The Difficulty of the Return

By Gene Ritchhart, from this website

Today marks six months since we've been back in the USA after seven years overseas.  We were told when we left in 2007 that it would be harder coming home.  That's proven true, and I can't say we're re-adjusted yet.  We've gone through the initial stages- reuniting with friends and family, finding a home, and getting acclimated to a new job- but we're still not settled.  Since those initial emotions have now worn off, I find it noteworthy that six months in, I find myself enjoying (or missing) the following:

What we enjoy

1. Family & Friends
This was the primary reason we returned, and there have been no regrets here.  We missed several significant milestones in our families while overseas- weddings, births, deaths, etc.- and we're so happy to be back in a place where we can experience the good (and the bad) together.  We're also delighted to reunite with 'old' friends.

2. Space
Though we got used to the European lifestyle of tightly-spaced houses, parking, and storefronts, we've really enjoyed the space here in America.  We have our own yard, and it's wonderful to run around outside without having to go to a park.  We enjoy wide parking spaces, huge stores, and other features indicative of a nation that really has more space than we know what to do with.  It has its downsides, too, but it is a nice change.

3. Sun
I now find rainy and/or cloudy days atypical, and expect sun 90% of the time.  It's easy to get used to that.  In fact, we've been noticeably healthier since we've been home- a fact I attribute largely to the weather.

4. Convenience
The 'short' opening hours of European stores are now a distant memory.  We can now take care of most anything during a much wider range of hours, which is nice.  As an aside, I've also re-learned that it's okay to wear absolutely anything to some of these stores (especially Walmart).

5. Familiarity
It's nice to be in a place where you understand the culture.  In Europe, we got used to being clueless and requiring explanation for many probably-mundane things we witnessed.  You could assume nothing, and had to learn 'how do they do it here?' for even small matters (like how much to tip at restaurants).  Here, we're back where we know (largely) what's going on and why.

What we miss

1. 'Walkable' Towns
Interestingly, this is the number one thing we miss.  Having individual space is nice, certainly (as I state above), but that comes at the cost of a community where we can walk anywhere.  And we really miss being able to walk everywhere- even the children have asked 'can't we walk?' when we tell them we're going out.  America just wasn't built to be 'walkable'- we have space and use it- and only in cities can walkability reasonably be expected.

2. Expat Communities
When overseas, Americans experience the unfamiliar together, and as a result band together and form some good communities.  We help each other and hang out with each other- we're a family away from home.  We miss our friends from overseas, and we miss communities of geographic proximity in general.  In the States, we're finding that everyone has their own community, often based on work, common interests, or family, and 'breaking in' to one has proven difficult- people are already busy, and not necessarily looking out for new folks.  Many more moms work here, meaning it's harder for my wife to arrange play-dates for our children than it was overseas.  I found it telling that, when we hosted a neighborhood block party to get to know the neighbors, about half of them didn't know each other- and they've been neighbors for decades.  Here, our closest friends may be 20 miles away, while we may never speak to those next to us.

3. Castles
You could term this tourism in general, but America has her own share of things to see.  What I mean here is specifically Medieval-type things- Ancient ruins, Victorian cities . . . we really miss the 'oldness' of Europe.  My daughter broke my heart the other day asking if we could visit a castle . . . America is just so young.

4. Pace of Life
The DC corridor is not the most laid-back place in the States, and we really miss the tranquility of the Yorkshire Dales and (before that) the Rhein river valley.  People here are rushed, and that creates an atmosphere of tension and anger that we really don't enjoy.

5. Access to the Foreign
America is so big.  So big.  As we look at things to do in our area and beyond, we're struck by the fact that a few-hour drive will now get us only to adjacent states, where it used to get us a country or more away.  This, again, is just the reality of how big America is.  We got really used to 'foreign' things- new sites and people with different backgrounds/perspectives- and we really miss that.  In fact, as we talk to people here, I find myself drawn to those who look & talk differently from us- who obviously aren't from around here.  I miss that element of life overseas- having different cultures present on the same street.  One good thing about being in the DC corridor is the number of immigrants in the area- so there are places to find this here- it just will take deliberate effort on our part.

Conclusion

The transition home has gone about as I expected it- enjoying some elements while missing parts of our past.  We'll get there, in time.  No place is perfect, and it's foolish to look at only the good stuff of our time overseas.  It was fun, certainly, but had its own share of challenges.  With time and the right attitude, we'll fit in here, too.

Good Will Hunting

Will Hunting is a genius.  A reluctant and reclusive genius, though, due to years of abuse as an orphan, who would rather waste his life fooling around and keeping a healthy [emotional] distance from others.  While working as a janitor for MIT, his brilliance comes to the attention of a professor, who sets him up with psychologist Dr. Maguire (who has problems of his own).  Can Will come to grips with  his past and who he is?  Will he stop keeping people at a distance and live up to his potential?  Or is the past pain too great?

I never saw this 1997 film until today, and I really enjoyed it.  Matt Damon and Robin Williams (Hunting and Maguire, respectively) do an excellent job playing flawed but gifted individuals.  The myriad themes of the movie- calling, potential, responsibility, priorities, love, flaws, and loss- are explored poignantly and well.  The movie gives you a lot to think about, and does a good job doing it.  I see why it's considered a classic.

Rating: A

Emissaries to Malastare (Various)

Set shortly after Star Wars: Episode I, Emissaries to Malastare has several members of the Jedi council mediating a peace settlement on the neutral world of Malastare between the Prince of Lannik and the Red Iaro terrorist organization (who has been vying for the throne of Lannik for years).  Something is amiss, though, and some at the negotiation table aren't who they seem.  Can the Jedi keep the peace?

Regrettably, this was another lackluster Star Wars story.  The best parts were the brief scenes featuring three very cool Expanded Universe characters- the tusken Jedi A'Sharad Hett, the mysterious Dark Woman, and Quinlan Vos.  Those scenes aside, the dialogue is cheesy, the story 'blah,' and the ending(s) unsatisfying (strangely, about two-thirds of the way through, the story veers onto another course entirely, and seems more like two below-average stories pasted together, neither of which is acceptably concluded).

Rating: C

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer

The 2007 sequel to 2005's Fantastic 4 (reviewed here), Rise of the Silver Surfer sees our heroes confronting . . . the Silver Surfer, who is a herald of Galactus, who eats planets.  The team verifies that Earth is, technically, a planet, and decides that its destruction would negatively affect their chances for more movies.  So, when the surfer comes and says the Earth will be eaten in a few days, the Fantastic team is like "oh no!" followed quickly by "please tell him not to!"  The surfer, after reflection and jail time, agrees, and decides to confront Galactus about his widely-criticized diet.  He then effectively blows himself up and Galactus along with him, after bringing Sue Storm back to life (she had been stabbed by Dr. Doom, who had also come back to life earlier for some reason).  I'm paraphrasing, but that's the gist of the plot.

The original Fantastic 4 movie wasn't great, and this was in the same vein- though perhaps a little worse.  On the plus side, some humor is still there; on the downside, plot consistency and character development isn't.

Rating: C-

Ghost Rider

Back in 2012, I reviewed the second Ghost Rider film, Spirit of Vengeance (here).  Today I discuss the first- 2007's Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider is an origin tale, telling how Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) made a deal with the devil to save his father from cancer.  The devil heals his dad, only to kill him in an accident immediately thereafter.  In return for Satan's "service," Blaze is obligated to become his bounty hunter, the Ghost Rider, and track down souls that escape hell.  Satan eventually sends him after his son, Blackheart, who wants to unseat his father from the underworld throne.  If the Rider can defeat Blackheart, Satan will set him free, and return him to 'normal.'

Ghost Rider is a movie abounding with poor dialogue, impressively bad theology, and so-so action/effects.  Still, it has a few things going for it:
- a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle (always a plus)
- Sam Elliott as the Caretaker
- some music by Karen Carpenter

The  movie failed to deliver on its potential (theological elements could have been interesting), certainly, but the above saves it from a failing grade.  It's better than its 2012 sequel, but not by much.

Rating: C

The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)

In The Haunting of Hill House, four people (an investigator of the supernatural and three people he's chosen to accompany him based on their past experience/exposure to the same) inhabit unoccupied Hill House for a summer to experience, discuss, and analyze any phenomena found therein.  They experience several harrowing events, to include what you'd expect- strange laughter, banging doors, areas of extreme cold, and other creepy happenings- but one of them comes to believe she was destined for Hill House and takes steps to make sure she never leaves.

I had never heard of this book, but Stephen King (among others) has called it a classic and one of the defining works in the haunted house genre.  It was made into a movie two times (in 1963 and 1999).  With that sort of background, I had high hopes, but wasn't overly satisfied.  Some portions were excellent, but others seemed overly odd and hard to follow (perhaps that was intentional).  The tale could be interpreted different ways, and left me wanting more resolution (I wanted to know why these things were happening, which was never made clear- though again, perhaps the ambiguity was deliberate).  Overall, it's okay, but I think others may be more interesting.

Rating: B-

Fantastic 4

Released in 2005, Fantastic 4 is an old film as modern (CGI-enhanced) superhero flicks go.  It's an origin tale, showing how Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue Storm, and Johnny Storm were subjected to massive amounts of radiation in space, which altered their DNA and made them the Fantastic 4 (and now Mr. Fantastic, Thing, Invisible Woman, and Human Torch).  As they struggle to come to terms with their transformations and work on a method to reverse them, they run afoul of Victor Von Doom- the rival of Reed, who was also subjected to the rays and so transformed, becoming Dr. Doom.

This movie was largely panned, and after viewing it for the first time in a while, I see why.  Some of the dialogue/plot elements/character developments were cheesy or rushed.  The humor was pretty good- Human Torch in particular had some good lines- but that aside, this film doesn't quite meet the bar.  The franchise is to be rebooted next year, and it needs it.

Rating: C