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Texas Summer in the Country
Who Reads and What Do They Read?
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Review - The Union on Netflix
I'm sorry to say I was disappointed.
I like Ms. Berry and Mr. Wahlberg and have enjoyed their performances in other movies, but this film, the latest entry in the genre I call "clueless guy and hot chick with killer skills" was a miss.
BACKSTORY
In 2020, Netflix purchased the pitch for Our Man from Jersey which became The Union). The screenplay was adapted from a story by Stephen Levinson.
Joe Barton and David Guggenheim wrote the screenplay.
Netflix had Berry and Wahlberg lined up for the film, and 2 years later, they added J. K. Simmons, Jackie Earle Haley, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica De Gouw, and Alice Lee to the cast. They also had minor parts for Lorraine Bracco and Dana Delaney.
BLURB
Mike is a blue collar construction worker from Jersey. Roxanne is his old high school girlfriend who is now a U.S. intelligence agent with The Union, a super secret organization that saves the world without anyone knowing.Here's why:
(1) It's dumbed down. I simply was not able to suspend disbelief in the plot or the world of The Union.
(2) Some scenes should have been re-shot. In one scene, the characters are shooting pool. When Berry shoots, you hear balls dropping into pockets even though the cue stick in her hands wobbles as she's making the shot. That's just sloppy film making.
(3) The plot and characters were generic. Of course the two main characters were going to hook up. Of course they were going to survive and accomplish their mission. It was a paint by numbers story with no surprises.
(4) Best thing about the movie? J. K. Simmons who could probably read the phone book and make it sound interesting. Also, Lorraine Bracco was amusing in a role she's played since Rizzoli and Isles.
(5) Her hair style. Okay, this is trivial and has nothing to do with her acting or the story, except to make her look edgy I guess. Perhaps it's the director's idea of a woman who looks tough, or maybe he didn't want Halle Berry's beauty to shine through.
In the movie, she has a section of bleached blond straight hair attached to the crown of her head that sweeps down the side of her head and brushes her cheek.*Sigh* I freely admit that my standards for storytelling are probably different from the general public's because I am a writer.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
If you watch this movie, leave a comment and tell me whether you agree or disagree with my review of The Union—but please be polite.
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Monday Magic - Google Alerts
Google Alerts has been around more than 20 years, but they're now better than ever. If you're not using them to monitor your name, persona, or product, you're missing out.
I have Google Alerts set up on my name, each book title, and a few other items that I want to monitor for online activity.
HOW TO SET UP A GOOGLE ALERT
(1) You need access to a Google account to set up an alert so you might as well login to your google account first.Love to read? Sign up for my free Newsletter, I LOVE READING. Once a month, you'll receive exclusive content and news about giveaways, bargains, and new releases.
Social Media Truths to Remember
A couple of days ago, I wrote Friday Facts About Twitter.
I ended up writing a super long post and decided to cut out the bottom part of it which contained my personal thoughts about social media.
Lucky you. I thought I'd post the part I removed from my Friday post here for Sunday Thoughts.
IS SOCIAL MEDIA TRUTHFUL?
Social media can be fun, but that's what it should be limited to—entertainment. Sure you can gather some interesting information sometimes, but do your own research. Don't blindly take what you see on social media as the truth. Much of it is wrong, completely false, dangerous, or illegal. I'm thinking of the social media challenge to steal a Kia and post the video of doing that.
Serously? That's just nuts, but a lot of people did it. In Texas, there was one that went around a couple of years ago where users were challenged to go into a store, open a container of ice cream, and film themselves licking the ice cream, replacing the lid, and returning the container to the freezer. How gross is that?
Young people who seem to be the target audience for stuff like this don't realize that taking part in stunts like this means manufacturers must incur more expenses in packaging products to make them tamper-resistant which translates into higher prices. Aren't prices high enough?
MY PROBLEM WITH SOCIAL MEDIA(1) The AI that "runs" social media feeds you more of what you're already looking at which doesn't mean it's truthful.
(2) No one should use social media as the sole source for news, medical information, or other crucial information.
(3) No one should believe everything they see or hear on social media because most of it is created to bait you, using your interests and emotional response, into clicking on it so don't be a sheep.
(4) No one should think social media "friends" or followers and their opinions are more important than the real people in one's real world.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
Think for yourself. You have a brain. Use it. Don't let social media do your thinking for you. Form your own opinions based on your values or at least on what's legal and illegal and can ruin your future. Avoid kneejerk responses to content designed to get you upset and angry. That's giving power to a social media audience that it doesn't deserve.
Saturday Share: My 30 Day Total Gym Challenge
I decided to challenge myself because I've had difficulty regaining the muscle mass I lost two years ago when I was felled by an "unknown pathogen" according to my labs.
Getting stronger and regaining muscle was one of my 24 for 2024 goals. I lost patience with how slow the process was going and decided to give it my full attention this month.
HARD? OMG YES!
I decided to use the Total Gym my Darling Hubby works out on every week. The one he has is almost identical to the one pictured above. That man can do a workout routine I'll probably never match.
I started with the Beginner Startup Program of 19 exercises. The first day I managed 4 of those exercises with 3 sets of 15 reps each. I was shaking by the time I finished and showered. I could do nothing else the rest of the day due to complete exhaustion.
I guess my will power is stronger than I thought because it was sheer will power that got me through the next few days. In that first week. Every muscle in my body ached. I worked out, showered, and collapsed each day. BUT, I persevered. Well, I also broke down and bought something that helped more than I believed possible.
ELECTRIC VIBRATION PLATE
I was thinking about skipping a few days because I had so much muscle soreness, aching joints, etc. One morning I saw a YouTube video about electric vibration plates that were touted to help everything from toning muscles to relieving fibromyalgia pain to lymph drainage, etc.Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.
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6 Friday Facts About X aka Twitter
Personally, my only quibble is renaming Twitter to X. I understand Mr. Musk's branding reason for doing that, but I can't seem to call it anything but Twitter.
Also, the cute little bird icon for Twitter was much more appealing than a big black X.
When I see the platform constantly labeled as "X, formerly known as Twitter," I realize I'm not the only one averse to calling it X. However, I'll attempt to call it X in this post.
FRIDAY FACTS ABOUT X aka TWITTER IN 2024
(1) 2024 X algorithm focuses on what Elon said he'd do: "promote content from a diverse range of voices in an effort to ensure a more inclusive and representative feed."
Diversity of viewpoints means liberal and consservative, straight and gay, Christian and non-Christian, reasonable and unreasonable, etc. I look at it this way: if a Tweet irritates, move on. It's like real life. If you don't want to see or hear those you think are obnoxious, unreasonable, or whatever, then avoid them.
In June, X began allowing users to post adult and graphic content. Users can post consensually produced NSFW—Not Suitable (or Safe) for Workplace—as long as it is prominently labeled as such. The new rules also cover AI-generated videos and images. In announcing that, Elon tweeted: "but what we enforce against hasn’t changed." Hmm. I'll definitely turn on the "hide adult content" button.
NOPE. NOT TWITTER—IT IS X! |
If 'likes" become hidden, you will be able to see who liked your posts, replies, etc. but you won't be able to see the people who liked someone else's post.
AUTHORS ON TWITTERAs an author, I don't think Twitter or any social media in and of itself can sell books. I know I've never bought a book, or anything for that matter, because I saw it on Twitter.
What a daily presence on any social media can do is make users of that social media aware of your existence as an author and possibly of your books.
That is, if the social media algorithm allows your tweets, posts, or whatever to be seen by enough people. In today's world that usually means paying a premium for that option. What would probably serve you better is to write and publish more books.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
I know a lot of people left Twitter, but it seems as if a lot stayed and more joined them. If you enjoy using Twitter, then keep doing it, but manage the time suck well.
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Best August Quote Ever From Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley said, "Leaving any bookstore is hard, especially on a day in August, when the street outside burns and glares, and the books inside are cool and crisp to the touch."
Wow. That brings back memories. When I was a kid, I spent many a summer afternoon in the public library because it was cool and comfortable.
We didn't have bookstores in my small town. We also didn't have air conditioning at home. Spending the afternoon in the library was sheer delight. So was selecting a stack of books to check out and starting to read one of them while seated at the big oak table.
Of course, like just about everyone in Texas, we have air conditioning so I don't have to resort to hanging out at a bookstore or library. In fact, I can get any book I want downloaded to my Kindle in a matter of minutes and start reading it.
I must admit though that I miss hanging out at the library or the bookstore where I spent most of my spare bucks after I became an adult. There was something special about the smell of the books in the stacks, pulling a title from a crowded shelf, and stroking my fingertips over the words on the heavy paper used to publish books back then.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
Of course, the joy of settling onto a comfortable chair to read about exotic places and people who were larger than life is still there. Reading is a solitary but profound pleasure. I feel sorry for those who don't read because they don't know what they're missing.
Seize the book.
Monday Magic - Free App - PrintFriendly
Well, there is an app for that, and it's free.
Since 2009, individuals and corporations have used PrintFriendly to do all of that.
You just drag and drop or upload a file, and let PrintFriendly do its magic.
The app removes ads, sidebars, and navigation to "clean up" the webpage for printing and enables you to customize it before you print or convert them to a PDF. The end result is a clean, well-formatted printout that can save paper and ink.
This app is trusted by major corporations—you can see a list of them on the website—and an entire suite of PDF apps is offered by PrintFriendly.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
This free app is one of the most useful I've found. Please leave a comment if you try PrintFriendly and find it a free effective tool.
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Romance Book Audience Surging
Do Families That Dine Together Stay Together?
No cell phones when the kids were teens so we actually did something unusual—we had conversations.
I was thinking about this recently and wondered how many families actually did this in today's world.
I did a little research since it's easy to find statistics about most things.
Here are some eye-opening facts about the family dinner that was a required tradition in many families of yesteryear including my own family when I was young, and the family I created with my husband. I'm happy to report that it's more often than not the tradition in each of our kids' households too.
How has family dinner time changed? Here are a few of the most recent family dinner statistics, courtesy of Professor Google and Instacart which did an in-depth survey of the subject.
FAMILY DINNER STATS IN AMERICA(1) Two years ago, 91% of parents surveyed said their family was less stressed when they shared family meals together.
(2) 84% of adults wish they could share a meal with loved ones more often.
(3) In 2021, survey said parents who served dinner by 6:15 p.m. spent 27% more time reading to their children at night, 18% more time playing with their children, 14% more overall time with their children, and 11% more quality time with their children. (Instacart Survey, 2021)
(4) About 50% of millennials say they cook dinner from scratch, but nearly 70% of baby boomers still cook dinner at night.
(5) About 54% more are cooking dinner at home now than before CoVid in 2020.
(6) A 2022 survey found that most consumers who cook at home plan their meals in advance because it makes meal preparation faster.
(7) How long does it take to cook dinner? About 75% said it takes less than one hour, and 30% sid it takes less than 30 minutes.
Life is so frantic and rushed that taking time to cook dinner and share it with one's family is a way to slow down and smell the roses—or the spaghetti depending on what's being served tonight.TAKEAWAY TRUTH
In our family, the kids still talk about dinner time with the family—especially the funny moments like knocking over a full glass of milk and everyone scrambling for paper towels—the touching moments, the conversations about family, friends, movies, books, and what was going on in the world. Looking back, I now view even the most mundane remarks as priceless.
Review - NYPD Blue on Tubi
I didn't watch NYPD Blue until it was more than halfway through its 12 season run, but I liked the episodes I'd seen. No, not because of the nudity, but because of the characters so beautifully portrayed by the actors.
Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.