Putting My Career Transition on Hold

<br />The other part of my not wanting children surrounds my career.  I'm pursuing a new field of work, and the time it's going to take me to accomplish this goal is unknown at this point.  What I do know is that it would've been a whole lot easier doing this without a child in the picture.  Now, I just worry that I'll ever be able to finish at all!<br /><br />Since 2010, I have been pursuing a second degree to become a nurse.   I've already covered a lot of ground in this area, but I have a lot more left to go.  I was excited to start at a new school in Fall 2012 and was highly motivated about getting my remaining courses knocked out.  Then about 2 months into the semester I not only found out about being pregnant, but I was dealing with all day sickness.  It was so hard to concentrate on school and devote the same level of time to studying that I was previously used to.  I even failed an exam, which I had never done in all of my college career.  I was able to finish the semester and pass my class, but I decided against signing up for the Spring.  I was so stressed out last semester, I knew there was no way I could combat another one, especially not knowing if/when the sickness would end.  I am honestly happy I've taken this semester off, but it was still a tough decision knowing I'd be setting my career dreams off even longer. <br /><br />I know that plenty of parents out there are pursuing degrees and making it work.  Still, my thoughts have always been why stress yourself out anymore than necessary?  I am very desperate to make a career change because I hate my job so much right now.  Thinking about having to stay in this field any longer depresses me.  Still, I will now have another life I'm responsible for and I know I will have to do what it takes to provide for this child. <br /><br />Some of my other reasons for not wanting to having children include the financial burdens and constraints, not wanting to give up my freedom, losing "Joel and me" time, fear of being a bad parent, fear of bringing a human into this world that seems less than ideal right now, etc etc.   There are others but that is the gist.<br />

Baby Busbee Putting My Career Transition on Hold

The other part of my not wanting children surrounds my career.  I'm pursuing a new field of work, and the time it's going to take me...

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CMBA Blogathon: Nightmare Alley (1947)

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRAU20qRuGZwutS5FuY9g4kA_SquIIeT6uIBcZcONQInSblh9FI5JLppIBwuBx25Dk59_IjHzyFSEEYSQOVidjaIP-aY1Sxu3rIzwvdxLBhkNEXLrKYxrs91RFSasSmS7EnPjeONQHvg/s1600/Guy+Budziak+woodcut_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRAU20qRuGZwutS5FuY9g4kA_SquIIeT6uIBcZcONQInSblh9FI5JLppIBwuBx25Dk59_IjHzyFSEEYSQOVidjaIP-aY1Sxu3rIzwvdxLBhkNEXLrKYxrs91RFSasSmS7EnPjeONQHvg/s1600/Guy+Budziak+woodcut_opt.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Woodcut print by <b><a href="http://www.filmnoirwoodcuts.com/index.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Guy Budziak</span></a></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Coney Island's first so-called "freak show" opened in 1880, but the heyday of its sideshow attractions began nearly 25 years later when Samuel W. Gumpertz opened "Lilliputia" at Dreamland, one of the site's three major amusement parks. Wildly popular with tourists, "Lilliputia" was a miniature city scaled to accommodate its 300 midget and dwarf residents. When Dreamland burned in 1911, Gumpertz built the Dreamland Circus Sideshow and </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">traveled the world constantly seeking "freaks" (usually those with congenital anomalies) and people from exotic lands (Filipino blowgun shooters, actual "wild men" from Borneo, Ubangi women with plated lips) for his shows.<span style="font-size: small;"> In no time Gumpertz would have competition from The World<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Circus Freak Show<span style="font-size: small;">, Wonderland Circus Sideshow and other copy-cat venues large and small.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHrjXMQxO0M92HdGVUcl-yJv5upb4M5TO8BkFwJmmzG4mClO9xLDC6hqQUIsVjGjtIOoxf2wxDUfa5AMFEM2YsU1vSADWwrKZqFvDTlWKw6oMYEj9NNkdMU4u2_KYtvJegGjFzUK5DTs/s1600/geek+show_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHrjXMQxO0M92HdGVUcl-yJv5upb4M5TO8BkFwJmmzG4mClO9xLDC6hqQUIsVjGjtIOoxf2wxDUfa5AMFEM2YsU1vSADWwrKZqFvDTlWKw6oMYEj9NNkdMU4u2_KYtvJegGjFzUK5DTs/s320/geek+show_opt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Geek show, <i>Nightmare Alley</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During Coney Island's peak, its bizarre sideshow attractions drew great crowds<span style="font-size: small;">. Naturally, young <span style="font-size: small;">people were especially awed by the incredible "human oddities" on display. One boy, whose family had recently moved to Brooklyn, became enthralled with these freak attractions. He haunted the sideshows and reportedly held a job on the midway for a while. His name was William Lindsay Gresham and he was born in Baltimore in 1909. His family had moved from Baltimore to Massachusetts in 1916 before coming to New York<span style="font-size: small;"> and, for most of his life, Gresham would live in New York. He worked as a reporter after high<span style="font-size: small;"> school and for a time made a living in Greenwich <span style="font-size: small;">Village as a folk singer. In the late '30s he served in the Spanish Civil War, fighting the good fight <span style="font-size: small;">against Franco<span style="font-size: small;">. While in Spain he met a fellow American who regaled him with memories of life on the carnival circuit. It was through this man, 'Doc' Halliday, that William Lindsay Gresham learned all about 'carny culture' and first heard of the sideshow act known as 'the geek.' Halliday's description of this creature, a man who crawled around in filth and bit the heads from live chickens and snakes for booze money, revolted and intrigued Gresham. He could not get the image out of his head and later said, "to get rid of it, I had to write it out."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">  </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cdvLuQufjLrZ7AigJMCjmCoM-vYUt54ub2hO305PONMNwcjZfUvLXzQk12sJ1pdpKiCdAjQfeLtNvfNFcWR8yKKtPQAAlAdsLHW1R8Qu84W9EmHR_i46IBXfoOT1Qjzl40BqbleEDeI/s1600/William-Lindsay-Gresham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cdvLuQufjLrZ7AigJMCjmCoM-vYUt54ub2hO305PONMNwcjZfUvLXzQk12sJ1pdpKiCdAjQfeLtNvfNFcWR8yKKtPQAAlAdsLHW1R8Qu84W9EmHR_i46IBXfoOT1Qjzl40BqbleEDeI/s1600/William-Lindsay-Gresham.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">William Lindsay Gresham</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">After he returned to the states, Gresham found employment editing and contri<span style="font-size: small;">buting to pu<span style="font-size: small;">lp magazines. With a steady income providing some financial stability, he was able to begin work on his first novel. <i>Nightmare Alley </i>appeared in 1946. The novel was a soul blistering tour of third-rate Depression-era carnival life and the "spook racket." 'Pr<span style="font-size: small;">otagonist' Stan Carlisle is a han<span style="font-size: small;">dsome young man in a low-level carny job who is driven at first by lust and then by the burning ambition to make it big. Coolly conning nearly everyone who crosses his path, Stan makes his way up, up, up as a bogus clairvoyant and on to the heights as a religi<span style="font-size: small;">ous charlatan. But he meets his match in a high<span style="font-size: small;">-end grifter even more cold-blooded than he is. Stan's fall is fast and far and horrific.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcFfz_0RRp-7w6SM85JyjhysPgyYMhCmFxlCS7SBXMVbGrUtM0uW8hVUu8A2fXEjT4Q5V7ioTA116Zs7lBhE8z_9qB0ofgedizRhCsz9V6SIwCKgLoCUPgDEZlcX3mdBFFX9zAY-Vv9Q/s1600/hanged+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcFfz_0RRp-7w6SM85JyjhysPgyYMhCmFxlCS7SBXMVbGrUtM0uW8hVUu8A2fXEjT4Q5V7ioTA116Zs7lBhE8z_9qB0ofgedizRhCsz9V6SIwCKgLoCUPgDEZlcX3mdBFFX9zAY-Vv9Q/s200/hanged+man.jpg" width="116" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Author Gresham, a tormented man in search of peace of mind, had, by the time he was writing <i>Nightmare Alley</i>, already dabbled in Marxism and psychoanalysis and was now studying the Tarot (each chapter of the book is named for a Major Arcana card). He w<span style="font-size: small;">ould go on to delve into and abandon Christianity, Zen Buddhism and Alcoholics Anonymous. None of these pursuits would alleviate his struggle with personal demons. The expanse of Gresham's <span style="font-size: small;">own sense of desperation was revealed in his all-too-real depiction of human despair in <i>Nightmare Alley</i>;<span style="font-size: small;"> later in life he would <span style="font-size: small;">claim in a letter, "Stan is the author."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Night<span style="font-size: small;">mare Alley </span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">was a success and the film rights were quickly snapped up by Tyrone Power, who'd read the book and saw in Stan Carlisle the role of a lifetime. He pressed his boss, 20th Century Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck, to produce <span style="font-size: small;">the adaptation and allow him to star. The film Power badgered Zanuck to make would be directed by <a href="http://www.silentsaregolden.com/articles/edmundgouldingarticle.html"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Edmund </span></b></a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.silentsaregolden.com/articles/edmundgouldingarticle.html"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Goulding</span></b></a> and co-star Joan Blondell, <a href="http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/helenwalker.html"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Helen Wal</span></b></a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/helenwalker.html"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">ker </span></b></a>and Coleen Gra<span style="font-size: small;">y. It was released in 1947.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sYVyT6WueaxQ4xHVr9cdzcosND5cnXhclP6RPZszyDOoZ9Iw-OwpAIPfUyE6YzwpgmqhX-VNiBIL91d7ODEFtkLkIXi39QAM1kGidQ8c2Fgs6Eb-dc1W86xntooCcZs8bV-srgE401U/s1600/ty+power+make+up+test_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sYVyT6WueaxQ4xHVr9cdzcosND5cnXhclP6RPZszyDOoZ9Iw-OwpAIPfUyE6YzwpgmqhX-VNiBIL91d7ODEFtkLkIXi39QAM1kGidQ8c2Fgs6Eb-dc1W86xntooCcZs8bV-srgE401U/s320/ty+power+make+up+test_opt.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tyrone Power makeup test for <i>Nightmare Alley</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If William Lindsay Gresham was a troubled misfit, Tyrone Power would seem his very opposite. Born into a legendary theatrical family and graced with good looks, onscreen charisma and talent, Power was a movie star by age 22 - a decade or more younger than most leading men of the late '30s. But, as the years passed, Power became frustrated with the too-often shallow roles Fox offered him and had begun to have misgivings about his career. He told a girlfriend, "Someday I'll show the @!&%!*s who say I was a success just because of my pretty face..." and famously commented on charismatic appeal, "The secret of charm is bullshit." By the time <i>Nightmare Alley </i>came along, Tyrone Power was ready to play Stan Carlisle.</span></span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQwpD5-X2_cgE5ZAp9bYaGzTA9S7CeqEepWuNLKE7RMxKU_ZHFSUu3fQU0VNBBwNLRDKAGzyy9okpf-bZ6wimWhbSTdvkxKKPYRQ0-kY2L5T1-Qhu7q4GiqzNJT6TPBgZ-4Eu3mA_574/s1600/helen+walker_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQwpD5-X2_cgE5ZAp9bYaGzTA9S7CeqEepWuNLKE7RMxKU_ZHFSUu3fQU0VNBBwNLRDKAGzyy9okpf-bZ6wimWhbSTdvkxKKPYRQ0-kY2L5T1-Qhu7q4GiqzNJT6TPBgZ-4Eu3mA_574/s200/helen+walker_opt.jpg" width="183" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Helen Walker as Dr. Lilith Ritter</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">A 1947 film adaptation of <i>Nightmare Alley</i> could never have been entirely faithful to the novel - the book was just too raw, sexual and <span style="font-size: small;">disturbing. So the story was streamlined and cleaned up<span style="font-size: small;">. Noir veteran <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0299154/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Jules Furthman</span></b></a>'s s<span style="font-size: small;">creenplay could on<span style="font-size: small;">ly imply<span style="font-size: small;"> or allude to w<span style="font-size: small;">hat was far more perverse and explicit<span style="font-size: small;"> in the novel. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Furthman did manage to incorporate a good dose of Gresham's rich and authentic huckster jargon into the script and Goulding evokes, as much as he was allowed, the novel's underlying savagery. An A-budget noir, </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Nightmare Alley</i>'s ink-black look came courtesy of <a href="http://www.cinematographers.nl/GreatDoPh/garmes.htm"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Lee Garmes</b></span></a>, one of the developers of "Rembrandt lighting," with art direction by <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/07/lyle-wheeler-setting-scene.html"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Lyle Wheeler</span></b></a>, effects by Fred Sersen and makeup by Ben Nye. Joan Blondell is a natural cast as blowzy, pillowy Zeena, the mentalist, and Helen Walker as Dr. Lilith Ritter is razor-blade deadly. But it is Tyrone Power's portrayal of Stan Carlisle that is the eye-opener. Power's Stan evolves from opportunistic naif to oily hustler, slick headliner, relentless schemer, jumpy man-on-the-run and, finally, vulnerable rum-dum. The transformation is shattering.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's no<span style="font-size: small;"> sec<span style="font-size: small;">ret that Darryl Zanuck disliked <i>Nightmare Alley</i>. Power was his box office bonanza of a leading man and <span style="font-size: small;">Zanuck hadn't wanted to risk casting him in so dark a film. But was it a risk? The post-war era brought stars like Joan Crawford (<i>Mildred Pierce</i>), Ray Milland <i>(The Lost Weekend</i>)<span style="font-size: small;">, Lana Turner (<i>The Postman Always Rings Twice</i><span style="font-size: small;">), </span>Ronald Coleman<span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i><span style="font-size: small;">(<i>A Double Life</i>) and others new success - and sometimes an<span style="font-size: small;"> Oscar - for less than sympathetic character portrayals in downbeat films. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">On rel<span style="font-size: small;">ease, </span></span><i>Nightmare Alley</i> received mixed reviews (a New York Times<span style="font-size: small;"> reviewer complained, "this film traverses dista<span style="font-size: small;">steful dramatic ground<span style="font-size: small;">")</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">but Power's performance was widely acclaimed. That was not enough to reassure an already nervous studio and <span style="font-size: small;">the film's</span> <span style="font-size: small;">run</span> <span style="font-size: small;">in theaters was brief. It was a commercial failure.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GNOx4U49Rj4" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Pete (Ian K<span style="font-size: x-small;">eith) reads S<span style="font-size: x-small;">tan (Tyrone Power)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Zanuck's reluctance to back <i>Nightmare Alley</i> is often blamed for its failure. But his caution makes sense given the times and his understanding <span style="font-size: small;">of Tyrone Power's place in movie goers<span style="font-size: small;">' hearts. Audience<span style="font-size: small;">s could handl<span style="font-size: small;">e the handsome star as a skirt-chasing carnival Lothario sporting a cocky attitude and a tight tee-shirt. But once Stan<span style="font-size: small;">'s seamy nature begins to creep to the sur<span style="font-size: small;">face</span> - a wad of chewing gum always in his cheek, a cigarette behind his ear, a spiel ever on his lips - the audience might start to get ji<span style="font-size: small;">ttery. When he slips a bottle of hooch to Pete (Ian Keith), a carny alcoholic <span style="font-size: small;">who is an obstacle to his dreams, there's no denying Stan's ruthlessness. It becomes clear soon enough that Stan is a nastier more cynical sort than Dion O'Leary, a romanticized Jesse James or Clive Briggs. By film's end, when an unhinged Stan runs through the midway, wild-eyed and vacant, swinging a club at anyone who comes near, Power's multitude of fans might well <span style="font-size: small;">have stared in disbelief. How could Tyrone Power (Zorro, that <span style="font-size: small;">Yank who joined the RAF, Jamie Waring!?!) possibly be the pathetic, disfigured wretch on the screen? They may not have realized or cared that they had just witnessed the performance of his career<span style="font-size: small;">. Darryl Zanuck must have breathed a deep sigh of relief when <i>Captain from Castile</i>, a Technicolor swashbuckler Power finished just before <i>Nightmare Alley</i>, was released a few months later to blockbuster business.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5OYkMOWLbkP_X4FBhQ3Y_lX3x8ac3HRu6wxm6RJlKDu4s2dioPJWJVZ92VOyp80DBatF9jNLwDmtJVUMdRz6QnCOnE5oLn2QQjN-xLQrvbYeSkeK1x05OqHhPXwg8HvRBsIeJZF53z0/s1600/Ty+as+Stan+climax_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5OYkMOWLbkP_X4FBhQ3Y_lX3x8ac3HRu6wxm6RJlKDu4s2dioPJWJVZ92VOyp80DBatF9jNLwDmtJVUMdRz6QnCOnE5oLn2QQjN-xLQrvbYeSkeK1x05OqHhPXwg8HvRBsIeJZF53z0/s320/Ty+as+Stan+climax_opt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tyrone Power as Stan Carlisle</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The publication and reception of <i>Nightmare Alley</i> was the one great success of<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>William Lindsay Gresham's career.</span> His second and final novel was a commercial flop. He went back to writing for pulp magazines and published only three more books, all non-fiction<span style="font-size: small;">. With his health failing and low on cash, Gresham took his own life in a cheap New York hotel in September 1962. H<span style="font-size: small;">e is best remembered by some as a footnote in the life of C.S. Lewis; Gresham's second wife, Joy Davidman, married Lewis after her split from Gresham. <i>Shadowland</i>s, a TV movie<span style="font-size: small;">, play and film,</span> was based on the Lewis/Davidman relationship.  Others <span style="font-size: small;">place Gre<span style="font-size: small;">sham in the pantheon of writers like Nathaniel West, James M. Cain and Jim Thompson. <i>Nightmare Alley</i>'s reputation has grown stea<span style="font-size: small;">dily through the years and in <span style="font-size: small;">2010 New York Review Books published a new<span style="font-size: small;">, uncensored edition. This publication boasts an introduction by Nick Tosches, who is at work on a Gresham biography<span style="font-size: small;">. The NYRB edition of <i>Nightmare Alley</i> <span style="font-size: small;">was hailed by critics; rev<span style="font-size: small;">iews <span style="font-size: small;">were filled with</span> glowing adjectives - and one constant noun: masterpiece.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2012/08/remembering-tyrone-power.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Tyrone Power</b></span></a> <span style="font-size: small;">would never<span style="font-size: small;"> have another film role quite equal to Stan Carlis<span style="font-size: small;">le</span></span></span>, but his last onscreen performance, in Billy Wilder's <i>Witness for the Prosecution </i>(1957), was as a character not unlike Stan. Once more he received critical p<span style="font-size: small;">raise, something he'd nearly given up on ("They still don't take me seriously," he complained a year or so earlier). Power had spent the intervening years making movies of varying quality, <span style="font-size: small;">working successfully in the theater, trav<span style="font-size: small;">eling the world - and going through a succession of women and a lot of money. His death at age 44 occurred in Spain where he was filming <i>Solomon and Sheba</i>. Perhaps fate thought it better to spare him that biblical swashbuckler. Of all the films he made, <i>Nightmare Alley </i>would remain Power's favorite, the one he screened at home for friends.</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsxtGCDBz0627bqw6X5FWIQ6m3d01vl6JqXnTJO1mBtFifS1dFpevn-WiS01-QDHIusNjHPA8cNGWx4TslR2R58F5hgwhWqHBTWGYhS6gv040mU7IylaVgW3txB-8KNyMx4cr_sari3M/s1600/nightmare_alley+dvd_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsxtGCDBz0627bqw6X5FWIQ6m3d01vl6JqXnTJO1mBtFifS1dFpevn-WiS01-QDHIusNjHPA8cNGWx4TslR2R58F5hgwhWqHBTWGYhS6gv040mU7IylaVgW3txB-8KNyMx4cr_sari3M/s320/nightmare_alley+dvd_opt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Nightmare <span style="font-size: small;">Alley</span></i> developed a cult following that continued to grow over the decades. Because of legal wrangling between the estate of its producer, George Jessel, and 20th Century Fox,<span style="font-size: small;"> it was </span>kept out of the home video market for years. Finally released on DVD in 2005, the film was greeted with a new wave <span style="font-size: small;">of enthusiasm from critics, film buffs and film noir fans. Once overlooked and undervalued, <i><span style="font-size: small;">Nightmare Alley</span></i><span style="font-size: small;"> is now consider<span style="font-size: small;">ed a noir classic<span style="font-size: small;">, one of the bleakest films in a bleak genre, singular for its carny setting and absence of thugs-with-guns and outright murder.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This piece is my contribution to the Classic Movie Blog Associat<span style="font-size: small;">ion's Fabulous Films of the 1940s Blogathon. <a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/2013/01/fabulous-films-of-1940s-blogathon.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Click here</span></a> for links to all participating blogs.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Notes</u>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Nightmare Alley </i>by William Lindsay Gresham, Introduction by Nick Tosches, New York Review Books (2010)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Noir Fiction: Dark Highways </i>by Paul Duncan, Old<span style="font-size: small;">castle Books (2000)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir </i>by Eddie Muller, St. Martin's Press (1998)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>All Those Tomorrows </i>by Mai Zetterling, Grove Press (1985)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Films of Tyrone Power </i>by Dennis Belafonte with Alvin H. Marill, Citadel Press (1979)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_Epulw8FrW3N7eSBVBWF8m_IsH8A0JD77ePqSRi5_OjO0qXIGQqWsr0ZEhW1h1fb8ETmyfgM7eU2OrJcKpjoxkHQKgEdf19HyybcNGiMImx9SBoEFaCm5L5oC0BBTdZv_TFmWxVxPs8/s1600/1940s+Blogathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_Epulw8FrW3N7eSBVBWF8m_IsH8A0JD77ePqSRi5_OjO0qXIGQqWsr0ZEhW1h1fb8ETmyfgM7eU2OrJcKpjoxkHQKgEdf19HyybcNGiMImx9SBoEFaCm5L5oC0BBTdZv_TFmWxVxPs8/s1600/1940s+Blogathon.jpg" /></a></div><b><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>

Coleen Gray Coney Island Edmund Goulding Film Noir Helen Walker Joan Blondell Nightmare Alley Noir Fiction The Lady Eve (author) Tyrone Power William Linday Gresham CMBA Blogathon: Nightmare Alley (1947)

Woodcut print by Guy Budziak Coney Island's first so-called "freak show" opened in 1880, but the heyday of its sideshow attrac...

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Some Refreshing Words for the Weary Church Member: Jesus is Your Rest

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtun_yExZtS4hKZ6jjL1C6PFdbsS9tapPez5oJRIo9fH6vbx0Bjt4JiZzLloEG3O9-HMzvnPgPM84-4stvV9GUfNYkEH2idL3r4ZcISoRCEDIyvx9xWw0t7z5ENYOqKipAjUiONCDzf8He/s1600/JesusRest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtun_yExZtS4hKZ6jjL1C6PFdbsS9tapPez5oJRIo9fH6vbx0Bjt4JiZzLloEG3O9-HMzvnPgPM84-4stvV9GUfNYkEH2idL3r4ZcISoRCEDIyvx9xWw0t7z5ENYOqKipAjUiONCDzf8He/s320/JesusRest.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>Readers - I rarely go back and repost previous WD blog posts, but I feel I need to cover a few significant posts from 2011 that will be very helpful to WD readers - and thanks to longtime WD reader and commenter "Thy Peace" <a href="http://thewartburgwatch.com/2013/02/19/one-year-ago-echurch-launched-into-cyberspace/#comment-83108" target="_blank">whose comment over at the Wartburg Watch</a> prompted me to move in this direction!<br /><br />I know what it is to struggle to find a church home, to find a place where you can take your family to worship God and hear a sermon that encourages you in your faith from the heart of a person who truly wants to help you and your family.  Over the past few years we've actually been blessed to be in several churches in our city where we HAVE found this - and where believers are not hung up on worshiping their pastor and their institution. But to make a transition is especially difficult when your family has had to leave a long-time church when the preacher has stomped on your faith with unloving, legalistic teachings and you've had to bolt. It is not easy to find a new church home as preachers are under tremendous pressure to preach sermons to keep the revenue flowing to prop up their institutions.<br /><br />And so many church members I've heard from are just plain weary from the heavy burdens placed on them by their pastor, as the pastor has put forth a religious system of performance - you do this, and God will do this. You give this, God will bless you this way. If you don't give this percentage, or serve this way, or evangelize this many times, or attend church these days, <u><b>God will only bless you in proportion to your obedience</b></u> is the message of the day. And not only that, God will purposely hold back blessings and bring harm in proportion to your lack of commitment. This all is anti-Christian, yet it IS the overall message of the day in most churches.<br /><br />If that is you, I offer you some excerpts from a Wade Burleson sermon that I featured on this blog back in 2011. <span style="color: red;"><b>What you will hear from Wade will actually shock you</b></span> - because it is what you likely have never heard from any preacher before, and you will probably never hear it stated so honestly and emphatically from any preacher. <span style="color: red;"><b>But when you hear what Wade says, you will know that it is precisely the truth and lines up with what you have read in your bible</b></span>. Wade says what you know to be true from your bible, but what your preacher will not ever freely admit.<br /><br />Below is the first post on this Wade Burleson January 2011 sermon, and I will repost the others in the next few days. Enjoy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">------------------------------------------<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2011/07/christian-jesus-is-your-jubilee-and-you.html" target="_blank">"Christian, Jesus is Your Jubilee, and You Can Rest - Part 1"</a> </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">FBC <span style="font-size: large;">Jax </span>W<span style="font-size: large;">atchdog Post</span> 7/21/11</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="263" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26722303?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="351"></iframe><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">"You will have preachers tell you that this year should be the time that you commit more TO God, that you promise to do more FOR God, that you work the fields DOUBLE. And what the preachers will say to you is 'God will be very pleased with you if you do that.' Do you not see that they have missed the Christian message?"</span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;">-----------------------</div>Readers - over the next several days I want to share with you several excerpts from a sermon preached by Wade Burleson the first Sunday of January 2011. The short 2-minute video above is the first of about 4 clips I will show here on the blog.<br /><br />On this blog we have looked at a number of mega church pastors over the past year or so that are really beating up the sheep during these tough economic times. Most of these mega church pastors are models for other pastors, their methods are emulated by other pastors who look up to them. These pastors load rules and regulations on the backs of their people. They use tactics of scare and guilt and shame, even ridicule and mocking, to get their sheep to bend to their will in the matters of service and financial contributions.<br /><br />So it is time to take a step back and look at how simple the gospel really is that these men have complicated, and outright misrepresented.<br /><br />In this brief sermon by Wade he explains how when you come to Christ, you can REST in your efforts to produce for God. You don't have to produce FOR God. You are not a slave to God. You are a "son" or "daughter" of God, and you can rest. When it comes to giving - you give generously as the spirit leads you. That is it. No need to have a man scare you, or pronounce curses on you and your family, or tell you that God collects it anyways through calamity.<br /><br />The truth is we are free in Christ. Christ is our "Jubilee" as Wade preaches. Christians under the New Covenant are free, and are led by the Spirit. While Pastors use the Bible to create a holy sense of duty that Christians have to perform for God - and their pastor - to receive the blessings and favor of God, the truth is we can rest from our efforts to produce for God. Pastors are trying to say you "owe" God a tithe, that you have a debt that MUST be paid, else he will collect it by force and withhold blessings.<br /><br />People, Jesus paid that debt, no matter how much the pastors point and stomp and yell to convince you otherwise.<br /><br />I know many of those of you who regularly read this blog have endured much over the past few years from preachers who have spiritually beat you up and raked you over the coals. Some of you have had to leave your church, others have dealt with the conflict of leaving your church vs. staying and waiting. You feel tired and abused. You've had the bible used to beat you up over the head - that you aren't giving enough, you aren't serving enough, you're not faithful enough and that you will pay a price for your slackness. You've had pastors question your salvation, you men have had pastors question your manhood and your commitment to the Lord. You've given all you can but you've been made to feel it isn't enough, that still you can't enjoy the full blessings of God until you get to a certain level of giving. You've been yelled at, pointed at, lied to, and even mocked by the man in the pulpit.<br /><br />And although I do focus on the mega churches on this blog because of their wide audience and influence of other ministers - these same antics happen in smaller churches. I know of one in particular in Jacksonville that is going through some upheaval and a church split over these same issues. It is so sad.<br /><br />So enjoy these excerpts over the next several days from Wade Burleson. You will find them refreshing as you see a preacher who speaks the truth to the sheep about their position in Christ. He speaks the truth that so many pastors are afraid to preach these days, for fear that they won't get the results they need from their flock to keep the family business going.<br /><br />If you want to see Wade's sermon in its entirety, go to his church's website <a href="http://www.emmanuelenid.org/">here</a>, click on the "Watch Live" button in the upper right hand corner, register for a login account, then go to his January 2, 2011 sermon entitled "Your Year of Jubilee".<br /><br />Enjoy....more to come.

Some Refreshing Words for the Weary Church Member: Jesus is Your Rest

Readers - I rarely go back and repost previous WD blog posts, but I feel I need to cover a few significant posts from 2011 that will be very...

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Ask Well: Coaxing Parents to Take Better Care of Themselves - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; color: black; text-align: left; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; ">Ask Well</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; color: black; text-align: left; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; "><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; color: black; text-align: left; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important; float: none; ">My parents are in their mid-60s and don't eat well or exercise. They are poorly informed about good nutrition and the benefits of moderate exercise, or even what constitutes moderate exercise. Is there a book that gives accurate, commonsense information without the patronizing tone that I would almost inevitably use? I'm trying to be patient, but it's hard to deal with aging parents who aren't taking care of themselves.</span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: left; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, serif"><br></font><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">Dear Reader,</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Your dilemma of wanting to get your parents to change their ways to eat better and exercise reminds me of an old joke:<br></div><blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><em>How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Only one, but the light bulb has to really want to change.</em></blockquote><p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "></p><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Sounds like your parents may be about as motivated as the light bulb right now. Still, there are things you can do to encourage them to move in a healthier direction. But the first step should not be to hand them a book. Unless you lay some prior groundwork, that gesture may seem almost as patronizing as an impatient tone of voice - and probably as likely to backfire.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Instead, start a conversation in a caring, nonjudgmental way. Ask, don't tell. "Say, 'You know, I might not know what I am talking about, but I am really concerned about you," suggested Kevin Leman, a psychologist in Tucson, Ariz., and author of 42 books on changing behavior in families and relationships. Ask simply if there is anything you can do to help.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Leading by example is also more effective than lecturing. "The son can role-model health by inviting his parents to dinner and serving healthful items that he is fairly certain they will find acceptable, or ask them if they are interested in going out dancing with him and his wife," suggested Ann Constance, director of the Upper Peninsula Diabetes Outreach Network in Michigan.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Pleasure is a better motivator for change than pain or threats. Use the grandchildren as bait. Ask if they want to take the grandchildren to the zoo or a park that would require a good bit of walking around for everyone. Or the grandchildren could ask them to come along on one of those 2K fund-raiser-walks that many schools hold. After all, a day with the grandchildren is always a pleasure in itself. (O.K., usually a pleasure.)</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Tempted to give them the gift of a health club membership? "Save your money," Dr. Leman said. Try a more indirect (and cheaper) approach. Create a mixed-tape of up-tempo music from their era. ("Songs they listened to from the ages of 12-to-17, which is what we all listen to for the rest of our lives," said Dr. Leman) They will enjoy it any time - maybe even while walking.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">If you really want someone you love to make a change, the key is to ask them to do something small and easy first because that increases the chances they will do something larger later. Psychologists call that "the foot in the door technique," said Adam Davey, associate professor of public health at Temple University in Philadelphia, referring to a classic 1966 experiment called<a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1966-10825-001" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">"Compliance Without Pressure."</a> In the study, which has been duplicated by others in many forms, researchers asked people to sign a petition or place a small card in a window in their home or car about keeping California beautiful or supporting safe driving. About two weeks later, the same people were asked to put a huge sign that practically covered their entire front lawn advocating the same cause.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">"A surprisingly large number of those who agreed to the small sign agreed to the billboard," because agreeing to the first small task built a bond between asker and askee "that increases the likelihood of complying with a subsequent larger request," Dr. Davey explained.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Any plan for behavioral change is most likely to succeed if it is very specific, measurable and achievable, according to Ms.Constance.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">And the new behavior should also be integrated into daily life -- and repeated until it becomes a habit. For example, if you want to walk more, start with a 10-minute walk after dinner on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Ms. Constance suggested. The next week, bump it up to 12 minutes.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Don't give up, even if you meet initial resistance -- it is never too late for your parents or you or any of us to change. "Taking up an exercise program into one's 80s and 90s to build strength and flexibility can result in very tangible and enduring benefits in a surprisingly short time," insisted Dr Davey.</div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.375em; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; ">As for instructive reading, Dr. Leman is partial to one of his own books, <a href="http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/have-a-new-you-by-friday/321071" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">"Have a New You by Friday,"</a> and Dr. Davey recommends "Biomarkers: The 10 Keys to Prolonging Vitality," by William Evans. Ms. Constance recommends the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site on <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/olderadults.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">physical activity and exercise tips for the elderly</a>, as well as the National Institute of Health's <a href="http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dash/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; ">site on the DASH diet</a>.</div></div><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/ask-well-getting-your-parents-to-take-better-care-of-themselves/?">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/ask-well-getting-your-parents-to-take-better-care-of-themselves/?</a><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>

Ask Well: Coaxing Parents to Take Better Care of Themselves - NYTimes.com

Ask Well My parents are in their mid-60s and don't eat well or exercise. They are poorly informed about good nutrition and the benefits ...

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one room challenge - week 3

Here we are at week 3 of the One Room Challenge (see <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/p/one-room-challenge.html" target="_blank">previous weeks here</a>) and I'm still on this blasted chair.<br /><br />There are many times in the past week when I was moments away from taking a hatchet to this chair. This wench was vicious. I think she was punishing me for painting her.<br /><br />For a reupholstery tutorial you can go see my other projects <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/10/cane-chair-makeover.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2012/04/now-you-really-can-take-seat.html" target="_blank">here</a> but I will not be sharing any reupholster tips here because this was not pretty.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49jXeyN8wEMddtrORSTRlaVGYoTT5TUh9A2TYHjSWtbbvzsjumMbjFdBJqN3ETArjHTlZ_sX232Lv2kzSk1vuWOwqYiIcd_h2htvPdcyy2ycQPMsLzrL5Ku-_8B8faXEjn0HUTjxOQkaB/s1600/P2091625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49jXeyN8wEMddtrORSTRlaVGYoTT5TUh9A2TYHjSWtbbvzsjumMbjFdBJqN3ETArjHTlZ_sX232Lv2kzSk1vuWOwqYiIcd_h2htvPdcyy2ycQPMsLzrL5Ku-_8B8faXEjn0HUTjxOQkaB/s640/P2091625.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />I broke 1...2...3 stapel guns on this chair. (half of those holes were already there, and half of those are mine)<br /><br />I had to cut, and recut and then cut again to match up the lines.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DVfdzBHpmcGB0C5GcV7Ub-PYvH3fPT_My0IMo1Kd0LnniyLaitSiG_uxrbLXuRcuwgh8j93DMtzC1PPyNLQ_-nsN6dC57Z3V1Dh2I7oTluXsNsvZgmQNc6qmYiST-dVg_xvpbE7ADkBT/s1600/ChairFabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DVfdzBHpmcGB0C5GcV7Ub-PYvH3fPT_My0IMo1Kd0LnniyLaitSiG_uxrbLXuRcuwgh8j93DMtzC1PPyNLQ_-nsN6dC57Z3V1Dh2I7oTluXsNsvZgmQNc6qmYiST-dVg_xvpbE7ADkBT/s640/ChairFabric.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Tucking fabric in, pulling it out and moving it an inch to the left and then an inch to the right.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfIyicuAzflSfOkv7tURbWIGmAeR-vd496y8BaQs6Pq0AMakD9KXwbWv2Qz3kyfzGCm9RzeGltXrcWCEe4z_7QnqqEQpHxE84KVdbYYTQ1-S2PS524hb3tbiD2uOB0kGq8RVoZ0PDclMi/s1600/ChairTuck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfIyicuAzflSfOkv7tURbWIGmAeR-vd496y8BaQs6Pq0AMakD9KXwbWv2Qz3kyfzGCm9RzeGltXrcWCEe4z_7QnqqEQpHxE84KVdbYYTQ1-S2PS524hb3tbiD2uOB0kGq8RVoZ0PDclMi/s400/ChairTuck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And there is the ripped fabric. One lesson learned, fabric does not like to curve the way I would like it to.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMVKbLI5rubr8G8UZKraHYpBdN5G6kKh3Hg9-wqU8Kuk5n4nO4s7001uJEnluvqg_Ht19T5gBDnzWxv1HLbUcokLNWWwP3QJ_ibQaPi6wvwhMzg-HxVqxJlmMz9jKpmcFTvKSkQ3LL_KW/s1600/FabricRip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMVKbLI5rubr8G8UZKraHYpBdN5G6kKh3Hg9-wqU8Kuk5n4nO4s7001uJEnluvqg_Ht19T5gBDnzWxv1HLbUcokLNWWwP3QJ_ibQaPi6wvwhMzg-HxVqxJlmMz9jKpmcFTvKSkQ3LL_KW/s400/FabricRip.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, the horror. I'm calling this one done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ9dSb88IKnpV8EKOq0XwB1qmZvpX1Ge-OEfJDxGMKkhaz0nHOanNhzOxEJ_bXNEyyXHgTuyxUfKVD9ltyNg8h-7KLtYuYQzW_eIF7Tfr_3Tg6TK2rH6NnDayRCP_mHaDWoWt8SUBj2YW/s1600/ChairFrontandBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ9dSb88IKnpV8EKOq0XwB1qmZvpX1Ge-OEfJDxGMKkhaz0nHOanNhzOxEJ_bXNEyyXHgTuyxUfKVD9ltyNg8h-7KLtYuYQzW_eIF7Tfr_3Tg6TK2rH6NnDayRCP_mHaDWoWt8SUBj2YW/s640/ChairFrontandBack.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I originally had plans to add some nice grosgrain trim and then nail heads on top. But after all the trouble with this...lady, I didn't have the strength. Instead I went with nice bendy trim. Master of the curves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAPhmlNkls_y4pdM9nI-_EQYSQ7rt86ltzcREN2uU9ybat8_ZtjpR9oaNwMbqq3qjERrOsPOTW-BDsNioPRSzChqzgBlIc5T4gp6q_36Lft6LIgmK3KQ-MAF2OSby70GgdV2AJn0KtZq8/s1600/TrimProgress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAPhmlNkls_y4pdM9nI-_EQYSQ7rt86ltzcREN2uU9ybat8_ZtjpR9oaNwMbqq3qjERrOsPOTW-BDsNioPRSzChqzgBlIc5T4gp6q_36Lft6LIgmK3KQ-MAF2OSby70GgdV2AJn0KtZq8/s640/TrimProgress.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRr8ulVsGB9zL5dPnNfKrM6rPlu3oRhF2u9FGuVgS-WULYMywO0qEiHAINmhTc2ZwY31Xokbi3HNdTObyeazPaUQPxZwYf0uAqD_1NKIOfLWq0llZzzlT-Q5Tg2Vez_mDO4CRM957C_IUi/s1600/ChairSide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRr8ulVsGB9zL5dPnNfKrM6rPlu3oRhF2u9FGuVgS-WULYMywO0qEiHAINmhTc2ZwY31Xokbi3HNdTObyeazPaUQPxZwYf0uAqD_1NKIOfLWq0llZzzlT-Q5Tg2Vez_mDO4CRM957C_IUi/s640/ChairSide.jpg" width="530" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqVBlKjeAKN6esrfHNizTFbx_dD3E36pDZrnwQCkUjKTQC6NKa3I71PTURTToRvU5Zb1oJ4WrFuyaepZiO0IFzlkN8uUqtKaS5jKTQooAMPSks_F1jBMsOUMxk7zjBqPUdfbAXcDGC69L/s1600/ChairSeat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqVBlKjeAKN6esrfHNizTFbx_dD3E36pDZrnwQCkUjKTQC6NKa3I71PTURTToRvU5Zb1oJ4WrFuyaepZiO0IFzlkN8uUqtKaS5jKTQooAMPSks_F1jBMsOUMxk7zjBqPUdfbAXcDGC69L/s640/ChairSeat.jpg" width="624" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've got paint touch ups from a few run ins with that staple gun that left a mark...or eight. But I'm moving on. No time left to wallow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm playing with my sewing machine (finally) and using my exacto knife. But not at the same time</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp6yqvA8Q6fsJNFDbQzEXKdtnqsr0ZyrmTfbrI7s-dp41QwN1ysfLdxPDAnXKPloSLRB0GrUq0jCH_KjjJHfx1dm5A5CZC04B2XDvB_AdyrALOXsNKx9FL49ozqfGmcQS9-9CJqUIjVIO/s1600/NextStepPics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp6yqvA8Q6fsJNFDbQzEXKdtnqsr0ZyrmTfbrI7s-dp41QwN1ysfLdxPDAnXKPloSLRB0GrUq0jCH_KjjJHfx1dm5A5CZC04B2XDvB_AdyrALOXsNKx9FL49ozqfGmcQS9-9CJqUIjVIO/s640/NextStepPics.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And finally, in the stellar mom category I'm making my poor children suffer in this half broken down room.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTllbTbGWsZh8RwjiUYw2689Ew5pSe_kKdxEdpIIcjFiAJmPpFOCRP5k-56Jv3G-T2MsNFj08AuPID27bacvN9R2sbeQIyUzuzkZOTxxCeggc5UVmkT3m-CaFWBefFkF7fmy5SQXpiSeyQ/s1600/girlsroomprogress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTllbTbGWsZh8RwjiUYw2689Ew5pSe_kKdxEdpIIcjFiAJmPpFOCRP5k-56Jv3G-T2MsNFj08AuPID27bacvN9R2sbeQIyUzuzkZOTxxCeggc5UVmkT3m-CaFWBefFkF7fmy5SQXpiSeyQ/s640/girlsroomprogress.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Floor planning is slow but progress is being made, finally. Ceiling fan is down, rug is gone and holes are patched and ready for painting this weekend. A big change is on the way.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>So here is where we stand on the list.<br /><ol style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Come up with functional floor plan <b>Progress</b></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Paint walls/ceiling/trim</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Paint dresser (new hardware?)</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Update vanity (maybe some fun color or hardware) <b>Progress</b></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Find curtains and add trim</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Add a rug and new bedding <b>Progress</b></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Hang art and create some personalized pieces</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Find/Install new light fixture (buh bye ceiling fan) <b>Progress</b></li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike>Reupholster chair and possibly add comfy floor cushions</strike> </li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Find/Make lampshade(s) </li></ol><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="line-height: 20.98958396911621px;">Now let's see how the others are progressing!</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://chattafabulous.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Chattafabulous</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Chinoiserie Chic</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.classiccasualhome.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Classic Casual Home </a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://laurenleonardinteriors.com/blog/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">the Cottage Mix</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://cottageandvine.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Cottage & Vine</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://designindulgence.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Design Indulgence</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.designmanifest.com/blog/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Design Manifest </a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://everythingleb.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Everything LEB</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.markovadesign.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Hodge Podge</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://kimmacumberinteriors.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Kim Macumber Interiors</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.mattersofstyleblog.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Matters of Style</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://mycraftyhomelife.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">My Crafty Home Life</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://scottdesigns.ca/blog/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Nicole Scott Designs</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://blog.pacificfamilyhomes.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Pacific Family Homes</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.pawleysislandposh.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Pawleys Island Posh</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.thepeakoftreschic.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">the Peak of Tres Chic</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://blog.thepinkpagoda.us/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">the Pink Pagoda</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.powellbrower.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Powell Brower Home</a> </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://simpledetailsblog.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">Simple Details</a> </div></div>

one room challenge - week 3

Here we are at week 3 of the One Room Challenge (see previous weeks here ) and I'm still on this blasted chair. There are many times in ...

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Christians of Convenience

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Cheeeeeeers Chuckleheads…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpHfByFCZztNpNtsnVoVc7uWZqxDjxfTWCn8rluZeGli14RNwhwURTxCImT_h7RDAtHJv4bUibX90OmHZZM06ui2rWpB9bzTagBO1Y3LMHWg4oLvHNvhWuD8mVsdxbU_tOKgbrzNJNwA/s1600/JesusHatesYou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpHfByFCZztNpNtsnVoVc7uWZqxDjxfTWCn8rluZeGli14RNwhwURTxCImT_h7RDAtHJv4bUibX90OmHZZM06ui2rWpB9bzTagBO1Y3LMHWg4oLvHNvhWuD8mVsdxbU_tOKgbrzNJNwA/s200/JesusHatesYou.jpg" width="200" /></a>We are already a full week into Lent and before you know it, many will be celebrating the fact that Jesus dangled from a cross, got stuffed into a cave, and then a couple days later walked back out in order to roam the Earth for awhile, pick up some Chinese food, and then head up the astral staircase to lounge about with his dad for all eternity.<br /><br />What a great time to be a Christian!!<br /><br />Of course…<i>anytime</i> is a great time to be a Christian, well…provided it doesn’t interfere with one’s personal moral compass, or their bigotry, or their intolerance, or…their whoring, their judging, their hypocrisy, their…well, you get the picture.<br /><br />Yes indeed, even more so than at Christmas, during the Easter season there are Christians, Christians all around, yet not a drop of grace to drink.<br /><br />Certainly, there are plenty of people who call themselves Christians and proudly sashay down the runway of pretentiousness draped in bejeweled trappings of haughtiness and a tiara or top hat of arrogance, acting as though they had just been named Mr./Miss Jesus Christ is Lord 2013, but…<br /><br />Beneath the saintly veneer of these self-regaling righteous ones, exists the anti-soul of the Devil, and persons who have no time for beatitudinal details.<br /><br />Take my neighbor, Little Jimmy Stewart for instance…Claims to be a devout Catholic…a devout Christian. Believes in in God, guns, and his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Hell, he reminds me of Lt. Kendrick in A Few Good Men, albeit an out of shape Lt. Kendrick.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ0_QQS5NhLoxqd-6wrsAUP9o1eV5gzLp7tZLCtqHtuqUjcDzX4XitE1GiMArRDEcQf3AJfXIiFFSAqUBKXV6FmIiVQMFk7z7GVzuQ-2xu4ubMLXyL-UDUm6tEGcS8KkFTXhRpiTCuAA/s1600/jesus+eric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJ0_QQS5NhLoxqd-6wrsAUP9o1eV5gzLp7tZLCtqHtuqUjcDzX4XitE1GiMArRDEcQf3AJfXIiFFSAqUBKXV6FmIiVQMFk7z7GVzuQ-2xu4ubMLXyL-UDUm6tEGcS8KkFTXhRpiTCuAA/s200/jesus+eric.jpg" width="166" /></a>Seriously, ol’ Jimmy thinks of himself as a follower of Christ, so much that, he has scorned and chastised me for often using Christ as a comedy tool. <i>“That’s not funny. You make fun of Jesus, and you are going to Hell.”</i><br /><br />Two things about that…First of all, Jimmy boy has no sense of humor, because like it or not, using the purity and sanctity of Jesus and twisting it into something gross, sexual, and/or amoral is fucking funny, and secondly?<br /><br />People like Jim, and there are plenty, shouldn’t tell me how offensive I am being by making Jesus jokes when their Facebook pages are littered with nothing but bigoted posts, anti-gay posts, Obama is a non-citizen nigger posts, and holding weenie roasts/Quran burnings like Jim did a couple of 9/11’s ago.<br /><br />Hypocrisy I tellz ya…Hypocrisy in its basest and most definable form, and the pity is, most of them never see it, because, Jesus loves them this they know for their ignorance tells them so.<br /><br />Hell I know a couple of women, one in particular.  She has the perfect family, the perfect marriage, goes to church religiously, and scorns me for not going to Church and like Jim, berates me for having some occasional comedic fun with the Holy Baby Jeebus. She too, has in the past, told me that I am going to Hell.<br /><br />She’s really amazing because let me tell you, between her sinful vanity sessions of having her capped teeth cleaned, her manufactured tits adjusted, and giving blow jobs to the barber across town who is not her husband, I have no idea how the hell she has any time left in the day to judge me!!  But by golly, I guess the Lord gives her 25 hours in a day because…She’s a Christian!!<br /><br />Uuch…<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMb5JsF6vIWsDS8n6kVCqfUH8LV8LlDSqAddY1u-H0_IipwxIoJZ-7H4bz0VSZuJ9QI9LVfobn83UW-wpldM2eQssHwXxfy3H_LedlqR02mizT50RU1_qVw_-VcA-txeVOh4NKB2reKvM/s1600/big_phony+christian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMb5JsF6vIWsDS8n6kVCqfUH8LV8LlDSqAddY1u-H0_IipwxIoJZ-7H4bz0VSZuJ9QI9LVfobn83UW-wpldM2eQssHwXxfy3H_LedlqR02mizT50RU1_qVw_-VcA-txeVOh4NKB2reKvM/s200/big_phony+christian.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><br />Listen folks.  It’s fine to call oneself a Christian.  I do, however…I admit my mistakes, my failings, my transgressions, and more often that not, publicly.  On Facebook.  Or on the air.  Or on here. Sometimes to Jayman’s chagrin…Anyhoo…<br /><br />Here’s my Lenten message to all of you self-proclaimed Christians who rationalize your shortcomings and eat from the body of Christ ala carte…<br /><br />Quit being such phony fucks.  There is no shame in failing as a human being and sinning here and there, but to pretend that you don’t, <i>that</i> is the greatest sin of all, because when you do that, you never seek forgiveness, and more importantly, you never change your ways.<br /><br /><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><br />Matt-Man<br /><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank">@mattman_iws</a><br />.</div>

Christians of Convenience

Cheeeeeeers Chuckleheads… We are already a full week into Lent and before you know it, many will be celebrating the fact that Jesus dangled ...

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Zensoy Review

<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it comes to eating healthy sometimes it can be tough.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Especially with all of those late night cravings for something sweet!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Such as chocolate!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yum!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There will be obstacles in your way but you have to be strong and just try to change it up a bit.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go for something sweet but guilt free.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I have a hankering for something sweet I reach for my little pudding cup from <a href="http://zensoy.com/">Zensoy</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was sent some coupons to review these wonderful tasty products.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So far though I've only found the puddings.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are chocolaty, delicious, sweet, good for you and made from soy milk!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are also organic which is awesome!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHUgsoeJB-s/USRR0d2q9LI/AAAAAAAAGdo/70PYMS7sTik/s1600/PAP_Panda-300x217.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHUgsoeJB-s/USRR0d2q9LI/AAAAAAAAGdo/70PYMS7sTik/s200/PAP_Panda-300x217.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gross, check this out.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Did you know that 97% of soybeans are sprayed with pesticides?! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So 90% of soy milk on the shelves at markets contain pesticides in them!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Switch to Zen soy for pure delicious organic puddings and soy milk!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What they don't use:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GMO's</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">pesticides</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">dairy</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">chemical pesticides</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">petroleum based fertilizers </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Chocolate pudding:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have tried puddings and loved them, but not like this one!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's so much better than the rest!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First bite I knew it was healthy and better for me.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The chocolate taste is sweet but not too sweet and it's delicious!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Vanilla pudding:</u></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I thought this flavor was pretty good.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not too sweet and I added in some blueberries!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So good!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Other products they offer:</u></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Soy on the go flavors</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">juice gels (jello form)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">soy milk</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and of course their yummy puddings!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check them out online over at these social networking sites!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://zensoy.com/">http://zensoy.com/</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/zensoy">https://twitter.com/zensoy</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/zenproducts?ref=search"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">https://www.facebook.com/zenproducts?ref=search</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>

Zensoy Review

When it comes to eating healthy sometimes it can be tough. Especially with all of those late night cravings for something sweet! Such as cho...

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Lakers grieving death of Jerry Buss

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">By </span><a href="http://search.espn.go.com/mcmenamin_dave/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dave McMenamin</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"> | ESPNLosAngeles.com</span><br /><br /><div class="mod-inline video-player full-box with-playlist next" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 3px 16px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div id="videoInfo" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; min-height: 78px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 375px;"><h5 style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Magic Remembers Jerry Buss</h5><div class="mod-video-tags" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; vertical-align: baseline;">Magic Johnson reflects on the life of longtime Lakers owner and friend Jerry Buss, who died Monday at the age of 80.</span><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tags: </strong><a href="http://search.espn.go.com/nba/video/6" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">NBA</a>, <a href="http://search.espn.go.com/lakers/video/6" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lakers</a>, <a href="http://search.espn.go.com/magic-johnson/video/6" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Magic Johnson</a>, <a href="http://search.espn.go.com/jerry-buss/video/6" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jerry Buss</a></div></div><div class="mod-video-playlist" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 1px; float: left; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 180px;"><h6 style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 10px 0px; position: absolute; vertical-align: baseline;">NEXT VIDEO <img alt="video" height="8" src="http://a.espncdn.com/icons/video2.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="15" /></h6><ul class="bulletlinks" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 10px; list-style: none none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li class=" next" style="background-position: 0px 50%; border: 0px; color: #555555; display: block; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; list-style-image: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="{playerType: 'story09', playRelatedExternally: 'true'}" href="http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8959276" style="background-image: url(http://a2.espncdn.com/prod/assets/arrow-6x11.png); background-position: 165px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; color: #225db7; display: block; height: 74px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 24px 26px 0px 10px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Remembering Jerry Buss</a></li></ul></div></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Before the <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Los Angeles Lakers</a> could move on with the second half of the season following the All-Star break, they were left looking back at the life of legendary owner Dr. Jerry Buss on Tuesday.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"To me personally, he obviously believed in me from Day 1, being a 17-year old kid to where I am now," <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/110/kobe-bryant" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kobe Bryant</a> said before practice, reflecting on Buss who died Monday at the age of 80. "His competitive spirit, his vision of what this organization should be and how it should go beyond basketball, the global outreach that he had in his mind, we talked quite a bit about that. We talked about the old times and he's obviously had a profound impact on my career to say the least."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><blockquote class="mod-quote-box quote-box-left mod-inline" style="background-color: white; border-right-color: rgb(194, 194, 194); border-right-style: solid; border-width: 0px 1px 0px 0px; float: left; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 0px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 261.8833312988281px;"><span class="quote-start" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #aaaaaa; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 60px; font-weight: bold; height: 20px; line-height: 40px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><br /><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px; outline: 0px; padding: 7px 10px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Bryant" class="floatright" height="90" src="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nba/players/full/110.png&w=65&h=90&scale=crop&background=0xcccccc&transparent=false" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: right !important; margin: 0px 0px 4px 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="65" />... We talked about getting another championship and trying to put the Celtics in the rearview mirror. That's something that was driving him and that's something that continues to drive me.</div><span class="quote-end" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #aaaaaa; float: right; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 60px; font-weight: bold; height: 20px; line-height: 40px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span><cite style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: right; color: #333333; display: block; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px 10px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline;">-- Kobe Bryant on Jerry Buss</cite></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Lakers announced a private memorial service will be held for Buss on Thursday at 3 p.m. PT at Nokia Theatre. The service will not be open to the public; however it will be aired live on the team's television station, Time Warner Cable SportsNet. Countless fans have already flocked to show their support for the longtime Lakers owner who presided over 10 championships in his 34 years at the helm by leaving flowers and mementos by the Lakers statues in front of Staples Center. At L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, well-wishers have been writing messages on a giant white banner that features a picture of Buss in the middle of it.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Yesterday was an empty day," said Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who also expressed his gratitude for Buss bringing him to Los Angeles as a player 32 years ago and keeping him within the organization all this time. "I couldn't seem to find a place where I was comfortable -- a room, a place, a car, a house. A major loss, personally, for obvious reasons."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">While recognizing that Buss is gone, the Lakers were left acknowledging his children that still remain with the team -- particularly vice president of player personnel, Jim Buss and vice president of business operations, Jeanie Buss -- and the challenge they have to take up the torch from their father.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="mod-container mod-no-footer mod-inline content-box floatright mod-no-header-footer" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; float: right !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 261.8833312988281px;"><div class="mod-content" style="border: 1px solid rgb(194, 194, 194); font-size: 11px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h4 style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(194, 194, 194); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 2px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">More on Jerry Buss from ESPN.com</h4><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; margin: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Shelburne" class="floatright" src="http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/shelburne_ramona_m.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: right !important; margin: 0px 0px 4px 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" />Jerry Buss had vision unlike any other. From humble beginnings to the L.A. spotlight, he changed the game as owner of the Lakers, writes Ramona Shelburne. <a href="http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8959319/los-angeles-lakers-owner-jerry-buss-had-vision-unlike-other" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Story</b></a></div><center style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><hr style="background-color: #dddddd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #dddddd; float: none; height: 0.1em; margin: 0px 0px 1.45em; width: 127.93333435058594px;" /></center><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; margin: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Adande" class="floatright" src="http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/adande_ja_m.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: right !important; margin: 0px 0px 4px 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" />Jerry Buss admittedly loved winning with the Lakers, but he also certainly knew how to enjoy life and have fun along the way, writes J.A. Adande. <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8959181/nba-jerry-buss-love-winning" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Story</b></a></div><center style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><hr style="background-color: #dddddd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #dddddd; float: none; height: 0.1em; margin: 0px 0px 1.45em; width: 127.93333435058594px;" /></center><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; margin: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="McMenamin" class="floatright" src="http://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/mcmenamin_dave_m.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: right !important; margin: 0px 0px 4px 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" />Jerry Buss was a symbol of stability for a franchise that has had its fair share of Hollywood drama throughout the years, writes Dave McMenamin. <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/35811/questions-after-loss-of-jerry-buss" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Blog</b></a></div><center style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><hr style="background-color: #dddddd; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #dddddd; float: none; height: 0.1em; margin: 0px 0px 1.45em; width: 127.93333435058594px;" /></center><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; margin: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="SportsNation" class="floatright" height="80" src="http://assets.espn.go.com/i/sportsnation/logos/espn_sportsnation_80.gif" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: right !important; margin: 0px 0px 4px 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="80" />Current and former NBA players were among those remembering Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Twitter following his death Monday.<a href="http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/post/_/id/8959448/lakers-owner-jerry-buss-dies" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Comment</b></a><br /><br />• <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Photo Gallery: </b><a href="http://espn.go.com/losangeles/photos/gallery/_/id/8960267/jerry-buss" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jerry Buss' career</a> <img alt="Photo Gallery" border="0" height="10" src="http://assets.espn.go.com/icons/photo.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="12" /></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"I'm very confident," Bryant said when asked if he believed Buss' family could carry on his tradition of excellence. "You're following the greatest owner in sports. To try to match that or equal that, it's nearly an impossible task. But, I think in their own way they'll have success, for sure."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kupchak echoed Bryant's belief.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Ownership will continue to carry on the brand of the organization," Kupchak said. "Nobody understands what this franchise means to Los Angeles more than Jeanie and Jimmy and the family. Nobody does. And to the extent that they'll let me [chart the Lakers' direction], after spending 32 years with Jerry, I think I have a feeling of what he wants too."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bryant, <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/996/pau-gasol" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pau Gasol</a> and <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/2384/dwight-howard" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dwight Howard</a> shared fond memories of visiting with an ailing Buss in the hospital before the season. Gasol sadly recalled how Buss' goal to be out of the hospital in time for the Lakers' season opener in October was not met. Kupchak said there could have been a subconscious effort on Jim Buss' part to pursue the Howard and <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/player/_/id/592/steve-nash" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Steve Nash</a> deals in the offseason in hopes of capturing one last championship while his father was still alive.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bryant said winning another ring for Buss has been on his mind all season long.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"It's part of the reason why I try to drive so hard," Bryant said. "When we talked, we talked about getting another championship and trying to put the <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/bos/boston-celtics" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #225fb2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[Boston] Celtics</a> in the rearview mirror. That's something that was driving him and that's something that continues to drive me."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Celtics have 17 championships all-time, just ahead of the Lakers' 16.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gasol said he spent his final hospital visit with Buss watching college football and talking about the owner's beloved USC Trojans and how the college game was superior to the NFL. Kupchak shared how Buss rigged a system to be able to watch Lakers games on his iPad at the hospital while the team's local television deal was still being hammered out.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"He meant a lot to us," Gasol said. "He was a leader for our team, for this franchise, for this city and he was a guy that you would enjoy being around. It's been a tough hit for us, even though we knew he was sick and battling hard for awhile."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div class="mod-container mod-no-footer mod-inline content-box floatright mod-no-header-footer" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; float: right !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 261.8833312988281px;"><div class="mod-content" style="border: 1px solid rgb(194, 194, 194); font-size: 11px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 2px; vertical-align: baseline;"><h4 style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(194, 194, 194); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px 7px; outline: 0px; padding: 2px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">More on the Lakers</h4><img border="0" class="io-img" src="http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nba/med/trans/lal.gif" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; float: right; margin: 8px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /><br /><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 17px; margin: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; vertical-align: baseline;">For more news, notes and analysis of the Lakers, check out the Lakers Index. <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Blog</b></a></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kupchak said Buss was very much involved in the decision to hire Mike D'Antoni after Mike Brown was fired just five games into the season, however the owner's health was so bad by that point that D'Antoni never met Buss in person.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"One of the main reasons that Los Angeles has had all this success is he was like a magnet to players to get deals done and to be able to have the best franchise out there," D'Antoni said. "This went on for 30 years, so it wasn't a fluke."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Before Buss is laid to rest, the Lakers just so happen to play a game against the Celtics on Wednesday -- the team that Buss battled with for those 30 years, as his Lakers met them in the Finals five times in that span, winning three times. The Lakers will debut commemorative purple and gold "JB" patches on their uniforms against Boston and wear them for the rest of the season in remembrance of Buss.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Just stay focused on the moment, have a good practice today and come out [Wednesday] night ready to put on a good show in his honor," Bryant said, planning an appropriate tribute to the man responsible for "Showtime."</div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></div><script src="http://player.espn.com/player.js?&playerBrandingId=4ef8000cbaf34c1687a7d9a26fe0e89e&pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:8959969&thruParam_espn-ui[autoPlay]=false&thruParam_espn-ui[playRelatedExternally]=true"></script></div></div></div>

Jerry Buss Lakers grieving death of Jerry Buss

By  Dave McMenamin  | ESPNLosAngeles.com Magic Remembers Jerry Buss Magic Johnson reflects on the life of longtime Lakers owner and friend J...

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