Who Do You Work For?

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

photo-15I get asked one question almost everyday:

“Excuse me sir. Do you work here?”

Who me? The guy with the headset and walkie talkie on, the guy with the nametag and lanyard with the store name on it, the guy who’s putting all the shoes back on the shelf? Why yes, in fact I do work here!

I just don’t get it. To me, it should be obvious to customers that I’m an employee. I can’t quite figure out how some people can’t quite figure it out.

Apparently though, there’s something more I should be doing. My labor is not bearing fruit in their eyes.

Maybe there are other things I should be focusing on. I’m sure I could be talking to customers more, engaging with them instead of doing all the daily tasks of the shoe department. Maybe then people would recognize who I work for.

The whole thing makes me think of that age-old guilt producing Sunday School question: “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to find you guilty?” Continue reading →

The Engagement Story

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

I always dreamed about having the perfect engagement story.

Long before I ever had a girlfriend, I wanted my future fiancé to be able to recount a magical tale – an elaborately orchestrated scenario which led to me on one knee asking her to get married.

At times I envisioned there would be rented-out movie theaters, trips to far-off destinations, family members flown in from across the country. Fireworks, flowers, farm animals – all were involved in various scenarios over the years.

Of course, I could never settle on the perfect engagement setup. I couldn’t afford it. I couldn’t find the time to make it happen. I couldn’t make it just right.

Last year I knew I had found the girl I wanted to marry. After years of dating around, I was ready to take the plunge and pop the question.

But I could not get over the crippling fear of finding the perfect engagement story. So I kept putting off the proposal.

In my head I could not propose to my girlfriend until I could create the greatest proposal of all time.

Then, right around Thanksgiving, something clicked. Continue reading →

Monday Morning Music: Roll Away Your Stone

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Whether you’re a rock star, a pro wrestler, or just an everyday joe, the way you make your entrance is of the utmost importance.

You can tell a lot from someone’s entrance. Are they loud? Quiet? Strong? Weak? Confident? Defeated?

Every Monday morning, you decide how you will make your entrance into the week. Maybe you need a little entrance music to motivate you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O-BwV0DDUY

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

A new week can overcome you before it even begins. Your mind may weigh heavy with the consequences of all your past failures from the previous week. Your body may still be reeling from losing an hour of sleep this weekend.

The great thing about Monday is you have the choice to see things in a new way. Today can be a fresh start. You can leave the old you behind on Monday and start seeing things differently. Continue reading →

Live Like It’s Live

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

SNL-imageLive From New York, It’s Saturday Night!

For 40 years, those 7 words have been uttered from studio 8H in Rockefeller Center announcing the most exciting 90 minutes of television comedy every week.

The most important of those 7 words is the first one – Live.

“Saturday Night Live”, despite what you may think, airs LIVE. It does not air on tape delay. It does not air 3 months after it was recorded. New episodes air live at 11:30 pm Eastern Standard Time Saturday nights.

There’s no getting around this. If the sketches aren’t ready or the actors aren’t prepared the show cannot be postponed. There’s a contract with the network and with the viewers. The show must go on no matter what. Continue reading →

Why Sequels Suck

/ Alex Doriot / 4 Comments

terminator-2-1991-28-gTerminator 2: Judgment Day is the best sequel of all time.

You may argue otherwise. But you would be wrong.

The first Terminator movie is a decent 80s action flick. It’s more focused on Sarah Connor, Kyle Reese, and their struggle to protect her unborn (and unconceived) son than it is the Terminator trying to kill her, played in an almost comically wooden fashion by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In fact, the famous “I’ll be back” line from the film is just a throwaway line the Terminator offers as he assesses how to break down a doorway to get to Sarah Connor. (Also, dig that rad 80s synthesizer score!) Continue reading →

Why I Don’t Like The Taste Of Communion

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment
Wikipedia

Wikipedia

I was always nervous about Communion Sunday growing up. 

When I was young I wasn’t sure if I should take a cracker from the plate or keep passing it down the aisle. Sure, I was hungry, but was I really allowed to “come to the table” as the pastor would say?

Then, once I did feel comfortable participating, I became nervous about spilling the juice. What if I soiled the carpet in God’s living room with Jesus’s blood?

Communion never meant much more than anxiety to me growing up. I never really got the relationship between a flavorless cracker, a baby shot glass of grape juice, and the immense sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

I thought to myself, “If the life Jesus offers is so full and abundant, why is this remembrance and celebration so stale and bland?” Continue reading →

Is It Wrong To Ignore The “Son Of God”?

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Is it wrong that I have no interest in watching “Son Of God”?

The new movie from producer Mark Burnett made over $26 million this weekend playing to faith-based crowds preparing for the Easter season. I was not one of them.

“Son Of God” is basically all of the scenes involving Jesus from 2013’s miniseries “The Bible” compiled into one feature length film. Part of me is just not interested in paying $10 to see rehashed material on the big screen.

Really though, I just don’t see anything for me when I watch the previews for “Son Of God”.

I’ve seen the story of Jesus told this way already. There doesn’t appear to be anything surprising or insightful in it. There are no risks being taken.

Now, I’m basing all this off the trailer and reviews for the film. I could be way off here. Continue reading →

Throwback Thursday: Black And White God

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

the-artistWith such loud and showy movies as “Gravity”, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, and “American Hustle” battling it out for Best Picture at The Academy Awards this year, it’s amazing to look back at the big award winner of 2012.

2 years ago “The Artist”, a black and white (and mostly silent) film took home Best Picture at The Oscars.

“The Artist” was a true throwback to the golden days of Hollywood. It was the first black and white film to win Best Picture in 50 years.

Black and white films resonate with people in ways color ones never will. Black and white speaks to something in the soul. It sparks memories of the olden days when life seemed simpler.

Black and white is simple. It is story and beauty at its most basic. There is something true in it.

Yet black and white movies are intimidating to some people. Some people won’t watch a movie if it’s in black and white. They think it’s outdated. As if a movie needs to have color and sound and CGI to be worth watching. Continue reading →

The Trouble With Treasuring Trophies

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

IMG00358-20120422-1321With The Oscars coming up this Sunday night, everybody’s getting all worked up about who’s going to take home the big gold statues this year.

Pfft. Big deal. I mean, I don’t want to brag, but I have a pretty good supply of trophies I won during my childhood.

I wasn’t a particularly stellar athlete – I just grew up in a generation where everybody got a trophy at the end of every season, regardless of wins and losses.

Some people complain about how our culture gives trophies to kids just for participating. I think it can be a good thing.
A trophy is more than a reward; it stands out as a memory of a journey. The problem is when the pursuit of a trophy becomes your only obsession. Continue reading →

When All Is Lost, Remember This:

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

I watched the movie “All Is Lost” starring Robert Redford this past week. It wasn’t a great movie, or even a very good one. But I was really impressed by some of the visuals of Redford lost at sea, adrift in a seemingly endless ocean.

“All Is Lost” is as barebones simple of a movie as it gets. Redford’s character (whose name or background we never learn) is sailing across the ocean. One morning he awakes to a huge leak in his ship. The movie follows him trying to fix the leak and trying to stay alive.

That’s all. No other characters. Only 2 or 3 lines of dialogue across 2 hours. Just an old man and the sea.

Like I said, I was awestruck by the enormity of the ocean in the film. “All Is Lost” worked as a great advertisement against ever setting sail on my own.

As Redford’s character kept battling the elements, I kept wondering, “Why would you ever mess with the ocean?” Continue reading →