I have returned to the Midwest once again. I am becoming quite the traveler. I have driven through most of the U.S.A. aside from the upper eastern coast. I don't know if I wrote this down yet in any previous blogs, but Montana is one very large, very wide state. Fortunately the return trip was far less painful than the trip there. I drove 1300 miles in one day. All of the way from Missoula, MT to just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. 5:30am-12:15am. What a day it was, but of course the most difficult part came at the end. I had never driven through Minneapolis-St. Paul before, and I avoided it purposefully on the first part of my trip, but I thought the experience would do me good, and I am certain it did, but it was very stressful. That city is just plain HUGE! I drove through the heart of the city, and my goodness what a confusing commuter/road system they have there. There's no real way for me to explain it, but it was definitely intimidating, more intimidating than driving through Chicago or San Diego, or any other major city that I had driven through. The next and last day was simple; I only drove about three more hours before I arrived at my ultimate destination and took another nap around 11am since I started driving around 5:30am. It was lovely to be back in my own home again, and sleep in my own bed. I got everything put away and organized yesterday and then spent the day with my brother in-law and sister. Today I did nothing, and then prepared myself to begin classes for graduate school tomorrow!!!!! I can't believe this day has come! I have been looking forward to graduate school since I was a freshman in college back in 2004, and now 9 years later I am right where I want to be. Today was only introductions and doing tutorials so that I know how to navigate online course stuff for the school that I am partaking in. Also back to work tomorrow; I can't wait to see what mess awaits me. Tonight I watched a rather interesting, yet boring film called Hyde Park on Hudson. The film is about former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his mistresses, but also how he entertained King George VI and his wife Elizabeth the queen, as they attempted to get America to join their fight against Nazism. It had an excellent cast with Bill Murray as FDR, Laura Linney as Daisy (one of the mistresses whose perspective the story of the film was told), Samuel West as King George VI, Olivia Colman as Elizabeth, Elizabeth Marvel as Missy (another misstress but also FDR's secretary) and Olivia Williams as Eleanor Roosevelt. The film had the potential to be very good, and even great, but the screenplay was written that fell; the film almost ran anemic like, and didn't have very good direction or pace. I do have to say that the system FDR had with his mistresses was quite...unique and interesting. Reading a biography on him should be interesting one day. I wouldn't recommend the film to watch, nor do I think that I shall ever watch it again. I was highly disappointed, and not a single performance or element of the film really stood out to me at all. I'm giving it a "Poor Ability," which is odd because usually I thoroughly enjoy the films that Focus Features produces. Oh well. Can't win them all. In other news. President Obama, his administration and cabinet are now attempting to persuade and gather support for military intervention in Syria, finally. But honestly, I think that he is too late in many regards. Over a hundred thousand people dead, Assad still in power, and clearly he believes he can do to his populace anything he wants, because no one will stop him. So much for American compassion, but it has rather turned into American selfishness, just like the rest of world. Once upon a time, America stood out from the rest of the nations of the world, specifically European nations, but now we have become so similar; debating such actions in committees and public opinion polls. Ever since Assad began brutally putting down the peaceful protests that were happening in Syria, I have been stating that the U.S. needed to militarily intervene; that was well over a year and a half ago, if not longer. I'm so disappointed in President Obama's leadership in regard to this matter, and once more I'm going to state that I'm afraid his mistake will come back to haunt this nation one day in the future. Why would nations come to our aid, when we do not come to the aid of others when they desperately cry out for it?Hyde Park on Hudson trailer
Divergent teaser (looks interesting......I think)
