And Now For Something Completely Different

Entertainment News 7-19-14

Sat, 19 Jul 2014 22:29:00 +0000

'Captain Fantastic' just packed on some star power with Mortensen and Langella!!!

Sony picks up 'Tupper Unsealed' Featuring Sandra Bullock!!!

Angelina Jolie will star, write, direct and produce 'By The Sea' for Universal!!!

Joel Silver and Shane Black Come Together To Go Back To The Seventies!!!

Bryan Cranston's Broadway Turn as LBJ Being Sent To HBO Films!!!

Showtime Announces Guest Star For Season 5 of 'Shameless'!!!

'True Blood' alum Cast in Netflix's 'Daredevil'!!!

'Found' Slashes It's Way to Theater Release!!!

O Captain, My Tek

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 22:34:00 +0000

*** O Captain, My Tek.

O Captain! My Captain! The ALCS are done;The team has weather’d every rack, the pennant we sought is won;The trophy is near, the crowds I hear, the fans all exulting,Papelbon’s eyes a steady keel, the pitcher sober and daring.But O Tek! Tek! Tek!O the uniforms of red,Where in the bullpen Beckett lies,The game’s score’s ahead.

O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and catch the balls;Rise up – by you the game is won – for you the nation calls;For you champagne and lots of beer – For you Fenway’s a-crowded.For you they call, the cheering mass, their faithful faces painted;Hear Captain! Varitek!This hat upon your head;Is it some miracle that we’re on deck,And we are runs ahead?

My captain does not strike out, his hits are always neat;My Tek, he does not drop the ball, the perfect athlete;Our team is stable, safe and sound, its voyage almost done;Our fearful trip, the championship, should end when we have won;Exult, O crowds, and play, O Tessie!But Rockies, with sad eyes,Walk the field where my captain plays,Cheering, the score ahead.

***Clearly this was written in the style of Walt Whitman's famous poem, 'O Captain, My Captain'. Please tell me most of you didn't need me to tell you that.

Entertainment News 7-9-2014

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 05:22:00 +0000

If you’re one of the many that can’t wait for another installment of ‘Clerks’ by Kevin Smith, I’ve got your update in this article!

Is Ridley Scott’s ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ going to be an all-out blockbuster? Watch the trailer!

Which actor frequents roles from comic books and is taking on another? I’ll give you the 411!

Has Amazon found a diamond in the rough for their original programming? Check out my report!

Star Wars has announced a 2-week break and the names of two more actors they’ve hired! Find out all the details, here!

Disney is on a roll with re-making formerly animated films into live-action blockbusters. See what cartoon is next on the list!

What favored boy-wizard features in a new story? It’s not what you think! Read it!

Which favorite comedy troupe is gathering to say it’s final good-bye and where can YOU see it?

Things that Make a Geek Girl Happy!

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 06:33:00 +0000

Everyone says their kids or a pet, so those are just given. I have some major props to give and limiting myself to 20 is hardly easy! I may have to do another 1 or 2 of these before I'm satisfied. It's only when I spell things out like this that I discover more things about myself.

1. Bacon

2. Boys that can sing and play an instrument

3. The Red Sox

4. Musicals.

5. Burt Reynolds’ laugh

6. Disney cartoons

7. Led Zeppelin, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Ryan Adams, Joan Jett, Jimmy Durante, Lucinda Williams, Fall Out Boy, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Harry Connick, Jr., Stevie Ray Vaughn Music. Basically anything, I love it all. Right now, I’m listening to some Gladys Knight with Midnight Train to Georgia. Smooth song.

8. I love sitcoms. Some people have comfort movies that make them feel better on a bad day. I have my sitcoms. King of the Hill, Everybody Loves Raymond, Home Improvement, Modern Family, Keeping Up Appearances

9. Converse…particularly comic book Chucks. I have a ton of those sporting everyone from Batman, The Joker to Wonder Woman, I have a pair of Vans that have Boondock Saints on them. I love my shoes!

10. I love seeing live theatre productions. The nearest place for Broadway tours is at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, MO. Just about once a month, a friend and I hit up the new show. Going Wednesday to see ‘Once’!

11. Having a spotlessly clean house. That is better than the largest dose of Xanax for the calming effect I get from having a clean house.

12. Nail Polish – I’m always checking out new design techniques and change my color out at least twice a week, sometimes more often.

13. Older movies – anything that stars Marlon Brando, Paul Newman or Clint Eastwood - Eastwood, just so happens to be the name I pick for one of the new states in California if they do split. North East west and South California? B----ORING! Do it up Hollywood style, give it something earthy, reflecting an acting legend, a man with political views that can handle a portion of California. Name one Eastwood, then BEG Clint Eastwood to be mayor. That's how I cut up MY California!

14. Comic Books – I’m a DC fan mostly, but have been known to read a few Marvel mags. I see all the movies, regardless of the parent company.

15. Italy – It’s my goal to finally be able to travel there. I want to see Florence and Rome in the worst way.

16. When I find a picture of myself I’m happy with (it’s a rare thing)!

17.Beethoven – Preferably Piano Sonata No. 8 ‘Pathetique’ in C minor, all 3 movements. People that say classical music puts them to sleep are people I can’t even fathom. If this is on when I try to sleep, I’m playing along with it on an invisible piano. Classical always gets my hyper.

18. Cooking. There are few joys in this world that can compare to spending time working on a dish, adding a bit of this and that, hoping to find that magic combination that has enough meat for the hubs, no veggies (or at least veggies hidden well) for the kids, and little to no red tomato sauce for me. It CAN be done!

My favorite line ever!!!

19. Reading. Whether I’m reading a brainless book that I breeze through, or a classical piece of literature that takes a week or more to finish because of it’s depth, poetry, something from the beatnik generation, or a look at life through the eyes of a gonzo journalist, I love them all.

20. I’m going to call this one my fandom love. This is where I go above and beyond just liking something as a movie, tv show, book…it takes on a new form in my life, you’ll find this love on my shoes, my t-shirts, handbags, jewelry, even to lamps in my house! I surround myself with the random pieces that make up who I am. “Show me what you love and I’ll tell you who you are. “ I can’t find who said that, so I’m claiming it! I have a deep love for *deep breath* and go – Red Sox, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Sherlock, Boondock Saints, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Harley Quinn, Joker, British TV, The Bible, Alice in Wonderland (all forms of Alice), Peter Pan, Disney cuteness in general, Quotes from awesome books, Quotes from all of the above mentioned loves. I can usually find a way to love everything!

I just proved that I'm a giant nerd of Potsie-like proportions. I admit it, I wave my geek flag proudly * I wear superhero socks with capes on them.* I wear a Wonder Woman cape at Six Flags.* I can't wait for the newest video games to come out.* I have the Tom Lehrer 'Elements' song and the Spider-Man theme song by both They Might Be Giants AND The Ramones all on my iPod.* When I want to cuss, I clean it up and yell 'Sons of Gondor!' a lot. * I've had legitimate discussions on several different occasions talking about the pros and cons of having a light saber Vs. a wand, (I'm all for the wand).* I've spent hours in shops looking at the perfect set of dice, can't decide so I buy 4 (Have to find a cool set to present Wil Wheaton with when I undoubtedly meet him at Comi-Con!). * You can never have too many dice, right? * I carry on completely normal conversations about comic book characters as if they were real people. *

**If this doesn’t scare you off, then I’m thinking you’re just like me. Welcome to the club! **

I’ll have to think of something more clever than The He-Man Woman Hater Club though. *Oh, when you sign in, specify in the battle which side you take….wand or light saber? * Yes, seriously Cupcake! |

Hopefully some life can be breathed into this room!

I know you’re there…just say hi. !

Entertainment News 3/29/2014

Sun, 30 Mar 2014 04:22:00 +0000

Entertainment News 3/29/2014

Love Melissa McCarthy movies? I’ve got the newest casting news for ‘Susan Cooper’ here!

Terminator fans, which ‘Hunger Games’ actor has been cast in ‘Terminator: Genesis’ here!

Which project is going to team up Adam Sandler, Kevin James and this ‘Game of Thrones’ actor? Check out the story for more!

What horror movie remake features Disney star, Cameron Monaghan? Check out the details here!

‘Phantasm’ fans, are you tired of rumors of another film? I’ve got the news that will make you happy here!

Find out who John Cusack cast in his new Wall Street project! Read the story, here!

I’ve got the casting information for LeBron James’ project here!

What actors are filming a new project in their Australian homeland?

Entertainment News 3-27-2014

Thu, 27 Mar 2014 22:06:00 +0000

Entertainment News 3-27-2014

Guess which British funny-man is co-starring with Justin Long in a new sit-com? I’ve got the info!

‘Heaven is for Real’ is dropping to theaters next month, what novel is going to be the next big spiritual film? Read about it here!

Fan of ‘The Pixies’? Find out about their new studio album since 1991 and their current lineup? Check out the deets here!

Curious how the latest ‘Fast and Furious’ film is going to incorporate Paul Walker since his death in November? Check out the story!

Want to know what Emile Hirsch and Ellen Page are teaming up to work on next? I’ll tell you it’s a biopic over a very fascinating person! Click here to find out who!

‘Game of Thrones’ has legions of fans world wide that can’t get enough of the written novels and the HBO series, could a big screen project be next? Read what the George R.R. Martin says about it here!

What big name actor is director David Fincher’s prime choice to star in a biopic about the late Steve Jobs? I’ll tell you about it, here!

Hollywood has been taking some of my childhood films from the 80’s and making live-action movies based on them, find out which punk-cartoon show gets adapted here!

Which talent is bringing the unpublished novel ‘Noble Assassin’ by Paul Kix to the silver screen? Check out the storyline and find out who is on deck here!

What project is in the works that brings together talent like Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Winslet, Michael B. Jordan and ‘Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul? It’s a big one!

Which Shakespearean role is hottie Benedict Cumberbatch turning his eye to? Read all about it here!

The Bucket Garden!!!

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 07:18:00 +0000

Spring is officially in full-swing! I have survived a week of Spring Break and my unhappy campers are getting booted back into school tomorrow. I’m excited and kind of sad about their going back. No, I am definitely NOT one of those moms that wants my kids to never leave the house. The reason I’m somewhat sad about their going back to school is because summer break is going to be here soon. Then they're here for 3 months!!!

Of all the things in the world I’ve wanted to be, an organized mom that has structured events for my kids during the school break is one of them! I have to agree with an article I read earlier, I think it looks like raising a child in the 80’s would have been much easier than it is currently. Don’t mistake what I am saying here. My mom had a hard job, she was a single parent and she worked her butt off for everything we ever had. That amazing woman even went without things if we needed or sometimes just wanted something. I had no idea the things she gave up for my sister and I until I was older. I don’t know how she did it all. Selfless was definitely a big descriptor for her actions. I love her, wouldn’t trade her for anything. I routinely call her in tears when the kids have pushed me past my limits apologizing through thick tears because I know I had to have been a monster to her at times. She just laughs and says it will be over soon. I hope so!

They got to stand on the field at Busch Stadium and sit in the Cardinals dugout. They can put down electronics for something like this, but go play outside hasn't won out, yet.

But raising a kid in the 80’s didn’t have the challenges that the technical advancements now present us with. My son simply can not comprehend why he is ever forced to watch commercials. He is constantly asking for the remote, I’m sure he’s thinking mom’s lost it and forgot to fast forward commercials, when the program does not move forward, he tells me it’s broken and he pouts.

When I was 5, I was excited about watching tv! Most of the time it didn’t even matter what it was. This will explain why I had a very good grasp on who Phil Donahue, Sally Jesse, Jenny Jones and Geraldo were. I wasn’t allowed to watch their shows, but I remember just being excited to watch tv! The commercials were always so fun, too. Well, a 5 year old thought they were. I remember doing the ‘Where’s The Beef?’ joke every time I went to McDonald’s, (They were less than amused). But it was part of my childhood, either watching what was on tv or going outside to play because we had maybe 3 channels. My kids have everything electronic there could be to occupy their time and it does. But we also lose a lot of one on one time, they don't play outside, build forts for hot wheels and GI Joes to fight, I used to build up farms when I played in grandma and grandpoppy's driveway. I wanted to be a farmer like him!

When I would spend the night with my grandparents they used to watch a station I still refuse to watch news on because I cannot think of anything other than the fact that it made me feel dusty. This is how mom's garden made me feel too. The noon anchor was a fairly old guy and my grandparents had it on any time I was there.

They lived on a dirt road, grandpoppy was a farmer, so in their house, windows were almost always open. This means that along with the breeze, the dust from the fields and folks driving down the road would filter across a slice of sunlight near the television and I could just see the dust being deposited on everything. I never thought my grandparents were old, but I definitely considered that news station to be so old fashioned.

This is not my picture, but grandpoppy did use a Kubota and he always picked my sister or I up in the bucket. That made great memories!

My grandpoppy would come over and till up a section of the backyard for the garden that went in every spring. I had no interest in the care of it because I didn’t really want anything from the garden when I was younger. I can just assume my taste buds hadn’t developed yet because I have been wanting a garden for the last 14 years or so. Due to some complication or another, I never got my garden. So all the years, I could have been learning from my grandpoppy or my mom and weeding a garden with them, I did not realize the diamond mine of information they had to give me if I'd only asked. Now I can't get down to the ground and I'm learning everything on my own. But, I have the internet, so I'm not alone with all the gardening questions! Hopefully y'all will be hitting me up with some of your advice so I can have the most successful bucket-garden in NE Oklahoma!

Now that I am in a wheelchair, I can’t get on the ground to plant and weed a garden. I still want my garden, though! I have the most amazing best-friend, she is bringing me buckets that already have a hole drilled in the bottom for me to sit on the deck and finally plant my garden. My bucket garden! I’m doing my research now on what kind of plants to get. Ideally I should have started the seeds last month inside, but I will not complain, I get a garden!!! I’m wanting to grow some yummy green beans, new potatoes and corn, but I am not sure if any of those 3 can be grown in buckets. I have an old table that’s probably about 5x5, it was left on the porch when the former owners moved out. I kind of hung onto it now knowing what to really do, but wanting to do something with it. My idea is to build up the sides about 5-7 inches and fill with soil and use it, but this brings me back to the whole I don’t know if I can plant the three big things I want! How does baby corn grow? Is baby corn even corn? If it is, does it grow on full size stalks or on mini stalks? I need to figure this out now. I have the answer! They grow in smaller stalks that produce about 5-7 ears. How cute is that? Pictured below.

Now, anyone that reads this, I am seeking advice. Don’t worry about thinking I know what I want to know and don’t need any opinions. That is the furthest thing from my thinking on most everything. I love a debate, I can talk sports, cars, medicine, general trivia, ooooohhh entertainment trivia is one of my deep wells of knowledge, so feel free to ask me anything and I’m definitely big enough to back down and tell you when I’m learning from you because I had it wrong. So my questions if anyone wants to take a crack at it, is what grows well in buckets, do you think my raised sides on a table will work for anything, how can I do corn and beans with a bucket or the table, and if you have tips for soil prep that goes into the buckets, and if I can still grow good new potatoes even if I’ve missed the St. Patrick’s Day deadline? Answer away please!

My son demands tomatoes and cucumbers. He’s 5 and prefers tomatoes to candy. He loves pickles, gets mad if I eat a salad without him and steals every slice chopped piece or cherry tomato he can find. I definitely need something that will give him plenty to work with. I can’t wait for warm summer nights grilling veggies for dinner and sitting on the deck watching the stars or, on the cooler nights, lighting a fire in the fire pit. This is an excellent beginning to one of the most wonderful seasons the Lord has given us!

Entertainment news March 11, 2014

Wed, 12 Mar 2014 05:18:00 +0000

March 11, 2014

What is the next film to be made similar to ‘Hot Shots’ or ‘Airplane’? Find out here!

What is the next movie to fall into the hands of a remake? I’ll tell you in this article!

Which cabler is opening the flood-gates of controversy with their new series? I’m not thrilled with it, but I’ll tell you about it!

What is Ramona Flowers from ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World working on now? I’ve got the info!

Entertainment News March 10, 2014

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 01:46:00 +0000

March 10, 2014

Are you a fan of Saturday Night Live or Louis C.K.? Get both here!

Neil Young introduces Pono Music – Full story right here!

Does it ‘Exist’? Find out what it is!

The latest film to get the remake treatment is…..

Cartoon Network casts Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey in…

What film are Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg and Uma Thurman working on?

The Jesus Juke

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 01:13:00 +0000

I learned something today. I try to learn something new every day, but some days I fail and other days I learn 20 new things at a time, granted I forget them easily. Maybe I should set things up to songs from the 80’s. I remember every single song lyric I’ve ever heard. It’s a strange thing to be able to bust out Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby when my kids sing the first lines but forgetting why I’m holding a towel in my hand or why I’m even in that room. I digress.

I have been a Christian since I was 6 years old. For those of you counting that’s (mumble mumble) some odd years ago.

I’ve had my moments of back-sliding. I’ve had many, many of the soul-clutching ‘Come to Jesus’ meetings. I can catch a joke and respond 80 different ways before I even blink, but when God calls my name, some days I need a brick to the head, or a Hyundai Tiburon into an electric pole to wake me up. God turned an ugly situation into an awe-inspiring testimony to His grace and mercy in that case.

Today I learned about the ‘Jesus Juke’. Those of you way ahead of me, I’m sorry. I did not read about this until few hours ago, but I have had this happen to me a lot, online and in person. It feels bad to be on the other side of this. I’m sure I have perpetrated them, as well, I am – after all – a flawed sinner.

This is an excerpt from author Jon Acuff’s website.

“At another airport I went to, a humongous bodybuilder spent his time in the terminal doing ferocious push ups right beside me. I tweeted about it and folks told me to prove it with a photo. Not likely. One of my rules for twitter is never snap photos of people who can snap you. And this guy could have broken me in half like a thin blogger branch.

But in all the responses from people asking me questions about the terminal B2 bodybuilder, one stuck out. It was different than the rest, but is something I am growing familiar with.

I call it the “Jesus Juke.”

Like a football player juking you at the last second and going a different direction, the Jesus Juke is when someone takes what is clearly a joke filled conversation and completely reverses direction into something serious and holy.

In this particular case, when I tweeted a joke about the guy doing pushups, someone tweeted me back, “Imagine If we were that dedicated in our faith, family, and finances?”

I love to have a good time and joke around. A lot. My way of dealing with anything in my life is with a joke, a smile and making everything light-hearted. I’m serious when the need arises, but just because there are some folks that don’t appreciate that I love ‘Doctor Who’, or that I like hearing someone talk with an Irish accent, or that I am Bat-Crazy for Batman and call me out for it because I’m not as holy as they think I should be, it stings.

Especially if these people are some I grew up with in the church or an acquaintance that turns everything into a judgment marathon. Acuff pointed out a few other things that almost always follow a pious statement into a light-hearted situation.

1. It generates shame. Most definitely! I know I immediately feel like my dream of going to school in my underwear has happened to me, but this time in front of all my family and friends.

2. It never leads to good conversation. It’s awkward to respond to something like that when you’re feeling like your soul is being questioned. It’s not something you can remedy and feel good by just chatting online about. This calls for personal contact. If you can’t physically go see them, use your cell phone for its original purpose. Reach out and touch someone.

3. No one has ever been ‘Juked to Jesus’. On the contrary, this shows non-believers that we, as Christians, can’t accept each other for who we are and tear the other down publicly. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be excited about repenting of my sins knowing that after that, I get to be ridiculed every time I make a mistake.

This hits the Christian-on-Christian fighting that seems to go on far too frequently that I talked about a while ago. We can’t attack each other and expect those that aren’t saved to want to have the Jesus they see in us.

This leads into another issue that is an all-too familiar Jesus Juke. You go on Facebook to tell your family and friends you’re struggling with something and asking for prayer or just support and some well-meaning person tells you a scripture that will solve all your problems. Don’t take this the wrong way. I BELIEVE EVERYTHING THAT WE FACE IN OUR LIVES CAN BE SOLVED BY APPLYING THE BIBLE TO OUR LIVES!! What I’m meaning is when someone tells us that this scripture worked wonders for them, or we’re not interpreting things correctly because we should feel (insert emotion here) if we did. Just like each person is a very separate and unique individual of the human race, God is a unique and individual God for each of us. He can use the same verse and make it relate to millions of people in their unique situations. I don’t believe that a scripture alone is the answer, we have to couple that with prayer and a strong dependence on God that only comes from knowing you are nothing without Him. “When you make salvation/deliverance/healing/etc. about a particular verse and not the Holy Spirit, you're making the Bible into a magician's tool". Quotation reference here.

Also be wary of the person that uses God’s word out of context and/or does not make things plainly understood. Even Satan can quote scripture to support his needs. The Bible was given to us intact. To strip verses from their origin and pervert them to support our own ends is not how it was given to us. Sometimes the people that jump into a religious conversation, online or physical, may not know anything more than you do, they may know bigger words for things and want to drop as many of those multi-syllable words as possible because they may appear smarter. I, for one, am guilty of this one, I love words, and I really love big words and look for any excuse to use them, that still doesn't make me any less guilty of this one. “Here's the rule: if you can't explain in your words why you're using God's words, then you're abusing God's words and they certainly aren't your words to own." As much as I'd like to lay claim to writing this rule, it's not mine, it is from the same article I referenced above.

Entertainment News March 6, 2014

Fri, 07 Mar 2014 04:02:00 +0000

March 6, 2014

Television series ‘Gotham’ casts young Bruce Wayne and Selena Kyle, see who else is cast here!

New Series ‘Battle Creek’ comes from ‘House’ creator, read the synopsis, here!

Jon Stewart’s Daily Show has no correspondent, find out who it is!

Find out which Oscar winner will write for new ABC series!

I’m telling you what ‘Weeds’ star Mary-Louise Parker is working on, now!

Find out who wrote the source material for new TNT series to star Julia Stiles, I’ll give you a hint, she worked on the OJ Simpson case!

Find out who is at the center of a brand new mini-series from HBO!

My thoughts on the Oscars, Matthew McConaughey and God

Fri, 07 Mar 2014 02:33:00 +0000

The Oscars were on Sunday, March 2nd. As a fan of movies, I'm usually a fan of awards shows. I like to compare the movies and actors that I thought were transcendent in films to what others pick as the best of the best. I'm always way off the mark. That's ok, because I like the pageantry, the dresses, the performances, the John Travolta-moments. Oh yeah, we were doing a live blog post during the broadcast and was truly dumbfounded when I heard that jumbled up name. Idina Menzel was a good sport about it. We all make mistakes but some are much more public than others.

This brings me to Matthew McConaughey's speech when he won Best Actor. He was confusing to just about anyone that watched the show. I watched an interview when he was on Oprah probably 4-5 years ago, maybe. My sense of time is very very messed up. Anyhow, he was telling her about traveling cross country with his dog, towards the end of their journey, the dog got sick and needed to be put to sleep. He told Oprah how he was talking to the dog and I believe his words were "He looked at me and said 'Man, just lemme go.'" He could tell by the dog's face he wanted to be let go, or he heard the dog clearly speak it. I can't tell the difference. My point in telling you this is to say he confused me YEARS ago! Of course his Oscar speech is going to be confusing for those of us that are not Matthew McConaughey. I think that his speech was classic.

Oh yeah, there was the part where he thanked God. While he did more than just throw God in with his agent and mom as is the normal for a lot of awards. He was one of the few if only to mention God in a thank you on stage.

"There’s a few things, about three things to my account that I need each day. One of them is something to look up to, another is something to look forward to, and another is someone to chase. Now, first off, I want to thank God. ‘Cause that’s who I look up to. He has graced my life with opportunities that I know are not of my hand or any other human hand. He has shown me that it’s a scientific fact that gratitude reciprocates. In the words of the late Charlie Laughton, who said, “When you’ve got God, you got a friend. And that friend is you.”

He did not just thank God as a small token in a self-indulgent speech, he highlighted that God has graced his life in different ways. So many Christians have either condemned him outright because of the makeup of his body of work as an actor, or for a few roles. Other Christians have hailed him as the new spokesperson and champion for Christianity while turning a blind eye to his faults. While I won't take McConaughey's movies to be Christian-films, I realize that he's trying. If you claim to be a Christian, you're publicly announcing you're a sinner and not perfect. The world will never understand that's what it means if we continue to attack believers for their imperfections. I believe like the Bible tells us to, those of us without sin should be the only ones to cast a stone. That takes EVERYONE out of the running for beating McConaughey to a pulp. He sinned publicly with the subject matter, scenes and language in his films, guess what - we all have too.

Maybe we hide our sins from others. Maybe we clean up our language for a weekly appearance at church and cuss like a stevedore with our friends. Maybe we try to sell an impression of ourselves to others that is purposely misleading. Most Christians do not show everyone their sins because they would be embarrassed, feel picked on, or just know the judgment they would receive from other believers because they judge the sins of others, too.

If we are truly following God's word, we should extend grace to everyone. None of us have earned our way into Heaven with what we have or have not done. We are given the gift of Heaven upon accepting Christ as our Savior and believing that he is the only way to Heaven. We need to stop the Christian-bashing, the sanctimonious way we behave with other Christians that have slipped up. I will never understand why we spend so much energy attacking each other instead of working together to win others for God.

We need to remember the way we are to treat everyone - with love. If God's love flows through us, we can find the capacity to love anyone that leads a life filled with public sin, private sin, sin on a boat, sin with a goat. So I went a little off there, but you can see what I'm saying. God is our judge, so we need to leave it to the Master when it comes with judgment of others.

Matthew 7: 1-3

Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Matthew McConaughey's walk with God is a personal walk. I have no idea where he is in his journey. I don't know where you are with your journey, either. I would hate to be opened up and my sins laid bare for all to see, just remembering a dozen of them fills me with embarrassment of the person I used to be. God loves someone as bad as me, yet He saved me and loves me. If I can be saved, Matthew McConaughey can be saved and it's not my place to question him about it, demand an explanation or to tell him what he's doing wrong. Because while I focus on the small drop of sin I see in him, everyone sees the ocean of sin in me.

Live Blog Post of the Oscars!!!

Mon, 03 Mar 2014 00:19:00 +0000

Check out the live Blog Post on the Oscars tonight, going on now!

Click here and follow us!

Sat, 22 Feb 2014 02:04:00 +0000

2/21/2014

Anchorman fans – Did you love Anchorman 2 and wish there was more? There is! Read the story here to find out the details!

Edward Norton is not only an excellent actor, but he’s pretty adept in the director’s chair. Check out the project that has taken him 15 YEARS to begin! Full story here!

What’s coming up next for Will Smith? Book adaptation, Independence Day 2, Bad Boys 3? Find out what he’s working on now!

The Entourage movie from HBO is moving forward and you might be surprised who has been cast as Ari Gold’s assistant! Click here to see who it is!

What is Tina Fey up to next? Is the Taliban Shuffle a dance move? Find out here!

Terrence Howard steps to the plate in the Hip Hop world with upcoming movie Empire!

Beetlejuice 2?

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 03:30:00 +0000

Beetlejuice 2 news!!!

I fell in love with Beetlejuice when I discovered Tim Burton. He's extremist, he's original and he's

crazy. 3 things I love about people and...myself. So hearing the same rumors for years about

a second Beetlejuice gets hard to read every time there isn't anything to back it up. Now, we have

backup! The best news is it will not be a re-make, but a sequel! Go read the rest of the story here!

Build-a-Bulletin Board!

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 03:19:00 +0000

Make your own bulletin board

I’m an original person. This carries over to everything I do. My kids have unique names that they won’t find on anything personalized. But at the end of the day, I still need the same things that everyone else does, chairs, a desk, lamps and a bulletin board.

The bulletin board is what I’m going to focus on in this post. I could have bought a bulletin board from an office department store and found plenty of options on sizes and shapes. It would still be the same thing you would find in someone else’s work space. I needed to find a way to make something like that unique. I believe I succeeded.

Hobby Lobby is my home away from home. If I’m prepping any kind of craft, Hobby Lobby or at least their website is where I begin the search. Since I’m not planning on hanging anything more substantial than some photos, post-it’s or a postcard, the weight and thickness of the cork was not an issue to me. I knew I wanted to have some design options to play with. So I found some small, coaster-sized cork boards. Each package came with 4 and I found circle and square designs, so I bought a few of each.

Next I needed to have thumbtacks but, once again, didn’t want them to be boring. So I decided to make my own. I found some great designed bottle caps at Hobby Lobby that just so happened to be on sale that day. I needed some flat thumbtacks that had a long enough point to reach the depth of the bottle cap easily.

Last to search for was the paper or fabric I wanted to cover the cork boards with. I found a small scrapbook paper pack that went well with the bottle cap design. I purchased some spray adhesive and made sure I had glue sticks for my glue gun.

Prep your work surface. Be prepared for sticky residue and X-Acto knife cutting. All that is left is to assemble them. It’s a fairly straight forward process. The one thing I would encourage if you’re going to try these yourself, is to definitely use the spray adhesive. I considered just using my glue gun. The paper would stick, definitely, but the finish would not be smooth and even. I know if I felt bumps from the glue, even with them hanging on a wall, it would drive me crazy. It didn’t take much to do the boards and afterwards I had a mostly full can of spray adhesive to use on other projects. Definitely more than worth the investment of about $7.00.

There are several ways you can measure and cut the paper to apply it. With the size of the small stack of scrapbook papers I started with there wouldn’t be a lot of extra from using one page. I still have to hang on to what is left because I can always get a stamp or punch of some kind out of even the smallest scraps. Even with that drive, I could stand to lose a few inches on the sides. I picked the papers I wanted to use and made note of any designs I wanted to be sure that made it onto the finished product. I accounted for both circle and square designs to make sure I had these exactly how I wanted.

If I had cut the exact size of the coaster before, I would have messed up and glued it off by a few centimeters that would have made me need to restart. I used an empty box I had laying around the house and worked one piece at a time. I laid the coaster in the box, held the can about 6 inches away and sprayed an even coat of adhesive over it.

Then I went to work on placing the paper. I made sure I got it as even as I could and included the little design details on the papers. Then I laid it aside and continued until all boards have paper attached.

I went through with scissors and cut down the extra edges, using an X-Acto knife if necessary.

Onto the thumbtacks! This was also fairly straight forward. Some of the bottle caps came with a rounded piece of foam that fit inside the back. I glued those into place then glued my flat thumbtacks on top of that. The bottle caps that did not have foam pieces, I simply hot glued the thumb tack onto the back. I learned part way through that if I could find a longer flat thumbtack point it gave me more to press into the board. But mine work just fine with having a shorter amount.

Then all that was left to do was stick an adhesive patch to my coaster and organize them on the wall as I wanted. Not what everyone would like and it wouldn’t hold up to heavy use, but it’s good enough for me right now.

*One note about the material you use to cover the cork board. If you use paper, like I did, be prepared to see each hold you punch into the paper when you move a tack. Fabric is much more forgiving in this area, but I wanted the colors I could find in the paper pack, plus I already had it at home. Saving money is never wrong!

Show me some examples of different ideas you’ve had for bulletin board designs, I have more rooms to put some in!

Living with Grace

Sat, 15 Feb 2014 09:49:00 +0000

Living with Grace

When I was younger I believed Grace was just the name of my great aunt. When I learned it was more than a name, I thought it meant being able to move delicately, lightly and effortlessly. I have never had that definition of grace! I am one of the clumsiest people! Finally I have learned how grace is defined and how it applies, personally, to me. Grace is showing favor, kindness, mercy and forgiveness to others.

I learned that grace is more than forgiving others when they ask it of you, which Jesus gave us specific instructions on. Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven…

Not only do we have immeasurable grace from God, because we belong to Him, we must forgive like Him, also. Grace not only means forgiveness, but also a gentleness of spirit, a merciful attitude, an attitude of kindness..

I didn’t understand that I had been living by grace since I was born. The definition of true grace has recently become unabashedly clear to me in recent months. I had heard of God’s Saving Grace. I knew that it covered me wholly, but never really understood its real meaning. Let me rephrase that. I understood its meaning as it related from God to myself. What I did not realize was that God bestowed an everlasting grace upon me that I was to share with others.

Following God’s design for our lives, I am striving to live gracefully. I will likely never be gentle on my feet, but it is possible for my spirit and consciousness to become graceful. There are many ways I have the opportunity to show others and sometimes, myself, grace on a daily basis.

My children are people I love more than anything in this world. I’m terribly proud of their accomplishments, I feel for them in their losses and failures. I catch falling tears and bandage a scraped knee. Being as any normal parent though, when they fail to move their book bag and coats to the rack in the mud room, come in the wrong door stomping snow on the dry carpet or spill something, I don’t react gracefully. I yell, holler and turn into someone I am ashamed to see in the mirror. Children are so full of God’s love from a small age. Once I realize that I’m turning into a red eyed nightmare, I try to calm myself. After I have regained my composure, I apologize and ask my babies to forgive me. Never once have they hesitated to accept my apology and make it good with a big hug and kiss. When they do something wrong and come to me for forgiveness, I am just as swift to forgive. We don’t count incidents to see when our compassion cup should be empty, we just continue to grow our relationship without looking backwards.

With family it’s usually easier to forgive, forget and move on. But friendships are a different matter. It’s a delicate line between a forgivable offense, and a friendship ending crime.

If you are in the wrong, and have wronged a friend, you must put yourself in their place to fully feel what your actions did to them. Let your heart crack and break, if necessary, to fully feel the weight of the pain. The writer of Psalms 51:17 assures us that God does not despise a broken heart. We must see to it that we identify not only the wrong actions of which we are guilty, but also any underlying attitudes such as ungratefulness, disrespect, dishonesty, and (my personal demon), pride. Only then, can you prostrate yourself before them to sincerely ask forgiveness.

You must, above all else, pray constantly during this upheaval. Pray for God’s forgiveness in your wrong doing, pray for God’s guidance in saying the right words, praying for God to go before you to soften the heart of your friend. Once you sincerely ask forgiveness, one of two things will happen, and as a Christian, we must be prepared for either. The friend will accept your apology and the friendship can continue, or they refuse to forgive you and your friendship is at its end.

Grace is ours to offer, with either outcome. We must forgive our friend, even though they may never ask for it or feel they need it. The forgiveness is not for them. It is for you. We forgive because Christ commanded us to. If we don’t forgive those that ask it of us, we will not be forgiven by Christ when we ask it of Him! Matthew 6:14-16 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV)

I need God’s forgiveness daily and some days I need it hourly.

I found a wonderful resource online while I was praying and studying about forgiveness tonight. I urge you to research your needs with forgiveness and to begin showing grace to others as God has commanded. Please don’t let forgiveness, or the lack thereof, be the thing holding you back from your personal walk with God. Remember, there is always someone watching our reactions to a situation. Be it a Co-worker, mutual friend, church members or our kids. We need to live the truths we want our children to grow up believing.

With all that is wrong in the world today, Christians need to come together under the banner of God’s grace and mercy to lead others to salvation in any way we can. Even if it means we have to forgive our enemies and beg for forgiveness of our own.

Entertainment News 2/14/14

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:30:00 +0000

Entertainment News 2/14/14

Did you freak out when you heard about Tupac’s hologram ending up on stage with Snoop Dogg at Coachella? I’m not even a big fan, but I was even like…..whoa! So John Singleton is making a movie about the life and the untimely short death of Tupac Shakur. Read the whole story for his mom’s input and something interesting about his Godmother!

Hot to trot writer, Gillian Flynn and the director that loves Brad Pitt a bit much, David Fincher, are working together again…not Brad Pitt…forget I said Brad Pitt, ok? Anywho, they’re going to re-tool the British Utopia. Click Here for all the deets.

Lego Movie!!! Hoping that caught your attention. It’s not really about the Lego Movie, just a lot of the people that were in it or had a lot to do with it. Good news is they’re working together again! Will Forte is becoming ‘The Last Man on Earth’. Follow the linky to find out why and how?!

Secret casting decisions slip out! Joining Ryan Phillippe in the upcoming for ABC ‘Secrets & Lies’ is none other than the crazy talented….Come on, you knew you’d have to click to get more. Come back and tell me what you think about everything!

Building, taping, cutting, gluing, bleeding....Otherwise known as: Assembling Valentine's Boxes

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 09:05:00 +0000

As the kidlins grow older, their need for mom to make them a Valentine’s Day box for school starts to die out. This is the stuff I live for! I LOVE decorating. Halloween pumpkins, Valentine’s boxes, anything.. Corinthian is in the 6^th grade. I was sad when I realized the school didn’t want parents to decorate but the kids to do their own.

So let me show you some of the boxes I’ve made over just the last 2 years, I know my pics of the rest of the boxes are on an external hard drive, somewhere, but it might as well be in Oz for how accessible they are.

This was Corinthian's last year. Nothing fancy or elaborate. It wasn't my favorite, but she pretty much decided on everything for it.

Now here is Quinn's box from last year.

This one was made not long after we lost the great Chris Kyle last year. We are a proud supporter of our troops, so we wrote R.I.P. Chris Kyle on one side, but it didn't show up in the pictures.

The year before that, Quinn wanted a tackle box. No challenge is too much for me to try for, so he got a tackle box Valentine’s box.

This one is terribly shady for some reason, but there are rubber worms and bobbers hanging with fishing line.

So you can see how I really enjoy doing anything creative, right? Corinthian brought home her box to work on. I spent the day in bed with the flu so she worked away on her box. She was so proud showing me her final product. After I calmed down when I realized she dug into some of my scrapbook supplies, I assessed the situation:

The creative person in me was in absolute agony as I realized she didn’t even cover the whole box with paper! The pride in me was a little embarrassed that others would think this is how I did it. Then God came through and I saw her smile. I realized how she carefully picked the paper she used to make hearts from. How she chose the color of paint that she painstakingly brushed into her selected shape. I saw that for the first time since we had been making school projects, this one was ALL her. Do I think I could have done a better job? Absolutely, but it would never be more perfect than it is. I could only take away from her creation.

Quinn said he didn't think he needed a box this year, so I did no planning. He hits me at the last minute that he does, in fact need a Valentine's box. Not only that, but he wants a dragon. He asked if I could make it breathe fire.

This is what he got. Olaf. I'm sure he will be a little upset tomorrow morning when he gathers his things for school and realizes he has no fire-breathing dragon. But I did what I could. I used this fantastic printable from Pinterest. Since my printer has decided it only wants to print in very light grey tones, I got to get the markers and colored pencils out tonight. Secretly, I love to color when the kids aren't around to steal my crayons!

Show me your creations! Do you or your kids come up with the idea and how do you work on it together? These are some things I need to know for the future!

Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 06:14:00 +0000

The dreaded 14^th day of February is upon us. I get so nauseatingly sick seeing all the lovey dovey and mushy posts. If that is really your style of showing your significant other love, go for it. I won’t look down on you or make fun of you…except to my dog. He really gets me some days. As is my tradition, I will give a list of 10 things I truly, with my whole body, heart and soul LOVE for Valentine’s Day.

1. LOVE my kids. Shocker, huh? If I didn’t put them in here first, I probably would have forgotten, altogether, what kind of parent do I look like then? Exactly, the kind of parent that didn’t notice booze missing or her pain pills gone. The parent that threw a pack of matches at a kid that says they’re cold while I sarcastically say ‘Light yourself on fire’….then they do. No, I’ve never actually done that. I mean, I’ve said it, but I don’t let them near matches. I’m not completely crazy!

2. Next up would normally be Percocet. Now that I am entirely away from my pain meds, I will say something I am in love with is the ability to kick all meds I was dependent on. Yes, I’m still in pain, but you know what? I’m actually happier now! I have my life back and I’m more me. Take that as you will, good, bad or ugly…I show all emotions, now!

3. BoomstickComics – I cannot say this one enough. I LOVE writing for this website. I love seeing everywhere the stories end up. My goal is to make nerds cry and I bet I come close some days. If nothing else, they tell me with NO filter, what they think of me. It’s amusing, keeps me up on current entertainment news and I know I’ve touched someone, somewhere with my written word.

4. Epic music. I meet people and some tell me ‘I’m not really a music person’. A small part of me dies because I can’t comprehend that statement. I love playing the piano, I listen to any kind of music and I’m confused how other people do not feel this absolute driving urge to play air guitar, beat out the drum beats on the dash and sing every section of a four-part harmony. Some of my current faves I can’t stop playing are ‘The Musgraves’, ‘The Black Keys’, ‘The Avett Brothers’, ‘Eric Clapton’, ‘Koko Taylor’ and ‘Johnny Cash’.

5. Broadway Theatre. I have a fantastic friend, Bobbi that is as in love with theatre as I am. The number of live shows I’ve seen since before going with her are all high school or Little Theater productions. Now I’m looking at a new one just about every month, I could not be MORE excited that the loves me enough to be a part of this! FYI: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is coming soon and those of you from high school that remember my completely unnatural crush on Donny Osmond….this is why. I will have to try not to stalk Joseph this go round.

6. Friends. I’ve always been blessed to have some amazing friends anyway. But this year the definition of friend has become so much more clear to me than it ever has before. Chad is the absolute best friend I could ask for! I make no sense, and he makes no sense, but we both understand the need for a drain in the floor! Chanda, Bobbi, Jennifer, Sarah, Courtney, Joe, Mariah….I could go on and on and on and on here, but you guys know I love you and the fact that I can joke about anything, appropriate or not is a great thing!

7. My iPad. I am beyond being in love with my iPad. I can play games, write a blog post, and read 2000 books without needing to load anything new onto it. It’s more dependable than any phone I’ve owned, so thank you.

8. Nail Polish. I’m a total girly girl in a lot of ways. I don’t always wear makeup, or fix my hair, but by gosh, my nails are painted. Not well because I shake like Michael J. Fox most days, but I LOVE to paint my nails, change them up, try something different. If I got for a 2 day trip somewhere, my giant nail bag goes with me. I would rather wear the same clothes for 2 days than not have the ability to change my nail color. It’s seriously a sickness.

9. Bacon. Smoked pig bacon. If you do not understand why it’s on this list, 1 – You are a communist that wasn’t taught the proper way to infiltrate our ways, or 2 – you are a vegetarian, besides my Aunt Marlene, I can’t know you. You eat my food’s food. That makes you the enemy of bacon and therefore my arch nemesis.

10. The fact that my Google Search Bar is private! The fact that I have to look up my kids’ math homework, what an ingredient for a recipe really is, what French drains to pee in are called, What would happen if humans were not the dominant creature on the planet, Why did Picasso cut off his ear, and did he love his brother in more than an accepted way? New ways to insult Yankee fans.

Entertainment News 2/11/2014

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 04:29:00 +0000

Entertainment News 2/11/2014

Alexander Skarsgard will play ‘Tarzan’! I’m thrilled there is a new vehicle that could possibly make him sexier than Eric Northman in True Blood! Read my report here!

Jack Black and Tim Robbins star in a new HBO series titled ‘The Brink’. I not only talk about the HBO series, but I give you a few lesser known movies from folks involved in The Brink that I believe are totally worth watching. Read this to find out what they are!

Entertainment News for 2/10/2014

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 00:59:00 +0000

Entertainment news for 2/10/2014

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer tell the story of pilot, Barry Seal, he smuggled contraband and was ultimately killed by the Medellin Cartel. Read the full story here.

If you’ve got an opinion on the Benghazi attack, and who doesn’t? The upcoming film about the debacle should answer some questions and, hopefully, put a nail in Hilary Clinton’s presidential coffin. My full report on the announcement can be found here

Sofia Vergara is teaming up with Reese Witherspoon to star in a Midnight Run-esque

Don’t Mess With Texas..

New tv show ‘Gotham’ stars a young Jim Gordon and brings us stories involving a young Joker, Riddler and Penguin! Find out who is going to star here!

Give me your feedback!!

Thu, 06 Feb 2014 11:07:00 +0000

Hi Hi!

I’m getting my blog underway! Finally! I have some fun things in the works for posts coming up. But I wanted to know what is going on with you! Yup, you, the one that reads my page and never comments. It’s ok, I get it, who wants to be first? What do you want to see more of? The best homestyle recipes that I can’t seem to cook anything but during fall and winter? Craft projects, simple DIY’s for clothing, furniture or art? I am currently writing entertainment releases and reviews of theatre, film, tv shows and editorials over anything that sounds interesting to me. Not to mention my love anything and all things geek.

So give me some ideas, tell me what you like, don’t like, hate and love. I may not change things, then again, I may change things for my few fans if you make yourselves known!

J Thank you!!!

-Jana

Does Jesus' Great Commission include Facebook? Matthew 28:16-20

Thu, 06 Feb 2014 06:36:00 +0000

Friends, Facebook and God: Do They Work Together?

Matthew 28:16-20 NIV

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I hope everyone learns that it's possible to have a great time and act silly
AND be a Christian at the same time!

When you’re a Christian, you select your friends by different criteria than before God transformed your heart and life into living for Him. Once you’re a Christian, you don’t feel the same comradeship among most of your regular friends. This means you seek out other Christians, or other folks wanting to become a Christian.

This fills your need to be around others with a like-faith and like-minded ideals. Not all of these people will become your best friends. But this is the bonding type of friendship that feels more like family than just friends. These are the people that will pray for you through whatever trouble you face. They will know your financial situation if you’ve ever needed help, like me. Don’t forget that Christians are human, we expect the world to be aware of that. But we need to take a look at ourselves through human eyes and see where we are judging fellow Christians too harshly.. There will be some hard feelings because, even in a church, everyone has opinions of how things should be done.

But they provide an absolute necessity to a Christian. We need the time to refill the God-tank with friends that believe how we do. The longer we are away from our brethren from church, the weaker, spiritually, we are! The more time we spend on those lost to God, they draw what Christian fellowship they are getting from us, personally! We need a refill occasionally.

Have you ever wondered why we have church two times on Sundays and once on Wednesday? It’s spaced out evenly enough that if we reach non-believers and work toward The Great Commission as Jesus commanded of us, we will be spiritually dry, thirsting for church fellowship. God always sustains us and delivers us unto whatever our needs may be. But if God’s Holy Spirit is so active in our lives, we are drawn to other believers. We ALL get excited about what is happening in our community, church, school, hospital, wherever and everyone fills up with a Spirit of God that is excited to continue the good work! How is that not exciting?! Hallelujah!

I’ve always selected my friends based on a variety of factors. I have my best friends, and here I explain the sets of friends I have.

These girlies are forever locked into the BEST FRIEND category

These are the girls that physically and emotionally picked me up when I was at a low point in my life. We jumped in the car to listen to loud music, drive aimlessly and eat Taco Bell…with a Sonic Drink. No, I wasn’t in high school when this happened, they were, but I was not quite 30. These girls were my daily entertainment. We shared food, phones and computers. We took more than is a necessary amount of selfies of us out to do whatever it was we planned on. Mini-Golf, Movies, just driving around til we decided to head back to my house and we’d collapse in the living room with episodes of ‘Supernatural’ on marathon view. Marathon view means at least 28 hours straight. We lived on string cheese and white chocolate rice cakes. Coke, Mountain Dew and Iced Tea. We took our pictures every few hours so we could see how the marathon was effecting our appearance. These girls have moved away now for school. I cannot be any happier for them! Miranda is finding who and where she wants to be in life and I’m happy to see that a few pets have entered her life and I want to meet them! Lexis has just brought a 9.5 lb baby into this world! O,O I. KNOW!!!!! I can’t wait to see how good of a mommy she is going to be to the junior senator. I love and miss my girlies so much! But, I know that they are there if I need something! They know that I’m always here for them as well. That’s the important thing.

Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wives, We Be Heading to KC, YO!

Then, I have my absolute best best best friend of all time. Chadley. This is the person that knows me down to my bones. There are very few secrets kept here. I can say something I know he doesn’t want to hear and I can deal with his not wanting to hear it and if he stops talking to me for a while, I get it. I can make those really personal jokes that someone in passing would be dying to say, but they don’t have the friendship that goes with it for them to get away with it. I do. Somedays I push my luck with that and can and have made him upset. He behaves about like I do, so how do you apologize to a 3^rd grader? You stand in the driveway, not looking at each other, kick some dirt around, say you’re sorry, eye contact isn’t there for more than 10 seconds through the duration of the apology. Dude says she’s sorry, he accepts, explains a bit, nah, don’t worry about it, ok, we’re cool. (Yes, I call myself a dude, it makes it easier when your best friend is a guy). But within a few seconds, we’re thinking of the next awesome road trip we need to embark on. Roadtrips are where true friendships are made….and tested.

My family is as twisted up as a good, healthy all-American family should be. We resent each other, we make jokes at each other’s expense. We cheer loudly for and against the myriad of teams between us that we love. Ah-Mazing food is always at grandma’s. My kids get super excited when we go to Mommo’s house. They know Mommo feeds them just about anything they ask for. We have Christmas holidays with her. My dad died several years ago, so it’s just my mom, my sister and her kids, and my family. My bestie has been adopted into the family now. We are just learning how our expanded family is going to create our own traditions.

Clearly, she and I need to take some pictures together!!!

I have a second best friend. The only reason she is second is because he and I have a ton of things in common. He’s the buddy that we can talk about anything from any topic and we can just keep going for hours. But there is nothing that can replace the girlfriend that can relate to everything you think, feel and say. We don’t get to spend near enough time together without kids or guys being in the way, but these are the girls you get mani-pedis with! Eat really good ice cream with and not once feel guilty for it. We can decorate, create, cook, watch movies or just sit and talk for hours, and if the talking does stop, we have comfortable silences.

By and large, these friends are irreplaceable. I can’t find another one that is just as good. But they all fit into my life in a way that I can still build my relationship with God through. Either I minister to them in some way, or they are my refill from God. They minister to me by having the most fun known to man over trivia games, any board games. It doesn’t matter. Where I am lacking in my walk with God, He sends me a friend with that quality in abundance. The stubborn non-believer that tells me the Bible is just an old book, but it’s not real – Even if I stand my ground and say I disagree. This book is what I live my life by. We may never ever have a discussion about the Bible again. But I know that he will be watching what I say, do and type online.

This brings me to the question of the night: How does a Christian use Facebook? We know that we have our physical friends that will continue to support us in our Christian Walk. If you log onto my Facebook Friend’s List, you will see the people I talk to most.. No big surprise here as my top friends are the best friends I have in my life, the people that I check in with just about daily. They want to see my kids growing up, they want to join in our celebration for a birthday, new pet, new bathroom makeover…whatever we have in our life, these people are here to support us as they do daily.

Another group of people you’ll find me attached to on Facebook are the laughers. If you know me, you know the biggest factor for who I hang out in life or online is their sense of humor. I love to laugh, make people laugh and generally smile for no reason. I’m a perpetual glass-half-full girl that can find joy in just about anything. For example, when I take a bath at the end of a long day and just want the jets to relax my sore body and discover Spiderman and some Bionicles left in the tub that my boys did not clean out as I had asked. Do I get angry about the fact that I discover Spiderman as I sit down? Sometimes…but I’m human. More times than not, I play with the toys while I relax. No really, I do. Want proof? Fine…

I have friends on my list that have some seriously crass ways of talking about anything. For a while I used to respond to things how they put it out. I didn’t like who I was when I was doing that. I felt like I was being a hypocrite and living a lie. But which life was a lie? Am I the vulgar, crass person that wants to cuss all day long, throwing words into places that don’t even deserve it? Or did I want to live for God even in spite of this new curveball? I chose to live for God. Sometimes I post things that are funny, but not worded correctly and I’ve shared them, anyway. I need to stop being lukewarm. I don’t want to hurt my God by riding both sides of the fence. If it’s worded too crassly, I leave it where it is, now. It doesn’t even bother me to pass it. If someone posts things that I don’t want to see, I can avoid one or two, when it moves past that to a regular activity, I hide their posts so I can’t see them. God intended this to be for His Glory. Anything that is glorifying God can be used as a tool to witness. If someone posts things on my wall or pictures that look like they’re just running their mouth, I ignore them or delete the comment if I have to. If what they say pertains to my belief in God, I will be more than willing to tell my thoughts of the Lord to them.

God has blessed me tremendously in my life and this last year it has been at least doubled. From relying on pain medication, the dreaded Oxycontin, for the better part of 12 years, to being completely pain medication free. No, I’m not pain free, and I don’t think I ever could be, but I have my life back. I would rather feel the pain in my ankle from an accident that cut the right foot off, than live one more day addicted to pain killers. It was a liberation! I know who liberated me, too. God’s hand is visible in every part of my life. I think God put me here for a reason and I’m finding my voice much easier by writing it.

Just remember, we ALL have a long way to go to reach heaven.
But it's going to be a great ride!

Yes, I am WonderWoman.
w

Feel free to comment with ANY questions or comments. I know first-hand that accidental addiction to a substance a Doctor prescribed is very likely and a lot more common than I thought, originally. If I can’t be here to respond, please be patient and know that help is available in many places. It takes a very courageous effort to step out of your comfort zone to ask for it.

By the power of GreySkull, YOU have the power!!!!

The Book of Negroes Gains an All-Star Cast!!

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 01:57:00 +0000

Jana B. here,

Lawrence Hill wrote a book that has two names. ‘The Book Of Negroes‘ is the Canadian title and ‘Someone Knows My Name‘ is the Americanized title. The base of the story is told through the eyes of Aminata Diallo. She is kidnapped from her South African home at the age of 11. She travels the ocean in captivity being sold into slavery in California. Like the book title, her name is changed once she gets into America, as well.

She secretly learns to read and write, practicing her Muslim religion and marrying and delivering a daughter before she is separated from the infant and her husband. She practices midwifery with her new owners consent and giving him part of the money she is paid for it. She escapes in the tumult that is New York at the start of the American Revolution. She continues to use her midwife skills and teaches others to read and write. ‘The Book of Negroes’ is a real life historical document that is an archive of freed African American slaves who requested permission to leave the United States in order to resettle in Nova Scotia in Canada. If a slave wanted to escape to Canada during the war of the Revolution, their name had to be written in the book. By proving she served Britain in the Revolutionary War, she gained her entry onto the roles.

Sounds like a moving and eventful story, right? Like something that would make a great miniseries? Disco. That’s exactly what the plans are. Oscar winners Louis Gossett Jr (‘Iron Eagle’, ‘An Officer And A Gentleman’) and Cuba Gooding Jr.(‘Jerry Maguire’, ‘A Few Good Men’),Aunjanue Ellis (‘The Help’, ‘The Mentalist’), Lyriq Bent (‘Four Brothers’, ‘Honey’) have all been announced as part of the cast for the project. A miniseries based on Hill’s bestselling and award winning 2007 novel. The mini-series is co-written by Clement Virgo and Lawrence Hill, Virgo is on tap to direct. Filming begins this week in South Africa.

This is an awesome lineup! Louis Gossett Jr. sits in my mind as he is for most 80′s kids I bet in the role of Chappy Sinclair from 1986′s ‘Iron Eagle’. Every kid in america felt that between ‘Iron Eagle’ and 1984′s ‘Red Dawn’, our parents will get rescued or we would at least avenge them in an awesome and bad-ass way with our knowledge we gained from these movies. Was there a teenage girl that did NOT fall in love with Cuba Gooding, Jr. in ‘Boyz n the Hood‘? Aunjanue Ellis had a small part in 2004′s ‘Ray’, but she jumped onto my radar as the sadistic but beautiful Diane from 2008′s beginning of ‘True Blood’. A moving story line, proven fan favorite actors – there is no reason this should not be a hugely successful production.

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