Hopes for a Better New Year Another year over and a new one is about to begin. Am I excited about it? I know that I have been looking forward to a new beginning, another transformation, but not really sure if I can honestly say that I am excited.

This past year has not been the greatest. Yeah I have had a few decent moments…getting my own place, a promotion at work with a minor raise. I made a few new friends and learned a lot about others that I thought were good people. Guess I need to start listening to my emotions and feelings again. The inner thoughts are what have allowed me to survive, with some minor help from friends.

But this year has also had a few…downsides. I lost a dear friend and former boyfriend to an act of deliberate harm. My uncle and a former boss passed within several days of each other. My aunt nearly passed in the same week and I did not know what to do with the sudden losses. I made a new friend and lover, but split with him soon after. I was able to reconnect with an old friend who I consider my brother, and nearly lost one who has held a place with me for a long time.

This has been a year of great thinking and introspection. It has been a year of making a person think and wonder about themselves, and the road they have been traveling. Is it time to travel off the main path? There is no telling. I have played Doctor Phil for my friends, providing advice for relationships, sex, medical conditions and diseases. I have had my heart ripped out and stomped on. I have had someone close to me put me on a remote distance and cause some great emotional distress.

I have gotten to the point that I know that I am ready for a relationship, and not looking for one because I think that it is something I NEED. Instead, it is something that I want and desire. I have fought hard for the affections of one person for awhile, and I wonder if I should keep on fighting for it. He has suffered his own losses this year, and I have seen it affect him more than he likes to imagine. There has drama all year long that has dragged us deep into the mire, and seen both of us retract from those nearby. Or almost everyone. He has turned a little more to another friend and spent more time with him, and I have backed off, allowing it to happen.

I know that he loves me and worries a lot. He has seen great advancements in my own personal life, and I have proved a lot to him and others. But I feel I can only do so much to make him appreciate the rest of life around him and pull back out to where he is willing to open up again.

So, I make this wish for the coming new year. Well, maybe more of a hope.

I hope that my friends get all that they want. I hope for an advancement in my own life that sees me with someone that I feel can truly make me happy. I hope for the best with everyone that I have known. I hope for some people to grow up and mature a little more once they realize the effects their actions and statements have on other people involved in their lives. I hope for some people to stop lying to everyone around them. I hope for a less drama-involved year.

And most of all? I dunno. I guess I can hope that the things for which I have fought might actually have an outcome that is appealing to all involved.

All I can do is wait to see what may happen. I have place future events in someone else’s hands at the moment and I will respect whatever his final decision may be. It might kill me inside to lose someone close and dear again, but, I have survived these pitfalls before, and I am sure that I can survive them again. I just ask for an end to it all.

So, lift your glasses high this Sunday evening, turn to the friends you may be surrounded with, and tell them how much you have appreciated all they have done this year. Tell them how much you look forward to the future and even greater times.

Currently listening to:
Benassi Brothers – Hit My Heart
Rihanna – Unfaithful
Da Buzz – Without Breaking
Chicane – Stoned in Love
Cedric Gervais – Spirit in My Life
Oxygen ft Andrea Britton – Am I On Your Mind
Blue October – Into the Ocean
Dave Gahan – I Need You
David Guetta – Love Don’t Let Me Go
Deepsky ft Jes Brieden – Ghost
FeFe Dobson – Don’t Let it Go to Your Head
Wynona Judd – I Want to Know What Love Is
Tyler Hilton – That’s How Love Should Be
Rascal Flatts – What Hurts the Most
Josh Gracin – I Want to Live  ¶ 12/29/2006 02:43:00 PM 1 comments

  12/16 - First Night and Movies Hey folks!!

For those of you who don't follow all the holidays this time of year, tonight marks the first night of (C)Hanukah, the Hebrew Festival of Lights, which lasts until Friday night of next week. So, be sure to wish all your Jewish friends a Happy Holidays! So...who gets to give me a present this year? LOL

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Seems like there might be a couple of good movies coming out this season. Eragon busts into theatres this weekend and promises to be a smash. But, who knows. Adaptations from books can go either way. (If you didn't know this already, the kid who wrote the book was only 14 when Eragon was released in the bookstores. The second book in the series has been released already...waiting on the third!)

Charlotte's Web I am not so sure about. Brooklyn Rules might be decent. I am looking forward to We Are Marshall and Night At The Museum to see...one serious football movie that will actually live up to the history, and a comedy (although I really don't care for Ben Stiller much).

But, don't listen to me (who does?) and just go see what you want! Just be sure to let me know what might be good!!!!

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Brooklyn Rules (R); Nationwide
Set in Brooklyn circa 1985 against the backdrop of John Gotti's rise to Mafia power, "Brooklyn Rules" is a powerful story revolving around three lifelong friends whose different ambitions threaten to shake their enduring bond. Starring Alec Baldwin, Freddie Prinze Jr, Mena Suvari, Scott Caan and Jerry Ferrara, "Brooklyn Rules" comes down to the choices faced by these young men when the right path is not always the easiest to follow, and when being a loyal friend can mean making the ultimate sacrifice.

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Freddie Prinze Jr., Mena Suvari, Jerry Ferrara, Scott Caan

Charlotte's Web (G); Nationwide
Fern is one of only two living beings who sees that Wilbur is a special animal, while she raises him--the runt of the litter--into a terrific and radiant pig. As Wilbur moves into a new barn, he begins a second profound friendship with the most unlikely of creatures--a spider named Charlotte--and their bond inspires the animals around them to come together as a family. When the word gets out that Wilbur's days are numbered, it seems that only a miracle will save his life. A determined Charlotte--who sees miracles in the ordinary--spins words into her web in an effort to convince the farmer that Wilbur is some pig and worth saving.

Starring: Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey

Eragon (PG); Nationwide
A boy named Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest. At first, he thinks it's a lucky discovery, something that will bring meat to his poor family for the winter. Instead, it brings a dragon hatchling, and Eragon is soon thrust into a world of magic and power through which he and the dragon must navigate.

Starring: Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Sienna Guillory

Arthur and the Invisibles (NR); Limited
Ten-year-old Arthur has a lot on his plate: a real estate developer is about to snap up his grandma's home... and there's no way Arthur's going to hang around for his parents or grandparents to sort out the problem. Maybe the solution lies in his grandpa's treasure, which is hidden somewhere on the other side in the land of the Minimoys. The creatures that inhabit this world are just a tenth of an inch tall and live in perfect harmony with their environment. Arthur ventures into this world of the Minimoys, where he meets Princess Selenia and her brother Betameche. Together they set off to look for the treasure that will save his grandma. An action-packed adventure ensues, full of pitfalls and intrigues, all the way up to the forbidden city ruled by the evil M the Malicious. Arthur's journey in the Minimoys universe reveals that sometimes the smallest heroes make the biggest difference.

Starring: Penny Balfour, David Bowie, Snoop Dogg, Mia Farrow, Freddie Highmore

Inland Empire (R); Limited
A blonde actress is preparing for her biggest role yet, but when she finds herself falling for her co-star, she realizes that her life is beginning to mimic the fictional film that they're shooting. Adding to her confusion is the revelation that the current film is a remake of a doomed Polish production, 47, which was never finished due to an unspeakable tragedy. And that's only the beginning. Soon, a seemingly endless onslaught of indescribably bizarre situations flashes across the screen: a sitcom featuring humans in bunny suits, a parallel story set in a wintry Poland, a houseful of dancing streetwalkers, screwdrivers in stomachs, menacing Polish carnies, and much, much more.

Starring: Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons, Harry Dean Stanton, Justin Theroux, Scott Coffey



Coming Attractions
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Rocky Balboa (PG); Nationwide; opens 12/20

The Good Shepherd (R); Nationwide; opens 12/22

Night at the Museum (R); Nationwide; opens 12/22

We Are Marshall (PG); Nationwide; opens 12/22  ¶ 12/15/2006 05:15:00 AM 0 comments

  Movie Releases, 12/1 National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of the Taj (R); Nationwide release
Taj heads to England's Oxford University to further his studies while also showing the uptight student body how to have a good time.

Starring: Kal Penn, Shobu Kapoor, Dan Percival, Holly Davidson, Anthony Cozens

The Nativity Story (PG); Nationwide release
Traces the perilous journey of a young couple, Mary and Joseph, who must travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral home, to register for a census ordered by King Herod. It is a journey of over 100 miles, through treacherous terrain, made much more difficult by the fact that Mary is nine months pregnant.

Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Oscar Isaac, Ciaran Hinds, Shaun Toub

10 Items or Less (R); Limited release
Once the center of Hollywood, an aging actor finds that his fear of failure has made his career dry up, and he's now forced to consider a role in a small independent movie. While researching for the role, he stumbles into Scarlet, a spitfire check-out clerk at a Latino community market. Soon abandoned by his driver, the world famous actor must rely on Scarlet to lead him back to his side of the tracks. This trek through Los Angeles features richly unexpected situations, chance encounters, and personal revelation that neither character could ever have anticipated.

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega, Jonah Hill, Anne Dudek, Alexandra Berardi

The Architect (R); Limited release
Leo Waters is an idealistic architect and patriarch of an affluent, suburban Chicago family. Tonya Neeley is a pragmatic activist who is trying to keep her family together while living in one of the city's most drug and crime-infested public housing projects. As part of her ongoing campaign to have the projects torn down and decent housing built in its place, Tonya decides that the one signature she needs more than any other on her petition is that of the projects' original architect, Leo Waters.

Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Viola Davis, Isabella Rossellini, Hayden Panettiere, Sebastian Stan

Christmas at Maxwell's (PG); Limited release
Andrew, Suzie and their two children decide to spend Christmas at their summer home, the Maxwell House. Surrounded by memories and the love of friends, the Austins pray for a holiday miracle when Suzie's cancer takes a turn for the worse.

Starring: Andrew May, Jack Hourigan, Helen Welch, Lauren Dowden, Charlie May

Guadalupe (PG); Limited release
"Guadalupe" tries to capture the Guadalupan fervor of Mexico by exploring the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe and its impact on Mexican life. It is being released in the context of celebrations for the 475th anniversary of the apparitions to St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac.

Starring: Aleix Albareda, Angelica Aragon, Fabian Robles, Jose Carlos Ruiz

Holla (R); Limited release
Actress Monica St. John, her boyfriend Dwayne and six other close friends head for a weekend escape at a remote cabin in the mountains. Along the way, they pick up Dwayne's ex-con cousin Troy. Monica's agent arrives uninvited with his date, hoping to convince Monica to renew her contract. A severe thunderstorm moves in. While there, a news story seems to implicate Troy in a brutal murder. Just as Dwayne professes Troy's innocence, the lights go out and folk start dying. Is it Troy the convict, Greg the agent, Dwayne the boyfriend or one of the "hater" friends? No one knows who's next.

Starring: Rachel Leigh Anderson, Kimberly Barnett, Michael Bergin, Shelli Boone, Melissa-Anne Davenport

Turistas (R); Limited release
Brazil. Beautiful women, pristine beaches, a friendly, open culture. Alex is accompanying his sister Bea and her best friend Amy for their first time abroad--young Americans who have come to exotic Brazil for fun, adventure and the promise of foreign pleasures. On a rickety bus rocketing up a twisting mountain road, they meet the beautiful Pru, who speaks the native language Portuguese, and Finn and Liam, in Brazil for the sole purpose of experiencing the beautiful Brazilian women they've heard so much about first hand. After enduring a harrowing bus crash which strands them in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, Alex, Bea, and their band of traveling companions attempt to salvage their day by seeking out a cabana bar on a nearby beach rather than wait an endless amount of time for the next bus to come by. The discovery of the beautiful and secluded beach gives way to a day in the sun and surf, an afternoon at the bar, and a night of exotic liquors and hot dancing with the locals. It's everything their vacation is supposed to be, until they wake up face down in the sand the following morning, drugged and robbed, their possessions gone, and the trace of very real danger in the air. The farther the group travels into this mysterious and isolated Brazilian community, the further they are from the possibility of escape--and the closer they come to the dark secret that waits for them in the lush jungle and underground caverns of the Brazilian jungle, and they must fight a primal battle for their lives in the most terrifying of all human traps.

Starring: Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, Olivia Wilde, Desmond Askew, Beau Garrett



Coming Attractions
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Apocalypto (R); Nationwide release; opens 12/8

The Blood Diamond (R); Nationwide release; opens 12/8

The Holiday (PG-13); Nationwide release; opens 12/8

Unaccompanied Minors (PG); Nationwide release; opens 12/8  ¶ 12/01/2006 10:23:00 AM 0 comments

  Today is World AIDS Day

Today is World's AIDS Day...please show your support.

  ¶ 12/01/2006 04:57:00 AM 0 comments