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Showing posts from August, 2008
Through A Glass Darkly This phrase is mentioned in Corinthians in the New Testament of the Bible. I have read the New Testament through at least three times, initially the King James Version. I must admit, the first time I read this phrase, I truly didn't get it. But with time, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand that it refers to the imperfect perception of reality that we as humans have of the world. You see what is real and material, but there is another reality underneath, around, and between this visceral being that we call the material world. Have you ever had a surreal experience, dreamlike, but you knew that you weren't dreaming? I am sure we all have experienced deja vu. What about other moments that seem subreal, yet hyperreal at the same time. I was talking to my mother and sister about times that I have heard my name being distinctly called. I turned around and literally no one was there. I know I was not dreaming, and I actually hear
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Fall Promises to be a Great Time to Buy Books. This is a good thing and a bad thing. Bad because I need to save money for my trip to Vegas this February. Good, because I love love love buying books, and it's nice when there are books worth buying coming out. I am restraining myself from buying Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon, although it's hard. I should because I am at least two books behind (more if you count the Dream Hunter books). I know that God will bless me and I will find it at Half Priced Books one day, and I'll sweep it up for half price. Patience is a virtue! It really is. I am also excited about Nalini Singh's next book in the Psy/Changeling series, Hostage to Pleasure. It's about Dorian, a member of the pride that cannot shapeshift. That doesn't mean he's any less dangerous. His heroine is Ashaya, who is a Psy. I've heard good things about it so far. Also Lisa Kleypas has a new book coming out in the Hathaway series, Seduce Me at Sunrise. I can
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Great News for Deborah Simmons Fans Deborah has a new historical coming out with Harlequin Historicals and is hard at work on Reynold De Burgh's story (great news for us De Burgh family fans). I am so happy. She is an excellent writer. Years ago, I emailed her and she said she was without a contract and that Harlequin did not want to continue the De Burgh books. I was very upset on her behalf, and also on her fans. I love the De Burgh brother series, and there were two stories left that were untold. Reynold is my favorite brother, surly and has a leg injury. You know me and those tortured/scarred heroes. So go out and buy her new book, The Dark Viscount, new if you possibly can. I have a subscription to HH, so I'll get it and won't have to do any work, other than check my mail and pay the bill. :) If you haven't read Deborah Simmons, you should. She is great at combining humor, steamy sensuality, authentic language and setting, with pathos. Her characters come off the p
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in In Praise of Black British Male Actors You may not have noticed that a good number of Black male actors that we see on television and films, are not African Americans. They are, in fact, Black British men. As a serious lover of all things British, especially men, I certainly did. I affectionately call these lovely guys Brifrican (a contraction of British and Black African-descent, which never fails to make my sister giggle). Who are some of my favorite of these distinguished actors? Well if their names are not familiar, I am sure that you may recognize their faces. Adrian Lester: This dreamboat appeared on the American scene years ago when he co-starred in Primary Colors, but has been very prolific in British TV, movie, and theater, notably playing Henry V in Shakespeare. I thought he was terribly cute when I saw him in Love's Labours Lost, which I think is the time when my crush began. I was very pleased to see him playing Mickey Bricks on the joint BBC and A&E show Hustle.
No Longer The Rabid Moviegoer I Was (Not that I don't still love movies. That will never change!) Those of us who are serious moviebuffs know what time of year this is. Summer movie season. In the past my butt would have been firmly planted in a seat at the local theater around this time of year. But there has been a serious decline in my moviegoing. It's truly multifactorial. It started when I moved back to Texas and was really hurting for money at first. I left a job that I stayed at too long and really hated, and took a chance and moved back to Texas to what was hopefully a better future. Since I didn't have a job when I did it, but by the Grace of God managed to keep a roof over my head, I'm not complaining. The funny thing is, the girl who bragged about not going more than a couple of weeks between seeing movies at the theater realized that she could go pretty long without that crutch. I had used my moviegoing to define me as a person, and that was selling myself s
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Is the Western Movie Genre Really Dead? I am afraid that the answer is yes, at least in its purest form. I only have theories about this slow death of the genre. Perhaps the setting is so far away from what the millenial-consciousness public can wrap their minds around. In this age, horses, carriages, cattle, false-fronted wooden buildings, range wars, and such fare is unknown and alien to most urban-dwelling people. There are pockets of people who still live in this reality, but they are probably not the driving force behind the box office and studio movie-making decisions. Most moviegoers may find the old school western corny. And I believe that this is at the crux of the dearth of western movies being made. I must say that I have mixed feelings about some of the more recent western movies. Here are some of the newer westerns and my thoughts 3:10 to Yuma: It was good but I didn't like the ending. I think the good man suffered and the bad man prospered. That's just backwards t