An Offer I Can't Refuse

Last week an alleged Mafia Boss in Sicily was charged with trying to influence the vote of a talent show that his daughter was on. Reports claimed that he bought phones for people with the understanding they would register votes for her. There may be no truth to this but what interests me is how unlikely it would be to see this particular story line appearing in The Godfather...

And yet the book and movie do deal with influencing show business. Johnny Fontaine's career is helped dramatically with the old horses head in the bed routine. So maybe times haven't changed so much. At first glance The Godfather trilogy seems incredibly violent set of films but it might surprise you to know that even including the horse only 18 bodies are lifeless by the end of the first movie. That stills seems a lot I hear you cry... well to put it in context the romantic drama Atonement knocked up 34, Titanic 307 and Lord of the Rings:Return of the King has a body count of 836. Doesn't seem so violent now does it?!

People arguing that violent films cause violent people might struggle using this film as an example with that data but it's not really about the death count: more about the way a film leaves you feeling.

When I saw Step Up 2: The Streets (yes I do have a varied interest in films...judge me all you want!) I walked out of that cinema with a spring in my step convinced I could bust a move. I can't! When I watched Trainspotting I was appalled by what drugs could do to you yet watching Go made me want to try them (I didn't. I'm a good girl!) So did I feel violent after watching The Godfather Trilogy? No, but I must confess that after the first two I did feel a sense of Power ... and I'd have been more inclined in that moment to wield my power for evil not good.

I first read the book of The Godfather earlier this year at a book club and truly thought it was one of the finest novels I'd ever read. So I was looking forward to challenge number 5 watching the movies. Considering how many films I've watched it's odd that I've never seen them really. I suppose I do tend to lean towards the Rom Coms over the Gangster movies generally but I do like to view the classics to judge for myself. The first movie is very good. I can see why people rate it so highly. But Mr Ford-Coppolo really does have Maria Puzo to thank for the source material as he sticks carefully to much of the novel (although I was relieved to see that the scenes with Lucy in the hospital having her operation didn't make it on to the big screen!).

Apparently Francis' first cut of the film was a full 50 mins shorter coming in at around 2 hours. The studio demanded he included more scenes about the family so it increased by nearly 50%. Frankly the second film which looks back at the Don's early life (also in the novel) could have done with a bit more hacking coming in at a brain numbing 192 minutes. No matter how great a film is there's no need for anything to be that long! The final film is all new material yet still comes close to the three hour limit (and has a body count of more than the first two movies added together).

Am I fan of the novel: Absolutely. Do I think the movies have a place in film history: Absolutely. Will I be watching them again: Not when I've still got 3 more Step Up films to watch!!

In it to win it!

So no sooner have I won one prize (see last post) than I win another! A Kindle... and just for making a suggestion at work. (Let me just be clear that my workplace does not hand out Kindles to everyone that makes a suggestion!) There was a competition for ideas to make the workplace a simpler place and mine was selected. Clearly when I heard that there was a prize on offer I filled in my form and posted it into the suggestion box as I am very much in the "in it to win it" frame of mind at the moment. For all I know there were no other suggestions. In which case: more fool everyone else! 

Now the challenge is quite clear I have to win a prize and celebrate accordingly. I have a plan in mind for my last prize win which I will soon instigate but now I've begun I feel I should continue with my celebrations. So what is a suitable celebration for winning a Kindle? Clearly it has to be downloading a book about celebrating. So it is with great pleasure that I can announce that I have just downloaded this little treasure:

I now know how to decorate wreaths and make Pfeffernuss and Snicker Doodles. Bet you wish you'd put a suggestion in the box now don't you? 

All I do is win!

Happy New Year! I come bearing happy salutations and great news. Whilst 2012 was clearly not my year for winning: 2013 is! So what, I hear thee ask, have I won? Well gather ye round for I shall tell thee. Ist thee sitting comfortably for I shall begineth...

Towards the end of 2012 I had amassed more than 400 entries into online competitions on one website for prizes ranging from a Holiday of a lifetime to various new cars to a copy of the Shades of Grey books. I had entered the lottery religiously and I had committed to several raffles. But it was none of these that came good (quite relieved about the Shades of Grey if I'm honest). 

No the competition I have won was actually linked to another of my challenges. As I intend to meet Ben Ainslie (Olympic Sailor/ handsome fella) I have been following him on Facebook in case he one day declares he's opening a fete near by or some such similar. Now the nice people that run Ben's page had a 12 days of Christmas competition (which of course I was entering every day) and on the 2nd Jan I received this email: 

"Happy New Year Liz! I am very pleased to let you know you won the signed JPMorgan BAR cap on Day 11 of Ben & Rita’s Christmas Countdown! Congratulations"

The 2nd highest prize no less! As you can see when the parcel arrived there were also badges, stickers and some Port/Starboard socks! Ok so a cap isn't exactly a Holiday of a lifetime but it's still a prize and I intend to celebrate accordingly (unless another prize is won which is easier to celebrate).

So now I have to work out what an appropriate celebration is. Should I go sailing? Or as it's a baseball cap should I watch some baseball? Perhaps I should have a pilgrammage to Lymington to try and find Ben himself? What do you think is a suitable celebration for this prize?

In other exciting progress news my family/friends were very helpful in buying me presents over Christmas so I now have The Godfather trilogy and 2 box sets of Poirot (plus fake moustaches) ready to wear and watch. Also thanks to my kind friend John and my big bro Pete I also have on loan all of the Star Wars films and a costume to wear. So look out soon for I shall be scheduling in some DVD watching weekends and I'd love you to join me.

You Win Again

Today, if I had no conscience, I could have crossed off a challenge. If only my parents had brought me up to lie, cheat and steal I could be ticking off number 12: Win a competition and celebrate accordingly.

At a trade fair I ran into a couple of my former colleagues. I'll call some Chris and Bjorn (for those are their names). They were chatting to a somewhat dull man about something I didn't fully understand. I stood and listened and after the appropriate amount of time excused myself but just a few moments later the aforementioned dull man... I'll call him Nev (Not because that's his name...just because that strikes me as a dull name)... came up to me and said the golden words to me
"Would you like to enter a competition?"
Now if you've read my previous post on this challenge you'll know that those words are like the red flag to a bull or a bottle of St Tropez to an Essex girl. So far I have entered 360 competitions through one of those competition websites (this is in less than 3 months) and I even gave up £3 of my last £4 in November for the chance of winning a Pudsey Bear. I really do go crazy for a competition so Nev offering me another opportunity to win...well he wouldn't have to ask me twice. He did have to explain the rulesmore than twice though as, bless Nev, a Gameshow host he will never make! So I filled in my entry form and he kindly then said the words that led to my inevitable downfall: "Shall we fill in forms for Chris and Bjorn too?" 

Well, had I been a statistician I may have said "No!" to this question, clearly I'd be lessening my odds of winning but because I was excited for them to potentially win I declared "Absolutely!" and Nev and I filled in the forms putting my phone number as the contact on all 3 entries.

You can imagine what happened next. I'm working away at my desk when the phone rings. 
"Hello, It's Nev here! Good news!" 
My interest in what Nev has to say has never been higher...I squeal delightedly.
"Bjorn's won a prize!"
My heart sank slightly. A lesser person than I would have felt robbed, frustrated with Bjorn but thankfully I'm a pretty good loser and to be honest I was just delighted for my friend to win something. After all if I can't win it I'm glad it's going to someone lovely. (Plus it was only a £10 gift voucher!)

So I arranged with Nev where to leave the prize for Bjorn then, as he didn't even know he'd entered the competition I claimed the prize for myself and spent my tenner

...only joshing! 

Had I been more Machiavellian perhaps I would have done this but instead I emailed Bjorn to tell him he was a winner of a competition he had no idea he'd entered and told him where he could pick it up. Because that's what friends do. 

Besides if you believe in Karma you could say I have just raised my chances of winning one of those 360 online prizes now! Perhaps next post, instead of a Bee Gees track as a title I'll be posting one by Hot Chocolate (and I don't mean You Sexy Thing!).

RIP

It is with deep regret that I write the obituary of the 40b440 plants. The plants, known individually as Nasturtium, Marigold and Morning Glory sadly lost there lives after a tragic night in frost conditions. They were just under three months of age at the time of death and will be sadly missed by their black fingered gardener, Daybarkle. 

The plants, which had been thriving only a few weeks previously had been moved indoors due to inclement weather but were put outside to gain some much needed sunshine during the daytime. However, their neglectful gardener failed to remember to bring them inside when it turned dark. They were discovered covered in ice and clearly in a deceased state. Despite best efforts to revive the plants they were declared dead on the scene. 


Daybarkle plans to hold a small service for friends and family of the deceased only. Floral donations may just be seen as insensitive on this occasion!





On the plus side Spring is only a few months away now so I guess I'll be planting some new seeds then and having another go at the challenge.

Here's a little sneak preview how one of my other challenges is progressing...

                                                                                                                 ...more on this soon!

Tequila!

If there's a lot on your mind it's there to help you forget,To relax and rewind and leave behind the regret,First sip makes you well before you know it it's time,And you're saying to hell with the salt, lemon and lime,Salt, lemon and lime, time Tequila, 

That's the curse of Tequila.....

(Terrorvision, Tequila)

It may seem strange to you that I could have reached the age of 38 and never have tried Tequila but the truth is that I am one of those people who is full to the brim of common sense. This has been both a blessing and a curse in my life. I recall being a teenager and a friend's mum going round the group saying: "Vera, you're so pretty; Elsie you're so glamorous;  Liz, you have so much common sense". Not what you want to hear really but I guess it was true. It's for this reason alone that I've never been drawn to trying Tequila. Clearly it's the sort of substance that fools people into thinking they're fine and then BAM! I've never wanted to be locked in a small room with Jedward and Jar Jar Binks...and I've always suspected that a Tequila hangover may well feel like this.

So it was with a certain trepidation that last night I faced the challenge of trying Tequila. My team mates in this challenge were some trusted old chums: Sally (who kindly donated the Tequila...complete with tiny Sombrero lid and took the photos); Lucy and Doug. 

We wanted to do it properly so we squeezed a little lime on the back of hands, applied the salt and prepared ourselves for the potential horror. As it turned out only Sally had tried it before...and she had declared she wouldn't be doing it tonight. This did not speak well for the challenge. 

 

We prepared ourselves and on the countdown of three licked the salt, downed the shot and sucked our lime.

We'd done it! Challenge 2 of 40 complete. Easy as! It is an odd flavour and experience but was surprisingly fine.

Needless to say my common sense kicked in at this point and whilst Lucy and Doug went back for more...

 I happily declared that I'd achieved it and wore my tiny sombrero with pride.

On to the next challenge then. Hopefully I have a week off work soon so I'm hoping to complete at least 3 that week. (If anyone has the Star Wars films or the Godfather Trilogy and can lend them to me that would be a great help). 

To give you a little progress on some of the ongoing challenges: it's good news and bad news. I've now walked 9 miles of the Cheshire Ring (volunteer companions still very welcome) which is good (just 88 miles to go). The bad news though is my plant growing. When I last posted a picture it was all going so well, but the frost was due so I brought the window box inside and things have gone down hill ever since. Whilst the Marigold's have flourished the Morning Glory is virtually dead and the nasturtiums are a few days away from extinction.  My claim was that I couldn't cross off the "grow something" challenge until one of them had flowered. This is looking less likely by the week. Will I manage to turn things round? Probably not!

Picture Perfect Walk