Paul Newman

Paul Newman died. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-newman28-2008sep28,0,2676793.story I think the world is a little bit sadder place today because he's not here, but it's also a much better place because he was here. I discovered him when I was 17 and saw The Sting at the BYU Varsity Theatre. I went because Robert Redford was in it, and he was hot. But about halfway through, I started noticing the other guy. He was pretty hot, too, for one thing. He looked like he was always thinking about a really good joke. I've watched the poker scene a million times, but I still love every minute, and it seems like he thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Off screen he did some amazing things, but he didn't make a big deal about himself--he was married for 50 years, raised 6 children, drove race cars, and founded a successful charity. He lived a full life doing what he wanted to do and being good to people along the way. This week, I'm having a Paul Newman film festival.

Running, or, Not Dying of Boredom While Running

I'm training for the CIM (California International Marathon), which means I can't skip a necessary run. Saturday was one of the rare occasions when none of my running buddies were available and I had to do 10 miles by myself. Listening to music wasn't working for me, but luckily, I had some 1948 Sam Spade radio mysteries on my ipod (doesn't everyone?). Yeah, pretty geeky, but they were so entertaining, it was my easiest 10-mile run ever.

Anyway, when I got home, I added some podcasts for next time, and also found this great website. http://librivox.org/ It's run by volunteers, and their goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books. They have books in 10 different languages. If you're looking for current literature, this is not the place to go, but for catching up on all the books you wrote papers on in college but never read, or practicing your foreign language skills, it's great. And by the way, if you're interested, you can volunteer as a reader.

Speaking of podcasts, my daughter works for the BYU Writing Center. They have a new weekly podcast about language and composition. http://wordofmouth.byu.edu/ It's still in the "coming soon" stages, but it should start in the next week or two, so check it out.

Bill Simmons again

For some reason, the Bill Simmons link disappeared from my post, so here it is again: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index

Batman

I finally saw Dark Knight last weekend. It was very dark and the joker was horrific, but I liked it a lot. Heath Ledger is amazing. I keep wondering what incredible roles he would have created if he had lived a long time. I love that he took so many risks. Christian Bale is great, too, but I still prefer Michael Keaton. He is such a hot Batman. Harvey Dent was perfect. I love superhero movies.

Anyway, thinking about Heath Ledger got me started on a new top 10 list (new for me, anyway)--riveting performances in a movie. This is different from an amazing scene, or from a great ensemble performance. It's a performance by an actor (or actress) where you are mesmerized every time they appear onscreen. The quality of the movie is not relevant, and it doesn't count if they're riveting just because they're so good-looking! So far I've come up with the following, in no particular order, but I'd love to hear some other opinions.

Heath Ledger in Dark Knight
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean
Marlon Brando in Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and The Godfather
Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful
Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind

Bill Simmons

He's a sports columnist and much of what he writes goes right over my head, but I still read him pretty regularly. He loves books and movies and pop culture, he's funny, and I've even learned a few things about sports.

This is Roman, on the left, and my son, Matthew, on the right. Roman is 16 and leaving the orphanage in September; he is going to the city of Polessk to learn to be an auto mechanic. He's a good artist, also good at sports, very thoughtful. He's fun to talk to because he doesn't give up--he figures out different ways to express himself, and is also very patient in trying to understand us. He's one of the four students we've chosen to help with his schooling.

I finally figured out how to load photos on here. This is the group that went to Russia this year. This is in Kaliningrad, where we met with the education ministry. They were very enthusiastic, particularly about having the kids visit America.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Checking in

I have a non-profit organization that helps Russian orphans. This summer we hosted 5 girls and 2 teachers here in America for one month, in the hope that it would not only bring them some joy, but also let them see some of the opportunities life has to offer. They were here for all of June, and it was extremely fun. I've been trying to load photos onto this site, but with no luck for some reason; as soon as I figure it out, I'll put some on. In July, I organized a trip to Sovetsk, Russia, in the Kaliningrad region, and 6 of us visited the orphanage for a week. This is my 4th year organizing these visits, and it has been a pretty incredible experience every time. This year we chose 4 kids who are going on to vocational school and need financial assistance, and I'm seeking sponsors for them. That has been my mission all along, to help these kids get a good enough education that they can be productive members of society, instead of turning to crime, drugs, and prostitution as most of them do. We'll see if it works.



I had plenty of time to read while I was flying or riding on the train, and I finally finished Roger Ebert's Awake in the Dark. My favorite section was the essays and think pieces, particularly "Why I Love Black and White" and "The Case for an A Rating." Roger Ebert is great because he loves movies. He just wants everyone to share his enthusiasm. Now I have a list of about 50 movies I want to see.



I also read Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays, a fast, easy, read, very enjoyable, and am halfway through Clapton: The Autobiography. He has some amazing stories, mostly involving drugs or women or both, and he talks a lot about the musicians who influenced him and those he played with. So now I have a music list to go with my movie list.

Starting Out

I'm starting a blog at the urging of several friends, but I have no idea what to write about. I already stay in regular contact with my close friends, so why would they want to read the equivalent of a Christmas newsletter? And who else cares? So I guess this will be my forum for movie/book/current events/life in general commentary, and maybe I'll add an occasional photo or something. That's all. And now I have to finish cleaning my house. I have company coming tomorrow.