Return of the Jedi Revenging the Phantom Empire Striking Back...

On March 15, 2012, I updated my Facebook status.

This is noteworthy for two reasons.

First, I agree with "Columbus" when it comes to status updates:

So, I update mine about once a year.

Secondly, this update was special. Here's the scene:

I was just about asleep in my less-than-comfortable Turkish dorm room bed, which was a feat in itself in that place. Suddenly, my eyes snapped open, and I rushed to my computer. I had been hit by a philosophical conundrum like a freight train. My mind was instantly, and from out of nowhere, assaulted with this question:

I mean, honestly, what is a good dad to do? I want my kids to be idolizing Han Solo, I want them to be able to tell you why Boba Fett did not die in the Sarlaac pit, and of course, I want this:

But I also want my kids to think that Qui-Gon was the stud he is, and I want for them to see how Anakin turns to the Dark Side, and I want them to want to punch Jar Jar...

Little did I know that this question would create a great debate among the students on our trip and would be by far the most commented upon thing ever to appear on my Facebook. 

It was fantastic. People gots serious. This turned into a full-scale debate.

Some people were logical,

Others appealed to emotion...

 Some layered their good points in appropriate humor...

Some were controversial...

 Others were just plain funny...

 Or snarky...

This was the closest I got to an answer I could settle upon...

Despite the excellent responses, and the less-than-excellent ones, I still didn't feel at peace. I would still freeze up during that pivotal parenting moment. I couldn't decide. Quickly subject my kids to Jar Jar Binks and the Clone Wars before they could completely understand the butchery, or risk them losing interest in 45 year old special effects.

I was doomed to spend the rest of the nights in that dorm room restlessly tossing and turning; unsure of my to-be-parenting-skills. 

The question would fester until I just learned to live with it. I would forget my identity crisis...

Until.

A light from Bespin came beaming down in the form of novelty... and magazine print.

I opened this month's issue of Wired and gasped aloud!

They had tackled my Lucas-inspired dilemma.

Wired wrote up an article describing their perfect viewing order. It maintains the integrity of the original series AND allows for integration of the prequels.

To her credit, I had a friend who pointed this order out to me on that very status:

See that? I have friends who are months ahead of professional journalists.

I'm still not 100% sold, but here are the morals of the story:

1.  It will be absolutely fascinating to see where the profession of journalism will be in 10, 15, and 20 years.

2. Social media is the new way in which news is broken. People will find out about worldwide events because of their own personal accounts - not because of news anchors or paper writers. Which is incredible - and kind of scary. People will increasingly become aware of world events - a sorely needed quality. But more and more of the world will get their news in silos. People will simply filter out anything they don't like. The legacy of 24 hour news networks will be that people will be able to dismiss sources as irrelevant just because they have a different narrative of every story.

3. Star Wars is awesome. During the year of its 35th anniversary, this series is still creating and fueling debates. Most importantly, these movies are gaining new fans in every generation. Even now, in this generation, which will be the first without a Star Wars movie in theaters (if you count the Special Edition screenings). That is simply stunning.

The Sculptor's Marble Sends Regards...

I feel as though I am going to be posting about places a lot. That seems to be the trend. (As does lists...)

I'm an another one of those places that brings me peace. A coffeeshop. I love cafés. That will be an excellent part of Europe... sitting outside a café for hours. Why is that so taboo here? We get shooed out of our tables by waiters and bus boys because they want to make a bit more.

At diner the other night, there was a man playing an excellent acoustic set, and I was bantering with him for a while. My sister and mom left to walk back to the hotel, but I decided to stay for a few more songs. Apparently I was breaking the revered un-spoken rule of dine-pay-run, because I have never gotten so many looks in a restaurant before. Most were quizzical, as if people just couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that I was there just to listen. But some people, especially the wait staff, didn't share my appreciation for the guitarist, as evidenced by their less-than-pleasant glares. But hey, the music was good! Here's some of what he played:

(it's what I could remember, identify, and write down. And yes, it's another list)

-Layla - Clapton's Acoustic Version

-Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin

-Pride & Joy - SRV

-Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

-Wind Cries Mary - Jimi

-All Along the Watchtower - Jimi's Version (and he made this sound great! While trying to keep his voice down, and playing the electric solos on an acoustic)

-City of Angels - Red Hot Chili Peppers

-Old Man - Neil Young

-Melissa - Allman Brothers

See why I stayed for an encore? You should have been there.

Anyway, coffeeshops... I'm not sure what it is about the vibe; but I thoroughly enjoy it. Almost anywhere, I don't think that I have been in a café I didn't like. I mean, a Starbucks is a Starbucks, but there is still parts of it to enjoy. A local place is always the best though. Sometimes because of the coffee itself; always because of the people. Local shops have regulars, real regulars. And these people make for incredible people watching, and even better conversation. While I barista'd I had some of the most enjoyable conversations. Some of them maddened me, some of them made me chuckle after the fact, but I remember the majority of them because of the setting and the people themselves. I may not know them or their names, but that conversation is made because it was with them.

Before I go... I leave some recommendations. First, watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ColdplayTV#play/uploads/0/BYtk1Z0UUuE

That has to be the best music video I've ever seen. Love every bit of it.

Secondly, go see (500) Days of Summer. I loved this movie. It's extremely well written, and it's presented better. It's got great wit, moments that make you smirk, and an excellent soundtrack. The script is spot-on. You can recognize many of the moments these characters experience in your own, and you resonate in wonderful harmony (or at least I did).