tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227364312024-03-06T21:14:44.709-08:00little dog lostRoland DenzelRoland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.comBlogger633125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-31416291759365120222015-07-11T11:41:00.000-07:002015-07-11T11:41:19.794-07:00My Top 10 Reasons for Not Writing (right now)!All writers have reason for not writing when they should be writing. Facebook and Google+ are too obvious, and I obviously have time to write, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7rcydiB-QFdCnU7PI-ZFUClM4En45ldUrGE69mJ5SMf6bokCZsYMdKyvzlgkpjF7I-w00z9qob49OMhQ4ds-E79pc6cVyxu24tWf1Ihgl_MWwLLmU8iKX-0QNVklPql9WZZM/s1600/keyboard+writing+typing+writer+968820_80216613+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7rcydiB-QFdCnU7PI-ZFUClM4En45ldUrGE69mJ5SMf6bokCZsYMdKyvzlgkpjF7I-w00z9qob49OMhQ4ds-E79pc6cVyxu24tWf1Ihgl_MWwLLmU8iKX-0QNVklPql9WZZM/s640/keyboard+writing+typing+writer+968820_80216613+banner.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<br /></h2>
<h3>
My Top 10 Reasons for Not Writing (right now)!</h3>
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10. This table is wobbly<br />
9. It's kinda blowy under this vent<br />
8. The coffee hasn't really set in yet<br />
7. Does the number of characters in '10' make my list line up weird?<br />
<div>
6. Hi, Dave!</div>
5. This chair is wobbly<br />
5. My Pandora station seems weird<br />
4. I have to Tweet something about #amwriting<br />
3. I wonder how long it will take to find a good picture for this blog post?<br />
2. The coffee line looks short, maybe I should get more while I have the chance<br />
<br />
<h4>
...and the #1 reason why I'm not writing right now, is...</h4>
<br />
<br />
1. Blogging!<br />
<br />
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-75841362475157122912015-06-05T12:12:00.000-07:002017-09-04T11:26:35.964-07:00Confessional<i>Note – This is a first draft (slightly edited before posting) of a writing challenge. ...under the gun, 1000 words max. The prompt was 'forbidden fruit.'</i><br />
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<h1>
Confessional</h1>
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The Bishop stood to the side of the open cathedral doors, nodding curt greetings to the early morning worshipers as they passed through the doors. Once again, he looked inside at the slowly filling pews, but did not yet see Rene. Nor did he see Rene amongst those gathered in the square outside.<br />
<br />
The Bishop slowly, if loudly, pushed his breath out through pursed lips; a mix of both prayer and frustration with the boy. He felt a man’s presence at his back, dropping his head to listen.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Deacon Rene is not at the seminary, either,” Deacon Michael said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Bishop nodded slowly, but did not turn. “Perhaps he forgets what today is,” he said, continuing to acknowledge the worshipers who passed by him into the church.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“For Rene, all days are the same beautiful day,” Michael said. “Prayer, breakfast, Mass... You know what he says.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Yes, yes. All days are beautiful days,” the Bishop said, impatiently.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“…only more so,” Michael finished.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Yes, well today isn’t just any beautiful day,” the Bishop said, interrupting. He turned to Michael. “Go. Take your place.”<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">§</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A light breeze blew the gauzy white curtains until they just brushed the bare skin of the man on the bed.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pure white sheets were tangled about him from rolling in his sleep, likely from an attempt to escape the sun that danced through the curtains and was starting to warm his feet. He was asleep, alone, in the very large bed, but there were enough pillows and indentations in the mattress to see that two had slept there until just moments before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even in his lite sleep, he felt the change of temperature on his uncovered foot; the window shutters were closing, and the sun no longer warmed him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He stirred. He rolled onto his back (exposing more than feet), and opened his eyes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The woman was nude, and facing away from him. The light through the slits in the shutters cast her in silhouette; he could see her drawing the sheer curtains closed across the window. She turned to him; his eyes adjusting to the new light, and he could see she was as beautiful as he’d remembered, all golden hair, white skin (untouched by sun), and impossibly ruby lips. She had green eyes that should be impossible to see from this far away, especially in backlight. <i>But there they are.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She smiled impurely, turning once again away from him. She stretched her arms wide, and pulled the set of heavy, royal purple drapes clothes with pure drama, and the room went dark. She remained facing the closed window as she spoke.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My love, let us shut out the day and let this night never end.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She turned to face him in the now darker room, smiling in a way that the young Deacon knew meant his life had completely changed, and approached the bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Behind her, the shutters, impossibly, blew open; a great gust of wind parted the dark drapery, and the morning sun exploded into the room. Her lithe body was bathed in light from behind, and then the sun overwhelmed and blinded him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He sat bolt upright, startled out of his dream. She was gone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The drapes did billow in the wind. The shutters were wide open. He was alone in the large bed, still wrapped in the white sheets, but they were wet with sweat; his own, he thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bell from the clock tower rang seven o’clock, and he looked toward the window. It looked to be a beautiful morning outside. <i>A beautiful day like any other.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“God!” he said, jumping out of bed, leaving the damp bed linens behind him. He looked this way and that until I saw his clothes, a Deacon’s robes, laid out carefully on a chair next to the door.<o:p></o:p></div>
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§</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Rene stood at the back of the cathedral, as he often did before a mass.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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He was frozen in place, eyes fixed on the closed door of a confessional – The same confessional that the woman had entered just a moment ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The morning sun was shining through a great window onto his legs and feet, heating his shiny black shoes to an uncomfortable temperature.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Not just a woman, but the woman from this morning. …or last night?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rene was sweating underneath his vestments, and he could feel the sweat running down his chest and back; the cloth clung to his skin, and he pulled at it for relief.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How long, he wondered, had the booth’s door been closed? <i>How long have I been here?</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Then the door opened, a lithe, impossibly long leg swung out as the woman stood up to exit the confessional. The leg has exposed in a way that a leg would never be exposed; as a woman’s clothing will simply not allow it. Nevertheless, there was the bare leg, just as it was when she had entered the little room.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She stood, and strode two steps into the sunlight streaming from the window, and stopped. She faced Rene from a distance; her white skin shone with <i>such</i> light, and he could see nothing but her shape. He saw green eyes that should be impossible to see from this far away, in that light. <i>But there they are.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“You’re late,” the Bishop said, surprising Rene as he suddenly stepped between Rene and the woman.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ve been here,” Rene said, startled, “in the back, like every day.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bishop frowned, and looked closer at Rene. “You’re sick? You’re sweating.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I walked quickly, and the sun…” Rene said. “Like every day.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Take your place, Rene,” the Bishop said, gesturing to the line of Deacons near the front of the cathedral; each waiting to be ordained. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Rene looked at them; each dressed in the same robes that he sweated beneath now. Rene didn’t move.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bishop looked concerned. “Are you nervous?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rene looked confused, but whether at the question or something else, even he wasn’t sure. He didn’t answer, or even respond.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Rene, it’s just a day…” the Bishop began. “Like any other.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rene nodded. “Only more so.”<o:p></o:p><br />
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§</div>
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Confessional – Roland Denzel, March 4th, 2014</div>
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Image by <a href="http://www.freeimages.com/photo/440605" target="_blank">scarbe84 on freeimages.com</a>.</div>
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-29340380574554070082015-05-27T17:03:00.000-07:002015-05-27T17:05:42.505-07:00Just write it (before someone else writes it)<h3>
I’m not saying anyone took my ideas, because they didn’t. They just had the same ideas that I had.</h3>
<br />
I won’t go too far into how I invented the constantly variable transmission, but after dropping a sugar cone on the floor and watching it roll around a few times, there it was. I was working the counter at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, so they'd have probably taken my patent, anyway.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, someone else invented it first, so I’m not going to sweat it.<br />
<br />
The thing is that sometimes your ideas are really good, but if you keep them to yourself, someone else does it and you don't.<br />
<br />
Worse, they might do it poorly. Even more [sic] worse, they might make millions. It's most worse if you know them. Rich bastards.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Take Cowboys & Aliens for example. </h4>
<br />
Not that I know them. I don't, but what a stupid movie. A lost opportunity to be awesome.<br />
<br />
I don’t know the origin of the movie idea, nor the dates involved, but for decades, I have had a whole ‘cowboys and aliens’ story outlined on my computer that is NOT stupid. Maybe one day I’ll write it as a book (although I won’t because no one buys those kind of books).<br />
<br />
<h4>
Age of Adeline… </h4>
<br />
My daughter and I went to see Age of Adeline on Monday. It was a good movie, sort of. I’ll probably rant on Age of Adeline's lost opportunity to be awesome (or at least cuter) later, but I’m ranting about something else right now.<br />
<br />
The thing is that Adeline is stuck at age 29, and has been for 100 years. She has to pickup and move every 10, each time getting a new identity, new home, new job. That’s the freakin’ story I’m writing right now. Crap.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The previews…</h4>
<br />
Sometimes the previews show me more about how much writing I’m <i>not </i>doing than getting me excited about what’s 'coming soon.'<br />
<br />
The previews during this movie made me sit up straight, once again. There was one of my characters (or so it seemed), starring in her own tv series. It’s not the same, but it’s close. Crap.<br />
<br />
Oh look at this next preview; another idea of mine has its own movie. Crap again.<br />
<br />
<h4>
None of this is plagiarism or theft; they just had the same or similar ideas.</h4>
<br />
The point is that if you have ideas that you love, hurry up and write them. If you don’t, the odds are good that someone else will, then it’s you copying them, even though you didn’t. <br />
<br />
Even though yours was first. <br />
<br />
Even though <strike>theirs sucks</strike> yours would have been much better!<br />
<br />
Yeah, their ideas aren’t the same. They might not even be as good as yours will be (or would have been).<br />
<br />
Your story or idea might be <i>much </i>better, but now you have to deal with all new doubts. …and aren’t the doubts you already have about your work enough without having to create all new doubts.<br />
<br />
<h3>
If you love your idea, don’t just write it down, write it!</h3>
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<br /></div>
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-48843352455990167962015-02-28T08:22:00.000-08:002015-02-28T09:26:45.440-08:00it's an old story<h3>
While going through some of my dad's boxes, I found one of my own. </h3>
<br />
The box was mostly junk, but there was a hidden folder of old negatives from the days when I wanted to be a photographer, notes for scripts that I wanted to write for shows that no longer exist (remember Get A Life?), and some stories that will never see the light of day.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These are not hidden gems or diamonds in the rough. Luckily, most weren't anything serious, but writing assignments, completed. Rarely anything I would actually write on purpose, but you do what you need to do to finish your homework, right?<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
They are, for the most part, embarrassing</h3>
<br />
...but they also give me <i>some </i>confidence in the writing I do today.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can still see my style in my old writing, and I know what I meant to say, even if I didn't say it all that well. My writing teachers were nice to me, and for that I thank them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I will save these papers for the times when I need to see how far I've come, but it also reminds me that future Roland will one day look back at what I write <i>today </i>and vow to "save this junk as a reminder of how far I've come."<br />
<br />
Truly the worst was the poetry and the flash fiction exercises that they put us through, although they didn't call them flash fiction back then.<br />
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Here's a poem for your 'enjoyment,' although I confess to have just edited it. ...unless you think it's terrible, in which case this is exactly how I found it, 25 years later. ;)<br />
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<br />
<h3>
Dreams</h3>
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I wake up in the morning, and I remember nothing.<br />
I know the dreams were there, but I have to let them go.<br />
Why waste what little time is yours remembering something lost?<br />
<br />
So little time in the day to do what needs doing.<br />
Nap time passes (spent more wisely)<br />
Fight back a yawn and keep on working - a little coffee wards it off , but no magic lasts forever.<br />
<br />
Sleep away a third of what little time you have.<br />
So much time given to dreaming; so little remains for the day.<br />
You say dreaming's healthy?<br />
You need them to stay sane?<br />
But, I've only one dream I remember, and in it, I’m awake.<br />
</div>
</div>
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-6128515847377700322015-02-02T17:47:00.001-08:002015-02-02T17:47:45.990-08:00Stop writing ebooks!In the olden days, there were just books. Then came the pdf, and the ebook was born.<br />
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Publishers did not produce PDFs or ebooks, so only self-published writers wrote ebooks.<br />
<br />
Today, there is the Kindle, the Nook, the Kobo, and a variety of other ebook reading devices and apps.<br />
<br />
Ebooks are, today, as real a book as a physical book.<br />
<br />
A book is the content. It's the words you write. ...and sometimes the design or the experience. It's no longer just the 'thing' you are holding.<br />
<br />
The best publishers and self-publishers produce physical books <i>and </i>ebooks.<br />
<br />
I think Writers Digest and Digital Book World call the books that self-published writers write ebooks because they think self-published writers aren't real writers.<br />
<br />
If you call what you write an ebook, you're telling the world you're not a real writer. Write a book, and if you do things right, you'll have both physical books and ebooks.<br />
<br />
Be a writer.<br />
<br />
Be a real writer.<br />
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<br /></div>
Write books.Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-16182230087830930692015-01-28T06:34:00.000-08:002015-01-28T08:35:50.248-08:00Pride and Prejudice and WebcamsI feel pretty late to the party, here, but I just found out about a fun webshow called <a href="http://www.pemberleydigital.com/the-lizzie-bennet-diaries/" target="_blank">The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.</a><br />
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<br />
I'm not really sure how an Emmy can go to a show that was broadcast online, since the Emmys go to television shows, but the show won a Prime Time Emmy in 2013 nevertheless.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KisuGP2lcPs?list=PL6690D980D8A65D08" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
The show is a modern take* on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, with Elizabeth Bennet as a young grad student, moving back home to her old room in her parents' house.<br />
<br />
I've tried to read P&P before. Twice. Boring. And the 'modern' movies aren't much better than the older movies (also much boring), but so far, so good on this. Just don't test me later, because I'm not sure it's spot on accurate to the real P&P.<br />
<br />
They are blessedly short, so I can watch one a day, like forever almost.<br />
<br />
Roland<br />
<br />
* and by 'modern take' I mean not boring and overwrought like period books and movies <strike>always are</strike> tend to be.<br />
<br />
<br />Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-17553709592959178122015-01-24T16:53:00.001-08:002015-01-25T11:36:17.891-08:00Heard in 3 coffee houses over the weekend......so I must post it. <br />
<br />
It's a favorite anyway. <br />
<br />
"You are my sweetest downfall"<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/p62rfWxs6a8" width="640"></iframe>Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-6981110330611798892015-01-21T08:38:00.003-08:002015-01-21T08:38:58.332-08:00The best paranormal tv is stupid<h3>
I love the idea of angsty paranormal tv better than the shows themselves</h3>
<br />
The netflix blurbs are promising; angst, love, loves lost, and plenty of paranormal action, but two or three episodes in, things always start to go stupid. I'll forgive the crappy special effects, but if they are so bad that you can't pull it off, write another script. Don't they give the writers an idea of what they've got in the CGI prop room?<br />
<br />
<h3>
Haven</h3>
<br />
I'm watching, but I have to push on through things like abandoned dogs turned into men. Dog men. Like a pack of them, and they are learning to use tools. Oh no! One has rabies and it's the family dog. You can't Old Yeller a man, though. ...or can you?<br />
<br />
I'm glad I stuck it out long enough for the one where she sees all the men she loves die on the same day. That's gotta be tough, and it was well done.<br />
<br />
I love the theme music. It's up there with Game of Thrones and Firefly<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5Ssl1IyeU38?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Originals</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
Too complicated.<br />
<br />
I like that the actresses aren't all super skinny and scrawny like most tv actresses. Don't get me wrong, they aren't really overweight, but they are normal. ...and beautiful.<br />
<br />
Even with that, too much happens in just one episode to care anymore. People swap sides, mysteries are looming and found out immediately, but look, there's another mystery!<br />
<br />
This one isn't just werewolves and vampires, but they also have witches and 'hybrids,' which they talk about like it's got a wikipedia entry. A hybrid is like a mash up of a werewolf and a vampire, and I guess they are like an unstoppable army of one, and they want to make more.<br />
<br />
Also, talked about like it's a common term is the title word; Original. Like "OMG an Original is in my bar!"<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Being Human (US version)</h3>
<br />
Fun, but is that enough?<br />
<br />
I'm 5 in, but not sure I'll continue. The premise itself is 'stupid,' so at least I know what I'm getting into.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Fringe</h3>
<br />
Something dumb happened around episode 1 (maybe it was 3) that made me both bored and roll my eyes.<br />
<br />
It's still on my watch list, but only because I can't remember why I stopped watching it. There's no one hot enough to make me press on.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Beauty and the Beast</h3>
<br />
Something truly dumb must have happened early on, because I have no urge to remember this one or why I stopped this on early.<br />
<br />
I don't think it's paranormal, either. I think it was a toxic waste accident or military experiment gone wrong. ...or right? Either way, it's boring, despite the amazing beauty of whatever her name is. The one who used to be Lana Lang on Smallville.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Lost Girl</h3>
<br />
Take every freakin' random 'fae' or paranormal idea in the world and stick it in this show for one episode each.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4b-kd1EGSpUOP0XWW_JpewE87oa-cyX3uNaVbkgleGBJKDngck9_tusi1T0eU0FqwW84r6scStPcpuzUq8YnGvMnI-RI0cTzwWZ6cS0iJVojNbQeEnI3jz8WlmaTEuUyZ01T/s1600/404_Tamsin-Valkyrie_wings.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4b-kd1EGSpUOP0XWW_JpewE87oa-cyX3uNaVbkgleGBJKDngck9_tusi1T0eU0FqwW84r6scStPcpuzUq8YnGvMnI-RI0cTzwWZ6cS0iJVojNbQeEnI3jz8WlmaTEuUyZ01T/s1600/404_Tamsin-Valkyrie_wings.gif" height="128" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm sure it looked good on paper.<br />
<br />
There's a unintentionally comical 'fae' underworld that's actually right in front of us (Is your dry cleaner really using magic to clean your suits? Look out!).<br />
<br />
Add plenty of attractive lesbians and insinuate that most women are easily swayed to go gay, and you have Lost Girl.<br />
<br />
I have to hear "Oh, you're the unaligned succubus" one more time...<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Maybe paranormal angst books are better?</h3>
<br />
...but a few that I've tried have been too dumb to continue reading.Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-86529746387363264542015-01-17T13:49:00.003-08:002015-01-17T13:55:17.596-08:00Better<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BTVrqWuZfoc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
My favorite. Sorry.Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-85555356976182956722015-01-16T17:55:00.000-08:002015-01-16T17:55:00.782-08:00If you make a promise<h2>
and no one's listening... </h2>
<br />
As I've said before, my intention is, and has long been, to move things here to a new site, but the question is 'why?' ...and why haven't I?<br />
<br />
The other question is why did I stop posting just because I haven't moved? Is there such a thing as "fresh start syndrome," and if so, do I have it?<br />
<br />
<h3>
This place, little dog lost...</h3>
<br />
...started off as a personal blog, morphed more toward fitness, and then got all but abandoned when I joined fitness forces with my wife over on <a href="http://eatwellmovewell.com/">EatWellMoveWell.com</a> after we published our first book. Things are going really well over there, but writing about health doesn't scratch all of my itches.<br />
<br />
I still itch to write about things that are angst, passion, and love filled, not to mention...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3QMwBWKxS7gbg8FDByrRkHG4-AfEN62I-7WsXSn9yI1iKOsRklK3hL-RKjOz2cUc9QgfW6CGUmE6PnX7sjV1Q7wwdFNej5RhYo97F6etTryqwn2sN_Jejsv0RmcnzkgCkT3u/s1600/cheesecake+closeup+compressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3QMwBWKxS7gbg8FDByrRkHG4-AfEN62I-7WsXSn9yI1iKOsRklK3hL-RKjOz2cUc9QgfW6CGUmE6PnX7sjV1Q7wwdFNej5RhYo97F6etTryqwn2sN_Jejsv0RmcnzkgCkT3u/s1600/cheesecake+closeup+compressed.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Cheesecake! Which seems like a kind of love, but...<br />
<br />
Cheesecake is hard to justify on a website dedicated to helping people lose weight, get fit, and get healthy. Not that those readers can't eat cheesecake, but they don't need me to help them out.<br />
<br />
<h3>
I will move...</h3>
<br />
But not now. Not yet. I want things on my site to look (and be) more modernized, automated, and integrated.<br />
<br />
I'm no longer a 'lost dog,' so that can go, too.<br />
<br />
I'm an 'early adopter' for a slick new website system that launches in 'Spring' or 'late Spring' (or so they say), so I will carry on here for the time being. Why change now and then change again in a few months?<br />
<br />
<h3>
I will write...</h3>
<br />
I've been stalling or using moving to a new site as an excuse not to write here, but that's an artificial barrier that I hope I've now put behind me.<br />
<br />
Let's talk more soon!<br />
<br />
Yours in angst,<br />
<br />Roland<br />
<br />
PS. I also like to write about coffee.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzTX3y7sULVCXb_Fs39GsEGvIT63vfPlE7rHBlfPcrCfLlmJiYSTWGaJdriu_4tE4V95AnUKk51GlMLCh4d7G7Y3uHj_H7xYt42i8SWGjaOTKu3EzTTqH-t8xAP_WT5erim7W/s1600/espresso+IMG_20141009_143539_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzTX3y7sULVCXb_Fs39GsEGvIT63vfPlE7rHBlfPcrCfLlmJiYSTWGaJdriu_4tE4V95AnUKk51GlMLCh4d7G7Y3uHj_H7xYt42i8SWGjaOTKu3EzTTqH-t8xAP_WT5erim7W/s1600/espresso+IMG_20141009_143539_edit.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-1002899531502426952014-06-30T20:45:00.000-07:002014-06-30T20:47:35.582-07:00ConfessionFather Martin slid the confessional screen open, revealing the dark shadow of a woman on the other side. As he sat back, the old priest smelled a spicy, oriental scented perfume. He tried not to be curious as he waited for her to begin.<br />
<br />
"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned," she said. "It has been 200 years since my last confession."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-59984692213001986182014-06-02T11:09:00.000-07:002014-06-02T11:10:29.437-07:00Loving Austin Kleon's 2nd book, Show Your Work<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUczZETpPYCmpCqM9R-Zl27afGJUlCA99MuQ4y3Z95reol08AwGXxXRWiRYHFdbm0oBjLHmK8NgoDShb2r2yGnKM9PbaKHkBzThAHDXlWQsiHEz0VL_ZVFu_E91Opnvnfu-vA/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FYXVzdGluIGtsZW9uIHNob3cgeW91ciB3b3JrIDEwIHdheXMgdG8gIHNoYXJlIHlvdXIgY3JlYXRpdml0eSBhbmQgZ2V0IG5vdGljZWQuanBn%253F%253D-729438"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUczZETpPYCmpCqM9R-Zl27afGJUlCA99MuQ4y3Z95reol08AwGXxXRWiRYHFdbm0oBjLHmK8NgoDShb2r2yGnKM9PbaKHkBzThAHDXlWQsiHEz0VL_ZVFu_E91Opnvnfu-vA/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FYXVzdGluIGtsZW9uIHNob3cgeW91ciB3b3JrIDEwIHdheXMgdG8gIHNoYXJlIHlvdXIgY3JlYXRpdml0eSBhbmQgZ2V0IG5vdGljZWQuanBn%253F%253D-729438" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6020395810786922434" /></a></p>Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-21595140407591280482014-05-14T16:22:00.002-07:002014-05-14T16:22:55.438-07:00If it's not perfect, it's crap!It seems that trainers, nutritionists, and other fitness pros rightfully want it all to be be perfect.<br />
<br />
Apparently there's little room for incremental improvements when it comes to fitness in the media. It's either perfect or it's crap!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzevo7fzDYCrOTtfvLZ-AP-DUbFpnpILhl2b2zBb7dVw9yjrLagLZbZNzl-i0e_h27Iv4NOBhfUMvL0dYFnwZ-DnITSY6Wo13Y68i8UGh53J8kQx4dJNCmg-VPfk2SjbP_iZ55/s1600/crap+dung+beetles+1099132_53815238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzevo7fzDYCrOTtfvLZ-AP-DUbFpnpILhl2b2zBb7dVw9yjrLagLZbZNzl-i0e_h27Iv4NOBhfUMvL0dYFnwZ-DnITSY6Wo13Y68i8UGh53J8kQx4dJNCmg-VPfk2SjbP_iZ55/s1600/crap+dung+beetles+1099132_53815238.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dung Beetle #1 - It's getting rounder!<br />Dung Beetle #2 - It's CRAP!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
"Call them out in public!" they say</h3>
...even when the trainer in question might be merely wrong. No, they are never wrong, they are lying.<br />
<br />
A new healthy food? Nope! One of the food's ingredient's ingredients is from a supplier that doesn't say non-gmo. Boycott them!<br />
<br />
Great new product? It can't be, they are advertising! How can they find time to market if they are in the trenches all day, quoting Bruce Lee to their clients, and frowning in the general direction of Facebook?<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Don't let perfection be the enemy of progress</h3>
I'm happy to point out that Tracy Anderson has bad products, that The Biggest Loser uses bad methods and sets the wrong expectations, vegan diets are not healthier than diets containing meat, and that Crossfit doesn't do enough to police their own gyms to keep them from f-ing people up.<br />
<br />
What I'm not happy about is when good things get a bad rap. When a magazine like Men's Health holds a competition to find the best trainer, and no one on the internet thinks they are good enough because they aren't perfect. But these phantom perfect trainers didn't apply. I'm sure it's because they were too busy digging their trenches, and didn't hear the call for applicants.<br />
<br />
If a new diet helps people, it better be 100% accurate to science, or the author is a liar or has a hidden agenda.<br />
<br />
Oh, and the internet is filled with crappy fitness products that are marketed to the unsuspecting dieter or internet trainees, but when someone writes a better one, it's never good enough.<br />
<br />
...and because it's marketed and advertised, it must be even worse.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of bad training is for good trainers to do nothing." - Anonymous, CSCS, CPT, PES, MS, DPT, LMNOP</h3>
Um, complaining isn't doing it, either! Complain all you want, but if you don't do something good, you're pretty much doing nothing.<br />
<br />
If good trainers and coaches don't write programs and products, then all these poor people will be able to buy is the crappy ones.<br />
<br />
If no one good provides online training and nutrition programs, then all we have left is the bad stuff.<br />
<br />
If good trainers and coaches don't advertise and market, then the people who respond to marketing are left to buy from the bad trainers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Are you doing your part to help those who need you the most? </h3>
I'm not saying that you can't be a damn good trainer, training your own clients personally, and running your own business. That's good work, and you do your clients a great service; hands on <i>is </i>best.<br />
<br />
Still, as long as there's a market for online training, fitness books, and fitness products, someone good needs to do it. It doesn't have to be you, but you also don't have to condemn it.<br />
<br />
The bottom line is that there are people who buy all levels of product and service (just try to stop them). If you don't do something <i>good </i>for them yourself, or you discourage good people from doing it, you sentence these poor souls to buying pure crap.<br />
<br />
..and now whose fault is that?<br />
<br />
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-83664977666409045152014-05-12T22:57:00.001-07:002014-05-12T22:57:13.895-07:00Should trainers only train those educated on fitness?I think good trainers should use the same marketing tactics of the sleazy trainers, otherwise the good trainers do the clients who <i>fall </i>for those tactics a real disservice.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M9Mcl5KgfVyH0OK4BzqO8Frxzbk06fWdFDndIZ5_l6bSHCaMoDxy7r4-AyCLVLfAX0hG7gpYnPYuyL3GYRLNsBv9SIrBs9Da6T5T2CKKMfV_vFinWVVdcCRmdnUCUkJ_I-t0/s1600/fitness+guy+1431765_10033883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M9Mcl5KgfVyH0OK4BzqO8Frxzbk06fWdFDndIZ5_l6bSHCaMoDxy7r4-AyCLVLfAX0hG7gpYnPYuyL3GYRLNsBv9SIrBs9Da6T5T2CKKMfV_vFinWVVdcCRmdnUCUkJ_I-t0/s1600/fitness+guy+1431765_10033883.jpg" height="640" width="546" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
No, we can't talk about toning or sweating because those things 'aren't real' or 'don't matter' for fat loss. While that is certainly true, the REAL truth is that there are people out there looking for those things because THEY believe them to be true or important.<br />
<br />
Are we (trainers) only about helping those who are educated enough to find us?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
What does that say about us?<br />
<br />Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-67519696902917219902014-03-10T04:46:00.000-07:002014-03-10T11:55:05.422-07:00Saints Alive!I know that a lot of my readers are mutual friends of Lou Schuler, so I wanted to announce Lou's latest book, which is a slight deviation from his normal (fitness) books.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ISCOOJU/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00ISCOOJU&linkCode=as2&tag=littledoglost-20" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00ISCOOJU&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=littledoglost-20" /></a><br />
<h3>
Saints Alive - Lou Schuler</h3>
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ISCOOJU/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00ISCOOJU&linkCode=as2&tag=littledoglost-20%22%3E%3Cimg%20border=%220%22%20src=%22http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00ISCOOJU&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=littledoglost-20%22%20%3E%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=littledoglost-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00ISCOOJU%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E" target="_blank">Saints Alive</a> is Lou's first published fiction book, and having it read it already, I highly recommend it. The book really touched me, in ways I didn't expect, and it's spurred on my own writing in new ways.<br />
<br />
Here's what I wrote on Amazon.com<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Good, evil, soccer, coming of age, and immortality! </h3>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sebastian is a young man, going on immortal, when he's thrust into something much bigger than all of us; is it spy vs spy, good vs evil, or Good vs Evil? Suddenly, he's being asked to step into the role of a hero, and he's not quite ready for that. He's bad at sports, especially soccer ...all he's good at is math! Not exactly a super power. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I found a lot to like about Sebastian, and 'enjoyed' feeling a lot of MY old feelings again; I guess Sebastian and I shared a lot back when I was that age, and I get the feeling that we were not the only ones. We felt excluded, even if we weren't avoided or shunned, we were passionate about things we weren't great at, we felt disconnected from family, even though we loved them. We wanted something bigger, but didn't know what. We wanted a fresh start, even though we never dreamed what it might be or entail.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This is a great young adult story about a young boy who's trying to find himself and fit in, all while avoiding the bullies around him. Something a lot of us can identify with that. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I actually know Lou Schuler, and he's [kinda] funny, but this book literally (like literally literally) made me laugh out loud several times. The dialog is seamless, and once you're into this book, you're lost in the story. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Lou has written many, many non-fiction books and articles, so we have no doubts that he can write, but this book shows that the man can really, really write.</blockquote>
<br />
<h3>
I hope you'll buy Lou's book. I know you'll enjoy it. </h3>
<br />
...then, please give it a review on Amazon. Reviews help readers find great books, and every author needs help in that department.<br />
<br />
Roland<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-7689442584826894512014-03-05T00:25:00.000-08:002014-03-05T00:28:03.347-08:00I'll take the next oneI know I've admitted this before, but where and to whom, I don't know.<br />
<br />
In 2008, when I missed my plane leaving Little Rock, I didn't actually miss my plane.<br />
<br />
Sure, they did run out of seats and ask for volunteers to stay behind, and I did put up my hand, but after a while, they came up with a seat for me. ...but I didn't want to leave.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
"Sir, we have a seat for you," the ticket agent said.</h3>
<br />
"What? I thought the plane was overbooked."<br />
<br />
"It is, but we have a seat for you."<br />
<br />
"You can give it to someone else," I said.<br />
<br />
"No no," she said, "we have a seat for you."<br />
<br />
"I already have someone coming to pick me up."<i> I don't want to leave.</i><br />
<br />
"Sir, you can keep the coupon," she explained. (I had been offered a free flight for volunteering to stay behind.)<br />
<br />
"It's not that," I said. I looked around. There was a lady. ...with a kid. "Give it to her."<br />
<br />
"We have to go in order," she said, "but I'm sure we'll have a seat for her later."<br />
<br />
I was about ready to give up, and I guess my gate attendant friend saw it. "Is there something wrong?"<br />
<br />
I took a deep breath. "There's a girl here."<br />
<br />
My new friend winced.<br />
<br />
"I'd rather stay another day," I said.<br />
<br />
She put up her hand. She shook her head. "We have to go in order," she said. "I can't bypass you. The computer..."<br />
<br />
I nodded.<br />
<br />
"I'm sorry," she said.<br />
<br />
I nodded again.<br />
<br />
"Who is she?" she asked.<br />
<br />
"She is 'it,' but she doesn't know it."<br />
<br />
She smiled.<br />
<br />
I went on.<br />
<br />
"She dropped me off at the curb and I kissed her goodbye."<br />
<br />
She smiled. I continued.<br />
<br />
"She wasn't expecting it. The kiss." I paused. "The kiss wasn't really appropriate, but I wanted her to know. Then she left."<br />
<br />
She was still sort of smiling.<br />
<br />
I sighed. "She obviously wasn't expecting it."<br />
<br />
"I'm really sorry," she said.<br />
<br />
I stood there in silence for what seemed like forever, but couldn't have been more than a few seconds.<br />
<br />
"Isn't there something you can do?" I asked.<br />
<br />
"Sir, the rules..." she said. "I'm sorry."<br />
<br />
I nodded and tried to smile at her so she'd know I understood her position.<br />
<br />
"I understand."<br />
<br />
I stood there at the desk, waiting for my boarding pass. After a minute of tapping and typing, she handed me a printout. "Here's your coupon. Make sure to hang onto it. It's like cash."<br />
<br />
"I thought..."<br />
<br />
"I'm sorry you missed your flight," she said, interrupting. She gave me a look that said 'ask no questions.'<br />
<br />
I asked no questions. She handed me a plane ticket.<br />
<br />
"You're rebooked for tomorrow at 3:15. The same flight."<br />
<br />
"Thank you..."<br />
<br />
"You're sure about this?" she asked. "About her?"<br />
<br />
"I am. Very."<br />
<br />
She looked back at her computer screen, then up at me once more. "Go, before there's another seat."<br />
<br />
"Thank you."<br />
<br />
She nodded and smiled, then looked toward the woman with the child. "Mrs. Davis, we have seats for you and your daughter."<br />
<br />
She looked at me one last time, urging me away, and then back at the young woman.<br />
<br />
"You're in luck," the ticket agent said to her. "I guess someone thought something else was more important."<br />
<br />
<span style="color: white;"> .</span>Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-28954657224894014392014-03-04T18:07:00.000-08:002014-03-04T18:08:35.704-08:00write that...<div class="mobile-photo">
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Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-13532135117213342842014-02-20T05:11:00.000-08:002014-02-20T13:11:45.575-08:00The fitness world lives in a perpetual state of wishful thinkingI know I moved all of my fitness talk over to <a href="http://thefitink.com/" target="_blank">TheFitInk.com</a>, but can I rant about fitness here? Thanks.<br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Exercise vs life</h3>
Exercise is a supplement to movement, work, and activity (e.g., life), and just like a nutrition supplement, it's NOT as good as the original.<br />
<br />
A treadmill isn't a substitute for walking or running on ground. The belt moves, and you move your legs to keep from falling. It's falling under control, and does a number on the pelvic floor because you do not walk correctly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCZvTqDqiP92HxlwBHugSfMg3fQtWIKDuoJLQp1NIJ2uyGwo785TqvOZqU8yK06nmwSdkqqCWTHQOU2ZXvuM7-EbGFX9kC_-i0R_e0Dn-uxu-Log3hBbBgjmQyhiXLJLdOyaf/s1600/treadmill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCZvTqDqiP92HxlwBHugSfMg3fQtWIKDuoJLQp1NIJ2uyGwo785TqvOZqU8yK06nmwSdkqqCWTHQOU2ZXvuM7-EbGFX9kC_-i0R_e0Dn-uxu-Log3hBbBgjmQyhiXLJLdOyaf/s1600/treadmill.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A treadmill desk is an abomination to good movement quality. Treadmill bad, treadmill desk worse. You can't swing your arms, and the concentration makes you walk funny. Yes, you burn calories, but at what cost. Erectile dysfunction, maybe.<br />
<br />
Kettlebells are cool, but they aren't a 'functional tool' unless your job in life is the snatch or jerk a kettlebell. I, of course, still recommend them (or things like dumbbells) for resistance training, but swinging, squatting, snatching, and jerking is not a substitute for walking and other real life movements. It's a supplement to the work you're NOT doing in life.<br />
<br />
I love the gym, and I love being strong, but there's simply no reason to believe that a man is better off if he can squat with his body weight on his back or deadlift 405 pounds from the ground. Are there advantages to being strong? Absolutely, but you don't need a squat rack or full barbell set to be fit, healthy, or strong.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
2. Nutrition - I'm doing fine</h3>
There's a nutrition trend affectionately called IIFYMs, or If It Fits Your Macros. This is the idea that your calories, protein, fat, and carb levels are what's important for your 'gains' in the gym or losses on the scale. Mostly true, but it discounts health; especially long term health.<br />
<br />
Yes, I know, I heard you, you said "I'm doing fine." But how do you know you're doing fine Mr. 20 Year Old Gym Guy? I can point out plenty of people who likely feel that they are 'doing fine' right now, but aren't. Besides, how do you know you couldn't be doing better?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnqdndrGZ5wDP0EFtq8tqLhR9ODubagz6hHwhpGv7O11kXMHIeaZw6wjkMxhrb3EHL1fQO4uFpPgJrotaSdMMbbA2gxzUYXQ2xnDkU4ieH3OCB9abm4vfW2gEDDK0LIjfB7_d/s1600/man+with+donut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnqdndrGZ5wDP0EFtq8tqLhR9ODubagz6hHwhpGv7O11kXMHIeaZw6wjkMxhrb3EHL1fQO4uFpPgJrotaSdMMbbA2gxzUYXQ2xnDkU4ieH3OCB9abm4vfW2gEDDK0LIjfB7_d/s1600/man+with+donut.jpg" height="528" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Food matters, and if you don't believe that the grandparents felt fine, and maybe looked just fine, for the many years leading up to Type 2 Diabetes, you're kidding yourself. Yes, with some people it's obvious; they are overweight and eating nothing but crap, but many people 'do just fine' for years, when obviously they weren't.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
3. A sport is not the way to get fit. </h3>
Can you be fit and be in a sport? Sure, but who joins a rugby league to lose weight? No one, really. However, people decide to run a marathon (once an elite level activity) to lose weight, train for an extreme race, and even take up Olympic Weightlifting or Kettlebell Sport to get in shape.<br />
<br />
These are sports, not fitness programs; Training for a marathon requires that you also increase your eating to sustain that level of training program, which might just set you up more bad habits once you <strike>injure yourself</strike> stop running marathons.<br />
<br />
Should you take a kettlebell class? Sure, but a kettlebell fitness class, not Kettlebell Sport. Kettlebell Sport is about the sport, not weight loss, and it actually requires that you put yourself in positions that aren't particularly healthy for long term health. It's called Posterior Pelvic Tilt, and it's not only not pretty, but can lead to pelvic floor disorder or erectile dysfunction if you don't counteract this position.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
4. We're not you, Mr Trainer</h3>
Just because you can stretch that way doesn't mean we can or even should. - you are awesome.<br />
<br />
Just because you can squat that way doesn't mean we can or should. - you are awesome.<br />
<br />
Just because you train like that doesn't mean we should. ...or that <i>you </i>should for that matter.<br />
<br />
Just because you're awesome doesn't mean that your program got you that way. Many people are awesome <i>despite </i>their program. If you don't believe me, go to 24 Hour Fitness with me and I'll point them out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Ok. Done. That felt pretty good.</h3>
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-2533385935141107832014-02-13T17:07:00.003-08:002014-02-13T17:07:37.393-08:00enough already, catharsis!<h3>
A while back I told you that I was writing some sort of romance? </h3>
<br />
About a chick named Kate? Didn't I?<br />
<br />
It's really worse than that. It's more like 'New Adult' romance, which is like the tv show Beverly Hills 90210 (the old one; the new one is boring).<br />
<br />
New Adult is like regular romance, but even more tragic.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSVAjOAtuojB4vv_UES50Wrza0knng_gG7eJ45r_-dL8n4sTK-NoYLFZkIFPOXbq3bZXRd50C5Hs0C4d5k88aF_zJ4GRjT1JB4_t3mGb4wor73IPBQQZtLCHMGLuzLuB2C0hL/s1600/file000209501722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSVAjOAtuojB4vv_UES50Wrza0knng_gG7eJ45r_-dL8n4sTK-NoYLFZkIFPOXbq3bZXRd50C5Hs0C4d5k88aF_zJ4GRjT1JB4_t3mGb4wor73IPBQQZtLCHMGLuzLuB2C0hL/s1600/file000209501722.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span id="goog_589572272"></span><span id="goog_589572273"></span>..and always with tons of angst on the way to inevitable true love.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICvlufuj-DwAUP_QbVjLi1ThV4PlJ7Avf-8aKlAW645yCh_ZFdbeaxk-DmVdU97GAR61FCXjZ3abcyyUGzl4wifQrC4exE1m97YaDe7Vc4UGPune_QNVfT2HMUcvmpr6ozqz9/s1600/file0001393494881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICvlufuj-DwAUP_QbVjLi1ThV4PlJ7Avf-8aKlAW645yCh_ZFdbeaxk-DmVdU97GAR61FCXjZ3abcyyUGzl4wifQrC4exE1m97YaDe7Vc4UGPune_QNVfT2HMUcvmpr6ozqz9/s1600/file0001393494881.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Not to mention regularly scheduled erections on top of all the kissing.<br />
<br />
It may or may not have vampires.<br />
<br />
It's basically the written version of what a 20-something girl would watch on tv every week. ...although mine does NOT have vampires. Sorry.<br />
<br />
<h3>
What the f*** was I thinking? I don't have time for this shit.</h3>
<br />
I know, but when I don't write it, it's right there, not written. How long can something not be written? It's philosophical, I know, but come on. I mean 12 years is long enough. If it goes 13, I'm going to check myself into a hospital. The One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest kind.<br />
<br />
I'm almost done, but only because it won't stop calling to me. I hear catharsis is a good thing; it had <i>better </i>be good.<br />
<br />
It's not that the story is not good; it might be someday, after it sits in a drawer for a while and gets a 'fresh' set of eyes one day, but what started off as a script/screenplay that I wrote 12 years ago (on my drive home from Montana after my mother died), turned into a wannabe novel turned novella that should have been a short story. It's almost as if I looked for a way to shrink this work of girly art down to 20k words of flash fiction just to get it done.<br />
<br />
Now, what I have is basically the pilot to a teen angst television show that will never, ever air, plus the raw stories for episodes 2-6, 11, and the two hour season finale. If there are any tv producers reading...<br />
<br />
<h3>
Anyhow, it seems this post was cathartic, in and of itself. </h3>
<br />
While this post sat there as a draft, I was able to write quite a bit of Kate's story, and it seems to have given me the drive to FINISH and move on to my next story, which will <i>always </i>have a girl and a guy, romance and angst, love, but also a hero, a villain or two, and either a castle or a space ship, and maybe even a cowboy hat. ...but not all three.Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-38859017194320760592014-02-04T07:46:00.000-08:002014-02-04T07:47:02.648-08:00Home sick with a cold<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKNzXjaLW4S_XtGZyitdRU65svREwd7Sm5lVGXNFriwl6wQa9iru5HRfIMT67dLyFSEjHbojUPhlqhDuUKonFhaUU-JT8Mf4oPM_z1-sLH4fn2q9g7GDyMfUTjqaIKdXKswdv/s1600/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HLTIwMTQwMjA0LTAyNTM0LmpwZw%253D%253D%253F%253D-722648"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKNzXjaLW4S_XtGZyitdRU65svREwd7Sm5lVGXNFriwl6wQa9iru5HRfIMT67dLyFSEjHbojUPhlqhDuUKonFhaUU-JT8Mf4oPM_z1-sLH4fn2q9g7GDyMfUTjqaIKdXKswdv/s320/%253D%253Futf-8%253FB%253FSU1HLTIwMTQwMjA0LTAyNTM0LmpwZw%253D%253D%253F%253D-722648" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5976570786229829042" /></a></p>Let's start with something Richard Curtis and see how we feel after that...Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-53306071677969349932014-01-17T10:42:00.000-08:002014-01-17T10:42:32.306-08:00We'll always have Anaheim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22736431" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="" /></a></div>
I should have been writing, but instead, I got sucked into the vortex of 'which ____ are you?' quizzes, which was fine when I ended up Han Solo or Aragorn, but it got weird with Anchorman. Who cares which newscaster I am?<br />
<br />
Then came the question with which we will all one day be faced: "What Princess are you?"<br />
<br />
No surprise, here, I'm Aurora!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQsKV_kdH4avUd2H29buB6tgbW9_xLTDA8Z1kbmVJ3BoHL5jEHRq4Vznmk-HPyOeEB3ECaCaL3O8upjnRCusWf42jHUxwmNPCGmb5ITjYScn29zPam89woxCPcQiE4fN87uWd/s1600/what+disney+princess+am+I+-+Aurora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQsKV_kdH4avUd2H29buB6tgbW9_xLTDA8Z1kbmVJ3BoHL5jEHRq4Vznmk-HPyOeEB3ECaCaL3O8upjnRCusWf42jHUxwmNPCGmb5ITjYScn29zPam89woxCPcQiE4fN87uWd/s1600/what+disney+princess+am+I+-+Aurora.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/bibMfGO8ax1/Which+Disney+Princess+Are+You" target="_blank">Which Disney Princess Are You?</a></div>
<br />
...although I actually DO have trouble meeting men. Go figure.<br />
<br />
I just don't know how accurate the quiz really is. My heart has always been split between Aurora's and Mulan's, but Aurora and I have a <i>special </i>bond from our meeting back in '03.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu5f8n8E0RnHgtpQA56MWBV5VE9x2Xrwg0xx58mx9QLcxLXLUVXbGP1XEmNiqRWxkCgQXcgiscjyfBZGzc148qFxf3jrzBGwKhUhw-MqNcsIPh5DX39DTHfwyCWn6i-oActki/s1600/DSC00068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIu5f8n8E0RnHgtpQA56MWBV5VE9x2Xrwg0xx58mx9QLcxLXLUVXbGP1XEmNiqRWxkCgQXcgiscjyfBZGzc148qFxf3jrzBGwKhUhw-MqNcsIPh5DX39DTHfwyCWn6i-oActki/s1600/DSC00068.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We'll always have Anaheim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-21527810684169440522014-01-01T11:39:00.004-08:002014-01-01T11:39:56.781-08:002014 - Here we go...Happy New Year, everybody!<br />
<br />
Some stuff for 2014, not in any order of significance:<br />
<br />
<h3>
1</h3>
Christine Henderson interviewed me on her site. She interviews writers, so in this case the interview was more than fitness and nutrition, which was fun! <a href="http://thewritechris.blogspot.com/2013/12/improving-your-life-and-health.html" target="_blank">An Interview with Roland Denzel</a><br />
<br />
<h3>
2</h3>
I've got two non-fiction books in the works, one with Gal and one on my own. I think one (the one with Gal, and mostly her brainchild) will be our best work yet.<br />
<br />
Gal came up with a great idea that we are both really excited about. It combines our belief that you can rarely just jump into a new diet, or whole new lifestyle, whole hog, and make a success out of it, long term. Add one new habit at a time, see how it goes, then add another. And never, never, never give up the plan until you have a new plan.<br />
<br />
We've had good success using this method with clients, and it's built into Man on Top, but now we've come up with a great way to do it on grander scale. In a perfect world, this would be a great book for next Christmas and New Year! That might be too aggressive.<br />
<br />
I've been wanting to write a book that people (and I) can give for Christmas without the recipient thinking "So, you're saying I'm fat?" Gal's book idea fits that bill perfectly, so bonus!<br />
<br />
<h3>
3</h3>
The other book is more of a 'bathroom reader' book, but it leaves me with a dilemma. It needs illustrations, and I cannot draw. On a positive note, I think it would also be a good stocking stuffer. It's fitness related, but it's not a book that says 'you're fat, so you should read this book.'<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
4</h3>
As much as I'd love to publish some fiction this year, I don't know if it's in the cards. Too much to do, but I have to find an outlet. It's not motivating to write 2,000 fiction words a week without a [self] publishing end in site.<br />
<br />
I do have some short story ideas, so you might see them here. I've never been good at short stories, but mostly because short stories in school were <i>short </i>short. When I started to think about it, some of my favorite authors have written books of short stories that were almost a novel when the book was done.<br />
<br />
<h3>
5</h3>
I'm really excited about the new direction my own fitness interests are leading me. This year, I'm seeking my certification as a Restorative Exercise™ Specialist (RES). I've learned a lot from Galya and Katy, and the more I learn, the more I feel that fitness is more than getting strong, adding muscle, or going fast or long. ...not that there's anything wrong with that.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, I think muscle is important, strength does have value. I love to lift really heavy weights, but not everyone does. You don't have to be <i>strong </i>strong to be fit, but you do need to be strong enough for the quality of life you want to live, and for must people, that doesn't require a barbell or a squat rack.<br />
<br />
I also think that people need to be 'conditioned' enough to be able to live life without crapping out. People who love to run should be able to run; Everyone should be <i>able </i>to run. even if they don't want to run for fun. You don't have to run to be fit, and using running to get fit is a bad idea.<br />
<br />
If there's a Restorative Exercise™ Specialist reading, I know I'm talking blasphemy with some of my statements, but the truth is that you can't always take running away from a runner or weights away from a lifter, just like you can't take the yoga away from the yogi. Everyone can learn to do what they do better and safer, and hopefully integrating RES will get or keep them healthier, still.<br />
<br />
<h3>
6</h3>
<div>
Happy New Year!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Roland</div>
Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-63915473195544451112013-12-27T00:22:00.000-08:002013-12-27T07:10:21.396-08:00In defense of Love ActuallyMany of my friends and family LOVE Love Actually. Many of you know that it's a movie that I watch year after year; it's even on my list of favorite <a href="http://littledoglost.blogspot.com/2010/12/favorite-movies-for-christmas-list.html" target="_blank">Christmas </a>movies and favorite <a href="http://widget5.linkwithin.com/redirect?url=http%3A//littledoglost.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-ten-favorite-romance-movies.html&rtype=&vars=%5B%22http%3A//littledoglost.blogspot.com/search%3Fq%3D%2522love%2Bactually%2522%22%2C%20886269%2C%201%2C%20%22http%3A//littledoglost.blogspot.com/2010/12/favorite-movies-for-christmas-list.html%22%2C%20144903671%2C%200%2C%20144904885%5D&ts=1388156468996" target="_blank">Romance </a>movies.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://livingromcom.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/12/re-actually.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V7nNxqaGwpW_Fx93ro3pG0ZoYXRk6_xM_ejxc1aFyFzThDGzWXQv35etxwF9nUy-3ali8VclYEYwdRIW0OeEXNVPkvePj2yuP1m8GrO8R6oVkKLKLFPnoP-DXw26OX0Sqdi9/s1600/love+actually+poster.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy Mernit gets it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This Love Actually Season, the detractors (movie reviewers more talented than I) came out of the woodwork to try to knock it down, but they just don't get it.<br />
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<a href="http://livingromcom.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/12/re-actually.html" target="_blank">Others DO get it.</a><br />
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Me, I want to love. I look for it. Seek it out. I sought it out, and found it. I want all aspects of it, even the pain of lost love (insert cliche, cliche, blah, blah, blah). What about the pain or angst of a love you think you can't have? it's terrible and good at the same time.<br />
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I saw Love Actually, alone. Twice. In the theatre. Plus, countless times on DVD, Netflix, and even on TV whenever it's on. I LOVE it.<br />
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Are there movies that show love in it's true light? I don't know, but would it be boring?<br />
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Love at first site does exist. Some men DO fall in love with the pretty girl because she's pretty. Men also fall in love with that girl they pretend to hate. It's because they can't have her and it fucking hurts to talk to her. And yes, even with a girl who only speaks Portuguese.<br />
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People complain about how unrealistic the loves in LA were, but they are snapshots or exaggerations of loves that many of us have been in. People complain about the Prime Minister and his girl servant. Realistic, thank you. She's pretty, speaks what she thinks, and she's pretty.<br />
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Karl and Sarah? Yeah, why didn't Karl try harder when he could see she's just caring for her sick brother? Because she's also sick, and just not sick enough to be institutionalized. Give Karl's writer a break, and good move, Karl. You couldn't win that one.<br />
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Does this all paint men in a bad light? Yes, but we are men. We can do better, but we don't always rise up.<br />
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I think virtually every little love in LA was realistic (with the exception of Colin and his hot American babes) in a sense. Are they smart? Sensible? Well thought out? No, but such is life and love.<br />
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So while the Love Actually haters might be great movie reviewers, they suck at reviewing love.Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-51865416146706036652013-12-19T18:30:00.000-08:002013-12-19T18:30:00.438-08:00The next batmanshould either go 'light' and be more like the <a href="http://www.edrants.com/super-friends-an-origin-point/" target="_blank">Super Friends</a> Batman that I grew up with<br />
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<a href="http://www.edrants.com/super-friends-an-origin-point" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-MQNoNqZiHDyF30-R8GzGY3Fay32yravGJ_yKvwDfFwGSehv3sitFT9ZdkVsszO7P50PXCq7SYNyWJLMCbJWakMtaPC7Kuh2WK2gOu7CFdLKrVqPAjOuKtwxeoSkS-lGgcYN/s200/superfriends.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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OR <i>get real</i> with a gracefully aging Batman with an actor like Bryan Cranston.<br />
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<a href="http://www.movieweb.com/news/bryan-cranston-debunks-batman-vs-superman-lex-luthor-rumors" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="”_blank”"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJdqG_v7A77C-wRie4hqLqiMj7a9vaAhIylzLMBg0QFn1QQpuocj5YP-Cc7AmSvmQv8zq-8_k0Q4zxapY1rH0up5BOc4GCxYPvSFolIHyB8OXIZKRnh5S3wC4NGaPnu0JZlc5/s200/bryan+cranston.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Now that he's no longer seen as Malcolm's Dad, Cranston would make an awesome, grittier Batman. Just make him a little funny, too. Not Adam West funny, but self-deprecating funny.<br />
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I never took the Super Friends seriously, but I can't really take the bitter, angry Batman we have today for much longer, either.<br />
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Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22736431.post-73200105461726939922013-12-18T20:54:00.001-08:002013-12-18T20:54:19.229-08:00faint heart"Faint heart never won fair lady" - Robin Hood, 1973Roland Denzelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973262223130314573noreply@blogger.com0