Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

"Life's a piece of shit, when you look at it..."

I'm definitely not the most optimistic person in the world. I like to say that I'm not necessarily a pessimist, just a realist. While that is true to an extent, there is a lot of negativity that clouds my general outlook. I operate as if I'm hoping for the best, while truly expecting the worst. That way, when something does go wrong or I fail at a venture, I can feel good in the fact that I was right that it would go bad. I'm often quite pleasantly surprised when life does turn out okay, as it often does. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's the way my wonky brain works.

So, here's to a little positive thinking and celebrating some outcomes that are actually good. Or at least to putting a positive spin on some crappy things that have been happening lately.

I've been really bummed that we weren't able to swing our yearly trip to Sundance. I was supposed to be off all of last week and this week for the vacation. Oh well. We didn't get to go, but we were home to deal with our repeatedly leaking roof in the recent rains. Also, Cosette has had some medical issues (all healing nicely) that we could give prompt attention to without stressing out the dogsitter. Furthermore, there was horrible weather that would have impacted our 12-14 hour drive to and from Park City. Being in town for the last week and a half has allowed us to go to some cool events and see some friends, including one from Indiana who we usually share a condo with for the film fest. So, yes, there is often a bright side. You sometimes just have to look for it.

I thought of this today at work when lamenting that upon racing back after leaving for a vet visit, I spilled an old cup of coffee ALL OVER ME. Old, stale coffee that had a banana peel stuffed into the cup. Don't ask. One of my co-workers, who has much more of a positive attitude than I do, said, "At least you are wearing brown." And I guess there are worse things that I could go around smelling of than banana coffee.

On another up note, I'm off of work for the next five days. Here's hoping that I get my closet cleaned out, which would be a very positive thing.

Hello, Hello...Hola! Hola!

Do you know the best time to go to Universal CityWalk? Well, I found out and will let you in on the secret. When it's pouring rain, that's when. Easy to park and NO PEOPLE...how awesome is that? I'm not a fan of their multiplex, but it has one of the two IMAX screens in L.A. showing U2 3D in limited release. I can see Universal City from my back yard and I certainly didn't want to drive all the way to The Bridge in the downpour. As a bonus, we had AMC passes and a gift card that we used for tickets and concessions. We paid only $5 for parking, movie, and snacks.

So, U2 3D. It's pretty fanfreakintastic. E saw some footage a couple months ago and prepared me somewhat for how incredible the film would be. It was truly something to experience, especially if you are a U2 fan and/or you appreciate 3D. You've never been immersed in a movie like this before and you've never seen a concert film of this nature. Also, there is no seat in an arena during a live show that can give you the perspectives offered up on the ginormous screen.

Prior to tonight, I've seen U2 twice in concert. The first time was in the fall of 1987 on the Joshua Tree tour and the next was fall of 2006 on the Vertigo tour. I now feel like I can say I've seen them live three times (but I won't!). I got teary-eyed at least three, maybe four, times, like I often do at a show that moves me. I think my favorite thing was seeing The Edge and his quiet intensity so up close. Bono is a spaz and we alway see him everywhere, so it was fun to have some focus on the other guys as well. Great band, terrific music, and amazing 3D footage.

U2 3D will open in some non-IMAX theaters on February 15th.

Click to see big.

A few of my favorite photos that I've taken over the past couple of weeks.