I have many friends, whom I love dearly, that are huge fans of the Twillight Saga. With so much excitement over the latest installment that starts playing in theatres tomorrow, I figured I'd see what all the fuss is about. So, I finally watched the first two Twillight movies. Sorry to say, I was not at all impressed.
The first problem was the supposed deep love between Edward and Bella. When did this happen? They had very few words and a few relatively meaningless encounters. They didn't give the viewer anything of substance in order to establigh this undying love. It was kind of like falling in love with a guy who works the drive in window at McDonald's.
But let's pretend that we do have enough of a plotline to establish that these two are in love. What about the one dimensional characters? I am not sure if it was the actors, directors, or the way it was writtien, but there was no passion to these characters. The words and emotion did not match. They proclaimed their love with as much feeling as you might say, "Would you like fries with that?"
Another thing that did not escape me is the similarities between these first two movies and the now defunct soap opera "Port Charles". To give a basic rundown of the vampire story of both....
A young innocent girl comes to town to live with her father. She meets a nice young man whom she is friends with and he is in love with her. She meets a vampire and is drawn in to his mysterious demeanor. They fall in love madly and deeply. She turns away from all her friends and wants to be turned into a vampire. He wants her to marry him. Her best guy friend who also is in love with her, tries his best to make her see that the vampire is no good for her. She doesn't listen.
Did anyone else notice the similarity? Sure, there are a lot more elements involved in the Port Charles storyline. And Michael Easton and Kelly Monaco put a TON of passion into those characters.
I did not read the books at all, so I can't comment on that.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Toy Story 3 - Falling with Style (product review)
My son just got the Toy Story 3 Hot Wheels Falling With Style track. The concept is absolutely great. The idea is that this is just like the scene in the first movie (which is replayed in the third one) where Buzz Lightyear is trying to prove that he really can fly and winds up "flying" through Andy's room on the "loopy loop" (as my son calls it).
Here's the problem, the car itself is not balanced correctly, especially with Buzz Lightyear attached to the car, to successfully make it through the loop. My son has a lot of other Hot Wheel cars, so we tried a few other cars and a lot of those ones did work. I also had to take a few similar pieces from his old "loopy loop" to make this one work better. The tabs they include to attach the tracks together is a lot flimsier than the ones we got in the Toys R Us Fast Lane brand double loop.
I think that if you already have other tracks that can work with this, it would be great. I need to try a few more height options and see if it works better, but so far, the suggested 30 inches did not work too well with just the items in the box.
Here's the problem, the car itself is not balanced correctly, especially with Buzz Lightyear attached to the car, to successfully make it through the loop. My son has a lot of other Hot Wheel cars, so we tried a few other cars and a lot of those ones did work. I also had to take a few similar pieces from his old "loopy loop" to make this one work better. The tabs they include to attach the tracks together is a lot flimsier than the ones we got in the Toys R Us Fast Lane brand double loop.
I think that if you already have other tracks that can work with this, it would be great. I need to try a few more height options and see if it works better, but so far, the suggested 30 inches did not work too well with just the items in the box.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
VTech's new MobiGo
I have been reading a lot of reviews on the Vtech MobiGo which is slated to be released in August. (It's already available at Toys R Us). It seems like a pretty neat toy. My son saw some of the demo videos online and we looked at the list of game titles that will be available. He has informed me that he wants the Superhero Squad game for his birthday. I thought it was even more cute to find out that he wants it because his daddy (a police officer) works with Spiderman to fight the bad guys. We went to Toys R Us last weekend and saw the demo version in the store. I'd like to get it for him, but we do already have the VMotion and the VSmile Pocket. He really enjoys those games and they are not compatible with the new system. It will be a tough decision to invest the money on a new game system. He does already also have a Nintendo DS, but I'd rather have him put that aside for a little while and play more age-appropriate games.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Survival of Scripted Television
I may be in the minority, but I am not a fan of Reality Shows. I am not into The Bachelor, American Idol, Big Brother, or any of the other shows that have been taking over Prime Time TV. I would rather watch a scripted show that tells a great story, gives a good laugh, or evokes a few tears.
Over the last few years, I have seen many shows with great potential get cancelled before anyone even knew they were on TV. For instance, did you see the new show on ABC called Romantically Challenged that starred Alyssa Milano? If you blinked you might have missed it. It premiered in April and was cancelled in May. Four episodes aired. Yes, just four episodes. I think it had great potential, but we will never know. I follow Alyssa Milano on Twitter and that's why I knew the show was on. It's also how I found out it was cancelled. Would you believe she heard of the cancellation through a TV Guide tweet? WOW! Perhaps ABC wanted to give us more Dancing With the (Fake) Stars (like Kate Gosselin).
Speaking of Kate Gosselin, why in the world do we keep paying attention to her? Eh, I'm not even going to go there.
With the number of shows that were cancelled without a true ending over the last few years, I think I may want to just give up on new shows. For instance, what ever happened to Tru Calling, The 4400, The Dead Zone, Moonlight, The Ex List (another 4 episode run), Samantha Who?, and I am sure there are plenty that I can't even think of at the moment.
Why should I get invested in a new show, just to have the networks pull the plug too soon?
Glad to see some of my favorites return like Castle, Chuck, Bones, Supernatural Smallville, Big Bang Theory, Burn Notice...
Over the last few years, I have seen many shows with great potential get cancelled before anyone even knew they were on TV. For instance, did you see the new show on ABC called Romantically Challenged that starred Alyssa Milano? If you blinked you might have missed it. It premiered in April and was cancelled in May. Four episodes aired. Yes, just four episodes. I think it had great potential, but we will never know. I follow Alyssa Milano on Twitter and that's why I knew the show was on. It's also how I found out it was cancelled. Would you believe she heard of the cancellation through a TV Guide tweet? WOW! Perhaps ABC wanted to give us more Dancing With the (Fake) Stars (like Kate Gosselin).
Speaking of Kate Gosselin, why in the world do we keep paying attention to her? Eh, I'm not even going to go there.
With the number of shows that were cancelled without a true ending over the last few years, I think I may want to just give up on new shows. For instance, what ever happened to Tru Calling, The 4400, The Dead Zone, Moonlight, The Ex List (another 4 episode run), Samantha Who?, and I am sure there are plenty that I can't even think of at the moment.
Why should I get invested in a new show, just to have the networks pull the plug too soon?
Glad to see some of my favorites return like Castle, Chuck, Bones, Supernatural Smallville, Big Bang Theory, Burn Notice...
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
My Barefoot books website
You probably didn't know this, but I have a Barefoot Books website. I signed up for it a few years ago, but have never sold a thing. It's a darn good thing that it's free! But I do love books!
When I was about 4 years old, I was the youngest kid on the block. All the "big" kids were in school all day every day. But I didn't want to be the "baby". In the apartment downstairs, there were two little girls who just finished first grade! I remember their names were Tammy and Brenda. They went to a private school so they were allowed to keep their books at the end of the year. When they finished first grade, they gave me some of their reading books. I remember paying very close attention to the segments on Sesame Street, The Letter People, and The Electric Company where the taught pronunciation. I would then go haul myself into the bedroom and practice reading. Finally one day, I came out of the room and told my mom I wanted to show her something. Then I read her a complete story out of the book. She was actually suprised and takes no credit for teaching me to read.
I started Kindergarten in 1979. Back in the old days, kids didn't have to know much before entering Kindergarten. So it was unusual for a kid to know how to read. I remember they sent me to the first grade class at the beginning of the year and had me read to them. Thinking back, I can't imagine why they had me do that. It seems kind of strange now. But I still remember standing at the front of the room and reading to these first graders who seemed so incredibly big and scary. But I sucked it up and read my book.
I guess that's where my love of books began. My favorite book was a book called Frisker. Which was first published in 1956. My mom has a cassette tape of me reading that book. I hope to record my son reading his first book too. I know that my mom and I both enjoyed listening to it when I got older.
When I was pregnant with my son, one of the first things that I wanted to do was start his book collection. I knew right away that I wanted to try to pass along that same love of reading on to him. And so far, it's working. He's three years old and not yet reading, but he does enjoy his story time at night. He usually sleeps with the books we read before bed.
I started my Barefoot books website shortly after my son was born. They have some really great books. It might be worth taking a peek at the website. See if there is anything that might interest you or your child.
Click on the image below for a fun music video!
When I was about 4 years old, I was the youngest kid on the block. All the "big" kids were in school all day every day. But I didn't want to be the "baby". In the apartment downstairs, there were two little girls who just finished first grade! I remember their names were Tammy and Brenda. They went to a private school so they were allowed to keep their books at the end of the year. When they finished first grade, they gave me some of their reading books. I remember paying very close attention to the segments on Sesame Street, The Letter People, and The Electric Company where the taught pronunciation. I would then go haul myself into the bedroom and practice reading. Finally one day, I came out of the room and told my mom I wanted to show her something. Then I read her a complete story out of the book. She was actually suprised and takes no credit for teaching me to read.
I started Kindergarten in 1979. Back in the old days, kids didn't have to know much before entering Kindergarten. So it was unusual for a kid to know how to read. I remember they sent me to the first grade class at the beginning of the year and had me read to them. Thinking back, I can't imagine why they had me do that. It seems kind of strange now. But I still remember standing at the front of the room and reading to these first graders who seemed so incredibly big and scary. But I sucked it up and read my book.
I guess that's where my love of books began. My favorite book was a book called Frisker. Which was first published in 1956. My mom has a cassette tape of me reading that book. I hope to record my son reading his first book too. I know that my mom and I both enjoyed listening to it when I got older.
When I was pregnant with my son, one of the first things that I wanted to do was start his book collection. I knew right away that I wanted to try to pass along that same love of reading on to him. And so far, it's working. He's three years old and not yet reading, but he does enjoy his story time at night. He usually sleeps with the books we read before bed.
I started my Barefoot books website shortly after my son was born. They have some really great books. It might be worth taking a peek at the website. See if there is anything that might interest you or your child.
Click on the image below for a fun music video!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Q&A with Brandon Barash (Johnny Zacchara on General Hospital)
The following never-before-seen interview with Brandon Barash of General Hospital, the actor who plays Johnny Zacchara interview was shared today with us (General Hospital Brand Ambassadors).
Q: What would you do if you could turn back time?
A: I would meet Benjamin Franklin.
Q: What do you do in your down time?
A: I like playing music, standing on my head, walking around in nature -- and if I’m really feeling ambitious, I’ll do all three at the same time.
Q: What is the best way to prepare for a love scene?
A: The best way to prepare for a love scene is by spending lots of hours at the gym.
Q: What is your favorite sport?
A: Basketball – college or NBA.
Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t an actor?
A: If I could not act I would NOT be one of those people who give you tickets for expired parking meter. I would be a surgeon or a police office in Alaska. Only in Alaska.
Q: Describe your perfect date.
A: My perfect date is being with a girl I can talk to.
Q: What is one of your favorite things to do?
A: When it is just me and my dad my favorite thing is to sit outside, drink a scotch and talk about nothing.
Q: What do you do for Thanksgiving?
A: I spend Thanksgiving with both sides of my large extended family.
Q: describe your most memorable moment on GH.
A: When Jonny was shot 5 times and survived it, recovered and went to a wedding the next day.
Q: What was the most memorable moment of pop culture in 2009?
A: Clearly it was when we lost the late and great MJ.
(I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.)
Q: What would you do if you could turn back time?
A: I would meet Benjamin Franklin.
Q: What do you do in your down time?
A: I like playing music, standing on my head, walking around in nature -- and if I’m really feeling ambitious, I’ll do all three at the same time.
Q: What is the best way to prepare for a love scene?
A: The best way to prepare for a love scene is by spending lots of hours at the gym.
Q: What is your favorite sport?
A: Basketball – college or NBA.
Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t an actor?
A: If I could not act I would NOT be one of those people who give you tickets for expired parking meter. I would be a surgeon or a police office in Alaska. Only in Alaska.
Q: Describe your perfect date.
A: My perfect date is being with a girl I can talk to.
Q: What is one of your favorite things to do?
A: When it is just me and my dad my favorite thing is to sit outside, drink a scotch and talk about nothing.
Q: What do you do for Thanksgiving?
A: I spend Thanksgiving with both sides of my large extended family.
Q: describe your most memorable moment on GH.
A: When Jonny was shot 5 times and survived it, recovered and went to a wedding the next day.
Q: What was the most memorable moment of pop culture in 2009?
A: Clearly it was when we lost the late and great MJ.
(I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.)
I am a General Hospital Amabassador
Recently, I became a General Hospital Ambassador. It's a program where a bunch of moms get to help promote General Hospital. I have been watching General Hospital since roughly 1990. I have seen many beloved characters and actors come and go over the years. I even followed a few of them over to the short lives spin-off "Port Charles". (I'll have to blog about that another time). I am thankful to have the opportunity to help promote a great show and one of my favorite genres. Let's save our soaps!
Stay tuned and check out my blogs. I may have some insider info for you in the near future!
(I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.)
Stay tuned and check out my blogs. I may have some insider info for you in the near future!
(I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
New job starting next week
I am starting a new job next week. I have so many mixed feelings about it. The good news is that I will get a paycheck. :-) The job is temporary to start. So after the initial "getting to know you" phase, then we will see if we like each other well enough to commit to the relationship.
Today, I took a drive to see how long it will take me to get there. It took me about 35 minites to get there going the "least use of freeways" route. On the way home, I took the "fastest" route which saved me about 5 minutes, not that big of a deal.
The down sides are that I will have to pay $75 a month for parking, a longer commute, and later hours before I will get home. I am probably looking at getting home about 6:45pm. Those are the things that are kind of bothering me.
I really don't know a whole lot about the job. So it's possible that I could love the job and the people. If I am hired on as permanent, then the benefits are pretty good from what I understand.
I am very nervous about this, especially since I am not really sure what I want to do.
I will still persue my Real Estate career and really hope that takes off for me. I'd like the flexibility of the job.
Today, I took a drive to see how long it will take me to get there. It took me about 35 minites to get there going the "least use of freeways" route. On the way home, I took the "fastest" route which saved me about 5 minutes, not that big of a deal.
The down sides are that I will have to pay $75 a month for parking, a longer commute, and later hours before I will get home. I am probably looking at getting home about 6:45pm. Those are the things that are kind of bothering me.
I really don't know a whole lot about the job. So it's possible that I could love the job and the people. If I am hired on as permanent, then the benefits are pretty good from what I understand.
I am very nervous about this, especially since I am not really sure what I want to do.
I will still persue my Real Estate career and really hope that takes off for me. I'd like the flexibility of the job.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Bean Pot Taco Soup
Because it's one of my newer stoneware pieces, I search the web frequently for Bean Pot recipes. I have been trying a variety of recipes and so far all of them have been greaat.
If you have a hard time cooking meat until is is tender and juicy, you might want to try cooking in a bean pot.
Here's a recipe that I just found and would like to try next.
Bean Pot Taco Soup
If you have a hard time cooking meat until is is tender and juicy, you might want to try cooking in a bean pot.
Here's a recipe that I just found and would like to try next.
Bean Pot Taco Soup
1 Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Pinto Beans
1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix
1 packet of Taco Seasoning
Mix together in beanpot. Microwave for 25 min or until hot – stirring occasionally. Top with sour cream & cheese before serving then add corn chips!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Should a toddler be allowed to play with a Nintendo DS?
When my son was just under two years old, I was playing Super Mario Brothers on MY Nintendo DS. It was never intended for him. After watching me play the game once, he wanted to give it a try. I figured that he would get bored with it pretty quickly, so I let him have a try. My to my amazement, he played the game well from the very start! I thought it was amusing and amazing!! So that Christmas, I got him the Leapster. I figured that it would be a good alternative for him. Well, the downside is that because he was only two years old, he doesn't know Math or how to read, which is somewhat required for all Leapster games. Drat! The Nintendo DS is so much easier because there are plenty of E rated games that do not require reading. So after my husband got me a new DS for Christmas, I decided to give my old one to our son.
Well, it has snowballed since then. He is still only three years old now, but he can play Nintendo DS games like a champ. He plays much better than I do. (No, I am not jealous.) But sometimes I wonder if this can be a bad thing. It certainly has it's ups and downs.
I have noticed that with certain games he can become a bit more aggressive, so I do try to steer clear of those games. I have tried to steer him toward the Leapster games, but that attempt has failed most of the times. Sure, he plays his Leapster sometimes, but not as much as that Nintendo DS. It's good for long car rides and getting him to sit still in a restaurant for longer than five minutes.
I don't allow him to take it to social gatherings, such as a family get-together for the holidays. But that really doesn't help when most of the bigger kids have brought their DS with them. I feel like a family gathering is for socializing with people, not for burying your head in a video game, which is what he would do. But when he sees the other kids with their game systems, the only thing he wants to do is have a turn with it. And when that kid doesn't want to share their DS (which is totally their call), then all heck breaks loose. My three year old is being taught to share and now this older kid is not sharing. Oy-vey! Now what?
I am not about to give in and let him bring his DS with him. There is just too much that can go wrong in that scenario. And I am trying to get him interested in other things so that he doesn't become a video game junkie.
But I do have to admit that sometimes it is nice to have a long stretch of time to do laundry or something while he's playing a round of Kirby.
Well, it has snowballed since then. He is still only three years old now, but he can play Nintendo DS games like a champ. He plays much better than I do. (No, I am not jealous.) But sometimes I wonder if this can be a bad thing. It certainly has it's ups and downs.
I have noticed that with certain games he can become a bit more aggressive, so I do try to steer clear of those games. I have tried to steer him toward the Leapster games, but that attempt has failed most of the times. Sure, he plays his Leapster sometimes, but not as much as that Nintendo DS. It's good for long car rides and getting him to sit still in a restaurant for longer than five minutes.
I don't allow him to take it to social gatherings, such as a family get-together for the holidays. But that really doesn't help when most of the bigger kids have brought their DS with them. I feel like a family gathering is for socializing with people, not for burying your head in a video game, which is what he would do. But when he sees the other kids with their game systems, the only thing he wants to do is have a turn with it. And when that kid doesn't want to share their DS (which is totally their call), then all heck breaks loose. My three year old is being taught to share and now this older kid is not sharing. Oy-vey! Now what?
I am not about to give in and let him bring his DS with him. There is just too much that can go wrong in that scenario. And I am trying to get him interested in other things so that he doesn't become a video game junkie.
But I do have to admit that sometimes it is nice to have a long stretch of time to do laundry or something while he's playing a round of Kirby.
Friday, January 1, 2010
I entered a contest to win a copy of the "Your Baby Can Read" Program
I just entered a contest at J. leigh designz for a Your Baby Can Read Starter Kit. It looks like it is primarily marketed for babies, although their ads claim that it can be used for kids up to age 5. Since my son is three years old, I don't really want to spend a ton of money on this if it really is not meant for his age range. We have been working on learning our letter names this week. He seems to be able to catch on to what we are doing, but after today's review, I am not sure how much it is sticking. This week we learned letters A thru D. Today, when played games to review the four letters we have done so far, he seemed to be guessing. He also used to know the alphabet song pretty well, but he seems to have forgotten the end of it now. It would be interesting to see how this program would add to what we have been doing.
Links:
My Review of Poingo Story Reader 2 Pack Set: Toy Story and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Originally submitted at Toys R Us
Venture into the story with Poingo! Move Poingo around the page to interact and play with two Disney favorites, Mickey Mouse and Toy Story. Connect Poingo to your PC or Mac to receive bonus content, free music and more!
This shows improvements!
By Mattsmum from Parma, OH on 1/1/2010
Best Uses: Younger Readers
Describe Yourself: Everyday Reader
My son got the Mickey Mouse book for Christmas this year. This book is a wonderful improvement over the books that came with the Poingo Pen. In the other books, no matter where you touch in the story section, it would begin from the beginning. This makes it hard to follow along, or even pause between paragraphs to discuss the pictures or anything. In this new version, you can touch the pen at the beginning of any paragraph on the page. So at least you can plan to pick up close to where you may have left off if your child goes astray. The additional activites are fun too. My son loved doing the Hot Dog Dance along with the book. Yes, it had the actual song and broke it down to teah how each character does the dance. My son three year old had a blast with that part. I hope to see mre improvements to this system.
(legalese)
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