movies | Mostly Bright Ideas

Browsing All posts tagged under »movies«

Extra Parts

September 3, 2014

I watch a lot of movies. There was a time when I thought I’d be in movies, but I’m past that now, just as I’m pretty sure I’m never going to walk on the Moon or play centerfield for the Yankees. Acting looks like fun, and pays well, too, but then I found out that […]

Out of Nowhere

April 30, 2014

There are a lot of people in the world. You probably noticed this the last time you tried to go out for breakfast on a Sunday morning and had to wait ninety minutes for a table. The planet is crawling with human beings, all with their own unique personalities, quirks, and ways of thinking. It […]

It Goes Without Saying

November 28, 2013

Sometimes I’ll be seated at my desk, pretending to be working or lost in thought, and someone will walk by and say, “Is it okay if I steal your pen?” As they ask me this, they’re grabbing one of the hundreds of pens that I’ve acquired over recent years, and that are now scattered around […]

Every Little Makes A Mickle

July 30, 2013

In the world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. – Benjamin Franklin Putting a quote at the top of a page is an old trick, one that serves several useful functions. First, it takes up space, which is the primary goal of all writing. Second, it creates the illusion that […]

My Brain in a Jar (Part 1)

December 22, 2012

Recently, fellow blogger Karen asked if I would consider leaving my brain to science. I was flattered by the question, until I realized that such a donation would have adverse effects on my health, and suddenly the idea didn’t seem quite so appealing. Also, science doesn’t spend much time on things it already comprehends, preferring […]

Wishing for a Hollywood Ending

November 6, 2012

Over the past week, news reports and commentary about the final hours of the presidential election have intertwined with coverage of Hurricane Sandy’s assault on the East Coast of the United States. Warm smiles behind shiny promises of a bright future fill the screen, replaced a minute later by dazed and frantic faces surveying a […]

Ringing in My Ears

October 31, 2012

The year was 1964, and the day had begun like most other days at my Catholic school. But the next thing I knew, we were all standing and filing out the door, row by row. I’m sure I had no idea where we were going, but it was the fourth grade and I had learned […]

Inexplicably Irritated

August 3, 2012

We all have them. Those insignificant things that drive us so crazy, they make us want to yank out our own hair by the fistful. But we don’t do it, because we know how painful a little paper cut is, and we can imagine that tearing out clumps of hair and scalp would have to […]

Confection and Crucifixion

April 4, 2012

102

Easter approaches once again, and as usual, it arrives at the far edge of a forty-six day cloud of confusion. At least for me. Thinking back on it now, I’m not surprised that I found the entire season incomprehensible. I was baffled by far simpler things — carbon paper, reversible shirts, and those tiny cereal […]

Better Left Unsaid? (Part 1)

May 22, 2011

My good friend Priya (Partial View) and I recently began talking about celebrities and how much certain people seem to worship them. By “certain people,” I mean women, especially married women. And by “worship,” I mean fantasizing about having real romantic relationships with male actors, musicians, and athletes: the so-called sex symbols. As we talked […]