Original Platitude

Self confidence is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

SAD

I'm bidding on a light therapy box on Ebay. Thus far I have the highest bid---there have been 5 other bids to this point. I keep getting an image of all my fellow bidders for this particular device staring glumly at their screens and saying things like, "I don't know...should I buy this thing? If I don't win the bid, I'll kill myself..."

Oregon has a dark and rather cynical climate through the winter, and I've noticed a definite lifting of my chronic depression when I get sunlight. Two days ago at work I felt a horrible, sad, claustrophobic, almost panicky sense of inertia. Stuck in a boring, boring job. Marital disasters looming. Bad. But when I went outside for a few minutes and the sun came out for the first time in maybe a week, bingo. The depression drained away like dirty water out of a bath tub. Plus, I recently read another study about the beneficial effects of bright light therapy. So, bright light it is. But, if I don't win this bid... I'll probably buy a half gallon of fudge brownie ice cream and eat it watching an old movie.

In fact, I did that very thing the other night with Mad Max.

Holes

So, if you have some kid that you'd like to treat to a movie, this is one of two films that are out right now that you should take them to. If they cancel at the last minute, go ahead and go by yourself. It's not Fellini, but it's really fun. People spontaneously applauded at the end.

I took my 10 y.o. daughter and her friend. They sat apart from me. I told them they could do that, and, delighted, they slid right into the opportunity, only coming back to where I sat to collect the two pops I smuggled in for them (what a dad). They were about 10 rows in front of me (I like sitting in the back row, because I hate having people in back of me during a movie, crunching popcorn and talking). I watched them, while the lights were still up, heads together, talking intensely, as little girls do.

Oh, and the other is Spirited Away. Definately see Spirited Away and Holes.