Why I Am Such A Big Fan of the “Before” Series (Sunset/Sunrise/Midnight)

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One day in the early 2000s, not long after I had gotten back home from college, I was bored and flipping through channels on my mama’s TV when suddenly I found myself watching this movie with a scene on a train where an American guy and a French girl started talking to each other.

The two of them seemed interested in one another, and their conversations seem rich, deep and very interesting. Next thing you know, they were getting off the train with each other even though this was technically not the French girl’s stop.

As they walked together through the city of Vienna, their conversations remained interesting, and got me thinking about a lot of things. I mean, this pair was talking about religion, spirituality, sexuality, life, society, culture and all kinds of stuff.

And yes, they seemed to have a lot of chemistry. But that was not my concern at the time. I was not into romantic movies. I was an action-adventure, comedy and horror movie guy.

What drew me in like a magnet, what kept me watching instead of continuing to flip through channels is the more time this pair spent together the more deep and interesting conversations they had. They kept my neurons working, making me want to philosophize on the stuff they were talking about.

By the time the movie got to the point where the romance played the more dominant role in their new-found relationship, I had already started to care about this American guy and French girl as individuals because by now I knew they were rich and interesting people. Even though romance movies were not my cup of tea.

The movie I just talked about was none other than Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise”. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy did a marvelous performance in that movie as the young American guy and French girl. I mean, seriously, somebody must have been doing something right in that movie because I went from finding that movie by accident sometime in the early 2000s while flipping through channels on my mama’s TV, to getting that movie on DVD soon afterward, to joining the cult followers who anxiously anticipated the sequels years later!

Before Sunrise was a movie the likes of which I had never seen, and made me realize that I really could like a romantic movie. But Richard, Ethan and Julie are who made the movie truly magical, as I would discover years later.

Before long I read rumors on the Internet that a sequel called “Before Sunset” was coming out soon. In either 2003 or 2004, I discovered those rumors were true, and like I imagine was true for just about all big Before Sunrise fans, I was anxious to find out whether American guy Jesse and French girl Céline met back up six months later like they planned.

Before Sunset did not disappoint. Jesse and Céline had excellent dialogue, topics, romance, intrigue, banter and verbal exchange. And the movie had so much suspense, probably more than the other two. Before Sunset began with suspense (e.g., Did Jesse and Céline meet up six months later?), carried suspense throughout the movie (e.g., What are Jesse and Céline to each other now?) and ended with suspense (e.g., What is Jesse going to do? as the movie fades out).

And again, throughout the movie, Jesse and Céline kept my neurons working with their deep conversations. Of course, the difference in this movie is I actually started out caring about the romantic aspect. Perhaps I was growing up? Naw, maybe it’s because I liked the characters so much by now.

Anyway, I watched Before Sunrise and Before Sunset many times, over and over again, in the years leading up to the what is now the latest sequel, “Before Midnight”.

Before Midnight surprised me in more ways than one. Jesse and Céline were so different, yet so the same, at the same time! So far I’ve only seen Before Midnight three times, which is far less than I’ve seen its predecessors. Yet I believe Before Midnight might actually be my favorite of the three. But don’t quote me on that just yet because I’d like to get to know this latest sequel a little bit better before I attach a value judgment on it that I’m ready to stick with.

To tell the truth, I’m still to this day not sure if I’m really a fan of romance movies. I have tried several, but quickly grow nauseous of the lovey-dovey, hurry-to-the-airport-and-get-her-before-she-gets-away-forever aspect that permeates that genre. But I am a huge fan of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight. Why? Because they are about more than romance to me. These movies are about humanity. Every sequel shows us Jesse and Céline at a different stage of life, with different priorities, at a different stage of their relationship, with a different outlook on life and the world around them. And they always talk about subjects I deeply care about!

Like I imagine is true for many other fans of the series, I will be watching these three that are already released while waiting and hoping that one day the dynamic trio will give us yet sequel!

The Rafting Adventure

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Now that I am only about 12 hours away from the fifth rafting trip of my lifetime, I feel I must mention what a humbling experience rafting has always been for me. I remember my very first rafting trip, in June of 2008. I was quite excited mixed with a bit of nervous about this trip. I did not go on a lot of outdoor adventures when I was growing up.

But when we arrived at the Vermilion River in a small town in Illinois that afternoon, and I got a good close-up look at the river before our instructors/guides gave us some final rafting tips and instructions, I wanted to turn around and go back home. Looking down at that vast, awesome river from above, I felt so small, so in awe of the wonders of Mother Nature. 

And when I put that life jacket on and was teamed up with some other students with whom I would share a raft, I realized this was for real, and there was no turning back. 

Three hours and many, many screw-ups later, I felt like I could conquer anything. You see, I signed up for this rafting trip because it was something I had never done before. But I learned much about teamwork and cooperation, and got a look at nature the likes of which I never had before!

Tomorrow’s rafting trip will be the fifth of my lifetime, and the fourth at the Vermilion River. I’ve been telling people for years that I love that river, but the truth is I think what I really love is not so much the river, but the turning point in my life I experienced there. I think that’s one of the many wonders of nature-based adventures whether they be on land, air or sea: nature-based adventures test our limits, allow us to be taught valuable life lessons by the Master (that is, Mother Nature) and stretch our ability to take risks.

While we all want to do our best to ensure our safety on these wild adventure trips, perhaps a little danger is just what the doctor ordered!

The Scourge That Is The Big City Rush Hour Rail

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Riding the rush-hour rail is virtually unbearable. Trains run like it is slow time in a small city. And stations fill and refill to full capacity in increments of less than five minutes.

The masses wait on an overflowing station for a train that is already filled to capacity. People who need to get to school or work or other urgent appointments are forced to choose between waiting at the station – just standing idle while the next three to five overflowing trains pass them by while watching the clock “tick-tock” before their eyes – or squishing, squeezing and sandwiching themselves into the railcar, riding crotch-to-butt, sweaty-faced and sweaty-assed, belongings smacking each other in the legs, balls and face.

Customers need to stop allowing this to happen. They need to start getting pissed and/or advertising their pissed-off-ed-ness. How much longer are you going to stay quiet while bending over with your pants down, as someone continuously and mercilessly flogs you?

And what about establishments? Don’t they know anything about human nature? Human beings want and need SPACE. People do not like being cramped shoulder-to-shoulder with everybody else in the room, catching that whiff of everybody else’s funky breath, deodorant depravation and butt-hole crust.

Establishments – that is, if they give a damn – probably just think people are trying to claim their own spaces because they are afraid of one another. Not true. People are not afraid of each other, they just want their own space. Now does that mean if you’re holding a convention for one hundred people, you should make space for two hundred? Absolutely not. Just make enough room so people won’t have to step on a whole lot of toes while French kissing and crotch-raping everyone else in the vicinity!

If you want more adventures through big city public transportation like this one, check out my book The Great American Adventures of Modern Big City Railroading: http://www.outskirtspress.com/bigcityrailroad/

You Say You Want A Job, But What Are You Doing To Get One?

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In this day and age, the job market is an extremely difficult place in which to get a foothold. You may believe you have all the right education and experience. Yet you may find yourself turned down in favor of someone who has a connection on the inside. 

Let’s face it, folks, education and experience simply do not carry the promises they used to. You may have more than enough, yet get blown out of the water because of someone who has neither.

Now knowing the right people has always put job candidates at an advantage in the realm of job hunting. But while yesteryear knowing the right people simply gave you the upper hand, today knowing the right people is a minimum requirement. Sorry folks, but this ain’t the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s anymore. Nobody is impressed with that advanced degree or the fact that you have ten years of experience. Employers want to know what and how much you have to offer them. And they want to know NOW. Right now, right here in the interview room. Not after they “hire you and see what you’ve got”.

You can read and regurgitate all the advice you can from periodicals and online articles on how to tweak your resume, twerk your cover letter, and present yourself as the most beautiful and confident candidate they’ve ever seen. God knows there’s a ton of them out there!

Or you can do something far more valuable to any employer: SHOW them what you’ve got. And because most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have the “right” people in our families or circles of friends, the best way to strut your stuff for an employer while at the same time meeting the “right” people who can get you paid is to volunteer.

I know, I know. Volunteering is such a dirty word. I have proposed volunteering to just about everyone I’ve ever known who has struggled to secure a job. This even includes people who have seen with their own eyes how I’ve secured not one, not two, but FOUR jobs at two different hospitals as a direct result of my work as a volunteer! And that doesn’t even include connections I’ve made for many things outside my line of work!

Why such a simple way to “get in the door” escapes consideration for so many people is mind-boggling. You’re out of work and not making any money anyway. Why won’t you not make money while doing something constructive while gaining skills, making connections, building contacts, talking to different people (which could lead to your pursuing careers you may never have dreamed of) and, most important of all…GETTING ON THE INSIDE AND BEING ONE OF THE PEOPLE EMPLOYERS KNOW!

Because that’s who wins today, ladies and gentlemen. When I was growing up in the 1990’s the winners were the people with the advanced academic degrees. But in the 2010’s the winners are the people who know people on the inside. That’s the bottom line. And by the way, while you’re strutting your stuff using the advice that online job interview article taught you, your employer is trying to find out how you’re going to serve their…BOTTOM LINE!

I authored a book that offers much advice I’ve gained from my pain and suffering in the resume-writing/job interview world, as well as how I remedied the situation for myself, which resulted from taking a family member’s advice to become a volunteer. The book provides suggestions on the who, what, when, where, why and how of volunteering. Take the advice in this book, and I guarantee you will not remain unemployed for long, regardless of how much competition there is or how unqualified you think you are. (Meaning you may be more qualified than you think!)

http://www.amazon.com/Why-Volunteers-Get-All-Breaks/dp/1440144745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401795417&sr=8-1&keywords=why+volunteers+get+all+the+breaks

One of The Dumbest Things I’ve Ever Done!

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We all do and say dumb things in our lives. Things we either wish we could take back or that messed with our heads at the time, but now we laugh when we think about them. But most of these things are relatively minor.

And then there are the dumb things we do or say that really stand out. That stick to the memories of even the most short-term memory possessors.

Well I recently remembered something I did years ago that truly qualifies as one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done in my entire life: argued with a homeless person.

Let me explain. One night when I was living in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, I decided to visit my family on the south side. So I went to the CTA Red Line train’s Chicago station, southbound platform. While there, a homeless guy approached me begging for money. I usually don’t give money to panhandlers, but this was one of the rare times I did not mind doing so. I gave the man all the change in my pocket, which turned out to be 43 cents. The man was furious. He started berating me for not giving him at least a dollar. Accusing me of being cheap. Now I got mad. He reminded me of one of the reasons why I stopped giving money to panhandlers. So this homeless man and I went back and forth about how I was cheap, and how he should be grateful for what I gave.

After a while, especially when my booming voice started getting louder as I got angrier, I noticed a lot of waiting passengers watching us. Finally I said, “You know what? I don’t have time for this guy!” and just shut up. I let him keep ranting about me, but I walked away. 

Now, let me note two things for the record. Firstly, during our argument, I told him to give me back the money since he didn’t appreciate it. So he held out his hand and I grabbed back 48 cents (five-penny profit!). Secondly, I did not walk away because I was “the bigger man”. I walked away because I realized the futility of arguing with a man who has nothing but time on his hands. 

Also let me mention that I do not now nor did not then have anything against the homeless, nor have I ever. This argument had nothing to do with any personal disdain again the homeless. This was about one squabble I had with one man that I wished I never entered into, and feel I was a fool to do so. I pity the homeless, as should anyone who has a heart.

Years later, I learned of the mental disturbances that are rampant in the homeless community, so I figured the same may have applied to this man. I don’t know. All I do know is the lesson I learned: don’t waste time arguing with people who have nothing but time on their hands!

I’m New Here

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Thanks for welcoming me to the blogging community. I plan on blogging about many intriguing topics such as volunteering, riding the big city railroad, careers/life’s journeys, life in the big city, education, the economy, traveling, outdoor adventures and many other interesting topics.

I am an author who has successfully published two books: http://www.outskirtspress.com/bigcityrailroad/

Also, I have a YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGuyWhoSaysOhYeah/videos