Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt

I am not sure when or where, but decades ago I read something like this: “Never let the tote board influence your betting.” The sad thing is at the time I thought those were words of wisdom; that finding THE winner was all that was important. What was I thinking? One of the fundamental aspects of wagering is finding a worthy bet. It took me thirty-some years before I finally grasped that concept. Had I not done so, I would have remained a losing horse player.

The only way to profit from betting on horse races is to compare the realistic chances of a horse winning the race to its actual odds. That is how you find Value Plays. That is where your focus should be.

Let me illustrate with a recent example. The Gallorette Handicap was on the under card at Pimlico on Preakness day. Based on their morning line odds, I determined the three horses that warranted consideration were Samitar, Pianist, and Old Tune. Samitar was the morning line favorite at 5-2, and do to over betting by the public, left the gate at even money. Pianist opened at 4-1, and edged up to 7-1 just before post time. Old Tune started the day at 4-1 and was bet down to 3-1 by the public.

Which horse offered the best value? Pianist, of course, and on this particular occasion the horse rewarded me with a $15.40 payout to win and a $7.80 payout to place. This is a perfect example of choosing the best wager over the seemingly best horse, in this case Samitar, who finished a well-beaten fourth.

You should also be aware of two things: the odds on Pianist dropped after the simulcast wagers were added to the pool, and, most importantly, the place payout on Pianist was higher than you would have received had you placed a win bet on  Samitar, and he had won the race.

My very first guest blog post comes to you from Elin Williams, bilingual (English/Welsh) theatre critic and fellow Stephen King nerd. 
You can follow Elin on Twitter here and you can read her excellent reviews here  on her personal blog and on the Welsh Arts Review. Elin’s article will also appear in my Stephen King zine. Hope you enjoy!  

Many of Stephen King’s novels explore the character of the woman. From Annie Wilkes in Misery to Dolores Claiborne in the eponymous novel, it cannot be denied that King is a keen writer for the female.

Interestingly, both women in the aforementioned novels are played by Kathy Bates in film adaptations, somewhat supporting the argument which exists that this surely indicates a stock-type female character.

Gerald’s Game is one of King’s most popular novels, and remains so despite never being adapted into TV or film. Jessie Burlingame, the novel’s protagonist, is an extremely conflicted individual. She is repressing some extremely dark memories of paternal abuse, reflected in her perhaps predictable ‘hard’ exterior.

One evening, she and her husband Gerald go to a cottage in the woods in an attempt to liven up their dull sex life with some light bondage, but things take a turn for the worst when Jessie changes her mind, kicks her husband in the balls inducing a heart attack, and he dies leaving her handcuffed to the bed. Oh, and then a feral dog eats him.

The plot of the novel is slightly far-fetched, but really the plot is merely a motor to validate Jessie’s uncovering of repressed memories; it just happens to include a decomposing corpse, in true King fashion.

In terms of sexuality, the opening chapter is loaded with allusions to the representation of the female. We could go down the usual, boring route of ‘Jessie is handcuffed to the bed, therefore she is consequently objectified…’ and so on, but more interesting things are going on.

Jessie may be handcuffed to the bed in a vulnerable manner, and there may be several descriptions of Gerald with his ‘wolfish’ grin. In fact, there are echoes of a certain fairy tale here; the tale that is originally thought to have been a message to young girls that if you dare to deviate from the path of sexual righteousness, the Big Bad Wolf will come and eat you. Gerald is the wolf, but this comparison is almost laughable.

He is constantly stripped of any power attributed to him, and significantly he is stripped of it by his wife: “A few more of his small, inoffensive attorney’s teeth came into view; his IQ tumbled another twenty or thirty points.” It seems every time Gerald is permitted the power over his wife, he is almost immediately stripped of it in following sentences. He is almost feminised, with his “pouting rosebud of a mouth”, but he always manages to draw out some clichéd insult: “You could be an actress. Or a call-girl. One of the really high-priced ones.”

Really, Gerald’s character is only there to reveal the usual threats a woman may be up against in her day-to-day life, but up against such a pathetic example of a man, Jessie seems to come out stronger. She uses her own stereotypically ‘female’ traits to her own advantage too: “Yes, but now I have a headache; Yes, but I’m having these really shitty pre-menstrual cramps; Yes, but I’m a woman and therefore entitled to change my mind.” The whole chapter is a tennis match which sees the notion of female empowerment bounce to and fro. It just doesn’t seem to make any sense.

As the novel progresses (we’ll just skip over the death of Gerald, as it is pretty irrelevant.), more confusion begins to arise. Jessie ‘hears voices’, but not in a particularly schizophrenic way. The voices are familiar ones, and significantly one is the voice of Gloria Steinem, the American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist.

Steinem became nationally recognized after the woman’s liberation movement in the late 60’s. Ironically, this voice speaks to Jessie as she’s literally restrained by a man’s actions. Although arguably the whole basis of the novel relies on Jessie’s restraint, Jessie must be in such a dire situation in order to confront her past demons of abuse in order to ‘be free’. In essence, it is this confrontation of repressed memories which gives her the strength to break free (both mentally and physically) and also makes her stronger in the long run.

Asides from a hasty serial grave robber thrown in, Jessie is our main character of interest. Her self-confliction with aspects of her own sexuality is very confusing to the reader.
It could be argued that this is down to King’s inability to fully assert the female voice.

Although King clearly has great skill in creating these female protagonists, there seems to be always something slightly amiss. Just as Annie Wilkes is physically ‘masculine’, Jessie is mentally ‘masculine’, but the whole novel is peppered with confusing signals regarding the vulnerable female.

It’s uncertain whether King succeeds in ultimately empowering the female in his novel, or whether this was even his intention in the first place, but it certainly makes for an interesting discussion.

Let me just start out by saying that despite having very eclectic taste in music, over a wide spectrum of styles, I have never been a huge fan of Bluegrass music. I know, I know, it’s traditional and pervasive and a lot of different musical styles borrow from it, I just can’t listen to it for very long without wanting to stick a fork in my ears. Repeatedly.

I am, however, a HUGE fan of live music played in intimate settings by professionals who know how to work a crowd. I’ll make all kinds of exceptions if the show is exciting, upbeat and engaging. That is exactly what one gets any time the Hard Road Trio is in town and the very reason I’ll take any opportunity to catch them.

Actually, any incarnation of Hard Road will do. The Trio itself, made up of mandolin virtuoso Steve Smith, guitar-strumming chanteuse Christine Sanders and double-bass ace Anne Luna are a magical combination. Adding more instruments — as they are wont to do when they play the Rio Grande Theatre for their annual KRWG fundraiser in July, for instance — is always a spectacular show.

Playing to a full house at the intimate Black Box Theatre on Friday, May 17, the Hard Road Trio gave what I believe to be one of the best shows of their career. Of course, I can only speak from my own experiences with the band, but having seen them several times and in several locales, this particular show was definitely the standout.

What we saw Friday night was the stripped down Trio and what an amazing show it was. Everything I love about live music was there: Spontaneous interaction between band members and the audience, bad jokes, interesting asides, rambling back stories and more from a band that genuinely wanted to be there. Exactly the kind of extemporaneous enjoyment one CAN’T get from YouTube or Vimeo.

The selections, too, were an interesting mix of traditional and contemporary styles, which kept the show on an even keel and banished any notion of tined cutlery from my head. In fact, at least one third of the 22 songs performed were brand new or, as Sanders put it, “still dripping ink.” It is always a bonus when a band shares music that has yet to be recorded and even better when the audience is told it is the first time the tune has ever been heard in public.

Standouts of the evening included the instrumental interlude “Chance of a Fox,” which had flashes of Irish jig intertwined with Americana stylings; the touching Robert Earl Keen ballad “Mariano,” the recently penned “Mighty Long Way” and “Round and Round,” which each make beautiful use of all three vocalist’s strengths.

In fact, the performers themselves were in top form throughout. Three selections at the beginning of the second set showcased Luna’s talents on the cello, which added even more depth to the overall performance. Sanders’ guitar picking becomes more accomplished with each passing year, but it will always be the pure clarity of her vocals that signify her. And if I haven’t said it before, Smith may have a voice that harkens back to the Smoky Mountains of old, but he can seriously rock the mandolin. He’s like the Jimi Hendrix of mandolin players. Minus the smashing and fire.

I think what I love most about Hard Road, however, is the soaring harmonies. It’s almost as though the three voices were made to intertwine musically. And because they know this is a strong suit, all three songwriters tend to include them in every song they write, constantly seeking new ways to match their vocal instruments with those they hold in their hands. It’s the kind of admirable perspicacity that can repeatedly bring an audience to its feet.

Which is exactly what happened. Maybe it was because they were riding high from a successful tour that had finally brought them home, or because this show was the last stop before they played the New Mexico Music Awards in Santa Fe the following Sunday (an event for which they had been nominated in six different categories and won two, Best Packaging Design and Best Bluegrass Song), or because many of their personal friends and family members were in attendance. Maybe it was a combination of the above.

Whatever it was, the confluence was momentous and I, for one, was more than happy to be there. In fact, I can’t think of any other place I would rather have been that night. If you ever find yourself with the opportunity to catch this band, do it (Rio Grande Theatre in July, anyone?). You will NOT be disappointed, no matter what your musical tastes may be.

In fact, I would recommend that even if Bluegrass isn’t your cuppa ear juice, you leave the fork at home. You won’t be needing it.

Originally published in the Friday, May 24 issue of the Las Cruces Bulletin. All rights reserved.

J.J Abrams inches closer and closer to world (and space) domination with the release of Star Trek into Darkness, the sequel to his fantastic 2009 Star Trek reimagining.  Star Trek fans are a notoriously allegiant lot, so pleasing them with a reboot of their beloved series was always going to be a tough calling, but expert and newbie alike seemed to dig the origin story of Kirk and crew first time around. This time, there is a new layer of scrutiny being added thanks to the announcement that J.J will be the director of the new Star Wars movie being commissioned by Disney, after their acquisition of Lucas Films in October last year. Star Wars fans are tough too, so will they deem Abrams worthy of continuing the Star Wars legacy after they view his latest space adventure, or is it over before it even began?

Into Darkness begins with a nimble and thrilling action set piece on the planet Nibiru, which is inhabited by a very primitive indigenous culture living amongst a jungle made up of white trees and red licorice. Sent only to observe, Kirk (Chris Pine) and crew can’t help but interfere with a volatile volcano about to explode and destroy the entire planet. Spock (Zachary Quinto) is sent to neutralize the lava bomb, but winds up in impending danger and in need of rescuing. Kirk’s orders are to remain unseen at all times, but instead lets the Nibiru-ens (ites?) catch a glimpse of the USS Enterprise as he swoops down to rescue Spock. This doesn’t go over well with Kirks superiors back at Starfleet head quarters, and he is bumped down to first officer after a damning report was filed by best bud Spock. Kirk tries to nurse his ego through this tough time, but is distracted when an insider terrorist by the name of John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) bombs a Starfleet base in London and seems hell bent on destroying all that he holds dear.

The opening sequence is equal parts funny and emotionally heart wrenching, as you giggle at Kirk and Bones (Karl Urban) bickering about their predicament while running through the jungle, and empathize with Uhura (Zoe Saldana) as she tries to stay professional while her boyfriend faces death. This great balance of tone combined with the fantastic chemistry of the actors, not to mention Abrams propulsive directing, is what made the first Star Trek so great, but they take the darkness part of the title too seriously in this film, highlighting the muddled script and weird character motivations in the process. Those great elements are still present, as shown by the funny moments with Simon Pegg’s charming Scottie, and the evolving bromance between Kirk and Spock, but they feel like forced fan service sometimes, rather than real character beats.

If nothing else, the film looks great. I’m a fan of J.J’s lens flares and I especially love the trail of sparkly dust left by the enterprise as it blasts off.  The excellent CG effects make outer space look vast and striking, and the scene where Kirk and Harrison space jump through a cloud of debris will have you ducking and weaving in your seat. The acting is also uniformly good, with the whole crew building on their performances from the first outing, especially Zachary Quinto’s emotionally blocked Spock.

The biggest blunder in this movie is with the handling of the villain. No spoilers here but there is a pretty big reveal about who he is, but to a Star Trek virgin like myself, this reveal doesn’t amount to a whole lot.  Cumberbatch is excellent, delivering far more than the usual ‘British thesp chewing scenery’ performance. He has just about the best voice for a suave bad guy in the world, and it’s a lot of fun to see him get down and dirty in the action scenes as well. But the promise of Cumberbatch’s performance is whittled away by his characters progression through the plot, and while keeping his motivations ambiguous works for a while, after the big reveal he just sort of fizzles out as a character. It also irks me that the women in this story are mostly relegated to nagging and looking worried in this movie, and that shot of Carol Marcus in her undies is just poor filmmaking more than anything else. Zoe Saldana is so great as Uhura, why not give her something more to do than speak Klingon for 5 minutes?

Don’t get me wrong, Star Trek into Darkness is definitely a fun night out at the movies, and you won’t ever feel actively bored, but it just doesn’t measure up to the greatness of the first one. Don’t stress though Star Wars fans, J.J is supposedly a huge Star Wars nut, so he’s got your best interests at heart.

6.5/10

Books have changed, though.  For the first time since the printing press made books available to the masses, we’ve had a true revolution in books.  It’s a miraculous little thing called the e-book.

Traditionalists dislike it, instead preferring the tactile connection with a paper page.  While some traditions are things I hold dear, I must confess…I love the e-book concept.

Maybe it’s the moves over the years, with heavy book boxes and the fear of something being lost, overlooked, or damaged along the way.  Maybe it was two years in a travel trailer, with most of my personal library in storage and unavailable.  Maybe it was the continual stacks of books, unshelved because the book shelves were already crammed full.   My bookshelves never looked like magazines portrayed them, instead, mine were crammed with books.  Maybe too, it was the disappointment and dismay that discovering that a favored book was literally falling apart.

Then, there is also the price of books, both in terms of purchase price and environmental price.  While I value books, I also have to take care of business in regards to the usual bills.  I also care about the planet we live on, and would like to see the forests remain forests.  If you have never seen an area after it has been clear cut for a paper mill, you’ve never really seen devastation.  It’s pretty unsightly, actually.

So e-books, besides being the wave of the future, are a good thing, in my eyes.   It’s also going to signal the demise of some things that we’ve come to regard as cultural institutions, such as the book shop, the library, and even the printing companies.  It’s also created a new wave, something else we’ve never seen before: the independent author.

While magazines are not making the transition as easily to electronic formats, they are also going to have to adjust.  I love having magazines on my computer, but I want them in their entirety, advertisements and all.  You may wonder why on earth anyone would want more advertisements, especially as we are bombarded with targeted ads everywhere, gleaned from our searches and clicks elsewhere, but it’s simple: advertisements are often the way I discover new products, companies, sales, features, etc.  I have always found the small ads, usually located at the back of the magazine, especially interesting compared to the full page color ads throughout a magazine.  It’s simple why I like those though–they are the low budget ads, for smaller companies, for more customized niche products, and are more likely to be something that makes me curious or fills a need.  I’m not so worried about cosmetics, perfume, fashion, designers, expensive furniture, alcoholic beverages, etc. such as usually take out those big expensive full page ads, although some of them are interesting in terms of artistic and creative merit.  I’m thrilled to not be inflicted with the less-than-pleasant combination of aromas that a stack of magazines with scented ads creates.

The problem with the magazines is that they are limiting where you can view them.  With Amazon Kindle, you have to either have a full color Kindle or some are available on Android devices.  I use Kindle for PC mostly, as I haven’t taken the plunge yet and bought a Kindle Fire.  (Now if  you want to send me an Amazon gift card to use towards the purchase of one, I wouldn’t complain at all!)  Most PCs are full color devices, I haven’t seen a monochromatic PC in so long, I’d likely have a stroke if I was faced with one of those old monitors, but it still does not support magazine apps.  That means I can’t buy an electronic subscription from Amazon.

No, I’m not an infomercial for Amazon products, but over time, they have become my favored electronic reading material provider.  We also chose the Kindle, after much research, as a gift for my mother last year.  She loves hers, and has now decided that she wants to upgrade to the full color version in a larger size, and will undoubtedly purchase a Kindle Fire HD soon.  Kindle has a lot of features that I really like, and I have tried the Nook and Kobo for PC as well, but in my opinion, Amazon beats the others easily, especially in terms of available content and prices on that content.

But back to magazines…

I first started reading e versions of magazines long before I had heard of a Kindle or any other e-reader, for that matter.  Zinio was (and is) the provider I used.  Do I like it?  No, to be honest, after using Kindle for PC  & android, I prefer that interface.  So how can magazines improve their interface for electronic subscriptions?

• Do away with proprietary interfaces that are excessively restrictive.  There is no reason that we can’t view magazines easily via whichever e-reader we choose to use on our computers.  I can understand not supporting the e-ink versions for many magazines because of the monochromatic display, but why not the other full color versions?
• Add search features.  I love the ability to keep years of magazines on my device, without the fire hazard of having them stacked in boxes.  I like being able to flip through the pages without tears or missing pages too.  But, most of all, I want to find that article that I’m searching for without having to read the table of contents in 27 different issues because I can’t remember which one it was in.
• Reduce electronic subscription fees.  The electronic version costs a lot less to produce and distribute because it doesn’t need trucks, postage, ink, printing presses, or paper. Why do I have to pay as much for the e-version as I would for the paper version?  It aggravates me.  Just like e-books should cost less than the paperback or hard bound version, so should e-magazines.
• Offer entire sets of a particular past year of a magazine for a flat rate, preferably reasonably priced.  If the magazine is a good one, back issues are often very valuable for articles of all kinds, as well as research into past trends.  Include the advertisements too–sometimes, they are as entertaining as the articles are!  In addition, offer as many years of back issues as possible.  With e-formats, there is no real reason NOT to.
• Include a print feature in whatever format the magazines are in.  Sometimes, you may want to print a page or set of pages.  It might be directions on how to make something, a pattern, or a recipe, but printing it may make the difference in its usability.  I can just imagine the fun I’d have if I could purchase some of the magazines I had made things from 20 years ago, and make them all over again for my granddaughter, after I’d also made them for her mother so long ago!

But why would magazine companies listen to me?  It’s not like I have a lot of influence on such things.  Consumers in general need to start demanding that companies listen to their desires and needs more, and quit accepting crappy service as their due.  But that’s a soap box I’ve been on for years, not that it’s helped a lot yet!

Publishing a novel and a small cookbook has shifted my perceptions of books, authors, and independent publishing.  A lot.  I’ve learned a lot.  Doing the Author Conversations series on the Dawn of Shades has taught me a lot more, both about authors and about books in general.  It has rekindled my interest in reading fiction too.  I had forgotten how enjoyable it could be.  I’ve also expanded my usual genre selection because of selecting authors, rather than books, for the series.  It’s made me broaden those old horizons.  I also asked the authors to send me either e-books, or digital portions of their books–I couldn’t face more stacks of books, to be honest.  I didn’t want to be intimidated by volume, and it’s not like reading is something I find difficult, especially in the digital version.

Why?  Physically, reading a book is difficult for me.  The book is heavy and awkward, and I have to sit at a table or desk to use one.  I had to give up my old favorite rainy-day activity of curling up in bed with a good book when I got hurt.  Since the injury has resulted in permanent disability, it’s not something I’m going to be able to do again either.  So, it’s just easier to have it on a screen and occasionally click to advance through the pages.  With the difficulty of holding the book removed, I can read as fast as ever, and most books are devoured within a few hours, all courtesy of an educational experiment decades ago when I was still a kid, and was taught speed reading.  I’m sure that I don’t normally read at nearly 1000 wpm, but I know I read faster than the average person.  (It’s not a sign of genius, by the way, but rather merely physically training the eyes to see pages in a different way than we usually do.  It was done with a machine that would light up each portion of the line/page to do that training, and worked on me fairly quickly.)

So, instead of the usual 2-3 fiction books per year that I had deteriorated to, I’m now reading that many a week.  I’m still reading non-fiction, and probably in roughly the same amount I had been, but there is a renewed pleasure in reading that I have rediscovered.  It probably doesn’t hurt that I am now justifying it as “research” though.  I have a second novel in the works, and while I have a general idea where the story will go, I’ve restarted it a dozen times in the last six months, after the story seemed to stagnate in my computer.  I figure that if it starts to bore me, it certainly will bore a reader!  By reading other writers’ efforts, I’m seeing what I like and what I don’t like more clearly.

Don’t get me wrong though.  I don’t read every book with a critical eye.  Sometimes, it’s nice to just read something because it’s a story and its interesting and entertaining.  Everything doesn’t have to be high drama and literary highbrow in nature to be worthy of a read.  I’ve read everything from children’s books to science fiction in the past month.  I’ve read some things I really LIKED, and I’ve read some things and thought, okay, we don’t want to go there ever again.

I’ve also written a lot of reviews of books.  Some have been guests, others have been books I read just because.  I thought some were awful too.  Independent publishing means that the awful gets published right alongside the great, and sometimes the awful looks like a story written by a sixth grader.  Even the awful has merit though–it’s a great example of what NOT to do.  I’ve also decided that I’m going to change how I reviewed books in the past for guests on the radio show.  I used to post the reviews on our website.  While that’s fine and dandy, I’m not so sure it benefits the authors very much.  So, I’ve decided that I will use two locations for reviews in the future–Amazon and Goodreads.  There are lots of locations with merit, but I can’t post it everywhere, I just don’t have that much time to invest in the reviews themselves.  I decided that I liked the format on Goodreads, and Amazon makes sense because it is now the largest seller of books, so it’s a case of putting the reviews where they will do the authors and their books the most good.  I have posted a lot of reviews on Amazon over the years, so I have a lot of them there.  On Goodreads, it’s going to take a lot of time to get the numbers up very high, as I just created an account there recently.

So…grab a book.  It’s a holiday weekend, the perfect time to lounge somewhere with a book, whether its beside a pool, in a park, or in the corner of your own sofa.  Of course, I’d like it if you bought a copy of The Time of Chaos, either in paperback OR e-book format (http://bit.ly/timeofchaos)   You could also whip up something chocolatey from All Chocolate (http://bit.ly/allchocolate).

Remington Curl Wand

1 & 1 1/2 inch barrel

I am such a fan of curling wands, they have changed my life. I have never been very good at curling my hair, never liked the finished product. And HATED the process of curling my hair. Takes forever! Curling Irons with a clamp just frustrate me. I got my first wand over 6 years ago and never looked back. I still own a few random sized curling irons and used for certain looks but again I would not enjoy the process. Separating and pinning back hair while waiting 20-30 seconds to release, was just annoying. I know “first world problems” right? Hahaha With a curling wand the temperature get so hot, so fast, 10 seconds hold is plenty! I love the end result! I always feel more in control of each curl, if one strand didn’t turn out how I like, re-wrap it and good to go. My hair holds the curl longer, still feels soft and bouncy.

The other day I had a 20% coupon for Ulta and have been wanting to purchase a bigger barreled wand. There are a lot of wands out there and some that are most likely better than this one but not in my price range. There was a Bed Head one also in my price range but it only had certain settings. A wand with the different degree settings is what I prefer. They heat up so much faster and I think produce a better curl. Remington has quite a few different models to choose from and I have their 1 inch wand already so I went with the bigger 1 & 1/2 barrel. I have used this wand a few times since I purchased it and I really feel comfortable and confident in using it.

$29.99 at Ulta

$24.99 at Target

VS

$49.99 Hot Tools Curing Wands

So I am very happy with my purchase!

]]> http://nerdineblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/my-5-favorite-doctor-who-episodes/ Fri, 24 May 2013 14:31:16 +0000 Nerdine http://nerdineblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/my-5-favorite-doctor-who-episodes/ This is a really tough choice… One by one I will review shortly every of my favorite episodes and tell you, why I like it that much. Definitely- there are so many episodes with great elements and it is sooo difficult. My criteria in this case is the overall-story and… to be honest… when I look at my list…in every single of them I am really worried about the Doctor and if he is able to escape from his current, hopeless situation.

This is not a list with the greatest, society criticizing episodes, not about companions, not the funniest situations and not the ones, that attached me emotionally the most. Guess it is more about which episode caught me the most in its overall story and atmosphere.

Well, let´s get startet:

Midnight

As far as I know this episode is reviewed very differently. Many people actually don´t like it. To me it is great, because it is horrifying scary and uses very simple means to achieve that. For example: The whole story is located in this tiny vehicle. We don´t have vast corridors or haunted houses. The story is based on a children’s game, named “copy cat”. I mean- who did not do that, when he was a child? Overall atmosphere is only created by dialogue, music(sound) and light. You never see anything that is visually scary or horrifying. No blood, no corpse, no weapons at all, no monsters, just an ordinary woman. Words are used to create thread and a scary situation… thats fantastic! Everybody is able to create horror by using artificial blood, dark places and monsters. This is not necessary in “Midnight”.

I like that the Doctor gets in trouble by trying to save Sky and for talking his leadership for guaranteed, like  his quote “I am clever” emphasizes . The people do not accept him automatically as their leader which is a very extraordinary situation for the Doctor. He is completely helpless in his situation and the whole situation becomes more and more hopeless and claustrophobic.

Actually this claustrophobia is one of the elements, that creates horror in this episode… the people cannot get out, who leaves, is dead. Only the evil can get in and in this case it is invisible to us. Do you remember panic room? Similar concept…think about it! And next- while we are watching it, we are sitting somewhere and do not move. That puts our bodies in a similar, limited position, just like the figures are in the story. Guess that helps us identifying even more with the situation, even though we are not aware of that.

It becomes a dangerous witch-hunt for the doctor. Of course we all got, why the name of the operator is crusader?? Great!! This name already stands for everything. It does not happen very often that the doctor becomes that much a helpless victim. Without the sacrifice of the stewardess the story of the Doctor might have ended, here. I really felt scared by this episode, it made me think and it worked with very simple means.

Overall it does not happen a lot in this episode, it is told very slowly but every minute it stays exciting and scary. Amazing!

And- I like the beginning, when we have this amazing overload of entertainment. That´s so funny and again one of the small social criticizing elements in Doctor Who.

Last but not least- last year a planet was discovered which is consists of diamond… just google it.

If you suffer from bad morning breath or just want a healthy fresh smelling mouth then this product is for you. CB12 works instantly to neutralise and prevent the gases that cause bad breath, giving you safe breath confidence for 12 hours. CB12’s unique and patented formulation is proven to perform better against bad breath than other oral hygiene products that may just mask the smell of bad breath. Plus CB12 contains 0.05% sodium fluoride to help prevent tooth decay.
I was sent a bottle of CB12 for review from Meda Pharmacy in mint/menthol flavour. The bottle has an auto dosing system by simply pressing the red button it will dispense the correct amount into the lid.

. Then you simply swill around mouth and spit out.
The taste is not unpleasant like some other mouth washes I have used and it left my mouth feeling and smelling fresh as a daisy.
The mouthwash can be purchased from Boots and many other chemists and has a price of approx £14.59 for 250ml bottle.

The Mobee Magic Charger is a docking station for your Magic Mouse that wirelessly chargers the Magic Mouse’s battery. Inside the box, you get the Base Station, a Battery Pack, a Micro-USB Cable and a User Manual.

To start using the Magic Charger, all you have to do is replace your existing AA batteries with the included Batter Pack and you are good to go. The Magic Charger is designed to stop you from wasting endless amounts of AA batteries. It looks similar to an Apple Product and is a great addition to any desk setup.

A full charge on from the Magic Charger can last up to six days without recharging so you don’t have to worry about charging it all the time.

The base station has an indicator light that shows when the battery pack is charging and when it is fully charged. It also had a red indicator light on all of the time to show that the base station has power.

If you are looking for a way to de-clutter your desk and keep your Magic Mouse charged without wasting money on batteries all of the time, then the Mobee Magic Charger is for you. It looks great and works a treat. It retails on Mobee’s website for $40, which is around £35.

The only downside I found was that the battery pack itself is made out of a cheaper aluminium than the base of the Magic Mouse which may be an issue for some people. The magic mouse is also considerably lighter without regular batteries, this does take some getting use too.

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It took my son about 30 minutes to assemble the toys with very little guidance from me.

This set come with a Raphael’s Stealth Shell, Fishface’s Sewer Skimmer, and three figures.

Ages: 6-12

Price: Around $19.99

Pros: As I said, we are a Lego loving family and love to build Lego sets. That my son is a TMNT fan made it all the more fun. This set was easy to put together and since the set comes with two vehicles and figures inside, it can stand alone to be played with.

Cons: Come on, it’s Legos! I would be stretching it to list a con.

*This is a sponsored post

Mermaids and anchors galore in this town.

Okay, so it was colder than London, and hella windy. And I know that it has had a bit of a troubled history. But right now, things just seem to be going right for Liverpool. It looked so prosperous, especially along the docks. The museums had clearly had a lot of money poured into them and looked amazing, The Museum of Liverpool being my favourite. And all were free – very important, I’m sure you’ll agree!

View out from the Museum of Liverpool.

The main high-streets and shopping areas were all pedestrianised; something which I absolutely love in a city. I really think more of London should be pedestrianised. It makes for such a nicer experience. Calmer, more relaxing, and more attractive.

There was a fabulous mix of old and new architecture. Some of the new stuff was a bit out there and funky, but it was balanced by the older, more traditional buildings. Personal favourite: the ‘three graces‘ along the river front.

Loving those Liver Birds up top.

Of course, we took the ferry across the Mersey, which was great. We timed it just right, when the sun was out, and everything looked beautiful, gilded by the afternoon light.

And everyone was so friendly! Very different to London. And I found the accent very endearing, although a little hard to understand at times. I’ve heard before that people are nicer up north, and never wanted to believe it (being a southerner myself), but I just might have to concede that it’s true. More research needed…

One great thing about Liverpool is that everything is so close together. Everything we wanted to see was within walking distance. And there are really helpful signposts all over the place, telling you which way and how many minutes.

The cathedrals – Liverpool Cathedral left me a little cold, and the installation by Tracy Emin I found bizarre. Just seemed a bit tacky to me. But Paddy’s Wigwam, on the other hand, was fantastic. (Paddy’s = lots of Irish Catholic in Liverpool. Wigwam = look at the pictures.) Now, don’t get me wrong here, I am not by any stretch of the imagination religious, but even I could see the beauty in this place. Built in the 60′s, it is pretty funky, and definitely worth a look.

Paddy’s Wigwam: my camera can’t really do justice to the light in that place.

The Victoria Gallery and Museum was another favourite. Quirky little building and quirky exhibitions too. For me, the art gallery part wasn’t as interesting as the creepy pickled creatures and strange false teeth collection on the top floor.

Who knew owls had such bonkers eye-bones?

Possibly my favourite picture from the entire trip?

The Walker Gallery was fantastic too, as was the Central Library just next door, which had reopened days before, after three years of re-modelling.

The lovely Walker Gallery with it’s lovely multi-coloured birds.

So, if all you think about Liverpool is footie, Beatles and dockyard strikes, think again. Historic and modern, and very appealing, Liverpool was definitely a winner for me. Just bring a jumper or two. And brace yourself for the wind.

p.s. What the hell is up with those superlambananas? Baffling.

Just back away slowly, they’re attracted to movement.

View From Cafe Fish

What to choose, what to choose!!!

Fish Cafe Menu

This is the roasted seafood platter with crab, mini lobsters, langoustines, mussels, oysters and amazing bread. Look at that crumb! Look at this plate! Happiness!

Local Seafood Platter

This is the skate with a caper sauce – really good. How good? Cafe Fish was rated ‘UK Fish Restaurant of the Year 2012′ by The Good Food Guide, and Lonely Planet recommends them as one of the top 5 restaurants in Scotland… We can see why.

Skate on a Plate

Interesting

Polished THAT off!

Always Fresh

What a wonderful, magical evening on a beautiful Scottish island.

Related articles

• Off to the Isle of Mull (seattlefoodshed.wordpress.com)
• Battle over Tobermory’s most famous pub as owner is declared bankrupt (dailyrecord.co.uk)
• The Seafood Hut at the Ferry Port, Oban, Scotland (seattlefoodshed.wordpress.com)
• On the Road to Oban (seattlefoodshed.wordpress.com)
• Cuan Mor Bar in Oban, Scotland (seattlefoodshed.wordpress.com)
• Tobermory forced to cease production (thedrinksbusiness.com)

CollageIt Pro is an automatic and easy to use collage maker on Mac OS X & Windows some of the highlighted features are 

1) Simply add your photos to your collage; using “Random Layout” to generate layout automatically and customize collage; then export and share your collage.

2) Various layouts and diverse templates.

3) Easily personalize collage by cropping, adjusting photo number, photo space, page margin, rotation, sparse, and so on. Decorate collage with photo border and shadow.

4) Save collage as an image file; set as desktop wallpaper; share through Email; or print it out instantly.

I found this fun and easy to use and I like that is has a share on facebook so that if you want to you can just put in up and not have to save it to your pc and there is a giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using <a rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.tomoson.com/?code=BOTTOM868b54a0ecff1510baf8f974668d2e40″>Tomoson.com</a&#62;. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Cinder

I went into Cinder looking for a fresh retelling and I was not disappointed. Cinder draws from the overall idea of Cinderella but does a good job twisting it. The science fiction elements are handled very well; the reader is introduced to a world that is more advanced than ours where everyone has an ID chip, where cyborgs and robots walk the Earth, where everyone has a mini computer at their hands called a portscreen and where flying cars, called hovers, are a way of transportation. There’s also a kingdom in the moon comprised of evolved humans called Lunars, who don’t have a good relationship with Earth.

Part of the book revolves around this struggle and, coupled with the representation of Earth as one race, the Earthens, the book touches upon two complex issues: diversity and racism. New Beijing’s culture is a mixture of Asian cultures that has become an entirely different thing as seen by the rites of the nobility and the way people dress. The president of the Americas is President Vargas, a Latino man.

And the people subject to racism are the cyborgs and the Lunars. The cyborgs are a mix between human and machine and this is the reason why they have lesser rights; since they’re not entirely human, the people question their humanity and capabilities. Some consider that cyborgs cannot feel emotions. They’re used as test subjects for the plague and no one complains. This is an important aspect of the book because Cinder is a cyborg and she runs into problems, rejections and issues precisely because of that. The Lunars, on the other hand, are rejected and feared because they have developed powers as they flourished on the moon. They look and act different from humans on Earth and, coupled with their abilities and the ill intentions of those in power, Earthens despise them. But as one delves deeper into Cinder, one can see that not all of them are the same.

As a protagonist, Cinder is unique. When the narration is from her point of view, the reader is treated to images of her pulling up things on the net connection embedded in her, messages that appear in her eyes warning her of anxiety and other things happening in her body, the weight of her cyborg parts, the wires…everything that makes her a cyborg. She is aware that she is different as her stepmother, stepsister and the world don’t let her forget it, and sometimes she struggles with it. But slowly, even though these differences scare and set her apart, she starts to come to terms with her identity and the new things she learns about herself. Cinder tries to gain her freedom from being under her stepmother’s custody and though she sometimes doubts herself, she is strong. She doesn’t need saving; she just needs a working hand and a working foot and she can do the rest for herself. She is resourceful, strong and resolute when she makes a decision.

The book was a little predictable for me and this has nothing to do with the fact that it’s a retelling. The revelations were clearly set up so one could figure them out several pages in advance. They weren’t surprising for me, although there were two plot twists that were: one at the very beginning and one at the end. The other thing I found with Cinder was that it’s a big story, but not much is told. This is a book of interstellar proportions and it promises to encompass several countries on Earth as well as the moon, but not much happens. Despite this, the book was very entertaining and once I finished it, I immediately moved on to the second one, Scarlet, which came out earlier this year.

I recommend Cinder; it’s an unique retelling in a world that has a life of its own with a colorful cast of characters that can provoke a range of emotions in you. This is book that I definitely would like to read with others, especially with younger generations.

4 out of 5 stars

Mara Delgado Sanchez, the Young Adult Reviewer at Girls in Capes, is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction.  She draws inspiration from writers such as Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf and is an avid reader of young adult novels, science fiction, and fantasy.

First line: “Day jolts awake beside me.”

“After escaping from the Republic’s stronghold of Los Angeles, June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the pair joins a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and who offer them passage to the Colonies. The Patriots have only one request – June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.
It’s the chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must me more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood? What if the Patriots are wrong?” – from the book jacket

My thoughts: I’ve read some reviews by people that said they couldn’t really connect to the characters in this book. I felt differently. I really like June. I think her confusion is realistic considering it’s still been a short time since she found out how corrupt the Republic is, and I really like that she is still strong and can for the most part take care of herself easily. I still like Day too; I think his character is a little more interesting than June, and I especially liked the scene with June teaching him how to fight. Kaede is by far my favorite side character in this book, and I wanted to know more about her.

This is definitely one of my favorite sequels. It seems like everything is a series now, and I realize that it can be hard for authors to keep that magic into the second book. I think Marie Lu did it, I just hope that it continues in the next one!

My Ratings:
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Subject: 4/5
Originality: 3/5
Kept me interested: 4/5
Overall rating: 4/5

Carly Simon, “Coming Around Again”

By this point I’ve pretty well established I have eclectic taste in music, but there are some artists who I just can’t get enough of. Whether it’s because they have an iconic sound, their ability to weave an amazing story, or just because they captured my imagination and never let it go, these are the artists that tend to dominate my mindscape when I think about music.

Billy Joel – The Stranger: One of (if not the) most successful albums by Billy Joel, it actually took me a while to warm up to this one at first. There’s a certain complexity to it, both lyrically and musically, that he doesn’t quite have on Piano Man or Glass Houses, and I didn’t quite gravitate to it as much as I did those albums. I also didn’t really “discover” it until I was much older and had listened to the Greatest Hits Vol. I & II ad nauseum, so about half the album was old hat to me. All of that being said I think it’s worth noting that, as I just mentioned, about half of this album is comprised of songs Joel is famous for, including “Moving Out (Anthony’s Song)”, “Just the Way You Are”, “Only the Good Die Young”, and “She’s Always a Woman”. These are all great songs, but my favorites also include the slightly less well known “The Stranger”, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, and “Vienna”. I think these tracks are a bit more complex, but they also bring a lot more to the discerning listener.

Pink Floyd – A Momentary Lapse of Reason: As I mentioned previously, this album was my first exposure to Pink Floyd, and as such it will always hold a special place in my heart (although in full honesty I’ve since become more a fan of the Roger Waters era; sorry, David!). There’s no denying the rich beauty and soaring magnificence of this album. While there is definitely the distinct “Pink Floyd sound” to it, this album is a clear change point from the earlier albums, and overall a fantastic work. In some ways I feel like it may have been the perfect entry point for a new Pink Floyd fan, and I might even recommend it to this day. While the lead vocals might not be quite comparable, there’s a certain optimism (or at least a lack of bleak cynicism) that’s not present on many of the Waters-era albums, while much of the storytelling and poeticism of the earlier works is still strong. Oh, and the music is absolutely brilliant. For my money the best tracks on the album are “Learning to Fly” (the first Pink Floyd song I ever heard), “One Slip”, “On the Turning Away”, “A New Machine (Part 1)”, and “Terminal Frost”.

Queensryche – Empire: Speaking of those surprising first albums, here’s another one that got me a lesson in music history. My first exposure to Queensryche was this brilliant, off-beat mélange of hard rock. Each song is like a vignette from a completely different book, complete in and of itself, telling a powerful and moving story that at the same time has nothing whatsoever to do with the previous, the next, or any other song on the album. Add to that the fact my initial introduction was through the power ballad “Silent Lucidity” (it was the end of the 80s, don’t judge me) and you can see why I was completely gob smacked when I heard the entire album. There is a brilliance at work here, a mad genius akin to Scheherazade’s one thousand and one nights, as each story captivates and spins a complete worlds before moving on to the next. Some of the most compelling are “Jet City Woman”, “Della Brown”, “Another Rainy Night (Without You)”, “Empire”, and “Silent Lucidity”.

Jimmy Buffett – Living and Dying in ¾ Time: This is the album I am most ambivalent about in my whole Jimmy Buffett collection (and I actually have quite a few). There are some songs on this album that I listen to because, eh, they’re okay, and there are other songs on this album that I think are so amazing they stop me in my tracks every time I hear them. Surprisingly, the couple of tracks from this album that appear on Songs You Know by Heart fall into neither category (they’re both good, but not that good). Where Buffett really shines on this album is when he stops trying to make music and starts telling stories (in one case quite literally). Some of the most powerful, moving, beautiful and heart-wrenching music I have ever heard appears on this album, along with what has to be one of the funniest comedic monologues ever recorded. There are no bad songs here, but the truly great ones are “Livingston’s Gone to Texas”, “West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown”, and “The Ballad of Spider John”. After all that (each song is sadder than the next), help yourself to “God’s Own Drunk”. It’s a hoot and a half.

The Soundtrack of My Life: Definitive Albums
The Soundtrack of My Life: Odds and Ends
The Soundtrack of My Life: One Shot of Greatness