Show Mama Some Luv With HqO!
Our wonderful friends over at High Quality Organic Skincare (HqO) want to help you celebrate your Mom, Grandma, Sister, Auntie or friend on Sunday, May 8th by giving away a fabulous gift basket fit for a queen. See details below and stop by their blog often for great specials!
Are You a Carrot, an Egg or Coffee Bean?
-Short Story of the Week
| A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as when one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does this mean, mother?” Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity… boiling water. Each had reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting in the boiling water, its insides became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After being in the boiling water, they had changed the water. “Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?” Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changed the hot water, the very circumstance that brought the pain in the first place. When the water got hot, the beans released their fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst; you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. |
-TigWeb.org
‘Water For Elephants’ Recap
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The word to describe this movie is “lacking”.
As a kid I was always excited when the circus came to town because there was something “otherworldly” about the firebreathers, the trapeze artists, magicians, and exotic animals that filled the big tent.
“Water For Elephants” made that childhood excitement rush back as it explored the early days of what is now becoming a lost commodity: THE traveling circus. While the premise of it was both exciting and original, the movie itself was innately slow-paced. The “turn of the century” setting was very reminiscent of James Cameron’s Titanic but without believable actors or an epic music score. Robert Pattinson’s character in this movie might as well have been his more glittery Twilight role. It is as if he can only portray Edward Cullen: cold, reserved and flat. It was disappointing because I was really hoping he would give a breakout performance, proving the many naysayers wrong. Reese Witherspoon didn’t fair much better. While she was more entertaining to watch than Pattinson, her performance was surprisingly lacking. In fact, the most memorable performance came from the elephant, Rosie. From the moment she arrived on screen you knew she was the star of this movie. With her highly intelligent feats and the natural majesty of an elephant, she kept my attention. I believe she should be the first animal to get an Oscar nomination. She was the movie’s savior, in my opinion.
I give this movie 2 and a half stars but to Rosie, the scene stealing elephant, I give barrels and barrels of corn or grass or whatever it is that elephants like to eat.
-Michael Barlow for “The HIGH UP”
Scream 4: The Weigh In
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The word to describe this movie would have to be “nostalgic.”
While I am not a fan of gory horror movies, I am a child of the 90’s and like most of my friends, was captivated by the genius of the SCREAM movies. There was a certain edginess to how the trilogy played out the “formula” of a horror movie. The first two flicks were a huge success while the 3rd fell flat with its ridiculous plot and subpar character additions…
Ten years later Scream 4, directed by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, absolutely redeemed the trilogy and brought back those same goosebumps I got from the first film as I clinched my seat hoping my favorite characters would survive the most recent reign of terror by the mysterious “Ghostface” on the people of Westboro.
Neve Campbell reprises her role as our heroine “Sydney Prescott” as if she were born for the part and David Arquette and ex-wife Courtney Cox jump back into the roles of “Dewey Riley & Gale Weathers” without missing a beat. It was like being reunited with old friends. To add some “New Millennium” flare to the flick the cast is joined by hot young stars like Hayden Panettiere, Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell, Rory Culkin, and Emma Roberts (daughter of Eric Roberts and Niece of Julia Roberts).
This movie has enough twists and turns to keep you jumping out of your seat and the right amount of its trademark predictability to keep you guessing who it is behind the infamous mask this time. And the ending is sure to surprise both new and loyal fans of the Scream movies. I am usually great at figuring out who the killer is before the movie is over and this time…I HAD NO IDEA!!!!
If you aren’t old enough to be familiar with the previous movies I would encourage you to watch them before you see this one or the brevity of it WILL be lost to you. Overall I give this move 2 thumbs up and both my Big toes too!!
-Michael Barlow for “The HIGH UP”
The "HIGH UP" 