summer of the backstory

Do you remember a few years ago when every blockbuster movie was a sequel, and Hollywood was playing it safe with franchises they thought couldn't lose by giving us yet another Spiderman? I seem to remember someone calling it "the summer of the sequel."

Well, this summer seems to be going in the same and yet in the completely opposite direction. The same because, for the most part, the majority of the big blockbusters have belonged to existing franchises. Yet opposite, because rather than just moving a story forward, the movies delve into the history of the characters or their world.

First, there was Wolverine. Obviously, this one is a pretty standard prequel, going back to before the trilogy of existing movies and exploring the colorful past of everyone's favorite adamantium-clawed mutant. In spite of some big changes from the existing Wolverine backstory and a terrible misrepresentation of Gambit, the movie was awesome. Not only do we get to see Logan before and after getting his adamantium, we're given a plausible reason for his memory loss (albeit, not the reason anyone was expecting). In the process, we also see how other major characters, like Cyclops, took on their roles.

The next big movie to fit the pattern was Star Trek. All the action takes place before the start of the original series, giving us a look at our favorite characters before they became who they would be. Granted, they did mess with the space-time continuum, thereby creating a new universe for the characters to move forward in (does anyone else think this could jump start a new tv series?), but the original history was discussed between Kirk and the old Spock at one point. And the backstory that is the alternate history the Romulans came from is essential for the main action.

After that came Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. As bad as this movie was, it supports my position, so it has to be mentioned. The only way the writers could conceive any new action was to explain about the transformers having been to Earth centuries before. Backstory. History.

Even the newest Harry Potter movie can fit. The whole point of book 6 was to set up book 7 by introducing us to Voldemort's past and explaining the horcruxes that Harry would need to destroy. That's why there was so much talking and so much less action in this than in other Potter films. It's purpose is to share vital pieces of history so that things that have already happened (like the episode with Tom Riddle's diary) and things yet to come will be understood more completely in the context of the whole story.

I know there are plenty of other movies coming out this summer that don't fit any definition of prequel or backstory, but all the major ones seem to. What does this say about us? I think the viewing public is expressing a desire for stories grounded in history, even fictional history. Our own lives are increasingly disconnected from our past, as we forget previous generations in our constant struggle to move forward as quickly as possible. We can't be bothered to find our own pasts, but we hunger for the solid foundation that history presents. With the future more uncertain than ever, we want the security of at least knowing where we've been, to have an idea where we might be going.

Or maybe I'm the crazy one. It's possible, after all. But I think it's no coincidence that the theme of history is growing in popular culture.

Just chew on that for a while.

-Kim

In the Desert

Just the other day I was reading in the Old Testament and was blown away by a passage in Numbers. Strange place for an epiphany, I know, as it has a reputation as one of the more boring books in the Bible. But there it was. The passage describes how, once the Tent of the Testimony was constructed, God covered it with his cloud, and the Israelites knew when and where to go and where to stop because the cloud would show them:

On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening to evening, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

- Numbers 9:13-23

On the face of things, it might seem like a fairly simple description of how the Israelites traveled through the desert, but it's more than that. Several times throughout the passage it states "At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped" "at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out" "At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out."

Now, I may only have been a theology minor in undergrad, but I think it’s pretty clear that when something is repeated over and over again within such a short span of verses, it’s bound to be pretty important. What’s so important here is that it was “at the LORD’s command” that the Israelites broke camp and moved on. They didn't travel the way they wanted to, the way they saw fit, but they waited for God's leading instead.

Even more astounding is their readiness and their patience. "Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out." That's the part that blows me away. Even the Israelites, who had God and his guidance in their lives in a physical, immediate way, even they didn't know when he would call them to move—they just knew they had to be ready.

And they were in the desert. I've got to imagine that they were pretty eager to move on and get through the desert to the Promised Land, but still they waited and encamped in whatever spot in the desert God led them to, even for a year, as long as the cloud stayed. I wonder if they ever spent just one night at a verdant oasis and then had to move on, only to spend two months on a dusty patch of rock with barely enough water to live on. It’s like that old sci-fi show Sliders, on which the main characters had gotten lost in alternate dimensions and had to jump from one to the next at seemingly random time intervals determined by the technology that allowed them to travel between dimensions until they finally found their own reality again. I remember one particular episode in which they spent the opening scene in a world where money grew on trees and everyone was happy, then had to jump to a world full of drugs and suffering before the opening credits and try to survive there for the rest of the episode.

Not that God’s plan was for the Israelites to suffer—he was looking out for their best interests the whole time he led them through the desert (for some awesome thoughts on this concept, check out Jon Acuff’s post Refusing the Gift of the Desert Road on his blog Stuff Christians Like). But we can’t always see how God is providing, and as flawed humans, it’s easy for us to feel resentment if God calls us away from our oasis before we’re ready to leave it or if he calls us to stay in a hard situation longer than we want to.

I'm not always good at this whole patience and readiness at the same time idea. I want to know the plan now, and I want God to lead me down the path that I have chosen, because it looks easier from here. I want to stay where I am when it’s nice or run away when it’s not without waiting for his timing. But that’s not how it works.

I know so many people right now who are in the desert, waiting for the cloud to lift and lead them on: recent graduates searching for jobs, having left the academic oasis, still waiting for a clear direction to travel; professionals with their jobs at risk in our current economic trouble, asking the age-old question “should I stay or should I go now?” The only thing I know for certain is that none of us are in the desert alone. God is with us, and if we are patient and ready to move, he will lead us on to what he has prepared for us. I wish I could offer some advice on how to be that patient—I’m not good at it myself. But we can take comfort and strength from the example of the Israelites in the desert. God was faithful to lead them on, and he is just as faithful to us.

God's guiding hand in my life may not be a cloud, but so far I've been able to discern it well enough to get this far. So here I have encamped—in Boston, continuing in academia—but I don't know when the cloud will lift, when God will lead me on again. So all I can do is be patient and be ready. It's all any of us can do.

I pray that God's leading in your life will be as clear as a fiery cloud, and that you'll be prepared to follow, no matter the direction.

-Kim

literary theory

From The Well of Lost Plots, by Jasper Fforde:

"Well," I sighed, trying to get my head around this idea. "I had always thought novels were just, well, written."
"Write is only the word we use to describe the recording process," replied Snell as we walked along. "The Well of Lost Plots is where we interface the writer's imagination with the characters and plots so that it will make sense in the reader's mind. After all, reading is arguably a far more creative and imaginative process than writing; when the reader creates emotion in their head, or the colors of the sky during the setting sun, or the smell of a warm summer's breeze on their face, they should reserve as much praise for themselves as they do for the writer--perhaps more."
This was a new approach; I mulled the idea around in my head.
"Really?" I replied, slightly doubtfully.
"Of course!" Snell laughed. "Surf pounding the shingle wouldn't mean diddly unless you'd seen the waves cascade onto the foreshore, or felt the breakers tremble the beach beneath your feet, now would it?"
"I suppose not."
"Books"--Snell smiled--"are a kind of magic."

what a crazy, random happenstance!

So, life has been pretty fun lately. On Thursday I met a group of sailors from Rio de Janiero, Brazil on the Freedom trail. They were in town for Sail Boston 2009, and on Saturday I got to see their ship, among others, docked here in Boston. They even let us come aboard and look around, which was pretty much amazing. Being on a full rigged ship with 31 sails was incredible, and perhaps even a chance for literary research. The ship is called the Cisne Branco, which translates to White Swan. And it is a beauty! Sadly, it's position at the dock made it such that I couldn't get the best angle for a photo of the whole ship, so the yellow-trimmed Romanian vessel will have to do for giving you the feel of a true tall ship. The tiny photo above is all I could get off the Sail Boston website.

Here I am at the bow of the Cisne Branco--an experience well worth the wait in line.


And this is the Mircea, of Romania. Not quite as long or impressive as the Cisne Branco, but the yellow trim gives it a lovely, fanciful quality.


But sailors and ships were not the only points of interest this weekend. On Friday, I met some folks on the Freedom Trail who worked for Greater Europe Missions and know my cousins, who are serving in Germany at the Black Forrest Academy, a school for children of missionaries. We had a great conversation about Peter and what a great job he's doing at the school. They even tried (jokingly, I think) to recruit me for the school once they found out I was at library school (and being a violinist impressed them too--apparently they're interested in multi-talented people). I enjoy getting to make a connection with random visitors, but this was definitely better than most conversations I've struck up.

On Sunday, Joni Earickson Tada spoke at Park Street Church. The building was packed, and her message about God's goodness was very well delivered. I especially liked the passage she chose to end with, which was from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She read us Mr. Beaver's description of Aslan, reminding us that while he is not safe in the least, God is still Good. And even though being a Christian will not keep us safe from broken necks or other pains and problems, God is good and will use those hurts for good. Gotta love a speaker who can tie in C.S. Lewis so splendidly, especially using his fiction and not his more direct theological thoughts. During the service I played second violin in a string quartet for the prelude and the offertory. After the service I was headed down the stairs by where Joni was waiting to pray with people, and she stopped me to thank me for playing. She thanked me! People do that from time to time, but it feels especially good to get a compliment like that from someone like Joni. It totally made my day.

-Kim

called to service

Dianna is doing something amazing. Read about her preparations for going to India with Faceless International here.

The address is now in the right-hand sidebar of links as well, for future reference. Please keep her and the mission in your prayers as preparations are underway, and especially in December when the trip actually happens.

We are all called to serve, whether we go on a trip like this or stay at home and affect the lives of those next door. My role in this mission is to keep Dianna and India in my prayers (and settle a small debt to help with the cost). What will your role be?

-Kim

July 4, 2009, Boston

The Fourth of July came to Boston in spectacular fashion and made for an amazingly busy day. First, there was the Freedom Trail. In total, we got fewer people than the day before, but that was partly because we had to close early for a wedding. In the middle of the morning we had another fun event: a recreation of the first public singing of the song "America" (aka, My Country 'tis of Thee) on the steps of the church. It premiered there on July 4, 1831, sung by the children of the Park Street Church Sunday school (which, by the way, was one of the first in the nation and was begun to teach poor children who couldn't afford to go to school how to read a write). I took a bit of video, but conditions on the street were less than perfect, so I didn't record all 4 verses. Yes, there are 4 verses, not just the one that everyone knows.

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills,

Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from all the trees

Sweet freedom's song;

Let mortal tongues awake;

Let all that breathe partake;

Let rocks their silence break,

The sound prolong.

Our father's God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom's holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our King.

Also in the course of the morning, an honor guard came to the Granary Burial Ground to salute the patriots buried within with a musket salute and by playing Taps. Since we weren't busy at the time, I stood on the church steps to watch. A man who appeared to be homeless asked what was going on, and after I explained what I thought it was, he told me I was beautiful, then asked if I was Irish, because "the Irish are very beautiful people." So random. Since he left right afterward, I decided he wasn't creepy.

Once we got the church cleaned up for the wedding, I was off to see what else the city had to offer for the holiday. I snagged some more free stuff at Government Center and then hopped on the T to head out to a birthday party for Calvin Coolidge organized by a fellow Simmons student. After that I needed a nap in order to make it to the fireworks that night.

I went to the fireworks show with Christina and Jen, and we staked out a place on the Boston side of the river. The only problem with our spot was an awkwardly placed streetlight, which we didn't notice until it was too late, having arrived when it was still light out. Jen brought along a radio, and we listened to the live broadcast of the Boston Pops concert while we waited. And as the fireworks display itself was timed to music, the radio was necessary to enjoy the show to the full extent.

The fireworks are launched from a barge on the Charles River, and they make awesome reflections on the water. I'm so glad I saw it in person, though my mother assures me it was also impressive on TV. Below is a short clip of the fireworks finale for you to enjoy.

And the best part of this weekend? It's been raining for the past month, and long-range forecasts had been dismal for this weekend as well, but the weather was perfect! I would have been sorry to miss what is probably the only Fourth of July I'll get to spend in Boston for something as silly as a thunderstorm.

-Kim

July 3, 2009

The Fourth of July is not a single day in Boston. Rather, the festivities go on all week, and, frankly year-round. But the weekend of the Fourth is a whole different level of patriotism. Boston's Harborfest overlaps the Fourth, providing a vast number of activities that I couldn't begin to take advantage of properly, especially with my work schedule. But I did what I could, and it's been an amazing weekend!

On July 3, we had over 2,000 visitors to Park Street Church on the Freedom Trail. That was a busy day, let me tell you! After work, I made my way down to the Charles River esplanade, where the Hatch Memorial Shell is. There, the Boston Pops were going to do a dress rehearsal for the Fourth of July concert. The dress rehearsal is a lot less crowded than the actual event, so it made sense to go for that instead. Even so, there was a huuuuuge line to get in. I waited about 45 minutes to get my wristband and get into the area in front of the stage to stake out a place to sit. I ended up a ways back, but with a decent line of sight. The only problem with my location was that I was one of the few people who didn't have a lawn chair. I could still see because there was a paved path in front of me that had to be kept clear, but that didn't stop people from stepping on me. That's right, other concertgoers saw my spot as a perfect path through the lawn chairs and were continually stepping on the edge of my tarp (a used plastic tablecloth I snagged from church) and, if I happened to be standing to stretch my legs, in the center of it. Very rude. The worst, though, was when I lay down for a while to rest (I got my spot more than 3 hours before the concert actually started). I heard noise and opened my eyes to see a man stepping directly over my head! The gay couple next to me acted offended for me, as I was too shocked to react before the man had moved on.

In spite of the awkwardness of waiting for the concert, it was definitely worth the trouble. Not only did I get to see the Boston Pops, but Neil Diamond performed as well! And Craig Ferguson was hosting. I will never again have the opportunity to hear Neil Diamond sing "Sweet Caroline" live for free--that just doesn't happen!

And because I know many of you, my readers, envy the opportunity I had, I took the liberty of recording a few short video clips of the concert for you to enjoy. First up is a portion of Tschaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

Next is Neil Diamond singing what has become the official song of the Boston Redsox, "Sweet Caroline."

And finally, Boston Pops playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever"

It was great fun, and the celebration doesn't stop here. The Fourth itself will be posted next!

-Kim

wild turkey menace?

Below is the text of an email I received from my school today:

"Wild Turkeys on Campus

As you may have noticed, wild turkeys have been seen daily on both our main and residence campuses, as well as in the surrounding neighborhood. Please be advised that wild turkeys can be quite aggressive and dangerous to passers-by. We are currently reviewing humane options to remove the turkeys from our campus. However, the presence of wild turkeys is not limited to Simmons, but is a (growing) problem in the Boston area generally. Our removal options may need to follow directives from the City of Boston as well as other agencies.

In the meantime, please refrain from feeding the turkeys and use caution when walking near them. Do not approach them or try to touch them.

Thank you for your cooperation."

Seriously? Are they wild animals or dangerous escaped criminals? Too funny, Simmons, too funny.

-Kim

food for thought from literature

"God has made us so that we must be mutually dependent. We may ignore out own dependence, or refuse to acknowledge that other depend upon us in more respects than the payment of weekly wager; but the thing must be, nevertheless. Neither you nor any other master can help yourselves. The most proudly independent man depends on those around him for their insendible influence on his character--his life."

-Margaret Hale to Mr. Thornton in Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South

constant rain

The entire month of June was a grey, soggy mess in Boston. Though the sun peeked through a few times, the days were largely overcast, unseasonably cool and rainy. The ten day forecast shows hope ahead, but I've been jilted by the weather man before. Good weather for the Fourth is all I'm concerned with now. It's a huge holiday here in Boston, and I mean to enjoy it fully. Boston Pops will be playing an outdoor concert, complete with cannons for the 1812 Overture, and a massive fireworks show is set to go off over the Charles River. They do it every year, but this is the only time I'll be here to see it. You can see it too, even if you're not within T distance of the river. The concert will be broadcast on CBS starting at 10/9 central. There's also a preview concert the day before, which is supposed to be much less crowded, so I'm hoping the rain hold off that day too!

-Kim