#668
7.20.2009

In this issue:
1. Reflections
2. FYI
3. Book report recommendation
4. Reviews . . . MY SISTER'S KEEPER, etc.
5. TV alert
6. Yesterday (as reported by a friend)
7. Websites
8. Computer tip
9. Things to say in job interviews . . . NOT, Part 3 of 3
10. A quote I like
11. Thought for the day
12. Advance planning department

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1. Reflections

A. Cynthia, my beautiful bride, and I bid farewell on Tuesday
to her sister Joyce and brother-in-law Marty . . . before they left,
we spent a day in downtown Asheville where we shopped and
observed various street performers (always a fun thing to do) . . . from
there, we went to one of our favorite movie theaters in the area:
Cinebarre to catch a flick . . . it's unique, in that you can also
watch a first-run film and grab some beer or wine, as well as some food
that was surprisingly good . . . we generally get the burgers and/or salads,

and we like them both . . . for more information, please click:

http://www.cinebarre.com/

B. We have also discovered another unusual place to watch movies;
i.e., the Carolina Cinemas . . . they have couches in four of the
theaters, which makes for very comfortable viewing . . . the only
problem is that it is difficult to determine what films are playing
in the theaters that have the couches . . . you can't find it out
on the Internet; instead, you have to call the office to find out:
828.274.8811.

C. We revisited a restaurant we had first dined at when
thinking about moving to North Carolina: Flat Rock Grille
in Asheville . . . Cynthia's salmon was excellent, as was
my tilapia . . . the latter portion was particularly generous . . . our
salads were also quite good . . . in addition, Mallory did a fine
job as our server . . . and KUDOS, too, to Kristin the hostess
who greeted us most enthusiastically . . . you'll be able
to recognize her if you just seek out the lookalike for
Britney Spears' teen sister Jamie Lynn!

For more information about the restaurant, please click:

http://www.flatrockgrille.com

D. Lastly, we saw MARRIED ALIVE! at the Parkway Playhouse
in Burnsville . . . it's a delightful musical about two different couples
and the various stages of their marriages . . . we knew nothing
about it, prior to attending, so we had no expectations . . . were
we ever pleasantly surprised . . . the performers were all
great,  and the songs were catchy . . . best of all, you can
still see a performance this coming weekend . . . for more
information, please click:

http://www.parkwayplayhouse.com

We next stopped at our favorite pizza place: Mellow Mushroom . . . you'll
almost always have to wait to be seated, but do take the time to do
so . . . you won't be disappointed.

Though a chain operation, it doesn't feel like it . . . for more
information, please click:

http://www.mellowmushroom.com/

Then before returning home, we checked out the Sky Bar in
Asheville, which provides a beautiful view of the area:

 

http://tinyurl.com/lh4bfy

Methinks that if you ever get a rebate check, you need to remember not
to cash it . . . in addition, always keep in mind that THERE'S NO SUCH THING
AS A FREE LUNCH!

FYI, part 2

* Back by popular demand--a cartoon from Pat in Pennsylvania:  

I'm much obliged to Pat Achilles for providing the above . . . she
does comics, greeting cards, artwork for children's books and so much
more . . . for more information, call her at 215.348.4837 or email
her at: patachilles@aol.com . . . you can also get a FREE weekly cartoon
delivered to your email by clicking:

 

http://www.achillesportfolio.com/freecartoonsignup.htm

* Harry in California:

Starting a new promo in a couple of days for INSTANT TURNAROUND!  
My coauthor, Ross Reck, and I are declaring war on bad bosses.
You can go to:

http://www.bosstrenz.com

and we will tag your boss as a bad boss. For $30 we will send them,
anonymously, a copy of the book with a big yellow Bad Boss tag.  
Check it out.

* Jean in Pennsylvania:

I love my husband's "Polish Paella," especially as leftovers
for lunch!

SPECIAL THANKS:

To Jean for then giving me permission to run the recipe for the above:

Diced kielbasa blackened in cast-iron, then folded into rice with red beans,
tomatoes, tomato sauce, hot sauce, and whatever else he throws in.
He never wrote it down so it's different every time.

Ken says there is no recipe, Blaine. You're welcome to run my description.
He uses canned tomatoes, often stewed (the tomatoes, not the cook).

* A message from the Goodnoe family:

Goodnoe’s has opened its ice cream parlor! Third generation, Colin and
Kendall, are dipping ice cream “Bucks County Style.” All the same
ingredients and all the same recipes, you won't know Skip handed it over.
Now located at 4 S. Sycamore Street, Newtown (between Swamp Road and
Newtown-Richboro Road). We hope you visit us for your favorite ice cream
treat.

* Diane in Pennsylvania (with an update on her husband Bill Lewis):

Just an update on Bill.  He had an appointment this morning with the
surgeon and had all the stitches and staples removed. It will only
be a matter of a few days before he is transferred out of Meadow Springs
and on to Magee for two weeks of therapy. After that it will be Home
Sweet Home.  

It will be nice to have him home finally!

It is hard to believe that it has almost been one year since Bill's accident.

I want to thank everyone for all your prayers and get well cards that were
sent to Bill to our home and at Meadow Springs.

I will continue to keep everyone posted, and I will let everyone know when
Bill comes home.

God bless you all.

TO REACH BILL:

His phone number is 267.912.1458, and his email address remains:
billL@steen.com.

* Marsha in New Jersey:

Even if you are not one of the multitudes of Harry Potter enthusiasts, perhaps
you will join my enthusiasm of my daughter Becca's short promo commercial
airing daily on MTV.  Just click on the link and wait for the youtube film to load:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsuPnextlgc

* Sharon in North Carolina (on the new Harry Potter movie):

While I admit that I don't find J.K. Rowling the best writer ever, she does
have some cool ideas. Unfortunately, the writer and director of the movie
left those out and left the boring stuff in. The reason why it is rated PG
this time is because it is more dealing with all the relationships between
the teens (romantically) and little dealing with the actual danger of the bad
guy Voldermort. The book had so much background explaining why and how
he became "evil," and they skipped 90% of that for teen drama/angst.
Taking out the big fight scene at the end that was in the book and changing
a few other elements left some big plot holes and didn't explain how or why
certain people knew who or what the half-blood prince was.

* Lana in Ohio:

GREY GARDENS is a fantastic movie. Excellent recommendation!

* Sally in North Carolina:

Interesting newsletter, Blaine. Very informative. How do you find the time?
 
Thank you for the plug for Buster. They're one of my favorite bands in town
too.  
 
And I agree with your recommendation of GREY GARDENS. I was completely
blown away.  Amazing story. Amazing performances. I'd like to own that one. 
After watching it, Bob and I rented the original documentary from Netflix. Drew

Barrymore and Jessica Lange were dead on.
 
I heard the two Michaels from the new Comedy Central show interviewed
on "Fresh Air" on NPR this afternoon. Neat guys--should be a good show. 
I'll have to remember to record it.

* Debbie in Pennsylvania:
I get the biggest chuckle out of reading your newsletter . . . especially
what not to say in a job  interview!

* Deb in Colorado:

I love this newsletter and have for years. The "Thought" section was
particularly lovely this week [#666].   

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3. Book report recommendation

What is the thinnest book in the world?

WHAT MEN KNOW ABOUT WOMEN.

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4. Reviews 

A. MY SISTER'S KEEPER tells the story of a family forced to deal
the fact that one of its members is dying . . . as the storyline might
indicate, it's a tearjerker . . . but one that also raises fascinating
moral and ethical questions . . . I won't tell you more for fear that
I'll ruin the film for you . . . however, I will say that it moved me
deeply  . . . Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin and
Sofia Vassilieva (a young actress that I had not seen before)
are all superb in their respective roles . . . the accompanying
soundtrack was great, too . . . rated PG-13.

MR. CURIOUS HERE:

I understand that the book had a different ending than the
movie . . . since I did not also read the book, I can't comment
on that . . . but if any reader (who has both read the book
and seen the movie) wishes to tell me the differences, I'd
be most appreciative . . . I'd also be interested in your
reaction to the changes that were made.

B. THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD is now out in DVD format . . . my
review from BLAINESWORLD #653 follows:

John Malkovich does his best work in some time (perhaps
since BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) in THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD,
a charming tale of an aging mentalist--in the tradition of the Amazing
Kreskin . . . his corny persona had me chuckling throughout
the film . . . I also liked how Emily Blunt lit up the screen every
time she appeared as Howard's publicist . . . rated PG, though
I have my doubts that young children would appreciate it.

What I did appreciate: How Malkovich constantly screamed "I love
this town!" to half-full rooms in such towns as Wausau, Wisconsin,
and Bakersfield, California . . . his energetic handshake also
is something that still sticks in my mind.

C. It's not easy running a business at any time, but when the
economy turns downward, things become even more
difficult . . . so that's why BUSINESS SUCCESS IN
TOUGH TIMES by Neil Raphel, Janis Raye and Adrienne Raphel
is particularly relevant--and helpful to anybody involved in running
and/or working for just about any size enterprise.

The authors present many examples of businesses who
have faced tough times, but have managed to not only
survive--but also prosper . . . I particularly liked the range
of organizations that were featured, running the gamut
from a doctor practicing medicine the old-fashioned way
to a major hotel change.

Some I recognized, such as Netflix; others I had never
heard about, such as St. Johnsbury Academy in
Vermont . . . and one story (how casino gambling
managed to succeed in Atlantic City) got me to see
the value of collaboration and the need to:

* Think cooperation, not competition.

Businesses have been joining together in informal groups for
many years to act as a larger organization for discounts, obtaining
insurance, or joint advertising. You can even collaborate with someone
in the same business as yours--most people want to shop in more
than one place for the same kind of goods.

Collaboration, incidentally, is one of the nine chapter
headings . . . the others also point to key strategies for business
success: Adaptability, Customer Service, Diversity, Growth, Loyalty,
Niche Marketing, Perseverance and Planning.

The amazing thing is that nothing you do involves anything more difficult

than listening to your customer:

* At Superquinn, Feargal Quinn went a step further than Amazon.
He instituted a program to reward customers who found faults with
his products or services. Through his loyalty points program, he
awarded bonus points to customers who found things wrong in the
Superquinn operation. 300 points for a shopping cart with a broken
wheel (or, as the Irish would say, a "wobbly  trolley"): 400 points for
finding milk still in the case after its expiration date; 100 points for a
sign with a misspelled word. Quinn claims that by enlisting his
customers to find mistakes, he didn't have to hire quality control
personnel. His customers did all the work for him.

And sometimes, thinking outside the box helps:

* Figuring out what your business does best and concentrating on that
can work on a micro or macro sale. Matthew Burak is a woodworker
based in Vermont who started his career doing custom-designed furniture.
Over time, he met hundreds of woodworking enthusiasts who enjoyed
amateur projects but weren't always able to create the more complex
sections that required more skill and technical expertise. He recognized
a need for those parts and started a business producing just the table
legs. According to Burak, people can make the top of a table out of
many different materials, but turning wooden table legs requires
equipment most people don't have. His business, Classic Designs
by Matthew Burak, specializes in providing wooden table legs of
all sizes to both amateur wood workers and professional contractors.
In the past ten years, the business has grown exponentially, primarily
through Internet sales from its website, tablelegs.com. 

My only disappointment in reading BUSINESS SUCCESS IN
TOUGH TIMES was that it only contained 142 pages . . . it left
me wanting more, which I guess I'll have to wait for until
Raphel, Raye and Raphel come out with their next book.

D. If you're a fan of comedian Larry Miller (WAITING FOR GUFFMAN,
SEINFELD appearances, etc.), then SPOILED ROTTEN AMERICA:
OUTRAGES OF EVERYDAY LIFE is the book for you.

It contains a series of 17 essays that present Miller's views on
what's funny in our daily lives . . . it seems that is just about
everything, at least according to the author, and I found myself
both chuckling and thinking about many of his observations.

For example:

* The American pendulum only swings to extremes.The news is on all
day, but we know less and less; there's music in every mall, but we don't
hear it; everyone has a phone but nothing to say. The chubbiest of us have
the strictest diets, because we can't learn to modulate and moderate. It's
all or nothing. One bite of a cookie, and suddenly you're on a plane to Vegas
with a hooker. To the Cranky Nitpickers of America—a club I'd join in a
second if I weren't already its president—it's long been understood that
the world is going to Hell in a handbasket.

Then there was his take on middle-age drinking:

* When you're in your twenties, you can drink all night and bungee-jump off
a bridge the next day. If I drank all night, I'd want to go off that bridge
without the cord.

Perhaps best of all, he includes his classic routine on the 5 stages
of drinking--written when he was much younger.

One other line really caught my attention:

* Money can't make stupid people smart, but it often makes smart people
stupid.

I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to listen to this
book on CD . . . this is one time when I preferred that option
(to the written version), in that Miller also did the narration--so
I got to hear his great delivery.

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5. TV alert 

A. RUBY & THE ROCKITS should be fun, if just to see David
Cassidy play the irresponsible rocker dad to a teen who shares
his musical talents . . . Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC FAMILY.

B. PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI is an HBO documentary
that tells the story of a small town that has always had two proms,
one for blacks and one for nights . . . actor Morgan Freeman
attempted to change things around by offering to pay for the
whole party . . . according to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, "The
true magic of the film is that it gets us thinking in many directions,
perhaps beyond the imagining of the directors." . . . Thursday
at 2:30 p.m. on HBO  . . . for other times, please click:

http://tinyurl.com/lsohhe

C. I got to see TED WILLIAMS, another HBO documentary about the hitter
many feel was the best to ever play major league baseball . . . it's
excellent and a "must-see" for any baseball fan . . . Friday at 8 a.m.
on HBO . . . . for other times, please click:

 

http://tinyurl.com/n2fvf3

D. Debra in Louisiana recommended that I catch DROP DEAD
DIVA, a comedy about a wanna be model who drops dead and goes
into an overweight attorney's body . . . I took her advice and can
tell you that it's a cute show . . . Sundays at 9 p.m. on LIFETIME.

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6. Yesterday (as reported by a friend)

Yesterday, I had a flat tire on the Interstate. So I eased my car over
to the shoulder of the road, carefully got out of the car and opened the trunk. 
I took out two cardboard men, unfolded them and stood them at the rear
of my car facing oncoming traffic. They looked so lifelike you wouldn't believe
it! They were in trench coats, exposing their nude bodies to the approaching
drivers.

I started to change my tire, and to my surprise, cars started slowing down
to look at my life-like men. And, of course, traffic started backing up.
Everybody was tooting their horns and waving like crazy. It wasn't long
before a police officer pulled up behind me.

The officer got out of his car and started walking towards me.  I could tell
he was not a happy camper! "What's going on here?"

"My car has a flat tire," I said calmly.

"Well, what the &?%$ are those obscene cardboard men doing here
by the road?"

I couldn't believe that he didn't know. So I told him, "Hello-o-o-o, those
are my emergency flashers."

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7. Websites

A. Prepare to be amazed when you click:

http://tinyurl.com/cxyndr

You'll see a cute online version of an old trick . . . see if you can
figure it out by yourself . . . if you can't, and if there's sufficient
interest, I'll run the "solution" next week. (Thanks to Natalie
in Pennsylvania for sending this to me.)

B. For those who couldn't make the Michael Jackson funeral,
here's the program that was distributed:

http://tinyurl.com/nalyp9

You can actually download the whole thing yourself. (Thanks to
Scott in Pennsylvania for this one.)

C. BLAINESWORLD, the website, remains up and running . . . to view
it, please click:

http://www.blainesworld.net

To see my reviews of books that I've enjoyed, for the most part,
go to "Blaine's Best" on the left and then letter "O" . . . click
on the second paragraph.

To help me move up in the ratings (I'm now #369 in the Top 500
of all reviewers), please feel free to do the following:

1. Go to:

http://www.amazon.com

2. Find my review of a recent book that I read; e.g., CURIOUS GEORGE
by John Capoya.

3. Go to that book and then find my review. I believe it is toward the top
on the right.

4. If you feel my review was helpful, please click "Yes."

Much obliged!

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8. Computer tip

Might there be a better search engine than Google?

Decide for yourself by trying Microsoft's Bing . . .  all you need
to do is click:

http://www.bing.com

Should you want more information, read what THE NEW YORK
TIMES had to say about the two search engines:

http://tinyurl.com/njkzb6

And, lastly, there's even a website that lets you do your very own
side-by-side comparison:

http://bing-vs-google.com/

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9. Things to say in job interviews . . . NOT, Part 3 of 3

Still more memorable interview responses, according to
CareerBuilder.com:

29. "I am an alcoholic and do not deserve this job."--Deb Bailey, owner,
Power Women Magazine & Radio Show

30. "I'm really not a big learner. You know . . . some people love learning
and are always picking up new things, but that's just not me. I'd much rather
work at a place where the job is pretty stagnant and doesn't change a
lot."--Michaele Charles, Voice Communications

31. When have you demonstrated leadership skills?
"Well my best example would be in the world of online video gaming. I
pretty much run the show; it takes a lot to do that."--Rachel Croce

32. Is there anything else I should know about you?
"You should probably know I mud wrestle on the weekends."--Venne

33.When can you start?
"I need to check with my mom on that one."--Bolzan

34. Use three adjectives to describe yourself
"I hate questions like this."--Katrina Meistering, manager of outreach,
National Fatherhood Initiative

35. Tell of a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it
"I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its
replacement."--Meistering

36. Have you submitted your two weeks' notice to your current employer?
"What is two weeks' notice? I've never quit a job before, I've always been
fired."--Meistering

37. "One guy [said] 'it would probably be best' if I didn't run a background
check on him. Of course, I did, and learned all about his long, sordid past
of lawbreaking. Our client actually offered him a job as a staff accountant,
but quickly retracted the offer when I had to tell them all about his recent
arrest for a meth lab in his basement."--Charles

38. "[A] guy said he did not have a mailing address, as he was living in a
gypsy camp at the airport."--Sandra L. Flippo, SPHR

39. "I went into the lobby to pick up a candidate. As he stood up, his
trousers fell to the floor! [He said] 'Oh, my gosh--they told me I needed
a suit for the interview. I've got no money--so I borrowed this thing.
It's too big!' "--Beth Ross, executive and career coach

40. "Wow--I'm not used to wearing dress shoes! My feet are killing me.
Can I show you these bloody blisters?"--Bolzan

41. "May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last
night."--Smith

42. (During a telephone call to schedule the interview) "Can we meet next
month? I am currently incarcerated."--Smith

43. "[A candidate] was asked whether he could advocate impartially on behalf
of the various universities he would be representing since he had attended
one of them. He responded, 'Well, I don't like to poop where I eat, but I
thought my education sucked, so I certainly wouldn't put that school
above the others.' "--Darby

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10. A quote I like

There is only one success--to be able to spend your life in your
own way.--Christopher Morley (1890-1957), American journalist, novelist,
essayist and poet

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11. Thought for the day 

The classroom

A lesson that should be taught in all schools . . . and colleges!

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren,
a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock,
did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the
permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building
supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When
the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were
no desks.. "Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?"

She replied, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right
to sit at a desk."

They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades."

"No," she said. 

"Maybe it's our behavior."

She told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. 
Still no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon, television news crews had started gathering in
Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had
taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats
on the floor of the deskless classroom. Martha Cothren said, "Throughout
the day, no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn
the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now
I am going to tell you.." At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door
of her classroom and opened it.

Twenty-seven U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom,
each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks
in rows, and then they would walk over and stand along side the wall. By
the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place,  those kids started
to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right
to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes
did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit 
in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good
citizens.  They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get
an education. Don't ever forget it."

Author unknown
(if you know who wrote this and/or the source, please let me know)

MY TWO CENTS:

The above is a true story; see for yourself by clicking:

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp

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12. Advance planning department

A. Two items of interest for this weekend:

* Cheryl in Pennsylvania:

Oh, wow, are audiences ever loving FINIAN'S RAINBOW [at Actor's Net
of Bucks County in Morrisville, PA]. And they're just pouring in--last
weekend was probably our biggest 4-day weekend every. And this
weekend's 5 shows--Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday
at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 6 p.m.--are filling up fast. In fact,
the Saturday matinee has nothing but folding chairs available. So if you're
planning to come, please reserve soon.

Wondering how good it is?  Check out the Packet/centraljersey.com review
by Bob Brown:

 

http://tinyurl.com/nvzur4

As you'll see, Mr. Brown mentions some performers by name and then
praises "the ensemble in general for a performance that showed real joy." 
And that's what audiences are taking away with them:  JOY. And good humor
and great tunes to hum, and an irrepressible twinkle in the eye.

Really. Honestly. I know I'm a co-founder of the company and married
to the show's director, but I don't think you should miss this one.

For tickets, call 215.295.3694 or email, actorsnet@aol.com.

* Vilassi in New Jersey:

Latin Fiesta Night! 
A fresh air social gathering to
meet new people and try new things

Saturday, July 25th 
7 p.m. ‘til 11 p.m. (rain or shine)
2 Hope Hill Farm Lane, Off Mountain View Rd., Asbury, NJ  
 
$25 per person includes . . .
Exquisite ambience, phenomenal food, exotic beverages and tantalizing
entertainment.
Bonus! a FREE Salsa & Merengue Lesson!
Private sessions with our gifted clairvoyant will be available for purchase.

RSVP by Friday, July 24th at:
Experience.Nirvana@yahoo.com or 908-996-7536
For more information, visit: 

http://www.experiencenirvana.com/upcoming-events.html

B. Two of my talented colleagues from Bucks County Community
College will be showcasing their talents as follows:

* John Strauss will be playing acoustic at the Zebra Striped Whale
Ice Cream and Coffee Shop, 12 S. State St., Newtown, PA, on Sun.,
July 26, from 4 til 6. Come on by!

* As a follow-up to his Pulitzer-nominated poetry collection Country Music,
Bucks County Community College professor Allen Hoey has published
Once Upon a Time at Blanche’s. Hoey, the 2001 Bucks County Poet
Laureate, will read from his new book at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 30.

Location: Newtown Library Co., Centre Ave., Newtown Borough,
2 blocks east of Starbucks.

C. Jim Donovan invites you to his new tele-seminar,"Wake up and smell
the money," on Thursday, July 30 at 8 p.m. Best part: it's FREE. Details:

http://tinyurl.com/nuc5jg

D. And here are two other events you might want to catch:

* Rita Olinsky's son is performing again on Thursday July 30th at
the Bitter End in NYC with Ippazzi. For more information, please click:

 

http://www.ippazzi.com

* George Hartpence, one of my favorite New Jersey/Pennsylvania actors,
will be starring in "Dangerous Corner"  from Aug. 21-Sept. 12 at the
Langhorne Players in Langhorne, PA . . . for more information,
please click:

 

http://www.georgehartpence.com

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PS. Please join me in praying that we soon get our remaining soldiers
back from Iraq and Afghanistan and, also, that peace comes to Israel
and her neighbors. . .  make it a great week, too!