For the Love of Film (Noir): Renoir, Ryan and a splash of vodka...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqNT_Eqrwxlc3yeUhIg9yzhzCYOLPLJ30pcIjn-KKOzjw8AuML2H2tWEZZRmJ4nAAOI6kYs0YlEcoM2bUmjmQCOtMObmMRZhnV5U1rzP5tlxb3CoFs104hKZPtDJYsuhYnUTQ4Bc69fLN/s1600/SF+nite+w+clouds+and+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqNT_Eqrwxlc3yeUhIg9yzhzCYOLPLJ30pcIjn-KKOzjw8AuML2H2tWEZZRmJ4nAAOI6kYs0YlEcoM2bUmjmQCOtMObmMRZhnV5U1rzP5tlxb3CoFs104hKZPtDJYsuhYnUTQ4Bc69fLN/s400/SF+nite+w+clouds+and+moon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><i>This review was part of the <i>For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon to benefit the Film Noir Foundation</i>.</i></div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">San Francisco's annual film noir festival, Noir City 9, ran for ten days at the end of January. From all reports the festival, an event that showcased 24 films, was a great success. I would say, from my own experience, it was a smash.<br /><a name='more'></a></div><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/AVvXsEhbVGc74gj9U73Rb32-getdfNw1I6gKpHIW7F-jNYsSp0uu6B4L8kLs55ByHKr5gsm8kEQic0ARuasbOXh_1wjffn1QVjdtfl6PG4UVVZaLgFFN-1fg7T4GeoT74w0zSYc2D12fJyojlHGl/s1600/Stranger+on+the+Third+Floor+%25281940%2529+DVDRip+x.264+AC3+Wolfman%255B%2528059257%252908-09-34%255D%255B1%255D.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVGc74gj9U73Rb32-getdfNw1I6gKpHIW7F-jNYsSp0uu6B4L8kLs55ByHKr5gsm8kEQic0ARuasbOXh_1wjffn1QVjdtfl6PG4UVVZaLgFFN-1fg7T4GeoT74w0zSYc2D12fJyojlHGl/s320/Stranger+on+the+Third+Floor+%25281940%2529+DVDRip+x.264+AC3+Wolfman%255B%2528059257%252908-09-34%255D%255B1%255D.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elisha Cook, Jr. in Stranger on the Third Floor</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">My first blog on the festival covered<span style="color: #990000;"> </span><a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/01/whos-crazy-now-noir-city-9-opening.html"><span style="color: #990000;">opening night</span></a><span style="color: #ffd966;">,</span> a double bill featuring <b>High Wall </b>(1947) and <b>Stranger on the Third Floor</b> (1940). The evening included a torchy performance by songstress Laura Ellis, special guest Judy Wyler Sheldon, daughter of director William Wyler and actress Margaret Tallichet (one of the stars of <b>Stranger on the Third Floor</b>) and a riveting Serena Bramble montage of films noir/neo-noir/crime set in San Franciscco. Hosting the festival was Film Noir Foundation founder Eddie Muller, "czar of noir," the perfect emcee for a serious noirfest.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">On January 26th I trekked to San Francisco's glorious Castro Theatre once more, this time for a screening of French director Jean Renoir's fabled (and final) Hollywood effort, <b>The Woman on the Beach </b>(1947) starring Robert Ryan, Joan Bennett and Charles Bickford. While the festival's theme was "Who's Crazy Now?" and each film reflected lunacy of some kind, this night's double feature also honored Robert Ryan. In his introduction, Eddie Muller talked about the vicious, venal roles that were Ryan's trademark. Muller contrasted Ryan's filmography of villainous character with the man's generous and humane off-screen values. The enthusiastic packed house cheered when Muller announced that Robert Ryan's daughter Lisa was in the audience.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">In introducing <b>The Woman on the Beach</b>, Muller disputed the conventional wisdom that RKO mangled Renoir's film following a disastrous preview. Muller, who knows his noir intimately, told a different story. It was true, he said, that a negative preview did occur, but it was Renoir not RKO who aggressively edited the film afterward. Apparently Renoir was rattled by the audience reaction and lost confidence in his ability to connect with American movie-goers...then he began to cut...and cut.</div><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/AVvXsEjQ0uRSAKrEK2LTeQF6NptvZmqp17TfIFhOvaKZAQVH7KeY0vgC_UJuxipO4j4JluTrty49qGxEn0CM0Fj5OfPfWsGx0kfYtkALT3IM8nnjm63ytH5BsIw-VRJwsPFaX2iI6CF71s-DDQTj/s1600/bickford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0uRSAKrEK2LTeQF6NptvZmqp17TfIFhOvaKZAQVH7KeY0vgC_UJuxipO4j4JluTrty49qGxEn0CM0Fj5OfPfWsGx0kfYtkALT3IM8nnjm63ytH5BsIw-VRJwsPFaX2iI6CF71s-DDQTj/s320/bickford.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Bickford in The Woman on the Beach</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><b>The Woman on the Beach</b> is, as one might expect, a visually arresting film. Crashing waves, vast sand dunes, ruins of a wrecked ship on a desolate beach, rocky cliffs...fog, wind, rain. The plot concerns a Coast Guard officer (Ryan) who has survived a torpedo disaster at sea and suffers nightmares and mood swings in the aftermath. He encounters a dark beauty (Bennett) gathering firewood on a misty shore and is drawn into a harrowing triangle. Charles Bickford plays the woman's husband, a celebrated artist, now blind, withdrawn from the world and bitter.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">Evidence of heavy editing is hard to miss; there is often little flow from scene to scene. And though the film is beautifully photographed and atmospheric, the script is much less inspired. Ryan and Bickford are interesting, but Bennett is inconsistent and lacks allure as the femme fatale. It is a flawed film, but it has its moments and is well worth seeing.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">I planned to leave right after the first film, it was a work night after all, but when Muller announced that Rain Organics Vodka would be serving complimentary shots at intermission, I decided to linger a bit. Luckily I was early in the drink line and had enough time, as I let my ice melt, to peruse merchandise for sale on the mezzanine. Eddie Muller's book, <u>Dark City</u>, was on display and one day soon it will be mine. I referred to a borrowed copy when reviewing <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2011/01/focus-on-film-noir-warner-home-videos.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Warner Home Video's last film noir collection</span></a>. The book is full of fascinating information and stylishly written...in the noir tradition.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">This was my first Noir City, it won't be my last.</div><div style="line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 6pt; margin-right: 6pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><a href="http://www.filmnoirfoundation.org/index.html"><span style="color: #990000;">Click here</span></a> to learn more about the Film Noir Foundation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNmUaM4JzJc_qbEBR53Is7c4HUhYXPuYxfgMS1HbAyP6f0_isXFwliAnkBIXPXCXlGKCACB4pyixfEzOyr4FbgI2Gq6lXOz3nebxCFc871YXcsyo45-m1h1dMsuherkg7_WEcfVH4vYKz/s1600/fnf_logo08%255B1%255D.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNmUaM4JzJc_qbEBR53Is7c4HUhYXPuYxfgMS1HbAyP6f0_isXFwliAnkBIXPXCXlGKCACB4pyixfEzOyr4FbgI2Gq6lXOz3nebxCFc871YXcsyo45-m1h1dMsuherkg7_WEcfVH4vYKz/s1600/fnf_logo08%255B1%255D.gif" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div>

Charles Bickford Eddie Muller Film Noir Foundation For the Love of Film (Noir) Jean Renoir Joan Bennett Robert Ryan The Woman on the Beach For the Love of Film (Noir): Renoir, Ryan and a splash of vodka...

This review was part of the For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon to benefit the Film Noir Foundation . San Francisco's ...

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First bike ride of 2011

<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today was a gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest. I pulled my bike out of the garage, dusted off the cobwebs, pumped up the flat back tire and went for my first bike ride of the year. It was sunny and 50 degrees. Gorgeous!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I forgot how much I love riding my bike. It's hard to describe flying down a hill at 25 mph and feeling completely in control, yet free as a bird at the same time. I totally love it. Of course, going back up those hills with my extra twenty pounds was horrible. I thought I was going to have a heart attack for sure, as I was panting like a dog. It was really hard!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I biked to the gym, worked out with weights, upper body for an hour and then biked home. It took me about 25 minutes each direction. Much slower than my old 20-minutes I was doing last summer.. In almost two hours I burned 699 calories (Polar heart rate monitor). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right now I'm totally and completely exhausted.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watching the Grammys. Worst show ever! Right now I'm watching Cee-Lo Green in a goofy feather outfit singing the F--k You song (which I hate), but he's singing "Forget You" and he has some puppets and Gwynth Paltrow singing with him. Really? This is the best they could do? As soon as I finish this post the TV is going off. I'm reading a really good book, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Minding-Frankie-Maeve-Binchy/dp/0307273563"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Minding Frankie</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="color: black;">by <span jquery1297663314429="119"><span class="contributorNameTrigger" jquery1297663314429="118">Maeve Binchy. Love this book.</span></span></span></span><br /><br /><u><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plan for my week</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of exercise, as usual. Lots of stairs this week too, since the Big Climb is in less than five weeks (yikes!). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About my food, I'm going to stop freaking out about it so much. I'm really getting sick of being so worried about what I eat all the time. A piece of cake a couple times a year isn't going to kill me. Or even two pieces of cake a couple times a year. I just want to be healthy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I eat very healthy about 95% of the time. That's about 90% more than I was doing three years ago. My biggest problem is that I eat too much of the good stuff. I rarely eat junk. I just need to eat less. Sounds easy. It's not.</span>

First bike ride of 2011

Today was a gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest. I pulled my bike out of the garage, dusted off the cobwebs, pumped up the flat back tire ...

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Where the boys are (and aren't): Non-traditional jobs for women and men

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/rm/ar5m7pm6b7w9ydfyhwrm.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/rm/ar5m7pm6b7w9ydfyhwrm.gif" /></a></div>By Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder <br /><br />When was the last time a male dental hygienist cleaned your teeth?<br /><br />Sure, we all know that women have significantly changed the face of the American work force over the past 50 or so years. And while children today rightly dream of becoming anything they want, the fact remains that some fields continue to be dominated by one gender over the other.<br /><br />Here, a look at some of the careers in which female or male employees may not have much competition for the restroom:<br /><br />Non-traditional jobs for women<br /><br />The Bureau of Labor Statistics considers a job where less than 25 percent of the work force is female to be a "non-traditional" job for women. Among the fields that meet this criteria are:<br /><br /><br />Logging<br /><br />Fishing, hunting and trapping<br /><br />Mining<br /><br />Construction<br /><br />Rail transportation<br /><br />Truck transportation<br /><br />Taxi and limousine service<br /><br />Couriers and messengers<br /><br />Utilities (such as electric power generation, natural gas distribution and sewage treatment)<br /><br />Repair and maintenance of electronic and precision equipment, commercial and industrial machinery, and autos<br /><br /><br />While there are a significant number of women employed in manufacturing, they tend to be better represented in some segments over others. For instance, about a third of the 1,467,000 people employed in the making of computer and electronic products are women. But men overwhelmingly dominate in the production of nonmetallic mineral products (think cement, pottery and glass), metal products (such as iron and steel), machinery, transportation equipment and wood products.<br /><br />Nearly half of the people employed in retail trade are women. Very few of them, however, are automobile or other motor vehicle dealers; work at stores selling auto parts, accessories or tires; or are vending machine operators. Likewise, women may account for about 30 percent of all wholesale trade employees but are rarely merchant wholesalers of recyclable materials, farm product raw materials, groceries or alcoholic beverages.<br /><br />Non-traditional jobs for men<br /><br />Walk into any child day care service and you'll likely be greeted by a woman. Of the 1,563,000 employees in that field, a whopping 95.3 percent are female. Among other industries the BLS classifies as "non-traditional" for men:<br /><br /><br />Veterinary services<br /><br />Gift, novelty and souvenir shops<br /><br />Libraries and archives<br /><br />Beauty salons<br /><br />Social assistance<br /><br />Employment in private households<br /><br /><br />So what about health care and education, two fields often associated with women?<br /><br />Male nurses are still rather rare, though their numbers are growing. The most recent national nursing survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration reports that men accounted for 6.6 percent of all RNs in 2008, up from 5.8 percent in the 2004 survey.<br /><br />Women continue to make up at least three-fourths of the work force at hospitals; the offices of physicians, dentists and optometrists; and outpatient care centers. Men account for only 13 percent of the workers at nursing care facilities, and even fewer are employed in home health care.<br /><br />As for education, numbers can be deceiving. Although the BLS found that men account for about 30 percent of those employed in educational services as a whole, they tend to gravitate towards colleges, universities and technical or trade schools. If you can't remember your child ever having a male primary-school teacher, you're not alone. According to the National Education Association, only 17 percent of elementary-level teachers are men. (Men do, however, represent about a third of middle-school teachers and about half of high school teachers.)<br /><br />The most gender-neutral fields<br /><br />Grocery stores employ equal numbers of men and women. In manufacturing, the work force is nearly split in textile product mills (except carpets and rugs) and in places producing soaps, cleaning compounds and cosmetics. Other industries that are at or close to 50-50 include:<br /><br /><br />Leisure and hospitality<br /><br />Services to buildings and dwellings<br /><br />Data processing, hosting and related services<br /><br />Real estate<br /><br />Advertising and related services<br /><br /><br />One last figure (which might surprise some): 50.2 percent of gas station workers are female. Maybe there is hope yet for male dental hygienists to become commonplace.<br /><br />Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter.

Where the boys are (and aren't): Non-traditional jobs for women and men

By Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder When was the last time a male dental hygienist cleaned your teeth? Sure, we all know that w...

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San Francisco Film Locations...a mini-tour on video

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><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/AVvXsEisiFjWmihhoCNnGHvza0pKDBnSkvtO7rkLdZQGeXgurNdz_hnlFDvqmQQ5rTGGEPmOqrxVwEpO7JzNoRyieDWxtL0USjjSPZLmWqeDFnmfIPDsbjGJaYzDW7yyJzhuDYMV0CIU9m0h1Hfq/s1600/Huntington+Park+B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiFjWmihhoCNnGHvza0pKDBnSkvtO7rkLdZQGeXgurNdz_hnlFDvqmQQ5rTGGEPmOqrxVwEpO7JzNoRyieDWxtL0USjjSPZLmWqeDFnmfIPDsbjGJaYzDW7yyJzhuDYMV0CIU9m0h1Hfq/s400/Huntington+Park+B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huntington Park at the top of Nob Hill, San Francisco</td></tr></tbody></table>One day not too long ago my friend Dave and I went on an excursion into three San Francisco neighborhoods to shoot video of classic film locations. I'd done some research and worked out a way to cover many films in just a few hours.<br /> <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/AVvXsEi3I6YbfSqmiCv2pu_eLm2G358tdTY2NsPGMmJj0mX5zdGvdY6jWw_eWeBrcLM5cHnHBjrXNnrhCiP6dsSuNf4vYWcxSCQ5dlh66NTHO3MMURmtyaqPaFT3A3ZOUZBgZpXLOKS8Tgc8y1UG/s1600/Fairmont+staircase+1+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I6YbfSqmiCv2pu_eLm2G358tdTY2NsPGMmJj0mX5zdGvdY6jWw_eWeBrcLM5cHnHBjrXNnrhCiP6dsSuNf4vYWcxSCQ5dlh66NTHO3MMURmtyaqPaFT3A3ZOUZBgZpXLOKS8Tgc8y1UG/s200/Fairmont+staircase+1+b.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fairmont Hotel has appeared on film and TV many times</td></tr></tbody></table> We began our tour on Nob Hill where such sites as Huntington Park, Grace Cathedral, the Brocklebank Building, the Pacific Union Club, The Fairmont Hotel, the Mark Hopkins Hotel and steep cable car-tracked hills have long figured in films shot or set in the city...films like <strong>The Lady from Shanghai</strong>, <strong>DOA</strong>, <strong>Dark Passage</strong>, <strong>The Line Up</strong>, <strong>Vertigo</strong>, <strong>Bullitt</strong>, various of the <em>Dirty Harry</em> movies, etc.<strong> </strong>We moved on to North Beach and made three more stops in that colorful neighborhood to check on sites featured in films like <strong>Vertigo</strong>, <strong>Pal Joey</strong>, <strong>Play it Again, Sam</strong>, <strong>Basic Instinct</strong> and <strong>Foul Play</strong>. Our final destination was Pacific Heights where we shot just one building, a "mid-century modern" monolith used in <strong>Days of Wine and Roses </strong>that is no longer contemporary and is now a bit of an eyesore in an upscale part of town.<br /><br />Dave edited the video, added a music track and recorded my narration. I then tried but was unable to upload the video to Blogger and eventually gave up...and forgot about it. Then, a few days ago,  a Twitter friend tweeted about a photo contest his site,<span style="color: #ffd966;"> <em><a href="http://www.writingwithhitchcock.com/"><span style="color: #990000;">Writing with Hitchcock</span></a></em></span>, was sponsoring that involved posting personal photos of Hitchcock film locations. After I entered a still photo I'd taken of the building at 900 Lombard where Scottie Ferguson lived in <strong>Vertigo</strong>, I remembered the video.  Once I'd managed to post it on Facebook, I posted it on YouTube and, only slightly delayed...here it is...my mini-tour of San Francisco film locations. Dave and I hope to get back out there again one day. I'd love to venture into other neighborhoods as well as do a "Hitchcock tour" of the San Francisco Bay Area.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RvTQwQHv2X4" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>

Alfred Hitchcock Dark Passage Days of Wine and Roses Dirty Harry DOA Pal Joey Play it Again Sam The Lady Eve (author) The Lady From Shanghai The Line Up Vertigo What's Up Doc? San Francisco Film Locations...a mini-tour on video

Huntington Park at the top of Nob Hill, San Francisco One day not too long ago my friend Dave and I went on an excursion into three San Fran...

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Tuesday night update and Wednesday birthday cake

Last night didn't go well. After I wrote my post I felt like I was literally starving to death. Almond. Butter. I don't need to say anymore except that this morning I poured soap into the jar (what was left of it) and threw it in the trash. <br /><br />Right now I feel very ill because I ate a big piece of birthday cake tonight, chocolate truffle cake and I don't even really like chocolate cake. It was my husband's birthday today. I feel really gross. Like throwing up gross. Plus I'm so thirsty I could die. I just can't get enough water to drink.<br /><br />That's all. Not much else to write except I screwed up again. What else is new? <br /><br />Oh yes, I should mention that work is out of control busy. I've been getting intense headaches lately. Probably because I feel like my head is spinning out of control All day long I keep telling myself to calm the hell down, but then someone else wants something else from me. Tomorrow is going to be different. Honestly. Totally different. I need a new attitude at work.<br /><br />I'm going to bed now. I'm going to have to work out like a maniac tomorrow morning. I have a plan of really mixing up my routine with new exercises. <br /><br />Funny, I just read this post and I sound like a crazy person, with a death theme. Hmmm....

Tuesday night update and Wednesday birthday cake

Last night didn't go well. After I wrote my post I felt like I was literally starving to death. Almond. Butter. I don't need to say ...

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21 weeks

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ml6IenGtVoC_QRY9qUVdkDLlbJwki4lGO8O5BebejRIusrYl_h8lJvzmbg-ExAgdIebkeaBL3eCCAZkIbA81H4BqZ6aCdXS8moWEVZ7AntZ1BWI03uzni-polvval786mRGbG5S9kK-a/s1600-h/21%20weeks%20-%202.9.11%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="21 weeks - 2.9.11" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIn-zra4e6jioIDftJxbI2eCRKI9IQjciCjbGntCE3VcvzhUZ62Jc6BMFNd1kIcczaPQWVqa2gGB3XxTEnebcu1pC_l6ehG2Qcgx2dpRupbf_zOh25Sdcsy0fE1qXOf9r948dvhVV56Yd/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="21 weeks - 2.9.11" width="304"></a> </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>How Far Along:</strong> 21 Weeks <p><strong>Size of baby:</strong> Baby Bangert is the size of a banana <p><strong>Total Weight Gain/Loss:</strong> gained 18lbs <p><strong>Maternity Clothes:</strong> I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular.  Things are getting tighter though! <p><strong>Gender:</strong> It’s a girl!!! <p><strong>Movement:</strong> I felt her kick on the outside of my tummy on Sunday! <p><strong>Sleep:</strong> Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn! <p><strong>What I miss:</strong> Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes! <p><strong>Cravings:</strong> I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime! <p><strong>Symptoms:</strong> Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well! <p><strong>Best Moment this week:</strong> See below! <ul> <li>Spending the weekend with my sisters & this lil cutie!<img alt="DSC09776" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1B2lbpU1kA0fahOy5gRJl5BPmv_MtHCN_n4s-7BHR6YvlrrMTvD9ZavCn9ZtmL_7sSLx_OAJgWWT14TGgmPVr5K9qMRErlp6q1c9eGmFM3DYV0bGd0qHqv81OZ7UFSjiBiGHnJhvgyIPQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09776" width="404"></li> <li>Getting LOTS of free baskets from the <a href="http://www.signaturehomestyles.com/">Signature Homestyles</a> party I had! Our little girl’s closet is going to be SO organized!<img alt="DSC09779" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3te0G1dMWeY4aHWDs9BUK6Q-SpC5m14uiTLKoNPc6u8x6WR0RiKZTZRZvZq79qMbjC0D81JAfqX5qnq7w-7eOXxvr8Ecj8ehRc5bG31cKU7fqAw8YFnz2s8eLSqqNOI3fjIzYS-DvSTgn/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09779" width="304"></li> <li>Haircut! Notice the difference from a few weeks ago?</li> <div align="center"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="500" align="center" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="250"><img alt="19 weeks - 1.24.11" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CAlDSgHbZLoPDWPfsKu4jpg8vnOAmukaen0uUquP6c4Tbyn4B3bZcPFuhG_otU9NeDnoFDwn721z-Pc3-Uez1MNPZsJAV-hQOiqhIz6oJokOoy8tFT_0n3_lj0kPGulBKy5kgcYOF0oo/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="19 weeks - 1.24.11" width="238"></td> <td valign="top" width="250"> <p align="center"><img alt="21 weeks - 2.9.11" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB5u8teuu10uBPNgY1wpmtE_amw-LtFCZ_bgbNfcSPNZW6AlAkKxkVh6j5c_b0z0NTxVXfW0F4z_dsDPIRjWZhkVOpLbmDplyOXm9_X5vu1h7Mud1ZLs9Hz5tDRcr2dKksYQt4mCAN6yf/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="21 weeks - 2.9.11" width="236"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></ul></blockquote>

21 weeks

  How Far Along: 21 Weeks Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a banana Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained 18lbs Maternity Clothes: ...

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I made it through Monday night without an incident

I managed to get through last night without any type of evening snack and no binging. It's a miracle!<br /><br />Now I need another miracle! It's Tuesday night, and I'm in the same boat as I was last night, except tonight, I'm starving! Seriously, my hunger is off the charts. <br /><br />My food today was sparse, but sufficient. I was in a rush to get to work for a meeting this morning so I skipped breakfast, which is something I very rarely do these days. I had a glass of non-fat milk because I read on someones blog yesterday that it was one of the best post-workout beverages. Protein and carbs in a glass. <br /><br />Then off to work for back to back meetings until noon, lunch of chicken breast with two tablespoons of Stubbs barbecue sauce, leftover roasted butternut squash (yummy) and roasted Brussels sprouts (with about a teaspoon of oil). It was a wonderful and filling lunch.<br /><br />Then a crazy busy afternoon at work, with no time for a snack except a few cherry tomatoes. I left work at 5:30pm to go to the Pyramid Brewery in Seattle for the Big Climb Team Captains meeting. It was a great meeting and now I'm super psyched about doing the event. Only 39 days left!<br /><br />So I'm in a room with about 50 other Big Climb team captains and what do you think they're serving for hors d' oeuvres? Artichoke cheese dip with buttered french bread, and battered fried chicken wings with hot sauce, and of course beer. Lots of beer. Everyone was drinking beer.<br /><br />They had a dinner menu and several people were ordering from it. My skinny (but very sweet) girlfriend ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries. She does Crossfit and works out like a maniac, and she gets to eat whatever she wants and remains a size 2. Love her to pieces, but honestly, life is so not fair. <br /><br />I ordered the salmon, grilled with no oil and without the cream sauce, steamed veggies, no utter. Water to drink.<br /><br />I just got home about an hour ago (it's 10:30pm now). I took the train back to my near my work. That was an experience. I missed my stop and had to take a different train to get back to my stop. 9pm and I'm running around in train stations near the airport (a rather unsavory part of town). I made it home safely but it was kind of scary. I'm not doing that again.<br /><br />So explain to me, why after eating a sufficient amount of food today, do I feel like I'm at a 10+ on the hunger scale (with 10 being the most hungry you could possibly be)? I'm debating about going to bed on an empty stomach. I ate at around 6pm, four and half hours ago. <br /><br />I could eat something but will that send me into a binge. I'm still debating on what to do. Normal people eat when they're hungry. I've already determined I'm not normal when it comes to food. What shall I do? I'm exhausted so I'm really thinking about just going to  bed.

I made it through Monday night without an incident

I managed to get through last night without any type of evening snack and no binging. It's a miracle! Now I need another miracle! It'...

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7 Things You Should Never Say In an Interview

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/y7/ar5f51l6cp6lnv35hly7.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/y7/ar5f51l6cp6lnv35hly7.gif" /></a></div>By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder Writer <br /><br />You dry cleaned your suit. You've got a dozen copies of your résumé, just in case. You arrived early -- but not too early. You silenced your cell phone. You made small talk with the receptionist, and you're pretty sure the two of you will be best friends one day. Now, you're about to confidently head into an interview for a job you're dying to land.<br /><br />Don't ruin it all by saying any of the following to your interviewer.<br /><br />"My last boss was an idiot"<br /><br />No matter how terrible your last boss was, or how glad you are to be free of your previous company, keep it to yourself. Not only will you look immature and negative if you start griping, but you also never know whom your interviewer is connected to. Your interviewer and your former boss may be old fraternity brothers, for all you know.<br /><br />"Do not gossip or speak badly about anyone you've worked with or for, even if they're currently serving time in state prison for what they did," says Gayl Murphy, author of "Interview Tactics: How to Survive the Media without Getting Clobbered." "Even if the [interviewer tries to] push you into it. Remember, it's all a test. Be graceful and polite, you could be talking about [his or her] brother-in-law."<br /><br />"Yes." "Yes." "Yes." "No."<br /><br />Unless the interviewer asks you if you're so-and-so here for the nine-o'clock interview, you shouldn't be using one-word answers. An interview is your time to convince the employer that you have the qualifications for the job. Even if the questions don't seem open-ended, answer them as if they are. You don't need to drone on and on, but use every chance you get to prove why you're the right person for the job.<br /><br />"You want to use as much color and detail as possible when describing your background, experience and your professional journey, but without being long winded because, in reality, it's about your skill set and your valuable experience and expertise. Be specific: use names, dates and places," Murphy says.<br /><br />"Let me tell you what I think about religion and politics ..."<br /><br />Like a first date, an interview is no time to bring up religion or politics. If these touchy subjects can spark heated debates amongst even the closest of friends, imagine what kind of argument you could get into with a stranger.<br /><br />"When being interviewed for a job, deciding what to say and what to keep to your self has always been challenging, especially since there are so many different opinions out there," says Murphy. "[But] unless you're going for a job as a pastor or rabbi, it's best to steer clear of religious tenets." Ditto for politics; unless it's a key part of the job, it's best to avoid sharing political opinions.<br /><br />"Of course I know HTML coding/ my way around China/ the nuances of quantitative behavioral finance!"<br /><br />An interview is not the place to embellish your work or personal experience. If an interviewer asks you about something you don't have experience with, fess up and tell them how willing and able you are to learn new things. If you claim to be something you're not, chances are you'll be found out sooner or later ... maybe not during the interview process, but when you find yourself lost in the middle of China a few months after landing the job, your gig will be up.<br /><br />"Don't make up anything about what you've done that isn't true. It's too easy these days to get busted for anything like that. And they are looking at anything and everything," Murphy says.<br /><br />"Hey man, do you want to grab a drink after this?"<br /><br />No matter how well you hit it off with your interviewer or how great your conversation goes, your interviewer is not your friend -- even if you find out you're both getting married on the same day or you're both obsessed with college football. The relationship is still a professional one, so resist the urge to spill too many personal or off-topic details, or to start calling your interviewer "buddy," "girl," "hon" or "man."<br /><br />"Hahahaaaaa! AAAAAhaaahahaaa!"<br /><br />Okay, so someone cracked a joke. It's probable that in the duration of your professional career, you'll come across an interviewer with a good sense of humor. It's even okay to laugh at a joke made during the interview. Just don't die laughing. No one looks professional with cackle-induced teary eyes, teeth and gums-a-blazing.<br /><br />Should you find yourself surpassing the point of no return in your fit of laughter, take a deep breath, and think about how awful you'll feel if you don't get the job. It may seem like a buzzkill, but there's a time and a place for everything, including hysterics.<br /><br />"I mean, I'm not THAT great"<br /><br />Now is not the time for modesty, false or otherwise. While you don't want to come across like a used car salesman, you are there to sell yourself. Or, as Murphy puts it "Know in your bones you have an awesome product." And don't be afraid to sell it.<br /><br />Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow @CBForJobSeekers on Twitter.

7 Things You Should Never Say In an Interview

By Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder Writer You dry cleaned your suit. You've got a dozen copies of your résumé, just in case. You arrived e...

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Show Me, Don't Tell Me

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/n4/ar5f4jh673jv6vpjqtn4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://emj.icbdr.com/artieimages/n4/ar5f4jh673jv6vpjqtn4.gif" /></a></div>By Frances Cole Jones, author of "How to Wow" <br /><br />As you may know, the first rule of writing good fiction is, "Show me, don't tell me." The idea being that you can't say a character is resilient, thoughtful, or brave you need to show the reader that he or she are these things.<br /><br />Somehow this idea has not translated into our other writing, particularly in the context of applying for jobs. For example, how many of us have seen cover letters in which a candidate describes him or herself as "a real go getter," only to have that résumé collecting dust on our desk three weeks later -- three weeks during which that "go-getter" of a candidate didn't pick up the phone?<br /><br />How else might a go-getter distinguish him or herself from the pack? Well, recently I walked out of Grand Central Station to find two young people dressed in business suits standing on the sidewalk handing out copies of their résumés. What were their stated objectives? Entry-level jobs in finance and marketing. Their qualifications? The usual for people just starting out: captain of the swim team, internship at local retail store, a summer at the local copy shop. In addition to hard copies of their résumé, however, they had also blown each up to a poster-board size and created video résumés and posted them on YouTube -- the URL for these was at the top of their CVs. Seeing these actions told me more than any video: they were creative, gutsy, and self-confident. You can bet that if I had been at a financial or marketing firm with -- or without -- an opening, they would have been hired on the spot. They brought being a "go-getter" to life.<br /><br />Another gap in candidates' descriptions of themselves is often revealed via a technique I recently heard HR professionals are using to weed out those who are truly committed to working for a particular firm, from those who are not: what they do is stop the interview halfway through and says "I just don't think you're the right fit for us" -- regardless of the candidate's experience. One of the HR professionals with whom I spoke says it's amazing how many people actually say, "I actually didn't think so either, but I just thought I'd come in ... "<br /><br />Um ... how not to wow.<br /><br />How do I recommend you handle this situation, should you encounter it? First, make sure you don't look down, lean back ... reveal your discomfort through your body in any way. Smile. Inhale. Speak on an exhalation. Say, "I understand how you may think that, given my lack of experience with X/my checkered past/how long I've been freelancing, but I think you've underestimated how committed I am to working for your firm. If I may, I'll take you through my thinking one more time." A response that, both physically and verbally, should reassure the most hardboiled of HR professionals.<br /><br />Another misstep I heard about was the story of a candidate who touted his laser focus/unparalleled dedication throughout his lunch interview, only to take out his PDA and begin returning calls as his host paid the check. My guess is that he was either uncomfortable with sitting in silence, or wished to convey his busyness or importance. What I can tell you is that his choice backfired -- instead causing the HR director to move him from the top slot to the bottom of the list.<br /><br />Albert Schweitzer, the famed theologian, philosopher and physician said, "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." Nowhere is this truer than in a job interview scenario -- where what isn't said is often far more important than what is.

Show Me, Don't Tell Me

By Frances Cole Jones, author of "How to Wow" As you may know, the first rule of writing good fiction is, "Show me, don't...

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Monday, Part II - How a binge starts

My second post for today...avoiding a binge<br /><br />It's 10:21 p.m. This is usually when it starts, the beginning of my nightly binge. It always starts innocently enough. Right now it's been about four hours since I ate dinner. I feel a little bit hungry. I'm not starving, I just feel like eating something. Lord knows I can't have a slight hunger pain and not take care of it immediately.<br /><br />I've thought of all the things that I could eat that would be considered an acceptable snack. I've eaten 32 Points today, which is a large amount of food (I'm allowed a minimum of 29). <br /><br />I've had three pieces of fruit today, two apples and a banana. I make note of this because fruit is suppose to have zero Points. However, I counted a Point for the banana. That's how I've customized the Weight Watcher plan for myself. Bananas have Points on "my" plan. I decided I needed some sort of ground rule for certain fruits. This is because I ate four bananas at one sitting a few days ago. You may find that unbelievable but it's the truth. Therefore, certain fruits that I would overeat have been assigned a Point value. Apples are safe. I don't think I've ever eaten more than one apple at a sitting. Of course, this is totally against the new Weight Watcher plan, but it's working for me.<br /><br />Right now, I'm thinking I could have a little snack, maybe a low-fat piece of string cheese for 2 Points. Or a Skinny Cow low-fat fudge bar or maybe another apple (they're organic Fuji's and they're delicious) or perhaps a Dreyers frozen Pomegranate bar. Maybe some baby carrots, they're organic and super sweet. Or a glass of ice cold fat-free milk. I love milk. Maybe it would make me sleepy. Or a small piece of left-over chicken breast from dinner or maybe a Franz thinwich with some maple pumpkin butter (1 Point for a tablespoon). Or microwave popcorn, the Smart Pop brand that's low in Points.<br /><br />The problem here is if I eat one thing, I can't stop. I'll eat everything I've listed above. Yes, everything. Well, maybe not the carrots, but everything else. I know myself well enough by now that I'm about 99% sure that's what would happen. I would once again ruin a perfect day of eating on plan, a perfect day of exercise, with a binge. <br /><br />Instead of eating and chancing a binge, I've decided to wait until tomorrow morning to eat anything. I'm sipping water, writing this post. I'm wondering if I can sleep when I feel hungry. It's been a long time since I even tried. Then again, I can never sleep anymore anyway so why would that make it any different than any other night.<br /><br />That's how a binge starts. This is how I'm stopping it in it's tracks...I'm not going to start. I'm very tired and feeling sleepy. I'm going to bed now, and I'm feeling like I'm in control of my actions. I will not eat until tomorrow morning after 6 a.m. That's only seven hours from now. Surely I can last seven hours without eating.<br /><br />Good night.

Monday, Part II - How a binge starts

My second post for today...avoiding a binge It's 10:21 p.m. This is usually when it starts, the beginning of my nightly binge. It always...

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New diets always start on Monday

<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">And it's a Monday</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember my old days of my dieting failures. I'd always start a diet on Monday, and often by Tuesday or Wednesday, or even sometimes by Monday night, the diet was history. It was too hard, I didn't care anymore, and I was too hungry to continue. I'd always have a plan to start fresh the following Monday. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's Monday again, and even though I don't live by my old rules, it is a new week and a day where I can start over. Yesterday wasn't a perfect day by a long shot. I went to the gym for an hour and a half workout. Then I blew it. Why I continue this craziness is something I've yet to figure out.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I came home, I found a bag of opened Original Bugles in my kitchen. I don't even like Bugles, and I can't remember the last last time I ate this snack food. Maybe 20+ years ago. In case you've never heard of them, they're a corn chip snack in the shape of a bugle. Salty and greasy, and really not very tasty. That didn't stop me. It's certainly not a food I sit around and obsess over. As far as I'm concerned, they're far down on the food chain of things I like to eat.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know what possessed my husband to bring them into our home (temporary insanity?) or me to indulge in them (more temporary insanity?). Yet there I sat yesterday stuffing them in my mouth. I even measured out the first serving. 1.5 cups. I think it was something like 180 calories and 9 grams fat for each serving. After the first serving I just dumped some in a bowl and ate them. Probably at least three cups. I didn't calculate the Points. Why bother? It seemed like a lost cause at that point. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next up was the almond butter, something I read about in last week's Weight Watcher flyer. They were talking about what to eat to prevent night time binges. Peanut butter and whole wheat crackers. Or peanut butter and apple slices. I'm allergic to peanut butter, but I love almond butter. I stopped buying it two years ago. Last night I remembered why. I love the stuff, but too much of it is NOT a good thing. One tablespoon is three Points! I didn't eat just one. Last night was a bad night for me. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's Monday again, time to start over.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hunker down</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">urbandictionary.com...</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">hunker down:  finally sit down to finish something up. To stop procrastinating and do something.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's what I'm doing, I'm finally settling down and focusing on reaching goal. I've been putting this off long enough. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm past the honeymoon phase, I know this isn't easy nor is it fun. I might return here someday, but it's rather unlikely.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've faced up to the honesty phase, and yes, this is hard but it IS worth it. This is my life. Forever. I'm the kind of person that even when I reach goal, it's still going to be difficult. I've accepted that it's never going to be easy. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">So now it's the hunkering down phase. The phase where I bite the bullet, put my heart into this 100%. The old "no pain, no loss" rule applies to me. After years of diets, I know myself pretty well when it comes to losing weight. I have to be a little bit hungry a good part of the time or I don't lose weight. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not talking about starving hungry, but I can't feed every little hunger pain that comes my way. A little hunger is normal, and something I have to learn to live with. It's not like I'm going to die from a little hunger. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">My goal for right now, just get through one freaking day without overeating. My plan for tonight is a small three-Point snack and yoga before bed. No TV after 8pm. No True Blood DVDs that have been giving me horrible nightmares of death and violence. Yoga and a good book are the plan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of good books - "This Stranger, My Son" by Louise Wilson</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I read this book over the weekend, and it's really good. If someone you love has been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia, you must read this book. My nephew was diagnosed with it in 1994. He committed suicide shortly afterwards at the age of 31. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">My sister has been haunted by this for years, wondering what she did wrong as a mother. Blaming herself, saying she should have done more for her son, even though she did everything humanly possible to help him. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I just happened upon this book at a used bookstore. It was written in 1968 and is a mother's true story of life with her son that was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia.  It's heart-wrenching reading, and I could see my nephew in this story. It's a must-read for anyone that has a loved one dealing with this illness. I'm going to send my copy to my sister. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Weight Watcher New Complete Cookbook (with PointsPlus recipes)</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I just bought this cookbook at Costco. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but it's a nice 3-ring notebook style cookbook. It retails for $29.95. Costco is selling it for $17.95, but it has a coupon inside for a year's subscription to Weight Watchers magazine. However, if you don't want the subscription, you can get a refund of $9.99 by writing "refund" on the coupon and mailing it. That means the cookbook was only $7.96! That's a real bargain.</span>

New diets always start on Monday

And it's a Monday I remember my old days of my dieting failures. I'd always start a diet on Monday, and often by Tuesday or Wednesda...

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Getting my head in the game

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Weight Watcher meeting on Saturday was excellent. My leader is the best, and I never fail to learn something from her meetings. Even when I think I know it all.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She talked about the four stages of weight loss:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. The honeymoon phase - we all know and love this phase. Several you reading this are probably in it right now. I was once there myself.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's when it's all new and exciting. You follow the plan to the letter and the weight falls off. This is the phase where you are determined that nothing will lead you astray. You're tracking your food, drinking your water, taking your vitamins, and following the healthy eating guidelines. You are perfect and nothing will keep you from reaching your goal.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. The honesty phase - this is the loser reality check. Is this worth it? Is all the hard work, the deprivation, the exercise, is it all really worth it? You either decide it is worth it and continue, or you decide it's not worth it and stop. This is the phase where a lot of people walk away. Our leader told us that in the fourth week is when most Weight Watchers never return to the meetings. They made the decision that it's not worth it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. The hunker-in phase - this is were you have renewed resolve. You've made it this far and darnit, you're going to do whatever it takes. The weight loss has dramatically slowed down from the honeymoon phase, and you have a gain here and there, but you're not giving up.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. The "homey" phase - this is when you get cocky, where you think you know it all. This is when you consider leaving Weight Watchers. Maybe you're almost at goal, and you decide who needs to go to meetings. You've got it all figured out, there's no reason to go to the meetings anymore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In three years I've hit every one of these phases more than once. When I was at 152 pounds a year and a half ago I was in phase #4. I thought I knew it all. Now at 180 pounds I realize I still have a lot to learn. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">There was a comment on my post yesterday regarding my night time eating, which continues to challenge me. The comment was sweet, and she left some suggestions of things I could try to overcome my night binging. I went to her <a href="http://needtogetmeback.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, and found she's in the honeymoon stage of weight loss. What struck me from her posts is how excited she is about the process of losing weight. She seriously has her "head in the game" as she put it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">This is what I've been missing lately. My head has not been in the game. I don't look forward to my weigh-ins. In fact, even though I went to my Weight Watcher meetings for all January I took a no-weighin pass for each meeting until yesterday. I finally realized that by not weighing in, I wasn't doing myself any favors. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">My goal this month is simple. I need to get my head in the game again.</span>

Getting my head in the game

My Weight Watcher meeting on Saturday was excellent. My leader is the best, and I never fail to learn something from her meetings. Even when...

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Slip slidin' away

As soon as I posted last Tuesday that I was good at consistently exercising, I hit a brick wall. Suddenly, I didn't want to exercise anymore. The last five days have been a struggle, and one I didn't want to share with the world. <br />  <br />Not only was I struggling with food, which I've come to accept, but I felt myself slipping when it came to exercising. I woke up Wednesday and thought I really didn't feel like working out, so I didn't. I skipped the gym. Thursday was a huge struggle, but I forced myself to go. Friday I skipped the gym again. I didn't even walk at lunch or do the stairs this past week. This isn't my normal routine. It's almost as if patting myself on the back for doing a good job at something, somehow sabotaged myself. <br />  <br />I still managed to work out five times last week, for a minimum of an hour to an hour and a half each time. I suppose to most people that sounds like success, but because it was such an unusual struggle  for me, I tend to think of it as being a failure. <br />  <br />Yesterday I felt more like myself and got in an intense hour and a half workout. This past week made me realize how easy it would be, at any moment, for me to just stop working out, to simply give up. I'm not sure where these feelings are coming from. Maybe it's my lack of success at losing weight lately is now spilling over into the one thing I've considered a success, my exercise routine. <br />  <br />Whatever is going on in my head, I'm determined to overcome it. I'm back to the "just don't even think about it as an option, just do it" attitude towards exercising. If I think about anything too much, I tend to over anlyze it and ruin it for myself. <br />  <br />Exercise is like brushing my teeth. It's not optional. If I don't want my teeth to fall out, have a lot of pain as my teeth rot, and spend hours in a dentist chair (not to mention a lot of money), I have to floss and brush every day. If I don't want my body to fall in disrepair and become unhealthy, and spend a lot of money on doctors and medicine to only life a life of pain, I must exercise almost every day. There really isn't any other choice. That said, I feel like I'm back on track with the exercise.   <br />  <br />My eating and my weight <br />My eating is a continual battle for me. I'm still not at peace with food, and sadly, I doubt I will ever reach that place that so few seem to enjoy. <br />  <br />I went to my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday and weighed in at 180.4. Ugh! This is NOT where I want to be. <br />  <br />My biggest problem is the night time eating. Every time I think I have beat this problem, it comes back to haunt me. Nothing seems to work. <br />  <br />Things I've tried, that have worked temporarily: <br />  <br />1. Eat dinner super late, at 9 p.m. This helped, but then I don't sleep well with a full tummy. <br />  <br />2. Eat a late night snack of five Points. This helped too, but see #1. <br />  <br />3. White knuckle my way through it. This just makes me angry, and I can't sleep. Usually I cave a few hours of restlessness and binge. <br />  <br />4. Drink tons of water. Temporarily stops the hunger, but then I'm up several times going to the bathroom. Interrupts my sleep, which I already have problems sleeping through the night. <br />  <br />5. Go to bed earlier. Then I can't sleep, see #3. <br />  <br />6. Brush and floss before bed. This has absolutely no affect on me. I can always brush and floss again after eating. <br />  <br />I know this night eating is a mind game I play with myself almost daily. I know it can't be true hunger because I eat a lot during the day (all 29 Points plus some). In order to maintain my 180 pounds, I would have to eat a lot, so it's obvious I'm not starving myself. <br />  <br />Tonight I'm going to try something different. The thing that has worked on occasion is the late night snack of five Points. I'm going to try that again tonight, and if I find I can't sleep, I'm going to post about it in real time. Instead of remaining quiet about my failures, I'm going to share them with you. I don't want to be slip slidin' away.

Slip slidin' away

As soon as I posted last Tuesday that I was good at consistently exercising, I hit a brick wall. Suddenly, I didn't want to exercise any...

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Marlene Dietrich...another facet of her legend

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR2NbWkzyDhyphenhyphen30ejwi_JbeI22NvdL2Jj-MMYMreSRdtmyy2HoasNdSamvk20HYuK3SnTA2BCfb4ex1Q3mjdqLiuchTWWXgLvSOWdJ7-2CAVzrQTBVQRlPedHsW2c0q6ps-40b5Ocsl_q_/s1600/blue+angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihR2NbWkzyDhyphenhyphen30ejwi_JbeI22NvdL2Jj-MMYMreSRdtmyy2HoasNdSamvk20HYuK3SnTA2BCfb4ex1Q3mjdqLiuchTWWXgLvSOWdJ7-2CAVzrQTBVQRlPedHsW2c0q6ps-40b5Ocsl_q_/s400/blue+angel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Marlene Dietrich is one of very few film stars whose career not only spanned 60+ years but who also enjoyed icon status for most of those years. Her life in film began in the early 1920s with silent pictures. It came to a close with Maximillian Schell's 1984 Oscar-nominated documentary, <b>Marlene</b>, in which she speaks but does not appear on camera.</span><br /><a name='more'></a></div><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/AVvXsEhW0S0JWtdR4zIOA4RiXtMAoO9YmYpFWO8Ptw0ACdisP_RzkPXIYZ2dNGefPpBXu4HCpgdwpRFZJvgtfwIKgTB8bm5QVQAcWnTpP9M8PEXkgIeM9DBgJfRVemkKQHmoNA1yaHJFaF7w5ngh/s1600/marlene+in+living+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0S0JWtdR4zIOA4RiXtMAoO9YmYpFWO8Ptw0ACdisP_RzkPXIYZ2dNGefPpBXu4HCpgdwpRFZJvgtfwIKgTB8bm5QVQAcWnTpP9M8PEXkgIeM9DBgJfRVemkKQHmoNA1yaHJFaF7w5ngh/s200/marlene+in+living+color.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marlene in the '30s</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dietrich shot to fame as Lola Lola in Josef von Sternberg's <b>The Blue Angel</b> (1930). Shortly after the film premiered, she left Germany for the U.S. where she and von Sternberg collaborated on six more films during the 1930s. The first, <b>Morocco</b> (1930), was nominated for four Oscars, including a Best Actress nod for Dietrich. By the end of the decade her career had cooled but was reignited when she co-starred, at von Sternberg’s urging, with James Stewart in the 1939 hit, <b>Destry Rides Again</b>. Although Dietrich continued making films in the 1940s, most were shot before the U.S. entered the war or made after the war ended. Though she appeared in only nine films from 1950 - 1978, several are classics: Hitchcock's <b>Stage Fright</b> (1950), Fritz Lang's <b>Rancho Notorious</b> (1952), Billy Wilder's <b>Witness for the Prosecution</b> (1957), Orson Welles's <b>Touch of Evil</b> (1958) and Stanley Kramer's <b>Judgment at Nuremberg</b> (1961). Her final film role was in <b>Just a Gigolo </b>(1978) starring David Bowie; while the movie is forgettable, her brief appearance is not.</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/AVvXsEiNFSVZuS7zlJIh672UlJMhG_fi6oeFhLCJbAbi2alXnIfVRAnSQ-W1EShz1W8kQkOn1cGj8qXGW3cRZUBlG7UxcuWed-v0Fwbi6j7MUxDh-U4wFoeJkBZeYEDnLOT5GTe5kOI4vCb1HTD6/s1600/o_IO4TsiSperwvHxa%255B1%255D.jpg+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFSVZuS7zlJIh672UlJMhG_fi6oeFhLCJbAbi2alXnIfVRAnSQ-W1EShz1W8kQkOn1cGj8qXGW3cRZUBlG7UxcuWed-v0Fwbi6j7MUxDh-U4wFoeJkBZeYEDnLOT5GTe5kOI4vCb1HTD6/s320/o_IO4TsiSperwvHxa%255B1%255D.jpg+2.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chanteuse</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">In 1953, the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas offered Dietrich the unheard of sum of $30,000 a week to perform on stage. Her run was so successful that she was quickly signed for a similar engagement in London. The London show was also a smash and she followed it with a return engagement at the Sahara. This was the beginning of Dietrich's celebrated career (and reinvention) as a high-ticket chanteuse that lasted through the mid-1970s. In 1972 she performed her concert act as a TV special and earned an impressive-for-the-era $250,000 for it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">Marlene Dietrich is remembered for her several classic films, her concert career, her breathtaking glamour and her many amorous adventures. But there was another side to the actress that is less well known today... </span><br /><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/AVvXsEgVx9Xh-0DjPbwgtyAwrs3wjQpvf-vixTTIL6sBObX-ap6ZV3HS9ggPIZPEMra4IAoZETbT7wEiQ8o_xDrMR668vsWmGdB8tZ0xFrVGhNzy-X2AMM8XDXMMEQGdnKoyjcN6JQm55ATTpR0F/s1600/Marlene_Dietrich_sit%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVx9Xh-0DjPbwgtyAwrs3wjQpvf-vixTTIL6sBObX-ap6ZV3HS9ggPIZPEMra4IAoZETbT7wEiQ8o_xDrMR668vsWmGdB8tZ0xFrVGhNzy-X2AMM8XDXMMEQGdnKoyjcN6JQm55ATTpR0F/s200/Marlene_Dietrich_sit%255B1%255D.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World War II on the ground</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">While she was in England in 1937 working on a film, von Ribbentrop, Hitler's ambassador to Great Britain at the time, approached and pressured her to return to Germany. She refused and became a U.S. citizen in 1939. When America entered World War II, Dietrich was one of the first stars to sell war bonds. She entertained troops on front lines all over Europe and in North Africa, appeared at sevicemen's canteens and made anti-Nazi broadcasts in Germany. In addition, Dietrich and other successful Eastern European <span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">émigrés in Hollywood provided both financial assistance and moral support to refugees from the European film community who fled the Nazi onslaught.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </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/AVvXsEggIyFR5pao-PL8zM42la7zKyy7fDxLRiQOYt2bqTU__N4x0QtiwweLgNOgWre_U8ODbOuoC4bKpAhe2W8N8mjB_oxYZ45m0ZMXpzR_CEUHdNmdz7wYkv1ks_nWzSLlaQeq1l6YZEU-sWiU/s1600/marlene+wwii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIyFR5pao-PL8zM42la7zKyy7fDxLRiQOYt2bqTU__N4x0QtiwweLgNOgWre_U8ODbOuoC4bKpAhe2W8N8mjB_oxYZ45m0ZMXpzR_CEUHdNmdz7wYkv1ks_nWzSLlaQeq1l6YZEU-sWiU/s200/marlene+wwii.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World War II with Allied troops</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">The OSS (the CIA of the time) had a Morale Operations (MO) branch that began producing 'black' (propaganda) radio programs in 1943. These programs reached listeners throughout Europe and the Mediterranean and were intended to create discord in the Axis countries. In 1944, the MO began to recruit Hollywood talent to boost the quality of programming on its stations. The MO’s most popular station was <i>Soldatensender</i> (Soldiers' Radio), and one of the most popular songs it played was Dietrich's "Lili Marlene" with 'black' lyrics created especially for the German version. The Nazi government banned the broadcast of the song, but the ban was lifted in the face of a backlash among Axis soldiers. "Lili Marlene" soon became the song played at the end of every <i>Soldantensender </i>broadcast.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">In 1945, the U.S. government awarded Marlene Dietrich the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the first presented. Similarly, France made her a chevalier of the Legion of Honor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">But Dietrich's largesse did not begin with World War II…</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/AVvXsEiCI38sWzbJHd0BjyXquxZYWdqd1ikk3v11luxZSm5dAcFP33TTiprqRQDR4LJK9GMYk9sot_i2eseFnU8iLG0Dhb_HU19aw0FXR_axIanMxgZaD9Y3FcDsiMY40hy6hTt3_cxG5lomIdGq/s1600/LGF+-+Marlene+and+JG+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCI38sWzbJHd0BjyXquxZYWdqd1ikk3v11luxZSm5dAcFP33TTiprqRQDR4LJK9GMYk9sot_i2eseFnU8iLG0Dhb_HU19aw0FXR_axIanMxgZaD9Y3FcDsiMY40hy6hTt3_cxG5lomIdGq/s1600/LGF+-+Marlene+and+JG+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Gilbert and Marlene Dietrich</td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="font-family: Arial;">In 1934 Dietrich became romantically involved with one of the great stars of the silent era, John Gilbert. Gilbert's young daughter Leatrice came to know Dietrich through her father. In her 1985 biography of him, <b>Dark Star</b>, <a href="http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/2010/08/about-john-gilbertan-interview-with.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Leatrice Gilbert Fountain</span></a><span style="color: #ffd966;"> </span>wrote of Dietrich's kindness to her, particularly after John Gilbert's death in early 1936.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">According to Leatrice, during Dietrich's romance with John Gilbert the actress tried to help revitalize his career as well as his health. She arranged for Gilbert to test for the role of her jewel-thief partner in <b>Desire </b>(1936). Gilbert got the part but unfortunately, shortly after filming began, he suffered a heart attack and was replaced in the role.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Leatrice recalled visiting her father's house on December 24,1935 and being dazzled by the beautiful Christmas tree, decorated in the German tradition by Dietrich herself. She noted that Dietrich had thoughtfully slipped away that day so she could spend time alone with her father. Just over two weeks later John Gilbert was dead of a heart attack.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">Following his funeral, Dietrich contacted Leatrice's mother with information and advice about Gilbert's will that could benefit his daughter. Though her mother was unable to successfully pursue the information Dietrich provided, more important to young Leatrice was the relationship she developed with the actress.</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/AVvXsEjhSclSu8T59N4nDdrzVqSN9GGkIwdD9xOkIuRKe9d6ZfOSHdcCySqnXjdQP4zL6hOW-NtSZlT7OuRwpfR12KbJxC2J2-F1YR6JUXARCvSngG6mCfpTe9uZFHo7GT6gbQAE5frCPsdqmG5_/s1600/1_Blonde_Venus_photo-prv%255B1%255D+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSclSu8T59N4nDdrzVqSN9GGkIwdD9xOkIuRKe9d6ZfOSHdcCySqnXjdQP4zL6hOW-NtSZlT7OuRwpfR12KbJxC2J2-F1YR6JUXARCvSngG6mCfpTe9uZFHo7GT6gbQAE5frCPsdqmG5_/s200/1_Blonde_Venus_photo-prv%255B1%255D+cropped.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with Cary Grant in Blonde Venus</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial;">Days after John Gilbert's funeral, Leatrice received an enormous bouquet from Dietrich with a card in her handwriting, "I adored your father. Let me adore you."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">Leatrice Gilbert Fountain wrote in<b> Dark Star</b> that for many years thereafter Dietrich made a point of spending time with her. She remembered Dietrich as a "fairy godmother" and told how the star took her to theater openings, on long walks and talks, baked cookies and cakes for her and generally made her feel like "a princess." All this was at a time when Dietrich was very busy with her film career.</span><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Fountain reflected, "I wonder if Marlene Dietrich realized what a difference her presence made to me." She also recounted stories of Dietrich's early days in Hollywood when word began to circulate that she paid the overdue rent of a studio secretary who'd lost her job, that she picked up the hospital bill for the child of a studio electrician and other such acts of generosity. Fountain emphasized that Dietrich did not take credit for these deeds nor would she talk to Fountain about her efforts to help John Gilbert; Leatrice had to go to other sources to learn the details.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Marlene Dietrich died at age 90 in Paris on May 6, 1992. Her celebrity remains legendary, but her goodwill deserves a place in the Dietrich legend as well.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><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/AVvXsEgToty3Pxu1iH4TVpZkjx3Ep-97EF6gXIDIs7Zewg933E95XJ8j0kCTP0CtJousdyrcwdcdsVhlh394EGFZWvLJta97kecReMdvUu1u9ouEUAseftttyMEDm_U6v6ZqHCi0gLHTNF3O-FJM/s1600/marlene+gigolo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToty3Pxu1iH4TVpZkjx3Ep-97EF6gXIDIs7Zewg933E95XJ8j0kCTP0CtJousdyrcwdcdsVhlh394EGFZWvLJta97kecReMdvUu1u9ouEUAseftttyMEDm_U6v6ZqHCi0gLHTNF3O-FJM/s320/marlene+gigolo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marlene Dietrich in Just a Gigolo, 1978</td></tr></tbody></table><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div>

Destry Rides Again John Gilbert Josef von Sternberg Just a Gigolo Leatrice Gilbert Fountain Lili Marlene Marlene Dietrich Morocco The Blue Angel Marlene Dietrich...another facet of her legend

 Marlene Dietrich is one of very few film stars whose career not only spanned 60+ years but who also enjoyed icon status for most of those...

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Why Do Interviewers Use Brainteasers?

Remember when you took the SAT and were asked which direction a tree would fall if it were tied to the ground and then cut at the base? You probably just picked a random answer and thought, “When will I ever need to know that?”<br /><br />At your next job interview, maybe.<br /><br />In recent years, Google and Microsoft have famously made off-the-wall brainteaser questions part of their interview processes. What started as an innovative way to test the creativity and problem-solving abilities of applicants for technology jobs has become popular in other industries. Any position that deals with customers, whether in customer service or sales, might include a brainteaser or two in the interview.<br /><br />Consulting firm Blue Slate Solutions has been known to ask its applicants how many ATMs are in the United States or how many paint gallons are required to paint the exterior of a three-story brownstone. Unless you happen to know the actual answer, you’re probably wondering what to say.<br /><br />Just talk it out, advises Greg Moran, managing partner of Better People, a recruitment outsourcing firm.<br /><br />A precise answer is rarely the goal. “In many cases, hiring managers have told me that they don’t even know the answer.” The interviewers “are interested to see the logic and problem-solving ability of the candidate,” he says.<br /><br />Other questions are used simply to evoke a reaction from a candidate. Moran often asks, “Beside this question, what is the worst interview question you have ever been asked?” He wants to see how a candidate will perform if hired. “It gives our recruiters a good idea of the candidate’s sense of humor while seeing if they can engage with a good story.” He considers it a good test for candidates applying for a sales position.<br /><br />Naturally, many job seekers want to know if they can give a wrong answer to these questions.<br /><br />Yes, you can, Moran warns. “The absolute wrong answer is ‘I don’t know.’ A candidate who answers in this manner has indicated either an inability or unwillingness to think about a complex problem and think through the required elements of an answer.”<br /><br />Although you want to make a good impression and you know the key to interviewing is to prepare yourself for anything, Moran advises against it in this situation. “What candidates need to recognize is that preparation will actually hurt,” he cautions. If you know the answer and give it without talking through your thought process, you haven’t shown the interviewer your problem-solving skills—which was the whole point of the question.<br /><br />Of course, not all companies include these questions in their interviews. Often because they don’t want to put interviewees in an awkward position. According to Susan Whitcomb, author of “Interview Magic,” these questions often make the candidate feel humiliated or demeaned. Companies want to attract candidates, not alienate them.<br /><br />Some interview questions are more about logic than creativity. Moran likes to ask candidates what they will do in their first 90 days on the job to establish the foundation for long-term success in the position. The purpose is to see what ideas they have about networking, not to get a detailed agenda.<br /><br />Eliot Burdett, co-managing partner of Peak Sales Recruiting, advises candidates not to stress over these questions. A responsible employer or recruiter will not place more emphasis on a test than on the rest of the interview process. It’s a supplement, not a deal-breaker, he stresses.<br /><br />A good job test can tell you whether or not the position is a good match for you, Burdett adds. If the answers don’t come easily to you, don’t overthink them in an effort to lie your way into the position. Take them as a signal that you might not be suited for the job or that you might not even want it. Keep looking for one that better suits you.<br /><br />Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Why Do Interviewers Use Brainteasers?

Remember when you took the SAT and were asked which direction a tree would fall if it were tied to the ground and then cut at the base? You ...

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Envivo De Michoacan V: The Magnificent 7 Reconsidered

My image of Mexico came mostly from the Magnificent 7 and other such westerns. Hapless peasants in white pajamas and sombreros run about intimidated by sadistic banditos with ammo belts strapped diagonally across their chests until heroic blonde Americans (think Steve McQueen) set things right.<br /><br />Today Mexico looked rather different to me. I visited the oldest University in the Americas, The College of St. Nicholas, founded here in Morelia in 1536. That is precisely 100 years older than Harvard. It is a beautiful place with a magnificent court yard. This college town which today has 100,000 students in programs of higher education is a manufacturer of ideas, a builder of minds.<br /><br />Today I visited the oldest Music Conservatory in the Americas. Yes, here in Morelia once again, founded in 1754. During WW II, great musicians fleeing Europe took refuge here. This is a world class center for classical music. I listened to the students practicing. It’s not all history. Magnificent music is happening here, now.<br /><br />I visited elegant buildings that were turned to public use as libraries and cultural centers after 1767 when the Jesuits who had built them were deported in a single night on orders of King Charles III of Spain. Why? Charles said it was “for urgent, just, and necessary reasons which I reserve in my royal mind.” Many suspect it had to do with Jesuit teaching that all people were equal and sacred in the eyes of God, a humanist doctrine which upset the Spanish caste system. But it was too late. Those ideas had already been planted in the Mexican soul. I walked past the special prison built during the 1810 revolution to hold all the priests, monks, and nuns who were participating in the revolution. It was a prison just for priests, monks, and nuns. It was large.<br /><br />Today I visited a 16th century church built for African slaves in Mexico. I didn’t know there were African slaves in Mexico. There were, but slavery was banned in the Mexican Constitution decades before we abolished slavery.<br /><br />This place is rich in culture, music, architecture, history and religion. A ciudad authentica, the real deal, with much to teach and much to admire. I wonder how that Magnificent 7 image of Mexico may shade my attitude toward the Latinos I encounter in Nevada every day. How has my benighted knowledge of Mexico shaped my assumptions about Latinos? I don’t know the answer to those questions. But I am glad that when I encounter Latinos in Nevada next week, the veil of false stereotypes will have been somewhat lifted from my eyes.

Envivo De Michoacan V: The Magnificent 7 Reconsidered

My image of Mexico came mostly from the Magnificent 7 and other such westerns. Hapless peasants in white pajamas and sombreros run about int...

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Envivo De Michoacan IV: Mi Historia Es Su Historia

The 3rd largest organ in Latin America was silent at mass on Sunday. That was a disappointment. But the chant was beautiful. There was a good cantor in some invisible place. The people chanted back as directed. The acoustics of the 18th Century baroque building (redecorated in neo-classical style afterthe Revolution) were lively so the resonance was rich. Can sound, vibrating not just through the ears but the whole body, heal and revive the soul? I felt stronger for having been there and grateful for such a good place to say prayers for people and churches in Nevada.<br /><br />After mass, I took myself across the street to the Hotel Virrey y Mendoza for brunch al fresco. It was my second meal away from my host family home and the first “nice meal” out since I’ve been here. I had Huevos Tarascan (Huevos Rancheros with a different salsa and some sliced of avocado -- Tarascan is a word for the Purhepecha – a word now generally out of favor). It was a truly excellent meal (for the rough equivalent of $16 US including tip), a leisurely brunch under the arches of a hotel built in 1744. The hotel has hidden doors and secret passageways where people conspired about revolutionary plots in 1810. The old churches in Morelia are connected by underground tunnels which were dug for the same purpose.<br /><br />The age of the place made me think of our history. I read recently that a disturbing number of young adults do not know from whom the United States won its independence. We cannot know ourselves as individuals unless we know the people and the land to which we belong. We cannot know the people and the land unless we know their story.Without history, politics is like doing psychoanalysis with a victim of amnesia.<br /><br />But even those of us who think we know our history may be missing huge parts. For example, just what was Nevada’s role in the 1776 Revolution which we celebrate each July 4? Nada. We were not part of the original 13 colonies. Do we want to trace our connection to Sam Adams and company through our church history? Better not. Anglicans were on the wrong side of that one, so our bishops skedaddled to Canada. Or is it our genealogy? A few of us can trace some such tie. One of my ancestors was in on the American Revolution, but most were not. Some of my ancestors were still in Germany and others would soon be learning to write from Sequoia. So what is our history if history belongs to the land?<br /><br />Well, we weren’t involved in 1776 because at that time we were part of Mexico, a colony of Spain, not England. Most of the population would have been First Nations people. Spain owned us and governed us but did not pay much attention. Precious metals had not been found here yet, but they had been found further south.<br /><br />Then came the Revolution of 1810 led by revolutionary priests. Fr. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was the first George Washington figure. But he was executed in 1811 and the torch passed to his friend, Fr. Jose´ Mari´a Morelos y Pavo´n. Fr. Morelos simultaneously led the military campaign, formed the first Mexican Congress, and wrote a Constitution that contained provisions comparable to the U.S. Bill of Rights and the 13th and 14th Amendments. A half Spanish, half Indio person, he was his nation’s first real leader. He was eventually captured, then executed by a Spanish firing squad in 1815. This city bears his name. So does the street that runs parallels to the street where I live in Henderson, but I had no idea who Morelos was until now.<br /><br />There were other heroes of that revolution. The bravest and most defiant revolutionary was Maria Gertrudis Bocanega de de Mendoza de Lazo de la Vega (Gerturdis Bocanagra for short, but maybe you noticed she had the same last name as Zorro -- same fight). Gertrudis Bocanegra was the daughter of a Spanish aristocrat (more Zorro parallels, hmmm) who was converted to the cause of the indigenous people by her nanny. After her husband and brother were executed for smuggling guns to the rebels, Gertrudis died a fiery death at the hands of the Spanish army in the public square of Patzcuaro while hundreds of citizens nearly rioted in protest.<br /><br />We were not called Nevada in 1810. That name was given us by the U. S. Commission on Territories in the late 1850’s when we were separated from Utah. In the early 1850’s, maps called the Great Basin “the mystery land” or “the unknown country.” The only places with names were Washoe and later the Comstock. But in 1810, the name for our land was Northern Mexico, and people in Michoacan were fighting and dying for our independence.<br /><br />I love the stories of what happened at Lexington and Concord as much as anyone. I have stood in the Old Manse from which you could have watched the first shots fired. I have visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the home of Paul Revere in Boston, the Bunker Hill Monument, and the rest. I claim what happened there as part of the story of my land. But what happened here is part of our story too. If we don’t know this part our how our land came to be what it is today, we are missing a part of who we are as a people.

Envivo De Michoacan IV: Mi Historia Es Su Historia

The 3rd largest organ in Latin America was silent at mass on Sunday. That was a disappointment. But the chant was beautiful. There was a goo...

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20 weeks

<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1scxY_nLzejLqzz2AukUj7xHGvRSMDcK_EZ6hQrpX2Z22dVG7jZSralfpdVa8NdxWxFTzZTp_FGrunwKvZ9tsegwWmdJV03gekGETdjUA5Vh41ILOVM_umbHqV2tP3U5Yn9T_Nvuj4Vb/s1600-h/20%20weeks%20-%202.2.11.jpg"><img alt="20 weeks - 2.2.11" border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVAUXZnx8XiMWm5SC9OdgEXdjXkD56WrNJqQzKlsDeDPKIq-xjNdtFJcoycL_YGqb_ec76tu8Svpn2agQlAL6ODweLtOHiXHsyjf32FRXMlRFDosQiu2HR0Z3Hmx-C6TfXuyg74ivqt3m/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="20 weeks - 2.2.11" width="304"></a>  <strong>Pregnancy Highlights:</strong> </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>How Far Along:</strong> 20 Weeks </p> <p><strong>Size of baby:</strong> Baby Bangert is the size of a cantaloupe </p> <p><strong>Total Weight Gain/Loss:</strong> gained 18lbs </p> <p><strong>Maternity Clothes:</strong> I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular.  Things are getting tighter though! </p> <p><strong>Gender:</strong> It’s a girl!!! </p> <p><strong>Movement:</strong> Beginning to feel my little girl more lots more these days!  </p> <p><strong>Sleep:</strong> Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn! </p> <p><strong>What I miss:</strong> Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes! </p> <p><strong>Cravings:</strong> I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime! </p> <p><strong>Symptoms:</strong> Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well! </p> <p><strong>Best Moment this week:</strong> Finding out & seeing our baby girl! Amazing!</p></blockquote> <p>Last Tuesday we had our ultrasound appointment. Kyle was there (of course) and Aunt Wendi came too! It was so amazing to see that little life inside me!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZXwGqXf71mB4UW2AQ91kwdaQShAfYAlw4kilbtSfePTEgNnDn5y6tsqVl3jnAulXzzm3uRo3LYZ0c_VkwZFIoCsUgM_eQbs58vc4zE1WdXaeWC9KetLY7JbsPo_qWC4XExc_nPfaMad7/s1600-h/1.25.11ultrasound%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="1.25.11 ultrasound" border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4ohCnF7jbnWOBinY7SWdHSDWDTV0VSqWhA_PfwTpCi2iEudaSQPgOYIBXEuN-3UKh24xqipElCQ5AAcD6iqxSQy2ff82NndHBkWIblRBQIvq7PBBFqG6weR0Y_jdqpj0b6SiB1Vig5Fc/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="1.25.11 ultrasound" width="404"></a>Thursday we had our follow up appointment with the Doctor and said she looks perfectly healthy. Kyle got a kick out of her saying “baby looks proportional”! They measured me about 6 days ahead, but wanted to stick with my original due date, maybe that means Baby Girl Bangert will come before June 16th! </p> <p align="center"><strong><em>Nursery Preview!  </em></strong></p> <p align="left">Kyle painted while we were off work over Christmas break. We chose <a href="http://www.restorationhardware.com/">Restoration Hardware</a> “light silver sage” for a color. It’s a light blue/gray. I knew it would (obviously) work for a boy, but thought if we added pink to the room it would look great for a girl too!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwSK9WCv-xDnEANA25QYRRu2XV4wr8VrRTVKQKa8VKYOC0L4DGNQS49NCAl3f4QHF4v5dq8-pbEr6nbU9GxneipsULsW1z3LcP078pXlmoO-ngGDxLJGLX7_2oyirBVpypxXFQax5q6jt/s1600-h/image-6082303950851780%5B4%5D.jpg"><img alt="image-6082303950851780" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6v6QjZ2xucls2zBUXmbl8Fznxr1p4DQqpkW52JXzqtimAhOyiK0Nnu9VFfA7RN7RZSG7K21fhj_xOuT2N_NmTk5XUAv9d8_0uHNRoVQzS1ti1pmwCoRUvcNt1vkVLaq-cTCkNaA4J0pDl/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; display: block; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border-right-width: 0px" title="image-6082303950851780" width="304"></a> </p> <p align="left">Last weekend Kyle installed a closet organizer in the nursery. I just LOVE how it turned out, I’m all about organizing!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuSZ4cigmz_uvdr7hj0waILAu22reAHUpxGY8ic3y_XOACCqAyTH39Ods_9IOCnsm0SAjcTyGKWVQpEyFWhuibLDURyrwPuHdnOutpMHGhGcmb73fdQHD9IZocwF0E9UE_m08RnvMOCR_/s1600-h/DSC09772%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09772" border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUtlp_jF2GI4o8Ge3Bpy8KIHOJrw9aiIzIFFudtrIEGlIwzlK8YDFqDta3jHf8TelZIRxcFyExRkik5YyBjcucjgDqWAQSUKU94E71QjLBkJUZRdxynw_7NTso7mD93s9u0GF5GuyA62m/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09772" width="304"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4axm5b7AISjidmknNh-DbBdB5IMDujcDFl5dDf6xfwlj7gFNm_8r8bZKvae1Zy0HobsTMax31XkdXTcYoK3BMHc-KpzUmK7Nm-BiZ3H4pikNPUlEjJBd0-L0NXM7hwHdxikOV6FjRl4vK/s1600-h/DSC09771%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09771" border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSd45kiGeuOv17pOZnKOTF2XjlZiF7Vcky4WPD9FxQey482alg6ZPS0nziOzyCrliUSaJ1-9V9wHSlyReaBmx_PAv5Yukg9KKJHEFY4mbxLYLeiSF19SGrgx95YqeIPbcoIe7vKqxfFnHl/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09771" width="304"></a></p> <p align="left">Tuesday afternoon Kyle & I got off work early because of a snow storm, so I worked another nursery project. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to purchase a new dresser, but we’re trying to do the nursery on a budget! So we are using a dresser we already had, but I wanted to “dress” it up a bit. I added some pop of color inside the drawers. Idea courtesy of <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/03/nursery-progress-lining-our-dresser-drawers/">Young House Love</a>! We are also going to add some handles too! <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="521" align="center" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="middle" width="259"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TWh-BSq0DGeWYwVeX3UWqH580-diXMYplbDawiYUvAW6HFYTDa-kATT0YFTC11sWfrsdMiG2i3dIGDDy1o3f1wNyxmBC_SPwYWyD1uF1KfkKFH_VRKVF5K6Q4ygOCgMhwVUfmpoPChb8/s1600-h/DSC09758%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09758" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FT8E4VpwKE54F_91TIlzqyvg2fv97xPyFz4HPCO43nQGS8d9dY-1UE0xJ1pfBtziNRQjAy5WyLrRdvYwZM18h8tJryC4iPW-ogBT_SSlQhsXjCaV9fKIUif0wiI_A5qdqYXNSDP_zTM6/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09758" width="254"></a> <p> </p></td> <td valign="top" width="260"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV9INMkbXfaMbUi45Tq1j2_SFvYAJyh3NKmb2NsoQcLCiTNjxqG2fyEKvR_y8n-WLk5LO8-mEuBGp1lLd7GZKmna-zoqNgNOPdwVl7CI6zj1oe9FrZXcm44xjEcIPk9AfHBpd77v4XFEi/s1600-h/DSC09760%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09760" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tBWqyvo8aVSOyvwAEfxt8w7A1bSy9DBj5vwBpdwgR0RyH3UOKJsZzwOgNvrehI3dqFhArOLTQf1EvfJ59K6PANfZNkohXzF0OuL1bT2hSLXLDTaOnYTw6RatuucpvE3IIIOIcfVp6hdm/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09760" width="254"></a></td></tr></tbody></table>Here is a sneak peak of the bedding. This is something I purchased from <a href="www.potterybarnkids.com">Pottery Barn Kids</a> a few years ago on super clearance. I think it was back in 2006 I had <em>MAJOR</em> baby fever, but after lots of chats with Kyle we decided it just wasn’t the right time yet. But since we’re having a girl we still get to use the bedding!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRhYN7CSDx7yZ7xFx2Hg86ZUTA92jWrIq2J7m8yqLGpPw_-0dsFzVY0dzD8c4pjussJ0FwTZYtxBvFai7itN6g28mQjLidXP64D4S8zg3nN2-fr4N__mjHqhi3wLdAAjFeYdJbdu7v-58/s1600-h/DSC09761%5B1%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09761" border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha70b6dQM4h7nmsiR-Lx4rv4ryyA48xVmClNpCr3D2QBs1Y-ILueAUPgxbYQbxoFvag1MLE1a91C-O8Gy_5T9Xs6BHL7RtrWlF_vuZZcm6sJ3V1xX6oHxB-0XFnCwaSlqFk5CTKcXL5pj2/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09761" width="304"></a> And you can see from this picture too that we have a white crib. Kyle set up the crib over our Christmas break also. Last weekend I washed all her bedding & made the bed! The crib was a generous gift from some friends who moved out of state a few years ago and their little guy was ready to move to a big bed. We purchased their crib mattress for only $25 (they paid over $200) I guess it pays to plan ahead! </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>That’s all for now friends! Kyle & I are enjoying our snow day off work today. Going to do a few more projects in the nursery!! :)</p>

20 weeks

  Pregnancy Highlights: How Far Along: 20 Weeks Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a cantaloupe Total Weight Gain/Loss: gaine...

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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

<p>These are a new favorite in our house! Very yummy & “healthified” to boot!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvtOUfy_G0KR7yDymfaqRbCyZi17mWNEBjvmCEFuX8SLfLnO3Lnpc7JHwyFpCOflG5I3S9v5igY-CKEIFTrpmIbenRN_05vDrvn2UezCdkYscYEh2wPY49tsucZ3lxoNwi-pDSSUp6fcj/s1600-h/DSC09756%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09756" border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4x44ZvvQfOYs3oLXJbv6ymFrOhnl-nj104ENgPjS7NnE-UVT2rUz9a8BUW9RYD6UB4hNpFWXJSSmKREVZzsrmeF7pl4aJDT7a5pb2xU9nrQCkiPla_736wZghFwUbRIGjc55v6NL4mkQ/?imgmax=800" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-bottom: 0px" title="DSC09756" width="404"></a></p> <ul> <li>1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour</li> <li>2/3 cup sugar</li> <li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li> <li>1/2 teaspoon baking soda</li> <li>1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon</li> <li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li> <li>2 to 3 medium mashed very ripe bananas</li> <li>3 egg whites</li> <li>1/4 cup canola oil</li> <li>1/4 cup skim milk</li> <li>1 teaspoon vanilla</li> <li>1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips</li></ul> <p><strong><em>Topping</em></strong></p> <ul> <li>1 tablespoon sugar</li> <li>1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon</li></ul> <ol> <li>Heat oven to 375 F. Spray bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or line with paper baking cups.</li> <li>In large bowl, mix flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt.</li> <li>In medium bowl, beat bananas, egg whites, oil, milk and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.</li> <li>In small bowl, mix topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over batter in cups.</li> <li>Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove muffins from pan to cooling rack.</li></ol> <p><em><strong>Nutrition Facts:</strong> Calories 210; Total Fat 6g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 160mg; Total Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 18g); Protein 3g </em></p> <p><em>Source: <a href="http://www.eatbetteramerica.com">www.eatbetteramerica.com</a></em></p> <p><em><strong>PS Stay tuned tomorrow for a baby/pregnancy update and a nursery sneak peak!</strong></em></p>

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are a new favorite in our house! Very yummy & “healthified” to boot! 1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon bak...

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Baseball...It Can't Come Fast Enough

I sit here in the midst of a giant blizzard pining for baseball.<br /><br />It didn't take much for me to get into this stupor. On Facebook I noticed that 97.1 The Ticket out of Detroit was having a "Tiger Talk" with Pat Caputo and Dan Dickerson (Tigers radio play-by-play guy) tonight. Since my plans had fallen through thanks to the snow, I found my evening free.<br /><br />As I continued to listen, I started roaming the Internet for other Tigers information. And as I found more, I eventually crossed leagues and started looking at video for my National League team, the Milwaukee Brewers.<br /><br />Watching the videos, listening to the radio, and reading the articles made me pine for the day when I can turn on the radio any night - regular radio or Internet radio - and listen to one of my two favorite teams.<br /><br />I remember last year having that eternal optimism at the end of March - I seriously thought that the Tigers and the Brewers could meet in the World Series. On one of my many lovely spring walks, I actually debated <i>If they ever met in the World Series, who would I root for? </i>(it took me two seconds to decide: the Tigers)<br /><br />Of course, hope springs eternal, but April brings reality. Eventually as spring segued into summer I settled into a mood where just listening to them play made my day. Dan and Jim (Tigers) and Bob and Cory (Brewers) were great at bringing the game into my living room or car, and their relaxed voices always made it seem like they were talking right to me!<br /><br />Now that it's been over four months since my last baseball game with these two teams, I'm starting to go a little crazy. It became evident to me when I heard about the Tigers' opening day plans and immediately scheduled a trip home around it, so I could listen to the game on the radio as I drove!<br /><br />But even though I'm making all these plans, it still doesn't change the fact that Opening Day is still two months away. So the snow still falls around me, the weather is still bitterly cold, and the drifts pile up.<br /><br />But it doesn't mean I can't dream that it's already spring!

Baseball...It Can't Come Fast Enough

I sit here in the midst of a giant blizzard pining for baseball. It didn't take much for me to get into this stupor. On Facebook I notic...

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