It's a Wonderful Life

I'd been drinking all day Saturday and need to rest.
It was a family day out and I sent them home early and stayed out till the wee hours.
I needed some help.

So, what's the only thing to do when you are feeling low and want to rejuvenate the mind (I'm too old and weary to worry about the body anymore).

We tucked Mia up in bed, crashed on the sofa and watched It's A Wonderful Life with a box of choccies. How good is that film? Every time I watch it, it amazes me. I see so many things in that film that modern day filmakers rarely get close to. How good does it make you feel when you hear those bells tingling at the end with George Bailey stood next to the Xmas tree with children in arms, adoring wife at his side and all his friends coming to his rescue. From his depths of despair to a feeling of such warmth, this film captures the real character of human beings in such an original manner. Imagine being the type of person that would make your friends react to you that way. 'No man is a failure if he has friends' - it always sends a tingly feeling down my spine, and is probably my favourite film.

I'm a pretty lucky guy overall. (I don't mean I'm pretty and lucky - I mean pretty lucky.) I have a gorgeous lady who's stayed with me for 17 years, a lovely house we have built into a home, a strong family around us both, and then Mia came along and made it complete. I often sit back and wonder how things would have been had I not done certain things in my life. It fascinates me to think of how fragile everything really is, when a alternative decision or turning another corner could have made things so different. Or, maybe it wouldn't. Maybe this would have happened whatever paths I chose in life. Maybe our destiny is just this, whatever path we took to get here.

Anyway, for the record, my next set of favourite films:

Cinema Paradiso. What a film. Nearly as moving as the above. Where this film is better is the music.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - classic Jack Nicholson. Not really a big fan of him, but love this film.
Alien. Big difference, but I do love a good Sci-Fi film, and this is a good one.
Wings Of Desire. A film that still has me thinking about it, 12 years after I first saw it.
Jean de Florrette / Manon Des Source. Was a big Gerard fan when younger, and these two are visually superb as well as a wonderful story perfectly acted.

I could add many more to the list - but these get watched and watched and watched and are kept on a shelf well out of Mia's reach!

On a more poker realted subject, hit the tables for an hour this morning and made back my 30$ loss from yesteday, plus another 20$ so am off to invest this in a few SNG's - may even try Little Acorn Man's idea and see if I can win a 50$ SNG ticket at Poker Room. Then I'll need to polish off my presentation for my interview tomorrow.

Maybe I'll need a bit of George Bailey's charm, maybe it is already decided upon, who knows?