinets are in order! We still have minor repairs that need to be done, but all in all...we live here and we love it!!!!!!
It's amazing how just 250 extra square feet can make a difference. The walls aren't closing in on us...the animals are way, more relaxed and we're loving the space. I have my own office again, so I feel productive, and definitely more human.
We got lots of new stuff...a new refrigerator (At the apartment's expense), washer and dryer, and a completely new decor for the master bath. This past weekend we painted an accent wall in the master bedroom and the entire master bath, including resurfacing the wash basin in a beautiful hammered bronze finish. YAY!
For me, school is fine, work is going, and I feel more focused than I have in a long time. For Eve, we feel the benefit of her raise, she is doing contract work for the company that wanted to hire her back, and life in general feels nice. We are going to Rome and Madrid in August for a school function and we're really looking forward to the trip. We're also planning a trip to Durango, CO over the Christmas holiday. It'll be fun - I just know it.
So...my friends and family...thanks for letting me rant! I love you all and will post again soon.
