Hi love. How are you? It's weird being out of school sometimes. I kind of miss the miseries of studying. Oh well, soon enough it will come slamming back in my face again.
I want to go to the gym today but my legs feel pretty damn sore still. My legs were SO sore yesterday! I was dying. I was walking like a gimp all day. I'm happy I can run again though. It's the only thing I'm good at in the gym. If I go to the gym today though... I'm not sure about running. Because it hurts too much! Yesterday I thought that the soreness would feel better if I walked it off. So I took The Pie for a walkie. But when I came back home it just hurt even more. =(
Last night I watched Blood Diamond with my parents. I thought it was such a good movie! As far as movies go, it was pretty predictable. So while it was at a loss in terms of intensity, it was still full of good action and more importantly, a good message. I had never heard about conflict diamonds or blood diamonds. I knew about child soldiers... but not that much about them. Only that they existed in the world. I liked this movie because it's about real things in the world that people might not know about. Not saying that everything in the movie is absolute of course. But just creating the basis of awareness is very important and I think the movie was able to get the message across!
One of my favorite parts in the movie is when Benjamin (Basil Wallace), the guy who runs the R.U.F. orphanage type place is sitting and talking with Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio). They have a discussion about whether they think people are inherently good or not and they come to the conclusion that people are people. Ben then goes on to say that even people who are "bad" and do destructive things can have moments where they are kind and good and that those moments have a significant value in lives. I think that is so true and it totally defined Leonardo DiCaprio's character. Danny Archer has been a bad guy all his life, not caring about feelings or the welfare of other lives. He'd become immune to it because death was a part of everyday life where he lived. It was as regular as eating or sleeping. And it was socially accepted, even though it broke the hearts of many. His character is a bad guy... who ultimately does a good thing. And even though he his life could have been defined as a bad person, he does good things, no matter how small or large they are, they are NOT petty... and his life meant something because of it. There's a point in the movie where Danny is talking to Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) and Maddy is talking about her father and how it took him so long to get over the war he was in, when Danny interrupts her and tells her, "that's all you Americans care about isn't it? Feelings?? And what do feelings DO?" (not the exact quote mind you). And she's thrown off by it, but intercepts by talking about his parents. Which he finds a soft spot for in his heart of hearts. I especially like that scene too because they didn't have them kiss or turn it into some romantic mess. Even though it was apparent that they had a strong connection, they never went into the physical romantic aspect of it and I think it's smart they left it out.
NOTE: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE AND DON'T WANT IT TO BE SPOILED!!!
My last favorite part is in the last scene where Danny is bleeding and it's dripping down his arm to his hands to the sand. Earlier in the movie they talk about why the sand is red. It's from all the blood that has been spilled from the people living there in the violence. And in his dying scene... he grasps the sand and let's it mix with his blood.. and I'm certain that his character is thinking of the red sand.
Anyway, I thought it was an EXCELLENT movie and it's definitely one of my favorites. When and if I ever get married, I'll definitely be cautious and think about the 5th C.
"THE FIFTH "C" FOR CONSUMERS
Diamond buyers are told to consider the "4 Cs" when selecting a diamond: color, cut, clarity and carat weight. But there is one more "C" to ask about before making a purchase. It stands for Conflict.
Amnesty International and Global Witness have a pamphlet to help consumers ensure that diamonds never again fund conflict. When shopping for diamond jewelry, they can ask the salesperson four questions to find out what the retailer is doing to help prevent the trade in conflict diamonds:
How can I be sure that none of your jewelry contains conflict diamonds?
Do you know where the diamonds you sell come from?
Can I see a copy of your company's policy on conflict diamonds?
Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond suppliers stating that your diamonds are conflict-free?
The salesperson should be only too pleased to help. If they aren't, a consumer can try somewhere else�and tell them why.
Tragically, the crime of children being seized and turned into child soldiers continues unabated on a global scale, as demonstrated by a recent news story out of Sri Lanka reporting that thousands of young boys are being taken from their families in sweeps of entire neighborhoods.
At last report, there are an estimated 400,000 child soldiers in the world today."
More Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_free_diamond
http://www.amnestyusa.org/diamonds/index.do
http://www.diamondfacts.org/
<3 Karen
Moving - Sunday, Mar. 02, 2008
Rambles and Kansas! - Thursday, Feb. 07, 2008
In Manhattan, Kansas! - Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008
Minnesota! - Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
First Interview!!! - Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007
