Okay, I have another rant for ya’ll.

Have you noticed that friends and family around you can be incredibly supportive at times? For instance, I don’t drink alcoholic beverages. When I inform people of my decision, they don’t really get it, but totally respect me for it. There have been times when I’ll go to a party and someone will offer me a beer or something, and someone else will pipe up for me: “Don’t give her that crap! She doesn’t drink, man!” It’s great to be around people who love and respect me for who I am and I really feel like I get a lot of support.

However, I’ve noticed a complete opposite reaction when I tell people that I’m dieting. They all understand why I’m doing it. Just about anyone can relate to having goals to lose weight and get healthier, right? But then the problem occurs when they try to tempt me anyway.

“Just one brownie. You need to indulge every once in a while.”

“One cookie won’t hurt.”

“But these are SO good! You have to try a little.”

Seriously? Maybe it’s just me, but I have to abstain completely when I’m dieting. I actually believe that I’m addicted to unhealthy food. Because if I have that one little portion everyone is trying to convince me to have, it’s like falling off the wagon. And it’s not just for that one time, either. Oh, no! I become this ravenous, compulsive eater for two to five days before I’m so disgusted with myself for yo-yoing my weight (yet again!) that I bring myself under control and get back into the game of dieting.

And even if I try to explain this to others, they still do whatever they can to try and tempt me. I’ve had people bake goodies, put them on a plate, and drop them off at my house. And of course, my kids are so excited to get them that I have to accept them. Sometimes I’m able to hold out and don’t eat any, but other times I break.

So I ask you, what is up with this? Because it’s sugar that I’m trying to stay away from, my friends have suddenly created this sadistic game of “Let’s See How we can Tempt Adrienne”? Because it really is mean, even though it appears that they’re being oh-so very nice by baking me goodies. If I wanted cookies that bad, I can make them for myself! (Seriously, I’m very talented in the baking department.)

The interesting part is that I don’t think they realize how difficult they’re making it for me. They see it as something fun and lighthearted.

And, I am not seriously bothered by the behavior, myself. I can laugh along with this whole scenario and roll my eyes at my friends. But I really think I would have lost a good twenty pounds by now if it wasn’t for people trying to steer me off the path of healthiness.

What experiences have other dieters out there had? Do your friends and family try to bring healthy dishes at a get together just for you, or do they see if they can bring you to the dark side once again? Why do you think people do that anyway?

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that ebooks are huge these days. Selling electronic books is easier than selling print books.

The reasons people buy more ebooks than print are fairly obvious. First off, ebooks are more affordable. Some books in print are ten dollars or more than what you can buy in ebook format. Secondly, consumers receive their ordered books instantly. They don’t have to wait a week for their order to be delivered, nor do they have to leave the house to go to the book store. Another reason is that book lovers no longer have to have their book collection take over the space in their home. They can keep all of their books in one small electronic device. No one can argue with the convenience of buying ebooks.

But I know a lot of readers out there who prefer traditional print books anyway. They like being able to hold the book, feel the texture of its pages, and even smell it.

I can understand that. Back in the day, I used to spend a lot of my free time hanging out at my local Barnes and Noble. I loved the smell of new books combined with the coffee and baked goods in their cafe. To this day, those combined scents make me feel soothed and completely at home. Of course, I don’t smell that when I’m reading a book at home, but there truly is a difference when reading a print book. One convenience with a printed book is that I can skim through it easier if I need to. This is especially the case when I’m talking with other book lovers and am trying to use a specific example from a book. It take a lot longer to search through an ebook than it is to flip through the pages of a printed book to find what I”m talking about.

Some readers will buy the digital version of a book first, and then buy the printed version if they really love the book. This makes sense to me because if you really love it, you’d want the printed version to add to your library.

So while the practical side of me loves to have my Kindle and download inexpensive ebooks, there is another part of me that is very proud of the small library I’ve created in my home. (It may seem small to you avid readers out there, but I have four large book shelves filled double-deep in my little townhome. I think my husband is incredibly grateful for the Kindle, or he’d have to put up with our house looking like a book dump!)

What is your preference? Do you like being a traditionalist and only getting printed books? Are you in love with the convenience of modern technology and download new ebooks every day? Or are you more like me, able to love and appreciate both versions of books? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

It’s one thing to make a list of cool movies to see but it’s also another thing to make a list of movies that aren’t just cool but funny as well. We may have only gone half of the year, but 2013 is shaping itself to be a great year for movies, you might have some of these movies listed here, others you might not have heard of, but one thing is sure: When it comes to movies we’ve listed here, all of them are pretty darned funny. Here’s five of the best of comedies that have been released so far.

The Hangover 

Director- Todd Phillips

Writers – Craig Mazin, Todd Philips
Stars- Ed Helms, Bradley Copper, Zach Galifianakis

In aftermath of Alan’s father’s death, the wolfpack decides to take Alan to treat him for his mental issues. But on the way to the hospital, Doug is kidnapped and wolfpack is assaulted. Finding Mr. Chow becomes very important as he can surrender to the gangster who kidnapped Doug and in order to save him. Due to Alan’s outlandish behavior, he is sent to Arizona but he gets abducted on the way and he is assigned the task to find Doug. But eventually he lands up in jail because he’s double crossed by Chow.

The Internship
Director- Shawn Levy
Writers- Jared Stern, Vince Vaughn
Stars- Vince Vaughn, Rose Byme, Owen Wilson

Nick (Owen Wilson), and Billy (Vince Vaughn) are salesman and their career has been torpedoed by the digital world. They tried to prove themselves as worthwhile and not obsolete. Therefore they defy the odds by taking an internship at Google with a battalion of brilliant college students. Now they have to compete with the nation’s tech-savvy and elite geniuses, proving that necessity is the mother of re-invention.

Identity Thief
Director- Seth Gordon
Writer- Craig Mazin, Jerry Eeton
Stars- Melissa, McCarthy, Jason Bateman, Amanda Peet

Businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Miami for confronting a harmless, deceptively looking woman who has stolen Sandy’s identity. He knows this when he gets a call confirming his name for spa appointment in Florida. His credit cards get maxed out. A run-in with a bounty hunters gets harder than he expected and he had to find the person who stole his identity. He wants justice and for this he leaves his kids, wife and job in Colorado.

Admission
Director- Paul Weitz
Writers- Jean Hanff Korelitz, Kran Croner
Stars- Gloria Reuben, Tina Fey, Paul Rudd

Portia Nathan is a straitlaced admission officer of PrincetonUniversity. She is caught off guard after making a recruiting visit to an alternative high school and is overseen by one of her former college classmates and freewheeling John Pressman (Paul Rudd). Pressman surmised that his very unconventional student Jeremiah (Nat Wolff) might be the son of Portia who was given to him for secret adoption long time ago. Portia bends the rules to risks her life but in return gets an exhilarating and romance full of life which she never dreamed of.

This is the End
Director- Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Writers- Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Stars- Jonah Hill, James Franco, Seth Rogen

While attending a party at James Franco House, Jay Brauchel, Seth Rogen and other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. The party is undisturbed by the blue beams and explosions, mass chaos and vehicular crashes. There is a powerful earthquake and a large cracks open up in earth. They realized that the largest earthquake in the history of California has struck Los Angeles. When the largest demon is going to consume Baruchel and Rogen, they re-affirm their friendship and they wait for their death.

Peter Brady is a senior writer at Eko Entertainment magazine, his interest spans across several sectors that include history, Movies and healthcare, See his recent article on healthcare and vitamin deficiency

If you’re anything like me, you have grown up with the classical romance stories written by Jane Austen. Over a century later, her novels are still so popular that there is a market for books that are spin–offs from her original stories. So, with these timeless romances in mind, one wouldn’t generally think of texting or emailing during a rocky courtship to be romantic.

I remember when one of my boyfriends from high school broke up with me. At the time, I felt like it came out of nowhere and was hurt by the sudden separation. But what made it infinitely worse, was that he broke up with me through email! (I know, I know – but he’s a cool guy now. I promise!:)) So when I think of someone trying to ask a girl out through technology instead of in person, or even over the phone, it seems like a cop-out and entirely unromantic.

However, we are in a technological age, right? I mean, I know a lot of couples who have met over the internet and have been able to make a great, long-lasting relationship from that “unromantic” meeting. I’ll bet some of you could tell me great stories about people getting together through online chats, texting, etc. So, I was trying to open my mind to this idea and wondered what Jane Austen would do with her characters if she were living in today’s world.

I thought about some of my favorite stories and I’ve decided that Jane Austen would probably have loved to take advantage of technology. After all, in Pride and Prejudice, Lizzy rips into Mr. Darcy about his character when he tried to propose. What did Mr. Darcy do? He penned Lizzy a note to clarify the misunderstandings she had of him and his history. What do you think would have happened if they’d been set in modern times? Would Mr. Darcy have sent ten really long texts to explain himself? I personally doubt that would have been his style, but I’m sure he would have sent her an email to explain everything. (I’m thinking he would have found messaging through Facebook too tacky for this circumstance, as well.)

In Persuasion, Mr. Wentworth hears a conversation between Anne and another character about women being more loyal than men. While in the same room, Wentworth writes a letter to Anne to tell her that he’s hurt by her declaration and that he still has feelings for her. He also wrote that he prayed for them to still have chance for their relationship to work out. It was practically a proposal. So if Austen had written those stories today, don’t you think she would have had Mr. Wentworth sending Anne a text explaining that men are just as devoted as women and that the conversation she’s currently having is killing him because he still has feelings for her? I think that would work pretty well.

Of course, part of what makes Jane Austen’s stories so great is the time period in which they are set. It’s great for women to read the books and get swept off their feet by men who were raised to hold ladies in high esteem and treat them accordingly. But I still think it’s fun to think of what Austen would do if she’d had access to the technology we have today! What are your thoughts on the matter?

I know that Sunshine, by Robin McKinley came out a while ago. I believe I read that it originally came out in 2003 and then they re-released it in 2008. Obviously, it’s taken me a while to get around to reading it. I’ve seen it around, on Goodreads and Amazon. I also have some family members that told me I had to read it. And of course, since I love reading about vampires, I was easily convinced to pick this up.

General synopsis: A girl is taken captive by  a gang of vampires and used as bait for another vampire that the gang hates. From there, McKinley takes the main characters on a roller coaster of emotions and thrills.

Target Audience: I got the impression that the target audience for this book is adults, but it was not very explicit and had only a little swearing, so I feel that it could cross over into YA. (Hey that sounds like this other book I know! Dissension kind of does the same thing. ;))

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Some of you may not agree with my rating, as most of what I’ve seen on Goodreads and Amazon are between 4 and 5 stars. But I do have a reason for the 3 stars.

The plot is well thought out, and I think the author does an amazing job of world building. McKinley has created a semi-dystopian novel since all this takes place after wars between the humans and Others. Others can include zombies and vampires. Wizards can be for either side. I love how she touches on political issues and how society functions in this foreign world while still keeping it close enough to our own world that the readers can easily picture it.

I think her characters were original, three-dimensional, and realistic (well, as realistic as you can get in a fantasy setting like this!).

The two main problems I had with this book were the narrative voice and pacing. It’s written in first person past-tense. The narrator has a very unique voice – usually a good thing. The problem I had was that it felt like I was really in her head, which means that her thoughts were all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, the narrative had direction, but it just took some detours to get there. I’m the kind of reader that just likes a great plot with fantastic characters and I don’t really care to linger beyond that in a book. What can I say? I’m a busy person with little time for reading, so I don’t want to waste my time.

There were also a lot of slower moments with the plot. It did take at least 25 pages of me pushing myself to read before I finally got interested. Once some action finally started to take place, I was sucked in. But then there was another, drawn out lull. Then finally some more tense moments… and then back to the slow parts that almost made me want to fall asleep.

So there you have it. If you’re the kind of reader who loves little details and paragraphs about side characters and backstory, you will love this book! If you like something more fast-paced that you can finish in a couple of days, I’d recommend trying something else.