Friday, May 31, 2013

Weekend Follies: The Wal-Martians. They're Baaaaaack

They're back. The Wal-Martians. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the store (the captions are not mine).

Like Hilary commented, these people could certainly benefit from Wednesday's Get Healthy Blog hop!






Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Get Healthy Blog Hop

Hi everyone, and welcome to the Get Healthy Blog Hop, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh, L. Diane Wolfe, Michael Di Gesu. The objective is to help other writers to succeed.

 I think this is a very important Blog Hop as so many of us have awesome and amazing tips to pass along regarding getting and staying healthy! And we may very well pick this event up again this fall, once a month, from Halloween through the New Year. 

I've always been thin, but in the past few years the pounds have been accumulating. Sitting and writing doesn't help. So I joined Weight Watchers. I can honestly say this programs works. 

I've seen too many people go on programs only to lose, gain, lose, and gain weight. They are yo-yo diets. Why? Because many diets are programs and not a lifestyle that people can build their life around. No way anyone can remain on these diets for very long. And once they get off them, the pounds come right back. Examples: 

Jennie Craig: Pre-packaged boxes of food that don't need refrigeration? I'm suspicious already. And these meals taste awful. People simply cannot remain on this program and be happy. They gain the pounds right back as soon as they leave. 

Medifast: Powdered meals and snacks 24/7? I've seen people lose incredible amounts of weight on this program, only to gain it right back as soon as they leave.  

IMHO, Weight Watchers is the only life-long program that one can put themselves on, be happy, and see consistent results. It's a lifestyle you can live with. And you can get an app and scan foods or enter them in manually and the app tracks everything so you know how you are doing through the day and make adjustments as you go along. 

The Points System Works: Why? Because you can eat what you want (use good sense and eat good food). And Weight Watchers allows you to splurge one day a week and go nuts. And if you exercize, then you can add a few points to your daily total and still continue to lose wight. 

So if you are in need of losing some pounds but do not want to stop eating real food and you want to splurge once a week, take a moment and check out Weight Watchers. Eat real food (I skip their packaged foods except for the chocolate protein shakes), do it online, and skip those weekly meetings. 


I rock! Thanks Alex for the You Rock! award. It's been a really tough couple of months with Google Shutting Down My Blogs and all. So I really appreciate the award!

And since this is a new blog, I would greatly appreciate hitting the FOLLOW button on my right side bar and updating your blog roll with my new URL. Thanks!

Question: What are some tips you can offer to get healthy and stay healthy?

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Bits And Pieces and Dr. Sally Ride

Writing Through The Seasons: Every Monday in May four amazing bloggers will post regarding ..... This Monday it's Patricia Stoltey. Take a moment and stop by to say hello to the amazing writer and awesome Patricia Stoltey! 

Jeffrey Beesler: Jeffrey has released his latest cover art for his forthcoming book Optical Osmosis. Best wishes to Jeffrey with his latest and greatest! 





Did You Know: Sally Ride, the United States' first woman in
space, will be posthumously honored with the country's highest civilian commendation and the renaming of a high-flying camera. 

President Barack Obama announced on Monday (May 20) that Ride will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedomat theWhite House later this year. NASA further paid tribute to the late astronaut by creating a new internship program in her name and renaming a science instrument on board the International Space Station. 

Ride, who after flying in space twice went on to become a leading advocate for science education, died on July 23, 2012, 17 months after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was 61.  Ride made her historic first spaceflight 30 years ago next month, on June 18, 1983. Reference 

Fun Fact: As of 2012, 56 women have flown in space, out of 525 total space travelers. By country of origin: one each from China, France, UK, South Korea; two each from Canada and Japan, three from Soviet Union/Russia, and 45 from the United States. 

Get Healthy Blog Hop: Wednesday is the Get Healthy Blog Hop! It's not too late to sign up. 

And check out other Blog Hops on my left side bar!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Friday Follies

Celebrate The Small Things: Today I celebrate the view out my window as I write a few blogs. I look out over a nature trail and there is everything from hawks, falcons, owls, rabbits, possums, raccoons, and coyotes along with people walking their dogs. 

It's nice to have a nice view rather than having a neighbors house a few feet away.

Our Back Yard. Not very big, but what a view we have!




Weekend Follies: I have a couple things for you today. First, I came across this pic on Facebook and thought I'd share it. 





Also, I came across this YouTube composite of clips of Batman and Robin "climbing" a wall. there are 14 of these scenes with various stars from the past carrying on a campy dialogue with the Caped Crusaders. The first clip with Jerry lewis is at least worth a watch.

Enjoy!

 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Getting Back To My Roots

Getting Back To My Roots: It's time to get back to my roots and focus on things of science and science fiction. So once or twice a week I will have a DID YOU KNOW and a FUN FACT segment. I really think you will enjoy these snipits that explore the past, present, and future of science and science fiction.

Did You Know: Forty years ago this month, Skylab -- America's first outpost in space -- was launched.  

Skylab served as the greatest solar observatory of its time, a microgravity lab, a medical lab, an Earth-observing facility, and, most importantly, a home away from home for its residents. The program also led to new technologies. Special showers, toilets, sleeping bags, exercise equipment and kitchen facilities were designed to function in microgravity. 

Fun Fact: Not everything was fun and games for Skylab. Some of the challenges they encountered included mechanical failures, an aborted rescue mission, a minor crew mutiny and an unplanned crash landing on Earth. And they had Tang to drink. Anyone remember Tang? 

Writing Through The Seasons: This week it's Julie Luek at A Thought Grows. In case you missed here, CLICK HERE for a heart warming post about finding happiness as time races past us.


Get Healthy Blogfest: Alex Cavanaugh, L. Diane Wolfe , Michael Di Gesu, and myself have teamed up for a Blog Hop that focuses  on health Wednesday May 29th.  


As writers, parents, lovers of a significant other, employees, and volunteers, we find ourselves overwhelmed with daily battles from this, that, and the other thing. And regardless of how fit we were at one time, time has caught up and overwhelmed many of us in the area of health.   Here is a Blog Hop that can help us make 2013 a year that we can help turn the tides!   



The Objective: Share with everyone something you have done that affected your health in a positive way. You can share an awesome low cal low fat tasty recipe. Post simple tips to lose weight. Or a testimony on what has helped like joining Weight Watchers. Recommend a routine like P90X or Insanity. Or stretches one can do while sitting in their office chair working or writing. I'm sure people have countless great tips and ideas they would love to share. Sing up below! 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Writers4Writers and More!!!

W4WS: Thanks again everyone for supporting a really amazing and awesome venture! Hosted by Mary PaxChristine RainesC.M. Brown, and myself, the objective is to help other writers to succeed.

Our Mission: 

Help writers bring awareness of their book(s) to tens of thousands of new people 
Help writers reach Amazon Top 100 in at least one category (i.e., suspense, free, etc.) 
Increase sales of their book(s) after the promo is over 
Drive new traffic to their blog and increase following 
Create verbal and viral buzz. 

This month's spotlighted writers are the talented Laura Eno and Marian Allen

What To Do, You Ask? Simply stop by Laura and Marian's sites and copy and paste their pre-written Tweets into your Twitter account. 

Or go to #W4WS on Twitter and Retweet something. You can do this once or all week long as much as you feel inspired.

Or click the W4WS Facebook Page and then share their links with your Facebook friends and writers groups. thus enabling Laura and Marian to reach countless new people they could never before reach! 

If you want more information, CLICK HERE and sign up. Then check in every third Monday of each month to help support and promote a brother or sister in the Blogosphere. Simple. Easy. Powerful. 

Pop Travel: A big thanks to the talented Tara Tyler for making a number of banners for my new blog. I love this Wormhole Test Pilot. There are a few more an I can change them from time to time. Thanks Tara! They look great!

And Tara has a new book coming out July 7th titled Pop Travel! This genre is right up my ally and I'm looking forward to reading it.


Guest Bloggers: I have lots of openings for guest bloggers this summer. Want to promote your book? Or share something about the writing and publishing business? Let me know in the COMMENTS or email be at stephen.tremp@yahoo.com and we can set a day for you to guest blog here. 





Harryhausen's Restaurant
Follow Up: I made mention in last week's homage to Ray Haryhausen that Pixar's movie Monster Inc. named a restaurant after him. I found this pic on Google Images and had to post it. 

Follow Up part Deux: In the same post I asked a question regarding Raquel Welch and the term "Miss Fuzzy Britches." I probably could have framed the question better as it was meant to be a two-part answer. 


Miss Fuzzy Britches

Ben Ellis answered both parts: "I believe the reference to "Miss Fuzzy Britches" is "Loana the Fair One" Raquel Welch's character in One Million Years B.C. She is dubbed "Miss Fuzzy Britches" by the warden in Shawshank Redemption." Ben, I just placed a gold star sticker next to your name! 

Finally: Don’t forget to join the W4WS Blog Hop below and stop by Miss Fuzzy Britches ... errr ....  Laura and Marian’s Web sites and thanks again for your support!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Best And Worst Movie Remake Blogfest and The Weekend Follies!!!

Thanks everyone for stopping by and participating in the Best and Worst Movie remakes Blog Hop , the brain child of Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh and sponsored by the co-hosts Livia Peterson, Al Diaz, and myself. 

Okay, let's get started with three movies that qualify as both the best and the worst movie remakes: 

Batman: The original movie was Batman the Movie released in 1966 with, who else, but Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. I remember as a kid this was good entertainment, as corny as it was (shark repellent bat spray, anyone?).  


Original Batman Movie
The Batman remakes of the 1980s with Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney were awful. I mean, they were really incredibly undescribably bad.  
These are classic example that you cannot make good movies with terrible scripts simply by hiring big names to play the characters. 

Worst Batman Remakes
The supporting cast of Danny Devito as the Penguin, Arnold as Iceman, Jim Carey as the Riddler? Ugh! So bad I could not watch any of these movies. And don't get me started on Chris O'Donnell as Robin. His role was disturbing on so many levels. Who signed off on this one?  


Jack Nicholson, Tommy Lee Jones, Burgess Meredith, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Kim Bassinger, Nicole Kidman, and Alicia Silverman (four more Hollywood starlets with restraining orders on me) couldn't help make these movies work and overcome everything awful about these original Batman remakes. 


Best Batman Remakes
I'm amazed the cast from Mystery Science 3000 hasn't spoofed these stinkers. 


But the new Batman remakes with Christian Bale work! Love these movies. Too bad Heath Ledger left us too soon as he is far and away the best Joker. 

Clash Of The Titans (1981): Perseus is the favored son of the god Zeus, but he has unwittingly ticked off the sea goddess Thetis. Just to make things worse, Perseus falls in love with the lovely Princess Andromeda, who used to be engaged to Thetis's son. Soon Perseus is off on one quest after another, with Zeus helping, Thetis hindering, and lots of innocent bystanders getting stabbed, drowned, and squished. 


I love the original movie. Sure, the special effects are cheesy even by 1981s standards. The acting is poor. But somehow this movie clicked on all cylinders. Its an all-time classic for me. 
I love it!

However, the remake Clash Of The Titans (2010) had every opportunity to be a blockbuster, including amazing special effects. The hype was just that: Hype. I tried to choke my way through this stinker of a movie. Twice. But couldn't do it.  
Ugh!

More Mystery Science 3000 fodder. 


Star Trek: Most of the original Star Trek movies with the original cast were not good. They were campy. Sure, there were some good scenes but overall they just were not very good. The special effects looked like they were made in a garage and the acting was just bad. 

I'm seeing mixed reviews for the new Star Trek Into Darkness. Personally, I’m looking for special effects to carry this latest and greatest remake. If the script, acting, and action add to it, then I’ll consider it an added bonus as my expectations are not too high. But I'm looking forward to a pretty darn good movie this weekend.


Honorable Mention for best remakes in alphabetical order: Cape Fear (1991) Casino Royale (2006) Freaky Friday (2003) Homeward Bound King Kong (2005) (1993) Ocean’s Eleven (2001) Scarface (1983) The Parent Trap (1998) The Thing (1982) 3:10 To Yuma (2007) True Grit (2010) War of the Worlds (2005) 

Honorable Mention for worst remakes in alphabetical order: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Footloose (2011) Planet of the Apes (2001) Psycho (1998) Taking of Pelham (2009) and The Wicker Man (2006). 


So there it is. My Best and Worse Movie Remakes. Agree? Disagree?  


Let's hope they don't do a remake of Sharktopus. The horror! The horror!






Weekend Follies: Okay, back to Batman and the Shark Repellent Bat Spray. Gotta love the sound effects of Batman thumping away at the shark, then the shark exploding as it hits the water. they just don't make movies like this anymore. Thankfully.



Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Kibbles And Bits



The Monster Blog Hop was a lot of fun. And it's still going on all week. Just click the May Monster Blog Hop badge on my left side bar to sign up and join the fun!

And we have a few more Blog Hops on tap. 



Best and Worst Movies Remake Blogfest: Don't forget, this Friday is the Best and Worst Movie remakes Blog Hop , the brain child of Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh and sponsored by the co-hosts Livia Peterson, Al Diaz, and myself. If you haven't already done so, you can sign up by clicking the badge on my left side bar.

Jewel of Shaylar: Congrats! to Laura Eno and her latest and greatest release! 


Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all. 

Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches. 

David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse. 
Good Luck Laura!!!

Links:



Purchase at:










Ray Harryhausen With His Creations

Did You Know: Ray Harryhausen, special effects legend, died last week? Harryhausen was the pioneer in stop-motion animation. You've seen his work as a kid, or on late night television. His credits include The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and other sci-fi and fantasy film classics that made him a cult figure. 

Still don't remember his work? Think of the prehistoric flying reptile that carries off Raquel Welch, clad in an animal-skin bikini, otherwise known as Miss Fuzzy Britches.


Harryhausen inspired later generation filmmakers and special effects artists like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and James Cameron. Spielberg said, "Without Harryhausen's effects works over the past five decades, there never would have been a Star Wars of Jurassic Park."

In Pixar's 2001 animated feature Monsters Inc., a Monstropolis restaurant is named after Harryhausen. He was 92.  

Fun Fact: I don't have any tatoos. But if I did, I would have Ray Harryhausen's skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts charging out of a wormhole on my right arm. I think that would be awesome! Or dumb. Not sure. Probably a good thing I don't have tats.

Bonus Points: I mentioned Raquel Welch as Miss Fuzzy Britches. Give the reference and get a gold star next to your name.

Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre is **FREE** on Kindle until May 17th. If you haven't got it yet, now is your chance to read it for free! 

“Fans of Poe, Lovecraft, and King will love this dark smorgasbord of beautifully crafted tales, while readers who prefer lighter fare will delight in the wonderful prose and fine storytelling. Just remember, these are not tales to lull you to sleep…unless you enjoy checking under the bed before you turn in.”