Friends Are...

Well, I guess people who have certain things in common, but not necessarily everthing in common...

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but one thing is for sure: they enjoy one another's company even if words are few and far in between... it's just being there that counts!

Over the Hedge

Just watched the movie Over the Hedge by Dreamworks, and thought it to be a hilarious but enjoyable piece of animation work. Come to think of it, I've not stepped into the cinema since the Godzilla debut (and that's a long time), though I've watched quite a number of such animation works by Dreamworks, Pixar and Walt Disney on TV.

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It was a reminiscence of the good old days, but I really wondered how the cinematography and picture animation have improved over those years of absence. Apart from the few "rude humor" that contributed to the PG rating, this movie was generally fun to watch. I liked especially Ozzie who played dead whenever he is in a tight spot, and the porcupine triplets were really cute!

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If the movie comes to town, go watch it with your kids. I'm sure they'll enjoy it as much as you do, too.

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(Picture inset: Vernie the turtle, Hammy the squirrel, Stella the skunk, Lou and Penny, the porcupine parents, with their triplets Quillo, Spike and Bucky, and Ozzie the oppossum with his daughter Heather. Missing is one of the main character, RJ, a racoon, who does not belong to the group above, but tried to make use of them to steal a list of grocceries from the suburbia to pay back a bear named Vincent, whose supplies he tried to steal unsuccessfully earlier.)

Humorous Religious Bearing (Literally)

A priest, a Pentecostal preacher and a rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

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One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do a seven-day experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear and preach to it.

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Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the experience. Father O'Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first. "Welll," he says, in a fine Irish brouge, "Ey wint oot into th' wooods to fynd me a bearr. Oond when Ey fund him Ey began to rread to him from the Baltimorre Catechism. Welll, thet bearr wanted naught to do wi' me und begun to slap me aboot. So I quick grrabbed me holy water and, THE SAINTS BE PRAISED, he became as gentle as a lamb. The bishop is cooming oot next wik to give him fierst communion und confierrmation."

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Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he proclaimed, "WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle... WE DUNK! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to him from God's HOOOOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. I SAY NO! He wanted NOTHING to do with me. So I took HOOOLD of him and we began to rassle. We rassled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we come to a crick. So I quick DUNK him and BAPTIZE his hairy soul. An' jus like you sez, he wuz gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the week in fellowship, feasting on God's HOOOOLY word."

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They both look down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. The rabbi looks up and says, "Oy! You don't know what tough is until you try to circumcise one of those creatures."

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Lessons from Noah's Ark

1. Don't miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
5. Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9. When you're stressed, float awhile.
10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
11. No matter the storm, have faith ... there's always a rainbow waiting.

~Author Unknown