welcome to 2010

It's 01/02/2010

I should have some goals. They swirl, formless, as teasing whispers in my conscious. I have had a few breakthroughs of joy and happiness, discoveries of health and pleasure. I may be recovering from my stress-induced malaise.

First goal I can think of is to expose my son this year to at least ten films from British Film Institute's Top 50 Films for Children. I've deleted the ones he's seen:

* Au revoir les enfants (Louis Malle, 1987, France/W.Germany)
* Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985, USA)
* Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale/Kirk Wise, 1991, USA)
* Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948, Italy)
* Billy Elliot (Stephen Daldry, 2000, UK/France)
* E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982, USA)
* Edward Scissorhands (Tim Burton, 1990, USA)
* Etre et Avoir (Nicolas Philibert, 2002, France)
* Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton/Lee Unkrich, 2003, USA)
* It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946, USA)
* Kes (Ken Loach, 1969, UK)
* The Kid (Charles Chaplin, 1921, USA)
* King Kong (Merian C.Cooper/Ernest B.Schoedsack, 1933, USA)
* Kirikou et la sorcière (Michel Ocelot, 1998, France/Belgium/Luxembourg)
* La Belle et la bête (Jean Cocteau, 1946, France / Luxembourg)
* Le Voyage dans la lune (Georges Melies, 1902, France)
* Les Quatre cents coups (Francois Truffaut, 1959, France)
* Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953, France)
* My Life as a Dog (Lasse Halstrom, 1985, Sweden)
* My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988, Japan/USA)
* The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955, USA)
* Oliver Twist (David Lean, 1948, UK)
* The Outsiders (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983, USA)
* Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray, 1955, India)
* Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967, France/Italy)
* The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987, USA)
* Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, 2002, Australia)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981, USA)
* The Railway Children (Lionel Jeffries, 1970, UK)
* The Red Balloon (Albert Lamorisse, 1956, France)
* Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrman, 1996, USA)
* The Secret Garden (Agnieszka Holland, 1993, UK/USA)
* Show Me Love (Lukas Moodysson, 1998, Sweden/Denmark)
* Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly, 1952, USA)
* Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney, 1937, USA)
* Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959, USA)
* The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice, 1973, Spain)
* Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001, Japan)
* To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962, USA)
* Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995, USA)
* Walkabout (Nicholas Roeg, 1971, UK)
* Whale Rider (Niki Caro, 2002, New Zealand)
* Where is the Friend's House? (Abbas Kiarostami, 1987, Iran)
* Whistle Down the Wind (Bryan Forbes, 1961, UK)
* The White Balloon (Jafar Panahi, 1995, Iran)
* The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939, USA)

I wanted to get "Les Quatre cents coups" but my kid has some DVD already picked out while I watch "My Dinner with André". I don't want any talkback about the kid not having seen "The Kid." I can't remember if he's seen it. I like how there are two versions of "The Beauty and The Beast". Weird, too, that there are more Jacques Tati films than Chaplin's. The Boy can't get enough Chaplin. I started him out on Max Linder...
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What did I learn? That the heavy stress I endured in my early life and pregnancy has left me with a degenerative disease, and some of my pain can be lessened through exercise and diet. I've learned Less is More, that angels and demons do exist, my relations are at fault for being closed-minded, reactionary and limited for not accepting my olive branches. I learned what sugar does to the body, how much sugar the average American ingests, and how to avoid high fructose corn syrup. I've learned the power of prayer, read some good books, discovered some people are overrated. I've learned it's possible to give too much if one isn't a receptacle for storing energy: that's where I am. I have learned not to have coffee after 11:30 a.m.
I have learned Donna Eden's Daily Five Minute Energy Routine, and how powerful and effective Energy Medicine is. I was initially skeptical. I have learned how rewarding and bonding it is to share honest spiritual experiences with my oldest friends. I've learned how to stop my premenstrual cramping and the foot cramping (this had dogged me for eight years!!) through vitamin supplementation. Also: my cat enjoys eating duck, almost as much as she enjoys halibut and tuna.