Book or Movie First?
Barbara Schwartz
This is a very important question for all of us.
Which is better to do: read a book or watch the movie made from the book?
First case in point: I recently read a very interesting and somewhat captivating book called Lessons in Chemistry.
It was easy reading and made several valid points which were actively explored in my book club meeting. I recommend it highly to those who have heard of it and are wondering if they should read it. But I digress from my original question.
While I was reading this book, I heard that it was in major production for a TV miniseries/movie. Oh, I couldn’t wait for it to start. I forgot whether it was four or more parts, but I made the requisite batch of popcorn, and turned on the first episode and was as captivated by the movie, the actors, and the action. The rest of the series was also captivating as well but I found myself saying things like, “That wasn’t that way in the book,” or “I don’t recall that in the book.” There were many minor discrepancies that registered in my popcorn-affected brain.
Second case in point: The nominees for the Academy Awards for best movie and actors came out and I noticed that we had not seen any of them. On came Peacock, Prime, and Apple TV so we could find at least one of these movies to watch. The Holdovers was on and we thoroughly enjoyed watching that.
Then we found Oppenheimer which was, sadly, not our cup of tea at all. We only lasted for 20 minutes of this three-hour epic.
I then found Killers of the Flower Moon and we watched it with a combination of fascination and shock. It was an enjoyable movie. This book is on the list for the book club, but since it is number 9 on the reserve queue, I haven’t read it yet. I will read it as soon as it is available, but I am wondering what my reaction might be to reading the book after seeing the movie. Time will tell.
How do you feel about reading before or after watching?
New Year’s Resolutions
Michelle McComber
It’s gotten so that my New Year’s Resolution was not to make any New Year’s Resolutions. Does anyone ever keep them longer than six hours? Then I feel guilty for at least a month for not being able to commit to something for even a day.
You can almost categorize resolutions by age: In my 20s I vowed to lose 10 kilos. In my 30s I vowed to save money. In my 40s I vowed not to yell at my children. In my 50s I vowed to drink less and/or smoke less. In my 60s I vowed to spend more time talking to my wife.
Now all I want is to be left alone with my brandy, without any feelings of guilt for what I did or did not promise to do.
I’m not saying that a little self-introspection is bad. One year I had reams of paper to help me with an hourly approach for a self-help system that was going to make me a better man. I had exercise time, I had breakfast time, I had off-minutes in my day filled with meditation to help me ease the stress of daily life. I had spent a lot of time thinking about it, but within a week I was back to my old routines and facing my wife’s smirk as I stomped the “new me” into the garbage can.
“What’s wrong with the old me?” I muttered under my breath. And there we have it: What is wrong with the old things?
True, the only constant in life is change itself, but I want to make a case for the traditions I have developed in my life. I love the quiet beginning of the day, when only I’m awake and downstairs and maybe the sun hasn’t even come up. Then someone else will get up and the TV inevitably gets turned on.
I love being able to look things up as soon as I think of them on my smartphone. Years ago, I would have to wait to go to the library to check the encyclopedias.
I love that everyone makes an effort towards inclusion these days. People trying to make communities that are multicultural means that we are accepted for who we are, not some two-dimensional symbol of what we were supposed to be. Being a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) in my youth didn’t stop the bullies from taking my lunch money.
And it is true that I don’t really understand the music trends these days, but my parents didn’t understand my music tastes or my fashion sense, either. I think that is a healthy sign that younger people want to be independent and make their own world, even their own mistakes.
So, I think the point is just to be a better person than you were last year, and leave the world a better place than you found it.
Resolutions
Lee Murray
As Larry Murphy looked at the calendar, he noticed the new year fast approaching. Though his resolutions in the past had been utter failures, he was determined that this year would be different. His plans were solid. He was motivated. He was going to change. This year Larry would make so many changes he would be unrecognizable even to his wife. Come January 1, he’d be a new man!
Taking stock of his burgeoning waistline, Larry resolved to drop 50 pounds in the new year. He figured at one pound per week, he’d be slim and trim by next New Year’s Day. Day one started out well until he noticed his wife had baked a pan of double chocolate brownies that he found too hard to resist. One led to two and just one more couldn’t hurt and well, you get the idea. Scratch that one off the list.
He also resolved to drink less. Larry enjoyed his cold beers after work and had the belly to show for it. He pledged to cut back. That lasted until around mid-afternoon on New Year’s Day when his friend Ernie invited him over to watch football. How could Larry resist that offer and he couldn’t possibly show up empty-handed. So, on the way over to his friend’s house, he stopped for a 12-pack of Miller High Life. Oops. He was now 0-2.
Another behavior that Larry was determined to change was his cursing habit. He was known to drop some choice words at the slightest provocation. This year will be different, he thought. That lasted for about half a day until his wife asked him to hang some pictures in the hallway. In the process, he missed the nail and slammed his thumb with a hammer bringing out a torrent of curse words. The new year had barely begun and the score was now resolutions 3, Larry 0.
One item on his list he was determined to keep was his plan to exercise daily. No ifs, and or buts, he proclaimed to his wife. No exceptions, he thundered in the kitchen pretending not to notice the smirk on his wife’s face indicating that she didn’t believe a word of her husband’s planned New Year’s epiphany.
To make sure he carried this one out, Larry went online and signed up for a one-year membership at a new state-of-the-art fitness center. It was costly but Larry figured the monthly expense would hold his feet to the fire and keep him sweating profusely at the workout center lifting barbells, jogging on the treadmill, and running around the indoor track.
If only. He started out well and though the other resolutions were gone in less than a day, this only lasted a week. A combination of sore muscles and an overall lack of motivation caused this one to go by the wayside, too. The morning workout routines stopped but the billing continued causing him great aggravation and a constant reminder of his lack of resolve.
Taking stock of this and many others dismal New Year’s Resolution results, Larry decided to make one more promise that he knew for sure he’d keep. And this one he did.
No more New Year’s Resolutions!