Why the Prequels saved Obi-Wan Kenobi

I apologize for the delay, but life got in the way and I couldn't get this out right away on time.

I am going to get this off of my chest right away after Return of the Jedi, I hated Obi-Wan Kenobi.

My 8yr old head could not wrap my head around the fact that a Jedi, Obi-Wan could lie to Luke. In The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader drops the most quoted line in all of pop culture...I am your Father.  This cliffhanger is so critical in the Star Wars Mythos. It really hard to put into words how much ripple effect this has not only from audience perspective but movie making in general.

From Luke's perspective and you as the audience member know very little about Anakin Skywalker and the lineage.  Obi-Wan gives a crash course to Luke: that he was a freighter pilot, fought in the Clone Wars together and he was a good friend.  Obi-Wan pauses just for second there in his recollection.  There is sadness all in that little pause and it is absolutely powerful.  Obi-Wan states that Darth Vader murder his father. So Luke set on his path on becoming a Jedi and taking on this Evil Sith Lord.  Luke gets another crash course on the light and dark side of the Force in Dagobah from Master Yoda.  Luke's understanding of the Force in a very navie.  Basically, me good Vader bad

...but there is a twist, the Cave.  Luke goes into this temple in Dagobah and sees Darth Vader in all his menacing glory.  Luke does a quick lightsaber battle and goes for the Death blow and lops off Vader's head, it blows up and it reveals the face of ....Luke Skywalker. It is great foreshadowing that Evil is present in Skywalker family and if Luke is not careful he will become what he wants to destroy.

In ROTJ,  Luke reconnects with Obi-Wan (Jedi Spirit Mode) after Yoda passes away.  Obi-Wan says "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. What happened to your father was my fault... from a certain point of view. Anakin was a good friend. When I first met him, your father was already a great pilot. But I was amazed how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong. During the Clone Wars, it wasn't long before the Emperor sensed Anakin's powers and lured him to the Dark Side."

It is right there it just devastated me that what Vader said was true and that Luke has to kill his father.  It is hard to understand that Vader took down the Jedi and now the only living Jedi has to take down the main bad guy and it is his father you know, no big deal.  So after this exchange between to Luke and Obi-Wan doesn't really provide any closure and it is a little raw and so ever since that point I am like no Obi-Wan for me.

When the Prequels were announced and I am finding out there is going to be a younger Obi-Wan involved.  I was like I don't know how this is going to pan out. Then you hear Ewan McGregor was cast for the role and I get a little bit more excited.

What Ewan does to the role from acting perspective is fantastic, he mimics Sir Alec Guinness role to a "T" and Ewan develops the same mannerisms that was already present in the Original Trilogy.  Besides, Qui-Gon Jinn who had a very limited run, Obi-Wan is definitely my 2nd favorite character in the Prequels.

Star Wars is never known for its writing, but George Lucas does a very good job on portraying Obi-Wan's maturity over the 3 films.  You have a brash but wise Jedi when you meet him in Phantom Menace.  It is Qui-Gon's death that accelerates a lot of things for Obi-Wan. He was just a padawan and then Qui-Gon's dying wish is to train, Anakin Skywalker.  Yoda sees something there and allows it to happen.

In Attack of the Clones, you see a bearded Obi-Wan and looking more Jedi then ever.  You can see the same Brash Jedi in Anakin and Obi-Wan tries to hold him at bay.  There is not much he can do, because Anakin is very powerful, but he wants to be mature but he is not.  Obi-Wan shows wit and charm at the right times and his sarcasm is top notch.  After Anakin loses his lightsaber in the chase of Padme's assassin Obi-Wan says "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?"
Anakin smiles and responds "Don't say that, master. You're the closest thing I have to a father."

In Revenge of the Sith, that opening sequence space battle over Corcuscant is one of my favorites. It really shows that Anakin are brothers in the Force and are completely in sync with one another as they fly over the battlefield.  Again, Obi-Wan's wit shows through after they rescue and crash land General Greivous ship after "Another happy landing."

One of my favorite scenes in ROTS is when everything is on a downward spiral and Obi-Wan is reaching out to Padme to find Anakin. Kenobi: He was decieved by a lie... we all were. It appears that the Chancellor is behind everything, including the war! After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice.
Padmé: I don't believe you. I can't...
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Padmé, I must find him.
Padmé: You're going to kill him, aren't you?
Obi-Wan Kenobi: He has become a very great threat.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Anakin is the father, isn't he?
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I'm so sorry.

Obi-Wan shows how much love and care he has for the both of them and it doesn't take a Jedi Master to understand there is something more going on between Anakin and the Senator from Naboo.

Like the opening sequence, the end you get this huge lightsaber fight with Anakin and Obi-Wan.  You can tell they are equals and that they did this 1000 times as Master and Apprentice but now it is much more at stake, Jedi vs Sith. At the end, Kenobi: You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness.
Anakin Skywalker:  I hate you.
Obi-Wan: You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you.

Obi-Wan shows his hand. Even though Jedi are not supposed to have attachment...he knows Anakin has it with Padme and he is showing that he also has this attachment with Anakin and it is a little bit more then just Master and Apprentice. 

And this is the point, this is where the Prequels saved Obi-Wan for me.  I can not imagine the pain and torment that Obi-Wan had to go through as he replayed that fight and all the things he could have done when Anakin was under his direction as a pupil.  It would have drove many people mad.  You still see this tenderness in him as he interacts with Luke, but you also get this sense of him holding back.  As I rewatch, the Original Trilogy I like Obi-Wan a lot more and the sting of his words don't hurt as much as they did in the past.

It is cliche, but it is so true never judge a person until you walk in their shoes. Sometimes you need a little more perspective before you pass judgment on someone.  I am sorry Obi-Wan that I doubted a truly wise and powerful Jedi Master. 

Next week, I will tackle is the Force good and evil?

The Force Awakens

To say I am excited about The Force Awakens (TFA) is an understatement. Now it is not '83 to '99 but it is '05 to '15. After Revenge of the Sith (ROTS) came out, the Prequels were done and as a Star Wars fan that movie drug was gone and there were rumors of a live action TV show and maybe a cartoons or summing but that was it. 

It all looked bleak, but in August 2008, we got a Clone Wars movie.  It was basically a couple episodes put to together to form a movie and soon thereafter the Clone Wars (Oct 08) was an amazing, wonderful ride between Attack of the Clones (AOTC) and ROTS. Ok, Clone Wars gets cancelled and the last episode leaves you like The Empire Strikes Back  (TESB) and there is so many questions.  Again it just shows the division in the Jedi Order and how Anakin and Ashoka's relationship perfectly and eloquently reflects this division. It came to faithful end in March 2013 it ended ...Lost Missions in Feb 2014...yes sir.  Tells more about Order 66 and how a Clone almost found out the truth.

But back up jusy a smidge, on Oct 30th, 2012 Disney buys Lucas Films for like 4 billion and that day they announce new movies and the Star Wars Universe just explodes. What more movies? Taking a page out of the Marvel book and having a Trilogy and stand alone films.  Fan Boys weep for joy.

In January 2013, J. J. Abrams was announced as the director of Star Wars Episode VII and I think this is where I lost my mind.  I really like what he just did with Star Trek and Super 8 is in Top 10 films of all time.  Trouble in paradise? Script writter Arndt left from the project on October 24, 2013, and Lawarence Kasdan and Abrams take over script duties. Change in vision?? 

On April 29, 2014, - this photo literally broke the internet.

Pretty much the same crew that brought you the Clone Wars is bringing you Star Wars Rebels which launched in September 2014.

On November 6, 2014, the title of the film was announced as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  This title couldn't be more perfect.  Encaspulates, the essence of Star Wars fandom...it was dormant now it is 

So second-unit filming began in April with principal photography taking place May through November and the date will be December 18th, 2015 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D.

There is a lot more I can write about the trailers and everything else, but Let's get to the movie.

***Spoilers*** Instead of coming up with this elaborate story and how I think it plays out.  This is again mostly what I think is going to happen and combining on what "internet" says....before I get there, my number one fan boy request is have Boba Fett in the movie.  I know they are making an anthology film on Han Solo so I really hope he is in that but I desperately want to see him in December.

Okay last chance...***spoilers***

Poe Dameron - Oscar Isaac said he is a hot shot pilot.  He is our Wedge for this new series with a touch of Han Solo swagger thrown in there.  I could definitely see a love interest to Rey.  Also, helps out Finn early on to escape 1st Order.

Rey - There is a reason that we don't know her last name.  I believe she is the daughter of Han and Leia and she is also Force Sensitive and be the one to hand the lightsaber to Luke.

Finn - Although we see now Finn holding a lightsaber, this is not a Han Solo thing.  I truly believe he is part of the Awakening and learns that he is not the 1st Order type and he helps Poe to escape.
Han Solo - I believe this is a Han Solo movie and that he is main dude of the movie.  I also think he doesn't make it out of this movie and show him die on screen. Harrison Ford wanted to kill him off in ROTJ so I think he gets his wish this time.
Luke Skywalker - I don't think you see Luke to the end of the film.  I think he is at a demi-God state and he is ridiculously powerful.  He understands what is at stake and pulled a Master Yoda not otherwise intervene and went somewhat in hiding.
Princess Leia - I think she is the leader of the Resistance and her and Han are estranged. I don't want that but could explain why Rey doesn't really know Han.
Captain Phasma - Maybe our Boba Fett of this film.  I see her as a very elite stormtrooper but is also very unorthodoxed methods to her.
Kylo Ren - This guy is not full Sith but understands he wants to be.  He is collector and I believe he is the one that is holding Darth Vader's mask in the trailer.  I think he wants this Darth Vader's lightsaber and he believes is the key for the Sith. Also, son of Han and Leia. I believe he is the one that Kills his father, Han.
General Hux - This is a dice role for me.  I really think he is our Grand Moff Tarkin of the movie.
Supreme Leader Snoke - This is the major I have no idea.  I really wanted this to be Darth Bane as the spirit guiding Kylo.  My guess he is as bad as bad can get just like our Supreme Chancellor Palpatine =). 

So there you have it, my predictions for Force Awakens....we will find out soon enough. Now bring on the toys...Force Friday Eve is upon us.  Next week I am going to tackle, why the Prequels saved ObiWan Kenobi.

Wampa Cave

The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and I was 5.  I don't remember A New Hope but I remember sitting in the Theater watching TESB with my neighborhood friend Jamie.  I remember the snow planet, Hoth but there is something absolutely magically about the Wampa Cave that still resonates with me 35 yrs later.

Okay, for those who don't know....our hero,  Luke Skywalker is checking out some meteor activity with his trusty TaunTaun. While they are doing this, the TaunTaun gets startled and boom you see the Abominable Snowman, the Wampa.  Next time you see Luke he is hanging upside down with his feet all iced in and basically stuck in a no win situation.  While the Wampa is chomping on Luke's TaunTaun, Luke immediately realizes he is next on the dinner menu.  Luke quickly checks his surroundings and sees his lightsaber is in the snow a mere few feet away.

At this point, you know without that Luke is a Swanson Hungry Man Frozen dinner waiting to happen.  This is where movie magic happens and completely blew my 5yr old brain....you immediately yell to Luke use the Force!!! He knows the Force so he has to get it!!!  The beauty part of the whole thing is that you never see this happen before but you know it has to be true!! You can just feel it. You know it through the Force.

Let's flash back, to when we first meet Obi-Wan the crazy old hermit from Jundland Wastelands, when he uses his first Jedi trick.  He mimics a Kryat Dragon to startle the pesky Tusken Raiders away from Luke's landspeeder.  Okay,  1st Force power, check.  The next thing we know is a Jedi can handle a lightsaber the Jedi's weapon of choice.  Not really a Force power, but we know Jedi prefer to only carry lazer swords.  The next Jedi trick is probably the most quoted...These are not the Droids you are looking for...the infamous Jedi mind trick. Move along, move along.  As Obi-Wan is quickly breaking down the Force to Luke aboard the Millennium Falcon.  You get the best Han Solo quote in my opinion.  "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." Obi-Wan feels a great disturbance in the Force.  He feels death from the planet, Alderraan.  Next, you learn Jedi can sense things, predict movement doesn't  need sight to do so.  Ok, next thing Obi-Wan does is distract the Stormtroopers with sound so he can get to the Tractor Beam shut down. When Obi-Wan meets Darth and gets slain he disappears in the Force, only leaving his robe. Obi-Wan talks to Luke through the Force and helps him blow up the Death Star.  So that is all the Force powers you know as a Star Wars fan in '77.

Alright fast forward back to the Wampa Cave, there is Luke reaching out to his lightsaber and he just can't get it. This is where the soon to be Jedi does a quick Force meditation and boom lightsaber in hand and quickly there is a one armed Wampa shortly there after. Poor Wampa.  All the Wampa wants is a warm full belly and that Stinky TaunTaun wasn't cutting and now his arm is on the floor.  Well at least it is cauterized.

But what happens in the Wampa Cave does not end there.  Okay, Luke meets the lil old dude, Yoda.  Yoda goes all Insanity Training on him and you know Luke is putting his all into it and sweating and it is hot and sticky.  Lets face it, Dagobah is not your destination wedding kinda of place.  Luke is doing all this fun, hard stuff like a hand stand with Yoda on his leg. Lifting some rocks and he takes on the bucket of bolts, R2.  Dude, in Luke's humble opinion he is rocking it and is in a total Zen Jedi state.  Boom, vision of the future, Cloud City friends in danger and oh yeah still doing this hand stand thingy and totally bails Yoda and R2. 

Luke has to jet out of here to save his friends.  So time to get the Xwing out of the swamp.  Luke - "All right, I will give it a try."  Yoda - "No, try not. Do or Do Not. There is no try." Luke tries to lift the Xwing and Yoda is all like yeah home boy get it and then nope and the Xwing is all sinking like the Titanic into the Dagobah swamp.  So Luke does his typical, Toshi Station whine and he goes moping in his lil pity party for one.  Yoda does his best Jedi Master and picks it up and plops it right on solid ground.  Luke is like what? What?  I have been working away and this lil green dude. Lifts it up like a piece of paper.  Luke - "I don't, I don't believe it." Yoda - "That is why you fail."

Luke is clearly going into a trap in Cloud City, but he is only one that doesn't know it. Vader's plan is simple capture his friends, lure Luke to the Carbonite Freezing Chamber on Cloud City put him on ice and bring him to the Emperor for some Sith training.

So Luke comes face to face with the Evil Darth Vader, Luke knows three things at this point: you killed my Dad, you killed my homie hermit, Obi-Wan and you are a Master of the Dark Side.  Luke escapes Vader's trap and Vader is talking to Luke and trying to get in his head and trying to keep Luke's off his game of course in typical in Sith and bad guy fashion.  The lightsaber battle is brief and Luke actually surprises Vader.   You get a feeling at this point that Darth Vader is holding back as he was with Obi-Wan back in A New Hope.  Luke who is our New Hope just simply meets his match.

This is where the Wampa Cave comes full circle.  As audience, we are ecstatic that Luke was able to grab the lightsaber in the snow, balance himself some Jedi Master and see a true Jedi raise a spaceship out of the swampy water.  Luke and Vader exchange some lightsaber action and then Vader just simple turns it on.  He starts moving objects all over the place and Vader isn't using his hand and waving it around like some Jedi.  (ed. - love me some Watto) He is Sith and a master of the Force and quickly realize this not going well for Luke and Darth Vader just broke the glass ceiling and took it to the next level and in that moment you are left speechless just how it started in the Wampa Cave.

Next week, in preparation for Force Friday I am going to make my early predictions of The Force Awakens... spoilers according to me ;).

Why Qui-Gon Jinn is the most powerful Jedi

We are 120 days away from a new movie and I am ready to flex my Geek muscle to gear up for the new flick.  I hope to bring up engaging topics about the Star Wars universe and fun little discussions.

So I am going for a big one right away,  why I believe Qui-Gon Jinn is the most powerful and influential Jedi ever.

The Prequels basically establish that there is a prophecy that there is one Jedi to bring balance to the Force.  During the 6 films, it is established that this is Anakin Skywalker.  Now, he did this in the most unconventional way. He got seduce by the Dark Side. Anakin hunted down all the good Jedi and killed them all. Basically, only through the love of his son broke through the veil of lies and deceit of the Emperor was handing Vader/Anakin.  He took him down so Luke the only living Jedi at that time can reestablish the Jedi Order just like it was before the Rise of the Sith and by the way Qui-Gon called it.

So logically, the choice would be Anakin or Yoda and then maybe Luke or Obi-Wan. So just going off the grid a smidge to say no one has anything over Qui-Gon Jinn.

First, Qui-Gon is a practicing Jedi.  What I mean be that is he was feet on the street kind of Jedi.  As the Jedi Council is in their tower,  Qui-Gon was out on the street.  Although the Jedi Council found him reckless, it was him and his padawan Obi-Wan that were sent as emissaries to help the Republic talk to the Trade Foundation.  Again, he was relatable and was able to discern both sides. Qui-Gon was very much into the Living Force.  He was very aware of what was going on.  When Qui-Gon meets a Sith Lord, Darth Maul and relates that information to the Jedi Council, you very much get a sense that they think Qui-Gon is lying.  The Jedi were not out there at least a lot of the masters were not which causes them to loose site of the outside world.  Yoda recognizes this way to late.  It was only after Supreme Chancellor Palpatine shows his true self. "Finally, he saw the truth. This truth: that he, the avatar of light, Supreme Master of the Jedi Order, the fiercest, most implacable, most devastatingly powerful foe the darkness have ever known...just---didn't---have it. He never had it. He had lost before he started. He had lost before he was born. The Sith has changed.  The Sith had grown, had adapted, had invested a thousand years' intensive study into every aspect of not only the Force but Jedi lore itself, in preparation for exactly this day. The Sith had remade themselves. They had become new.  While the Jedi---The Jedi had spent the same millennium training to re fight the last war." (ROTS by Matthew Stover p 396). You see this manifest on screen when Bail Organo rescues him in the speeder.  You see the sense of lost in Yoda's face and slight shake of he head.  I say all this to establish that Qui-Gon is much more in tune with the people/society around him and ever pressing danger that was the Sith.

Second, Qui-Gon showed great humility.  This is clear when he literally runs into Jar Jar Binks (ed. - Lucas just stated that Goofy was his inspiration for Jar-Jar).  I will save all my Jar Jar ranting for another time.  It was Qui-Gon who knew that a local could be a great guide. Qui-Gon showed immense patience like that of a parent to see through Jar Jar's childish ways and help them on their quest.  Through this, Queen Amidala meets a Gungan for the very 1st time and help establish a treaty with the Gungans to take back Naboo from the Trade Federation.  She is on the planet her whole life and takes a Jedi to bring two native people together.  Yoda learned this from Qui-Gon.  Let's be honest Episode 1 Yoda is a prick.  The way he interacts with young Anakin is not very cool and Jedi like.  By Attack of the Clones, he is a much softer Yoda and as he teaches his Bear Clan and helps Obi-Wan find his missing planet, Kamino.  He states "Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is".  Yoda then passes this onto Luke.  Luke fails miserably.  Yoda poses as a disfunctional hermit/guide.  Luke does not see it and it is only through Luke's impatience,  Yoda reveals his true self.  Luke learns from this and applies it in Return of the Jedi.  Luke and crew meet the Ewoks the local people on Endor's Moon when Chewie wants a tasty afternoon snack.  Solo wanted to blast the Ewoks but Luke told Han to hold off.  Luke is not the aggressor here and let's it unfold.  With that, these lil fur balls help the Rebels take down the Empire. The Sith always see a means to end.  Sith would enslave the local people and dominate them for help with resource gathering. This is not the Jedi way and Luke saw the potential of their new ally which the Emperor doesn't forsee and leads to the ultimate destruction of the Empire as we know it. It goes back to the golden rule that Jesus Christ taught in Luke 6:31 - "Do to others as you would want them to do to you."

Finally,  there is the Journey of the Whills. Qui-Gon is the first Jedi to maintain himself in the Force.  We first see this in A New Hope and Obi-Wan just disappears before Darth Vader does the killing blow. "You can't win Darth.  If you strike me down, I will become even more powerful than you can imagine." Obi-Wan is not only telling Darth Vader this but also the viewing audience that something strange and big is going to happen.  Although, Vader does seem shocked.  It seems like a common Jedi thing to do.  Qui-Gon is the first to do it.  One of my favorite scenes in Revenge of the Sith is when Emperor Palpatine seduces Anakin to the dark side.  At the Opera House, Palaptine starts off with "'Anakin ---are you familiar with The Tragedy Darth Plagueis the Wise?'" (ROTS by Matthew Stover, p226). Palpatine drops the bait '"Its a Sith legend, of a Dark Lord who had turned his sight inward so deeply that he had come to comprehend, and master, life itself. And---because the two are one, whwn seen clearly engough---death itself."' (ROTS by Matthew Stover, p227).  What is not clear in the movie but fleshed out in the novel is that Anakin keeps on having visions of Padme screaming on the birthing table and dying.  This nightmare is ultimately what drives Anakin to find an alternate route.  Really, it is Fear of the unknown that drives Anakin towards the Dark Side.  This is the ironic part...when Anakin takes out Mace Windu. The Emperor gives Anakin his Sith name....Darth Vade. The Emperor states Anakin "I want your power. I want the power to stop death" Emporer "That power only my Master truly achieved, but together we will find it. The Force is strong with you, my boy. You can do anything" (ROTS by Matthew Stover p 339).  So he didn't even know how to do this and yet it was the brash Jedi, Qui-Gon that lead the way.  Of course, in the Clone Wars Cartoon Series we found out that Qui-Gon visits both Anakin and Obi-Wan on the planet Mortis (Ed. - must watch, Mortis Trilogy!).

Think about it...There would be no blowing up the Death Star without Obi-Wan encouraging words to Luke. There would be no direction to seek out the only other living Jedi, Yoda.

The first time you see this happen is when Anakin attacks the Tusken Raider camp.  Qui-Gon through the Force as Yoda is mediating and Yoda hears Qui-Gon's voice and warning to Anakin.  There is this wonderful exchange between Qui-Gon and Yoda that is "off camera" in the movie.  "Even after nearly nine hundred years, the road to self knowledge was rugged enough to leave him bruised and bleeding. He spoke softly, but not to himself. Though no one was with him, he was not alone. "My failure, this was. Failed the Jedi, I did." He spoke to the Force.  And the Force answered him. Do not blame yourself, my old friend. As it sometimes had these past thirteen years, when the Force spoke to him, it spoke in the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn. (ROTS by Matthew Stover p 409).  Qui-Gon goes on to explain the one thing Anakin wanted the one the most powerful Sith Lord chased and the very wise Master of the Force, Yoda didn't even know..."With my help, you can learn to join with the Force, yet retain consciousness. You can join your light to it forever. Perhaps, in time, even your physical self.  Yoda didn't move. "Eternal life..." The ultimate goal of the Sith, yet they can never achieve it; it comes only by the release of self, not the exaltation of self. It comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness.  "Become one with the Force, yet influence still to have..." Yoda mused. " A power greater than all, it is." (ROTS by Matthew Stover p 409)

So there you have it. These are my reasons why I feel Qui-Gon Jinn is the most powerful Jedi.  I hope you enjoyed.  Next week, I will be talking about the Wampa Cave.

Peace!

Yea, that's my girl!!

It goes without saying as we celebrate Mother's Day that mom's are the glue that hold the family together.  The mom has many roles to do to keep the household running as fine tuned machine.  Although, we take 1 day out of the year to celebrate it is important to recognize more often the other 364 days out of the year.

Mother's Day also reminds me of what a special and unique wife I have in Jennifer.  Jen and I have really just get each other and more so then ever truly appreciate each other completely.  Every once awhile, you have this moment that is just special and God reminds you very clearly that you are meant for each other.

About a month ago, Furrr and I were out shopping and I asked after the various stores to stop at if we can stop at the hobby store.  I haven't been to a hobby store in year or so, but I was getting the itch to get back into it.  Of course, when I asked her this was a calculated move on my part.  I have been researching a r/c car for a while on the internet, but I just wanted to check it out in person. Now Furrr in the past would wait in the car, but this time she came in with me. We walked in the hobby store, check everything out and I made one pass on the shelf and they didn't have the one I was looking for.  I scanned again on more time, just to make sure and there it was in a top right hand corner.  I asked the dude behind the counter if I could see it.  Of course, the one I want is a RTR (Ready to Run) and it was mini, 1/14th scale and comes in this nice little box, so you can see the car and all the fun features it has on the back.  I take a moment to take a look at it and then I hand the box back to the guy, and say "thanks man, I appreciate it".  Then I proceed to walk away...

Then there was this voice "What, aren't you going to get it?".  At first, I thought this was my subconscious speaking, but as I turn, it is my wife.  I was baffled, was I dreaming? Now, there are several other dudes, milling around there business and I pretty much sure, everyone to stopped dead in their tracks and watched this conversation unfold in front of them.  I responded "Are you sure? I really don't have to get it".  Jen responded "It is obviously something you have been looking into so get it"....the weird thing I never even told her I looked on the internet to research the car.  So I turned back to the dude behind the counter, "Well I guess I am getting now!" With smile beaming from my face.   I was in shock, really and it was awesome moment.  I kinda zoned out.  But the other guys around me were baffled too, and were like can you talk to my wife or girlfriend.  It was super funny and flattering at the same time.

There is more to this story, which even makes it more cooler.  My wife went back to the hobby store about 3 weeks later and got me this LiPo battery, basically makes the car more power which make the car go faster, she heard me talking to the guys at the hobby store when we purchased it.  So she went on her own to surprise me, well I apparently Jen was the talk of the hobby store and grew of legends. There were 3 employees there and 2 of them were there when we were there the first time.  And the basically, dude, this is the girl I was talking about, let his husband by the car on the spot.  The employee that wasn't there said to Jen, well it was his first car, right?  And she is like no, I am pretty sure he has like 5 or 6, and there were like ooooh man, that is crazy.

When I got home, that night, Furrr surprised me again with the LiPo battery and charger and was blown away again.  She then told me the story.  God reminded me again, how special of a women, that I have in my life a person who is my best friend and even though she might not get all the stuff I am into, she makes an effort to let me have fun and dream a little bit.

Happy Mother's Day, Jennifer!!!! I love you so much!!!

And so it begins...

Jen gave me this cool journal for Valentines Day.  I know  you are going to ask well dude, it is like end of March.  Yea, well there was stipulation that Jen needed to write in it first, before I write in it.  She finally got around to it.  It was super sweet note and I am so grateful for Jen and her kind words as well as such a cool present.  So back to the journal, it has this soft leather cover which reminds me of the Indiana Jones journal.  I was like dude, I can write all these cool maps and go on these little adventures.  

I always wanted to do a journal.  The funny thing is that you need a journal to do that. So this is a good start….there is this amazing quote in Lord of the Rings – Two Towers from Theoden – “So it begins”… It really states it all for this journal.   Where Theoden was talking about the end of Middle Earth, this is just the beginning.  The same quote is said in one of my favorite anime movies, Vampire Hunter D.  Right before, D goes kill all the baddies, there is slight pause before all the chaos, there is this moment of serenity.

Through life's chaos, I hope to center myself and have that peace by journaling.  I am hoping to do something bold, something new and unique.  I am trying to blog more and trying to write more cause I have a passion for it, but I think like everything else in life, that stupid time thing gets in the way.   I love that my sister Joy, started to blog and I am hoping to pick up my slack a little as well.  Now I got this cool Indiana Jones journal...queue theIndiana Jones theme music….time to go onto an adventure.

Joy to the World

It started out like any vacation going to the East Coast to visit my Mom’s family, except my Parents decided to drop a bombshell to my sister Kim and myself.  My Mom was pregnant.  I reacted like Luke Skywalker in TESB ….”Nooooooooo, that is not true, that is not possible”.   And of course adding, okay that is gross.  It crushed my 13 yrd old brain.  I already hard enough time with one my sister Kim, now I have to deal with another sibling.  Don’t get me wrong Kim and I got along great, well we had our moments.  I might have practiced my Ultimate Warrior gorilla press from time to time on her. But I digress, my Mom was pregnant and we were going to have another Hoffman in the mix.

Fast forward a couple months, I got a new room out of the deal (sweet) and moved me downstairs to planet Hoth.  Yea, it was always cold downstairs, summer, winter it didn’t matter.  This was really happening, I going to have a new baby sister.   The day finally came and my Mom woke me up and said going to have a baby, now granted my Mom has also woke me up from deep slumber and said your sister Kim is dying come up stairs….that is a whole another story, but Kim just had trouble breathing.  In a couple hours, I was going to be a big bro.

On March 10, 1990, Joy Lynn Hoffman was born.  I was exactly 14 ½ years old and it was life changer.  It really brought our family together and it was a whole new world for everyone.  The selfish teenager was like this going to cramp my style, lets just say right off the bat I didn’t have any style, but in my head I did. 

Babysitting duties entailed and an almost every time I watched Joy she would always give me a surprise…thus the nickname “Stinky” was developed.  I called her Stink for quite sometime.   Granted, now I days I try not embarrass her to much, but hey that was what Big Bros are for.

I have always, always been a big kid at heart, but Joy let me be a kid again.  Whether it was going to see the latest Disney movie or playing with Polly Pockets but I drew the line at N’Sync, Kim and Dad had to handle that one J.

I think because I was older, I can remember more.  I remember a lil bit with Kim growing up, mostly our completely dorkiness, but with Joy I remember quite a bit.  One of my favorite Joy’s story is one day my best buddy Jake and I were watching TV, just chilling downstairs and Joy is like 3 or 4yrs old playing with her toys.  Her toys were having a very intense conversation and she finally said  “Simba (from Disney Lion King),  you really piss me off”.  I just look at Jake and I am like, yep I am going to hear about this one later.

They said kids are sponges and Joy is no exception, the big brother was rubbing off on her.  I think that is why today she is one of the coolest people I know. 

When I met Jen and things were progressing, I was really worried about Joy and wondering if she will get along with Jen.  It has been great blessing seeing Jen and Joy bond and as I grew to love Jen.  It has equally enjoyable seeing Joy also developed a relationship with Jordan.  Jordan was the younger brother Joy never had.  It was fun watching them grow up together.  Now she has full reign to pick on Jordan like no other Aunt can.

14 ½ years is a big gap between siblings and some might say that Joy was a oops.  I beg to differ, my parents picked a perfect name for my sister, Joy.  She is a true joy.  She has the most sweetest spirit and very, very tender heart.  There are many, many other stories I can share about Joy, but maybe I will save that for another time.

I just wanted to say Happy 22^nd Birthday Joy!!!!!!! I love you so much!!!!!!!!