Jacob and his Ladder

Genesis 28:15 - I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.


In facing the morning I search for a portent that the day will be good. Sometimes it is simply enough that the breakfast ritual flows without a hitch. Sometimes it can be the simple act of noticing with clear eyes something that had been sought but was partially obscured. Some days I turn to scripture or to other meditative thoughts to give me that bit of augury.

In reading from Thomas Merton’s journals there was a bit on today’s entry about every being discovering that they are at the bottom of their own Jacob’s ladder hearing God’s promise. Merton implied of course that we had to be listening. Isn’t that just like Merton? This sent me scurrying to the Bible Gateway online to find the tale from Genesis.

In speaking to Jacob in a dream God reaffirms the promise made to Abraham about how divine blessing will flow to the people of earth through their family. But God does not end there. He makes a promise to watch over Jacob “wherever” he might travel and I am assuming that encompasses journeys made physically, mentally and spiritually. To have the Divine caring for us would be nice and comforting. This promise that that oversight and care would be present “wherever” is so broad so all encompassing.

There is a balm in the hope of Divine intervention. Whether it is real or not the mere existence of such hope makes a difference. Hope opens up the promise of this day.

Small Movies Reviews-Nothing Current

Over the past few days with Primus and my wife out of town I have been watching a number of little movies on the television.  One movie I saw that was kind of interesting, flawed but interesting, was Liberal Arts.  A second little movie I got caught up in was 28 Hotel Rooms.  A third was Venus with Peter O’Toole.

Of the three the most perfectly executed was Venus.  Peter O’Toole turned in a subtle tour de force in this very small movie about an aging actor who is also a letch.  It is a very English movie filled with several character actors you will surely recognize.  Maybe I really liked this movie because I empathized with the main character, the whole old man and the letch thing.  Maybe I am still thinking about the film is because I like nuanced performances.  Venus is a drama but there is warmth too.  If you saw My Favorite Year it is sort of the end game for that character.  It is however performed with far less yuks and far more emotional realism.

I liked the film because it is the complete package, not because O’Toole character endures prostate cancer surgery (uh like me).  If I remember right O’Toole was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.  It was well deserved.  I think he lost to Forest Whitaker, for his role in the Last King of Scotland.

The second film 28 Hotel Rooms is a flawed movie with lots of sex and relatively realistic depictions of conflicted emotions. Adultery, mental and physical is at the film’s core but so is the subtle sub textual tale of how hearts, souls perhaps search for real meaningful emotional connection. 

28 Hotel Rooms is bittersweet and its conceit is somewhat strained.  Two young relatively attractive but not knock out gorgeous people meet in a hotel bar. The male is an up and coming writer and the woman is an actuary/accountant numbers geek.  After a few drinks they sleep together; it is the whole zip less fuck thing.  However this spontaneous encounter between two lonely road warriors gets more complex.

On another trip they meet again and then they keep meeting. As they keep hooking up their lives evolve with each taking a spouse and facing their own personal successes and failures.  Each of the participants at times seems to more drawn to their relationship. There are numerous fights and while some of the dialog feels awkward some of it has some real resonance.

I had never heard of the movie before it showed up on the Showtime schedule, maybe it was the Movie Channel. Ultimately I have to say I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would but it is not light fare. 

On the other hand Liberal Arts is to some degree pure mental floss.  The first thirty minutes or so show real promise but then it devolves into a standard romantic dramedy.  However it has the wonderful Richard Jenkins in it.  Jenkins was nominated a few years back for a best actor Oscar for a film called The Visitor.  If you have not seen The Visitor rent it at once.

The other stars of this film are Josh Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen.  Josh Radnor is playing a variant of his character in How I Met Your Mother.  Elizabeth Olsen has far more talent that is required of her in this movie.  She is the second strongest actor in this film.  Her portrayal of a 19 year old college student lusting after a mid thirties man is fairly well developed and fun.  The best scene in the film is a conversation between Radnor and Jenkins in a dark college bar. His comments about aging and boundaries are spot on. I guess my comment on this film is ultimately this; the movie is fun and awkward and has Richard Jenkins in it.

Captive to Culture

Tuesday, April 02, 2013
I have begun a campaign of cultural terrorism. In the facility where I work there is an unused shelf directly across from the toilet. Each day for a week now I have been placing cultural items on that shelf across from/in front of the toilet printed large enough be read from the stool. One day it was quote from Spinoza. Today it was a poem and a short analysis from a 20th century poet laureate of Britain. Another day the posting was something from Camus.
Most people in their day to day life don’t seem to delve into anything beyond the headlines or the gossip. My thought is that you are prisoner there on the wc for a few moments. It the only thing available is a post on a wall that says something about eternity or how to interpret something aesthetic well maybe the reader is a little better off. Cultural terrorism it is.