What would you do if caught "Between a Rock and a Hard Place"

Hey there, it's been awhile. My mind has totally been occupied by other things lately - mainly, work, school, and this.

It's the story of Aron Ralston, a great outdoorsman who becomes trapped in a canyon with his right arm crushed under an 800-lb boulder and must amputate that arm using only a blunt multi-tool as a surgical instrument and climbing gear as an impromptu tourniquet, just to survive.

It's truly an inspiring story. Even though Aron was an experienced mountain climber and canyoneer and in better shape than the average American at the time of his accident, the whole incident begs the question - what would you or I have done to survive in a similar situation? Or would we?

David and I had been wanting to watch the movie "127 Hours" since the Academy Awards a few weeks ago, so when Family Video was all out on the day of its release, I opted to go to Wal-Mart and just buy the film instead - and I'm glad I did.

The music (A. R. Rahman and various artists) is brilliant and director Danny Boyle somehow manages to make a movie that's mostly one actor stuck in the same place the whole time play like an exciting, nail biting action drama - but the real magic for me is all about actor James Franco's amazing portrayal of the main character, Aron Ralston. You can't help but connect with the guy, and feel what he's feeling, and I think without that - this movie wouldn't have been so successful.

Knowing the story going into the film for the first time only adds to the experience - you cringe as he feels around his home cabinet and brushes by (but leaves behind) his Swiss Army knife, you see the beauty of the canyonlands as he takes it all in, you feel his pain and fear as a boulder traps him in the wilderness with limited options, and you anxiously await the moment when he's freed, half excited to see him walk out of there alive, and half afraid because you know what he does to make that happen.

Yes, the amputation scene is gruesome, but totally crucial to the storyline. Some people can't handle it, and should probably look away for those three minutes (although, fair warning - the sound is almost as bad as the visual). I, on the other hand, am used to watching crime dramas and hospital dramas so the sight of blood and guts are not so physically debilitating to me. I will say, however, that knowing this is based on something that really happened, paired with great sound editing and cinematography, this scene is emotionally stressful, for lack of a better way of describing it.

I watched the movie twice, but I still could not stop thinking about Aron Ralston. So yesterday, I visited the library and took out "Between a Rock and a Hard Place," which is the same story in book form, told by the real survivor himself. I'm currently to the part where he's just gotten trapped, and I can't wait to get home to read on. Even though I know what happens, and I've seen Boyle's genius interpretation, just to read the real Ralston's own words describing the unthinkable is... exhilarating. It's almost as if you're there with him as you're reading, living it and cheering him on, even though most of us will (thankfully) never find ourselves in any situation like it.

Here's the "127 Hours" trailer. If you haven't seen this movie or read this book, please do. You'll be doing yourself a favor.