Serendipity- n. the faculty of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.  (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary)

Jen & I just finished watching the movie, Serendipity, a cute romance starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.  It's the story of two people who meet accidentally at first, and then let Fate decide whether or not they were destined to be together.  There wasn't much to it - the plot was fairly predictable, but an entertaining feel-good film to watch with a significant other.  :)

The movie itself wasn't very thought-provoking or stimulating, but being a huge believer in Fate, I found myself relating to the protagonists as the plot unfolded.  I can think of several Events in my Life that I can attribute to Fate - Events that were meant to Have Happened.  At the time I didn't know why they were occurring, but in some cases, only much later did I discover what a blessing those events turned out to be.  Sometimes the Road was not smooth and easy to travel on, but I will always be grateful that it led me to where I am Today.  I know that the nay-sayers probably think I'm full of crap and that there is no such thing as Fate or Destiny.  And what seems like Fate is actually a rare coincidence, but I know without a doubt, that certain Events were not coincidences, could not have been coincidences. 

In other movie-related news, as a huge Lord of the Rings Follower, I feel that it is my Duty to inform you, dear Traveler, of the upcoming DVD releases of LoTR:  The Fellowship of the Ring:

August 6 - LoTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (2-disc theatrical release) - separate full-frame and widescreen editions with Dolby Digital 5.1EX and 2.0 audio with the following features:

• Three Lord of The Rings Documentaries: 'Welcome to Middle-earth', 'The Quest for the Ring' and 'A Passage to Middle-earth' (which is the Sci-Fi Channel's special).
• Fifteen Featurettes (from LordofTheRings.net) including interviews with cast and crew.
• 'Exclusive Early Look' at The Two Towers with Peter Jackson, with behind-the-scenes footage not available anywhere else.
• Enya 'May It Be' music video
• Preview of the 'Extended Version DVD
• Preview of the Electronic Arts Lord of The Rings Video Game
• Lord of The Rings - The Two Towers TV Spot and Trailers
• Original Lord of The Rings theatrical trailers and TV spots
• Exclusive online content for Lord of The Rings DVD owners with DVD-ROM access.

Already available for pre-order for approximately $17-$23.
 

November 12 - LoTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (extended version 4-disc set) - this will be presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen but features 30 minutes of previously unreleased footage recut into the original movie.  Some of the highlights include the Giving of the Gifts in Lorien, more footage focusing on the relationship between of Gimli and Legolas, more footage focusing on the relationship between Aragorn and Boromir.  However at this time, it is not clear whether the 4-disc extended version set will include the same additional features from the 2-disc set or have its own set of special features.  Should retail for around $30.
 

November 12 - LoTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (limited edition boxed set).  So far we know that the boxed set contains the same 4-disc extended edition along with:

• two bookend statuettes of the Argonath designed by Sideshow Weta
• National Geographic's 'Beyond the Movie' video
• a set of collectible game cards

In other daily Happenings, even though we lost in the 1st round of our table tennis team league tournament this afternoon, I felt like I played very well today for a change.  Each team had two singles losses so the doubles match determined who advanced and who was out.  We actually won the first game 21-17, lost the 2nd one 22-20 (coming back from 20-15), and lost the 3rd one 21-15.  It was still fun even though we lost.  Mind you it was the first doubles match I had played with my partner as well.  In any case, I think I finally have developed my backhand shot to where I want to be with it - it's now one of my most consistent/quickest shots.  :)

Also, since I recently promised my Jen that since I was home on the weekends that I would make at least one meal for the family, I made beef stroganoff & mashed potatoes tonight from scratch without a recipe (sorry ladies, I'm not available - hehehe).  Not only did Jen enjoy it, the kids enjoyed it immensely as well.  Plus I felt like almost a "real" chef cooking without following a recipe.  :) Just felt like tooting my own horn just a little bit tonight.  :)