The Scribbler's Nook

The Power of Words

2008-11-07T18:17:00.002-05:00

There is a saying that says words only have the power that you give them. This is a saying that for the most part, I believe. For me there is one word in all of the world, in every language, that has it's own power, no matter what you put into it, it still maintains its power...

Last night at the concert, the band, Sugarland, opened up with a song that I have really enjoyed, below are some of the lyrics:

Is it the face of a child
Is it the thrill of danger
Is it the kindness we see in the eyes of a stranger
Is it more than faith
Is it more than hope
Is is waiting for us at the end of our rope
I say it's love, I say it's love

Is it a veil or a cross
Is it the poet's gift
Is it the face that has launched over thousands of ships

Is it making you laugh
Is it letting you cry
Is it where we believe that we go when we die
Is it how you were made
Is it your mother's ghost
Is it the wish that I'm wishing for you life, for your life, for your life the most
I say it's love

Can you guess the word?

Concert Night

2008-11-06T16:39:00.001-05:00

So yeah, I'm pretty excited. Tonight I am going to a concert....for all of you that are wondering, yes it is a country concert! It's a band called Sugarland, who are my favorite country band! I am going with my cousin who lives here in Jacksonville (not the ones I live with), so it should be a fun night!

I have great seats on the floor, which will be a lot of fun! Anyways, if you have a chance, look up Sugarland and listen to some of their music, it's really good!

New Favorite Saying

2008-11-05T20:38:00.001-05:00

So, tonight I just watched my Tivo-ed episode of The Big Bang Theory from Monday and now I have a new favorite saying...

Holy Crap In A Cracker

The End of an Era

2008-11-04T09:47:00.001-05:00

Ever since daylight savings ended on Sunday morning, I have been waking up even earlier than usual! But in the days up to todays election it has given me the chance to watch some of the early morning news and this morning I head something that made me optimistic, no matter which way this election goes. On the Today show they were interviewing Tom Brokaw, who said:

"No matter who wins this election, I think this will bring an end to the apathy in this country."

So, think about that today, no matter who is victorious tonight, both have done something remarkable!

The Highlight of Election Season

2008-11-03T21:10:00.003-05:00

So I have been watching all the news shows (real and fake) and enjoying the election season (with the exception of those damn campaign ads!) But there has been one thing during this election that has stood out:

Tina Fey! Yes you read that right...the breakout star of this election season has definately been Ms. Tina Fey. I mean, she was a big celebrity prior to this, but now that she has portrayed Sarah Palin, in what might be the best SNL impersonation ever, she has gone into the stratosphere of celebrity-dom!

Congrats to you Tina Feylin - This Election is For You!

I Cast My Ballot

2008-11-02T18:58:00.002-05:00

That's right! This past Thursday I went and voted early! I had heard numerous complaints of long lines and people waiting for hours....but not me! I got to the early voting area at around 5:30 PM (after work) and found a parking spot, went inside, stood in line for about five minutes, and then was sent on my merry way to a voting booth, where I had to connect the arrows!

I honestly felt like I was back in Kindergarten. They have two halves of an arrow, and in order to cast your vote, you had to complete the line, using a special marker. My only problem was, do I draw a single line, or do I create a thicker line the size of the rest of the arrow. Oh well!

Anyways, if you have not already gone out and voted, Tuesday, go to your local precinct and vote!

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It's Been A Long While

2008-11-01T23:04:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted a blog. Actually, it has been two months! And what an eventful two months it has been....in fact I will slowly be catching everyone up on the life of The Scribbler, over the remainder of the month.

You might be asking yourself....why over the rest of November, it just started....Well, November happens to be NaBloPoMo, and I am trying my hardest to participate this year and post a post once a day. So, here's some of the things you will be hearing about over the next month:

The New New Used Car (long story)
The Old New Used Car
The Home Show
Everything You Wanted to Know About Closets, pt II
The Hunt
and much much more!

Pay attention over the next month for some fun and interesting posts!

Something New!!!

2008-09-02T10:10:00.001-04:00

I took the plunge and made my first big purchase...all on my own! Out with the old and in with the semi-new!

I traded in my 200 Chevy Blazer yesterday and walked out of the dealership with a 2005 Jeep Liberty! It drives great, it gets much better gas mileage than my old car...and it's 4 doors!

My parents were excited as were my aunt/uncle and cousins! Once I take some pictures of it, I will post them.

Jacksonville Fay Advisory 2.0

2008-08-20T10:11:00.002-04:00

Now she is just taunting us! Last night we look at the NOAA website to keep an eye on this "blustery woman" and see we are no longer under a Tropical Storm Watch (YaY!). Instead we are under a Hurricane Watch (figures!). And then this morning we are under both a Tropical Storm Watch and a Hurricane Watch (huh?). We are probably going to close the office tomorrow and move all of our appointments to next week. However, we are not sure about Friday. It looks as though Fay will be out of the area by Friday morning, but it seems she likes to take her time...so anything is possible!

Anyways, we can't help but laugh because we are getting the storm up here. It seems that when my Aunt & Uncle moved up here, everyone assured them that the hurricanes very very rarely hit up here, and they haven't had a hurricane in years! HA! HA! HA! Looks like Jacksonville is getting a good laugh! It's a good thing we are laughing with them!

Anyways, Fay aside, the past two weeks have been pretty eventful. Mom and Grandma left, but that last weekend the cousins and myself went to the movies. We saw Mamma Mia on Saturday and The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emporer on Sunday. Both movies were good. Mamma Mia is just fun and easy going. The story is kinda weak, but the fun factor and the songs make up for it! The Mummy was good as well. Done in the same fashion as the other ones, a good dose of humor for every dose of action.

This past Sunday, I took the cousins to the Jacksonville Zoo. It is a small zoo (especially compared to the moster that is Miami MetroZoo) but it is a really nice zoo. They have "loops" that are designed by geographical region. The best one had to be South America where they had a jaguar range and a black jaguar who was just georgous. If you are ever in the Jacksonville area, I suggest visiting the zoo.

Besides that all is well. I got a new computer for at home. The old one slowed down to a standstill and many times decided it didn't want to boot up. I tried all different solutions, including wiping the drive and starting over.

Anyways, thats about it. What's happening in your neck of the woods?

An Open Letter To Fay

2008-08-19T12:23:00.002-04:00

Dear Fay,

I know that you are stalking my family and I! Just yesterday morning you were heading for Lake City, not Jacksonville. Then by the end of the day we were at the center of the cone of doom! And then late last night, we were safe! You were going to hit around Daytona and go into the ocean to be a happy hurricane...but no you weren't satisfied with that, were you? You just had to loop around and come back to Jacksonville! Well I hope you are happy! We will be seeing you on Thursday.

LOL Cat

2008-08-19T12:21:00.002-04:00

I find humor in my day sometimes by looking at the LOL cats! Some are very funny, some moderately stupid, but this one just made me laugh:

It's Been A Long Time Coming

2008-08-07T12:13:00.003-04:00

That's right everybody...it's a post! I know I haven't been posting as often as I would like, or as many of you would like (based on the comments in my last post). But I promise, I will be posting more often now that things are beginning to flow at work!

So here is a brief rundown of how things have been since the last post!

I have begun to dislike air travel even more than before! Now I know I shouldn't complain because my mother is a retired Delta employee and I travel on standby for a very very very reduced rate, and I am happy about that. What I am tired of is having to run from concourse to concourse because the TSA agents or the people who work at the airport are not where they are supposed to be or the lovely airline has given me a connection that is exactly .235 seconds after my arrival (exaggerated for the purpose of this post, they actually give you .237 seconds). Anyways, let's just say that my day trip back to Miami, consisted of a lot of running through the Atlanta airport!
I did go home! I went to Miami for roughly 20 hours back at the beginning of July. I had a Toastmasters meeting that I just could not miss! It was a great meeting, seeing my friends prior to the "final move" up here. It was nice to go and visit. I will be heading back to Miami in October and November for various events. I will let you know when I am back in Miami though!
Work is going well. We have 6 designers who we are taking appointments for on a regular basis! This week has been our biggest sales week yet, bringing in over $14K since Monday! Other things with work are well too. We are in the process of getting a spot for the Jacksonville Home & Patio Show in October, which should boost business even more! If you want to see an article about us you can go here: The Jacksonville Business Journal And you can see our website here: Closets By Design
Went to the movies a couple times last month. My cousins and I saw Hellboy 2, which was good, but not as good as the original. We also saw The Dark Knight, which was simply amazing. It is one of those movies that if you get the chance to see it, take it! It will knock your socks off!
Mom and Grandma are up here this week. They are helping out at my Aunt's house. We have had many many different appointments for people to go to the house to fix it up. Who would of thought that a brand new house would have so many things wrong.
Planning on staying with my Aunt & Uncle for probably another month or two. But in the meantime I am on the hunt for (1) a realator -- even though I will probably just use my Aunts and (2) a good deal on either a condo or a forclosure, somewhere in the area. One of the condo places near my aunt has new construction 2/2's for just under 100k, so I will be talking a look there, and thing about purchasing rather than renting!
Outside of that all is well. Nothing new to report. How are all you doing in the wonderful world of blog?

My Ad Idea

2008-07-03T16:33:00.001-04:00

I got inspired so here it is:

Wouldn't that make a great Chik-fil-a ad?

Jacksonville in Bullets

2008-07-03T16:04:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone in the Blogging World! Well as I had said before, things with the move to Jacksonville and St. Augustine has been smooth. I have lots of cleaning to do in my room this evening, as none of the gaming systems have been hooked up yet! But, in my 5 short days of being in North Florida, I have managed to find everything that might be useful! And I have learned some very interesting things! Let's review:

Jacksonville has stand alone Chik-fil-a! Back home in Miami we either had to go to the mall or take a 10-15 minute drive up to Doral to get some of this yummy delicious fast food chicken! I also decided that Chik-fil-a should create a new advertisement campaign in the style of the LOL catz! It should have a cow with the headline "You can haz chik'n!" I also learned something else, even in North Florida, you still tend to crave Chik-fil-a on Sundays! So sad!
Driving anywhere north of West Palm Beach is entirely different than South Florida! Driving up on I-95 was a breeze, in part because my windows were down...but also because all the other drivers were actually polite and curtious on the road! There was not too much traffic coming up here, but there were a good number of Big Rig trucks!
When driving on I-95 North, once you hit Daytona Beach, you can play the License Plate game quite easily. I was, safely glancing, at the many different tags that had passed by, or that I had safely passed! There was Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Connecticut, Kentucky, and more!
Everything is relative! Over the past couple days I have done the basic move things: (1) Changed license (2) Changed banks (3) Visited local retail stores to purchase what I had forgotten, etc. Everyone here is so nice, yet the one complaint is the rush hour traffic. I finally experienced their "rush hour" traffic on Wednesday, and let me tell you! I love this "rush hour" traffic. In their "rush hour" traffic I went 25 miles in about 20 minutes!
I am slowly getting to know everything I never wanted to know but asked about custom closets. I know the different levels we offer, the different add on's, etc. And I'm not even a salesperson/designer!
I got to drive a fork lift today! It was amusing. I have to get used to having the tires that create your steering in the rear of the vehicle!
I had a comment to a previous blog from Erick, who gave me the location site link to Sonny's BBQ! I thank you Erick! For those of you who don't know...I like Sonny's, in fact many of my blogging friends in Miami like Sonny's and we would regularly (2x month) drive 20 miles each way to go to our closest Sonny's. Well, now I only have to drive less than 5 miles each way! Yay!

That is mostly it for everything this week in the good ole North Florida area! Catch up with y'all next week!

All Moved In

2008-06-30T11:31:00.002-04:00

Well, yesterday was the big moving day! I packed up my car, and left my house in Miami at 7 AM! I got at my Aunt/Uncle's house in St. Augustine at 12 Noon, and enlisted my 2 cousins to help the removal of my life from the car. We got everything up the stairs into what will be my bedroom.

After. we drove to the office, which is in Jacksonville. I got to start my list of To Do's for the week, and for the next few days. It is an easy drive into the office, which I got to try today.

Oh, speaking of driving, my grandmother got me a shiny new GPS for my car and for getting around the new surroundings. I have named her Eileen. There are a few reasons I choose this name too! For two and a half years, I worked at the Go Kart Track down in Homestead, where there was a co-worker who was extremely annoying and had a loud loud loud voice! Well, if you have heard the GPS voices, they are loud and annoying! The other reason, is that when she decides to slow down a little, which she does sometimes, I can just tell her "Come On Eileen."

Anyways, I will be keeping this blog updated from the Northern parts of Florida. So keep an eye out for more adventures!

The BIG Announcement

2008-06-26T10:52:00.003-04:00

That's right everybody, I have a fairly huge announcement. It's one that I haven't told very many people yet, in fact right now, before this blog post, only my parents, grandmother, and 5 other people know. But it is something that I have thought about for a while.

I have talked on here, albeit briefly, about the discouraging job it is to find a job, especially in Miami. Well, I found a job...and...it's not in Miami! That's right, my BIG announcement, is that I am moving.

Well, where are you moving to Matt?

That is a good question, I am moving on up, to the east side...wait that's The Jeffersons, even though I am moving up to the East Coast of Florida, in St. Augustine. I am going to live with my Aunt/Uncle and cousins until I can save up some money for rent and find my own place. I will be starting out as an Office Manager, for their company, and once we have a large enough staff, I will begin to work as the Sales Manager.

Yes, it is a risk, but with risk can come reward. So it's a risk I am willing to try! For everyone that is here in Miami, you will be missed, but I will be talking to all of you on the phone! I do have a 20 minute drive to and from work every day! And, of course I will be down now and again for special events and to visit.

Of course, I will continue to blog no matter where I am!

The Top 10: Suspense/Mystery/Thriller Movies

2008-06-23T13:39:00.004-04:00

It's Monday, which means an all new Top 10 Movie List. Last week I had to chance to list my top ten animated movies. This week, I am going to go in a completely different direction and list my top 10 Suspense/Mystery/Thriller movies! Now, to me, this category is completely different than Horror movies (those will come another week). So, now here is the top ten!

Top 10 Suspense/Mystery/Thriller Movies

10. The Craft
9. When A Stranger Calls
8. The Village
7. Memento
6. The Manchurian Candidate
5. Fight Club
4. Rebecca
3. The Sixth Sense
2. Vertigo
1. Donnie Darko

The AFI Lists: My Own Top Tens

2008-06-18T17:12:00.003-04:00

So this is something that I don't know if it is out there somewhere, but I am going to start my own kinda of meme, top ten lists! Last night the American Film Institute presented its 10 Top 10, the top ten films in ten different genres. So, for the next ten weeks, instead of the usual Monday Morning Mix-Up, I will have my top ten films in ten different genres!

I am not going to tag anyone to participate, but if you do choose to do the same, please leave me a comment and let me know you are playing along!

The Top 10 Animated Films

10. Aladdin
9. Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
8. Finding Nemo
7. 101 Dalmations
6. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
4. The Secret of Nimh
3. The Lion King
2. Toy Story
1. Beauty and the Beast

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The I Heart REO Speedwagon Edition

2008-06-16T17:41:00.003-04:00

So this week there was a tie, and I could not decide between Heart and REO Speedwagon, so instead I will do a mix of both! So, please enjoy!

Heart

Surrender To Me
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You
I Didn't Want To Need You
Magic Man
Will You Be There (In The Morning)

REO Speedwagon

Lightning
Say You Love Me Or Say Goodnight
Can't Fight This Feeling
Building The Bridge
I Don't Want To Lose You

My BFF

2008-06-13T18:20:00.002-04:00

This past Wednesday was my most recent Toastmasters meeting. I had the opportunity to prepare a speech for this meeting and took the chance to try out a newer style of speech and speaking. Many of you have commented and shared your stories when I had previously posted on topics such as Faith, Dreams and Imagination, so I took this new found confidence on fairly vague yet inspirational subjects and used it!

In my speech, I talked about my BFF...best friend failure! Yes, I talked about failure! But I talked about it in a positive light. Now, when I teach classes I always emphasize that no matter how much my students might learn from me or from each other, it isn't until things go wrong that they will truly learn the lessons. I point out how failure can be turned around into success and how I have learned many things through failure.

It was a great speech, and now I have to work on actually writing it out. You see, when I create a speech, I tend to write out my opening and my conclusion, but everything in the middle are bullet points that I expand upon. But now, I think this might become a contest speech and I would like to have it written out...

Anyways, once I write it I will post it here, but until then...how to you get past failure? Do you pick yourself up and try again, or do you just leave it behind you and not look back?

Pure Imagination?

2008-06-11T16:21:00.003-04:00

As kids, we read all sorts of books and fall in love with all sorts of mythological creatures. We read about the ancient greek creatures such as the Pegasus, the minotaur, and the cyclops. We read fantasy tales that revolve around far off lands and fair maidens being saved by their knight and sometimes with the help of a wizard, or even fighting off the evil witch. (Which is another question, why was the evil villan always a woman or step-mother figure while the savior was always a man, and the maiden was in distress...but that's another post.

Well, one of the most beloved creatures, might not be too much of a figment after all. There were people who have found evidence of single horned creatures and fossils from the dinosaur days. But none were ever consistant with the true unicorn lore. But now, something miraculous has occurred...or at least a genetic mutation might be occurring! In Italy, a deer was born with a single horn that appears to be twisted in the center of its head.

So, for those of you who always believed in unicorns, and for those of you who continue to believe in these mythical creatures, here it is:

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Sheryl Crow Edition

2008-06-09T10:06:00.003-04:00

So, we've got a brand new mix up this week! I added Neil Young again this week, after the tie the previous week, but no one voted for it so it is gone next week! In fact the poll for this week, is a bit more themed...think 80's Rock (if you can call it that)! Anyways, here is the Sheryl Crow version of the Monday Morning Mix-Up:

It's So Easy (from the album C'mon C'mon)
Always on Your Side (featuring Sting) (from the album Wildflower)
You're An Original (from the album C'mon C'mon)
Sweet Rosalyn (from the album Sheryl Crow)
Oh Marie (from the album Sheryl Crow)
No One Said It Would Be Easy (from the album Tuesday Night Music Club)
There Goes The Neighborhood (from the album The Globe Sessions)
Wildflower (from the album Wildflower)
Love Is Free (from the album Detours)
First Cut Is The Deepest (from the album The Very Best of Sheryl Crow)

Books, Books, and more Books!

2008-06-07T10:01:00.004-04:00

Well, as some of you know, or remember from one of my New Year's posts back in January, I am trying to read 40 books in 2008. So far I have finished 10, and am currently working on 3! But I have yet to write my reviews of the previous two that I had finished! So, here they are, the genuine Matt Reviews of Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, and Chuck Palahniuk's Snuff.

The Last Lecture

So, this book actually started as a lecture that was given. Traditionally, the last lecture is a series that is done on universities and colleges, where the professor is asked to hypothetically consider his demise, and if he/she were to leave (either the college or the planet) what has he/she learned or want to impart on their class. Randy Pausch was asked to give one of these lectures, right before he was diagnosed with advanced stage pancreatic cancer. The lecture quickly turned from hypotheticals to reality.

He delivered the lecture, which was filmed by Carnagie Mellon University and placed on You Tube, where it became an internet sensation, garnering over 15 million views to this day! The lecture was approximately 75 minutes, but created a 10 minute version that he delivered on Oprah. The next step was to turn this lecture into a book, so that everyone could read the important things that were being said. And that is what was done. The book was written directly based off the lecture. The book is full of wisdom and knowledge that obviously seemed to take Randy years to learn, yet is in plain view.

One of the stories that stands out, is talking about getting a brand new convertible, and going to pick up his neice and nephew for the weekend. Their mom told them to be careful not to get Uncle Randy's new car dirty. As she was saying this, Randy, with his neice and nephew watching, opened a can of soda and proceeded to pour it all over the backseat of the new car. He didn't care what had happened to the car, or how clean or dirty it was, rather it was all about spending the time with his family.

And while, more than 15 million people have seen the lecture, and probably 5 million people have the book, this was all done for only two people. Randy's two daughters, so that they would be able to learn life's lessons, without daddy around.

Snuff

A very, very, very, very different book from the one I described above! This book is by Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, Choke, and many others. This however, might be his most odd work yet!

The basis behind Snuff is that Cassie Wright, aging porn star, decides to break the record and go for 600 sexual acts in a single day. The story is from the point of view of 3 men in the waiting room and Cassie's assistant. Of the three men, one is a man who is a stalker of porn stars who thinks he might be gay, one is a former porn star who got Cassie pregnant, and one is a young man who thinks he is Cassie's son who was put up for adoption. So, all together now: WHAT?

The book is crafted so well that the transition between point of views is smooth and fluid. Chuck creates characters that have both good and bad sides to them, and that is seen in this book as well. The best part to the book though, are the massive collection of made up porn movie names! They are hysterical and fun to read. Some examples include:
- The DaVinci Load
- To Drill A Mockingbird
- World Whore One: In The Trenches

It is a fun book, it makes you think, but not to the point where you head explodes. It makes you laugh, and it even makes you blush from time to time. Another great novel by Chuck! One of the greatest oddball writers of our time!

Ladies & Gentlemen I Present To You...

2008-06-04T08:39:00.005-04:00

The Democratic Nominee for the office of President of the United States of America

So, last night, Senator Barak Obama, gained enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination for this years presidential election. Congratulations to Senator Obama! Even though, I have been rooting for Senator Clinton, I do think that Senator Obama, will be a worthy candidate, and if elected will do a world of wonders for this country!

So now the question comes down to, who will be either parties Vice President? I personally, think that this is something that should be declared, prior to primary season. In an election this huge, I think that either nominee can "make it or break it" based on who they choose as their running mate.

Either way, again congrats to Senator Barak Obama, for making history, and for getting the democratic nomination!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Carly Simon Edition

2008-06-02T15:30:00.003-04:00

Well, it was a tie again this week, with one vote going to Carly Simon and one vote going to Neil Young. I have choosen that this weeks mix-up will be all about Carly Simon, but Neil Young will be left in the polls for next week. So if you want Neil, get your friends to visit the blog and vote for him! Anyways, here it is, the Carly Simon Mix-Up!!!

Legend In Your Own Time (from the album Anticipation)
Summer's Coming Around Again (from the album Anticipation)
Devoted To You (from the album Boys In The Trees)
De Bat (Fly In Me Face) (from the album Boys In The Trees)
Oh! Susanna (from the album In White)
All The Things You Are (from the album Moonlight Serenade)
Hola Soleil (from the album This Kind of Love)
Sangre Dolce (from the album This Kind of Love)
The Right Thing To Do (with Megan Mullally) (from the soundtrack to Will & Grace)
Mockingbird (with James Taylor) (from the album For The Children Too!)

Coming Soon to a Scribbler's Nook Near You

2008-06-01T12:11:00.004-04:00

~~The Monday Morning Mix Up~~

~~Book Reviews: The Last Lecture, Snuff~~

Movie Reviews: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Sex and the City, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Lots of fun & reflection

A Little Storm Never Hurt Anybody

2008-05-27T09:27:00.005-04:00

So, it takes a lot to scare me, or get me freaked out! Yet, this was accomplished this past weekend. In fact, it happened for many many many people this weekend. You see, this weekend I had to work at the professional go kart track. We had a double race, so I was there on Saturday and Sunday. Now, many of the racers, are older, big, burly, men, and it's not often you hear a large number of these men get together and start saying things like, "That really freaked me out" or "Yeah, that was scary." So what was it that did this you might be asking yourself.

It was a storm!

Now this was no ordinary storm. No, this was a massive, beast of a storm. I am lucky as my cell phone has radar on it, so I would occasionally check the weather. We had a severe thunderstorm warning put on us, that was to last through the day. It didn't worry us too much. We have survived many a storm in our little 12'x6' trailer. Well this one started to come through the track and it was heavy rain. But it wasn't too long until that heavy rain turned into the monsoon from hell! The rain was no longer falling down...it was just whipping sideways! The trailer was shaking in every single direction imaginable! The two of us in there took opposite sides as to even weight if we could! Then as we look out the window, we see one by one the portable toilets falling over! (Ewww, but I don't use them, I have a regular bathroom there). And then the call!

My boss who was in the trailer with me, got a call on her cell phone. She answers and it is one of our clients, who is just shouting, "Move your car now!" She hesitated going into the mouth of the beast to move her car, but was glad she did. Right after moving her car, a large tent, complete with its steel poles came crashing down where car was once resting! After about 20 more minutes of this rain and wind and thunder and lightning, it slowed down. Enough that everyone came outside (much like at the end of the hurricane or tropical storm). Everything was just piles of mangled metal from tents being play toys for the storm. The storm had made perfect semi-circular arcs from some of the steel poles...STEEL POLES!

So after it was all over I figured I would check the radar to make sure nothing else was coming. There wasn't anything else coming, but the massive storm from Hades, on the radar, was oddly purple! I have never, ever, ever, seen purple on the radar before...usually the power goes out before purple shows up! But this was purple! (The purple I saw is the upper left hand of the picture below, follow the orange arrow. I couldn't find an actual radar picture with purple in it!)

We all survived, thank goodness, but it was scary!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Mika Edition

2008-05-26T09:03:00.000-04:00

Well, it seems as though more than just Troy and Hilda know about Mika because I had three people vote for him! He has quickly become one of my favorite British imports here in the states. And since he only has one album there won't be much of a traditional mix-up, so instead I will just go through the CD! Here it goes:

Grace Kelly - A great song, his first single both in England and here in the States. Just a fun song, really shows off his vocal range!
Lollipop - A fun song that depending on how you interpret it, could be either childish and fun, or be full of sexual innuendo.
My Interpretation - One of my top four songs on the CD! It just talks about how everything is different for everyone because it is up to their interpretation!
Love Today - A fun and optimistic song, with a great message, that everybody should love everyday, in any way, just love.
Relax (Take It Easy) - Again, fun song. Everyone needs some sort of a break at some point in time.
Ring Ring - It's a good song, probably my least favorite on the album, but it is still a good song.
Any Other World - A great song about the freedom in some places that are not always allowed in certain places.
Billy Brown - Another of my top four from the album. About a man who is married and has kids, and decides to have an affair, with another man. Then goes on vacation by himself and hooks up with a woman.
Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) - Another one in the top four...a song that says everyone is beautiful, no matter of shape or size!
Stuck In The Middle - A good song, again, one I sometimes skip over, but it is about not knowing exactly where to go, which side, etc
Erase - The last of my top four! This is the power ballad on the album, about a guy who calls his ex who he still loves, and leaves a message on her phone, and wants her to erase the message before she listens to it.
Happy Ending - Because all albums should have a happy ending! And this one literally does...a very fun song, complete with choir!

Well that is the debut album from Mika, Life In Cartoon Motion! He is currently working on his second album, which should be out late this year or early next year!

Showing My Feminist Side

2008-05-22T10:07:00.004-04:00

Okay, so for a long time now, I have had a moderate feminist side to me. Maybe it was being surrounded by females all through school, maybe it is the certificate in Womans Studies that accompanies my certificate in Linguistics and my BA in English. Who knows what it is...but my feminist side definitely showed this week.

I had the opportunity to listen to two of the nations most groundbreaking women speak. That's right, both of them are groundbreaking in their own ways....but both either have or are paving the way for women in power positions.

Tuesday, May 20:

On Tuesday I got to listen to and meet the woman who:
- Interviewed every president since Nixon
- Got not just one, but two huge interviews with Fidel Castro
- Has won numerous Emmy awards, along with tons of other journalism awards
- Was the first female co-anchor of a nightly news show

Thats right ladies and gentlemen, I got to listen to a very interesting conversation with Barbara Walters!

She gave a talk, working with our local bookstore, that was actually a conversation between Ms. Walters and a local TV Personality, Laurie Jennings. The night was fun, it was great to hear the stories that she told, and lessons that she has learned in her 78 years! Then she signed books and I got to meet her. Very interesting, very inspirational!

Wednesday, May 21:

So, as we all know this presidential race is like the energizer bunny...it keeps going and going! Well, on Wednesday, the main Energizer Bunny was in South Florida to talk to the people. That's right, the first female presidential candidate to ever win a primary, and to come this far...Hillary Clinton:

She talked about getting the Florida and Michigan votes to count. She focused on the many things that need to get fixed come January 20, 2009. She focused on not necessarialy getting herself into office (even though she did though in a female reference every now and then) but just getting a democrat into office!

She was a phenomenal speaker, and an inspiration to watch. She even used someones sign to make her point!

The Dreams That You Dare to Dream Really Do Come True

2008-05-20T17:58:00.001-04:00

Dreams...so powerful, so mesmerizing, so visual, yet hardly remembered, and I am not talking about the dreams you have when you lay your head on your pillow at night. I am talking about the dreams you have for you, for your future, for your life. We make these dreams for ourselves, but how often do we proceed with them.

Let me start with a question, of everyone who reads this post, please in the comment section answer these questions: (1) When you were a child, what were some of the many careers or jobs you "wanted to do when you grew up" and (2) Are you doing that job now?

If you answered question two with a YES, then congratulations. You have met at least one dream in your life, but now what...Are you done? Is there nothing left...no! Keep making dreams, don't let dreams fade in and out. If you have accomplished a life long dream and have the dream job, great...you still have more of your life to live...so get a new life long dream to work towards!

Now, if you answered the question with a NO, shame on you! What are you doing now that is keeping you from that dream job? Sure many people have a "situation" but more often than not those "situations" are more like excuses in disguise. There is always a way around a situation, but many of us, myself included, get to a roadblock and then give up. Some of us give up temporarily, and some of us give up for good, but many of us give up.

This needs to change. Find a way to get back up, focus on the dream and keep going.

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Police Edition

2008-05-19T19:22:00.002-04:00

Well, thanks everyone for getting out and voting this week! The winner was The Police, in a 75% victory over The Rolling Stones. So, here it is, the Police mix!

So Lonely
Message In A Bottle
Bring On The Night
Don't Stand So Close To Me
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Every Breath You Take
Wrapped Around Your Finger
Walking In Your Footsteps
Synchronicity II
Roxanne

So, it looks like my iTunes decided that the best way to shuffle through the Police is via their greatest hits! I hope y'all enjoyed it! Now go vote for this weeks "newcomer" edition!

Today's the Day

2008-05-14T22:51:00.002-04:00

Yes that is right, as of today I can

Rent a car without having to pay any sort of premium price or insurance rate
Call my car insurance company and say, I'm 25, drop my insurance price!

So yeah, today is my birthday, I am 25 today! A quarter of a century! Wow, but today has been a really fun day. My mom made sure that she got me whatever I wanted for lunch. My parents and grandmother both gave me generous gifts as did some of my fellow Toastmasters!

Oh yeah, it was birthday, and what did I choose to do? I went to my regular Toastmasters meeting, and I gave a speech. It was really nice, because even though I wasn't with my "immediate" family, I was still with family, just a different type!

Oh, and this is the birthday that keeps on giving! I am going to dinner with a friend on Friday, dinner with parents on Saturday, and then dinner with some other friends on Sunday!

So, thanks for everyones birthday wishes...let's see what adventures I get into this year!

"Why Are There So Many Songs About Rainbows...

2008-05-13T17:27:00.003-04:00

...and what's on the other side. Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide. So we've been told and some choose to believe it, I know they're wrong, wait and see. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me. All of us under it's spell, we know that it's probably magic..." (The Rainbow Connection)

Such a simple thing, rainbows. Simply the sun shining on small droplets of moisture in our atmosphere. Yet, they stand for so much more...they really are, almost a realization of dreams and imagination.

You show a kid a rainbow, and more than likely that either from school or from stories, their first instinct is to search for the end of the rainbow, looking for that pot of gold. It becomes an adventure, trying to figure out where it ends, where it begins, and why it's even there. It allows kids to dream this big adventure, to imagine everything that could happen.

A kids imagination is far bigger and more expansive than yours or mine I am sure. They come up with ideas that are far more incredible, far more magical and their dreams are far more fantastical and phenomenal. Yet it seems that there comes a point where this never ending imagination just ceases. Sure we all have brief moments of an insane genius imagination, but the are few and far between.

Why is that? Personally, I think a lot has to do with the boundaries that are placed on us. Boundaries and restriction and limitations, set by everyone from government to management to parents to advisers, etc.

How many of you out there remember being a young kid, and every week you wanted to be something completely different when you grew up? A veterinarian, a firefighter, an actor, a dancer, and list can go on and on. When we were six, seven and eight, that was great! Or how many of you, when you were asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" knew the answer plus every other detail of your future life.

But as we got older we started to hear the "What are you planning to do with your life?" and "What do you really want to be when you grow up? questions. These are the questions that begin to limit our imagination. And now, "grown up" how many of you, when planning a project at work, or planning at home, are limited by restrictions put upon you. It's these limitation that hinder us. They don't allow us to use imagination to our full potential.

I guess what I am saying with this post, is try not to lose that inner child. Find ways, to keep the imagination and creativity alive. Granted, this is much easier if you have kids, but if not there are ways to. I don't have kids (yet) but I find ways, whether through hanging out with my friends kids, or cousins, or just occasionally going to the toy store, just because.

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The U2 Edition

2008-05-12T08:48:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that in the three months I have been doing poll based Mix-Ups that U2 has never been polled or won. So, anyways, the iTunes have mixed and picked its own mix of 10 U2 songs, present and past, so here we go:

Even Better Than The Real Thing (from the album Achtung Baby)
New Year's Day (from the album War)
Love and Peace Or Else (from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
Bullet and the Blue Sky (from the album The Joshua Tree)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (from the album The Joshua Tree)
Pride (In The Name of Love) (from the album Rattle and Hum)
When Love Comes To Town (from the album Rattle and Hum)
Beautiful Day (from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind)
Mysterious Ways (from the album
Like A Song... (from the album War)

I Am Speeching On Wednesday!!!

2008-05-11T18:13:00.003-04:00

So, some of you out in the world of blogs, might know that this Wednesday I will be giving a speech at my Toastmasters club. Some of you might even know that this Wednesday I will be turning a quarter-century old! That's right the big 2-5! The big car insurance break...(except mine is already the cheapest in the house)!

Anyways, I have to give a speech that night, and I know the idea of the speech, but I would love to have some imput and stories from you all! The title of the speech is "Another Year Older, Another Year Dumber" and the idea is that, as you get older, your parents get smarter. The reason behind the parents getting smarter is actually you realizing their advice was the "good advice" or the "right advice" from the beginning.

So, what are some of the situations where you got advice from your parents that you didn't take that ended up going wrong, and you realized years later, if you had only taken your parents advice?

I'm Back...For Real This Time!!!

2008-05-11T18:06:00.003-04:00

Yes, it has been a while since I last posted, trumpeting my win over the nasty cold that held me hostage for days on end! So, what has been going on since my last post that was oh so long ago...well a whole lot of Toastmasters! I am an Area Governor (AG) for a local area in South Florida, and so this past week I got the rest of my visits over. As an AG I have to visit each club in my area (7 clubs) twice during the Toastmaster year, which ends at the end of June. So this past week I finished that and was pleasantly surprised to see that many are farther along in their recognition plans that I had thought.

Anyways, with that out of the way, I can focus on my speech for this Wednesday (see the above post). I can also focus on Mother's Day and the unending number of birthdays that go on in May!

With that, the mix-up last week (where U2 won), will be put up tomorrow, as well as a new poll. Besides that:

Happy Mother's Day

to all mothers out there in the blogosphere!

I'm Back and Better Than Ever

2008-04-29T21:01:00.003-04:00

That's right folks, the cold is gone! The congestion is completely out of my system. No fever, no nastiness, just a whole lot of stress and preparation! Why so much stress you might be asking? Well this Saturday I have to facilitate a seminar on How To Conduct Productive Meetings...no problem right? Well, it is a 30 page presentation that is "pre-written" for me and estimated at a 1 hour presentation. On top of that they give you a prepared Power Point presentation, which for a 30 page presentation, you are lucky if you have 5 slides...so I am in the process of making my own power point! Thats just a little bit as to why I am stressed. I am also in the process of trying to find a full time job, trying to clean and organize everything, and just get back to the ease of life, pre-cold.

Anyways, there is a new poll up, so please vote! There will be no mix-up this week, but here's what you can look for throughout the week:
1 - The 5 Meme
2- Book Review - The Last Lecture
3- Maybe some more "inspirational" posts

This is Cold That Would Not End...

2008-04-21T16:49:00.002-04:00

Does anyone remember the song from Sherri Lewis' Lamb Chops Play Along, that went "This is the song that doesn't end/yes it goes on and on my friend/Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was/And they'll continue singing it forever just because/<>"

Well that is what this cold that I have been fighting has felt like! It kinda started a couple weeks ago when I got a scratchy throat. Didn't think much of it, drank a bunch of hot green tea, took airborn, etc. The sore throat went away. Then on Thursday of last week it hit me like an Acme Anvil in a Wylie Coyote cartoon. I woke up with a fever of 100.6. Not to bad. But, by the end of the day it had felt as though my throat had completely closed up and my fever had gone up to 102.6. So Friday I called the doctor at 11 and said I need to get there as soon as he was leaving at 12. So I got to the office and got looked at. I knew something was odd when everyone in the waiting room was fanning themselves, yet I was sitting there with a sweatshirt and freezing! He gave me antibiotics and sent me home for rest and fluids. So I rested.

Then on Saturday, things got no better! Throat still closed, body still emitting enough heat to fry a small egg. In fact at one point on Saturday the fever spiked up 103.3 degrees! I franticlly searched for remedies online, only to find one odd one having to do with egg white drenched material on the bottom of you feet. The one positive thing though, and the bright point of the whole sickness was on Saturday morning, Lil Phez called to see if I wanted to go to the park. I politely said I couldn't. So yesterday, things stayed pretty bad, fever again spiking to 103, but by the evening it was 102.4...WOO HOO!!! It went down!

Then this morning I woke up and I was cool to the touch, so I took my temperature, and it was 99.7! Yay! Well this cold is finally on its way out, even though I still have 14 more horse size antibiotic pills left to take! But I feel so much better.

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The ABBA Edition

2008-04-21T16:43:00.003-04:00

Well, this weeks winner was ABBA! It should be a fun and high energy way to start the week off, right? Plus, if you are a real ABBA fan, then you should go this summer and see Mamma Mia in theaters! Anyways, here it is:

When I Kissed the Teacher
Dancing Queen
Happy Hawaii
Fernando
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Take A Chance On Me
Voulez Vous
Money, Money, Money
Chiquita
The Name Of The Game

So, the new poll will be up by the end of the day or first thing tomorrow. Please, please, please make recommendations for future polls.

Have A Little Faith

2008-04-14T21:32:00.003-04:00

Faith...it really is a funny thing. What exactly is faith? Is it purely religious, or does it know no boundaries?

Faith, can be defined as many things, but the form of faith I am talking about is the ability to believe and rely on things that are not tangible, not proven, not necessarily able to even be proven.

This whole year, I have been reading books and listening to seminars that have helped me to reflect on myself and the way I live and the world around me. It has been a journey that has been rejuvenating and welcomed. I have began to discover things about myself that I hope to change for the better. One of those things is to begin to have more faith. Not necessarily faith in myself or faith in others, but rather, faith in the sense of the definition above.

I have always prided myself as being fairly optimistic about almost anything. But I want to take it a step further. There is more than just looking "on the sunny side of the street." There is more than seeing the glass as half full. I want to begin to believe in what is not seen, not just in terms of spirituality and religion, but in the world. I want to look and believe in the good that is there in everyone. I want to be able to believe the way a child does, that anything you tell them is possible and that all dreams are obtainable.

Somewhere between being born and becoming an "adult" we seem to lose that faith in dreams and in the impossible. I am taking a leap here, but I bet, if more of us were to "find" that faith that we lost, or we can encourage the youth of this world to keep that faith, then this world would be a better place and so many things could be different. If we believed in the dreams and the impossible would there be such a thing as cancer or AIDS, or would we have found a cure already? Would we of had a Woman or African-American president prior to now possibly? What could be?

Please, feel free to comment on your ideas of faith, and anything that I have said above....all is welcome!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Cover Edition

2008-04-14T13:02:00.003-04:00

Well since it was a tie, I decided that this weeks mix-up would be devoted to cover songs. And in the light that Carly Simon did tie, one of the cover songs will be a song originally sung by Carly! It will be the only song not to be "shuffled" into the mix...so lets get on with the show:

Anticipation (sung by Mandy Moore, originally Carly Simon) This CD of Mandy Moore's is a great collection. All cover songs from the 70s and 80 and this Carly song is one of the many standouts!
Begin The Beguine (sung by Sheryl Crow, originally Cole Porter)
I Only Have Eyes For You (sung by Jamie Cullum, originally Peggy Lee)
Over The Rainbow (sung by Catherine Britt, originally Judy Garland) I have come to the conclusion that there could possibly be no bad version of this song. It's all about dreaming and being able to dream!
Mockingbird (sung by Toby Keith & Crystal Keith, originally James Taylor & Carly Simon) So we got two Carly Simon references in! This one was shuffled in!
Heartbreak Hotel (sung by Willie Nelson & Leon Russell, originally Elvis Presley)
The Way You Look Tonight (sung by Rod Stewart, originally Fred Astaire)
Wanted Dead or Alive (sung by Chris Cagle, originally Bon Jovi) A great country rock version of the song. I remember when the album that it is on came out, they were interviewing Chris and he had sent the version to Jon Bon Jovi, who replied that it was possibly the best version of that song he had heard, and he included his own version!
Stairway to Heaven (sung by Dolly Parton, originally Led Zeppelin) I absolutely love this version of this song! The original is fantastic, but this understated and simple take is just beautiful.
Missing You (sung by Alison Krauss, originally John Waite)

Well that was a little more difficult than I had anticipated, since my iTunes doesn't have a "covers" category, but it was fun! Until next week!

A Change Can Do You Good

2008-04-13T23:32:00.002-04:00

Over this past weekend, I read The Last Lecture, a book by Professor Randy Pausch, based on the lecture he gave at Carnegie Mellon. Over the next few weeks, I plan to change things around on my blog. I want to begin to post more blogs that are open for interpretation, allow for more reader interaction, and so forth.

So in the next couple of days, you can expect the usual Monday Morning Mix-Up, as well as a book review of The Last Lecture. But in addition there will be other things that I look forward to hearing from you about!

The Things That Come Out Of A Toddlers Mouth

2008-04-12T08:49:00.001-04:00

I don't know how many of you out there know this, but TroyBoy over at Pheasantly Fascinating is a real close friend of mine! In fact I hang out with him, The Lady Pheasant (Mama Phez) and the two little Pheasants at least once a week. For the sake of naming and labeling, lets call the two little Pheasants, Lil Phez and Baby Phez!

Well, about a month ago I was over at the Pheasant residence when Lil Phez declared he was hungry. The conversation between Lil Phez and TroyBoy went something like this:

Lil Phez: Daddy, I would like a snack please.
TroyBoy: Okay, what would you like?
Lil Phez: I would like something cold daddy.
TroyBoy: Okay.
Lil Phez: Ice cream is cold daddy.

Well, he did not get the ice cream that night (this was before dinner). Instead I believe he got apple sauce. At least that was cold!

A Meme, A Dinner, & A Movie

2008-04-11T09:30:00.001-04:00

So this meme was started with a fellow blogger friend TroyBoy, and I figured I would take a try at it! Here is the premise...(1) Think of you favorite movie, but don't post it! Then (2) create a meal (as many or as few courses as you wish) around that movie. And finally (3) write down your meal of choice and let us out there in the blogging world figure out your favorite movie! (Recipe for meal not necessary).

So here is my meal:

Black & White Duo: Caviar on White Italian Crustini
Yellow Corn Salad with a Technicolortini: Cold yellow corn salad with ruby red and emerald green peppers. Served with a layered martini featuring a rainbow of liquors.
Cow of a Different Color: Beef three ways
No Place Like Homemade Apple Pie - Served on a blue gingham tablecloth

So there is my meal...now what movie does it relate to?

Just a Thought

2008-04-10T11:57:00.005-04:00

Last night I watched a special on ABC entitled, The Last Lecture. This was inspired by a lecture that was given by a professor at Carnagie Mellon University, Randy Pausch. The idea behind a last lecture, is that the professor is asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, the audience cannot help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

Well, Professor Pausch, didn't have to think hard about this topic. He had previously been diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer, and a month before the lecture he was told that rather than responding to treatment, the cancer had metasticized and spread to the liver and kidneys. He was told he had between 3 and 6 months of good health left. This was in August 2007. Luckily, he is still in good health today.

In his own words, even with everything that is going on in his life, "I don't know, how to not have fun. I'm dying and I am having fun."

Think about that...

If you want to download the last lecture you can download it through iTunes (for no charge). Also, they allow the use of the lecture without authorization for any non-commercial use.

Concerts!

2008-04-08T08:35:00.001-04:00

So, there have been posts previously about favorite movie quotes and meeting celebrities, which made me think, what concerts has everyone out there gone to? I'll start by listing the concerts I've been to, if you want to play along, just leave me a note and let me know!

Styx/REO Speedwagon/Def Leppard - Okay, so this is my most recent concert experience (last Saturday night) and I realized one thing...It seems that I am a bigger REO fan than I thought...I new the words to every song, except their most recent, a song from last year! Good concert! I also had the experience previously about 10 years ago when I saw just Styx and REO Speedwagon!
Billy Joel - A legend, who puts on such a simple yet fantastic show! It was just two hours of hit after hit after hit!
Ozzfest (featuring Black Sabbath & Marilyn Manson)
Green Day (with My Chemical Romance)
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill (Soul2Soul Tour & Soul2Soul II Tour) - So special I had to see it twice! These are two of my favorite country superstars, and it just happens that they are married and toured together, three times! They put on a great show!
Shania Twain (Up! Tour, Come On Over Tour, & Television Special Taping with Backstreet Boys and Elton John) - So I went through a Shania obsession period for a while...but it was fun! I still love her music (if she ever puts anything new out?) and my last concert experience was great...I was on the floor and got to go up towards the stage and she signed my program and 2 CD covers, and gave me a high five! Very memorable!
Backstreet Boys
Jo Dee Messina (Burn Tour (2x), Delicious Surprise Tour (2x)) - My favorite country artist of all time! She mixes rock with country and is so energetic! Always a great show and whenever she is in a town I am in...I will be there!
Y-100 WingDing (featuring Destiny's Child & Jessica Simpson)
Madonna (The Re-Invention Tour) - This was kind of a fluke concert...I went to get tickets which sold out immediately, and figured I wouldn't go. A couple days before the concert I looked on a broker site who had 2 upper level tickets for only $25 each! I grabbed them and had a blast. Oh, and the seats, were really good too!
Kelly Clarkson (Breakaway Tour & Independence/Truth Tour with Clay Aiken) - Kelly puts on a great show and it was a lot of fun! I took my mom to the one with Clay because she likes him so we both had a good time!
Duran Duran (The Astronaut Tour) - So much fun! This was for their previous album and it was fun...I was on the floor, about 10 rows from the stage, and with 2 close friends. All fun!
American Idol Tour (Seasons 2, 4, & 5)
Spice Girls (The Spiceworld Tour) - Okay, enough said...I was 10, first tour ever...went with friends...

Upcoming Tours I Plan on Going to:

Reba McEntire

So what are the concerts you have gone to? Are planning to go to? What is your ultimate dream concert? If you want to reminisce with me about the music we've seen, just let me know in the comments!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Week of Rest Edition

2008-04-07T09:32:00.002-04:00

So, as many of you might have noticed, there was no poll this week for the Monday Morning Mix-Up! Well I will be skipping the Mix-Up this week, and instead, come back later today for an all new post about Concerts (a post that all of you out there in the blogosphere can take part in.) Once that post is up, the new poll will be up with it!

Catch ya later!

The Soundtrack of Your Life

2008-04-02T22:01:00.003-04:00

I was over at The Mind Wobbles, who was over at The Geek Inside and read a comment from Seven that mentioned a meme. Of course Sari was the one being tagged, not me - Seven's never heard of me, but I don't care - you know me and memes!

So, here are the instructions per Seven:

Open your music library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod, whatever)
Put it on shuffle
Press play
For every question below, type the song that’s playing
New question — press the next button
Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

Opening Credits: The Longest Time by Billy Joel
Waking Up: Let's Hear It For The Boy by Deniece Williams
First Day At School: Human Touch by Bruce Springsteen
Falling In Love: Smile by Lonestar
Breaking Up: Lost Unto This World by Emmylou Harris
Prom: Wasted by Brandi Carlile
Life's Okay: Nobody's Hero by Bon Jovi
Mental Breakdown: The Hard Way by Faith Hill
Driving: Some Things Never Change by Tim McGraw
Flashback: Run To You by Bryan Adams
Getting Back Together: Without You by Harry Nilsson
Wedding: Some Things Never Get Old by Vince Gill
Birth of Child: I'm Alive from the soundtrack to Xanadu
Final Battle: How Long Is Forever by Willie Nelson
Death Scene: A Perfectly Good Heart by Taylor Swift
End Credits: Try Again by Keane

And that my blogging friends is my life set to music! Enjoy!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: A Jazzy/Rocky/Country-Folky Edition

2008-03-31T10:53:00.002-04:00

Well, this week there was a three way tie! And instead of breaking the tie this week, I decided, since many of these are my favorites, to put all three into the Mix-Up! One of them will have four songs, and I haven't decided which one yet...that will be a bonus! Anyways, here it is, the Mixed Up, Monday Morning Mix Up:

Jimmy Buffett

Only Time Will Tell (from the album Banana Wind)
Delaney Talks to Statues (from the album Fruitcake) - Very pretty song, somewhat family oriented...sweet song, very beachy!
Conky Tonkin' (from the album License to Chill, featuring Clint Black) - Such a great song with so many great references for us Miami (some of them many people will know, like the loacations) folk! Lets list them all: South Beach, US1, Key Largo, Dadeland Mall, and Key West.

Queen

Somebody to Love (from the album A Day At The Races) - I know this might be mildly sac religious but, this song almost sounds something that Disney would of come up with! I like the song, but it is kinda cheesy!
Mother Love (from the album Made In Heaven)
Headlong (from the album Queen Rocks)

Diana Krall

Exactly Like You (from the album From This Moment On)
Frim Fram Sauce (from the album All For You) - One of my favorite Diana cover songs (originally performed by the Nat King Cole Trio). It's a fun, cool, jazz song that is fun to sing along too!

Harry Connick, Jr.

He Is, They Are (from the album Blue Light Red Light)
A Spoonful of Sugar (from the album Songs I Heard) - This is one of my all time favorite albums! It is Harry singing all the songs you might remember from when you were a kid! He does songs from Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Sound of Music, Annie, and others. It is a great CD! And of course, this song is great too!

The Week-End Wrap & Review: The Two Week In Waiting Edition (Part II)

2008-03-28T17:45:00.002-04:00

So it has been a long while since I have done a week-end wrap up. So there is somethings to catch up on, but nothing to major. So here it is...

What I Saw: Over the past few weeks, I have been watching many different things between TV and Movies! Lets see, I saw I Am Legend with Will Smith. It was a good movie, lots of action and high octane. However, I had two issues with the movie: (1) it seemed as though we have seen this movie before and (2) the "zombie" creatures could of been computer created a little better than they were. I also watched Syndey White, which was a cute high-school/teenager romantic comedy. It was silly, but entertaining. I also watched the first season of The X-Files. I remember when this show started on television, and my mom would watch it weekly. I never really got into it back then, but now I love it! Working on Season 2 now!

What I Heard: Been listening to the Beatles lately...well ever since American Idol had their contestants singing the songs. Speaking of American Idol, that is something else I have been watching...my favorites are Brooke White and David Cook! I have also been listening to Reba McEntire and her latest album, Duets. I am really excited because I have tickets to go see her at the Hard Rock Live in April!

What I Read: Right now I am completely involved in Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is just so unabashingly honest and sincere that you want to read more and more. So hopefully I will finish that in the next week.

So that is it! Let me know what everyone out there has been up to this week?

I Cannot Make This Stuff Up!

2008-03-26T09:42:00.002-04:00

So, while reading the Washington Post online, I have stumbled onto another "fantastically" wonderful article talking about John McCain's daughter Meghan. It seems she is trying to show everyone she is not the stereotypical blonde, and she has this to say:

"Because I love shoes, and who doesn't want to know what kind of shoes Dr. Kissinger wears?"

and

"I'm so sick of being called dumb because I like, you know, movies and music and fashion."

I can't make this stuff up!

What The???

2008-03-25T17:09:00.002-04:00

So everyday I read through the news at various online news sites. I check many of them throughout the day to remain abreast on what is going on. Well, earlier today I went to CNN to see the daily news when up above the site, with a red background was a Breaking News bullitin, that read, and I kid you not:

Non-Nuclear Ballistic Missile Parts Sent to Taiwan by Mistake

Okay, who's getting fired or resigning over this one?

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: Soundtracks Galore

2008-03-24T10:33:00.003-04:00

Well, this week there was more votes (Yay!)! Which means there was a little competition, and the winner this week are songs from soundtracks! So, here we go!

Camellia (sung by Bette Midler, from the soundtrack to The Rose)
Work It Out (sung by Beyonce, from the soundtrack to Austin Powers: Goldmember)
Leaving on a Jet Plane (sung by Chantal Kreviazuk, from the soundtrack to Armageddon)
You're The Top (sung by Cole Porter, from the soundtrack to De-Lovely)
Mack the Knife (sung by Kevin Spacey, from the soundtrack to Beyond The Sea)
Razzle Dazzle (sung by Richard Gere, from the soundtrack to Chicago)
Science Fiction/Double Feature (sung by Richard O'Brien, from the soundtrack to Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Old Plank Road (sung by Robin & Linda Williams, from the soundtrack to A Prairie Home Companion)
Murder He Says (sung by Tori Amos, from the soundtrack to Mona Lisa Smile)
My Generation (sung by The Who, from the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)

Okay, so it kinda turned into a mix of soundtracks and cover songs, but thats the way the iTunes wanted it! Don't forget to vote for next weeks Mix-Up and offer suggestions!

So Long, Farewell...

2008-03-21T16:25:00.003-04:00

So, last year both Troyboy and Hilda kept talking about a little show called Jericho! How great it is, you have to watch it. Well, I finally got the Season 1 DVD's and went through them all in about 4 days! After Season 1, the show was cancelled, and because of fan support brought back for another season.

I've watched all of Season 2 and the final episode airs on Tuesday night. Well it looks like it will be the FINAL final episode!

(article taken from USA Today, Friday March 22)

Nuts!: 'Jericho' canceled again

This just in: Despite the efforts of devoted fans and its groundbreaking resurrection from the dead, CBS has decided that Jericho will be no longer. Producers have been told that the season finale will air Tuesday, with an ending that will give fans some closure, but not the cliffhanger that was anticipated. Can fans save the show again? How many more nuts will it take this time to keep the show on the air? Maybe upgrade to macadamia nuts? Get more details on the show's cancellation.

UPDATE: CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler has issued a statement. In a nutshell, the show is over.

"The March 25th episode of Jericho will be the series finale. Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more. We thank an engaged and spirited fan base for keeping the show alive this long, and an outstanding team of producers, cast and crew that went through creative hoops to deliver a compelling, high quality second season. We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try. We listened to our viewers, gave the series an opportunity to grow, and the producers put a great story on the screen. We're proud of everyone's efforts."

Throwing My Hat Into The Ring

2008-03-20T21:32:00.001-04:00

Well, since many of my blogging friends have shifted focus into politics, I feel iI might as well get my opinion heard! Now, since this campaign has started I had flip-flopped my views and favorable candidates more times than John Kerry in Congress! There were many candidates on both party lines that I have like, some that I have disliked, and some that have no business running (Mr. Nader)!

So, you might be asking now, who is your choice for the Democratic nominee? Well, I am so glad you asked, because, my choice is not the "usual 24 year olds choice" in that I favor Hilary Clinton! After researching much of what she has done and the committees that she has worked on I feel that she is best suited at this time to be the next president. She seems as though she has the power needed and the gumption to get this country back to where it needs to be.

Now, I do like Obama. I think he is a wonderful man, an exquisite speaker, and will make an exceptional president...in 8 years! I have always enjoyed hearing this man speak, and yesterday's race inspired speech was no different. However, I believe that the introduction of race as a major point in this election could be what brings him down. Since this has occurred, his 14 point lead over Clinton has dwindled to 3 points, statistically insignificant. And today, it is being reported that Senator Clinton has a 7 point lead over Obama, something that while it was recorded prior to his March 18 speech, did not change after the speech.

Initially, I felt that the race issue was actually in Obama's favor. In America it seems as though we are more willing and accepting of being called sexist, and therefore more people would willingly attack Hilary Clinton's character as a woman. However, we are still extremely afraid of being called racist, and therefore there were no attacks to Obama's character (weather or not there is call for it).

Another idea that has irked me, is that it seems Obama was constantly saying that the election results were not about race, even though many time exit polls showed it was. In Mississippi 91% of African-Americans voted for Obama, and 72% of Caucasians voted for Clinton! If that is not a racially divided election, then what is?

Finally, is the newest of the Obama issues. Recently, his church and Reverend have been in the news, for issues and things that have been said. Now, I greatly respect Obama for the ways in which he has handled this issue. I think it was commendable that rather than attacking the messenger of these words he attacked the message that they bring. On the other hand, these comments that have been made, have not been a one time thing. In fact, this Reverend is known for some of the controversy he has stirred up in the past. In fact, many of the sermons that contained these "controversial" messages, is available as a DVD sold at the church. However, can you honestly tell me that after 20 years of going to this church, of being a member, being married by this Reverend, and having your children baptized by this Reverend, that you don't subscribe to some of what he has to say?

Take this example, I am a member of Toastmasters International. I joined to improve my oral communication skills and I have been a member for almost 5 years now. If I were to say that all of my oral communication skills and improvements were not due to this organization and denounce Toastmasters, I would be lying. There are things that are learned and followed from that program, just like there are things that are learned and followed from years in church. Now, I am not calling Senator Obama a lier, I am just saying that it is hard to believe that by denouncing Reverend Wright, the Senator does not still subscribe to the beliefs and doctrines that he has listened to in church for 20 years.

Please let me know your feelings on this subject!

A Question to the Blogging Masses

2008-03-20T09:06:00.002-04:00

As everyone should know Senators Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton are both running for the Democratic nomination for the office of President of the United States of America. This is an exciting time for our country, a woman and a man of color are the possible candidates! Could it be that our country has finally accepted both of these "minorities" into power playing roles?

Up until now I have always thought that Senator Obama's race has helped him to a point. It seems as though in this country, comedians, late night talk show hosts, and everyday people have no problem being called sexist. However, there is a much greater fear of being called a racist. So while Leno and Letterman can comment on Senator Clinton's sex or even Senator McCain's age, the do not touch anything relating to the character of Senator Obama.

I recently read a couple of my blogging friends posts about events that have happened over the past week, in relation to Senator Obama and race. I wrote a fairly long post in response to their posts as well as detailing my view on the situation, but I too have fallen into the category of being feared to be called racist, even though I don't attack Senator Obama's character but rather his possible beliefs.

So here is my question to you bloggers out there, how is that as a country we have gone so far as to have an African-American as the current leading candidate, but are still afraid to criticize him because of skin color? Isn't it the criticism that helps people to grow?

Star Gazing (previously known as Star Struck or Star Struck: The Borrowed Edition)

2008-03-17T16:42:00.010-04:00

So, like my good friend TroyBoy I have decided to follow the advice of Sari and view the Sveedish blog put up by Eva! It is truly a great blog and if you have a chance go over and visit. It's fun, it's silly, and it has ramblings about her little boy, who she affectionately (I am assuming) calls Boog!

Well, she recently put up a post about the celebrities that she has met throughout her life, and since TroyBoy decided to "borrow" it, I figured I would do the same, just rename it as well! So here it goes, my Star Gazing Experiences!

1. Dave Barry - I have met Dave Barry at various times throughout my years here in Miami. He is a local celebrity in the way that, he lives locally, even though he is famous nationally! Anyways, I have had the chance to talk to him at book signings, the International Book Fair, and at his world nationally renowned Herald Hunt! Oh, and most of the times that I have met him he "claims" to remember me!

2. Jo Dee Messina - The country superstar is by far my favorite country singer! Jo Dee Messina has so much energy and such a variety of music that she performs, you never ever ever get bored. So the last time she was in town (doing a post Marlin game concert) I got tickets as well as a meet & greet pass and got to meet her, get autographs, and a picture! Very much a highlight! (See picture below)
3. Chuck Palahniuk - Chuck (we're on a first name basis) is my absolute favorite author. He is creative, dimented, and hysterical! He is most famous for writing Fight Club, but has written so many other books as well. On his tour for his most recent book, Rant, is where I had the opportunity to meet him. He was so kind, and did a reading of other works of his (non-published) that kept everyone entertained. (Of course all while throwing Moose Heads and rubber chickens into the audience for correct trivia answers). Mrs. Pheasantly Fascinating actually went with me to this even and took a picture of me and Chuck...

4. Sylvester Stallone - When I was very young (maybe eight) I did the Old Cutler Hike here in Miami with Cub Scouts. The hike goes from the Freedom Torch at Bayfront Park all the way into South Miami. On the trail, there were a couple of us who were talking and fell behind a little. While we were walking, just outside of the Grove (Sly's home at the time) a car drove by, and asked what everyone was walking for. We quickly recognized Mr. Stallone, and told him about it. He wished us luck and drove off.

5. Anderson Cooper - Last summer Anderson Cooper was in town doing a book signing and a short talk. He is so charismatic and normal that it is amazing. You would have thought that being up close to seeing everything that happened after the Tsunami in the South Pacific and then Katrina in New Orleans and Mississippi would have bittered someone, but not Anderson, he seems stronger from it. My dad and I went to listen to him, and when we got to meet him, my dad's only question was, what did he tell his stylist on how to cut his hair! (Side note: My father has a magazine cover with Anderson on it that he brings to the barber to cut his hair similar!)

6. Isabelle Allende - This was a weeknight seminar that the Miami International Book Fair put on a couple years ago. Mrs. Allende talked about her wide variety of books (House of the Spirits, Ines of My Soul, Zorro) and answered questions. Then she went and signed books for hours and hours, talking and conversing with everyone!

7. Rosie O'Donnell - Again, a book signing, for her first book Find Me. It wasn't really a meeting. It was more of a hello, signed book, shook hand, said have a nice day, or night. But still, it was really neat. And let me tell you something else, when Rosie has a book signing, there are some real interesting people who come out of the woodworks! (Present company excluded)

8. Buddy Guy - I got to meet Mr.Guy (sounds so anonymous doesn't it) on a plane from Miami to Tallahassee. He was a very very nice guy, willing to tell me all about growing up in Louisiana and moving to Chicago. He was playing a few gigs at one of the jazz bars in Tallahassee. I couldn't go as I was with other family up there, but he was on my plane up to Tallahassee one other time as well! He's my buddy!

9. O.J. Simpson - I have actually met this guy a few times over the years (that he willingly went outside the house here in Miami). He used to shop at my Publix as well as frequent the local Irish Tavern (that happens to be next to the said Publix). Anyways, it looks doubtful that I will be seeing him anytime soon!

I guess that's all the celebrities and famous people that I can think of! If I think of other's I'll post it separately. So who would I still like to meet? Well: Stephen King, Gregory Maguire, John Connolly to name a few! Who would you like to meet?

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Madonna Edition

2008-03-17T10:14:00.003-04:00

Well, once again, a record vote and a unanimous decision! Thats right, another week of just one single lonely vote! The theme to the poll this week was Hall of Famers, with John Mellencamp and Madonna being inducted last week, REM last year, and Blondie in 2006. Well that one singular vote went to the ever evolving Madonna! So here it goes:

Die Another Day (from the album American Life) - The song that possibly started the whole dance floor phase of Madonna! A good song, a decent Bond song!
Beautiful Stranger (from the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) - A great retro style song! What was even better was seeing the video for the song!
Bedtime Story (from the album Bedtime Stories)
Like It Or Not (from the album Confessions on a Dance Floor) - A great beat to this song! This is a great contemporary album that seems to have completely rejuvenated Madonna into a new generation!
Vogue (from the album I'm Breathless) - A classic Madonna song! Who doesn't know most of the words to this song!
Love Song (from the album Like a Prayer) - It's early Madonna! So different from current Madonna, but still good. (Even though it seems there is a reason this wasn't a single!)
Think of Me (from the album Madonna) - Even more classic, from her very first album!
Don't Tell Me (from the album Music) - Probably one of my top two Madonna albums (the other being Ray of Light) and this song is great! I remember listening to this song the first time and thinking there was something wrong with the CD because it sounds as though it is skipping in the beginning!
Swim (from the album Ray of Light) - My favorite Madonna album! From beginning to end it has a flow about it that just keeps you entranced!
La Isla Bonita (from the album True Blue) - A very fun, very Florida-esque song!

Well that is is for this weeks mix up! Please send me suggestions for future voting selections!

Yeah, Right

2008-03-11T14:06:00.002-04:00

So I just stumbled across this headline at Billboard's website:

Hanson Gets Serious On Tour

How serious can three young guys who once sang Mmm Bop get? Not very serious if you ask me!

The Movie Quote Meme

2008-03-10T21:43:00.006-04:00

I got this thanks to Hilda at The Mind Wobbles! So have fun guessing the movies! The directions are below! If you would like to play along just, let me know!

Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie.
Post them on your blog for everyone to guess in the comments.
Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.

GUESSERS: NO Googling/using IMDB search functions. I mean, you can cheat if you want, but that's no fun? One movie guess per human allowed in the comments.

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be? Dead Poets Society (TroyBoy)
It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something. Crash (Hilda)
~~I bet she gives great helmet.~~ Spaceballs (Dawn)
Christian, you may see me only as a drunken, vice-ridden gnome whose friends are just pimps and girls from the brothels. But I know about art and love, if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being. Moulin Rouge (Hilda)
...and then there was the time he walked up to this group of tourists and they were petrified because A they were obviously lost, and B had probably never spoken to a drag queen before in their lives... and he... she just offered to escort them out of Alphabet City... and then she let them take a picture with her and then she said she'd help 'em find the Circle Line... Rent (Hilda)
[~~singing] There's children throwing snowballs / instead of throwing heads / they're busy building toys / and absolutely no one's dead!~~ The Nightmare Before Christmas (Dawn)
~~I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.~~ Monty Python & The Holy Grail (Dawn)
There's a time when a man needs to fight and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny's lost, the ship has sailed and that only a fool will continue. The truth is I've always been a fool.
Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got? The Wizard of Oz (Dawn)
First of all, Papa Smurf didn't create Smurfette. Gargamel did. She was sent in as Gargamel's evil spy with the intention of destroying the Smurf village. But the overwhelming goodness of the Smurf way of life transformed her. And as for the whole gang-bang scenario, it just couldn't happen. Smurfs are asexual. They don't even have... reproductive organs under those little, white pants. It's just so illogical, you know, about being a Smurf. You know, what's the point of living... if you don't have a dick? Donnie Darko (Eva)

Have fun everyone! I will let you know when one is answered!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Neil Diamond Edition

2008-03-10T21:12:00.003-04:00

Well it was a record turnout in the voting booth this week! And it was also unanimous this week as to who walked away as the Mix-Up winner... now this might not seem as big of a feat as many of you are thinking. You see, the record turnout was a record low...only 1 person voted, therefore the lucky winner had 100% of the votes...and the winner was Neil Diamond! All these songs have come from (1) The Essential Neil Diamond (2) Three Chord Opera (3) 12 Songs. So, here it is the Neil Diamond Mix:

Solitary Man - A classic (as though most of these aren't!)
Red, Red Wine - So, now here is my question, did Neil Diamond cover UB40 or did UB40 cover Neil Diamond, because until now I had never heard this version. Update: I now know, that Neil Diamond is the genius behind this song!
I Am...I Said - It is a good song! Love the references throughout, "Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of being a king?"
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
Brother Love's Salvation Show - A good song, even though it sounds like something that Eddie would of sung in Rocky Horror Picture Show! Update: Sorry, the words were mixed up in my head! Title of the song is fixed!
September Morn
You Are The Best Part Of Me - I am beginning to think that Neil Diamond doesn't like Saturday Nights, he seems to reference them, in negative ways in many songs!
A Mission of Love - Very old fashioned, Elvis, Big Band, style! A great message, in a nicely refreshing song!
Save Me A Saturday Night - A nice song, but slow, and again another depressing Saturday Night!
We - My absolute favorite Neil Diamond song! It is from his latest CD 12 Songs, and it is just such a light song with so much meaning!

Well that is it for this week! So please please please vote for next week! You have the opportunity to choose the music!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Dixie Chicks Edition

2008-03-03T15:02:00.004-05:00

You voted for it, so here it is, the Dixie Chicks version of the Monday Morning Mix-Up! Just a quick note, at the 2007 Grammy Awards, the Dixie Chicks became one of the very few who won all three top Grammy Awards. "Not Ready to Make Nice" won Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and Taking The Long Way won Album of the Year...all of which was extremely deserving!

Sin Wagon (from the album Fly) - A great upbeat number about everything that isn't supposed to be allowed...like "a little mattress dancing"
Truth No. 2 (from the album Home)
You Can't Hurry Love (from the Runaway Bride soundtrack) - A great version of this song, that is actually rather poppy than country.
I Hope (from the album Taking The Long Way) - There is not a single song on this album that does has no meaning to it! Everything is simply fantastic!
Wide Open Spaces (from the album Wide Open Spaces) - The song that started it all! Three girls from Texas...who would of thought?
Top Of The World (from the album Home)
Easy Silence (from the album Taking The Long Way) - Another great song from their defining album!
Cowboy Take Me Away (from the albums Fly & Top of the World Live)
Goodbye Earl (from the album Fly) - Because Earl Had To Die!
Long Time Gone (from the albums Home & Top of the World Live)

Also, don't forget to vote on next weeks selection, and leave suggestions of possible Mix-Ups in the future!

The Week-End Wrap & Review: The Two Week In Waiting Edition

2008-03-03T14:46:00.002-05:00

Well it has been at least two weeks since I have done a weekly update! Now there is method to my madness...you see, a review wouldn't be very entertaining (I am assuming that it is entertaining to begin with) without anything to review...but instead now I have much to review, so lets begin:

What I Saw: Let's start with the most recent movie that I have watched, No Country For Old Men. Yes, this is the same film that just won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars two weeks ago! Now, while I was watching the movie, I had many questions and various things going through my mind...mostly trying to figure out the protagonist from the antagonist. By the end of the movie, I was just kinda blah about it, but upon reading some interesting interpretations, I want to give the movie a second shot, maybe watch it again. I also watched Enchanted. The latest Disney movie, was well...exactly that, a Disney movie! I think the most violence in the entire movie, was an evil henchman trying to throw a chipmunk into a pizza burner (but failing). However, it was still a good movie...just a lot of fluff!

What I Heard: What haven't I heard this week. I have still been playing the new Dolly Parton album, Backwoods Barbie, which has been getting fantastic reviews. I have also gone a bit retro this week and the car CD player has been playing James Taylor's Greatest Hits! I love my James Taylor! So much so, that does anyone want to go on a road-trip to see him in Atlanta at the end of May? (It's the closest he is coming to Miami)

What I Read: Nothing! These past two weeks have been filled with absolutely no reading...mostly because work has actually been busy! Who would of thought?

Well, that is the review for now...lots of movie info, some music, and no books!

Leaplings

2008-02-29T13:51:00.002-05:00

Well, for all of you out there in the blogging world, here is an interesting tidbit of personal information. My great uncle (my grandfather's brother) is turning 23 years old! He was born in 1916 and is turning 23!

Actually, today is only the 23rd time since he was born that he gets to celebrate his birthday! He is a leapling and while he is actually going to be 92, its just more fun to say 23!

Also, one of my best friends sister is celebrating her 1 year wedding anniversary today! Granted, its 3 years late...but she did get married in a leap year!

So Happy Birthday PetePop and Happy Anniversary Dawn & Kerry!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up :Tuesday's Singer/Songwriter Edition

2008-02-26T21:25:00.003-05:00

Okay, so what...a day late, a buck short, I'm writing the report...wait that's a different song... Anyways, here it is, the brand spankin' new Monday Mix-Up. You voted for it...it is the Singer/Songwriter Edition:

Jewel - Jesus Loves You (from the album This Way) - A song that makes your think of the world around, and hey it even says "showing tata's on the TV is okay"
Ryan Adams - If I Am A Stranger (from the album Everybody Knows EP) - Another good song. This artist I started liking when I went to UF, but have yet to see him live. His genre stretches from soft to heavy rock to bluegrass and country!
Don McLean - Till Tomorrow (from the album American Pie) - A classic album, a classic singer, a great song!
Carly Simon - You're So Vein (from the album Reflections) - So... is it Mick or Warren or James?
John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads (from the album The Essential John Denver) - One of my all time favorite "oldies." It reminds me of the campfires at one of the Boy Scout camps I used to go to. We would all sit around and sing John Denver, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan songs for hours!
James Taylor - My Traveling Star (from the album October Road)
Kenny Loggins - Return to Pooh Corner (from the album Return to Pooh Corner)
Paul Simon - The Boy In The Bubble (from the album The Essential Paul Simon)
Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Work (from the album Forrest Gump) - A fantastic song, and one that I would probably dub the most provocative and the most meaningful of all rock and roll, mainly for the time it was done and the message that it sent out.
Peter, Paul, & Mary - Puff The Magic Dragon (from the album The Very Best Of) - A song that has so much meaning to me. Not because it was sung to me when I was little, but because of the magic that goes with it. When I was much younger I went on vacation with my parents to Hawaii and we visited Christian Reese Lassen's gallery there. He had a painting called Hanalee which was a shore line that had a little hut on it, and the story was that as it got darker the light inside the cabin would brighten and Puff was home...The picture had that effect that as the lights on it were dimmed, the cabins lights naturally brightened.

Well, fellow bloggers, that is it! The singer/songwriter edition of the Monday Morning Mix-Up. Make sure to vote for your choice for next weeks Mix Up! Until then, enjoy the music!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Beatles Edition

2008-02-18T13:47:00.003-05:00

You swooned over them coming to America way back when. You bought their records in mass droves, and you taught us younger generation to love them as well! Brought to you by Pat...here is the mix-up...Beatles Style! (Don't forget to vote for next weeks choice!)

Because (from the album Abbey Road) - It's a song...and it's by the Beatles and evidentally because the world is round is a reason to be turned on!
Blackbird (from the album The Beatles aka The White Album) One of my absolute favorite Beatles songs! It is also one that I didn't really know about until recently!
And I Love Her (from the album A Hard Day's Night) Did you know that the Beatles did instrumental music? No...me neither!!!
Another Girl (from the album Help!) An upbeat and fun song about having a girl on the side?
Hey Jude (from the album Love) A classic! Enough said!
Baby Your A Rich Man (from the album Magical Mystery Tour) Again, a fairly repetative Beatles song, but good!
Yellow Submarine (from the album Revolver) I realize now that the Beatles liked to put their songs on as many different albums that they could! I think I have this song on at least 3 or 4 different CD's.
Norwegian Wood (from the album Rubber Soul) It seems that the Beatles also liked to sing about birds....the subtitle to this song is This Bird Has Flown!
Something (from the album 1) A beautiful song! Has been covered by a number of artists but nothing like the original!
Back In The USSR (from the album Anthology 1967-1970) It starts out mentioning Miami Beach!

Well that's it for the mix-up this week! Look out for 5 new choices for next weeks mix-up! And vote-vote-vote!!!

The Week End Wrap & Review: The Odyssey Edition

2008-02-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

So this week has been busy preparing for a non-profit competition that I volunteer with every year called Odyssey of the Mind. It is creative problem solving for kids from Kindergarten through to College! So while I have been at home, printing out copies and preparing packets, a lot went on! Here it is!

What I Saw: So far this week I have watched Into The Wild, which was a fantastic movie! Let me preface the rest of my review with the fact that the original Jon Krakhauer book was the very first non-fiction book that I ever read. I wanted to read it after seeing an interview with the author and hearing about the story of Chris McCandles. The book was fantastic, even though it is a tragic story. As far as the movie goes, it treats the book and the real life tale with all the respect and honesty that it deserves! Sean Penn is a master director and all the fantastic actors really created a masterpiece! I also got to see the Oscar nominated Juno, which was also a great movie. Bitterly sarcastic and dark, with a twist, it was a fun movie, reminiscent of Little Miss Sunshine, but a completely different story. Another thing that I have done over the past week is watch the entire first season of Jericho! Now, for those of you who don't watch this show...try it out! It is fantastic...very reminiscent of Stephen King's The Stand!

What I Heard: This week I had the opportunity to get an advanced copy of Dolly Parton's new album, Backwoods Barbie, and let me tell you it is great! I know I don't ever really talk about the music I don't care for, but that would be because I don't listen to it! Two of the songs to listen to are current single "Better Get To Livin'" which is full of advice we always hear, but pleasantly put! Also, listen to her cover of "Drives Me Crazy" a great version of this song!

What I Read: Well this week I had the chance to finish Dave Barry's History of the Millennium...So Far, which was witty and sarcastic and full of laugh out loud moments...many at the expense of Florida! But, if you need to catch up on the history of America from 2000-2006, then this is the book for you! I also decided to start Paula Poundstone's autobiography/memoir/comedy book, but I have not been able to get past the first 20 pages. So, I think it is going in the suspended pile while I move on and finish something else! As for whats new...nothing has been decided on yet...

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Post Grammy Edition

2008-02-11T07:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, so today's Mix-Up is a tribute to the Grammy Awards that took place last night! Here is the very first Top 10...

The Top 10 Mix of Songs by 2008 Grammy Performers

Alicia Keys - You Don't Know My Name (from the album The Diary of Alicia Keys) - Alicia has won a total of 9 Grammy's since 2001, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year!
The Beatles - All You Need Is Love (from the album Love) - This album of the new Cirque de Soleil show in Vegas is phenomenal. It takes the classic songs and orders them in a way that a story is created! It also just won a Grammy!
Rihanna - Shut Up and Drive (from the album Good Girl Gone Bad) - This young starlet from the Caribbean Islands is the hottest commodity in the music world! Everything she sings goes to the top of the charts and she pushes the boundaries incorporating Rap, Pop, and Rock! Her song Umbrella was the "Everywhere" song of 2007!
Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry (from the album The Dutchess) - A fantastic song, from a woman who has come into her own! She is a Black Eye Pea, who has gone solo and soared. She has won three Grammy's with the Peas and was nominated for her first solo award this year!
John Legend - Again (from the album Once Again) - A new soulful voice! In the short time that he has been around (this is only his second album) he has won five Grammys including Best New Artist!
Carrie Underwood - The More Boys I Meet (from the album Carnival Ride) - From her second album, not eligible for nominations this year, Carrie has mastered her style. She already has won five Grammy awards (more than any other Idol) including Best New Artist!
Feist - 1 2 3 4 (from the album The Reminder) - A Best New Artist nominee last night, this song was the Apple iPod or iPhone song earlier this year, which catapulted this Canadian songstress into stardom.
Amy Winehouse - Rehab (from the album Back to Black) - It is ironic that Amy was in Rehab when she won Best New Artist last night along with other awards, but it didn't stop her from playing via satellite from London!
Kanye West - Hey Mama (from the album Late Registration) - Last night Kanye opened his set by playing Stronger, but then went solo, dropped the rap act, and sang this song, to his mother, who he lost late last year. In the 4 years since he was at his first Grammy's he has won 6 Grammys.
Tina Turner - Proud Mary (from the album Simply The Best) - The duet of Tina and Beyonce on this song, showed that Tina still has it...the voice, the legs, the whole groove!

So that my friends is the first of the new Top Ten Mix-Up! Don't forget to vote on what you want for next weeks Top Ten Mix-Up!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: New Edition

2008-02-10T20:39:00.000-05:00

Well tomorrow will mark the umpteenth time that I will probably forget to do the Monday Morning Mix-Up! So...I am relaunching the Mix-Up! That is right! It will still be a music mix-up, however, each week will feature either: a single artist, a certain genre, a certain time period, etc.

So tomorrow, I will post the first Top 10 Mix-Up, and I will post one additional thing...a poll, to determine the next weeks theme! So after tomorrow it is up to you all out there in Bloggerville!

Ready...Set...GO!

The Week-End Wrap & Review: Babysitting Edition

2008-02-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

So I have spent this whole last week up in Coral Springs, babysitting my cousins, which has been, well tiresome to say the least! Just try keeping 13 and 14 year old girls in line! It is not easy, especially since they are in that perpetual stage of hating each other. Anyways, besides that things have been going on, since I have gotten here. Anyways, here it goes:

What I Saw: I watched some television this week. Lost was again a great episode, not as good as last week but still good. We got to know the new cast members early on this season, which I think will help in the overall picture. I also watched The Bucket List, which was a good movie, a little sad at parts, but all together a good movie, with fantastic acting (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson).

What I Heard: Not a whole lot this week. It was mostly just the radio and some of my older CD's. Reba's Duets was in the player a lot, as well as LeAnn Rimes' Family CD. Both good CD's.

What I Read: Nothing but the newspaper. Tomorrow at work I will have the chance to read some more, and hopefully finish the Dave Barry book.

That's about it! Not a very eventful week! Here's to the next week!

The Record Is Still Ours!

2008-02-03T22:29:00.001-05:00

What record would that be you might be asking...well thanks to my new second favorite professional football team the:

New York Giants

Yes, thanks to the fantastic playing skills of Eli Manning, and the catch seen around Miami by Plaxico Burress...the 1972 Miami Dolphins are still the only Professional Football Team to go through the entire season UNDEFEATED!

Thank you New York Giants!

Oh, and for all you Patriot fans, I guess you didn't have a chance to video tape the Giants play-book prior to the game?

Just So You Know...

2008-01-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

As many know, I don't mind talking on the phone, or going out to get coffee every week. It gives me a chance to catch up with friends and usually get some shopping or errands done! Well, just so you know...beginning tonight, and every Thursday (for 8 weeks):

Don't Call
Don't Write
Don't Message
Don't Make Contact With Me Of Any Kind

Why, you might be asking yourself...well, one word, just so you know...

LOST

The Week-End Wrap & Review: 2 Books Done Edition

2008-01-26T17:59:00.000-05:00

Well, this week has been another crazy week in the life of the Scribbler! Wednesday I had to run a Toastmaster Contest that was odd, by all means! The winners were all surprises this time around, but it seems as though much fun was had by all involved...

So here it is, the end of the week review:

What I Saw: This week I watched a couple of movies, yet I only remember one off the top of my head, which was Mr. Magorioum's Wonder Emporium and on all accounts it was such a great movie. Very uplifting and full of magic and wonderment. A great movie for kids of all ages (1-99). I also watched Resident Evil:Extinction, which was a good continuation of the series. Good suspense, good zombie movie!

What I Heard: This week I went back and was listening to the last Jewel album that had come out, Goodbye Alice In Wonderland, which was a great CD, and began her journey into the country genre. Also this week, I had listened to the usual mix of songs on iTunes!

What I Read: I got to finish two books today, The Four Agreements & Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles. So with that I started another book, Dave Barry's History of the Millennium...So Far! And so far, it is typical hysterical Dave Barry! Reviews on the other two books to follow within the week!

Anyways, tomorrow I am off to the zoo with the cousins, and just a day to relax...much needed if you ask me!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: It's Been A Long Time Coming Edition

2008-01-21T17:06:00.000-05:00

Well this past weekend, my iPod was bestowed upon it a name. You see with Troy's Fred and Hilda's Lola, my "iPod" was sad without a name. Since we could not decide if my iPod was male or female, it got the name of Pat! So, for the first time in over a month...take it away Pat...

Kenny Chesney - Something Sexy About The Rain: Yes there is! In fact it is extremely sexy and sensual...but that might too much information for some!
Loretta Lynn - Story of my Life: A classic country singer who only gets better with age. A beautiful song from the Coalminers Daughter!
Bon Jovi - Ordinary Day: A Bon Jovi sound with a country twist, but it is a rarity of a song from their box set that came out a couple years ago.
Mandy Moore - All Good Things: A great song from her new cd. If you hear the name Mandy Moore and think of the old poppy sounding girl, she is so not that. She has turned into this folksy, bluesy, singer with a powerful voice!
Vertical Horizon - Forever: One of my favorite "finds" from many years ago. It happened that I first heard them in Georgia (where they are from) only to find out that one of my best friends sisters went to college with the drummer and are good friends. The CD's are fantastic as are their songs and lyrics!
Natasha Bedingfield - Wild Horses: A powerful and husky voice from this newer import from England. A pretty song, sung nicely.
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild: Says enough all by itself!
Kelly Clarkson - Beautiful Disaster: One of my all time favorite Kelly songs, but the piano only version is so much better!
Carrie Underwood - Just A Dream: A very pretty song, but very sad at the same time. Reminds you of what people have lost in this crazy war we are in.
Ben Folds - Gone: I agree with Troy, why don't more people know of him...even though it seems as though he is huge in college towns!

Well that is all for this week....have fun and good shuffling Pat!

The New Year's Meme (A Couple Weeks Late)

2008-01-19T12:56:00.000-05:00

This is supposed to be a New Years Meme, but seeing as how my source and inspiration for this meme, and all memes, didn't post it until a few day ago...well, betther late than never.I am reaching out in the blog-a-sphere trying to make new friends, so this member will give them a chance to know a little more about moi!If you want to play, let me know in my comments.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?Love unconditionally

2. Did you keep last year's new years' resolutions, and did you make more for 2008?I did not make any resolutions last year, actually this is the first time I have ever made resolutions, and I plan on sticking with them! Want to know what they are…just look a couple posts down…

3. Did anyone close to you give birth in 2007?My best friends wife and one of my cousins…

4. Did anyone close to you die?My grandfather- technically he passed away on December 31, 2006, but I consider it for the 2007 year…besides him, my Great Aunt (my grandfathers sister).

5. What countries did you visit?I did go to Hialeah once or twice…does that count? Oh…and I went around the world (at Epcot)! This year though I am planning to go to Calgary!

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?A flat stomach….and I will get there!

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory?My best friends baby’s birth-day (10/12)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?To successfully run the first half of the year for Toastmasters Area 1 in the Southern Miami area….second half…here I come!

9. What was your biggest failure?I don’t really know…I have programmed myself not to think of things as failures, but rather lessons.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?When don’t I? I was supposed to have my tonsils removed, but that got postponed. Then I went through all different tests to learn I could possibly have a bowel disease (not IBS or Chrones though)

11. What was the best thing you bought?I think I would have to go with my Playstation 3. It does everything…and I am sure if I open the cover it would reveal a Foreman Grill

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?Everybody who marked a milestone that I know….Troy & Mrs. Pheasant for their newborn and Wesley for growing up and being such a sweet kid. Kim & Erick for purchasing their new house and moving in. My parents for everything they do and put up with me. My grandmother for getting through what must be an extremely tough year after over 60 years of companionship. And to me, for beginning my college teaching career, all while maintaining a positive outlook on everything that is going on and coming up.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?Nothing much has appalled me over the past year…nor depressed really

14. Where did most of your money go?Probably on my new laptop that I got back in March. But so much went elsewhere as well.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?Anything new…becoming Area Governor in Toastmasters

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?It would have to be Rhianna’s Umbrella because not only was her version all over the radio but then it seemed like every artist was singing this song live or on special iTunes downloads….it was everywhere!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Same (but not for long)
c) richer or poorer? Richer (in both the wallet and the mind)

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?Travel – Spend quality time with family

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?Work! But I guess that comes with age….instead, how about judge….even though I tend to not do it, sometimes it is inevitable

20. How did you spend Christmas 2007?Baking with friends, baking with family, visiting family

[21 is missing. Couldn't be bothered to stick around, apparently.]

22. Did you fall in love in 2007?Romantical love, no. In other senses, I have realized the amount that I do love particular people and care for them and the fact that I love these people with no strings attached, unconditionally (see #1)

23. How many one-night stands?I sleep at night, I don’t stand!

24. What was your favorite TV program?It would have to be Lost

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?Not really

26. What was the best book you read?The Alchemist

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?It would probably be Mika, a British import with that 70’s Pop style that is infectious, yet his lyrics are current and mean so much

28. What did you want and get?A great group of friends to pass the time with and laugh with

29. What did you want and not get?Nothing really…

30. What was your favorite film of this year?Pan’s Labryinth was by far my favorite this year…it had mystery, fantasy, reality, and some other –y’s that I just can’t think of. It was good. Another good one was Across The Universe.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?I turned 24, and this year I don’t think I did much. I went to Disney with friends 2 weeks before my birthday (but not for my birthday) and I went to dinner with my parents.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Be more observant of things going on around

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?I switched from the Polo/Button Down with Jeans to the T-Shirt and Shorts, but it is time to bring the metrosexual back!

34. What kept you sane?Everyone I keep around me…(you know all the imaginary friends)

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?I don’t really know….there are a lot of celebrity crushes….but the most, I don’t know

36. What political issue stirred you the most?I agree with Hilda and Troy...The war in Iraq, even though the Florida Primary scandal kinda ticks me off!

37. Who did you miss?My grandfather

38. Who was the best new person you met?Probably Dylan…(or Hilda)

39. What valuable life lesson did you learn in 2007?To be more positive about everything you do, everything you encounter, and so forth. If something bad happens, learn the lesson and move on. Remember the lesson, not the incident.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums 2007."Let it be"

Definitions

2008-01-19T12:07:00.001-05:00

In response to some words used at last nights Game Night....I proudly present you with Definition Theatre (start Masterpiece Theatre Music here)

Wiki

(from the American Heritage Dictionary) a collaborative website whose content can be edited by anyone who has access to it. (NOUN)

(from the Websters New Millennium Dictionary of English) a collaborative website set up to allow user editing and adding of content. (NOUN)

Meme

(from Dictionary.com Unabridged) a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes. (NOUN)

(from the American Heritage Dictionary) a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. (NOUN)

Scattergories! The Blog Edition

2008-01-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl and no combination words (only one word)!!!If you wanna play, leave me a note in my Comments section.

1. What is your name: Matthew
2. 4 letter word: meal
3. Vehicle: Mazda Miata (is that double points?)
4. City: Montreal (is that negative points because it's Canadian?)
5. Boy's Name: Michael
6. Girl's Name: Michelle
7. Alcoholic drink: Margarita
8. Occupation: Mathematician
9. Something you wear: Masks
10. Celebrity: Marky Mark (but no Funky Bunch)
11. Food: Mandarin Oranges
12. Something found in a bathroom: Mascara
13. Reason for Being Late: My car didn't start...
14. Cartoon character: Mickey Mouse
15. Something You Shout: Move It!
16. Animal: Muskrat (as in Muskrat Love)
17. Body part: Molars
18. Word to describe you: Meaningful

The Week-End Wrap & Review: The I Got Up To Early and Went To Bed Late Now I'm Tired At W I ork Edition

2008-01-19T08:40:00.000-05:00

Well everyone, I am back! And ready to fall asleep at 8:45 AM! Last night was a very fun game night with some friends (from both the real world and the blogosphere). We played Apples to Apples, Trivial Pursuit, and of course debated if we needed slidey, or if reachy would be fine! (We chose slidey.) Anyways, I am at work now, where there is nothing going on...at all...so I will be blogging off and on these next two days...completing meme's galore, and so much more!

What I Saw: I didn't really get to watch too much this week, as I was babysitting in Coral Springs. I did watch the new season of American Idol, get to a start with a bang (or rather an off key yelp). I also watched the first episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which I thought was fantastic! Lots of action, lots of drama, and just very entertaining! The only movie that I think I saw was Rob Zombie's version of Halloween, which was okay. It was violent and gory, but it was the same story, nothing new added really.

What I Heard: This week was more of a radio week for me. The one song that I heard that I have immediately fallen in love with is the new Jewel song. Now you won't hear this song on Coast 97.3 FM or Lite 101.5 FM, no for this one you have to tune into 99.9 Kiss Country! That's right, Jewel has finally gone country. The song is Stronger Woman, and it is fantastic. Her voice is amazing, and she will be here a week from this Sunday at the Chili Cookoff to host and sing!

What I Read: Well I am currently working on four different books (talk about multi-tasking). As you can see in the little sidebar, I have started Blink, as well as Dispatches From The Edge. So far those are both good books. I have switched for this weekend at work and am half-way through The Four Agreements, which so far is very insightful and fantastical. I am also going to start Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles, which moves the previous story to here in Florida! I am also anticipating the new Stephen King novel Duma Key, which comes out on Tuesday and also takes place in South Florida and the Florida Keys!

Well, everyone have a very happy weekend! Catch ya on the Monday side!

New Year...New Resolutions

2008-01-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

So I am not the kind of person who makes New Year's Resolutions, but this year I have actually made a few! Most are fairly straight forward, while the other one has many different parts to it!

(1) Learn how to say NO! - For the many of you who know me, I am very easy to get a favor out of, even if I don't necessarily have the time to do it. This is because I cannot say no! Well that will be changing this year! I will learn those two little letters, and I will use them!

(2) Better Myself - At first I felt selfish thinking of this as a resolution, but then this year I do want to focus my energy on myself and taking care of myself. Last year I was ridden with allergies and infections, so this year I want to (a) eat better (b) exercise more (c) learn more (d) have more adventures, etc. I know this sounds like any "common" resolution, but I am not necessarily looking to lose a certain amount of weight or anything, just to become healthier.

(3) Blog on a more regular basis.

As part of #2, I am taking up the goal to read 40 books over the course of 2008! This was partially inspired by a fellow blogger at 50 Books. So, my sidebar will be updating everyone of this! I will of course include my review of these books!

So, wish me luck and NO!

The Week-End Wrap Up & Review: The Tallahassee Airport Edition

2008-01-04T13:56:00.000-05:00

Well, this week has gone by so fast. I have been on vacation in Tallahassee for the past week. What would anyone do on vacation in Tallahassee you ask? Well, I got to hang out and visit my 22 cousins that live here. It was a fun week with lots of doings which I get to share with you!

What I Saw: This week was eventful when it comes to things I have seen! I watched at home with the cousins, 28 Weeks Later, Flushed Away, a bunch of Law & Order episodes, and the regular television shows. 28 Weeks was a good suspense zombie movie, however it was not as good as the original. I also fully enjoyed Flushed Away, full of references to other movies and just plain fun! At the movies I saw Sweeney Todd and National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Sweeney Todd was fantastic, many critics have lauded the latest pairing of Depp and Burton, and it was again a home run! The story is extremely dark but the movie is full of great songs and voices that give to a great story. National Treasure was a fun movie to watch, not as much action as the original, but more humor, which was good. The sidekick Riley, is absolutely hilarious!

What I Heard: Nothing this week, I have not had the iPod with me, and I have not been listening to much music!

What I Read: Well since I have finished The Book of Lost Things, I have started the Spiderwick Chronicles, so out of the five books in the series, I am halfway into book four, and should finish the books by the time my plane touches down in Orlando!

Besides that I am looking forward to finally get home Saturday night, while I have one week at home before I go to Coral Springs to look after my cousins! Also, my class starts again a week from tomorrow so that will give me something to do!

The Book Review: The Book of Lost Things

2008-01-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

So here it is everybody, the book review many of you have been waiting for... The Book of Lost Things! As many of you have read, I began this book about two months ago (I only read at work on Saturdays), and I have finally finished the book! So here it goes:

Overall, this book was extremely entertaining and fun to read. It reminded me of the stories that I used to read as a child, and also the fun suspenseful stories I read today! It has hints and allusions to various stories: Alice In Wonderland, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, and The Wizard of Oz. However, each of these stories had various twists and turns that lead to the unexpected.

The characters are well developed as is the setting, which actually creates vivid pictures (which aren't always good pictures to imagine.) The story moves along at a fairly quick pace, and the book is very easy to read. Mostly, the story is fairly dark and bleak, but it is incredibly fun to read! One of the things that really captivated me with the story though is the theme of naming and ownership, which has always garnered my attention, but this book really puts it in the forefront.

My one suggestion: If you get the book to read, get the newer paperback version, as it has the original stories that are used in the book, which gives you some more perspective towards the story.

Anyways, that is my take on the novel, I will be reading more by John Connolly in the future, specifically his book Nocturnes, but for now I have to finish The Spiderwick Chronicles and then decide what is going to be next.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to say
Since your New Year starts today
Hope your year is full of bliss
And it started with a kiss
And everything good comes your way!

Have a Happy, Merry, Blissful, and Healthy 2008!

The Week-End Wrap & Review: I'm Going on Vacation Edition

2007-12-29T17:04:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I have posted, so here it is the Vacation Edition of the Week-End Wrap & Review for Christmas week!

What I Saw: I have actually had the time (in between the hours long baking sessions and cooking sessions) to watch a few things this week! Yay for me! First, I got to watch Waitress, which was plain and simply delightful! Keri Russell is fantastic and it was just a fun movie. I have also been watching Dexter, Season 2, which is just as wickedly delicious as the first season! I also watched Georgia Rule which was not the Gary Marshall movie I was expecting. Instead it is a heavy movie! Lots of drama and difficult situations.

What I Heard: More Alicia Keys, even though the new Josh Groban Christmas CD Noel made it in the CD player quite a bit. Besides that, some Carrie Underwood, but nothing new.

What I Read: So I finally finished The Book of Lost Things. Review to come in a seperate post shortly! All in all, I enjoyed it a lot and will now begin to read other John Connolly works. Does that ever happen to you, you read a book by an author you have never heard of and liked it so much you HAVE to read their other books? I also read the first book in the Spiderwick Chronicles series. It is an easy read and plan to read the other five books while on vacation!

Anyways, I will add links to all these references shortly, but for now, you can google anything that interests you!

I will be on vacation for a week starting tomorrow, so I will try to update, but cannot promise anything.

To everyone out in the blogging world:

Happy New Year!
May your 2008 be filled with
good health, good love, and good living.

Merry Christmas to All...

2007-12-25T11:29:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to send out Seasons Greetings to all those out in the blogosphere! So, on this the 25th day of December:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

The Week-End Wrap & Review: Constructions Almost Over Edition

2007-12-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

Well, the construction in my room is almost finished! It looks like it will be done by tomorrow, and since I have work tomorrow my own little fantasy world has decided that it will be done by the time I get home from work so I can essentially continue to work by moving back into the room! I am really excited about this! In other news, the interview I had a few weeks ago went really well. I have been asked back for a second interview, however Downtown, may have screwed up my chances for the job, but only time will tell with that!

Anyways, here it is everyone, the Week End Wrap & Review!

What I Heard: Still been listening to the new Alicia Keys album, but now added some Christmas music into the mix! Mostly it's been James Taylor At Christmas or Wynonna's A Classic Christmas. The only new CD I have been listening to is Blake Lewis's album, Audio Day Dream. He is the runner up from this past season of American Idol (the beat boxer) who actually does NO beat boxing on this album. So far it reminds me of Jason Mraz and Maroon 5! So it is fairly surprising! I am guessing he is actually going to do better than the winner!

What I Saw: I have not watched any movies this week, but next week might be full of them! I am planning on going to go and see The Golden Compass. And then the week after that, I want to see Sweeney Todd! I still have movies at home to watch, maybe when I'm back in my room with my new TV mounted on the wall! Then I will get into movie mode!

What I Read: Well, still reading The Book of Lost Things...will get farther into it tomorrow at work, since Saturday's tend to be slow days! I have decided on the next couple of books I think I am going to read, one of them being The Four Agreements! Any comments on this book, please let me know!

Well, thats about all that is going on here at the Scribbler's Nook!

You Like Me...You Really Like Me

2007-12-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

So, have you ever gotten a chain mail and thought pahshaw and just deleted it...well this is better! I recieved my very first Blogging Award! It came from Troyboy over at Pheasantly Fascinating, so thank you Troyboy for this nice honor...as I said in the title of this post, You Like Me...You Really Like Me! So without further ado I present to you:

Now comes the part where I have to present this award to five other bloggers who I deem interesting to read.

Here's the fine print as found over at The Mind Wobbles (Those people given this award to are encouraged to post it on their own blogs; list three things they believe are necessary for good, powerful writing; and then pass the award on to the five blogs they want to honor, who in turn pass it on to five others, etc., etc. Let's send a roar through the blogsphere! The image at the top right can be [apparently] copied and pasted onto other blogs. Also, a small size of the award for sidebars can be found over at the writing circle site.)

So the three things I think makes a blog work well:

(1) Entertainment - What is written has to be somewhat entertaining, however, at the same time everything is entertaining to someone, somewhere!

(2) Honesty & Sincerity - Just like in real life, these blog friendships and loyalty are based on the reader believing what the writer is saying, and by portraying Sincerity you build honest and a re pore with the reader.

(3) Just have fun! If the writer is having fun, the reader will have fun!

So here it goes, my five blogs to give this award to...in no particular order:

The Naptime Blogger - One of my best friends sister, who just writes impeccably well and very entertainingly!

Observations of a Librarian - A great place that I go to when looking for the next book to read! Great reviews and fun little additives!

The Geek Inside - A fun place to visit and read about the going ons of a Mom and her kids and Mr. Geek...of course!

The Area 1 Blog - A local Toastmasters blog that I go to to get all my information from!

Rocks In My Dryer - This is a blog I picked up Troyboy, but it is just a lot of fun to visit and read about the various goings on! Very entertaining!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Wednesday Evening Edition

2007-12-05T17:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay everybody, construction has been hectic on the schedule...but it is almost over! We are confident that everything should be done by Friday (minus the Shower Door, only because every Home Depot in Dade County is out of stock!)

Anyways, here it is, The Wednesday Evening Edition of the Monday Morning Mix-Up:

LeAnn Rimes - The Trouble With Good-Bye: A good LeAnn song, only it was during her "pop" phase. A fun upbeat song though!
Ronan Keating - When You Say Nothing At All: A very pretty song (sung much better by Alison Krauss) but this version is also quite nice! It was featured in the movie Notting Hill!
Jill Scott - Exclusively: What a fun song and a great voice! One soulful up and coming!
Gloria Estefan - Reach: Ehhh....so iTunes has it's moments of falter. I love Gloria...I do not love this song. In fact, the only reason I tolerate it is that it reminds me of the 96 Olympics, and I just love the Olympics!
David Bowie - Changes: Ahh! A much better choice! A great Bowie classic....for all times!
Queen Latifah - I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl: Again the Queen has done it! From her second CD of standards, this is just a gorgeous voice singing a cute song!
Third Eye Blind - Jumper: A great 90's rock song that is sad when you listen to the lyrics, but just a fun song.
Eric Clapton - Sunshine Of Your Love: A classic guitar inro! One of those songs you hear and instantly love!
The Beatles - Lady Madonna: A classic! And just in time for the bra's 100 birthday! (Had to get some Madonna reference in there)
Kelly Clarkson - My Grown Up Christmas List: Possibly one of my all time favorite contemporary Christmas songs. It just seems to go so well with the way of the world and how everything around seems to be in constant disaray!

Anyways, thats the list! Please feel free to comment, etc.!

The Week-End Wrap & Review : Monday Morning Edition

2007-12-03T08:22:00.000-05:00

Well, it has definately been one busy, crazy, displaced week! I am still out of my room (crossing my fingers to move in in the next couple of days!). I worked Friday-Saturday-Sunday, which is why this has become the Monday Edition for this week. Anyways, here's the run down for last week:

What I Saw: Well, not too many movies were played this week over here at the Scribbler's Nook. I did watch Hairspray, which is just a fun and entertaining movie. All of the cast seem to fit their part nicely (even John Travolta). Right now at home I have waiting to be watched: Skin Walkers, Waitress, and Live Free or Die Hard, so look in next weeks Wrap Up to hear about those!

What I Heard: Two words...Alicia Keys! I have been listening to her new album, As I Am, for days now and it is fantastic! She never stops evolving and creating something new and better! This time around she still has her R&B and Soul roots, but adds rock into it, and the result is just amazing! I have also been listening to some Christmas music around the house and in the car, mostly Jo Dee Messina's A Joyful Noise.

What I Read: Well, I am still reading The Book of Lost Things. Being displaced temporarily from room has not given me a good reading area, so it got put on the back burner, but I got to read some of it while I was at work over the weekend! So far, it is a great book.

The Monday Morning Mix-Up: The Ha Ha Ha Edition

2007-11-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

Well welcome to the Scribbler's Nook for this very festive and fun edition of the Monday Morning Mix-Up! I recently read an article that Santa, when he is in Australia can no longer use the phrase "Ho, Ho, Ho" for risk that he might offend someone. Instead, he is to say "Ha, Ha, Ha!" So for the big man in red and white, I present the Ha, Ha, Ha Edition!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Nights in Blue : It's Joe Cocker meets New Orleans blues and Ray Charles soul.
LeAnn Rimes - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas : A great voice who has only improved with age singing a classic song.
Kelly Clarkson - Oh Holy Night : One of the must's for any Christmas CD, and sung a capella with such a powerful voice
Brian Setzer Orchestra - Dig That Crazy Santa Claus : A fun song to listen to, dance to, whatever you please
Chris Botti - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town : Great trumpeteer and a great rendition of this classic!
Bette Midler & Johnny Mathis - Winter Wonderland : A fun version of this song that is sassy, brassy and everything else that Bette is!
Jo Dee Messina - A Joyful Noise : I'm usually not a fan of "new Christmas" songs that artists create, but this song is just magical, and Jo Dee's voice just soars on this song!
Mariah Carey - Joy To The World : One of those definitive Christmas albums is Mariah's and this song is just fantastic!
Spice Girls - Christmas Wrapping : I know it sounds odd to have the Spice Girls doing a Christmas Song, but it is actually a cover of an older song, but very catchy!
Jewel - Silent Night : A very nice and subtle yet folksy cover of another perennial favorite.

Well that is it for this "Ha, Ha, Ha Edition." Look for many more Christmas themed lists over the holidays!

All's Not So Quiet

2007-11-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

Well hello all Scribbler Fans in the realms of the blogiverse! It has been far too long since I have posted, but it was all for a reason. Right now, literally, my bathroom and bedroom are being renovated. Thats right...the project is finally getting done. (Folks, this is 2 years in the making...if not more!)

Well, most everything for the rooms are purchased and the workers began on Monday and they said it should take 2-3 weeks to complete! So the breakdown of what they are doing:
- Tile all 4 walls in the bathroom
- New tile on the shower floor
- New tile on the floor of the bathroom as well as into my bedroom
- New shower & sink fixtures
- New shower doors
- Pocket door to replace door into bathroom
- New commode
- New vanity & counter top
- Baseboards in bedroom removed, sanded, re-stained, and clear coated
- All 4 bedroom walls re-plastered, smoothed, primed, and painted
- New electrical wires run so that all my equipment works properly
- Possibly, the removal of all popcorn from the ceilings.

So while all of this is going on...I am sharing an office with my mother, and my temporary bedroom is my fathers office, and, oh yeah...currently all three of us are sharing a bathroom (not all at the same time) while my parents have their fixed.

It is only day 3 and I want my room back!

On another note, some new events over the past 2 weeks! I have purchased a nice new television for my nice new room. It is a 32" LG LCD HDTV (man, that is a lot of letters). It will look very nice up on the wall once it is mounted! I have yet to name it so I will take all suggestions.

Also, yesterday I went and interviewed for a temporary position at Killian High School, taking over a Language Arts class for a teacher who is going on maternity leave around the end of January.

Besides that, everything else is Quiet in the Scribbler's Nook.

The Week-End Wrap-Up & Review

2007-11-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

Well everyone in blogworld...it has been a very productive week here at The Scribbler's Nook...and now, let's review:

What I Saw: This week actually gave me the chance to catch up on some television that has been sitting on my TIVO for what seems the past month. (Even though, now with the writers strike, maybe I should of waited to watch all those episodes of Bionic Woman!) So, I've watched Bionic Woman and Moonlight and I am all caught up. Both shows are okay, but they are more of something to have on in the background while I get other work done!

What I Heard: I have actually had a mixture of CD's or songs playing on the iTunes here at home. Much of what I have been listening to is Robert Plant & Alison Krauss' CD Raising Sand. Alison Krauss is probably one of my top two or three female voices, and now to hear her singing with a legend...it really is amazing! I have also been listening to Carrie Underwood's new CD Carnival Ride, which is really a delight to listen to!

What I Read: Well, if you have read my blog earlier in the week, you would of noticed that I have started a new book, John Conolly's The Book of Lost Things. I am only a chapter into it, but I am completely enthralled by it. The idea behind it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland or Pan's Labyrinth. A full review will come when finished!

That's it for this week...got a busy weekend ahead of me. I really want to go to the book fair, but my normal book fair buddy is out of town, so trying to convince mother to go. Besides that I have to get a new TV as mine is fading fast! Hope everyone out there in blogworld has a happy and safe weekend, and a Happy Veterans Day to all the Vets out there, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!

106 Books...Oh My!

2007-11-09T12:13:00.000-05:00

These are the top 106 books most often marked as “unread” by LibraryThing’s users, as of I don't know what day -- the original said "today" but I got this a week or so ago. As usual, bold what you have read, italicize that you started but couldn’t finish, and strike through what you couldn’t stand. Add an asterisk* to those you’ve read more than once. Underline those on your to-read list.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi: a novel
The name of the rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran: a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The historian : a novel
A portrait of the artist as a young man
Love in the time of cholera
~~Brave new world~~
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A clockwork orange
The once and future king
~~The grapes of wrath~~
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
~~1984~~
Angels & demons
The inferno
The satanic verses
Sense and sensibility
The picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
To the lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s travels
Les misérables
The corrections
The amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
Dune
The prince
The sound and the fury
Angela’s ashes : a memoir
The god of small things
A people’s history of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A confederacy of dunces
A short history of nearly everything
~~Dubliners~~
The unbearable lightness of being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an Inquiry into Values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In cold blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The three musketeers

What Makes Me Different Meme

2007-11-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

So I found this meme over at The Mind Wobbles and decided to "borrow" it for my blog! If you want to use it, feel free, just let me know or The Mind Wobbles....

Name a CD you own that none of your friends do - I have a very eclectic collection of CD's! So, something that I have that no one else I know has...the 2 CDs that Minnie Driver has put out...both are very good...folksy!
Name a book you own that none of your friends do - "Without You" by Anthony Rapp ... I am a huge RENThead...a person who loves the musical RENT, and this book is written by the original Mark, about his life and how RENT had changed it
Name a movie you own on DVD/VHS/whatever that none of your friends do -"Tideland" directed by Terry Gilliam...I think Terry Gilliam is a genius, in both comedy and not...the former Python, creates a great magical drama about a girl who loses people around her and enters her own "realm"
Name a tourist attraction in the US that you have visited that none of your friends have - Hmm...The National Buffalo Museum outside of Tulsa,Oklahoma. I think it was the buffalo museum, all I remember was that there were a lot of buffaloes as well as a bunch of Native American artifacts

The Decision Has Been Made

2007-11-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have chosen the next book that I will be reading, and it is...

It's That Time Again...The Monday Morning Mix-Up!

2007-11-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is folks, the new, time-shifted (one week late thanks to Mr. Monkey in the White House) Monday Morning Mix-Up!

Evanescense - Lithium : Amy Lee has a great voice and makes even a harder rock band sound angelic (which I am sure is not what they were going for!)
Luke Bryan - Country Man : A fun song, drinking and doing the things a city boy can't!
Meatloaf - It's All Coming Back To Me Now : Finally a Celine Dion song that is enjoyable to listen to (because it's not sung by Celine Dion!)
Chicago - Stay The Night
Rockapella - Dancin' In The Street : This is a great band! If anyone remembers the PBS show Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? This is the band that did the theme song! They do not use instruments at all...it is all beat-boxed and it sounds great!
David Bowie - Blackout
No Doubt - New
Duran Duran - Skin Trade : A very interesting song, to say the least!
Big & Rich - Drinkin' 'Bout You
Jewel - Deep Water

The Week-End Wrap & Review

2007-11-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

What I Saw: Well, since I was in bed a lot of the week, or just hanging around the house, I did get to watch some movies. I saw The Reaping, which I thought was a really good religious suspense movie! It has Hilary Swank as a woman who de-bunks miracles and religious phenomenon, but cannot in a town where the 10 Plagues are occurring! Very Good! I also watched Mr.Brooks, which I enjoyed, but wasn't overly impressed with. It had a good story, and a good idea, I just wish it would of had more suspense or action.

What I Heard: Been listening to a bunch of country this past week. Mostly it has been LeAnn Rimes newest disc Family. It really is a great CD! Also, been listening to Reba's Duets CD and Faith Hill's Hits CD. All of these are great...especially in a week filled with Britney buzz!

What I Read: Still reading the Ellen book, got about thirty or forty pages left. Trying to decide what book to start next. Thinking about finally reading The Lovely Bones or another Chuck Palahnuik book.

Just An Update

2007-11-02T15:06:00.001-04:00

Hello all in the blogging world! Here's a quick update:
- Just been hanging around with friends and family
- Got real sick last Friday, thought it was just a stomach bug, but after an entire weekend of mild abdominal pains and nausea I decided to go to see the doctor. The doctor prescribed 3 medicines - one for pain, one for nausea, and one just in case it is an infection. He also requested that I have a CT scan done. Well I got the results of the CT scan this morning and it was negative for apendicitis, which was one main thought. Now comes the time to try and diagnose what exactly this might be! Fun fun fun!
- Have to work on Saturday, but shouldn't be too bad...home by 5!

The Monday Morning Mix-Up

2007-10-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

Alright everyone out there in the Wonderful World of Blogs, here it is again, the Monday Morning Mix-Up! Enjoy!

Duran Duran - All She Wants Is
Pink - Tonight's The Night
Elton John - Daniel
John Corbett - Best Move
Mary J. Blige - Baggage
Mana - Tengo Muchas Alas
U2 - Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Billy Joel - Code of Silence
Chely Wright - Feelin' Single and Seein' Double
James Taylor - Country Road

The Monday Morning Mix-Up

2007-10-08T14:26:00.000-04:00

So here it is, the party shuffle of the week:

Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic
Rihanna - Pon de Replay
Faith Hill - If My Heart Had Wings
Janis Joplin - Cry Baby
Olivia Newton John - Heart Attack
Jo Dee Messina - Delicious Surprise (I Believe It)
Foo Fighters - Statues
Vertical Horizon - The Unchosen One
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Duran Duran - Girls on Film

The Week-End Wrap and Review

2007-10-05T16:51:00.000-04:00

Another weekly post begins right here with the first weekly installment of The Week-End Wrap and Review for the Week of September 30!

What I Saw: Watched a couple movies this week. First was Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The movie was okay, but the Silver Surfer was amazing, always one of my favorite superheroes! Also started to watch Vacancy but got bored with it fairly quickly and never continued! On the movie front I watched the regulars, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Heroes, Bionic Woman, and the premiere of Pushing Daisies, a new favorite!

What I Heard: On the iPod and in the car CD player most of this week has been the soundtrack from Across The Universe, which was fantastic! I saw the movie a couple weeks ago and it was a visual acid trip, but in a good way!

What I Am Reading: I have gone back to begin re-reading Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, which has always been a favorite book of mine. It was one of those books that makes you love a genre, in this case non-fiction. I've also began to read Ellen's first book, My Point...And I Do Have One, which is just funny

So, that's the basics for this week.