Off the beaten path

I've decided to veer off of the diabetes path a bit and do a "just for fun" post. This was inspired by Julia's blog . It's a little different than hers though. I'm going to list some of my favorite things. Some of them I will explain why they are my favorites.

Some of my favorite movies:
The Wizard of Oz: I have loved this movie since I was a kid. I have seen it hundreds of times. I can pretty much quote the movie word for word. (Dorothy) "Well how can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" (Scarecrow) "Well, sometimes people without brains do an awful lot of talking."

Say Anything: I first saw this movie on a first date. The boy I was seeing at the time had just gotten out of a relationship with a girl named Ashlee. There is a line in the movie where one of the girls is singing a song about her ex-boyfriend. One of the lines in the song is "he likes girls with names like Ashlee" I've just loved it ever since. Even though that guy is long-gone out of my life (thank God). This also started my infatuation with John Cusak. It also made me a fan of the girl who sings the song, but I don't know her name.

Dirty Dancing: This movie came out when I was about 13-14. I just thought it was so romantic. Still do.

Weekend at Bernie's: For some reason I think this is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. My favorite part of the movie is when they have Bernie tied to the back of the boat and he falls off and is gliding through the water. I don't care how many times I see it, it cracks me up every time.

Places in the Heart: I love the strong character played by Sally Fields. She is a woman who loses her husband. The bank tries to get her to sell her farm but she doesn't. She is determined to make it work on her own. And, she does.

Steele Magnolias: Another Sally Fields movie. I just love the story and it helps that it is set in the south. I haven't been able to watch it since R iley was diagnosed. Sally Field's daughter (played by Julia Roberts) dies from complications from Type I diabetes. Wheezer is my favorite. Every small town has a Wheezer.

When Harry Met Sally: I know just about every word to this movie too. "Men and women can't be friends because the sex thing always gets in the way."

Jerry Macguire: I guess I' m just a hopeless romantic. " I love him. I love him for the man he wants to be and the man he almost is." Ok that's a paraphrase. I'm not sure exactly what she says.

Ok, enough movies.

Some favorite books:

The Bible: the foundation of my Christian faith. My favorite verse: (I have it taped to my bathroom mirror so that I'll see it every morning.)

"So, do not worry saying 'What shall we eat or what shall we drink?' ...and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own." Matthew 6:31-34


The Fountainhead: I read this book in high school on suggestion from a friend. I just fell in love with it. I'm not a fan of Ayn Rand's philosophy, but I just loved the relationship between Howard and Dominique. I used to have my favorite quote from the book framed and hung on my wall.

"We never need to say anything to each other when we're together. This is- for the time when we won't be together. I love you, Dominique. As selfishly as the fact that I exist. As selfishly as my lungs breath air. I breathe for my own necessity, for the fuel of my body, for my survival. I've given you not my sacrifice or my pity, but my ego and my naked need. This is the only way you can wish to be loved. This is the only way I can want you to love me. If you married me now, I would become your whole existence. But I would not want you then. You would not want yourself-and so you would not love me long. To say 'I love you' one must first know how to say the 'I'. The kind of surrender I could have from you now would give me nothing but an empty hulk. If I demanded it, I'd destroy you. That's why I won't stop you. I'll let you go to your husband. I don't know how I'll live through tonight, but I will. I want you whole, as I am, as you'll remain in the battle you've chosen. A battle is never selfless.......You must learn not to be afraid of the world. Not to be held by it as you are now. Never to be hurt by it as you were in that courtroom. I must let you learn it. I can't help you. You must find your own way. When you have, you'll come back to me. They won't destroy me, Dominique. And they won't destroy you. You'll win, because you've chosen the hardest way of fighting for your freedom from the world. I'll wait for you. I love you. I'm saying this now for all the years we'll have to wait. I love you, Dominique."

Ah, it makes my heart skip a beat now. I always wanted a man like Howard Roark. When my husband and I first met, I sent my best friend a letter. The only words on the letter where: "I've found my Howard Roark".

To Kill A Mockingbird: Believe it or not, I didn't read this book up until about a year ago. Holden had to read it for school and I read it too. He used to make fun of me because he'd come in while I was reading it and tears would be steaming down my face. It just shows how people can be so cruel and judgmental.

"First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person, until you consider things from his point of view....until you climb in his skin and walk around in it."

I hope I haven't bored you. It's nice to take the scenic route every now and then.

PS: I just realized when I read what I said about To Kill A Mockingbird, some may think I'm saying that Holden was being cruel and judgemental. I meant the book shows how people can be cruel and judgemental. Holden was just picking on me as teenagers are prone to do to their parents on occasion. He thinks I'm a sap (and he's right).