Streams of Consciousness & Thoughts~~~

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Mar 11, 2016
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abigail.pro
So here's my "overthinking it" thought for today.

I've read several articles, and another today, about how scientists believe sugar has a similar effect on the brain as drugs like cocaine. It messes with our dopamine levels and rewires our pleasure sensors, especially in people who are susceptible, so that you not only crave more sugar, but will forsake everything else just for the sugar. The article documented a study in which rats were allowed to gorge on things like cheesecake, and when they were given healthy foods once again, they voluntarily starved themselves for 2 weeks, refusing to eat, apparently holding out with the hope that they would eventually be given more sugar.

I've often wondered if maybe that's part of why God allows us to go through what can seem like never-ending times of trials and sorrow here on earth. In the original perfect design, He never meant for us to feel those things. But in a sin-tainted world, it seems that we humans become addicted to pleasurable things very easily. We get confused about what's "good" and "bad" and how much of each we should be exposing ourselves to and taking in.

I wonder if pain is one of God's many "reset" buttons... and if He's using it to re-calibrate our senses. I always read that if you completely quit processed sugar, honey, and artificial sweeteners for a month, your tastebuds reset and things like berries will seem 10 times sweeter than they did before.

I wonder if our spirits are like that--when we experience good things, we start to crave more of them and chase after only the things that make us feel good... Any sense of serving or self-sacrifice is left by the wayside.


But a painful event in our lives can help make us appreciate the good things all the more and make them feel even more satisfying. Not exactly a comforting thought... but definitely a reminder that God uses everything for a purpose.

Ok, I'll stop talking to myself now. Thanks for listening! :)
Kim! This is so true! I can testify to this! Lol. See, for a year and a half, I worked night shifts, and every night at work I had a chocolate bar with me, 5 nights a week. That was the most unhealthy season for me. I quit about 3 years ago, and now I only get chocolate once or twice a year. But my tastebuds did reset! Lol. According to my friends now, I tend to like bland foods. Lol. I taste chocolate now and it's... okay. Not the best food in the world anymore!

Another example, when I got addicted to video games, I played 12 hours a day and missed two meals most of the time (I was 80 lbs, with no flesh, but all bones). It makes sense that when we find something pleasurable, we lose all logic and sanity to get what we want. So when the bible calls it the 'flesh' it makes sense, because it's against the Spirit. It's not exactly what we want inside, because after falling for it, there is a haunting feeling!

After God's smacking (technically not, cause we usually are the ones who really brought this upon ourselves!) we learn to be content with what He provides. I think it's a matter of trusting that He knows what we need and desire, more than we do. And choosing to give up what we 'think' we want, and doing it daily, we can now understand what Paul may have meant when he said, he died daily xD
 

melita916

Senior Member
Aug 12, 2011
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i'm so tired,

so why am i on cc when i can go to bed?

yaaaaaaaaaaaawn
 

CatHerder

Senior Member
Mar 20, 2013
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Giving feedback and helping daughter #3 with her Romeo & Juliet essay. It's surprising how many details I still remember! It's not even one of my favorites.
 
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Siberian_Khatru

Guest
The pensiveness has set in. Today is a good day.

♫ Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm
Stranded in the wrong time
Where love is just a lyric in a children's rhyme, a soundbite... ♫
 
Aug 2, 2009
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Ok I just saw the new Star Wars movie (The Force Awakens). It was good, but not as good as I hoped it would be. It seemed like it was made for teens. I was hoping for a more serious, epic movie I guess. I'll give it a generous 4 out of 5 stars..

I've yet to find any one of these more recent Star Wars movies to be as good as those from the original 1970's-80's trilogy.

star-wars-the-force-awakens-235x300.png
 
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Tintin

Guest
Ok I just saw the new Star Wars movie (The Force Awakens). It was good, but not as good as I hoped it would be. It seemed like it was made for teens. I was hoping for a more serious, epic movie I guess. I'll give it a generous 4 out of 5 stars..

I've yet to find any one of these more recent Star Wars movies to be as good as those from the original 1970's-80's trilogy.

View attachment 147370
Made for teens? I suppose that can only be a good thing. The original trilogy would be considered children's movies.
 
Mar 11, 2016
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abigail.pro
Ok I just saw the new Star Wars movie (The Force Awakens). It was good, but not as good as I hoped it would be. It seemed like it was made for teens. I was hoping for a more serious, epic movie I guess. I'll give it a generous 4 out of 5 stars..

I've yet to find any one of these more recent Star Wars movies to be as good as those from the original 1970's-80's trilogy.

View attachment 147370
The pic looks like BB-8 is wielding a lightsaber..
 
Aug 2, 2009
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Made for teens? I suppose that can only be a good thing. The original trilogy would be considered children's movies.
What? No. The original trilogy was of higher caliber. The characters were more developed and the writing was better, etc... That's why it became so succesful and so revered by fans and critics.

These sequels/prequels they've been coming out with are shallow compared to the originals. The characters are basically just fighting and saying one liners.

In the originals, Obi-Wan takes Luke aside in the millenium falcon and carefully teaches him how to use the force. Also, there is good chemistry between Leia and Solo. They are like a bickering married couple, but in a believable, adorable way. You don't get any of that kind of stuff in the new movies. They're mostly special effects and battle scenes..

luke-obiwan-peering-into-lightsaber.jpg
 
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Tintin

Guest
What? No. The original trilogy was of higher caliber. The characters were more developed and the writing was better, etc... That's why it became so succesful and so revered by fans and critics.

These sequels/prequels they've been coming out with are shallow compared to the originals. The characters are basically just fighting and saying one liners.

In the originals, Obi-Wan takes Luke aside in the millenium falcon and carefully teaches him how to use the force. Also, there is good chemistry between Leia and Solo. They are like a bickering married couple, but in a believable, adorable way. You don't get any of that kind of stuff in the new movies. They're mostly special effects and battle scenes..

View attachment 147371
I don't mean it as a knock against the Star Wars movies, I love them. But they weren't aimed at an older audience.
 
Aug 2, 2009
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I don't mean it as a knock against the Star Wars movies, I love them. But they weren't aimed at an older audience.
I don't know why you would think they're made for teens or children. Those movies were done by George Lucas, he is Steven Speilberg's idol because of the work he did with Star Wars and he's the same guy who did American Graffitti and the Indiana Jones movies. The budgets alone on the original star wars movies were astronomical for their time. You don't spend money like that on a movie for teens. These were full-fledged sci-fi adventure movies. If I recall they were rated PG which means you have to have a parent or gaurdian with you unless you were 18 or older.
 

BruceWayne

Senior Member
Aug 7, 2013
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Gotham City
I don't know why you would think they're made for teens or children. Those movies were done by George Lucas, he is Steven Speilberg's idol because of the work he did with Star Wars and he's the same guy who did American Graffitti and the Indiana Jones movies. The budgets alone on the original star wars movies were astronomical for their time. You don't spend money like that on a movie for teens. These were full-fledged sci-fi adventure movies. If I recall they were rated PG which means you have to have a parent or gaurdian with you unless you were 18 or older.
I find the original trilogy a little boring, but I pretty much agree with you. I think Lucas actually said that he had originally intended to make a film for adults. Of course it turned out to be mostly family friendly(no ones going to convince me that slave Leia was geared toward kids lol), which obviously wasn't a bad thing. At the end of the day, he created something that people of all ages enjoy, so win-win.
 

AsifinPassing

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2010
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That picture...of Luke and Obi... which direction is he pointing the sabre... what if his finger slipped and hit the button?
 
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Tintin

Guest
I don't know why you would think they're made for teens or children. Those movies were done by George Lucas, he is Steven Speilberg's idol because of the work he did with Star Wars and he's the same guy who did American Graffitti and the Indiana Jones movies. The budgets alone on the original star wars movies were astronomical for their time. You don't spend money like that on a movie for teens. These were full-fledged sci-fi adventure movies. If I recall they were rated PG which means you have to have a parent or gaurdian with you unless you were 18 or older.
I know the history of Star Wars, I know they were super-expensive for their time. I know no-one but Lucas believed in his movie. But that doesn't mean it's for older audiences. It was meant to be Lucas' take on Buck Rogers. Also, I don't know about the PG rating in America, but in Australia it just meant Parental Guidance was recommended (for children).
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
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Meh. Watching that SW movie was deja view. Complete with destroying a reasonable facsimile of the Death Star.


In local news, after church today the whole family will descend on Grandma's house for a big family dinner. I have seen a lot of our family get-togethers and I've never seen one I didn't like. Should be a good day today.
 
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coby2

Guest
After the service my angelic kids were slamming each other in the bike which is getting a bit small for them, so I got sick of it and said that we were now not going to the Mc Donald's anymore. You can eat chicken noodles, I'm sick of it. Turned my bike and drove back.
While we were eating the oldest says: Mom how can this be? You were angry and said we were not going to the Mc Donald's and here we are, eating at the Mc Donald's.
Oh just never take anything your mom says serious.
 
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wwjd_kilden

Guest
I never got that song. I don't know if it's because I'm naïve or perhaps God just spared my dumb sheep brain. But whenever I heard that song start to play, it sounded dull and irritating like a migraine headache emerging and I had no idea what she was mumbling/singing about. *shudders* :p

.
Well, my brain has two settings for songs
A) Try really hard to get every word of the song
B) Just focus on the melody/ rythm

I never tried to listen to the lyrics of that one, but I knew it was called black velvet, so the melody comes sneaking every time I read "velvet". *sigh* :p
 

seoulsearch

OutWrite Trouble
May 23, 2009
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What? No. The original trilogy was of higher caliber. The characters were more developed and the writing was better, etc... That's why it became so succesful and so revered by fans and critics.

These sequels/prequels they've been coming out with are shallow compared to the originals. The characters are basically just fighting and saying one liners.

In the originals, Obi-Wan takes Luke aside in the millenium falcon and carefully teaches him how to use the force. Also, there is good chemistry between Leia and Solo. They are like a bickering married couple, but in a believable, adorable way. You don't get any of that kind of stuff in the new movies. They're mostly special effects and battle scenes..

View attachment 147371
Made for teens? I suppose that can only be a good thing. The original trilogy would be considered children's movies.
All right everybody, please excuse me while I have a total geek/nerd moment.

I agree 100% with Zero, but that might be because he and I are from a different generation. *Puts on robes and assumes Obi-Wan-like philosophical stance. Starts stroking imaginary beard.*

I think it's harder for younger generations to imagine, but Zero and I grew up in a world that, for many blissful years, had ONLY the 3 original movies and NO horrible prequels--no Jar Jar, no whiney Vader yelling, "NNNNOOOOO!", no Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman staring blankly at each other while trying to make us believe they were in love. The main characters in OUR Star Wars--Leia, Han, Luke, Chewie, and even the droids--truly cared about and interacted with each other, and that's what really made these movies.

We also grew up in an era BEFORE the many, many copycats and cash-ins, so Star Wars was truly revolutionary and totally unique at the time. It's also important to note that sci-fi was a nearly non-existent genre then, especially when it came to big-budget movies, so in a way, one can't really appreciate the novelty of these movies today because sci-fi is everywhere and today's Star Wars are just another face in the bunch. In my time, Star Wars wasn't "just" sci-fi, it became THE defining force that solidified sci-fi as its own category.

I've seen many interviews with Mark Hamill and they all ask him the same thing: "What makes Star Wars so timeless?"

Here are my own personal thoughts as to why:

1. It taps into the heart of everyone, both children and adults. Like Zero, I've read that King George intended these films to be for adults. And even adults, at one time, related to everything in these movies.

Who doesn't dream of a day in their own mundane, routine life, that they would be called on a big adventure, save important people, and find out you're related to one of the most powerful beings in the universe? Who doesn't long for something more (just like Luke) and wish that they would find out they had some sort of secret superpower? And for the guys, who doesn't dream of flirting with a princess? Which brings me to point #2.

2. Leia, in my opinion, was truly one-of-a-kind at that time. This was BEFORE women were marketed as strong, intelligent leaders. Do you remember the show, The Dukes of Hazzard? Well... How about Daisy Duke, anyone? Women were only present in films, most especially the rare sci-fi story, to do one thing: to serve as pretty, somewhat challenging sex objects in overly tight or barely-there "outfits".

Leia changed that. Her favorite accessory was a blaster, not a tiara, and she certainly wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. I don't even really mind the "metal bikini Leia" ordeal because it was thankfully relatively short and showed that women could be both sexy and strong. One of the most fun things about Star Wars is that there was this tiny, beautiful princess... who was bowling over everyone and taking charge of everything. ("Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?!") Nobody messed with Leia!! And again, at that time, that's usually not what you saw women doing in the movies. Like Natalie Portman in (again) the terrible prequels, they were usually having their clothes torn in order to reveal even more skin.

3. For me, the characters' distinct personalities and interactions were what made the movies. Luke was sincere, Leia was feisty, Han was the suave bad boy, and they all bumped heads because of it--but somehow still managed to save the galaxy. Luke was even able to redeem the most notorious man in the entire universe. Who doesn't dream of accomplishing similar things? This is what makes Star Wars so timeless--because it speaks to the fantasies and longings we all have.

As I've posted often before, I hated the prequels. They took everything great about the originals and blasted them to smithereens, much like the Death Star. Which brings me to my next annoyance--why in the world can't they come up with any other plot for the bad guys except to repeatedly build new versions of the Death Star?

The new movie is trying to redo what captured everyone's heart about the first movie: it's giving everyone an "anybody" character with a mundane life who gets pulled into an epic adventure. This sets the stage so that anyone could believe or fantasize that it could happen to them, too, and that's why I think these movies have been so successful.

You'll never get any better than the chemistry between Luke, Leia, and Han though, and I was sad to see that magic has passed forever. At first I was kind of excited about the thought of Rey and Han panning the galaxy together, bickering back and forth all the way... But as everyone knows, that got blown to bits. I admire Carrie Fisher a lot for taking on the role again because I'm sure she knew how harshly people would criticize her, but I was devastated to see my beloved characters go from young, feisty rebels-with-a-cause to seemingly tired, worn-out symbols rather than the the vibrant personalities I had fallen in love with. Even BB-8, while cute as a button, couldn't hold a candle to my beloved R2, because the thing that made R2 so much fun was the fact that he had so much attitude.

Han still had some of his old snap and flash, which to me, was THE best part of the movie, but sadly, those days are now long gone. And I can feel a small part of my childhood fading away with them.

R.I.P., my beloved original characters from the first three movies.

*A moment of silence for the ground-breaking Star Wars franchise of my youth.*
 
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MollyConnor

Guest
I'm 26 and I LOVE the original Star Wars Trilogy. I guess my age makes me part of the Prequel generation of Star Wars.
While I don't mind the prequels and the Force Awakens (I thought they were all good movies), they're nothing compared to the first three.

Surprisingly Episode I is my favorite from the prequels and the FA.

The Force Awakens was a bit childish to me. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but you could definitely taste the Disney in it. You know what I mean? That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it did lack something. I just can't quite put my finger on it.