Anythink blog

I had never seen a chick being born. Even when I was a young child living with my parents (and we had a chicken coop in the backyard), my only contact was when I was feeding them or gathering eggs. There was never a situation where I got to see a chick being born. I’m kind of sad about that now. To have the responsibility of making sure that the right conditions were met and that eggs were being properly taken care of to ensure birth would have been a wonderful life lesson for me.

This is the time of year when my family starts to plan our summer vacations. I say vacations because we never take an extended tour of any place, but focus our exploits on long weekends that usually involve a road trip. Road trips remind me of my childhood in the station wagon with the fold-up jump seats at the rear and repetitive choruses of "Are we there yet?” The best memories of all the road trips I have taken are rarely the destinations but almost always the fun and quirky things that we experienced along the way.

I have noticed a growing fascination with all things Amish and I'm wondering why. What is it? Is it the simplistic lifestyle of the Amish that fascinates so many people who are running around, constantly on the go from here to there? Are some people perhaps a little envious of the slower-paced, simple ways of Amish life, wishing their own life was a little less hectic? Maybe it is how dedicated the Amish are to walk out their faith with steadfast diligence, remaining true to their traditions for centuries.

Best Television-Inspired Movies:

Television shows often end too early or not early enough. Movies based on television shows can be retreads of old materials or new spins on old classic themes. When thinking about movies based on television shows, there are many more groan-inducing experiences and a lesser amount of engrossing experiments. There are a few movies that extend or breathe new air in their universe and here is a list of some of my favorites.

In the fall, after being encouraged by Anythink to spend a day creatively outside of my comfort zone, I attended the Met Opera's Live in HD performance of L'Elisir d'Amore. For the musically challenged like me, opera is definitley outside of the comfort zone! My perception of opera was: it's long, it's boring and it's foreign, therefore I won't understand a thing.

And the award goes to...Argo?

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is one of the most popular books of the last few years. Part biography, part scientific tale, this mulitple-award-winning non-fiction book (soon to be made into an Oprah film) follows the development of the immortal cell strain HeLa. Research performed with HeLa cells has lead to many scientific breakthroughs in vaccines, cancer research, clonning, in-vitro fertilization and gene mapping.

In the airport heading back from Austin, there are remnants of the week's conference scattered throughout the gate. Gadgets out everywhere, users looking a little haggard from the week's festivities, vendor T-shirts collected from the thousands represented in the exhibit hall, and conversations buzzing with new ideas, new connections.

As I look back at 2012, there are many films that were enjoyable, but only a few stood above the rest. Interesting performances and genre-bending styles made these movies capture my attention. While you gear up for new releases in 2013, consider checking out one of the following films, even if it may not be in one of your favorite genres. Click on the title for availability at your local Anythink. 

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