Just be who you are

I try to keep the Black Dog at bay a lot of the time by getting lost in movies. Either at the cinema or on DVD. It doesn't matter. Forgetting about your own life for a few hours is usually a good thing.

I'm kind of strange. I actually like being the only person in the theater. I see a lot of matinees.

Such was the case yesterday when I took in Gore Verbinski's "The Weather Man." It was a strange film. Makes you laugh out loud. Also makes you feel depressed.

David Spritz (Nicholas Cage) is a Chicago TV weatherman. He's successful at his job, but nobody seems to like him. He frequently gets hit with a lot of fast food on the street.

David's life is in shambles. His father (Michael Caine) is dying of cancer. His wife (Hope Davis) is marrying somebody else. His kids don't have much to do with him. His novel sucks. He doesn't even have a meteorology degree.

Still, he gets offered a job with one of the network TV morning shows. He starts hanging out with his kids. He tries to get back together with his wife.

"The Weather Man" is a bizarre movie. You can't decide whether you should laugh or cry at some of Spritz's adventures. But it is an engrossing story.

And, in the end, it leaves you with a good lesson. Sometimes things may go wrong in your life. They may not go the way you expect. Or the way you hope. Or the way you want.

Such is life. It's tough out there.

But if you are true to yourself, if you finally become comfortable with who you are instead of who you want to be, that's at least a start. That's something to build on. That's something to take comfort in. It may just lead to better things.

Not a bad thought on a rainy fall afternoon.