"Love's Everlasting Courage" Premieres this Weekend on the Hallmark Channel

If you just recently watched and enjoyed Love Begins on the Hallmark Channel, then you'll want to see their continuing story in Love's Everlasting Courage. However, if you missed the premiere of Love Begins, then you can catch it before this new premiere on Saturday night (October 1, 2011). It is also available to order, on dvd.

*See the Love's Everlasting Courage Page for more pictures, plot details, etc...

*See the Love Begins Page for my movie review, pictures, and more!
Love Begins is now available on DVD, Click Here for Ordering Details.

Love's Everlasting Courage

Premieres Saturday, October 1, 2011

9 PM and 11 PM 

Repeats on Sunday, October 2, 2011

3 PM and 9 PM

on the Hallmark Channel

For scheduling details, see:
Family TV Schedule or
Love's Everlasting Courage

"A Mile in His Shoes" re-airs Tonight on GMC!

 You'll want to CATCH this Great Baseball Movie tonight on GMC!!!  

September 30th, 2011 at 9 PM and 11 PM

 

This is a re-airing of last week's Premiere of  "A Mile in His Shoes".

 

Click Here to check out Plot Details, Pictures, PLUS MY NEW MOVIE REVIEW !!!

 

Enjoy!

 

 Don't Strike Out Tonight -by watching something else- This MOVIE is a guaranteed Home Run!!!    

For More Details: 

FAMILY TV SCHEDULE 

A Mile in His Shoes - Movie Review Page

September 2011 "Family TV Schedule" - Archived

This is an archive of the September 2011 Family TV Schedule for you reference...

SEPTEMBER -


September 1, 2011 Thursday:

What Happened?: The Story of September 11, 2001 ... NICK ... 9 PM *SPECIAL


September 2, 2011 Friday:


*The Waltons "Back to School Marathon" ... GMC ... 12 PM - 9 PM
Facing the Giants ... GMC ... 9 PM
Facing the Giants ... GMC ... 11:30 PM


September 3, 2011 Saturday:

Little House on the Prairie "24-Hour Marathon" ... Hallmark Channel ... begins at 6 AM
Saving Sarah Cain ... LMN ... 6 PM
Annie (1982) ... INSP ... 9 PM
Giuliani's 9/11 ... National Geographic ... 9 PM
Welcome to Paradise ... INSP ... 11:30 PM
Giuliani's 9/11 ... National Geographic ... 12 AM


September 4, 2011 Sunday:

*The Waltons "24-Hour Marathon" ... Hallmark Channel ... begins at 6 AM
*Heartland Marathon ... Gospel Music Channel ... 11 AM - 1 AM

Annie (1982) ... INSP ... 2:30 PM
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat ... TBS ... 6:15 PM
9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor ... TLC ... 9 PM
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat ... TBS ... 11:50 PM
The Wild Pony ... INSP ... 12 AM


September 5, 2011 Monday:

Labor Day!

*The Waltons Marathon ...INSP ... 1 PM - 10 PM
*Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Marathon ... Gospel Music Channel ... 10 AM - 11 PM
*Undercover Boss ... TLC ... 1 PM -9 PM

College Road Trip ... Disney (east) ... 8 PM
9/11: Day That Changed the World ... Smithsonian Channel ... ? PM
Children of 9/11 ... NBC ... 10 PM *SPECIAL
College Road Trip ... Disney (west) ... 11 PM


September 6, 2011 Tuesday:

Nanny Mcphee ... ABC Family ... 6 PM
The Parent Trap (1998) ... ABC Family ... 8 PM
To the Mat ... CMT ... 8 PM *New


September 7, 2011 Wednesday:


Eloise at The Plaza ... Disney (east) ... 8:30 PM
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) ... ABC Family ... 9 PM
Eloise at The Plaza ... Disney (west) ... 11:30 PM
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story ... TBS ... 3 AM


September 8, 2011 Thursday:

Angels Among Us (9/11 Tribute) ... CMT ... 9 PM *SPECIAL
George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview ... National Geographic ... 10 PM


September 9, 2011 Friday:

*The Waltons "Marathon" ... GMC ... 12 PM - 9 PM

Saving Sarah Cain ... LMN ... 4 PM
Up ... Disney (east) ... 7:15 PM
Voices from Inside the Towers (9/11 Tribute) ... History Channel ... 9 PM
Babe ... GMC ... 9 PM
The Absent Minded Professor ... BYU ... 9 PM
Up ... Disney (west) ... 10:15 PM
Babe : Pig in the City ... GMC ... 11 PM
The Absent Minded Professor ... BYU ... 12 AM
Alley Cats Strike! ... Disney (east) ... 2:30 AM
The Absent Minded Professor ... BYU ... 3 AM
Alley Cats Strike! ... Disney (west) ... 5:30 AM


September 10, 2011 Saturday:

Up ... Disney (east) ... 5 PM
The Princess Diaries ... ABC Family ... 7 PM
Up ... Disney (west) ... 8 PM
9/11: The Days After ... History Channel ... 9 PM
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ... ABC Family ... 9:30 PM
Brink ... Disney (east) ... 2:30 AM
Brink ... Disney (west) ... 5:30 AM


September 11, 2011 Sunday:


*Remembering the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.
Also, this is Grandparents Day.

*The Waltons Marathon ... GMC ... 1 PM - 11 PM

Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941) ... TCM ... 6 AM
102 Minutes That Changed America (9/11 Tribute) ... A&E ... 8:46 AM
The Princess Diaries ... ABC Family ... 4:30 PM
Amish Grace ... LMN ... 6 PM
George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview ... National Geographic Channel ... ? PM
Making the 9/11 Memorial ... History Channel ... 8 PM
9/11: 10 Years Later ... CBS ... 8 PM *SPECIAL
20/20: 9/11 Anniversary ... ABC ... 9 PM
The Space Between (9/11 Tribute Movie) ... USA ... 9 PM *SPECIAL
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ... ABC Family ... 9:30 PM


September 12, 2011 Monday:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ... Disney (east) ... 8:30 PM
Cyberbully- (read review) ... ABC Family ... 9 PM *NEW
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ... Disney (west) ... 11:30 PM


September 13, 2011 Tuesday:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ... Disney (east) ... 12 PM
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ... Disney (west) ... 3 PM
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue ... Disney (east) ... 8:30 PM
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue ... Disney (east) ... 11:30 PM


September 16, 2011 Friday:

Beauty and the Beast ... Disney (east) ... 12:30 PM
Beauty and the Beast ... Disney (west) ... 3:30 PM
Garfield: The Movie ... HUB ... 8 PM
The Karate Kid ... GMC ... 9 PM
The Karate Kid ... GMC ... 11 PM


September 17, 2011 Saturday:


*Love Comes Softly Movie Marathon on Hallmark Channel

Love Comes Softly ... Hallmark Channel ... 1 PM
Love's Enduring Promise ... Hallmark Channel ... 3 PM
Love's Long Journey ... Hallmark Channel ... 5 PM
Love Takes Wing ... Hallmark Channel ... 7 PM
The Love You Save ... GMC ... 7 PM *NEW
Love Begins ... Hallmark Channel ... 9 PM *NEW
The Love You Save ... GMC ... 9 PM *NEW
Love Begins ... Hallmark Channel ... 11 PM *NEW
The Love You Save ... GMC ... 11 PM *NEW


September 18, 2011 Sunday:

The Ten Commandments (2006) ... GMC ... 11 AM
The Ten Commandments (2006) ... GMC ... 1 PM
Love Begins ... Hallmark Channel ... 1 PM *NEW
Love's Unending Legacy ... Hallmark Channel ... 3 PM
Abraham ... GMC ... 3 PM
Abraham ... GMC ... 5 PM
Love's Unfolding Dream ... Hallmark Channel ... 5 PM
Love Finds a Home ... Hallmark Channel ... 7 PM
Joseph ... GMC ... 7 PM
Joseph ... GMC ... 9 PM
Love Begins ... Hallmark Channel ... 9 PM *NEW


September 20, 2011 Wednesday:

The Princess Diaries ... ABC Family ... 8:30 PM


September 21, 2011 Wednesday:

The Princess Diaries ... ABC Family ... 6 PM
Tammy And The Bachelor (1957) ... TCM ... 6:30 PM
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ... ABC Family ... 8:30 PM


September 22, 2011 Thursday:

Dennis the Menace (Movie) ... ABC Family ... 7 PM
Richie Rich ... ABC Family ... 9 PM


September 23, 2011 Friday:

Cars ... Disney (east) ... 12 PM
Cars ... Disney (west) ... 3 PM
Courageous (behind-the-scenes look at the movie "Courageous") ... GMC ... 8 PM
The Karate Kid, Part II ... GMC ... 9 PM
The Karate Kid, Part III ... GMC ... 10:30 PM


September 24, 2011 Saturday:

Cars ... Disney (east) ... 9:30 AM
Cars ... Disney (west) ... 12:30 PM
The Parent Trap ... ABC Family ... 1:30 PM
The Love You Save ... GMC ... 5 PM *NEW
Bolt ... ABC Family ... 6 PM
The Waltons (Marathon) ... INSP ... 7 PM - 2 AM
Finding Nemo ... ABC Family ... 8 PM
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York ... ABC Family ... 10:30 PM


September 25, 2011 Sunday:


The Way Home ... GMC ... 9:30 AM
The Parent Trap ... ABC Family ... 10 AM
The Karate Kid, Part III ... GMC ... 11:30 AM
Bolt ... ABC Family ... 1 PM
A Crush on You ... Hallmark Channel ... 1 PM
The Karate Kid, Part II ... GMC ... 2 PM
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York ... ABC Family ... 3 PM
The Karate Kid, Part ... GMC ... 4:30 PM
Accidentally in Love ... Hallmark Channel ... 5 PM
Finding Nemo ... ABC Family ... 5:30 PM
Personally Yours (not for children) ... Hallmark Channel ... 7 PM
A Mile in His Shoes ... Gospel Music Channel ... 7 PM *NEW
A Mile in His Shoes ... Gospel Music Channel ... 9 PM *NEW
A Crush on You ... Hallmark Channel ... 9 PM
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ... USA ... 1 AM


September 26, 2011 Monday:

The Game Plan ... Disney XD ... 5 PM
A Mile in His Shoes ... Gospel Music Channel ... 9 PM *NEW


September 27, 2011 Monday:

The Game Plan ... Disney XD ... 1:30 PM
Enchanted ... Disney (east) ... 8:30 PM
Enchanted ... Disney (west) ... 11:30 PM


September 29, 2011 Thursday:

16 Wishes ... Disney (east) ... 8:30 PM
16 Wishes ... Disney (west) ... 11:30 PM


September 30, 2011 Friday:

A Mile in His Shoes ... Gospel Music Channel ... 9 PM *NEW
A Mile in His Shoes ... Gospel Music Channel ... 11 PM *NEW
Cadet Kelly ... Disney (east) ... 2:20 AM
Cadet Kelly ... Disney (west) ... 5:20 AM


Hope you enjoyed this look back in time...

For Current Family Movies airing on TV - see the updated FAMILY TV SCHEDULE.

The Christmas TV Schedule 2011 is Up and Runnin'... cuz Christmas Time's a Comin' !!!

It's the Best and Worst kept Secret...

No Need to Look far off into the Distance...

Feel free to Jump up and Down -

and Gather all your Family and Friends around!

It's Here!

The Christmas TV Schedule for 2011 !!!

...Along with a new Christmas Background and my newly designed Christmas Banner, which mostly includes all the new Hallmark Christmas Movies!

It's All Here!!! And, much more to Come!!!

Enjoy & God Bless!


-------------
Movies pictured above: A Boyfriend for Christmas, A Christmas Journey, Mandie and the Forgotten Christmas, and my favorite, It's a Wonderful Life!

Review: Ghost Story

I'm a huge Dresden Files fan, but I buck the trend in that the twelfth book, Changes, didn't really do much for me by comparison to the previous eleven books. Still, the ending left me desperate to find out how Harry's story continued and what was going to happen to the characters I've spent the last several years coming to love. It was with no small amount of trepidation that I cracked open the first page of the latest in the series, Ghost Story.

The following review contains some spoilery details, particularly about the end of Changes and the set-up for Ghost Story.

Score: 3 out of 5






Picking up after the events of Changes, Ghost Story details Harry's return from the grave and efforts to solve the mystery of his own murder, while at the same time protecting the loved ones he left behind from the new threats which have grown in his absence. However, as a shade, he has no way to affect the physical world, no access to his magic and there are few in the city he can even communicate with.

The book tells some important parts of the ongoing story of Harry's world. We get to see how things have changed for the worse in Chicago, without Harry Dresden as a deterrent, and with the power vaccum left in the wake of the Red Court's desruction. If you've read the novella Aftermath, which is excellent, by the way, you'll have some idea of what's happening. The sections of the book dealing with how Harry's friends are doing and the flashbacks to Harry's past are the strongest parts of this book. The need to know how everyone was doing kept me turning pages and cursing the fact that I had to go to work each day. Harry learns to accept that he made terrible mistakes in Changes and has to deal with the consequences of his decisions. These make up some of the most powerful scenes in the book and alone are worth the price of purchase, assuming you're already a fan of the series.

The story itself - the two major plots Harry finds himself caught up in aside from the issue of his murder - felt more like a couple of Jim Butcher's short stories brought together. The actual plot rather pales compared to the depth and emotional engagement of previous titles and while the book itself is quite long, it feels as though not much actually happens. As with previous books, a number of points raise questions that aren't answered here. This is a bit of a sticking point for me, because there's an awful lot happening in the Dresdenverse at the moment and whole books can go by before we learn anything new.

The revelation of Harry's murderer, and who they were working for, takes place at an unusual point, interrupting the climax while not actually furthering the plot or providing anything that helps to resolve the situation. I felt this was a bit of a let-down as it broke the pace and took me out of the narrative at an important moment.

The book ends with a sense that what was achieved by Harry's actions, if anything, has yet to be revealed, and I'm not really sure how things are going to go. Ghost Story feels like it could easily be a goodbye to certain characters, or at least an indication that we won't be seeing them nearly as often in the future. In fairness, the series has a lot of supporting characters and there just hasn't been the time to see enough of them when they're all getting crowded into the same book.

If someone has not read any of the Dresden Files up to now, this is not a good book to start with. Too much of it is carried by the connection the reader has built to the characters over the series. That said, there are still a good number of awesome Dresden moments where you want to cheer the characters on.

As a final verdict, Ghost Story is great to read to catch up with what's been happening and see how Harry's past made him the man he is. The ending suggests that a lot is going to change and that perhaps we'll see less of Chicago and the characters there in the future. This really saddens me, because "hard-boiled detective with magic" is what first made me fall in love with the series. If I'm right, I think I'll really miss those elements and the series will have lost something golden.

Yes, Harry Dresden will be back, and the forces of evil will be running scared. But for the first time, I have finished a Dresden Files novel and not been desperate to see what happens next.

Challenge #10 sponsored by Heindesign

Goodmorning this Wednesday. Today we have our tenth challenge for you and we are grateful that you all joined us till now and every week there are more people who are joining us. We love it ;o)

This week's sponsor is Heindesign and your price will be a set of their Acrylic paints, 2 Stamps and sponges. Isn't that just generous? Heindesign is a almost 25 year old company - 1987 we did bring stamping to Europe. We is Wolfgang Hein a trained window decorator and Photo-Designer and a group of nice well trained people who are working for Heindesign since many years. Since the beginning of our business we were dedicated to teach people to be creative with stamps. First we were teaching on flea- and art markets. Later we printed catalogs to reach more people. Than in the 90ties we used the internet to show our ideas. We are producing our own stamps in our little factory. Our big vulcanizer "Olga" is pressing rubber everyday since many many years. In cooperation we producing designs from Judi-Kins too. The quality of our stamps gets praised where ever we go, but we just try to make good stamps - deep rubber nice handle.
Here is some little inspiration for you, the cards the Design Team made for you as samples ;o) You can click on the names and you go straight to their personal blogs to see the details about their cards ;o) They love to recieve your comments ... This week's sketch is made by Monique and you can find that sketch at the end of this post. Please do not post it on your blog but link to our blogpost. Thank you ;o)  Made by Monique
Made by Nicole Made by Renata Made by Wilma Made by Betina Made by Carol Made by ClaireMade by Janneke  Made by Linda
No card from Linda this week she is sick. We all hope you feel better soon darling ;o)

Made by Marion
And ofcourse our lovely Guest Designers Made by Annemaire en Merit Made by Dina Here is the sketch that Monique made for you this time ;o) You can rotate the sketch and resize the elements, as long as you follow the original sketch and use a stamped image or digistamp, that way your entry qualifies for the prize draw. To join the challenges and to be eligible for the prize made ​​available by the sponsor of that challenge, we have a few rules. You can find them here.  Let's get started again on a Christmas card. That way there will be no or at least less stress at the end of this year!!
Enjoy!
 

 

Winner #9 and Top 3

Thank you for joining us at challenge #9. We have chosen a top three and we have a random winner. First we like to announce the top three; #1 Sandra#2 CG#3 Wilma  Random Org was offline when I make this post, so I asked my hubbie for a number between 1 and 33 and he choose number 19. And here is the winner Sandra from Made by Sandra....  you won the last challenge and you won the great price sponsored by Inky Impressions. Please email us before Saturday October 1st to claim your price.  And here is the card she made: 

Congratulations girls, you can get your badge from this page.

Christmas TV Schedule Coming Tomorrow!!!!

Check back early!

Check back often!

The Christmas 2011 TV Movie Schedule will begin tomorrow, Wednesday... September 28, 2011!

I'll see you there!

Christmas Times a Comin!

88 Days and Counting!!!

God bless us, Everyone.....

Holiday Engagement - Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie

MOVIE REVIEW

Holiday Engagement

Network: Hallmark Channel

Original Air Date: November 27, 2011

CAST:

Bonnie Somerville ... Hillary Burns
Shelley Long ... Mrs. Burns
Jordan Bridges ... David
Haylie Duff
Sam MacMurray

PLOT:

Jilted by her high-powered fiancé just before Thanksgiving, and terrified of disappointing her demanding mother (Long), Hillary Burns (Somervhlle) hires David (Bridges), an unemployed artist to pretend to be her fiancé over the holiday weekend. She soon discovers however, that the hired replacement may not be a replacement after all – but the real thing.

Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...



---------------------

Christmas Magic - Hallmark Channel Movie

MOVIE REVIEW

Christmas Magic

Network: Hallmark Channel

Original Air Date: December 18, 2011

CAST:

Lindy Booth ... Carrie Bishop
Derek McGrath ... Henry
Paul McGillion ... Scott Walker
Kieara Glasco ... Scott's Daughter



PLOT:

Carrie Bishop (Booth) lives for her successful career as an event planner in New York City, but her life changes in an instant after a nasty car accident in a snowstorm. Carrie suffers head trauma and regains consciousness in Central Park with an older man, Henry (McGrath). Henry is Carrie’s spirit guide and is there to help her “pass over” to Heaven. But before Carrie can move on, she must fulfill one last task on Earth—a type of Angel Duty. Henry tells Carrie that she must help guide a widowed, young restaurant owner, Scott Walker, (McGillion) who has recently considered suicide because his beloved restaurant/catering business is utterly failing. Carrie befriends Scott and his 8-year-old daughter (Glasco) and immediately displays a knack for promoting the restaurant. But time isn’t on Carrie’s side on this mission. She has until midnight Christmas Eve to turn the eatery around. As friendship grows, romance blooms, and Carrie finds it a struggle to keep business and pleasure separate. Will the heat in Scott’s kitchen be all about the food? Or is one Angel on a meteoric rise to earn her wings?

Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...



---------------------

Catching Up

I've been horribly lazy the last few days and fallen behind on my blog-reading. I apologise for that. I've even been spending my time playing Deus Ex: Human Revolution instead of writing. It's actually been nice to have a break and relax a bit. It also helps that Human Revolution is fantastic, evoking all the cyberpunk dystopian appeal of the original and delivering it in an updated package. So long as you can get past the fact that Adam Jensen is trying with all his cyber-augmented might to be Clint Eastwood, it's a gem of a game.

In other news, I got my eyes tested on Saturday and, yep, it looks like the headaches I've been suffering from for a long time were caused by eye strain. I spend my working day at a computer and then I'm on my desktop or netbook at home. I could easily rack up 12 hours a day on a computer during the week. So I've got my glasses, to be used when reading or working at a computer, and my bank account is looking a bit green around the gills, but if it means I won't have headaches once I've gotten used to them, it'll be worth it.

My game plan, now that I'm armed with my new glasses, is to get back into writing Nightfall this week. I'm not sure exactly how long the first draft will be, but I can cross that river when I come to it. It's the first part of a trilogy, so I may keep writing and finish it once the first book is done, but I'm unsure about the wisdom in setting out to query a second series while still getting my first off the ground. We'll see how it goes.

I haven't been cooking much, which is why there's been a lack of recipe posts. My wife has taken over the kitchen since the remodelling was done. She might let me cook for her birthday in November, if I'm lucky. :-)

Blog-wise, I may make a regular thing of posting up ghost stories and other such tales. It's fun research.

That's about it for today. Here's to a good week, and come back on Wednesday for my review of Ghost Story, book thirteen of The Dresden Files.

Tacchino CX: Making Tradeoffs

Disclaimer: this post is mostly not really race report.

So, it is reasonably well-established that losing weight by reducing calorie intake will result in some loss of power as your body adjusts. Certainly surmountable, but takes some time.

Listen, I lost 7 lbs in the last 2 weeks. Generally, it is for the better, but it probably contributed to feeling like I couldn't generate any power today.

It's really a tradeoff. I haven't been under 250 in like 10 months! And I am again! The ball is rolling downhill, ain't no stopping it now.

Also, racing at 2 is tough, I need to eat more in the AM. Probably shouldn't start races already really hungry.

I think it would be really funny to learn to bunny hop the barriers. However, I tend to make up ground on the barriers. Quick feet.

I was thinking today. You guys know about Ferrari's "1kg = 1% over a 10k climb" or whatever the numbers are theory, right? Repeated little grades work the same. Even if it is a "power course," elevation changes (up! up! up!) sap me of energy. Rich and I were briefly talking about physics in the car. I studied physics for a while. I bet I could illustrate the difference.

Let's take an example. Today's runup was called "Hup Hup Hill." Really sucked to run up that thing. Lot of energy used. Let's make up some numbers as a stand in. Say you have a hill 30m long, at a 10% grade. 30m, punchy, right?

How much more energy does it take for me to get up that hill? It is a change of 3 meters. Potential energy is equal to mgh. Assume I am 113kg, and "racer X" is 68kg. (Reasonably accurate. Right now I am 113kg; 68kg is approximately 150lbs. Start at a height of 1 meter. g is a constant.

PE = mgh.

PEx1 = 68*1*g. PEx2 = 68*4*g
PEx1 = 68g. PEx2 = 272g.

PEme1 = 113*1*g. PEme2 = 113*4*g.
PEme1 = 113g. PEme2 = 452g.

Youll notice that racer X requires 204g (remember, g is a constant) of additional energy to climb that height. I require 339g of additional energy to fight gravity (see what I did there?). By weighing 66% more than a 150lb racer, I need to expend (proportionally) 66% more energy to climb the hill. So all the times over the course of the race that we go up those little punchy hills, in the mud, or even those long sloggy climbs, I have to expend more energy. Over and over, and over.

These are numbers to concepts we all already recognized. But think about it - I'm only human. I can only store so much glycogen for ready access.

At the end of the day, it's more motivation to slim down. So I'm working on it (Again. But making progress encourages more progress.). Say hi if you see me out riding in the mornings.

Anyway, Tacchino was fun despite the lack of energy. This year, I did not dislocate my shoulder at Tacchino, which is a victory. Promoteur Jim did a really bang-up job with the race. My teammates are all pretty great, I thought the mud was fun (I feel like I am pretty seriously improving bike handling), there were a lot of people around.

I slipped and fell a couple times while taking warm up laps, and got my shoulder all muddy. I tried those lines, they didn't work, so I went back and figured it out. Then, everybody thought I already had raced. NOPE. JUST CRASHED 3 TURNS INTO MY WARM UP LAP. IN FRONT OF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE. HOPE IT WAS HILARIOUS.

Not enough carbohydrate fuel is consistent with what the race felt like - good good good bonk recover bonk recover truck steadily along as my body switches fuel sources after 30 minutes.

YOU GUYS JUST WAIT, SOON I WILL WEIGH AS MUCH AS I DID LAST YEAR WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY FAST ON MY CX BIKE AT THE END OF OCTOBER

PROBABLY ALSO AT THE END OF OCTOBER

ALSO, DON'T WORK ON YOUR BIKE THE MORNING OF THE RACE, BECAUSE YOU WILL INEVITABLY BREAK SOMETHING (like, your expander plug in your fork).

AAQR: Cyberlords (game)

A sort of strategy RPG on Android, it got good reviews, but unfortunately, does NOT work on my OG Droid, even the free version.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/cyberlords-arcology-free/com.hg.cyberlordsfree

AAQR: ExionFly 3D (game)

ExionFly 3D is a 3D shooter where you pilot this plane and shoot at various things both in the sky and on the ground, and yes, it's in 3D. You're looking at your plane from behind, and you CAN climb, dive, do barrel rolls, and shoot lots of different things. Aiming at the planes can be difficult, as is strafing the ground targets, but it actually works on an OG Droid well enough. Not bad!

http://www.appbrain.com/app/exionfly-3d/opengl_es.exionfly

AAQR: Space War HD (game)

Space War HD is your typical "Galaga" type shooter where you can go forward, back, side to side, and get a variety of weapons and powerups. It is quite playable on my OG Droid, but isn't anything really remarkable.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/space-war-hd/virtualgs.spacewar.hd

AAQR: SPC Music Scratchpad (media)

This was an Amazon AppStore Giveaway

SPC Music Scratchpad is a rhythm generator where you activate various high-quality repeating sounds to get a good background rhythem for whatever music you want to play. It reminds me a lot of those little music toys. There's like a dozen effects and it combines to hundreds of combinations. Worth checking out just for your kids, or even as some background sound for your band act. :D

http://www.appbrain.com/app/spc-music-sketchpad/com.mikrosonic.SPC

AAQR: iDemolished (game)

This was an Amazon Appstore Giveaway.

iDemolished is is a game where you are given certain amount of explosives, and you need to bring a building down so the debris is no higher than a certain specified height. The less money you use, and the lower the final height is, the higher is your score.

There is a lot of physics involved, as they have different types of material, some of which are only vulnerable to bigger explosives.

For true demolition effect, you can adjust the timing in 0.1 second intervals, as you want the building to collapse, usually by blowing up one side of it.

You can also influence the "gravity" a little bit by tilting the phone to one side.

There's like 100 levels for you to test your demolition skills on, and there are additional levels to download, and there's even an editor if you want to get really cute.

Definitely worth your time, even paid.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/idemolished/com.iauns.idemolished

AAQR: Meteor Blitz (game)

This game was another Amazon AppStore Giveaway a while back.

Meteor Blitz is a "dual-stick" shooter where you are tasked to shoot up as many meteors as possible. There are different weapons, as they are effective against different meteors, and of course you want to avoid getting hit.

Quite playable on OG Droid. Highly recommended if you like the genre.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/meteor-blitz/com.alleylabs.MeteorBlitz

AAQR: Happy Vikings (game)

Happy Vikings was another giveaway on Amazon AppStore. Unfortunately, it doesn't work on my OG Droid. When the title screen loaded, it then restarts as if out of memory.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/happy-vikings/com.hg.viking

Ghost Story Week: The Banshee

To end off the week's stories, I thought I'd include one about what is arguably the most famous of Irish spirits: The banshee.

This text comes from Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, a collection edited by William Butler Yeats. This story is called How Thomas Connolly Met the Banshee, written by J. Todhunter. The text is taken from Sacred Texts and repeated here without permission. If anyone wishes it to be taken down, I will do so
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Aw, the banshee, sir? Well, sir, as I was striving to tell ye I was going home from work one day, from Mr. Cassidy's that I tould ye of, in the dusk o' the evening. I had more nor a mile--aye, it was nearer two mile--to thrack to, where I was lodgin' with a dacent widdy woman I knew, Biddy Maguire be name, so as to be near me work.

It was the first week in November, an' a lonesome road I had to travel, an' dark enough, wid threes above it; an' about half-ways there was a bit of a brudge I had to cross, over one o' them little sthrames that runs into the Doddher. I walked on in the middle iv the road, for there was no toe-path at that time, Misther Harry, nor for many a long day afther that; but, as I was sayin', I walked along till I come nigh upon the brudge, where the road was a bit open, an' there, right enough, I seen the hog's back o' the ould-fashioned brudge that used to be there till it was pulled down, an' a white mist steamin' up out o' the wather all around it.

Well, now, Misther Harry, often as I'd passed by the place before, that night it seemed sthrange to me, an' like a place ye might see in a dhrame; an' as I come up to it I began to feel a cowld wind blowin' through the hollow o' me heart. "Musha Thomas," sez I to meself, "is it yerself that's in it?" sez I; "or, if it is, what's the matter wid ye at all, at all?" sez I; so I put a bould face on it, an' I made a sthruggle to set one leg afore the other, ontil I came to the rise o' the brudge. And there, God be good to us! in a cantle o' the wall I seen an ould woman, as I thought, sittin' on her hunkerr, all crouched together, an' her head bowed down, seemin'ly in the greatest affliction.

Well, sir, I pitied the ould craythur, an thought I wasn't worth a thraneen, for the mortial fright I was in, I up an' sez to her, "That's a cowld lodgin' for ye, ma'am." Well, the sorra ha'porth she sez to that, nor tuk no more notice o' me than if I hadn't let a word out o' me, but kep' rockin' herself to an' fro, as if her heart was breakin'; so I sez to her again, "Eh, ma'am, is there anythin' the matther wid ye?" An' I made for to touch her on the shouldher, on'y somethin' stopt me, for as I looked closer at her I saw she was no more an ould woman nor she was an ould cat. The first thing I tuk notice to, Misther Harry, was her hair, that was sthreelin' down over her showldhers, an' a good yard on the ground on aich side of her. O, be the hoky farmer, but that was the hair! The likes of it I never seen on mortial woman, young or ould, before nor sense. It grew as sthrong out of her as out of e'er a young slip of a girl ye could see; but the colour of it was a misthery to describe. The first squint I got of it I thought it was silvery grey, like an ould crone's; but when I got up beside her I saw, be the glance o' the sky, it was a soart iv an Iscariot colour, an' a shine out of it like floss silk. It ran over her showldhers and the two shapely arms she was lanin' her head on, for all the world like Mary Magdalen's in a picther; and then I persaved that the grey cloak and the green gownd undhernaith it was made of no earthly matarial I ever laid eyes on. Now, I needn't tell ye, sir, that I seen all this in the twinkle of a bed-post--long as I take to make the narration of it. So I made a step back from her, an' "The Lord be betune us an' harm!" sez I, out loud, an' wid that I blessed meself. Well, Misther Harry, the word wasn't out o' me mouth afore she turned her face on me. Aw, Misther Harry, but 'twas that was the awfullest apparation ever I seen, the face of her as she looked up at me! God forgive me for sayin' it, but 'twas more like the face of the "Axy Homo" beyand in Marlboro Sthreet Chapel nor like any face I could mintion--as pale as a corpse, an' a most o' freckles on it, like the freckles on a turkey's egg; an' the two eyes sewn in wid thread, from the terrible power o' crying the' had to do; an' such a pair iv eyes as the' wor, Misther Harry, as blue as two forget-me-nots, an' as cowld as the moon in a bog-hole of a frosty night, an' a dead-an'-live look in them that sent a cowld shiver through the marra o' me bones. Be the mortial! ye could ha' rung a tay cupful o' cowld paspiration out o' the hair o' me head that minute, so ye could. Well, I thought the life 'ud lave me intirely when she riz up from her hunkers, till, bedad! she looked mostly as tall as Nelson's Pillar; an' wid the two eyes gazin' back at me, an' her two arms stretched out before hor, an' a keine out of her that riz the hair o' me scalp till it was as stiff as the hog's bristles in a new hearth broom, away she glides--glides round the angle o' the brudge, an' down with her into the sthrame that ran undhernaith it. 'Twas then I began to suspect what she was. "Wisha, Thomas!" says I to meself, sez I; an' I made a great struggle to get me two legs into a throt, in spite o' the spavin o' fright the pair o' them wor in; an' how I brought meself home that same night the Lord in heaven only knows, for I never could tell; but I must ha' tumbled agin the door, and shot in head foremost into the middle o' the flure, where I lay in a dead swoon for mostly an hour; and the first I knew was Mrs. Maguire stannin' over me with a jorum o' punch she was pourin' down me throath (throat), to bring back the life into me, an' me head in a pool of cowld wather she dashed over me in her first fright. "Arrah, Mister Connolly," shashee, "what ails ye?" shashee, "to put the scare on a lone woman like that?" shashee. "Am I in this world or the next?" sez I. "Musha! where else would ye be on'y here in my kitchen?" shashee. "O, glory be to God!" sez I, "but I thought I was in Purgathory at the laste, not to mintion an uglier place," sez I, "only it's too cowld I find meself, an' not too hot," sez I. "Faix, an' maybe ye wor more nor half-ways there, on'y for me, shashee; "but what's come to you at all, at all? Is it your fetch ye seen, Mister Connolly?" "Aw, naboclish!" sez I. "Never mind what I seen," sez I. So be degrees I began to come to a little; an' that's the way I met the banshee, Misther Harry!

"But how did you know it really was the banshee after all, Thomas?"

"Begor, sir, I knew the apparation of her well enough; but 'twas confirmed by a sarcumstance that occurred the same time. There was a Misther O'Nales was come on a visit, ye must know, to a place in the neighbourhood--one o' the ould O'Nales iv the county Tyrone, a rale ould Irish family--an' the banshee was heard keening round the house that same night, be more then one that was in it; an' sure enough, Misther Harry, he was found dead in his bed the next mornin'. So if it wasn't the banshee I seen that time, I'd like to know what else it could a' been."

"A Mile in His Shoes" Premieres this Weekend on GMC !

The newest Family Movie on TV is...  A Mile in His Shoes, which will premiere September 25, 2011 at 7 PM - Sunday Night on GMC.

Repeats at 9 PM on Sunday Night and on Monday Night, September 26, 2011 at 9 PM.

*This is a DOVE approved family movie about baseball and life for a young farm boy, with Autism.

Stars Dean Cain (Superman, The Way Home, The Three Gifts, etc..) and Luke Schroder (the son of Silver Spoon's actor, Ricky Schroder)

Click Here for Movie Details, Pictures, and more!!!

Mashup Thursday

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Finally have the wheel/tire setup I wanted. See you at Tacchino CX.

Hallmark Channel adds another new Christmas Movie for the Holiday Season!

This is the 11th New Movie that Hallmark will be premiering during their Countdown to Christmas. (They will also have a new Cartoon.)

See the New Christmas Movies Page for the other 10 Movies and Many More New Christmas Movies, Specials, etc...  from other networks.

In my opinion... this new premiere movie, titled, A Christmas Wish, sounds to be very intriguing. The movie will star Kristy Swanson (What If) and Tess Harper (Christy).
A Christmas Wish will be Released on DVD, December 6, 2011. You can pre-order your copy, today!

Please visit the: "A Christmas Wish" Movie Page, for more movie details - pics, cast, plot, video clip, etc...

I hope all of your Christmas Wishes come true!

A Christmas Wish - Hallmark Channel Movie

MOVIE REVIEW


A Christmas Wish

Originally Titled : A Root Beer Christmas


Network: Hallmark Channel

Original Air Date: November 20, 2011


CAST:

Kristy Swanson ... Martha Evans
Tess Harper ... Trudy Willis
Edward Herrmann ... Les
Aline Andrade ... Clarice
Danielle Chuchran ... Jeanie Bullington
K.C. Clyde ... Joe Hopkins
Lilee Clyde ... Katie
Kirstin Dorn ... Mel Evans
Lloyd Eisler ... Bad Bob
Mike Hagerty ... Owen Bullington
Kevin Herring III ... Miles Evans
Star Herrmann ... Carol Bullington
Taggart Hurtubise ... Danny Park
Bart Johnson ... Cal Evans
Claudia Mejia ... Carmelita Carnes

PLOT:

Martha Evans, an attractive 28 year old shows the wear of years of working double shifts at minimum wage. Martha is close to despair when her ‘never-do-well’ husband abandons her a few days before Christmas, leaving her homeless and destitute.

With her two young daughters and stepson in tow, Martha travels cross-country looking for work, finally landing a job as a late-shift waitress at a small town diner. Still, with her car broken down and the bills piling up as fast as her troubles, it looks like it’s going to be a very bleak Christmas for the Evans family. In a desperate cry for help, Martha reaches to higher power…and her prayer seems to work a small miracle.

Unbeknownst to her, the sympathetic townsfolk and a concerned new admirer have been working behind the scenes to make her season bright. The kindness of strangers ultimately renews Martha’s faith, not only in humanity but also in the God who answered her prayer. The owner of the local diner, an attractive, no-nonsense woman in her mid to late 60s takes pity on Martha and her kids. As their bond builds, the two find unexpected comfort in the values of true friendship. Could blowing the dust off the beloved old recipe for home-made root beer be the answer to their prayers?...


Video Clip - Movie Trailer:



The movie was originally titled : A Root Beer Christmas


Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...



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Ghost Story Week: True Irish Ghost Stories

Today's story is an excerpt from True Irish Ghost Stories by St. John D. Seymour, made available for free through Project Gutenberg:

"My first encounter with a ghost occurred about twenty years ago. On that occasion I was standing in the kitchen of my house in —— Square, when a woman, whom I was afterwards to see many times, walked down the stairs into the room. Having heard the footsteps outside, I was not in the least perturbed, but turned to look who it was, and found myself looking at a tall, stout, elderly woman, wearing a bonnet and old-fashioned mantle. She had grey hair, and a benign and amiable expression. We stood gazing at each other while one could count twenty. At first I was not at all frightened, but gradually as I stood looking at her an uncomfortable feeling, increasing to terror, came over me. This caused me to retreat farther and farther back, until I had my back against the wall, and then the apparition slowly faded.

"This feeling of terror, due perhaps to the unexpectedness of her appearance, always overcame me on the subsequent occasions on which I saw her. These occasions numbered twelve or fifteen, and I have seen her in every room in the house, and at every hour of the day, during a period of about ten years. The last time she appeared was ten years ago. My husband and I had just returned from a concert at which he had been singing, and we sat for some time over supper, talking about the events of the evening. When at last I rose to leave the room, and opened the dining-room door, I found my old lady standing on the mat outside with her head bent towards the door in the attitude of listening. I called out loudly, and my husband rushed to my side. That was the last time I have seen her."

"One peculiarity of this spectral visitant was a strong objection to disorder or untidyness of any kind, or even to an alteration in the general routine of the house. For instance, she showed her disapproval of any stranger coming to sleep by turning the chairs face downwards on the floor in the room they were to occupy. I well remember one of our guests, having gone to his room one evening for something he had forgotten, remarking on coming downstairs again, 'Well, you people have an extraordinary manner of arranging your furniture! I have nearly broken my bones over one of the bedroom chairs which was turned down on the floor.' As my husband and I had restored that chair twice already to its proper position during the day, we were not much surprised at his remarks, although we did not enlighten him. The whole family have been disturbed by a peculiar knocking which occurred in various rooms in the house, frequently on the door or wall, but sometimes on the furniture, quite close to where we had been sitting. This was evidently loud enough to be heard in the next house, for our next-door neighbour once asked my husband why he selected such curious hours for hanging his pictures. Another strange and fairly frequent occurrence was the following. I had got a set of skunk furs which I fancied had an unpleasant odour, as this fur sometimes has; and at night I used to take it from my wardrobe and lay it on a chair in the drawing-room, which was next my bedroom. The first time that I did this, on going to the drawing-room I found, to my surprise, my muff in one corner and my stole in another. Not for a moment suspecting a supernatural agent, I asked my servant about it, and she assured me that she had not been in the room that morning. Whereupon I determined to test the matter, which I did by putting in the furs late at night, and taking care that I was the first to enter the room in the morning. I invariably found that they had been disturbed."

Pattern Recognition: Charm City CX

I want to tell you guys about some not-really-scientific analysis I have done over the last 5 minutes or so.

2010 CX Season:
Charm City day 1 (C race) - 555.99 points
Charm City day 2 (C race) - 553.45 points
Charm City day 2 (B race - 2/3/4) - 552.17 points
THEN
Ed Sander C race - 431.12 points

2011 CX Season:
Nittany Lion B race - 2/3/4 - 514.57 points
Charm City day 1 B race - 2/3/4 - 524.09 points
Charm City day 2 B race - 2/3/4 - 501.38 points
THEN
Tacchino this upcoming Sunday.

I think it took me longer to type all that out than to come up with the theory that the 4th race of the season is where I learn how to race some CX.

Sunday was more fun than Saturday, as racing goes. Saturday was very slippery. Sunday I managed to at least feel like I was sticking my bike through corners. Saturday we had some solid team support though.

I'm still out of shape. I'm not that worried about it. It's gonna be a long season. I should finally have my tire/wheel situation sorted out this upcoming weekend.

LOOK AT THIS HILARIOUS PICTURE. I MIGHT EAT YOUR FACE.I've said it before - I can carry the bike by any point, no form required. I carried it up the stairs by the headtube one day.

"Happiness Is a Warm Blanket Charlie Brown" to Premiere on FOX - Thanksgiving Night

MOVIE REVIEW


Happiness Is a Warm Blanket Charlie Brown

Network: FOX

Original Air Date: November 24, 2011


CAST:

Trenton Rogers ... Charlie Brown / Schroeder Shane Baumel
Austin Lux ... LINUS
Grace Rolek ... LUCY
Andy Beall ... Snoopy and Woodstock
Bill Melendez ... voice clips
Blesst Bowden
Ciara Bravo
Amanda Pace
Andy Pessoa


PLOT:

The Peanuts gang is back and ready to help LINUS (Austin Lux)
break away from his childhood security blanket. The stakes are high as
Linus learns his grandmother is coming to visit, and he must decide
whether or not to dispose of his most cherished possession. In an
effort to help Linus kick his habit, CHARLIE BROWN (Trenton Rogers),
LUCY (Grace Rolek) and even SNOOPY pitch in to help. Lucy is quick to
attempt her amateur psychiatric skills, while Snoopy employs the age
old drag-and-run method. Despite all attempts, Linus eventually learns
that security is a valuable quality in life and everyone is entitled
to their own version of a security blanket.


Video Clip - Official Trailer:




Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...



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"Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" to Premiere on FOX - Thanksgiving Night

MOVIE REVIEW

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas

Network: FOX

Original Air Date: November 24, 2011


CAST:

John Leguizamo ... SID
Ray Romano ... MANNY
Seann William Scott ... CRASH
Josh Peck ... EDDIE
Ciara Bravo ... PEACHES
Billy Gardell ... SANTA
Queen Latifah ... ELLIE
Denis Leary ... DIEGO
Chris Wedge
T.J. Miller
Judah Friedlander
Jennifer Lopez
Keke Palmer
Drake


PLOT:

America’s favorite arctic herd is busy decorating for the holiday season. In his rush to help, SID (John Leguizamo) destroys MANNY’s (Ray Romano)
favorite decorations. Manny is so upset he convinces Sid he is now on
Santa’s naughty list. Sid, CRASH (Seann William Scott), EDDIE (Josh
Peck) and PEACHES (Ciara Bravo) take off for the North Pole to plead
their case to SANTA (Billy Gardell). Meanwhile, Manny, ELLIE (Queen
Latifah) and DIEGO (Denis Leary), worry over Peaches’ safety and race
to find her. Back at the North Pole, Sid and his crew accidentally
destroy Santa’s Workshop on Christmas Eve, and it’s up to these
newfound friends to orchestrate a Christmas miracle.


Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...



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Ghost Story Week: Lord Tyrone and Lady Beresford

This week I thought I'd serve up a selection of stories about ghosts and supernatural creatures from around Ireland.

This first one is considered one of Ireland's most famous ghost stories, that of Lord Tyrone and Lady Beresford. The following text is taken from www.colours-of-the-rainbow.com, used without permission. If anyone from this website wishes me to remove the text, I will do so. The original text can be found here.


Lord Tyrone was born John Le Poer and Lady Beresford, Nichola Sophia Hamilton. The two were orphans reared by an unbelieving (atheist) guardian who constantly tried to convert them to his atheist views. Because of this the two made a vow to each other that whoever died first would reappear to the other in order to prove that there was life after death.

In the course of time Nichola married Sir Tristam Bereford , the eldest son of Richard, Earl ofTyrone, and of Lady Dorothy Annesley, daughter of Arthur, Earl ofAnglesey. One night she awoke terrified to see her foster-brother standing next to her bed. He told her to be quiet, and said he had just died, consequently reminding her of the vow they had made years ago. He advised her of some future events, one which was the coming death of her husband and subsequent remarrying. he told her she would have four children and that following the birth of her last, she too would die on the day she turned forty seven.

Lady Beresford sought confirmation that her brother's appearance was real and not a dream. At this Lord Tyrone grabbed her by the wrist, and it immediately shrank and withered. This deformity remained with her for the rest of her life, covered by a black silk ribbon she wore to conceal it.
Lord Tyrone's predictions all came to pass with the exception of her death at forty seven. On her forty eigth birthday, Lady Beresford decided to celebrate with a few friends, including a clergyman who was an old family friend.

"I am 48 today" she exclaimed. To her dismay the clergyman replied, "No my dear, you are only 47."

Lady Beresford was shaken. "Are you sure?" she asked.

The clergyman assured her he was as he had been looking at the register only days before.
"Then you have signed my death warrant!" she cried. She retired to her room, made out her will and died later that night.

Hotel For 'The Dead People' Open In Japan

A Tokyo non-profit has opened a storage facility for corpses awaiting funerals. It's billed as a "business hotel for the dead." The LISS Center Shin-Kiba facility, which is run by funeral-arranging non-profit LISS System, can store up to 37 bodies in rooms with antibacterial lights, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Monday. The rooms cost $88 per night and the center also offers assistance with arranging for morticians and setting up funerals.

"Bereaved families usually are rushed to decide on a mortician and often have problems later regarding the funeral," said Nyokai Matsushima of LISS System. "We want the families to have time to think, so they can decide on a satisfactory ceremony while their deceased relatives have a place to rest (temporarily) at our 'business hotel.'"

Source: 24sata