Writing

I'm going pretty slow so far on BP 3. With the first two I tried to write a set number of pages a day like 3 or 5. With this one, I'm just happy to get some writing done. BP 2 needs to be revisited and heavily edited but hopefully not as much as BP 1 did. And hopefully BP 1 doesn't need more but I'm afraid it does. Guess I'm just taking a break with all that.

Gotten at least 10 rejection emails so far but I'm going to keep trying. Considering self-publishing but not quite committed to it. I guess I feel like that'd be coping out and not really fulfilling a dream of having a book published. We'll just have to see how desperate I get.

BP 3: 10 pages.

By the way...

I blame Netflix for how long I've not posted. :P Oh and WoW, Facebook, and having to get a job.

Working on book three of BP now and hope to have a few pages in today. I've got 8 so far.

Netflix

Netflix.com is awesome. There is no arguments about that. While the site advertises that it costs about $9 per month it's really something more like $12. But do I care? No way.

First of all, you can get almost any movie or television show in the mail. You can get as many as you want per month for the same fee. They can come as fast as you can watch and mail them back. And for some reason, they seem to be super mailers because it's mere days that you send one in and get one back.

Personally, I prefer the instant streaming from Netflix. This allows you to instantly watch a show or movie from the Netflix.com website. There is no limit of how many you can watch per day or per month. You can pause them at any time and come back even months later to the same spot. You don't have to wait for the mail. You don't even have to leave your computer (unless you need some popcorn). There is only one major downfall to this method but is being addressed more and more each day. That being not everything is on instant download. Many television series are and many movies are as well and the list just keeps growing weekly.

But even if you can't see it instantly, just order it through the mail and you'll have it within days anyway.

This website has personally saved me tons of money. So much I can't even estimate. We like movies at my house and used to just buy all kinds in hopes that they were good or just fixing a craving to watch something new. Now I don't have to buy them at all unless I REALLY like them. Suffice it to say, I haven't bought many DVDs recently.

Not to mention the fact that you can watch your favorite TV shows (with the exception of perhaps a year of delay on the current seasons which isn't great for the ongoing shows but is great for catching up or expanding one's horizons) without those horrible commercials. That has saved me time and guess what? Time = money.

So everyone should own an account to netflix. You only need one for the whole family and can easily watch two things at once with multiple computers or an Xbox or Wii.

On the other hand... just be careful you don't waste ALL your time trying to watch everything... You just might explode.

Leaves and Examiner.com

My puppy has started eating leaves. It's not even autumn yet and he manages to find a whole bunch of dried ones every time he goes out. His fur is like a leaf magnet or something because he always comes back with new leaves stuck to his face or feet or butt. I have no idea where he's finding them all but they end up all around my house or being smacked on loudly by my puppy who finds the crunchy sounds delectable.

On another note, my examiner.com website is still down after they have updated the site so I haven't been able to post anything new. This and the fact that I have barely made a dollar so far, are very convincing circumstances for quitting the site. However, I have yet to officially do so.

Examiner.com

I found a cool website called examiner.com. They focus on finding local writers to write about specific local topics and categories. I applied for the job and was accepted. I'm not expecting too much money from it but I am happy just to get my name out there and try my hand at food critiquing.

Here is my site.

Not to worry, though. My topic is only Charleston Italian Restaurants and so I will continue to post other critiques on this here favorite blog. I may also take this blog a bit more personal and add some stories about my favorite puppy dog and the more personal verisions of my food articles that I am not allowed to post on examiner.com since they want everything to be in second or third person.

Thanks for reading and supporting me! :)

Olive Garden: Cookie-cutter Chain Restaurant or Fabulous Casual Eating Experience?

The chain restaurant gives the average person certain perks. One always knows what to expect when walking into a familiar chain restaurant even if he/she happens to be across country or perhaps even out of the country. The décor is the same. The atmosphere is the same. The food is the same. The uniforms are the same. It’s safe and cozy.

While this can seem monotonous to some, when traveling in a new and different place, it always feels reassuring to find somewhere familiar and comforting. However, some restaurant chains take this overboard and make them so familiar you don’t even have to open your eyes to find the bathroom.

Olive Garden handles the chain restaurant niche very well. Many of their locations have differing floor plans and buildings, although they do keep the same kinds of decorations so it feels like you are still in their domain but just simply in a different wing of the Olive Garden mansion. This effect is also enhanced by the employees who all wear the same uniform but look different and have different personalities.

The menu is one thing that doesn’t change across the different locations. This ensures that you will always have your favorite dish at any Olive Garden you may visit. And since the menu itself is so large, it will still offer a variety of tastes if you are looking for something different.

Olive Garden is the average-Joe's paradise. It offers just the right amount of high class (napkins you actually have to wash and servers with ties) with the right amount of middle class casual (you don’t have to dress up to get in and you can slurp on your pasta an no one will give you a dirty look). And, of course, their creamy sauces and chewy pastas always fill you up and keep you coming back.

The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender as an M. Night Shyamalan film

This new movie is inspired by the popular Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon seen on Nickelodeon. While the cartoon focuses more on the character development and their relationships, this movie couldn't do all of that and get the plot in at the same time, despite the fact that they only focused on one book (which I think is the equivalent of the first season from the cartoon). So while the movie was definitely not as funny as the cartoons, it does have many other perks.

The casting was awesome. The actors they got for Aang and Katara are spot on. Aang is a young boy who manages to look wise and experienced at the same time. It reminded me of the princess from The NeverEnding Story. And Katara is just super cute.

Sokka was played by none other than Jasper from the Twilight series. It was really interesting seeing him in a speaking role although he does go more in the background as the movie progresses. He actually looked similar to the cartoon character he was supposed to play but he was a little bit too old and it really showed when him and his sister were standing side by side. Prince Zuko's actor could have never been perfect for me no matter who they chose since his cartoon voice is done by Rufio from Hook. I loved that dude so much that there was no way they could replace him and they couldn't get him because he was too old. :/

All in all, the cast was great.

The special effects of this movie are AWESOME. I've always loved the idea of the four elements, despite the fact that many people feel they are overdone. I just love how they play together and this movie really captures the heart and soul of these elements while embodied by humans. The special effects of the movie take the front seat and it feels just a little bit like the filmmakers were just seeing what they could do with their computer toys- kind of like Avatar did. Yet they keep just enough humanity and dialogue and intrigue that it isn't as bad.

I felt like I was apart of this different world and I enjoyed getting to escape from my own for a little while. It was definitely a well-spent afternoon.