OK, well I guess "Ice Day" would be a more apt description.
I just checked the Columbia State website and saw the message that all 5 CS campuses are officially closed tomorrow due to the severe weather. All I can say is God bless Mother Nature! I really didn't want to have to get out in the cold in the morning and drive to work.
What I will do is just shift the schedule to make up for the day we will miss (we'll do tomorrow's lecture on Wednesday or whenever we meet next-fingers crossed that the roads will still be bad Wed hee hee!)
Now, go curl up with a good book and a cup of nice steaming hot chocolate and enjoy your day off. Stay warm and be safe.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Reminder: Vote for Daniell!
If you are a regular reader of the blog, you know about Daniell. For those of you who don't, Daniell is a student who is in a contest to be a spokesperson for Purple Lab cosmetics on the Home Shopping Network. She needs your help! The contest ends in the next couple of days. Please copy and paste the following address and vote for her as much as possible. You can vote multiple times each day and you can also leave a review/comment after you vote. Both help push her up the ladder. Right now she is #20- if we all jump in and help, she has a real shot at this. SUPPORT DANIELL!
http://www.purplelabnyc.com/hsnstar/?pbb_qsi=27987478
http://www.purplelabnyc.com/hsnstar/?pbb_qsi=27987478
Friday, January 29, 2010
SNOW DAY!!!!
Franklin students only! We have a snow day!!!!! The president (of the school, not Obama) offically closed the school at 11:00 today. Whoo-hooo!
OK, now to go into serious teacher mode...this totally fubars our schedule. What I'm doing is pushing the whole thing back a day. I'll print out a new one and give it to everyone. Today's test will also be pushed back to next week too. Bring your pencils!
Everyone please be safe and keep warm! See you next week.
OK, now to go into serious teacher mode...this totally fubars our schedule. What I'm doing is pushing the whole thing back a day. I'll print out a new one and give it to everyone. Today's test will also be pushed back to next week too. Bring your pencils!
Everyone please be safe and keep warm! See you next week.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Weather Alert: Franklin Students Only
OK, first and foremost, why do they start talking horrible weather when I'm giving a test in my Friday class? Does Mother Nature hate you guys that much? It's the "H" corner, I know it is (just kidding, just kidding, you all weren't even in my class the last time we had to have a weather alert).
Seriously though, just in this school year, the weather folks have given us doom and gloom many times and each time elementary and high schools have been closed. And then nothing happens.
So as of right now, I'm going with the nothing happens scenario. At this posting, 5:00 PM on Thursday, Columbia State is not closed. Therefore, we will be meeting tomorrow, having the test and doing group work on the essay. I sent out an email to your CS email accounts earlier.
If something changes (and I truly hope it does because my stupid car is covered with salt from the road and I want bad weather to justify that) I'll blog again and send out another email).
Seriously though, just in this school year, the weather folks have given us doom and gloom many times and each time elementary and high schools have been closed. And then nothing happens.
So as of right now, I'm going with the nothing happens scenario. At this posting, 5:00 PM on Thursday, Columbia State is not closed. Therefore, we will be meeting tomorrow, having the test and doing group work on the essay. I sent out an email to your CS email accounts earlier.
If something changes (and I truly hope it does because my stupid car is covered with salt from the road and I want bad weather to justify that) I'll blog again and send out another email).
Guest Blogger: Book Review: Under the Dome
-This might come to a shock to you all but I love to read! (I know, I know- duh) Unfortunately, I don't always have the time to read whenever I want to. When Stephen King's Under the Dome came out, I was salivating to read it. Unfortunately, it's over 1000 pages and I just don't have the time right now. Forget the idea of a coffee table book, this sucker could be a coffee table all by itself. But my uber-amazing friend and editor Dawn (better known as Ms. Sparks to those of you in her English class) read it and has graciously written a guest posting, her own review of the book. Enjoy! RS-
When my best friend and confidant asked me to do a guest blog on Stephen King’s new novel, I was super excited! Not only do I love reading her blog and seeing all the clever things she has to say, I also had several things to say about this novel to others who enjoy reading. First off, for those who have never read or been a fan of King, you will be after reading this novel. I have always enjoyed his short stories but am now looking into his longer works as well. The novel is ingenious. The entire premise for the story is set in a small town that borders two other towns very closely. The book begins when, out of nowhere, a glass-like dome appears and drops down over the town, cutting it off from all other civilization. Terror ensues as you read the next several chapters and find out what happens to a town that was already corrupt when it got cut off from everyone in the outside world. The cast of characters in the novel are plentiful, but after the first couple of chapters, it is easy to keep everyone straight. Readers will fall in love with the small town cast as each character will remind them of someone they grew up with. The villain of the story is magnificent. I really applaud King for him, as he was truly a joy to read. The only quirk I had with the novel comes after reading 1,053 or so pages. The ending really bothered me. It felt rushed and uneventful. After all the build-up, I felt strangely let down. However, the bulk of the story more than makes up for the last twenty or so pages. This book was a delight to read and when it ended, I felt like a piece of me had left. I strongly recommend it to those of you who are avid readers. You will laugh, cry, curse, and be amazed at King’s wit and sarcasm. It is truly a FUN read!
When my best friend and confidant asked me to do a guest blog on Stephen King’s new novel, I was super excited! Not only do I love reading her blog and seeing all the clever things she has to say, I also had several things to say about this novel to others who enjoy reading. First off, for those who have never read or been a fan of King, you will be after reading this novel. I have always enjoyed his short stories but am now looking into his longer works as well. The novel is ingenious. The entire premise for the story is set in a small town that borders two other towns very closely. The book begins when, out of nowhere, a glass-like dome appears and drops down over the town, cutting it off from all other civilization. Terror ensues as you read the next several chapters and find out what happens to a town that was already corrupt when it got cut off from everyone in the outside world. The cast of characters in the novel are plentiful, but after the first couple of chapters, it is easy to keep everyone straight. Readers will fall in love with the small town cast as each character will remind them of someone they grew up with. The villain of the story is magnificent. I really applaud King for him, as he was truly a joy to read. The only quirk I had with the novel comes after reading 1,053 or so pages. The ending really bothered me. It felt rushed and uneventful. After all the build-up, I felt strangely let down. However, the bulk of the story more than makes up for the last twenty or so pages. This book was a delight to read and when it ended, I felt like a piece of me had left. I strongly recommend it to those of you who are avid readers. You will laugh, cry, curse, and be amazed at King’s wit and sarcasm. It is truly a FUN read!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Attn: Friday Franklin Students
This post is for my Friday class only (if you are in one of my other classes, yours will be coming later)!
Don't forget about the test on Friday. You will need to study your class notes and to read the required sections from the book. The test will be heavy on questions from lecture, but don't neglect your reading; there will be book questions. Know the key terms! DON'T FORGET YOUR PENCILS!!!!! I will stab you in the pinky toe with my purple pen if you do (just kidding, but I will have a very realistic daydream in my mind where I do)
I posted the extra info on the Ch. 17 economics terms. Be sure to read over that in case you are confused about that stuff.
After the test, we'll be splitting into groups to work on the 1st research essay. Bring paper, pen/pencil and your book for that. The book is optional but it is a good place to start digging for info.
As always, don't hesitate to e-holler if you have any questions.
And...VOTE FOR DANIELL www.purplelabnyc.com/hsnstar/?pbb_qsi=27987478
Don't forget about the test on Friday. You will need to study your class notes and to read the required sections from the book. The test will be heavy on questions from lecture, but don't neglect your reading; there will be book questions. Know the key terms! DON'T FORGET YOUR PENCILS!!!!! I will stab you in the pinky toe with my purple pen if you do (just kidding, but I will have a very realistic daydream in my mind where I do)
I posted the extra info on the Ch. 17 economics terms. Be sure to read over that in case you are confused about that stuff.
After the test, we'll be splitting into groups to work on the 1st research essay. Bring paper, pen/pencil and your book for that. The book is optional but it is a good place to start digging for info.
As always, don't hesitate to e-holler if you have any questions.
And...VOTE FOR DANIELL www.purplelabnyc.com/hsnstar/?pbb_qsi=27987478
Monday, January 25, 2010
Trusts and Oligopolies and Vertical Integration...Oh My!
OK, I really hate it when I have classes that confuse even me. It would be easier for me to explain the meaning of life than to totally grasp all of the economics terms in Chapter 17. But at least let me try to make it clear as mud for you.
First, none of this stuff was new at the time. They were standing business models, ideas for how to manage things. What changed in the Gilded Age was the fact that the big business owners that we discussed tweaked old ideas in an effort to become dirty, filthy, stinking rich. And of course, it worked for them.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION- this idea means that a business controls all aspects of their business from the bottom to the top. This maximizes profits because it cuts out the middle man. The business is not having to purchase anything from anybody. The name best associated with vertical integration is Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie implemented it in his steel factories. For each factory, he owned the mines that produced the iron ore, the boats or railroad cars used to transport this ore to the factory and all of the places that made the equipment used inside the factory. Carnegie had no need to seek material from outside suppliers.
TRUST- where a business owner owns or acts as a trustee for stock in all of the businesses within his industry. Although the businessman/trustee doesn't completely own ALL of these businesses, it decreases competition. John D. Rockefeller used this to his and Standard Oil's best advantage. Since he owned or held stock in nearly all of the oil refineries, he was the one dictating policy, ultimately driving out his competition. This wasn't illegal but the government said that it was unfair.
OLIGOPOLY- similar to a trust in that it is done simply to decrease competition. J.P. Morgan's US Steel banded together with other large steel companies working together as a block. Morgan owned stock in some of these companies but not all of them. It didn't really matter whether or not he owned stock in them, any of the businesses tied together as an oligopoly made policy and acted together as a unit. The only thing that saved the oligopoly from being a monopoly was the fact there was just enough competition out there to keep Morgan from controlling the entire industry. Your book says that Bethelehem Steel was a strong enough competitor to keep US Steel from complete domination.
WATERED STOCK- the idea is a throwback to livestock sales. Animals are sold by weight so to get more bang for their buck, farmers would force their cows, pigs, whatever to drink and drink and drink water until they were about to bust. This artifically inflated the weight and ultimately inflated the price of the animal. Apply that to stocks. Technically (and legally) you are only supposed to sell stocks for whatever they are valued at. J.P. Morgan "watered" his stock. If he had $1000 worth of stock in a company, he would have $2000 worth of stock certificates drawn up and sell them. He automatically doubled his profits. Highly illegal but extremely lucrative. You know the old saying, it ain't illegal unless you get caught.
I hope this helps. Post any questions in the comments or email me!
First, none of this stuff was new at the time. They were standing business models, ideas for how to manage things. What changed in the Gilded Age was the fact that the big business owners that we discussed tweaked old ideas in an effort to become dirty, filthy, stinking rich. And of course, it worked for them.
VERTICAL INTEGRATION- this idea means that a business controls all aspects of their business from the bottom to the top. This maximizes profits because it cuts out the middle man. The business is not having to purchase anything from anybody. The name best associated with vertical integration is Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie implemented it in his steel factories. For each factory, he owned the mines that produced the iron ore, the boats or railroad cars used to transport this ore to the factory and all of the places that made the equipment used inside the factory. Carnegie had no need to seek material from outside suppliers.
TRUST- where a business owner owns or acts as a trustee for stock in all of the businesses within his industry. Although the businessman/trustee doesn't completely own ALL of these businesses, it decreases competition. John D. Rockefeller used this to his and Standard Oil's best advantage. Since he owned or held stock in nearly all of the oil refineries, he was the one dictating policy, ultimately driving out his competition. This wasn't illegal but the government said that it was unfair.
OLIGOPOLY- similar to a trust in that it is done simply to decrease competition. J.P. Morgan's US Steel banded together with other large steel companies working together as a block. Morgan owned stock in some of these companies but not all of them. It didn't really matter whether or not he owned stock in them, any of the businesses tied together as an oligopoly made policy and acted together as a unit. The only thing that saved the oligopoly from being a monopoly was the fact there was just enough competition out there to keep Morgan from controlling the entire industry. Your book says that Bethelehem Steel was a strong enough competitor to keep US Steel from complete domination.
WATERED STOCK- the idea is a throwback to livestock sales. Animals are sold by weight so to get more bang for their buck, farmers would force their cows, pigs, whatever to drink and drink and drink water until they were about to bust. This artifically inflated the weight and ultimately inflated the price of the animal. Apply that to stocks. Technically (and legally) you are only supposed to sell stocks for whatever they are valued at. J.P. Morgan "watered" his stock. If he had $1000 worth of stock in a company, he would have $2000 worth of stock certificates drawn up and sell them. He automatically doubled his profits. Highly illegal but extremely lucrative. You know the old saying, it ain't illegal unless you get caught.
I hope this helps. Post any questions in the comments or email me!
Can you help?
Whenever I have the chance to help someone achieve one of their life's goals, I am very happy to jump in head first and help. This is one of those opportunties. Not only have I been helping this person, but I am asking you to give up a little bit of your time to help also.
Daniell, one of your fellow students, has the opportunity to become the spokesperson for Purple Lab, a brand of makeup, clothes, goods in general marketed towards beautiful and hardworking women- "Multi-tasking Mavens" as they refer to it. Daniell sent me an email with a link over the Christmas holidays asking me to vote for her. I thought I would be nice and vote once. Then I got to looking closer and realized that she was in the top 20 out of over 2000 entries. She has a real shot at winning this! So I started voting every chance I got, passed the link onto my daughter and some friends and asked them to vote. I think I vote about 15 or 20 times a day.
As of this posting, she is currently at #18. Can you help? Click on the link below (or copy and paste it if the hyperlink doesn't work) and vote for her. Vote as many times as you can, please, please, please! Please. Did I say please? If everybody votes for her a couple or more times a day for the rest of the contest, we can get her up in the top 10 and we could very well be watching her on TV.
http://www.purplelabnyc.com/hsnstar/?pbb_qsi=27987478
Daniell, one of your fellow students, has the opportunity to become the spokesperson for Purple Lab, a brand of makeup, clothes, goods in general marketed towards beautiful and hardworking women- "Multi-tasking Mavens" as they refer to it. Daniell sent me an email with a link over the Christmas holidays asking me to vote for her. I thought I would be nice and vote once. Then I got to looking closer and realized that she was in the top 20 out of over 2000 entries. She has a real shot at winning this! So I started voting every chance I got, passed the link onto my daughter and some friends and asked them to vote. I think I vote about 15 or 20 times a day.
As of this posting, she is currently at #18. Can you help? Click on the link below (or copy and paste it if the hyperlink doesn't work) and vote for her. Vote as many times as you can, please, please, please! Please. Did I say please? If everybody votes for her a couple or more times a day for the rest of the contest, we can get her up in the top 10 and we could very well be watching her on TV.
http://www.purplelabnyc.com/hsnstar/?pbb_qsi=27987478
Movie Review: Avatar
OK, so you may not have heard about it but there is this little flick out there that goes by the name of Avatar. Yeah right, I think everybody in the free world has seen this movie at least once since it is already at #2 all-time in box office revenue and is closing in fast on Titanic. I know, it has been out for 6 weeks so I'm a little slow in going to see it but I'm really glad I did. It definitely lived up to the hype and then some!
As I was watching it, I was sort of building the story in my mind...Power hungry conglomerate bands together with the military to take over a planet that is inhabited with a less-civilized-than-they-are population all in the effort of getting an extremely valuable mineral, unobtanium. Despite the fact that the enemy is much more technologically advanced, the nature loving natives band together and use rudimentary weapons to hold onto their sacred lands.
Have you ever had one of those epiphany moments? One where the light bulb goes off above your head and everything becomes clear? I had one sitting in the theater, wearing those stupid 3D glasses (I hate 3D- Lasik and 3D don't work well together).
The historical part of my brain kicked into overdrive and I realized that anyone who had my American History I class last semester should have recognized the story. Make a few substitutions...Power hungry nation (Spain/England) bands together with the military to take over the New Worldwhich is inhabited with a less-civilized-than-they-are population all in the effort of getting an extremely valuable mineral, gold. Despite the fact that the enemy is much more technologically advanced, the nature loving natives band together and use rudimentary weapons to hold onto their sacred lands.
This movie is a virtual retelling of the European conquering of North America. When I told Caitlin this, she sort of rolled her eyes but my Daddy said the same idea struck him as he was watching it. Let's play the historian's "what if" game for a minute. What if Hernando Cortez had been more like Jake Sully and had tried to help the natives rather than to overthrow them? Imagine how history would have been different.
Whether you agree with me about the historical parallels or not, you have to admit, this movie rocks!
As I was watching it, I was sort of building the story in my mind...Power hungry conglomerate bands together with the military to take over a planet that is inhabited with a less-civilized-than-they-are population all in the effort of getting an extremely valuable mineral, unobtanium. Despite the fact that the enemy is much more technologically advanced, the nature loving natives band together and use rudimentary weapons to hold onto their sacred lands.
Have you ever had one of those epiphany moments? One where the light bulb goes off above your head and everything becomes clear? I had one sitting in the theater, wearing those stupid 3D glasses (I hate 3D- Lasik and 3D don't work well together).
The historical part of my brain kicked into overdrive and I realized that anyone who had my American History I class last semester should have recognized the story. Make a few substitutions...Power hungry nation (Spain/England) bands together with the military to take over the New Worldwhich is inhabited with a less-civilized-than-they-are population all in the effort of getting an extremely valuable mineral, gold. Despite the fact that the enemy is much more technologically advanced, the nature loving natives band together and use rudimentary weapons to hold onto their sacred lands.
This movie is a virtual retelling of the European conquering of North America. When I told Caitlin this, she sort of rolled her eyes but my Daddy said the same idea struck him as he was watching it. Let's play the historian's "what if" game for a minute. What if Hernando Cortez had been more like Jake Sully and had tried to help the natives rather than to overthrow them? Imagine how history would have been different.
Whether you agree with me about the historical parallels or not, you have to admit, this movie rocks!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
New TV Returns
Call me shallow but I can't tell you how happy I am that the holiday rerun season is finally over. I finally get NEW TV AGAIN!!!! There was a time in the past when I was glad for rerun time. I watch so many TV shows that I would miss a few here and there and reruns gave me a chance to catch up(I know, I know DVR's- I don't have one). But thankfully, technology has made that obsolete. If I miss a show, I can just watch it the next morning on the net.
I'm not the sort of person who gets into half-hour sitcoms or reality shows. You might want to sit down for this one, but I have never watched American Idol or Survivor, and I don't intend to. That sort of stuff just doesn't float my boat.
Give me a good hour-long drama, especially those with a sci-fi bend. The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and Fringe are getting back into the swing of thing. Yay! Plus, the BBC has a new show called Demons that I'm totally into. Now if V and FlashForward would hurry up and come back, I'd be set.
But Fox has me doing a happy dance right about now. JACK IS BACK!!! 5 hours of 24 over 2 nights. Yeah baby! I know it's season 8 for them but, to me, they just get better and better. JACK BAUER FOR PRESIDENT! Plus, Fox also launched a new show called Human Target that totally has my attention. If you haven't seen it, go to fox.com right now! It's about a group of guys who do personal protection. Sounds sort of lame but they are like Batman without the mask and cape. It caught my attention because of the show's stars. Mark Valley, who plays the main character, was on Fringe (they had me right there), Jackie Earle Hailey, Rorshach from Watchmen, is amazing as the "heavy." He's like 4 feet tall and 50 pounds but he's great. And Chi McBride gave my 2nd favorite movie line ever in Gone in 60 Seconds*.
So, if you can't get in touch with me from 7-10 every night or first thing in the morning, it's a good bet that I'm glued to the boob tube, getting my TV fix. Are you as big of a TV addict as I am? Should we start a 12 step program? What TV show(s) draw you in?
*My all-time favorite movie line was given by the incomparable Betty White in Lake Placid.
I'm not the sort of person who gets into half-hour sitcoms or reality shows. You might want to sit down for this one, but I have never watched American Idol or Survivor, and I don't intend to. That sort of stuff just doesn't float my boat.
Give me a good hour-long drama, especially those with a sci-fi bend. The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and Fringe are getting back into the swing of thing. Yay! Plus, the BBC has a new show called Demons that I'm totally into. Now if V and FlashForward would hurry up and come back, I'd be set.
But Fox has me doing a happy dance right about now. JACK IS BACK!!! 5 hours of 24 over 2 nights. Yeah baby! I know it's season 8 for them but, to me, they just get better and better. JACK BAUER FOR PRESIDENT! Plus, Fox also launched a new show called Human Target that totally has my attention. If you haven't seen it, go to fox.com right now! It's about a group of guys who do personal protection. Sounds sort of lame but they are like Batman without the mask and cape. It caught my attention because of the show's stars. Mark Valley, who plays the main character, was on Fringe (they had me right there), Jackie Earle Hailey, Rorshach from Watchmen, is amazing as the "heavy." He's like 4 feet tall and 50 pounds but he's great. And Chi McBride gave my 2nd favorite movie line ever in Gone in 60 Seconds*.
So, if you can't get in touch with me from 7-10 every night or first thing in the morning, it's a good bet that I'm glued to the boob tube, getting my TV fix. Are you as big of a TV addict as I am? Should we start a 12 step program? What TV show(s) draw you in?
*My all-time favorite movie line was given by the incomparable Betty White in Lake Placid.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Here I Go Again...
OK, so Christmas break is now officially over. My first class of 2010 starts tomorrow and I have to tell you that I'm glad. One of the best things about being a college professor is that there are long breaks between semesters. One of the worst things about being a college professor is that there are long breaks between semesters. I'm always so glad to see a semester end. Not because I'm ready to get rid of my students- you guys know better than that!- but because I really get into my job and it mentally wears me out. Breaks to reboot the brain are good. I always go into Christmas break and summer break with big plans.
This time, my plans were simple. I was going to write. I have another book- one that has absolutely nothing to do with my first book- all outlined out. I just have to write it. That was what this break was supposed to be for. Note the use of "supposed to." With the exception of 2 short stories and a bunch of blog posts, I didn't write the first word. I guess that book will be pushed back to summer break. I'll work on it during downtimes this semester too. Cross my heart and hope to die.
So what did I do over the break? #1, I completely rearranged my bedroom. The addition of 3 new bookshelves for Christmas made this necessary. Despite the sore muscles and multiple bruises, I like the new layout a whole lot better. It looks more like a library with a bed in the middle of it. #2, I got into some major music listening. My poor ipod is probably glad I'm going back to work so it can have a break of its own. But now I don't think I'll ever get "Poker Face" out of my head. #3, I read. There is nothing better than a good book. You can literally immerse yourself into it and get transported to another world- my idea of Heaven. In the 3 week break, I read over 20 books. Again, Heaven!
Well, now it is time to return to the real world, put up the sweats and ponytail holders and get out the makeup and teacher clothes. Thank goodness I love my job!
This time, my plans were simple. I was going to write. I have another book- one that has absolutely nothing to do with my first book- all outlined out. I just have to write it. That was what this break was supposed to be for. Note the use of "supposed to." With the exception of 2 short stories and a bunch of blog posts, I didn't write the first word. I guess that book will be pushed back to summer break. I'll work on it during downtimes this semester too. Cross my heart and hope to die.
So what did I do over the break? #1, I completely rearranged my bedroom. The addition of 3 new bookshelves for Christmas made this necessary. Despite the sore muscles and multiple bruises, I like the new layout a whole lot better. It looks more like a library with a bed in the middle of it. #2, I got into some major music listening. My poor ipod is probably glad I'm going back to work so it can have a break of its own. But now I don't think I'll ever get "Poker Face" out of my head. #3, I read. There is nothing better than a good book. You can literally immerse yourself into it and get transported to another world- my idea of Heaven. In the 3 week break, I read over 20 books. Again, Heaven!
Well, now it is time to return to the real world, put up the sweats and ponytail holders and get out the makeup and teacher clothes. Thank goodness I love my job!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes
OK, I almost didn't see this movie for several reasons. First, I'm not a big fan of Guy Ritchie's movies. Nothing against him; his style just doesn't appeal to me. Second, I'm even less of a fan of Jude Law. Don't ask me why, but he gives me the willies (and not in a good way). Finally, a very good friend whose opinion I trust (I'd better since she's my book editor) saw the movie Christmas weekend and wasn't impressed.
However, there are three little words that describe why I did go ahead and watch it: Robert Downey Junior. I have always been a big fan of his, pre, during and post drug use alike. I watched it just to see how he portrayed such an iconic character and strangely enough, I actually was impressed.
I think what really made me like this movie was the fact that I kept getting a Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane and a Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow sort of vibe from Downey's Holmes. You know how much I loves me some Johnny! Good willies- very good willies! Since Holmes drank quite often during this movie, I wouldn't have been surprised at a "Why is the rum always gone" sort of comment. Plus, my brain sort of operates on the deductive reasoning/attention to detail that is quintessential to Sherlock Holmes. (I think that's also why Shawn on Psych is one of my favorite TV characters- he and Gus are a modern-day Holmes and Watson.)
The scenes at the slaughterhouse were so cool, as were Holmes' monologue when he catches the bad guy. I love it when the hero goes into great detail to explain how he figured out the villain's nasty tricks. I also have to admit that one of the reasons I enjoyed this movie was the by-play between Downey and Law. They actually played off of each other very well.
What I didn't like about this movie, however, was the fact that it dragged. It was a great action flick, but it seemed to take forever. I can't put my finger on a reason why, but I didn't think it was ever going to end.
That being said, this is definitely a movie that I would recommend to you. I laughed out loud several times and sat on the edge of my seat at some points. That was more than worth dealing with the dragginess of the movie.
However, there are three little words that describe why I did go ahead and watch it: Robert Downey Junior. I have always been a big fan of his, pre, during and post drug use alike. I watched it just to see how he portrayed such an iconic character and strangely enough, I actually was impressed.
I think what really made me like this movie was the fact that I kept getting a Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane and a Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow sort of vibe from Downey's Holmes. You know how much I loves me some Johnny! Good willies- very good willies! Since Holmes drank quite often during this movie, I wouldn't have been surprised at a "Why is the rum always gone" sort of comment. Plus, my brain sort of operates on the deductive reasoning/attention to detail that is quintessential to Sherlock Holmes. (I think that's also why Shawn on Psych is one of my favorite TV characters- he and Gus are a modern-day Holmes and Watson.)
The scenes at the slaughterhouse were so cool, as were Holmes' monologue when he catches the bad guy. I love it when the hero goes into great detail to explain how he figured out the villain's nasty tricks. I also have to admit that one of the reasons I enjoyed this movie was the by-play between Downey and Law. They actually played off of each other very well.
What I didn't like about this movie, however, was the fact that it dragged. It was a great action flick, but it seemed to take forever. I can't put my finger on a reason why, but I didn't think it was ever going to end.
That being said, this is definitely a movie that I would recommend to you. I laughed out loud several times and sat on the edge of my seat at some points. That was more than worth dealing with the dragginess of the movie.
TV Alert
It's such a good thing that I am such a history buff considering the fact that I spent a whole bunch of years going to school to learn how to teach it to others. I also have absolutely no qualms in admitting the fact that am a #1 humongo geek extraordinare. And it is that history/geek part of me that is doing a huge happy dance right about now.
For the last 3 years I've been totally addicted to the Showtime series The Tudors. The show follows the life of one of the biggest ho-men in history, England's King Henry VIII. It's not exactly historically correct (Henry wasn't as hot as Jonathan Rhys Meyers- in fact he was about 3 times JRM's size) at least it was in the right ballpark. I've been a little bummed about the fact that JRM decided to end his run as H8 at the end of this upcoming season.
But the bums just went flying out the door this morning as I did my crack of dawn check of IMDB's news section (some people drink coffee or have a cigarette as soon as their feet hit the floor; I jump on IMDB, go figure). To replace The Tudors, Showtime will launch The Borgias in Spring 2011. Unless you've had Western Civ or just have a hankering for Italian history like I do, you're probably scratching your head and wondering why this would make me do a happy dance.
Well, Henry VIII and the Tudors are interesting, don't get me wrong. But the Borgias blow them out of the water. Rodrigo Borgia, the family patriarch who will be played by Jeremy Irons (one of my favorite actors BTW) was considered to be the most corrupt Pope in history. He did everything he could to put his children into powerful and rich positions in Italy and Europe in general. "A pope with children" you might be asking with a bit of shock. Oh yeah baby...it doesn't stop there. Let's also throw in ideas like incest, murder, money and power. Tailor made for a Showtime drama, ain't it??? Rodrigo's daughter, Lucretzia, is one of the most pitiful people in history (IMHO) and I'm really excited to see how they portray her. Heck, I'm excited to see how they portray all of it. Set your DVR's now!
For the last 3 years I've been totally addicted to the Showtime series The Tudors. The show follows the life of one of the biggest ho-men in history, England's King Henry VIII. It's not exactly historically correct (Henry wasn't as hot as Jonathan Rhys Meyers- in fact he was about 3 times JRM's size) at least it was in the right ballpark. I've been a little bummed about the fact that JRM decided to end his run as H8 at the end of this upcoming season.
But the bums just went flying out the door this morning as I did my crack of dawn check of IMDB's news section (some people drink coffee or have a cigarette as soon as their feet hit the floor; I jump on IMDB, go figure). To replace The Tudors, Showtime will launch The Borgias in Spring 2011. Unless you've had Western Civ or just have a hankering for Italian history like I do, you're probably scratching your head and wondering why this would make me do a happy dance.
Well, Henry VIII and the Tudors are interesting, don't get me wrong. But the Borgias blow them out of the water. Rodrigo Borgia, the family patriarch who will be played by Jeremy Irons (one of my favorite actors BTW) was considered to be the most corrupt Pope in history. He did everything he could to put his children into powerful and rich positions in Italy and Europe in general. "A pope with children" you might be asking with a bit of shock. Oh yeah baby...it doesn't stop there. Let's also throw in ideas like incest, murder, money and power. Tailor made for a Showtime drama, ain't it??? Rodrigo's daughter, Lucretzia, is one of the most pitiful people in history (IMHO) and I'm really excited to see how they portray her. Heck, I'm excited to see how they portray all of it. Set your DVR's now!
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year's Traditions
After doing all the Christmas traditions posts, I didn't even think about the fact that we have several New Year's traditions that also have a history. Thanks to Zach for emailing and asking me about them.
Celebrating the new year itself has always been a big part of society. Now, just to clarify that a little, there were always parties with feast, fun, and other things (you can fill in the blanks yourself), but "new years" hasn't always meant January 1. As far back as 2000-4000 B.C., the Ancient Babylonians held their new year's celebrations on the night of the first full moon in the Spring. Makes sense, Spring is a time for renewal, for planting crops, a time of rebirth after a long winter of plants dying off. However, when Julius Caesar took over Rome, he declared that the new year now began on January 1 and all celebrations ultimately shifted to that day.
Food plays a big role in many New Year's celebrations. For some areas, especially those with a lot of Dutch influence, "ringing" in the new year equates with "coming full circle" and to celebrate making it to the beginning of a new year, they eat anything circular, particularly donuts. In Asian areas, white rice is the traditional bring luck new year's meal.
For most of us, New Year's Day means a meal with black eyed peas, hog jowl and turnip greens. Legumes such as black eyed peas are seen as being lucky because they can be dried and used for food when all fresh sources are unavailable- eat black eyed peas on January 1 and not want for food for the rest of the year. The hog is a traditional sign of prosperity so when you eat hog jowl, ham or any other hog meat, you are taking some of that prosperity into yourself for the rest of the year. Turnip greens seems to be a mainly Southern tradition, but when you lump it in with cabbage (the traditional green eaten in most of the rest of the world) you get a representation of money.
My mom threw a new one in on us this year- beets for love. She said that eating the red beets represents gaining someone's heart. Now, I don't like any of the above but I'll eat the peas, the greens and bacon hoping that 2010 will be a bit more prosperous for me than 2009 was but I'm just going to have to be lonely because beets make me gag!
Celebrating the new year itself has always been a big part of society. Now, just to clarify that a little, there were always parties with feast, fun, and other things (you can fill in the blanks yourself), but "new years" hasn't always meant January 1. As far back as 2000-4000 B.C., the Ancient Babylonians held their new year's celebrations on the night of the first full moon in the Spring. Makes sense, Spring is a time for renewal, for planting crops, a time of rebirth after a long winter of plants dying off. However, when Julius Caesar took over Rome, he declared that the new year now began on January 1 and all celebrations ultimately shifted to that day.
Food plays a big role in many New Year's celebrations. For some areas, especially those with a lot of Dutch influence, "ringing" in the new year equates with "coming full circle" and to celebrate making it to the beginning of a new year, they eat anything circular, particularly donuts. In Asian areas, white rice is the traditional bring luck new year's meal.
For most of us, New Year's Day means a meal with black eyed peas, hog jowl and turnip greens. Legumes such as black eyed peas are seen as being lucky because they can be dried and used for food when all fresh sources are unavailable- eat black eyed peas on January 1 and not want for food for the rest of the year. The hog is a traditional sign of prosperity so when you eat hog jowl, ham or any other hog meat, you are taking some of that prosperity into yourself for the rest of the year. Turnip greens seems to be a mainly Southern tradition, but when you lump it in with cabbage (the traditional green eaten in most of the rest of the world) you get a representation of money.
My mom threw a new one in on us this year- beets for love. She said that eating the red beets represents gaining someone's heart. Now, I don't like any of the above but I'll eat the peas, the greens and bacon hoping that 2010 will be a bit more prosperous for me than 2009 was but I'm just going to have to be lonely because beets make me gag!
Happy New Year!
The beginning of a new year always freaks me out a little bit. For one thing, since my birthday is New Year's Eve, I start it out exactly a year older. OLDER. Argh, I hate that because I never feel any older than I did 20 years ago. That's the good part about birthdays- the numbers going up thing is what really sucks.
Anyway...off of that depressing tangent. Like just about everybody else, I start the new year off with a list of resolutions. Or to be more exact, I start the year off with things that I want to accomplish in the next 12 months.
1- I am going to stop cussing. Absolutely, put my foot down, going to make it happen. That is one of my worst habits and I really have to stop. Now, I'm not stupid enough to think that I can stop being a potty-mouth overnight, so I'm going to concentrate on getting to PG-13 first and then down to PG. I think that's realistic.
2- I am going to spend more time with my sisters. There is a huge age difference between us (21 between me and Savannah, 24 between me and Sarah) so we've always had a weird sort of relationship. But they are growing up so fast! I don't like it. I am going to make a conscious effort to get closer to them this year.
3- I am going to lose 20 pounds. You would think that since I lost about 110 pounds a few years ago, I would be satisfied but nope. What's a new year without a resolution to lose weight?
4- I want to get 500 followers on this blog. I started this blog as a way to communicate outside of regular face-to-face channels with people and I want to get more people onboard. Please help me with this...let all your friends know about the blog. Ask them to comment on posts and to sign up as followers. I would very much appreciate it.
5- I AM GOING TO GET MY BOOK NOTICED BY AN AGENT. Sorry I went all Kanye West there for a second but Destiny is really important to me. I am proud of the work that I put on it and I don't think I'm deluding myself to think that other people would read it and enjoy it. I was at Barnes & Noble yesterday, looking at the Young Adult section. It was overflowing with vampire books and, although I'm a vamp lover myself, it's time for some new blood (pun intended). Once the holidays are over and things settle down, I'm going to start the agent query process again. Keep your fingers (and eyes, legs, toes and everything else) crossed for me!
I'm sure I'll add to the list as I go along, I always do. But I really am going to work hard to achieve good outcomes for all of my tasks.
So...what sort of resolutions do you have for 2010?
Anyway...off of that depressing tangent. Like just about everybody else, I start the new year off with a list of resolutions. Or to be more exact, I start the year off with things that I want to accomplish in the next 12 months.
1- I am going to stop cussing. Absolutely, put my foot down, going to make it happen. That is one of my worst habits and I really have to stop. Now, I'm not stupid enough to think that I can stop being a potty-mouth overnight, so I'm going to concentrate on getting to PG-13 first and then down to PG. I think that's realistic.
2- I am going to spend more time with my sisters. There is a huge age difference between us (21 between me and Savannah, 24 between me and Sarah) so we've always had a weird sort of relationship. But they are growing up so fast! I don't like it. I am going to make a conscious effort to get closer to them this year.
3- I am going to lose 20 pounds. You would think that since I lost about 110 pounds a few years ago, I would be satisfied but nope. What's a new year without a resolution to lose weight?
4- I want to get 500 followers on this blog. I started this blog as a way to communicate outside of regular face-to-face channels with people and I want to get more people onboard. Please help me with this...let all your friends know about the blog. Ask them to comment on posts and to sign up as followers. I would very much appreciate it.
5- I AM GOING TO GET MY BOOK NOTICED BY AN AGENT. Sorry I went all Kanye West there for a second but Destiny is really important to me. I am proud of the work that I put on it and I don't think I'm deluding myself to think that other people would read it and enjoy it. I was at Barnes & Noble yesterday, looking at the Young Adult section. It was overflowing with vampire books and, although I'm a vamp lover myself, it's time for some new blood (pun intended). Once the holidays are over and things settle down, I'm going to start the agent query process again. Keep your fingers (and eyes, legs, toes and everything else) crossed for me!
I'm sure I'll add to the list as I go along, I always do. But I really am going to work hard to achieve good outcomes for all of my tasks.
So...what sort of resolutions do you have for 2010?
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