4: Dang… I’m Looking Good! | Image | Rogue One | Kyle Roussel | Han Solo

Welcome to The Real Brian Show! Because Star Wars: Rogue One will be gracing the big screen this coming weekend, a heavy focus of this episode will be on that upcoming blockbuster. As always, we'd love for you to join the conversation! Please visit our website for details on how to get in touch or leave a comment on this blog post. Unsure what to say? Start by telling us what your favorite Christmas movie is. Mine, you ask? It's a Wonderful Life. Hands. Down.

In This Episode

• A chat with Han Solo
• Nitro. Cold Brew. Coffee.
• It's the most wonderful time of the year.
• What's your favorite Christmas movie?
• Welcome, Kyle! Let's talk about ROGUE ONE!
• The line between being respectful... and flat out fake.

Rogue One

I enjoy the Star Wars story. I enjoy any story that does "world building", by which I mean... establishes a strong framework or foundation for its premise and commits to revealing as much as it can of that world through dialogue, costume and scenery. Star Wars commits, and I appreciate that. I would not call myself a fanatic or an expert, though, which is why I was recently pleasantly surprised to learn of the premise for Rogue One.

Perhaps the seasoned Star Wars fan could discern from the trailer, but alas, I could not. The story of Rogue One actually takes place between Episode III and Episode IV, which I find fascinating. It is the first in what is being called an anthology of Star Wars films. Here is a good premise:

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" takes place before the 1977 original film, "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." In "A New Hope," Princess Leia hides the plans to destroy the superweapon, the Death Star, inside her droid, R2-D2. "Rogue One" will follow the team of rebel fighters as they attempt to find the plans for the Death Star. Spoiler: We know they eventually end up in Leia's hands, but this is our in-depth look at how it happened.
via BusinessInsider Read more...

After hearing Brian and Kyle discuss and anticipate the movie, I am even more excited to see it on Saturday!

Image

Our culture spends a lot of time worrying about image. Yes, worrying. (Worry (v): to give way to anxiety or unease.) We worry about the way we look and, even worse, worry about the way others look. Like most things in life, attention to appearance has extremes. Either we care so little about the way we look that we disrespect others by the way we dress or we care so much about the way we look that it becomes our sole focus.

Personally, I've always had issues dressing myself. I'm not incredibly girly and most of what I know about doing my hair has come from desperately seeking out YouTube how-tos. But I've learned a lot over the last couple years and a little goes a long way. After learning how to assemble the various components to looking nice, it's not as much of a chore anymore to put myself together for a party.

As with so much in life, I do believe that managing image comes back to balance. Brian reminds us that the way we put ourselves together is how the world sees us. As much as it is an impression of ourselves, it's also an opportunity to make an impression. Even though we're treated differently by what people see on the outside, the motivation for putting on nice clothes and making ourselves presentable should be to respect others instead of elevating our own stature.

A couple things change when I dress up, and I wonder if you feel the same way. First, I behave differently. I'm not as reckless in "nice clothes". I walk differently and I'm more careful. I like to walk on low walls, swing around poles and jump over fences... but I tend to not do those things when I'm more dressed up. And that is typically a good thing, because the way I am dressed usually lends to itself to how I should behave. Second, I'm more aware of my surroundings. Because I've taken the time to get dressed up, I notice others, I notice details, and I enter into that world... instead of keeping it at a distance or operating outside of it.

The final touch to every outfit should be a smile. When I was in my first year of college, I was not in a good place (emotionally) and wasn't afraid to let my bad attitude show. But one day, after my nutrition class, this girl comes running up to me and gets in my face, demanding to know what my problem with her is. I stare at her, blinking rapidly (as I recall), trying to figure out who this girl was. Turns out, she was in my nutrition class and thought I'd been glaring at her the entire period. I apologized, because my glares were not meant for her, I had never seen her before as far as I could recall. But she definitely opened my eyes to how my attitude affects those around me.

Since then, I've worked really hard to finalize every outfit with Happiness. It can be challenging, but putting on a smile affects my psyche as much as it affects those around me. I didn't need a YouTube video for that ensemble.

Nitro...what?

Nitro cold brew coffee, it's all the rage! Thought for Food has a great demonstration of what the process entails.

What's the big deal
Two words: stronger, crispier, creamier. Nitro cold brew brings out the taste and texture of the brew without sacrificing caffeine levels. As the name suggests, it's coffee that is literally infused with nitrogen bubbles, which is what produces that creamy taste. In coffee shops it's kept in a keg, pressurized, and drawn from a tap when ordered.

So that is what the big deal is!

Links

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Watch a Trailer)
• Tumbling Lightsaber Podcast
• Podcast Guy Media (Jason! Thank you, dude!)