La talentosa actriz Natalie Portman asistio a la premiere organizada por The Cinema Society para la porqueria Luna Nueva en New York, vistiendo muy casual pero no por eso mal arreglada, al contrario dejaba al descubierto su belleza natural.

click en las pics para agrandar

Jesus is this sort of map.

A map shows some details of the destination in mind. If you look at a country or state map it might give certain distances between each destination or place. If you look closer it might give you highways or interstates. Some maps might even give you restaurants or places of entertainment depending on the genre and style of the map. The map can only give you so much though, a map doesn’t show you the people, cars or houses, or the tv’s in the house, or maybe even what’s on the television. It doesn’t make the map any less of a map, because it is the map being the map; giving you details of the destination or goal.

Jesus, in more ways than one, points us back to God. In several places he uses the phrase “Kingdom of God”, not kingdom of Jesus. In another place he says something like this, “I am here to do the will of Him who sent me” and so on. Jesus came here to show us God in skin. Show us how to be God in our skin. How to embrace the divine within. To introduce a new way to be human. To show us how to connect with God. To be the ultimate example of God on earth for all of mankind.

Jesus essentially draws us into the circle with God. Like the Rublev’s Trinity fresco we can all come and commune with the Divine Three.

The map shows us how to get to the destination. If we spend all our time worshipping the map, and spending all of our time dissecting the map, then we might never get to the destination. Especially when the “map” is telling us to look towards the destination. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is important. He is divine. But, in his own words, he is not the point. He leads us to the point.

Too many times people remove the phrase “I am the way, the truth, and the life” out of its context and so it seems as if Jesus was mandating some kind of magical process whereby only some can walk through this door to connect with God or receive salvation. Some stand in front of abortion clinics proclaiming this, others stand in pulpits and assert the same thing. Yet, if you begin looking at this phrase from the point of Jesus in light of the context (being a conversation between himself and Thomas) than a different message might appear that is different to the one we have been taught for so long. Again, I need to reiterate that Jesus is important and we can learn oodles of information and how to live, be and breath. He is God in skin, but his being here doesn’t end there. He was here to show us that we too could be like him in every way. Every way.

John 4:12: I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father

The Jews believed/believe everything is connected. We are all connected. Now, Jesus would have known this, He might have even filtered his words through this reality. And if this is true, then Jesus is essentially inviting everyone to also join in on the connection with God. That people could, if they wanted to, join in on the movement of love and grace and peace and so many other things that God is about and we can go to Jesus to find out what some of those things are, the journey should take us onward and closer to God…but if we want to get to the destination we should grab some friends and enjoy the journey on our way to God. If we see God as the destination as a now and not yet, then we can experience him, be like him (not just Jesus) and also meet him in his own fullness one day when…but till then, we can endorse who He is and what he stands for while we live and breath here on earth in each moment…

After 10 seasons Joe Nathan of the Minnesota Twins has emerged as one of the best and most consistent closers in baseball. He’s posted sub-2 ERAs in three of the past four years (2.10 in 2009) and four of the last six. He has amassed 247 saves and 4 All-Star game appearances, yet he rarely gets the credit he really deserves.

Not only that but he’s also one of the nicest players in the game. He’s very accessible through the mail in terms of autograph requests and he is currently running an NFL Pick ‘em with a chance to win a baseball signed by him or one of three autographed photos of him. Happy birthday Joe!

Mult aşteptatul roman Tunele 3- În Cădere Liberă, de Roderick Gordon şi Brian Williams, al treilea volum din seria de succes TUNELE, s-a lansat astăzi, la editura Corint Junior.

Dupa Tunele 2. În Adancuri, este posibil ca aventura din Tunele să devină şi mai primejdioasă? Şi unde oare se va termina?

Will Burrows şi gaşca sa n-au ajuns nici pe departe la sfârşit, ci sunt în cădere liberă printr-un por subteran. Simţind efectele gravitaţiei reduse, misterele întunecate ale adâncului li se dezvăluie şi ei descoperă un ciudat recif de ciuperci. Acesta nu doar că dă la iveală vestigii ale unei civilizaţii străvechi, ci le oferă şi indicii despre un tărâm pierdut de la capătul Pământului.

Vă invit să citiţi alte articole legate de seria Tunele, printre care…

• Tunele- Urmaşul lui Harry Potter
• Tunele 2- În Adâncuri…, urmaşul lui Harry Potter?
• Rezumat şi recenzie Tunele
• Rezumat şi recenzie Tunele 2- În Adâncuri…

De asemenea, vă prezint şi un fragment din Tunele 3- În Cădere Liberă.

Tot pentru voi, am pregătit un wallpaper promoţional şi nişte bannere pe care le puteţi afişa şi pe blogul vostru!

•

Şi, chiar dacă în Marea Britanie se va lansa abia în 2010, în luna mai, Tunele 4 are deja un titlu: CLOSER, o copertă, şi o prezentare…

În centrul Pământului, într-o lume despre care nimeni nu ştie că există, Will a dat de belea.

Duşmanii săi, Styxii, sunt foarte aproape. Îl vor urmări până la capătul lumii- orice lume.

Între timp Drake- cu ajutorul celor mai nepotriviţi aliaţi- se pregăteşte să se lupte cu Styxii de deasupra. Dar îl va duce planul său îndrăzneţ mai aproape de victorie… sau de o moarte sigură?

]]> http://rolynda.com/2009/11/19/a-way-out/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:25:35 +0000 Rolynda http://rolynda.com/2009/11/19/a-way-out/

Well, today seemed to be interesting. I mean, it proved to be interesting at least. I had to turn in my rough draft for my research paper for English. It’s  on the use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for the treatment of dysphagia in speech pathology patients. Yeah, real interesting, right? Well, I didn’t think so either, but it had to be “involved” with our major (Communication Disorders) and be a “major topic”, trust me, that’s all I could find. Anyway, after that, I also had my 3rd test for Elementary Statistics, which I didn’t get to finish studying for. So, considering i’m not so hot in the math department, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have another “retake” on my hands. [face palm].

My dad picked me up at 7p and we somehow got to talking about my needing a new job closer to home. I, for some reason, hate it when he used those words. “Closer to home”?! What does that even mean?! I told him, rather frustrated with the thought, that I’m not going to be living with them forever and that I’d rather be closer to school, if anything. He went on to say that he works in sales and he knows what its like wanting to get away from people. That thats why he likes living all the way over here in the outskirts where we live, so he could get away from everyone. The problem with his logic is thinking that it applies to me.

Sure, I dislike certain people. I want to get away. But, be it a stage in life or simply a concept that I’m trying to get rid of… it’s them I want to get away from the most.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. I love their quirks and their ridiculousness. But I also hate it. I hate feeling trapped, as if I have nowhere else to go. I hate that it feels like they hold me down. Always try to keep me in the valley, where I have family, “close to home”. It all bothers me.

My sister and her husband, who happen to live across the street from school, offered me their extra room in their apartment. They offered it to me since I found out I couldn’t afford to go back to Austin. This time, they’re for real about it and want to legitimately lay it out for my parents, who seem to think that I’m forcing myself into their house. See, my parents, everytime I even bring up spending the night to help out with Melina (my niece), seem to think that I’m bombarding them and getting in the way. All i’m doing is helping. That’s why they want me to live with them, even if just for the 3 months of the semester. They haven’t talked to my dad about it, and I know he’s going to say no. That i’m in the way. That it’s ungrateful and unnecessary. But honestly, it’s perfect.

I think I’m going to suffocate in this house.

There’s too much pressure to conform to their wishes. My sister got out by getting married. I got out by going to Austin. Then I got sucked back in, and even if I am only 30 minutes away from them, I feel like it will be 600 miles. It will liven up the load and the hold they have on me. I’ll probably even learn to love them again, the way I did before any of this began.

I’m just not who they want me to be.

I wanted to be in Karate, but my dad said it wasn’t for girls. I wanted to be in gymnastics, but my dad said that they’re sluts. I wanted to go to the Air Force, but my dad said that I wouldn’t be able to handle it and that it’s also not for girls. It wasn’t until I got into cheerleading (because my dad didn’t like it) and that I went away to Austin (because it’s for school and they couldn’t stop me) that I got any kind of freedom.

I just want it back.

First and foremost, can I say that I love Goapele? Her voice is pure and dignifies what a real soulful singer truly is. She’s one of the definitions. Well, in my generation so far. I wish when I do start to take lessons that I’ll be half as good as this woman. Just half, haha. I really have no fault of her music. It’s actually inspiring, especially “Closer” that debut in 2001-2 era which wikipedia said sold five thousand albums?! Un frigging believable. Anyways, the song signifies passion and strife to go for your dreams even if you don’t see an open road. Truly touching if you listen to the words and I’m glad she wrote and record this song for everyone to relate to in a certain aspect. People seriously need to see the talent that’s out there and not bubble gum ish. The song however, is something I can relate to on all levels simply because what I’m going through, but still standing my ground. I know God has something for myself and the world and it shall come unexpectedly. I know as of right now, I just have to continue my positive route to life, struggle and shoot what I need but not what I want. So, I’m excited for this new album to drop of Goapele! Can sense she’s going to make millions off of this. She better, this woman has talent looks and personality.

Ah, here’s another one of her tracks: “Milk and honey” it’s exceptional. Loves it!!

Hautnah, das im englischen Original “Closer” betitelte Stück von Patrick Marber, das im Jahr 1997 in London uraufgeführt wurde, ist am Schauspielhaus Bochum zu sehen. Endlich! Freude! Große!

Das Bühnenstück behandelt das Leben, Streben und Scheitern eines romantisch, liebeshungrigen Quartetts, das die Liebe in all ihren Facetten in Frage stellt. Rache, Frust, Lust, Leidenschaft, Eifersucht, Macht und andere Ingredienzchen, machen es den vier Großstädtern nicht einfach, den Liebespfad zu beschreiten und auf ewig glücklich zu werden. Schonungslos und kompromisslos wird hier dem Glücksstreben nachgegangen und ein wundervolles Portrait der Bindungsunfähigkeit geliefert.

“Die Stripperin Alice liebt den Schriftsteller Dan; Dan liebt Alice, aber auch die Fotografin Anna. Anna liebt Dan, heiratet aber den Arzt Larry. Alice verlässt Dan, weil er Anna liebt. Anna verlässt Larry, weil sie Dan liebt. Larry trifft Alice und zieht mit ihr zusammen. Alice arrangiert ein Treffen von Larry und Anna, weil sie Dan liebt. Larry und Anna ziehen wieder zusammen. Alice und Dan ziehen wieder zusammen. Alice geht fort, Larry hat eine neue Partnerin, Anna hat einen Hund und Dan bleibt verliebt in die Liebe.”

(Programmkommentar Schauspielhaus Bochum)

Hautnah wurde 2004 von Mike Nichols mit Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman und Clive Owen in den Hauptrollen verfilmt, wobei Clive Owen und Natalie Portman 2005 den Golden Globe für die beste Nebenrolle erhielten und für den Oscar nominiert wurden.

Bei dem in Bochum aufgeführten Stück handelt es sich um eine Koproduktion mit dem Schauspiel Frankfurt.

Die Aufführungen im Dezember sind am 9./14./16.12.09. Für weitere Infos (…klick…)

Los, los ab in die Theatersessel!!!

Cu toate că abia peste două zile vom afla cum continuă aventurile lui Will şi a celorlalte personaje îndrăgite, britanicii se pregătesc pentru lansarea în luna mai a volumului 4 din serie, intitulat CLOSER (TUNELE 4 – MAI APROAPE).

Al patrulea bestseller subteran începe chiar în centrul Pământului, într-o lume de a cărei existenţă nu ştie nimeni, unde Will crede că se află în siguranţă.

Dar duşmanii săi, Styxii, nu o să-l uite niciodată. Aceştia îl vor urmări pe băiat până la sfârşitul lumii – oricare lume. Şi după ce se vor răzbuna, mai există Dominion, planul lor original pentru a distruge toată omenirea…

Înapoi în Suprasol, prieteni neaşteptaţi se pregătesc să riposteze. Dar pe măsură ce descoperă secretele Styxilor, se vor apropia mai mult de adevăr, sau de moarte?

AVERTISMENT: Pentru o perioadă de timp nedefinită, comentariile ce conţin spoilere despre volumul TUNELE 3 sunt strict interzise pe oricare pagină de pe blog. De săptămâna viitoare va exista o pagină specială unde se va putea discuta în detaliu acţiunea cărţii.

E mais uma vez o site TunnelsDeeper sai com notícias exclusivas sobre a série Túneis. Desta vez, nosso parceiro (cujo dono é amigo dos autores rs) liberou com exclusividade a capa do quarto livro da série. Intitulado de “Closer”, que em tradução livre significa “Mais Perto”/”Mais Próximo”, o livro tem previsão de lançamento para maio de 2010.

Na capa, é possível ver – ao contrário do que pensei –  o que parece um homem (da Crosta? algum dos amigos do Tio Tam?) em sua motocicleta. Mas o túnel é mesmo de melhor qualidade (?), e vemos também dois simpáticos (?) morceguinhos neste túnel.

Confira a capa:

A capa de Closer

Sinopse: O quarto bestseller subterrâneo começa no exato centro da Terra, em um mundo que ninguém sabe que existe, onde Will acha que está seguro. Mas seus inimigos, os Styx, nunca esquecerão. Eles o seguirão até o fim do mundo – qualquer mundo. E depois de se vingarem, há o Dominion: o plano original deles para destruir todos os humano… Na superfície, inesperados aliados se preparam para contra-atacar. Mas quando eles descobrirem os segredos dos Styx, eles ficarão mais pertos da vitória ou da morte?

Fonte: TunnelsDeeper

McNyce gets his girl to sing the hook on this very chill track. I’ve been gettin tracks from McNyce a lot. Not a problem from me but ya know… A-List doin their thing! Check the track out after the jump.

- Megatron

DOWNLOAD: McNyce feat J. Moses – Closer

¿Cuál debe ser el significado?, siendo la otra parte, esa que es humana y valorativa, la misma que rechaza estas ideas…, la probabilidad más amplia gira en torno a que no exista un solo ser dispuesto a perder su costumbre pegada a los huesos y asediarse de rechazos platónicos. Pero no da más, si esto detiene las ideas entonces cualquier pensamiento insignificante se atrevería a hecerle retractar, ¡es lo último que quiero un recuerdo inmediado!

La mañana misma en que escribió esto había decidido salir de una buena vez de la precaria situación mental en la que se había encerrado (ideas), dejose llevar durante unos meses por una estúpida sentencia a recorrer lo que según él, le haría convertirse en algo más que la sencilla idea que venía contemplando los últimos años. Lo que no entendía, por lo acaecido, era que su rumbo había venido siendo todo menos simple, quizá por la idea de hacerlo más simple (no sencillo) por fuera para opacar el caos que lleva por dentro.

No es simplemente entender cuánto tiempo se ha perdido lo que nos hará recuperarlo, la importancia radica en cambiar las culpas por intenciones, ¿vas a comprender lo que pasó?, siempre y cuando esto cambie la idea misma.

Una más, solo para no empeorar la costumbre y debilitar mi semblante ante el orgullo. ¿Qué pasa cuando dos almas encuentran su camino pero este, aunque parezca el correcto, está rodeado de penumbra?. Pocos son los estados del hombre bajo los cuales se desarrolla su frialdad pensante, no actúa, sólo demarca los parámetros que regulan su pensamiento, sin adquirir pesos triviales y condiciones de un estado vago y lleno de resonantes cambios ambientales…y opiniones vanas e innecesarias.

Esto no es una historia diferente. No puedo cambiar lo que ha pasado.

Crees que no sé lo que piensas, ya te he dicho que no tengo límite, sólo soy un niño. Si pudiera recordar lo que sueño, eso sería como recordar lo que me sucedió el día anterior, creo que sería un tanto perturbador, sólo soy un niño, no quiero vivir de más.  Has visto cómo muere alguien que vivió de más, es reconfortante para tí, para mí y para los demás, pero no para ellos…

Con lágrimas limpió tu sangre del piso, derramó risas sobre la cama para blanquear las sábanas enrrojecidas. Construyó un nuevo andén para que no te cayeras, se cansó de ensuciar con sus quejidos el sofá, aspiró su paciencia y la filtró con tu recuerdo. Desempolvó su ira, le dió brillo, enceró tus celos y trapeó tus manos. Clavó un nuevo cuadro en el baño para recordar su futuro, pintó las paredas de un color más pálido que tu rostro, no quería verte por segundos, luego cambió el color, no lo quizo hacer contigo. Rompió las ventanas para no conservar tu aliento, secó tu ropa aunque nunca se mojó. No lavó esa última camisa que usaste, le consiguió una manera de envidiarle. Desinfecto la cocina de tu voz… [minuto de silencio], el horno nuevo cocina sus ideas y siempre quema tus gritos, la casa se llena de humo con ganas de volver a hacerlo, pero vive en paz, ¿con quien? no me preguntes. No se pinta más la boca, le gusta el azul que se quedó en ellos esa noche, pero nadie lo fabrica, excepto el espejo, que por cierto es nuevo…, no refleja la cortina ni las manos asediando su rostro. Es un manicomio verla reír por lo que sabe, sobre todo escucharla. Se siente insípida, pero ha dicho que no ha probado sabor más dulce… que el de tu sangre.

How Leslie may have looked without the trout pout….I think she would have aged very beautifully. This is Leslie as she is now and below, my age progression image showing how she may have looked without any cosmetic intervention….however, we need to take into account her illness and stress – all these contribute to the ageing process. This was commissioned by Closer magazine. You can see how you would look with enhanced lips at www.changemyface.com

www.changemyface.com

US President Barack Obama is expected to discuss the economy and climate change in China… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: nanning china. For a different topic see disney world crowd levels. The blog is also related to: china star.

Deşi volumul 3 abia s-a lansat, siteul TunnelsDeeper ne prezintă în premieră o prezentare pentru volumul 4 din seria Tunele, de Roderick Gordon şi Brian Williams, numit Closer (Mai aproape):

În centrul Pământului, într-o lume despre care nimeni nu ştie că există, Will a dat de belea.

Duşmanii săi, Styxii, sunt foarte aproape. Îl vor urmări până la capătul lumii- orice lume.

Între timp Drake- cu ajutorul celor mai nepotriviţi aliaţi- se pregăteşte să se lupte cu Styxii de deasupra. Dar îl va duce planul său îndrăzneţ mai aproape de victorie… sau de o moarte sigură?

Nu uitaţi, din 19 noiembrie Tunele 3: În Cădere Liberă se găseşte la editura Corint Junior!

A loja virtual Amazon começou a pré-venda do quarto livro da série Túneis, de nome “Closer” (Mais Perto, em tradução livre). As informações no site são de que o livro será lançado dia 3 de maio de 2010, e que o mesmo terá 224, sendo assim o mais curto dos quatro livros. Mas isso não é tudo, o portal Mundo Túneles (nosso parceiro) consultou Roderick para saber mais sobre estes dados, e de acordo com Roderick, a contagem total de palavras do quarto livro ainda não foi finalizada, mas que ele será maior que o primeiro livro (que continha cerca de 124.000 palavras).

E o site TunnelsDeeper liberou a sinopse da contra-capa de Closer, que se encontra traduzida logo abaixo. Mas cuidado, se não quer spoilers sobre o livro, não leia!

A primeira sinopse liberada foi a seguinte:

No centro da Terra, em um mundo que ninguém sabe que existe, Will está com problemas.

Seus inimigos, os Styx, estão atrás dele. Eles o perseguirão até o fim do mundo – qualquer mundo.

Enquanto isso, Drake – com a ajuda de aliados improváveis – está se preparando para lutar contra os Styx de cima. Mas, seu plano atrevido o levará para mais perto da vitória… ou da morte certa?

Um pouco depois, a Editora Chicken House liberou a sinopse oficial – que está sendo usado para promover o livro nos lançamentos de 2010. Há spoilers aqui também!!

O quarto bestseller subterrâneo começa no exato centro da Terra, em um mundo que ninguém sabe que existe, onde Will acha que está seguro. Mas seus inimigos, os Styx, nunca esquecerão. Eles o seguirão até o fim do mundo – qualquer mundo. E depois de se vingarem, há o Dominion: o plano original deles para destruir todos os humano… Na superfície, inesperados aliados se preparam para contra-atacar. Mas quando eles descobrirem os segredos dos Styx, eles ficarão mais pertos da vitória ou da morte?

Fonte: Mundo Túneles | TunnelsDeeper

Here is the album review I promised on my twitter yesterday!  Before I start, once again I want to thank you all for supporting my blog, both my music reviews and my personal entries.  I really appreciate all the views and I hope that you’ll keep it locked here because I ain’t stoppin’! Thankyou.

You already know what I think of Russian Roulette, and the other 3 songs we’ve heard already from Rated R.  Generally, they portray a darker, edgier side to Rihanna, both in the production (deeper, more menacing beats) and lyrical content that includes a bit of cursing, a lot of swagger and references to pain, trials and tribulations.  ”Russian Roulette”, “Wait Your Turn” and “Hard” are more or less indicative of the album as a whole.  In contrast to her previous smash Good Girl Gone Bad, it’s a lot less uptempo.  The songs are mainly midtempos and ballads, which may alienate a lot of fans who want her faster, danceable material (though “Hard” and “Rude Boy” cater to these needs, and do so well with swagger lyrics – the latter seeing Rihanna come on to a ‘rude boy’ as if she were the guy who is gonna “put it on you”).  However, the slower material allows for two major things: one, to prove that Rihanna can actually sing.  Okay, she’s no Beyoncé, but she holds her own a lot better than many people might expect.  ”Russian Roulette” and closing standout “The Last Song” don’t employ lots of vocal runs, but they emphasise strong, clear vocals that prove Rihanna’s got a voice as well as a body – btw. the artwork for this era is immense! – and also go well with the more emotionally searching and vulnerable material.  Two, it allows for Rihanna to delve into her pain, and although it’s never made explicit that she’s referencing her love, abuse and love lost with Chris Brown, songs such as “Stupid In Love” and the epic “Cold Case Love” immediately bring that whole affair to mind.

Not every song is concerned with love lost.  ”Te Amo” is about a girl who’s infatuated with Rihanna, and its undulating beats have been beefed up slightly on the album version to make it more hypnotic and possibly (along with “Rude Boy”) the song that would have slotted in nicely on Good Girl Gone Bad.  ”Rockstar 101″ is backed up by Slash’s guitar work and like “Hard” and “Wait Your Turn”, it demonstrates Rihanna’s confidence in herself – something she perhaps wants to emphasise.  She is fierce!  However, compared to some of the other tracks, “Rockstar 101″ falls somewhat flat, as it doesn’t have as much depth as the emotionally-charged midtempos, nor does it ring as true as the harder-knocking songs.  It does demonstrate that Rihanna is not an urban artist – she’s a pop singer who encompasses a range of music. On this album, she combines elements of rock, pop, R&B and melds them together to create a dark album that works for the most part.  And credit goes to her for trying to improve on each album – like Good Girl Gone Bad, the amount of filler on the disc is fairly minimal (in contrast to her first two records) and she’s tried to do something different that has evolved as she has as a person.  So I must applaud that.

A couple of the ballads such as “Stupid In Love” and “Photographs” (which benefits from will.i.am’s synthed beats that kick in midway) are perfectly solid, but pale in comparison to the best tracks.  These are, in a nutshell, first single “Russian Roulette”, “Fire Bomb”, “G4L”, “Cold Case Love” and “The Last Song”.  These all work because Rihanna is putting herself out there vocally and emotionally.  The producers do a fantastic job (praise must go in particular to Justin Timberlake and The Ys’ work on “Cold Case Love”, which shows a gradual building of beatboxing, standard beats, guitars and strings to an epic climax that fades out by itself and underline Rihanna’s pain at a love misfired – “Release me now ’cause I did my time”) more or less throughout, but Rihanna herself carries the songs.  ”Fire Bomb” has been compared to something by Kelly Clarkson, but in my opinion it knocks much harder and is a compelling contrast to expectations – most people would expect a club banger from the title, when in fact it’s a slow pop/rock ballad which essentially says “if I’m going down in flames, you’re coming with me”.  ”G4L” is one of the darkest songs which shows Rihanna pledging to be “down 4 life”, ride or die until the end.  The off-key tweaks at the beginning signal something mysterious, and the lyric “I lick the gun when I’m done ’cause I know that revenge is sweet” is one of the best opening salvos I can remember.  The track brings to mind the tiny gun tattoos on the sides of Rihanna’s breasts, demonstrating that even if she may be a sweet person on the surface, she’s also a strong and determined one – her attitude is reflected in her music as much as her body art.

“The Last Song” was the track that stood out to me most from listening to the 30-second snippets, and it doesn’t disappoint – it’s a perfect closer to the album, not only in name but in texture also.  It employs a soaring guitar and heartwrenching lyrics, chronicling the realisation of a breakup.  ”The sad song ends up being the last song you’ll ever hear.”  Rihanna’s spare vocals almost seem to cry the lyrics throughout the track, and the buildup throughout the song until near the end where all the instruments fade out is done perfectly.  Rihanna said that she wanted Lil’ Wayne and Kings Of Leon to like her album, demonstrating her desired blend of urban and rock. The album is definitely a mélange of styles, but apart from “Hard”, I don’t see enough hip-hop for Weezy to connect with, and the rock elements are nowhere near as indie-pop as Kings Of Leon.  However, the soaring guitars provide something edgier and deeper within the context of a pop album, and the hard-hitting beats and synths knock plenty – the combination of which provide something quite extraordinary and special within itself.  Rihanna should be proud of this record.

Rated R has a focused aggression to it that rings truer than it did on Good Girl Gone Bad. Despite the lack of uptempo smashes, it’s a fantastic record that hopefully will have as much repeat-play value as her previous record.  Whether it’s because of her personal struggles, maturity as a young woman or desire to experiment musically (probably a combination of all three), Rated R shows growth.  I pray that her label doesn’t re-release the album, since it’s perfect as it is and comes across as something sincere, rather than designed to make money as a light pop confection.  Why I’m impressed with Rated R, beyond the simple fact that most of the songs are solid or better, is because it’s cohesive.  All the songs work together to make the album more than the sum of its parts.  It has a big emotional impact, and it sets a musical mood (dark, edgy and yet heartfelt) that doesn’t let up throughout – in her own words, from “Hard”, “that Rihanna rain/reign”.  I didn’t know if she had it in her to best Good Girl Gone Bad, but even if it doesn’t have as many number 1 smashes and addictive beats, Rated R is a musical step forward that I personally value that little bit more.

It’s not that I’m an idiot (although, in the spirit of full disclosure, I sometimes am), it’s that I’m sometimes clueless. Or, forgetful. Or, mentally misplaced. You see, there’s a lot of shit floating around in my cranium. Some numbers, some interesting data, some bullshit ephemera about what episode of what season in what obscure TV show a character walked down the wrong hallway to go to the bathroom, tons of music, a few memorized beautiful things I’ve seen in my days, some horrors I’ve always memorized, and a collection of all the breasts I’ve come across and been mesmerized. Yeah, there’s a pun there. A bad one, at that.

This morning, I woke up and smiled that kind of smile that only happens on a day off. I got up, stretched, did the various things I do when I wake up alone, the scratching of places and releasing of certain human fluids, then went to the internet and began absorbing facts. A typical day. There’s “significant amounts” of water on the mother fucking moon!

from here.

And I was reading some stuff about the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which I knew I was a few days late to, but it’s still fascinating, right?

I even put on some music as I did this. Made myself a little playlist in my music player and put it on random/shuffle, and you know what song came on several times? My favorite song by the Cure, that’s what. This one:

That’s “The 13th,” and I just adore it. Not the video so much, but the song, definitely.

There was a commercial on TV for a Friday The 13th marathon. And I thought, “Huh, that’s interesting.” Thought about 2012, the batshit crazy stupid but fun looking Roland Emmerich movie that came on today that I’ll probably see tomorrow with Conrad Noir, who tells me he’s not all that interested because he was let down by The Day After Tomorrow. Well, no shit you were let down by The Day After Tomorrow, right? Anyway, that’s most likely on tomorrow’s agenda.

Long story short, it took me until like noon or later to actually fucking realize that it was Friday the 13th. I probably shouldn’t be bragging about that.

It happened at some local coffee shop that I went to, and, well, it was embarassing, but interesting. I live in a small town, the kind where it’s hard to not get to know everyone and their quaint little stories. And all the Southern gothic ghost stories that goes along with it. So I do my best to avoid people as best I can, but today I felt like getting out of the domecile for a bit and going for a run and experimenting with various Pandora stations on my smart brilliant phone.

The search for the perfect Pandora station is man’s constant crawl towards enlightenment, nirvana, and the fingerbanging of God. The pleasure is in the quest, not the capturing because the goal is unreachable, but we still try. That’s the beauty of the humans, or something. Regardless, I’ve been bouncing back and forth, trying to find a good station while running/walking, and I took a chance on an 80s station.

Not bad, but you know what? As great as they can be, Duran Duran and Frankie Goes To Hollywood and “The Safety Dance” just felt a little too gay for this job. I needed something less festive, so I figured I’d shift a decade forward and did a search for an appropriate 90s station. Came up mostly zero, no joke, except for a fascinating station that played 80s music stars trying to make a comeback in the 90s:

Okay, that’s the lovely Bryan Adams song from the Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves soundtrack, which is fantastic all on it’s own (except when it’s used for a Dawson’s Creek fanvid, sorry), but in actuality, the first song that came on that station was Adams’ “Run To You,” which isn’t bad. And following that was some Tom Petty, which is always good in my book, and some Bon Jovi, which is atrocious (though old Bon Jobi works appropiately in some bar settings, I’m loathe to admit), and a whole fucking lot of Guns N’ Roses. It was weird, but I guess it did the trick, workout-wise.

Then I got to the coffee shop, got something to eat, something to drink, and meant to hide myself in the corner with some headphones and devour my meal and some more internet on my phone. Also with me were some printouts of various things I needed to revise and a copy of Warren Ellis’ new POD book, Shivering Sands, which had just come in the mail today. I feel like I’ve read most of it previously (it’s a collection of various writings of his from the internet of the past few years), but still, I was excited.

But as it sometimes can be when interesting people are in the vicinity, and frightfully true when there’s less than interesting people buzzing around you, I got sucked into some conversation. Found out it was 13th day of the month coinciding with the fact that it was also a Friday. Also absorbed some recent gossip. And, because of the recent anniversary, got involved with a conversation about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

You see, the conversation got even more interesting when it turned out that one of the women there was German, a former resident of East Berlin, who had been 18 when the wall came down, and moved to America shortly after. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with Germans in the past (and no, I’m not referring to World War II, though that was no picnic either, ha ha!), but every once in a while, I have a good experience with their women.

The woman and I talked for some time about the Berlin Wall, and primarily what it was like for her growing up in East Berlin. Essentially, it was bleak, but fascinating. And we had one of those conversations that always pop where she mentions that she was feeling uneasy today because she had left her cell phone at home and she just feels like she’s naked and out of touch, but growing up poor in Germany, they didn’t even have a phone in their house til she was 16. “How did we live in that ancient, strange world?” she asked with a laugh.

She had just seen The Lives Of Others a few weeks ago, she told me, and we talked about the movie, which is really quite good if you haven’t seen it yet, and about the Stasi in general. She told me that the movie scares her because back then, when she was growing up, you just always knew you were being watched, being monitored. You always suspected who was a Stasi man, but you never really knew for sure. And it didn’t hit you until later that it wasn’t so much agents of the Stasi you had to worry about, but those around you because everyone was informing on each other to get ahead.

Could’ve been worse. He could’ve thrown up in her lap.

From there we went into little aspects of German history, talking about “The Iron Chancellor” and how the Prussians united the country a hundred years before the Wall fell, and we even talked a little about Merkel, or “Angie,” as she called her, and told me what a fan she is, being that they’re both East German girls. She told me how it was so weird for her to come to America in her twenties and get a more full view of her own little world up til then and to compare it to growing up in communist Germany, where history was repainted with a propaganda slant. She mentioned that as a teen they were never allowed to refer to the Wall as just “the Wall,” it was always as the “tool for anti-fascist defense” or something like that.

She told me how when she was in school, it was a mandatory field trip for the kids to be taken to the concentration camps and shown all the gross details, the rooms with human remains permanently staining the walls, with the empty shoes of little babies that were turned to dust, the lampshades made out of flayed skin featuring Jewish tattoos. She told me how the physical evidence of the darkest corners of history would never leave her mind and part of her was glad that she was forced to see that shameful part of her country’s past, but that it’s something she knows kids don’t go to see anymore.

I don’t want to use the word “fascinating” again in this post, but that’s what it was. A fascinating conversation, and a fantastic one, informative and insightful. I thanked her for her time and being so patient with my curiousity, and of course for letting me know that it was actually Friday the 13th. Then I left, since I had been there for quite some time and it was starting to look like it might rain. I wasn’t interesting in listening to sad old men with hair plugs crooning bar anthems into my ear, so I just walked in silence, my head heavy with thoughts about everything we discussed.

“Komm rüber!” Hans Conrad Schumann defects, from here.

It did start raining before I got back to my front door, of course, but my mind was elsewhere and I didn’t actually realize it until I was pulling my key out to let myself back in and realized I was shivering there as the water dripped off of me.

And how did you spend your Friday the 13th?

Guys, check this out!

A song sang by Big Daddy Weave.

It has a really good music with wonderful lyrics!

I don’t think I can quote one of my favorite lyrics since I like them all – yes, I seriously do.

I find the lyrics to be very true and heart-warming.

BIG DADDY WEAVE – EVERYTIME I BREATHE

I am sure all of heaven’s heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard

But day by day
Without fail
I’m finding everything I need
And everything that You are
To me

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it’s true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way
That’s less than all I have to give
But by Your grace I want to love You not with what
I say
But everyday
In a way that my life is lived

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it’s true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble
Yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I’m finding
I am free
You are marvelous God
And knowing You is everything

Here’s the vid: (I do NOT own this)

This little phrase has been resonating in my head for almost two weeks now.

“Core Four”, “Core Four”, ”Core Four”, ”Core Four”.

I guess that means that I need to do a post about it, huh?? 

It’s harder to rank players while they’re still active.  One phenomenal season by any one of these guys and the rankings could change.  Jorge Posada may decide he wants to pitch next year and if he wins 20 games, the rankings would certainly change.  Mariano Rivera may decide he wants to play Center field next year and if he steals 100 bases, the rankings would certainly change.  Derek Jeter may put on 45 pounds of muscle in the offseason and if he crushes 75 home runs, the rankings would certainly change.  And Andy Pettitte  may decide he wants to play catcher next year and if he throws out every base runner, the rankings would certainly change.  

See what I mean??  Since it is so hard to predict the future of these 4 guys, my rankings will be solely based on what they have done from their debuts in the major leagues through the 2009 post season.

Here we go!!

4.  Jorge Posada – My favorite of the bunch, Posada doesn’t get close to the credit he deserves for driving the Yankees ship for close to 15 years now.  A 5-time All-star and 5-time Silver Slugger winner, most of what Jorge Posada does on the field goes un-noticed.  This guy has been able to adapt and work with new veteran and rookie pitchers almost every season he has been in the league.  He has worked with future Hall of Famers like Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.  He has worked perennial Cy Young caliber talent like CC Sabathia, Mike Mussina, and Andy Pettitte as well.  Then you add all of the guys that the Yankees have tried to bring in to fill voids, and it is Posada who has taken them in and prepared them for games.  Enough cannot be said for his dedication to his pitching staff – it’s just too obad that it doesn’t show up in the stat sheets.

Posada is closing in on 1,500 career hits and has 243 home runs and 964 RBI.  In 2010, he should be able to eclipse the 1,500 hits, 250 home runs, and 1,000 RBI plateaus with relative ease.  Keeping in mind that he averages 130-140 games a year, and his numbers are pretty solid. 

Owner of 4 World Series championships, Jorge Posada has played in 111 post season contests. 

3.  Andy Pettitte – Pettitte could rank higher on this short list had he not defected to Houston for 3 big league seasons in the mid 2000’s.  A picther with unquestionable talent, Pettitte has finished in the Top 6 for the Cy Young award 5 times in his career.  While doing so, he appears to be getting better with age as well.  In his 15 big league seasons, he has reached double-digit wins 14 times. 

With a career win-loss record of 229-135, one has to wonder if 300 wins is in Pettitte’s future.  At the age of 37 there is a possibility if he remains healthy and wants to pitch for 5-6 more years, but 250-260 is more realistic.  Pettitte will enter the 2010 season with 2,150 career strikeouts on his resume.  2-3 more strong seasons from him and he should have no problem joining the 2,500 K’s Club.

Andy Pettitte owns 5 World Series rings.  He has stared 13 games in the Fall Classic and owns a 5-4 record.  For his post-season career, Pettitte has a 18-9 record.   Just this past season, he took to the mound as the New York Yankees clinched their ALDS, ALCS, and World Series victories!!

2.  Derek Jeter – Not enough can be said about the captain of the Yankees.  It is very hard to not like Derek Jeter, and it is almost impossible to not respect his dedication to winning and the city of New York.  The biggest star on a team full of superstars, the Yankees are Jeter’s team.  And it will be this way until he retires from the sport.

The former 1996 Rookie of the Year is the all-time leader for career hits by a Yankee.  And when you review their incredible history, that stat says quite a bit.  Jeter is a 10-time All-star, 4-time Gold Glove winner, and 3-time winner of the Silver Slugger award.  On top of that, he has finished in the Top 10 for the MVP voting 6 times.  Derek Jeter has 2,747 career hits.  At his current pace, he should gain entry into the 3,000 hits club sometime during the middle of the 2011 season.  At the age of just 35 and with 4-5 good years of solid production still left in him, it’s also very possible that Jeter reaches the 300-HR plateau as he currently rests with 224 round trippers.

Derek Jeter owns 5 World Series championship rings.  When the spotlight has been on him, he has shined brightly.  To date, Jeter has a .321 World Series batting average while amassing 50 hits in 38 games.  He has also collected the most hits in post-season history by any player!

1.  Mariano Rivera – I don’t value the role of the closer as much as the next fan.  But I do marvel at how calm and relaxed Mariano Rivera appears to be each and every time he takes to the field.  In a pressure filled spot, we have all seen countless players attempt to close games.  Some do well, many fail, and only 1 guy truly dominates – and that is Rivera!

In 15 big league seasons, Rivera has collected 526 saves, good for 2nd place all-time.  He also owns a 71-52 record alongside a 2.25 ERA.  In 1,090 innings pitched, Rivera has struck out 1,006 batters while walking just 256.  His career 8.3 K’s/innings pitched and 3.93 K’s/walks ratios are incredibly impressive when you look at how many pressure filled situations these accomplishments have been obtained in.  Rivera is the king of cool – and like his fellow Yankee teammates, he seems to get better with age as well.  In 2009, ‘Mo’ collected his 7th 40+ save season.  A few more of these and 600 career saves looks like an inevitable accomplishment.

Rivera has won the World Series 5 times.  During the Fall Classic, he has recorded 11 saves alongside a 2-1 record.  In 14 seasons in which his teams have made the post-season, Mariano Rivera has closed the game a major league record 39 times.

So there you have it.  If I had to rank these 4 players on their careers as of today this is where they would place.  Now if you ask me the same question 5 years from now, things could possibly change.  I think that Rivera and Jeter have the top 2 spots locked down regardless of what they do for the rest of their careers, with Pettitte and Posada in a distant 3rd and 4th place.

What is fun to think about are the possible momentus occasions that may be on the way.  Who knows how many more World Series championships these guys will win.  And with Rivera, 600 saves sounds pretty cool.  But for me, the greatest challenge that lies ahead, can be met by Derek Jeter.  If health and time are on his side, I can see Jeter joining the very rare company of the 3,000 hits / 300 home runs / 300 steals club.  And if he does that, I think he easily vaults into the top of the ‘Core 4′ group.

Then the question becomes, where does Jeter rank all-time…  Oh, boy.  Let the debates begin!!!