In The American, Jack (George Clooney) is a master assasin who is in Italy for “one last job.”  Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest named Father Benedetto and pursues a romance with local woman, Clara.  But has he gotten careless and tempted fate?  That’s what the movie will show.

Here is the trailer, along with movie times for theaters around Newnan near Preston Mill:  Carmike Newnan 10, Regal Georgian Stadium 14 & Cinemark Movies 10 – Fayetteville.  If you go to the Regal, be sure to “like” them on their Facebook page and take advantage of their concession coupons!

Clash of the Titans

Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save his family from Hades, vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, Perseus and his warriors will only survive if Perseus accepts his power as a god, defies fate and creates his own destiny. Rated PG-13.

The closest Redbox kiosks to Preston Mill are at Kroger (48 Bullsboro Dr and at 1751 Newnan Crossing Blvd E) and Walmart (1025 Bullsboro Dr).

Do you know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em?

Where are all of my Preston Mills Apartment poker players?  Considering the growth in popularity of the game over the past few years, I’m sure there must be at least a few.  I started playing the game a few years ago after watching players win millions of dollars at the World Series of Poker on ESPN.  Who wouldn’t be interested in winning millions of dollars playing cards?  Now, I can honestly say that poker has become my favorite game, hobby, recreation and everything in between.  I try to play at least twice a week.

Poker, particularly the Texas Hold ‘Em version, is a very easy game to learn, yet a very difficult game to master.  Each player starts with two unseen cards (called “hole cards”).  There are three rounds of cards dealt face up for every player to use (“community cards”) with betting after each round.  Three cards come in the first-round (“the flop”), followed by two-rounds of single cards (“the turn” and “the river”).  The best 5-card hand using any combination of the five community cards and their two “hole cards” wins whatever bets (made with poker chips) were made during the course of the hand.  Follow this link to see a the official poker hand rankings.

Trust me, it’s a lot of fun.  There are actually nightly tournaments played in Newnan at local pubs and restaurants like The Alamo (19 West Court Square On the Square, 770-683-2526).  It’s absolutely free to play and if you win, you can take home some cash!  The company that runs the game is called Aces & 8’s.  You can visit their website at acesand8spoker.com to find out more info and their weekly schedule.

Sure, there is an element of luck to the game, but for the most part, it takes some skill to win consistently.  If you have any questions about how to play, please feel free to drop me a comment!

(Photo Credit: tiffanyday)

There is a right way and a wrong way to iron a shirt.  I know this because for the longest time, I’ve was doing it the wrong way and I would always end up with these extra creases that seemed to appear out of nowhere on the sleeves and back.

Ironing is easily my least favorite part of doing laundry.  And why wouldn’t it be.  Washing clothes is easy…especially now that I have a washer and dryer right here in my apartment.  Throw the clothes in the washer, then grab a drink from the fridge and relax on the couch, then throw them in the dryer.  Done.

But ironing takes precision, patience and strategy.  Not my strong suits.  But if you want to look civilized and unwrinkled when going out in public – especially here in Atlanta, which is growing more fashion conscious by the day - you have to pay the price.  So for you, my friends and neighbors, here is a great video on the right way to iron a shirt that will help even the most wrinkle-challenged among you.

Do you currently carry renter’s insurance?  Preston Mill Apartments strongly advises their residents to get a policy.  It’s really not as expensive as you may think.  In fact, you can save money on your policy in quite a few ways.  Here is an article I found about saving money on renter’s insurance that you can read.  Check out this video too.

The weather in Atlanta is supposed to cool down a little this weekend, but it’s still going to be HOT.  Give this recipe a try.  It will be a nice treat when sitting on the balcony of your apartment or out by the pool!  Great for kids too!

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and red food coloring; allow to cool. Store in a squeeze bottle for easy use.
2. Fill glasses halfway with ice. Add 1 tablespoon syrup, then top with 8 ounces lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

(Credit: AllRecipes.com)

Sunrise on the Square Road Race will be September 4, 2010

So a couple weeks back I blogged about my new interest in running as a means of excercise and getting fit.  Well, I’ve been hitting the road and even the treadmill in the fitness center and I’m glad to say that I’m still going strong!  I mentioned that I wanted to compete in the annual Sunrise on the Square Road Race in Historic Downtown Newnan too.  It takes place in about three weeks on Saturday, September 4.  Is anyone else planning on participating?  Who has run it before?  This will be my first 5K so I’m kind of excited!

There are actually three different levels of competition.  A little something for everybody, I guess…

The 5K @ 8:00 a.m. - for the seasoned (or even slightly seasoned, like myself) runners.  Awards vary by gender and age group.
The 1 Mile Fun Run @ 7:45 a.m. - for most everyone else.  No awards.
The Tot Trot @ 8:45 a.m. - for ages 2-6. Participants get a ribboon and t-shirt.

There is a registration fee of $20 that you have to send in along with the registration form that you can download right here.  You can also register online up until September 2 at www.active.com.  After that, the fee is $25.  That includes a t-shirt and refreshments at the race.

If you’re interested in getting started with running too and would like to consider weaving it into your own personal workout plan, here’s a great article I found that can help get you started.  Running really does the body good and gives you a new source of energy throughout the day.  And don’t we all need that?

(Photo Credit: gorbomb)

Is it me, or is the plot to all of these teenage dance movies basically the same?  Step Up 3D is about a New York University student who starts hanging with street dancers and eventually is invited to join their crew.  One thing leads to another and eventually the “crew” ends up competeing in the hugest international dance battle against dance crews from all over the world.

Check out the trailer below.  I have to admit, after watching it, I kind of want to see this movie.  I know dance movies can be cheesy, but the dance/battle scenes look kind of cool…and it’s in 3D!

If  you’re thinking about giving it a look this weekend when it opens, here are movie times for Carmike Newnan 10, Regal Georgian Stadium 14 and Cinemark Movies 10 – Fayetteville.  Enjoy!

Over 600 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat! Baaaaad.

Remember Sloppy Joes from your school lunch?  Well, a recent Yahoo report claims that the average Sloppy Joe sandwich served in school lunches is packing a lot more than just loose meat.  In fact, each sandwich tops 600 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat!  Yikes!

As Preston Mill families ready to send their kids back to school, it’s important that we remember how important proper nutrition is for our children.  The fact is that we can’t always rely on the school systems to be a primary source of good food.  Especially when it comes to meat.  The Yahoo article goes on to inform us that in 2009, USA Today reported that “In the past three years, the government has provided the nation’s schools with millions of pounds of beef and chicken that wouldn’t meet the quality or safety standards of many fast-food restaurants.”

So as parents and concerned citizens, what can we do?
There are, in fact, actions that we can take to work to improve our children’s nutrition, such as making our children’s lunch ourselves.  To see more tips, and to find out what some of the other foods that are served in school lunches that you might want to keep your kids away from, check out this article: 10 of the Worst School Foods.

(Photo Credit: superdupermanda)

With about 50 games to go in the 2010 MLB season, the Atlanta Braves are looking much better than was anticipated.  I actually like the team to win the NL East, however taking the NL is a whole different story.  Certainly we have the the talent.  The move to acquire Alex Gonzalez from the Toronto Blue Jays has strengthened the Bravos offense a great deal and rookie Jason Heyward’s bat is on fire.    But a lot of teams are still in the hunt, such as the Cincinnati Reds and the defending league Champion St. Louis Cardinals.  Definitely can’t sleep on the San Diego Padres or Philadelphia Phillies though.  We already know what those two teams are capable of… A LOT!

If you follow the Braves, you might have heard that pitcher Tim Hudson recently signed a three-year extention for $28  million.  Check out this cool tool on ESPN.com that actually takes his new contract deal and shows you how long it would take him to earn your salary.  Click on the image to check it out.  Why didn’t I become a baseball player?  Probably because I can’t throw a 90 mph fastball.