Stephanie Faris's Blog, page 35
February 1, 2016
Smoky Mountain Madness
It was my husband's birthday, so we spent the weekend here:
Our adventure started Saturday, when we rolled into town around lunchtime. We checked into our hotel, which was:
Our room was beautiful. It looked similar to this:
Only with one bed instead of two. This was the view from our balcony:
After checking in, we headed over to Margaritaville's Restaurant for lunch. Good news! I found Jimmy Buffett's lost shaker of salt.
Margaritaville is part of a (relatively) new attraction in the Smoky Mountains called "the Island." There's a ferris wheel and about a billion shops:
One of them was this lovely place. Apparently since I last visited the mountains, moonshine has become a major force in the tourism industry. These places are everywhere now:
They do "moonshine tastings," which involve 13 tiny shots of different types of moonshine. People (including parents with young children) were lined up all around the bar for the show.
It's truly something to witness, even if you don't drink. A very amusing show.
My high school classmate stars in this show...but I, unfortunately, didn't get to make it there. If you're ever in the Smoky Mountains, you have to check it out, though:
Sunday was a beautiful day. We had our usual Gatlinburg breakfast at this must-visit location:
Then made the long shopping journey up and down this strip:
What did you do this weekend?
Our adventure started Saturday, when we rolled into town around lunchtime. We checked into our hotel, which was:
Our room was beautiful. It looked similar to this:
Only with one bed instead of two. This was the view from our balcony:
After checking in, we headed over to Margaritaville's Restaurant for lunch. Good news! I found Jimmy Buffett's lost shaker of salt.
Margaritaville is part of a (relatively) new attraction in the Smoky Mountains called "the Island." There's a ferris wheel and about a billion shops:
One of them was this lovely place. Apparently since I last visited the mountains, moonshine has become a major force in the tourism industry. These places are everywhere now:
They do "moonshine tastings," which involve 13 tiny shots of different types of moonshine. People (including parents with young children) were lined up all around the bar for the show.
It's truly something to witness, even if you don't drink. A very amusing show.
My high school classmate stars in this show...but I, unfortunately, didn't get to make it there. If you're ever in the Smoky Mountains, you have to check it out, though:
Sunday was a beautiful day. We had our usual Gatlinburg breakfast at this must-visit location:
Then made the long shopping journey up and down this strip:
What did you do this weekend?
January 29, 2016
Best Books of January
It's time once again to tell you about the best books I read this month. This month kicks off the year and it was a great one, reading wise. Hopefully you'll find a few you want to read in this group, too!
I was so excited to finally get to read the first book this month--I even got an advanced copy. It debuts February 16, but you can pre-order it now. You're Invited, Too is the sequel to You're Invited, a fun book about four girls who start up a party-planning business. You can read this book separately, but I'd recommend starting with You're Invited because...fun! The cover to the sequel is somehow classy and girly at the same time:
Every young girl who dreams of someday being a wedding planner must read this book! Four middle schoolers take on planning a mega-wedding for a true bridezilla. Not only are her demands unreasonable for tween wedding planners, but they'd be unreasonable for any wedding planner. This book shows the charm of living in a small town, where everyone takes care of each other. Plus, there's a hurricane evacuation that becomes a sleepover for the whole town. Am I weird to want to live in a town where that happens?!
My next book was a fun YA indulgence. I've been trying to read more YA novels recently and this one was the perfect choice. Fun fact: the publisher once had a vote to determine the cover for The Distance from A to Z. Click here to view the two choices and see if you agree with me that this was the best:
One thing I love about these Epic Reads e-books is the sexual tension. I've missed that since trading in romance novels for younger books. Natalie Blitt has it down. She has created two characters that constantly push each other away in that classic love story sort of way until you're dying for them to get together. If you love a good romance, along with the glamour of a story about a young girl learning to speak French, this is your book!
I also got to read the latest from Megan Whitson Lee. I loved Megan's book Song from the Ashes, so when I saw she had a new book, I knew I'd love it! I've made no secret of the fact that I'm fascinated with missing person cases, but Captives was so much more.
Captives is one of those books that gets under your skin. You know the kind of book I'm talking about: you can't stop thinking about it in between reads. When you're finished, you're left missing the characters. The book is told from three perspectives: the sister of a missing girl, a former sex-slavery victim who helps with the search for the missing girl, and a sex addict who lives in the neighborhood where the missing girl is found. (She's found early in the story, so that isn't giving anything away.) The story might seem like it's a mystery, but it's about what happens to some of these missing girls--and it begs the larger question of whether many of the young girls who get involved in prostitution and pornography aren't victims of sex slavery to one degree or another.
Next up are two books from my blogging buddy, Cathrina Constantine. When I downloaded Snow on Cinders, I immediately realized it was part two in a series. So, of course, I had to download the first one!
The Tallas series focuses on a future in which civilization as we know it has been wiped out. The survivors are left to live under the rule of Mediators who dominate using violence and threats. In Snow on Cinders, the main characters try to form a new civilization far away from Tallas. However, there are dangers at every turn. Cathrina has a talent for compelling readers to turn the page, packing each chapter with action. You don't have to read Tallas to jump right into Snow on Cedars, but I would recommend it. Reading both books together makes it a great experience!
What books did you decide to kick off 2016 reading?
I was so excited to finally get to read the first book this month--I even got an advanced copy. It debuts February 16, but you can pre-order it now. You're Invited, Too is the sequel to You're Invited, a fun book about four girls who start up a party-planning business. You can read this book separately, but I'd recommend starting with You're Invited because...fun! The cover to the sequel is somehow classy and girly at the same time:
Every young girl who dreams of someday being a wedding planner must read this book! Four middle schoolers take on planning a mega-wedding for a true bridezilla. Not only are her demands unreasonable for tween wedding planners, but they'd be unreasonable for any wedding planner. This book shows the charm of living in a small town, where everyone takes care of each other. Plus, there's a hurricane evacuation that becomes a sleepover for the whole town. Am I weird to want to live in a town where that happens?!
My next book was a fun YA indulgence. I've been trying to read more YA novels recently and this one was the perfect choice. Fun fact: the publisher once had a vote to determine the cover for The Distance from A to Z. Click here to view the two choices and see if you agree with me that this was the best:
One thing I love about these Epic Reads e-books is the sexual tension. I've missed that since trading in romance novels for younger books. Natalie Blitt has it down. She has created two characters that constantly push each other away in that classic love story sort of way until you're dying for them to get together. If you love a good romance, along with the glamour of a story about a young girl learning to speak French, this is your book!
I also got to read the latest from Megan Whitson Lee. I loved Megan's book Song from the Ashes, so when I saw she had a new book, I knew I'd love it! I've made no secret of the fact that I'm fascinated with missing person cases, but Captives was so much more.
Captives is one of those books that gets under your skin. You know the kind of book I'm talking about: you can't stop thinking about it in between reads. When you're finished, you're left missing the characters. The book is told from three perspectives: the sister of a missing girl, a former sex-slavery victim who helps with the search for the missing girl, and a sex addict who lives in the neighborhood where the missing girl is found. (She's found early in the story, so that isn't giving anything away.) The story might seem like it's a mystery, but it's about what happens to some of these missing girls--and it begs the larger question of whether many of the young girls who get involved in prostitution and pornography aren't victims of sex slavery to one degree or another.
Next up are two books from my blogging buddy, Cathrina Constantine. When I downloaded Snow on Cinders, I immediately realized it was part two in a series. So, of course, I had to download the first one!
The Tallas series focuses on a future in which civilization as we know it has been wiped out. The survivors are left to live under the rule of Mediators who dominate using violence and threats. In Snow on Cinders, the main characters try to form a new civilization far away from Tallas. However, there are dangers at every turn. Cathrina has a talent for compelling readers to turn the page, packing each chapter with action. You don't have to read Tallas to jump right into Snow on Cedars, but I would recommend it. Reading both books together makes it a great experience!
What books did you decide to kick off 2016 reading?
January 27, 2016
At Least You Don't Work There
Sometimes we get takeout from a local Italian deli. It's a great place to get yummy sandwiches.
As I waited at the cash register for our to-go order recently, the obviously experienced waitress who greeted me handled two phone calls, got drinks for another table, took an order from the table behind me, and flagged down the server who took our order by phone.
Minutes ticked by.
I started feeling impatient, but as I looked around, I noticed there were two servers for the whole restaurant. There were about 20 tables, all occupied by customers. Both servers frantically rushed around, looking as though they didn’t know how they’d dig their way out of this mess.
Meanwhile, more customers were pouring through the door, gathering in the small waiting area to be guided to a table by a hostess that didn’t exist.
It all took me back to my younger years. I remembered working in similar jobs. No matter what you do, you’re letting someone down.
As I finally paid and gathered my order to walk out the door, I wasn’t upset that it had taken about ten minutes to pay for an order that was already bagged up and ready to go. I was grateful that I got to go home and spend the evening like this:
There were two servers who likely would have traded places with me in a heartbeat.
Have you ever had a stressful job? Does revisiting that same type of business take you back?
As I waited at the cash register for our to-go order recently, the obviously experienced waitress who greeted me handled two phone calls, got drinks for another table, took an order from the table behind me, and flagged down the server who took our order by phone.
Minutes ticked by.
I started feeling impatient, but as I looked around, I noticed there were two servers for the whole restaurant. There were about 20 tables, all occupied by customers. Both servers frantically rushed around, looking as though they didn’t know how they’d dig their way out of this mess.
Meanwhile, more customers were pouring through the door, gathering in the small waiting area to be guided to a table by a hostess that didn’t exist.
It all took me back to my younger years. I remembered working in similar jobs. No matter what you do, you’re letting someone down.
As I finally paid and gathered my order to walk out the door, I wasn’t upset that it had taken about ten minutes to pay for an order that was already bagged up and ready to go. I was grateful that I got to go home and spend the evening like this:
There were two servers who likely would have traded places with me in a heartbeat.
Have you ever had a stressful job? Does revisiting that same type of business take you back?
January 25, 2016
Time to Sign Up for A to Z
Are you interested in growing your blog readership? If yes, keep reading. If not, scroll down to the pretty picture of puppies.
Okay, bloggers who want new readers--today is the day to prepare to get them. In a little more than two months, many of your blogging friends will be participating in this:
Starting April 1st, we'll be posting a new (short) blog every Monday-Saturday, with each blog post representing a letter of the alphabet. Those of us who want to gain readers from it will be reading other blogs in the challenge and making new friends. A few of you are here because we met during either the 2014 or 2015 challenges.
What do you need to do? Today, head on over to the sign-up page and add your name to the list. Then start thinking about a theme. You can pre-write your posts or wait until April to write them, but on April 1st, you'll post a blog every Monday-Saturday, starting with the letter A and ending with Z.
PUPPIES!
For those who aren't participating, it's still going to be fun. My topic is something I can't wait to get started on--it will be quite different from last year's theme, which was this:
Plus, I'm one of Alex Cavanaugh's minions, which means I'll be helping keep the list of participants clean throughout the month. Here's our cool minion badge:
Come back on A to Z theme reveal day, February 22nd, to hear all about my exciting 2016 theme!
Are you participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year?
Okay, bloggers who want new readers--today is the day to prepare to get them. In a little more than two months, many of your blogging friends will be participating in this:
Starting April 1st, we'll be posting a new (short) blog every Monday-Saturday, with each blog post representing a letter of the alphabet. Those of us who want to gain readers from it will be reading other blogs in the challenge and making new friends. A few of you are here because we met during either the 2014 or 2015 challenges.
What do you need to do? Today, head on over to the sign-up page and add your name to the list. Then start thinking about a theme. You can pre-write your posts or wait until April to write them, but on April 1st, you'll post a blog every Monday-Saturday, starting with the letter A and ending with Z.
PUPPIES!
For those who aren't participating, it's still going to be fun. My topic is something I can't wait to get started on--it will be quite different from last year's theme, which was this:
Plus, I'm one of Alex Cavanaugh's minions, which means I'll be helping keep the list of participants clean throughout the month. Here's our cool minion badge:
Come back on A to Z theme reveal day, February 22nd, to hear all about my exciting 2016 theme!
Are you participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge this year?
January 22, 2016
When Bad People Leave Prison
One of the worst things about reading old true crime books is that sometimes you learn that the person you’re reading about has already served his time. That means he’s out on the street. Some of them are murderers and extremely dangerous people, which makes me like this:
Some are just (allegedly) fraudsters. Like Anthony Pignataro.
Anthony is a narcissistic medical doctor who was convicted for killing one patient and not convicted for injuring many others. When his medical license was taken away, he poisoned his wife until she almost died.
The reason? He said he wanted to show that even the best doctors can’t save some patients.
Had she died, as planned, his warped ego had him thinking that nobody would detect the arsenic in her body and the world would suddenly see him as a victim, rather than a villain.
Yeah…that plan didn’t work out so well for him. He served 13 or so years in jail and was let out in December 2013. It didn't make national news that this nutball is now on the streets.
For 13 years, the government has had to keep attorneys assigned to his case because he's filed six appeals. He was released on parole and continues to appeal. I assume he wants his good name back, since he can't ascend to "greatness" once again while being known as the former doctor who killed one woman on the operating table, injured many more, and then poisoned his wife.
By now the world has forgotten this doctor...and I assume he won't be able to practice medicine in America due to his past. But he could head off to another country and start operating on people there. He may even marry again. Seems former murderers have no trouble finding people who will marry them, as you'll find on any crime show.
Do you know of any murderers who served their time and are now free to roam the country?
Some are just (allegedly) fraudsters. Like Anthony Pignataro.
Anthony is a narcissistic medical doctor who was convicted for killing one patient and not convicted for injuring many others. When his medical license was taken away, he poisoned his wife until she almost died.
The reason? He said he wanted to show that even the best doctors can’t save some patients.
Had she died, as planned, his warped ego had him thinking that nobody would detect the arsenic in her body and the world would suddenly see him as a victim, rather than a villain.
Yeah…that plan didn’t work out so well for him. He served 13 or so years in jail and was let out in December 2013. It didn't make national news that this nutball is now on the streets.
For 13 years, the government has had to keep attorneys assigned to his case because he's filed six appeals. He was released on parole and continues to appeal. I assume he wants his good name back, since he can't ascend to "greatness" once again while being known as the former doctor who killed one woman on the operating table, injured many more, and then poisoned his wife.
By now the world has forgotten this doctor...and I assume he won't be able to practice medicine in America due to his past. But he could head off to another country and start operating on people there. He may even marry again. Seems former murderers have no trouble finding people who will marry them, as you'll find on any crime show.
Do you know of any murderers who served their time and are now free to roam the country?
January 20, 2016
The Older I Get...
When I was a kid, doctors always seemed "old." I asked my mom recently about a doctor I had when I was 18 who is still practicing medicine in my town. "Wasn't he old back then?" I asked her.
She looked confused. "No...I'd say he was in his 30s."
As I got older, I started noticing something. Doctors, dentists, and hair stylists all suddenly were younger than I was. I'd go to the dentist and see this:
I always wanted to ask, "Are you old enough to have been through dental school?" But that would be rude. So I just trusted that these kid-medical professionals knew what was going on.
Then it hit me...they aren't old. I am.
Recently, while looking for a hair stylist, I spent a while researching local places. I even tried one out with an eyebrow wax appointment. This is about the age of the women who work in those places now:
The girl took me back to the eyebrow-waxing area and proceeded to talk like 20-year-olds talk. Lots of "likes" and "totes" and "awesomes." It was like listening to one of these talk:
An hour or so every six weeks in the chair, listening to that? I don't think so. Call me crazy, but I just want someone I can have a normal human conversation with. Although listening to vocal fry and this post-Millennial version of Valley Girl speak is good for my career. I just don't feel like I can have that stylist-customer bond with one of those girls. Plus...this:
So my search continues. But is it too much to want a stylist with some post-30s brains? And as we get older, isn't it a normal fact of life that our medical and beauty providers will be the same age as our children? Then grandchildren? After all, this could eventually be worse than Valley Girl speak from your doctor...
How do you find good doctors, dentists, and hair stylists? Does age or gender matter?
She looked confused. "No...I'd say he was in his 30s."
As I got older, I started noticing something. Doctors, dentists, and hair stylists all suddenly were younger than I was. I'd go to the dentist and see this:
I always wanted to ask, "Are you old enough to have been through dental school?" But that would be rude. So I just trusted that these kid-medical professionals knew what was going on.
Then it hit me...they aren't old. I am.
Recently, while looking for a hair stylist, I spent a while researching local places. I even tried one out with an eyebrow wax appointment. This is about the age of the women who work in those places now:
The girl took me back to the eyebrow-waxing area and proceeded to talk like 20-year-olds talk. Lots of "likes" and "totes" and "awesomes." It was like listening to one of these talk:
An hour or so every six weeks in the chair, listening to that? I don't think so. Call me crazy, but I just want someone I can have a normal human conversation with. Although listening to vocal fry and this post-Millennial version of Valley Girl speak is good for my career. I just don't feel like I can have that stylist-customer bond with one of those girls. Plus...this:
So my search continues. But is it too much to want a stylist with some post-30s brains? And as we get older, isn't it a normal fact of life that our medical and beauty providers will be the same age as our children? Then grandchildren? After all, this could eventually be worse than Valley Girl speak from your doctor...
How do you find good doctors, dentists, and hair stylists? Does age or gender matter?
January 18, 2016
5 Things I Learned from the Showtime Free Weekend
When I was younger, premium movie channels would occasionally have a free weekend. It was so exciting, you wanted to cancel all your plans and watch every movie they showed before the free weekend was gone forever. It was the 1990s version of binge watching!
This weekend Hulu Plus brought back those old memories with a weekend of free Showtime. Which seemed like it would be a weekend of this:
Only one look at the Showtime lineup and I knew it would be a weekend of this:
The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in a "Showtime-only" TV series I'd never be able to watch again, so I headed straight for the movies section. Which is when I learned a few essential things about Hulu's Free Showtime Weekend.
1. Showtime's movies suck.
No offense to Showtime. We have HBO, though, and the selection of recent movies that I've actually heard of is much greater. Showtime was a selection of, "What's that?" and "Why have I never heard of any of these movies?"
2. I trust actors' judgment.
Meryl Streep would never choose a bad movie. Neither would Julia Roberts. So a Meryl Streep-Julia Roberts movie has to be a win. Only August: Osage County was not only depressing, but it was pointless and blah.
3. Sometimes it pays to stay with a movie until the end.
Okay, I was going to give up on this one at several points...but the ending made it worth it. The ending of a movie (or a book) can make a so-so movie phenomenal. Interesting how that works.
4. Sometimes it doesn't.
Just as I'll toss a book aside if it isn't catching my interest, I'll exit out of a movie if it's headed for nowheresville. How do I know it's headed that way? Wikipedia will give you a summary of most plots. If you're thinking about parachuting out of a movie, you can just read ahead a little and see if anything interesting starts happening soon.
5. TV shows are better than movies.
Okay, I know this is a blanket statement...but unless you're into dark independent films or films based on comic books, often TV shows are better. They have better writing and they're attracting some of the most talented actors. The only problem is--if you want to watch a Showtime/HBO/Netflix original, you have to pay an individual subscription. And none of those outlets specializes in one type of series. My only request would be that each network pick a demographic. Showtime could have the middle-aged women while HBO could take the young guys who like all that superhero-actiony stuff. I'm not going to pay $8-10 to 15 different networks to access two TV series I like on each.
Are you a binge watcher?
This weekend Hulu Plus brought back those old memories with a weekend of free Showtime. Which seemed like it would be a weekend of this:
Only one look at the Showtime lineup and I knew it would be a weekend of this:
The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in a "Showtime-only" TV series I'd never be able to watch again, so I headed straight for the movies section. Which is when I learned a few essential things about Hulu's Free Showtime Weekend.
1. Showtime's movies suck.
No offense to Showtime. We have HBO, though, and the selection of recent movies that I've actually heard of is much greater. Showtime was a selection of, "What's that?" and "Why have I never heard of any of these movies?"
2. I trust actors' judgment.
Meryl Streep would never choose a bad movie. Neither would Julia Roberts. So a Meryl Streep-Julia Roberts movie has to be a win. Only August: Osage County was not only depressing, but it was pointless and blah.
3. Sometimes it pays to stay with a movie until the end.
Okay, I was going to give up on this one at several points...but the ending made it worth it. The ending of a movie (or a book) can make a so-so movie phenomenal. Interesting how that works.
4. Sometimes it doesn't.
Just as I'll toss a book aside if it isn't catching my interest, I'll exit out of a movie if it's headed for nowheresville. How do I know it's headed that way? Wikipedia will give you a summary of most plots. If you're thinking about parachuting out of a movie, you can just read ahead a little and see if anything interesting starts happening soon.
5. TV shows are better than movies.
Okay, I know this is a blanket statement...but unless you're into dark independent films or films based on comic books, often TV shows are better. They have better writing and they're attracting some of the most talented actors. The only problem is--if you want to watch a Showtime/HBO/Netflix original, you have to pay an individual subscription. And none of those outlets specializes in one type of series. My only request would be that each network pick a demographic. Showtime could have the middle-aged women while HBO could take the young guys who like all that superhero-actiony stuff. I'm not going to pay $8-10 to 15 different networks to access two TV series I like on each.
Are you a binge watcher?
January 15, 2016
Remember the Good Old Days?
Maybe it was when you were fresh out of college, starting your first professional job. You hung out with friends in your free time and fell in love with the person you eventually married.
Maybe it was your college days, when you were carefree and life was one big party.
Or maybe it goes further back, to your childhood and a time when your biggest worry was how late you'd get to stay outside in the summertime.
For some people, the "good old days" are a combination of all of the above. Their nostalgia can be confusing, since it varies from one day to the next. Whatever the era, the problem is that people are spending their time looking back instead of enjoying what they have today.
Recently as I rewatched the finale of The Office, Andy said something that resonated with me. I even remember hearing it the first time the episode aired and thinking it was one of the most beautiful things I've heard. While working at Dunder Mifflin, Andy looked back nostalgically on his days at Cornell. He left Dunder Mifflin to work at Cornell and spent all his time remembering "the good old days" at Dunder Mifflin. His profound statement was this:
No matter how old you are, you'll never be this young again. Your kids will never be this age again and (if you have them) your grandkids will never be this age again. If you achieve all your dreams, you may even look back at today and wish you'd enjoyed "the climb" a little more.
Maybe in 2016 we should spend less time looking back and more time looking at what we have today.
Enjoy today as if it were one of the good old days you'll look back on someday.
Maybe it was your college days, when you were carefree and life was one big party.
Or maybe it goes further back, to your childhood and a time when your biggest worry was how late you'd get to stay outside in the summertime.
For some people, the "good old days" are a combination of all of the above. Their nostalgia can be confusing, since it varies from one day to the next. Whatever the era, the problem is that people are spending their time looking back instead of enjoying what they have today.
Recently as I rewatched the finale of The Office, Andy said something that resonated with me. I even remember hearing it the first time the episode aired and thinking it was one of the most beautiful things I've heard. While working at Dunder Mifflin, Andy looked back nostalgically on his days at Cornell. He left Dunder Mifflin to work at Cornell and spent all his time remembering "the good old days" at Dunder Mifflin. His profound statement was this:
No matter how old you are, you'll never be this young again. Your kids will never be this age again and (if you have them) your grandkids will never be this age again. If you achieve all your dreams, you may even look back at today and wish you'd enjoyed "the climb" a little more.
Maybe in 2016 we should spend less time looking back and more time looking at what we have today.
Enjoy today as if it were one of the good old days you'll look back on someday.
January 13, 2016
Aging Isn't Just Physical
Every now and then, someone comes along who calls society on its B.S. These people aren't afraid to stand up for themselves in a very public way. It helps if those people are highly-respected celebrities...like this woman:
As Carrie Fisher said, she did something no famous actress is allowed to do. She got older. Over the years, she has dealt with a constant stream of comments to the effect of, "What happened to her? She was so beautiful in the Star Wars movies." Basically, she was supposed to look like this until she turned 100 and died.
Recently Carrie was forced to lose weight to appear in the most recent Star Wars movie. She was thin, but it still wasn't enough. Fans were shocked that the 59-year-old actress looked like this:
Of course, nobody really cared that Harrison Ford now looks like this:
And Mark Hamill looks like this:
It was all about Princess Leia. The big difference between Carrie Fisher and most other actresses who were popular in the 70s is that she's remained in the spotlight. She's done so because she's one smart, talented woman. She writes and produces and measures a person's worth by far more than the way they look.
Unfortunately, many others aren't that way. After dealing with weeks of commentary on Twitter, Carrie Fisher finally spoke up in late December. She tweeted:
In later days she added that her body is her brain bag. It carries her around to where she needs to go. She's a talented, accomplished person who happens to allow herself to be photographed and filmed occasionally. But mostly, she's just amazing. Which makes this meme, posted by one of her fans in response to one of her tweets, all that much more powerful:
Do you think society is too judgmental about our aging celebrities?
As Carrie Fisher said, she did something no famous actress is allowed to do. She got older. Over the years, she has dealt with a constant stream of comments to the effect of, "What happened to her? She was so beautiful in the Star Wars movies." Basically, she was supposed to look like this until she turned 100 and died.
Recently Carrie was forced to lose weight to appear in the most recent Star Wars movie. She was thin, but it still wasn't enough. Fans were shocked that the 59-year-old actress looked like this:
Of course, nobody really cared that Harrison Ford now looks like this:
And Mark Hamill looks like this:
It was all about Princess Leia. The big difference between Carrie Fisher and most other actresses who were popular in the 70s is that she's remained in the spotlight. She's done so because she's one smart, talented woman. She writes and produces and measures a person's worth by far more than the way they look.
Unfortunately, many others aren't that way. After dealing with weeks of commentary on Twitter, Carrie Fisher finally spoke up in late December. She tweeted:
In later days she added that her body is her brain bag. It carries her around to where she needs to go. She's a talented, accomplished person who happens to allow herself to be photographed and filmed occasionally. But mostly, she's just amazing. Which makes this meme, posted by one of her fans in response to one of her tweets, all that much more powerful:
Do you think society is too judgmental about our aging celebrities?
January 11, 2016
Crowdsourcing Crime Fighting
I'm sure by now you've heard there's a new show everyone's talking about. I can't explain exactly why things like this take off, but the national obsession is very, very real. This month that obsession is this show:
In case you missed it, the story goes like this:
Man serves 18 years in jail for crime he didn't commitMan is releasedMan sues the county and its sheriffWoman disappears while on that same man's propertyMan allegedly is framed for the murder by the very sheriff's department he's suing
Basically, as always happens, the government is saying, "Whatever" to the fact that the public is outraged about this. Which only makes the public more outraged. Usually the public goes away eventually and the government gets away with it...not sure if that will happen this time.
Unfortunately, there are people sitting in jail all over this country who aren't guilty. The fact that so many convicts have been released based on advances in DNA evidence tells us that. False confessions happen. Detectives take shortcuts to get cases closed. Juries are swayed to convict by prejudices and ignorance. It happens.
I'm a true crime fanatic. I'm on Book 11 of Ann Rule's Crime Files series. I just finished marathoning every episode ever of Cold Justice. I've seen so many Dateline NBCs, I can't even remember if I've seen one before when I start watching. And I love, love, love the Maura Murray podcast I'm always telling you guys about.
Like the Serial podcast that was 2014's obsession, both Making a Murderer and Missing Maura Murray have brought a community of amateur detectives. That's a good thing...but it also can be a bad thing. Because, as police are always quick to point out, the public rarely gets the full story on any of these podcasts or documentaries. Not only can the producers/writers not capture every single fact in the limited time they have on air, but they also are only handed information that police have released publicly.
As one police officer put it when the uber-creepy Elisa Lam story went viral:
“The problem with amateur sleuths is they make their assessment(s) based on the limited amount of information law enforcement provides…The media outlets then manipulate the materials to accommodate their needs, leaving the sleuths with only partial truths. When viewed by someone that WANTS to support their agenda or conspiracy theory, they will overlook the reasonable/probable and jump to the possible."
As the public (including celebrities) continues to demand justice for the Making a Murderer "victims," I can't help but think of that quote. Yes, it's good that we now live in a society where people can call public officials on their BS, especially if it actually helps get an innocent person out of jail. But I also can't help but wonder, what if the guys featured in Making a Murderer are actually guilty of brutally murdering this woman?
And what if the public screams so much that they finally let them out of jail? In that instance, is crowdsourced crime fighting really a good thing?
In case you missed it, the story goes like this:
Man serves 18 years in jail for crime he didn't commitMan is releasedMan sues the county and its sheriffWoman disappears while on that same man's propertyMan allegedly is framed for the murder by the very sheriff's department he's suing
Basically, as always happens, the government is saying, "Whatever" to the fact that the public is outraged about this. Which only makes the public more outraged. Usually the public goes away eventually and the government gets away with it...not sure if that will happen this time.
Unfortunately, there are people sitting in jail all over this country who aren't guilty. The fact that so many convicts have been released based on advances in DNA evidence tells us that. False confessions happen. Detectives take shortcuts to get cases closed. Juries are swayed to convict by prejudices and ignorance. It happens.
I'm a true crime fanatic. I'm on Book 11 of Ann Rule's Crime Files series. I just finished marathoning every episode ever of Cold Justice. I've seen so many Dateline NBCs, I can't even remember if I've seen one before when I start watching. And I love, love, love the Maura Murray podcast I'm always telling you guys about.
Like the Serial podcast that was 2014's obsession, both Making a Murderer and Missing Maura Murray have brought a community of amateur detectives. That's a good thing...but it also can be a bad thing. Because, as police are always quick to point out, the public rarely gets the full story on any of these podcasts or documentaries. Not only can the producers/writers not capture every single fact in the limited time they have on air, but they also are only handed information that police have released publicly.
As one police officer put it when the uber-creepy Elisa Lam story went viral:
“The problem with amateur sleuths is they make their assessment(s) based on the limited amount of information law enforcement provides…The media outlets then manipulate the materials to accommodate their needs, leaving the sleuths with only partial truths. When viewed by someone that WANTS to support their agenda or conspiracy theory, they will overlook the reasonable/probable and jump to the possible."
As the public (including celebrities) continues to demand justice for the Making a Murderer "victims," I can't help but think of that quote. Yes, it's good that we now live in a society where people can call public officials on their BS, especially if it actually helps get an innocent person out of jail. But I also can't help but wonder, what if the guys featured in Making a Murderer are actually guilty of brutally murdering this woman?
And what if the public screams so much that they finally let them out of jail? In that instance, is crowdsourced crime fighting really a good thing?
