Another Construction Update

Five months ago in December 13, 2011 post I wrote about and published pictures of the 3 construction projects that were going on in Smith's Grove where I live. 


My January 16, 2012 post showed the completed renovation of the Smith's Grove Mc'Donalds' restaurant. Now here are shots of the other two projects that are now finished as well.

The New Smith's Grove Library

The new facilities for Thomas Veterinary Services.
This is where I take my pets.  

As I mentioned in the December 13 post, a trio of construction project going on simultaneously in a town that's about 1 square mile in area and has a population just over 700 is significant. 

But that's not the end of it. Just recently the Smith's Grove Baptist Church (one of a at least 1/2 dozen churches in Smith's Grove) has broken ground on an expansion of their church building. 

Here is a picture of the initial stages of their project. The demolition process to make way for the new construction. 

I'll keep you up to date on the progress of their new church building; or at least post a picture when it's done 

Looks like things keep on changing in my favorite small town but the relaxing slow pace stays the same. That's why it's my favorite little town. 

What I Did On Tuesday

WARNING: Some of you may find this post rather boring. But for me, yesterday was the best “taking care of business” day I’ve had in a while. I started I writing this just before heading to bed Tuesday night; while I still had a small but satisfying sense of accomplishment. So here’s the reason why:

Although it’s usually on Monday, today was my day to go into Bowling Green and  do some errands.  

The change in schedule was directly due to the timing of my eligibility to donate plasma at the Bowling Green Biologicals like I have been doing for the last 4 months. I won’t go into the details (if you really want to know ask me when we talk) but donating plasma is essentially giving blood and getting paid for it. I usually do it on Monday and Wednesdays. Last week I went on Tuesday and Thursday. Because you can’t donate more than twice in any 7 day period, I couldn’t go back again until Tuesday this week.

I left my house at about 11AM; first, stopping by my church to drop off a packet of information to our church secretary. She’s going to Walt Disney World with her family very soon. As of yesterday hadn’t done much planning.  When it comes to arranging an enjoyable Walt Disney World vacation her pending departure is the equivalent of a blink of an eye. Because of my own experience, I felt she really needed some basic Disney World trip planning advice; so I collected some vital information for her.

Next on my agenda was a stop at the Daily Newspaper office to pick up some copies of the Sunday paper that included my granddaughter Aria’s birth announcement.

Once I got to the Plasma center I could tell from the number of people in the waiting area that it was going to take a lot longer than the usual hour to donate. I decided to leave and go back later when it wouldn’t be as crowded.

I rearranged my list of things to do and headed for the car wash. It was time to clean out my Saturn Vue. The interior had gotten so nasty that over the last couple of months I refused let my wife or anyone, other than my dogs, ride in it. But an upcoming short road trip with my daughter-in-law, Heather, and one of her friends on Friday meant I had to get it clean enough to allow them to ride with me.

I went through the automatic car wash to get the exterior clean and then spent about over an hour detailing the interior.

With a newly cleaned vehicle it was time for me to take care of the most important task of the day. Today was my other daughter-in-law, Brandi’s birthday. We had already celebrated with her at our house on Mother’s Day. But I wanted to give her something special on her special day.  

She told me she was going to be at Cheddar’s restaurant for lunch with her cousin around 1 o’clock. I arranged to meet her there. I gave her a couple of special cupcakes from GiGi’s because everyone needs to have cake on their birthday. She seemed really happy with her surprise.  

I got a special reward for my act of kindness. My granddaughter, Aria, was with her mommy. Although she was fast asleep in her baby carrier I still loved getting to see her. She continues to be the most beautiful baby in the world.

I left Brandi and her cousin to enjoy their lunch together. After a brief stop for some lunch I went to Wal-Mart. I was there to stock up on the beverages Paula and I drink every day in order to stay hydrated. I bought about 40 bottles of Powerade Zero and 60 bottles of flavored sparking water. I know that seems like a lot but it’s a month’s supply for two people who down at least one of each type of drink daily.

Each time I do this kind of shopping my cart gets really full; almost to the point of overflowing. I get some strange looks as I make my way through the store to the checkout.  I return each of those looks with the phrase “I’m really thirsty.”

Once at the checkout lane I emptied the cart onto the conveyor belt by flavors. The checker was an older lady named “Darlene.” She seemed a bit overwhelmed by the size of my purchase. Add to this her problems with opening and doubling the plastic bags and you get the reason it took me 15 minutes to get out of the store.

By coincidence, the person in line behind me was a woman, named “Vicki”, who goes to my church. I kept telling her that I was sorry she had to wait so long. She was very patient and even offered to help bag the bottles.  

Shopping at Sam’s Club was next but before that I made a quick trip to the Lifeway Christian Store in the Greenwood Mall. I needed to get some things to prepare for our church’s Vacation Bible School in June.

Sam’s Club store was really crowded and it took me about 30 minutes to get the ½ dozen items on my list. By this time it was close to 4 o’clock. I was tired and decided that I wasn’t going to go back to donate plasma.

I wanted to go home but I had one more stop to make. I needed even more groceries from the Kroger store. I bought just over $100 worth of food but only paid just over $40 because I used my Kroger Card rewards checks.

While in the store I had the pleasure of running into another church member, Laura, along with her 3 daughters. At one time or another, over the past 8 years, I’ve had the privilege of teaching each of them in Children’s church. The older two ran up to me and each gave me a hug. That made my day.

Once the 3^rd and last shopping trip was completed, again because I was tired, I decided against the 10 mile bike ride I had planned as part of my day. So finally after all day “in town” I headed home.

The bike ride would have been difficult anyway.  All the groceries I had in the back of my Vue were piled on top of the bike. I wouldn’t have been able get it out if I had wanted to.

But wait there’s more.

Once I got home I had to unload all the groceries and drinks and then put them away. That done, I just sat and relaxed on the love seat for a while.

Soon, after they stared at me while wagging their tails for about 15 minutes, I decided to take my dogs for a walk. The 1 mile trek through our little town made them very happy.

Now at this point you would think I would be satisfied with all I had done all day; but I wasn’t. The missed bike ride from earlier still bothered me.

So at 7 o’clock I got on my bike and rode around “the grove” for about ½ an hour. When I got back to the house I discovered that my trip had been long enough to make my digital odometer go over 100 miles. That was the topper for the day.

When my wife got home from Praise Team practice at church I drove to Wendy’s and brought back supper.

The rest of the evening consisted of cutting up and sweetening the strawberries I bought at Kroger, watching some TV and writing this post.

So there you have it. That’s my story of my busy outstanding routine day of errands. Like I wrote at the start of this post you may have found it boring. However I’m hoping that at least some of you found it a somewhat engaging and overly detailed account of a day in my life. I promise to choose a more interesting topic in my next post.

I Need Your Help

In the 4 years I’ve been posting on this blog I have never written one like this. I guess I should start with the fact that I am currently without a job. I won’t go into the details as to why, but my last day of work at Shop NBC was April 20.

As the popular proverb states, when God closes a door; He opens a window.” I truly believe that in His providence God presents opportunities in our lives all the time.

I see this “closed door” as the chance to focus on my open window; one that I have been aware of for a while.  I just haven’t made enough effort or been able to go through it.  I’m referring to the opportunity to create some income through ventriloquism; specifically in the area of children’s birthday parties. I am looking for people who may be interested in hiring me for that purpose.

I am working on getting the news of my availability out to people in a more effective manner. I’m creating a “Ron Havens/Ventriloquist” Facebook page where potential clients can get information, see pictures and videos as well as contact me about bookings. That’s going to take a while but I’m working on it.

But in addition to my personal efforts, I would like to ask for help from all my Facebook friends and blog readers who live in Kentucky. If you or anyone you know is having a children’s birthday party to recommend me and my puppet friends as unique way of making it special.

I have a wide variety of puppets and I add a personal touch to every show.I would appreciate any “word of mouth” promotion I can get. Collectively, y'all know a lot more people with kids than I do. So,  I am, humbly, asking for some assistance from my Facebook friends and blog readers.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in hiring me for a birthday party or any other occasion they can contact me by email: RHavens1423@aol.com or by cell phone. They can call or text me.

All I’m looking for is a few people to give me the chance to make their party a special one. I’ll even give the first 3 people who contact me and mention anything about being told about me by one of my Facebook friends or reading about me on my blog a break on my price.

Thanks for any help you can give me. You will be an answer to prayer and I promise I will find a way to return the favor. 

"Dark Shadows" Movie Review

For those of you with plans to see the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie, Dark Shadows, I would like to warn you that this review contains many “spoilers.” You may not want to read it until after you’ve been to the theater. But reading it first just may save you some money and keep you from wasting a couple hours of your life.

Let me just start out with the fact that when I was a kid, all my family members were above average fans of the "Dark Shadows" TV show. We watched every day. We even had the board game (yes, there was one. I still have it.). I continue to be a fan and have the music from the show on my IPod. I am a genuine fan of “Dark Shadows.”

I also want to advise that I am not a fan of Tim Burton or his movies. As a matter of fact there is only one Tim Burton movie that I genuinely like: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.  

From the first time I saw the trailer for this movie version of Dark Shadows, I was appalled. The movie looked awful. Even with all the buzz throughout the past year about this picture I wasn’t aware that it was supposed to have a comedic element to it. But putting that aside what was presented as comedy, in the trailer, was not in any way funny. It bordered on “offensive” to real Dark Shadows fans. I declared my personal boycott of the film.

But then Jonathan Frid (the original Barnabas Collins) died about 2 weeks before the film’s release. I read that he had a small cameo appearance in the new film. I decided to go see the movie just to see Frid one last time.

I decided to go into the theater with an open mind; give the movie a chance. From the first note of the music all the way and the narrative that tells the story of the Collins’ family up to the cursing and entombment of Barnabas, Burton had me. I was almost convinced that I may have been wrong and that the movie was going to be interesting after all.

But then the construction workers unearth a coffin. A 200+ year old vampire emerges and murders all in the vicinity with the fervor of a 300 pound Weight Watcher entering a “Golden Corral” announcing he’s “fallen off the wagon.” He then “mistakes” the McDonald’s golden arches for the sign of the devil and heads for the family mansion. The life was sucked out of my optimism quicker than the blood of one of those first victims.

From that point on, consistent with the trailer, the jokes evoked more emotionally painful winces than laughs. The residents of Collinwood were disturbingly weird, embarrassingly stereo typical, and not the least bit interesting.

I did get a bit amused with the character of Julia Hoffman being portrayed as an over-the-top alcoholic. There was always that subtext about that character in the TV series but it was never openly portrayed.

The movie then goes on to introduce a plethora of plots and sub plots which are never fully or believably played out. Among them are:

·        

      A female patient escapes a mental hospital, becomes governess to the youngest Collins family member and is haunted by a water logged female ghost.

·         Barnabas reveals his true identity to the current matriarch of the Collins family, Elizabeth. They enter a partnership to keep secret collection of valuable art pieces which will serve as the financial means of returning the family to prominence.

·         Angelique, the jilted lover of Barnabas and the witch who cursed him to be one of “the living dead” turns out to be an iconic citizen and the most powerful business owner in the town of Collinsport.

·         Barnabas begins to rebuild the Collins seafood business by reopening the fish processing plan and using his hypnotic powers to recruit fishing boat captains to switch and work for him.

·         Star crossed lovers, Angelique and Barnabas, reunite in fit of supernatural passion that almost literally brings down the house. The witch gives the vampire a “partner with me or else” ultimatum.

·         Dr. Julia Hoffman proposes an experimental treatment with Barnabas’ blood to turn him back to being human only to use the project as a means to sustain her own vanity.

None of these plots are played out in a believable way. They did nothing but come together as a confusing mess of an ending.

There were other things about the movie that were questionable as well.

How could the Barnabas walk around in the daylight? It appeared that all he had to do was wear sunglasses and stay out of the direct rays. That’s not a vampire that’s a redhead.

As a way of accomplishing their social resurgence the Collins family decides to host a dance (way too many sophomoric references to the event as a “ball”) which seems to serve only as an excuse to have Alice Cooper perform. This is also the place in the film that Jonathan Frid and several other cast members from the original TV program made their cameo appearances. 

The film concludes in a confusing conglomeration of “surprises”, special effects, and a fight to the finish. The last 10 minutes were filled with events that only kept me asking “why did that happen?”

When the credits rolled the only thing I found myself doing was shaking my head in disbelief. What did I just see? Whatever it was it was awful.

Now don’t get me wrong. There were things about this movie that I did like. There were times that Johnny Depp seemed to capture the demeanor of the original Barnabas Collins as played by Jonathan Frid. Helena Bonham Carter’s Julia Hoffman also provided glimpses of the way she was played by Grayson Hall.

I also liked the expanded view of the town of Collinsport. On the TV show the town was nothing more than the occasional exterior still shot. The movie version brought the town of Collinsport, Maine to life. It gave a specific location of Collinwood in relationship to the rest of the town. I really liked that. It gave an added dimension to the world of Dark Shadows.

My final word in regard to the 2012 version of Dark Shadows is this.  I truly believe that this will be the last we see of Dark Shadows on the big screen. Tim Burton has done irreparable harm to both the story and the characters of this franchise. (I call this a franchise because since the 1966 debut of the TV show there have been 2 movies with the original series cast, 2 new TV versions and then this film). There's no going back to "Dark Shadows" being taken seriously by the public. 

Of course I could be wrong. No good story with interesting characters is ever dead in Hollywood. And Dark Shadows is just that.

But as far as this current incarnation is concerned I’m going to pretend it never happened.  Just forget what I saw in the theater and remember the excitement and memories that I connect to the original TV series. Those will always remain in the dark shadows of my mind.  

A Night At The Theater

A week that promised the beginning of Spring, summer like weather, the release of the newest Muppets movie on Blu Ray, and a live entertainment experience started out on Monday night with an unexpected evening at the newest theater venue in my area.

When I woke up Monday morning I had no idea, on that very night, I’d be going to see a play I’d wanted to see for more than 30 years. When I was a teenager in high school I saw the 1958 movie “Damn Yankees” on TV for the first time.

The film starred Tab Hunter as Joe Hardy, Gwen Verdon as Lola, and Ray Walston as Mr. Applegate.

The movie, adapted from a Broadway musical written by George Abbott, revolves around a man who sells his soul to the devil (Mr. Applegate) in return for becoming a slugger for the Washington Senators and helping them defeat the dynasty of the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers dominated the American League in the 1950s.

Being a Yankees fan I take pride in their historic dominance in baseball. But my dad was a teenager in the 50’s. He told me that as he was growing he despised the Yankees because they won all the time. So trying to sympathize with my dad helped me identify with the Joe Boyd character in “Damn Yankees.”

After watching the movie I decided that one day I would like to see the play. That was in the mid or late 1970’s. Over the years I have had opportunities to see several performances in high schools or local public theater venues but never made it to see them.

Most recently I found out that the play was coming to the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center as part of its inaugural season. But when I looked online to buy tickets there were only single seats available. Although Paula encouraged me to I wasn’t going to go by myself.

Let’s fast forward to this past Monday afternoon. I was in the self-checkout lane at my local Walmart when Paula called me. She told me that someone at her office had a pair of tickets for “Damn Yankees” that night they wanted to sell. She asked me if I still wanted to go. I jumped at the chance.

Four hours later my kind considerate wife and I were walking from the newly built parking garage to the new centerpiece of the entertainment in downtown Bowling Green.

After about a 20 minute wait in the lobby the doors opened and  we went into the theater. I had only seen pictures of the main hall’s interior on TV and hadn’t really paid much attention to them. 

So when I walked through the doors I was amazed.

The 18,000 seat hall has a 3000 square foot stage, a mezzanine, a balcony and a 52 foot high ceiling. I was practically speechless. You know that’s unusual for me.

Our seats were on the hall floor in the upper orchestra section; about 3 rows from the back on the right. That sounds far away from the stage but the view was excellent.

Not only was I excited about seeing a play I’d been waiting more than 30 years to see. I was excited about the potential of seeing future shows at there.

Soon the show started and it was very entertaining. However the baseball culture and the social culture of the time period the play is set in doesn’t hold up very well.

The Washington Senators that the play is based on haven’t played in the nation’s capital since 1960. That’s when they moved to Minneapolis/St. Paula and have been the Minnesota Twins since then.

Also the ball players in the play refer to having to take “off season” jobs to help them make ends meet. This is far removed from the multi-millionaires that play the game today. The MLB minimum player’s salary is over $400,000. The “average Joe” players portrayed in “Damn Yankees” are only a nostalgic memory.

Also a major league ball player renting a room from a local resident would not happen today. Again, because of the high salaries a player could afford their own house or apartment in the city where they play.  

There are other aspects that of this play that have gone the way of the dinosaur as well. The social stigma of a man and a woman who are not married living in the same house and the uniqueness of a female newspaper sports reporter are accepted “norms” today.

Now I know it seems like I’m being critical but these conflicts would make the play very difficult for anyone who was under the age of 40 to fully understand. But of course I’m not in that group. I really enjoyed this show.  

A couple of the songs, “You’ve Gotta Have Heart”, “Whatever Lola Wants”, are Broadway classics. The dance numbers, jokes, and characters were typical 1960’s theater.

I really liked the show and especially the character of Mr. Applegate. I’m very grateful to my wife for finally allowing me the opportunity to finally see “Damn Yankees.” 

As far as the Performing Arts Center is concerned, the place has so far exceeded my expectations. I still can’t quite believe how nice it is. As I wrote before, I’m excited about the other plays and shows scheduled for this first season. However a lot of the shows are already sold out. But there is an aspect of the 2^nd season of the Broadway Series that I’m anxious about. “Spamalot” is coming in January 2013.

I know I’ve already seen it each of the past 2 Januarys. But the show is my all time favorite play. If I get my wish I will see it for a third time.

So there’s a bright new star in the theater and live entertainment sky in this part of Kentucky. I can’t wait to go to this new venue with my family and my friends. From now on a quality theater experience will be only 20 minutes away.

I’ve seen the future of entertainment in my area an it’s SKYPACtacular!.

“Plastic Surgery”

A week ago I posted a summary of all the things that happened over the course of a very busy and eventful week.

One of the things I mentioned was that Paula and I had made a significant change in our financial set up that will make a big difference in our lives. Part of that action was paying off and closing most of our credit card accounts.

This action has rendered the little rectangular debt makers in our wallets, useless. So the only thing left to do was perform, what radio talk show host Dave Ramsey calls, ”plastic surgery”. I cut up the cards we no longer need. Of course, to make sure they couldn’t be fished out of our garbage and the numbers stolen I made sure they were in small pieces.

After I finished I put all the pieces in a small cup. As I stirred them up the variety of colors and sizes of the pieces reminded me of something that was rather appropriate for the given circumstances. I had made credit card confetti.

Instead of just throwing the pieces up in the air in celebration, I decided to do something that would last a little bit longer.

I glued the pieces of ex-credit cards to a piece of paper stock in a random pattern as though it had been shot of out of a cannon and frozen in mid air. I’m going to frame this silly little spontaneous art project and hang it over the desk where I pay our bills as a reminder of our landmark accomplishment and a goal for the future; to remain free from credit card debt.

So it is with a proud spirit I present to you my most recent arts & craft project:

…And Then There Was The Weekend

My eventful week continued over the weekend. Saturday night my wife and I attended the last concert ever by the Orchestra of Kentucky. No, the organizaiton is not disbanding (no pun intended) this was just the last performance for them in the Van Meter concert hall on the Western Kentucky University campus; their home for the last few years. Later this month they will be moving into their new home at the brand new Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center.

Saturday night’s performance was part of the orchestra’s “Retro Series” and featured the music from “The British Invasion” of the 1960’s.  Performing on stage were The Orchestra of Kentucky, conducted by Jeff Reed; a group of vocalists, “The Retro Singers”, and a very talented cover band, “The Rewinders.”

This was the 3^rd Orchestra of Kentucky concert we’ve been to over the last 18 months. It just might have been my favorite and not just because the tickets were free.

The two hour show included covers of songs originally recorded by British artists: Chad & Jeremy, Peter & Gordon, Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, The Animals, The Tremelos, The Mindbenders, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Spencer Davis Group, The Zombies, Freddie & The Dreamers, Jerry & The Pacemakers, Tom Jones, Lulu, and The Hollies. Those weren’t all the artists covered but that’s all I can remember.

One of the Retro Singers was Billy Duvall. Billy is a nice Christian guy who’s a very “snappy” dresser and has a terrific voice. His R&B style of gospel singing is outstanding and well known around our area. He’s ministered at my church at least twice over the last several years.

During the concert he sang two songs: “Gimme Some Lovin” and “It’s Not Unusual”. It was pretty cool that someone we know was part of the show.

The performance of the night was by a guy who sang the classic song “House of the Rising Sun” with an animated and unique style. He was so good he got a standing ovation.

Personally I enjoyed the unique harmonies of several of the songs. “I Got To Pieces” and “Silence Is Golden” were among my favorites. The unusual vocal blends and acoustic effects in the singing of the Zombies song, “She’s Not There” were fun as well.

My favorite elements throughout the entire show were the brass section and the keyboards. I’ve always appreciated the stand-out musical contribution horns made to the all the popular hits of the 60’s; these “British Invasion” songs included. I don’t remember the name of the keyboard player but he was excellent and his play was the key instrumental element to many of the songs performed.

In what I thought was a very touching moment and classy move, the ensemble performed the song “Day Dream Believer” as a tribute to the late Davy Jones. The recent loss of the British born lead singer of the Monkees was quite a shock to fans of 60’s music everywhere.

The concert ended with a performance of “The Air That I Breathe”, my favorite Hollies song. The crowd showed their appreciation for the entire evening with a standing ovation.

The encore song was appropriately one by the group that started it all, The Beatles. With more than 4 dozen Top 40 Fab Four hits to choose from conductor Reed’s choice of “Hey Jude” was a good one. By the time the encore ended the majority of the audience was singing along; some waving their arms holding backlit cell phones.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this concert. It brought back the music of my childhood days (I mean the first decade of my life) back to life. What I mean by that is this. Over the last 4 decades since they were first ranked on the Billboard Top 40 charts I have heard or played the pop music from the 60’s (not just those from the “British Invasion”) many, many, many times. They have taken on a familiarity that makes them almost part of the “musical furniture”  

Experiencing live performances of some of these less remembered “classics” breathed new life into them for me. As every song was performed it was as if my mind was divided into two. On one side, in my mind’s eye, I was watching an old black and white TV set while watching the original artists perform on the Ed Sullivan show circa 1966 or 67. On the other side I was in Van Meter Hall in 2012 watching, hearing, and enjoying the singers on stage.

I knew nearly all of the songs by heart and most of the time I was singing along. All throughout the night I kept asking myself, “Why am I having such a good time?” As mentioned I’ve heard these songs hundreds of times what was different about them now? As the encore number came to a close and I once again stood to applaud, I realized the answer. It’s the songs.

The songs are timeless. They meant as much to me that night as they did when I was young because they are just good songs. They touch something inside and calm the soul.  Perhaps it’s the connection to what I consider “simpler times.”

This Retro Concert was made possible and very enjoyable because of many many hours of hard work by all those who were on stage that night. The reason it was such a great evening is because it started with a great foundation....the songs.

A big “thank you” to Jeff Reed, Orchestra of Kentucky, the Retro Singers, and The Rewinders for hitting the “refresh button” and  reuniting me with those childhood friends who are always there at the push of a button on my IPod but every once in a while need a new “coat of paint”: the songs of the 60’s.

Sunday morning brought me yet another opportunity to minister to the youngsters of my church. It was my turn to present the “Children’s Sermon” part of our Sunday morning worship service. After some prayerful consideration I decided that the storms that came through Kentucky this past week was perfect opportunity to teach the children about trust and God’s protection.  

With the help of a spray bottle filled with water, a turbo fan, and Pastor Mark, our associate pastor, I reminded the children that Jesus once calmed a storm. He did it with just 3 words, “Peace be still.” I assured them that in the future when they are scared because of the storms they can put their hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea.

On Sunday afternoon I went with my son, James to see the movie, “Act of Valor”.  

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this movie. I knew it was it was an action adventure based on true facts and using action sequences from real Navy Seal team operations. But other than that I really had no idea what the movie was about.

The film doesn’t have that great a plot but it does have lots of action. The footage of the Seals going into extremely volatile situations to rescue an CIA agent being held hostage, capture an arms dealer to gain vital intelligence, and finally to stop potential suicide bombers from entering the United States through Mexico.

While I do have to agree with most of the reviews I’ve read in admitting that the acting in this movie is not the best. But the reality that these are American servicemen being dispatched to remote places around the world doing what needs to be done to keep each of us safe and secure here at home.

These are the men who throughout the history of this great country have always been the true American heroes.

From the beginning you know that this story is being told through the vehicle of a letter being written to the son of a fallen soldier but that doesn’t take away from the intensity of the danger and risk these men are facing in the field of duty.

My emotional reaction to the last 5 minutes of this movie took me by surprise. I’ll admit to tearing up at the profound sense of grief and sadness as well as the ceremonial honor shown on screen.

Now the fact that I cried at a movie doesn’t surprise me. I mean I’ve done it before. But the nearly overwhelming sense of sorrow stayed with me even after I walked out of the theater. Even as I was getting into my car I was still a bit emotional. I don’t ever remember happening to me before.

While some critics may say that this movie is nothing but a recruiting film for the Navy Seals; I don’t see it this way. I see it as a very appropriate public portrayal of the actions of a group of a unique breed of men. Men, whose success depends a lot on their identities and activities remaining covert.  

I, for one, think the movie is a moving tribute to those Navy Seals whose names scroll across the screen just before the closing credits. This film is a cinematic memorial to those men who sacrificed their lives for their country. That is the ultimate “Act of Valor”.

So there you have the end of what was a very memorable week for me. Hope you enjoyed reading about it. Come back next time as I write about my recent realization that over the last 30 years I’ve been “jack of all trades”. At least “part-time.” See you then.