More about the Soaps

Are you the kind of person that likes to know things before everyone else? Or maybe you just look ahead and read the last page of a book before you even start it? If you are, or you simply cannot wait to find out what's going to happen to your favorite soap characters, Soap Opera Spoilers is the place for you.

Soaps.com seems to have it all together. They know about the soaps. They know what happened on the soaps. AND, they know what's GOING to happen on the soaps. As I said in my previous post about Days of Our Lives, I think they have a good thing going. I like the layout of the site, the sheer quantity of the writing, and the great amount of photos. I think they are on the right track.

I think that perhaps that best improvement they could make would be to expand to more shows. As they are only 5-6 months old, I imagine that will happen in time. Stay tuned!

~t

Like Sands Through the Hour Glass

Bo and Hope. Steve and Kayla. Billie. Max. Sammy. Chelsea. Stefano diMera. If these names sound familiar to you, you could be an old school fan or a new one. If you're a fan and you miss an episode, there is a great site with fabulous Days of our Lives updates.

For soaps fans, soaps.com is great. They give daily updates on all your favorite shows. Not only do they get pretty in-depth with paragraphs upon paragraphs of juicy details, but they also have screen shots from the episodes, and a good number of them per update. I loved that. In addition to the daily updates, you'll find spoilers, message boards, tons of photos, cast lists, and so much more.

It's an attractive and well-laid out site. Plus, where else are you going to find people in comas, under spells, buried alive, carrying mystery babies, having amnesia, and the like. Check it out!



~t

Another Movie Review from Me: Batman Begins

I should probably read up on the proper way to write a movie review. I love movies. I love to watch them. I love to talk about them. But I tend to feel like a dolt when I get on line and try to tell you sweet readers why you should or shouldn't watch a certain movie. However, it hasn't been stopping me. Maybe I'll come up with my own special movie reviewing angle. I'll have to think about it. For now, here's another crappy review by me.

Batman Begins. I liked it very, very, very, very, very much.

Ha, just kidding. I did like it. Not sure I liked it that much. I'm also not THAT bad of a reviewer. Kevin has been ordering obscure, bizarre foreign films from Netflix. I picked this one. I'm glad I did.

The mood of the film was somewhat dark, but it fits with the characters and the story. I love Christian Bale. He made an excellent Batman, in my opinion. As the title says, in this film we get to see how Batman became Batman. I think that's a pretty tall order, but I felt they lived up to the franchise. It was interesting, large in scope, and well done. Liam Neeson as his mentor was a bit type cast (ahem...Star Wars). Katie Holmes was, well Katie Holmes. She was definitely cute, but I have a hard time not thinking of her as Tom Cruise's wife. Oh well. She did a fine job with the role, even if she was slightly unbelievable as a D.A. Gary Oldman was gold, as usual. I loved him as Gordon. Morgan Freeman, ditto. Michael Caine was proper without being cold and warm without being overly sentimental. He was like a good wink. An actor I had never heard of played the Scarecrow, and he was great. Cillian Murphy, I believe was his name. He was very creepy.

The scene where Bruce Wayne and Rachel are supposed to be teenagers came off as false for both Kevin and me. They very distractingly just tried to use the actors' hair to make them appear younger. Sorry, I think Christian Bale is hawt, but he is definitely not 17. Maybe because he is hot, he cannot play 17. And Katie Holmes, well, maybe she just does look 17 and the weird hair made her look 12. I couldn't concentrate on the scene due to the ridiculousness of it. They maybe should have had teenage actors. I don't know.

Overall, the effects were great, and it had a good pace. Some of the car chase type stuff went on a little long for me, but it would probably be ok for most. The action was crazy fast-paced, but I kept up with it for the most part. The humans were belieavable and likeable, unless they weren't supposed to be. I find it interesting that the villain also had a valid point for his villainy. That's a relatively new and fascinating angle in movies--good and bad aren't so cut and dried. We can understand what is "bad". It's more real. I like it. The sets were fabulously gothic and yet somehow somewhat modern.

Thumbs up. It would be worth having to put my kid back to sleep a few times and sneaking away back downstairs. That's how I have to rate things. "Is this worth taking the chance that he will wake up when I sneak away, and I'll have to start all over again?" Batman Begins was.

~t

You, Me, and Dupree

We DVR'd this last night. I've been having a really crappy few days, and this was a nice light movie, more or less. It was fun, I enjoyed it. Your basic romantic/comedy/buddy movie with a little bit of a twist? Well, I guess not so much a twist, just a little better than most. A little different. Not totally predictable. With a cast like Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, and Michael Douglas, you have to expect it to be a little better than average. Hey, and that dude from 40-year old virgin was in it. I have to figure out his name. Seth Rogen. He's cool. It was worth the $3.99.

~t

The 40-Year Old Virgin: Better than I Thought

Ok, this does not mean that I bedded a 40-year old virgin. This is not the University of Terri. Not to mention that I'm married to a not-yet 40-year old hottie myself. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Kevin ordered this movie recently. I was just dorking around online while he was watching it. I really had no intention of watching it and even thought I might have to leave the room because it would be annoying, but it sucked me in. This is actually not only a funny, but a sweet movie. I was quite pleasantly surprised. The cast was great and worked well together. I was also surprised that Catherine Keener was in it--she tends to do quality work, so that made me think twice about it. It was a pretty quality movie as it turns out.

I mean, don't get me wrong. It was silly as all get out and certainly not for children. And my friend Loretta was right to wax poetic about the ending. But my time is pretty precious to me, and I thought it was worth watching. I even had to put Zane back to sleep at least 3 times and come back down to finish the movie. That says a lot, because I often just give up and go to sleep instead of bothering to get him back to sleep and sneak away without waking him. So, it was a three-sneaker. Check it.

Oh, and I couldn't resist this, when I was at Amazon...



Too funny!

~t

Great group of sites from a fellow Muser

Tricia over at Tricia's Musings and her husband, Chris, have a couple of other sites worth visiting, if you haven't seen them yet.

It's so funny, I was initially drawn to Tricia's Musings because I saw she had visited my site and we had chosen the same name for our blogs. (Plus, she has a funky-cool avatar that reminds me of one of my favorite periods of my hair.)





That's me, circa 1996. The color is actually a little faded in this shot. It was more like Tricia's avatar when it was first colored.

Kinda weird, huh?

I really like her site because it's visually appealing and has a great variety of content that includes substance and fun. So, I was excited to hear that she had another blog called Celebrity Scoop. I do like myself a little celebrity gossip, even though I try not to indulge too much. (It makes me feel guilty for some reason. I guess I feel bad for the celebrities' lack of privacy. Of course, some of them just thrive on it.) I do like that Tricia puts her own unique spin on the stories, including highlighting political figures like Saddam Hussein as well. Very interesting.

Her husband Chris' site, Odd Planet, reminds me of my husband Kevin's Shameless Stuff. How funny, huh? Tricia and I must be soul-sisters or something. While we girls write about our lives and like to peek in on the celebs, the guys are all about the weirdness in the world. Kevin's tagline reads, "Observations on the shameless world around me. Gads, we're all so weird!" The description for Odd Planet, is described as such, "Odd Planet is a humor/ entertainment blog that brings you odd new stories, stories about dumb criminals, and strange people. You’ll also find a good number of funny pictures and videos on the site as well." Perhaps the guys should write about the weird parallels amongst all our lives?

OMG, both Tricia and Chris are participating in Photo Hunters Scavenger Hunt. And oh boy, did they pick different topics. How funny. You have to go check it out to compare, especially if you know me and Kevin. It's very like how we might do something. I swear Tricia and Chris, we are NOT stalking you.

Anyway, get on over there and check out those blogs. They are worth a looksee. Yes, I just said looksee. So, sue me. I like weird words.

Happy NEW Year! (Maybe I have to try this photo scavenger hunt thing. Hmmmm.)

~t

Idol Me

I admit it, I haven't been as into American Idol in recent seasons as I was in the beginning. Kevin's favorite part is the beginning when people are so bad. He loves the humiliation. I'm not as into the humiliation aspect, but it's hard to feel bad for them sometimes because there is often such an amazing level of cluelessness that you tend to feel they get what they deserve (assuming they even understand that). And it's always fun to find other people who watched to jaw about the whole experience. Personally, I loved the one early in last season, I think it was, where that crazy woman just went off on Paula Abdul for no reason.

If you can't get enough American Idol, this is the forum for you. When I knew they were looking for reviews of their forum, I really expected to find a new, somewhat empty forum. This is not the case. When I popped in there, they just happened to have 52 people in the forums right then. Not only that, there are over 2000 threads, over 2700 members, and over 30,000 posts. Plenty of chatter for those who can't stop getting their Idol on.

The sections of the forum have a nice mix of recent seasons, past seasons, international idols, spots to get to know other members, and off-topic discussions. You always need that spot on a forum, or it will take over the threads. The threads themselves are loaded with information about the show and every little obsessive detail about the idol-wannabes. And wow, they have a lot of information about Taylor Hicks.

The design of the forum isn't particularly lovely, but seems well-organized. More importantly, the place seems well-moderated and friendly. If it's one thing I don't like to be a part of, it's a place with a lot of negative energy. Although there's a lot of gossip going on, obviously, it seems done in a light-hearted manner. Go check it out. Tell me what you think, and have fun!



~t

Caribou Coffee Granola Bars

I don't really like granola bars. I do really like coffee and chocolate. These Caribou Coffee Granola Bars ROCK IT! They are delish. We got ours at Safeway. They didn't have them yet at Thriftway. Or you can order them online. They are worth it. WW people, I think they are 4 pts/bar.



~t

A little light holiday reading

I've been enjoying a book that I wanted to share with you all.

You get to hear all the tawdry behind-the-scenes details of many of history's most famous rulers. And learn some history while you're at it. It's really easy to read, lots of fun, and makes a great...ahem...bathroom book. The chapters are just short enough for that or busy moms. Sometimes it just makes me wish I needed to spend more time in the bathroom. (Moms, you know how that is--the only place you get a break, IF you get a break there.)

~t

Internet Marketing Monitor Review

I’m not sure quite why, but I’m nervous about writing this post. Perhaps it is because Internet Marketing Monitor is trying out PayPerPost so that they can review it. I feel I must really deliver the goods for Internet Marketing Monitor, PayPerPost, and posties everywhere. Internet Marketing Monitor has asked for “people to write unscripted, unbiased reviews of its content”, so that is what I am going to do.

I will start by saying that I am new to the internet marketing game. Like so many things in which I am interested, I know just enough to be dangerous. I would love to know much more about internet marketing, but the variety of sources out there is daunting for someone like me with not a whole lot of research time. In checking out Internet Marketing Monitor, I was pleasantly surprised that there was a lot of information, but it didn’t read like Greek to me. Perhaps that’s because the originator of the site, Matt, was smart enough to know he needed a ghost writer, Derick. Good on ya, Matt.

I looked through the site for a good long time before even considering writing this post, and I found a nice variety of Internet Marketing content on things I’d like to look at in more detail. You see all the big names there…Yahoo, Ebay, Google, MSN, YouTube, and current information on what’s going on with them.

I am sometimes completely overwhelmed with the pace at which things happen in the Internet world. Internet Marketing Monitor clearly has been in this game and understands that. They promise to post multiple times a day, five days a week. And it seems they have. Although the blog was only started in the beginning of November, there is a lot of information on it already. I could have stayed there for hours more, and I’m sure I will visit it again. Kudos, too, on them for the 5-day rule. One thing you learn about the Internet is that it’s important to know when to unplug. (Seeing as I am writing this review at 2:04 am, I clearly haven’t learned that lesson yet. I’m just hoping I get it done and posted before my toddler calls me to bed.)

The posts themselves on the Internet Marketing Monitor are well-thought-out, informative, and well written. I enjoyed reading many of the entries and got a little bit more sucked in than I expected to. That's good, because even though I know I want to learn this, sometimes I just get overwhelmed and have to move away from the site, whatever site it is. I can get a little bit Blog-ADD, but I didn't find that happening.

I have to say that I'm not that into the design. It's a pretty basic WordPress theme, I think. It clearly states "all business", which may be what they were going for, but it also says to me, "business is kinda ugly". This could just be my personal opinion. And, they did specifically ask for reviews of content, not design.

I love that they give "report cards" to different affiliate programs and directories. This is the sort of information that really interests me. Where is it best for me to spend my limited time in developing my sites for greatest monetary value? I will be checking back to see what they say about them, as right now they are still collecting data. The only issue I had was again with the template design. At first, I was reluctant to click those links, because I thought they were ads.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with this site and it kept my novice-head-spinning attention for quite some time. I think that's really saying something. If I had to rate it? I think I'd say B, mostly because it's still new and the look could be more engaging. An internet marketing blog should know that. Also, I'd really like to know more about who Matt is. How much of an expert is he?

Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Internet Marketing Monitor. I hope you found the review helpful.

~t

Mom's Night Out

Wow. I didn't realize how geeky that made me feel until I typed it: "Mom's Night Out". What is probably even worse is that I could probably count on ONE hand the number of times I have been out during an evening without Zane since he was born. Oh well, it's my choice. I don't really mind. It's just the kind of mom I am. He won't be shrimpy forever. In fact, he's getting bigger every darn day. And that's fine, too. I'm not one of those moms who wants their kid to stay small forever. Go on, get big! He is so much fun at this age, though.

So, I went out to a local diner and it was so good! I was invited by my friend Suemary and there were 2 other moms in addition to the 2 of us. A nice small group. We had some great gab sessions, burgers, and coffee. I even avoided dessert and french fries. Amazing. AND, their salads were great. The place was adorable, too. A little hippie haven with murals on the walls and tofu on the menu. I will definitely return. I'd link it, but I don't think they have a website. Nope. Darby's Cafe. If you are ever in Olympia, check it out. Friendly and good service, too. Overall, a very enjoyable evening. Yay, moms.

One of the nice things about Olympia is that I really feel we belong here. I like the people we meet and can generally relate to them and don't feel like I have to hide my true self. I don't get odd looks when I talk about astrology or Kevin's healing and psychic pursuits. People are interested. It's a nice change.

~t

Online Dating Services Compared

Although I am happily married, I sometimes fantasize about being that sweet little matron that meddles in everyone else's lives and does a bunch of matchmaking, hopefully for the better. I really haven't done it, because it isn't totally in my nature and the isolated incidents where I've tried meddling haven't really worked out too well.

But, I do firmly believe in a little bit of matchmaking, and if I'm not going to do it for you, I think an online dating service is a great thing to try.

Did you know that I actually worked for a dating service as a receptionist when I was in college? And on top of that, I met my husband online. And I met my first, disastrous internet boyfriend online. So, I know a little bit of what I'm talking about.

Since there are so many options out there, I was very excited to see this site containing Dating Site Reviews. It can be an intimidating step to take, and having as much information as you can get before making a commitment is definitely a good idea. The site itself is attractive, easy to navigate, and has some fun extra articles on dating. I think I have to go send this link to my friend Amanda...

~t

Contact Lenses

I have worn contacts since I was in 6th grade. It seems strange even to me, when I think about it. That means I've been wearing them for over 20 years. I know that Focus Dailies, are very popular, but I have not tried those as of yet. I have been wearing Bausch and Lomb Soflens 38 for years. They work for me, so I haven't messed with a good thing.

The Soflens 38 has been comfortable for me, and they last even longer than advertised. Of course, you don't want to mess with the health of your eyes, so it's best to follow the manufacturer's instructions. However, in a pinch these can be worn a tad longer. I like the slight blue tint that helps you find them if you drop one. I have used that feature a number of times. The tint doesn't change your eye color, just helps them to show up in your sink or wherever you might accidentally drop them. They also have a slight B&L on them that helps you to know you've got them going in the right direction (not inside-out). That helps, because sometimes the difference in the way contact looks the right way from the wrong way can be slight.

Overall, I've been very happy with these contacts and have not had any problems that I can think of with them.

~t

Cool People, Part 3: morewillie.com

morewillie.com

Just go there. If you have any sense, you'll want morewillie too.

(This all sounds so dirty. Leave it to another Sagittarius. And the fact that we have like SIX planets in Sagittarius right now. Oh my.)

~t

Cool People, Part 1: I wish I were cooler: Kevin Smith movies

Cool people like Kevin Smith movies, right? I try. I have a love/hate relationship with Kevin Smith movies. I always go in thinking, "Ok, I'll give this a try." Then, during the movie I often feel like even though the conversation is realistic, it feels contrived for some reason. Is it the acting? I don't know. It feels like one of those movies where the characters speak all the backstory in the beginning of the movie. Maybe they do. Interestingly enough, I felt like they did this a bit in Rent, too. (The common denominator being that Rosario Dawson was in both movies.)

And then they get gross. Too gross. I really don't want to see Jay's butt in a movie. Or many of the things they do and say in Kevin Smith movies. But then he does something hilarious and I keep watching, RIGHT as I was about to turn it off. And then it gets gross again, and then sentimental and then hilarious and I keep watching. But through like...oh...60% of the movie, I'm shaking my head at what Jay or someone else just did, thinking, "WHY am I watching this?" And then the hilarious thing happens and I stay with it. Often I'm sitting next to someone (often my husband) who is laughing riotously as I am just sitting there shaking my head. But I keep trying. Mostly tonight because it was my Kevin's birthday.

If you're wondering, it was Clerks II.

Ahhh...see...I just went to IMDB to get all those links. Kevin Smith was born in 1970. I always fall for people born in 1970. (Right, Amy? I mean Kevin.) But Kevin Smith is a Leo. I sometimes have a hard time with Leo energy. Perhaps this is the crux of it.

I kinda liked it. And I kinda didn't. Does that mean I'm kinda cool? Oh well.

Zane is up. Must go.

~t

Blogger Love: digicass.com

I love the idea of this new blog by my fellow payperpostie, Cass. Digi-Cass is about her journey to learn more about digital photography.

I am all about pictures, and I especially like to see them in my blog (and other peoples'), so I think this is a great goal: learning how to take better pictures. And with Cass as our guide, it's no doubt we'll enjoy the journey. She doesn't take life too seriously and shares with lots of fun, including a really horrid first picture of herself. To link or not to link? Well, she posted it, so I guess it's fair game. It's too funny--check it. Don't worry, I hear she is feeling better.

On the more topic-driven side, Cass has just started to get into the nitty-gritty of learning from other great photographers. Get on over there now so you don't miss anything! You know...Go. Go now. Go on...

~t

ps-I thought I'd post an awful pic of myself just to make Cass feel better, but I usually delete those! I did recently post a few funny ones that can be seen here.

Nice Holiday Kid Book

Soooo, if you're lookin' for a little somethin' somethin' to maybe make your kid think about giving around the holidays, check out this book: Biscuit Gives a Gift.


It is slightly oversweet, but not too bad as far as kids books go. And what little kid doesn't like a cute dog story? Biscuit and his girl do all sorts of nice things for other peoople and have fun with friends and family for Christmas. It's sweet. I got it for Zane last year (about 10 mos at Christmas last) and he liked it then. He likes it now still.

~t