Connection, Wellness, Monterey

So, piggy-backing on the previous post, another post I really like on Hyperbole and a Half is Apparently I am a Failure at Success. It's so my life! Here's a little excerpt.

She extrapolates and her comics make you feel exactly her pain (which I have shared, plenty) ...BUT she does it in a way that makes the whole situation seem hilarious. I love it. In any case, today feels momentous to me. Starting school, in a "new" field feels good ("New" is in parentheses because, as I often have to explain, I went to vet school to be an educated environmentalist, not a cat/dog clinician...so going to school now for environmental policy is not really a new direction for me, it's just a different path to get the same place). This past weekend, Ben and I volunteered at the Blue Ocean Film Festival and we got to see some inspiring and amazing films at the IMAX theatre.

This one was magical, I have never felt like I was actually snorkeling/diving while watching a video before this movie.

These guys are crazy. And awesome. There's one scene with the Sardinian diver which was so unbelievably beautiful, all I could do was laugh aloud. I don't want to give it away, but if you see the movie, you will know exactly what moment I'm talking about. You, like I, will wonder Is that for real?! And, yes, it is.

The last movie we watched there was Fuel, and the film maker and his wife were there for an excellent Q & A session afterward. I thought this film really hit the mark. It was well thought out, inspiring without being preachy (just appropriately hold-your-handy), and presented at a level and depth that anyone, regardless of political stance or involvement in clean-energy efforts will come away with some new and positive information about alternative fuels. We promised that our next car will have a plug.

We watched some divers gear up on the beach between all the movies.

And at the end of it all, we enjoyed a Thank You Dinner on the beach for all the volunteers. Delicious food, gorgeous setting, good company.... Ben and I could hardly believe that we were experiencing something truly this good in our lives. Ben woke up happy today, and I felt like there was a bit of hope that I might be surrounded by my heroes (and maybe even become one!) for the rest of my life. It all felt so good.