Since moving to Utah, we've been indulging in a Robert Redford film festival of sorts. I'm to blame for this, mostly, and I think it's probably because Robert Redford and Sundance are the only two cool things I knew about the state before moving here. In the past few weeks we've watched:

<em>Barefoot in the Park</em><br><em>The Electric Horseman</em><br><em>Jeremiah Johnson</em><br><em>Three Days of the Condor</em><br><em>This Property is Condemned</em>

Having listed the titles, I see it's not nearly as many movies as I thought. Still, we've been averaging at least one Redford movie a week, which is quite a lot given our usual eclecticism. The Redford kick began when I wanted J. to see <em>Barefoot in the Park</em>, which is one of my favorite movies. Then, because I think Jane Fonda and Robert Redford have such great chemistry (and because I like the movie and J. hadn't seen it), we had to see <em>The Electric Horseman</em>. <em>Three Days of the Condor</em> and <em>This Property is Condemned</em> were kind of accidental Redford picks. <em>Jeremiah Johnson</em> was necessary to help us appreciate the natural beauty of Utah. This is not leading up to anything at all, in case you're waiting for my point.

On an unrelated note, we recently watched <em>Kundun</em>, followed by two DVDs featuring talks by and with the Dalai Lama. First, <em>Kundun</em> is an excellent movie; I have no idea what motivated Martin Scorcese to make a biopic about the Dalai Lama, but I'm glad he did. Second, every time I hear or read anything that the Dalai Lama has to say, I am impressed by his humility, humor and wisdom. He seems to me a truly holy man. His perspective on religion stands in stark contrast to that of the most vocal "religious" persons and groups in the U.S. today. He continually stresses that the purpose of religion is to produce a good human being, that this is the common goal of all the world's major religions. The Dalai Lama always insists that all religious traditions are equally capable of producing a good human being and that no one religious tradition is right for every person. If all religious leaders held these views, and inculcated them in their followers, the world would be a much nicer place.

It's Friday again. I predict another weekend of doing not much&mdash;unless, of course, I get off my ass and finish up all the Christmas shopping, wrapping and packing I have left to do. My typical procrastination on this matter isn't working for me this year. I need to be putting packages in the mail by Monday, and every package is somehow incomplete. Perhaps I'll pull it together somehow. 