MsHerr

translation: GO BEARS GO! (Navajo)

I’ve be a Chicago Bears fan since I was a little girl. I can’t recount memorable plays, but I remember that when I sat on the couch next to my dad on Sunday afternoons to watch whatever it was he was watching, The Fridge and Payton were on top of their game. Not to mention what little girl didn’t like teddy bears. They’re far more cute and cuddly than any other NFL mascot.

Fast forward to 7, maybe 8, years ago when celebrity and common man alike started rockin’ Urlacher jerseys. I went to college with this man. I remember him steamrollin’ the field at UNM. I remember the occasional passings-by in the sports training facilities or in the company of mutual friends. Don’t mistake this to mean I knew him…I didn’t. But proximity alone meant Urlacher joining the Bears was icing on my cake. I love seeing a fellow Lobo run the field.

And because every good goal has constaints… Yes, I’m a Bears fan. And yes, I’m a football fan. But more than that, I’m a live sports fan. So what better than to watch Chicago play on their home field. I’m not sure I’ve got a timetable for this, but let’s just say bonus points if I can pull it off while Urlacher is still on the roster.

On Thursday, I made another little trip to my local neighborhood Blockbuster to pick up a few more movies. As before, I went without a short list of what to rent, just scoured the shelves for the tell tale Focus Features studio band across the case. I made two selections: Vanity Fair and Talk To Me.

Once home, in order to make it a truly late night, I wasted a bit of time on my various social sites, including browsing 43 Things for goals similar to my 9. I came across moxie, who also wants to see all Focus Features films, only I noticed that her list and my list were very different. Being John Malkovich, for example, is on her list, but not mine.

I’ve been going off Focus Features view all films archive on their own website. But with a little Googling, I came across this Wikipedia article that has many many more than the 30ish listed in the Focus Features archive. Being John Malkovich is on it.

And so it appears, the Focus Features archive is not so comprehensive. But for now, for the sake of this goal, I think I’ll stick to that incomplete list. Maybe if I get down with a part deux goal, I’ll go off the full wiki.

On Monday, July 15th, a very dear friend of 14+ years reported for his second tour of Iraq. He was there for almost 9 months when the war first kicked off in 2004. It was toward the end of his service period, and upon his return, his status change from active duty to inactive reserves. A year ago, he reenlisted for active reserves. A few months ago he got orders to return to Iraq. This time, it’s for a year.

I’m not sure I have the words to articulate our friendship, except that he is one of those very few people I call home. With his deployment, our normal methods of communicating are no more. The best means of keeping in touch is once again the old-school means: handwritten letters. He says he prefers them anyway… they help pass the time.

And because every good goal has constraints… I will write one letter every week that he is deployed. Length, subject and format do not matter, nor that I receive as many letters in return. What matters is that I write. And that I actually mail what I write, which oddly enough, tends to be the less likely of the two.