tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50224279677056303892024-03-11T10:52:02.235-07:00Words:From Brain to KeyboardMy creative space to write about whatever is currently on my mind or what I'm interested in.Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-43777524995498814382019-03-31T12:15:00.005-07:002019-03-31T12:15:47.464-07:009 Spoilery Things about Umbrella Academy that I just have to get out!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that some time has passed, I feel comfortable sharing some of my more spoilery thoughts on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. On the off chance that you are reading this and are actually interested in watching the series, but have your doubts, then stop reading this and check out <u><a href="http://agentpalmer.com/18530/media/the-umbrella-academy-not-your-average-superhero-family-a-no-spoilers-review/" target="_blank">this non-spoilery review</a></u>. Of course, after you have checked out the series, please do come back to this post and share with me if you too had some of the same opinions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>1. Umbrella Academy is Not Derivative</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The obvious comparisons have been made to the X-Men and Teen Titans with The Umbrella Academy, because it is a group of children superheroes, especially with Dark Phoenix on the horizon. I have even seen a lot of comparison made between Vanya Hargreeves and Jean Grey, referencing their uncontrollable powers. Besides the obvious difference in powers, I find that Vanya is not driven or cajoled to “the dark side” by good intentions handled poorly, but is forced into her powers by a misguided sense of self-preservation. Vanya feels ill equipped to handle her new found powers, whereas Jean Grey already had her known powers in grip and turned down a path of destruction after discovering her hidden powers. Most of the negative effects of Vanya’s powers were purely accidental.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>2. Vulnerable is vulnerable for a reason.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t know if this is covered in the comics at all, but I actually love that fact that we have no idea how Ben Hargreeves died, only that it must have been tragic for them to build a statue of him in their courtyard. I believe it was also the straw that broke the camel’s back, finally breaking up the team. Initially, you think that Diego would have been the first to go, seeing as he’s just really good at throwing sharp pointy objects, unlike Ben would could morph (grow?) strong tentacles capable of tearing people apart. It’s not until later that you realize there is a lot more to Diego than good aim. Ben also was the most hesitant about their profession, compared to the rest of the children, possibly making him the most vulnerable. Hence the first to go.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>3. Klaus the Ghost Avoider</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite of the Hargreeves super children would have to be Klaus or Number 4. First, I love his name, secondly, I find the actor is really talented, and thirdly, I would most like to have his power. Initially, Klaus comes off as a damaged, drug-addicted, selfish flake. But once you find out more about his childhood under the tutelage of Sir Hargreeves, you can hardly blame the guy. Toss in the fact that their little family fell apart when they all went their separate ways, it’s easy to understand why Klaus uses drugs. It’s not at all for recreation but to dull his powers and keep from being bombarded by the spirits of the dead. Klaus’ gift is the ability to speak with and be a living conduit for the dead. This is represented throughout the series by the interactions Klaus has with his deceased brother, Ben.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I can certainly see how it could be difficult to deal with the recently departed, as someone who recently lost both maternal grandparents, I would love to be able to speak with loved ones no longer with us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>4. Luther does what now?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do have to say that I really didn’t understand the extent of Luther’s power, Number 1. Maybe it’s something that a rewatch could resolve. But I got the sense that he was just really strong...and a good leader? Or at least the most willing to follow orders. Later, it’s more obvious that his strength is his power, with his massive body size and gorilla chest (literally). I guess I just didn’t find his power that impressive, given what the others can do. But I did like his relationship with Allison. Their puppy love as children which sprouted into romance despite their separation was sweet.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>5. Poor nameless Number 5</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, let’s get to Number 5 and the apocalypse. He had the misfortune to disappear before the children were all named by their android mother Grace, played by Jordan Claire Robbins. Number 5’s power is teleportation but he quickly figures out that this could also lead to time travel. In a moment of defiance and to show it to Sir Reginald, 5 jumps ahead to the moment after the world ends and gets stuck there. He later explains that he messed up the math equation, and that’s why it’s important to stay in school kids. So you don’t wind up accidentally stranding yourself in a future apocalypse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Number 5 is easily my second favorite character of the group, and possibly the most entertaining. He figures out a way back, but only after having spent decades by himself in the desolate future. And again, due to a miscalculation, he returns as a child with all the wisdom and sarcasm of a middle-aged man. We see the effects of his isolation and his profession as a time assassin, in the form of his relationship with Dolores, the bust of a department store mannequin. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>6. Siblings be siblings but Assassins be assassins</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">With how fractured the Hargreeves siblings are at the beginning of this series, it makes sense that Number 5 initially refuses to accept the help of his siblings, in order to stop the end of the world. He is set to correct things on his own, because that’s what he was used to. But because of his obsession to save the world, he’s now at the top of the hit list of his “former” employer, and the target of fellow time assassins Hazel and Cha Cha, played by Cameron Britton and Mary J. Blige respectively. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">What was supposed to be an easy hit for Cha Cha and Hazel, turns into a botched job, and they spend most of the time searching for their lost time travel briefcase and fighting each other. The two of them make for some funny scenes throughout the show, both with each other and various secondary characters. Although,when stuff hits the fan, you end up caring more about the coming together of the siblings and the fallout with Vanya than anything having to do with the weird Time Agency that Number 5 was recruited to work at. I didn’t really care much for that part of the plot. The show could have easily just been about 5 finding out about the end of the world and trying to figure out how to stop it, without the mysterious organization that wishes for the end to happen. Who would want that? In the grand scheme of things the assassins and their organization were the least necessary things in the series.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>7. Unnecessary Tech</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another thing that was apparently unnecessary to the series, was any sort of modern technology. I’m not sure if that was on purpose and if that is the same in the comic, but I thought it was odd that the timeline of the show would place it in modern times (if all the children were born in 1989), and yet no one has a cell phone. There were no laptops, or tablets either. Twice in the show a payphone was used, even inside the Umbrella Academy HQ! It seems like a lot of things could have been resolved with the use of modern technology. Then again, maybe that was the point?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>8. Who broke my heart?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A talking chimpanzee with a British accent.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to their robo-mom, the children also grew up with a talking chimpanzee named Pogo, voiced by British actor Adam Godley. Part caretaker and part butler, Pogo assisted Sir Reginald with various things. You really get the sense that Pogo loves the children like a father, or like their father probably should have, and he would do just about anything for them. Unfortunately, he was also very loyal to Sir Reginald and was ordered to keep secrets from the children. One such secret being Vanya’s powers. Of course, this leads to a heartbreaking scene, where Pogo is killed by Vanya in a moment of uncontrolled rage, impaled on Sir Reginald’s stuffed horned animal. I gasped in shock, the moment it happened, clutching my hand to my mouth. Not poor Pogo! My least favorite scene, not because it was a bad scene, it was well done, just so sad!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>9. Not Constantinople</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. This is the musical history lesson we learn from They Might Be Giants. This is also the song that plays at the end of the first episode, during a fight scene between Number 5 and a squad sent to kill him. It’s upbeat and fun, with some great lyrics and just really meshes well with the chaos and rhythm of the fight. But They Might Be Giants is only the tip of the music iceberg for this show. The soundtrack is fantastic and well chosen. Also in the first episode, you have “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany playing during a scene that focuses on the odd and funky dance moves of the Hargreeves children. You also get “Saturday Night” by the Bay City Rollers, “One” by Three Dog Night, and “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, to name a few. This show is easily worth it for the soundtrack alone, and to make things even better, Netflix created a <u><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4pkB7Eyaky2Rl9MZ0DCPib" target="_blank">Spotify playlist</a></u> of 20 songs from the show!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you agree with some of my musings, or disagree, let me know, I would love to hear about it. Mostly, I think we can all agree it is an entertaining show despite or because of it’s short comings.</span></span></div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-5715239959041841922019-03-14T20:08:00.000-07:002019-03-14T20:08:29.076-07:00Get Right Into the Fight with The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISC_UpY8nOvjyfjLVEfjby8IKnApeFd_JpZT61ocFw0u_jaqrkom9Ub8HHVuVIDud2EK9DRDtztn0xnYW2auFuxieQjY-143oLLvgSu7PSKnmnQVNj57bRKVxgmn-xsgL9xDj7z4wRg_0/s1600/IMG_0739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1571" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISC_UpY8nOvjyfjLVEfjby8IKnApeFd_JpZT61ocFw0u_jaqrkom9Ub8HHVuVIDud2EK9DRDtztn0xnYW2auFuxieQjY-143oLLvgSu7PSKnmnQVNj57bRKVxgmn-xsgL9xDj7z4wRg_0/s200/IMG_0739.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan is a unique piece of Urban Fiction. I have read other pieces of Urban Fiction, and it is almost unfair to limit this novel to only that genre. The book is worthy of its own genre, although, I am not entirely sure what that genre is. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read. It’s fantasy, science fiction, urban fiction, and an abundance of pop culture. So, I guess it would be the Claybourne Genre.<br />
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With that being said, I enjoyed every moment of this book. Every twist and turn, every jump and jive, every...single...reference.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1E8YEDlz0jlUdhk8Pf_lS1L5kPp_jJgUo9Qa0zHJYxQzErqI-7Qcx8agTjub5jnwAC-4Y1pk3g3q4RPepE83XGyDa4fiX0oB9SfWKzyBNkXiLFPkRa2CvS1F4slMUONZWGM7Ni8-61et/s1600/shotofhistory-960x960-60-960x960-80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1E8YEDlz0jlUdhk8Pf_lS1L5kPp_jJgUo9Qa0zHJYxQzErqI-7Qcx8agTjub5jnwAC-4Y1pk3g3q4RPepE83XGyDa4fiX0oB9SfWKzyBNkXiLFPkRa2CvS1F4slMUONZWGM7Ni8-61et/s200/shotofhistory-960x960-60-960x960-80.jpg" width="200" /></a>How did I come to this book and it’s author Zig Zag Claybourne? It all started with a podcast and a series of erotic novellas. Yes, you read that correctly. The podcast in question was the Shot of History podcast. They are located in Detroit, MI, as is Mr. Claybourne, and while they primarily discuss historical content they also record live every year from the local comic convention.<br />
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It was at this convention that they invited Zig Zag Claybourne onto the <a href="https://soundcloud.com/shot-of-history/episode-125" target="_blank">podcast</a> to talk with them about his work as an author and independent content creator.<br />
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From there, my co-host Henno heard about the Agnes Reign erotic fiction series and arranged to read and discuss them with my boyfriend. Our regular Gotham/Orville content was on break during the summer, and they thought it would be fun to get together and chat while I was away on vacation. I joined them for the second and third recordings after catching up and reading all three novellas, and it really was a lot of fun discussing them. You can listen to our discussions and reviews of <a href="https://gothamlights.libsyn.com/its-turning-purple-i-think-we-should-quit" target="_blank">“It’s Turning Purple, I Think We Should Quit,”</a> <a href="https://gothamlights.libsyn.com/a-dic-in-shadows-its-turning-purple" target="_blank">“Orange: Peeled and Seeded,”</a> and <a href="https://gothamlights.libsyn.com/dic-truthsayer-its-turning-purple-0" target="_blank">“Red Rover: Come Over”</a> on the podcast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1hyphenhyphen3WJUbns3cVNw4cxAakL_z6ooBOSVLNFhWKRPhCS6sf4DW0AHGVyjwG0u5_fpbwjunlj_3whGXQCvXdS99zpTAEKqpGUz4ElIA0jcgQlnDtxGfzMgwqXKeEuFDWieNktotZl00APGF/s1600/Gotham_Lights_Doug.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1hyphenhyphen3WJUbns3cVNw4cxAakL_z6ooBOSVLNFhWKRPhCS6sf4DW0AHGVyjwG0u5_fpbwjunlj_3whGXQCvXdS99zpTAEKqpGUz4ElIA0jcgQlnDtxGfzMgwqXKeEuFDWieNktotZl00APGF/s200/Gotham_Lights_Doug.png" width="200" /></a>You’re probably wondering what erotic fiction has to do with a novel I described as “fantasy, science fiction, and urban fiction”, and I can tell you that the Agnes Reign series is similar in that it is a unique series packed full of great pop culture references. They also both share Claybourne’s refreshing writing style and cleverness. The only thing they don’t share, besides story content, is the author’s name. The Agnes Reign series is written under a different nom de plume, Thor M.F. Jones.<br />
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I guess what I’m trying to say is, if it had not been for a podcast in Michigan, my co-host, and my boyfriend, I may not have found and read The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan.<br />
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So let’s get into it then shall we?<br />
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The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan is about exactly that, brothers Milo and Ramses Jetstream and a giant ocean dwelling leviathan. While the brothers are the main characters of the novel, you also have a villain, and literally a wide assortment of characters. There are angels, vampires, djinn, psychics, shadowy organizations, whales, dragoons and even Adam and Eve. Then there are the different locations or settings for the book, from Detroit and a cruise ship, to the Philippines and even Atlantis. Yes, the mythical lost city of Atlantis, only in this book, Atlantis is not lost and not composed of just one city.<br />
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The main plotline of the story revolves around the brothers’ (and more specifically Milo’s) goal at hunting down the False Prophet Buford. You get the history of a previous fight gone wrong where Buford managed to escape from the brothers and their team, and they have been searching the world to find him. But it’s so much more than that, you get the sense that the brothers have spent their lives fighting the evils of the world (not unlike another pair of attractive supernatural brothers), like Buford, using their powers and those of their friends.<br />
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Some of their known associates include the Brothers Grimm, Bruce Weyne and Tony Sterk. And yes, those last two are misspelled on purpose. When I came across the first one, I reached out to the <a href="https://twitter.com/BadWolfBay87/status/1084232031851159553" target="_blank">author on twitter to confirm</a>. What a clever way to reference popular characters without incurring the wrath of copyright infringement. And yes, <a href="https://twitter.com/ZZClaybourne" target="_blank">Zig Zag Claybourne is very active on twitter</a> and is wonderfully nice, just a really cool guy.<br />
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Throughout the book the brothers are searching, not only for Buford, but for various members of their group, the Agents of Change. And because of the various locations and characters, you as the reader can find yourself crisscrossing the globe and jumping around from chapter to chapter. I read a review online where one person found this to be confusing, but I enjoyed the chaos of it. It felt true to the characters and their mystical abilities. I am not going to give away what powers the brothers or their friends possess, but suffice to say, with all the evil in the world you can’t blame them for not sticking with consumer air travel.<br />
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I could also appreciate that the book did not take time introducing a backstory for all of the characters. You receive a brief introduction to the Agents of Change and get introduced to them all along the way, as they meet up throughout the book. You understand who’s friend or foe without needing to know the details of how and when they met the brothers and how they came to their powers or abilities. You just get thrown right into the fight, just like the characters. I have read books in the past that spend so much time character building and setting the scene, you begin to wonder if and when it will get to the point. Not the case with a Claybourne novel, it gets you straight to the point.<br />
<br />
Along the way you get introduced to two characters who are new to the world the brothers belong to, and through them you do get certain introductions and explanations, so the book is not completely without. These two characters do not completely represent the reader but you find yourself relating to them as an outsider in the lives of the Brothers Jetstream. But the great thing is that you also do not find yourself inundated by exposition from these two characters either.<br />
<br />
Another fun thing worth mentioning about this book, are the interims. I’ve not seen an interim used in a book before. Between chapters 19 and 20, there is a two part Interim, almost like an intermission in a play. Only these interims pertain to the story. Then later, you are treated to Interims 3,4,5 all together on two pages, between chapters 24 and 25, giving you a short and simple check-in on three of the characters. They are all too short to be chapters, but separate enough from what is going on in the story at that point to warrant their own section.<br />
<br />
So to wrap things up, just in case you need further incentive, here are some of the references that I loved:<br />
<br />
“<i>‘We are the champions,’ she said, ‘...of the world</i>.<i>’</i>”<br />
<br />
“<i>...and the parties headed out split per vehicle toward the first star they saw on the right, which was the setting sun, and straight on till morning.</i>”<br />
<br />
“<i>You know the song where Bowie says, ‘This ain’t rock and roll, this is genocide’?</i>”<br />
<br />
“<i>Neon inventoried: she was in a parking lot holding a modified white Beretta off a priest, which she’d used to shoot at some shiftless mofos while this cute broheem from the Department of Homeland Security went all medieval on Ann Coulter’s sister…</i>”<br />
<br />
“<i>He faced Aileen Stone (not her last name) with the bravado of seven Six Sigma completions, albeit humbling his eye contact with the proper conciliation.</i>” A book that can find a way to reference Six Sigma in an accurate business sense, both surprises and amuses me. It’s just so unexpected, I didn’t even think Six Sigma was that big anymore.<br />
<br />
“<i>It was rather fun interrupting Leviathan, like playing a mental game of Words with Friends.</i>”<br />
<br />
“<i>We might have needed a bigger boat, thought Eve.</i>”<br />
<br />
Now, I know I have not given away very much, and purposefully so. But if anything of what I said has intrigued you in the slightest, pick up <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Jetstream-Zig-Zag-Claybourne-ebook/dp/B01CD21OH0/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=1TUY1UHI3Q23&keywords=the+brothers+jetstream&qid=1552617528&s=gateway&sprefix=The+Brothers+Jet%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-1-fkmrnull" target="_blank">this novel</a> and give it a try. It truly was a fun read.Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-61199089466245720432019-01-15T15:02:00.001-07:002019-02-14T13:49:03.792-07:00Murder, Science, and President Roosevelt: A Review of The Alienist by Caleb Carr<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I decided to read The Alienist by author Caleb Carr, after a recommendation from a friend, Annaleis. She had not only mentioned the book, one of her favorite murder mystery books, on her podcast <a href="http://www.darkangelsandprettyfreaks.com/" target="_blank">Dark Angels and Pretty Freaks</a> but she had also sent a personal message urging me to check out the book. Since we have a similar taste in murder/mystery books, I bought the book and found time to read it.<br />
<br />
The book was originally published in 1994, republished with a new Afterward in 2006, and then taken to the screen as a TV Series in 2018. I purchased it before the series was due to premier, with the intention of reading the book well beforehand. I make an effort to try to read the books that a series or movie is based off of, sometimes before watching the visual adaptation and often afterwards. Novels afford an author the ability to be very detailed in their works, so you tend to receive a lot more information about settings and characters, which may be left out of movie or TV adaptations because there just isn’t enough time or an easy way to represent those details in a visual medium. So I like to get that extra detail from a novel whenever I can. Now, let’s get into some of those details...<br />
<br />
Before the story even starts, there's a note: <i>Prior to the twentieth century, persons suffering from mental illness were thought to be "alienated," not only from the rest of society but from their own true natures. Those experts who studied mental pathologies were therefore known as alienists</i>.<br />
<br />
This note provides you a little background on the profession of alienist, prior to modern medicine and science when this profession transformed into what we now know as a psychologist.<br />
<br />
The story is set in New York City in 1896, a time where the study of psychology used as a way to <br />
determine the sanity of criminals as a science was not yet a thing. Also, criminal profiling and the use of fingerprinting were also not considered scientifically proven processes that would hold up in the courts of the time. Our characters, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (the Alienist) and John Schuyler Moore (a university friend of Kreizler’s), are brought together when a boy prostitute dressed in women's clothing is found brutally murdered atop a bridge. They are assigned to the case by Theodore Roosevelt, yes the 26th President of the United States. When more boys are found it becomes a race to catch a killer they know nothing about. Along with the help of Detectives Lucius & Marcus Isaccson and Sara Howard, they use what they do know and attempt to put together a profile of their Killer, hopefully, solving their mystery by digging into the killer's past.<br />
<br />
I don’t want to give away more than that, I’d rather you discover the suspense and thrill of the<br />
chase and experience this story first hand. The Alienist is a fantastic psychological<br />
thriller and fascinating work of historical fiction that you will not want to put down.<br />
<br />
Now, since I can’t give away any more about the plot, I thought I would point out some interesting things about the novel and the author, that do not spoil any plot points of the story. The novel is split into three parts. Each part has two quotes starting it; quotes from an actual work of science and/or the arts.<br />
<br />
Part One:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Whilst part of what we perceive comes through our </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
senses from the object before us, another part (and it may be</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the larger part) always comes out of our own mind. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
William James, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Principles of Psychology </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
These bloody thoughts </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
from what are they born? </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Piave, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
from Verdi's Macbeth. </div>
<br />
Part Two:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The same outer object may suggest either of many realities </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
formerly associated with it - for in the vicissitudes of our outer experience </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we are constantly liable to meet the same thing in the midst of</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
differing companions. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
William James, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Principles of Psychology </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Whatever I thought right seemed bad to others,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
whatever seemed wrong to me,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
others approved of.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I ran into feuds wherever I found myself,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I met disfavor wherever I went;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
if I longed for happiness, I only stirred up misery;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so I had to be called "woeful":</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Woe is all I possess.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wagner,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Die Walküre</div>
<br />
Part Three:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The fons et origo of all reality, whether from the absolute or the practical </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
point of view, is thus subjective, is ourselves. As bare logical thinkers, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
without emotional reaction, we give reality to whatever</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
objects we think of, for they are really Phenomena, or objects of our </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
passing thought, if nothing more. But, as thinkers with emotional reaction, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we give what seems to us a still higher degree of reality to whatever things </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we select and emphasize and turn to with a will.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
William James,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Principles of Psychology</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Don Giovanni, you invited me to sup with you:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have come.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Da Ponte</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> from Mozart's Don Giovanni</div>
<br />
All three scientific quotes have a direct link to the subject matter represented in the book. While it may be a work of fiction, the science of Psychology (or it’s early predecessor of the time) is well researched and direct inspiration drawn from the real William James. These quotes were specifically chosen by the author to partner well with his story, one which revolves around mental health and the birth of Psychological Profiling. The arts are added in due to the fact that our main characters Kreizler and Moore enjoy a night out at the opera, as written by the author in this book.<br />
<br />
Author Caleb Carr was originally a military and diplomatic historian who wrote historical nonfiction. After not achieving continued success with that genre, he decided to switch to writing fiction. But not just any fiction, a genre similar to his previous works, one he knew best, historical fiction. “From the first, I was, like most authors, interested in creating something different; in my case, a "whydunit", a story that could raise hackles even and especially if you know who the killer was from early on."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When it came to The Alienist, Carr started with selecting a time in history where he could accurately represent the use of early forensic psychology and pinpointed the time when the first psychological laboratory was established by William James. This was at Harvard in the 1870s.<br />
<br />
Next, Carr chose the 1890s, to allow for the story to be set in New York City (where he was born and raised) during the time Theodore Roosevelt was president of the city's board of police commissioners. There actually was a legitimate historical connection between William James and Roosevelt, who attended a class taught by James at Harvard: comparative anatomy. Carr was excited and felt lucky for the coincidence, as he had always found Roosevelt to be “the American leader who had always fascinated me most.” It was then just the point of coming up with the fictional connection to alienist Dr. Kreizler, and the rest is... history.<br />
<br />
Fun fact, Carr managed to get this work published by tricking his manager and editor into thinking the work was nonfiction by pasting together photos of a fake Dr. Kreizler together with an actual photo of Roosevelt at his desk in the White House. He fooled them so well that they helped him bring his first foray into Fiction into reality, after they were told truth of course.<br />
<br />
The Alienist has a sequel, The Angel of Darkness. I can't wait to get my hands on this next piece of historical mystery work from Caleb Carr. But first, I urge you to pick up from the beginning, as I did, with The Alienist. If you also find murder mysteries interesting, especially ones with suspense and historical real life settings, then this is the book for you.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-1214266388569788462018-12-31T15:13:00.001-07:002019-02-14T13:49:32.698-07:00Year in Review: Highs, Lows, and ChangeI had aimed to write something for the holiday season, but with travel and celebrating the holiday, time got away from me. So I decided to end the year with one more post, a year in review.<br />
<br />
As years go, this one certainly has its ups and downs, and I’ll cover those in time. But let’s start at the beginning, with January...<br />
<br />
This year started like every year, with another birthday. Having a January birthday means I get to celebrate something right out of the gate, and this year was the 31st such occasion.<br />
<br />
February started out great with the <a href="https://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2018/02/how-i-helped-hot-air-balloon-pilot-at.html" target="_blank">Arizona Balloon Classic</a> and getting to see the Angelica Tour of <a href="https://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2018/02/hamilton-blew-us-all-away.html" target="_blank">Hamilton live at ASU Gammage</a>. But sadly, February ended with the passing of my Oma, just barely a week before we were set to fly to Germany for a visit at the beginning of March. The low point of March was a funeral, but the highlight was getting to spend as much time as possible with my Opa.<br />
<br />
And it was good we did so, as late May saw the passing of my Opa. That same weekend I was working at Phoenix ComicFest. In hindsight, I am glad it happened that weekend, it gave me the opportunity to focus on something else. June saw Mom returning to Germany for the funeral. But we also got the opportunity to visit the Pompeii Exhibit at the Arizona Science Center, which was a very interesting experience.<br />
<br />
Our first highlight after a rough few months, was seeing my adorable niece again in July. We took Lilyan to Legoland and the Sealife Aquarium at the Arizona Mills Mall. She had a lot of fun and we greatly enjoyed spending time with her. But we also traveled to Vegas to see Steve Martin and Martin Short for their comedy tour, staying at Cesar’s Palace for the first time. Having been a fan of both gentleman for a long time, The Three Amigos being one of my favorite films. So getting to see two icons of my childhood live was a dream come true.<br />
<br />
August came along with a concert that Mom was nice enough to indulge me on, by accompanying me while I finally got to see Weezer along with the Pixies, for an amazing concert. But then, we had the experience of a lifetime, and what I would considered the greatest vacation of my life thus far; our trip to <a href="https://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2018/09/aloha-vacation.html" target="_blank">Hawaii</a> at the end of the month.<br />
<br />
September was just another month, but October saw a <a href="https://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2018/11/nine-states-three-days-two-nights-one.html" target="_blank">huge life event</a>. I had all my belongings packed into large crates, loaded up my car with everything else, and drove across the country to move in with boyfriend in Pennsylvania. It was a big step, but one I happily made, in order to see our relationship continue to grow.<br />
<br />
After my arrival, I was able to attend a movie premier, for a movie based on a real event that took place in the Lehigh Valley area, <a href="https://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-billboard-in-allentown-spoiler-free.html" target="_blank">Billboard</a>. This was in early November. Later in the month, my mom came to visit us for Thanksgiving.<br />
<br />
In December, I got to see Penn & Teller for the first time, for what was a really fun magic show. And before I flew home to spend Christmas with my mom and sister, I got to experience Hanukah with Jason and his parents. I flew back to Phoenix and got to work in the office with my team for a day and half, plus spend Christmas Eve with family at my grandparents’ house and Christmas Day with Mom and my sister. <br />
<br />
Overall, the positives of this year outweigh the negatives, though the negatives were pretty heavy. With that in mind, I’m looking forward to what the New Year will bring and putting the old one behind me.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year Everyone!Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-58191448735275065682018-12-10T08:29:00.001-07:002019-02-14T13:49:54.372-07:00Engage Yourself in Ernest Cline's Trope Rulebreaker: A Spoiler Free Review of Armada<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently finished reading Armada by Ernest Cline, author of the novel turned motion picture, Ready Player One. I really liked Ready Player One, but I absolutely loved Armada. It’s moved into the top spot on my list of favorite Ernest Cline novels, but to be fair, I’ve only read two. He is working on a Ready Player One sequel though, and he also wrote the screenplay for the movie Fanboys which I enjoyed.<br />
<br />
Where Ready Player One had heavy influences from 80s culture and movies, while also being set almost entirely in a virtual world, this is not the case for Armada. Armada is set in the real world, following real people instead of virtual avatars. It is also set in a modern setting close to current day, instead of a futuristic Earth. You still get some 80s references mostly music, but there is much more 90s influence, given this is when our main character grew up. I felt myself relating more because I also grew up in the 90s, but I also remember enough of the music and pop culture of the 80s so I could relate to enough of Ready Player One as well.<br />
<br />
What I mean by being able to relate more to Armada, aside from the pop culture, are the technology and machinery references of today. The computers, phones, cars, were all fairly similar to what we would see today, or within the last two and a half decades. But the biggest relate-able factor was that the society of Earth, the United States and beyond, could easily have been the US and Earth of today. The way the government and military worked, and the average person working at their job and living their lives.<br />
<br />
All that sounds like it could be the life of any one of us, and then you throw in aliens, and invasion, and a secret government agency committed to saving the world. Yes, the Armada this book is named after is not an earthly one, but that of an unknown alien race set on attacking and destroying Earth. Now if you think this sounds very familiar and has easily been the plot for several Hollywood blockbusters, you wouldn’t be wrong. But Armada is so much more than that and has its own unique and clever way of going about the alien invasion trope. Don’t worry though, the book does not fail to mention those very same Hollywood blockbusters and does so in a way that is advantageous to both the plot and the reader.<br />
<br />
From the very beginning of the book, we are introduced to our main character, Zack. From there, we spiderweb out to the rest of the characters as they relate to Zack. His mother, friends, employer, and many more people are introduced in the course of the novel as the story progresses. An important thing to mention about the plot of the book, is that there is a video game component similar to Ready Player One. So if that was something that hooked you from the other novel, you are sure to be pleased with the gaming aspect of this novel. And not just that, there is a virtual reality aspect as well. Instead of spending a lot of time in the virtual world though, you spend more time focused on the lives of the characters outside of their gameplay while also getting to see how the gameplay has affected their lives.<br />
<br />
Without giving too much away, because I would rather you experience this book for yourself, I will say that this book does a great job of keeping the reader guessing. The story has a habit of leading you along, letting you think you have a complete grasp of what’s going on, and then throwing you a curveball. I appreciate a book that can play with common tropes but still surprise its readers.<br />
<br />
So if you enjoy science fiction with a taste of alien threat, a side of 90s pop culture, a dash of the 80s, and a healthy serving of exciting twists and turns, then this book is for you.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-65841391023932891632018-11-22T21:56:00.002-07:002019-02-14T13:50:30.655-07:00Nine States, Three Days, Two Nights, One Destination<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the beginning of October, the 6th to be exact, I started out on a cross country road trip from Phoenix, Arizona to Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania. I drove my car three days, through nine states, stopping to rest twice. For some background, I decided to embark on this trip as a means to get my car from point A to point B, as a part of my permanent move to Pennsylvania.<br />
<br />
Around June, I had begun setting into motion my plans to move in with my boyfriend of two years, Jason, and finally put an end to the long distance part of our relationship. It was a big step, and one that was made a lot easier by the fact that my amazing boss was able to get me the approval to work remotely from my new home, allowing me to keep a job that I enjoy. Once all that had been sorted, I began telling friends and family about the move and I set a date. Using one of our household goods providers from work, I scheduled my move date for October 5, and a crew came out to pack up all my belongings and ship them to Pennsylvania for me. All that was left was for me to get my car and myself to my new home.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I set out early on Saturday morning, around 7:00 am, with my car packed full off everything I didn’t want shipped in the containers and a giant box full of road trip snacks from my team. As a going away present, they had put together a box full of chips, energy drinks, Starbucks cards, other snacks, a first aid kit, and pepper spray. It was the sweetest gesture and I got a bit choked up by my amazing team who I knew I would miss quite a lot. On top of that, I had to say goodbye to Mom and our cat, Max. That was hard to do, and I knew they would both miss me a great deal, but at least Mom would have Max to keep her company.<br />
<br />
It did not take me too long to drive out of Arizona and into New Mexico, where I made my first stop for gas. There would be many more stops for gas along the way, in many different states. Most of the gas prices were fairly similar, around the $2.89 per gallon mark, until I hit Missouri where I got $2.59 per gallon. The most expensive gas was not until I hit Pennsylvania and that was over $3 a gallon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCyX51fJ2VPp-MdEp0TxPO2yzco31iJzaPy2a0D5A5GtKKNpAVRNIiFKqap93eJTuCHZKpcykr7lTJSHMl1ykgu3Zvb2Bi3oUvmQoHYfTVKSiFG-GE9LBZGC-vajmNYxD-KjCWHQm2Ga8/s1600/OLN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCyX51fJ2VPp-MdEp0TxPO2yzco31iJzaPy2a0D5A5GtKKNpAVRNIiFKqap93eJTuCHZKpcykr7lTJSHMl1ykgu3Zvb2Bi3oUvmQoHYfTVKSiFG-GE9LBZGC-vajmNYxD-KjCWHQm2Ga8/s200/OLN.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I did have a nice surprise (which was only slightly spoiled beforehand) to start out my trip in the form of a special episode of the <a href="http://ourlinernotes.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">Our Liner Notes podcast</a>, where good friend (and host) Chris Maier and my boyfriend Jason, dedicated the episode to me and filled it with great road trip songs. The only bad part, was that it didn’t last the entire day because they really did a great job and I loved it.<br />
<br />
I made it a goal to drive all the way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in the first day, a total of 14 hours, and I succeeded. That meant driving through part of Arizona, across New Mexico, the top portion of Texas and halfway through Oklahoma. I arrived at the Holiday Inn around 10:00 pm, where I got a room for the night and then headed out again early the next morning. While still in Oklahoma, I had my first experience with toll roads, having to pay for turnpike access in amounts varying from $1.75 up to $5 per toll booth. But this was nothing compared to the final turnpike toll road I used to cross nearly the entire state of Pennsylvania, which cost me nearly $22.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xME1f52uYaOj_OhV1XXcv9ga4tQZp6tTZBrCtciyTnLnckVRLX0dcEEwnvXLsD6rEC4iLrBMy87tg7ubc9MEAASYsz5EEwmsIlHvYX9S-RWaP-RU2clOghLiKQTuUglM87fmxaknqSVj/s1600/DC+TV+Report.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xME1f52uYaOj_OhV1XXcv9ga4tQZp6tTZBrCtciyTnLnckVRLX0dcEEwnvXLsD6rEC4iLrBMy87tg7ubc9MEAASYsz5EEwmsIlHvYX9S-RWaP-RU2clOghLiKQTuUglM87fmxaknqSVj/s320/DC+TV+Report.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The second day of travel saw me through Oklahoma, Missouri and into Illinois. I had two stops planned for Illinois. The first of which was to meet up with friend and fellow podcaster, Dr. Sara Netzley, a University professor by day and a <a href="https://ew.com/author/sara-netzley/" target="_blank">recap writer</a> for EW.com by night. I also know Sara from the<a href="http://wickedtheory.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank"> DC TV Report podcast</a>, that she co-hosts with our friend Ed O’Hare. Both of them have been guests on my podcast numerous times. I had been chatting with Sara prior to my trip and we had discovered that I would be driving right past her on my way to my best friend Khanh’s house. And seeing as it would not be too much out of my way, we arranged to meet up along my route, in her hometown, which was only a short distance from her current location. We decided on meeting at a Steak n’ Shake, since I had not been to one in decades. It was fortunate that we had made those plans too.<br />
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While stuck at a construction zone (which I hit a lot of and was the only “bad” traffic I had to deal with) about an hour away from our meeting place, a large storm front rolled in. Literally, I watched the dark clouds roll across the sky towards the road. Shortly after the traffic began to flow again, it began to pour and it only kept getting worse, to the point that visibility was low and some people were forced to pull off to the side of the road and wait. I did not wait, I was so close to Sara, I drove slowly with the rest of the traffic and finally made it to the Steak n’ Shake parking lot where I could wait out the storm with a meal and pleasant company. And so it was, Sara got there first and I soon after. We had a lovely time chatting and enjoying out first meeting over milkshakes. Once I was finished with my food, we got ready to leave and as predicted, the storm had passed and I could get back on the road. Luckily, my next stop was only another hour away from the Steak n’ Shake, my best friend Khanh’s house.<br />
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Now, Khanh wasn’t actually at the house, due to a trip she already had booked to go to California with her husband. But our mutual friend Van and Khanh’s two dogs (Summer and Moka) were at the house when I arrived at nearly 11:00 pm. I chatted with Van for a bit after she had calmed down the dogs and they finally remembered me, then it was time for bed. The next morning saw a slightly later wake up, and a cup of tea with Van, before heading out. I filled up the car with gas and made my way out of Illinois, through Ohio, a small portion of West Virginia, and finally into Pennsylvania.<br />
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An interesting thing to point out about this trip, given the fact that I traversed so many different states, is the varied amount of road kill that I saw along the sides of the roadways. At the start of the trip in the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, coyotes and small rodents were what you would see. Through Texas and Oklahoma, this was switched up with the occasional armadillo(which was really sad because they are so cute). Somewhere closer to Missouri, and throughout the rest of the trip, there was a shift to raccoons and possums. I have never seen more roadkill in my entire life than I did in those three days.<br />
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This brings me to the final day of my trip, and yet another construction zone although the last one luckily. After making my last stop for gas, halfway through the state, I made my final check in calls to Mom and Jason. I had been calling both throughout the trip to give periodic updates on my progress. I drove and listened to podcasts, which had been my go to for the majority of the trip, until it got dark. I switched over to louder rock music during my drives at night, to keep me alert, which the coffee and energy drinks had a hand in as well. I remember getting off the most expensive turnpike ever, which I was happy to be able to pay with a card, and transitioning onto the last highway I would need to drive on before finally getting to my destination. I should also point out, I coincidentally had a can of change with me, because the movers wouldn’t pack change, and that came in very handy with the numerous tolls. Except for the last one. The lady in the toll booth must have seen the look on my face when she told me the $22 total. The wheels had been turning to figure out if I had enough change to pay it, until she said those magic words, “We take cards.” Instant relief.<br />
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It had started to rain slightly upon my approach to Fountain Hill and Jason’s house, but just a light sprinkle. Still, I only got out my suitcase and left everything else in the car to take out in the morning, after some much needed sleep. And boy, was it a good sleep. Not having to wake up early to hit the road, sleeping in and having a decent breakfast, and of course finally being together with my wonderfully patient boyfriend.<br />
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It’s been over a month now, of us living together, and I could not be happier. I love him, the weather, being on the East Coast in this small town outside of Bethlehem. I have begun to explore my surroundings, through small trips to the grocery store and into Allentown to meet Jason and his coworkers for lunch. I look forward to exploring even more and meeting more of his friends and family. Mom will be coming to visit us for Thanksgiving, which will be great, and his Mom is looking forward to having her here just as much as I am. It’s going to be fun. Then, I return home for Christmas to spend time with Mom, family, and my coworkers, before being back in plenty of time for the New Year.<br />
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Here’s looking forward to a new and exciting future!Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-70281090736860983852018-11-08T20:06:00.000-07:002019-02-14T13:50:49.944-07:00A Billboard in Allentown: A Spoiler Free Review of Billboard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWGyJtL8Mh_coxTChkNc6z3OM4j5V9ywTVKwsvz7mQD4PrkRhSXoaur-0B1HitNa2gXMzfKuueGXCuHOOJp8Ah4nTnK3IYrJcUiIdHRTCribhMo8GO7feTL4Xlbzhm1MLDGSVN5R_0SOM/s1600/IMG_0173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWGyJtL8Mh_coxTChkNc6z3OM4j5V9ywTVKwsvz7mQD4PrkRhSXoaur-0B1HitNa2gXMzfKuueGXCuHOOJp8Ah4nTnK3IYrJcUiIdHRTCribhMo8GO7feTL4Xlbzhm1MLDGSVN5R_0SOM/s320/IMG_0173.jpg" width="240" /></a>On November 1, I was able to attend the local premier of Billboard, “a Zeke Zelker cine experience.” Being new to the area, I was informed by the people I went to the premier with that Zeke Zelker is a local independent filmmaker known for Fading and In Search Of.<br />
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His latest film, Billboard, is inspired by a true event that took place in Lehigh Valley in the early 1980s. A man tries to save his deceased father’s failing radio station by holding a billboard sitting contest. A contest where the contestant that lives on the billboard the longest wins an RV and $96,000. I won’t spoil the outcome of the movie, but in real life, a man did win an RV. Unlike the real event, the movie is not set in the ‘80s, but retold as current day. That is not a spoiler, but an important thing to note, as it was a choice made by the director. He was asked during a Q&A about the time period of the movie and it came down to the difficulty of finding enough period specific vehicles to fill the streets. But I am getting ahead of myself.<br />
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This is not the first independent film premier that I have attended. I attended the Vancouver premier of The Weirdo Hero by director Ryan Curtis, who had previously worked on the TV show Supernatural as a visual effects coordinator. I happened to be in Vancouver for a Supernatural convention in 2015 and the movie premier was that same weekend, therefore it was attended by a lot of fans of the show and actors (previously in Supernatural) who wanted to show their support for Ryan’s directorial debut. It was a fun event to attend, and the Billboard event was the same. Premiers big or small, but especially small, are experiences beyond the film itself and everyone should attend if the opportunity arises.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD86L_iosIqHGTonu5ASqjUYbF1Q1nNdr21S2FVoIFDaRpapaiCAkXTAestrvuf0b225fU8GsWRYnYKSD9MX5HkzvcNH9iHpKKN3kzTj9X1zFvrQ_UEC9OZOKQtU_Paf96SnP92i9kmrzF/s1600/IMG_0178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD86L_iosIqHGTonu5ASqjUYbF1Q1nNdr21S2FVoIFDaRpapaiCAkXTAestrvuf0b225fU8GsWRYnYKSD9MX5HkzvcNH9iHpKKN3kzTj9X1zFvrQ_UEC9OZOKQtU_Paf96SnP92i9kmrzF/s320/IMG_0178.jpg" width="240" /></a>There was a small crowd gathered around the entrance to the Civic Theatre of Allentown (or Nineteenth Street Theatre depending on who you ask) waiting for the doors to open. I was one amongst them, people watching and listening to the radio DJ stationed in front of the crowd. He quizzed the crowd on Zeke Zelker trivia and gave away prizes until the man himself appeared. The director posed for photos with people and was interviewed by a camera crew, until the doors opened. Once we were let in, we had to go collect our tickets at will call. Instead of an actual ticket we were given a button with a different team name, representing each of the contestants in the movie.<br />
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Before heading into the theater, I hung back as Michael and Sybil (my boyfriend’s parents, who I attended the premier with) stopped to say hello to Daniel Roebuck. Many people might know Daniel Roebuck from the movie The Fugitive and the TV show Lost, and many other things. I now know him to be a Bethlehem native, in town because of his own movie, and the guy that owes my boyfriend’s mother an email response. He is a very nice man, who I had the unexpected pleasure to be introduced to and shake hands with.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AlUus7v3ytwRD11svncuA9wZT4Ks48MG3cH_WOV1rdYinHAmwde9ckv8aUPRXomDLKn7NQ9YqDght1EMtTesozMEwYr3jK4nMxBAVqBXjXuHFHCCSzoqXKmBXQGZ0yyXXuMGPnBNi1mC/s1600/IMG_0175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1040" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AlUus7v3ytwRD11svncuA9wZT4Ks48MG3cH_WOV1rdYinHAmwde9ckv8aUPRXomDLKn7NQ9YqDght1EMtTesozMEwYr3jK4nMxBAVqBXjXuHFHCCSzoqXKmBXQGZ0yyXXuMGPnBNi1mC/s320/IMG_0175.jpg" width="208" /></a>This brings us back to the movie premier. After taking our seats, the director came out to address the audience, inside the gorgeously remodeled theatre, to give his speech thanking everyone who helped him make this film. It truly was a local affair. After the movie, Zelker held a short Q&A session, answering various questions from the audience. Things like: why he decided to set the film in modern times, the symbolism of the American flag in the film, how long it took to film the movie, where certain scenes were filmed and why.<br />
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Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for, lights...camera...action; Billboard. The film is heavy, but good, very good. You feel for Casey, the main character, and his plight to save the radio station. From the very beginning of the film, you understand the loss that Casey has experienced, through the death of his father. This loss sees him return to his hometown, to take over the family business, after having been away on the opposite end of the country pursuing his career. A career which isn’t even remotely related to business or running an independent radio station. You see this affect not only Casey’s life, but the lives of others who depend on the radio station for their livelihoods, as well as the citizens of the community both in the competition and aware of it. In an attempt to do something good for the community, Casey has to come to terms with other people interpreting his actions differently and questioning his every move and motive. Is this all for financial gain, or something good for the community?<br />
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This movie is not what you think it will be and nothing like what I expected it to be. But I was reminded by my boyfriend (who has seen Zelker’s other films), after I returned home, that this wasn’t like most films I was used to seeing. This is an independent film, meant not to conform to the norms of film making and convention, like getting what you expect from most Hollywood movies. For me, the plot and talents of those involved aside, it was interesting to see places that I have only recently begun to explore in this new area, while also learning a bit of history involving this community; Lehigh Valley.<br />
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Fun fact, Eric Roberts is in this movie, as the high level radio executive of a rival radio network. A related fun fact, he had been in a total of 516 movies throughout his acting career. This was one of the trivia questions the crowd was asked for the chance to win a prize related to Billboard. Even if you aren’t sure who Eric Roberts is, with 516 acting credits to his name, you are bound to know him from something.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC4cvO3Tp7ehyl787sr2KRRj1KLLoPhZ9O8fr6-Y2DBvBDqSabPPEW6Owur1-fc-q4m-LdYPf-CAjxaYBI-89worEAqESH043lAaBhlYXGVEQRrmXUqp4cTwuxV93Jrbcs8UK6hAk0aSR/s1600/IMG_0215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="528" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEC4cvO3Tp7ehyl787sr2KRRj1KLLoPhZ9O8fr6-Y2DBvBDqSabPPEW6Owur1-fc-q4m-LdYPf-CAjxaYBI-89worEAqESH043lAaBhlYXGVEQRrmXUqp4cTwuxV93Jrbcs8UK6hAk0aSR/s200/IMG_0215.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVWHDI_ThZph4MFG6v9lnhMpYMCQQXtKYi0ZuzjQCYBDKGmEo324_dtglJLUIdffolyi3-Cvg-IhLnp1NIn8Brb_tUoZRC0M_PMuElimSrjgmZj9CN_3SNHenv0ACNto_8bKEExoH8saG/s1600/IMG_0204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVWHDI_ThZph4MFG6v9lnhMpYMCQQXtKYi0ZuzjQCYBDKGmEo324_dtglJLUIdffolyi3-Cvg-IhLnp1NIn8Brb_tUoZRC0M_PMuElimSrjgmZj9CN_3SNHenv0ACNto_8bKEExoH8saG/s200/IMG_0204.jpg" width="150" /></a>The last thing that I want to cover for this movie premier, is the cleverness of it’s multimedia platform promotional campaign. In addition to the feature film, and the buttons we received as tickets, we also received an issue of a special made newspaper catered to the movie and its filmmaker Zeke Zelker. One must also not forget the radio station that was present, which was actually not a real station, but one named after the one in the film, WTYT 960. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t visit an actual WTYT 960, since Zelker has create an online version of the indy radio station at <a href="http://wtyt960.com/">wtyt960.com</a>. If that wasn’t enough, there will also be a 25 episode web series to accompany the film, which will focus on Casey and primarily the billboard sitters. The web series is set to be available on February 1.<br />
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The film is currently running at the Civic Theatre in Allentown, from November 1-10, for anyone locally to go see it, before it heads off on the rest of it’s PA Proud Tour with dates in Lewisburg, Harrisburg, West Chester, Lancaster, and Philadelphia. So if you live in these places, <a href="https://billboardmovie.com/" target="_blank">check out the website</a> to find out when this movie will be near you and go check it out! And if you don’t live in one of these places, don’t worry, Zelker is hoping to release the movie nationally in April.<br />
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-63733151002337651432018-11-04T19:31:00.000-07:002019-02-14T13:51:19.775-07:00That’s Why They Called Him Mr. Fahrenheit: A Bohemian Rhapsody ReviewAny way the wind blows...allow it to direct you into the nearest movie theater for the closest experience to a Queen concert today with Freddie Mercury, that our generation, or any generation will get to experience.<br />
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To say Rami Malek personified Freddie Mercury, is putting it simply. He gave a fantastic and an authentic (as authentic as you can get, including the teeth) portrayal of the larger than life lead singer of the British rock and roll band Queen. The man was so much more than his sexuality, his disease, his music...he did what he was “born to do, be a performer.”<br />
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While this movie has been criticized for the choices to “focus on the band” rather than Freddie’s homosexuality and struggle with aids, the themes are there. From what I had read and heard, I honestly was expecting much less than what I did wind up seeing in the theater. Could there have been more focus put on things that were such a large part of the man’s life? Yes. Was it given justice? That’s not for me to say, but I can say this, it wasn’t “left out” entirely.<br />
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I have been a lifelong Queen fan, since I first discovered the powerful voice of Freddie Mercury and the often experimental and out there lyrics and musical choices of the band. I was a guest on the music podcast of good friend Chris Maier, <a href="http://ourlinernotes.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">Our Liner Notes</a>, where I took part in the <a href="http://ourlinernotes.libsyn.com/episode-71-mix-tape-edition-stefanie-muniz" target="_blank">mixed tape series</a>. One of the first few questions was, “What song did you plant your musical flag in?” My choice was Queen, Radio Gaga to be exact, a song I had been able to relate to at a young age. Queen started me off on my path of rock and roll discovery, which led to my affinity for classic rock, and Brit Rock. If it had not been for Queen, I might not have discovered David Bowie, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Cream, etc.<br />
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I would like to say I would have still discovered David Bowie, because of my love of the movie Labyrinth, but I’m honestly not sure if I would have made the connection as a child, without having come across Under Pressure. I fell in love with that song and many many more, during my pursuit of everything Queen. For one of my birthdays, I specifically requested Queen’s gold-colored Greatest Hits I and II album, which included 34 of their hits. I could not have been happier when my mom handed me the square-shaped package to unwrap that cold January morning.<br />
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I played those CDs nonstop on every CD player at my disposal, in the house, in my discman, and eventually in my car. It hurt me down to my music-loving soul the moment I scratched one of the discs, adding a skip in the middle of Don’t Stop Me Now. Luckily, it was minimal and wouldn’t have kept me from playing the CD even if it hadn’t been. I still have both discs in my car visor CD case and they have moved with me, in the utmost care, in that case every since.<br />
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Now, I don’t want to bore you with my love of Queen, I think I made my point well enough. The point being, how much Queen has meant to me and my love of music, and why I was more excited to see this movie than any other band “biopic” before it. So back to the movie…<br />
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I am not going to spoil anything from the movie, I want to urge everyone to go see it and form their own opinions. Even with as much as I know about Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, I still learned so much more from this movie. I was taken in by the story, by the family that was comprised of these four men, which grew, changed, fell apart, and found its way back together again. Just like any family, experiencing the ups and downs of life.<br />
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I went to see this movie with my boyfriend, and as we sat in the car discussing it afterward, I said, “this movie, made me feel things.” It did. I have never considered myself a very emotional person, so when I say that this movie made me emotional, I mean it in every sense of the word. I was enthralled, upset, angry, relieved and overjoyed. It’s a kind of magic… this movie, a magic worth experiencing for any Queen fan, any music fan.<br />
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And, I could not help quietly singing along. I dare anyone to sit through this movie and resist the urge to stomp your foot and clap your hands along with the iconic beat of We Will Rock You. Song after song, performance after performance, all culminating into one of the most famous concert events of all time, Live Aid.<br />
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I actually have a connection to the Live Aid scene in this movie. Early in the promotional period of the film, when post production was still going on, the movie website put out a call to fans the world over. Send us your voices, they said, and so I did. Using the website, I submitted an audio clip of myself singing Bohemian Rhapsody and I sent it in. The website thanked me for my submission, for the chance to have my voice included in the film, and told me to await further information on whether I was included. To be honest, I didn’t really think too much about it after that. Until two weeks ago, when I received an email congratulating me on being included in the film. The email included a <a href="https://youtu.be/Ijxu2EHV5XA" target="_blank">youtube link</a> to a video, which explained just how they used the voice submissions they received in the film. Me, and what I can only think was thousands of other fan submissions make up the voices of the crowd at the Live Aid concert, singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody while the band performs the song, as the first in their set. It’s not a huge deal, but it was a neat experience to be a part of this movie, even in that small way.<br />
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So please do me a favor, do yourself a favor, go see this movie. This movie, which made this Queen fan feel like “a shooting star leaping through the sky.”<br />
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-33969404151556734982018-09-20T22:47:00.002-07:002018-09-20T22:47:52.073-07:00Aloha Vacation<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iizayRZ4OqU4sHGVVhsr5ZL5SqwnMmwfJBtSxWWveBPUnR_K84mY7caDu1vDtKMLrvwapcXTg0y5_7kPzqJdELyby6eGctHuYFzWVKvBM0YCVceQ3z26iBSDwHRvUQAsl5-Jjor_i1dL/s1600/39887023_2267287809966428_5490539513778274304_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iizayRZ4OqU4sHGVVhsr5ZL5SqwnMmwfJBtSxWWveBPUnR_K84mY7caDu1vDtKMLrvwapcXTg0y5_7kPzqJdELyby6eGctHuYFzWVKvBM0YCVceQ3z26iBSDwHRvUQAsl5-Jjor_i1dL/s200/39887023_2267287809966428_5490539513778274304_o.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">We recently returned from a trip to Hawai`i. A wonderful vacation that my mom won through the local Health and Wealth Raffle, held by St Joseph’s Hospital and the Barrow Neurological Center. Otherwise, we could not have afforded an (nearly) all expenses paid trip with first class airfare, a three night stay at The Royal Hawaii</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">an on Waikiki Beach on Oahu, car service to and from the airport in Honolulu, a seven night stay at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea on Maui, a rental car on Maui (which we upgraded to an SUV for a super deal) and snorkel tour of the Molokini Crater and Turtle Town.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4emrf7xZFNlpzACI57FsK00wCGMUYPpRYa_-cRlkVkMK1bMbOMBnupuNiU_kgpggISX4eKCPAqYCi821grMnT6TZfJkoT1eWQSCCshk6X5L3fd8i8QzwpK4u1pj2bhHAXvStjbvI6WDG/s1600/40063659_2271076832920859_2391154893801914368_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1199" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4emrf7xZFNlpzACI57FsK00wCGMUYPpRYa_-cRlkVkMK1bMbOMBnupuNiU_kgpggISX4eKCPAqYCi821grMnT6TZfJkoT1eWQSCCshk6X5L3fd8i8QzwpK4u1pj2bhHAXvStjbvI6WDG/s200/40063659_2271076832920859_2391154893801914368_o.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">To say that it was an amazing trip, hardly does it justice. It was truly a tropical paradise, green and warm, with the bluest skies and water I have ever seen, when there wasn’t a cloudy sky from a pending storm. We flew in ahead of Hurricane Lane. We luckily experienced no negative effects from the hurricane, which remained about 200 miles out and moved so slowly that it eventually downgraded to a tropical storm. Of course, it was still necessary to take certain precautions, which was understandable. Beach and pool furniture was packed away, balcony furniture was moved into rooms and hallways.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Most of the staff and other guests that we talked to were not concerned by the storm and by the time it was closer to Oahu, it was set to only hit them with heavier rain. However, the main island received a lot of rain and they had to deal with flooding, while Maui dealt with wind damage, rain, and a fire. By the time we arrived in Maui everything was much better and the location of our resort had been shielded from the most of it by a mountain.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHsHkm6MCYaAPaTliJlOzdDKce5tzKZTb9waFYKSxUcBx7EZLeo-GGpG1uvFozRgi7srK6iwgJ5dWBCwRI4V9UV942Sr7hKl3r9Roqnu6FbkmQQMSK_l-B2a3EVf0B_uDYllGsTpmX3No/s1600/40400306_2278815082147034_243382546690211840_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHsHkm6MCYaAPaTliJlOzdDKce5tzKZTb9waFYKSxUcBx7EZLeo-GGpG1uvFozRgi7srK6iwgJ5dWBCwRI4V9UV942Sr7hKl3r9Roqnu6FbkmQQMSK_l-B2a3EVf0B_uDYllGsTpmX3No/s200/40400306_2278815082147034_243382546690211840_o.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aOQLh81akosZaz0UYk_rYMw_teYkhxCFbpii4GLOOafPpkRzMwh6ih3bxdI1zdxwIGZQq3E_3g9uyrhSaz2ce7BCqITvNbtL0dE7tFPk-bS09huseLgu5pkytMu4mjigOLW-EN0yegmL/s1600/40023131_2267288376633038_4476716516531765248_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aOQLh81akosZaz0UYk_rYMw_teYkhxCFbpii4GLOOafPpkRzMwh6ih3bxdI1zdxwIGZQq3E_3g9uyrhSaz2ce7BCqITvNbtL0dE7tFPk-bS09huseLgu5pkytMu4mjigOLW-EN0yegmL/s200/40023131_2267288376633038_4476716516531765248_o.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So while we had cloudy days on Oahu and missed our Pearl Harbor tour due to the harbor being closed as a precaution, we were able to enjoy sunny days and great weather on Maui. That is not to say that we did not enjoy our time on Oahu. We spent every day walking up and down Waikiki Beach, enjoyed Mai Tais, and ate tasty seafood.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Once we arrived in Maui, we picked up our rental car and stopped at the Costco near the airport, to grab some items, based on a great tip from my friend Annaleis, <a href="http://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2016/10/i-once-went-to-napa.html" target="_blank">who I visited in Napa</a> a couple years ago. We explored the surrounding area, did some shopping and ended the trip with an amazing luau. But prior to that, I went on a zipline tour which was a lot of fun and the day after mom and I both enjoyed our snorkel adventure. I also rented a GoPro for the zipline tour and an underwater camera for the snorkel tour. I was able to get excellent video and photos which made me really happy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PNREyOpXbw7ewxYxDwTxcJX3UfZzSzWJ3WYsPn0ha3ouOAmntaEEgRsrGGjJzNtxpQtv1utWz9Ea-dMFUeRkMkwpnVGIIgGn3XqYAZLuxVyHD396TikCxI3hF2ip17Cgkhl3dIVcDSZa/s1600/40231923_2274896729205536_4549097723470544896_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6PNREyOpXbw7ewxYxDwTxcJX3UfZzSzWJ3WYsPn0ha3ouOAmntaEEgRsrGGjJzNtxpQtv1utWz9Ea-dMFUeRkMkwpnVGIIgGn3XqYAZLuxVyHD396TikCxI3hF2ip17Cgkhl3dIVcDSZa/s200/40231923_2274896729205536_4549097723470544896_o.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">During the snorkel tour, we were able to see and swim amongst a large variety of fish and I got to be up close with a couple sea turtles. A great thing was also being close to sea turtles in the shallow water of the beach near our hotel. Turtle Town was just around the corner from our hotel beach, we could have swam to the same location we went to by boat. So it was amazing to see several turtles slowly make their way along the beach from one end to the other, and a couple quite large. It was a goal of mine to see a sea turtle on the trip, but I would never have thought I’d be so lucky to see so many and so easily.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLgWfffFxOZXX-dIy0rq_E1SxrRw394EAKX1aJ5ANiC7s7UeSGeVBnaPM7ILietfHFzM8LSuoG1iNguYCSwahoyiMS58J8kbIQYbJDDowi65JOmW4PLQ3zZasFlgdZ2Vjaz1kK3Olr3c-/s1600/40353215_2277378228957386_8250630680967380992_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLgWfffFxOZXX-dIy0rq_E1SxrRw394EAKX1aJ5ANiC7s7UeSGeVBnaPM7ILietfHFzM8LSuoG1iNguYCSwahoyiMS58J8kbIQYbJDDowi65JOmW4PLQ3zZasFlgdZ2Vjaz1kK3Olr3c-/s200/40353215_2277378228957386_8250630680967380992_o.jpg" width="150" /></a><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I was also able to get some reading done while seated beneath an umbrella on a lounge chair at the beach. I also took a ton of photos with my phone and was able to capture some picturesque sunset views on both Oahu and Maui. I could not recommend Hawai`i more to anyone, it’s a spot that everyone should visit at least once. We also have fallen in love with Maui and desperately wish to return again soon. Hopefully next time with better weather. But despite the hurricane and storm, we made so many lasting memories. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8wa-9yvwavnjIXzz2MKHkD6AevVYTHrOzsz7CunG0nWOkAxybRlnZWbbFResrilQ4OCpQT7OFysVIXGWNswNFY4beCOkzHzGkMfOpMtC2E0gXNtECQE0l0699NuOu9qcDnhCGtjnZGA0/s1600/40421184_2278815422147000_8788635326894571520_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1177" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8wa-9yvwavnjIXzz2MKHkD6AevVYTHrOzsz7CunG0nWOkAxybRlnZWbbFResrilQ4OCpQT7OFysVIXGWNswNFY4beCOkzHzGkMfOpMtC2E0gXNtECQE0l0699NuOu9qcDnhCGtjnZGA0/s200/40421184_2278815422147000_8788635326894571520_o.jpg" width="146" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">All the locals we interacted with, from the hotel staff to our drivers and tour guides, were some of the nicest and welcoming people I have ever met. We made an effort to learn as much as we could about the islands while we were there as well. We took part in a Hawaiian Language class, learned about the local plants, and the local history and culture. It was all so fascinating, and yet we still have so much more of the island to explore.</span></div>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-60020209737274130992018-02-22T23:07:00.000-07:002019-02-14T13:52:42.461-07:00Hamilton Blew Us All Away<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Qg9foJYAgos7S6cSbDlCd0nHCIIYPg1bhaaCL1Fhgerx1_C_ReOXLb19iZT058ReFAeroZGIzs43S1_2hbmKrFIjYztBNzPpqGNNWMOdCcLyO6wLyyZYNiZ9QkP7WaKPjOUEo78hWV48/s1600/IMG_7655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="834" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Qg9foJYAgos7S6cSbDlCd0nHCIIYPg1bhaaCL1Fhgerx1_C_ReOXLb19iZT058ReFAeroZGIzs43S1_2hbmKrFIjYztBNzPpqGNNWMOdCcLyO6wLyyZYNiZ9QkP7WaKPjOUEo78hWV48/s200/IMG_7655.jpg" width="103" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">On Valentine’s Day, Feb 14th, 2018, I was amongst a few thousand people to see the much acclaimed <a href="https://twitter.com/HamiltonMusical" target="_blank">Hamilton: An American Musical</a>. The hit Broadway musical created by <a href="https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel" target="_blank">Lin-Manuel Miranda</a> has been on tour recently and is currently here in Arizona, dubbed as the Angelica Tour, as each tour location is dubbed with a different character name. The tour official opened in Tempe at Arizona State University’s Gammage Theater on January 30th and will run through February 25. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">All days are close to being sold out and any remaining seats will cost you a pretty penny, anywhere from $200-$500 per ticket. This is not surprising when you consider how difficult it is to see this show on Broadway in New York City, how much of a phenomenon the show has become since debuting in 2015, and how much the rest of the country has been waiting for a chance to have the show come anywhere near them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Now, as with any story, it is best to start at the beginning. So before I get into the incredible show I experienced, let’s dive into my history with Hamilton.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I didn’t become acquainted with the show until late in 2016, when I was introduced to the cast recording by a friend over a year after it’s release. I have always been a fan of musicals(well, most musicals), of hip hop music, and history. So when this album, that combined all three, was recommended I searched for it on Amazon Prime Music and began to listen to it. And that was it...I was immediately hooked. It was unlike any other musical I had ever heard and it was the coolest way possible to learn about one of America’s founding fathers; Alexander Hamilton.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">From that point on, I dove into songs about Hamilton, George Washington, Aaron Burr, the American Revolution, and so much more. I found myself affected and moved by these songs in a way I hadn’t been since I first heard Phantom of the Opera, which had been my favorite musical up until this point. I can’t recall any other piece of art that I have fallen in love with as quickly, as I did with Hamilton. To quote Angelica Schuyler from Act One’s “The Schuyler Sisters” (which I have quoted on more than one occasion) “...so men say that I’m intense or I’m insane…,” because I am unabashedly obsessed with this show. And I am not the only one, I know many who feel the exact same.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">For me, my love of Hamilton did not just stop at the cast recording. I began following news about the show and it’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and even started listening to a podcast. Shout out to <a href="https://twitter.com/GillianWithaG" target="_blank">Gillian Pensavalle</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHamilcast" target="_blank">The Hamilcast</a>! Gillian started out as a fan who created the podcast in 2016, about this thing she loved and hadn’t even seen. Since then, she has had members of the cast on including Miranda and, of course, seen the show in her native New York City. So, please do go and check out Gillian’s awesome podcast!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I can completely relate to Gillian, in the earlier days of her podcast, since I was in a similar position. I loved Hamilton and yet had not seen it yet. I was limited by my location to photos and related videos online. The closest exposure to actual parts of the stage show was through the PBS special. Until now that is, now I can be counted amongst the members of the “I Saw Hamilton” club.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So how did it come to this for me? I have my friend Jaimee to thank. She was one of the lucky folks to get a season ticket to ASU Gammage, which guaranteed her two tickets to Hamilton but also the opportunity at first dibs to buy four additional tickets. The season tickets sold out in record time, within minutes of going on sale, months away from general admission going on sale. It was then a waiting game for season ticket holders, to find out when they would get the chance to purchase the additional tickets. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I remember the excitement when I received a notification for a group message through Facebook sent by Jaimee in October of last year. She wanted to know who of our little group was interested in her four additional tickets. I immediately jumped at the opportunity, as did three others, and Jaimee worked magic to get two pairs of tickets for two different dates but with seats together each night. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We were paired off and told how much we owed Jaimee, who was awesome enough to upfront the cost for the tickets until we sent her the money. That was it. The only thing left was to wait yet again for our tickets and for the show to arrive in three months. And arrive it did, with some added flourish from our Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) who marked the opening night of Hamilton: An American Musical with references to the show on our freeway signs. This isn’t a new thing with our freeway signs either. ADOT will link <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/news/local/arizona-traffic/2017/12/27/funny-adot-freeway-signs/108946460/" target="_blank">messages of safe driving</a> to superhero movies, sporting events, and holidays. Now, when it came to the tickets, my friend Jaimee went to the show the week before and picked up our tickets (my friend Laurel and I), and dropped them off with a mutual friend where I picked them up.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This brings us of course to the 14th, the big day, and what a day it was. I took a half day from work to allow myself plenty of time to make my way home to prepare for attending the show that evening, and had time to add in a quick appointment. The appointment took only an hour, after grabbing some lunch beforehand, and at three in the afternoon it was time to head home. The plan was to be at Gammage at around six o’clock by way of a Lyft from my friend Laurel’s house. All I had to do was get home, get ready, and go to Laurel’s. I had plenty of time, or so I thought.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You would think that three hours was enough time to get home and then back across town. And it would have been, had it not been for the weather. Yes, the weather. It was raining that day and when it rains in Phoenix, all hell breaks loose. There were accidents and road blocks, horrible traffic, on all the freeways and roads. It took two hours, TWO HOURS, for me to get home. In a panic, I threw together my things and rushed back out into the chaos. An hour and forty-five minutes later I arrived at Laurel’s house. She had already ordered the Lyft that would take us to the theater as I ran into her house and proceeded to put on my costume. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitohKVtoj6aeDpWi_0G6p12RRlpmKHh1gfEC5rYWHrN7bvXR1z7O-6B4Nxo3oevr7ZJq_1vxjsyMuICHmOGkDkfrY6g_TX4YGwPNWk_3QcINKsvsTOmjOqnLIAsA0A59K7uVq4YZfp7z_t/s1600/IMG_7699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="639" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitohKVtoj6aeDpWi_0G6p12RRlpmKHh1gfEC5rYWHrN7bvXR1z7O-6B4Nxo3oevr7ZJq_1vxjsyMuICHmOGkDkfrY6g_TX4YGwPNWk_3QcINKsvsTOmjOqnLIAsA0A59K7uVq4YZfp7z_t/s200/IMG_7699.jpg" width="158" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">There wasn’t much to the costume, not to mine at least. I ordered it off Amazon, and Laurel helped tailor it to fit me, as it was a Men’s medium. She shortened the sleeves and sewed the coat to the vest so that it fit tighter overall. I was thankful to have her help, as sewing is not a skill I possess, at least not very well. Now, Laurel’s costume on the other hand, required a lot more work. She made the entire costume by hand, from the long satin coat and white frilly-sleeved blouse, to the velvet vest and pants. She did an amazing job.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">As for how we came up with the idea for our costumes, it was quite easy really. In our group chat, I jokingly suggested that we all go in costume. After most of the group politely declined, Laurel chimed in and said she would definitely be up for going in costume. She went on to say her favorite character was Thomas Jefferson and she would be going for one of his costumes. So that made it an easy decision for me, as I was already thinking about trying to dress as Hamilton and it would be a fun idea for the two of us to go as Jefferson and Hamilton. The two characters and real life historical figures are well known for being at odds with each other. But enough about that, let’s get back to the main event.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">At a quarter after seven, we arrived at Gammage. We hopped out of the Lyft on the main street, there was no getting in through the backup, and rushed through the parking lot towards the building. We went through security, and then had our tickets scanned at the inner entrance, all the while receiving compliments for our costumes as we hurried to our seats. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlj9GHYxEyau4QyJ_6hh5X-F3FY4cMk1iDd-O9NTTspXZ8klMLy2-loaK5CeUqZE0Eda1SXiX8ljzOmHF4rREjQ93Y0GNwkCMBsfGcVQuLzJdnkSRnQgQ4zG5ieOlhCJhk0Is7Zg9hvoY/s1600/IMG_7672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="1600" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlj9GHYxEyau4QyJ_6hh5X-F3FY4cMk1iDd-O9NTTspXZ8klMLy2-loaK5CeUqZE0Eda1SXiX8ljzOmHF4rREjQ93Y0GNwkCMBsfGcVQuLzJdnkSRnQgQ4zG5ieOlhCJhk0Is7Zg9hvoY/s200/IMG_7672.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We were in the balcony, so it wasn’t a short trek. We went around to the other side of the building, up a ramp, up a set of stairs, around a corner and up another set of stairs. Then, we shuffled our way along the second row, to the middle, past everyone already in their seats. Again, we heard comments about our costumes as we went by and the couple beside us offered to take our picture once we had gotten to our seats.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It wasn’t until we were finally settled into our seats, that I could finally relax completely and let go of any remaining stress. From there on out, everything was amazing and not only what I had expected but better than expected. The cast was fantastic and so talented. It was really something else to sit there and watch these actors perform all of these songs that I had become so familiar with. But despite knowing the cast recording so well, it was a whole new experience to hear these same lyrics and music but with different takes. I was experiencing the musical I had come to love, in a whole new way, and loving it even more.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69ou5Mwl4VaEQlN4hEGnSh43IWv1Gbd-CBZHSyKZsXbQjKa64Az9j3rxhJCAuoBhyF6_OS6mRcJ_VgTxdd5EFfNuvkB8s2CQxWDf8LQ7SlaKBzNWw5y_oC7rNwdeUgC7GTAGYsYAby_SX/s1600/IMG_7668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1340" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69ou5Mwl4VaEQlN4hEGnSh43IWv1Gbd-CBZHSyKZsXbQjKa64Az9j3rxhJCAuoBhyF6_OS6mRcJ_VgTxdd5EFfNuvkB8s2CQxWDf8LQ7SlaKBzNWw5y_oC7rNwdeUgC7GTAGYsYAby_SX/s200/IMG_7668.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">At intermission, we ventured out into the crowds, receiving more compliments as we moved about. I ventured downstairs and stood in line for one of the Hamilton-themed drinks, settling on the Martini De Lafayette, and Laurel ordered a glass of the Federalist wine served at the bar upstairs. We came back to our seats with our drinks in hand to enjoy the second half of the show. The show continued and we had finished our drinks by the time we got to the most emotional part of the musical.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I had been warned by friends who had already seen the show, that I should be prepared to cry. I’m not one to cry easily, so I wondered if I would, or if I would just get close to the verge of tears. But happen it did. Two times, actually, once out of reaction to the sadness displayed on stage and again at the very end as I was overwhelmed by the brilliance of everything that I had just seen.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Now, I am not going to go into detail about any of the songs or the performances(as those are unique to each show), as I do not want to influence anyone’s experience with my own opinions. I would rather let those that are still going to go see it, experience everything fresh and for themselves. But I will say this, there was more humor in it than I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">expected and I loved it. And as I mentioned before, watching and listening to different actors than on the cast recording did nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the show. In fact, I now have an even greater appreciation for the songs that I know so well. I also have a visual representation to go along with those songs, a better understanding of what is going on in every scene. It was a great experience to listen to the entire cast recording again the next day and let my mind drift back to the performances.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So let me finish things off then, with some information about the particular show that I saw. In our playbill, when we received a copy entering the theater, there was a white piece of paper detailing the changes of actors for that night’s performance. Most of the roles were the same, the official cast for this tour, but a few characters had been switched out with other actors, swings or members of the ensemble. The cast for the 14th was as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Alexander Hamilton played by Austin Scott</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Eliza Hamilton played by Julia K. Harriman</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Aaron Burr played by Nicholas Christopher</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Angelica Schuyler played by Sabrina Sloan</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">George Washington played by Isaiah Johnson</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson played by Chris Lee</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Hercules Mulligan/James Madison played by Desmond Newson*</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">John Laurens/Philip Hamilton played by Rubén J. Carbajal</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds played by Amber Iman</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">King George played by Peter Matthew Smith</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Philip Schuyler/James Reynolds/Doctor played by Keenan D. Washington*</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Samuel Seabury played by Desmond Nunn*</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Charles Lee played by Daniel Ching</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">George Eacker played by Alex Larson*</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">*denotes a change from the original playbill</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTM3TWJhtE4j2FvccJixVkvJelCbpDIwduftOi590mkHesEBuUD3ZNSR5fHTrDwpv7_C4wfGYfO4gc6C8B4kERkkgGabq5ayMfMPHteZMJZylX1Clo-7FvEYEG_JpfbPCx7zdca0JWuy0/s1600/IMG_7680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1116" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTM3TWJhtE4j2FvccJixVkvJelCbpDIwduftOi590mkHesEBuUD3ZNSR5fHTrDwpv7_C4wfGYfO4gc6C8B4kERkkgGabq5ayMfMPHteZMJZylX1Clo-7FvEYEG_JpfbPCx7zdca0JWuy0/s200/IMG_7680.jpg" width="139" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The only thing left for me to discuss now is what happened after the show ended. We were all crying, at least I was, as the cast took their bows on the stage. The entire audience rose to their feet to give a standing ovation, until the actors left the stage. Everyone then filed out of the room. My friend and I stopped at the merchandise booth and bought some things to remember the night, she a mug and I a mug </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> a shot glass. Then, we took our photo in front of the big sign for the musical hanging on the outer wall by the main entrance. The rain had started up again, but it was only a drizzle, as we waited our turn and then a nice young lady took our photo for us.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Orbzg9G2RhuWq3R9xufyEA6J3RA8fHIyllYIMasiV-l2C0sbJDrqIvxUWOyOEidqsEkoKHw3W6Ia2j1yLr2VllKrVYadFA16cmvmyAMXxR6mfDnBvIR697Ohq85hqqB-8iLlBAFl1zKP/s1600/IMG_7683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1138" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Orbzg9G2RhuWq3R9xufyEA6J3RA8fHIyllYIMasiV-l2C0sbJDrqIvxUWOyOEidqsEkoKHw3W6Ia2j1yLr2VllKrVYadFA16cmvmyAMXxR6mfDnBvIR697Ohq85hqqB-8iLlBAFl1zKP/s200/IMG_7683.jpg" width="156" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We called for our Lyft home (pun intended), and stood waiting around the corner where the line of cars was slowly filing through. As we stood waiting, we noticed a line of people standing along a railing and a security guard. I guessed it was the stage door and the actors would be coming out to make their way home. Sure enough, no sooner had we turned around to see where the Lyft was on the map, Laurel tapped my shoulder and gestured back towards the line of people where <a href="https://twitter.com/nick_chris_?lang=en" target="_blank">Nicholas Christopher</a>(who played Aaron Burr) was standing and signing autographs. We walked back over and as soon as we did he noticed our costumes. He was impressed and said something along the lines of, “Man! You both went all out, you look great. Did you make those?” We proceeded to explain that Laurel had made hers and she helped to fit mine. We asked for a photo with him and he asked the same, taking a selfie with us.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSxIU-JDo1ItiiFgxicdEr0AKPHeQ6A2H6t6w-1w5fwNAxHwhJeCMJ2adhAlCbTOEa-YFyF_wQ_5l5ssVyp9XKl3Fd7YV8Rc3rh93S6JfZURy4z4zqAWwo7xGVTSUo4Mzf_EzmOfPGxjt/s1600/IMG_7688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSxIU-JDo1ItiiFgxicdEr0AKPHeQ6A2H6t6w-1w5fwNAxHwhJeCMJ2adhAlCbTOEa-YFyF_wQ_5l5ssVyp9XKl3Fd7YV8Rc3rh93S6JfZURy4z4zqAWwo7xGVTSUo4Mzf_EzmOfPGxjt/s200/IMG_7688.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We headed back over to the line of cars and, once again, checked on the status of our Lyft driver. When we had confirmed that she was still enroute, we turned back around and noticed that yet another actor had appeared outside. None other than <a href="https://twitter.com/austinscott93?lang=en" target="_blank">Austin Scott</a>, Alexander Hamilton himself. He too was complimentary of our costumes and was nice enough to take a photo with us. Then, it was back to the line of cars, while we fangirled a bit over meeting not one but two actors and having our pictures with them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Our Lyft driver showed up as the rain began to pick up, just in time considering the silk and velvet that Laurel’s costume was made of. And that was the night. We were deposited back at Laurel’s house and I changed out of my costume, hopped back into my car for the drive home and arrived just after midnight. I’m not going to lie, I was tired the next morning, but it was definitely worth it. Hamilton had been worth it all, even the stress leading up to it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">There are still tickets left for the remaining shows, but I doubt I will be able to see it again while it’s still here. However, I am entering the lotteries as often as I can anyway, just for the chance of again being a lucky chosen one. I know, I’m already a lucky one and I definitely appreciate that fact. A lot of people will not get the chance to even see it once and here I am attempting to see it a second time. But the show is really that good. I hope that many more people still get the opportunity to see it for the first time and appreciate this great work of art, history and music.</span></div>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-12441040600471383312018-02-04T22:55:00.000-07:002019-02-14T13:53:01.883-07:00How I Helped A Hot Air Balloon Pilot at the Arizona Balloon Classic<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXSut4q-zpruUulLOfU7nJNhUYZjQ_uDzJINU4wgJHm5zyo1gpoCy7bAeiIHrR2Rf0UYEVDiI0RyvmcyOF0CWjmkKKanQp8C__8oXOjf2oIwL6Tad5cdwHFK4J5wEms5lA_YBldDFOW0l/s1600/IMG_7639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXSut4q-zpruUulLOfU7nJNhUYZjQ_uDzJINU4wgJHm5zyo1gpoCy7bAeiIHrR2Rf0UYEVDiI0RyvmcyOF0CWjmkKKanQp8C__8oXOjf2oIwL6Tad5cdwHFK4J5wEms5lA_YBldDFOW0l/s320/IMG_7639.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start and end locations (zoomed in and out).</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Last weekend, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the 7th Annual Arizona Balloon Classic as part of a balloon crew. I woke up early on Saturday morning, January 27th, drove 15 minutes from my home in southwest Phoenix to Goodyear, Arizona, where this year’s balloon classic was being held at Goodyear Ballpark.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I arrived at just before 6:30am and checked in at the volunteer tent, where I received a volunteer t-shirt and was pointed in the direction of the tent where all the balloon pilots were gathered. The sun wasn’t up yet and it was a cool 43 degrees, as people ate donuts and drank their hot coffee. I arrived with several other volunteers who had signed up to be part of the balloon crew, which basically meant you would be assisting out-of-state balloon pilots who didn’t have crews with them to set up their balloons for flight.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUvUJK9a-980OkkZtpFPeEHhueTEt_EY27mILiY1zLIwOLR-jrf4CDm-EbDnP6Wh8joX_YyKsCOMHaNXkr4JjqSfEn4jawvBSbc3za-mSdxpSAz1qRYVhVZ2jcNwYqzuoWKNvy2Jb57BK/s1600/IMG_7572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1210" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUvUJK9a-980OkkZtpFPeEHhueTEt_EY27mILiY1zLIwOLR-jrf4CDm-EbDnP6Wh8joX_YyKsCOMHaNXkr4JjqSfEn4jawvBSbc3za-mSdxpSAz1qRYVhVZ2jcNwYqzuoWKNvy2Jb57BK/s200/IMG_7572.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peggy's Balloon.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Now, I have never been in a hot air balloon, I’ve also never been near so many and been so hands on with the flight and landing of one. We have a lot of hot air balloons that take flight on Arizona mornings often throughout the year, you can spot them in the distance while driving along the freeway. The local environment is very conducive to hot air balloons, lots of wide open desert and fields where you can take off and land, without needing to worry about tall objects getting in the way. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I’ve always thought it would be fun to ride in a hot air balloon, but have never had the opportunity. It’s not actually cheap to ride in one and can cost you a couple hundred dollars, depending on whether the balloon pilot charges per ride or an hourly rate. Although, now that I’ve had the experience of working with a hot air balloon, I think riding in one is definitely something I want to check off the list. Especially since I found out that most balloon pilots will offer free rides in their balloons if you crew for them enough times. For some it’s ten times and others five (like Peggy, the pilot that I crewed for), that’s a pretty good deal.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So back to the actual task of being part of a balloon crew. I’ve never attended the Arizona Balloon Classic and this was the first time I have volunteered for an event like this as well, so I really didn’t know what to expect. The website had given a generic description of what the balloon crew volunteer could expect, but I wasn’t sure how hands on it would actually be. The decision to volunteer was also a last minute one. I had seen a post on Facebook, shared by a friend, about the balloon festival and the need for volunteers, this was probably sometime around the middle of week and I signed up on Friday. I received a confirmation email and that was it, I was signed up.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJq-tSoU3-j6sCKuPia1cdbdb5OgVT0TDu7co2YuDxoY7MErIGplKdD-fXsjpTeZ6fCx7Kq5ZOpRhrJSITAq1na7kqGUi4vlRH3Elm_JwxLRJqxLnHba6NTuNilWwQPDTWeFX_0fRpEvw/s1600/IMG_7601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1529" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJq-tSoU3-j6sCKuPia1cdbdb5OgVT0TDu7co2YuDxoY7MErIGplKdD-fXsjpTeZ6fCx7Kq5ZOpRhrJSITAq1na7kqGUi4vlRH3Elm_JwxLRJqxLnHba6NTuNilWwQPDTWeFX_0fRpEvw/s200/IMG_7601.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The StarLite Balloon Flights trailer.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So there we were, a small group of a volunteers, with the instruction to wander over to the pilots and see if anyone needed help. While part of the group helped themselves to coffee and donuts, myself and four others were approached by a woman who told us she needed four volunteers and asked if anyone had claimed us for their crew yet. We shook our heads and offered to be her four volunteers and that was it, we had found a balloon pilot to work for. Introductions were made and we were guided to the trailer belonging to Peggy of StarLite Balloon Flights. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">There was a pilot briefing just before sunrise, where they were given the weather conditions and their task, a Hare and Hound competition where the lead Hare balloon would fly off first and set down a target during the flight and the rest of the balloons would then have to chase after and hit the target with bean bags. The winner, the pilot that hits the target, would receive a cash prize of $1,000. A local radio station had also given away free rides on the balloons, for passengers to ride along during the event. Our pilot Peggy had two passengers from Mesa, Arizona that would be joining her on the flight.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The briefing ended and as the first rays of sun began to peak above the horizon, we set about emptying the contents of the trailer. The basket was pulled out, along with the balloon in it’s cloth bag, and the burners. We were first instructed on how to attach the burners to their stand and place the stand on top of the basket, then wrap the legs with leather sleeves that zipped up and protected them and also held the fuel lines in place leading from tanks up to the burners. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Next, we pulled the balloon out of its bag, by slowly pulling the bag along and emptying the balloon as we went. Once the straps holding the balloon together were removed, the balloon was spread out a bit. Myself and another volunteer were then asked to hold the opening of the balloon, up and apart, so that regular air could be blown into it by a large fan. I never realized that this was the way the balloons were inflated, not by hot air to begin with at all. We watched the balloon fill with air and had to adjust our grip to allow the balloon to receive a continuous flow of air and grow ever larger. Finally, the basket was tipped on its side and the balloon was hooked up to the basket. We let go of the opening and were asked to step to the side of the burners and grip the strings to the balloon to keep them out of the way as the flame was turned on, while the fan continue to blow into the balloon. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two crew members hold a balloon open.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You could feel the heat of the burners as they heated the air inside the balloon, which then slowly began to rise up. The basket was lifted back up and a friend of Peggy’s named Terry, who had actually been her instructor many years ago, held onto an anchor line to steady the balloon as it straightened out. The fan was turned off and a couple of us gathered everything up. We were then tasked to hold onto the basket to weigh it down until it was time to take flight. The passengers climbed in, the hare balloon took off, and then it was time to let go and watch Peggy’s balloon float up into the open sky and drift across the streets towards the open desert and farmland.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">After we had taken pictures of the balloon we had helped launch, and of many other balloons while watching them inflate and take off, we set about packing up everything that remained back into the trailer. It was then time to chase after the balloon ourselves. Yes, you read that correctly, we had to follow the balloon. Hot air balloons cannot navigate, they can’t choose which way they go and they can’t go back to where they took off from. They are at the mercy of the wind. So it was now our task to follow the roads out to where the balloons were headed, where they would fly long enough to find and try to hit the target before finding an open field or patch of desert near a road to land on. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Myself and two other volunteers climbed into the truck with Peggy’s husband, Gary, and headed off. I sat up front and assisted with navigating, using the maps app on my phone to find the best roads to use while we kept sight of the balloons in the distance. Gary kept in contact with Peggy over the phone and after pulling off Country Road 85 and onto a small yet busy road called S. Jackrabbit Trail, we pulled off onto a side road, and parked off to the side between two fields and waited. We had pulled ahead of the balloon and sat watching it come our way, as two other balloons landed in the field to our left. They quickly realized the field was too thick with some type of weed-like vegetation, so they “walked” the balloon out of the field (the pilot lifted off just enough to hover a few inches off the ground so the crew could push it along) and across the side road where we and a few other crews were parked with their trailers. On our right was a grassy flat field that was far better to set down and deflate the balloons.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We then set about pulling everything out of the trailer again, tipping over the basket, detaching the balloon, removing the burners and stand, wrapping up the balloon as it deflated, and packing everything up. The hardest part was trying to pull the balloon together and walking backwards, while someone else put the straps back on, there was a lot of resistance from the air still in the balloon that made it heavy. Peggy’s friend took over the hard part, having a lot more experience with this part of the process (and a bit more muscle) while myself and the other volunteers held up the already wrapped balloon, to make it easier to strap and move along to the very end. Finally, the balloon was stuffed back into its bag which we all sat on to let more air out of it. It was then wrapped up and loaded into the trailer. Next, the trailer was backed up to the basket which we had tilted up on one end, and once it was just right the basket was lowered and pushed into the trailer as well.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Everyone climbed into two vehicles, Terry and the passengers in his car, and us volunteers in the back of the truck with Gary and Peggy. We all drove back to the Goodyear Ballpark, where Peggy set up a small feast of meats, cheeses and fruit to eat while we all shared a champagne toast for those old enough to drink and orange juice for the highschool aged volunteers. Peggy explained that it was a ballooning tradition to always share a glass of champagne to toast after a successful flight. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She then proceeded to tell us the story of man’s first flight, which was not the Kittyhawk flown by Wilbur and Orville Wright, but a hot air balloon created by the Montgolfier brothers in Paris, France in 1783(piloted by Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois Laurent d’Arlandes). This was the first documented untethered flight by man. At this time, the balloons were fueled by bonfires, which would often catch fire to the fields upon which they landed, angering the local farmers. To appease the farmers and keep them from trying to kill the pilots and destroy their balloons, pilots would carry bottles of the King’s champagne which they would then give to the farmers. A bottle of the king’s champagne was worth a lot, often more than the land the farmer’s owned, and so it became a tradition to share a bottle of champagne with land owner’s whenever a balloon was forced to land on private property. This also eventually included the toast and the ballooner’s prayer, which is a poem that is recited as part of the after flight ceremony:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">May the sun bless you with its warm hands.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">May you fly so high and so well that God</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">And that brings us to the end of the adventure. The passengers left, on their way to a birthday party, the two high schoolers went to meet up with their mother, and I was left to chat with Peggy, Gary, and Terry until I too left at about 10:30am. Everything had been accomplished in just about four hours, from set up and lift off to landing and packing up, plus the after flight ceremony. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In chatting with Peggy and Terry, I found out that they had both met in Germany, where Terry had been in the US Air Force stationed in Bitburg, near the German border to Luxembourg. Peggy had been living in Germany at the time, and saw an ad in the paper from Terry about teaching Hot Air Balloon pilots. The rest, as they say, is history. I mentioned that I had been born in Germany and Terry correctly guessed I was an Army brat based off the location. He then asked me if I could speak German, in German, and I responded that I could, also in German.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsg0qkJ-65pNKNB5suKat-npmtk-VHMjYMj_9DbHfxG9bEH-6WcGCL9BmeHpPuVdckfZSOpvyrFH5embWqtIcH3boKx-pN-lNipBh3mhwg8ZovFMFm9Fxj2JwR5kWWV8WJaabA99XepJi/s1600/IMG_7574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsg0qkJ-65pNKNB5suKat-npmtk-VHMjYMj_9DbHfxG9bEH-6WcGCL9BmeHpPuVdckfZSOpvyrFH5embWqtIcH3boKx-pN-lNipBh3mhwg8ZovFMFm9Fxj2JwR5kWWV8WJaabA99XepJi/s320/IMG_7574.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It was then time for Terry to leave and I headed off shortly after. But not before Peggy thanked me for all my help, shared the information that I was now very valuable as a volunteer as I was trained balloon crew, and mentioned that she gave crew members a free ride after the fifth time that they crewed for her while some other pilots did ten. She gave me a hug and I thanked her for the great experience and wished her and Gary a good day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I’m not going to lie, I woke up quite sore on Sunday morning, especially the muscles in my arms. But I don’t regret any of the heavy lifting, it just means that I need to start working out again, and with weights. Despite the hard work, it was a lot of fun and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the operation of a hot air balloon. I would definitely be game to volunteer for a balloon crew again in the future. I am also even more interested to eventually ride in one as well. But, only time will tell. I’ll have to keep a look out for future balloon festivals.</span></div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-64836395418898525582017-12-23T12:38:00.001-07:002019-02-14T13:54:23.900-07:0025 Movies to Watch for Christmas<span id="docs-internal-guid-5fc8909b-84a3-af3d-e0f6-98c8a1b76d4c"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-5fc8909b-84a3-af3d-e0f6-98c8a1b76d4c"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the Christmas weekend is upon us, I like to spend time rewatching Christmas movies: the old classics and family favorites. In more recent years, I have also added Hallmark Christmas movies to the rotation. But even those can’t hold a candle to many of the movies on this list, at least for me. So, what is this list you may ask? A list of 25 movies that you should spend time watching over Christmas, if you’re into that sort of thing. If you’re not, that’s cool too, whatever floats your boats.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I may love some of these movies more than others, just like other people, I tried to be fair with my descriptions. They are all worth watching as each one represents an element of Christmas and the holiday season, each in their own way..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Without further ado, 25 movies to watch for Christmas!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. White Christmas (1954)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vermont at Christmas, a charming inn, and songs sung by Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen. What more needs to be said? It’s a classic and quite possibly my number one favorite Christmas movie (and number one favorite Christmas song, especially as sung by Bing Crosby). I’ve loved Bing Crosby christmas songs long before I first saw this movie, but once I had seen it, it quickly became a must watch every year. And since moving to Arizona, I can certainly relate to… “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know…”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">2. Muppets’ Christmas Carol (1992)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It’s in the singing of a street corner choir, it’s going home and getting warm by the fire. It’s true, wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas.” Michael Caine (as Scrooge) and a host of everyone’s favorite muppets retell the Charles Dickens classic tale of A Christmas Carol. This was my favorite Christmas movie until White Christmas. But if I’m truly honest, both movies are tied for first. I have every song in the movie memorized by heart. And this is my favorite Jim Henson Production that wasn’t directed by Jim Henson, but by his son Brian, as Jim passed away during pre-production of this movie. My favorite Jim Henson movie is of course Labyrinth, followed closely by The Dark Crystal, but I digress as neither of those are Christmas movies.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">3. The Holiday (2006)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The honor of one of the best romantic Christmas movies goes to The Holiday. In what other movie can you find romance amidst the Santa Ana winds or the snow flocked fields of Surrey? This movie stars Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Eli Wallach, as two budding romantic couples and one adorable old man. And speaking of the adorable old man, he offers up one of my favorite lines in the movie, “Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you’re behaving like the best friend.” I can certainly appreciate when your life can be put into such simple terms, and ever since I first heard it, I have strived to be the leading lady of my own life. I also strive to watch this movie every year, and spoiler alert: I already have.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Last Holiday (2006)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the same year as The Holiday, another romantic comedy Christmas movie premiered, starring Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Alicia Witt, and Gerard Depardieu. This movie is about taking life altering news and not letting it keep you from going on a trip that allows you to live life to the fullest. This movie quickly became one of my favorite movies to watch for Christmas (and one of my mom’s favorites as well). It has such a great blend of humor, love, discovery, sadness and surprise.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">5. Elf (2003)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do you get when you combine Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner and Mary Steenburgen? You get a really fun Christmas movie about a human who grew up at the North Pole as an elf and goes on an adventure to find his real family. A great time for the whole family, and don’t forget, “The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.”</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">6. This Christmas (2007)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 years before the world knew Idris Elba as Heimdall in Thor and Luther in the acclaimed BBC show of the same name, he was Quentin Whitfield in This Christmas. This movie is all about a family trying to come together for Christmas despite a variety of obstacles. You really get the feeling of how important the support of a loving family can be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No Christmas movie list would be complete without the classic animated Christmas tales from Rankin and Bass. These are the movies that filled my childhood with happiness and joy. Starting with everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph! Before Rudy was leading Santa’s sleigh on the screen, he had a successful song based off an equally successful poem from the 1930s. Rudolph has taught generations of children that it's ok to be different and that everyone has a special way that they can be important.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just like Rudolph, this cartoon was based off the song of the same name, also from the 1930s. In this timeless tale, children can learn all about the origin story of the big-man-in-red himself, Santa Claus. Certain aspects of the story are taken from the tales and legends of Saint Nicholas aka Sinterklaas aka Nikolaus aka Santa Claus, as he was known across Europe and later in America. So, if you need to brush up on your Santa facts, this is the movie for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Out of the Rankin and Bass classics, this one has to be my favorite. It introduced some of my favorite characters: Heat Miser and Snow Miser. Each of whom have great theme songs. Plus, I have always considered this movie to have a unique take on a Santa Claus involved Christmas story. What happens when Santa decides to take the year off?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. Frosty the Snowman (1969)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What do you get when you combine a magical top hat with a snowman? A talking jolly snowman named Frosty. He takes a group of kids on an exciting parade through their town and teaches them that even though their snowy fun will melt away eventually, they only need wait until next year to have wintery fun again. This is the perfect follow up to a fun-filled day building snowmen. Warm yours hands around a warm cup of cocoa or cider and wish Frosty a “Happy Birthday!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">11. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Based on a marvelous Dr. Seuss tale, this movie should put you in the Christmas spirit without fail. And with the voice of the Grinch and the narration by Boris Karloff, I dare anyone to find a reason to scoff. But we must not forget, this movie also spawned a hit song by Thurl Ravenscroft to complete the set. Whether you are a Grinch or a Cindy Lou Who, this movie is bound to have something for you!</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">12. Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know, I already have a version of The Christmas Carol on here (there may also be another one further down on the list), but I am of the mindset that you can’t have enough versions of a great classic story. Also, this is Disney’s Mickey Mouse that we’re talking about here, not to mention a bunch of his Disney pals. Including, everyone’s favorite miserly duck, Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge. Could you have a more fitting casting than that? I am also aware, that Scrooge is named after that very same Dickens’ character, I just thought “the casting” line was funny. Anyway, this was an important animation for Mickey. At the time, this had been the first original theatrical release of a Mickey Mouse movie in over 30 years. It was also the last animated film to have Clarence Nash, who voiced Donald Duck, the only remaining original voice actor having outlived Walt Disney and Pinto Colvig (Goofy). I heartily nominate this Academy award nominee to be added to your Christmas watch list. Go on and know it better man!</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Here comes the Snow Queen, her majesty in white…” and here comes a Han Christian Andersen classic for you, in a visual format. This 1957 classic is one that was introduced to me by my mother, who grew up watching it as a child. You may have seen a more recent (albeit loose) adaptation that hit theaters in 2013, a little film by the name of Frozen. For those that may not know, Hans Christian Andersen was also the same author of The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Suit, and many more stories. Stories many of which Disney has adapted into films, and similar to the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, Disney made them much more kid friendly. The Snow Queen is a tale of a girl who loses her childhood sweetheart to a cold but beautiful queen of the ice and snow. You follow the girl on an adventure across Northern Europe, from Denmark to the far northern reaches of Scandinavia, as she avoids a witch’s grasp, bandits, a prince’s dungeon and the icy powers of the Snow Queen herself. It is definitely not your conventional animated Christmas movie and I think that’s what I’ve always loved about it. So if you’re up for something unique, check this one out.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">14. Love Actually (2003)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People either love this movie, or hate this movie, and always for different reasons I’ve found. I’m in the love it camp. It’s amazing cast and unconventional plot points had me sold from the first time I saw it. Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, and the late Alan Rickman. It has romance, humor, sadness, family, London, and a great rendition of All I Want for Christmas. That is all I will say, and I will let you all make up your own minds.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">15. Miracle on 34th Street (1994)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before I get fists shaken at me for not going with the 1947 version, let me just say this. I love the original and I enjoy watching it. I would include it as well if I could, but then I would have 26 movies and America doesn’t believe in a second Christmas day as the Europeans do (or Boxing Day for my Canadian friends). So I chose the remake because it was the first version that I saw as a child and because I was a big fan of Richard Attenborough from Jurassic Park and Mara Wilson from Mrs. Doubtfire. The remake is also a bit easier to get a hold of to watch than the original, especially if you feel like watching it in the original black and white instead of the remastered color version. But I do highly recommend everyone seek out the original, it has a great cast as well: Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">16. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think everyone in their lifetime has either had a neighbor like or known someone like Clark Griswold. They go all out with their decorations and want everything to be perfect for Christmas. I love Christmas, and Winter is my favorite time of year, but even I have my limits when it comes to decorations. It’s a lot of work to put up decorations and not to mention the energy bill tends to spike a bit this time of year (although not nearly as much as running the AC during an Arizonan summer). So, when I want to see a crazy display of lights, I go no further than the TV in my living room and I reacquaint myself with the Griswolds and their Christmas shenanigans.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">17. The Santa Clause (1994)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie taught us all a valuable lesson, do not scare Santa while he is on your roof. Otherwise, you wind up accidentally killing Santa and having to take over his job. Luckily for the rest of us, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) found that out the hard way and made his handy guide for us all. Ok, clearly I’m kidding, except for the premise of this movie. I remember watching this movie as a kid and while there have been a few sequels, none of them can top the original. I really liked this movie, but I was also a Tim Allen fan, as my parents used to watch a lot of Home Improvement. And of course, what 90s kid doesn’t know Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. So for nostalgia’s sake, grunt a big Tim “the Toolman” Taylor “roh roh roh” before settling down to watch this fun Christmas comedy. Don’t worry, you won’t need to go to infinity and beyond.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">18. Gremlins (1984)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s recommended to never get your kids a pet for Christmas unless you’re absolutely sure that your kids are willing to take care of said pet, or you’re prepared to take care of the pet when they don’t. No movie hammers home more the importance of proper pet care than this one. Three simple rules: No water, no bright light, and no feeding after midnight. The consequences of not following these rules were nothing short of disastrous for one small town plagued by gremlins. Billy, his girlfriend Kate, and little adorable Gizmo, must work together to save themselves and the town from these ugly and dangerous creatures.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">19. Scrooged (1988)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember before when I said there was at least one more version of The Christmas Carol on this list? Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carol Kane and more...bring this modernized telling of the tale to life. Scrooge is a miserly TV executive named Frank Cross, who gave up on love with Claire and needs a visit from those three ghosts we know so well to get him back on track. I remember when I was younger, the elevator scene with the Ghost of Christmas Future always scared me and I would cover my eyes or turn away. I didn’t know exactly what it looked like until I was older. So if that part still creeps you out, don’t worry, it is a brief scene and is worth it in order to enjoy this great Bill Murray flick.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">20. Jack Frost (1998)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michael Keaton as a talking snowman. Need I say more? Of course, I am going to say more about this movie, because it’s one that I really enjoy and think doesn’t get enough credit. I’ve been a fan of Michael Keaton since Beetlejuice and Batman, so naturally, I was a fan of this film. While it’s just his voice coming out of a snowman, for the majority of the movie, the snowman does resemble Keaton and his mannerisms. If you’ve never seen it, give Keaton’s combination of Jack Frost and Frosty the Snowman a chance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 21. Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">For the longest time, I did not realize there were other Ernest P. Worrell movies and that there was actually an entire franchise. Not until I discovered Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Scared Stupid and Ernest Goes to School. Of them all, Ernest Saves Christmas has remained my favorite, but Ernest Scared Stupid is a close second. We had this on VHS and I watched it often as a kid. In this movie, and all the others, Jim Varney plays Ernest P. Worrell. Ernest is a buffoon and a redneck with a raspy voice, that gets himself into trouble but always manages to work things out. And in the case of this movie, manages to help save Christmas. If you’re at all interested in finding out what happens when you cross a clumsy redneck with Christmas, then this is the movie for you. “KnowhutImean?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 22. Home Alone (1990)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie starred Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, the kid who gave parents in the 90s cause to think twice about leaving their kids alone at home, for fear of them destroying the house with booby traps to defend against burglars. This movie spawned a myriad of quotable lines, and an entire franchise. While Culkin only did two films, the original and it’s sequel, there are apparently three more that noone has ever heard of. But I wouldn’t bother with those, just stick with the original. So, grab some popcorn “ya filthy animals” and enjoy watching a kid destroy a couple of criminals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">23. </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jingle All the Way (1996)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After he was the Terminator and after he fought predators in the jungle, Arnold Schwarzenegger got to find out what it was like to be Turbo Man. In this Christmas comedy, a dad (Schwarzenegger) tries everything he can to get his son one of the hottest toys on the market. Even to such lengths at picking fights with a postal worker out for the same thing, played by comedian Sinbad. If you enjoy comedic Arnold as much as Action Arnold, like I do, then sit back and relax. “It’s Turbo time!”</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">24. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I will be completely honest. I can’t recall if I’ve actually seen It’s a Wonderful Life. I think I have, or maybe just a portion of it? But I have gone through life hearing about the movie and it’s plot every Christmas for years, from other Christmas movies and other people. It’s touted as one of the top classic Christmas movies, and is a must watch in many households for the Christmas season. So, I thought I had better include it in the list, lest I be shunned. I will make it priority to watch the film all the way through.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">25. A Christmas Story (1983)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So we come to the last film on the list. This also is considered a must watch for Christmas by a lot of people. Unlike the Jimmy Stewart staple, I have seen this movie, once, and honestly that was enough for me. It’s not a bad movie but it’s just not one I feel I have to watch every year necessarily. But, other people love it and I can appreciate what people love about it, so that’s enough to include it on this list. It does have some great moments and I do like that it is based on the partially real-life writings of an author (Jean Shepherd). Anyway, if you love this movie, let me know why and it may help to convince me. So enjoy watching the wintry exploits of little Ralphie, but be careful, “you might shoot your eye out kid.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can’t watch all of these movies on Christmas, there might be enough time to watch them all over the entire Christmas weekend, if you’re snowed in. But hopefully this list gives an idea to those who don’t know where to start. And hopefully some of these become your favorites to watch every year, as some have become mine. But remember, who you watch these movies with is really more important than which ones are favorites or the best ones to watch for Christmas. Spending time with family or those you care about is the important thing and these movies just help to provide entertainment and a way to make cherished family memories this holiday season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So with that...Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year everyone!</span></div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-43982480461640783992017-11-24T14:01:00.001-07:002017-11-24T14:01:38.147-07:00Hella Awesome: Why Thor: Ragnarok is the Best Marvel Movie of 2017 (Spoiler Warning)<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwJ5bwal8SZqXU6HG2FVJGDO1aJi_U-6oCh1eGth21ysU1gyuuQcbK9adg1aii_3idCaY-YoL813XMyKJj1M8SQkHkn-sNDBR-H39UpIdybkPCu26cqxEWjswvrPNGeOcncvi3eFN-Qxq/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwJ5bwal8SZqXU6HG2FVJGDO1aJi_U-6oCh1eGth21ysU1gyuuQcbK9adg1aii_3idCaY-YoL813XMyKJj1M8SQkHkn-sNDBR-H39UpIdybkPCu26cqxEWjswvrPNGeOcncvi3eFN-Qxq/s200/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 9.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I watched Thor: Ragnarok last Saturday and left the theater thinking this was hands down the best Marvel movie of 2017. This is coming from someone who loved Guardians of the Galaxy 2. I will admit that I haven't seen Spider-Man Homecoming, as I'm not a big Spider-Man fan. But even if I had seen it, it could not have changed my mind about Thor: Ragnarok.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 9.5pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, before I go any further, this review will contain spoilers (as stated in the title). So if you have not yet seen the movie, get thee to a theater!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, with that out of the way. Spoilers in three…two…one... </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Starting the movie with your regular dose of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) arrogance, but spruced up with his own humor, was a great way to reintroduce the audience to a character we had not seen in some time. And I don't mean the humor at Thor's expense that we had with his first visit to Earth. But Thor actively teasing a Balrog-like fiery god creature, distracting it, and yet still managing to miss the timing of Mjölnir's entrance. It was a cheeky introduction to the movie's humor, which had me laughing out loud repeatedly.
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie did well to wrap up items from the previous Thor and Marvel movies. Thor's relationship with Jane Foster aka the "mutual dumping", the missing father and King of Asgard, the whereabouts of Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) since the battle with Ultron, and the strained brotherly relationship between Thor and Loki (Tom Hiddleston).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 9.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of relationships, I wonder if Thor will spend any time mourning the violent murder of all his friends. Poor beardy guy, blond Zachary Levi, and hard-of-hearing Samurai dude. I know their names of course, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to treat them in the same manner as the movie. I can understand it not making any sense to say their names in the quick scene when they die. But Hogun had actual dialog, he couldn't throw a little shoutout in for his deceased friends? Poor Fandral and Volstagg, you too may be gone but…well actually, you just might be forgotten.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2jZlZVzpRYf_O0wtgwdvc_OLgfk6NuodmHhFc_iVaMYL_4vzMPPexXB8LFe4RlPHTG30lBv4HHpVJi2mI-nXbndhIIjnyuA_AdCEGDaQJ5i0g1rkiDA9ZWMJc9U8ifdDlAp5jhEWAd9f/s1600/Hela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="590" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2jZlZVzpRYf_O0wtgwdvc_OLgfk6NuodmHhFc_iVaMYL_4vzMPPexXB8LFe4RlPHTG30lBv4HHpVJi2mI-nXbndhIIjnyuA_AdCEGDaQJ5i0g1rkiDA9ZWMJc9U8ifdDlAp5jhEWAd9f/s200/Hela.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to the main story. I thought Cate Blanchett was hella fantastic as Hela, the Goddess of Death. As the main antagonist in the film, Thor faces not just another sibling bent on claiming the throne, but an adversary whose strength is far greater than his own. A being so set on complete domination of the entire universe, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) had no choice but to lock her away. But with his power taken by Loki, Odin can no longer outrun his mortality and his passing unlocks whatever barrier contained Hela, allowing her return to Asgard. While trying to stop Hela from reaching his home, Thor is thrown out of the bifrost along with Loki, out into the unknown reaches of space. Imagine the rainbow road from Mario Kart, and the moment you get hit by a turtle shell and go careening over the edge into space. It was sort of like that.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA71BRWbPUDkr93U_OrEUS7cOv5Tv-yoCBxkvZ0fDVuJXN2wBFMvnAhZmDa0UJOoO0ZnVjvOXTccwv_VRlYNyZmhP75I9Yx3I-0Z9RPW4_wNvj0jlr-WyKY8TyTi0HvT_OIsERT4DDWFv/s1600/Jeff_Goldblum_as_the_Grandmaster_in_Thor_Ragnarok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA71BRWbPUDkr93U_OrEUS7cOv5Tv-yoCBxkvZ0fDVuJXN2wBFMvnAhZmDa0UJOoO0ZnVjvOXTccwv_VRlYNyZmhP75I9Yx3I-0Z9RPW4_wNvj0jlr-WyKY8TyTi0HvT_OIsERT4DDWFv/s200/Jeff_Goldblum_as_the_Grandmaster_in_Thor_Ragnarok.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of old video games, that is the sort of feel I got from this movie. The music and the color palette reminded me a lot of a retro 80s video game or movie. I’m a big fan of the 80s; the music, movies, and video games. So I could appreciate the nostalgic vibe the movie gave off. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While Hela is literally causing hell for the Asgardians, Thor spends a good while trapped on a garbage planet as a “prisoner with a job” gladiator for The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). The Grandmaster, like many others on the planet, wound up there by falling through a portal and then building himself up to the man in charge. It was through one of these portals that Thor wound up in a junkyard, was captured and delivered to the Grandmaster’s arena, and pitted against the Hulk aka “his friend from work”. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IWlXk7V_UnuK12i_Fkii6nFBF95Utu5V0f4CZEYsY9BdvOy8aZ0Jr-EVD7kLIYjiqlbr1u7KsZrTss3rSi5092YIEU9cNTRbr06MU-Gbit2rv3V5HrXFeuKWtV5IFHtIvAbAVAqiHKzG/s1600/Thor+vs+Hulk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="759" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IWlXk7V_UnuK12i_Fkii6nFBF95Utu5V0f4CZEYsY9BdvOy8aZ0Jr-EVD7kLIYjiqlbr1u7KsZrTss3rSi5092YIEU9cNTRbr06MU-Gbit2rv3V5HrXFeuKWtV5IFHtIvAbAVAqiHKzG/s400/Thor+vs+Hulk.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The entire battle sequence between these two Avengers was awesome. Each landed blows that would have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 9.5pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">destroyed any normal man, alien, or rock creature. The fight does leave you wondering which of the two truly is the strongest Avenger, as their fight is interrupted by a shock to the body of Thor administered by a device in his neck with the Grandmaster’s finger on the button. The fight isn’t the only great part of this whole scene. Throughout the fight, a nervous Loki sits watching everything play out, after Thor was nice enough to remind Hulk of he and Loki’s past encounter. Loki certainly was not looking forward to meeting the Hulk again any time soon, after the last time the Hulk tossed him around like a ragdoll. But it definitely cheers Loki up, the moment that Thor thinks he has won Hulk over and is instead given a taste of the ragdoll treatment. Of course, everything works out after the fight, with Thor spending time in Hulk’s room, having a heart to heart with the big guy. Hulk is after all his favorite, way better than that Banner guy, until later when Banner is back then forget about that Hulk guy. Thor wins over Hulk and convinces his friend to get him an audience with a fellow Asgardian.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-align: center;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNSYVKju62VC32UOSpLRLQ0h6y1Y-CQbX7rehLs7JgI-kdBzcIXeA-pV1X6ja9DI1a_aTfKjdbwPf83Dg4gDeQZ1-Me0FBIiWpnKcH-KkUgoE8zIMDxqOTfdKCeDTZ_zskDOZbHT9ZpQE/s1600/valkyrie.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNSYVKju62VC32UOSpLRLQ0h6y1Y-CQbX7rehLs7JgI-kdBzcIXeA-pV1X6ja9DI1a_aTfKjdbwPf83Dg4gDeQZ1-Me0FBIiWpnKcH-KkUgoE8zIMDxqOTfdKCeDTZ_zskDOZbHT9ZpQE/s200/valkyrie.0.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is where it got really interesting and we as the audience get treated to a bit of the Asgard lore. Thor discovers that his captor (the one who delivered him to the Grandmaster) is one of the elite guard of Asgard, a Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). The Valkyries rode atop winged horses and were the first wave of attack against Hela. Thor, who wanted to be a Valkyrie as a child, was filled in on their fate by the last of them. She was saved and somehow wound up on the universe’s planet-sized junkyard, where she quickly found work supplying the Grandmaster with fighters for his arena. Included in her conquests was not just Thor, but the Hulk as well, whose capture I would love to see as a DVD extra. While Thor is busy trying to convince Valkyrie and the Hulk to join team “Revengers”, Hela is busy explaining to her lackey Skurge (Karl Urban) just how Odin was able to get those 9 realms under his control. She does so with a little redecorating of the throne room. What was once a mural of a peaceful Odin and his new family, broke away to reveal a warrior Odin with a mighty horned crown and Hela by his side. She was his executioner until her thirst for complete dominance caused Odin to lock her away. He set aside his ornate crown and covered up every bit of history involving Hela, choosing to rule the realms through treaties and peace.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBodiNm6rF0qJpPN_NPcvDiWZdivGyC4t8Q8G-8TpLjiPDaouQQnSgYc9YlEIc-YTNn5iQi3_ROjjopQ-GHpy6tnsyYIUmg6o_dgttzLebE9HCMwBsbFsb13uv_v36BKf3kZu8yf6-l0A/s1600/Valkyries+vs+Hella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBodiNm6rF0qJpPN_NPcvDiWZdivGyC4t8Q8G-8TpLjiPDaouQQnSgYc9YlEIc-YTNn5iQi3_ROjjopQ-GHpy6tnsyYIUmg6o_dgttzLebE9HCMwBsbFsb13uv_v36BKf3kZu8yf6-l0A/s400/Valkyries+vs+Hella.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While all this is happening, Heimdall (Idris Elba) is kicking ass and taking names with the bifrost sword, which he stole to keep Hela from jumping to any other realms and effectively trapping her on Asgard. This of course sucked for the Asgardians, but he did his part to protect and hide away as many as he could. He held off Hela’s undead army long enough for Thor to return to Asgard through a portal, on board the Grandmaster’s pleasure cruiser (which they probably should have reconsidered taking, or at least disinfected). And now, for the main event.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thor takes on Hela, after promising Valkyrie that he wouldn’t die, while Bruce as the Hulk, Heimdall, and Valkyrie take on Hela’s forces to save the Asgardians. An outmatched Thor takes his scrapes, including losing an eye (just like dad), to hold off Hela long enough for another spacecraft to show up. A craft conveniently large enough for all the Asgardians, full of the revolting aliens from the space junk planet who are led by Loki. Loki welcomes his former subjects aboard as their savior and then joins in the fray. Meanwhile, Thor summons his inner strength after a vision of his father reminds him that he isn’t the god of the hammer but the God of Thunder. This allows him to get over the loss of his hammer and wiggle out of Hela’s grasp while she’s lit up like a Christmas tree.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, let me just take a quick moment to discuss Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, or more importantly the loss of said hammer. Shortly after Hela’s release, Thor aims to take her on in an attempt to send her back to whence she came. Just like in many fights before, Thor relies on his hammer to attack. It's an action he immediately is taught to regret, when Hela catches it in mid-throw and crushes it as though the hammer was made of clay. With his hammer gone, Thor struggles to come to terms with the loss of not just a weapon but something more akin to a trusted friend. He says as much to one of the other gladiators who he befriends, telling him about the hammer and how it would allow him to fly and fight. This was a poignant moment for Thor, and the audience as well as we see how much the loss of the hammer has affected Thor, especially while he is looking through the weaponry provided to the gladiators. It's no wonder that Thor finds himself as less of a warrior without it and too weak to fight against Hela. Until the dream chat with dear old dad, which reminds him just what he’s capable of as a god.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thor’s attack of course does not stop the ever powerful Hela, whose power continues to be drawn from Asgard itself. What is Thor to do but convince Loki to set a plan into motion that even Loki thinks is bold. We are treated to Loki’s amusing stroll through dad’s man cave of trophies, where he eyes the tesseract longingly, but sticks to his brother’s plan.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi2HQXGwu33mlp82BoCx3A7WotBdZkTO5oPcTK4u6MXhIyJKpwL9lTVVQalzVyCqVfT__pw5xDzBcyTFb-yZGngYkQYFHkrazylZLuZtNm9gXIcStL6IPaiA4AyJZy5dZfuZwNVAMdSb9/s1600/Surtur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi2HQXGwu33mlp82BoCx3A7WotBdZkTO5oPcTK4u6MXhIyJKpwL9lTVVQalzVyCqVfT__pw5xDzBcyTFb-yZGngYkQYFHkrazylZLuZtNm9gXIcStL6IPaiA4AyJZy5dZfuZwNVAMdSb9/s320/Surtur.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What plan is that you ask? The old “enemy of my enemy” plan. No wonder Loki was willing to go along with it, as far as Thor’s plans go, this was way better than the humiliating (to Loki) “get help” plan. This plan basically entailed Loki pretending to be injured and then Thor calling for help before chucking him at their unsuspecting target. It sort of helps you understand Loki’s viewpoint a bit more, as to why he didn’t exactly have the best relationship with Thor growing up. But back to the plan at hand. Loki grabs the skull of Surtur (Clancy Brown)--you remember him, fiery guy from the beginning who Thor defeated to keep him from wreaking havoc on Asgard--and tosses said skull into the eternal flame of Asgard. The same eternal flame that Hela used to bring her dead army to life. So I’m sure you can guess what happens from there. Thor meets and defeats Surtur, Thor meets and is defeated by Hela, so Thor resurrects Surtur and introduces him to Hela. The boss battle ensues, while Thor and Valkyrie are scooped up by the Hulk and brought aboard the spacecraft, which departs just in time to see Surtur strike down Hela and all of Asgard implode. The heroes brought about Ragnarok instead of stopping it and in doing so saved Asgard, because Asgard is not a place but a people.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHCGciAwAIMj4_BIM_gqvDM9cwScdFrHUU7muLTO0YviBRR7VLBrT2toezkL7FTA7mW_BwlxM-WOLvcfSxaycur0z3fvtquZFRAqrUZq3KGbPUw5ZNW03BkEXEfOz-Nhsp2mot2ec1Bm5/s1600/Thor+and+Doctor+Strange.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="590" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHCGciAwAIMj4_BIM_gqvDM9cwScdFrHUU7muLTO0YviBRR7VLBrT2toezkL7FTA7mW_BwlxM-WOLvcfSxaycur0z3fvtquZFRAqrUZq3KGbPUw5ZNW03BkEXEfOz-Nhsp2mot2ec1Bm5/s320/Thor+and+Doctor+Strange.png" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now I would be remiss, if I did not mention Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his short but helpful role in the film. When Thor first returns home with the skull of Surtur, thinking that he has successfully stopped the Asgardian apocalypse, he discovers that Odin is not quite himself. He witnesses a play about Loki’s death which has been completely over exaggerated to make Loki out to be the selfless hero. It is actually a really great scene, where the play actors are fun cameos of well known actors playing Thor, Loki, and Odin. Actor Thor is played by Luke Hemsworth, Chris Hemsworth’s brother, who makes a very realistically convincing Thor when the blond wig is added. Actor Loki is played by Matt Damon, yes, the Matt Damon. Actor Odin is played by Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame. But I digress, Loki is forced to reveal himself and returns to Earth with Thor to look for their father. Not too long after their arrival, Loki is snatched and Thor is left with a business card leading to his whereabouts. Thor winds up meeting Doctor Strange and they come to an agreement. Strange helps Thor find his father, if Thor gets Loki back to Asgard as soon as possible. There are some great comedic moments between Strange and Thor, which leaves you hoping they interact again very soon.
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9.5pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hats off to director Taika Waititi (who I loved in What We Do in the Shadows) for not only hitting the raised bar of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but surpassing it with no sweat as the best Marvel movie of 2017. At least in this Marvel fan’s humble opinion.</span></div>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-56546588558055093812017-11-14T21:37:00.000-07:002017-11-14T21:37:17.817-07:00Late to the Game: A Ready Player One Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dJDwtNF3f7U6ehX6JqOOSoFs07A5NuQSF0AimHhj-DBBUjFcVQk50s05UYEa1Gnhrgk8otiyFevrre_yaXIxE3UBl4p3XEwbOWObp4voR_2CJQUS-PcsxQcpdXIQTK2B5Z1HlrsYPCdv/s1600/Ready+Player+One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dJDwtNF3f7U6ehX6JqOOSoFs07A5NuQSF0AimHhj-DBBUjFcVQk50s05UYEa1Gnhrgk8otiyFevrre_yaXIxE3UBl4p3XEwbOWObp4voR_2CJQUS-PcsxQcpdXIQTK2B5Z1HlrsYPCdv/s200/Ready+Player+One.jpg" width="129" /></a>I recently read Ready Player One by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Cline" target="_blank">Ernest Cline</a>, after having borrowed the book from my boyfriend during my last visit. I had heard of the book not only from him but from mutual friends who had read it as well. They all had glowing <a href="http://agentpalmer.com/12780/media/the-written-word/ernest-cline-shows-his-immense-geek-cred-with-ready-player-one/" target="_blank">(spoiler free) reviews of the book</a> and it had certainly been on my radar for some time. But, what finally made me get my butt in gear was the fact that the novel is being made into a movie. The movie is slated to come out in 2018 and I certainly did not want to wait until the last minute.<br />
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Now, as I mentioned above, there are plenty of reviews out there for this book. One more is probably not needed, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the book anyway. This will also be a spoiler free review, despite there probably being a lot of reviews out there with spoilers by this point as well. I've always believed its important to avoid spoilers no matter how long after something has been released into the world. Take Game of Thrones for example. The show is halfway through it's 7th season and I have never seen a single episode. Yet I have not seen, read, or heard any major spoilers. I decided long ago that I would wait until the show was over to finally to catch up, all the while expertly avoiding major spoilers. So long story short, there will equally be no spoilers from me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhH9emgWjAdrnEtiS76WTSsw57_r0lX_zGVxtobDaWleY4w-XAeW4wWUl9jm_KQbSvmh0gyW4uYdsu7lsmyKW3BqfKDKTbKfLIhZLKZU5yBsGsEgg4-vJMkomJ0ruzk1l0SatkOt8B2Gr/s1600/Dead_Mans_Party_album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="305" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhH9emgWjAdrnEtiS76WTSsw57_r0lX_zGVxtobDaWleY4w-XAeW4wWUl9jm_KQbSvmh0gyW4uYdsu7lsmyKW3BqfKDKTbKfLIhZLKZU5yBsGsEgg4-vJMkomJ0ruzk1l0SatkOt8B2Gr/s200/Dead_Mans_Party_album.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wLveMgbJPTCHv2V9XGPe379GUrVRAD0eECphChY3hsQIV0sxBOsOLrM4pF_CfwAZz5oCWpMBLuHOclMjt9TaW5ItHsxazGrYT2YeYVpOYtAg6nm_4ntFwK4vmoOMerJ6Y_KQZlJcSCB9/s1600/Danny-Elfman-Music-Films-Tim-Burton-Ts7ViQEJFCnl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="620" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wLveMgbJPTCHv2V9XGPe379GUrVRAD0eECphChY3hsQIV0sxBOsOLrM4pF_CfwAZz5oCWpMBLuHOclMjt9TaW5ItHsxazGrYT2YeYVpOYtAg6nm_4ntFwK4vmoOMerJ6Y_KQZlJcSCB9/s200/Danny-Elfman-Music-Films-Tim-Burton-Ts7ViQEJFCnl.jpg" width="200" /></a>Any book that references <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oingo_Boingo" target="_blank">Oingo Boingo</a> in the first few pages is a book for me. I've been a fan of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=613&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=ZcELWtXFJYbKjwOsk5_QCQ&q=danny+elfman&oq=Danny+&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i67k1l2j0l8.3422.4257.0.6315.6.6.0.0.0.0.122.656.1j5.6.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.6.652....0.onAU6lOsoBk" target="_blank">Danny Elfman</a> since I first watched Nightmare Before Christmas in high school. I know, I was really late with discovering that as well. But I have loved the movie and Jack Skellington ever since. For those who may not know, Danny Elfman was the singing voice of Jack. It was shortly thereafter that I delved into his former (by that time) band, Oingo Boingo. I had completely forgotten that <a href="https://youtu.be/iypUpv9xelg" target="_blank">Dead Man's Party</a> was an Oingo Boingo song, it had been some time since I had heard it. Now I will admit, I did stop reading the book to fall into an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=oingo+boingo" target="_blank">Oingo Boingo rabbit hole on Youtube</a>. But in my defense, I was at work when I started reading the book and I had only planned to read a little bit of it anyway, just to start it. On that day, our work system was being upgraded leaving a bit of downtime. But, I did still have some smaller projects to work on and Oingo Boingo certainly helped pass the time.<br />
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Once I really dove into the book, I enjoyed every page of it. Even when I wasn't familiar with all of the old school video game references, the references I did know certainly made up for the deficit. It also prompted me to watch a movie I had not seen yet, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086567/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">WarGames</a>, starring <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000111/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Matthew Broderick</a>. It's a Broderick movie that had completely slipped by my radar for some reason. Whereas <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089457/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Ladyhawke</a>, and of course <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Ferris Bueller's Day Off</a>, did not. But apart from this second minor distraction, I let nothing further deter me from finishing the book. Well, apart from finding the time to spend reading the book. While it may have taken me longer to read it than it probably should have, that is in no way a result of the content. It's an amazing book.<br />
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The many, many great references aside, this book has a fascinating future setting and storyline unlike any other that I have come across. The unique characters make it easy to become invested in their lives, especially that of the main character and his friends. The book also takes a form of technology and makes it a part of everyday life for the world represented within it's pages. The technology being VR (virtual reality, but on a massive scale. It's funny though to think, the real world has made giant leaps in the way VR is used and commercialized for today's consumers. A world like in the book is not too far fetched, especially when it comes to full immersion VR, which is both frightening and astounding. Just a couple weeks ago, I got the chance to try out a friend's VR goggles. They had it set up at a party for anyone to try and play around with. They had it set to Google Earth. Using the hand controls, you could navigate the world and then zoom down to a specific place. The detail and clarity was so impressive that it felt like I was standing in a different country, instead of my friend's office space. It's incredible how far we have come with VR technology.<br />
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Now with that being said, my overall opinion of the book is to give it five stars out of five. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially those people of the Generation X and older Millennials who remember what it's like to grow up in the 1980s. Of course, that is not to say that this book would be lost on a younger audience. The references may have been plucked from the 80s, but that shouldn't stop the younger generations from seeking out this book for it's amazing story. The main characters in the book are far removed from that particular era and have learned everything they know about these popular references from their version of the internet. It's no big leap that today's youth could and can easily do the exact same thing. My three year old niece can navigate a smart phone better than I could when I got my first smart phone at the age of 21. So I would not say this book couldn't easily be read by teens interested in a sci-fi adventure set in an alternative world.<br />
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Regardless of when you were born, go out and get a copy of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. You will not regret it. Now all I have to do is wait for the movie, which is slated for a March 30, 2018 release.<br />
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<br />Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-56558682751667768822017-08-13T23:07:00.002-07:002017-08-13T23:07:13.789-07:00An Essay For GishwhesThis year's Gishwhes (Greatest Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen) has just ended. It was another week of crazy scavenger hunting fun. With over 200 items, it was a packed week of finding things, creating things, donating to charities and causes, and spending time with your team of friends and newcomers.<br />
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I've shared about past hunts and if you check my Facebook and twitter accounts in the next few days, you will see what our team has accomplished this year. My goal here now, is to share one specific item. An item that took me time to finish and then way less time to post on twitter in the first ever tweet storm on my twitter account.<br />
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One of the items was to write a 2,000 word essay about the best way to get pregnant for the 10th time. Yes, the 10th time. That was it, the only instructions and no other information was provided. Being a writer, of course I jumped on this item straight away and starting brain storming ideas for this essay. I hadn't written an essay since my early college days, so I knew I was going to be a bit rusty. But once I settled on what I was going to write, I researched some sources and set to work, writing and formatting. I even used citations to give credit to every borrowed quote, fact, and statistic. This was going to be the best essay about getting pregnant for the 20th time the world had ever seen.<br />
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There was a catch though. Once I was finished writing all 2,000 words, I had to post the whole thing on twitter. Now for those who don't know, you send tweets on twitter, tweets that are usually short statements of whatever you want. Short statements consisting of 140 characters. So after I was finished, I went through and split the whole thing up into 140 character chunks and then set about blowing up my twitter feed with a gishwhes-related tweet storm.<br />
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I had to submit a picture of the tweet as part of the scavenger hunt, along with a link to the tweet, so that there was proof I had completed the task in order to gain points. Every item is worth points and once you complete them, you submit a photo or a video, in the hopes of gaining the allotted points and maybe even bonus points. So, it was well worth the effort to earn 80-something points.<br />
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Now, for those who don't want to spend time scrolling through my twitter feed, here is the essay in it's entirety.<br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cf928e1f-df4e-0f8c-7e52-290f16650a6d"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How To Get Pregnant for the 10th Time</span></span><br />
<span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Essay by Stefanie Muniz</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If someone would come to me to ask about the best way to have a child,my initial reaction would be that they were hitching their horse </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to the wrong wagon. As a woman who is on the fence about whether to have even one child, I would imagine I am not the right person to ask. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that’s not the question. The question is not about the best way to have a child, and is in fact more along the lines of the best way to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">get pregnant. This of course triggers my next reaction, which is to quote Prissy, played by Butterfly McQueen, who once said, “I don’t know </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">nothin’ about birthin’ babies” (Gone with the Wind, 1939). I feel I can relate to that line. Now, I do know a certain extent about child birth </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">and getting pregnant, despite never having been pregnant or being witness to anyone else’s birth. Most people, and certainly most adults, know </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">the basics of pregnancy and giving birth. We have learned about these things throughout our adolescence, from our parents or in school health </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">classes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, even though I don’t have any experience with this topic myself, I do have some personal experience from being around friends and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">family who have been pregnant and have given birth. I am sure I am not alone in that regard. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">With that in mind, I do not think I would be </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">completely out of the realm for offering advice to someone who is interesting in learning the best way to get pregnant for the 10th time. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, getting pregnant for the 10th time and the best way to do so, is indeed the question here today. A third reaction would be expected here, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">possibly along the lines of, “why would someone with 9 kids want to get pregnant for the 10th time”?! But that’s not my next reaction. I’ve </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">learned not to judge something or someone based on initial gut reactions, in the way we all learn things, by making the mistake of judging </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">people based on a gut reaction or my own preexisting prejudices. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People often make assumptions of people, based on learned behavior from </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">our parents or social settings, which leads us to draw comparisons between ourselves and others. It’s a habit, I myself have been guilty of, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which we often must work towards overcoming as part of becoming an adult. If you have a prejudice, it does not automatically make you a bad </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">person. Most people have them and may not even be aware they do, subconscious prejudice, which can seem harmless but lend well to making </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">assumptions. For example, someone chooses not to shop at secondhand stores because they believe secondhand stores have lower quality used </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">items. When in actuality, secondhand stores are great for finding unique items that most of time have only been used/worn once or not at all </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">and are in new condition.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, what is my point here? It’s simple.Who am I to judge why someone would like to have a 10th child? We do not know </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their personal life. Even if the person asking is a friend of yours, who are we to judge that 10 is one to many? Furthermore, unless this </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">friend is someone who would share their deepest secrets with you, you may not entirely be aware of what is going on in their lives. It is </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for that reason, you cannot assume that someone who is looking to get pregnant for the 10th time has 9 children at home, or even if they do </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that they are not capable of having a 10th one or shouldn’t have a 10th one. It is not up to you to make that decision, the decision is up to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the person looking to get pregnant. If they are asking for your help or advice with the matter, they obviously trust your opinion. The best </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">thing to do is not try to convince them otherwise, because you don’t think it’s right, but instead do try and lend them a hand. Even if you </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">don’t know where to start, the helpful effort would be appreciated,and that is the intent here as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am going to offer different suggesti</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ons for practices that could help someone get pregnant for the 10th time, along with the pros and cons so someone can determine what the best </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">way is for them. First, there is what can be referred to as the “good old fashioned” way by some, but is technically speaking the act of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">conception through intercourse. Secondly, there is the choice to use a surrogate for carrying the child. And lastly there is the process of </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">artificial</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> insemination.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to begin by stating that I am not a medical professional, I have not studied in the medical field, and I am not </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">certified in any medical sense. What is listed from hereon out are strictly suggestions based on researched facts and figures, and nothing </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">more. The advice provided in this essay should not be taken above the advice of a licensed medical professional.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The easiest starting point </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for having a child, be it the 1st or the 10th, would of course be to decide to have a child. It would be a good idea to find a partner who is </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">also willing or that your current partner is in agreement on the subject. It takes two to tango, that’s a line I’m sure we have all heard and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">know is not limited to just dancing. But, I digress. The same can be said about having a child. Both parties have to be willing and able. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is at this point where both adults have consenual intercourse with the hopes of conceiving a child. Now if you have successfully conceived </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">9 healthy children, chances are this is the way to go when trying for kid number 10. It’s worked out for you well so far, so more power to you. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, it would be remiss of me to not take into account the negatives that could effect the success of conception with this method. Taking </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">into account the scenario where you have successfully conceived 9 nine times, but for one reason or another have not carried to term all 9 </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">times, then you may need to seek an alternate method of conceiving or having a child. There are many reasons that a pregnancy doesn’t go to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">term and results in an early termination of the pregnancy. The frequently asked questions of a medical website suggest that common causes can </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">be smoking and alcohol, “Smoking, alcohol, and caffeine also have been studied as causes of early pregnancy loss.” (FAQ090. The American Con</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. August 2015. </span><a href="https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Early-Pregnancy-Loss" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Early-Pregnancy-Loss</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) Despite these things having </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">been studied the research is not entirely conclusive, but the general thought is to avoid these things in excess. Some woman believe that </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the early termination of their pregnancy is due to something that they may have done, but that is not actually the case in most early preg</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nancy occurrences. The same aforementioned frequently asked questions section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists website </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">states, “About one half of cases of early pregnancy loss are caused by a random event in which the embryo received an abnormal number of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">chromosomes.” These specific things also do not take into account the age of the woman who is attempting to get pregnant, which can cause iss</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ues or problems as well, especially if the woman is over the age of 40.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what can you do if you come across this issue or another that keeps </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you from naturally and safely conceiving a child? There is always the option of finding or using a surrogate mother to carry your child. This </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is of course the process of another woman being impregnated with your egg through an implantation process or the surrogate mother’s own egg </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">being fertilized by the your partner. If you do not have the fortune of knowing someone who would be willing to carry your child, such as a </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">good friend or family member, there are companies that help hopeful parents-to-be with finding a stranger to have their child. I don’t know </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">about you, but I would personally go with a stranger that was artificially implanted with the egg fertilized by my spouse or significant other. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It could get a bit awkward with using a friend or family member, especially if you don’t go the artificial insemination route with the surro</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">gate mother. But if you do and there is a willing family member, I have heard of cases where this has worked out just fine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Surrogacy is also a </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">safer alternative for women who have been identified as having a chance for a high risk pregnancy or unable to conceive. A surrogacy website </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">online shared that health is certainly a factor for a surrogate pregnancy and how it related to success, not just for the contributing par</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ents but also for the surrogate mother as well. They stated, “The greatest success will always come from an IVF procedure where the sperm </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">donor has had thorough medical evaluations, the egg donor is young and has a positive fertility history, and where the surrogate is also young </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and has met rigorous fertility criteria. In general, success rates in cases similar to this will be between 55% and 75% for a fresh embryo </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">transfer using two high-quality embryos.” (Surrogacy Success Rates. Sensible Surrogacy. 2014. </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/surrogacy-success-rates/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/surrogacy-su</a></span><a href="http://www.sensiblesurrogacy.com/surrogacy-success-rates/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ccess-rates/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s say you don’t want to go with a surrogate mother and you just need a little help with getting a pregnancy to take. In </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vitro Fertilization or IVF, could be the solution for you in order to conceive. A medical website provided a few reasons for needing IVF, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“IVF is usually the treatment of choice for a woman with blocked, severely damaged, or no Fallopian tubes. IVF is also used to overcome infer</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tility caused by endometriosis or problems with the man’s sperm (such as low sperm count). Couples who simply can’t conceive and have tried </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">other infertility methods (such as intrauterine insemination) that have not worked for them can also try IVF.” (Conrad Stöppler, Melissa, In </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vitro Fertilization IVF Introduction. E Medicine Health. 2017. </span><a href="http://www.emedicinehealth.com/in_vitro_fertilization/article_em.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.emedicinehealth.com/in_vitro_fertilization/article_em.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whatever </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the reason, IVF, would allow a couple having difficulty, to not only conceive a child, but also carry a child naturally without the need for </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a surrogate. For those not familiar with the process, with IVF, the egg is fertilized by the sperm in a laboratory dish and once fertilization </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">has successfully taken place the egg is implanted into the woman. The woman will then be assisted with the pregnancy by various aids and med</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ications to ensure a successful pregnancy carried out to full term. IVF can be a costly solution, but if you have no other choice, it would be </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">a worthwhile investment for the end result of having a child.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, with all that said, there is still one other option. I will not go into great </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">detail with this option, as it is not really a way to have a child, but it would result in getting a child. This option is of course adoption. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You use an adoption agency to adopt a child from another country or from foster care or a similar child adoption agency in your country. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you do not wish to have a child of your own or cannot have a child of your own, it would certainly be a viable option for becoming a par</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ent. It isn’t too difficult to look up adoption agencies online and contact them for more information regarding adoption.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So there you have it, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">three ways to have a 10th child. I will leave it up to you to pick the way that is best for you, because only you will know. </span></div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-71454106027051810742017-07-17T23:18:00.001-07:002017-07-17T23:18:07.166-07:00It's About Time: Doctor Who's Big Announcement<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2VhcrnD_ZjIgTqRMecRBaUD7mbdOAgLsXDV4a1GttQhzdrciPgb24mYWv42Xa2Ychta-1UxL9KXwzAB6nf7ky2OFSCMB712X24o3uH6LOq7JzFdWGQcxl0jEN74OJPMweyGqd-hnYVmL/s1600/Meet+the+Doctor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="848" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2VhcrnD_ZjIgTqRMecRBaUD7mbdOAgLsXDV4a1GttQhzdrciPgb24mYWv42Xa2Ychta-1UxL9KXwzAB6nf7ky2OFSCMB712X24o3uH6LOq7JzFdWGQcxl0jEN74OJPMweyGqd-hnYVmL/s320/Meet+the+Doctor.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BBC's TV & Internet Spot for the announcement.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yesterday the BBC made a big announcement concerning their longest running sci-fi show, Doctor Who. The British Broadcasting Corporation had hinted recently that they would be revealing the new actor to play the latest iteration of the show's title character, the Doctor. All would be revealed on the 16th and the fandom waited with bated breath. It has been a long awaited reveal for fans of the show, since it was announced that the current actor and 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, was leaving the show after this current season. So, it was natural that there was a lot of speculation regarding who the next actor would be to take on the role.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HYSv28CXhCjR7NaR11Repb6uuHpqX1QAVK5mplZU6XUH3GCZVWiYsJEll2Y4V0vbEqJUT_RCE6oG6TmmgizuVpS-WpQq2d25HTpgKASncqpkUPGF4rzjhWJJz1tz9wgTdCeguTWh4WrY/s1600/Jodie+Whittaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="825" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HYSv28CXhCjR7NaR11Repb6uuHpqX1QAVK5mplZU6XUH3GCZVWiYsJEll2Y4V0vbEqJUT_RCE6oG6TmmgizuVpS-WpQq2d25HTpgKASncqpkUPGF4rzjhWJJz1tz9wgTdCeguTWh4WrY/s320/Jodie+Whittaker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jodie Whittake</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To both my surprise and relief, a female actress was revealed as the 13th Doctor. The show has finally taken that big step for it's main character as well. There will probably be people out there upset by this news, who feel it doesn't hold true to the character's history, the Doctor being a woman. But I could not be happier for the show to make such a move. It’s about time!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am sure the show will come up with a clever explanation and reasoning for the female Doctor. But for me, that's the least interesting part of this announcement. The BBC, and new showrunner Chris Chibnall, chose Jodie Whittaker to take on the role for Season 11 (11th Season since the show’s reboot in 2005, but in actuality there have been 36 Seasons since the show’s beginning in 1963). Chris Chibnall is taking over from Steven Moffat who has been showrunner for the last three seasons and a lead writer for the last six. Chibnall is well known for his work on Torchwood, the first popular Doctor Who spin-off series, and ITV's detective series Broadchurch. And it's the show Broadchurch where the connection lies, as this is also the show that Jodie Whittaker played one of the main characters alongside Doctor Who alums David Tennant and Arthur Darvill. I have no concerns over Whittaker's entrance into one of my favorite shows. She’s stepping into well worn shoes, but they’re not going to be too big for her to fill. She will most certainly be receiving quite a few tips and advice from the previous Doctors and companion. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQoNJct4bSoM79idiozKsLzWYDB8Xk-Ryh_XxGKXXDpRJLyusFnzUpsWORMb7KZb1_psNKzgzqIVxBK398x_y5b9J72BGvBTEBK22iuntAeckH1ehjfw15KOuGflpulSL-uGXITreDBEX/s1600/Moffat+%2526+Chibnall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="620" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQoNJct4bSoM79idiozKsLzWYDB8Xk-Ryh_XxGKXXDpRJLyusFnzUpsWORMb7KZb1_psNKzgzqIVxBK398x_y5b9J72BGvBTEBK22iuntAeckH1ehjfw15KOuGflpulSL-uGXITreDBEX/s320/Moffat+%2526+Chibnall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: Steven Moffat Right: Chris Chibnall</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, to be clear, I am not saying that Jodie got the role because of her connection to Chibnall and former Doctors. In an interview with The Doctor Who Team, from the BBC's Doctor Who website, it’s mentioned that Chibnall met with Jodie for what she thought was a meeting about Broadchurch. During this meeting he urged her to consider auditioning for the role. After a lengthy audition process and many equally talented actors, they decided on Jodie based on her amazing audition.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhWKtbqXM8OrypVCHAlTFStRS94gJukjTQe_u_TBl3AWTANTuIyP7mLo1UaG4fw3WRg0pl_q0VY2sQUo9cgq_nog61JdY4vRL5UIG9AKRb1DZxgj_uL3Qdrs5je647tZx6lZDwLEjOSsP/s1600/12+Doctors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="570" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhWKtbqXM8OrypVCHAlTFStRS94gJukjTQe_u_TBl3AWTANTuIyP7mLo1UaG4fw3WRg0pl_q0VY2sQUo9cgq_nog61JdY4vRL5UIG9AKRb1DZxgj_uL3Qdrs5je647tZx6lZDwLEjOSsP/s400/12+Doctors.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doctors 1-12</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fans of Doctor Who are familiar with the show's unique element. It's main character, a 1000+ year old time and space traveling alien, can regenerate into a completely new person whenever he comes into a life threatening situation to save himself from death. This of course is a big reason for the show's longevity since it first premiered in 1963. It's not so difficult to continue with a show for over 50 years when you can constantly switch out your lead actor. 12 different actors have portrayed the Doctor: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, John Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi. John Hurt is also worth mentioning, who played the War Doctor at the end of Matt Smith's run in Season 7 and the 50th Anniversary special. This was an incarnation which fell between McGann and Eccleston, even though the character was not written until much later, who chose not to take the name of "The Doctor" and therefore does not technically fall within the list of 12 Doctors.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQjpEyLu54Kw7q6ZpNWEWl5m1LM5Mhl2b2KRuoNub7qpPGGNVmCXNXq6rJcOCvhXFFx0TT1MlQazLrpV-7MY0ok7pUl_n6MDCuGcdAEi1D2xBr7wqJUZyeXyKaSFSFSWeoCDth-zpGoA_/s1600/Missy+and+The+Masters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="570" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQjpEyLu54Kw7q6ZpNWEWl5m1LM5Mhl2b2KRuoNub7qpPGGNVmCXNXq6rJcOCvhXFFx0TT1MlQazLrpV-7MY0ok7pUl_n6MDCuGcdAEi1D2xBr7wqJUZyeXyKaSFSFSWeoCDth-zpGoA_/s320/Missy+and+The+Masters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missy and the various Masters.</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Regardless of whether you have watched the series, you can see by the list of names that the Doctor has always been a man. The show took a big step towards gender reversal when they took the Doctor's arch rival and fellow timelord, The Master, and had him regenerate into Missy aka The Mistress played by Michelle Gomez. A role, much like The Doctor, which had previously been played by men and most notably Roger Delgado (originator of role from 1971 until 1973) and more recently Derek Jacobi and John Simm. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Doctor is all about change: companions, locations, bodies. And changing into a different gender is wrong and out of character? Oh please. The alien race which the Doctor belongs to are called the Timelords, and just like the human race they consist of both the male and female gender. They are not a single race of men. So what is the big deal for the Doctor to turn into a woman? It was previously established, with the War Doctor, that The Doctor was able to choose to become a warrior, something that was completely outside his established persona. Then what is there to stop him from deciding to become a woman?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I would like to go back to the interview from The Doctor Who Team. It’s a brief interview but I found it quite interesting. They asked 13 questions for the 13th Doctor, which you can find </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/633b5583-f0b1-4917-baf5-eb02ca44552a" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I read through it and feel even more excited for her involvement. When asked what it felt like to be the first woman Doctor, she had this to say, "It feels completely overwhelming, as a feminist, as a woman, as an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves, and not be boxed in by what you're told you can and can't be. It feels incredible." I am of the mindset that social norms are outdated and that people shouldn't feel constricted to fitting into a specific box just because of their race, gender, etc. So this quote is a joy to read. She was also asked what she would tell the fans, "I want to tell the fans not to be scared by my gender. Because this is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one." How can you not be excited about someone with such an outlook on taking over the lead role in a beloved TV show? A show which is literally based on change. I know I am.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bring on Season 11!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5ka8BOQVBPO-ZEKoaQrxuYlUYYKEC34yHpZLvD0wPQIU5MkjKXgK_h27hNLGLXNZ8PeJ9Ny0_een4_WDeHcM-ua6Y8E_dejV2eRt2ORv2H4PMQSQLdh7R-qWYWCsCu4vwueArjnboWXu/s1600/13+and+the+TARDIS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="620" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5ka8BOQVBPO-ZEKoaQrxuYlUYYKEC34yHpZLvD0wPQIU5MkjKXgK_h27hNLGLXNZ8PeJ9Ny0_een4_WDeHcM-ua6Y8E_dejV2eRt2ORv2H4PMQSQLdh7R-qWYWCsCu4vwueArjnboWXu/s320/13+and+the+TARDIS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fairly soon, Jodie Whittaker will be off on adventures in the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space)</td></tr>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-51029001330959134772017-06-08T19:20:00.001-07:002017-06-08T19:20:17.594-07:00Wonder Woman AKA the DC Movie You've Been Waiting For<div class="m_-7552311236393701638p1" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnY-RE8rFyyLwSt-OLGvxxwtc4CZJpYiLhj99fCjd0Q_J6K9SXVuWeLyQHWacftw42XbF7iF-BXk6uD5RMJYF6pVG4r94ueeq5wcgJwIxgET_HCNEaKfWIZ7IXRe-ARjfToFeeZ2WI9Mo/s1600/WW+Movie+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="641" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnY-RE8rFyyLwSt-OLGvxxwtc4CZJpYiLhj99fCjd0Q_J6K9SXVuWeLyQHWacftw42XbF7iF-BXk6uD5RMJYF6pVG4r94ueeq5wcgJwIxgET_HCNEaKfWIZ7IXRe-ARjfToFeeZ2WI9Mo/s320/WW+Movie+Poster.jpg" width="214" /></a><span class="m_-7552311236393701638s1">I'm not just saying that because I'm a woman. I'm saying that because I'm a DC fan, who has been waiting for a movie that would make up for the short falls of <i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</i>, a movie that would raise DC to Marvel's playing field, and </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">a movie that would wow me.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Wonder Woman did just that.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7552311236393701638s1">Gal Gadot was already a shining moment in Batman v Superman as the Amazonian super hero. So I had no doubt that a full length feature dedicated to a female badass would be anything but great.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-7552311236393701638s1">To say that there has been a lot of buzz surrounding this movie would be an understatement. This is a movie that has been a long time coming. But why is that exactly? Why has it taken this long to have a Wonder Woman movie? The answer is simply that the comic book world is much like our own. In the past, when comics first came to be, minorities were rarely represented and women certainly fell into that category. Now a days, strong female role models are available and are represented across many different platforms. May it be film, TV, books, in businesses, or job fields that were once primarily male dominated. Now is the time that you can have a super hero movie with a strong female lead that says I can stand beside men and lead them.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RX05QOttpysTOCfP5-Ig0bx4THVUh8WWmIIMQVMDRRtdc0FO7U1Jep9wxbMurVNNpxHMSKVmznH4GxcatVKqyHi__EIjXVAOwZI9DmHqZcrjJZHzW_udyFdmc1ifklLqhs6pNrWnt87o/s1600/WW+Lynda+Carter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RX05QOttpysTOCfP5-Ig0bx4THVUh8WWmIIMQVMDRRtdc0FO7U1Jep9wxbMurVNNpxHMSKVmznH4GxcatVKqyHi__EIjXVAOwZI9DmHqZcrjJZHzW_udyFdmc1ifklLqhs6pNrWnt87o/s200/WW+Lynda+Carter.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_8813914804683270074s1">We needed a time like now, for a movie such as this to be made. I don't just mean a time where women have more rights. I mean a time where super hero movies are blockbuster hits. Where you can make a Batman movie and have it be a success, or a successful Superman movie, and not stop there. Wonder Woman is a powerhouse staple of DC comics, an instrumental member of the Justice League, where she is an equal to the likes of Batman and Superman. Marvel is only starting to bring their strong female characters to light, DC has been supportive of Wonder Woman for quite some time. You not only had a Batman series in the 60s, but you had a Wonder Woman series in the late 70s. My childhood memories of Wonder Woman start there, with the wonderful Lynda Carter. She wore the iconic blue, red and yellow outfit. She fought with her lasso of truth and wrist guards, and she had an invisible jet. As a kid, it was cool to think that someone could have an invisible vehicle. It lent itself well to a child's imagination, where you could decide what it looked like and not be wrong. Naturally, as one gets older, you realize it was silly, campy and not that great a show. But, while Wonder Woman was only on the air for three seasons, it and Lynda Carter did pave the way, a stepping stone on the road to a film which would do justice to such a great female character and role model.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLQbbBBT5pRmHDQuQc9ot2GKEDI_EdnP-HHzNj3ljh9BdWz2BBIfnQQA1rBlJzY16DQIEZKxlAYb7M_xCpfKZyJ0hYFBKMvqApHEsutm2LR2QM5t3cCHTh5f7QkiczJYTPnC5J-UYNEN1/s1600/weekend-box-office-november-7-9-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLQbbBBT5pRmHDQuQc9ot2GKEDI_EdnP-HHzNj3ljh9BdWz2BBIfnQQA1rBlJzY16DQIEZKxlAYb7M_xCpfKZyJ0hYFBKMvqApHEsutm2LR2QM5t3cCHTh5f7QkiczJYTPnC5J-UYNEN1/s200/weekend-box-office-november-7-9-2014.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="m_8813914804683270074s1">This brings me to my next point, why it was ridiculous for there to be an argument over whether or not there should be an all female showing of Wonder Woman, or that if there was one there should also be an all male showing. What? With everything happening in the world currently, that is what we need to argue about? In a time where we actually need Wonder Woman to save and protect the innocent, people think that the big deal is that women should have a special showing of Wonder Woman. For me personally, I could care less. I would not directly seek out an all female showing of the film. I base my movie viewing on when I have time to go see the movie. I would not have an issue if there was a female viewing, it's not absolutely necessary but it's justified. How often have super hero movies seen a large female audience flock to the theaters for another reason than to stare at the pretty? I'm not saying that men are not allowed to like a female super hero, and that there aren't a lot of women into comics, on the contrary. But if there are men that take issue with an all female showing of Wonder Woman, they're clearly missing the point of Wonder Woman. People should celebrate Wonder Woman for its achievement but not make too big of a deal out of it. You cheapen it and make the film seem like it's a novelty rather than a step towards this type of heroine becoming a regular thing. Do you know what type of showing this movie should have? An all kids showing.<span class="m_8813914804683270074Apple-converted-space"> Where girls can see what a true female super hero is and have someone to look up to as a role model . Where little boys can see that girls can be strong and fair, caring and smart. Further instilling in the next generation the important values of bravery, compassion, loyalty, and love.</span></span></div>
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<span class="m_8813914804683270074s1">Now, it would be remiss of me not to briefly mention the soundtrack of this movie. It was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams (Legend of Tarzan, Hacksaw Ridge), a British composer with quite a varied body of work. I happen to be listening to the soundtrack as I type and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of great instrumental soundtracks. The music is both subtle and spectacular, when it needs to be and is perfectly suitable for the scene it appears in. The track names are great also. You have Angel On the Wing, Pain, Loss & Love, Wonder Woman's Wrath, We Are All To Blame, and the only track with lyrics, To Be Human by Sia featuring Labrinth. What we think of as the main theme with the high-pitched screeching guitar, which</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> captivated us all with just a few notes in the trailers, </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">appears in more than one track and it could not fit the character any better. It made me grin like the Cheshire Cat in my seat, as it first played through the booming speakers of the theater.</span></div>
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<span class="m_8813914804683270074s1">With that said, let's get a little more into the movie then shall we?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2B0d5tnQpezdpCI5gw1mnT97BDkqD34ReaelU_2ZRJBdN9v0VqKya3DG1ewC6KwivLfCZ1LnygYBYrSFB7MP5NELpcRjMv-pYNyicOBHRz9VhiQuJ9ndHKfLiUWcDVPVWmB3fOgjLbXc/s1600/IMG_6157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2B0d5tnQpezdpCI5gw1mnT97BDkqD34ReaelU_2ZRJBdN9v0VqKya3DG1ewC6KwivLfCZ1LnygYBYrSFB7MP5NELpcRjMv-pYNyicOBHRz9VhiQuJ9ndHKfLiUWcDVPVWmB3fOgjLbXc/s200/IMG_6157.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gal, Robin and Connie</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcRFjkZuG-G2G51N6eWdMO-A_Rb4gMEggOkSMiBvxFVjwC5wf3iwMJKkt2wXZ5jrcj43qMo8AmQY6_T8nYw75CH2iH-hqh0ryrs0oModO0NC059p9O_ECzzvqpg_YmEwYfp8AKPQI6s8K/s1600/IMG_6161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1600" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcRFjkZuG-G2G51N6eWdMO-A_Rb4gMEggOkSMiBvxFVjwC5wf3iwMJKkt2wXZ5jrcj43qMo8AmQY6_T8nYw75CH2iH-hqh0ryrs0oModO0NC059p9O_ECzzvqpg_YmEwYfp8AKPQI6s8K/s200/IMG_6161.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chris, Danny, and David</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_8813914804683270074s1"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The cast in this movie is amazing. Gal Gadot a Wonder Woman to reckon with. She is beautiful and gives a flawless portrayal of an intelligent young woman whose biggest hindrance is her naivety towards modern society and the world which surrounds her sheltered island. Then to round out the strong female cast, we have Robin Wright as Diana's aunt, General Antiope. Don't mess with Princess Buttercup, as Themyscria's mightiest warrior she will kick your ass and</span></span><span class="m_3729452043279489045Apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">make you say, "As you wish!" We also have Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. She rules fairly and with strength but is very protective of Diana, her daughter. <strike>Captain Pine</strike> Chris Pine plays Steve Trevor, the American working as a WWI spy for the British. While many may have trouble separating Pine from his popular role of Captain James T. Kirk in the rebooted Star Trek movies, I did not feel his previous role distracted from his portrayal of a spy with an unwavering commitment to complete his mission and make a difference. You have the typical bad guy in German baddie, Ludendorff, played by Danny Huston. His main goal is to guarantee victory instead of the pending armistice through means of chemical warfare. In a role that surprised me, for a reason which which I will not give away, you have the talented David Thewlis as Sir Patrick. The British actor is well known for playing Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter series. The movie is rounded out by a stellar supporting cast of characters; Said Taghmaoui as Sameer, Ewen Bremner as Charlie, Eugene Brave Rock as The Chief, and Lucy Davis as Etta, to name a few.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlcMStALOVQ5rIajrCzQzxcAKn25Fm4xGU7Amm2wua4ng49xXNC0OsGUSsDrBoMAqFyw-Z23CyEiNF_hlbPA3HpLb7nLwqgoSmcKGNw-RSER1lpsdCEXbK_otFS-_MhZ6icRlnIYxeueX/s1600/Patty+Jenkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="214" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlcMStALOVQ5rIajrCzQzxcAKn25Fm4xGU7Amm2wua4ng49xXNC0OsGUSsDrBoMAqFyw-Z23CyEiNF_hlbPA3HpLb7nLwqgoSmcKGNw-RSER1lpsdCEXbK_otFS-_MhZ6icRlnIYxeueX/s200/Patty+Jenkins.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Patty Jenkins</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_8813914804683270074s1"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I should also mention, this movie was directed by a woman. There of course are other female directors out there, this is not something new. But it's like the icing on the cake for the Wonder Woman movie. I don't usually pay that close attention to directors, so I didn't know that Patty Jenkins was directing this movie until someone mentioned it. I'm not really familiar with Patty's previous work, but she did a fantastic job bringing this movie to life and giving vision to the writers' story. The story and screen play was written by Zach Snyder, Allen Heinberg, and Jason Fuchs. Speaking of Zach Snyder, the director of Batman v Superman, he even had a cameo in the film. It's not a big cameo and it's unclear where exactly he shows up, but he appears in the background as a WWI soldier.</span></span></div>
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<span class="m_-7552311236393701638s1">The movie is set during the First World War, the war to end all wars. Oh, if only the people then would have known what would happen just<span class="m_-7552311236393701638Apple-converted-space"> about two decades later. While some may claim this is reminiscent of Captain America and World War II, the environment of the first world war was different. You had different powers fighting amongst themselves: the British Empire, Ottoman Empire, German Empire, Austria-Hungry, and many more. The great war, as it was known, was the worst conflict the world had ever seen at that time. Such unbelievable destruction, and death. Not to mention the dawn of chemical warfare. The shock it left in it's wake was the needed catalyst to send Diana onto her path to protect the innocent and defend the weak. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Themyscira, the Amazon's Paradise Island</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_-7552311236393701638s1"><span class="m_-7552311236393701638Apple-converted-space">It's hard to pick out my favorite scenes, one because it was just a really good movie and it's hard to settle on one or even a couple favorite scenes. Two, its a cop-out to just say all of it was my favorite and three, I'm starting to forget some of it. So I will settle on, the opening scenes on Themyscira. The opening scenes were beautiful. The real-life location used for the film is the famed Amalfi coast of Italy in the Mediterranean.This is the type of place that you long to visit when you see it on TV or in travel brochures. I've always wanted to visit the Mediterranean coastline of Italy. It's gorgeous with idyllic cliff-side towns overlooking the clear blue-green water of the sea. This particular coastline is a 25 mile long world heritage site boasting beautiful beaches, with not too much tide and not too many waves. It sounds so peaceful and relaxing. The scenes shot in this location, which also had a lot of CGI to add more cliffs and the large impressive buildings of the Amazons, made you understand why they chose this location. You add in the adorable child actress who played the young Diana and you have a great origin put forth in the first act of the movie. I loved getting to see Diana's lifestyle and upbringing.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrQ4jPfjf9Jp6GLUG2eUTXNWGmiVDVFAfV-i8gVAO8Tw5JJ-hhZHqf6JRaa5Im2jd348Hm40wCC1a2ItUeu3931WECpViOrcr6axZ033jGbXRKw0XiiqQXrlazFnTedhyphenhyphenlOwQCjFO9UMV/s1600/Topflight_Italy_Sorrento_Amalfi_4_i5chrk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrQ4jPfjf9Jp6GLUG2eUTXNWGmiVDVFAfV-i8gVAO8Tw5JJ-hhZHqf6JRaa5Im2jd348Hm40wCC1a2ItUeu3931WECpViOrcr6axZ033jGbXRKw0XiiqQXrlazFnTedhyphenhyphenlOwQCjFO9UMV/s320/Topflight_Italy_Sorrento_Amalfi_4_i5chrk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Italy's Amalfi coast.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_-7552311236393701638s1"><span class="m_-7552311236393701638Apple-converted-space">So, I think that will do it for my review of Wonder Woman. There is so much more I could add and go over, but I feel I have achieved my task of enticing you to go see it. Besides, there have already been quite a few reviews that have dived deep into the meat of the movie and given away a lot of the film because of it. I like the fact that I have been able to write this much and yet not given anything away. </span></span><br />
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<span class="m_-7552311236393701638s1"><span class="m_-7552311236393701638Apple-converted-space">I will leave you then with this final word: go see this movie ASAP!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is totally my desktop image.</span></td></tr>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-71488816388682173772017-05-21T22:55:00.002-07:002017-05-21T22:55:33.885-07:00In the Footsteps of the Brothers Grimm: My Recent Trip to GermanyI recently returned from Germany, where I was visiting my grandparents and family. It was great to be back again, after nearly two years. The weather wasn't the greatest but it was a nice change and we did have a few partially sunny days. Most of the time, it was cloudy and cool, as some of my photos will show, but we came prepared with jackets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyD98UBOqIO10BAvUIeP2hqZirYMOs2TJ042Og3o3ELRZ_tc83JsR_oBHvCbAqJb3YLfvlrDCbdGwTxV2lK5pM4u3kUrU3CtRh-ePPQYJUJH6-FR9ArDm0f5cy3X2bpTJ7h8WeHP28zGY/s1600/IMG_6046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyD98UBOqIO10BAvUIeP2hqZirYMOs2TJ042Og3o3ELRZ_tc83JsR_oBHvCbAqJb3YLfvlrDCbdGwTxV2lK5pM4u3kUrU3CtRh-ePPQYJUJH6-FR9ArDm0f5cy3X2bpTJ7h8WeHP28zGY/s320/IMG_6046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Views from the top of the Trendelburg tower.</span></td></tr>
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Most of our two week trip was spent in my mother's home town of Bad Sooden-Allendorf with my grandparents. A few days were spent with the rest of our family: a trip into the city with my aunt, grilling with my cousin and his family, and Greek food with my other cousin and her family.<br />
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For the first time, we rented a car instead of taking the train from Frankfurt to Bad Sooden. It gave us the mobility to not only do some shopping for my grandparents but also to go exploring. A burg(a medieval fortress), which inspired the tale of Rapunzel, was where we wound up. Initially, we had planned to go further south but the weather in Bavaria was much colder and there was a lot of construction on the autobahns down there according to our family.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trendelburg, the gate, tower entrance, and the gate from inside.</span></td></tr>
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Despite my numerous trips to Germany over the years, I have yet to explore most of it. We tend to spend a lot of time at home with my grandparents, which I don't mind at all, but that does mean there are still a lot of cities to visit. There is so much rich history in a place that has been a country for centuries upon centuries longer than the United States. From King Ludwig and his impressive famous castles, to the green rolling hills and thick forests, the mountains in the south, the seaside to the north, and more castles and burgs than you can imagine.<br />
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Bad Sooden-Allendorf is located in Northern Hessen and not many people (outside of those that live there or have visited) have heard of it. But some may have heard of Kassel or Hanau, two cities located just under an hour west and two hours south of Bad Sooden, respectively. Kassel is special for many reasons, but one that has always fascinated me is its connection with the Brothers Grimm. Germany's most famous storytellers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, were born in Hanau and lived in Kassel during the time they pieced together their collection of fairy tales. Now that I'm older, and through the power of the internet, I can research the Brothers Grimm and their old stomping grounds. These stomping grounds just so happen to be all over Hessen and make for a lot of neat places to visit within hours of my mother's hometown.<br />
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Since I was a little girl, growing up in Germany, I was told countless stories and myths about the area by my grandparents. One in particular, which my grandfather made up but I held as fact as a child, was a story about the local castle, Rothestein. The castle with the 7 daughters, my grandfather used to say, as he told the story during a break from a bike ride. We would stop along a field on the outskirts of town and look up at the castle sitting high up on a nearby hill. A wealthy count lived in the castle with his 7 daughters, whom he was seeking to marry off. I don't remember much of the tale, but the part about the 7 daughters living in the castle stuck with me and I remember so badly wanting to meet them. In our family, it has always been called the Castle with the 7 Daughters and it was years before I knew its actual name. A local count did own it at one point in time, but he never had 7 daughters. But that story did begin a lifelong fascination with castles and fairy tales.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAs6omFV_QrK4IDonNACR5FcFnRB4awQSOvU1MJ9Z2sLs1Qo3lB6Vn5rAmRaS-yFK5wDpc4FQ2vkuzNX1c2hpWRFkaLmF47lAE6yWKV1-pXTUHtWeqtRaAhRUQtAZoPTJ6Am6g1avHv3Pt/s1600/IMG_6044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAs6omFV_QrK4IDonNACR5FcFnRB4awQSOvU1MJ9Z2sLs1Qo3lB6Vn5rAmRaS-yFK5wDpc4FQ2vkuzNX1c2hpWRFkaLmF47lAE6yWKV1-pXTUHtWeqtRaAhRUQtAZoPTJ6Am6g1avHv3Pt/s320/IMG_6044.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">So many stairs.</span></td></tr>
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I have been to all of the local burgs and castles near Bad Sooden. So for this trip, I was excited to check another off the list, and visit Trendelburg to learn all about its connection to the Brothers Grimm. This burg(a case where the fortress and the surrounding village have the same name) has been modernized, at least in the main building which is now a luxury hotel. But its tower is still largely in the original condition, along with the walls and foundation of the surrounding area. The bridge over the steep drop off was rebuilt with sturdy wood to create a new walkway, which, I would like to believe, used to be a draw bridge at one point. Even the main entrance was built for deterrence, in that it is smaller on the outside and grows taller on the inside leading to the inner courtyard. You have to bend as you walk through it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The dungeon.</span></td></tr>
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For a nominal fee, you can explore the old tower which has been turned into a medieval museum featuring armor, weapons, Rapunzel artwork, and a dungeon below ground full of torture devices. It was dark and creepy but also fascinating. Not to mention, it was quite the workout. Climbing all the way to the top, back down, then further down and back up again. Half of the steps were nothing like the stairs we are accustomed to today. They were cut and carved from large stone blocks, making for an uneven and clunky stroll up or down.<br />
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After you've finished exploring the tower, you can enjoy a meal or coffee (tea for those who don't care much for coffee) and cake in the restaurant. It is also staged in a medieval atmosphere with antique furniture and suits of armor. For 10 Euros you can purchase your drink in a commemorative Trendelburg coffee cup to take with you when you leave, which I did. It's a nice souvenir that is also functional.<br />
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On the way out, we made a new friend named Spider--an orange and white cat. He (I think it was a he, with a name like Spider) watched us press a 5 cent coin into another souvenir and take pictures with our faces in a Rapunzel cutout. Then it was back to the car for the drive home, where we made it back just in time to eat dinner with my grandparents and tell them all about our trip. It was a great day, and a great trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenA9paqnr6DrL34fqqGQo9ULE9AY_5WqvPejOdFDpCweMaE0E9_cqcjCuxa1koRiqrxkcB_v2SotCR7zPJIyr4n7btzZh2X2WqMRn-RBihNf_i7c7ExkFsPXZrAYm1X5o2IL0n0G_S3Tv/s1600/IMG_6047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyphenhyphenA9paqnr6DrL34fqqGQo9ULE9AY_5WqvPejOdFDpCweMaE0E9_cqcjCuxa1koRiqrxkcB_v2SotCR7zPJIyr4n7btzZh2X2WqMRn-RBihNf_i7c7ExkFsPXZrAYm1X5o2IL0n0G_S3Tv/s320/IMG_6047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rapunzel's long braid, the inner courtyard, the hotel, and me as Rapunzel.</td></tr>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-14794404240753765452017-04-10T22:01:00.001-07:002017-04-10T22:07:46.754-07:00Stef vs Nor'easter: My Trip to Pennsylvania<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRbuTtjv6farlCt4kopeZQ8cMbDdGiHibA89Ne1trogklrIkaYXoKbe-YAkoXJBJumHWmAs5dGIZuy799OB5rlVSeLCUoaDL6bBFhAVvKBl9VE2gH4lA2EBzYAn5evt4pdd6ps4vL-30m/s1600/17265261_1629256750436207_1737819402531238870_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRbuTtjv6farlCt4kopeZQ8cMbDdGiHibA89Ne1trogklrIkaYXoKbe-YAkoXJBJumHWmAs5dGIZuy799OB5rlVSeLCUoaDL6bBFhAVvKBl9VE2gH4lA2EBzYAn5evt4pdd6ps4vL-30m/s200/17265261_1629256750436207_1737819402531238870_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Snow!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I made the trip to visit my boyfriend and see where he lived and worked. At the same time, this trip would afford me the chance to meet his parents and oldest friends. Initially, there were plans to sight-see throughout the Lehigh Valley area, visit Philadelphia and possibly New York (Staten Island). But, even with the best laid plans and all that jazz, a snow storm--in March--put a halt to things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It all started with a cancelled flight. Originally, I was to fly into Allentown, PA (with a layover in Chicago). On the morning of my flight, in the airport shuttle, I received a notification that my second flight had been cancelled. I arrived at the airport and was taken to the customer service desk. After a search for another flight, my options were looking dismal and involved a red eye flight to Newark. I called my boyfriend (waking him from slumber) in the early morning hours and asked for advice. We worked our way through the options and as a last result, he suggested Scranton, PA. It wound up being available for the same arrival time and still through Chicago. This, of course, meant that he had to drive an hour to Scranton in order to pick me up, but at least it wasn't from Newark, with a day of delay, and during a snowstorm. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">People were either trying to beat the storm as I was, or escaping it. Luckily with the new flight plans, I managed to stay one step ahead of the storm the entire way before it hit in full force the next day. 14 inches of snow later, I shoveled snow for the first time. It was exhausting but fun and I would gladly do it again, trading desert summers for East Coast winters in a heartbeat. People always call me crazy when I make that statement, but I know I was not made for the blistering heat of Arizona. I was made for the cold!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSFzrQk3NHQ_346wSmHCOs8N0F23sgsYXzLM1QW_L4Y1IeaiJuer6Z6ypJ2AWFR2-iJovD4a7Bpkz9J7TmMFlJM7xdMVBktQ8nyT-jhA5NrLzQSMnGxSWyuj5bv_aLzxwF81Z1qS_Q0ro/s1600/17352310_1630458383649377_4694064817420134526_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSFzrQk3NHQ_346wSmHCOs8N0F23sgsYXzLM1QW_L4Y1IeaiJuer6Z6ypJ2AWFR2-iJovD4a7Bpkz9J7TmMFlJM7xdMVBktQ8nyT-jhA5NrLzQSMnGxSWyuj5bv_aLzxwF81Z1qS_Q0ro/s320/17352310_1630458383649377_4694064817420134526_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The calm after the storm.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9HJXxmX8K8oxDEaDoTEqPQiM4VNwNSRd6Pg2goI-Pp_e__rKZXDq3l4U9aCavs1TfW-BAcMnZfW5ORLHkXOoiz3_GPaHfcQN18rdx_cjLAu9vjQCUtvxBua7dqk0FMurLzPL2RTpedfN/s1600/17156216_1629529290408953_8728772021356876652_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9HJXxmX8K8oxDEaDoTEqPQiM4VNwNSRd6Pg2goI-Pp_e__rKZXDq3l4U9aCavs1TfW-BAcMnZfW5ORLHkXOoiz3_GPaHfcQN18rdx_cjLAu9vjQCUtvxBua7dqk0FMurLzPL2RTpedfN/s200/17156216_1629529290408953_8728772021356876652_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shoveled sidewalk.</span></td></tr>
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The snow and the act of shoveling it for a good portion of the day, resulted in a very lazy subsequent day. It was spent on the couch watching movies and the season one DVD box set of Supernatural. The roads were only slightly better the next day when we ventured out to have dinner with Jason's father (his mother was away on a trip at the time). Afterwards, there was another movie and more Supernatural (it's a favorite of mine and he was nice enough to indulge me with starting the show from the beginning). The next couple days involved much of the same except for venturing out further to a couple shopping centers to wander around, have lunch and get steps in. I recently bought a Fitbit, so a large portion of the week involved a lot of walking around the house (many times) to reach my daily step goal and stay active as much as the weather and vacation laziness would allow.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGsD29mne5hRnGDDx86fCTs4lDxcajqKJUK_fTFDlpzWXBpxMFC7wTUMX7zpjRqRvLiUi_goK9BM7hX6S8fH__F9B3G7lHL1TK1uRQm2Ae9JF-qSuJZ-TLiISFzQ0WyOSjMO8upvR43pa/s1600/17155221_1629529427075606_451219686247526450_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGsD29mne5hRnGDDx86fCTs4lDxcajqKJUK_fTFDlpzWXBpxMFC7wTUMX7zpjRqRvLiUi_goK9BM7hX6S8fH__F9B3G7lHL1TK1uRQm2Ae9JF-qSuJZ-TLiISFzQ0WyOSjMO8upvR43pa/s200/17155221_1629529427075606_451219686247526450_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Me and Jason.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The start of the weekend was marked by a Skype call with Canadian friends; for their podcast, "How Was Your Week, Honey?" Both of us were on with </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMaierBC" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chris</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://twitter.com/kmaemaier" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kristin</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a lovely married couple we met through podcasting, who asked us to discuss the "origin story" of our relationship and the week we'd had thus far. It was a lot of fun and we had great conversations, but the whole thing wound up going so long that we didn't end with them until 3:00 am. The podcast was released in two parts, which can be found </span><a href="https://t.co/iVGTxnfxrb?ssr=true" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://t.co/NPTxHMFGzl?ssr=true" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. With how long we were chatting, naturally the first day of the weekend was spent in a lazy fashion once again. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We did make up for the laziness with a trip back to Scranton. This time to visit Chris and Zapata, two long time friends who conveniently lived a couple blocks apart from each other. We spent time with Chris and his family, learning a lot of interesting things about the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild video </span><a href="http://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">game</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and chatting in their home. After that we picked Zapata up at his place and went out for lunch at a local diner. It was an enjoyable time meeting Jason's friends and also getting to learn some new things about him. The day ended with dinner at his parents’ house where I was finally able to meet his mom in person. We had a delicious meal, great conversation, and finished the evening with a movie: </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085244/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Big Chill</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfh7DPAUNlfWjWtIUX2usF2o1nkM3TAniiqaRg3W5H6dNCFDV4OKAP2bwjcQ6-WAmAoyCq4Bp7sqPYzp4qd00hgJQEjclSoC6bXiU-Xo9O58ci0BLLRpbN6zd7tz9fqXdztMdaTzTxXUR/s1600/17353422_1635342989827583_6244842194580639936_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfh7DPAUNlfWjWtIUX2usF2o1nkM3TAniiqaRg3W5H6dNCFDV4OKAP2bwjcQ6-WAmAoyCq4Bp7sqPYzp4qd00hgJQEjclSoC6bXiU-Xo9O58ci0BLLRpbN6zd7tz9fqXdztMdaTzTxXUR/s200/17353422_1635342989827583_6244842194580639936_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Me in front of the Steel Stacks.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWTxtKqgggQt2xSa84cfyWyrOpi-vQp9gh40sk48mWP_p5fjA8wHu0EXiCUM9WaO_cO_MND_tU35J-zwTWLyVcgl1QDstaQ-JWHo8tbJSIV9g9uUDSP_4jq0wXzLf9uNxUgXPhTkkZHSh/s1600/17424618_1635731779788704_1334729292077327518_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWTxtKqgggQt2xSa84cfyWyrOpi-vQp9gh40sk48mWP_p5fjA8wHu0EXiCUM9WaO_cO_MND_tU35J-zwTWLyVcgl1QDstaQ-JWHo8tbJSIV9g9uUDSP_4jq0wXzLf9uNxUgXPhTkkZHSh/s200/17424618_1635731779788704_1334729292077327518_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Steel Stacks at night.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We packed the most activities into the last two days. The first of which was spent visiting the Steel Stacks (an old steel manufacturing facility which now holds events and festivals), the Sands Casino Resort and mall, a flea market, and a bowling alley. Then on the day I was flying out, we had lunch with Jason's mom after a quick tour of the workplace so I could meet his co-workers and boss. Afterwards, we wandered around to walk off the food and, again, make sure that I got my steps in. A short stop at Coca-Cola Park (the baseball field where the local team the Iron Pigs play), rounded out the trip.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKM2zKQkX6CqqIOjrrHYZQMAq0SbbHsibxoSiUVh-ff4IeKbSqqpqGo8x856zZ90IXNRA72DrBlF2YxdIzkgCAmI5UMYtu32x4d9SRnp0MxFRJnXc9FuI-E_j8EWdUEs-v-jnP20nRTlS/s1600/17361946_1635615069800375_1876271977426630507_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKM2zKQkX6CqqIOjrrHYZQMAq0SbbHsibxoSiUVh-ff4IeKbSqqpqGo8x856zZ90IXNRA72DrBlF2YxdIzkgCAmI5UMYtu32x4d9SRnp0MxFRJnXc9FuI-E_j8EWdUEs-v-jnP20nRTlS/s200/17361946_1635615069800375_1876271977426630507_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The better bowler.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I was made aware, at some point during the trip, that the first leg of my return (Allentown to Newark) would not be by plane but by a United Bus. I'd never heard of such a thing, but was reassured that it would be a simple process by Jason's mother, who had taken the bus before. It did end up being very simple, but I had not realized that I would not be going through security at Allentown so we had a lot of time to kill. This wasn't a bad thing and I think it did help to make the goodbyes a bit easier. The hour and a half long bus ride felt like no time at all and I arrived with an hour to spare before my flight boarded. This was a good thing, because the line to get through security was super long, but it moved swift enough. Then it was a five hour flight back to Phoenix from Newark. Another good thing to note: my seat was upgraded for free at the gate to an economy plus seat. They were moving people around and they put me in an emergency exit row, but this meant more leg room so I wasn't complaining. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">All in all, it was a great trip that could have started out poorly but luckily didn't and allowed me to spend an enjoyable week with Jason. I can honestly recommend the Lehigh Valley area to anyone looking to visiting this charming and historically rich area. As I was told during my stay, Lehigh Valley is the third largest metropolitan in Pennsylvania (comprised of Allentown, Easton, and Bethlehem), behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I only saw a small portion of Bethlehem and Allentown. So if you're ever in the area, do go and explore.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Steel Stacks</span></td></tr>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-79355727820282331482017-04-02T22:50:00.001-07:002017-04-02T22:55:14.291-07:00Spring into April: Tips to Help Prepare for Spring<div style="background-color: white; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It's that time of year again. The birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming. Spring is in the air and it's time to put winter in the rear-view mirror. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There are a lot of things that happen or can happen, maybe even should happen when Spring rolls around. Some of them halted by the cold weather of winter or due to changing priorities. Whatever the reason for changing habits over to more appropriate winter ones, once the days start to get longer it's time to embrace the vernal equinox again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So here are five tips to help you do just that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1) De-clutter</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIsLkvXLKqzRpAlCFkwgHzTqq1I03hMZ0sO9K5y6zpCuTzeyygA8Rc2jNFYr40-bifuPuA2exd11iXIoFlE8G-UVy_Ofpwn_0oiqXqzGG7qRbbfyq9-R3kPEviwMZvX2RyOL639hO-7XI/s1600/messy-desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIsLkvXLKqzRpAlCFkwgHzTqq1I03hMZ0sO9K5y6zpCuTzeyygA8Rc2jNFYr40-bifuPuA2exd11iXIoFlE8G-UVy_Ofpwn_0oiqXqzGG7qRbbfyq9-R3kPEviwMZvX2RyOL639hO-7XI/s200/messy-desk.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There's just something about winter that justifies a burrowing mentality. You tend to collect things, or receive things(Christmas, Hanukkah, etc) and not necessarily put those things away. It's ok, you can admit it, a little bit of laziness is a part of the turf when it comes to winter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Those books you have piled on top of your desk, the mail in a stack right beside the books, the jackets and scarfs hung over chairs. It's time for those things to go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You don't want to open the blinds or curtains and throw open the windows to let in that spring sunshine and fresh air, only for it to highlight the clutter that is EVERYWHERE. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hang up the scarfs, put the books away on a shelf and shred all that excess mail that you don't need anymore. It will make it all the more easier to dust and use that desk for what is was intended to be used.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">2) Change Up the Wardrobe</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SJzVFMcIqK8qtwbNncDUy_8wNa7L-tKeJ_D5xyJ91aGiYpskp7V2o7qUug2TYwz5qnQXsrjxqg-QYZUWLJTHkvJyzIo7shtQrOF8A1ZErC6mb6YMqJRvB1mUa_Z8rC1VCa7c3bH5ZZE4/s1600/wintercloset-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SJzVFMcIqK8qtwbNncDUy_8wNa7L-tKeJ_D5xyJ91aGiYpskp7V2o7qUug2TYwz5qnQXsrjxqg-QYZUWLJTHkvJyzIo7shtQrOF8A1ZErC6mb6YMqJRvB1mUa_Z8rC1VCa7c3bH5ZZE4/s200/wintercloset-12.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You've put away the scarfs and gloves, but don't stop there. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfbN29L1mlyGUB3WSqZqFT8oqqBXoosOjT9lS-kEVZV-F2ra1-kmY16nPNpl6dLfxjx7v4uTArctTkOCnOLWLaemCEllD6zZSEqewzQQ0AJfvy6e4jhvnENdFXu5Xgzc3iVOZ8dBSdEwL/s1600/051010_1849_SpringClean1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfbN29L1mlyGUB3WSqZqFT8oqqBXoosOjT9lS-kEVZV-F2ra1-kmY16nPNpl6dLfxjx7v4uTArctTkOCnOLWLaemCEllD6zZSEqewzQQ0AJfvy6e4jhvnENdFXu5Xgzc3iVOZ8dBSdEwL/s200/051010_1849_SpringClean1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I tend to move my clothes around twice a year, in the winter and the spring. When it begins to get cold outside, I will dig out the jackets, sweaters and long sleeve shirts. They will all be moved to the side of the closet closer to the door; it's all about the ease of access.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Therefore, logic dictates, I do it all again when the weather begins to get warmer. This time with the t-shirts, tank tops, and blouses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This isn't a must, but I don't have a huge closet. So if I can shove clothes I won't need for months off to one side, and only use one door, I will.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">3) Get Outside</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">With warm weather comes outdoor activities. Don't waste any time to stretch out those muscles that may not have gotten as much attention during those winter months as they could have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pick back up with hobbies you like to do outside or find new ones. The options really are endless. You can go for picnics or walks through the park. Head to the local zoo or an outdoor shopping area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Go rediscover those places you frequented the last time the weather was great, and maybe add a few new places to that list while you're at it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">4) Fight Allergies</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tMIcDZUNPI1pYDA-WOxECc_U1LaVgddcyYOlqC1mQh9zegAUO50ooV4f5mg7grVwE0yMytNGj9Uysj-EpZIt1Xh2S0ohyqhM6hlCN5_b08G33YTc3dAVWX3zaEqnMDYdI6HM3fsmB5Zh/s1600/Allergies-Ahead-resized-600.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tMIcDZUNPI1pYDA-WOxECc_U1LaVgddcyYOlqC1mQh9zegAUO50ooV4f5mg7grVwE0yMytNGj9Uysj-EpZIt1Xh2S0ohyqhM6hlCN5_b08G33YTc3dAVWX3zaEqnMDYdI6HM3fsmB5Zh/s200/Allergies-Ahead-resized-600.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now if you're like me, Spring is not always the kindest to allergy sufferers. I live in a dusty and dry desert climate, so I'm no stranger to allergies through out the year. But they tend to seem a little worse once March and April roll around. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There's no way to avoid blooming flowers and pollen in the springtime. It's nice to see blossoming trees and wild flowers growing in the woods. It's a pretty sight to behold after the empty, dead look that trees and plants were afforded by Winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So if you have allergies, don't let that stop you from enjoying the outdoors and the fantastic weather. There are a lot of great products out there to help stave off the effects of pollen and those other silly allergens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">5) Unruly Weather Alternatives</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Drip drop drip. Little April showers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Living in Arizona, our rainy days tend to be few and far between. Unless it's July and August(the monsoon season), that's when we see the majority of our rain for the year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezRM_hDWQ3tp10xbxZ9cQ2a_lh8fMT58UVCHGz06cfyRFkhBau05OaPJ2mltylvnZ2jY7443jLyBGOxJPpmr7jCp9I0fF0hP0UbXEu3HthtXeKQvLI8hQYUlhVlaOMDobYisg_RLoJRrD/s1600/rainydayreading2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezRM_hDWQ3tp10xbxZ9cQ2a_lh8fMT58UVCHGz06cfyRFkhBau05OaPJ2mltylvnZ2jY7443jLyBGOxJPpmr7jCp9I0fF0hP0UbXEu3HthtXeKQvLI8hQYUlhVlaOMDobYisg_RLoJRrD/s200/rainydayreading2.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But for those of you who live in more humid climates, Spring often brings rain with it. So while you would prefer to be done with dreary cloudy days, use these days to your advantage as well. I for one love dreary cloudy days(and not just because I live in a desert and it's a rare break from the at times harsh sun), because it always tends to put me in the right mood for reading. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I love reading books, to the point where the lack of space on my shelves has not stopped me from buying more. But now a days, you don't have to limit yourself to books. It's just as easy to curl up with an e-reader or tablet and wile away the rainy hours with a great story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Of course, what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't also recommend reading blogs as well, if you're not in the mood for a novel. There are so many different blogs out there, with varied topics for you to read. You obviously found this one, or have been a faithful reader for a while(welcome to the new folks and thank you all for reading). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEpujuy7-ITVWuJq1_aMUap0b4RSFLv4c-7iRfKRaRTfZI6n-hPu9TMKcy__dqWQOHaYzufT2gTNEb-5NUC9SSygdnSvn9uxKUb1Yw-vUo9-tUptpHFGCVI6EvJxJdZgj6rslnlJKaXAG/s1600/blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEpujuy7-ITVWuJq1_aMUap0b4RSFLv4c-7iRfKRaRTfZI6n-hPu9TMKcy__dqWQOHaYzufT2gTNEb-5NUC9SSygdnSvn9uxKUb1Yw-vUo9-tUptpHFGCVI6EvJxJdZgj6rslnlJKaXAG/s200/blog.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">But don't be shy, branch out and subscribe to more blogs. You are guaranteed to find plenty more that you'll be interested in. I actually was recently made aware of a blog from <a href="https://www.irazoo.com/" target="_blank">iRazoo</a>. They are an online survey company where you can <a href="https://www.irazoo.com/paid-surveys/" target="_blank">take surveys to earn points</a> which you can then redeem for gift cards. Their blog offers <a href="https://www.irazoo.com/blog/6-ways-hack-brain-optimum-productivity/" target="_blank">tips</a> and advice on a variety of topics including a <a href="https://www.irazoo.com/blog/make-irazoo-first-online-stop-day-earn-easy-points/" target="_blank">rundown</a> on how to get the most out of their website. I haven't had the chance to check out their surveys yet, but it does seem interesting and would certainly help pass the time while you're trapped inside by rainy weather.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Some of my current go-to blogs that I would highly recommend are <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://AgentPalmer.com&source=gmail&ust=1491100410052000&usg=AFQjCNGATQOk1ubvi1Lkp-uR65bbXNk-8g" href="http://agentpalmer.com/" target="_blank">AgentPalmer.com</a>, <a href="http://honeybearsandsydneybeans.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Honey Bears and Sydney Beans</a>, and the <a href="https://crimsoncircleclub.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Crimson Circle Club</a>. The first is a geek pop culture blog with fun content and honest spoiler-free reviews of books, music, TV shows and movies. The second is a family blog by a lovely Canadian who uses her blog to share her experiences as a wife and busy mom of two girls. The last is a blog written by a group of women dealing with subject matter ranging from dog walking to thought provoking discussion topics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So there you have it. Some tips to help you usher in the Spring. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a book to enjoy on the patio.</span><br />
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-91524356818180963942017-01-22T23:15:00.000-07:002017-01-22T23:54:49.718-07:00Out with the Old and In with the New<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's a new year, 2017. We have said goodbye to the previous year of 2016, and now we can look ahead to the future.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">But before we do that, let's take a look back at the past year.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVPePNdRmGW3UgkGNmnC5NUstSQUyDl69kuIXXMiVLnr-ctb_akK60PS3TOKuByIUskCI7DLnYCKr80eSF3Jt4iig5PozW9Ws1k_RSnOVhJFJGeAVjvizF6PaBGbW9o8H4wUg3S_vVdrE/s1600/12644929_1233940576634495_241652123400797795_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVPePNdRmGW3UgkGNmnC5NUstSQUyDl69kuIXXMiVLnr-ctb_akK60PS3TOKuByIUskCI7DLnYCKr80eSF3Jt4iig5PozW9Ws1k_RSnOVhJFJGeAVjvizF6PaBGbW9o8H4wUg3S_vVdrE/s200/12644929_1233940576634495_241652123400797795_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Oyster Club.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHOHsmaxKZQ38Sc97KLXxIoVABF0B2La9tqW7gfPHR9BNNx2ROM9Uqm5zoL6pQxSshCuuUpUVnfCc3s7dI-mwuzmHN9j0ViEznaIunvjhNir1KYX2DWiWJj-suRZo37HtDJ6hrFFmvdww/s1600/940985_1265476726814213_8821176413949282579_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHOHsmaxKZQ38Sc97KLXxIoVABF0B2La9tqW7gfPHR9BNNx2ROM9Uqm5zoL6pQxSshCuuUpUVnfCc3s7dI-mwuzmHN9j0ViEznaIunvjhNir1KYX2DWiWJj-suRZo37HtDJ6hrFFmvdww/s200/940985_1265476726814213_8821176413949282579_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>January:</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The highlights in January included the beginning of an extended visit from my sister and niece, and a Fog Hat/Blue Oyster Club concert with friends.
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">February:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Not much to say about February. Moving right along...
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>March:</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Mom and I had a great time hanging out with friends for St. Patrick's Day at O'Conner's Pub. March also saw me rocking some new glasses.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDaN2O6IPq-YEwmVEJgdSDgykAYJhOKLAK19fjRCRDBsl0IBrnoMQb5QYAmTSsm_HkAC0kl9Upv0XBpFPaEris35Nsp2ZSJguVAyrSNPWHPPtw5_Ekf7gh5nC58Z9zM7QjU77CotuWsx6/s1600/13006648_1296223513739534_7291538537946954715_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDaN2O6IPq-YEwmVEJgdSDgykAYJhOKLAK19fjRCRDBsl0IBrnoMQb5QYAmTSsm_HkAC0kl9Upv0XBpFPaEris35Nsp2ZSJguVAyrSNPWHPPtw5_Ekf7gh5nC58Z9zM7QjU77CotuWsx6/s200/13006648_1296223513739534_7291538537946954715_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> EPIC FAMILY GAME NIGHT! Ok, maybe not so epic, but it was a lot of fun and a great way to wrap up my sister's visit before she and my niece returned home.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_JH6s_1JT3Y1hKVmJ2WA3TjuINn3JBbtUBACWpj95MKJeF1ksD3FeKElOKCWwT3VOWG2rN_swA-FQ_FNEDa1oYKrBD6Eg_UXviF6zFl5NiH_-fM0dg4IfDXvMcp3Vx9tEwOfl2E2cXr-/s1600/13151424_10153530180427826_8410478688108495392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_JH6s_1JT3Y1hKVmJ2WA3TjuINn3JBbtUBACWpj95MKJeF1ksD3FeKElOKCWwT3VOWG2rN_swA-FQ_FNEDa1oYKrBD6Eg_UXviF6zFl5NiH_-fM0dg4IfDXvMcp3Vx9tEwOfl2E2cXr-/s200/13151424_10153530180427826_8410478688108495392_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UK Group</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal;"><i><b>May:</b></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">The nice weather brought about patio usage at home--but across the pond, I was able to experience authentic English weather. I visited friends in the UK, attended a Supernatural convention in Birmingham, and toured London.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The weekend of June 2nd, I once again volunteered for Phoenix Comicon. Then the weekend after that, I spent Friday evening at the Supernatural Phoenix Convention held at the Renaissance in Glendale. I joined my friends to get photos with Rob Benedict and Richard Speight Jr, which led to me and my friend Amber winding up in the opening credits of the duo's new series, Kings of Con.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhnWMpYVWECc8uTm2O8VNObyKLUQnzlk8XDin-5t0WkvPRY7uOyDOTLWXWHX0SQAiFFNvgmcVxMDstg1vyE8lEzHRIx0KSHSn25GBI_PadjMFLaqxxBExQjoJRreIjLOEfdJXKNhhq2Q2/s1600/IMG_5126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhnWMpYVWECc8uTm2O8VNObyKLUQnzlk8XDin-5t0WkvPRY7uOyDOTLWXWHX0SQAiFFNvgmcVxMDstg1vyE8lEzHRIx0KSHSn25GBI_PadjMFLaqxxBExQjoJRreIjLOEfdJXKNhhq2Q2/s200/IMG_5126.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Amber, Rob Benedict, Me, Dick Speight Jr.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My sister and niece returned, along with my brother-in-law, to visit for just over a week. We got to celebrate my adorable niece's 2nd birthday. July also saw the final matches of the Copa America Centenario and the Europe Cup; both soccer tournaments ended with sad results for Argentina in the Copa and Germany in the Europe Cup.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> GISHWHES! Yes, I once again participated in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen. This year I dressed as a cheerleader in a grocery store, except my outfit was made of vegetables. I sang a rap about Leif Erikson while dressed as a viking. I also painted my face as a portion of the Arizona flag for our group photo. It was a lot of fun, as always.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxL8M1yOzMqa5rFpt77m6bt1EnYVJjBEAxXWSI1QkAmiLoOfuGfrTpom7zY-sRAzaX0S9seTYb1IOlmJQvKBQamtzMOX0Xqv8vud0f7z3ihlCrrUSaVpK69lDBsWXuLK_KO4DaddPSrpE/s1600/14441198_1431547053540512_3146115418950210614_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxL8M1yOzMqa5rFpt77m6bt1EnYVJjBEAxXWSI1QkAmiLoOfuGfrTpom7zY-sRAzaX0S9seTYb1IOlmJQvKBQamtzMOX0Xqv8vud0f7z3ihlCrrUSaVpK69lDBsWXuLK_KO4DaddPSrpE/s200/14441198_1431547053540512_3146115418950210614_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Annaleis, Neil, Nine and Zero.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">September:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Napa F**king Valley (That's a shout out to the twitter account run by friends, Neil and Annaleis)! Mom and I drove to Napa, CA to visit Neil and Annaleis, my friends and the hosts of the Dark Angels and Pretty Freaks podcast. We had a fantastic trip and Neil and Annaleis were kind enough to let us stay in their home. I think our favorite part of the entire trip was getting to tour Skywalker Ranch, where Annaleis works.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL3MP3MzwMFcTtSKfhie6kqPABDmq3cWGe__3c8vi33Ur9j0N4XlWqkfESaa4pYYplSuCSye1AZkYKVm5uSNojOLIotgUG1L0iWuJNDMfK8jwOVA9xxNZu0gP4tUc9mEl80nQpShu5L62/s1600/IMG_5129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL3MP3MzwMFcTtSKfhie6kqPABDmq3cWGe__3c8vi33Ur9j0N4XlWqkfESaa4pYYplSuCSye1AZkYKVm5uSNojOLIotgUG1L0iWuJNDMfK8jwOVA9xxNZu0gP4tUc9mEl80nQpShu5L62/s200/IMG_5129.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Podtoberfest 2 in Michigan.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">October:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> At the beginning of October I went on another trip, this time to Michigan. The plan: finally meet podcasting friends (Jay, Grant, Bill, Dave, Doug, and Paula) in person and take part in the second annual Podtoberfest. Podtoberfest was the 24 hour podcast fest created by a group of podcasters and writers for the 7 Days A Geek podcast. In 2015 it was 24 hours straight through and this past year it was broken up into two 12-hour segments, followed by lots of hanging out time. Not to mention, a first date with Jason (now officially the boyfriend).
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdyWDTQSzyyC59juDbdpbqtYwyYGkeUmgy4xIZEVnJCLpRY-wjxoQ-T6aDt25Q6BZZLo3FUS2EW8rbldCxOJ323rKNymLCZad5684by-c7jv11G1QK0Fb7zaChBtaSvRzTswmZtk-cy3S/s1600/14963185_10209493058356347_389282674806813054_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdyWDTQSzyyC59juDbdpbqtYwyYGkeUmgy4xIZEVnJCLpRY-wjxoQ-T6aDt25Q6BZZLo3FUS2EW8rbldCxOJ323rKNymLCZad5684by-c7jv11G1QK0Fb7zaChBtaSvRzTswmZtk-cy3S/s200/14963185_10209493058356347_389282674806813054_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaimee, me, and mom in Bisbee, AZ.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">November:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In November, mom and I took a trip down to Southern Arizona to visit my friend Jaimee in Sierra Vista. We accompanied Jaimee to Bisbee, AZ for a music festival, which found us wandering the streets and bar hopping to see a bunch of different bands.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaW4BILJ0KEF1A8Q2JW57xNAnmIyAytbZa7hhD6A05C4m3Iay2n84Acgqw4wE0haUTr_cn9I6EK0ITqOczAQw4x7O9a_OLjvHfd4QqWVvBGeRTbSKHCBn6dQI06xKZ070aqSK9inYa9TV/s1600/IMG_5086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCaW4BILJ0KEF1A8Q2JW57xNAnmIyAytbZa7hhD6A05C4m3Iay2n84Acgqw4wE0haUTr_cn9I6EK0ITqOczAQw4x7O9a_OLjvHfd4QqWVvBGeRTbSKHCBn6dQI06xKZ070aqSK9inYa9TV/s200/IMG_5086.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanukkah gifts 1-4.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">December: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my favorite months of the year yielded my first experience with Hanukkah presents from my thoughtful and excellent gift-giving boyfriend. It was also an interesting Christmas. My mom flew to Tennessee to spend the holiday with my sister and niece. This left me with an option to spend Christmas Day differently, which I did, by visiting my friends Matt and Val and their adorable children, Kaitlyn and Evelyn.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83AWOA_WmXc78wQUXpfCTq6CjDHVr-pyKcS7ip6072luyMPaxJ6nueBrKVSE5jCSaRoeA1wVG-QJn7UnVbqeej8NpHlw3hJociX1Uo3iWD8Elpckg08Vb7YMmx8pfl0tIzTOEy-m2ntGg/s1600/IMG_5087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83AWOA_WmXc78wQUXpfCTq6CjDHVr-pyKcS7ip6072luyMPaxJ6nueBrKVSE5jCSaRoeA1wVG-QJn7UnVbqeej8NpHlw3hJociX1Uo3iWD8Elpckg08Vb7YMmx8pfl0tIzTOEy-m2ntGg/s200/IMG_5087.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hanukkah gifts 5-8.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is certainly not a complete list for the year 2016, many other things happened throughout the year. But I intended this to be just a highlight of things that occurred each month. Other things that went on consistently were this blog of course, and my Gotham fancast (podcast) Gotham Lights. I also guested on quite a few other podcasts: Little Geek Lost, Book Versus Movie, Diamond Minds, Chronicles Unwritten, Dark Angels and Pretty Freaks.
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">So now with a clean slate (so to speak) for a new year, the opportunities are endless. A new year is a time for new beginnings. Whether those new beginnings equate to starting new hobbies, finding time to pick back up old hobbies, making room for new experiences or meeting new and interesting people and spending more time with friends and family.
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For myself, I have a couple trips planned: to Pennsylvania in March and Germany in April. The Germany trip is long overdo and I am excitedly looking forward to my grandparents finally getting to meet my little niece. Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to seeing my niece, it's been far too long. She is starting to speak and the things that she picks up on, at such a young age, is amazing. Pennsylvania will be fun as well; I've never been but Philadelphia has always been on the list of places to visit.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">In June of this year, I will reach my ten year anniversary at work. It's an achievement I've been looking forward to for some time. This year will be big for milestones. This past Tuesday, I turned thirty (January 17th) as well. A couple years ago, I was of the mindset that approaching thirty was a scary thing. But now, I am excited to be thirty and for whatever 2017 will bring. I mean, what's not to love about being thirty? I'm still being carded at bars because I don't look it, that's fantastic.</span></div>
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</span></span>Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-13835908245214256702016-12-23T17:07:00.000-07:002016-12-23T17:07:54.478-07:00Mamma Mia, here I go again...<div class="m_1441487230099483429p1" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">My my, how can I resist...writing about this musical? I can't. It's as simple as that.</span><span class="m_1441487230099483429Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">Now you may be wondering, am I speaking of the theater version or the film from 2008? You may not be wondering at all, but I'll tell you anyway, it's the first one.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UEcQ2htUv8YBTDRkaMHBf-878UINcsiBeM8M98Ip8cKXrlZDGiFMEjz-lcUUjSQhFYC4INXZmRetccqX661NQWJponhMzngIj2h8OS-FGzgJExHNFoILmNpVh28Dww65TJyzi2wxwWI0/s1600/Mamma+Mia+final+song+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UEcQ2htUv8YBTDRkaMHBf-878UINcsiBeM8M98Ip8cKXrlZDGiFMEjz-lcUUjSQhFYC4INXZmRetccqX661NQWJponhMzngIj2h8OS-FGzgJExHNFoILmNpVh28Dww65TJyzi2wxwWI0/s400/Mamma+Mia+final+song+group.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Characters Tanya, Donna and Rosie perform an ABBA number in their bright costumes.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESfRsLPGC4js6c0B7bPvoDjQCJ0DTXCLBewYxABx3l1V4crBJKHKN0ElHDvhUJe8iOMI23tZKq7UMS3QuI5Ti4Ol1BXJpU4qkTpgsJiVkzjs2UUtzWsNSa6EqKB974GFX_0Kl26qep0ZZ/s1600/IMG_4764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESfRsLPGC4js6c0B7bPvoDjQCJ0DTXCLBewYxABx3l1V4crBJKHKN0ElHDvhUJe8iOMI23tZKq7UMS3QuI5Ti4Ol1BXJpU4qkTpgsJiVkzjs2UUtzWsNSa6EqKB974GFX_0Kl26qep0ZZ/s200/IMG_4764.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mom and I.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlDf3RFOF2YNYrFk0A4YS7cAJecfohcHhHnU6vgzcqhin61C-h0TTTub1stf9ZexISZpmF_WYO8x3fPGCyY7A-CquVM0dzmwpJefVMFU9oAKK5LoDt6WonqjofCUnlFxqimH0gj9dNJqi/s1600/IMG_4762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlDf3RFOF2YNYrFk0A4YS7cAJecfohcHhHnU6vgzcqhin61C-h0TTTub1stf9ZexISZpmF_WYO8x3fPGCyY7A-CquVM0dzmwpJefVMFU9oAKK5LoDt6WonqjofCUnlFxqimH0gj9dNJqi/s200/IMG_4762.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Balcony seat.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1"><span class="m_1441487230099483429s1" style="font-size: 12.8px;">On December 11, I attended a <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_698614826" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Sunday</span></span> matinee show of Mamma Mia on stage at the ASU Gammage auditorium in Tempe, AZ. I went with my mom and a group of friends. We were all seated in the same row, high up in the balcony seats. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I'm not afraid heights and I usually tend to do well with heights, but I have to admit, even I was a bit woozie when walking along the narrow aisle. I think it was a combination of the darkened auditorium and the height. But the weird feeling quickly subsided as we settled into our seats and excitedly waited for the show to begin.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6VYWQ1qWo-56ibAbVgrAafrc7rjWndqmbHgYbdEXTVp1ZUpoboN71DYorUXgQPN1P_72JkHx9fcEH6H2WcBJEiP-pNfbLEfUkOGBpMjRupimDzNxN4OctObtizMvBqNbUGhAZEfSNA3L/s1600/IMG_4760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6VYWQ1qWo-56ibAbVgrAafrc7rjWndqmbHgYbdEXTVp1ZUpoboN71DYorUXgQPN1P_72JkHx9fcEH6H2WcBJEiP-pNfbLEfUkOGBpMjRupimDzNxN4OctObtizMvBqNbUGhAZEfSNA3L/s320/IMG_4760.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The group, right to left: Mom, Tina, Jaimee, Amber, Amber's sister(hiding), Tara, Tara's friend.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">It should be said at this point, I am a huge ABBA fan. I grew up listening to their songs on repeat, singing along with mom whenever we listened to the ABBA Gold CD that she owned. It's a musical love that has lasted into adulthood. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">So it was great when the movie came out and I got to watch it and enjoy the music in a new way, with mom of course. It was the best of both worlds, a musical with a great cast and a bunch of ABBA songs. The movie was set in the Greek isles, a gorgeous setting, which I immediately longed to visit.</span></div>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">Now that I've had the opportunity to see both the stage version and movie, I have to say the stage version was fantastic and may have slightly edge out the movie as my favorite. But that's not difficult to do, given my love of musicals and stage productions in general. Give me an evening with Shakespeare over a rock concert any day. But don't get me wrong, I definitely still love rock music and certain rock concerts are still on my "must see" list.<span class="m_1441487230099483429Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiPhBP6VC-wTROntRMn4sp8eHNiFw86t25FGshorEepp1KoHXbbq7-j3YTaemJIczGxCLxA0KTAJ4u-_MjOUoDmKEFhJKiokW1UuRisWKZaSqtBkm-cu7C5wr2sPKeveRlxcmknHm4B26/s1600/IMG_4758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiPhBP6VC-wTROntRMn4sp8eHNiFw86t25FGshorEepp1KoHXbbq7-j3YTaemJIczGxCLxA0KTAJ4u-_MjOUoDmKEFhJKiokW1UuRisWKZaSqtBkm-cu7C5wr2sPKeveRlxcmknHm4B26/s200/IMG_4758.JPG" width="138" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My playbill.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">One big reason the stage version outshone its cinematic counterpart, all the voices were phenomenal. Plus the acting was on par with that of the all-stars in the film. The same cannot be said for everyone's singing in the movie.<span class="m_1441487230099483429Apple-converted-space"> </span>Meryl Streep has a great voice and has done quite a bit of stage work. I'm of course not referring to her or her dynamos, Rosie and Tanya(Julie Walters and Christine Baranski, respectively). Nor Amanda Seyfried and her friends. Honestly, even Dominic Cooper(Howard Stark in "Agent Carter", and now Jesse Custer of "Preacher" fame on AMC) surprised me with his singing. But, half the time he could have been squawking the notes and I wouldn't have noticed...sigh....ahem...where was I?<span class="m_1441487230099483429Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjT7ap4K6hqP2W3X7Phegi1xMqbV8EyFNykTjBprxEn_BHcKH-xSQba0gxenMhOeW4t3C0vWEPUXKZYZUBLM3OmmAM5Nk94PIMn2_IxOWmE1HNI9N4mNjbCmamx4C1SIhLDScnvO0UoGj4/s1600/Mama-Mia-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjT7ap4K6hqP2W3X7Phegi1xMqbV8EyFNykTjBprxEn_BHcKH-xSQba0gxenMhOeW4t3C0vWEPUXKZYZUBLM3OmmAM5Nk94PIMn2_IxOWmE1HNI9N4mNjbCmamx4C1SIhLDScnvO0UoGj4/s200/Mama-Mia-movie-poster.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mamma Mia hit theaters in Summer of 2008.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">Oh yes! The three leading men left a bit to be desired in the singing category. Despite how much I love Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård, both fantastic actors, they're not exactly trained singers. But they gave it their best shot and it was appreciated. I've never been a big fan of Pierce Brosnan. I didn't like him as James Bond and I've not seen very many of his movies. I have to say Mamma Mia may be one of my favorite roles of his and he is a good actor. But the guy CANNOT sing. I have to give him a little credit for giving it a go, but it's really hard to enjoy his performances. If he was singing anything other than ABBA I would have probably been a harsher critic.</span></div>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">The actor(Shai Yammanee) who played the same character, Sam Carmichael, in the stage show was a stark contrast to Brosnan. His voice was fantastic and complimented his acting on stage perfectly. It was swoonworthy. The same could not be said of Brosnan's portrayal. Now, Dominic Cooper on the other hand...</span></div>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">Before distraction sets in again, I want to clarify, that this is not a Brosnan bashing. He wasn't awful, just not that great. But he also isn't a singer nor does he want to be known as one. I just can't help but thinking he wasn't their first choice, or probably shouldn't have been.</span></div>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">All that aside, let's get back to the stage show shall we?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1lqonnyDKGu9xgQ0RKzc6zkLaM9S9w2sfqUkPnZMi_YcbL_84kmJe1TV0oNkKapj8wlWYpdhshxs9_UZa5UWWmvU2ctcZj8gG4mbr0et25gBRKWR0FphCSBLx4JMzIvDMjosmgcyeTZI/s1600/Tanya+Does+your+mother+know.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1lqonnyDKGu9xgQ0RKzc6zkLaM9S9w2sfqUkPnZMi_YcbL_84kmJe1TV0oNkKapj8wlWYpdhshxs9_UZa5UWWmvU2ctcZj8gG4mbr0et25gBRKWR0FphCSBLx4JMzIvDMjosmgcyeTZI/s400/Tanya+Does+your+mother+know.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tanya sings "Does Your Mother Know."</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tanya, Donna and Rosie perform "Super Trooper."</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Very little was different from the movie. They shared the same chronological storyline centered around the daughter of a hotel owner who is getting married and wants her father at her wedding. The only problem is that her mother doesn't know which of three possible men might actually be her father. So the daughter invites all three men, whose names she got out of her mother's diary, and all without telling her mother. Slight spoiler, mom finds out. She then tries hard, with the help of her friends and former girl-band members, to keep her daughter's wedding on track while setting aside her lingering feelings for former flame, Sam.</span></span><br />
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">The only difference (aside from being limited to a stage) that I recall, was the addition of a couple more songs in the stage production than in the movie. This was a pleasant surprise and really added to the overall enjoyment of the show. I felt a little bad for my friend Tina, who was sat next to us and had to listen to mom and I quietly sing along with each and every song. She made a comment, as we were all out for food after the show, that she was impressed by how we knew every single word. I chalked it up to years of practice and repetition. Born from both a love of not only the band but music in general.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The stage show bids farewell to audiences.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="m_1441487230099483429s1">I would recommend that everyone go out and see this show, but it was advertised as the farewell tour. So I'm not entirely sure if you would be able to go out and see it, unless you were willing to travel. But if you've never seen the movie, it's the next best thing and entertaining in its own right. Great for any fan of musicals or ABBA.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The cast of 2008's film version of Mamma Mia.</span></td></tr>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-1930112622122656282016-11-17T23:04:00.001-07:002016-11-18T23:55:50.467-07:00Impala Dreams<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Everything Else Photography</span></td></tr>
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Everyone has that one thing that reminds them of their favorite show or movie, whether it be something about their favorite character, a song, or a vehicle. So let's focus on the vehicles that people love, shall we? The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo, the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard, Kitt from Knight Rider--there are so many. But for me it's a certain 1967 Chevy Impala, affectionately known as "Baby" by the Winchester Brothers of Supernatural. The car has been a staple of the show since its inception in 2005 and has quickly found its way into the hearts of the cast, crew, and fans alike. It's definitely a dream car, to the extent that I have looked up '67 Impalas for sale online. I know someone in Las Vegas who owns one, and have seen others put on display at conventions by their proud owners. I've developed the same affection for this car as they have, with the small exception of me not having a "Baby" to call my own. Since that's not going to be a realistic goal any time in the near future, I would settle for a temporary solution for now. </div>
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So imagine that exact type of solution presents itself. You rent your favorite car for a road-bound getaway, seated behind the wheel of a vehicle straight out of your dreams. A vehicle you rented from a company, similar to renting a car from an airport. One such company is setting about the task of making that a reality. <a href="https://turo.com/" target="_blank">Turo</a>, a car rental company based out of San Francisco, is in the business of renting out pop culture inspired vehicles from TV shows and movies. Not only that, but they offer all sorts of <a href="https://turo.com/rentals" target="_blank">vehicles</a> (listed by their owners) for rent, from family cars to luxury sedans. Fancy a cruise around town in the Ford Escape <a href="https://turo.com/aviato" target="_blank">Aviato</a> from Silicon Valley? Do you want to roll in style in a Mercedes C-Class or a BMW 3 Series? Well, then <a href="https://turo.com/" target="_blank">Turo</a> is your destination for fulfilling your transportation-themed guilty pleasure.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHe4LlGJrvHpJ9F9fz_fdMoTVojjdZElEtKyZeoXcmXvmOUHIwg1R3fGr9knt9fks4rBkJxsSgQex5RiqajxWpW8Z-Qhyphenhyphen1vk4qUojeOlfFyakJ5c9XRXMrdpEltuQ0BIYP7yHE3vzHTqOV/s1600/Impala+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHe4LlGJrvHpJ9F9fz_fdMoTVojjdZElEtKyZeoXcmXvmOUHIwg1R3fGr9knt9fks4rBkJxsSgQex5RiqajxWpW8Z-Qhyphenhyphen1vk4qUojeOlfFyakJ5c9XRXMrdpEltuQ0BIYP7yHE3vzHTqOV/s320/Impala+Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Everything Else Photography</span></td></tr>
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Naturally, a company like that would peak my interest. If they ever landed a '67 Impala, I'd whip my credit card out so fast, my wrist would have whiplash. The possibilities that could be achieved through renting a car like that, would certainly result in nothing less than a road trip of epic proportions, regardless of where you went. But, what kind of story teller would I be, if I just left it at that? If I didn't at least share some possible destinations?<br />
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Many Supernatural fans (myself included) would tell you how much shared affection there is between them and the brothers over this car. Also, the jealousy felt when Dean and Sam get to criss-cross the country inside one of the coolest muscle cars on TV today. The Impala is their home on wheels, their lifeline to other places, their ever-reliable symbol of family, strength, and resilience. Small towns and big cities, paved highways and dirt roads, the Impala has seen its fair share during the show's 11 year run. I crave my own road trip behind the wheel of a 385 horse-power Turbo-Jet 427 engine, with sunlight gleaming off the mirror-like Tuxedo Black paint--hunting down adventure rather than demons and monsters.<br />
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It isn't hard to decide where I would go, if given the chance to drive <i>that </i>car. A car like that has plenty of space to allow you to stock up on supplies for any length of trip. Be it a few days or a couple weeks. I would aim for the gorgeous picturesque routes first. I've always wanted to go<b> </b>to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and travel cross-country along what used to be the iconic Route 66. This is the type of car that would turn heads away from the gorgeous views of the Pacific Highway. It would draw attention from all the tourists at the Grand Canyon. I would want to show off the beaming headlights rolling down the glittering Vegas Strip. Spend a sleepless night in Seattle, star-gazing on top of the hood. The possibilities are endless.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphRMTD7HvalfA6_J70qWuyJyDVu4Hi_qGzm6fZpN3Dr42yn4qpr5GiRKZwV95r6kjtyv9PDDJdDBOFfq-toPkL4TmoUTf0YB5BiS6yZrQyEdH9aB_JdX3ndxEaar8RPxBqzVtG3heFVW3/s1600/Impala+Rear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphRMTD7HvalfA6_J70qWuyJyDVu4Hi_qGzm6fZpN3Dr42yn4qpr5GiRKZwV95r6kjtyv9PDDJdDBOFfq-toPkL4TmoUTf0YB5BiS6yZrQyEdH9aB_JdX3ndxEaar8RPxBqzVtG3heFVW3/s320/Impala+Rear.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Everything Else Photography</span></td></tr>
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The hard part, who would I take with me? As much as I would like to take everyone with me to experience the awesomeness that is the Impala, it's not exactly a tour bus. You're looking at probably 5 people in the car at once. Even if your passengers are cool with getting super chummy and all up in each other's personal spaces, the back seat could really only hold three adults semi-comfortably. Add the driver (who picks the music), and your passenger riding shotgun (who shuts their cakehole, because the driver picks the music), you have a full car load of five adults ready to seek adventure in their favorite car. It would have to be fellow fans of the car, with whom you share your road trip, only they would accept you swooning over a car nearly 50 years old. A car once again made popular by a TV show, known for its heart-throb leading men. But the car is a beauty all on its own, and as sexy as the day she rolled off the assembly line. I have quite a few friends that understand that about this car, and they would have first dibs at filling those three to four open seats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrCmLxwzExMVTDY-oKCuPawX-KNn3buDbg_qPlO9_rkKnNvbSU2YIKy_eFkHl1ucQK6sM2yE65gjgiVHzooz06BAPxoGM86yr5AnxcwW3hgsUq-ViC4n1ymBt_a7MWknNAuyKgpnvehE2/s1600/Impala+Front+Grill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrCmLxwzExMVTDY-oKCuPawX-KNn3buDbg_qPlO9_rkKnNvbSU2YIKy_eFkHl1ucQK6sM2yE65gjgiVHzooz06BAPxoGM86yr5AnxcwW3hgsUq-ViC4n1ymBt_a7MWknNAuyKgpnvehE2/s200/Impala+Front+Grill.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Everything Else Photography</span></td></tr>
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Now much like the show, I would not exclude family from taking a cruise with me. I would hope that they too would be excited. You don't have to be a fan of the show, or a major gear head to be able to appreciate a car like this.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Everything Else Photography</span></td></tr>
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It is, after all, a badass, sexy, muscle car. A blast from the past. They just don't make them like this anymore. From its shiny metal grill, to its leather interior, large size trunk, and four doors convenient for any family. This car has so much going for it. Chevy did make a two-door version, but it just isn't the same. For one, you wouldn't be able to fit as many grown adults into the sports version. The coupe also just doesn't have the same gravitas as the larger sedan, a gravitas which would make the modern sorry excuse for an Impala feel ashamed. The Impala of yesteryear is the perfect blend, a muscle car made to endure the long haul of the open road and the wear and tear of everyday family use. It is a gender neutral vehicle that makes anyone look cool.<br />
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Now, you may have noticed the gorgeous Impala photographs used in this very post. All of these photos were provided courtesy of Eric from <a href="http://www.everythingelsephotography.com/" target="_blank">Everything Else Photography</a> and shared with his permission. If you would like to see more from this particular Impala (owned by the photographer himself), or other amazing photography work, please check out his website.<br />
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So what else is there left to say about my obsession...I mean...fondness for the '67 Chevy Impala? Nothing really. Hey Turo, help a girl out?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Everything Else Photography</span></td></tr>
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Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-66377979813949395732016-11-11T23:14:00.002-07:002016-11-11T23:46:28.779-07:00A Strange Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went to go see <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Doctor Strange</span> on opening day. I
had a half day off from work and went home to pick up my mom, who was already
off. We headed to the mall, had something to eat and caught a 4:00 pm 3-D
showing. Now, before I even get into my non-spoiler review of the movie, I have
to start by saying how much I recommend this movie be seen in 3-D. If you've
seen any of the previews, you know that this movie has some very
Inception-esque style scenes. Scenes which are perfectly suited to pull you
right into the middle of the experience in a 3-D rendered film. It had been
recommended by a podcast I listen to. So, thank you Bill (<a href="https://twitter.com/WickedTheory">Wicked Theory Podcast</a>); I'm so glad that I paid the extra money. As many may
know, 3-D showings are usually several dollars more than a regular ticket and,
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I wasn't sure what to expect, but knew, based on the
previews, that this was not going to be like the other Marvel films that had
come before. It had the makings of a great movie. The cast alone had me excited
to see the film, ever since the rumor that Benedict Cumberbatch was the lead as
Doctor Steven Strange was confirmed true. It was fantastic to see a fan-casting
come to fruition and with such a brilliant actor. Being a big fan of
Cumberbatch since his BBC Sherlock days, I just had to write <a href="http://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-doctor-strange-will-see-you-now.html">something</a> about the big announcement. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYcFnDlBrvjeeDQJ1Fv_ayqQfFF1L33h8qb7wLI_3EBhzVQ8F-sFVee5otiRZz_2DUd5Tt9s99gA-RYD2erengN2Jn_rWrXcCnP2_n3WPCCJAJTeVvn3Yt8rNRnvdO7-VRu1v6VAyu9s9/s1600/Doctor+Strange+Kaecilius2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYcFnDlBrvjeeDQJ1Fv_ayqQfFF1L33h8qb7wLI_3EBhzVQ8F-sFVee5otiRZz_2DUd5Tt9s99gA-RYD2erengN2Jn_rWrXcCnP2_n3WPCCJAJTeVvn3Yt8rNRnvdO7-VRu1v6VAyu9s9/s320/Doctor+Strange+Kaecilius2.png" width="111" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo97zNeFnE6KUuaRoBBPFRlBJQiY0L9zhttWfCRWXOq4VtWS6djetgsKizBgd1qCYxsu7WuV66_Ljwev9Cs8UACYCm1leDniKONZYA4h-_EsQLE0Ak2AFW2n5qZG7ws-V38nmItlcHOP8i/s1600/Doctor+Strange+Christine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo97zNeFnE6KUuaRoBBPFRlBJQiY0L9zhttWfCRWXOq4VtWS6djetgsKizBgd1qCYxsu7WuV66_Ljwev9Cs8UACYCm1leDniKONZYA4h-_EsQLE0Ak2AFW2n5qZG7ws-V38nmItlcHOP8i/s200/Doctor+Strange+Christine.jpg" width="172" /></a>Now,
about ten months later, my hopes for the film have not been let down. But it's
not just Benedict Cumberbatch (<span style="text-decoration: underline;">The
Imitation Game</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">War Horse</span>,
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">12 Years A Slave</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Trek Into Darkness</span>), the movie is
packed full of talent. Chiwetel Ejiofor was cast as Mordo, know from a wide
variety of films: <span style="text-decoration: underline;">12 Years A Slave</span>,
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Martian</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">American Gangster</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kinky Boots</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serenity</span>, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Love
Actually</span>. The beautiful Rachel McAdams, known from the Nicholas Sparks
novel turned film, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Notebook</span>,
as well as the Sherlock Holmes film franchise and True Detective, was Dr.
Christine Palmer. A British actor with a long list of acting credits (movie and
TV), such as <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kiss Kiss Bang Bang</span>,
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kickass 2</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Prometheus</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Martian</span>, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Marco
Polo</span>--Benedict Wong was Wong. Now, speaking of a long list of varied
acting work, the ever talented Mads Mikkelsen was Kaecilius. A Danish-born
actor, Mikkelsen is known for: <span style="text-decoration: underline;">King
Arthur</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Casino Royale</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Valhalla Rising</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Clash of the Titans</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Hannibal</span>, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Star Wars Rogue One</span>. Last, but certainly not least, an
actress of the stage and film, Tilda Swinton was The Ancient One. Swinton,
another British actor with a varied list of credits, is more popularly known
for such films as: <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Beach</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Constantine</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chronicles of Narnia</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Moonrise
Kingdom</span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Grand Budapest
Hotel</span> and<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> Trainwreck</span>.
With a cast of such magnitude and international esteem, how could anything but
greatness be expected from this film?</div>
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As I
mentioned before, this will be a spoiler free review of the movie; but in case
people are not aware of what this movie is about, I'll provide a brief summary.
The story of Doctor Strange centers around a wealthy and successful
neurosurgeon, Steven Strange. Imagine Tony Stark with a scalpel, except a
little less wealthy, and with a cocky confidence rather than arrogance. Things
are going very well for our handsome surgeon until one fateful night, driving
in his Lamborghini, he gets into a devastating car crash. The car crash
severely damages his hands, ending his career and life as he knew it. He burns
through his money attempting to fix his hands, until finally winding up in
Nepal on the search for a mysterious and spiritual healing process in a place
called Karmar-Taj. While there, he learns that magic is real and he can learn
to harness it...if he can put his own selfish needs aside. This is a story of
self-discovery, with magic and Marvel super-hero awesomeness thrown in. What's
not to like about that?</div>
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So what
did I think about Doctor Strange? I'm glad you asked. It had a charm and humor
that was unexpected. There were several moments where the theater was filled
with laughter for a variety of reasons: something someone did, said, or didn't
say. It wasn't roll-on-the-floor-laughing funny, but a subtle, sarcastic and
snarky type of funny that I can appreciate. This film triggers more emotions
than just happiness; you feel Steven's internal turmoil and desperation after
his accident and his shock and awe at Karmar-Taj. In addition, you experience
trepidation, nervousness, and excitement. 3-D lends itself well to being able
to get viewers lost in the film. You often feel like you're right there
standing with the characters, listening in to their conversations and
witnessing the events happen--an invisible spectator. This helps you relate far
better to the situations and emotions these characters are going through.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrDw9c9O4eGoomp8cjh3zgrrX-OC9UhxDaHCwVgoNjItyTteTg5lqjHJkMtzPzR-dBTXEUxoAavmOzi0UZRR5hJGq6hyphenhyphenAgHP9MLjIKOP2n9K3ds_0QNc_uWfyXfgKgKw0vdINbYhy7mHc/s1600/486913_109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrDw9c9O4eGoomp8cjh3zgrrX-OC9UhxDaHCwVgoNjItyTteTg5lqjHJkMtzPzR-dBTXEUxoAavmOzi0UZRR5hJGq6hyphenhyphenAgHP9MLjIKOP2n9K3ds_0QNc_uWfyXfgKgKw0vdINbYhy7mHc/s320/486913_109.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of
course, not all movies are suited for 3-D, but that's not this film. The
special effects were amazing and beautiful. They were intricate and, yet,
seamless while also being....just really freaking cool. Even though the effects
hint at similar effects used by another film, they were still unique to this
movie and seemed more advanced. </div>
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Not only were the effects fantastic, but the sound effects
and music were great as well. While we sat through the credits, waiting for the
second extra scene (yes there are two, one after the first bit of credits and
the other at the very end), we were excited to see that the post-production for
the film's sound was handled by <a href="http://www.skysound.com/">Skywalker
Sound</a>. Now that I've actually been to visit <a href="http://www.skysound.com/ranch/">Skywalker Ranch</a> (mentioned in my recent travel <a href="http://frombraintokeyboard.blogspot.com/2016/10/i-once-went-to-napa.html">blog</a> about my visit to Napa, CA), I've been paying closer
attention to the sound design/production portion of a movie's credits. Knowing
someone who works at Skywalker Ranch and having seen their work in the
fascinating sound stages and mixing rooms, I have a new appreciation for the
work that goes into this one piece of making a movie.</div>
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So, have
I managed to convince you to go see this movie? You don't even have to go see
it in 3-D, if that's not your thing. I know some people who can't tolerate 3-D
movies. I may have recommended that you should see this movie in 3-D but that
doesn't mean the regular screening is any less of a movie. The unique yet
familiar story line is still there, the acting is still superb and I would
definitely go back to see the movie for a second time at a regular screening.
But I digress...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF17VNNFZBDGDfvb9hDuxBARj37yntZmmaVAuHTlUq-XVy2QTRWRtoMM12zMCo3wZUKNuOen_8eN3i4kXRQzDdgwB2bN67Kc4zbIGHKYKSESK1G9uTm-GgdTneDhbjrDTAzKIZJObU949/s1600/Doctor+Strange+Scrubs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF17VNNFZBDGDfvb9hDuxBARj37yntZmmaVAuHTlUq-XVy2QTRWRtoMM12zMCo3wZUKNuOen_8eN3i4kXRQzDdgwB2bN67Kc4zbIGHKYKSESK1G9uTm-GgdTneDhbjrDTAzKIZJObU949/s320/Doctor+Strange+Scrubs.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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If I have not yet convinced you, allow me to throw some
numbers at you. During the movie's opening weekend, it made over $85 million in
the domestic (US) box office alone, which is over half of its $165 million
production budget. Add in the worldwide box office results, the movie has made
a total of over $325 million so far, more than double its production budget.
This is based off data pulled from <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=marvel716.htm">boxofficemojo.com</a>. Those are some impressive results for a movie, especially
when I'm sure most people are not familiar with the Doctor Strange character or
his comics. I know I wasn't, but I did my research when the movie was first
announced. I was intrigued and then the cast sold it for me.</div>
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I hope
this review, in its limited detail (so I won’t accidentally blab spoilers out
of sheer excitement), managed to intrigue you enough to give Doctor Strange a
shot. Trust me when I say, you won't regret it.</div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5022427967705630389.post-54410359316195203792016-11-07T22:26:00.001-07:002016-11-07T22:26:59.857-07:00Phoenix FanFest 2016<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just over two weeks ago, I once again volunteered for Phoenix FanFest. This is the smaller convention associated with Phoenix Comicon, held in the later part of the year. We ran for two days this year, Saturday and Sunday, and wound up at the downtown convention center instead of the football stadium from previous years. Another new thing for FanFest this year was the addition of wrestling stars from the WWE. So, there was an interesting new mix of fans wandering around but also a good amount of crossover. This is a quick recap of that weekend.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was again working in the celebrity photo booth as volunteer staff. We spent Friday evening on refresher training for all volunteers and running a stress test on the camera and computer equipment. Then it was off to the races on Saturday. I arrived prior to the hall opening and assisted with last minute checks and preparation to make sure everything was ready for our first photo op that morning. As the rest of the staff trickled in, some of us went for a quick tour of the vendor hall to scope things out and get a lay of the land so to speak. Just before the doors opened, we found ourselves at the Con Man booth, home to merchandise from the Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk comicon-themed show. For FanFest staff, the booth was selling autographed lanyards from Alan Tudyk for $5. Not wanting to pass up a deal, we rushed back to the photo booth to grab cash and quickly rid the nice man of six of his lanyards. This was just as the hall was opening and we made our way back to our area as the attendees converged on the vendor hall.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The vendor hall not only contain all the vendors and the celebrity photo booth, but was also where all the celebrity's autograph tables and the big costuming groups were. Unlike Phoenix Comicon where everything is spread between four floors and a hotel, FanFest was easily contained on just the third floor of the convention center--except for some panels on the second floor and registration in one room on the first floor. There was still some amount of walking (mostly between the parking garage and the convention center), but with vendors and food much closer, it wound up being more a case of standing. My feet were sore by the end, but not as bad as they could have been, had I not switched from my chucks to tennis shoes the second day. The food left something to be desired, but it was free with our food vouchers, so I can't really complain there.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our first photo op for the day was the duo of Brett Dalton and Elizabeth Henstridge from Agents of Shield. They were both so great with their fans and funny. We cycled through the duo photos and then split into solo photos with Brett Dalton first, followed by Elizabeth Henstridge. Going into the noon hour, we had Tim Rose of Star Wars fame (Admiral Akbar), followed by Tahmoh Penikett from Supernatural and Battlestar Galactica. Rounding out the hour was the duo photo with David Harbour and Millie Bobbie Brown from the hit Netflix show, Stranger Things. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to the photos with WWE Superstars: John Cena, the Bella Twins and Daniel Bryan. In addition, we had solo photos with the Stranger Things cast, and a couple "old school" wrestlers: Jake "The Snake" Roberts and The Honky Tonk Man. Once the photo booth had shut down, we cleaned and reset everything for the next day. We then surprised ourselves by leaving the convention center before the vendor hall closed and having dinner as a group at a normal dinner time. It's small things like this that really make FanFest such a relaxed event compared to the bigger show. I'm not complaining about the busier larger show though, I wouldn't trade Phoenix Comicon for any other convention in the US, I love our hometown convention.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, Sunday rolled around, with an even lighter schedule than the preceding day. The WWE stars had only been there on Saturday, along with Millie Bobby Brown. We started the day with a late morning shoot, 11:00am, with Tim Rose. Lunch time was spent running photos with David Harbour and Jake "The Snake" Roberts and the afternoon was rounded out by Brett Dalton and Tahmoh Penikett. That was it, the booth closed at around 2:00pm and was nearly completely broken down and packed up by 4:00pm. But not before we took our team photo. We were then free to wander the vendor hall for the rest of the time. I shopped, chatted with a comic book guest I knew, and wandered down every single aisle. I finished in about 45 minutes and headed home. </span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-d0711646-4265-1b27-98f3-5db5ef41001d"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a short and simple couple of days, but I enjoyed it. I was happy to get some great photos and spend time with a great group of people. Now, bring on Phoenix Comicon 2017!</span></div>
Stefanie Munizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06086446211052935251noreply@blogger.com0