I watched the movie "Five People You Meet In Heaven" last night on the Hallmark channel.  When I was scrolling through the TV listings, I was excited to see a movie that I thought would be "soul-food" and inspirational.  You see, I'm something of a news junkie and between the presidential election and the belly-up status of the economy, I'd started feeling a bit droopy in the spirit.  I knew I needed to take care to find other things to feed my soul and mind.  This seemed just the ticket.  In fact, I called a few other people to let them know this movie was coming on so they could enjoy it too.  So I armed the pockets of my robe with tissues (for the heartwarming moments), popped a big bowl of kettle corn, snuggled under a cozy throw on the recliner and adjusted the volume to the perfect level.

Then I watched it.  Hmmmmmm.  It wasn't anything like I thought it'd be.  Not that it wasn't good - it was.  Jon Voight did a superb job in the role of the elderly amusement park maintenance man who tries to rescue a child from certain death, and in the process sacrificed his own life and went to heaven.  It was good.  Really.  It's just that it wasn't anything even remotely close to how I envision heaven will be.  Not. even. close.

Isn't it funny how we all have our own idea of what heaven will be like?  What it will look like?  What it will offer our senses?  It's a little bit of a mystery that adds excitement and eager anticipation to the mere thought of it, but also mixes in a twinge of the fear of the unknown.  Once again, as is so often the case with God - it takes our faith in Him to trust how wonderful, beautiful, and exquisite an experience it will be.

What it will look like, exactly, I'm not too sure.  This one thing I know - my Lord will be there.  That is the one constant that makes me know it will be something beyond what I can now comprehend as perfection.  I know that He has shown me a little peek into the measure of His love for me (and you!) since the beginning of the journey on this dangerous road, and it has surpassed all I ever thought I knew and trusted.  Far beyond.  Far, far beyond. 

So, the specifics of heaven are mostly unknown.  They are encased in the precious treasure that we hold in these flawed vessels.  A mystery.  But I know in the deepest part of my soul that it will be thoroughly, completely and overwhelmingly love.  beauty.  goodness.  truth.  joy.  peace. 

When I really dwell on those givens, even that little twinge of fear melts away.

Shad Jenkins is a young man in his early twenties who is visited by his dead sister while in prison. Growing up in Oklahoma as I have, I love the eerie thrills implied by Southern gothics replete with ghosts, legends, and things that can’t be explained. Especially when all of that ties back into families.

November Mourns has all of that and more. Piccirilli’s view of Appalachia is a no-holds barred nightmare landscape of ignorance, poverty, and incest. The characters in his novel cling to sanity and their way of life by their fingertips. I don’t know where Piccirilli got his information about the area, but it all seems dead on. I was alternately appalled and astonished at what he chose to reveal in this novel. This isn’t the kind of book that most writers can bring to life on the page

One of the things that Shad continues to tell himself throughout the book is that he isn’t a private detective. However, he knows he’s pretty much acting that way by questioning and getting involved in the investigation of his sister’s death. His search for the truth uncovers a lot of other truths that people get upset about to the point that someone is going to die. And others try to kill him.

In a community as tightly knit as the Appalachian one that Piccirilli uses as his setting, there are a lot of secrets no one wants to see the light of day. Piccirilli doesn’t flinch as he digs into the strangeness of the community. I was shocked again and again by the way the author presented what – to me – was egregious family life in such a forthright manner. He uses rough humor and empathy to get across his thoughts of small towns in hardscrabble areas and how they work.

The read was pretty mesmerizing for me. I kept flashing back to Burt Reynolds’s movie, Deliverance, and hearing the famous dueling banjos in my mind as I read. I’d enjoyed the movie, and later, James Dickey’s book, but those efforts just didn’t seem as realistic as Piccirilli’s tour through that particular dark side.

The novel breaks down into roughly equal parts of mystery and horror throughout, but the end offers a final twist that I was totally unprepared for. The pacing was uneven to a degree, sometimes sliding off into long stretches of explanation and discussion that slowed the investigation. Overall, Piccirilli succeeds in delivering a solid mystery and a nightmare tour through darkest America.

Now, on to the strange events of late...Saturday we spent the day out in Springfield clearing brush and shooting the breeze with my brother [who is living the life of a batchelor as my sis-in-law is out of town for a week visiting her sister].  Cricket got plenty of romping time with her doggie pals, Clifford-the-Aged and Sophie-the-Trembling [afraid of gunshots- which is not good for a country dog during hunting season].  Anyhoo, when we returned home late in the afternoon, most of the electronics in our house were flashing so we knew there was some sort of power outage earlier in the day.  That turned out to be a result of those two poor men who came into contact with high voltage wires while working on the exterior of a building on 2nd and Holland Streets. As the Erie Times News and WICU news reports stated, they are now being treated at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.  Thoughts and prayers to them and their families.

  Well, that was just a minor glitch that took a few minutes to remedy by resetting all the clocks, microwave, answering machine, etc.  The bigger mystery was What the Heck was the loud booming explosions that shook our garage as we exited, when we came home around 530 pm?!?!? Still haven't gotten an answer to that question.  The neighbor was out with her puppy, Guinness, and she was alarmed as well.  Then several other neighbors came outdoors to look to the sky and speculate about the noises.  Theories abound....Gannon homecoming and alumni celebration of some sort,  Brig Niagara testing cannons,  idiots with explosives,  invasion from Canada [lol],  industrial accident???  Who knows!

Then, this morning my internet modem was dark.... re-booted the system, checked the connections, unplugged the system and plugged it back in,  tested the outlets, examined the cable,  inquired if the cable service was disabled at other houses, then called Time-Warner's toll free customer service line and had them check for service outage, run the system check, re-did the outlet thing, all to no avail...so scheduled a visit to the Time-Warner office to replace the modem [which I presumed was fried when the power went off and on Saturday.] The service representative wanted to schedule us a home service call but the soonest she could do that would have been Wednesday between 8 am and 5 pm and so I inquired if I could just bring the modem in for an exchange. She said, "Of course".  Well, I returned to my computer to shut it down and noticed our heavy wooden desk where the system is located was askew ?! Much too heavy for Cricket to have moved-even with all her weight behind it!  It is too heavy for me to move about unless I unload things from the drawers and desktop.  Mysterious.  So, I re-checked all the wiring and Lo! and Behold! one thin black wire not connected with a hollow silver jack that fit perfectly in the small opening at the back of the modem-one of four necessary wires, as I know now ! As soon as I re-attached this line and booted the system up ~ We had power restored to the modem!!!  Still no working theory on how this happened either?!

I think I'll just chalk it up to  "It's One of Those Days!" Strange Days Indeed!

Today's quote[s]:  "It's like you have a hammer and a whole bunch of nails and you've been using your shoe the whole time!"    ~Stephan Chatman.

"Life is an ocean and Love is a boat."  ~John Duhan.

"There are many ways of breaking a heart. Stories were full of hearts being broken by love, but what really broke a heart was taking away its dream-whatever that dream might be."  ~Pearl S. Buck.

The woollen sky that warms

This chipboard town

Betrays no answers to

The mystery below

Our shadows lengthen

On the walls between us

We never stop to wonder

Where the light is coming from

~Boot up~

Eine zerstörte Stadt oder auch Welt. Ein Highschool-Schüler liegt auf dem Boden. Es regnet. Ein Mädchen nähert sich ihm. Sie entschuldigt sich bei ihm und macht so ne Art Verwandlung. Sie hat sich nicht verändert, aber hält ne Waffe in der Hand. Sie hält die Sptize ihrer Waffe an die Brust des Jungen. Sie küsst ihn und der Junge denkt, dass sie die einzigen auf der Welt sind und dass das Mädchen sein alles ist. Unser Hauptprotagonist heißt Takki oder auch Taku. Er ist ein Mensch, der nur interesse in Pc-Spiele hat. Sein Freund Masumi erzählt ihm in der Schule, dass es in Shibuya en Mord gab und der Mörder ein hübsches Mädchen sei. Er schlägt Takki vor, mal dahin zu gehen. Taki ist wieder zu Hause und spielt Spiele. Mit ihm ist ein Mädchen, dass er sich wohl nur einbildet. Das Mädchen heißt Senata-tan. Takki wohnt in nem Conatiner aufm Dach. Seine Schwester, Nanami, besucht ihn. Sie möchte mit ihm en neues Handy für ihn kaufen. Doch Takki weigert sich zu gehen. Sie geht weg und er hockt sich wieder an den Pc. Jeder babbelt über New Gene. Doch Takki interessiert es nicht. Dann besucht den Chat ein Typ namens Commander. Dieser Commander schickt andauernd en Link. Takki bekommt Angst. Er fragt sich, wem diese Augen gehören. Er klcikt ausversehn auf den Link und es öffnet sich das Bild eines Toten. Deswegen bekommt Takki angst und geht am nächsten Tag zum Internetcafe, um seine Pc-Spiele zu spielen. Auf seinem nach hause Weg muss er durch Shibuya. Er hört ein klopfen. Als er in die Richtung von diesem Geräusch geht, sieht er den Mann, den er gestern auf nem Bild tot sah. Neben ihm steht die Mörderin.

 Es ist ein junges Mädchen. Sie sagt, sie wollte Taku (er heißt Taku nicht Takki..mein Fehler sry) sehen.

Taku bekommt angst und als das Mädchen auf ihn zu geht, haut er ab. In seinem Container beruhigt ihn seine Illusion. Sie redet ihm ein, dass das bestimmt nur ne Einbildung war. Ein blauhaariges Mädchen singt ein Lied und sie fragt sich, wem wohl diese Augen gehören. Am nächsten Tag leidet er unter Verfolgungswahn. Doch er wird tatsächlich verfolgt. Yua hat sich anscheinend in ihn verknallt. Er bekommt angst vor ihr und will abhauen. Dabei fällt er hin und Yua hilft ihm. Es stellt sich raus, dass Yua auch ein Bluto-Fan ist. Sie bittet ihn, sie zu nem Anime-Shop zu begleiten. Takumi sieht das ganze als Spiel. Am Abend wird von dem Mord in Shibuya berichtet. Am nächsten Tag komt ein rosahaariges Mädchen in die Klasse. Takumi sieht, dass es das Mädchen ist, das den Mann getötet hat. Sie begrüßt ihn.

Ende.

Directed by Robert Hiltzik
Starring Vincent Pastore, Jonathan Tiersten, Isaac Hayes
Rating: 3/D-

IMG_1620, originally uploaded by Mic2006.

This is Ralph holding a slab of "tourmaline in quartz" at the Coe Hill gold mine. There is an intrusion or pocket at the top oif a hill on that property that consists almost exclusively of quartz impregnated tourmaline. One interesting thing about tthe tourmaline is that the spines are all bent as though they were being washed around in water - like a current moving sea fans. I suspect it has something to do with the cooling process.

You might notice the new header up at the top of the blog - that is courtesy of my "brother-in-law Nige", he is a computer whiz and the guy who got me blogging in the first place. The picture has been derived from larger photo of the wheels of abandoned mine trolleys in Cobalt. I am off to Cobalt tomorrow so you can expect more pictures like that soon.

Reason for visiting Cobalt - to get more high Resolution picturesd for my upcoming book "Rockhounding: An Experience of the North" I dont want to give to much away at this time, but as you might surmise it will be of interest to mineral collectors - and inadvertantly - cavers as well as there are a few sidebars about Ontario caves - yet to be published material. I have a publisher who has shown interest in the idea - with some modification from the original format.

If you want to help me - link to my site - it will increase my ability to reach the world. Oh, and thanks Nige. You have some scotch coming your way.

Collins: Hey, Shadow.

Shadow: (Puts his paw up to shake)

Collins: You’re a good boy.

Shadow: (Tail wags)

Collins: I heard you found a body in the woods.

Shadow: Barks (runs in circles)

Collins: What did you think of her?

Shadow: (Head and shoulders down on the ground, back end wiggling happily. His tail goes crazy)

Collins: You like Destiny, huh? She must be a good person.

Shadow: (Rolls over to have his tummy scratched)

Collins: But didn't she shoot you?

Shadow: Whimpers (Rolls over and plays dead)

Collins: That’s how you were, and you still like her?

Shadow: (Jumps up, barks, and wags the tail more)

Collins: What did you think of Charles DeMont?

Shadow: Snarls then growls

Collins: Down boy. We won't talk about him anymore.

Shadow: (Raises one eyebrow and cocks his head)

Collins: Thanks for coming today Shadow. It’s always a pleasure rubbing your tummy.

Shadow: (Puts up paw to shake)

      His mother has one on Thursday because her doctor changed it.  We normally have a rule about appointments; they are never scheduled on a Thursday if we can help it.  Thursdays are when I have my twice a month critiquing group meeting.  On the alternate Thursdays, I go grocery shopping and to the farmer's market.  Other times I shop at the pet store for the dogs and Koi, and I drop in to visit a few friends if I have time.  In other words, it's my day.

      I didn't go to my critiquing group this week even though it was scheduled.  I didn't mind not going I had a good reason to stay home.  DH took a nasty tumble into the arm of the couch a few days before and managed to break a rib.  (His MS causes him to fall a lot since he has very little feeling in his feet and a lack of muscle memory.  Usually he manages to fall without even a little bruise because he's learned to fall.)  He was not thrilled to have me stay home and hover, he wants me to have some ‘me' time.  He knows I need it, but I know that there are periods where he needs me more. 

      Until early this summer, we hadn't realized how much he depends on me.  Then I fell and sprained, not one ankle, but both of them.  Yes, BOTH of them and our two Bull Terriers were not involved in the incident.  (Anyone who owns Bull Terriers would think they were but that's another post.)  The dogs are innocent of this mishap.  However, I do think I need to speak to a contractor about fixing the uneven sidewalk in the back yard.

      I was supposed to stay off my feet, oh yeah that works.  Crutches are fine if you have only one ankle sprained, they don't work for two ankles.  You have to come down on one or both feet with each swing.  Hobbling around with a cane worked best for me and gave DH many a laugh.

      DH is a jewel among men.  He did his best but he hasn't the strength or energy to take care of the dogs, the gardens, the pond, or cook meals.  We ate a lot of take-out/delivered food for a few weeks.  If I ever see another bucket O' chicken, I may sprout wings and cluck, and it was a few months until I wanted pizza or Chinese food again.  The dogs took advantage because they knew I couldn't chase them down.  The weeds got ahead of me and the pond filters needed a cleaning, but I didn't care because he tried his best and that's all anyone could ask of the love of their life.

Collins: Hey, Shadow.

Shadow: (Puts his paw up to shake)

Collins: You’re a good boy.

Shadow: (Tail wags)

Collins: I heard you found an unconcious, half-dead woman in the woods.

Shadow: Barks (runs in circles)

Collins: What did you think of her?

Shadow: (Head and shoulders down on the ground, back end wiggling happily. His tail goes crazy)

Collins: You like Destiny, huh? She must be a good person.

Shadow: (Rolls over to have his tummy scratched)

Collins: But didn't she shoot you?

Shadow: Whimpers (Rolls over and plays dead)

Collins: That’s how you were, and you still like her?

Shadow: (Jumps up, barks, and wags the tail more)

Collins: What did you think of Charles DeMont?

Shadow: Snarls then growls

Collins: Down boy. We won't talk about him anymore.

Shadow: (Raises one eyebrow and cocks his head)

Collins: Thanks for coming today Shadow. It’s always a pleasure rubbing your tummy.

Shadow: (Puts up paw to shake)

Director: Sergio Martino
Starring George Hilton, Anita Strindberg, Alberto de Mendoza, Ida Galli
Rating: 30/C-

Television is the culprit. It sits there, all innocent and benign, but once I turn it on, it hooks me and reels me in like a captive fish.

There are too many shows I like to watch. Of all things that really feed my addiction, ION has started showing repeats of Boston Legal. It doens't matter if I've seen the same episode a dozen times within the last month - I'm going to watch it again.

Boston Legal and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. When either are on, I am worthless. One Saturday a while back, some station was showing MBFGW all day. All Day, mind you - I didn't do much that day.

And, of course, the steady favorites like Law & Order are always on one station or another. I have seen every episode of every L & W (orginal and spin-offs), but I can trick myself into thinking that I need to watch at least the first ten minutes - just to make sure it's not an episode I may have missed. After ten minutes, well, I just have to watch it again because, well, darnit, it was such a good episode.

It works every time.

I tried locking myself in a separate room to write, away from the television. I thought if I could get away from the enticer, than I could get some serious writing done. My reasoning was no television equals more productivity.

All I ended up doing was watching episodes of Life from NBC's 24/7 Video on my laptop.

So, now I'm trying to find a compromise between my television addiction and my need to write. When I'm writing, I'm experimenting with the television sound off and the caption on, and the music going and headphones on.

Oh, dear. The entire eight hours of The Stand is about to come on, back to back. I've only seen it four or five times.

Maybe I missed something.

Jas is back (Bad Kitty) and trying not to be up to her same old tricks.  She has vowed to be the model daughter so her father (Dadzilla) will allow her to leave her Venice prison and go back to California to be with her super-awesome friends, Polly, Roxy, and Tom, and her super-kissable boyfriend, Jack.  But when all her efforts at being a model daughter don't get her a trip to California but instead brings the Evil Hench Twins, Jas' cousin Alyson and her best friend Veronique, to Venice, Jas decides to bag the good girl persona and instead try to be BadJas.  Now that BadJas is in charge, Jas decides to help her one and only friend in Venice, Arabella, figure out who's following her.  Jas is not sure that Arabella isn't making up her stalker, but then Arabella is found dead in an apparent suicide.  Jas knows Arabella would not have killed herself and vows to find out who murdered her.  And so Jas once again embarks on a dangerous and exciting adventure trying to solve not one but two murders, both Arabella's and Arabella's father's, with the help of her super-awesome friends, who of course show up for moral support, the Evil Hench Twins (now known by their faerie names -- Sapphyre with a "y" and Tiger's*Eye, the star is silent), a charming gondolier, but not her super-kissable boyfriend who isn't calling or emailing nearly enough to satisfy Jas.

Reaction: I love Jas.  At times she is a bit much (for example, I can't stand when she says things like "ASA and P" for ASAP) but most of the time she and her friends and her enemies are simply hilarious.  Here are some examples:

She waved a business card in my face and said, "I'm a reporter.  You are going to be famous.  Tell me how to spell your name.  Is it Jane?"

"Yes," I agreed, practically running now.  Model Daughters are allergic to fame.  "It's Jane."

"Jane what?"

I said, "Jane Doe."  And then the monkeys in my head who always like to help me out added, "--nut."

"Jane Doughnut?" the blond reporter lady repeated, giving me a look filled with pity and scorn ... "What is your name, really?"

"Jane Doughnut," the monkeys affirmed. (pg 45-6)

And, when Arabella is running for her life and pulling Jas along behind her, Jas observes:

What was pleasant about this was it allowed me to experience several of the rules of physics firsthand.  For example, the faster you are going when you bash into a man with a hard-sided briefcase, the more it will hurt.  (Force = Mass x Acceleration).  And that being pulled between two women chatting and carrying shopping bags will result in them screaming not-very-nice things at you.  (For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.)  And my favorite: A Jas in motion -- such as one who sidesteps to avoid running into a stroller and instead finds herself tripping over a small dog and launching into the air as though she's a trouble-seeking missile -- will stay in motion unless acted upon by an equal but opposite force. (pg 36-7)

Kitty Kitty is just plain fun.  The characters and the mystery are not exactly realistic but this does not detract from the greatness that is Kitty Kitty.  The book is just hilarious (the only word that can truly describe this book) and I cannot wait for more from Jas and her crew, even the faerie Evil Hench Twins.

Plus, as an aside, I think that the teen lit genre needs more mysteries.

Previously: Bad Kitty

Read-a-like: The over-the-topness reminds me of the sarcasm of Maggie Quinn in Prom Dates from Hell and Hell Week.

...

I can't believe I forgot to write about this.  Jas, when trying to channel her badness, came up with a saying to help her follow the bad path -- WWMrTD or what would Mr. T do.  I LOVED Mr. T and the A-Team when I was growing up.  Now, whenever I can't figure out what to do I am going to ask myself WWMrTD.  Love It!

Archer Mayor

Mystery

314 pages

copyright: 1998

isbn: 0-446-60768-1

The Disposable Man has Joe Gunther entering a paranoid twilight, constructed by members of the CIA and the Russian mafia, who are out to settle an old, cold war dispute. Now, framed for a crime he didn't commit, Gunther becomes a fugitive in order to clear his own name; if he survives.

It started with Carl's challenge at Stainless Steel Droppings:  create a photo with Colleen Gleason's latest book, include the book in the photo, and send it in to the contest.  In order to create the photo with the book, I had to buy the book.  I was happy to support the author with her first week of sales.  Of course I love buying books, but I have never read a vampire book, other than Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Once I had created the photo and sent it to Carl, I had this vampire book on my hands.  Now the problem was, this book was the fourth in the series.  Obviously you can't start a series with the last book.  Thus I requested one, two, and three from my library.  In a few weeks, I had all three books, and they sat, lined up on the table next to my bed.  I wasn't too excited about starting the first chronicle. Romance and vampires..... just not me.

The night came when I had nothing lined up to read.  Except for The Rest Falls Away.  So I started reading.  I stayed up late.  I read the next day.  And the next.  Finished it and started Rises the Night.  It was better than the first.  And I finished that and went directly to The Bleeding Dusk.  Yes.  I was addicted.  When I finished When Twilight Burns, I was sorely disappointed because there was no where to go from there.

Characters, plot, setting: it all works, and gets increasingly better with each novel.  This is the sort of book that really stretches the old "suspend your disbelief" while reading.  On the one hand, the Victorian era is described so realistically, I am so grateful I didn't live then.  The dresses with the little roses around the hems, the garters to hold up stockings, the corsets.  Yuck!  But imagining Victoria Gardella leaping around a formal garden, fighting the undead in all this paraphernalia, was a bit of a stretch.  I didn't mind making the stretch because I was so taken with Victoria, her mission, the historical era, and the array of love interests.  Oh yes, the love interests.  If her mother only knew!  I really didn't know which one to root for; they were all so delectable in their own, very different, ways.

Book three and four bring up the vis bulla quite a bit.  This is a silver cross worn by the Venator (vampire slayer) as a piercing, somewhere on their body, and give them extraordinary strength.  It occurred to me that a vis bulla I had created for myself fifteen years ago, sat languishing in my jewlery box.  Of course I didn't have vampires in mind at the time, but I think it would work.  I may need to have it blessed, however.

From the cover of The Rest Falls Away:

Beneath the glitter of dazzling 19th-century London Society lurks a bloodthirsty evil... .
Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long taken over the world.
In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake.
But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous, moonlit streets, Victoria's heart is torn between London's most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her enigmatic ally, Sebastian Vioget.
And when she comes face to face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make the choice between duty and love.

I recommend the series to you. If you have second thoughts in the beginning, don't stop before reading at least half of the first book. I guarantee, you will have changed your mind by this point.

This review is also a part of SSD R.I.P III challenge, so I accomplished two projects in one fell swoop!  On another spooky note, I have included some graveyard pictures I took a few years ago.  I have an extensive collection of head stone photos - I think they are beautiful.  And sometimes, they are entertaining...

Happy October!

]]> http://pickuptara.wordpress.com/?p=136 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:18:56 +0000 pickuptara http://blog.pickuptara.com/2008/10/12/tara-interviews-spoon-from-season-1-of-vh1s-the-pickup-artist/

Hello Everyone,

Spoon, from Season 1 Of Vh1's The pickup Artist, was nice enough to let me interview him. Enjoy the read!

• What is your idea of a perfect date?
--- A date that’s as random as I am. I like to pickup my date on my vintage motorcycle. It’s a great way to get close and really enjoy the surroundings. Oregon is a beautiful state. We would just ride around exploring new areas. Sometimes I like to stop and just check out a new restaurant and see what kind of DELIOUS foods they have. Well, ok sometimes the food is shit. :)

• How would you describe your ideal dream woman?
--- Tara, you are my idea dream woman. And I’m dead serious. I like gals who are down to earth, clever, kind hearted and have a great sense of humor. It’s really similar to who I am. But sadly we could never be. Jdog already said he has dibs on you first. Hahaha. I love that guy.

• What person living today do you most relate to and why?
--- I would have to say Jdog (Co-Host of Vh1 The Pickup Artist Season 1). After I left the show Jdog really showed some heart and character. He really wanted to help me change my life. So for a month he coached me (for free which would normally cost a lot) 1 on 1 and turned my life around. A lot of people don’t even recognize me anymore. I dress differently, talk deeper, and lost a lot of weight, covered with tattoos and piercings and exude personality. Plus we have the same taste in women :)

• What was your experience with women before being on The Pickup Artist Season 1?
--- I was a geeky guy who played video games pretty much all day. My social life was non existent. I was pretty damn depressed. Innocent and naïve, I had no concept whatsoever on how to be around women. I just plain didn’t know what to do. PERIOD! I wanted a girlfriend or a female I could hangout with, but didn’t know how I would meet them or attract them. I attempted to pick up women. I would always start out by saying something funny. I thought if I could just make them laugh all the time they would like me. I found out that in doing so I was only seen as entertainment for them. I would provide them with humor while other guys would come in with their confident, smooth demeanor and sweep them away right before my very eyes.

• What went through your mind when you were picked to be on the show? What were your expectations?
--- I was totally blown away when I found out I was picked. It was always a dream of mine to be on TV. I wasn’t sure what to expect from it at first till I was actually on the show. But I knew that I needed this to change and grow as a person. I knew I was an amazing guy. I just didn’t know how to show it.

• How did it feel to go into the club that first night in Austin?
--- It was horrible. It’s like you got into a car accident and then another car hits and then another hits, and another hits, etc... The longer I stayed in there the more I panicked. I’m not really the club type of guy. In the past I wouldn’t stay any longer then 10 min in a club. It’s generally not the type of people I would want to meet or get to know.

• When we were in the club that second night and you froze up, what exactly were you thinking at that moment?
--- I kind of blanked out and didn’t know what to do. Thinking about it now and I don’t really have words to describe it. But I do remember you (Tara) coming and giving me the support and motivation that I needed for that one moment. That made a huge difference for me and I was able to talk to a group of women successfully. I felt alive. I didn’t think something like that would be fun and exciting.

• Do you regret your decision to leave the show?
--- Yes, very much. BUT that’s only because I’m not the same person who left the show. Back at that time it was the right choice. The pressure of being on TV and doing what I feared most really put a lot of stress on me mentally. The pace was to fast for real change. I really want another chance to show everyone that I didn’t fail at change. I really feel that I actually changed the most.

• If you could go back and do it again, would you? What would you do differently?
--- I would do it in a heart beat. The energy I would give out. The confidence would be at a whole new level. I want that second chance on TV again to show change and to help change other people’s lives. But mostly because I want guys who were like me to know there is hope. Plus I wouldn’t have held back at wanting to fight Kosmo. I don’t like the punk ass or how fake he was on the show.

• How is your love-life and experience with women now?
--- Fantastic. I usually try and go on a date with someone new each week. I work at a jewelry booth at the Saturday Market here in Portland selling handmade women’s jewelry. So I interact with women a lot and it’s a great place for me to expand my experience with women. I get numbers all the time. Some have even bought me lunch.

• Do you think that the being on the show and learning pick-up made you change your personality?
--- My personality is still the same. I didn’t really get the chance to express who I was when I was on the show. Being shy and nervous kept my true personality on pause. Thanks to Jdog I can be who I am. Myself! I am a guy who loves women.

• How is your life now, a year after the show?
--- Looking back on myself then and who I have become now it brings a tear to my eye due to how much I’ve changed. I am definitely more confident and secure in who I am. I am not afraid to show my sensual side, I am more ‘touch’ oriented and I am definitely more comfortable around women.

• Boldest Pick-Up move?
--- Here is the scene. A beautiful, dark haired, fair skinned woman who looked like she was from Europe is sitting in this vegetarian restaurant. I approach her and begin…

Me: The falatio here is great. I know an even better spot for it.
Her: *pause*
Me: It’s right down the street.
Her: *pause* Don’t you mean ‘falafel’?
Me: Isn’t that what I’ve been saying? What does falatio mean?
Her: That you know a great place for oral sex down the street.
Me: Shit!

• What advice would you give the new guys on Season 2 of The Pickup Artist?
--- Have fun and enjoy.

• What would you tell guys out there who have difficulty with women and are in the same position that you were once in?
--- If you really want to change your life you have to really want it and be ready to work for it. Commit to the change and make it happen. Contact Jdog at http://www.myspace.com/artistjdog or http://www.askjdog.com and ask for some personal help. He wants to help and I know he will help you.

• Closing thoughts . . .
--- If you have any questions on what I have been doing exactly to change my life. Leave me a message on my MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/iknowspoon because now you can say you know Spoon.

Thanks Spoon! Keep up the amazing self work!

XOXO,
~Tara

I am all for the idea of helping guys get better with women, some good friends helped me in my past.  I think this show makes already shy guys feel like their only hope is to undergo a complete transformation of their personality and style.

The purpose of this blog isn't for me to tear apart the show, it is an attempt the extract the posotive messages they are trying to get across. I want this to be an open discussion about the "pickup" industry and the social dynamics that created it.

We will talk more later, but for now I will leave you with quite possibly the funniest example of an attempted "pickup" gone wrong.

Sincerely,

-McBain

(that is my real name I swear. I know its badass)

To summarize, my son found a cash register drawer (with a little coin in) and I contacted the local police. They came and recovered the drawer, took some fingerprints, walked around a little in the area and I (not them) found a little more 'evidence' to help them along. It was just a torn coin roll, with a few pennies inside. But still, something. That was basically the end of the story on my end. The officer did not have much hope in finding out anything about a robbery in the area and mentioned to me it was most likely a dead end. At the time of the incident, there was a rash of hit and run robberies occurring in Austin, and I did a little research on line but really couldn't tie the two events in any way. So I dropped it, mostly, with the thought of someday including it in a small mystery story of some kind.

Today, however, I made another discovery in my yard, and I feel so very foolish now. I believe I've flunked my first CSI test - let alone not trying to look for further clues! And I call myself a writer? Shame! Oh, but you want to hear the story. Here goes.

I was walking out to my car with the goal in mind of running out to get some donuts - something we haven't done in maybe 10 years. I know I haven't had a donut in at least 4 years. I woke up this AM with memories of cooking donuts with my mom when I was growing up, then started fantasizing about what kind of donuts we like. I even mentioned to my husband, as he walked by, that I wanted a selection of donuts and would he go get them? He thought I was nuts, and also alarmed because he knows I am diabetic and have been fanatical about avoiding sugar & flour, etc. The thought was so deeply planted in my mind that I decided I needed to indulge this brief fantasy while I would allow myself to do it. So - back to the car. I walk out to the car, and the dogs in the back orchard are barking like crazy - in a hysterical way. Not a normal bark to tell me that the neighbors are walking by - but a frenzied 'Mom MOM come get this thing' bark. They have something, probably alive, cornered. Cautiously, I walk over to the outside of the orchard fence towards a pile of old tree limbs my husband had dumped. The pile had been there a while and weeds had grown high within, creating a substantial mound. A piece of what looked like heavy cardboard had blown over the pile, offering even more cover. Cautiously peering under the brush from the outside, with the dogs on the inside going into an even larger grenzy - I spot what looks like a black animal. OK. No skunk smell. Phew - that had been my first worry. I saw a little white in there as well. OK, it could be a raccoon. I wasn't about to stick my hand in the unknown and try to figure out what was inside - so I went back in the house, out the back door, through the yard and out to the orchard with the dogs. They are still going crazy. Parting the weeds at the fence, I see - a CAT! Now, it's making that low growl, hopefully aimed at the dogs and not me. Taking the dogs into the house, I go back out front to the mound and see if I can free up kitty. I think it is my neighbors cat (we call it Tinkerbell). Lately, about the past month or so, she has been making it a habit to hang around that one spot in my yard. She even Meow'd me over once to pet her, which I did. I was only a couple feet away from the brush pile, but didn't pay it any particular attention. Several times my dogs have chased her off and several times I would see her sitting there by the patch of weeds and branches.

When I get back to the brush pile, I reach down to pull aside the cardboard looking thing, only to find - it was a bottom panel covering the rest of the cash register we had found last month. Thinking only to free up the cat, I moved it a little (the register), stuck a stick in and drove the cat out. She ran off without even letting me pet her. But her job was done. After a month of trying to get our attention, she finally had gotten what she wanted.

Ah- now, for the crime. When I moved the panel and saw the rest of the cash register, I saw pieces of paper sticking up that had been hidden. With the wind and the little tiny bits of rain we had had, I knew there was not much chance of evidence (like fingerprints) remaining, but I still approached carefully and only touched one tiny piece with my fingers. I got the packet of paper free, which proved to be a bundle of checks. Underneath that, a couple coins (26 cents). I pulled out the bundle of checks, now with two of MY fingerprints on the front and back of the pile, took them in the house and called the police. That was over an hour ago; I don't even know if they will ever come back out again. But I stuck the bundle of checks inside a ziplock bag (after I thumbed through them) and found out where the register had originally come from. I don't know if I should mention the name of the store or the city.....oops, the police just showed up! Back in a bit.

Where was I? Oh, update. The cash drawer we had found before had given up some good fingerprints, but were not identified. The case was dropped for lack of more evidence as no local burglaries had been reported. The city where this register is from (thanks to today's find) is about 20 miles away. Our local police dude is going to contact their people and let them figure it all out. The register and it's hidden booty of checks will now make their way back home; or actually, into a dumpster for the wrecked register. Thanks mostly to the attentions of one seriously PO'd cat, we now know where the crime happened.

Now - does this have anything to do with the locals in my neighborhood? Last week someone siphoned about 25 gallons of gas from my vehicle. Yes, there are some teen hoods that hang out, shoot guns, start fires in the nearby woods, etc. Please don't let it be that group of boys! I like their parents so well and they own a restaurant here in town. My own teen boy, thankfully, is maybe a year too young and thankfully, does not hang out with them!

Robert J. Randisi

Dunne, Dec 2008, $25.95

ISBN: 9780312376420

In 1961 Vegas, Sammy Davis Jr. knows that Sands Casino pit boss Eddie Gianelli has come to the aid of his Rat Pack pals (see Dean Martin’s tale EVERYBODY KILLS SOMEBODY SOMETIME and Frank Sinatra in LUCK BE A LADY, DON'T DIE).  Since he needs help and knows he can trust Eddie, he hires him to make an exchange with a blackmailer.  Someone broke into Sammy’s home, stealing an embarrassing career ending photo and now wants 25 grand for its return.

Eddie and his friend Jerry Epstein show up at the exchange point only to find a corpse with no photo.  The pit boss and his buddy find themselves in a cat and mouse game across Nevada with blackmailers, cops, FBI and high ranking DC politicians though neither the two friends on the lam can understand why Hoover or the White House seem to be in on the chase.

Once again as with the previous two Rat Pack historical thrillers, Robert J. Randisi paying homage by making his real players come to life especially the entertainers whom the author clearly thinks highly of.  The story line is zany and a bit over the top, but no one will care as the Rat Pack steals the show in spite of Eddie and Jerry’s excellent adventure.

Harriet Klausner