cryptography
Last night, Diane and I finally watched A Beautiful Mind. I say finally for myself, since the film had been recommended to me a long time ago, very stridently by my mom. She saw it and was very affected by it since her father, my materal grandfather, suffered from a very similar mental illness for the better part of his adult life until he passed away just a couple of years after I was born. Movies whose protagonists’ main point of greatness lies in their mental abilities have always resonated with me, not because I feel I can relate to them on anywhere near the same level intellectually, but because I do like reason and creativity and aesthetics and philosophy and all the pursuits of the mind. Call it a matter of taste rather than raw talent. In any case, the film was very well made. The arc of the film dealt with the standard “triumph of the human spirit” theme so prevalent in inspirational movies and there were a couple of postmodernish quips like, “We can’t know anything for certain” (said with the contextual meaning “there is no absolute truth”). But the artistic choices and attention to detail in the movie were compelling. Diane had seen the movie before and picked up on more of the details than I did, among them how some of the supporting characters in the movie don’t interact with their environment in ways that make sense later in the movie, but are consistent all the way through. I liked the choice of languid music for intense scenes, underscoring the fact that there was a disconnect between perception and reality. Recommended film that can precipitate significant conversations afterward, not just about esoteric things like how we perceive reality but also about what we would do if a loved one fell ill in the same manner, and the nature of “significance.”
While i have seen the movie and remember liking it, i haven’t seen it in a while and cannot comment on anything in particular. I may have to watch it again…
Have you ever seen or read the play (i think they also made it into a movie) called Proof? It’s similar in that it deals with an older man of heighted mathmatical abilities who goes crazy…but the plot (if i remember correctly) isn’t so much about him as it is his daughter. It’s really quite good and Kristi acted out part of it in one of her acting classes at UNC. I’d recommend that you guys check it out.
Well, after the move and a quick jaunt down to Florida for our last vacation in quite some time, we have returned to settle down in Kansas City. Kristi is about 16 weeks along, and both she and the baby are in very good health. I’m not entering into ‘job search’ mode and have found the website indeed.com to be very helpful. I really need to put a current resume together, and am in prayer for what avenue i should take in my looking for a job. I’m really looking for God’s direction here when there are so many options to choose from.
Hope you all are well. Blessings on you guys.
~John D.
oh, and i meant heightened…not heighted :)
And that should say that i AM entering into job search mode…man, my typing must be really rusty. Either that or my subconscious is against me.
*i’m now*…that’s what i was trying to type. Got it. Man i’m slow…
John, you always make us feel so popular. haha. You are, like, 5 posters-in-one! :o)
I have heard of the play, “Proof” but haven’t read/seen it. Is it current? I might be confusing it with something else. There is another movie out with Jim Carrey about numbers and he, too, goes nuts…but that, I believe, is about the anti-Christ. hehe.
It is good to hear that Kristi is doing well. I am just behind her at almost 15 weeks now. The nausea has pretty much passed. How is she feeling? Any better? Some smells still get to me.
Matt can fill you in on all the other details. Take care!