http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyWafhzs6zw

24.  It ran for an impressive 8 seasons and has at least one full length television movie made, with a full length film being speculate upon.  This grand tv series which I just started watching a little of on netflix, is about Jack Bauer, a government agent working for the Counter Terrorism Unit in Los Angeles.  Each season follows 24 hours in the life of Bauer as he races against a clock of life or death to preserve peace, whether from bio or chem threats, assassination attempts on the President or other important figure.  In the first episode he is fighting to save not only David Palmer, a presidential candidate with the best poll ratings to win.  At the same time, Bauer's wife and daughter have been kidnapped to be used as hostages to motivate Bauer to do dirty deeds for the assassins.

Each episode covers one hour in the 24 hours, jumping from Bauer to other agents to the kidnapped to the presidential candidate and his family.  Loosing a tiny bit of reality in the way it jumps to other people, yet it only takes a character the ten minutes to drive twenty miles when the scenes switch back to him.  However, despite the downfalls of trying to make each episode exciting and suspenseful enough in their own right along with leaving the viewer hanging waiting for the next episode, the show does a good job.  Not only is it suspenseful and creative, with a very leading and addicting feel to it, but it also is so twisted around that no one knows who is safe or a secure friend.  One has to remember that it is a tv show, and not believe that in real life this is how things will happen.  At the same time, it's realism gives it more quality, more depth.  The acting of Keifer Sutherland is good along with the rest of the cast.  Keifer's intensity over his wife and daughter yet with his ability to think clear-headidly about saving other's lives makes him quite the hero.

The use of screen splitting, where showing multiple scenes at once is used, is very, very good.  It allows us to see that these events, happening in real time, are occurring at the same time.  In addition, the use of a clock on the screen helps the viewer see that indeed, things are happening in real time.  The amusement of a person who is not watching a commercial filled evening, such as myself, is that an hour happens in 45 minutes, for the commercial breaks are evident due to the placement of the black "clock" screens.  It's funny to see in two seconds it jump the five minutes.

Overall I have been enjoying this tv series, and definitely find myself wanting to see the next episode.  Every time.

Beautiful things are everywhere

It's true.  Beautiful things ARE everywhere.  Whether people, places, an object or an idea or a vista.  The trick is to open one's eyes and see what is beautiful when it is right in front of one's self.  If I sit in the cafeteria of my community college and I look around me, do I see silly ignorant teens and young twenty somethings?  Do I see people wasting time trying not to have a life?  Do I hear them discussing stupid ideas, such as the latest and greatest video game coming out, or who's who and where's what?  Yes.  But I also hear others, who are talking about their plans for the future, their family, whether they have kids or siblings, or others who they care about and are talking about because they care, and are concerned.  I see those who are texting loved ones, though hopefully not while in class.  I see so many people, and they are connecting in some way with someone.  This, is just one of the little facets of beauty I see in a day.

We are blessed as human beings (and I say that in the non-religious way because you don't have to believe in Jesus to believe we are blessed) to have a beautiful world, with natural phenomena that can touch us emotionally in the deepest ways.  We need to remember this everyday of our lives, and not take the little moments for granted.  Even though we do.  This world is full of people living way to short, way to inefficiently, and way to laboriously engrossed in the lesser parts of life.  Working IS important.  However, despite it making the majority of our time alive and awake, it is not what society should consider a burden.  Live beautifully, and do what you want to do and love to do it.

Here's what I find beautiful in life, as anyone who's read this blog has come to know me - I think ballroom is beautiful.  This little routine is so simple, yet so beautiful.  Just like life should be.  Simple, elegant, and all about man and woman.  As my one latin instructor discussed in class yesterday - men are to be about giving.  In ballroom, this means that we are giving energy out, with power, like we should be with our money.  Powerful, and giving.  Women, are to be receiving this power, and to return their femininity.  To turn around that power and to give it back as grace.  This is a woman.  Now, this isn't to be a feminist statement, for women have power to.  But they aren't in ballroom supposed to give it in the same way as men.  Women and men are different.  And every woman is different.  Every person has a beautiful side to them, and some may have more beauty on the surface while another has more inside.  We must find our own beauty and show it to the world in the way we are meant to.  I have found how I wish to express myself to the world, through ballroom.  Music is how I express me to myself.  Ballroom is a way to show inner strength and solidarity.

Here we go - power and effeminate, simple and elegant, graceful and... Beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOiByplrkX4