Eggs

As of late, I have become quite the fan of eggs for breakfast. Reader, you may be underwhelmed by this statement. After all, many people eat eggs for breakfast every day. What makes it so special all of a sudden. First, I didn't even eat breakfast for an entire year. My first revelation was rediscovering the meal in general. Unfortunately, this reacquaintance consisted largely of my eating cereal or break in the morning before dashing off to my first task. Nothing special food wise. And then one humble Sunday afternoon, I stumbled into the dining hall and investigated my food prospects through bleary eyes. Everything seemed a little bland. I thought I would embark on a grand adventure and order my first omelet. I slouched at the counter until a hand (whose attached face was blocked by a decorative corn arrangement) passed me a ceramic plate bearing my cooked egg and then I trudged to the table near the windows, grabbing a fork on the way. Collapsing in the chair, I arranged my single piece of silverware to the left of my plate and stared at the steaming mass piled in front of me. It was a pleasant shade of yellow with happy little ham cubes sprinkled throughout. I picked up my fork, turned it around, passed it to my other hand, and cut in with conviction. Slowly, eyes nearly closed in the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, I raised the utensil to my mouth and delivered its cargo. Deliciousness exploded on my taste buds. I now rather enjoy eggs for breakfast.

Lost in Translation: More Thoughts

The shower scene, while brief, was truly ridiculous. The obvious aim of the shot was to emphasize the size difference between Bill Murray and the average inhabitant of Tokyo, but there could be underlying ideas. For example, the shower head was obviously adjustable to a height that would result in the stream being above his head, but for some reason he does not raise it to this height. He was only a foot away! How much effort does it take to lift his arms a little higher, especially in the name of a more comfortable shower? This could provide some insight into his character; perhaps he is lazy to the point of being counterproductive. Perhaps he is afraid of what he could accomplish if he put forth his full effort. Is he afraid of his own capabilities? This little issue with the shower head could also indicate that he likes being uncomfortable. Maybe he prefers being uncomfortable because it provides a concrete emotion; without it, he would just be lost and wandering in the ambiguous world of "feelings."
Or perhaps something just went wrong during the filming and Bill Murray accidentally didn't lift the showerhead as high as he was supposed to but the director decided he liked it and wanted to keep it in the movie. Some things are accidental like that.

The World is Flat

In the days of my youth, I truly believed that the world was round. However, I thought "round" meant that the sky was the top half of a sphere and dirt was the bottom half and the ground upon which I walked and my house sat was a flat plane cutting the sphere in half. Here's to the human brain and its capability of knowing what it wants to know and seeing what it wants to see.

Thoughts Regarding Little Dieter

First and foremost, I cannot for the life of me even fathom what would bring Dieter to relive his experience. After so many horrors, why would Dieter allow his hands to once again be bound behind his back while he was forced through the jungle? Personally, I would rather leave my terrible memories in the past and consider them only as sources of life lessons, not as movie fodder requiring reenactment.
To continue, I found a strange sort of irony in the fact that Dieter's childhood dream resulted in such an ordeal. All he wanted to do was fly; perhaps, to be free of the earth. The dream of liberation ended in extreme confinement under conditions too horrible for a suburbanite like myself to imagine. The closest I've encountered to a locked door is a store being closed or my sister hogging the bathroom. Dieter has had an entire life kept from him behind a locked door, and all because he went after his dream. Not so encouraging to pursue my own passions.
As a sidenote, I found the insertion of the American safety video to be highly humorous, both because of the content of the video and because of its position within the entire documentary. Dieter pointed out the ridiculousness of the video in a flat, sarcastic tone, which lent to the content of the little film immensely.
Perhaps most striking to me about his story, though, is that this German man would endure so much in the name of a different country. While he made it immensely clear that he was fulfilling his dream, it cannot be denied that he flew for the United States and fought for the aims of the United States military. How far is a man willing to go to satisfy his personal aims?