Christopher Louis's Blog, page 5

30 day challenge - Day 12

Two words / phrases that make me laugh. 

The first one comes from one of the funniest movies of all time - Airplane. There are so many amazing lines in this movie that I could just go on an on, but the first is spoken by the character of Johnny. 

: Oh, it’s a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.

The second is also from Airplane and again from Johnny.

: [to Mrs. Oveur] Where did you get that dress, it’s awful, and those shoes and that coat, jeeeeez!

I could truly burst out laughing ever time I watch this movie. Love it!

30 day challenge - Day 11

Today’s topic - My relationship. 

Anyone that knows me or has read this blog should be well away that I am happily married to my husband Stacey. We have been together for 20 years and in March of 2015 we were legally married in Florida. This was before it became legal in the entire US. 

I could not have asked for a better or well understanding partner to share my life. He has given me enormous strength and support through some of the most difficult times of my life. He makes me smile and laugh and fills my heart with love. I am a very lucky man.  

30 day challenge - Day 10

A fruit I dislike and why. 

What a totally random and odd question. When I think about fruit there are not a lot that I dislike - there are several that are not my favorites - grapefruit and plain melon. If they are in a fruit salad or something these would be the items that I would eat last (or first just to get rid of them). For the most part I enjoy most fruits. Though I did have Asian pear once as part of a dessert and it was terrible. Not sure if I should blame the fruit for what could have been just a horrible combination. 

30 day challenge - Day 9

My feelings on ageism.

Does it exist? Absolutely! Do I see it happening to me? Not personally, but I see how once people reach a certain age they are not longer considered relevant or given the same consideration for someone who is younger. At the same time I also see it used against teens. Teens are too young to know their true feelings. They haven’t lived enough yet. While true, they haven’t lived as long as the person making the comment, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know themselves. 

Age doesn’t always define maturity, value, or worth. There are people in their 90′s who are most amazing people and have so much to give, but are ignored because they are old. On the flip-side we have teens who are also amazing people who have done amazing things and have so much passion and drive. 

There needs to be a better balance. We need to stop looking at people as numbers and truly look at them as people. I don’t care if you 80, 40, 20, or 14 - you are a person and you may be the most amazing person in the world and I would love to talk to you. 

30 day challenge - Day 8

A book I love and a book that I didn’t love. 

One of my absolute favorite books of all time is Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice. I remember when it was first suggested to me by a coworker and I thought “I am not reading some stupid vampire book” and the coworker told me it was far more than just any vampire story. I took her word for it and gave it a try. I am so glad that I did because she was right - it was far more than just a vampire book - it was a story that grabbed me from the very beginning and one that has stayed with me for many, many years. The character of Louis spoke to me in a way that I didn’t understand at the time, but now truly knowing what depression is I see what drew me to him. This is a book that I have read multiple times and probably will continue to read again. 

As for the book that I didn’t love - the one that stands out the most is Scarlet, the sequel to Gone With The Wind. I loved reading Gone With The Wind and found it to be an amazing book with depth and character that came alive off the page. Attempting to read this sequel was awful. It was if the writer had only read the Cliff’s Notes version of the original. I barely got 100 pages into it and wondered when anything was going to happen. I finally had to give up as all Scarlet seemed to do was say, I’ll think about it tomorrow. Such a waste. 

30 day challenge - Day 7

What tattoos do you have and do they have meaning?

I have one tattoo and it has very special meaning to me. I have my mom’s signature (first name only) tattooed on my left wrist. I had contemplated getting a tattoo for a very long time and always wanted it on my wrist. Originally I contemplated getting my Grandma’s name tattooed there. This was in my early 20′s; probably before my mom got sick. As my mom battled cancer, I saw in her the most amazing strength, courage, and positivity; more than I though any human could possibly display during such struggles. She quickly became my hero. When she passed I knew that her name was the name I needed to keep with me. I look at it often and feel her strength and support. 

I’ve often wondered if I would get another tattoo. I have something else she wrote that means the world to me and thought about getting it done. Who knows. Maybe someday I will get that as well. 

30 day challenge - day 6

A tad late. :-)

Yesterday’s topic: Someone who fascinated you and why. This should be no surprise those who know me - Anne Frank. Ever since I read the play (which has numerous errors in it) back in 7th grade, I have been fascinated by Anne and her family’s story. First the idea that such horrors took place is amazing to me and the unfortunately plight of so many people just because they were different draws me in. Like so many people who lived through that time, Anne could have been just another lost name to history. Thanks to the efforts of her father and of course Miep Gies who found the diary and knew she had to save it; Anne’s story did survive. Anne’s voice speaks for many about the sacrifices so many people had to make as well as the courage of those who helped to protect them. Though she did not survive, her voice and face will live on forever. 

30 day challenge - day 5

A place I would live, but have never visited. 

London - comes to mind immediately. I absolutely love watching British Dramas and comedies and from what I have observed, it would be such a culture shock. The idea of living in a place that has such a rich and lengthy history is appealing to me. Sure we’ve got history here - but sadly only a couple of hundred years and almost anything before that is ignored. 

Sicily sounds appealing as well. To be able to live part of my ancestry and see where my Italian roots came from; that sounds wonderful.  

I also like the idea of letting my imagination fly with this question and think about the past as well. I would love to know what it was truly like back in antiquity when Egypt ruled the world or ancient Rome or Greece. To be able to see first hand what it was like and to truly know what they knew and why they did the things they did. 

30 day challenge - day 4

10 interesting facts about me: 

1. I am left handed

2. I used to be able to take dictation at 120 words per minute

3. I have recurring dreams about library customers who will not leave the building

4. Once I find a favorite pair of shoes I will wear them till they are falling apart

5. I love bow-ties!

6. I love to sing, but cannot carry a tune to save my soul

7. I tend to eat fast because I don’t like my food to get cold

8. I still follow my High School Band Director’s saying - if you are on time you are late

9. My pet peeve is when I introduce myself and some on immediately shortens my name

10. I love white chocolate more than regular chocolate

30 day writing challenge - Day 3

Your first love and your first kiss. Sadly, they were not the same person. :-)

The first person I fell in love with was also the first person I had sex with. You would think kissing would be involved, but alas, it was not. This person had been a very good friend of mine and I did love this person as a friend and even after we experimented and he said he wasn’t gay I allowed myself to become infatuated. I mean, he was the one who brought up the idea of us experimenting so he obviously had some kind of feelings for me, right? But again, this was high school and I was not able to truly understand then that love was not what either of us was truly after. I took a while for me to understand that we were never going to be more than friends. But the feelings I had for him were real. 

My first kiss - I am certainly not counting any of the kisses I had with high school girlfriends as they were innocent little pecks. The first true kiss I had with a boy was when I was 19 and his name was Steve. Steve was a cute little ginger who I had know from my high school days. He was a couple years younger than me and we had known each other through band. He and some friends came over to my house and we openly flirted with each other and next thing I knew were were laying on my bed and kissing.