Personal Blog:: I know I haven't been posting for some years - 12/15/12

I know I haven't been posting for about a year. I have been getting healthy and getting back into society. I couldn't go to bed; I had somethings on my mind. When I heard about the shooting in Connecticut, I had an instant yank on my heart. I cried for a good bit. I felt so much pain and anger for the man that did this horrific tragedy. I don't understand why people that are feeling depressed, lonely, or upset have to take such drastic measure for their pain to be felt by others. I know so many families that have kids and I can't imagine them be here one day then taken the next. It is so selfish and dumb to strike at the heart of a community. Kids shouldn't have to have terror befall them at such a young age. Even now, I keep breaking into tears. When my daughter came home, I felt so privileged to have her just walk in the front door. I think I'm a person that sees the many blessings I have. Yes, I do get depressed but don't think or do bad things. Families need to realize that kids are the gooey center of our families. Sure, they can be sometimes frustrating to deal with. Sure, they can be annoying, but enjoy these simple thinks they do, you never know when it would be there. Hug your kids every day and tell them how you feel. When they go to school pull them aside and tell them without a doubt that they are loved. Make sure when you do hug them, they feel that. Don't ever feel like they know. Cause I can guarantee that they need that little extra something before going out into the world. Try and do something with them. My daughter and I will choose a day where we wear animal eared headbands. (mouse, bunny, or cat) Remember to tell yourself, "The heck with what people think" I'm bonding with my kid. Live it up and enjoy life. Your kids will think you are weird, but they will have that memory with them always. I implore you to let your kids know you love them. I am going to keep the families of this tragic day in my heart and prayers. Pass this message on to your friends and families. Share the message of love. Charly

Personal Blog:: Laugh and Get RIch Day - 2/8/12

Laugh and Get Rich Day (Get Rich or Laugh Trying)

Today, February the 8th, we're taking time out of our very busy and serious schedules to recognize some of the more humorous aspects of life. For example, lets all remember how great and funny it was to watch the Patriots lose their perfect undefeated season. I am sure whoever bet on the Giants was laughing and getting rich at the same time then! In honor of hilarious moments and making money, today has been officially deemed Laugh and Get Rich Day!

Could you possibly think of a better way to spend a day then by laughing and getting rich?
No, neither could I.

So go find something to laugh at, and profit from it, because as far as I am concerned Laugh and Get Rich is more then just a day, its the American Dream. It will never really work in the long run so atleast you've got today to give it a shot!

Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor Day - 02/07/12

Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbors Day

Neighbors don't always get along. Maybe it's a disagreement about loose animals, junk in the yard or loud music. If you've been on less than good terms with one or more neighbors, swallow you pride, put differences aside and Wave All Your fingers at your Neighbors Day, suggests Wellcat. It's better than waving just one.

Need some help with your neighbors?

* How to deal with nuisance neighbors.

* Be a good virtual neighbor on Farmville, Cityville or The Sims.

Anniversary: Ballet Introduced to the U.S.

Who knew ballet could be so risque? "Every lady in the lower tier of boxes" at the Bowery Theater in New York "immediately left" when Francisquy Hutin and her dance troupe appeared on stage in a costume that was "too brief," according to the book, "Ballet in America." "La Bergere Coquette" premiered on Feb. 7, 1827. For subsequent performances Hutin "wore Turkish trousers under her ballet dress." Turkish trousers were wide-legged pants cuffed at the knee that were usually reserved for gymnastics, cycling or leisure activities, according to Maggie May Fashions. Over time traditional ballet costumes became more acceptable.

Fettuccine Alfredo Day

Fettuccine Alfredo would be on the top of the list of foods made with love. Alfred Di Lelio of Alfredo's restaurant in Rome is credited with the dish, according to Foodtimeline. "The dish supposedly helped restore the appetite of his wife after she gave birth to their son. The original dish was made with a very rich triple butter Di Lelio made himself ... and only the heart of the best parmigiano. Fettuccini all'Alfredo became famous after Hollywood movie actors Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford ate the dish at Alfredo's restaurant while on their honeymoon in 1927."

What makes Fettuccine Alfredo so divine? The combination of cheese, butter, garlic and long, wide noodles is rich and delicious. It can also serve as the vehicle for serving other proteins including chicken or seafood. Try it with sausage and kale or chicken.

Charles Dickens 200th Birth Anniversary

"Please, sir, I want some more" is what Oliver might have said about the Fettuccine Alfredo. Oliver Twist is only one of Charles Dickens' memorable characters. The novelist was born on Feb. 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, England.

Happy G.I Joe Day - 2/1/12

Rhode Island Governor Proclaims "G.I. JOE Day" in the Iconic Action Brand's Home State

Revered Hasbro Property is Honored at State Capital, Kicking Off Start of Annual G.I. JOE Convention

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Apr 30, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --The world's first action figure comes home to Rhode Island for the 17th annual G.I. JOE Convention, hosted by the G.I. JOE Collectors' Club and Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS). To celebrate the homegrown hero and its fans, Rhode Island Governor, Donald L. Carcieri, proclaimed today as "G.I. JOE Day" as Rhode Island schoolchildren were on hand for the celebration in the State House rotunda. The Governor was also joined by Hasbro's President and CEO, Brian Goldner, as well as 250 parachuting G.I. JOE action figures that descended from the upper level of the domed structure, kicking off the official and largest convention of G.I. JOE enthusiasts.

Thousands of G.I. JOE fans will converge on the Rhode Island Convention Center on May 1^st and 2^nd to participate in events and activities that surround the brand's 45-plus year history that includes action figures, comic books, animated series and a blockbuster movie.

"We are excited to have the G.I. JOE brand and its many legions of fans come to Providence for its annual convention this year," said Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri. "We are proud to have such an internationally iconic hero call Rhode Island home."

This year's convention will feature some of the original G.I. JOE vs. COBRA creators, industry guests, artists, and the Hasbro G.I. JOE brand and design team. The convention will celebrate G.I. JOE, the original action figure, and its journey through the decades from the 1960s, all the way through last summer's blockbuster, G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, and beyond.

"Hasbro is thrilled to celebrate the G.I. JOE brand in Rhode Island" said Brian Goldner, President and CEO of Hasbro, Inc. "G.I. JOE is a property that was created and developed here at Hasbro in Rhode Island over 45 years ago and is now known around the world. This year's convention will showcase the full history of the G.I. JOE brand, with special emphasis on the future of the iconic action and adventure property. We're thrilled that Governor Carcieri has bestowed such an honor to the world's first action figure hero and we're excited to celebrate 'G.I. JOE Day' with our employees, fans and fellow Rhode Island residents."

The convention is being held at the Rhode Island Convention Center located at 1 Sabin Street in Providence, Rhode Island. General admission tickets are available at the door, $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 5-12 (free child's admission with a paid adult). And, as always, admission is free for those 4 years old and under. General Admission tickets provide access to the showroom on Saturday, May 1^st from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or on Sunday, May 2^nd from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additional details and pre-registration information can be found at gijoecon.com, or by calling (817) 448-9863.

Hasbro inaugurated the G.I. JOE Collectors' Convention in 1994 to bring collectors, fans and the G.I. JOE team together to share in the history of the brand. The annual event attracts thousands of people for G.I. JOE-related presentations and activities, along with buying, selling and trading rare and vintage G.I. JOE action figures.

About HASBRO

Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS, PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com.

© 2010 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6272661&lang=en

SOURCE: Hasbro, Inc.

Hunter Public Relations
Mike Surabian, 212-679-6600
msurabian@hunterpr.com
or
Hasbro, Inc.
Daniel Benkwitt, 401-727-5318
dbenkwitt@hasbro.com

National Chocolate Cake Day - 01/27/12

January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day in the United States. To be honest, I thought every day was chocolate cake day. This warm (and flourless) chocolate lava cake is delicious enough to declare a national celebration. But to help keep us all focused, there are several national food day lists floating around like this one to make sure all kinds of decadent delights get their day.  I’m a little curious, though, how National Pie Day, National Peanut Butter Day, and National Chocolate Cake Day all fall in the same week. I have a sneaking suspicion that the final week of January is right about the time that most folks have felt pretty good about the three weeks of intense dieting and exercise they have done after the holidays. Admit it. Your thinking has probably come close to this at some point: “I’ve been to the gym twice this week. Of course I deserve pie/peanut butter/chocolate cake!”

Molten lava cakes are the perfect little cakes to celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day. They require relatively little effort and bake in less than 15 minutes. Even if the cakes collapse into a quivering pool of warm chocolate, I promise you that your guests will not complain. Cover them with enough ice cream and in one, two, three, swoops of their spoons the cake will be gone.

But if you do want to impress a loved one, you might want a practice run or two to figure out the best results with your oven. If you underbake it, you will end up with a puddle of chocolate (there are worse things). If you overbake, by even a minute, no molten center – and you’ll end up with more of a brownie cake (again, not a travesty).

Now get celebrating. And keep this recipe handy for Valentine's Day.

Molten Lava Cake
Adapted from Bon Appétit
Serves 4

6-1/2 ounces bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, chopped (Note: good-quality chocolate chips are an easy shortcut)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons sugar, separated
2 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter four 3/4 cup custard cups. Dust with flour, shaking out excess, and set aside.

In a double boiler over simmering water, combine chocolate, butter, and salt and heat. Stir until chocolate and butter have melted and mixture is smooth. Remove upper pot from water and let cool 10 minutes.

Beat egg yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until thick and light, about 2 minutes. Fold in chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl beat egg whites and 1 tablespoon sugar using electric mixer with clean, dry beaters, until whites are stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter among prepared cups.

Place custard cups on a baking sheet. Bake until cakes are puffed but still soft in center, about 11 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack; cool cakes 1 minute.

Using a small knife, cut around sides of cakes to loosen. Place plates on top of cups. Using an oven mitt or tea towel (the cups will be hot) invert cakes onto plates; remove cups. Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

By Kendra Nordin

Happy Opposite Day!! - 01/25/12

Opposite Day, also known as Opposites Day is a word game where speech and what you normally due is modified. Once Opposite Day is declared, statements mean the opposite of what they usually mean. Opposite Day is usually celebrated on the first Tuesday of the new year, or in some cases of every month. Usually, a person would say, "After this phrase is over, it will be officially opposite day," and then Opposite Day will be officially started. Opposite Day can also be declared retroactively to indicate that the opposite meaning of what was said should be inferred. Opposite day games are usually played by schoolchildren.

In the sense that opposite day "excuses" untrue statements, it is similar to the notion that crossed fingers automatically nullify promises. Play has been compared to a children's "philosophy course",^[1] and the game has been used as an educational aid and suggested as preparation for "standardized testing".

The sentence "Today is opposite day" is in fact a paradox, similar to the liar paradox. If the statement is true, then it is opposite day. But since it is opposite day, the statement "Today is opposite day" can be interpreted as "Today is not opposite day" which is implied to also be true. Hence, a paradox exists and one is forced to conclude that it is not opposite day.

[edit]In popular culture

Opposite day is most commonly celebrated on Wednesdays. Wednesday is opposite day.

• In Bill Watterson's comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Opposite Day was the gag of one Sunday. When a bee stung Calvin because Hobbes did not say there was a bee on account of it being Opposite Day, Calvin chased Hobbes up a tree with a baseball bat. When Hobbes said that Opposite Day ends at midnight, an angry and vigilant Calvin replies "Yes".
• A 1999 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, called "Opposite Day", featured Squidward's attempted use of Opposite Day to make sure he gets SpongeBob out of the way in a failing attempt to move.
• A Whitest Kids U' Know sketch called "Opposite Day Lawyer" features the lawyer of a hopelessly guilty murder suspect declaring Opposite Day just before the jury goes to deliberate.
• In the 2007 American Dad! episode "I Can't Stan You", Steve's letter to Roger references Opposite Day when Steve tricks Roger leaving him stranded in Mexico.
• Homer makes a reference to Opposite Day in an episode of The Simpsons titled "The Wife Aquatic".
• In an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy titled "Opposite Day", Billy and Mandy trick Grim into doing all their chores declaring that it's opposite day, in the end Mandy reveals that when she said it was opposite day, the meaning was reversed, and Grim did those chores for nothing.
• In a 2009 episode of Robot Chicken titled "Dear Consumer", a character asks if it's Christmas Day or Opposite Day, and then cuts to a calendar with Monday, December 21 circled as Opposite Day, and Friday, December 25 circled as Christmas Day.
• In an episode of Jake and Amir titled "Ground Rule", Jake uses Opposite Day to make Amir do his bidding.
• Sketch comedy group, Derrick Comedy performed a sketch in which a company's boss takes opposite day a little too seriously; going so far as firing staff who do not participate.
• Opposite day is on January 25 officially

Personal Blog:: Movie auditions for me - 1/20/12

These past few weeks I have had audition for 2 movies.  I am a bit worried that I did well.  I think I bombed on the last one.  I think I'm trying not to crawl out of my skin.  The first was to a movie called "12 Dogs".

I auditioned for the role of, ticket holder.  I sooooo did a bad job.  I was asked to do the line again and I did the same character.  UGH!!  

The next movie was a week after that one.  It is called "Mistetones".  It is for the lead part of an ABC holiday Christmas Movie.  I went in and sang "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and danced around really hammy.  I have yet to find out, but I believe they are filming in Utah.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  Wish me luck blog fellows. :) I'm so excited and scared.

Easy Feng Shui for Love: Lesson # 4 - 01/06/12

Once you know how to create good energy in your home (Lesson # 3), you have to be sure you understand how to troubleshoot forbad energy and know how to remedy it before is becomes a fengshui love disaster. Do not let bad feng shui energy ruin your lovelife! So, the Feng Shui for Love Lesson # 4 is Know How to Neutralize Bad Energy in Your Home. Be sure you understand what bad energy is in feng shui, check the flow of Chi in your home often. Read the checklist of a feng shui bedroom for love disaster and be sure NOT to follow it. Be aware of the movement of the annual feng shui bad stars, as well as see that your bedroom has no Sha Chi (poison arrows) in it. Bathroom over bedroom tips, as well as bad feng shui bedroom art info is also covered in this lesson.

Bad Energy

What is Bad Feng Shui Energy?  Both Sha Chi and Si Chi - low feng shui - are expressions of bad feng shuienergy. Sha Chi is also known as "killing", or "attacking" energy. This bad fengshui energy can be created by... Read more

Bedroom Sha Chi

Identify and Neutralize Sha Chi -Bad Energy in Your Bedroom  Carefully look around your bedroom with "feng shui eyes" and detect all the fengshui poison arrows, called sha chi, pointing at you while you are in bed. Be it from the nearby nightstands or... Read more

Chi Check

How To Check the Flow of Energy in Your Home  With all the emphasis on good Chi for good feng shui, it is really important to get into the habit of regularly checking the energy flow in your home. Be especially mindful about creating a good flow of Chi whenever you are ... Read more

Do The Opposite

How To Create a Bedroom to Ruin Your Love Life  From over 500 bedrooms I have been in (as a feng shui consultant), only a few were conducive to a balanced and vibrant flow of love and sexual energy. The bedroom tends to be one of the most overlooked rooms in the house, while it actually... Read more

Not In The Bedroom!

What NOT to Have in Your Bedroom  I remember watching a good TV show on home design that left me feeling very upset. That particular segment was on re-designing a bedroom which had a big and quite emotional painting of a lonely woman drowning in... Read more

Bathroom Over?

Remedy the Bad Feng Shui of a Bathroom over the Bedroom  A bathroom located above the bedroom is not the best feng shui set-up. An important factor to consider in looking for feng shui cures in this case is how busy the... Read more

Bad Feng Shui Stars

Feng Shui Updates - Bad Feng Shui Areas this Year  One of the classical feng shui schools, called flying stars, takes into consideration the time dimension, as nothing is static. Basically, it is a way of keeping track of the good and bad feng shui energies (called "stars") every new year. I will not...Read more From Rodika Tchi, your Guide to Feng Shui

About Feng Shui: Money Tips, Your Bedroom and Chinese New Year - 01/06/12

This issue is full of questions and answers - from good feng shui in your bedroom to money area tips and solutions. Plus, if you are curious about the Chinese New Year celebration, read all about it in this issue. Enjoy!

Will You Be Celebrating Chinese New Year?  The Chinese New Year, also called the Lunar New Year, is one of the biggest celebrations in Chinese culture. It is a long celebration that lasts for 15 days. Because... Read more

Is Your Feng Shui Money Area Missing?  Is your feng shui money area missing in your home or office? And, do you know what it means when a bagua area is missing, or incomplete? Finding feng shuisolutions for specific missing bagua areas will imply a basic... Read more

What Is Wrong with the Feng Shui of My Money Area?  When it comes to the right application of feng shui, it is not the amount of work one does in order to bring the desired results. Feng shui is easily misunderstood,... Read more

Do You Have Good Feng Shui In Your Bedroom?  A good feng shui bedroom is a bedroom that promotes a harmonious flow of nourishing and sensual energy. A good feng shui bedroom is a bedroom that invites you, lures you in, excites and... Read more From Rodika Tchi, your Guide to Feng Shui