No gubernatorial endorsements from Times-Dispatch, Daily Progress, News & Advance, Roanoke Times ... Bill Bolling write-in suggested by two

<blockquote><i>"This marks, we believe, the first time in modern Virginia that The Times-Dispatch has not endorsed a gubernatorial nominee."</i> -- <i><b>Richmond Times-Dispatch</b></i> (October 20, 2013)</blockquote>In an editorial that laid it on the line, the <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/our-opinion/our-choice-for-governor-in-none-of-the-above/article_6a2c5e41-20f3-561a-a25d-52eedf4741f3.html"><i>Richmond Times-Dispatch</i></a> refused to endorse Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian for Virginia's 2013 gubernatorial race. That news ricocheted around the internet as citizens woke on a Sunday morning, met with raised eyebrows and mild surprise from some while others nodded in solemn agreement.<br /><br />This has, indeed, been an odd election year in Virginia.<br /><br />The <i>Times-Dispatch </i>notes many of the issues in question and the final results are the same: they are not comfortable endorsing. Indeed, they note:<br /><blockquote>In the past, <i>The Times-Dispatch</i> has endorsed candidates with varying degrees of enthusiasm. We find it impossible to endorse any of the 2013 candidates with even minimal zeal.<br /><br />Elections make voters complicit in the government they receive. If we would not urge a family member to vote this way or that, then we have no business recommending Cuccinelli, McAuliffe or Sarvis to our readers.</blockquote>Interestingly, the <a href="http://m.dailyprogress.com/opinion/editorials/bill-bolling-for-governor/article_38a77d40-3930-11e3-91a7-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm#.UmPLvqcRC4E.twitter"><i>Charlottesville Daily Progress</i></a>, finding itself in the same boat, endorsed Lieutenant Governor <b><a href="http://www.billbolling.com/">Bill Bolling</a></b> as a write-in candidate, noting, "Do the write thing. Put Bill Bolling’s name on your ballot on Nov. 5. Virginia needs him."<br /><br /><b>UPDATE October 28, 2013:</b> Another newspaper has refused to endorse in the 2013 gubernatorial election. On Sunday, the <a href="http://www.newsadvance.com/opinion/editorials/article_b051cb8e-3dbd-11e3-bb5b-0019bb30f31a.html"><i>Lynchburg News & Advance</i></a> wrote, "<span class="paragraph-0">Put simply, not one of the three candidates for governor of Virginia deserves the office or has made a strong case that he is the best candidate. Not one of them, neither Democrat Terry McAuliffe, Republican Ken Cuccinelli nor Libertarian Robert Sarvis." And more. Be sure to read it.</span><br /><br /><span class="paragraph-0"><b>UPDATE October 31, 2013:</b> A third major Virginia newspaper has refused to endorse in the 2013 gubernatorial election. Is this unprecedented? The <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/opinion/editorial/2337438-12/a-year-to-regret-and-regroup.html"><b><i>Roanoke Times</i></b></a> editorial on Thursday noted, "... </span>an endorsement carries with it the credibility of this institution. When a candidate who receives our support visits ridicule or even shame on the commonwealth, we share in that disgrace."<br /><br />Then in a stunning reminder of the <a href="http://m.dailyprogress.com/opinion/editorials/bill-bolling-for-governor/article_38a77d40-3930-11e3-91a7-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm#.UmPLvqcRC4E.twitter"><i>Charlottesville Daily Progress</i></a>' endorsement of Lieutenant Governor <b>Bill Bolling</b> as a write-in candidate, the <i>Roanoke Times</i> added, "Those who cannot in good conscience vote for the official candidates should consider writing in Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling."<br /><br />With five days left until election day, 2013 continues to be one of the oddest, perhaps <i>the</i> oddest, in my memory....

2013 gubernatorial election Bill Bolling Charlottesville News Progress Lynchburg News and Advance Richmond Times-Dispatch Virginia write-in campaign No gubernatorial endorsements from Times-Dispatch, Daily Progress, News & Advance, Roanoke Times ... Bill Bolling write-in suggested by two

"This marks, we believe, the first time in modern Virginia that The Times-Dispatch has not endorsed a gubernatorial nominee." -- ...

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Timing This Morning's Rain & Wind

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAKW0rr9jC3apzsgdcFvcqhKp5HcaUQzho8lKJzvqOx9ptp6xkEI0CcrmLz820Bhw7ZNtZo-nDIA-KuDmpn6kBzY1JNhyw497m2a0cRo48-afa76zKbj0cenG4RnF-vpNOmvFkhJs5KA3/s1600/110113-STW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAKW0rr9jC3apzsgdcFvcqhKp5HcaUQzho8lKJzvqOx9ptp6xkEI0CcrmLz820Bhw7ZNtZo-nDIA-KuDmpn6kBzY1JNhyw497m2a0cRo48-afa76zKbj0cenG4RnF-vpNOmvFkhJs5KA3/s400/110113-STW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A severe thunderstorm watch is out across Central Pennsylvania until 10 AM with a squall line of wind and rain but little in the way of thunder pushing east through the state. This will work towards us and cross the region later this morning. However, modeling does suggest that this line weakens a bit before it gets here.  That said, the potential for gusty winds does prompt the Storm Prediction Center to issue a watch until 11 AM for the city and points north and west.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bWb_keeTtq21o2bxAnnjGnSmLhuRorGhTFmD1z18T2pEyUzVwI5XoAQurw01swtpB51naET9s7CFZd4c2xR_REcxGjMk7UZPu-wb_XZTUCkesN_JyinvnlXuRT0kIywC9HM-d-Kw2d_Y/s1600/110113-STW3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bWb_keeTtq21o2bxAnnjGnSmLhuRorGhTFmD1z18T2pEyUzVwI5XoAQurw01swtpB51naET9s7CFZd4c2xR_REcxGjMk7UZPu-wb_XZTUCkesN_JyinvnlXuRT0kIywC9HM-d-Kw2d_Y/s400/110113-STW3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Severe Storm Watch until 11 AM.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Until the frontal line gets in and through the region, expect a breezy and at times windy go of things this morning in the Delaware. Rain will move through in varying levels of intensity, mostly light to moderate ahead of the front.   Winds will gust to over 40 miles per hour ahead of the front, sustained in the high teens and low 20's...and it will feel semi-tropical out.<br /><br />Timing the front, it appears we should see the band approach the western burbs by 8 AM, crossing the city over the proceeding hours thereafter. With the band of showers, rain could pick up briefly in intensity with the front itself as will the wind. We could see some 50 mile per hour gusts locally but I think the best chances for that stay north and northwest of the city (where dynamics and storm support are a bit better).<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGSRlIyNGWv9twigYtebmSmG-A95zt9C57KeaHY5izMl_KEuXwWQWHoXPmX2WLckpAxl8JmlcGmRD9_ZDtMy6_u9hq7dkjKLBh7P4yTMuURb2Vbsiaxjk-ggyYrHR48YBBiUz-nxQkfda/s1600/110113-STW2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGSRlIyNGWv9twigYtebmSmG-A95zt9C57KeaHY5izMl_KEuXwWQWHoXPmX2WLckpAxl8JmlcGmRD9_ZDtMy6_u9hq7dkjKLBh7P4yTMuURb2Vbsiaxjk-ggyYrHR48YBBiUz-nxQkfda/s400/110113-STW2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HRRR guidance for 9 AM showing what's left of the Fall Squall moving in. Guidance has been a bit slower than reality in terms of timing.</td></tr></tbody></table>Dynamics are stronger out to our west, which is allowing the frontal squall to strengthen across Central PA. Those wind dynamics aren't as 'good' here, which suggests the line should weaken a bit as it crosses the region. That said, the risk for strong winds will continue through the morning, with the frontal boundary band moving through between 9 and 10 AM in the city, 10 AM and 11 AM east of Philly.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhankk6ewD2xLHvj-fnyEtIXZkfjn_Z4LrnSFQgph2TZDf__OVFns_J-X_9X-pxV0wLGWQj8E-SQyNZVL_2ZBIc8mNqEq627Xu6itS62kVGWrsAfrHdGigVXl-VvrkJ892x_XNfwz8U536G/s1600/110113-STW3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhankk6ewD2xLHvj-fnyEtIXZkfjn_Z4LrnSFQgph2TZDf__OVFns_J-X_9X-pxV0wLGWQj8E-SQyNZVL_2ZBIc8mNqEq627Xu6itS62kVGWrsAfrHdGigVXl-VvrkJ892x_XNfwz8U536G/s400/110113-STW3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HRRR at 1 PM. Most shower activity has come to an end.</td></tr></tbody></table>By 1 or 2, most of the shower activity will be winding down through the region. Sunshine should break out west of the city, gradually working its way east through the balance of the day.<br /><br />More: <a href="http://current.phillyweather.net/" target="_blank">Current Radar</a>

fall squall gusty winds Timing This Morning's Rain & Wind

A severe thunderstorm watch is out across Central Pennsylvania until 10 AM with a squall line of wind and rain but little in the way of thun...

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UPDATED: David Tennant Says He was 'Terribly Moved' By Gift Of Late Actor's Ring

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSbWIdx3taM4MnITq1O_pO5vqfCfseaEfFaTavbVcb5RpIX2pYtcLo6reZlGEJ_BqUlZOpMLt9GOz_1oumsj2DcYiS02y8UtWS_Bp5BLciInldLJOl1O7ocC3_eQloXgtb6e1PiGN4hid/s1600/Ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSbWIdx3taM4MnITq1O_pO5vqfCfseaEfFaTavbVcb5RpIX2pYtcLo6reZlGEJ_BqUlZOpMLt9GOz_1oumsj2DcYiS02y8UtWS_Bp5BLciInldLJOl1O7ocC3_eQloXgtb6e1PiGN4hid/s640/Ring.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />David Tennant, currently garnering glowing reviews for his performance in the Royal Shakespeare Company's <i>Richard II</i>, has said that he was "touched and thrilled" to receive the gift of a ring that once belonged to the late actor Ian Richardson.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFWbd9l2WXwV43w2R1RcX7dKtYpbESPKTJsWmLYcZYwI8S88ST9a1Q8jBHqC8-AkiuzJIF2QB6nLw9HUNTkMlWk5-9FCec4z57_qGaNDb3OA3s-UlaWtibnRgnh_GqDhG6QxhD4X3tLJp/s1600/_70842394_tennant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFWbd9l2WXwV43w2R1RcX7dKtYpbESPKTJsWmLYcZYwI8S88ST9a1Q8jBHqC8-AkiuzJIF2QB6nLw9HUNTkMlWk5-9FCec4z57_qGaNDb3OA3s-UlaWtibnRgnh_GqDhG6QxhD4X3tLJp/s1600/_70842394_tennant.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />The ring was sent by Richardson's widow Maroussia. The Scots actor, who is remembered by many as Francis Urquhart in the classic series <i>House Of Cards,</i> also played the lead in <i>Richard II</i> for the RSC in 1973. Maroussia explained that she was keen to maintain the Scottish connection, and as both actors had attended the same drama school it seemed apt that the ring should go to David.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It’s very nice, I actually used to wear it myself occasionally. I’m not wearing it now, it weighs a ton, for one thing!..I read in the paper that David was about to do it and I thought, that would be a good idea.” she told Rebecca Jones of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You very sweetly said that you suspected that I was only the second Scottish Richard II there had been and therefore there seemed to be a sort of link and it would be something to pass on.” David added</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David explained how the ring came to him.“When I received this which arrived on the press night in a very exciting package, I was so touched and thrilled that this had been passed on to me I immediately wanted to wear it in the performance and I thought it’s lovely to have this as a sort of talisman.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Richardson's performance in the play is held up, David said, as “…one of the all-time great productions of <i>Richard II</i>. In all the performance histories that you read, this is one of the ones, if not <i>the </i>one that is always referred to. One of the great things about coming to <st1:city w:st="on">Stratford</st1:city>is that you feel like you’re stepping into a line of theatrical history. It’s also one of the things that’s rather intimidating about coming here. So, this production that had been something to aspire to, suddenly we had a physical connection to it and it felt like a blessing and encouragement from history, so it was wonderful.” Therefore he was determined to wear the item on stage that night. “I wanted a bit of that legacy. I wanted a bit of Ian Richardson on stage with me giving me a hand!”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maroussia Richardson has gifted the ring to David permanently, although there was some debate about who it truly belonged to.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“There’s some talk in the building about whether strictly speaking this is RSC property anyway, nobody’s entirely sure! But I’m keeping it now.” laughed David</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“In the old days they never used anything twice and the prop room was absolutely crammed," Maroussia added. "You used to go and say to the prop man ‘Would anybody mind if I kept this?’ and nobody ever minded.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However David feels that the ring should not remain his permanent possession “I’m now committed to passing this on in the fullness of time to make sure that the legacy moves on. I don’t know when there’ll next be a Scottish Richard II. I hope I’m still alive to see it,” he said.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Listen to the interview here</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="ab-player" data-boourl="https://audioboo.fm/boos/1699359-david-tennant-s-historic-jewelry/embed"><a href="https://audioboo.fm/boos/1699359-david-tennant-s-historic-jewelry">listen to ‘David Tennant's historic jewelry’ on Audioboo</a></div><script type="text/javascript">(function() { var po = document.createElement("script"); po.type = "text/javascript"; po.async = true; po.src = "https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/assets/embed.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();</script><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VFjnpoj34XXSsUf6rYLqD8HMKs97lRb4aN3jVX7x5E6i2GmD3UjK0OSpyywCj0JATzYHLX34eDPfB4u6ClT0_dTCWEvL8mr9HnJq45noS01g1G_GbF2bAsCneYLFsD4xenqWom6eqH1l/s1600/Ring2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VFjnpoj34XXSsUf6rYLqD8HMKs97lRb4aN3jVX7x5E6i2GmD3UjK0OSpyywCj0JATzYHLX34eDPfB4u6ClT0_dTCWEvL8mr9HnJq45noS01g1G_GbF2bAsCneYLFsD4xenqWom6eqH1l/s640/Ring2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Richard II</i> directed by Gregory Doran is in residence at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in <st1:place w:st="on">Stratford-upon-Avon</st1:place> until 16th November 2013. It transfers to the Barbican in <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city> on 9th December where it plays until 25th January 2014.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Both runs are currently sold out but returns may be available: call the RSC on 0844 800 1110 to check availability</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The production will be filmed on November 13th and broadcast into cinemas across the <st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region> and worldwide. <a href="http://onscreen.rsc.org.uk/richard-ii/default.aspx">More information can be found on the RSC Onscreen site</a>. The recorded play will also be released on DVD.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.david-tennant.com/2009/id194.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Read more about the RSC's Richard II on our website</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24755080">BBC News</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br />

David Tennant Richard II Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre UPDATED: David Tennant Says He was 'Terribly Moved' By Gift Of Late Actor's Ring

David Tennant, currently garnering glowing reviews for his performance in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Richard II , has said that he ...

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fess up friday - meet me in philadelphia

Can I get a hallelujah for the fact that its Friday? I'm hard at work getting ready for the big <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/p/one-room-challenge.html" target="_blank">One Room Challenge</a> reveal on Wednesday (light a candle that I can make the deadline) but I've got my girl Ashley from <a href="http://meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Meet me in Philadelphia</a> to fess up today. Ashley not only creates amazing spaces in her own home (I want to copy <a href="http://meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-den-big-reveal.html" target="_blank">her den</a> inch by inch) but she also sells some of her killer finds on her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/meetmeinphiladelphia" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a>. If you follow Ashley, you know why I crush on her so much. If I'm introducing you to her, your welcome. Take it away Ashley...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AacgazA-sYiMsSwT0Y5n85usB-Sd-b-9jWooOKi2Go1uq2BXjF_E8Cvgw7WC0q9ZKkcewSw0m-fNAHNj19NtOVkm0sdpFGCDmVyiFm7QEBJ3QJjeMn7SsSwNhDCYQ_Kcx4UQHMD3hgnE/s1600/FessUpFridaylogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AacgazA-sYiMsSwT0Y5n85usB-Sd-b-9jWooOKi2Go1uq2BXjF_E8Cvgw7WC0q9ZKkcewSw0m-fNAHNj19NtOVkm0sdpFGCDmVyiFm7QEBJ3QJjeMn7SsSwNhDCYQ_Kcx4UQHMD3hgnE/s1600/FessUpFridaylogo.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">Happy Fess Up Friday, Little Black Door readers! I want to thank the awesome Elizabeth for inviting me to spill my guts in this series. Only a wonderful, hilarious, talented blog friend like Elizabeth could get me to do this…so here goes, my confession:<br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I love crafting but I cringe when I say that. If I could (and if my creativity would never run out) it would be crafting all day, every day. Glue guns, glitter, embroidery floss…I love it all. Turning raw materials into something else is the best feeling as far as I'm concerned. So, what’s weird about crafting, you wonder?<br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For many, crafting is a four-letter word. Crafting gets a bad rap and here’s the visual proof why:<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeu3l28im7Ifm_ETDFdbs19k1TChFsy7pE2WgrpEsOEUr23UJHZlwCWRJqI-8ZrEgNrwr02Z9zrpCKkc4h13IY789rsPZLZ6HwGnXvSeoRDYaA-KG1pb4pNTggVXPhw7G0PpSC4fLseE/s1600/collage+of+ugly+crafts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeu3l28im7Ifm_ETDFdbs19k1TChFsy7pE2WgrpEsOEUr23UJHZlwCWRJqI-8ZrEgNrwr02Z9zrpCKkc4h13IY789rsPZLZ6HwGnXvSeoRDYaA-KG1pb4pNTggVXPhw7G0PpSC4fLseE/s640/collage+of+ugly+crafts.png" width="616" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />I was at Joann Fabrics recently and snapped this picture of a huge display of these craptastic fleece no-sew blankets (read: a crapload of craptastic crap). When I took the pic I was kind of embarrassed, wondering if anyone was thinking, “She must be taking a photo because she loves them so much.” God, no.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1bcWskjE5iDdcKRYQoRaFbeargEm0b2ORm-BkMkf-dEBhXJONAYmtp-3gXVGY-pl7xSAt3i0OKwF-QDy0NA8s215Do47EUsWCBwX8PQOGkOea-UsRufQX0rHkzL1i5U6BXNoZiFdOpA/s1600/no-sew+fleece+blankets+from+Joann+Fabrics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1bcWskjE5iDdcKRYQoRaFbeargEm0b2ORm-BkMkf-dEBhXJONAYmtp-3gXVGY-pl7xSAt3i0OKwF-QDy0NA8s215Do47EUsWCBwX8PQOGkOea-UsRufQX0rHkzL1i5U6BXNoZiFdOpA/s640/no-sew+fleece+blankets+from+Joann+Fabrics.jpg" width="610" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />“Crafts” like these give a bad name to the really brilliant handiwork out there. Let me show you what I mean:<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XWAYwHSP_RVax7tAmY39Z5iY7dYkCaWOOceOcnXtR6SaKQ5e4b8HWuXPa7fgwPTp_7F4Lq7FFzelX_8I6kRldrh0SPhgG72K5JoIYjNsLcyrOl392HAMWETdIwryNzBGddgdaB_hxKA/s1600/collage+of+awesome+crafts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XWAYwHSP_RVax7tAmY39Z5iY7dYkCaWOOceOcnXtR6SaKQ5e4b8HWuXPa7fgwPTp_7F4Lq7FFzelX_8I6kRldrh0SPhgG72K5JoIYjNsLcyrOl392HAMWETdIwryNzBGddgdaB_hxKA/s640/collage+of+awesome+crafts.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://mostlovelythings.com/diy-gift-tags/#.Um_eNfmkong"><span style="color: blue;">striped gift tags</span></a> / <a href="http://sayyestohoboken.com/2012/04/diy-printed-spring-napkins.html"><span style="color: blue;">painted spring napkins</span></a> / <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://asubtlerevelry.com/temporary-confetti-dot-glasses">gold dot glasses</a></span>/ <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/112167846939934038/"><span style="color: blue;">neon lanyard necklaces</span></a>)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Good crafts are out there! I don’t want to be embarrassed to use the word craft or to call myself a crafter anymore. So, look out world, I love to craft and I’m not ashamed to admit it!<br /><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks, Elizabeth and LBD readers for having me today!<o:p></o:p><br /><br />I promise Ashley, I won't think of craft as a four letter word any longer (even though it is five words). What say you? Do you all craft?</div></div>

fess up friday - meet me in philadelphia

Can I get a hallelujah for the fact that its Friday? I'm hard at work getting ready for the big One Room Challenge reveal on Wednesday ...

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AUSTRALIA: DVD Release For Nativity 2 - Danger In The Manger

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvi1cHf9FQ-noZYM3x7av1B7G09K79UwudOaIIW3sgn_sxVz9vf9FpWHosa2yDYMIKhE9inzLtSsKiRaSuE2RmRqIHbXI2GGKD3bcxCvsYI9FlZ77XCMkSqXJZtoz8eqlYWjo-ZIn_vPf/s1600/NAT4_LD_049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvi1cHf9FQ-noZYM3x7av1B7G09K79UwudOaIIW3sgn_sxVz9vf9FpWHosa2yDYMIKhE9inzLtSsKiRaSuE2RmRqIHbXI2GGKD3bcxCvsYI9FlZ77XCMkSqXJZtoz8eqlYWjo-ZIn_vPf/s640/NAT4_LD_049.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger! </i>will be released on Region 4 DVD (Australia, New Zealand and Latin America) on Wednesday November 20th.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger</span></b><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This Christmas, the unforgettable pupils of St. Bernadette’s have set their hearts on competing in the National choir contest “A Song For Christmas”. But with the headmistress not in favour of the plan, new class teacher Mr Peterson (David Tennant) has his hands full trying to curb the enthusiasm of the kids, not to mention Mr Poppy (Marc Wootton). Worse still, favourite to win the competition is his own estranged and highly achieving twin brother (also David Tennant). When Mr. Poppy's latest wild plan sees them lost in the Welsh wilderness with a bright yellow bus, a baby and a donkey, Mr.Peterson has to look deep within himself to lead them all to safety.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The film also stars Joanna Page, Jason Watkins, Pam Ferris, Ian McNeice, Jessica Hynes and Ben Wilby. It is is created and directed by Debbie Isitt and improvised by the cast.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ezydvd.com.au/DVD/nativity-2-danger-in-the-manger/dp/6145824#secinfo"><span style="color: blue;">Pre-order your copy here</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.david-tennant.com/2009/id171.html"><span style="color: blue;">Read more about the film on our website</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many thanks to Jo Wood for the heads up</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Australia David Tennant Debbie Isitt DVD Release Marc Wootton Nativity 2 AUSTRALIA: DVD Release For Nativity 2 - Danger In The Manger

Nativity 2: Danger In The Manger! will be released on Region 4 DVD (Australia, New Zealand and Latin America) on Wednesday November 20th. Na...

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Pirates Bounty

I am doing a Pirate themed scavenger hunt in work for Library Ireland week.  This morning I went and bought a load of chocolate coins.  This is what the children will win when they get to the end of the hunt!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCALVcOiOA0TaAprLDWLwg5c1JV6ar6XrWvQ2DZ8ItOSa5k6JAUDG81O4gfCLRHa_sMH4zJIWrIRkKNvtJZ50cho3LrA-UxpCSPpPNbv_US6g4L9M0_yPwXlo4El4RTrbE3HqkMLM8mom/s640/blogger-image--892268697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCALVcOiOA0TaAprLDWLwg5c1JV6ar6XrWvQ2DZ8ItOSa5k6JAUDG81O4gfCLRHa_sMH4zJIWrIRkKNvtJZ50cho3LrA-UxpCSPpPNbv_US6g4L9M0_yPwXlo4El4RTrbE3HqkMLM8mom/s640/blogger-image--892268697.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Marks & Spencer's are currently offering 3 for 2 on Christmas chocolate including chocolate coins.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPtV5-aupD8Z87IsLDpOXM-dk02PmqxDJGv5D14KXOgp97tdfkhWn1P8hOiwLimcM5h4addUUCd9pOvs0ifUUTX9VT7W1PHUqepd2sSqTDN-e_qu_U-g3zzRSxxuw-s3VkC7UUqiIS_oP/s640/blogger-image-308938869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPtV5-aupD8Z87IsLDpOXM-dk02PmqxDJGv5D14KXOgp97tdfkhWn1P8hOiwLimcM5h4addUUCd9pOvs0ifUUTX9VT7W1PHUqepd2sSqTDN-e_qu_U-g3zzRSxxuw-s3VkC7UUqiIS_oP/s640/blogger-image-308938869.jpg"></a></div><br></div>

Pirates Bounty

I am doing a Pirate themed scavenger hunt in work for Library Ireland week.  This morning I went and bought a load of chocolate coins.  This...

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Windy, Mild, Rain Pushes Through This Morning

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwNZkQE-ie4gGTR7UqpUtUgCxvwbp8nLUXOYnL0h7FldwlJEKF8IlNaJPP9_1Nafea4dfIvKVDAHnn6pd20swccdIfrum2dSidaU8XFfT-XLFx9spoZOuAkQWdLLWJy0xJVdVqvxkbggU/s1600/110113-AM1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwNZkQE-ie4gGTR7UqpUtUgCxvwbp8nLUXOYnL0h7FldwlJEKF8IlNaJPP9_1Nafea4dfIvKVDAHnn6pd20swccdIfrum2dSidaU8XFfT-XLFx9spoZOuAkQWdLLWJy0xJVdVqvxkbggU/s400/110113-AM1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Eventually, we will see a nicer day break out across the region as the shield of rain pushes east over the next few hours. We'll detail things in a bit more clarity around timing and detail in a bit but as of now the thinking is that showers will push eastwards. It may take until the afternoon for all of the region to get out of the showery regime, with south and east the last to see showers end. If you're north and west, we should see things dry out by as early as midday.<br /><br />A line of heavy rain and wind is across Central PA and is marching east this morning, with a severe storm watch out across the "T" out to our west until 10 AM. Thunder is limited with this line but the threat for gusty winds is not.<br /><br />Some sunshine will break out to the west and northwest in the midday and afternoon hours, perhaps reaching Philly before dinner. Sunshine may not break through the cloud deck at the Shore until this evening.<br /><br />Southerly and southwesterly breezes at 15 to 25 miles per hour will gust higher this morning, especially until the band of showers pushes through, and then in areas where the sun breaks out. We should see winds wind down towards dinner and into the evening hour. Wind advisories are out for everyone except Sussex County, Delaware until 2 PM.<br /><br />Temperatures will bounce around a bit today -- Philly is 72 at 5 AM and will probably see its highs for the day occur before the front crosses the region. Temperatures won't drop dramatically behind the front, probably holding steady for the balance of the day. Expect a general "near 70" this morning trending to the upper 60's to near 70 this afternoon, although temperatures may vary a bit within that framework later this morning with the front.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYg1_YLxq7VL_EywMwP2fDUmAjDkLrO7ih9vb0kIkU7lb31Vka8W7ijcZFy_CNaVJE1ML8zkYq5rwhxZaajlHjUJpy9gRW7AaAJsyDyeNC6HZbeEwGJzUFEQ1bbePQLkCcWo-5EpcUPcu/s1600/110113-AM2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYg1_YLxq7VL_EywMwP2fDUmAjDkLrO7ih9vb0kIkU7lb31Vka8W7ijcZFy_CNaVJE1ML8zkYq5rwhxZaajlHjUJpy9gRW7AaAJsyDyeNC6HZbeEwGJzUFEQ1bbePQLkCcWo-5EpcUPcu/s400/110113-AM2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />

daycast Windy, Mild, Rain Pushes Through This Morning

Eventually, we will see a nicer day break out across the region as the shield of rain pushes east over the next few hours. We'll detail ...

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A New Cannon Ball Run Record; 28 hrs,50 minutes!

<br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2480654/Coast-Coast-29-hours-Mercedes-CL-driver-sets-new-record-averaging-98mph-car-spent-months-fitting-gadgets-eye-police.html"><br />Driving over 2800 miles Coast to Coast balls out,that is faster than an airplane did it way back in the day.</a><br /><br />An <i>average speed</i> of 98 miles an hour!<br /><br />You gotta know these dudes were doing over 150 for extended periods to get that up there so high.<br />That is an incredible feat in its self, doing it without getting one speeding ticket and you are talking odds like winning the lottery.<br /><br /><b><blockquote>Coast to Coast in under 29 hours: Mercedes CL driver sets new record by averaging 98mph in car he spent months fitting with gadgets to keep eye out for police<br /><br />Atlanta Lamborghini dealer Ed Bolian used a souped up a 2004 Mercedes to speed into the record books October 20<br />Midtown Manhattan to Redondo Beach: Bolian and two friends took the classic route first taken in the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash of the 1970s<br />Bolian's time of 28 hours 50 minutes beats the previous record set by Alex Roy in 2006 when he made the trip in 31 hours 4 minutes by over two hours<br />With a distance of 2,813.7 miles, Bolian and his two-man team did the Cannonball Run at an average of 98 miles per hour</blockquote></b><br /><br /><blockquote><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2480654/Coast-Coast-29-hours-Mercedes-CL-driver-sets-new-record-averaging-98mph-car-spent-months-fitting-gadgets-eye-police.html">By Joshua Gardner</a><br /><br />PUBLISHED: 17:47 EST, 30 October 2013 <br /><br />An Atlanta man shattered the record for fastest drive from New York City to Los Angeles last Saturday by making the transcontinental trip in 28 hours 50 minutes.<br /><br />Ed Bolian spent years outfitting a 2004 Mercedes with expensive gadgetry, spare gas tanks, and, of course, bedpans and finally realized his dream October 20. That smashes the record set in 2006 by an unbelievable two hours.<br /><br />But his attempt is sure to gather controversy as it involved traveling at an average of 98mph, well in excess of many speed limits. He also used a series of gadgets to avoid getting caught for speeding.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfMUGeo-I0BI_puWCuhI-dQOAN0kA4wPoGvn7BrmlZPl0BiV_-eNebO9oTEZdWmcGYFp1EnJaQDE5XYjhSl5EJ1xtNEF-Jv49k5wLNF93bma1Esl1v1Uknd6UXPfi3fBMFP3FJvz8rCiz/s1600/article-0-1916C3E800000578-152_634x497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfMUGeo-I0BI_puWCuhI-dQOAN0kA4wPoGvn7BrmlZPl0BiV_-eNebO9oTEZdWmcGYFp1EnJaQDE5XYjhSl5EJ1xtNEF-Jv49k5wLNF93bma1Esl1v1Uknd6UXPfi3fBMFP3FJvz8rCiz/s400/article-0-1916C3E800000578-152_634x497.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfpih7HutbPiroTU3Kndl6Hk9eEjdv5Ez8wCmPk9kLY-9DT7Twb02jxELKXuIL5VBgUKo32ffpC9MAC1Rh9bSfmiqpCnkIfR741b2FoneJ4d9-w7CKPo6Yr3vXzt5ugOifsOvVV3yQSpX/s1600/article-0-1916C3E000000578-936_634x468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfpih7HutbPiroTU3Kndl6Hk9eEjdv5Ez8wCmPk9kLY-9DT7Twb02jxELKXuIL5VBgUKo32ffpC9MAC1Rh9bSfmiqpCnkIfR741b2FoneJ4d9-w7CKPo6Yr3vXzt5ugOifsOvVV3yQSpX/s400/article-0-1916C3E000000578-936_634x468.jpg" /></a></div>Click on the links above and go read the rest of it, it's a pretty interesting article with a lot of the history behind the Cannon Ball Run.<br /><br />Of course they made that Burt Reynolds movie back in the eighties but my all time favorite has always been and always will be.......<br /> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074597/"> <b>The Gumball Rally.</b></a><br /><br />That is a hysterically funny movie that predates Cannon Ball Run by several years.<br /><br />if you have never seen that movie by all means find it. I am dead serious.<br />It is one you will never forget,kind of like It's A Mad Mad, Mad Mad World for the 70's.<br />

A New Cannon Ball Run Record; 28 hrs,50 minutes!

Driving over 2800 miles Coast to Coast balls out,that is faster than an airplane did it way back in the day. An average speed of 98 miles a...

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About Time: Needs more ripening

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><i>About Time</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/abouttime/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /><b>3.5 stars. Rating: R, and quite stupidly, for fleeting profanity and mild sensuality</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first blush, this fantasy rom-com seems to be about young love, and finding the perfect soul-mate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or maybe it’s a cautionary tale about missed opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></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/AVvXsEgKdp7Tce3LHPMiwWXnH8tFjJrCxZhyphenhyphenkVXo9xRQMcxjsOIIGXPxodiWeqzSVneSuTeywZWwjUBbV1a7dPZi7kMsoj5LpQOceYfknDNuXZnwuiXbRkHVqSEs48l-X_fO4oCaJSyC_NBw1hg/s1600/About+Time+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdp7Tce3LHPMiwWXnH8tFjJrCxZhyphenhyphenkVXo9xRQMcxjsOIIGXPxodiWeqzSVneSuTeywZWwjUBbV1a7dPZi7kMsoj5LpQOceYfknDNuXZnwuiXbRkHVqSEs48l-X_fO4oCaJSyC_NBw1hg/s400/About+Time+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Tim (Domhnall Gleeson, left) can't begin to grasp what his father (Bill Nighy) has just<br />confessed: that the men in their family have the ability to travel backwards in time.<br />Very soon, though, Tim will realize that he does indeed share this incredible talent ...<br />and he'll have plenty of fun — and not a little heartbreak — trying to get a handle<br />on what he can and cannot do.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, wait, it might be a parable on the importance of embracing every single moment of life’s precious gift.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the final analysis, though, writer/director Richard Curtis’ deeply personal film focuses on the indestructible — and loving — bond between fathers and sons. And alla that other stuff mentioned above.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One can’t help feeling that this is a valentine to Curtis’ own father: either a celebration of a happy relationship with the elder Curtis (who recently died), or a heartfelt wish that they could have enjoyed the affectionate bond that links this story’s Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) and his father (Bill Nighy).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which is interesting, since this bittersweet film is being marketed as a sweet, whimsical love story between Tim and Mary (Rachel McAdams). One gets the sense that Universal Pictures is approaching this publicity campaign <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i>warily, not quite certain whether this creature is fish or fowl.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">About Time</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> is about all the elements cited above, of course, which is both its greatest virtue and underlying curse. As often is the case with a filmmaker’s long-gestating pet project, Curtis can’t quite get a handle on how best to articulate this unusual saga; as a result, his film wanders a bit, even stumbles at times. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This slightly unfocused approach is surprising — and disappointing — given that Curtis so unerringly kept a few dozen infatuated characters spinning quite successfully in his 2003 masterpiece, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love, Actually</i>. This new film, in contrast, offers dozens of sparkling little moments, all charming in their own right, which wind up being greater than the sum of their parts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And once we reach the climax, complete with a moral delivered with all the formality of a fable from Aesop, Curtis doesn’t know how to conclude; he stutters his way through a lengthy, didactic epilogue that dilutes much of what came before. We’re clearly intended to be left with a sense of radiant joy over life’s endless possibilities, but instead — at best — we part with Shakespeare’s sweet sorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At worst, with deep regret over our <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">own</i> missed opportunities. Probably not the mood Curtis intended.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tim, a somewhat shy and geeky lad, has grown up in a loving household on the Cornwall coast, in the warm embrace of a family devoted to one another. He has enjoyed the frequent company of his father, who chose to retire at 50 in order to spend more time at home; Tim’s mother (Lindsay Duncan) delights in longstanding rituals such as the elaborate outdoor afternoon teas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tim’s adored younger sister, Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson), is an irrepressible free spirit who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing shoes: something of a latter-day British flower child. The family unit is completed by Uncle D (Richard Cordery), a kind-hearted but simple-minded fellow who’s never quite sure what’s going on. (And, ironically, Curtis never quite knows what to do with this character.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although surrounded by people who love him, Tim is nonetheless acutely aware that he can’t attract a girlfriend to save his life. After a dreadful New Year’s Eve party — apparently an annual ritual — which merely reinforces this dismal fact, Tim’s father elects to share the family secret, passed along from father to son, on the latter’s 21st birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(The unspoken implication here is that Tim was born on New Year’s Day, an intriguing piece of information left undiscussed.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The revelation: The men in the Lake lineage can travel in time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only backwards, and only to moments experienced during their own lives. As a goggle-eyed Tim listens to his father explain the details, in Nighy’s best flustered delivery, one couldn’t kill Hitler or “shag Cleopatra.” But one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i>correct one’s own mistakes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To a point. But such limitations must be learned through personal experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Naturally, Tim doesn’t believe this; he changes his tune when he successfully jumps back to the ghastly New Year’s Eve party, and adjusts a few events to his greater satisfaction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Goodness</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time passes; Tim does what all good British lads do, since the time of Dickens and before, and sets out to make his fortune in the big, bad city of London. Turns out Tim has trained to be a lawyer — not a bad job, that — and he lucks into accommodations with a family friend: the irascible Harry (Tom Hollander), a tortured playwright forever on the verge of completing the play that will make him the toast of the town.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One fateful evening, Tim allows himself to be dragged by good friend Jay (Will Merrick) to a most unusual restaurant: Dans Le Noir, where patrons are seated in total darkness, and served by blind staff. (Believe it or not, this is an actual chain of restaurants and spas.) They wind up sharing a table with two young women, one of whom, Mary, tentatively bonds with Tim.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The spark ignites; the connection takes. Tim can <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feel</i> it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He returns home to find Harry in a distraught funk, the long-awaited debut of his stage masterpiece having been ruined by an actor who forgot his lines. No problem, Tim knows; he clandestinely bounces back in time, saves the play, and delights in the glowing reviews that Harry shares the next morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except that now — in this timeline — Tim never met Mary, because he was busy playing Fairy Godmother at the theater.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You begin to see the problems.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What ensues, then, is a charming — if occasionally cluttered — blend of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Groundhog Day</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Butterfly Effect</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2009/08/time-travelers-wife-it-flies.html">The Time Traveler’s Wife</a></i>. (You may recall that McAdams starred in the latter, as well, which is rather intriguing for such a narrow cinematic sub-genre.) Tim eventually maneuvers himself into Mary’s life once again; they fall into the sort of witty, banter-laden relationship that has become the signature of a Richard Curtis rom-com.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As also is typical of Curtis, this courtship’s early stages play out as a montage against some well-chosen music, particularly a key song delivered by buskers performing in the London Underground walkways. Indeed, the entire soundtrack is lovingly layered with ballads by Ben Folds, Ellie Goulding, Nick Cave, Ron Sexsmith and The Cure, all wrapped up into an enchanting bow by composer Nick Laird-Clowes, of The Dream Academy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As also is true of Curtis films, Tim and Mary are surrounded by quirky, if downright eccentric friends and family members. We’ve already met most of them by now; others include Mary’s best friend, Joanna (Vanessa Kirby), and Tim’s insecure fellow lawyer-in-training, Rory (Joshua McGuire).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything seems to be working out, certainly with some judicious do-overs on Tim’s part, many of which are played for droll comic effect. But as time passes, we can’t help noticing that Kit Kat’s ubiquitous sunny smile has faded, and that — horrors! — she’s allowing herself to be seen wearing shoes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that’s the thing: Despite all the joy that radiates from this story, Curtis includes the ominous awareness of an additional shoe that has yet to drop. Those of us with a fondness for time-travel stories well remember the painful decision Ashton Kutcher eventually makes, at the end of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Butterfly Effect</i>. (The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, as a certain pointy-eared Vulcan famously observed.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, happily, Curtis doesn’t get <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> dire, but he still puts Tim through an emotional wringer. Even magical gifts have limitations, and they can’t necessarily spare us from the ups and downs that affect everybody, every day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trouble is, Curtis isn't content to convey this lesson through Tim’s many and varied actions; the story’s final act descends into tedious said-bookism and Gleeson’s sermonizing voice-overs, the latter employed to a truly irritating extreme, which <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">also</i> works against the film’s overall charm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gleeson and McAdams are adorable together, their various ultra-cute encounters and interactions delivered with the endearing style that Curtis orchestrates so well, borrowing from witty screen couples going back to William Powell and Myrna Loy, in their delightful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thin Man</i> movies. And while Gleeson and McAdams may not have the radiant incandescence of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts — in the Curtis-scripted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Notting Hill</i>— they’re equally satisfying in a down-to-earth-delicious way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(One can’t help raising an eyebrow, however, when Mary — sporting McAdams’ gorgeous features — claims to be insecure about her appearance. We really need to abolish, for all time, that overworked, wholly unbelievable cinema cliché.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Curtis doesn’t dwell on the likely side effects of capricious time travel, although he tries to maintain internal consistency as far as these characters are concerned. Even so, the rules are a bit arbitrary: One can travel back and change the past, or one can merely “visit it” and return, having altered nothing. But as we gradually realize that Tim’s father is fiddling with the past, over in Cornwall, while Tim himself is adjusting this and that, we can’t help wondering whether the time stream will survive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How could either Tim or his father trust the events of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any</i> given day, knowing that something might be manipulated out of existence ... or, alternatively, might be the result of prior adjustment by the other party?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such questions, layered atop this narrative’s often rambling structure, make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">About Time</i> less successful than Curtis’ many previous hits. I understand where he wishes to take us, and I certainly get the underlying message; indeed, it’s delivered with a sledge hammer. But heartfelt good intentions aren’t always sufficient: Curtis has based his rom-com career on making us believe that the impossible can come true, where love is involved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time, sadly, he isn’t quite as persuasive.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>

2013 Bill Nighy British Comedy Domhnall Gleeson fantasy Joshua McGuire Lindsay Duncan Lydia Wilson Rachel McAdams Richard Curtis romantic Tom Hollander About Time: Needs more ripening

About Time   (2013) •  View trailer   3.5 stars. Rating: R, and quite stupidly, for fleeting profanity and mild sensuality By  Derrick Bang ...

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Last Vegas: A reasonable bet

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b><i>Last Vegas</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/lastvegas/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><b> </b><br /><b>3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for sexual candor and occasional profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old pros are a Hollywood treasure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They make everything look effortless, bringing warmth and depth even to ordinary material, transforming simple scenes into memorable dramatic moments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></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/AVvXsEi5DNPNQ34ts7-YWiGvpEALF8KLDJjEqdB_vym4kZ1MjOLP-XHynqZaqQ9E6cMyNyt4SoT2NijqGT-FmXcckk1JLTeN0r-vKx98rqX2rNiGcYh6zKBK37zFyajlsaH2a7C_itCbFnAGQV0/s1600/Last+Vegas+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DNPNQ34ts7-YWiGvpEALF8KLDJjEqdB_vym4kZ1MjOLP-XHynqZaqQ9E6cMyNyt4SoT2NijqGT-FmXcckk1JLTeN0r-vKx98rqX2rNiGcYh6zKBK37zFyajlsaH2a7C_itCbFnAGQV0/s400/Last+Vegas+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Safely deposited in a trendy Las Vegas hotel/casino, our heroes — from left, Sam (Kevin<br />Kline), Archie (Morgan Freeman), Paddy (Robert De Niro) and Billy (Michael Douglas) —<br />wonder how to begin their "fabulous weekend." As it turns out, a poolside bikini contest<br />will become the perfect ice-breaker.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bonus, in the case of <i>Last Vegas</i>, is that Dan Fogelman’s script isn’t merely <i>The Hangover</i> for the geezer set; his little story is alternately funny and poignant, with mildly earthy touches that draw laughs while never straying into vulgarity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the cherry on top, we even get a solid moral: Life ain’t over unless we lay down and give up. Every new day, no matter what our age, brings the potential for fresh magic and unexpected delights ... as long as we’re willing to risk the unexpected.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in the day, the “Flatbush Four” were inseparable best friends: scrappy kids convinced that anything was possible, as long as they looked out for each other. Director Jon Turteltaub conveys this dynamic with a charming photo booth montage that plays behind the opening credits: a giddy burst of youthful energy that defines relationships and, yes, reveals that two of these boys are sweet on the same girl.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flash-forward to the present day, and — ennui being inevitable — that enthusiastic youthful fire has dimmed to a flickering spark. Pulsating embers, if any still exist, are buried beneath graying ash. These former friends stay in touch, but only fitfully.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Archie (Morgan Freeman), following an “episode” that sent his adult son into a panic, has been put under well-meaning but soul-draining lockdown, constantly cautioned against doing anything more strenuous than picking up a book. Sam (Kevin Kline), although boasting a long and happy marriage with Miriam (Joanna Gleason), spends his days surrounded by elderly friends who reaffirm his own vanishing vitality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A senior center regimen of swimming pool exercises is both hilarious and tragic, the misery evident in Sam’s resigned expression. Resigned, but never quiet; Sam isn’t one to suffer silently ... which makes his despair that much more obvious to Miriam.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paddy (Robert De Niro) has become a virtual recluse, refusing to budge from the apartment he shared for so long with his own adored wife, dead now for a year; the home has become a photograph-laden tribute to her memory. A well-meaning young neighbor regularly brings soup, probably as an excuse to verify that he’s still alive; Paddy grumpily insists she shouldn’t bother.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Billy (Michael Douglas), the most financially successful of the quartet, has remained single all this time, perhaps hoping that youth can be retained by surrounding himself with a lifetime’s supply of willing young women. Now, however, he has impulsively popped the question to his current girlfriend, Lisa (Bre Blair); she has accepted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their striking age difference — she’s in her early 30s — raises eyebrows. So do the circumstances under which the proposal emerges.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such details aside, Billy wants to gather the ol' gang for an appropriately boisterous bachelor party. The wedding has been scheduled for Las Vegas, obviously just the setting for this potential bacchanalia. Sam and Archie are delighted, the latter concealing his intentions beneath the cover story of a “church outing.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paddy ... not so much. Prying him out of the apartment is hard enough; even worse is the festering enmity that has soured his relationship with Billy. Paddy has ample cause for his anger, but — as happens more than once, in Fogelman’s script — things aren’t quite as simple as they seem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually, inevitably, the aging Flatbush Four assemble in Vegas, Paddy grousing every step of the way. Whatever is about to happen remains tantalizing but uncertain, our protagonists bewildered by the mechanics of booking a hotel room, let alone determining how to uncork a party that’s supposed to be “legendary.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salvation arrives in the form of Diana (Mary Steenburgen), a game but mostly ignored lounge singer. She sparkles under the appreciative glow of their attention; they loosen up in the presence of her uncomplicated exuberance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By which time we, as well, have been drawn under this film’s spell, fully invested in what comes next.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">De Niro, Freeman, Douglas and Kline work well as a team, generously setting each other up for gently caustic one-liners and well-timed double-takes. The film makes ample sport of their fish-out-of-water awkwardness, whether flummoxed by electronically operated room curtains, or apoplectic over the costs involved with “table service” at a trendy nightclub.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vegas is similarly rich with unusual archetypes, of course, and Fogelman doesn’t miss many ... except, refreshingly, any intimation of hookers with a heart of gold (or any lesser metal). This film’s taste runs more toward the pantomiming members of the Cirque du Soleil troupe from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zarkana</i>, or the rowdy drag queens from a celebrity impersonation revue: the perfect foils for an endless wealth of bewildered expressions and self-deprecating verbal slips and quips from the Flatbush Four.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">De Niro still delivers the best hangdog expression in Hollywood, which Turteltaub encourages but carefully avoids overusing. Paddy, for all his gripes, turns out to be the serious guy in this group: the one who cuts to the chase, particularly when it comes to Billy’s pending nuptials. He and Douglas share a memorable moment during a quiet, early morning poolside encounter. Paddy’s lingering irritation notwithstanding, he nonetheless cannot stand to see his onetime best friend make a mistake ... if, indeed, that’s the case.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scene has surprising depth and sincerity: quite unexpected in what is being billed as a raucous, superficial comedy. It feels like a conversation that would take place between two men who know each other intimately, their current estrangement notwithstanding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Douglas imbues Billy with just the right splash of superficial bonhomie: the fellow guaranteed to liven up a party, but bearing a smile that extends no further than his too-bright teeth. At the same time, Billy obviously teeters on the edge of nervous despair, the twitchy, often glazed look in Douglas' eyes conveying ... something. Resignation? Terror? Clearly, Billy isn't a happy guy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Freeman makes the most of Archie’s hidden reservoir of debonair dash, always at odds with his quiet, deceptively meek exterior. Truth is, Archie is virtually giddy with his newfound freedom, embracing even little things like a kid released from long-term detention. Nothing is warmer than Freeman’s full-wattage smile, and his smooth moves are to die for.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kline, in turn, makes Sam the mildly fussy smart-aleck, forever covering his insecurities with a joke. Thanks to a most unexpected gift from his wife, Sam throws himself into the Las Vegas “experience” ... despite having no clue what that experience really is. He learns as he goes, and Kline’s athletic grace is employed to marvelous comic effect, as Sam rebounds from one misunderstanding to another, particular when the gang encounters a gaggle of young women — April Billingsley’s maid of honor is a standout — at a nightclub bachelorette party.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steenburgen, having no business being so stunning for somebody who just turned 60, literally radiates warmth and precocious curiosity, as Diana slowly gets a bead on her four new companions. Her most intimate moments come with Paddy and Billy, both drawn to her incandescence. I particularly like a quiet scene between Steenburgen and Douglas, as Diana and Billy wander among a museum display of discarded Las Vegas neon signs: a clever nod to the old-versus-new undertone that flows throughout this film.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jerry Ferrara, well remembered as Turtle from TV’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entourage</i>, has a droll supporting role as Dean, an obnoxious young snot eventually forced, in delicious fashion, to rue his boorish behavior. Romany Malco is less successful as Lonnie, the VIP host put in charge of the Flatbush Four. Lonnie’s initial dismay at this assignment is much too visibly contemptuous, given the graciousness required of somebody holding such a job, and Malco never quite recovers from this introduction; he never makes Lonnie sound genuine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cinematographer David Hennings has plenty of fun with Vegas glamour and glitz, and he definitely catches the atmosphere of the opulent ARIA Resort and Casino, where much of the story’s action is staged. Mark Mothersbaugh contributes a droll score, although it would have been nice to hear better defined character themes for each of our four heroes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We shouldn’t be surprised by this film’s touches of poignance and genuine character depth, since Fogelman also wrote 2011’s richly entertaining <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2011/07/crazy-stupid-love-hilarious-painful.html">Crazy, Stupid, Love</a></i>. He navigates humor and bittersweet letdowns quite shrewdly, with heartwarming results.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turteltaub, recently seduced by the empty, high-concept calories of <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2010/07/sorcerers-apprentice-hocus-pocus-little.html">The Sorcerer’s Apprentice</a></i> and the <i>National Treasure</i> series, makes a welcome return to the more deftly calibrated directorial chops he displayed in earlier efforts such as <i>Cool Runnings</i>, <i>While You Were Sleeping</i> and <i>Phenomenon</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Last Vegas</i> is a nice surprise: a whimsical dramedy certain to please the older viewers at whom it has been targeted. Sadly, the younger demographic probably won’t go near it, even with so many bodaciously curvy bikini babes on display. That’s a shame, because the story’s message is all-ages-appropriate: Embrace the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which you can do while embracing this film.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>

2013 Bre Blair Comedy Jerry Ferrara Joanna Gleeson Kevin Kline Mary Steenburgen Michael Douglas Morgan Freeman Robert De Niro Romany Malco Last Vegas: A reasonable bet

Last Vegas   (2013) •  View trailer   3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for sexual candor and occasional profanity By  Derrick Bang Old pros are a H...

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Exploring Facebook Groups ...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal">Hola friends and potential friends! I want to introduce a new series for the blog. I’ve been trying to find ways to make Facebook more useful and fun and I think I might have found one. I’ve been going through Groups to see what all topics are covered. Needless to say there are lots of groups for just about any topic. One that I found most interesting are the “Add Me” or “Add Lots of New Friends” groups. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The idea is that everyone who joins the group should add everyone as a friend and we all get big friend numbers and look really cool and popular. I thought this would be as good a place as any to start. I joined one of them and posted “Hey everyone! Add me please!” Five people added me. Only one is still a “friend.” Here’s what happened with the other four…. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Babe 1: </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Her: Hello <br />Me: Hello<br />Her: Do you like me? <br />Me: Well, I don’t know you. <br />Her: But, you think I’m cute? <br />Me: Yeah, you’re cute. <br />Her: So you like me? <br />Me: You seem nice. <br />Her: Just nice? <br />Me: I don’t really know you. <br />Her: You looking for wife? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I defriended her in a panic. I wish I hadn’t. That could have been comedy gold. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7FqjXRTb-pyvG3_bnwj9fq-GNGjDifYNSwqP4qT1t1b_4BFpESF7p0ahUicLFNExt1qbdFvtrdXxgizEg5puisnLMs-SwPkm1scnKa_mpPntwdGNTZMXQebo5MOXEbzpmnYgvY2LkIS3/s1600/Yuri-Kwon-Girls-Generation-Hot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7FqjXRTb-pyvG3_bnwj9fq-GNGjDifYNSwqP4qT1t1b_4BFpESF7p0ahUicLFNExt1qbdFvtrdXxgizEg5puisnLMs-SwPkm1scnKa_mpPntwdGNTZMXQebo5MOXEbzpmnYgvY2LkIS3/s1600/Yuri-Kwon-Girls-Generation-Hot.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Dude 1: </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Him: Hey!<br />Me: Hello<br />Him: How are you?<br />Me: Great. How are you?<br />Him: Good. Hey can I ask you a question?<br />Me: Okay<br />Him: Can you suggest friends for me?<br />Me: I guess. <br />Him: Well, just the girls really.<br />Me: Just the girls? <br />Him: Yeah, girls think I’m cute. <br />Me: Some guys might think you’re cute too.<br />Him: Oh man! That’s not funny! <br />Me: It’s a little funny. <br />Him: Only a little! <br />Me: Most of the girls I know would find it very funny. <br />Him: Okay, don’t suggest them then. <br />Me: Okay. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He then defriended me. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Dude 2: </b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Him: Hey man! <br />Me: Hola! <br />Him: You’re Spanish? <br />Me: Uh, no. <br />Him: LOL … Okay<br />Me: What’s up? <br />Him: Thanks for accepting my friend request. <br />Me: Thanks for adding me. <br />Him: No prob. So, what you looking for? <br />Me: Well, nothing really. <br />Him: So why did you join that group?<br />Me: Just seemed like a good idea. <br />Him: It’s pretty cool. I’ve met lots of dudes there. <br />Me: Cool. I just joined today. <br />Him: Cool. So, you into dudes? <br />Me: Uhhhh … No, sorry. <br />Him: Don’t be sorry. You’re the one missing out. <br />Me: Ha! Okay. <br />Him: You ever had a guy suck you off? <br />Me: No<br />Him: How do you know? <br />Me: I checked. <br />Him: You’d never really know if you didn’t check. <br />Me: That’s why I check. <br />Him: If she had sex change, you wouldn’t know. <br />Me: I guess that’s possible. <br />Him: Probable, I’d say. <br />Me: Ha! Unlikely. <br />Him: Anyway, you’re missing out. <br />Me: If you say so. <br />Him: I do. Bye dude. <br />Me: Bye <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He then defriended me. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Babe 2:</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Her: Hi there<br />Me: Howdy<br />Her: LOL <br />Me: Why was that funny? <br />Her: Americans say “Howdy” a lot. <br />Me: Oh, okay. <br />Her: You wanna be my friend? <br />Me: Sure. <br />Her: But not too friendly <br />Me: Okay.  What’s “too friendly” <br />Her: Like making passes at me. <br />Me: Okay. I won’t. <br />Her: Good cause I would get into trouble. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m thinking “Oh crap, she’s underage!”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Me: Why would you get into trouble?<br />Her: Being too friendly with a white man <br />Me: REALLY? <br />Her: Yes, not me, but my family. <br />Me: That’s sad. <br />Her: Yes cause I love white men. <br />Me: Well that’s a problem<br />Her: Only for me. <br />Me: Or a white man who falls for you.<br />Her: That makes me sad. <br />Me: It is pretty sad. <br />Her: Maybe I can convince them they’re wrong. <br />Me: I hope so. <br />Her: Me too. <br />Me: Good luck<br />Her: Thanks. Bye! <br />Me: Bye <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBhwdeATtYDgQWmkGKg0EdImhhaZdiHZAfVI2Qd9aWqSqTMn5eHrL54OVDgxwMFXn6-casGRvpfX_rDgWvQQHvMkeRQh7j0ehNfuvWbgMEX0iIUIscr4GZ0eXHCUhvFHEcfi-4kk_oMFT/s1600/Aishwarya+Rai+Namaste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBhwdeATtYDgQWmkGKg0EdImhhaZdiHZAfVI2Qd9aWqSqTMn5eHrL54OVDgxwMFXn6-casGRvpfX_rDgWvQQHvMkeRQh7j0ehNfuvWbgMEX0iIUIscr4GZ0eXHCUhvFHEcfi-4kk_oMFT/s400/Aishwarya+Rai+Namaste.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">That one kind of made me sad. Anyway, there are lots and lots of groups out there on Facebook. Most of the posts in them are just spam, but there are some real people there too. I’m going to keep joining them and will report back to you guys on them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/jayman68" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws" target="_blank">@Jayman_IWS </a><o:p></o:p></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>

Exploring Facebook Groups ...

Hola friends and potential friends! I want to introduce a new series for the blog. I’ve been trying to find ways to make Facebook more usefu...

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5 Ways to Have Good Posture5 Ways to Have Good Posture

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><header class="entry-header" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 22px; padding: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><h1 class="entry-title" style="border: 0px; font-weight: normal; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 36px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="good posture" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16814" height="426" src="http://inspiyr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/good-posture.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-size: 15px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="640" /></span></h1></header><div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Raleway !important; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 1.5px !important; line-height: 28px !important; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; position: relative !important; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gaining good posture is one of the most underrated ways to instantly change your appearance, and in time, your health.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Standing straight and square makes you look fitter and taller (and it improves your alertness and vitality to boot). But the effects aren’t just skin deep; over time, maintaining good posture will help keep your back strong, reducing <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://inspiyr.com/surprising-causes-of-back-pain-2/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(169, 169, 160); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; cursor: pointer; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="7 Surprising Causes of Back Pain">back pain</a> and injury.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By staying active and being mindful of your form, you can convince your body that it is years younger – and your appearance will follow suit.</div><h3 style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Five Ways to Have Good Posture after the cut...</h3><div><a name='more'></a><br /></div><h5 style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Stand up</h5><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong>How’s your posture right now? Are you slouching because you feel tired at the moment? You can perk up by standing up. Your blood vessels constrict during periods of inactivity, making you look and feel tired. An active, dynamic standing posture will reinvigorate you within minutes. Try lengthening your back while you stand, as if it were being lifted by a balloon tied to the back of your neck.<strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 28px;">2. Try out</span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong>If standing for a few minutes puts a spring back in your step, imagine how good an hour of activity might make you feel. Trying a new physical activity, especially one that requires attention to posture, will do wonders for your bearing and give you a renewed, youthful vigor as well.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Some sure bets for posture improvement are martial arts, <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://inspiyr.com/health-benefits-of-yoga/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(169, 169, 160); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; cursor: pointer; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="Health Benefits of Yoga">yoga</a>, rowing, and even lower impact activities like figure skating and <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://inspiyr.com/tai-chi-benefits/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(169, 169, 160); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; cursor: pointer; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="The Anti-Aging Secret Dr. Oz Recommends">tai chi</a>. With time and practice, that good posture you learned on the rowing machine will bloom into a body awareness that will keep you looking sharp outside the gym.</div><h5 style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Tone up</h5><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></strong>Planks, sit-ups and your gym’s weight circuit can do more than just give you a killer six-pack – strengthening your core muscles will help you stay straight all day. Think of it as posture cross training. You can even get great results from basic body weight exercises like push-ups and bridging if you want to <a data-ls-seen="1" href="http://inspiyr.com/how-to-get-in-shape/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(169, 169, 160); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; cursor: pointer; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="How to Get in Shape in 5 Simple Steps">get in shape</a> at home without any equipment.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="entry-author" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">by <a href="http://inspiyr.com/author/dr-moshe-lewis/" rel="author" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Posts by Dr. Moshe Lewis">Dr. Moshe Lewis</a></span><span style="font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 20px;">|</span><span style="font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="entry-date" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px; margin: 0px 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">on June 18th, 2013</span><span style="font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 20px;">|</span></div></div></div>

5 Ways to Have Good Posture5 Ways to Have Good Posture

Gaining good posture is one of the most underrated ways to instantly change your appearance, and in time, your health. Standing straight and...

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Shoes date back to the 8,000s BC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><img alt="" class="imgss2" img="" src="http://clamorly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/mostbizarreshoes-1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(212, 212, 212); padding: 5px; width: 610px;" title="mcdonalds" /> </div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Shoes date back to the 8,000s BC – a very long history, indeed. Over the millennia all manner of styles and materials have been used for shoes. Some successful (the modern athletic shoe) and some not successful at all (lotus shoes). This list looks at ten bizarre styles of shoe from early to modern history. 1) Lotus Shoes – China, from the 10th century to 2009</div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: left;">The Han Chinese tradition of binding women’s feet to make them appear as small as a lotus bud lasted well over a thousand years. Shoes from the north, especially Beijing, had a ‘bow’ shape, an exaggerated curved sole and heel in one piece, often with leather reinforcements at toe and heel. Style conscious women from Shanghai in the late 19th century and early 20th century, (then the fashion capital of China), liked a multiple heel, while those from the southern provinces such as Guangdong wore shoes often made of black cotton or silk, with a fairly flat heel. Iron or wooden studs were added in some cases to the soles to raise and protect the embroidered silk shoe from the dirt of the streets.</div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As part of her dowry, a woman would make several pairs of shoes as proof of her needlework ability, as well as her small feet. After her wedding, a bride gave each of her main female in-laws a pair of shoes at a special ceremony known as “dividing the shoes.” The last shoe factory to stop mass production of lotus shoes was the Zhiqiang Shoe Factory. The factory added lotus shoes for old Chinese women who still had bound feet to it’s product range in 1991. In the first two years, more than 2,000 pairs of shoes were sold annually. It announced in 2009 that it will make the shoes only on a special-order basis</div><div style="text-align: left;">.</div><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Source:<a href="http://listverse.com/2010/08/14/top-10-most-bizarre-shoes-in-history/" style="color: #333333; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">listverse.com</a></div></div>

Shoes date back to the 8,000s BC

  Shoes date back to the 8,000s BC – a very long history, indeed. Over the millennia all manner of styles and materials have been used for s...

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Kanye says he and Kim are more influential than Barack & Michelle

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6027302067162911838" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; position: relative; text-align: start; width: 616px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lWanpLxQ4DQgpsXTeTr2z-o3YdoF9r5as4Nz6bcRjyuMWyEJjtnpSG9VikB1Lspgrf56dCZHCzOfSCoTvDKTe3yrO4ofdiOc-T_99KAAwevJf0kE1sPf2BdfhT10T_zNh6na3s2dYhJs/s400/barack-michelle.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(158, 9, 11); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px;" width="247" /><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79GJuWC6U2qoeAMI1q41tD2cg-AP02kw-NqZ3jiowM7uqhKAYQJVWs0L2m0JpAeF0iMerrT6xVqMcVF0OU8qjak0IAJrTdxr0Hb23IA-EPnQ27tKrh0zVp9vPRuU4Vt_C3o6TCO7DbXPg/s400/kanye-west-Kim-Kardashian-Style-After-dating-Kanye-West.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(158, 9, 11); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px;" width="300" /></div>Kanye needs to change his meds...lol. The rapper, who used to constantly criticize the media in the past, now seems to love the media since becoming a member of the Kardashian clan. Kanye now loves promoting himself and his baby mama Kim Kardashian any opportunity he gets.<br /><br />In his latest interview, Kanye explains why he and his fiancee Kim are more influential than president Barrack Obama and the First Lady, Michelle Obama. Kanye tells Ryan Seacrest;<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"There’s no way Kim Kardashian shouldn’t be on the cover of Vogue. She’s like the most intriguing woman right now. She’s got Barbara Walters calling her like everyday.”</blockquote><blockquote>“And collectively, we’re the most influential with clothing. No one is looking at what [Barack Obama] is wearing. Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a [bikini] pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day.”</blockquote></div></div>

Kanye says he and Kim are more influential than Barack & Michelle

Kanye needs to change his meds...lol. The rapper, who used to constantly criticize the media in the past, now seems to love the media since ...

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