I Want to Believe

In high school and college, Friday nights and then Sundays, belonged to Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), my constant companions. So, when I found out that I’d miss the series finale, because my parents didn’t have cable, one of my cousins sent a VHS tape with the finale episode. It was a bittersweet ending; Mulder and Scully didn’t save the world, they ultimately couldn’t raise their son, they didn’t change any minds…but, they did have each other. So, in a bookend to the series, Mulder and Scully ended up in a crappy motel room, just the two of them. But that was The X-Files--struggling for Truth but never quite getting what you want and finding out the truth that it is our relationships that endure when, literally, the world explodes around you.

Fast forward seven years—I’ve finished graduate school, worked in DC for three years, and figured out that government per diem can get you a lot better than a crappy motel room, but not much, depending on where you have to go. I’m not a special agent investigating aliens, like I wanted to be in high school. And I'm not Dana Scully, though I wanted to be in high school, because, if I were, I’d be cool enough to run in heels while shooting my 9 mm, write awesome journal entries, and hang out with Fox Mulder. Not to mention I’d be jet-setting across the world seeking that elusive Truth, always getting a glimpse. But, after seven years, I feel more like Dana Scully than I ever did in high school—seeking the Truth, struggling when my Faith intersects Science, and desperately hoping to keep it all together, just like she did, though I still haven't found my Fox Mulder.

So, go visit my old friends Fox and Dana (TM—Mrs. Scully) in their new movie, The X-Files: I Want To Believe. If you are an “x-phile,” you’ll love it. It’s got the snark, the sexual innuendo, the laughs, the creepy monsters, and our two intrepid agents. For x-phile, it’s a great reunion. You get to reminisce about all your fondest memories, you get to catch up with old friends, and you get a glimpse of their life in the future. And you realize not much changed. If you’re not a phile? Well, you still get the awesomeness of Dana Scully. This movie is about a woman’s struggle to understand what she believes about her life and her relationships with others, as well as the complexities of her choices as a medical doctor.

Dana Scully is still the type of person I think it would be good to be. Somehow, she never gives up; she has a deep Faith that challenges her; she makes the wrong decisions, but so how mananges to get it right in the end. She takes chances, but knows when to draw lines in the sand. Not to mention, she got to be a snappy dresser! So, go see my movie if you're bored and The Dark Knight is sold out. It's a great way to spend two hours.

“And the rain is over and gone….”

It’s a beautiful day in Lola’s World! Less than 30 hours ago, my brother officially gave me the best gift in the world—a sister! Ken and Lauren were married at her aunt and uncle’s house in Olean, New York. Just before the wedding a rain storm hit, so we had a bit of a rain delay, but just as the Rabbi was starting the service, the rain stopped. Lauren looked radiant, and my brother has never looked so happy in his life.

I can’t believe that I’ve only known Lauren for three years. Three years ago this month, Ken volunteered to go to DC with me to check out my new apartment three years ago this month. I should have caught at his eagerness to sleep on the floor of my guest room, but I was clueless. Little did I know that after he dragged me around the city looking at construction and NOT letting me stop in for a daily Mass, I would be meeting the one God planned for him.

The one wish I’ve had for all of my friends is that they marry the person that God had picked out for them. Ken was my first friend—he’s been there since my first day (even though I think he only remembers that he got a “Little People” farm). He put up with me when I knocked out his teeth, didn’t kill me during my crazy, hormonal, teenage years, he sent me I postcard from every single city he visited during his year abroad (I still have them!), and he’s the only one who understands what it’s like to have our parents. So, like any of my friends, I had the same wish for Ken. In some ways, when it comes to Ken, it was a stronger wish, one that has grown over a lifetime of being his sister. And yesterday, my wish for him came true, in a most amazing way.

So, while I have plenty of fun stories to share about the wedding, tonight, I’m leaving it at, WAHOO!!!!! I have a wonderful new sister whom I’ve come to love dearly, and my brother’s dreams have come true. God is so, so good!

Crazy Baby Names Part Two

A very important event occurs this weekend--my brother's wedding. I'm super excited to have Lauren officially be my sister-in-law, and I'll definitely post more on that next week.

But, I thought I'd comment on one of my favorite topics--random baby names. Previously, I addressed why Harlow was not a great name for a little girl--Nicole Richie, I look at you. Today, I address Nicole Kidman and hubby Keith Urban, cause Sunday? That's a day of the week. Or, if spelled differently, a wonderful confection. But, it's certainly not a baby name. What are they going to call her for short. Sunnie? Sunny? Sunny Urban sounds like a condo complex. Day? Daye? Day Urban sounds like a type of subway pass. Sigh.

At least Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got it half right with Knox and Vivenne. Vivenne is actually a good name. Knox, well Knox isn't my favorite, if only because of the images of Fort Knox that dance in my head. It might work if they were Presbyterian, but I don't think they are. It also means round-top hill. Which means that Harlow and Knox will probably be a celebrity couple someday in the future after bonding over names that have to do with landscape features.

Whatever the case may be, babies are always a reason for rejoicing. As is a new X-Files movie. Stay tuned for wedding pics and more on the new X-Files movie!