the pursuit of happiness

I have an irrational hatred of feet. Well, it's actually not that irrational, I think. They are ugly (corns, blisters, dry patches, stubby-almost-fingers at the ends of them...) and smelly. I do not understand foot fetishes. I do understand shoe fetishes, for shoes are cute and good for covering up feet. But man, if my S.O. ever asks for a foot rub, I will just buy him one of those foot bath things. Those are actually pretty cool. Maybe I'll just buy one for myself and let him borrow it.

There are plenty of things I dislike, but there are also a lot of things that I do like. Little things that brighten up my day. Off

the top of my head, I can probably think of five. Let's see...

five things that make me happy:

1. A completely full tank of gas
2. Waking up and realizing I still have an hour before I have to get up
3. A continual string of good songs on the radio until I get to my destination
4. Being in the middle of a really good book
5. Slightly sore muscles after a good work out

Yea, even just typing that list lifts my spirit.

Was it Aristotle who said our goal in life as humans is happiness? I suppose that's what it is, isn't it? Who doesn't live for happiness?

Even in movies, the stories are all the same. Person wants something. Person gets what he wants. The end.

There are a (very) few exceptions.

Sometimes in the end, he goes crazy or dies. That's called an Oscar-nominated film.

But essentially, they're all the same. That's why we can be satisfied by judging a film based on its trailer. Because really, those things show us all we need to know. We've seen so many movies, that we can just fill in the blanks at this point.

So what's the draw? I guess I could bring up the cliche that it's not the destination, it's the journey, but that's just lazy. Maybe the draw is simply the predictable, happy ending. Who wants to sit through two hours of watching a sports movie where a team must overcome conflict between the players, coaches, and establishment, only to have them lose the championship? We watch it because we KNOW they win in the end. (Yea, I know Rocky lost, but he falls into the Oscar category anyway.) You know, I don't think there's anything wrong with the simple movie format. It's what people want, I suppose.

If you want something different, watch an indie film.

The reason odd scripts turn into only indie or art house films are that people find comfort in familiar things. I like romantic comedies when the guy gets the girl in the end. I like my songs to have choruses. The repetition is nice. I expect my rock songs to climax somewhere around the end. Waking up at the same time everday is good for not only your body, but I think your mind as well.

Monotomy can be nice because it gives you a place in life. A certain perspective. Having a corporate ladder to climb, having a career, is normal and healthy. We like having contingency plans for the future. It makes us happy. Even the most daring adventurer needs some stable things in his life.

Feet are bad, but overall, life, and movies, are good.