“The Hunger Games”

Posted on May 18, 2012 by admin

 

(Here’s the backdrop–lovely DuPont State Forest, out of Asheville, North Carolina.)

Wow!  A gut-wrenching ride that had me tied up in knots for two hours.  It didn’t help that much of this movie was shot right near Asheville in my beloved DuPont State Forest (see Biddy post on little dog riding a steed),  a natural wonderland that I’ll forever now link to ‘children killing children.’

OK…how’d I get to see this flick?  I hadn’t read the books (3 of them, to date,) but I’d heard a lot of buzz, and in my new role as self-appointed movie-critic, I determined hubby and I would go.  I’d also heard a young woman was the hero and I thought:  “Hmmm…  That’s different.”

Here’s my take on a movie we’ve all heard so much about. I love Elizabeth Banks (you know, Jack Donaghy’s much younger love/wife in 30 Rock) in the part of the demon-woman with the caked-on, comical make-up.  She half–reminded me of the Queen of Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland.”

As with most psychotic characters, she had a tic towards obsessive behavior.  Her pet peeve? Rudeness…She couldn’t abide it. She was continually telling her young charges (the ‘winners?” from District 12) to remember their manners (hysterical, considering.)

Yes, rudeness affected her sensibilities, while the murderous goings-on didn’t.

Then, there was Woody Harrelson as mentor who trained the two from District 12, in survival skills.  He sent support, in mini-helicopter “gifts,” as he worked the crowd for sponsors, convincing them to help the ‘young lovers,’ at a critical juncture in the game.

In the movie, he went from sloppy, disinterested alcoholic to powerful champion for their cause, and he was superb.

The city and its people (a futuristic Oz?) smacked of something right out of Disneyworld (think–Whoville, but without the Who’s childish innocence), for these city-dwellers, resplendent in multi-colored dress and hair, bedecked in bows and jewels, had a penchant for blood.

Yes, they were every bit akin to those who demanded blood-kill in the gladiatorial arenas of Rome.

The Hunger Games provided that:  They were an annual televised event, with representatives (two) from each of the surrounding districts. In retribution for their attempt to overthrow the ruling party, the rulers now demanded two of the young (ages 12-18) from surrounding districts, to fight in a contest where all, but one, would die.  The contestants were chosen by lot.

Combatants are steeled in preparation and trained for two weeks, and at the end of that period, the savaging begins, in earnest.

Each time another child-warrior falls victim, a Boom is sounded.

Our hero, Jennifer Lawrence, is really a heroine (this would be nice as nod for girl-power, if the topic weren’t so grisly.)  She’s an eagle-eye with a cross-bow, a hunter whose skill came from a need to provide for her family (her district was denied anything other than meager subsistence-level resources.)

And the scenes in the movie?  Shot right there in western North Carolina’s DuPont State Park, a forested woodlands with idyllic scenes of waterfalls and plush woodlands…

Upon leaving the movie, we met a woman accompanied by her 8 year old daughter.  She sheepishly asked:  “Did you know it was going to be that brutal?” I nodded “Yes,” for even though I hadn’t read the books, I knew the story line had a “Lord of the Flies” theme. She regretted bringing her daughter.

Oh, I know there’ll be sequels—at least two. It’s just that I won’t be going.

The real question is:  “Why did I go to see this one… in the first place?”

But I’m no judge (or critic)…after all, I love any old Peter Sellers movies, slapstick, and anything that’s on Masterpiece Theatre… even better if the actors deliver lines with a British accent…

However, in “The Hunger Games”…. even that wouldn’t have helped.

PS…This is a “3-pee-movie” meaning I had to leave 3 times to hit the Ladies’ Room (it was that tense.) Suggestion:  Don’t buy a drink or bring one in…You’ll be doing the same.

(Below is another shot of the idyllic arena I wish had never been used for the killing fields.)

And for the young who find these books and movie so compelling? “What’s the draw here?” “Isn’t life stressful enough?”

I guess I’m pretty simple:  I want my movies inane, thigh-slapping funny, or deeply touching. “Hunger Games” isn’t any of those.

But ”What was your take on this movie that’s gotten so much attention?” “Did you find it compelling?” or “Did you wish you hadn’t seen it?”

…Comment buttons below.

PS…And if you haven’t seen the prior post, move on over to “Recent Posts” and click on “What I Learned from “The Hunger Games.” I did find one redeeming feature of this movie…But again, tell us what you think.

Posted in Pop Culture, whimsy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What I Learned from “The Hunger Games”

Posted on May 16, 2012 by admin

 

 

‘Nightshade’ ( also known as ‘Belladonna’ (Beautiful Woman) is just one of the plants warned about in the glorious exhibit at NC Arboretum , just outside Asheville. 

In an earlier time, young women took the substance to dilate their pupils to make them appear more alluring.  Only problem?  They often got delirious and dizzy, making it impossible for them to focus on what they needed to do.  End result?  They were anything but alluring.

Come to think of it, maybe that’s how they got the term “dizzy broad.”

If you saw “Hunger Games,” you know the distinctive blue berries can be a killer in the digestive tract of some.  Painting on the wall (that’s it, above) and explanation nearby provide interesting information about this deadly berry.

The “Fat David” sculpture produces a roundabout panning of High Fructose Corn Syrup–hence the bloated figure (in direct contradiction to some TV commercials today that tell us ‘Sugar is sugar,’ claiming ‘there’s no difference’).  They say, instead: All sugars are equal.  Nutritionists tell us otherwise, and “Fat David” proves their point. 

Woman slumped over a kitchen table is accompanied in death by a bird in a cage (she was supposed to care for the pet while owners were away.)  They, too, are  are victims of misplaced faith in certain plants they ingested (relax, they’re fake reproductions but eerily good, in the Mme. Tussaud’s Wax Works  kind of way.)

Finally, there’s a room, too, of plants introduced into the North Carolina ecosystem that ran rampant, taking over others in their path. I half expected to see kudzu, the subject of one of my first posts (click here)…but alas, it didn’t merit being included in the exhibit. 

Too many other really heavy hitters.

A phenomenal exhibit. How is it ‘encouragement’ (blog’s title)? We’re encouraged to avoid these deadly plants…

And now, because I led off in this post with the title, “What I Learned in The Hunger Games,” I’ll tell you:  I learned belladonna’s (nightshade’s) deadly.  I also learned never to eat something you’re unsure of (even if it looks like a pleasant-enough berry.)

Consider stopping by on Friday to agree/disagree on my review of this hot movie shot nearby in DuPont Park and learn why I voted it “a 3-P movie.”

It seems everyone’s coming to Asheville…..

Now, tell me…Did you learn something from “The Hunger Games”?  What?

Posted in Health and Well-Being, Specifically North Carolinan | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Call to Arms for “National Scrunchie Day”

Posted on May 14, 2012 by admin

 

(**To the right are the now-infamous scrunchies.)

I’m so tired of it—the minimizing of women, that is.  You see, I’m of the generation of the 60’s, the women who “bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan.” 

What did all the suffragetting do for us?  Most of us took on two full-time jobs (home and workplace) without a corresponding shift in what marital partners did…..

Yes, we “New Women” shouldered all the heavy lifting… while still needing to look fetching and feminine (Think Barbara Billinglsey of “Leave It to Beaver,”  but with a second job– outside the home).

In careers, we never played on a level playing field with the guys—and I shudder to say (based on what I read and see in the media today):  We still don’t.

And until we do something serious about it (like marshall our troops)–we won’t.

For instance, one of my gender still hasn’t come close to ascending top spot in the land (despite the fact we’re the majority of the electorate.)  Pretty remarkable considering other countries we once considered ‘3rd. world’ have blazed ahead of us with women as Presidents and Premiers (Brazil, Thailand, and some Arab nations, to name a few.)

Nope, the title of ‘Leader of the Free World’ resides—still–with males. They’re not even all that spectacular (Romney, Edwards, McCain.)

But a woman better be, if she’s even whispered about in that league.

Oh, we came close.  Hillary Clinton ran a grueling campaign against Barack Obama in 2008, but we all know what happened there. 

That was the campaign where the McCain team gave a hasty, ill-advised nod to Alaskan Governor, Sarah Palin, for VP, but when everyone woke up to the fact “Hell, she could be President if something happened,“ his candidacy plummeted.

Yep, McCain/Palin burned and crashed.  But Palin recouped—nicely, rising to media glory, as commentator for the Fox network (she has youth and good looks on her side.).  

No, Hillary didn’t make it as President but she’s cut an imposing figure as Secretary of State. 

Quick on her feet and hardly known for the legendary gaffes of VP, Joe Biden (gotta love him, with his latest reference to “Will and Grace” being catalyst for gay acceptance in the land,) she’s managed success in trying times.

She negotiated mightily during the Arab Spring, helping jettison Egypt’s tyrannical ruling group; she was present (even if some tried to white her out) in the Situation Room of the White House, as top brass witnessed Navy Seals’ infiltration of Bin Laden’s Palestinian compound, bringing on his ultimate demise; she strong-armed India, recently, into not buying Iranian oil.

She oversaw negotiating sessions with countries who held our citizens as ‘spies,’ resulting in their release.

She’s succeeded at all, during especially-difficult times.

But, what’s the latest on Hillary?  Media outlets call her ‘frumpy’ and careless about her appearance.  They pan her ‘lack of makeup’ (she puts on ‘a bit of lipstick’).  Most of all, they attack her penchant for pulling her hair back with a scrunchie, and I totally get her doing that (I never understood the Jennifer Anniston ‘do’ with forelocks hanging perpetually.) 

They claim she’s let herself go.

What they don’t realize is– there’s a growing number of women tired of the perpetual war-cry that tells our gender to shoot for the standard set by the Kardashians and the “Housewives of New Jersey.”

They focus on appearance as our prime importance, while I don’t recall ever hearing that about elder statesman Adlai Stevenson. No, that gentleman was respected for his knowledge, brain power, and negotiating skills.

So—media—leave Hillary Clinton alone.  Or if you must be loud and obnoxious, do it proclaiming her accomplishments.  They’re long overdue. Don’t wait in the wings and pounce because she’s gained weight, or looks tired (why wouldn’t she?), or doesn’t bother to pander to fashion’s dictates.

In the meantime, I, too, will sport a scrunchie (that’s how one spells it,) signaling I’ve got more important things to do than make sure makeup’s right or hair’s professionally-coiffed. 

In that mode, I invite all women to support National Scrunchie Day (I know many of you still have them in a drawer somewhere). If you need to order,  this site  provides.

We’ll need you young women to start the campaign cuz you know how to do it (Follow the lead of the woman who originated the “Drop Your Bank” campaign and other woman who began the Pink Slime movement.  Both achieved national prominence.)

Besides, it’s well-nigh-time we women pool our resources, since each day sees more of a chipping away of our rights.

Identify the day,  set up the Facebook page, and send out the Tweets calling for that day of reckoning in the weeks ahead.  Tell media outlets:  “Stop attacking our substantive women!” “Stop reducing our importance to appearance.” 

Join Twitter (if you haven’t already) and let’s set it on fire with our Tweets (Tweet me @biddybytes.)

…Sure, scrunchies are little (no bigger than your wrist,) but it’s a beginning. And a nation of women wearing them on a specific day will send a powerful message that’ll set the fashion industry on its rear… while they keep the hair out of our eyes (Ms. Anniston will thank us.)

___________________________________________

Here’s the article demonstrating Hillary’s reaction.…What are your thoughts on this?  Comment buttons below.

P.S. If this works, it won’t be the first time a national campaign was begun by a Rhode Island woman.  Who do you think started the ”Drop Your Bank” campaign?…We’re a feisty group.

 

Posted in Inspirational, Meeting Life's Adversities | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mohs Surgery

Posted on May 11, 2012 by admin

 

Pre-S:  The subject’s not pretty–but you’ll be more so, if you read…Remember, I’m no expert in medicine.  Just share what I’ve learned over time (and I DO have that.)

_____________________________

I have to say:  When I’m wrong, I really don’t have a problem admitting it. In the case of Mohs surgery, I found out that it isn’t what I thought—after all.  More to the point, it’s probably a good way to go, in the treatment of skin cancers, specifically those in highly-visible areas. After all, a divot (not the golf kind) on the tip of the nose is never good. Let me explain.

Two years ago, I was certain a dermatologist in Asheville was scamming me.  Why?  He examined my face and then took a top layer of small suspect area (a shaving) and sent it off for analysis (I have skin cancer, so this happens a lot).  It came back positive (remember, in medicine,  ‘positive’ isn’t good). I waited two weeks for that area to heal.

He called me with the news that he wanted me back, so he could  ‘go deeper’ and  get the rest of it, and I said, “No.” I saw no purpose to what I regarded a redundant act, a way to charge me for two visits. I asked him what the worse was that could happen and it sounded like reoccurrence, tho’ annoying, wasn’t life-threatening.  We weren’t talking about melanoma (if it were, I’d have let him excise whatever he needed to.)

I felt confident in my decision…

But then I’d learn, when I returned to Rhode Island, that Mohs surgery is the current course of treatment for us who suffer skin cancers in visible areas. With this, doctors determine ahead of time just how invasive they need to be, depending upon the type of cancer. They want scarring to be minimal, and that’s a good thing. As a result, I’ve now had Mohs surgery on two more occasions with Top Doc, Lynn Iler’s staff in East Greenwich.

The reason I’m extra-careful in determining what I do is past experience.

Early in my life (those dreadful teen years,) I suffered acne.  At times, it was terrible. In desperation, my Mom took me to a dermatologist who gave me medication, but it didn’t work. He recommended I go out, and sit in the sun, to sort of ‘bake it out of me.’

And I, being someone who does anything ‘over the top,’ took him at his word.  So I went out, in March (it’s still bleakly cold in Rhode Island then) and sat swaddled in blankets with an aluminum foil collar under my chin to intensify the effect. I’d already applied baby oil oil to my face, to ramp up the rays, and with those twin engines in gear, my face was basically in a fry-o-lator.

I’d learn later, in life, dermatologists did a 180 regarding their stand on the benefits of sun exposure. But, at the time, they touted that course to counteract acne.

Then, there was the dermatologist I went to for really serious flare-up’s.  He shot me with weekly doses of radiation, another treatment that is not only frowned upon today; it’d be cause for a malpractice suit.  As an Irish/English woman of fair complexion, I was no candidate for that. Now, my face is permanently reddened (like roseola), and often, the area around my eyes appears raccoon-ish white in stark contrast to the rest, since I wore goggles during treatments. Then, too, because of that radiation, I am heightened risk of thyroid cancer.

But all this terrible experience merely made me a better patient and one who questions anything a doctor proposes, and that is really my message.

That’s why, many years ago, when a teen daughter considered Accutane for what I regarded ‘slight’ acne, I strongly discouraged her, saying “Why would you want to risk taking a drug that sounds like a gasoline by-product (octane)?”

To me, it wasn’t an option.

History proved me right, for Accutane would be one of the medications frowned upon, in later years, for its side-effects.  The cure was apparently far worse than the problem.

That’s my 66-year-old message to any of you out there. When a doctor prescribes, do your homework and check on all side-effects of any course of treatment… medication…procedure.  If he or she doesn’t explain consequences, ask, as in “What could be the negatives for me if I follow that course of treatment?”

Never blindly acquiesce.

Today, we all have a powerful tool in the internet that allows us instantaneous information on the drugs and courses of treatment we might entertain, and that’s healthy. All that data may just confirm your belief that you’re not a candidate for what a professional suggests, after all.

On the other hand, too, once you find that terrific doctor and you combine his or her professional counsel with your own research, you’ve got a winnable formula for success. 

PS…Here’s the story about my own Top Doc dermatologist in RI , as well as focus on my primary care physician. How’d I get her (it wasn’t easy.)

Be your own health advocate–always.  Now, got your own story of when a drug turned bad?  Share below at Comments…

 

 

Posted in Health and Well-Being, Medical | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Are You an Innie or an Outie?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by admin

(C’mon…You clicked in because you thought I was asking about your belly-button…right?  But, I’m not.)

Her face is famous the world over as that glorious DaVinci woman, “Mona Lisa.”  Do I know why she’s considered such a great painting?  Hell, no… but some real afficionados early on christened her the ‘greatest painting ever’ and it stuck.

Just like her enigmatic smile.

Folks have been pondering the meaning for years, wondering “Why the faint smile?” or “Does she have a secret?”

The only real surety is:  “She’ll never tell” 

It’s like the rest of us.  You can’t tell by our outward appearance–the face we present to the world– what we’re truly like.

In this post’s title, I’m actually asking whether or not you’re an extrovert or an introvert.  It’s not always easy to determine from outward show.

For instance, some of us effect an outer show of real engagement, talking animatedly with others, appearing ever-so-social, when our real preference is to hunker down with only one or two other folks. 

Or we prefer spending vast chunks of time ‘alone.’  As a writer, I fit that mode.

Where’d I get the subject matter for this post?  It was actually my neighbor who shared this with me.  He says he’s an ‘isolationist’ of sorts, prefers spending time alone (or in company of his wife) to engaging with others…He says no one would ever suspect him of that.

It got me to thinking. I believe I’m that way, too.  Now, which are you?  An innie or an outie?  Would others never guess? Comment below…

And PS…Maybe something like this facial recognition software  will help…Just saying (I know nothing about this company–this is not an endorsement.)

 

Posted in Just-Plain-Fun, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

When Mom Clocked the Cockatoo

Posted on May 7, 2012 by admin

 

(Here’s the pet that inspired Mom.  She never knew the true importance of its plumage….)

 

I realize people usually buy for their kids the kind of pets they had as children.  That’s the reason Mom gave me the parakeet one Christmas.  I awoke that holiday morn to find its cage enshrouded and knew right away that it was a bird. Then, too, I knew it was for me.

She’d grown up in a household where her Mom had birds—lots of them. But I’d never really developed an affinity for them.  I mean, after all, they’re hard to cuddle, and I guess I never had patience enough to train one.

Then again, neither did my mother.

After we all left home and Dad died, Mom was lonely.  I guess she’d been watching “Baretta”  reruns and thought, when she saw the lead player’s famous bird:  “Now, there’s a bird I can enjoy.”  “It’ll perch on my arm and talk to me.”

She went to the local pet vendor and after consulting him on any number of questions, she came home with a full-grown, snow-white (with fiery orange accents)  cockatoo with the signature plumage on the nape of its neck? (Too bad my mother didn’t see that cockatoo site beforehand..It’d tell her why a cockatoo pet would never work with her.)

Along with that bird, she bought his cage, a multi-level affair in conformance with its size and needs. She’d help the bird nest.

Now, I don’t know what it is about my family, but we don’t exactly have a 6th. sense when it comes to pets (see my “When to Get a Pet”  post).

When she tried to bring the bird into the house, all Hell broke loose. You see, he’d somehow gotten out of his confines and the two of them grappled, and Mom had no intention of losing to a bird.  After all, that bird had cost her a lot of money.

But she’d cost the bird a lot more…as you’ll learn.

They must have had a full-blown, drag-out affair, for in the end, the cockatoo lost its crest plumage.  That’s right, in all the knocking about, my mother had destroyed the flank of feathers that stood out on his head. 

In other words, she’d neutered him. And in the bird kingdom, that’s close to a suicide run, for plumage is how one attracts mates…even if it will never meet any potentials in this quarter (by virtue of being a house pet.).

Following that episode, too, Mom knew:  She and that bird weren’t a good fit. She just didn’t have the temperament for a temperamental bird which was never going to coo in her ear or come to her, in flight, when she extended her arm.

What with its memories of how he lost his sexual identity, why would he?

So, she gave up the bird…put him up for adoption…fast.  Bird…cage…food…errant feathers all for sale to any willing taker. Like me, she’d found having a pet is serious business one shouldn’t embark on frivolously.

And what of the cockatoo?  Well, as fate would have it, he did get another owner.  It’s just that owner never put up one of those bird mirrors, in the cage.  After all, that would have been needlessly cruel.  When the defrocked cockatoo saw a deformed potential mate, he would have had no interest…

No, it was best to allow the bird some modicum of dignity….and false delusion.

Now, have you had an unusual pet most don’t have (alligator, scorpion, pirannha, ape) or know someone who does?  How’s that working?  Share at Comment section below.

***Now click on this link to learn some amazing fact about Baretta’s bird…See what Mom could have achieved, if she only had patience?

Posted in Family Life, Just-Plain-Fun, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Is Jon Stewart a Fake?

Posted on May 4, 2012 by admin

 

 

Here’s the man my husband loves to hate…and I just can’t figure out why.

 “Admit what?” you ask.  That they don’t really read all those books they talk about, nightly. How do I know?  Because I barely have time, and I’m retired, for God’s sake.

Take Jon Stewart (some of you are doubtless saying, “Yeah, take him, all right, and drop him off into the deepest part of the ocean that mega-billionaire, Titanic/Avatar  movie director James Cameron just visited…..”)

My husband can’t stand Stewart because of all the Marmaduke-type guttural sounds he makes as when he’s acting in mock confusion, on any issue. 

He hates his theatrics—thinks they’re juvenile.

But I love JS, so when he’s on, husband and I part company, with him leaving and watching something else in the other room.

Every night—or practically—Stewart holds up a book that his guest has just released.  And Stewart references what he considers the meatiest parts of it. Oh, he quotes… he quibbles with the author…he goads..he prods…He’s doing what he always does–sublimely skewering an argument of the right or pumping up and validating one on the left. 

No matter—he really sounds like he’s done the research and digested every morsel of this book.

But here’s what I suspect.  His staff reads the books and extracts the pithy material…In other words, they dissect it, listing the really important stuff and feed it to Stewart in bullet points.

Now, all Stewart’s got to do is deliver it and I don’t mean to undermine that, because even that takes deft handling, since tho’ he might understand the salient aspects, he doesn’t know the context…so his whole spin could become a minefield—especially if his guest lands him an unexpected counterpunch. 

But maybe, that’s why the show is taped and edited in advance (Is it?)  You see, I marvel at the fact Stewart, unlike some real die-hard conservatives, has guests from the other side of the political aisle. 

Hell, some even appear to be from another universe.

For instance, he doesn’t really know (does he?) where his guests will go, in a given exchange?  Maybe some give spontaneous answers, off-script?  Perhaps one or two of the cagier ones ‘pull a Stephen Colbert’  on Stewart, and that man’s a whiz on unpredictability (even if Stewart and Colbert share the same political team.)

In other words, Stewart strides into the breach, nightly, realizing there’s explosion potential on the other end that could go off in his face.  What if a guest asked Stewart a pointed question designed to show Stewart didn’t read the whole book?

Then, again, the man’s a master of getting out of a corner.

Let’s not forget, in a recent poll a few years ago, Jon Stewart was voted “America’s Most Reliable Newscaster,” beating out Brian Williams, Katie Couric, among others.  That’s right, people voted him that.  They didn’t differentiate, as in calling him news ‘commentator’ (which is really what he is.) 

This all begs the question: “ Is his audience so enamored with him that they forget he’s doing satire? “ “Do they truly not understand he’s skewering real news and everybody in it?”

Or do they actually believe he’s, hands-down, the best news person in the business?

“What do you think?”  “Are you a Jon Stewart fan?” “And do you really believe he—and his arch nemesis, Bill O’Reilly, really read the books they so casually discuss?”

And come to think of it, why didn’t her team better prepare Sarah Palin? (get one similar to Jon Stewart’s next time.) She wasn’t merely vying for nightly audience of millions but going for the second most important position in the land– that of VP. 

If someone on her staff had read those newspapers and spoon-fed data to her, she’d never have failed so miserably, thus denying Tina Fey  body-double immortality.

Now, what are your thoughts on Jon Stewart…Tina Fey…Bill O’Reilly (his program gets the MOST audience of all?!)

Posted in Just-Plain-Fun, Pop Culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Downton Abbey’s Indomitable Dowager Countess

Posted on May 2, 2012 by admin

 

(See the picture?  I can hear her now, acting clue-less concerning some deftly-positioned remark on her part, destined for someone’s jugular.  God, that woman’s delicious in her wit!)

There are few performances that pleased me as much as “Downton Abbey,” Masterpiece Theatre’s knock-out success recently presented as Season #2. Yes, as devotee, I watched faithfully. 

The Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Maggie Smith, had what many believe to be the meatiest lines, and it helped that she spoke them, brilliantly.

Some of my favorites:  Lady Grandtham asks “What’s a weekend?” (hysterical, for why would anyone of the gentry class know what a ‘work week’ meant–and its opposite–’days off’?)

Then there’s the reaction by her to the foreigner dying in the Grantham mansion:  “No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else’s home…expecially someone they didn’t even know.” 

Or how about her stating no one goes down the aisle (in marriage,) telling the full story?…In other words, we all leave out the steamier (and seamier) aspects of our lives, never telling the damning details to eventual mates. (Do you agree?)

Enjoy the following…Note Ms. Smith’s mannerisms and wonder at her talent as she is the quintessence of  ”the iron-fist in the velvet glove”…

Then, tell us your favorite character in the series.  If you’re not a fan already, just watch and you will be…

Season 1 and 2 are available on their site to bring you up to speed…I know folks who barricaded themselves in for entire weekends, watching, spell-bound. The rest of us wait longingly for season #3 to begin.

Be forewarned:  these episodes are highly addictive.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/entertainment/131847/downton_abbey_fun_best_lady

Posted in Inspirational, Just-Plain-Fun | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

How to Fight Writer’s Block in 4 Easy Steps

Posted on April 30, 2012 by admin

 

(Here’s a den–course, ours will have to be ‘virtual’…but that’s OK, too.)

As a writer, my mind’s always active—sometimes too much so (as when I try to go to sleep.) I’m always crafting stories in my head that eventually appear on my blogsite. They start out as random observations on life, politics, the medical world, pop culture, the environment, families and a host of other things.

My friend asked me, when I was in my eighth month of pumping out three-times-a-week posts:  “Do you ever fear running run out of ideas?”  In other words, she wanted to know if I ever suffer writer’s block, the bane of all who try to dazzle—or even inform– with the written word. 

I told her I hadn’t run into that problem—yet.  Why do I think that is?  I find material all around me.

People are my laboratory of unsuspecting specimens. I note their traits and behaviors; I watch how they mimic trends and how they stand apart; I watch their fashion or lack thereof, (and I’m in this category). I talk with everyone.  

Then I agree or disagree, in print, taking a stand… sometimes as mere contrarian, for the sake of argument.

In other words, I’ve trained myself to be a super-sleuth in observing people.  Oh, not in an in-your-face obnoxious kind of way but merely noting behaviors. 

And when people don’t pique my interest, nature does.

Then, too, I have the advantage of age.  At 66, I’ve witnessed political dramas, major world events, social and cultural trends, movements, the rise and fall of celebs in the Hollywood world, the sports arena…the pop icons. All this gives me a vast repository that acts as context, and I use it as such.

But here are other sure-fire resources to help stoke the fires if my brain doesn’t co-operate:

  1.  Using my Alexa.com  bar, on my computer (yes, you have to download alexa.com) I note the big stories of the day (often political or pop culture) and comment on these.
  2. I note trends flying under my own radar by scanning television programs?  Bunker-Building  is one (and isn’t that hopeful?) I wrote on such, believing it an aberrant movement and then discovered that that post pulled in– hands-down– my biggest audience, ever, and it keeps doing that, despite the fact I wrote it over 6 months ago (blame the keywords people use to search something on their broswers.) From this, I’ve realized:  There’s a REALLY big audience of bunker builders out there (it’s why two television shows are dedicated to such,) and they never give up (even if they appear to be a silent majority, as in ‘I got very few comments on this post.’).  The good news is:  If the bad stuff goes down (as they suspect), perhaps they’ll be reading my blog 30 feet under the earth, but it will have to be back posts, since I probably won’t be around, topside.
  3. From another metric device–Google Analytics– I’ve determined folks love stuff on pop culture—but with particular players:  my Jamie Lee Curtis Activia always does well, as does anything I write about Clint Eastwood.
  4. I observe…observe…observe.

But writing’s like exercise—steady attention to it, on a daily basis, gets the juices (and a writer’s metabolism) flowing.

If you’re on the verge of writing (a blog), just dip your little toe into the writers’ pool…It gets addictive (but it’s a good kind) and you’ll learn many things in the process.  You don’t have to write often (some bloggers write posts once a month.) Identify your area of interest (that’ll be your niche market)…then tap into your creative juices…and do the hardest thing of all (perhaps):  Hit the “Publish” button.

Voila…You’re a published writer.  Congratulations!

So the question is: “How do you stoke the fires of creativity (light a bomb) under your brain?” (If you’re a writer)…

or “What’s stopping you from trying your hand at this?” (If you’re considering becoming one?) If it’s fear of writer’s block, I just told you how to get around that…If it’s fear of writing, per se, you might begin by Commenting on my posts…that’ll ease you into the arena.

Be forewarned:  If you “Comment,” below, that act qualifies you as published writer:)  Then, using the buttons below, send this encouraging post to other would-be writer friends and we can form out own little writers’ den…C’mon…it’ll be fun…

 

 

 

Posted in Inspirational, Meeting Life's Adversities, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

#1 Most Overlooked Aspect in Home Sale?

Posted on April 27, 2012 by admin

 

As a professional realtor, I note things that get folks in trouble when they go to sell their homes. Crazy mindset is one. They think that since they paid a whopping price for their house (in a froth market,) others should, too. That’s never going to happen.  Instead, accurate pricing is critical. But you probably know that…

Furthermore, “what do you do?” if you want to sell but you’ve got a house that needs a boatload of work but you have limited funds? Well, it helps to consider how buyers act in home-purchase mode.

First, buyers note outward appearance, and if the outside of your home’s a mess, they suspect bigger problems inside.  If they don’t want to “go there,” it’s understandable:  There’s a ton of inventory out there…Why should they take on tasks you never completed?

I’ve had buyer-clients tell me, upon pulling up to a home, “We’re not going in.” Even more damaging, they give their realtor a black eye for including this house on the list, wasting their valuable time.  That realtor will then pass the poor reaction of his buyers to other realtors, further damaging that house’s possibility of sale.

With that in mind, I offer the following for sellers of difficult homes, telling you things you probably won’t want to hear:

#1–Outside appearance is critical and unforgiving (if bad.)

I’ve told my sellers “Take down the Christmas lights” strung up along the eves…repair gutters and carports, de-clutter the yard and trim everything back, clean windows, paint trim (f you’re not painting entirety.)  The outside is your home’s face to the world; if corrective surgery is necessary, do it; otherwise, buyers will never step foot in your home.

#2–Inside the home, spend money judiciously.  That means:  Lay out cash on things that will deliver.  A costly kitchen repair isn’t wise.  Instead, if the kitchen is truly ‘awful,’ put new facades on kitchen cabinets and new cabinet pulls to give the illusion of ‘new.’

Inexpensive flooring and new countertops will improve appearances but avoid over-the-top choices. For instance, seasoned realtors refer to installing granite countertops in an ugly kitchen as “Putting lipstick on a pig.”  No one buys that maneuvering.

#3–New carpeting is a wise investment—all the more necessary if your household’s been beaten up with kids and pets. Pick a neutral shade that’s resistant to soil.  For Open Houses, lay down a footpath of paper that construction folks staple onto carpeting of houses that are ready for customer visits (buy at Home Depot, Lowe’s etc.)  It’s inexpensive and you can pull it up after showings, thus protecting that new carpeting.

#4–All clutter should be removed (tabletops cleared), toys stored in bins, preferably out of sight, all the more important if you have a small house. Install inexpensive closet doors, put in shelving with doors in small places, such as laundry rooms, to give illusion house has more space. You want horizontal lines of your home clean and clutter-free.

#5–Finally, your home’s smell is critical. This is the #1 overlooked aspect that can ditch a home sale, and the homeowner often never suspects his house suffers from this (it’s like bad breath that way.)

I once had a client whose home smelled of the pungent food he cooked every Sunday before his work week.  Despite numerous showings of a condo that looked beautiful, we couldn’t sell…

Oh, he’d followed my advice when he ripped up old carpeting (smells linger there) and installed new; he’d painted walls a fresh, neutral color;  he’d replaced the small, mottled bathroom mirror with a large new one, trimmed in wood (from TJ Maxx); and he’d swapped out old toilets with new.

Still, the smell remained.  How’d we fix?  We sniff-tested the whole place, finally realizing the stove hood was the culprit (the most obvious place cooking odors lodge, but we’d missed that elephant in the room.)

Upshot?  When he replaced it, we sold his condo in a record two weeks, at almost-full price.

He’d listened to me, his realtor and did his homework.

Finally, sellers:  Skip the room fresheners and candles.  Savvy buyers suspect them, just as they do outside disrepair.  They wisely believe candles and fresheners cover up more serious problems.

To sell a tough house in a tough market, you’ve got to be a warrior…a well-prepared one, at that. Start suiting up.

***Now, are you selling a home soon or know others who are?  Do them a favor and send this post to them (e-mail buttons to the side.)  Some of the above topics even their realtors won’t tell them…Why?  It’s like bad breath…No one wants to tell the person that has it.

Finally, if your plan is to sell in a couple of years, start working on that check-list of fix-up’s, now, so it’s not overwhelming when you do go on market…

Posted in Inspirational, Meeting Life's Adversities, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment