The first rule is: Every fall begins with a turn.

Just last week I was wishing that all the activities I enjoy had movies that were designed to get you excited about them. Foolishly, I forgot that many of them do.

I went to see Warren Miller's Impact Friday night. I'd forgotten about Warren Miller movies. They really just exist to get people excited about the upcoming snow season. And this one did that very well. Watching the pro's do amazing things has that kind of effect, makes me want to be on the mountain.

If you're a skier or snowboarder, and have never seen a Warren Miller film I suggest you go find one. You can find them around on DVD, and netflix even carries a bunch of them.

Then thinking about all this I remembered that two years ago I went to a similar movie for rafters and kayakers. It was the same kind of thing. Bits and pieces of ammazing action edited together with music on top. I suspect some other outdoor activities have the same kinds of things. What's the common theme though.

Right now the parallels I draw between surfing, skiing, and kayaking are that they're all a bit extreme (allowing for movies about people doing insane stunts), outdoors, and have a theme of people challenging nature while working with it. That last line may sound a bit strange - especially if you've never been involved in these sports. The key to it is smart people know they never take on nature, nature will win. In all of these sports the ocean, river and mountain are much stronger and more durable then you. The key is to challenge yourself by stepping into their world, but the way you get out is to work with them, ride their power. Nature sets the course, you just treak it a bit on the way down to be sure you're in one piece when you get there.

Is there another theme I'm looking for? Are there other sports or activities that also have movies like this. I'm really curious about this now, I'm wondering why these activities have movies like this, almost lifestyles around them, while others don't seem to.

Lastly, there was a wonderful quote in Impact:

He told me: If you have enough money to go to college, there's no need to go.

That was totally wicked!

Caution: Very Minor Spoilers

I just saw The Incredibles again. It held up nicely to a second viewing, and will without a doubt be part of my movie collection when it releases on DVD. I also caught a joke this time that I missed last time. It's quite subtle, but I feel a need to talk about it here since it's a Kevin Smith joke:

At the start of the movie there is a young boy trying to tag along with Mr Incredbile. Mr Incredible is trying to remember his name and his first guess is Brodie, before getting it right with Bobby. Later in the movie Bobby is voiced by Jason Lee, who played a character named Brodie is his first real movie, Mallrats

I thought more about the short that runs before the movie, Boundin'. It didn't really hold up as well on a second viewing, and I realize better why I liked it so much. I'm so impressed by Pixar's ability to convey emotion in non-photorealistic characters. When the sheep gets shorn and dropped back into the frame I felt it. I felt real empathy for a computer animated sheep that had been on screen for about 15 seconds total. That takes talent.

My last observation is several times in the movie I completely forgot I was watching animation. The best examples were some of the rocket scenes as the rocket is getting ready to launch. Some of those looked real enough I could have been fooled into thinking they were live action - thankfully they weren't though; this movie would never have worked as well as it did in live action.

And oh yeah, it's still gorgeous.

All it takes is just one wave. Not even that, just one turn. Just a moment that keeps pulling you back to have another moment - and it never ends.

I was talking with a friend tonight about how I used to surf, and really enjoyed it. When I got home I couldn't resist and watched Step Into Liquid again. My friend Guy has noted that Step Into Liquid doesn't really have a point, that it's general thesis is just being stoked on surfing. But since I am stoked on surfing, that's good enough for me.

I was in California two weeks ago and almost brought my surfing gear with me. When I was packing I came up with a bunch of excuses to not bring it, you know: I won't have time, it'd be a pain to pack, the surf probably wouldn't be that good. When I got down there I regretted that decision - even though I was right and didn't really have time. Of course, I would have made time.

I like thinking back to this. It helps me reflect on my priorities. Are the things I do and care about now better for me then the things I used to do and care about? I don't know the answer to that question, but surfing is certainly one of the factors in the equation. My first reaction to thinking about surfing is to try to figure out a way to add it back in. I start thinking about bringing my gear to San Diego when I go down there for Christmas. I start thinking about driving over to the Olympic Pinnensula to be by the ocean and the waves (if you're not familiar with Seattle it may surprise you to know that we aren't really close to the Ocean, it's a solid two hour trip.)

But that's not the right way to deal with this. My life is already very full. I do lots of things, and wouldn't be able to add something like surfing without taking large chunks out. And that's the valuable exercise - thinking about those trade offs. Is surfing more valuable, or better for me, then those other things I'd have to cut out. This is something I struggle with all the time (not just with surfing, but with all the things I do.)

Reflection and prioritization is tough. I wish all my favorite activities had movies like Step Into Liquid that would remind me how great that activity is. It would make some of these comparisons easier.

It also helps that this film is gorgeous.

But the city is in danger!
My evening is in danger!

There's something about watching an excellent movie. If affects my mood, I tend to walk out in tune with where the movie was. This can be tough for heartbreaking, depressing fare - but it's lots of fun for upbeat, high energy stuff.

When I walked out of The Incredibles tonight I felt spectacular. This movie is fantastic. The story itself is fun, clever, and laugh out loud funny in several spots. It's just a well concieved idea.

But the amazing thing is what Pixar does with that story. A family of super-hero's and over the top super-villian island bases complete with stock guards is a playground for the imagination. Normally, logistics limits that imagination in live action but with animation they can do just about whatever they like. There's scene after scene after scene that works in animation that wouldn't even be attemptable in live action.

Pixar also stepped up their visual quality too. If you thought Finding Nemo was pretty and full of rich environments, wait until you see this island. My personal favorite, look at the water.

And of course, every Pixar film leads with an animated short. And as usual, the short was excellent (and got applause and cheers when it was over.) Pixar somehow has figured out how to make consistently great movies. Every one of their films has grossed at least $200 million, and this one will easily break that number as well. I highly recommend this movie.

Jon Stewart: What's the focus?

Ed Helms: Jon, the President is focusing on his agenda for the next four years. One, finishing the war in Iraq. Two, starting the war in three other places, TBD of course. Three, the Supreme Court has got some vacancies to fill, the Constitution still has a few loose ends that need tightening. And I'm not going to say that prayer will be mandatory, but lets just say thine loom and churn best be still on the sabbath goodman. Gonna be a busy four years, Jon.

Jon: Ed, I have to say what you're suggesting for his agenda, they're pretty radical moves. With the country still bitterly divided don't you think Bush is going to have to make some concession at least to the...

Ed: Concessions! Jon, this is a man that lost the popular vote last time and interpretted that as a mandate. This time he won straight up, 51 to 48 percent. To him that's a shut out! You can be sure things are getting done around here Jon.

Ed (Continued): Word of advice, if you want to have gay sex or visit a library this is probably your last night to do those things... Personally, I'll be killing two birds with one stone.

The Daily Show owns.

- I do see the importance of voting, I just don't care this time because it's between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich.

- Don't you see, it's always between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich, those are the only people who suck up enough to make it that far in politics.

South Park started their new season last week. I just got around to watching it last night, and it was spectacular. I didn't know where they were going at first, but they ended up doing some good satire on our current political process.

Now it's election eve, and this has been a tough year for me. Like a lot of people I know, I believe Bush has been nothing short of a disaster. And during most of this campaign I didn't feel so hot about Kerry either. Kerry really pulled it together for me in the debates, and I feel much better about him now. But I've always been very picky about my vote. I try to vote for the candidate that I believe most embodies my positions and cares about fixing the things that I think are broken in our society.

In the past this has led to a lot of votes for third party candidates. I really dislike the two party system. I believe it reduces the level of debate in our country and causes large segments of the population to have no significant representation in their government. I believe that without this representation people get unengaged in the system, causing the low voter turnout we hear so much about as well as some of the wacko's in survivalist camps with lots of guns that we hear about from time to time when something tragic happens.

I have been dedicated to casting votes to candidates out of the mainstream to show my support for these ideas. I understand we have a huge system, and change is slow, but little bits like casting my vote for what I believe in helps. It's that classic third party line: Vote your conscience, not your fears.

This year is different for me. My fears are too large, another Bush term is too much. This makes me angry. I feel like I need to compromise my principles in the voting booth tomorrow because this time it's not the single party with two heads you often hear about, it's not the lesser of two evils, it's absolutely horrible vs at least he'll be better.

Most of the time I can live with either major candidate, which frees me up to vote my hopes instead of my fears. This year the fear is too much, and I can't stand it. I guess until today I really was one of those undecided voters you hear so much about. But no more, I've made my piece with compromising my principles for the greater good, but having to do that makes me that much angrier at Bush.

On a lighter note, I have two tidbits to share.

I was at a Halloween party Saturday night and met a woman who had perhaps my favorite anti-Bush piece of kitsch yet. A wallet that read: If Bush weren't white, he'd be in jail by now.

If you're looking for a good game to play tomorrow at your Election Party I've got one for you. Every time Bush wins a swing state, down a drink! That way by the end of the night you'll either be buzzed and happy if Kerry is winning, or depressed and hammered if we have four more years of this clown (you could of course easily modify if you're a Bush supporter, but I doubt your still reading if you are.) Define "swing state" by how much you feel like drinking.

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