Parents: Do You Know What Your Child Is Playing?

Hey, parents! Do you know your kids are being targeted for learning how to gamble, and the major companies that your kids play these games, hope you don’t figure it out?

I love playing games. In fact, I probably play more than four of my five kids combined. This wasn’t always the case, but this isn’t what we are talking today. Today, the subject are loot boxes, and what this means to you as a parent. Parents, READ UP! Pay Attention!!

I have a game on my phone called Candy Crush. This game is very cute and innocent. You just crush candy and you level up. The game looks l Ike you’re in a candy land type game, and the main character, Tiffany, is the cutest with her pudgy checks and her little smiles when you reach a new level. Her sad face breaks your heart if you don’t make the level, and the stress of making you feel awful letting Tiffany down w hen you click a button telling her you give up because you didn’t make the level. Her eyes weld with tears, and her shoulders slump. As you click the “Retry” Button, her face pops out with all these rewards you will lose if you “retry” instead of buying more “Power Candy” or a “New Life” in order to stay and not give up your life. Sometimes, depending how high your level is, you lose all your hard earned rewards. Poof. Just like that. Why do you lose all those rewards? Well, you must play and play and play to earn those rewards, but, in order to keep those power candies, you can’t fail. If you fail, you can’t go to the next level. You can use gold bars, which are near impossible to win, unless you pass so many levels in a week and are the #1 in the race for passing levels. Then, you get one or two gold bars. Those are good for getting lives, or other power candies in order to the beat the level. Or, one can merely buy bars, power candies, etc. etc. in order to move up in the levels. 
The game is free, and so, where do you think the company makes it’s money? (There are no commercials to watch in order to play the game, no annoying cut screens of advertisements) King, the company that produced Candy Crush makes it’s money through monetizing the levels. You can’t move up in the game without those power candies, and once your 5 lives are over, you have to wait and wait and wait in order to play again. Ideally, you just buy a bunch of power candies, and you wont have to wait, because you spend a good 15$ on power candies, witch will get you at least five more levels. or, you can be stuck on a level for a week, until you figure out how to crush all the candy and go to the next puzzle (or level) 
Candy Crush does allow you to know what you are buying, however, those power candies don’t guarantee that you will get fro the next level with those special candies. Such as the problem with Loot Boxes. Loot Boxes give a false sense of hope and promise that the character you are playing will be able to get to the next level with a weapon, or other things that will get you to the next level. This is 100% gambling. Mind you, I am using Candy Crush as an example.
The U.K. came out with a half- a$$ “Beware What Your Kids Are Playing” to end with a “It’s your parenting, not the gaming trolls that is allowing your kids to take your money when they play video games like FIFA, which has a rating of E for EVERYONE... Including your little 8 year old child who wants to play a video game, and come to find out, he has cleaned out your banking account unbeknownst to you, thinking your child was just playing a soccer game, and, according to the warning you get, it’s your parenting and even is suggested you play with your children. This wouldn’t be such a problem, however, I recall when I would allow my teens to play video games. I used the XBox as a reward tool, and at the time I wasn’t a huge fan of video games. To be honest with you, there were times my kids would zone out and not pay attention to me, so, I would turn it off mid-game (which is a huge no no) 
I don’t think it is realistic to think that parents will play video games with their kids (not all parents). While, I tried to introduce my dad to my favorite video game because if not for anything the artistic graphics are outstanding, I was met with complete resistance from my mom, who was absolutely against me even showing the trailer for the game, which has really stunning graphics for the time.  
The problem I have with all of this is the video game industry has the same reaction that Purdue Pharmaceuticals has to the OxyContin addiction problem. That is, we just made the consumer something that everyone likes and wants, and it isn’t hurting anyone. If you Google “Gaming and Gambling” and see the list of the games that directly relate to gambling, you will be surprised. In fact, FIFA 20 is a game my husband wanted, until I told him about what is happening with FIFA and parents with their kids and “Pay To Win” scams. Pay to Win is exactly what is sounds like. That is that if you pay money you will win everything you want, and get through the game faster, without having to do the grind to get the same result, that is to play the game though without having to pay. Some of the games give even better equipment and tools to beat the level without doing the work, whilst others are spending hours playing the game and get half the results. Is this fair? If we want to teach our kids to not cheat, why are we teaching them that they can pay for their levels... 
Well, in the coming months, it will be interesting to see what happens to the gaming industry here in the USA. It won’t take too long before we will wake up and smell the stink that consumers are being ripped off of millions of dollars by innocently playing videos games. 
Do you know what your child is playing?

The Elders Scrolls V Skyrim

It was 11-11-11 that gaming was forever changed by a game called, "The Elders Scrolls V: Skyrim". The game is a an OWRPG (Open World Role Playing Game). This is also the most "open world" I have yet come to know and love. Many might ask, "What's Open World ? What is a Role Playing Game?"  A Role Playing Game is a Game that a person playing will take on the character. In a sense the game's character (you) becomes First Person. Open World means that a person can basically go anywhere in the game and do anything that you want, without getting points taken away. In fact, it is encouraged to "roam" anywhere in Skyrim. Normally, in Games, if you do things that aren't on the mission, you will not get killed or it won't count against you, like in some other games. I have played a game, that, if you don't go exactly where the instructions say, you die. I think this is a boring way to play a game, because, when you want to look around with out doing anything in the "Mission" are you told to do, you can't. Also, you can't talk to other people, like you can in in this open world game. 
Skyrim is the country in which this city takes place. This is the Fifth installment of the Elders Scrolls. The others older, however, they are all classics, and the graphics for each is ahead of their times. 

Skyrim comes in PC, XBox, PS3 and PS4 versions. I prefer to play on the Playstation, And I have yet to get me a PS4, but I will. I have friends who have played on the XBox, and it is too jumpy for them. Playing on the PC is great, in fact the 

Answers

People have asked me a lot of questions. Fair enough. They don't understand how difficult it is to come to the U.S.A. people think that just because they are married to U.S. Citizen they are automatically allowed in the U.S. I want to dispel those myths. See, I have friends who are married to Irish, English and even Canadian.  They have all had a struggle to bring their spouses here. One friend, who married a Canadian, had a hard time bringing her husband here, and they were separated for three years and 4 months. (So, this does happen, my friends) They say every case is different. But, I would like to answer those irritating questions. 

1) Why don't you just have (Long Rock) come as a refugee?

To come as a refugee to the U.S.A. you first must register with the U.N. as a refugee. This is something that not only takes times, but is very stringent. Because the country in which Long Rock is from, if he files as a refugee, his family will be persecuted by his government, (like all refugees are because this will have to show admittance to the U.N. that there are human rights issues going on in that country, that will cause people to not want to live there.) To sign up as a refugee is quite a process, and it is difficult to prove you are one. So, after all this time if Long Rock and I sign him up as a refugee, his family will be persecuted by the government, and it will take him longer for him to come. His family can go to prison as well. 

2) Why don't you just go to Canada?

I hate answering a question with a question, but, Why do I have to go to Canada? Where is my job? Where is my home? Where is my citizenship? Don't people know that my Citizenship is not in Canada? And I will have to settle there, get a job (not easy for Americans to get a job there) And then apply for him to come to Canada. And Why do I want to go to Canada when nothing is there for me. This is one of the most irritating questions I have to answer many people... Daily...

 

3) Why don't you just go back to Turkey? 

I hate this question. I hate saying, "Because I am a U.S. Citizen and I deserve to have my husband here, with me, as a married couple. Because, it is his right to be here with me. There are a hundred answers to this question and none of them seem to satisfy anyone who listens to me. 

4) Does your husband really want to be here? I want to answer like this; "Are you kidding me? Can you really be that obtuse?" But, the answer is this, "Yes" and the long answer is this; "The United States Government has all people sign a paper saying, I am so-and-so, and I am signing this paper knowing that (Whomever) bringing me to the U.S.A. is helping me come to America on my own free will and I am not forced to come to the U.S.A." in fact, all people that come to the United States, needs to sign something to that effect. They are willingly signing the paper knowing that they want to come on their own free will. Whether it is a Tourist Visa, or a Student Visa, they all sign something stating they are coming because they want to and aren't being forced into coming. 

Well, I think that about answers everything for now. When I come up with more lovely questions people ask, I will most certainly entertain you all, in the meantime, stay smart.   

Covet Part I

I have always been taught that coveting is a sin. The bible says that when Moses came down from talking to God, he had a set of laws. The people, since he was gone in the mountains for 40 days, they were worshipping a Calf they made from gold, and they were reveling in their freedom, and when Moses saw the people, he broke the commandments that were given, said that they weren't ready for them, and went back to the mountain, and God gave Moses ten commandments, apparently more simple then the ones before. Christians are taught that when Jesus came, he gave the people laws that were more complex, and called "the higher law". Anyway. I don't know what number "Thou shalt Not Covet" is, but, I have never been jealous in all my life. In fact, I have always been happy for those who got recognition or earned something I wanted or didn't have. I have always been happy for others. I never knew what it was like when a friend of mine said "I got this"... and I thought "Gosh I wanted that more than she or he did!" 

Today I think, for the first time in my life I feel jealousy. Or covet something my friend has. In fact, I am annoyed and frustrated she has it. I also feel angry at myself, and shame for feeling the way I feel and I hate it, but I am still jealous and coveting her. 

Let me tell you what happened. Then you can judge me. (please don't judge me too harshly)
I have a friend who has been talking online to a guy for about 1 year and 6 months. The guy she had been talking to came from The Congo, went to Malaysia, and had been there for a couple years, working and going to school. My friend, last July had been telling me if she didn't get her online boyfriend here by the beginning of this year, she would have to stop talking to him because she can't live "like this anymore". I have spoken to him a few times, on Skype, and I supported all her feelings and thoughts about online relationships, and I thought to myself, "Well, hopefully she finds happiness and love". So, about 3 weeks ago, she wrote me about how I need to forget bringing my husband here through the U.S. and how I should just go to Canada, and meet my husband in Canada, and how I should just have a job there, and I would see my husband so much faster. I was not responding to her, and I didn't make her think I was going to take her advice, i just responded to her with an SMS that said, "Thank you for your concern." And a smiley face, sometimes a yellow heart after the SMS. 
Last week, I sent her an SMS that said I was thinking of her and hoped that her week was well, and I would like to see her soon. (I have most this week off). I didn't hear from her for a few days, and that is typical, I mean, she is busy. However, yesterday I got this message from her. It read, "I am sorry I didn't respond to you as fast as I normally do, YYYY is here, let me know when you want to meet him! (excited happy emoji)". When I got this message, I didn't open it. I just sat there. I can read the message without opening it. And I did a couple of times. In fact, I still read it. How? Why? 
(Forget those loaded questions, and do I really want to know the answer to them?) And so, I keep on looking at it. I didn't know what to think or how to feel about it. And I kept digesting this. Over and over. (I have too much time on my hands to think, I admit.) 
I was building myself a fire today and it came to me. I am annoyed. I am jealous of my friend, and I am upset at myself for feeling jealousy. I am angry and I am feeling ashamed at myself for feeling such feelings towards someone whom I deeply care about. I am shocked because I have never felt this way. As I sat watching my fire, I realized, I have prayed, so fervently, to bring my husband here. I have fasted God knows, (in the literal sense) How many months, for the well being of my husband and to bring him here. I have had many people fast with me and for me, to bring my husband here. I have paid thousands of dollars in fees, for my husband to come. I have wept countless nights, missing him, yearning for us to be reunited. How much I have wept. I never thought that a human body could produce so many tears. And when I am done weeping, I drink just to refill my cup with more tears. My husband remains faithful to me. I remain faithful to him. It is like that movie Lady Hawke, in which the man in the night becomes a wolf, and the woman in the day becomes a hawk. And then, there is a moment, where the sun and the moon are up at the same time, where it is dawn and the end of night when the two are human form for just a moment, and they see each other, but never to touch. Their undying love remains with them. And We, my husband and I, are able to talk face to face, but, it is with video chat. We can not touch each other, we are not really together but we are. We did not chose this, we chose to immigrate here, but did not chose this length of time to be away from each other. We would not wish this fate on our worst enemy. And yet, here we are. In this half life. When all of our friends around us can life to the fullest, enjoy and have the pleasure of being with whom they desire and when they desire. And we can smile, be polite and kind, and then when the once filled room is empty, and we are in the silence of our loneliness, can just think and wish and hope that one day we will be together. Is it a dream? Is it a night mare? Will we finally one day wake up and and be together all along and think,"That was a bad dream"? All of this and more, came flooding to me at once while I was looking at the fire. I was angry. Forget god. Take Him out of the equation. We are not together. Then, put God into the equation, as though God had anything to do with it. And we are still not together. So, let's say god does have something to do with our lot, that God knowingly put us apart from each other. That is cruel. What a cruel joke. Are we a pawn in His horrific game that we called life? Did he not care that this is humans suffering? And let's say this lot in life is just a "human chess game", what kind of God was I praying to? What kind of God do I believe in? Let's say that "I am learning something" Which I call bull shit. But, Let's say this is a "Deej And Long Rock has to learn something" Do you think for one second that in 10 years from now I will look back and say, "Boy oh BOY! those Good Ole Days when I was all alone, without my husband he was clear over on the other side of the world! What a great Laugh and Joke that was! I miss those days!" Nor can I ever say "I appreciate all this pain of not being with my husband." Sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Then, my next feeling was frustration. Why would God not answer my damn prayers? did I "do it wrong?" (pray that is) How could I feel like such a big pawn in this whole grand thing called life? Then I felt like, I don't want to see my friend, because I would have to hear how she brought her boyfriend here, and how fast and easy it was and how I didn't do this this or that. How could someone revel like that? Then I felt like "Why should I judge her?" And then I felt angry and coveting, and frustrated, and annoyed at my situation all at the same time.   Then, I felt annoyed with myself. Why could I possibly feel so much anger for someone else? It's not her fault. I should be happy for her. It was then I  realized. This is what it feels like to jealous. Not hate anyone, but, Jealous. She gets to be with her boyfriend before my husband is here. It took her just weeks to bring him here, and me? YEARS to bring my husband here. This is messed up. The whole thing is messed up. Am I right for these feelings? Am I wrong for these feelings? Is God a part of all this? Is He displaced in this? Am I being punished for something I didn't do in a past life or something I did do in this life? What of my in laws and husband? They could not be at fault for any of this. So, it is all me. In my hands. I am the one at fault. So, since it is my fault, who am I to be jealous or covet my friend and her human experience. But, this is my husband. He has a right to be here, and I feel it is not fair in all of this. Fair? What is that? What is fair for me is not fair for someone else, right? And What is fair for someone else is not fair for me. My dad always said, "If life were fair, I'd be King". (Ugh! I hate when my dad is right!) Well, doesn't my husband deserve to be King for the day? Do I deserve to be? Which lead me to ask God, for the first time in my life, "Why God, Can't my husband just be at my side right now?" 
And There was no answer. Just the crackling of the fire I built. 

A Skit I Have Been Thinking Of

About 6 months ago, I saw a conversation that inspired a skit I thought of and I thought it was really funny. I want to post it before it becomes taken by someone else. 

A guy dies, and is met at the pearly gates with two lines. 
One is "Apple" and the other is "Android". It is all cloudy and happy and clean looking. Saint Paul is helping the Android laine and Saint Peter is in the Apple lane. So, the person is an Apple user, and, Saint Peter is on his Mac Pro, with faster speed putting the people in the places they need to go, because, you know, Apple is better. (Hahaha) 
Well, the guy gets to Saint Peter, and Saint Peter is "busy" typing away on the Mac Pro, and looks up and doesn't stop typing, and he said, "I am in the middle of a blog right now, let me finish this sentence before I save it." The Guy is irritated, and says, "But, I have been standing in line for a long long time". and Saint Peter says, "Well, you think you're going somewhere anytime soon? HAHAHAHA". The guy shakes his head, in disbelief, and really irritated, but what can he do? Saint Peter is in charge of the lane. He gets done after a couple of seconds, and says, "Will the person next in line come approach my desk?" The desk is more of a Judge's Bench, huge, made of mahogany, and super tall, taller than an average human, but there is clouds all around, and behind Saint Peter is a screen, that isn't noticed before. It's all clouds and pretty scenes and looks like a picture, but when looking at it more carefully, It's a huge screen. The guy  approaches the judge's bench, and as he comes forward, Saint Peter says, "Wait, wait, I need a selfie of this, Hollaaaaaa!" and Twitters, "Front Desk of Heaven, Selfie, Hashtag Whatsup, Hashtag Holla, Hashtag Dude" And puts his iPhone down, and says, Let's see where you are going to go... Now, I have your Facebook, Instagram, What's Up, Twitter account in front of me, let's go through it, shall we?" And just then, The screen has all the social media up on the Screen behind St.Peter, and for the guy to see.
The guy tries to protest his rights for Privacy, and how he thinks this is just ludicrous that he would have to stand in line for "This"... and pointing at the screen, protesting. Saint Peter, really calmly is saying, "Dude, you'll be here a lot longer, everyone has to go through this"
So, Saint Peter says, "On Easter Sunday, noon, you posted on Instagram a cute bunny with 'Happy Easter, Jesus is the Reason for the Season', that is nice and cute, but then you posted a scripture at 12:30 in the afternoon on Facebook, with a picture of your family. When was church? weren't you supposed to be teaching Sunday School on that day?"
But, the guy make up for it on Wednesday when the guy posted that your family and yourself had a good Sunday at church, on Easter Sunday, so most likely the guy were on his phone at church, giving the benefit of the doubt. But, the following Friday, the guy posted a very rude comment on a news media about a celebrity, and that wasn't Christian- like Material, but on Saturday, he posted on his profile something about saving the world, so it cancels out the rude comment. Thus the Judging continues, and then, Saint Peter says, "Wait, I have to do another selfie, on Heaven's Sake's Twitter Account, to keep up the criteria". Irritated the guy relents because he really has no control over it, and he is used to it by this moment. Just as Saint Peter is done, Jesus walks in from behind with his latest iPad, and iPad Pro, 12 inches, with 256 GB and another 100 GB of iCloud storage. Jesus comes from behind St. Peter, and people in line are all, "Yeah Jesus! " and Jesus is all, "wait wait, I have to get a selfie with my homies" (Jesus is of course Middle Eastern) And he takes pictures on his iPad with St. Peter, and they are totally buddy buddy, and the guy is beside himself, when Jesus says, yeah, ( the guy) an Apple user, but, you are going to hell because you didn't post anything about helping any refugees, and didn't help with the needy and poor, but just posted a lot of political mumbo- jumbo. He also got points docked for claiming to be a devout Christian but, "Liked" and "Re-Tweeted" several anti-Gay rhetoric, viewed porn and was holding an extramarital affair, while claiming to be Christian. But, was given credits for being Anti- North Korean (government) and highly critical of global waste. 

I know it is silly and highly politically charged, but, I think a lot of it funny, and good satire. I think it would make a funny skit, but probably has been written before. This is my rendition of what it would be  like if I were a writer. 
  

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

How are your St Patricks Day weekend???
Mine? It ended with the most amazing gift ever. My Grand Daughter was born!!!
I'm so exited to meet her, I just can't wait to get back to the USA to hold her.
It doesn't feel like things are going fast enough. Hopefully I can find a way to warp speed into coming back.

Have you ever

So, I've got a certain family member.
We have never really gotten on at all. When we were kids we fought and when we got older it just got worse.
This person wasn't ever really nice to me and I've always tried my best to be nice to her. To no avail.
When I was younger she stole my Social Security Number. She did a lot of crimes with it and did in fact had been arrested under my name several times. This has been a great stress to me. What is worse is a few years ago she had with her father, took my name, social security number and went to a public records place, obtained a birth certificate, went to a city DMV and obtained a picture ID. She then went to a Deptartment where she was able to get free rent paid for, under all my name etc.
She clot fraud with her father in this way; her father was living with her. They were living in his sister's home. So, her aunt was collecting rent under my name, getting money from the State, her father,, her aunt and herself all knew what she was doing and all benefitting from this.
She also stole some checks and with a picture ID of my name and with my Social Security Number, cashed checks.
She's over dosed on Drugs and used my name at hospitals for drugs, and hospital fees, of more than 90,000 Dollars.

Now this person has discovered Facebook. I laugh at her profile picture because she does in fact use a mug shot of her from 15 years ago. And I think that is just so, oh my hell funny.
She requested me as her friend honestly, I want nothing to do with her.
But I accepted her as friends of mine and blocked her from seeing things on my account. But, I feel bad. I want to block her but I've already added her as a friend.
She has weaseled herself into my life in a very uncomfortable way.
I did write her. I told her that is being friends on Facebook is not an invitation to my life. I told her I have no trust in her.
And she wrote me and said "(name of friend) said you're getting married and was wondering if I was going. But I didn't get an invitation". I wrote her back with "I'm not feeling inclined to tell you when I marry because I only invite people to my wedding that I can somewhat trust." She said that certain family members said I was thinking about marriage but not made any set plans.
I said, "I've got plans for the future but none of those plans includes you, I'm sorry if you think it's rude but you never were nice to me and you never did anything that earned my trust nor desire to include you in my life."
I don't know how anyone else would do in my situation.
I have spoken with lawyers about changing my Social Security Number and basically, in the 28 years this lawyer has tried only one person was ever allowed to change it. Apparently Judges feel that getting your identity stolen isn't reason enough to change their numbers. However, former Mafia hitmen are able to have their identity changed. Ok. So they are being chased by the Mafia. But you know identity fraud is not taken very seriously. It's a huge violation. And when it's a family it's really a deeper wound.
Well, I just hope I don't regret adding her.
Have a great week, my readers.

MY Friends Wedding Pictures!

My friend here in Turkey got married last October. 

 Well, last August she asked me if I would make her a Wedding Bouquet, and I was completely honored. 

I did do the Groom's boutonniere,The Bride's bouquet, The Sister of the bride's corsage, and the brother of the groom's boutonniere.

Recall that I had no resources that we have in the US of A to actually make corsages and boutonnieres, and yet alone the people here in Turkey hardly ever have the Groom even wear them. Actually I have never seen anyone in Turkey wear corsages nor boutonnieres. Flowers are not a big part of the Wedding here like it is in the USA. Here is the blog about the wedding pictures  So, with that said, She and her now husband before getting married went to the studio for their Wedding pictures and took them with the flowers I made. They look just really amazing. Yes, I will do your wedding flowers, too... Just fly me to wherever you are, and give me the supplies, buy your flowers, and I will be more than happy to arrange all the flowers!!! :) No Wedding is complete with out a Bridal Bouquet!

Here are the flowers I did for them. I cropped the photos because I wanted you to just see the flowers. The pictures are not mine.

Flowers: Gerbera Daisies, Star Gazer Lillies, White Roses, Daphne picked from Long Rocks Grandma's Garden, Tea Leaves, Babies Breath and Lisianthus. The net was used because I had to find something to hide all the impurities of what was used because of lack of supplies here in Turkey. But,  it worked out very beautifully and the bride was and is so happy with her bouquet, she had no idea that I struggled with the lack of supplies.

The Groom has a simple white rose, with little wild daisies as an accent.  The brides bouquet has satin ribbon going all the way from the tip of the flower stems and tying just under the flower heads, in a rather big bow but not stiff, there is netting around the edges of the bouquet under the head of the flowers, giving it a flowing look to the bouquet

Because the lack of boutonniere pins here, I told the bride to use the boutonniere like this instead of the traditional way, therefore hiding the normal pins and lack of a nice one.

Another view of the boutonniere

Another view of the bouquet

 

OH!!!

I wrote a post about American Dreams I lies Sweat and Tears of How My American Dream Became a Nightmare.  I wanted to tell you I decided since it was so long I was going to tweak it a little and not make it sound so ramble- ly- ish. After 20 minutes of it up, there were about 200 hits. Because of that many, I have decided to write it better, not changing anything (haha. Like you can change facts) But I want it to read and flow better, and I never put it as a draft. I will post it this week, I just wanted to tell you all that. 

Keep Looking for it. I promise it will come. I was going to do it tonight but I wait for my son in Brazil and I can hardly keep my eyes open. I will have to write it tomorrow. 

Have a Good Sunday, Dear Readers! :)

Just a Few Words:::

I have not been online for a few days. I do apologize for this, I have been ill and still am. I have the flu and it hit me really hard this last couple of days. 

 Please forgive for this and continue reading my posts. I will be up and ready for posting more when I am better. 

 Loves and hugs to all my readers! 

and... Stay Healthy!

Movie Review II

Surprisingly, I never saw Big Fish.
  So when I watched it last night with The Long Rock, I was really pleasantly surprised how much I liked this movie.
 I never read about it and I never wanted to. The movie is rated 8.0 in "IMDB" and I never wanted to know what it was about, because I hate people's opinions. I feel it spoils the toe of the movie for me.
 This movie is about a relationship with a boy who becomes a man, and his father.
As a boy, he was told stories and myths about his dad who is an excellent story teller, but as he got older, all he could think about was his dad being a story teller about his own life and then things turn into something greater. The once boy now wants to know the truth behind the myths. And so, he spends time with his mom and dad to find the truth.
 This story is filled with such a sweetness, and such an adventure at the same time, you will want to see how it ends.
 For those of you who are a little sensitive, please, get yourself some tissue before you start watching. By the end of the movie, you will want it.
This movie has a slew of great actors.
Danny Devito, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, and Albert Finney,  to name a few.
  This movie was directed by Tim Burton.
I highly recommend this movie to someone that wants a feel good, funny, and very charming movie.

Facebook Detoxing, Still

So, I decided last Tuesday to go off Facebook. 

I had tried that in the past, with much failure. So, I deactivated my account until I know that I can handle going on just moderately. To speak to my family, I am sending emails. 

There are 4 people in my life that spend more time on Facebook than emailing and so this is really really hard for me because I want to talk with them at least 3 times a week. However, I forewarned my friends and family on Facebook that I was doing this, and so it should not come as a shock.Nor a surprise. 

 Anyway... I have been good now, Starting by detoxing with the "cold turkey" method, and then gradually come back and use it in moderation. 

  

See? I knew I can be good.

For the Want of a Nail

For the want of a nail

 The shoe was lost

 For the want of a shoe

 The horse was lost

For the want of a horse

The Rider was lost

For the want of a Rider

The message was lost

For the want of a message
The battle was lost

For want of a battle 

The Kingdom was lost

All for the want of a horse shoe nail!

Facebook Detox, Again

So, I was off Facebook for a while and I did not close it I just did not come onto it.

That worked for three days. Then, it was over. 

    I should do Lent and since I am Christian, I really ought to. I mean what is 40 days right?

 So I thought about what to 86 from my life. I should say Facebook. But, What about some of those people that are on Facebook that seriously is my only means of communicating to for now. And so, I 86'ed about 85 people from my Facebook. 

  Of course they were all students I had in the past and there were a couple of other people. 

 One person in particular I have not a very good liking for her. As a matter of fact, I strongly dislike her and thought, why play games? I will 86 her. Well, come to find out, I guess she beat me to it. Which is kind of funny if you think about it like that. 

I guess there are other things to 86. Lent here I am

Movie Review II

The Long Rock heard of a movie that is up for Academy Awards and normally I strongly dislike what the Academy likes. 

 I will say that one movie I hope the Academy will be merciful with and that is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and written by John Logan and Brain Selznick (who wrote the book)

 This is a family movie. Children and Adults alike will be intrigued from the moment the movie begins and to the time the movie ends.

Hugo's father and uncle were clock makers. Their father were before them. Left to his uncle's care when his father and mother had died, Hugo learns to run the clocks in the Paris Train Station. The only possession left of his father was a notebook and an Automaton. The Automaton needs repaired and a heart shaped key and Hugo is determined to repair it, for he is sure that his father left him a message in the Automaton. 

Hugo chances on a lowly and quiet, yet not very nice  toy shop keeper who very well might hold the key to the mystery of the Automaton.

Movie Review

So, I decided to write a review about a movie I watched with the Long Rock last week. 
  It is called Midnight in Paris. 
This movie was written and directed by Woody Allen. 
Normally I walk away from his movies. Normally his movies are too slow and the humor in them I just do not get. But this one was fantastic. I mean, I kept thinking what is going to happen with this guy? and What will  happen next?  I really enjoyed this movie. 
 It was funny and different. 
Set in Paris, and American screen writer named Gil Pender  comes with his Fiancee, named ınez  and her mom and dad. He is experiencing a somewhat of a writers block. He seems to not be happy but does not know he is not, until he comes to Paris and feels revitalized with the sights and sounds and the life in Paris. His fiancee wants nothing to do with living in Paris and feels that anywhere but America is beneath her, not to visit but to live. 
  They run into Inez's ex-boyfriend and as they plan their time spent in Paris (Gil and Inez) they find how incompatible they are. 
One night Gil gets drunk and walks the streets in Paris. On the stroke of midnight, he gets picked up in a 1920's car and whisked away with F. Scott Fitzgerald and meets his favorite writers of the time. 

Without giving away more, I would hope that you will watch this movie and find out what happens to Gil. I really watched this movie once, but I will be sure to watch it again and again.

Facebook Detox IV

So, Last week and everyday since I contemplate why I have a Facebook. Then I see just one or two people on there, and they are mostly family and I think... Oh, but I want to keep in touch with this person. And I stay on Facebook. 

  I am honestly tired of rude and stupid people, and there are too many of those on Facebook. 

The other thing to keep on Facebook is I have hoards of photos that would be lost forever if I turned it off. 

I think this up coming week I shall save all the pictures I have on Facebook and then collect my friends emails that I want to keep in touch with and I will sign off. 

 Timeline on Facebook is coming and there are just no privacy things in Timeline. I think it is stupid too. I really hate "Timeline: The New Facebook" I already have a blog, I have several of them, and I have what I need. Except for my pictures and Damn!!! Those 20 or so people that I really love knowing about on Facebook.

  So, I have been on Facebook everyday I have said I am going to Detox. 

This means I have not done what my Detox was. 

I think I will start all over, and not go on for a long while. The only think is... I will have to see what Jasmyne is doing on there because it is the only way to get a hold of her. 

But I really if I could talk to her out of Facebook, I would be all over that. 

Well, I will have to write more about my Redetox. 

Wish me luck

Book Review Time

She Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor.

If you think you are reading an ordinary history book that is filled with just boring who gets the throne, this is not what you will find in this book. 

 This book was written by a fine History Teacher, and expert on Medieval England. She really has a knack for making history exciting and so informative. It was closer to reading it like a novel. 

As a matter of fact, for anyone that are fans of any of the T.V. Series that have to do with Knights, Wars, Kings, this is your book. This is better than any T.V. series because some of it is so unbelievable, you just can not make it up.

 The book starts off the the death of Queen Elizabeth's brother, King Edward VI, just weeks before while he is laying in bed, struggling with not only his life (and a painful death he had suffered). He had drafted a letter of Succession after his Death, trying to assure that Elizabeth whom he claimed to be a bastard child (thus stifling her heir to the Throne). Then, It talks of all the powerful women that lead up to his sister. 

 This was fascinating, informative, full of facts, and readable. It was quite enjoyable to read, and took me three days to complete. Well, four days, but one day I only read an hour.

  I loved this book. 

I loved how strong the women were and how I learned so much about the culture of the time, the Royal Dynamics, how women struggled to have validity. Before I read this, I only heard of Matilda, and I these other women with disdain and selfishness and even at times I would hear mean things about them. I would think... What failures. But, really I found that women with power in those days were written about badly by men because men would write things about women or say things about women to tarnish their credibility and try to get people to not follow the women.  Then I found that Henry the VI was not really King material. All this time I heard that his wife was bad, she was controlling and he was a freak of nature, that she poisoned Henry, but this is not so. She was all the time protecting her husband from invaders and protecting the Crown, the Subjects and the Throne. Of course she wanted her son to gain this but he was indeed the rightful heir. Her husband was a Passive man and she would see that he would not protect the land, and she had to do what she did in order to save her son's, and subjects life. 

  I learned about the time's people that I never really had before and into such great detail that I will say my History Teachers in High School or College never taught me. 

I would give this book a 10.

FB Detox III

So, It has been about 4 days now and yesterday I hardly went on to FB (this means I wrote one email and put an update on my Status) and today I spent 30 minutes on FB. 

Is that awesome or what? 
I am taking up exercising tomorrow since it s 11:23 pm now. 

Detoxing from FB III

Going really well... 

Until about an hour and a half ago. 
One post to the Long Rock

I am tempted to post what I really want to talk about. 
But I am not going to.