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Quote of the Month:
"Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement." Henry Ford, 1863-1947
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Movies, Books, Games, Read the Reviews here...It's Entertainment
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo (2012 US version)
Lisa - Love it.. best movie I've seen in ages and yes I did read the book. The acting was fabulous and the book was followed well. The movie had the feel I was looking for from the book with surprisingly good character development.
Robin - Really enjoyed the movie and liked Lisbeth. I didn't read the book, and sometimes the movie took a lot to follow but it was well worth following and I didn't miss anything. Thought provoking... a good movie.
The Three Stooges Movie
Lisa - Never a Three Stooges fan I didn't have high hopes but the movie was fun and nostalgic. It was, without a doubt, The Three Stooges in all their glory..
Robin - Loved it. Great movie.
The Edge of Never
Lisa - Great feel good movie, though it created some controversy over having a 15 year old boy go off to ski the big mountain, as a skier and a mother, I get it. Skier or not this movie is well worth the sit time.
Robin - Good movie, see it on SHOe or rent it, just see it.
Avatar
Lisa - Go see it. It's the once in a generation movie. Robin and I saw it in Imax at the show and we will be going again to a real Imax theatre (probably in Raleigh), to see it in the round. I liked the story and plot fine, the whole experience is a don't miss.
Robin - Loved the effects, thought the story and plot was just a twist on cowboys and Indians. Well worth going, wish we had access to a closer, real imax that was playing it.
Zombieland
Lisa - I was really surprised when I enjoyed this movie so much. Woody and his 4 co starts were great. I'll even head to see a second, which the ending left me believing will come.
Shawn - It was definitely worth it. Go see it already..
Bruno
Lisa - I was looking so forward to Sacha Cohen's newest movie, to make me laugh like Borat did. Alas, it wasn't to be. This was terrible. It was just way too off beat for me and couldn't get me laughing. I can't recommend anyone one waste their time seeing it.
Robin - That was funny? It was miserable.
Len - I told you, I hate Borat and this was much much worse. I could have skipped coming here with you.
Shawn - It made me laugh.
Julie and Julia
Lisa - Funny and then funny. Lots to laugh at here and Meryl Streep did wonderful, as to be expected. She will win more awards for this one.
Robin - Very funny, much to be enjoyed including the laughter of the women around me.
Star Trek (2009) - 2 thumbs
Lisa -Well done, love it. If you're a Star Trek fan, have no fear, go see it, or better, go see it at an IMAX. I hear the effects are incredible there.
Robin - New actors did a terrific job.
Shawn - See it at an Imax, it's all about the effects.
The Proposal - 2 thumbs
Lisa - I hardly stopped laughing, terrific movie. I love Sandra Bullock.
Robin - Loved it, really had some funny parts for a chick flick.
Just Like Heaven
Lisa - Cute and fun, Reese Witherspoon plays a young doctor in a coma who's spirit has left her body. Her and her new friend (tenant that rented her flat), try to figure out how to get her spirit back in her body.
Robin - He hasn't seen yet, he's away again!
The Thing About My Folks
Lisa - Great Movie! Paul Reisler and Peter Falk as father and son do a little road trip when mom and dad split up. Much more then this to it. A fun understated comedy about life, enjoy it! 2 Thumbs way up.
Robin - Robin liked the dad, they have allot in common! He gives it 2 thumbs up.
The Devil Wears Prada
Lisa - Loved it! Meyrl Streep again, what more can I say, fun movie, go rent it NOW! Two big thumbs up from me.
Robin - Quote "I have to say what a fun movie, even though it's a chick flick." Funny and cute, two thumbs up! (He really enjoyed it)
Lies & Alibis
Lisa - Worth the rental, One thumb up.
Robin - Ditto!
Vendetta
Lisa - Great movie. Follow the story and you'll really enjoy this sci fi action movie. Set just into the future, well done. Two thumbs up!
Robin - A movie to stay up for, Two thumbs up!
Buried Alive
Lisa - It was soo bad, I didn't bother to see who did the poor acting. Two thumbs down, it had no redeeming qualities, or it might have only been a one thumb down.
Robin - Quote, "I'm so glad you saved that movie for me to see." Two thumbs down!
Proof
Lisa - Gwenyth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, a terrific dramatic match! If you like drama, don't miss this one. Anthony is the deceased father for Gwenyth, a mathematician, who went crazy and Gwenyth looks after when he's failing. She is afraid of her own math skills after witnessing it and afraid she's like him. Superb acting, run out and rent it.
Robin - Robin enjoyed this one, though it's not quite his style, two thumbs.
Prime
Lisa - Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman team up here to make the best comedy I've seen in years. This is slapstick, this is well done dramatic comedy, it'll have smiling from start to finish, a must see for everyone, this isn't one of those cheap chick flick romantic comedies.
Robin - I got called away during the movie and when I came back home I wanted to see the finish. Watched it from the start again, good movie. Two big thumbs up.
Flight Plan
Lisa - I really enjoyed this movie, a serious must see. I watched it a second time with my parents and Robin and they kept carrying on through the movie with, oh that's dumb, now she's this, or this and that,and would surmise the plot and end all wrong! They loved the surprise ending also when the story all comes together. It was fun to watch my parents watch it after I had scene it and see this reaction.
Robin - Robin gives it 1 Thumb up (but it certainly grabbed his attention and had him animated during the movie).
RV
Lisa - Robin Williams is always fun. Simple fun, worth the rental.
Robin - Two thumbs up.
Lake Placid
Lisa - This 1999 Horror turned Comedy was a great view. Betty White is wonderful in anything and she doesn't disappoint here either. If you haven't seen it and you're looking for something different, this is one to add to the list. Two thumbs up!
Robin - Saving movie for Robin to view, will post when he does.
North Country
Lisa - Really well done drama based on a true story of the first Sexual Harassment Case to be won, in the late 80's, and the ground breaking legislation that set precedence, forcing US corporations to adopt and implement sexual harassment policies in the work place. This starred Charlize Theron and Co-starred as her lawyer Woody Harrelson. He's a surprising dramatic actor. Well done movie. I enjoyed it far more then I expected to and it really hit buttons. All my thumbs up!
Robin - Saving movie for Robin to view, will post when he does.
Yours, Mine, and Ours
Lisa - This was a fun comedy, starring Denis Quaid, Rene Russo and Rip Torn. Yes, it's a bit cliche and it's a remake of the original 1968 starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda and based on a real life marriage that brought 18 kids together. I'll have to see the original, or if you have, send your thoughts, I'll post them! Thumbs up, worth the view.
Robin - Did see it with me, he's away again.
Weather Man
Lisa - Really not at all what I anticipated. It was a sad look at a man's road through middle age more then the comedy I expected. I can't even recall the funny parts now. My disappointment might be skewed by my anticipation to see it.
Robin - No opinion, he fell asleep.
Thank-you For Smoking
Lisa - A fun and slightly warped view of smoking which points out quite well how ludicrous the smoking lobby really is. Thumbs up here!
Robin - Really enjoyed it, good comedy. Thumbs up!
Shawn - Good fun movie, really like it. Thumbs up!
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Lisa - Really this one should be skipped. I read a review in "The Toronto Star" that made think it might not be so terrible, and I'd seen every other movie playing, so....off Shawn, Robin and myself went to the movies! Truly, I can't say anything redeeming about it. Should have been made for TV so all your daughters could tape it and watch it some Sunday morning before the rest of the house was awake. Oh, yes, and that would be your preteen daughters.
Robin - I would have suffered less pain and spent my time more productively had I spent an hour and a half banging my head on a brick wall instead.
Shawn - This was the worst movie since Legally Blonde Two.
50 First Dates
Lisa - I enjoyed this one too. Maybe I'm way too easy to please. I thought it was cute and funny, and took it lightly.
Robin - I can't believe some made a movie on such a morbid premise. It was disgusting and tried to make light of someone's serious misfortune. I see nothing funny in the kind of life this girl had to live or her situation.
Along Came Polly
Lisa - The movie should be spelled "FUN" and it's fun for all. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, laughed the whole night. Robin(my husband)enjoyed this one too, he wasn't grumbling anything about "chick flicks" on the way out. That's usually a safe sign you can take your date.
The Butterfly Effect
Lisa -Thoroughly enjoyed this science fiction thriller. It's a cute twist on the hero/heroine theme and if you're in the mood for it, can be thought provoking.
Shawn - It was good, now leave me alone!
Robin - It was worth going to see.
Torchlight 2 (reviewed October 2012)- This is a fun, inexpensive game that I am really enjoying. I have just swtiched my engineer to the NG 2 mode. This is allowing me to repeat the quests with higher level mobs but I don't have to give up my gains made in playing up to level 50. I played through to what they call map works where I can buy a map and go looking for gear in certain levels or sets and get to all zones in the game from map works, my reward for making it through the 4 acts the first time. Now I can continue the game fun with the higher level play. I can choose each time I play which of three difficulties levels I want to play and I will be rewarded for higher difficulties with better gear. I have been really busy and I don't feel I'll be at all penalized for having to stop playing for a month while I'm traveling, I'll just get back to it when i get home again. Instead of being a demon and hunting in dungeons you can be an engineer, outlander, embermage or berserker. Your characters can use anything in the game and you have full control over your build. It is actually far more diverse in builds then Diablo III pulled off, keeping it a little more interesting to me. The graphics engine may not be the highest end but it's decent and the game play is smooth. I'm very pleased with Mythic's efforts on this and the games playability both on line and off line. I love I can play it off line and maintain my offline gains when I go on line. Kudos Mythic. Best I've seen in a while and well worth the $20.00 spent.
Diablo III - (reviewed September 2012) 10 years in the making finally hit the shelves this summer to a lot of fan faire, only to lose its interest and fan faire within a few months. I played the game, leveled up and made it to the games Inferno Level, Act 3. This is where it gets incredibly tough and the need for incredibly UBER (superb high end) gear to get through becomes very evident. I actually have quite a bit of nice gear on my bow wielding Demon Hunter, that was allowing me to creep through this very difficult level but I just got bored creeping through it. You can buy and sell gear for real dollars on Diablo 3, I was hoping I'd be interested enough to partake in a little buy and sell but I never quite got there. After a few a months I just slowly quit playing as did almost all 20 people on my game friend list. I still feel the fun I had in the few months I played was worth the cost of admission, so to say, but most gamers, are used to a game holding interest for much closer to a year and Diablo fans were hoping for a year or more of fun from it. There is some very disappointed players in Diablo III and blizzard is running patches and trying to make it more interesting, but for me it's likely a lost interest now. My lack of time in general in life means the game has to be really something to keep my interest.
Zynga Poker Security Issue - Zynga Poker is a Face Book application, or myspace or single game site. It is hugely popular, but seems to be unable to track hacking accurately. I use this on a rare occasion to play poker with my husband when he's away or play and chat with my children in Canada. In September I had an issue with some chips I purchased disappearing from my account. They are inexpensive, but what troubled me was the site could not trace the issue so I quit using it.
Well I logged in to pop on and say hi to my husband a few days ago (November 22, 2009) and found they said my account has been misused and cancelled or if I believed it had been hacked let them know. I sent again about the earlier issue and the new one. I let them know that I had not been on the account in 1.5 months to 2 months and if there had been questionable activities, it had not been me. They again sent back they could find no evidence of it being hacked and if I wanted it reactivated, they would do that with slightly reduced chips. This seems odd as my husband said it appeared to him I had 8k in chips (750k when I lost them). I also explained I did not want it activated under any circumstances as it was not me using it. I did not know why I had to tell them this twice, and I hoped the players using it could not access my other personal information being held at Zynga. I had already changed my Pay Pal pass, Facebook pass and email passwords, as a precaution the first time this had happened with the chips going missing. So again, be forewarned....If they can't trace hacking on a very low use account, be leery of purchasing chips or giving any information that leads to your regular email, your personal information or web sites, or giving any pay pal or credit cards to purchase from them.
Backgammon BGPrime? - If you ever wondered how to play of the theory behind Backgammon, well here's a site which not only wants you to sign up and pay your money, but it's very informative and has play ethics, rules, and strategies. Learn how to play, then decide if you want to fork over any money. I'm not much for passing money over but it's an informative site. I added a link to the menu, incase it's your thing.
Club Pogo - For casual gaming you still can't beat the old stand by, Club Pogo. For $40.00 a year you can play add free, hundreds of games, no money to put out. If you are a crossword of Casino for fun player, then check this out. There's a lot here. If you get really serious (my sister tells me this), you can save up all the badges for achievement goals and display then in your club pogo book!. You also get to make a little mini persona that you can shop and buy cool outfits and back grounds for. Not bad for mindless fun and great for mindful fun No one said the word games were easy.
Facebook Games - Is this the future of casual gaming? So many are enjoying the small game applications in facebook. From the 1 minute bejeweled blitz where you try to beat your own friends, to the small 2 D Farmville and such games as on line poker with chips (not expensive) and black jack, where you can meet up with friends you never get time to see, these games are seriously popular for time wasting. The applications are fun, take no computer space and a nice addiction (or did I mean addition), and reason to sign up for the already popular social networking. They really take very little time to pop on and off of.
Nintendo WII - Released November 19, 2006 is totally on my wish list! I guess my WII video quit working, but that's okay. I have one of Robin playing WII rowing at 2009 Thanksgiving. I can post that! BTW, it's still on my Christmas wish list. Been 3 years and I still haven't got one, *pouts*.
Everquest just released it's newest expansion, UF. I've been to busy to play much but I'll get back at shortly. The new expansion has new content, no levels. If you haven't played traditional Everquest in years, come back, it's like a new game. You won't know it now. It's probably more content then any game on the market also, from sheer time out with a consistent dedicated Dev Team at Sony that never stops updating and making it better.
Diablo II is making a resurgence on the household activity list also. We picked up a second copy of it and my son and I are leveling assassin's together when we get the time to slaughter. Diablo II, like it's predecessor is an light, easy game where you can play without huge efforts and still have some fun. Nicely done in Blizzard fashion with no monthly fees. This second attempt does offer more content then the first and the need for some planning on a couple of the fights, but for the most part you can hack and slash your way through, while having entertaining conversations with the mindless children that seem to play allot.
BOOKS
Finally I've had some time to read. I've now read most of the "Sword of Truth" series from Terry Goodkind. This was my first delve into Fantasy Fiction and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. So...two thumbs up to the series, one from me and one from my brother who recommended it to me and brought most of the books over for me to read. Each time I've finished one book I had to run for the next from the library if I didn't have it here. I even had to splurge and buy one I couldn't wait for the library to order in for me. It's an older series and I will follow up by reading his newer series in the near future. Right now I still have two books to go, but the library is closed today and I can't get the next one out yet! Tomorrow will be here soon.
Millennium Series Author: Stieg Larson
The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo -- Once I was in to this book I couldn't put it down. Take the time to get in to it. Awesome book.
The Girl Who Play With Fire -- Better then the first book... couldn't wait to get started on it after finishing the first and couldn't put it down until it was read.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest -- Definitely should be read. It has been long enough now I might just read all three again, and go see the movies again too..
Sword of Truth Series Author: Terry Goodkind
Debt of Bones -- The book that starts it all. This came out after the first book but it is the prequel to the "Wizard's First Rule"
Wizard's First Rule -- Terrific read, can't put it down.
Stone of Tears -- Terrific read, further adventures of Richard and Khalan.
Blood of the Fold -- Awesome read, war and action really take off here.
Temple of the Winds -- I can't find this one yet, soon I hope. One nice thing is the author recaps just enough to make sure you can pick the books up out of order, but not so much you can skip the missed book.
Soul of Fire -- The adventure continues and you can't put it down.
Faith of the Fallen -- Incredible read of wars, hate, crimes, love; leaves me itching for the next.
The Pillars of Creation-- Yet to be picked up, I'll review it after I've read it.
Naked Empire-- Sitting on my book shelf tempting me to read it out of order!
Chainfire-- First of a 3 part trilogy that Terry says will wrap up the series. Awesome!
Phantom-- A 900 page one day read! Okay it felt like a day as I didn't put it down from start to finish. This was a long over due and long awaited second book in the finishing trilogy. Overdue or not, it hit #1 on the NYT bestseller list by July 26, 2006, released mid June 2006. Fans obviously voted it worth waiting for!
Update: August 2020 - Crazy covid world. I think I mostly guessed right back in March.
Features and Headlines:
August 21, 2020- Photos are up but articles and details still to come - Hunting Island, St. Phillips Island and Hilton Head Island photos are up now, articles with details to come, check next week.
August 12, 2020- State Parks a safe diversion from Covid 19. - Wonderful time for quiet hikes in State parks and taking photos.
March 4, 2020 - Covid-19 fears; Are we a sitting duck waiting for it to happen in a global Canadian resort? - Dealing with possibilities.
Recent Photos:
Hilton Head and St. Phillips Island - Another Coastal Expeditions tour from Hunting Island to St. Phillips, purchased by Hunting Island State Park and be preserved along with a few Hilton Head Island photos. Check for details in the News.
Hungting Island Dolphin Tour - Wonderful tour with Coastal Expeditions and walk about the state park.
Windsor Waterfront Trail - Pictures from the parks along the trail.
Entertainment:
Movie Reviews - Three Stooges, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Book Reviews - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire
September 25, 2019 - Cycling at Anne Springs Close Greenway - Review of the trail system in the news.
2017 Eclipse at 99% - My take on the eclipse at 99.2% magnitude. Under whelming but photos and story in the news.
Festival of Lights - Niagara Falls is waiting, November 19, 2016 to January 31, 2017.
Windsor Waterfront Trail ride - See what fun you can find in Windsor, Ontario, right outside the Casino.
The Henry Ford Review - The Henry Ford - A must visit, for more than a day.
The 2014 C7 reveal - October 2017 Two Years Ago - City Chevy - Unveiling Rick Hendrick's Second Charity Corvette C7 2014 Vin # 2
Sugar Mountain put in the Chondola 2015- My last article on Digital Journal
Charlotte Motor Speedway - Fall auto fair 2015 on Digital Journal
Thin Blue Line 2013 - Re-posted from my article at Digital Journal.
Carnival Cruise Western Caribbean 2012 - Full detailed write up of this cruise on the Legend out of Tampa, FL.
December 2012 - A visit to the Georgia Aquarium - Amazing what you can see and do at the aquarium.
Vancouver Island Favorites - Check out Vancouver Island parks and trails in the News, then go find the ones I haven't.
Aviation News- Museums and Air show, August must be Aviation month!
Summer Vacation 2012- Lets all go to the races!
Summer Vacation 2012 Photos - The kids, grand kids, races, and Lion Safari (what I could fit in 50 photos).
Cruising with Mom and Dad- Port Canaveral to Bahamas, a nice diversion.
Photos Cruise 2012 - Bahamas Cruise, 2012 with mom and dad
Vail and Denver, March 2012- Nothing like Colorado, Vail and Denver.
Whistler, Victoria, Blaine, 2011 - Don't miss this write up and the beautiful photos! Everyone should do this for Thanksgiving.
Miami and Bahamas, December 2011 - A fun 4 day cruise and a night in Miami, what fun.
October 2011 - A recap of October in photos, no big news update until next month, then look for Victoria, BC information and a mini Bahamas cruise.
Fall Fun - A Fall Hike and Fall Fairs
Winthrop Lakeview Disc Golf Course- An overview of the course.
Winthrop Lakeview Disc Golf Course - An album of the course, may add more photos later.
Summer 2011- Weddings, Disney, parks etc. All the fun in the news.
Midland First Annual Ace Race- Who won, how did it play, when's the next? Come read the details.
Midland Ace Race- Link for next years updates.
Mississippi - Tupelo, Memphis, Elvis Presley, Beale Street, Tunica, - Just fun, check it out.
Mississippi Photos- Beale St., Memphis, Graceland, Elvis Presley Park, Tupelo.
Tunica Photos- Tunica Riverpark airboat ride, and the evil Sam's Town employee.
Chattanooga -- Great Food, Waterfront Festivals and Fun - A fun place to visit.
Chattanooga, TN- A few water front photos in Chattanooga.
New Orleans and Biloxi Bound. - First Long weekend of the season, getaway. News and photos.
New Orleans and Biloxi Photos- Sites around New Orleans and Biloxi.
Fun at Maxton, NC - Land Speed Trials - ECTA - Details from the May 2011 meet.
Maxton Photos on Flicker - Find yourself or car from Maxton, NC, May ECTA meet up. Email for prints or high quality digitals.
Pink Slips Women's Car Club Photo Shoots - Car buffs check this story and VOTE for Sally...
Pink Slips LMC Photo Album- Photos from the day at Legendary Motorcar Company
Riverbanks Zoo Photos - An afternoon at the zoo.
Summit County, CO. - Quick update, on the Summit county Bears gathering..
Castle Mountain Photo Album - Lots of ski, scenery and friend shots. Find yourself.
Castle Mountain Winter - Friends, fun and work. - All the details, slide show and photo album.
Warning, HHGregg Return? - Read and be wary; features update.
Houston and Area - Houston, Galveston and the Gulf coast, what to do with 4 days in the area.
October in the Carolinas - Myrtle Beach new, Fort Fisher Ferry fun, York Fall Festival.-------Slide Show here too.
Fall Colours- Blue Ridge Parkway fall colours on Flicker
Victoria, Whistler, Whale Watching, - Finally added the details on a terrific spring vacation to go with the photo album I uploaded in the spring.
Port Dover, Friday 13th Ride In - Photos of the Port Dover Ride in.
Victoria, Whale Watching, Whistler - Complete pictures from my whale watching excursion in Victoria, BC, and the rest.
7 Days 4 Resorts, Utah, Big Mountain Fun - Salt Lake city Utah, a great place for skiers. Check it out.
It's Better in the Bahamas - 4 day, 3 night mini cruise to the Bahamas; get all the details.
A Wedding! November 7, 2009, Leonard and Jenny Parker - The big day.
What about the Norfolk Area-Favorite places to eat in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake area and what to see.
Atlantic City, Long Weekend -Why we keep going back. Where to eat, sleep and play
Washington with Grant and Donna -Great time. So awesome to meet up with old friends, and Shelby, you're not 2 any more!
4 Days in New Orleans - What a great get away. We escaped for 4 days and 3 nights to New Orleans.
Atlantic City Weekend -Caesar's invited me for the weekend, free flight for two, free rooms and most meals free. Well it's never really free, but it was nice.
March Break, 2009 - Katrina and the family come to Myrtle Beach.
Wintergreen, VA , Closing Day, 2009 - A day at Wintergreen Ski hill, and we thought ski season was over.
Summer 2007, wow - Catch all the up to date news on who did what, and the latest pics.
New York City New Year - Happy New Year 2007!
Wow Vegas, A Modern Wonder -What a birthday.
Richmond & Portsmouth, VA - What a weekend it turned out to be.
Len and Jo-anne Graduate- Definitely the highlight of my year was these two making it to graduation!
S.N.A.R.T. Group of Racers -Fun weekend, details in the news.
Natalie and Jay at Disney - A surprise visit to Florida for my niece and nephew, details here.
Holiday July 2005 - Rockford and Chicago highlights from 2005,click to go right to the story.
Skiing In North Carolina - Yes, there really is skiing here! See pictures, links to hill sites and more. Click to read.
Cruising the Caribbean - Nice cruise pictures and details.
Fit and Forty - How I did it!
