I need the incredible intelligence of the people on this blog. I have not had much time to read a book this summer. However with an extra long weekend ahead of me, not to mention two ten hour road trips, I want to have something to read. I am anxiously awaiting the new Dan Brown book, but until I can get a copy I need something to assuage my literary longing. What do you recommend? I am an eclectic reader. I read everything from thrillers to romance to the occasional classic. I would love some input. Thanks for your help. Have a great day.
HCM
Melanie
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Recent Picture of Reid
Whee Ha! The gang's all here!
Jim/Nadya/Tall Oak/AiP! Leeny Lou! Nashy Nashtastic! Marianna! JayJay! Luv! Principessa! Koala! Canadiann! Remmi!
To quote Jilly, "I missed you guys!" I was on vacation when the FRC and ATFR episodes aired, and when I got back to civilization and finally watched them, I just couldn't bring myself to go onto the Bach Board. I knew there'd be thousands of entries on the Musings and Dark Horse threads, and I just couldn't face the pain (nor invest the time required to separate the wheat from the chaff).
A month later, however, Soy Grande infatuation undiminished, I just couldn't stay away any longer. The town square in Reidsville was desolate without all of you, and there were no musings to be found. Glad I finally made my way to the new digs. It's much more comfortable here.
I spent several hours last night catching up on most of the posts, and found myself laughing out loud over and over again. It's good to be back among friends. Leeny Lou in particular, you CRACK. ME. UP. The humor alone would keep me coming back, but I also enjoy reading everyone's eloquent views on life and love. You're a very special group of people. I still can't believe that we found each other because of our mutual obsession with a reality show! Thanks to all of you for expanding the discussion to include your own real-life experiences.
Speaking of reality, it seems that a lot of real-life pain has been experienced by many of you in the last several weeks. My heart goes out to all of you. So much loss, and yet such kind outpourings of support.
I feel like I'm home now! Thanks for leaving the light on for me.
-Anne, aka JOR4Me
Now I'm just Reid4Me. (Decided to ditch Mr. Slightly Creepy and commit solely to Supreme Hotness. Too bad Jillian didn't do the same.)
To quote Jilly, "I missed you guys!" I was on vacation when the FRC and ATFR episodes aired, and when I got back to civilization and finally watched them, I just couldn't bring myself to go onto the Bach Board. I knew there'd be thousands of entries on the Musings and Dark Horse threads, and I just couldn't face the pain (nor invest the time required to separate the wheat from the chaff).
A month later, however, Soy Grande infatuation undiminished, I just couldn't stay away any longer. The town square in Reidsville was desolate without all of you, and there were no musings to be found. Glad I finally made my way to the new digs. It's much more comfortable here.
I spent several hours last night catching up on most of the posts, and found myself laughing out loud over and over again. It's good to be back among friends. Leeny Lou in particular, you CRACK. ME. UP. The humor alone would keep me coming back, but I also enjoy reading everyone's eloquent views on life and love. You're a very special group of people. I still can't believe that we found each other because of our mutual obsession with a reality show! Thanks to all of you for expanding the discussion to include your own real-life experiences.
Speaking of reality, it seems that a lot of real-life pain has been experienced by many of you in the last several weeks. My heart goes out to all of you. So much loss, and yet such kind outpourings of support.
I feel like I'm home now! Thanks for leaving the light on for me.
-Anne, aka JOR4Me
Now I'm just Reid4Me. (Decided to ditch Mr. Slightly Creepy and commit solely to Supreme Hotness. Too bad Jillian didn't do the same.)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Where my fellow triplets at?
Holla back yo?
Leen is missing the K and Nash in her Tricycle of Twenty-Something Triplets :)
dead silent
I've been dead silent.
For two reasons.
First, my favorite, lovely, awesome Mac decided to up and die two weeks ago. Good thing there are geeks in this world. Good thing they know how to save a Mac's life. So, finally, I'm back in business.
Secondly, I was in the midst of what felt like a pivotal life decision. As Mel and Ann have shared, many of us are subject to the whims of the economy lately. A job opportunity arose that offered tremendous benefits and pay but would redirect my career path back into the education realm. For a good while, I entertained that job. I even agreed verbally to the teaching job. I agreed strictly from a financial standpoint. My hospital job pays pittance; it's geared towards pre-meds and career switchers who need hospital experience for med school/public health programs. Since the experience is incomparable to many options, many of us work resident hours at measly pay just cuz it's that good. But you can just barely survive on the income.
I went back and forth like a pendulum. I emailed with our blog's educators (mucho thanks, dear ones). I prayed. I ran whenever I even thought about signing the contract. I talked myself into it every single solitary day. Until I couldn't avoid the voice that kept saying, "This isn't who you are anymore." And, then, it was over. The indecision, the fear, the pendulum swinging. Because I remembered that I only get one shot at this life, and I want that shot to be full of things of love and people I love. Money doesn't buy happiness. It never has.
So, I may be poor for a few more months, but I am rich.
I look forward to talking with you more,
Leen
Monday, August 24, 2009
Do You Believe in Soulmates?
Good morning, once again -
I can't believe I've happened upon two rewarding threads on the ABC Board in one morning. Does this mean I should once again spend a bunch of time there? No!! Interestingly, both were started by the same poster, ChicagoGoldCoast. The first thread linked to an article about a new interview with Kip and I did a post about that thread a short while ago. The title of the second thread is as above. There were some touching and amazing responses to the query.
I do believe in soulmates, the romantic kind and other kinds. I'll think about writing more about that another time. At present, I need to run some errands and take my mother to a doctor's appointment. First step, get out of my jammies! Yikes!! It's already 10:45 AM here!
Scotty
I can't believe I've happened upon two rewarding threads on the ABC Board in one morning. Does this mean I should once again spend a bunch of time there? No!! Interestingly, both were started by the same poster, ChicagoGoldCoast. The first thread linked to an article about a new interview with Kip and I did a post about that thread a short while ago. The title of the second thread is as above. There were some touching and amazing responses to the query.
I do believe in soulmates, the romantic kind and other kinds. I'll think about writing more about that another time. At present, I need to run some errands and take my mother to a doctor's appointment. First step, get out of my jammies! Yikes!! It's already 10:45 AM here!
Scotty
New Article about Kip
Good morning!
On the ABC Board this morning I found a link furnished by ChicagoGoldCoast in a thread called (I believe) "New Interview with Kip - sheds some light on a few topics." The link is to a San Diego Union-Tribune article dated August 23, 2009.
ChicagoGold Coast: Just found what appears to be a new interview with Kip. Very interesting - especially what he says about how Jillian focused so much on the fact that Kip had never had his heart broken before, he says "Jillian talked a lot about what could go wrong as opposed to what could go right," Locke said. How true!
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/23/date-fame/?uniontrib
I hope I managed to make the link a "hot" one...not especially computer-savvy here. This was certainly worth reading to me, in spite of my dwindling interest (thank goodness) in Bach 5. Actually, I suppose I'm still somewhat interested in a few of the guys, particularly Kiptyn and Reid.
I quickly scan the ABC Board thread titles every day or two or three but don't click on a thread very often at all. Since the finale it has seemed that, as time went on, posts there became "stranger," more mean-spirited and definitely repetitive. Of course, the quality of the writing has fallen off dramatically as well!! We had a cozy home for a long while on the Dark Horse and Musings threads, didn't we? But now we have our happy home here...thanks Nadya!!
Scotty
On the ABC Board this morning I found a link furnished by ChicagoGoldCoast in a thread called (I believe) "New Interview with Kip - sheds some light on a few topics." The link is to a San Diego Union-Tribune article dated August 23, 2009.
ChicagoGold Coast: Just found what appears to be a new interview with Kip. Very interesting - especially what he says about how Jillian focused so much on the fact that Kip had never had his heart broken before, he says "Jillian talked a lot about what could go wrong as opposed to what could go right," Locke said. How true!
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/23/date-fame/?uniontrib
I hope I managed to make the link a "hot" one...not especially computer-savvy here. This was certainly worth reading to me, in spite of my dwindling interest (thank goodness) in Bach 5. Actually, I suppose I'm still somewhat interested in a few of the guys, particularly Kiptyn and Reid.
I quickly scan the ABC Board thread titles every day or two or three but don't click on a thread very often at all. Since the finale it has seemed that, as time went on, posts there became "stranger," more mean-spirited and definitely repetitive. Of course, the quality of the writing has fallen off dramatically as well!! We had a cozy home for a long while on the Dark Horse and Musings threads, didn't we? But now we have our happy home here...thanks Nadya!!
Scotty
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Private or Public--We Need to Decide
Dear Friends,
We have enjoyed each other's company on this blog for nearly a month now. We are relishing our last days of summer, with family and friends, before our lives settle into the more regular routine of fall and winter. I know that as we return from vacations, job hunts, making life decisions, setting up new homes, and starting new jobs we will turn again to our old BBB Board friends who have proven to be of such wise heart, great mind, and deep soul.
We all have many things to say, to respond to; conversations to take joy in and to share. But we also need to make a decision about our blog. All of us who are authors here are known to at least a few, if not all of us posting. In addition there are some readers, who have been involved in the Musings or Dark Horse threads, who have petitioned me directly to have access to this blog. We are not known to the world at large, but may become so. I need to hear from all of you as to which direction to take this blog.
If you wish this to be a blog, kind of puttering along on its own steam in cyberspace, that may give some pleasure or darn good advice to the lovelorn or the misled (think Jilly types :-D) or the inexperienced, then it would need to be public. If you wish this to be a private forum, where everything that's said, thought, and discussed stays only between these four walls, so to speak, it will need to be private. There are good arguments to be made for both sides.
But I feel that everyone here, whom we all value so much, needs to feel safe and secure in the sanctity of our friendship. If everybody is comfortable with a "public" forum (although it probably won't be any more public than it is now, one never knows) then fine. But if even one of our band of merry souls is uncomfortable, I feel the blog should be private.
I would like everyone to please let me know your feelings about this. Everything you each tell me personally will be held in utmost confidence. Please email me at aprilinparisfrombachboard@gmail.com . Again, if even one of you would like to keep this our own private magical kingdom, then that's the way it will be. I will hopefully hear from everybody within a week and let you know the outcome, but not how the votes swung percentage-wise nor who made which choices, if that's alright with everyone. I will also need to hear from the readers/followers at my email address.
One more thing. A member of a blog may be an author, who can post, comment, and edit, or a reader who can comment only. If the blog is to be private, we will need to decide on a system of how to allow/invite in new members and whether all members should automatically be authors or some be readers. On a closed blog, there may be 100 of each. Perhaps you would like to use a system of sponsoring personal friends to become members? I'm open to suggestions.
Thanks to all...and may our romantic portrayals grow ever wiser, sweeter, funnier, and even more heartfelt and loving with time.
Hugs,
Nadya
Addendum: An issue was brought up, asking if the blog was public, would there be a way to block commenters who weren't following our unwritten code of honor and respect between us? Good question. The answer is: yes, I have the ability to block anyone from the blog, anytime. Just an FYI. :-)
Addendum: An issue was brought up, asking if the blog was public, would there be a way to block commenters who weren't following our unwritten code of honor and respect between us? Good question. The answer is: yes, I have the ability to block anyone from the blog, anytime. Just an FYI. :-)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Fun with Portmanteau Super-Words
I've been posting sober comments lately. I thought I'd follow Kelly and Leen's examples and post something light for a change of pace. A portmanteau is a word created by merging parts of two similar words together. The new word combines the meanings of the original words. An example is "meld" which combines the words "melt" and "weld" along with their meanings.
Many years ago I read an article about invented praise words used in ads. This was in the Journal of Irreproducible Results, a humor magazine by and for scientists (Heidi, you might appreciate this one). The author invented a few words of his own. The one that stuck with me was "splentrific". It's a great word. I really should use it more often. It's a perfect superlative for advertisements: it sounds really good and yet it means nothing at all.
I could only think of one word in common usage of this sort: "fantabulous". It seems we should have many more in usage. So I created a portmanteau ad word generator. Pair off words from the list below. Take the first part of one word and attach the end of another word to generate your own splentrific portmanteau word. For example, start with "dazzling" and "terrific" and you get "dazzerific". See how many you can come up with!
Amazing
Astonishing
Awesome
Brilliant
Dazzling
Exceptional
Exquisite
Fabulous
Fantastic
Glorious
Incredible
Magnificent
Marvelous
Miraculous
Momentous
Phenomenal
Sensational
Spectacular
Splendid
Stunning
Stupendous
Superb
Terrific
Tremendous
Wonderful
Many years ago I read an article about invented praise words used in ads. This was in the Journal of Irreproducible Results, a humor magazine by and for scientists (Heidi, you might appreciate this one). The author invented a few words of his own. The one that stuck with me was "splentrific". It's a great word. I really should use it more often. It's a perfect superlative for advertisements: it sounds really good and yet it means nothing at all.
I could only think of one word in common usage of this sort: "fantabulous". It seems we should have many more in usage. So I created a portmanteau ad word generator. Pair off words from the list below. Take the first part of one word and attach the end of another word to generate your own splentrific portmanteau word. For example, start with "dazzling" and "terrific" and you get "dazzerific". See how many you can come up with!
Amazing
Astonishing
Awesome
Brilliant
Dazzling
Exceptional
Exquisite
Fabulous
Fantastic
Glorious
Incredible
Magnificent
Marvelous
Miraculous
Momentous
Phenomenal
Sensational
Spectacular
Splendid
Stunning
Stupendous
Superb
Terrific
Tremendous
Wonderful
JED in BC
http://www.kelowna.com/2009/08/19/exclusive-bachelorette-jillian-harris-visits-kelowna/
Thought you might be interested in this recent article and pics. The green mankini still lives. Sigh.
Whadayathink? Kelly/Luv what does your body language spiddy sense say? Are they 'in love'?
Do we still care?
A
She's baaaccckkkk!!!
I am finally up and running. It has been an interesting week so far. We drove eleven hours and arrived in south Florida Sunday morning at 4:30. I am still trying to recover my lost sleep from the first couple of days. We are set up in a Hampton Inn, and it is quite comfortable. My husband started his new job on Monday. Even sleep deprived he has already impressed the boss and has been assured of continued employment. I should be grateful for that fact. I am hating the heat right now. It shouldn't be 87 degrees with a 95 degree heat indice at 9 am anywhere. But at least we have air conditioning. My heart goes out to my friends who don't have A/C and have been dealing with the heat. Hopefully we won't be staring down the barrel of a tropical storm or hurricane while we are here.
Now the rest of this story as Andy Rooney would say. On Monday my husband received four calls from people he had sent resumes to in GA and the Carolinas. They all want to talk with him and possibly hire him. I told him had we given up this job down here and stayed in GA the calls probably wouldn't have come. It's the old catch 22. What to do? He knows I am not happy here, but it's a definite job. The others are possible, but not definite, but everyone would be happier. Anyway it is something to think about. We were planning on going back to GA for Labor Day weekend to bring our stuff back here. Hopefully something will come up that we can go back and stay. I am leaving myself open to all possibilities. What is meant to be will be.
I hope everyone is doing well. My condolences to everyone that has lost someone this month. It's especially hard to lose someone who is close to us in age. It makes our mortality all the more real. My thoughts and prayers are with all y'all.
HCM
Melanie
Now the rest of this story as Andy Rooney would say. On Monday my husband received four calls from people he had sent resumes to in GA and the Carolinas. They all want to talk with him and possibly hire him. I told him had we given up this job down here and stayed in GA the calls probably wouldn't have come. It's the old catch 22. What to do? He knows I am not happy here, but it's a definite job. The others are possible, but not definite, but everyone would be happier. Anyway it is something to think about. We were planning on going back to GA for Labor Day weekend to bring our stuff back here. Hopefully something will come up that we can go back and stay. I am leaving myself open to all possibilities. What is meant to be will be.
I hope everyone is doing well. My condolences to everyone that has lost someone this month. It's especially hard to lose someone who is close to us in age. It makes our mortality all the more real. My thoughts and prayers are with all y'all.
HCM
Melanie
Monday, August 17, 2009
(500) Days of Summer
Nadya and I finally saw this movie yesterday after much anticipation. We wanted to let everyone know that we give it two thumbs up! It’s a very original independent romantic comedy. It's disappearing from theaters rapidly, so if you would like to see it on the big screen, you may need to act quickly.
We decided to write our own reviews of this movie in the comments section for anyone who might be interested. I’ll try not to give too much away. If you can’t get to this movie soon, we’ll need to wait six months for it to come to DVDs before we can talk about it openly!
Jim
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Hasta La Vista
Hola mes amigas y amigos. I wanted to take a moment to say that I will be offline for awhile. We are moving back to Florida. I hate the idea and thought I had "escaped". My husband received a good offer down there and they are going to pay our housing costs for the first month plus buy a house or condo for us to rent. It's a good offer it's just I have lived in Florida for forty of my forty five years. I was excited to live somewhere there are seasons. Anyway my computer will be down for a week or so until I can get set back up. We leave Saturday and we are hoteling it for the first three weeks. Hopefully the Wi-Fi will work. I will let y'all know when I get set back up. Have a great weekend and keep me posted on the latest happenings.
Hugs!
HCM
Melanie
Hugs!
HCM
Melanie
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Chris Harrison attempts some damage control and inadvertently does some damage
Now we have Chris Harrison telling the world that there is "a shred of truth" to Ed's former girlfriends' accusations! And isn't he a fine one to talk about "selling out" at others' expense!!!
From Reality Tea, Tues Aug 11, 2009
Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelorette revealed some interesting information regarding the cheating allegations made against Bachelorette winner, Ed Swiderski. Chris confirmed what we all suspected, that both of Ed’s exes – Lindsey Johnson and Bethany Steffen, were paid by US Magazine for revealing information about their affair with Ed.
“The problem is the two girls cashed in and took a paycheck for the story in Us, so, they kind of sold out, which is unfortunate. They sold out at the expense of Ed and Jillian,” Harrison revealed to ET. Lindsey revealed in an interview with US Weekly that she slept with Ed just 8 days after his proposal to Jillian Harris. Both exes also admit to sleeping with Ed during the taping of the show.
Even though Ed is not admitting to the affair, Harrison said “there is a shred of truth in there, which Jillian already knew about.” He continued, “But if there is a shred of truth, you can’t fight the bull!@#$, so what are you going to do? There is not much she can do.”
Jillian admitted to tearing up by the rumors. “I would never do anything mean-spirited in my life,” she said. “I’ll never say a mean thing about one of those girls even though I’m very confused why they would do something like this.”
With all the controversy and drama, both Jillian and Ed still remain a couple. “It is tough, but they are still together, they are still engaged” says Chris.
The fact that these women were paid for their stories does not negate the fact that they might be telling the truth. The time-lines and proof they provided were very damaging. Plus to my knowledge, USWeekly was going to do the story with or without their input, so it was probably in their best interest to get their “truth” out there.
From Reality Tea, Tues Aug 11, 2009
Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelorette revealed some interesting information regarding the cheating allegations made against Bachelorette winner, Ed Swiderski. Chris confirmed what we all suspected, that both of Ed’s exes – Lindsey Johnson and Bethany Steffen, were paid by US Magazine for revealing information about their affair with Ed.
“The problem is the two girls cashed in and took a paycheck for the story in Us, so, they kind of sold out, which is unfortunate. They sold out at the expense of Ed and Jillian,” Harrison revealed to ET. Lindsey revealed in an interview with US Weekly that she slept with Ed just 8 days after his proposal to Jillian Harris. Both exes also admit to sleeping with Ed during the taping of the show.
Even though Ed is not admitting to the affair, Harrison said “there is a shred of truth in there, which Jillian already knew about.” He continued, “But if there is a shred of truth, you can’t fight the bull!@#$, so what are you going to do? There is not much she can do.”
Jillian admitted to tearing up by the rumors. “I would never do anything mean-spirited in my life,” she said. “I’ll never say a mean thing about one of those girls even though I’m very confused why they would do something like this.”
With all the controversy and drama, both Jillian and Ed still remain a couple. “It is tough, but they are still together, they are still engaged” says Chris.
The fact that these women were paid for their stories does not negate the fact that they might be telling the truth. The time-lines and proof they provided were very damaging. Plus to my knowledge, USWeekly was going to do the story with or without their input, so it was probably in their best interest to get their “truth” out there.
The JB Tour: Where they are now
From the Austin Statesman newspaper, Tues Aug 11, 2009
Five contestants from the last season of “The Bachelorette” reunited Monday night at Ranch 616 in Austin to talk with fans about the show and what’s happened in their lives since filming wrapped.
Mike Stagliano: The former break-dance instructor, says he was heartbroken for more than two months after he was booted from the show before reaching the final four men fighting to win Harris in the end.
Then, at a wrap party following the show’s “Men Tell All” episode, Stagliano says he met his true love: “Bachelor” alum Holly Durst.
“I’m gonna marry her,” the 25-year old says with a smile on his face.
Stagliano said Durst, who appeared on “The Bachelor” as a potential suitor for Matt Grant, has met his parents and they love her.
For now, the two are commuting to see each other, Durst from her Los Angeles area home and Stagliano from his home in Queens.
Stagliano, who is a children’s book author as well, says sales for his “Wesley’s Stories: Afterschool Adventures,” have picked up since his appearance on the show. He’s now working on his second book.
“I’m so thankful,” Stagliano said.
Jesse Kovacs: Kovacs, who comes from a winemaking family, says life has stayed busy since he left the show’s filming, and hasn’t slept in the same bed for more than three days.
His family received 75 wine orders the day after an episode showing Kovacs booted from the show aired.
The Carmel Valley, Calif. resident says that for now he’s spreading himself thin doing appearances and traveling, because he knows this won’t last forever.
He’s also doing his part to promote Kovacs Brothers wine, offering samples at Ranch 616 last night.
“It’s been crazy since the show ended,” he said.
David Good: Much like Austinite Wes Hayden, Good, 33 has been on his own mission to clean up his name, after he was portrayed as angry and often drunk on the show.
Good says he and Hayden had something in common: They were raw with their comments, which made for good television.
“People can hate on Wes and I, but we tell it like it is,” he said.
Good said he’s also working on a book about the “man code,” a heavily discussed topic on this past season’s “Men Tell All” episode.
At one point, Good told host Chris Harrison not to mention the phrase anymore after a debate on whether it was appropriate to let Harris in on details about other men possibly having girlfriends.
But now, Good claims that there’s a lot more to the “man code,” and it’s about doing what’s right “for your family, your country and your friends.”
But Good still takes time out to bash some of his former castmates from the show, including Jake Pavelka, who came across as a squeaky-clean pilot from Dallas.
“Jake is a complete fake person,” he said. “People don’t like you (referring to Jake), because you’re a nerd!”
Tanner Pope: Pope has left his contract position as a project manager for a financial firm in Dallas and has hired a publicist to look into doing television work or endorsement deals. Fans might wonder if that means becoming a nail-polish spokesman. After all, Pope was portrayed as the foot-fetish fiend on the past season of “The Bachelorette.”
The Dallas native, however, says there is more to him than a foot obsession, however. Pope says he’s 30, and he’s ready to find true love. Pope said he got off on the ‘wrong foot’ with Harris, talking to her about other men on the show. Pope is nephew of Austin developer Tom Stacey.
Stacey bought Pope a classy, Versace-laden wardrobe from Austin store Keepers for his appearance on the show, Pope said.
He said that after a scene with Pope stripping down to his undies in front of the other men and Harris, he got an offer to do porn, which he turned down.
For now, he’s enjoying the attention he gets.
“I get recognized now,” he said. “So it’s cool.”
Wes Hayden: Weeks after Hayden launched his own public-relations fight to save his name, the Austinite says all has gotten better for him.
Hayden was portrayed as the ultimate villain on this season’s “The Bachelorette,” and he and the show went their separate ways after he began publicly criticizing his treatment on the show.
He use to receive hundreds of hate-mail messages, which have now all but ceased, he said.
He’s also resumed his music career with his band, and run into little trouble, especially since tales of Swiderski dating other women surfaced.
“Everything is really good,” he said. “I’m happy, music is great, and everything has changed.”
Hayden, however, won’t hesitate to take another shot at the show. Referring to Swiderski’s situation, he said “that just goes to show you the show is bull(expletive).”
Five contestants from the last season of “The Bachelorette” reunited Monday night at Ranch 616 in Austin to talk with fans about the show and what’s happened in their lives since filming wrapped.
Mike Stagliano: The former break-dance instructor, says he was heartbroken for more than two months after he was booted from the show before reaching the final four men fighting to win Harris in the end.
Then, at a wrap party following the show’s “Men Tell All” episode, Stagliano says he met his true love: “Bachelor” alum Holly Durst.
“I’m gonna marry her,” the 25-year old says with a smile on his face.
Stagliano said Durst, who appeared on “The Bachelor” as a potential suitor for Matt Grant, has met his parents and they love her.
For now, the two are commuting to see each other, Durst from her Los Angeles area home and Stagliano from his home in Queens.
Stagliano, who is a children’s book author as well, says sales for his “Wesley’s Stories: Afterschool Adventures,” have picked up since his appearance on the show. He’s now working on his second book.
“I’m so thankful,” Stagliano said.
Jesse Kovacs: Kovacs, who comes from a winemaking family, says life has stayed busy since he left the show’s filming, and hasn’t slept in the same bed for more than three days.
His family received 75 wine orders the day after an episode showing Kovacs booted from the show aired.
The Carmel Valley, Calif. resident says that for now he’s spreading himself thin doing appearances and traveling, because he knows this won’t last forever.
He’s also doing his part to promote Kovacs Brothers wine, offering samples at Ranch 616 last night.
“It’s been crazy since the show ended,” he said.
David Good: Much like Austinite Wes Hayden, Good, 33 has been on his own mission to clean up his name, after he was portrayed as angry and often drunk on the show.
Good says he and Hayden had something in common: They were raw with their comments, which made for good television.
“People can hate on Wes and I, but we tell it like it is,” he said.
Good said he’s also working on a book about the “man code,” a heavily discussed topic on this past season’s “Men Tell All” episode.
At one point, Good told host Chris Harrison not to mention the phrase anymore after a debate on whether it was appropriate to let Harris in on details about other men possibly having girlfriends.
But now, Good claims that there’s a lot more to the “man code,” and it’s about doing what’s right “for your family, your country and your friends.”
But Good still takes time out to bash some of his former castmates from the show, including Jake Pavelka, who came across as a squeaky-clean pilot from Dallas.
“Jake is a complete fake person,” he said. “People don’t like you (referring to Jake), because you’re a nerd!”
Tanner Pope: Pope has left his contract position as a project manager for a financial firm in Dallas and has hired a publicist to look into doing television work or endorsement deals. Fans might wonder if that means becoming a nail-polish spokesman. After all, Pope was portrayed as the foot-fetish fiend on the past season of “The Bachelorette.”
The Dallas native, however, says there is more to him than a foot obsession, however. Pope says he’s 30, and he’s ready to find true love. Pope said he got off on the ‘wrong foot’ with Harris, talking to her about other men on the show. Pope is nephew of Austin developer Tom Stacey.
Stacey bought Pope a classy, Versace-laden wardrobe from Austin store Keepers for his appearance on the show, Pope said.
He said that after a scene with Pope stripping down to his undies in front of the other men and Harris, he got an offer to do porn, which he turned down.
For now, he’s enjoying the attention he gets.
“I get recognized now,” he said. “So it’s cool.”
Wes Hayden: Weeks after Hayden launched his own public-relations fight to save his name, the Austinite says all has gotten better for him.
Hayden was portrayed as the ultimate villain on this season’s “The Bachelorette,” and he and the show went their separate ways after he began publicly criticizing his treatment on the show.
He use to receive hundreds of hate-mail messages, which have now all but ceased, he said.
He’s also resumed his music career with his band, and run into little trouble, especially since tales of Swiderski dating other women surfaced.
“Everything is really good,” he said. “I’m happy, music is great, and everything has changed.”
Hayden, however, won’t hesitate to take another shot at the show. Referring to Swiderski’s situation, he said “that just goes to show you the show is bull(expletive).”
"Jilted" Bachelors speak out after the show
From today's Austin newspaper, the Austin Statesman:
Bachelorette Men Reunite in Austin
By Claudia Grisales Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 12:31 PM
Several men from this season’s “The Bachelorette” said Monday that show winner Ed Swiderski had an extraordinary advantage: access to a computer and cell phone during filming.
The men, in Austin on Monday night for a mini-reunion appearance, said they were all banned from having the items during filming, but somehow Swiderski had access. They now say reports that Swiderski was in relationships with two more women during filming are pretty damning.
“I think I saw it coming,” said David Good, the Ohio transportation business exec who was portrayed as angry and often drunk on the show. He just missed the cut for the final 10.
Good — who joined Austinite Wes Hayden, Dallas resident Tanner Pope, New Yorker Mike Stagliano and winemaker Jesse Kovacs at downtown hotspot Ranch 616 - met Austin fans and reminisced about the past season of the ABC show, and subsequent fallout. The event was in part the brainchild of Austin publicist Pam Blanton, a fan of the series who helped get the men together in Austin.
Reached Tuesday, Warner Horizon, the show’s production company, had no comment about what the men said during the reunion.
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced that Swiderski, who proposed to Bachelorette Jillian Harris on national television this summer, was involved in relationships with two Chicago women during and after the filming of the show. This week, celebrity mag US Weekly detailed timelines and e-mails and text messages exchanged between Swiderski and the women, even after the proposal.
Good said only two of the men from this season’s “The Bachelorette” were actually “into Jillian”: Stagliano and Reid Rosenthal.
Good, who says he was recruited for the show, says he believed Melissa Rycroft of the preceding “Bachelor” season would be the next “Bachelorette.” But a week before filming, he learned it was Harris instead, and he was disappointed.
“If I saw Jillian in a bar, I would not approach her,” he said. “I mean, Melissa to Jillian, c’mon! That’s why I was drunk the whole time!”
The men agreed that while Hayden, the Austinite, was portrayed as a “bad guy” with a girlfriend, Swiderski was shown much more favorably, which they now question.
“The truth always comes out; you can only hide it for so long,” said Hayden, who once fended off weeks of hate mail for his appearance on the show.
Stagliano, who is now in a serious relationship with an alumna from a previous “Bachelor” season, said he went on a triple date with Harris and Swiderski and had a good time.
He said that since new details have emerged about Swiderski, he has texted the newly engaged couple with support and prayers. He heard back from Swiderski, who didn’t deny the claims, but has yet to hear from Harris, he said.
“I couldn’t say a bad thing about Ed,” he said. “He’s a blast, a good guy. But maybe he got caught up with the other girls.”
Kovacs says he was also recruited by a casting director. He says he had a genuine connection with Harris and that the Swiderski reports are disconcerting.
“Maybe Jillian trusts people too much,” he said. “Maybe Ed has some explaining to do.” Pope says he was the closest to Swiderski of all the men during taping, and yet was surprised to hear rumors about other women.
Pope said his friend was the only one who had access to a cell phone and laptop, but thought perhaps that Swiderski had negotiated the terms into his contract.
Pope said he was one of the few men to predict Swiderski would win Harris’ heart. Now, however, he says the details of the other women are disconcerting.
“It’s hard for me to dispute that,” he said. “There’s proof, e-mails. It’s hard to negate that. I feel bad for my boy Ed. …If he really had a girlfriend, I wish he was there for the right reasons.”
Bachelorette Men Reunite in Austin
By Claudia Grisales Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 12:31 PM
Several men from this season’s “The Bachelorette” said Monday that show winner Ed Swiderski had an extraordinary advantage: access to a computer and cell phone during filming.
The men, in Austin on Monday night for a mini-reunion appearance, said they were all banned from having the items during filming, but somehow Swiderski had access. They now say reports that Swiderski was in relationships with two more women during filming are pretty damning.
“I think I saw it coming,” said David Good, the Ohio transportation business exec who was portrayed as angry and often drunk on the show. He just missed the cut for the final 10.
Good — who joined Austinite Wes Hayden, Dallas resident Tanner Pope, New Yorker Mike Stagliano and winemaker Jesse Kovacs at downtown hotspot Ranch 616 - met Austin fans and reminisced about the past season of the ABC show, and subsequent fallout. The event was in part the brainchild of Austin publicist Pam Blanton, a fan of the series who helped get the men together in Austin.
Reached Tuesday, Warner Horizon, the show’s production company, had no comment about what the men said during the reunion.
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced that Swiderski, who proposed to Bachelorette Jillian Harris on national television this summer, was involved in relationships with two Chicago women during and after the filming of the show. This week, celebrity mag US Weekly detailed timelines and e-mails and text messages exchanged between Swiderski and the women, even after the proposal.
Good said only two of the men from this season’s “The Bachelorette” were actually “into Jillian”: Stagliano and Reid Rosenthal.
Good, who says he was recruited for the show, says he believed Melissa Rycroft of the preceding “Bachelor” season would be the next “Bachelorette.” But a week before filming, he learned it was Harris instead, and he was disappointed.
“If I saw Jillian in a bar, I would not approach her,” he said. “I mean, Melissa to Jillian, c’mon! That’s why I was drunk the whole time!”
The men agreed that while Hayden, the Austinite, was portrayed as a “bad guy” with a girlfriend, Swiderski was shown much more favorably, which they now question.
“The truth always comes out; you can only hide it for so long,” said Hayden, who once fended off weeks of hate mail for his appearance on the show.
Stagliano, who is now in a serious relationship with an alumna from a previous “Bachelor” season, said he went on a triple date with Harris and Swiderski and had a good time.
He said that since new details have emerged about Swiderski, he has texted the newly engaged couple with support and prayers. He heard back from Swiderski, who didn’t deny the claims, but has yet to hear from Harris, he said.
“I couldn’t say a bad thing about Ed,” he said. “He’s a blast, a good guy. But maybe he got caught up with the other girls.”
Kovacs says he was also recruited by a casting director. He says he had a genuine connection with Harris and that the Swiderski reports are disconcerting.
“Maybe Jillian trusts people too much,” he said. “Maybe Ed has some explaining to do.” Pope says he was the closest to Swiderski of all the men during taping, and yet was surprised to hear rumors about other women.
Pope said his friend was the only one who had access to a cell phone and laptop, but thought perhaps that Swiderski had negotiated the terms into his contract.
Pope said he was one of the few men to predict Swiderski would win Harris’ heart. Now, however, he says the details of the other women are disconcerting.
“It’s hard for me to dispute that,” he said. “There’s proof, e-mails. It’s hard to negate that. I feel bad for my boy Ed. …If he really had a girlfriend, I wish he was there for the right reasons.”
Monday, August 10, 2009
Reen Wedding Tribute
Haiku, eh?
Counting syllables
Seems so utterly awkward
I fall on my sword.
Hmmmm.....
Counting syllables
Is something I'm not good at
So... rhyming couplets?
(P.S. Cornelia??!! Where are you?? Please come and grace us with one of your epic poems! In the meantime, here is my humble offering to the wedding party)
There once was a lovely lass named Leen
For whose wedding we're setting the scene
Reid, are you going to attempt the hula?
You know, moonwalking just may be coola
Shall we dance crazily down the aisle,
Hula-ing and moonwalking, single file?
Nash and Michael, will you do a breakdance?
Who knows, you may even find some romance
Heidi will you bring some Kovacs love juice?
The elk's mating call may just bring him a moose
We'll raise ourselves a hearty toast to Soy Grande
Melanie's champagne glasses will come in handay
This will surely be a whole lot of fun
A veritable Known Source of Disruption
Joanne, bring your lovely, sweet spouse
For we need some more men in the house!
Nadya, do you have a rehearsal dinner booked?
Thai food is great, just make sure it's all cooked
Melanie, did you also say you would cater?
Jim, will you step in as honorary pater?
The rutabagas must be served all pristine
Scrubbed and polished to a very high sheen
Reid's bro will supply t-shirts and such
Which will surely say 'I love you this much'
The vows will, of course, be in haiku
We'll have goat meat but, please, no fondue
Remmi, please find everyone a dress
I don't own a conical bra, I confess
Jim, will you brush up your Hebrew?
Give a speech, smash a glass or two?
There won't be a mankini in sight
Though manbags are certainly all right
Luv, some bedazzlers from The Bend 'N Fold?
Now wouldn't that be a fine sight to behold?
Reid's 'mom-mom' will be most delighted
Mama Rosenthal will be super excited
Reid's dad will be proud of his son
For finally finding and marrying the one
What a day for Triple and her HoneyBear
That we're all so very "Thriller'ed" to share!
Then the happy couple will ride off, of course
Into the sunset, on a beautiful Dark Horse
And after the honeymoon, they'll find some real estate
To start a brand new life with their new life's mate
Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars?
Ann says a happy life is written in the stars
Counting syllables
Seems so utterly awkward
I fall on my sword.
Hmmmm.....
Counting syllables
Is something I'm not good at
So... rhyming couplets?
(P.S. Cornelia??!! Where are you?? Please come and grace us with one of your epic poems! In the meantime, here is my humble offering to the wedding party)
There once was a lovely lass named Leen
For whose wedding we're setting the scene
Reid, are you going to attempt the hula?
You know, moonwalking just may be coola
Shall we dance crazily down the aisle,
Hula-ing and moonwalking, single file?
Nash and Michael, will you do a breakdance?
Who knows, you may even find some romance
Heidi will you bring some Kovacs love juice?
The elk's mating call may just bring him a moose
We'll raise ourselves a hearty toast to Soy Grande
Melanie's champagne glasses will come in handay
This will surely be a whole lot of fun
A veritable Known Source of Disruption
Joanne, bring your lovely, sweet spouse
For we need some more men in the house!
Nadya, do you have a rehearsal dinner booked?
Thai food is great, just make sure it's all cooked
Melanie, did you also say you would cater?
Jim, will you step in as honorary pater?
The rutabagas must be served all pristine
Scrubbed and polished to a very high sheen
Reid's bro will supply t-shirts and such
Which will surely say 'I love you this much'
The vows will, of course, be in haiku
We'll have goat meat but, please, no fondue
Remmi, please find everyone a dress
I don't own a conical bra, I confess
Jim, will you brush up your Hebrew?
Give a speech, smash a glass or two?
There won't be a mankini in sight
Though manbags are certainly all right
Luv, some bedazzlers from The Bend 'N Fold?
Now wouldn't that be a fine sight to behold?
Reid's 'mom-mom' will be most delighted
Mama Rosenthal will be super excited
Reid's dad will be proud of his son
For finally finding and marrying the one
What a day for Triple and her HoneyBear
That we're all so very "Thriller'ed" to share!
Then the happy couple will ride off, of course
Into the sunset, on a beautiful Dark Horse
And after the honeymoon, they'll find some real estate
To start a brand new life with their new life's mate
Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars?
Ann says a happy life is written in the stars
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Had to Share this Site
With all the talk about an online writing group and then spending time reading and enjoying some of the fabulously humourous writings of the people here I had to share this site. I googled Online Love Stories last night (I was bored). And found this one particular site. I was going to copy over some of the stories but decided to not foist my opinions on the readers here. Some of the stories are just so awful you have to wade through the drivel yourself. I also checked and didn't find anywhere that restricts the use of the material except on this site.
I decided to check on a couple that were given high "heart" ratings and some with zero hearts. Quite honestly I couldn't see the difference. As you all know I certainly don't profess to be professional but from what I saw on this site - we are all experts. Maybe there is a hidden gem on the site - I only read about 5 of the stories (and they are all short) but none of them got my attention. I believe some of them were just high school assignments that maybe they considered submitting.
I would dearly love to see a real great story written and submitted. Although people can rate the stories there is no area for feedback. Anyway main thing was to share this site and if you find anything fun let me know. Actually let me know if anyone finds something worth reading -- so far I am batting zero.
Loving You
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Hyperlinks in comments
So, we're gonna learn HTML code today, friends.
To post a hyperlink (that is, a clickable link to another website ) in the comments section of a post, go to this page to retrieve the code (it's the third paragraph):
http://www.bloggertipsandtricks.com/2007/10/make-active-clickable-links-in-posts.html
When you want to insert a link, follow these steps:
1) COPY and PASTE the code from the website into the comment
2) Where it says "URL of target site" (that's the web address, i.e. www.romanticportrayals.com), type in or copy-and-paste the desired URL.
3) Where it says "anchor text", write the title you want, i.e Romantic Portrayals.
Do NOT get freaked out by the CODE. Just copy and paste the code, then follow the steps.
I tried to copy and paste the code into this post, but it automatically converted it to a hyperlink. Geez.
Happy Linking!!!!!
To post a hyperlink (that is, a clickable link to another website ) in the comments section of a post, go to this page to retrieve the code (it's the third paragraph):
http://www.bloggertipsandtricks.com/2007/10/make-active-clickable-links-in-posts.html
When you want to insert a link, follow these steps:
1) COPY and PASTE the code from the website into the comment
2) Where it says "URL of target site" (that's the web address, i.e. www.romanticportrayals.com), type in or copy-and-paste the desired URL.
3) Where it says "anchor text", write the title you want, i.e Romantic Portrayals.
Do NOT get freaked out by the CODE. Just copy and paste the code, then follow the steps.
I tried to copy and paste the code into this post, but it automatically converted it to a hyperlink. Geez.
Happy Linking!!!!!
This is what she wants?
I found this on iGoogle. Here is a link. www.etonline.com/news/2009/08/77350/index.html
Can we please have someone do an clothing intervention? I am amazed that she is still hanging with him amid all the rumours( I spelled it that way in honour of all my Canadian friends. It looks nicer too!). I guess they need to make it look good for the cameras. However I feel it's all about the contract. Just my opinion.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
HCM
Melanie
Can we please have someone do an clothing intervention? I am amazed that she is still hanging with him amid all the rumours( I spelled it that way in honour of all my Canadian friends. It looks nicer too!). I guess they need to make it look good for the cameras. However I feel it's all about the contract. Just my opinion.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
HCM
Melanie
Friday, August 7, 2009
Reen Wedding
Hey, hey, hey~
As we know, growing up, I never imagined my wedding.
Well, there's no day like the present to start imagining.
It's been on the back burner for a couple weeks as my OCD love-muffin dried his last Visine-induced tear, but we're back in business.
The REEN Wedding has suffered enough setbacks.
It's time to dig into those bridal magazines, pull out the checklist, and dust-off Remmi's bridesmaids dresses, cuz we've got The. Most. Soy. Grande. Wedding. Of. All. Time. to plan.
A few things:
1) Below, find archives of the wedding plans to date.
2) Pick a shirt.
Reid said, "I'm indecisive. Let them pick."
http://www.sweetnsourtees.com/teamreidt-shirts.aspx
Scroll down to the middle for your choice of rehearsal dinner attire.
3) Practice, practice, practice.
THIS is how we're TOTALLY coming down the aisle. Totally.
Reid said, "No hula?"
I said, "Honey bear, remember last time?"
He said, "Oh. Right."
I said, "You wanna beat it?"
He said, "C'mere, pretty young thing."
Before I get distracted, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0
As we know, growing up, I never imagined my wedding.
Well, there's no day like the present to start imagining.
It's been on the back burner for a couple weeks as my OCD love-muffin dried his last Visine-induced tear, but we're back in business.
The REEN Wedding has suffered enough setbacks.
It's time to dig into those bridal magazines, pull out the checklist, and dust-off Remmi's bridesmaids dresses, cuz we've got The. Most. Soy. Grande. Wedding. Of. All. Time. to plan.
A few things:
1) Below, find archives of the wedding plans to date.
2) Pick a shirt.
Reid said, "I'm indecisive. Let them pick."
http://www.sweetnsourtees.com/teamreidt-shirts.aspx
Scroll down to the middle for your choice of rehearsal dinner attire.
3) Practice, practice, practice.
THIS is how we're TOTALLY coming down the aisle. Totally.
Reid said, "No hula?"
I said, "Honey bear, remember last time?"
He said, "Oh. Right."
I said, "You wanna beat it?"
He said, "C'mere, pretty young thing."
Before I get distracted, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0
Some more functionality tips
Hey, friends!
I'm tinkering tonight with our lovely blog after a day of tinkering with my car and the plaid shirt racks (do I like this plaid or that plaid?) and then my thoughts (it's like a maelstrom currently...when I unpack it all, I'll be sure to share).
Two tips:
Editing: There are two paths to get to the edit. 1) When you log into the blog, there is an "edit posts" button on your profile page. You just select your post that you want to edit, it'll bring up the draft, you make your changes, save it, and voila! The job is done! a la Mary Poppins. Or 2) Hit "New Post". But instead of drafting a new post, select the "edit posts" hyperlink which will bring you to the same page as Route 1.
Hyperlinks: Some of us like to add links to the post. When you draft a new post, position the "I" bar where you want to insert the hyperlink, then click the "chain link" icon (after the Font color icon and before the paragraph indentation icons). It'll prompt you to type the url. And voila! The job is done!.
Hope that helps us,
Leen
I'm tinkering tonight with our lovely blog after a day of tinkering with my car and the plaid shirt racks (do I like this plaid or that plaid?) and then my thoughts (it's like a maelstrom currently...when I unpack it all, I'll be sure to share).
Two tips:
Editing: There are two paths to get to the edit. 1) When you log into the blog, there is an "edit posts" button on your profile page. You just select your post that you want to edit, it'll bring up the draft, you make your changes, save it, and voila! The job is done! a la Mary Poppins. Or 2) Hit "New Post". But instead of drafting a new post, select the "edit posts" hyperlink which will bring you to the same page as Route 1.
Hyperlinks: Some of us like to add links to the post. When you draft a new post, position the "I" bar where you want to insert the hyperlink, then click the "chain link" icon (after the Font color icon and before the paragraph indentation icons). It'll prompt you to type the url. And voila! The job is done!.
Hope that helps us,
Leen
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Is anyone else here a Mad Men Addict?
Season 3 starts Aug 16 on AMC. I love this show. A set-in-the-sixties soap opera with plenty of romance, sex and drama. Great suspense and period authenticity. Not to mention a very tall, dark and handsome leading man. It's the women's stories that intrigue me most.
It's a great insight into the generation of the 50s and 60s and so well written, IMO. Anyone else?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Forever always seems to be around when things begin
I never imagined my wedding growing up.
While my sister and mom and girlfriends envisioned pouffy, white dresses and lilies, no roses, no gladiolas, I wondered about "How do you know he'll love you forever?"
I sat with them as they paged through pages of high-cheek boned, soon-to-be Mrs., and dutifully dogged eared my favorite rings for our later comparisons. Then I forgot about it.
Until I hit college where, the last two months of senior year, I found men dropping to their knees wherever I walked. No, not for my hand, but to push that glittering, coveted rock onto their beloved's finger. Love was definitely in the air, or should I say, "forever" played on repeat in many a male mind when orgo and engineering and business plans could finally cede the floor.
Again, I forgot about it when I sat in the driver's seat heading to the Southwest.
And as more and more friends of mine take that short walk down the white stole toward conubial bliss, I sit or stand with them, smiling, joyful that they're willing to give their forever to some remarkable human.
But then I forget it thinking instead about words and their meaning.
So, I wonder at the forever of it all, especially as we witness Girlfriend-gate 2009.
I wonder how someone can lie to you that convincingly. I wonder how you can hold on to them at the expense of your own dignity, more your own heart. I wonder how you can lie to yourself repeatedly hoping either to believe it or change the truth. I wonder, too, how you can defend it with evidence screaming in your face. We've all done it, but why?
Here's the link to Jillian & Ed's GMA interview and another interview with Lindsey:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8251834&page=1
If he lied to her once about his cause to leave, how does she trust that he'll not lie to her again? And isn't ferrying her off to The Chapel of Love just rushing something to convince the media that "true love" was found?
The more I watch of them, the more I'm left feeling like I just drank a bottle of soured wine at the wedding.
While my sister and mom and girlfriends envisioned pouffy, white dresses and lilies, no roses, no gladiolas, I wondered about "How do you know he'll love you forever?"
I sat with them as they paged through pages of high-cheek boned, soon-to-be Mrs., and dutifully dogged eared my favorite rings for our later comparisons. Then I forgot about it.
Until I hit college where, the last two months of senior year, I found men dropping to their knees wherever I walked. No, not for my hand, but to push that glittering, coveted rock onto their beloved's finger. Love was definitely in the air, or should I say, "forever" played on repeat in many a male mind when orgo and engineering and business plans could finally cede the floor.
Again, I forgot about it when I sat in the driver's seat heading to the Southwest.
And as more and more friends of mine take that short walk down the white stole toward conubial bliss, I sit or stand with them, smiling, joyful that they're willing to give their forever to some remarkable human.
But then I forget it thinking instead about words and their meaning.
So, I wonder at the forever of it all, especially as we witness Girlfriend-gate 2009.
I wonder how someone can lie to you that convincingly. I wonder how you can hold on to them at the expense of your own dignity, more your own heart. I wonder how you can lie to yourself repeatedly hoping either to believe it or change the truth. I wonder, too, how you can defend it with evidence screaming in your face. We've all done it, but why?
Here's the link to Jillian & Ed's GMA interview and another interview with Lindsey:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=8251834&page=1
If he lied to her once about his cause to leave, how does she trust that he'll not lie to her again? And isn't ferrying her off to The Chapel of Love just rushing something to convince the media that "true love" was found?
The more I watch of them, the more I'm left feeling like I just drank a bottle of soured wine at the wedding.
It's a Full Moon
I'm a Cancer, ruled by the moon. I am always a little edgy on full moons. I may have to make a late night dash down to the Bend N Fold for a $1 jugotini to take that edge off! while keeping my clothes on!
If you enjoy astrology, here's a link about this particular full moon.
http://www.californiapsychics.com/articles/Newsletter/3604/Lunar_Eclipse_In_Aquarius.aspx
I found it with my new iGoogle homepage - Thanks to Jim! It took me a few tries I admit, but I finally got it working and can now easily keep up with new comments. Yeah!
Anyone else affected by the Lunar tides? Have you noticed any influence in your lives? What, if anything does it mean to you?
Ann
For your listening pleasure
I took a quick peek at the BB today and the die-hards posted a link to a radio interview Reid did today. I can't copy the link into this post unfortunately but there's a thread titled "Audio - Reid's Interview from Today" where the audio link is. There is another thread titled "REID on Cosmo Radio Now" which details the interview. Rumours are still flying regarding SEXT-GATE and when Reid was asked about it, he took the high road. He's a class act, our Reid!
Off to Penticton tomorrow for the wedding! Talk to you when I return.
♥ Remmi
Off to Penticton tomorrow for the wedding! Talk to you when I return.
♥ Remmi
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
AFI's Top Ten Romantic Comedy Movies
Remember this is a subjective list and I am just repeating what the "experts" have declared as the top ten Romantic Comedies.
10 - Sleepless in Seattle
9 - Harold and Maude
8 - Moonstruck
7 - Adam's Rib
6 - When Harry Met Sally (ok the deli scene is one of the best - "I'll have
what she is having")
5 - Philadelphia Story
4 - Roman Holiday
3 - It Happened One Night
2 - Annie Hall
1 - City Lights (I am not a silent movie fan so this choice disappoints me)
What surprises you the most that its on the list and what is missing from the list? My choice is as I said City Lights to even make the top ten let alone the number one choice. Not sure what I am surprised at not being on the list - there are too many movies that I personally loved that are not here.
10 - Sleepless in Seattle
9 - Harold and Maude
8 - Moonstruck
7 - Adam's Rib
6 - When Harry Met Sally (ok the deli scene is one of the best - "I'll have
what she is having")
5 - Philadelphia Story
4 - Roman Holiday
3 - It Happened One Night
2 - Annie Hall
1 - City Lights (I am not a silent movie fan so this choice disappoints me)
What surprises you the most that its on the list and what is missing from the list? My choice is as I said City Lights to even make the top ten let alone the number one choice. Not sure what I am surprised at not being on the list - there are too many movies that I personally loved that are not here.
Monday, August 3, 2009
How to keep track of new comments
I try to read everything on this blog. With so many conversations on so many threads, I had to check all of them to see if any new comments are added (I have trouble remembering which posts/threads have how many comments the last time I looked). I finally figured out how to find out which posts (or threads) have new comments.
This approach requires you to have a personalized Google page. Not that this approach doesn't update sooner than the last one or two hours. But it's pretty nifty. I first thought it was e-mail notification but it turns out to be much better.
Here are the steps: 1) Log into your Google account and then return to the Romantic Portrayals main page. 2) In the right pane, there are two Subscribe To boxes. Select All Comments and click Add to Google (or one of the others, if you prefer). I didn't bother with All Posts because it's pretty easy to keep track of those. 3) In the next screen, I don't know what Google Reader is, so I clicked Add to Google homepage. This generates a personalized page with various standard pieces. One of the "gadgets" is a list of three of the most recent comments added to Romantic Portrayals. Okay, not really the most recent, unless you're Leen reading them in the middle of the night. 4) If you want to see more than three, click the little arrow in the top right, click Edit Settings and then change the Show Items count. Click Save to get the new list count. 5) If you move the mouse over an item on the list, or if you click the "+" in front of one, you see the whole text of that comment. If you click the comment you open the blog and go to that comment. 6) Most cool of all, if you click the little window square next to the arrow at the top right, it opens a full list of all comments in reverse order. You can also view only the new ones. If you click on the title, it opens the blog. Once this is set up, as long as you're logged into your Google account, the Google page will open the iGoogle personalized page, where you can see recent blog comments and no doubt many other wonderful things.
I hope this helps!
Jim
This approach requires you to have a personalized Google page. Not that this approach doesn't update sooner than the last one or two hours. But it's pretty nifty. I first thought it was e-mail notification but it turns out to be much better.
Here are the steps: 1) Log into your Google account and then return to the Romantic Portrayals main page. 2) In the right pane, there are two Subscribe To boxes. Select All Comments and click Add to Google (or one of the others, if you prefer). I didn't bother with All Posts because it's pretty easy to keep track of those. 3) In the next screen, I don't know what Google Reader is, so I clicked Add to Google homepage. This generates a personalized page with various standard pieces. One of the "gadgets" is a list of three of the most recent comments added to Romantic Portrayals. Okay, not really the most recent, unless you're Leen reading them in the middle of the night. 4) If you want to see more than three, click the little arrow in the top right, click Edit Settings and then change the Show Items count. Click Save to get the new list count. 5) If you move the mouse over an item on the list, or if you click the "+" in front of one, you see the whole text of that comment. If you click the comment you open the blog and go to that comment. 6) Most cool of all, if you click the little window square next to the arrow at the top right, it opens a full list of all comments in reverse order. You can also view only the new ones. If you click on the title, it opens the blog. Once this is set up, as long as you're logged into your Google account, the Google page will open the iGoogle personalized page, where you can see recent blog comments and no doubt many other wonderful things.
I hope this helps!
Jim
Sigh....
Hola Mi Amores:
Anyone else feeling a little blue tonight (or turquoise in my case) with the lack of REID-TV? I was away for a few days and see there has been plenty of action on the blog. Way to go! I will probably not be able to fully catch up for a few days. I have guests arriving tomorrow and I head west on Thursday but I'm looking forward to catching up soon!
Hope everyone had a nice weekend. It's the Civic Holiday here in Canada today and I'm on vacation this week....woot woot!
Remmi
Anyone else feeling a little blue tonight (or turquoise in my case) with the lack of REID-TV? I was away for a few days and see there has been plenty of action on the blog. Way to go! I will probably not be able to fully catch up for a few days. I have guests arriving tomorrow and I head west on Thursday but I'm looking forward to catching up soon!
Hope everyone had a nice weekend. It's the Civic Holiday here in Canada today and I'm on vacation this week....woot woot!
Remmi
Something Silly - The Bend N Fold Bugle
Just for fun. I posted this on the board and thought you guys might get a kick out of it. This is my genre. Crazy talent, I know . . . I can't really put it on my resume! I hope you enjoy the respite from our Bachelorette Syndrome. :)
The Bend N Fold Bugle
A weekly newsletter for skanks, by skanks and about skanks.
(Because nobody blows a bugle better than the Bend N Fold gals)
Come One, Come All - By Lacey Thangs
Mondays are Bearded Lady Nights at the Bend N Fold. C’mon gals, don’t let a little facial hair keep you away from all the fun! Join some of your shave-worthy sisters for a night you’ll never forget! No cover charge for bearded ladies. Sorry to all you stubble-chasin’ men out there: $5 cover to mix it up with all the Hairy Harriets you can handle this side of the Mississippi!
More Bounce to the Ounce Nights are Tuesdays at the Bend N Fold. We offer a little something for everyone. Doing your laundry? Enjoy our buy one get one specials on Bounce dryer sheets. Looking for entertainment? Enjoy Meanie “Bounce” Beckworth’s pole stylings while knocking back $1 longnecks. And, as if that wasn’t enough already, nothing bounces better than balls (except for Meanie)! Dig into a baker’s dozen of your choice of Reid Velvet Cake Balls or Gunderballs for only $1.29.
Jug-o-Hump Days aren’t to be missed! Sit back and suck down any flavor jugotini for $1 while you watch Jugsy Malone’s provoking pole play, which she perfected while on sabbatical in Thailand. Amazing!
Bubbles, Bubbles and more Bubbles on Thursdays at the BNF. Pay your cover charge and receive a sample of laundry detergent. Mosey on over to the stage during your spin cycle to watch Bubbles, Michael Jackson’s chimp, and Bubbles LaRue in their one-of-a-kind tribute to the Late King of Pop: “Just Beat It.” Hustler calls it “tender, tearful and titillating entertainment.”
Thursdays are Amateur Nights. Come and heckle all the local talent as they try to master the fine art of pole dancing. (Amateurs: The BNF is not responsible for any injuries received during your routine. Helmets and knee pads are recommended. Actually, knee pads are recommended whether you plan to dance or not. Check out our bedazzled knee pads in our gift shop or at Floozique Boutique, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bend N Fold.)
Tramp Stamp Fridays. Bare your tramp stamp for Pepe at the door and receive free admission. Unique tramp stamps will be photographed and placed on our Wall of Shame. Then, give a shout out to our very own Tramp Stamp, Friday’s headline act. No one shakes it like Tramp!
Saturdays are Theme Nights because we like to shake it up down at the BNF. This week’s theme, “101 Places to Wear a Rose.” Next week, join Tanner Pope from the Bachelorette for a panel discussion entitled “Mango Mango Madness – Do It Yourself Sexy Feet.” Read the Bend N Fold Bugle each week to find out what exciting themes we have planned.
Saints and Sinners Sundays. Join in the BNF’s prayer circle and bible reading with Jake from the Bachelorette. Pants are optional. Believe it!
Babes Give Back – By Trixie Tickler
Receive a free longneck and earn an entry into our monthly Bedazzler Sweepstakes if you can correctly finish the Bend N Fold Bugle Crossword on page 2 of the Bugle. July’s bedazzler goes to Honey Hornay from Intercourse, PA. The BNF seeks to beautify our community by giving everyone a chance to sparkle. Proceeds from the sale of Bedazzler Sweepstakes tickets are used to purchase wax for the poles. Remaining funds are donated to Skanks Without Sparkle, a non-profit organization that gives underprivileged skanks a chance to shine. (Not valid in Vermont.)
It’s a Road Trip, Skanks! By Candy Apples and Brandy Alexander
Hey ya’ll, it’s time for this year’s BNF Road Trip! You know how wild last year’s trip was, so you won’t want to miss this one! Who isn’t proud of their TV debut on “Girls Gone Wild” following that trip? This year’s destination . . . Chihuahua, Mexico! For $59.95, you can make memories to last a lifetime - $37 for the round-trip Greyhound ticket and $22.95 for lodging (10 to a room at Motel Six. Free HBO included.) Please bring extra money for meals and drinks or pack your own vittles. We’ll be visiting the Wes Hayden “Love Don’t Come Easy” Museum. (Believe it or not, there is no entry fee.) Also, you don’t want to miss the historical tour of the Tequila factory where Footless Bird first developed his taste for the worm in the bottle that led to his infamous stint in rehab (details in the next BNF Bugle). As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll top it all of with shopping at Heads N Beds, where the elite go for all their siesta needs. (You may recall that this is where the talented Poeta Birdwright, our esteemed editor, purchased the fancy sombrero she wore when she was inducted as Chihuahua’s Poet Laureate.) This trip is NOT TO BE MISSED!!
Pepe’s Corner
Note to customers: Please tip our dancers with paper money or food stamps. Our lovely ladies appreciate your generosity in any form, but last month, we had 3 injuries resulting from patrons tossing tokens from the change machine on the laundry side of the Bend N Fold - two cases of severe welts and one unfortunate incident where Venus lost an eye. She will now be dancing under the name of Crystal. (Thanks to everyone who contributed to the collection to buy her that glass eye.)
The Bend N Fold Bugle
A weekly newsletter for skanks, by skanks and about skanks.
(Because nobody blows a bugle better than the Bend N Fold gals)
Come One, Come All - By Lacey Thangs
Mondays are Bearded Lady Nights at the Bend N Fold. C’mon gals, don’t let a little facial hair keep you away from all the fun! Join some of your shave-worthy sisters for a night you’ll never forget! No cover charge for bearded ladies. Sorry to all you stubble-chasin’ men out there: $5 cover to mix it up with all the Hairy Harriets you can handle this side of the Mississippi!
More Bounce to the Ounce Nights are Tuesdays at the Bend N Fold. We offer a little something for everyone. Doing your laundry? Enjoy our buy one get one specials on Bounce dryer sheets. Looking for entertainment? Enjoy Meanie “Bounce” Beckworth’s pole stylings while knocking back $1 longnecks. And, as if that wasn’t enough already, nothing bounces better than balls (except for Meanie)! Dig into a baker’s dozen of your choice of Reid Velvet Cake Balls or Gunderballs for only $1.29.
Jug-o-Hump Days aren’t to be missed! Sit back and suck down any flavor jugotini for $1 while you watch Jugsy Malone’s provoking pole play, which she perfected while on sabbatical in Thailand. Amazing!
Bubbles, Bubbles and more Bubbles on Thursdays at the BNF. Pay your cover charge and receive a sample of laundry detergent. Mosey on over to the stage during your spin cycle to watch Bubbles, Michael Jackson’s chimp, and Bubbles LaRue in their one-of-a-kind tribute to the Late King of Pop: “Just Beat It.” Hustler calls it “tender, tearful and titillating entertainment.”
Thursdays are Amateur Nights. Come and heckle all the local talent as they try to master the fine art of pole dancing. (Amateurs: The BNF is not responsible for any injuries received during your routine. Helmets and knee pads are recommended. Actually, knee pads are recommended whether you plan to dance or not. Check out our bedazzled knee pads in our gift shop or at Floozique Boutique, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bend N Fold.)
Tramp Stamp Fridays. Bare your tramp stamp for Pepe at the door and receive free admission. Unique tramp stamps will be photographed and placed on our Wall of Shame. Then, give a shout out to our very own Tramp Stamp, Friday’s headline act. No one shakes it like Tramp!
Saturdays are Theme Nights because we like to shake it up down at the BNF. This week’s theme, “101 Places to Wear a Rose.” Next week, join Tanner Pope from the Bachelorette for a panel discussion entitled “Mango Mango Madness – Do It Yourself Sexy Feet.” Read the Bend N Fold Bugle each week to find out what exciting themes we have planned.
Saints and Sinners Sundays. Join in the BNF’s prayer circle and bible reading with Jake from the Bachelorette. Pants are optional. Believe it!
Babes Give Back – By Trixie Tickler
Receive a free longneck and earn an entry into our monthly Bedazzler Sweepstakes if you can correctly finish the Bend N Fold Bugle Crossword on page 2 of the Bugle. July’s bedazzler goes to Honey Hornay from Intercourse, PA. The BNF seeks to beautify our community by giving everyone a chance to sparkle. Proceeds from the sale of Bedazzler Sweepstakes tickets are used to purchase wax for the poles. Remaining funds are donated to Skanks Without Sparkle, a non-profit organization that gives underprivileged skanks a chance to shine. (Not valid in Vermont.)
It’s a Road Trip, Skanks! By Candy Apples and Brandy Alexander
Hey ya’ll, it’s time for this year’s BNF Road Trip! You know how wild last year’s trip was, so you won’t want to miss this one! Who isn’t proud of their TV debut on “Girls Gone Wild” following that trip? This year’s destination . . . Chihuahua, Mexico! For $59.95, you can make memories to last a lifetime - $37 for the round-trip Greyhound ticket and $22.95 for lodging (10 to a room at Motel Six. Free HBO included.) Please bring extra money for meals and drinks or pack your own vittles. We’ll be visiting the Wes Hayden “Love Don’t Come Easy” Museum. (Believe it or not, there is no entry fee.) Also, you don’t want to miss the historical tour of the Tequila factory where Footless Bird first developed his taste for the worm in the bottle that led to his infamous stint in rehab (details in the next BNF Bugle). As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll top it all of with shopping at Heads N Beds, where the elite go for all their siesta needs. (You may recall that this is where the talented Poeta Birdwright, our esteemed editor, purchased the fancy sombrero she wore when she was inducted as Chihuahua’s Poet Laureate.) This trip is NOT TO BE MISSED!!
Pepe’s Corner
Note to customers: Please tip our dancers with paper money or food stamps. Our lovely ladies appreciate your generosity in any form, but last month, we had 3 injuries resulting from patrons tossing tokens from the change machine on the laundry side of the Bend N Fold - two cases of severe welts and one unfortunate incident where Venus lost an eye. She will now be dancing under the name of Crystal. (Thanks to everyone who contributed to the collection to buy her that glass eye.)
Happy First Week Anniversary!
Dear All,
I just wanted to quickly point out that as of yesterday evening, we have been live for one full week!
Woo, hoo!*!*!*!*!*!*!
In that time we put up 30 posts, and 180 comments! Way to go! Absolutely amazing, actually, considering the average length of our entries, and the depth of the discussions.
You are all , each and every one of you, singular human beings with great hearts, and awesome talents. I feel privileged to be a part of this enterprise.
One of the things that Jim and I have been discussing is how to make it easier to access entries. Now that we already have such a high volume, it takes quite a while to scroll through every single post on the blog, and click on the comments box to see if there are any new comments. Yesterday, it took hours for me to read through every single post that way. But, I really like that we go back to the original post to continue reading and adding to that discussion. I'm sure most everyone would agree. So Jim and I have been experimenting with different possibilities on how to streamline our access to new entries.
Jim figured out all the details of how to make our access not only easier, but also give us some really cool options. He will give you all the details and how-to's in a post later today.
In the meanwhile, I hope everyone has an awesome day! :-)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
My Obsession with Reid and David Cook
This is only the message board (Bach) I’ve joined for a TV show, though I’ve peeked in a couple of others when I watched a particular episode of a TV show I liked, but I never felt compelled to join one until this season of The Bachelorette. I was not a regular watcher of the show, but did see the first couple then became bored. It wasn’t until Deanna’s season that I started watching again, thanks mostly to an appearance by Deanna on The Ellen Show.
Okay, now about David and Reid. I watched American Idol from time to time but was never obsessed with the show, like counting down the days until it was being televised. That is at least not until Season 7 in 2008 when David Cook decided to audition for Idol. And what a turn that made in my life. At the end of the show when David won, I started searching the internet to find out more about him to see if I could find some fan websites. Well I found the “Wordnerd” and “david-cook.org” websites in July 2008. One day last July I came across a thread titled “Rockin’ Grandma’s Who Love David Cook” and that caught my eye. To make a long story short, approximately 50 women (and one man), along with a couple of husbands too, became members of this group. Last summer several of us decided to meet in Kansas City to see David perform in his home town with the Idol tour. Well of course we all hit it off!
Then David started his tour in February and our small group started to get much bigger, around 50 now. So David’s Declaration tour was making a stop again in his hometown, so 30 of us met up and we had a great time. So now you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. (Didn’t I tell one of you that I wasn’t a very good writer??)
What drew all of us to David (and we’re not all grandmas, we range from late 20s to David’s granny who is 73) were the same characteristics that Reid has shown us. The only ones Reid does not have are his singing and performing talent. And I’m making that assumption of course. It’s their charm, their humor, their kindness, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, their smiles, their eyes, and I could go on and on. David is not afraid to show his emotions. My God he cried several times on national TV and wasn’t ashamed of it. Well, it was those same attributes that I saw in Reid, especially when he was with Jillian.
Now some of you may think I’m crazy, but I’ve thought about this for a while. And I’ve even discussed it with one of my very close RG (rockin’ grandma) friends. And she agrees since she also favored Reid over all the others.
I’ve got to go now, but I hope you found this comparison interesting. If you’ve never heard David or are not familiar with his music, check out his music and videos on this website:
http://www.myspace.com/officialdavidcook
http://soundcheck.walmart.com/david-cook
Sheri
(hunters)
PS - Now I just have to figure out how to change font, color, etc. but I'll do that next time. And thanks to whoever suggested writing this in Word first. I've lost connectivity three times today, so I'm very glad this was in word first.
Okay, now about David and Reid. I watched American Idol from time to time but was never obsessed with the show, like counting down the days until it was being televised. That is at least not until Season 7 in 2008 when David Cook decided to audition for Idol. And what a turn that made in my life. At the end of the show when David won, I started searching the internet to find out more about him to see if I could find some fan websites. Well I found the “Wordnerd” and “david-cook.org” websites in July 2008. One day last July I came across a thread titled “Rockin’ Grandma’s Who Love David Cook” and that caught my eye. To make a long story short, approximately 50 women (and one man), along with a couple of husbands too, became members of this group. Last summer several of us decided to meet in Kansas City to see David perform in his home town with the Idol tour. Well of course we all hit it off!
Then David started his tour in February and our small group started to get much bigger, around 50 now. So David’s Declaration tour was making a stop again in his hometown, so 30 of us met up and we had a great time. So now you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. (Didn’t I tell one of you that I wasn’t a very good writer??)
What drew all of us to David (and we’re not all grandmas, we range from late 20s to David’s granny who is 73) were the same characteristics that Reid has shown us. The only ones Reid does not have are his singing and performing talent. And I’m making that assumption of course. It’s their charm, their humor, their kindness, wearing their hearts on their sleeves, their smiles, their eyes, and I could go on and on. David is not afraid to show his emotions. My God he cried several times on national TV and wasn’t ashamed of it. Well, it was those same attributes that I saw in Reid, especially when he was with Jillian.
Now some of you may think I’m crazy, but I’ve thought about this for a while. And I’ve even discussed it with one of my very close RG (rockin’ grandma) friends. And she agrees since she also favored Reid over all the others.
I’ve got to go now, but I hope you found this comparison interesting. If you’ve never heard David or are not familiar with his music, check out his music and videos on this website:
http://www.myspace.com/officialdavidcook
http://soundcheck.walmart.com/david-cook
Sheri
(hunters)
PS - Now I just have to figure out how to change font, color, etc. but I'll do that next time. And thanks to whoever suggested writing this in Word first. I've lost connectivity three times today, so I'm very glad this was in word first.
Decogirl/Ann -- you ok??
Ann I just saw the news of what was happening in Calgary. My goodness!!!! Even the Environment Canada guy was stunned and called it an act of God.
Just let us know that you and yours are all fine. I know the worst hit area was Camrose - but Calgary wasn't bypassed by the windstorm.
Joanne
Just let us know that you and yours are all fine. I know the worst hit area was Camrose - but Calgary wasn't bypassed by the windstorm.
Joanne
What do you think Reid would and/or should do if ...
...Jill and Ed end up breaking up (whether or not the break up is caused by any rumors)? I'm conflicted about it and thought I would pose the question to the group to get some discussion going.
From a purely emotional perspective, I would hope that Jill would reach out to Reid and that he would be there for her - if it's meant to be, it will be.
But from a more logical perspective, I would hope that Jill would instead lean on her family and keep out of the limelight as much as possible for as long as possible.
The true romantic in me would hope for option 1, but not sure that's the best for Jill or Reid.
From a purely emotional perspective, I would hope that Jill would reach out to Reid and that he would be there for her - if it's meant to be, it will be.
But from a more logical perspective, I would hope that Jill would instead lean on her family and keep out of the limelight as much as possible for as long as possible.
The true romantic in me would hope for option 1, but not sure that's the best for Jill or Reid.
About the "Check This Out" Post
Hey, Everyone!
Just a quick heads up! This post and comments discuss some of the possible manipulations of this Bachelorette season by producers and certain of the main players, according to people who claim to have the "inside track". It is not published here to promote rumor-mongering nor to promote any one side or viewpoint.
It has been copied to this blog from other sources by the authors concerned, in order to provide information that would lead to reflection and ensuing discussion by the blog members. One of the purposes of this blog is for its members to continue their conversations about how love manifests itself in their lives and to relate that to what they see in the media. Examining information that perhaps the media themselves are in some way manipulating how we experience love stories, as the viewing public, is a part of our ongoing discussion.
As such, what is posted here is relevant to our purpose. If anyone is personally uninterested in exploring the content discussed here, by all means, simply skip this thread, and hop around to any of the lovely discussions going on all around this blog. Remember that comments are consistently being added even to older posts, in order to continue discussion of that topic. Check back on all your favorite threads often.
Cheers to all!
Check this out . . .
I was on the board tonight and came across an interesting post called "WOW . . . both threads are now gone" posted by Shayvoe. It addresses Ed's girlfriends (yes, plural), Reid coming back to the FRC, Wes' edit, etc. It is VERY interesting. I drafted a long post here about it, but I got that error and my post was deleted. Now, I have to go to bed because it is 4 a.m. here. I got so caught up in that post that I lost track of time.
But, if it is gone, I did copy it to a Word document that I will share with all of you if you're interested and can't find it on the board.
Good night, friends.
But, if it is gone, I did copy it to a Word document that I will share with all of you if you're interested and can't find it on the board.
Good night, friends.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
An Inhouse Writer's Group?
Hello all,
I added a comment on one of the threads that I thought this group could develop into a writing support group along the way. A few have endorsed that notion. There are some phenomenal writers among us and probably a few others who are great writers that we haven't heard much from yet. The range and quality of the writing blows my mind. It far exceeds anything I've seen from people who are not professional writers. It exceeds much of what I've seen from professionals too!
I don't know anything about writer's groups, so I don't feel qualified to suggest how that might come about. Instead, I'll start the conversation with a description of my writing experience.
I've wanted to write creatively for a long time, but never got around to it. The only writing I did consistently was long letters to friends and to people I dated online. About a year ago, I started work on my first novel. It's a little hard to describe. It falls into the romantic comedy genre but it's not at all a typical example. I couldn't give it a classic happy ending in good conscience.
As I was writing it, I realized something important. This was not a novel - it was a screenplay. I had little patience for descriptions. The writing felt too technical to hold a reader's interest. But the dialog felt natural and I liked how the character development played out. My writing seemed visual. Much to my relief, a screenplay is a great deal shorter than a novel.
I finished the story in prose and converted it to screenplay format. I then rewrote it about five times, partly to trim it to the maximum allowed length. I finished it at the end of last year. I managed to do this while working full time because I enjoyed the experience of writing so much.
This year, I started two other screenplays in other genres. I found these much harder to complete. I started another romantic comedy and finished it in no time. I felt like I may have found my niche. This second screenplay was much more conventional than my first. I wrote it in part because I thought that would make it more sellable. Most romantic comedies I see are pretty conventional.
Last June, I attended something called The Great American Pitchfest in L.A. This is a day of conferences on all things screenwriting and then a day for the pitchfest itself. That was a strange and interesting experience. Each participant waited in line for one of about 120 agents, producers and managers. When it's your turn and the bell rings, you get exactly five minutes to sell them on your movie. I had two movies to sell, so I had to talk very fast. I now know far more about the movie business as a result of that weekend than I did before it.
In the present economy romantic comedies are big right now. To my surprise, most of the people I pitched to were far more interested in my unconventional script. To my dismay, I learned that there were no less than four movies in various stages of production using a theme that I assumed was original. Even though people liked it, no one will touch this script for some years to come. I was devastated. I haven't done any screenwriting since.
Writing on the boards and now on this blog has started up the creative juices again. I'm learning far more about romance and relationships from all of you than I imagined possible. I hope to put this new-found understanding of human nature into practice in my writing but more so in my personal life. And I promise not to use in a screenplay any personal information that people reveal without their permission! Your friendship is much more important to me than any screenplays I might write.
What experiences with writing and writing groups do others have?
Jim
I added a comment on one of the threads that I thought this group could develop into a writing support group along the way. A few have endorsed that notion. There are some phenomenal writers among us and probably a few others who are great writers that we haven't heard much from yet. The range and quality of the writing blows my mind. It far exceeds anything I've seen from people who are not professional writers. It exceeds much of what I've seen from professionals too!
I don't know anything about writer's groups, so I don't feel qualified to suggest how that might come about. Instead, I'll start the conversation with a description of my writing experience.
I've wanted to write creatively for a long time, but never got around to it. The only writing I did consistently was long letters to friends and to people I dated online. About a year ago, I started work on my first novel. It's a little hard to describe. It falls into the romantic comedy genre but it's not at all a typical example. I couldn't give it a classic happy ending in good conscience.
As I was writing it, I realized something important. This was not a novel - it was a screenplay. I had little patience for descriptions. The writing felt too technical to hold a reader's interest. But the dialog felt natural and I liked how the character development played out. My writing seemed visual. Much to my relief, a screenplay is a great deal shorter than a novel.
I finished the story in prose and converted it to screenplay format. I then rewrote it about five times, partly to trim it to the maximum allowed length. I finished it at the end of last year. I managed to do this while working full time because I enjoyed the experience of writing so much.
This year, I started two other screenplays in other genres. I found these much harder to complete. I started another romantic comedy and finished it in no time. I felt like I may have found my niche. This second screenplay was much more conventional than my first. I wrote it in part because I thought that would make it more sellable. Most romantic comedies I see are pretty conventional.
Last June, I attended something called The Great American Pitchfest in L.A. This is a day of conferences on all things screenwriting and then a day for the pitchfest itself. That was a strange and interesting experience. Each participant waited in line for one of about 120 agents, producers and managers. When it's your turn and the bell rings, you get exactly five minutes to sell them on your movie. I had two movies to sell, so I had to talk very fast. I now know far more about the movie business as a result of that weekend than I did before it.
In the present economy romantic comedies are big right now. To my surprise, most of the people I pitched to were far more interested in my unconventional script. To my dismay, I learned that there were no less than four movies in various stages of production using a theme that I assumed was original. Even though people liked it, no one will touch this script for some years to come. I was devastated. I haven't done any screenwriting since.
Writing on the boards and now on this blog has started up the creative juices again. I'm learning far more about romance and relationships from all of you than I imagined possible. I hope to put this new-found understanding of human nature into practice in my writing but more so in my personal life. And I promise not to use in a screenplay any personal information that people reveal without their permission! Your friendship is much more important to me than any screenplays I might write.
What experiences with writing and writing groups do others have?
Jim
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Just to let you know that for some reason, Google's auto-bots think that we "may be an automatic spamming site, posting inane, nonsensical and repetitive messages"! I kid you not! LOL
I have submitted for them to review this, and they assure me by auto- message that the review will occur shortly. Until then you may see the pop-up stating:
Possible Blogger terms of service violations.
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When I read their "reason" (see above) I totally couldn't stop laughing. I mean, they couldn't be further from the truth! When they do their review, we might even get some Google fans...
Cheers to all!
Still don't understand how even editing could "create" what we saw between J & R
Ha...funny, I'm a Libra as well - and true to form - indecisive (except when it comes to love for some strange reason....I have the hardest time deciding where to go out to dinner, but knew my husband was The one at hello ;) ) . I'll try this rust/orange-ish color (unless it's been taken - I'll check.)
Thank you, Nadya, for putting this blog together. So nice to be able to share our thoughts without worrying about someone dissecting and attacking them.
So, how many days later and I'm still wondering when she'll realize that she let the wrong one go as I think a lot of us are. Not that I wish pain for her...I really like Jillian. I think it's been said before, but she might have been worried about going outside of her comfort zone with respect to what her perfect guy was on paper. How many times have we heard her say she falls for guys who are tall, dark, and handsome? And...I remember her saying something in an interview after Jason sent her home that she thought he was perfect and one of the reasons she listed (albeit not first or second) was he lived in Seattle (close to Vancouver). Chicago's a lot close than Philly.
Also, I feel like part of it is that she senses he feels that she is somewhat out of his league - does that make sense? Maybe it makes her feel more secure, I don't know. Kind of like when Ed said during their FS time something to the effect of "she's smokin' hot, I can't believe she's into me..." Not that she heard that during the taping, but maybe she sensed he felt that way. Reid openly admitted that she wasn't his normal type and probably didn't make her feel like he was lucky just to be with her. Not sure if I'm wording all of this well - because I don't think Jillian feels this way because she's cocky, but more out of an insecurity. Some of you are great at wording things, so you might have better luck expressing this thought :)
Ok, so a couple of random things...
- I didn't watch Deanna's season, but just found a youtube video of her & Jesse's interview with Chris Harrison after her season ended and she did look just as bubbly and positive as Jillian does now with Ed. I think they have to feel and show that, otherwise they would be raked over the coals even more than they are now. That also means though, that when they start settling down into reality, she may start double guessing her decisions. I think even if she chose Reid, she might do that. Having strong feelings for multiple people at once coupled with the stress of the show and being dog tired can't be condusive to making the right decision that affects the rest of your life. Hence the success rate of the Bachelor and Bachelorette --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhKjgX_4ncs&NR=1
- I was reading the Real Simple magazine today (April 09 issue) and saw this cute article about indecisiveness...which made me think fondly of our wonderful Reid. I can't find the article online, but found something similar --> http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/make-good-decisions-10000001711370/
- I close tonight with my favorite YouTube video of J & R...it brought tears to my eyes again today - I must stop watching it (but I love the song so much!) --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wTCaASeHCI
Good night to all!
Thank you, Nadya, for putting this blog together. So nice to be able to share our thoughts without worrying about someone dissecting and attacking them.
So, how many days later and I'm still wondering when she'll realize that she let the wrong one go as I think a lot of us are. Not that I wish pain for her...I really like Jillian. I think it's been said before, but she might have been worried about going outside of her comfort zone with respect to what her perfect guy was on paper. How many times have we heard her say she falls for guys who are tall, dark, and handsome? And...I remember her saying something in an interview after Jason sent her home that she thought he was perfect and one of the reasons she listed (albeit not first or second) was he lived in Seattle (close to Vancouver). Chicago's a lot close than Philly.
Also, I feel like part of it is that she senses he feels that she is somewhat out of his league - does that make sense? Maybe it makes her feel more secure, I don't know. Kind of like when Ed said during their FS time something to the effect of "she's smokin' hot, I can't believe she's into me..." Not that she heard that during the taping, but maybe she sensed he felt that way. Reid openly admitted that she wasn't his normal type and probably didn't make her feel like he was lucky just to be with her. Not sure if I'm wording all of this well - because I don't think Jillian feels this way because she's cocky, but more out of an insecurity. Some of you are great at wording things, so you might have better luck expressing this thought :)
Ok, so a couple of random things...
- I didn't watch Deanna's season, but just found a youtube video of her & Jesse's interview with Chris Harrison after her season ended and she did look just as bubbly and positive as Jillian does now with Ed. I think they have to feel and show that, otherwise they would be raked over the coals even more than they are now. That also means though, that when they start settling down into reality, she may start double guessing her decisions. I think even if she chose Reid, she might do that. Having strong feelings for multiple people at once coupled with the stress of the show and being dog tired can't be condusive to making the right decision that affects the rest of your life. Hence the success rate of the Bachelor and Bachelorette --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhKjgX_4ncs&NR=1
- I was reading the Real Simple magazine today (April 09 issue) and saw this cute article about indecisiveness...which made me think fondly of our wonderful Reid. I can't find the article online, but found something similar --> http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/make-good-decisions-10000001711370/
- I close tonight with my favorite YouTube video of J & R...it brought tears to my eyes again today - I must stop watching it (but I love the song so much!) --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wTCaASeHCI
Good night to all!
Fool's Rush In
Ok my romantic friends - its a hot afternoon on the west coast my husband is working and I have visited my mom so I indulged in some TV time. Had to say I have seen this movie before but because of this past week had to rewatch again.
Fool's Rush In was from the late 1990's and starred (drum roll) Reid -I mean Matthew Perry and Selma Hayak. Its silly and sweet and I have to admit there are scenes of Reid -- sorry -- Matthew that smacks of some of what we saw last week on "reality tv".
I was discussing with my darling husband this morning about our favourite Love Stories. I must take some time and compile my complete list. Its just that at my grand old age the memory cards are getting full and I forget some movies as others take their place. Just to start with three of my favourite love stories the oldest would be African Queen, an obscure one is Truly, Madly, Deeply (as a widow I loved seeing that movie) and the latest for pure fun is Love Actually.
I think at some point I would love to see everyone post their list - something to think about. I will think more about mine and post later.
Now for a colour - this Libran is also indescisive.
Fool's Rush In was from the late 1990's and starred (drum roll) Reid -I mean Matthew Perry and Selma Hayak. Its silly and sweet and I have to admit there are scenes of Reid -- sorry -- Matthew that smacks of some of what we saw last week on "reality tv".
I was discussing with my darling husband this morning about our favourite Love Stories. I must take some time and compile my complete list. Its just that at my grand old age the memory cards are getting full and I forget some movies as others take their place. Just to start with three of my favourite love stories the oldest would be African Queen, an obscure one is Truly, Madly, Deeply (as a widow I loved seeing that movie) and the latest for pure fun is Love Actually.
I think at some point I would love to see everyone post their list - something to think about. I will think more about mine and post later.
Now for a colour - this Libran is also indescisive.
Libra's have trouble making decisions...
....but it's all a part of my charm. I will now be this pretty turquoise ☺
♥ Remmi ♥
♥ Remmi ♥
How's this colour?
Shall I be this colour or is it taken? Hopefully not because I think it's quite pretty. I'll go back and check after I post. I wonder what the latest on the sext-gate is? I can't believe how wound up everyone gets regarding all the rumours.
Hope you are all have a fabulous weekend!
Remmi
Hope you are all have a fabulous weekend!
Remmi
What was real in Bach'ette 5
Leen, hope you (and everyone else) had a good sleep. It's my impression that Leen sleeps on a somewhat different schedule than most of us. I would love for Leen to tell us a bit more about what her life is about (well, workwise...don't want to be too nosy) and plans for the future. I believe I may have missed something but gather that LLL (Lovely Lass Leen) may be a nurse working in an ER but intending to be a doctor?
Really interesting article from the Washington Post. No huge surprises for me, though. I'll admit/confess to watching the Bachelor/ette since the second season (well, except that I couldn't stomach Prince L past 2-3 episodes), and during those years I've figured out a few things. Still, nice getting some confirmation as to the "nuts and bolts."
What was real to me in Bach'ette 5 (or any other season) were the interactions person to person...not foolproof, we all have our personal emotional filters. Yeah, then there's the editing.
Like so many, I could FEEL the power of the interactions between J and R. What I have to wonder about at this point is if I was seeing a falling-in-love vibe with Reid and a this-guy-is-so-much-fun-and-so-adorable vibe with Jilli. I'm admittedly confused. I would have picked either Reid (first choice) or Kiptyn for Jilli, but maybe that's who I would have picked for myself? [Happily married...my pick firmly in place].
More thoughts, but there's stuff I must attend to.
Scotty
Really interesting article from the Washington Post. No huge surprises for me, though. I'll admit/confess to watching the Bachelor/ette since the second season (well, except that I couldn't stomach Prince L past 2-3 episodes), and during those years I've figured out a few things. Still, nice getting some confirmation as to the "nuts and bolts."
What was real to me in Bach'ette 5 (or any other season) were the interactions person to person...not foolproof, we all have our personal emotional filters. Yeah, then there's the editing.
Like so many, I could FEEL the power of the interactions between J and R. What I have to wonder about at this point is if I was seeing a falling-in-love vibe with Reid and a this-guy-is-so-much-fun-and-so-adorable vibe with Jilli. I'm admittedly confused. I would have picked either Reid (first choice) or Kiptyn for Jilli, but maybe that's who I would have picked for myself? [Happily married...my pick firmly in place].
More thoughts, but there's stuff I must attend to.
Scotty
scripted reality
An old article that throws light on a topic we frequently discussed. I stole it from the BachBoard.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.htm
So, what of season 5 was real? Hmmm. :)
Off to bed on that note,
Leeny Lou
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.htm
So, what of season 5 was real? Hmmm. :)
Off to bed on that note,
Leeny Lou
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