Saturday, May 21, 2011

What is Regret?



What is regret?  If someone asked me what my biggest regret was, I'd be tempted to say that I have none; Afterall, my life has been exactly what I've made of it. In its most simple form, however, regret just means "having a sense of sadness over something previously done".  Certainly I must feel that for something, mustn't I?

Truth be told, I have many little regrets:  not stopping to assist some ducks across the road, telling my first-grade teacher that I could count to 100 when I really could have counted ad infinitum, and not buying those shoes when they were on sale. 

My biggest regret is much more difficult to define.  Since we now know that I have at least one, I must have a "biggest regret."  That big regret has to be something larger than missing a great value on footwear.  In actuality, knowing myself, my biggest regret would have to be something to do with love.

Unfortunately, my most miserable experiences have brought me my most wonderful joys, so it's impossible for me to regret any of the bumps on the path that led to happiness.  Taken item for item, I wouldn't have traded any of the sucky moments knowing what they have brought me.  That's horribly depressing, because it means that my biggest regret actually *is* something like buying shoes at full price.  Gosh, now that I've said that, my biggest regret may be *not* having a big enough regret...I better work on that!

Monday, May 16, 2011

May the Force Be With Ye

Borrowed from HowStrange.com
I'm pretty sure I've seen all of the Star Wars movies at some point during my life (afterall, what kind of geek would I be if I hadn't) but I don't really remember them very well.  With my boys so deeply entrenched in all things Skywalker, I've decided that now is as good of a time as any to introduce them to the saga.

Like a good Gen-Xer, I decided to introduce the episodes in order of original release, meaning that we enjoyed "A New Hope" as our first family introduction to the Lucas franchise.  I loved watching my sons as they stared in awe at the screen.  My youngest, a six-year-old, cuddled up in the crook of my arm, hid his eyes at suspenseful times and constantly asked "Is he going to die?", "Why did he just kill that guy?" and "How are they going to escape?"

I learned a lot about my kids from watching them watch Star Wars, but I also learned a lot about myself.  In fact, maybe I should have called this blog "Everything I Learned About My Taste in Men, I Learned from Watching Epic Blockbusters."  Take for example Luke Skywalker; soooooo not my type.  The little blond pretty-boy thing doesn't work for me and neither does that false bravado hiding childish-naivete.  He does what's right because he's programmed to do so, not with any sort of passionate lightening spark.  Skywalker is a simple man with a farm-boy mindset and that just doesn't work for me. 

Han Solo, on the other hand, is much more appealing.  He's strong, confident and owns his own ship.  He appears to be aloof, but it doesn't actually take him very long to bond with the others despite an exterior attitude of callousness.  He doesn't live his life based on what he "should" do, but in the end he can be counted on. Still, he's in debt to some pretty bad people, doesn't have a lot of respect for women and lives his life as a selfish man-boy.  Three strikes.  Sorry, Solo.

Ya know who else is confident, aloof and owns his own ship?  That's right.  CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow.  Yes, he too is a disrespectful, selfish man-boy who's in debt to some *really* bad...er...people?...but with his quick wit, sexy accent and flair for acrobatics, I still kind of wonder what it would be like to wrestle his kraken.  I can tell you right now, I'd choose him over Will Turner in a heartbeat.

Will is very similar to Skywalker in my mind. He's outwardly brave, but a child-like innocent inside.  He has very little Joie de vivre, but somehow makes it through a lot of very dangerous situations with the help of a crew and one powerful woman.

Would you like to know who really floats my boat?  No, not Barbossa, you smart-ass; Admiral James Norrington.  Yes, Norrington, a brave and lawful man* who cherished his love once he found her and treated her always with respect and kindness.  When Elizabeth broke his heart by choosing Will, James ultimately wished them well as long as Elizabeth was happy.  Norrington was an intelligent and thoughtful man who knew his way around both a ship and a sword.  This is why he's my choice for Epic Movie Husband.  That's also why -- when everyone else is all aflutter on Friday watching "On Stranger Tides", I'll be mourning the death of a beloved character and sobbing into my popcorn.


*Granted, he became a bit less lawful as the sequels wore on, but when it came time to sacrifice his life for the good of others, he didn't have to be handcuffed to the ship by a woman who lured him there with sex.