Month: May 2010

Leave a comment Posted on Recaps, Uncategorized

LOST Recap: Season 6, Episode 14- “The Candidate”

 

What’s sadder than sad?  Having Korean couple Jin and Sun be separated for three whole years (by different continents and different decades) only to be reunited for a few hours before meeting their fate in a leaky submarine.  Knowing that their daughter, Ji-Yeon, will be an orphan, and that Jin never even met her.  He only saw a few pictures of her.

Hurley has always been one of my favorites.  For me, one of his best moments was when he wailed after learning about Jin and Sun.  Devastatingly tragic.

And while none of us would have chosen for the Kwon’s to meet their Maker at such a young age, never getting to raise their child together, this happening only reminds us of one of the many reasons we love LOST so much.  Despite its saturation in sci-fi, the show reminds us a lot of real life.

In real life, good people die young everyday.  People who were just getting started and just getting things figured out.  For the past six years, the stories of Jin and Sun have been nothing but tragic.  They never, as a couple, seem to catch a break.

However, despite such a great loss of characters, admittedly, Jin and Sun’s slow death was one of the most romantic and sincere ways to die.  After losing her for so long, Jin would rather die with his wife rather than live the rest of his life without her.  He sacrificed his life to spend Sun’s last moments with her.  Which became his last moments as well.  And in doing so, Jin also sacrificed his life for Sawyer, when Jin refused Jack’s help.

Speaking of sacrificing, the often Jesus-reminiscent Sayid gave his life for everyone on the sub.  I don’t know what exactly his deal was.  Was he actually Sayid?  Mostly Sayid?  Fading Sayid?  No matter what, the real Sayid was in there somewhere and as the island’s true protector, he died so that the others would have a chance of living.  Goodbye Zombie Sayid.  And thank you.

So what does this all mean for the remaining three episodes of LOST?

As I mentioned last week, the whole reason Jin and Sun had to come to the island was to have a baby, which could have only happened on the island, but the baby could have only been born off the island.  And once little Ji-Yeon was born, ultimately, the island no longer need Jin or Sun.

Mark my word (or calculated prediction), by the final episode on May 23rd, we will learn that Ji-Yeon Kwon (Jin and Sun’s daughter), will have a major role with the continuity of the island.  And finally, we will all see what happens in the year 2010, since LOST has refused to show us what happens past 2009, even in any flash-forward.

The name of the episode was “The Candidate”.  Moments before his rush to death, Sayid told Jack, “It’s going to be you.”  In other words, Jack is the candidate to become the new Jacob.  Which I’m sure will happen.  And once Ji-Yeon grows up, she will eventually replace Jack.

I can’t predict any other deaths.  The island was finished with the Kwon’s, and they died.  The island is done with Kate, and despite being shot, she’s still alive.  But I do believe Jack will survive to serve his purpose of being the new Jacob.  Jack can’t die anytime soon.

Below, I am posting links to think last couple of LOST recaps I have done in case you missed them.  Note that I still did new LOST post last week (“The Kwon Kid”), though last week was a rerun:

LOST Recap: Season 6- The Kwon Kid

LOST Recap: Season 6, Episode 12- “The Last Recruit”

LOST Recap: Season 6, Episode 11- “Everybody Loves Hugo”

2 Comments Posted on People, Uncategorized

dad from day one: Baby Bean’s Heartbeat

Twelve weeks.

We have a new doctor.  Actually, a group of them: Midwife nurses (http://www.vanderbiltnursemidwives.org/).  Things are the exact opposite as they were at the other place.  It’s so important to know that the people taking care of us actually care about us. Friendly, informative, patient people there to help us.  Last week for our visit, we got to hear the heartbeat for the fist time, thanks to a Doppler device.

Whoot-whoot.  Whoot-whoot. Like listening to the sound effects of an Atari game played in a submarine.  A bit eerie, a bit awesome.

Our baby’s heartbeat is 150.  Supposedly, that’s typically the speed of a female heartbeat.

In addition to trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I am responsible for causing another human’s heart to beat, creating physical life, I am also fathoming the thought that I am responsible for causing a soul to exist as well.

It’s just a theory, and not even an important theological one at that, but I believe that the soul is passed on through the man, not the woman.  Jesus’s father was the Holy Spirit, not Joseph.  While his mother Mary was completely human.  And Jesus didn’t have a sin nature like his half-brothers and sisters born after him.

I take a certain verse quite literally, Romans 5:12, that says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”.

Humankind wasn’t cursed when Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit.  It wasn’t until she offered it to Adam and he ate it that God kicked them out of Paradise, took away their eternal life, caused women to have labor pains, and forced men to have to work hard for their food.

From that point on, the human soul (complete with a natural tendency to do wrong) has been passed on through all generations through the man, with the exception of Jesus who was fathered by the Holy Spirit.

So if that theory is indeed correct (and no one in this lifetime can know for sure), then I accept the gravity of it, as best as I physically can: Another human being with an eternal, spiritual soul, will take its first breath this coming November because of me.  (Of course, Lord willing.)

The word “legacy” is an understatement here.

All pictures with the “JHP” logo were taken by Joe Hendricks Photography:

Blog- www.photojoeblog.com

Website- www.joehendricks.com

Leave a comment Posted on People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Let’s Go to Kentucky

Why, Kentucky, why?

 When my wife and I spend money on ourselves other than for basic needs, it’s pretty much on one thing.  Not cable, not Internet, not sports events, not fancy clothes, not electronics.  What’s left?  Trips.  And what determines where we go?  B&B’s.  Bed and Breakfast’s.

A near cliché phrase is “life is a journey, not a destination”.  And that’s the basic concept of why we go to B&B’s.  Though we love going to Louisville for an easy weekend trip, we knew the Kentucky Derby would be going on, so thanks to some Internet research, my wife found a B&B in a place called Burnside, KY.

The only reason I recognized the name of the town was because I knew that sideburns derived from General Ambrose Burnside, a Scottish-American who had some of the worst sideburns in the history of the world.  And Burnside, KY was named after the man.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Burnside

We were asked, “But what’s in Burnside, KY?  What’s there to do or see there?”

Our answer: “The B&B.”  That is THE reason.

I have written before about how some go on vacations or mini-vacations to be busy somewhere surrounded by other people, and the rest of us go off somewhere to be left alone, enjoying the quiet and peace (The Opposite of a Beach Bum).  The whole point of going to a B&B is because there is indeed, for the most part, nothing to do.

Of course I did a Wikipedia search on Burnside, KY before we left (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnside,_Kentucky).  I ended up finding out that right outside of Burnside, in Stearns, there is a 3 hour passenger train ride.  So that ending up being our only adventurous activity.

And for only $18 per person, we didn’t have our standards set as high as the Monorail at Epcot Center.  Instead, it reminded me more of the kind of train ride a person would expect that takes them through a zoo.  A cross between trolley bus and a boat designed for the chute ride at a local amusement park.

Halfway through the 16 mile train ride, we were dropped off for a while at an extinct coal mining town.  We sort of hiked and explored the area, in the pouring rain, for a while.  Checked out the hilarious gift shop.  And passed on getting chili dogs at the concession stand.  Like a standard weird dream.

Back at the Bed and Breakfast (http://eaglesviewbnb.com/breakfast.htm), as it continued to pour and flood outside, we took advantage of the cozy Gatlinburg-esque cabin and cable TV, which to us, was a luxury.  Especially while watching House Hunters on HDTV and Dogs 101 on Animal Planet.

Demographically, most B&B connoisseurs are over the age of 50.  We realize that being under the age of 30 means that we must be middle-aged at heart.  Even our honeymoon two years ago was a series of B&B’s from Maine to Connecticut.  But for us, this is the best way we can spend money on ourselves. Because the way we see it, nothing lasts longer than good memories.

And even though our memories will eventually begin to fade, that’s why we take plenty of pictures.

This picture has been made anatomically correct, made noticeable when examined closely.

A bridge going over the river that the train travelled along side, and that our B&B overlooked.

I’m gonna throw a hissy fit if I don’t get one of these…

Gettin’ lucky in Kentucky.

I don’t care how much this costs, I’m buying it! Nothing could possibly go wrong…

Hey, how did that bird dress shirt I gave to Grandma end up in this gift shop?

1 Comment Posted on People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

The Nashville Flood of 2010

As my wife and I drove back to Nashville from a B&B in Burnside, KY on Sunday afternoon, we began receiving texts and calls from friends warning us to stop wherever we were and stay in a hotel for the night.  All three of the major interstates going through Nashville were closed (I-24, I-40, I-65) and that most exits were shut down as well.  Nashville was undergoing a flood.

So we took the next exit, which was White House, TN, not far from the Kentucky border.  Churches had all cancelled.  School the next day was cancelled.  Houses were being destroyed.  People were drowning.

And we had no way to even get to our own house.  So in our room in the Holiday Inn Express, we watched the local news try to sort out what was going on.  The Opryland Hotel, which was scheduled to have a huge conference this week, not only had to cancel all its festivities, but also send away all his guests.

Thank God, our house went untouched by the flood, though just a few miles away, the town center was underwater.  One of the most memorable events we watched was when the local news covered the flood from their helicopter.  As they were filming the parking lot of the Opry Mills mall, which for all practical purposes had became a lake, the cameraman spotted a minivan with two people on top of it.

The water was up to the top of the windows.  They appeared to be a middle-aged Korean couple.  The husband was standing up, waving a red shirt up at the helicopter as his wife remained lying down, appearing to be exhausted from trying to remain on top of the minivan all night in the pouring rain.

About a quarter of a mile away, there were two men driving a motorboat.  As everyone watching from home had hoped, eventually the men in the boat rescued the stranded couple.

When we first saw the man on the van, he was wearing no pants- just his underwear and a shirt.  But by the time the boat got closer, he slipped his pants back on.  My guess is that his rain-soaked pants were keeping him cold, so he just took them off until he realized he was actually being rescued.

Based on their interactions, it appeared the couple didn’t speak much English.  I would love to know the whole story.  That had to be one horrible night for them.

Though we were able to make it back to our house safely on Monday since most roads have reopened, unfortunately, so far around 18 deaths have been confirmed.  And there are countless people who lost their homes and did not have flood insurance, being that Nashville is a low-risk area for floods.

Here is an article telling more about the Nashville Flood of 2010:

http://www.startribune.com/nation/92657684.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

And one more thing… Now that you’ve read my take on this, why not read my perspective on being a dad?  That’s right- parenting from a dad’s point of view.  I have been documenting my thoughts as a dad since the week we found out my wife was pregnant.  I formally invite you now to read my “dad blog” by clicking on the link below:

dad from day one