Jane Austen’s Fight Club

Seriously, can you think of anything better than a new YouTube video starring Jane Austen’s beloved female characters fighting one another ala Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club?

I’m a huge fan of both Austen & Palahniuk, so the fact that I stumbled upon this video only five (or so) days after it was made is a darn miracle.  (Thank you PWxyz Blog!)

I nearly pissed myself when I heard Lizzie say “I want you to hit me as hard as you can.”

Stonehenge Photographs

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This place just fascinates me … how about you?

I was lucky enough to visit Stonehenge in 2007 and I took these pictures with my Nikon N65 and my cheap Panasonic Digital Camera.  I now own a Nikon D80 and love it.

If you’d like to find out more about Stonehenge, go here and here.

Mad Men Season 4 Premier Live Blogging Event

Don Draper, you sexy thing … and the ultimate anti-hero, how I’ve missed you this past year!

 

People, we’ve got just one more hour until television’s best show begins … and I am having a damn heart attack waiting for the show to begin … so I thought it would be fun to do a live blogging event tonight.  Will ya join me?

 

 

9:28 pm – Finally, I have found my old Mad Men Yourself picture from last year.  In case you haven’t done this yet, I highly recommend it.  Actually, the more I think about it, why wouldn’t anyone not want to Man Men themself?  If you haven’t done so already, you can Mad Men yourself here:

9:35 pm – I’m hoping Salvatore Romano is coming back for this season, so I checked out IMDB.com and was bummed out to not see him listed in any episodes for this season.  Oh, how I miss him … hoping he’ll return on the sly, he’s too good of an actor and character not to return.

9:45 pm – Just fifteen more minutes left, whoa hoo!

9:46 pm – Why do they make poor Elisabeth Moss (aka Peggy) so unattractive on this show?  This is what she looked like when Mad Men began.  My husband actually just looked at my screen and asked “who is that?”  Sigh.  See what I mean?

Just look at her in real life, pictures about, verses on screen pictured below.  Breaks my heart.

9:51 pm – I’m reading (and will soon be reviewing) a book called Mad Men and Philosophy.  Pretty good, and if you are interested in picking up your own copy, go here.

10:00 pm – And, here we go ….

10:01 pm - “Who is Don Draper?”

10:02 pm – Don forgot to sell himself.  Whoops!

10:04 pm – Roger has all the best lines “So cheap they can’t even afford a whole reporter.” 

10:06 pm – Again, Roger “You know one of them is leaving New York with VD.”

10:08 pm – Pete certainly has learned how to kiss up to Don.

10:10 pm – Loving Peggy’s new haircut.  Thank god she lost those bangs.

10:11 pm – Betty’s losing the house but Don won’t kick her out?  I love him!

10:12 pm – Peggy has such great ideas, I’m loving the whole women fighting over hams thing.

10:14 pm – Don – “What do you need?”  Roger – “Someone white to carve our turkey.”

10:14 pm – Another gem by Roger - “Get along with her friend and come Thanksgiving maybe you can stuff her.”

10:17 pm – Why is Don even dating this twit of a girl?  He’s a MAN for pete’s sake!

10:19 pm – Is twit girl now going to star in the next SCDP commercial, or will she end up in his bed?  I’m betting on both.

10:20pm – Hubby – “At least she’s not a whore.” Me – “Yet.”

10:23 pm – Joan!  Good for you, having your own office on the creative floor.

10:26 pm – Roger – “You sound like a prick.” and “Why didn’t you fondly peg-legged Pete.”

10:29 pm – Whoops, Don lost Ho-Ho’s.

10:31 pm – Sally Draper is all grown up!

10:32 pm – Whoops, I spoke too soon.  Love that Betty pinched Sally after she basically puked at the new hubby’s Thanksgiving table.

10:34 pm – Don and a hooker playing rough.  Now what the hell is going on?  Love it, and I love the hooker has a real bitch attitude.

10:35 pm – Gross, Betty’s gonna bang her daddy figure, no, wait, she has to deal with bad girl Sally.

10:40 pm – Two 90 second commercials are not long enough.

10:41 pm – Gross, grandpa is getting it on in the car with Betty the whore.

10:42 pm – Love that Golden Retriever!

10:43 pm – “When are you moving out?”  Hell, yeah Don, I love your burn “Believe me Henry, everyone thinks its temporary.”

10:45 pm – Peggy and Don are going for the jugular today, yikes.

10:48 pm – “She’s a silly woman.  How can you stand living in another man’s dirt?”  I’m loving Henry’s mother.

10:50 pm – And Don Draper is back people.

10:54 pm – Anyone catch that the idiot doctor that got killed last season from Grey’s Anatomy is now playing a nurse in next week’s episode of Mad Men?

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Hot Chick Candles Review and Giveaway

Is there a woman on this planet that doesn’t like candles?  I think not … so heads up, there’s a new hot wax peddler in town!

Recently I was asked to review a new candle by SanLori, and being a former candle lady myself (You know those candles that start with a P) I jumped at the chance.  I am crazy for candles, and I literally have hundreds of candle holders and candles in all shapes and sizes.  I think I am crazy for candles not only because they are pretty, but because they sooth my nerves, and they give off such wonderful scents.  If I throw a party, host a dinner, or just have a friend or two over, I’m burning anywhere from 4 dozen to 12 dozen candles at a time.  Heck, even if I’m at home by myself, I burn a few dozen at a time.  Nothing makes me happier than relaxing by candle light.  Plus, not only do I fill my house with wonderful scents, but I create a mood and experience for every person who visits my home, and I usually hear very nice compliments about it.  I’m definitely a candle junkie and can’t own enough candles, so I was very pleased to find a new type of candle out there called “Hot Chicks” candles.  As you can see below, I’m already burning mine.

I was sent a “Hot Chicks” candle in the Sea & Be Seen scent, which is a blend of Ocean Breeze and White Ginger.  I’d describe it as a clean scent, one that was quite pleasing to my nose.  It is an 8 oz. white wax based candle which comes in a fun and whimsical decorative box, making it the perfect gift idea or special gift for yourself, as it would match any existing decor.  The “Hot Chicks” candles also come in five other distinctive scents, Cosmo Compatible, a yummy scent that reminds me of a fruity cocktail with its blend of cranberry and citrus; Espresso Yourself, which is my absolute favorite and smells delicious, with a blend of cappuccino and Hazelnut – the type of candle you could eat; French Kiss, which in my opinion is an aromatherapy scent, as it is a blend of lavender and vanilla; Olive My Love, another fresh and clean scent of olive, sage and thyme; and La Vie Gypsy, a perfume-y scent of Sandalwood and Patchouli.  I liked all of the scents except for La Vie Gypsy, but that is probably because I can’t handle smelling most perfumes.  I’m all for “Hot Chicks” candles and would recommend them to any of my readers.  So far, I’m quite pleased with my “Hot Chicks” candle which is burning evenly and not-too-fast.

Are you fiery, strong, in demand, fresh, competitive, attractive, menopausal, sexy, fashionable or maybe just flat-out fierce?  Then you…are a “Hot Chick.”

Check out the SanLori website to buy your own “Hot Chick” candle or stationary and other gift items here.

To check out SanLori’s Facebook page, go here.

To follow SanLori on Twitter,  go here.

CANDLE CONTEST

To enter the Pick –a- Chick candle giveaway from July 23^rd through July 30^th visit the SanLori homepage here and become their friend on Facebook and Twitter.  If you post a comment on their blog here or on their Facebook page here you will be automatically entered into the drawing to win your own free candle. 

Book Giveaway and Review: Lit by Mary Karr

 I’m thrilled to announce that I am hosting a giveaway for 1 copy of Lit by Mary Karr!

 

Mary Karr, where have you been all of my life?  Many of you may already know this, but I’m a huge fan of memoirs, and I was so happy when I found out I’d get to review this book for my blog.  I haven’t read Ms. Karr’s first two memoirs, but I’ve heard great things about them, and I always enjoy reading a true story about a young woman struggling to make a life for herself, or at least a life a little better than the one her parents gave her.  Lit may be a memoir about getting drunk and finding sobriety, but it is also a story of a girl who wanted much more than a white trash life.  Mary Karr wanted a college education, a normal family of her own, love, a career in writing … all things I wanted for myself when I was her age.  Sure, Ms. Karr also writes about her drunk days of motherhood and being in an unhappy, dysfunctional marriage, but I really identified with her early struggles as a young adult trying to make it in the world. 

Mary caught her first break when she found a mentor in Walt Mink, her psychology professor.  Once she saw him showing kindness to a lab rat who had just given birth, she ended up spilling all of her young girl and poor girl secrets to him, from her money troubles, to her relationships and the demands of college.  Just like Mary, I was putting on a brave front in college, working four jobs, and trying to keep up the appearance that I wasn’t poor white trash.  Walt gave her more than guidance or a free meal from time to time, he became the father figure in her life that Mary didn’t need but really needed, if that makes sense.  He was such a generous and kind man he even offered to adopt her, just so she be able to afford the last few years of her education.  If you’ve ever been lucky to find your own mentor, you can appreciate how beautiful their bond was. 

I loved Lit, and Mary Karr is a poet, and she isn’t afraid to show it off.  She really knows how to write beautifully about something as tragic as being a drunk while raising a baby.  The heart of this novel was Mary’s extreme desire to get ahead, get published, and live a seemingly normal life, but her not-that-secret alcoholism kept getting in the way of finding what she desperately craved for.  Although she managed to escape her mother’s legacy, Mary Karr did inherit her mother’s alcoholism.  Ms. Karr tells a compelling and frightening tale of plunging down that well and eventually climbing out of it, after years of struggle.  Car accidents, a stay in a mental institutions and even Catholicism find their way into Mary’s miraculous story of recovery.  This book isn’t a pretty, but it’s pretty damn honest, and if you’ve ever known a drunk, or you are a drunk yourself, you better get your butt to the bookstore pronto to buy this book. 

Lit truly is a brilliant book, and one you don’t want to pass up reading, especially if you are a huge fan of memoirs as I am.  Any book that has this much pain and struggle is worth reading, even if you are one of the rare people in this world who hasn’t experienced life with an alcoholic.  A special thanks to TLC for allowing me to review this book for them.

To purchase your copy of Lit, go here.

LIT CONTEST    

RULES:
**Open to U.S. residents
**No P.O. boxes, please
**Must include your email address in comment (You don’t have to type it in your comment, just use your “real” email account when you sign in to leave a comment)
**ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO COUNT   

HOW TO ENTER:     

    

+1 ENTRY: Go to Mary Karr’s profile on the HarperCollins website HERE and tell me via your comment below what fascinating thing you learned or noticed there.    

+1  MORE ENTRY: Comment if you are a loyal follower of hers, either on Facebook, or Twitter.  Tell me where and how you follow her.     

+1  MORE ENTRY: Comment if you are a loyal follower of mine, either on Facebook or Twitter or THE GIRL FROM THE GHETTO blog.  Tell me where and how you follow me.     

+1 MORE ENTRY: Comment here and tell me why you need to win this book!  Have you ever experienced alcoholism, or a dysfunctional childhood or marriage?  Have you ever been divorced or lost yourself in a marriage?  Or, are you just a huge fan of Mary Karr or memoirs in general?  

+5 MORE ENTRIES: Blog about this giveaway, share a link via Twitter, or post a link via Facebook or any other social networking site about my Lit giveaway and come back here and leave a comment with that link.   

Contest ends Wednesday, July 28th at midnight.  Please note -You will have 24 hours to respond to my email, so please make sure to check your email on July 29th to see if you’ve won.

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