traci in the swamp

This is my favorite Christmas movie - EVER

"Remember no man is a failure, who has friends." - Clarence Odbody.

I hope I never hear anyone telling me they've never seen It's a Wonderful Life.  This movie is a Christmas classic and an old Classic.  It's the story of the affect we all have on each other's lives and is important since every decision we all make somehow affects others and the direction our lives take in turn. 

Take for instance, George Bailey.  George saves his younger brother Harry from drowning, and loses hearing in his left ear because of this.  Harry goes on to fight in World War II and saves hundreds of people.  If George hadn't been there to save Harry, Harry wouldn't have saved all those people.  That is the gist of It's a Wonderful Life.   We've all had moments like that in our own lives, that something we did - positively influenced another's life and made an important difference.  What an exciting and inspirational thought.

Every time I see the ending of this movie, it makes me cry.

Danke Schoen...

Yesterday morning I was driving to work and the talk radio guy I listen to everyday, kept playing clips from the Danke Schoen song.  Now, I remember this song very well mainly from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and it often, very randomly, gets stuck in my head.  However, I never knew the song was song by Wayne Newton (see you learn something every day).  So imagine my surprise, after humming the song most of the day, when I finally flopped on the couch at 11 or so last night, and turned on the television what did I see but this:

All distractions welcome...

I really should be working on my paper, but I've been enjoying other distractions like looking up old movie clips on You Tube.  Here is one of my favorite scenes of all times:

Okay, I better get back to work now! 

I hope...

I'm a lover of quotations.  Other people say things much more eloquently than I ever could, so I look to them instead.  So of course I love the movie Shawshank Redemption, where there a million quotable lines.  Never have I seen a movie where characters grow and change so much.  I also loved the novella and read it a number of times.

My favorite theme of the movie is the hope of the characters.  Although it takes a while for Red to come around to Andy's hopeful and optimistic outlook, even though they are both prisoners (literally).  Red wouldn't even utter the word hope, it was like an evil word, something that shouldn't be thought or uttered.  But he grew past this, especially when he witnessed the hope his friend had and that that hope helped him escape.

So to finally get to the real heart (and best part) of this post, here are my two favorite quotes: 

Andy Dufresne: "[in a letter] Dear Red, If you're reading this, you've gotten out. And if you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further. You remember the name of the town, don't you? I could use a good man to help me get my project on wheels. I'll keep an eye out for you and the chessboard ready. Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well. Your friend, Andy."

Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding:  "I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."

Large Marge Sent Me...

I'm not sure why, but the Large Marge scene in Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure flashed through my mind tonight so I had to share it here.  Have you ever met anyone that reminds you of Large Marge?