Words of Wisdom

I hope that everyone had a wonderful, long holiday weekend. Here is a quick rundown of the events affecting our little family.

Thursday, Diana had to work, so I spent the majority of the day at home with the girls. We spent our lunch feasting on that Thanksgiving staple of hot dogs and macaroni & cheese. We spent much of our time laboring in the house on regular tasks like cleaning the kitchen and washing heaps of laundry. Strangely enough, I watched very little football due to the work I was trying to accomplish and the two little girls demanding much of my time. When D returned home that evening, we loaded the van and headed to my hometown of Beebe, Arkansas.

We arrived later that night after a quick dinner at Burger King and a 130 mile journey. The girls were excited, mom and dad were excited, we were tired, and everyone was happy to get out of the car.

We had our Thanksgiving meal on Friday evening at my parents, where we were joined by my brother Jeff and his wife Nancy. The meal was a glorious, traditional feast of turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings, followed by a veritable cornucopia of desserts – pies (chocolate, coconut, and chocolate-pecan bourbon) a pumpkin cake and other delectable, sugar-filled treats. While eating, we were sure to keep the Arkansas-LSU game on the TV and most of us could not help but be glued to the screen.

Could you believe how well our Hogs played? I have to admit that I reckoned we would be ritualistically slaughtered by the Tigers in Baton Rouge, so it was a wonderful surprise to see us defeat the top-ranked team in the nation in a 4-overtime classic. Is there any doubt that Darren McFadden is the greatest player in the nation?

On Saturday, I was able to have lunch with fellow blogger Coleman Yoakum at the local Mexican restaurant in Beebe and we had a great conversation about school and work and the issues of the day. After that, I drove over the Jeff’s and had the chance to visit with him for a while and make plans for later that night….

And those plans would come to fruition around 8:30, when I arrived back at his house. The two of us then drove to the other side of Little Rock where we met up with some other friends and went to see what may be the greatest movie of the year, No Country for Old Men.

I read Cormac McCarthy’s bleak novel about death and greed at the Texas-Mexico border a few weeks ago and enjoyed it quite a bit, but nothing really prepared me for this cinematic spectacle. I’m a huge fan of the Cohen brothers and always make a point to see every film they put out, but I have to admit that I had been a little disappointed in them over the past few years – this movie, though, changed all of that.

The desolation and lonliness of the the desert landscape really encapsulates the feeling of the whole film. The abject nihilism of the characters and their seemingly hopeless situation is not one for the faint of heart and the brutal violence that ensues is not for the weak of stomach, but it is an undeniable classic. The tension that repeatedly builds up is nearly unbearable in a way that invokes some of the best films ever made. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie, but be warned, it is definitely not for everybody.

After returning at 1:00 AM, I slept in a bit Sunday morning, skipping class but arousing myself from slumber in time to make it to worship at my parents’ church. After lunch, we loaded back into the van and headed home, journeying through the dreary November rain back to our north Mississippi home. It was a great trip and we thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with family and friends. I truly am a grateful man.