I thought this was interesting. It’s funny how much of this was off my radar screen in the time frame in which it was happening. I liked listening to her from the perspective of where I am now, where she is now and where we both were at the time. It says a lot to me that she is (was) still friends with her exes. Lotta stuff goes on as we go through the years. I would like to read her book. How about you?
When I say Merry Christmas When I say Merry Christmas When I say Merry Christmas that's just shorthand for something more. Because what I'm really wishing is happiness that spills over into all the ordinary days, too. I'm wishing good...
The elusive nature of happiness, part 1 I got a chance to read a bit on the flight we took recently. The US Airways September 2007 issue had some insights on happiness worth thinking about. The editor, Lance Elko, began the issue...
The best of the best for 2009 2009 was a good year. Any time one's health is good, and that of one's family and friends, it is a good year. Then throw in a few good times, a lotta good perfumes, some...
What are you reading? Currently I'm reading Life Lessons: Two Experts on Death and Dying Teach Us About the Mysteries of Life and Living. I am enjoying it immensely. I think I'm going to gift it to several friends...
When you are burnt out -- toast! I don't know about you, but while generally I feel balanced about my life because I have learned to pace myself, every once in a while the proverbial s(tuff) (ha!) hits the fan, and I...
Athlete Profiles: Pete Sampras Pete Sampras was born in 1971 and grew up in the Washington DC area of the United States. He is considered to be one of...
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linklings, the leap year conspiracy edition 2008 promises great drama and suspense. The Patriot nation shudders in ecstasy awaiting the next victory by the chosen, while my Jets unpack their golfing...
This came across my computer from Insight of the Day today:
I believe people should study a little bit every day. It should become habitual, like brushing your teeth, combing your hair, having a shower or getting dressed. Study the mind, the laws of the universe and paradigms. There’s enough information on those subjects to keep a person studying forever. Bob Proctor
Because I like to learn about new things, I don’t think of it as a habit. I laugh and say once I’ve learned one new thing each day, I can go to sleep.
Recently I read the book Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment. He teaches a very popular class in this. One of his interesting points is to make anything you like, that makes you happy, a habit, schedule it in. Evidently making something a habit means it actually gets into your life on a regular basis. And it takes upwards of a month to make something new a habit.
Living a passionate life What is the purpose of this life? Do you keep living until you have had all the best experiences? When is life complete? How many years would you want to keep living? Or do you...
Review: Arbonne NutriMinC RE9 body serum and body lotion If you are looking for a miracle product, this might just be it. I first saw the picture of a woman's arms. On one arm, she used these products for 2 weeks, once a day....
The Third/or Fourth Man Factor The Third Man Factor is an interesting concept. Evidently it should be The Fourth Man Factor, but It was [Sir Ernest] Shackleton’s experience that inspired the term “Third Man factor” (although for his group it...
Gifted children All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others. Michael Carr Ha ha...this quote makes me laugh. I often say I despaired of getting our son out of elementary school, mostly because...
About Aziza Mustafa Zadeh Aziza Mustafa Zadeh was born 19 December 1969 in Baku (Azerbaijan). Education Her father Vagif Mustafa Zadeh was one of the founders of the azeri jazz music and a founder of the new jazz trend,...
Best Wedding Day Gift Ideas Looking for the best gift for the groom can be really tough if you don’t know where to start. Luckily, it cannot be as tough...
How Long is Too Long to Wait? This is a question that haunts many fisherman. If you had waited five minutes longer – would you have caught that fish? Invariably, the instant...
Live Life In seeing the illusion you can see the reality behind it, but many stop there. They see how they, and their teaching, was mistaken, and...
Rob Gifford writes about his travels across China from Shanghai through the Gobi Desert on Route 312…he was the China correspondent of NPR for the last six years and is now back in Europe. The story takes him across the desert and recounts the people he meets and his views on changing China.
I have not read the book, but it sounds interesting!
Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil Deborah Rodriguez has written a must-read book for those interested in other cultures and the fate of women world-wide. She has changed the names and stories, but the stories are true. I've wanted to read...
What a great story of philanthropy The largest single gift to a secondary school has been made to the George School, a Quaker school in PA. What I find particularly interesting about this is that it is a pay it forward...
Bride Wars I thought I was going to hate this movie, but I went along just because. It turned out to be better than I had hoped. I like both the actresses in it. Kate Hudson and...
L'air du desert marocain by Tauer Perfumes I've heard a lot of good things about Andy Tauer fragrances, originating in Switzerland, and I was excited to finally be able to try several of them thanks to a friend at POL. I will...
Dads and sons -- Patrick Henry Hughes I know our son would tell you that his dad was the best. He gave his all and learned how to work the system to our son's best advantage. He spent hours with him perfecting...
It's the song... For some time now we have managed to establish a series of "sleeping songs" that put baby into the snoozing zone. Whether it's his bedtime...
Book Review: Common Sense On Mutual Funds I began my personal finance education by reading Suze Orman's "The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke" to get a good overview as...
Because I enjoyed Tess Hudson’s Double Down so well, I wanted to read this one. If you remember, Double Down was a romance about a young woman overcoming her addiction to gambling. There were some darker images in it involving uncovering a mystery about drugging a football player (her new romance) in order to predict a game.
I don’t know what I expected from Invisible Girl. Perhaps it was something psychological about a teen? It was not what I expected.
Invisible Girl’s prologue starts in the middle of the story. It unfolds in flashbacks to Vietnam and the Vietnam War, not chronological, superimposed on present day. It is very well written. I finished it pretty much in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down.
I think Hudson captures the time of the war, as well as the feeling that there are a lot of things we will never know about or that are deliberately hidden from us. She tells us that she was befriended by a Vietnam-era veteran who taught her about writing, art, and faith and showed her a side of the war she hadn’t glimpsed in the news broadcasts from her childhood.
She uses that to good advantage here. I cannot check her facts, but I can attest that she captures the feel of that time of war perfectly. And the feel of many of the returning soldiers.
She moves effortlessly from the battlefield to deep love; from rape to the babylift; from the soldiers to the highest echelons of politics and a powerful family; from the family of soldiers to the family of one of them; from the harshest of betrayals to the depths of trust and love. Along the way she mingles Catholicism and Buddhism, as Maggie’s mother covers all the bases to protect her family. She succeeds in a way not foreseen, including her own death and the solving of a puzzle from the past wherein only bits of the puzzle are held by individuals in order to afford protection to her children.
I find myself thinking if only, if only she had taken others into her confidence, others that loved her, she would be alive and reunited with her daughter.
For those who are touched by the Vietnam babylift, this book offers a small insight into the pain corruption adds to adoption. At the same time, the woman who was adopted as a baby was deeply loved by her adoptive mother (and loved her too.) There is also reunion of the half-siblings.
Additionally, it was interesting to me how the young Vietnamese woman who gave birth after being raped by an American soldier named her daughter Tam, which means heart. She felt that when she prayed to Buddha, he conceived this child through her heart on her own, not through rape. I don’t know how realistic this is, but it was very touching to me. Having biological (and adopted) children of my own, I know how deep is the mother love, and how it is very often our heart.
How to create a service environment I'd like to meet this Captain, wouldn't you! "Serve with passion," -- indeed! Here's a story to make your day happier: When I wrote the book, Customer Love, I shared this story about Captain Denny...
Teen and tweener makeup Here's my philosophy on makeup: Give your girls (and maybe guys) the right colors, teach them how to apply it, and encourage them. I suspect we will see more and more young men wearing some...
Engaging your whole heart in life Thinking about grief here and one who is grieving...grief can be so deep, we haven't any idea how to climb out. Passage of time isn't always an answer. But being there for someone, can shorten...
The simple blessings of Christmas (short movie) This video came across my computer this morning, and it reminds us of what is important during this time. It's not the flutter or the flurries (snow or otherwise), it is the joy and love...
Effecting mental change Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) An open mind is a prerequisite to an open heart. -Robert M. Sapolsky, neuroscientist and author (1957- ) It might be...
Collecting Vietnam War Memorabilia Finding collectibles that hail from a certain specific area is going to be an easy process if you know where to look and how to...
My Three Dads - Fit to be Fathers? Sunday Paper - August 30th, 2009 ADOPTION ADS ON PERVERT PAGE taken from Right Wing News - August 21st, 2009 With this I can rest...
Vampires and the Search for Humanity by Teal Ceagh, guest blogger and author of the Destiny's Trinities series. I’ve been on a marathon viewing of the second season of True Blood....
A Tough Love Treatment Plan for Money Envy Money Envy Pervades Our Culture How much of your budget-busting, discretionary spending on entertainment, cars, clothes, electronics, and vacations is motivated by what you see...
I can’t say I follow all the byways. I read nearly every word or I’d miss something, but because he has set up a sort of parallel universe I’m not always catching nuances. Sometimes another book adds some of the backstory in a way I find I understand it better. And I haven’t read the first 9 books all in order (it isn’t really necessary as there are enough allusions to other characters and their place in the story in each book.)
I really enjoy the narration of the main character, Harry. We get inside his head where there is plenty of cynicism, a lot of caring, and some interesting ways to handle evil.
This is sort of an apocalyptic series of good vs. evil with assorted vampires, archangels, evil spirits, and other literary and Biblical allusions, such as the fearsome Gruffs in this book (as in Billy Goat Gruffs). That one tickled my fancy!
I enjoy the humor.
At one time in my life, a shapeshifted, demonically possessed maniac crashing through a window and trying to rip my face off would have come as an enormous and nasty surprise.
But that was pretty much in the past. (p 102)
There is an entire website devoted to those who love the series and the various things (such as time lines and ages) that the fans are figuring out for the rest of us.
In the meantime, you could do a lot worse than spending some time in this series. There are godly believers; agnostics; atheists; a police officer in charge of paranormal with a developed sense of responsibility for her charge, the city of Chicago; and even a crime lord who has redeeming qualities. It is certainly thought provoking. There’s not a lot of gratuitous gore and what there is often happens to the bad guys. It’s not a series that would keep me up at night. I don’t expect any of these non-human characters to meet me in an alley.
Halloween We had some really cute costumes here. Even at lunch the wait staff was dressed up, from pirates to speak easy. It made it fun to eat out. At night, the little boys especially were...
Reckless Abandon, by Stuart Woods Stuart Woods has written a lot of books, nearly all of them good. They are peppered with interesting characters, a bit of humor, some cynicism, some romance, some intrigue. And some of them cross characters...
Review: The Star Trek Movie no spoilers If you haven't seen this movie (yet) and if you are the least bit of a peripheral fan of the original series, get on over to your nearest theater and see it. The movie critic...
FOTD AL eyes + Too Faced I liked this look! What do you think? Eyes: AL, unless noted Base: forget now, possibly Trish McAvoy, then my sparkly nude mix -- this also makes the Grape a little less matte. I might...
All through the night (book) Suzanne Brockmann writes interesting books, and this is no exception. I stumbled across one of her books a few years ago. She writes military fiction (Navy Seals) with characters you enjoy, rolled up with passion...
Increase Traffic To Your Blog, pt3 Here is Part 3 in our series on increasing traffic to your blog. We hope you enjoyed the series, and that you can take these...
Get into Bed with Robin Kaye (Author Q&A) Hi Robin and welcome back! I’m so excited to talk to you again. As with before, you’ve wowed me. I am really enjoying your Domestic...
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in...
Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
An open mind is a prerequisite to an open heart. -Robert M. Sapolsky, neuroscientist and author (1957- )
It might be a good idea if the various countries of the world would occasionally swap history books, just to see what other people are doing with the same set of facts. -Bill Vaughan, journalist (1915-1977)
…we have a lot of opinions, and we tend to take them as truth. Pema Chodron
This book was a gift from a friend a number of years ago. I think you have to be in the right mood to read it. If you are unfamiliar with Buddhist terms, it takes some getting used to seeing them and knowing what they mean in context. She has many gems in the book, sometimes within paragraphs where I took the wheat and left what I wasn’t clear on. In many ways, she makes goodness understood from outside a religious parameter. And it is all about having an open heart, open to the compassion of the world and of our own, open to the pain of the world and a means of alleviating it. I might try to read some of her other books too, but they are heavy duty for everyday fare.
I bet most of us would not understand history if we read it from the perspective of someone else’s country. I think that’s where travel comes in and broadens our viewpoints. Reading about a place is not the same as breathing the air and stepping foot on the soil and looking out from or at something different from our normal scene.
It might be the same with true piety and goodness vs. piety that has a negative connotation. I don’t think the word goodness is ever corrupted as ‘piety’ usually is. If it is good, it’s good. When I think of the facts (‘facts’) about God…piety, religion, truth…the same set of facts yields many different concepts, all of which cannot be true…or all of which might be partially true. But facts or not, are we becoming a better person, maybe kinder or nicer or more considerate, more compassionate and even, a little bit more good? I’m not sure for most of us that it is a steadily inclining line, at least I have setbacks, but over all, hopefully…
How about you? Have you ever read any of her books? or any book on Buddhism? Do you think you’ve changed in the last five years?
The elusive nature of happiness, part 7 (end) So what can you do to maximize happiness and minimize the opposite? Some things seem like common sense (not revolutionary): ...the revolutionary idea that true happiness lies in building on our strengths, not rooting out...
What are you reading? Currently I'm reading Life Lessons: Two Experts on Death and Dying Teach Us About the Mysteries of Life and Living. I am enjoying it immensely. I think I'm going to gift it to several friends...
Review: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett I've read Ken Follett's thrillers/WWII/spy books, but had never even heard of this book, which is his biggest seller. A friend read the book, handed me her copy, and asked if I had read it,...
Hard truths of adoption, told softly There are many hard truths of adoption, all of which our children own. After all, it is their story. And age appropriately we share with them so they have the knowledge they need to take...
Creating a multi-racial family through adoption I am rarely at a loss for words. Some in my family would argue I talk too much, have strong opinions on too many subjects. I recently met someone friends have been trying to hook...
Review: Hot, Flat, and Crowded Tom Friedman returns to milk the cash cow he created earlier this decade called The World is Flat. Milking the cash cow may have a...
Review: Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes Good Calories, Bad Calories took the author five years to write, and it contains some groundbreaking information that will undoubtedly be the cause of much...
If you loved Harry Potter, be sure not to miss Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
Book Girl and I went to the midnight showing last night, crazy people that we are. The medium sized theater was about 2/3 full.
But you can bet that the second movie, for there will surely be one, will pack in more than one theater in each complex.
First, I just really couldn’t get into the book(s). I read them. But couldn’t have told you what they were about. Then, I listened to parts of the audio books as Book Girl wended her way through all of them.
Ah, but the movie is a different sort. Immediately understandable. Highly entertaining. Great CGI. My only caveat is that the fight training scenes looked amateurish, which may have been the whole point.
The background
The author wrote these books to help his own son understand the gods. His son is both ADHD and dyslectic. So is Percy Jackson.
The story
Percy finds himself in the middle of a coming war between Zeus and Poseidon unless he can return Zeus’ lightening bolt, which he has been accused of stealing.
Not only did he not steal it, but he has no idea that he is a demi-god — the son of Poseidon and his human mother.
Three friends
Once again, we have three friends, similar to Harry Potter. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover play are older. Together they survive and conquer.
Special effects
The CGI will have you on the edge of your seat more than once.
The characters
Assorted gods, demi-gods, centaurs, satyrs, and humans, etc.
The actors
Pierce Brosnan plays a prominent part. I won’t give it away.
Brandon T. Jackson is Grover, Percy Jackson’s bodyguard. He adds a lot of humor to the story. In a way, he reminds me of the taxi driver in Total Recall.
Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth) plays a much more likable character than Kate in White Collar, USA Network’s television series that we love. She is the daughter of Athena and is also a demi-god.
Logan Lerman is perfect as Percy Jackson. I don’t know him from any other work.
Jake Abel is Luke and will feature in other films. He is the son of Hermes, and is also a demi-god.
Rosario Dawson plays Persephone. She is key to Percy’s survival.
And don’t forget Ulma Thuman as Medusa — she makes the part. And there is some comedy in it too.
My take
Definitely 4 out of 4 star.
I think I’d like to read the books now that I’ve seen the movie.
Some of the special effects might be too scary for young children on the big screen. OTOH, no one has seen creatures like these, so we don’t expect them in a dark alley — though I was watching the lights coming home at 2 am.
It’s definitely interesting to think that not so very long ago these gods and goddesses were believed and feared. I was wondering who thought of them in the first place, how did they evolve into a religion at the time.
I’ve been to Greece and seen what is left of the temples and thought of what they might have been like when brand new and people believed.
Juno, some spoilers, maybe Juno was recommended to me by a friend. I was told I'd like it, but I had my doubts. First, the subject of adoption, birth mothers, birth fathers, birth family, and desire for a child...
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Review: The Star Trek Movie no spoilers If you haven't seen this movie (yet) and if you are the least bit of a peripheral fan of the original series, get on over to your nearest theater and see it. The movie critic...
Pay attention to the little stings of life Norris Burkes writes thought provoking essays about real life and God. This essay talks about almost losing his daughter to a bee sting, but her new boyfriend thought fast enough to be aware. I like...
Effecting mental change Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) An open mind is a prerequisite to an open heart. -Robert M. Sapolsky, neuroscientist and author (1957- ) It might be...
when adultery is okay, part 3: The Scarlet Letter Part 1 Revenge with Kevin Costner and Part 2 is The English Patient. To read the previous posts on these series: http://pinartarhan.com/blog/when-adultery-is-okay-revenge/ http://pinartarhan.com/blog/when-adultery-is-okaypart-2-the-english-patient/ The Scarlet...
Kids Say the Darndest Things v2 [/caption] From the Humor Files: Kids Say the Darndest Thing A kindergarten student told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead. "How...
Just when it seems like a bit of good news would be exceedingly welcomed, comes this true story (I’ve checked it with Snopes) about a woman hand feeding hummingbirds.
Isn’t it great that with the Internet we have a way to easily share these experiences that we might never hear about otherwise?!
Thanks to Cathy for sharing with me in the first place!
It’s a reminder to me that “God’s in his heaven; all’s right with the world.”
from “Pippa Passes”
The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his Heaven -
All’s right with the world!
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Is it possible that in these difficult times we could trust more deeply that God will feed and clothe us, as he does the birds and the lilies? Whether we are literally in need of food, shelter, clothing, water, health, employment or any of a myriad of other needs, the most basic need is for the ideas that will lead us in the right direction and out of limitation.
Ideas are always limitless! (This goes along with the short movie I posted earlier.)
Not too long ago while pondering how I should schedule my day, though my first inclination the night before had been to get on down the road and back home, I felt it was all right to meander a bit. In doing so, I had a number of interesting conversations with strangers, some welcome time with a friend, and a bit of fashion enjoyment, including some time with perfumes.
After I’d been back on the highway for a while, an electronic sign informed me of an accident 26 miles down the road. One lane was closed. (I learned later that it had only cleared about an hour before I got there.) If I had hurried my way home, I would have been stuck for hours while they cleared the road. I was able to get past it without any lost time.
Sometimes we do not know what we or others are protected from, but this time it was apparent. And it could have been far worse, but thankfully wasn’t. On this busy stretch of road, many more could have been involved in this accident but were not.
That’s just a small example of how ideas will clear our day for us. Expect ideas today and always that will help you!
Review Love Happens Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart star in the film Love Happens. It is not a romantic comedy, but a romantic drama. There are moments of humor breaking the seriousness. And a really cute bird. The...
Wasting a life The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life. Muhammad Ali Well, this challenges us, doesn't it! I did a lot of...
Ah, sweet licorice in tea and chocolate and perfumes I'm not one to eat a lot of black licorice, but I do like it. When our son was five, we had one of our most beloved exchange students from Finland. He came when he...
Solid rock, Bob Dylan Well, I'm hangin' on to a solid rock Made before the foundation of the world And I won't let go, and I can't let go, won't let go And I can't let go, won't let...
Review: Turn Coat by Jim Butcher, Dresden Files series Jim Butcher has another hit on his hands with his latest in the Dresden Files series, Turn Coat. Once again, Harry Dresden, the last wizard in Chicago is pitting his wits against the dark forces...
Writing a Series by Judi Fennell guest blogger and author of Wild Blue Under Thanks so much for having me here to talk about my latest release, Wild...
Vampires and the Search for Humanity by Teal Ceagh, guest blogger and author of the Destiny's Trinities series. I’ve been on a marathon viewing of the second season of True Blood....
Ninja Climbing Gear Used by ninjas to scale walls, climb trees, and aid in quick escapes, climbing skill is a ninja warrior necessity. Although climbing skills at low...
Flipping Brilliant is a short little inspirational book based on penguin life, but it is filled with wonderful, wonderful pictures of penguins.
It is also available as a Kindle book for $6.39. But I’m not sure you’d want it as an ebook yet, because you would lose the color photos. I don’t think black and white would be quite as good, despite the majority of penguin color being black and white.
I had no idea there are 17 different kinds of penguins!
Ever wonder why the Emperor Penguins march so far from the sea before making their nests? This book has the answer — because when the ice begins to melt, if they are too close to the sea, the entire colony would be lost.
I rate this book 5 star for the photos, and the inspirations drawn from them are better than I expected.
Have you read it?
Trollbead/Pandora/Chamilia/etc. penguins
BTW, for those of you who collect trollbead bracelets or Pandora, there are plenty of different styles of penguins to choose for your bracelet. Barbara Maria has one (she designed TB geese) that is really cute.
Another management book: Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter
If I had time right now, I’d read this book among the first of the books I have to read. But it will be on a later agenda, even though it is an approximately 45 min read. It looked very interesting at the book store. Additionally, you can find it at $9.99 for your Kindle. This fable is about a penguin colony faced with a potentially fatal problem. Along the way, the author teaches 8 insights into how to understand and manage change.
Have you ever thought that change either comes too quickly — or not soon enough.
Managing change, the unexpected kind, might be a good thing!
Review Hide and Seek by Cherry Adair (Book 3) Hide and Seek is the third book in the T-FLAC series. This book concerns Kyle Wright, the second of the Wright sibs. He is a medical doctor, but like all the Wright brothers, not what...
Review: The book of positive quotations If you love quotations, and if you think you'd like to read positive quotations, this book is one of the best out there. But it's a thinker's book, as much as a feel-good book. You...
Review Handbags and Homocide by Dorothy Howell Handbags and Homicide is a Haley Randolph Mystery. If you like Stephanie Plum, you will love Haley Randolph, with a cast of characters as quirky and loveable as the SP books, what's not to love!...
Review: The Cost of Love by Drue Allen (no spoiler) One genre I generally will read is romantic suspense. It's a little softer than suspense, which hits too close to home for me now. Drue Allen’s first book, The Cost of Love, is romantic suspense...
Have you ever noticed what a good hair day does for you? I got my hair cut today, on schedule, and I always walk out of there feeling like a million bucks. I laugh and say I get up in the morning looking like this. (Not!) But...
The Complete Guide To Prosper.com A new book on Prosper.com goes on sale today -- The Complete Guide To Prosper.com. I meet the author at Prosper Days and he gave...
Do You Have What it Takes to be Prosperous? Free Money Finance has a post that highlights the 10 Habits of the Prosperous from the book Does Your Bag Have Holes. I haven't read...
6 Reasons Why We Stop Reading a Book by Captain Lyaf Yarr and Second Mate Embry Have you ever read a book that you feel like you absolutely can't finish and you stop...
What I Am Reading June 2008. I am going to attempt to start a new roundup of the books I am reading each month, to both steer you guys away from...
Book Girl and I went to see this one the other day. I thought I was going to another movie — Letters to Juliet! But When in Rome is one we thought we’d like to see from the previews, and the other one will be coming out soon, so we will see that one then. I did feel silly, however, to wrap my head around seeing a different movie than I expected!
When in Rome is a cute fantasy movie. Beth (Kristen Bell) is a workaholic, a young curator at the Guggenheim, working for Celeste (Anjelica Huston who plays her with delight.) Unlucky in love, she heads to Rome for her sister’s (Alexis Dziena) (who plays her usual dipsy part) whirlwind wedding. While there, she meets Nick (Josh Duhamel) and when it looks like her hopes for this possible relationship are dashed, she takes coins from the fountain, instead of tossing a coin to wish for love.
You can imagine the fun when the men who tossed the coins begin to pursue her aggressively. One is Danny DaVito, who is the only one who can deliver the lines he is given. Another is Jon Header (Napoleon Dynamite) — he gets more handsome by the day — who plays his part hilariously. Dax Shepard plays a ripped model, hilariously, in love with himself, now in love with her. Then there is the painter…
It takes her a while to realize they have been hit by a love spell because of the coins she took. Half the fun is how she is going to get out of it.
The cast includes a lot of all-stars. In addition to those mentioned, Don Johnson plays her father. Peggy Lipton is Priscilla. Even Shaq turns up.
Our theater was fairly full. There was a woman behind us with an infectious laugh. She belongs in a soundtrack. It was as much fun listening to her enjoy the movie, as it was for us to enjoy it.
There is one twist I didn’t see until the very end. It adds some fun too.
Have you seen this movie?
I give it 2.5 or 3 stars. It’s not Shakespeare, but it sure is fun. If you want to have a lot of laughs, suspend reality, and just have a good time, this is a movie to more than while away some time with.
27 dresses College Girl and I went to see this movie tonight. The theater was packed at 8:15, loads of adults of all ages, no kids. We liked it. Yes, it's predictable, but it isn't just one...
Harry Potter revisited Three of us went to HP this morning, including College Girl who went for the second time. Come to find out CG has been replying to my blog and for some unknown reason her comments...
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Sometimes I think the harder we look for happiness, the more elusive it can be. It’s like searching for Mr. Goodbar. But if we just sit quietly, appreciating and in the moment, it sneaks up on us.
That’s not to say that we don’t have to work at it or take charge of our own happiness. Like Cathy writes below in the comments section, I often say that I fight for my happiness!
I’ve learned through the years that I need to bring happiness into my moments, if I expect to experience it. I remind myself to do those small things for myself that secure my happiness, to be good to myself, to take time to enjoy the moments that run through our fingers.
I’ve talked with a number of folks over the years and in recent weeks whose concerns are ratcheting up. They are looking to establish (more) joy in their lives in the face of negative reports and a general malaise. Concerns about the world; their finances; life in general; their health, their work, their marriage; retirement funds — anything you can think of — are stealing their peace and occupying their thoughts.
Over the years I’ve looked into happiness, read a number of books, worked on it for myself, and tried to discern what, exactly, is happiness? I don’t know that it is possible to be happy every moment, but even in the midst of problems, it is possible to be a happy person, or at least to experience joy at some level and in some moments. So happiness isn’t determined by whether a person is happy every single moment, but whether it is an attitude of heart and mind.
An analogy that came to me a number of years ago that I’ve often shared with others is this:
Every incident of goodness; every moment of joy; every good thought or deed; every kind word experienced or given; every beautiful thing we notice; every bit of gratitude we express; every note of music we hear or play; every time we appreciate something around us; every time we give or receive a compliment; every time we take time to take time is like a pearl we are stringing in our lives.
The knots in the string are life’s problems.
When we look at a strand of pearls, yes, we see the knots, but we don’t focus on them. They only serve to make the strand more beautiful. What we see is the complete strand with the individual pearls. The knots hold the pearls securely, as well as set them apart from each other so that we may better see and appreciate the individual pearls.
That seemed like enough, and for years that is what I strove to understand and share.
But this past week, when talking to someone, it occurred to me to think out loud as we were talking: What is the string?
And in an instant I listened to the idea come out of my mouth that I hadn’t yet had:
The string is happiness.
I loved the idea that there is a string of happiness moving through our lives and that we are stringing together moments of love, joy, goodness, peace — the loveliness of life — on it.
May you be blessed by this idea, as much as I was to receive it, and may today and every day be filled with many beautiful and precious blessings.
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Jeff and Erin created a video for their save the wedding date, and it is not run of the mill, home grown, but very professional and includes elements of many recognizable movies.
I wish them a lifetime of happiness. If you can’t be a little bit crazy now, when can you be!
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These books were given to me as Christmas presents. They are not easy reads, but they have information that everyone should have some knowledge of, if they don’t already. I had some awareness before I read these books, but I had no single book that would be a reference book on the subject.
The young reader’s edition is like a Reader’s Digest take on the adult book. The book is an abbreviated version, but it includes all the highlights. It is not something I want either my teen or pre-teen (or maybe even Book Girl) to read. Suffice it to know a bit about it, without reading it.
The author claims that those who are vegetarians begin to eat meat again, after reading his book, or conversely, those who eat meat become vegetarians.
He talks a lot about how corn has taken over, and what that means even for a cow’s digestion.
He takes us from cattle ranching to small, green type farms that are self-sustaining. He helps on the latter for a period of time and on the day that chickens are processed. This particular farm was very interesting to me. I definitely recommend reading this section — how the chickens are brought into the pastures where the cows had been a couple of days earlier. They clear the manure of eatable bugs, adding food to their diet and clearing the pasture for the safety of the animals. The systems of moving the animals is very interesting.
He finds large packing plants won’t let him in. He describes in detail how a cow is killed for food, humanely.
These are not easy books to read, but they might be necessary for one’s education.
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Hot Ice continues the story of the T-Flac group. As usual it starts off with a bang.
I had a very hard time reading this book, and if it weren’t for the fact that I like the characters, I could have given up, because much of it was distasteful.
It reads much like the Da Vinci Code with alternating chapters. I enjoyed the story of the good guys, but the bad guys were too evil for me. Plus the evil guy they are trying to head off is a religious fanatic who self-flagellates, similar to the DVC, and nope, that is not for me.
The woman
Taylor Kincaid is a jewel thief and real good at her work. She has some life secrets unknown to the T-Flac operatives. She is being targeted by two groups of bad guys and by T-Flac for something she stole along with the jewels in a safe. While she took it deliberately, she didn’t know what she had. T-Flac had hoped to have her steal it for them, but before they could contact her, she did it on her own.
She finds herself in a San Cristobel jail — able to escape, but being caught and worked over each time — the first time she has been in custody for any of her jobs.
The man
Huntington “Hunt” St. John needs her, not only for what she stole, but for her ability to crack safes and other codes. In the first few pages he rescues her from jail. He doesn’t trust her (and she doesn’t trust him.) Of course he doesn’t know her motivation for stealing or who has hired her.
Their love story Erotic as usual.
She awakens his protective instincts against what he thinks is his better judgment. Together they are able to thwart the bad guys (and women.) You knew that from the genre of the book.
What they are up against
A religious fanatic who is also a terrorist — and a second terrorist group which is gunning for the first, as well as them.
Jose Morales has an underground lair, complete with armed missile. He has rigged it all to follow the book of Revelation in his twisted way.
Warning
Some murders that are particularly distasteful (which all murders are, really.) A religious fanatic who is more than a little crazy. Chemical warfare; hand to hand warfare with knives; etc.
My take
I would prefer a lighter hand in the evilness. More of a romp than a treatise on evil. I’m not sure I want to continue with the books, except to take a quick look to see who has the next stories. I should only have read the chapters concerning the T-Flac group.
Have you read this book?
It is available for Kindle for $5.59.
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At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable. Christopher Reeve (1952-2004)
…destination, determination, deliberation…[the 3 D's important to know in learning to apparate**] J.K. Rowling
In re-hearing these 3 D’s, it struck me that these 3 D’s are important in bringing good into our lives. What is our destination — what are we aiming for (or dreaming into being)…are we determined enough to move it from the improbable to the inevitable…and then do we add the quality of deliberation of truly thinking it through — realizing it is not self-will, but that it is expectation and self-openness that speed our progress?
If you have read the sequence where Harry Potter and his friends learn to apparate, you know it doesn’t always work as planned on the first try. (I say this about the transporter in Star Trek — I’ll want to make sure the apple gets to the other end in one piece before I try it.) If their train of thought is broken, they don’t apparate correctly. Perhaps that is the way it is with dreams. Some dreams are inevitable because we dedicate our thought to them. Some other dreams we let go of, because other dreams are coming into being or a dream simply isn’t dream-worthy.
It was a long haul to the adoption of our first Chinese daughter. A lot of doors shut before we found China, and it took so long, it was as if it had shut too. It is tempting to give it up, but if it is truly to come into being then we mustn’t quit, we just keep on doing what needs to be done as it needs to be done, never discounting the courage to keep going.
Three people come to mind who never gave up: Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller. I’m sure there are others. They faced and mastered obstacles greater than I’ve ever been called upon to face. And persevered.
Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight. Helen Keller (1880-1968)
Karin
**Apparition (A-pa-RI-shun)
Apparate, Disapparate
nonverbal spell
from “appareo” L. to appear
Advanced spell used by fully trained witches and wizards to disappear from one place and appear almost instantly somewhere else. A person who uses this spell is referred to as an Apparator.
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