Calendar

So how do these pictures relate to our discussion of New Years Resolutions? Well, in a couple of ways. But I'll get to that in a moment. First, did you deduce the connection between the individual frames?

It's "Julius".

The leftmost frame is a scene from "Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon", which might be my second favorite kung fu movie behind "Enter the Dragon". And there, my friends, is our first connection to the previous posts...a few days ago we had seen a snip from that movie when discussing the internal fire required to remake ourselves via the resolution process. Both movies have "Dragon" in the title, and both feature a fellow named Bruce. (In the Last Dragon, it's Bruce Leroy, rather than Bruce Lee...but it's close enough.) Anyway the fellow in the picture is the marvelous actor Julius Carry, who sadly passed away from pancreatic cancer several years ago. I always loved the intensity he brought to his roles, and he could chew scenery with the best of them. He was also a featured player in what might be the best Western series that nobody has heard of: The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr.



The happy couple in the next frame are the notorious Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of selling US secrets to the Commies, and were sentenced to the electric chair as a result.

Another method of punishment is featured in the third frame: the dreaded Orange Julius. I suppose we could make a connection to the resolution topic by saying that I resolve not to consume one of these nasty things this year. But that doesn't take much willpower.

Anyway, next to OJ is Julius Caesar, who implemented a 12-month calendar similar to the one we use today. Whether the New Years Resolution came into being on his watch, I'm not certain, but he did have a calendar named after him, so in my book, that's good enough to call a connection.

And finally, we have Dr. Julius Hibbert, the family physician for the Simpsons. One person suggested that this was the key "connection" graphic...indicating that we are all "suckers" for allowing the government to pass misguided healthcare reform, and that 2012 would be the year when it gets struck down by the Supreme Court. But be that as it may, it was not my intention to make a political statement via the graphic. He was just another Julius, whose antics I occasionally enjoy. You are free, however, to draw your own conclusions. In any case, I hope you enjoyed the challenge, and will come back to play again.

In upcoming posts, I'll be talking about a swim meet, and our 100 x 100s swim practice. Until then, take some time to watch "The Last Dragon" and "Briscoe County" if you can, and have a great day!