LOST in Translation V.14

Let's get this right out of the way.

I was totally digging last night's episode.

I know a lot of you (A LOT OF YOU) hated it, and I can't blame you. Two years ago, my least favorite thing about LOST was the mystical element. I wanted scientific abnormalities. I wanted nefarious government, rich guy ne'er do well intrigue. I did NOT want to hear anything else about this bullshit Jacob guy that I was convinced Ben had invented. I did not want to see Smokey ever again.

But here we are. And at the end of the journey, I'm finding the revelations delicious. And I especially love being right.

Last summer, we were re-watching the first season and I started taking notes to track common themes (lame, I know) and I started noticing that backgammon seemed to be imbued with significance.

Don't know anything about backgammon? Yeah, me either. But I looked up the Wikipedia, which basically said backgammon is the oldest board game for two players in the world, and takes luck and strategy to win. A player wins when all his pieces are removed from the board. Players can also raise the stakes in the game.

Hm...that sounds a lot like a game played for a bajillion years by Smokey and Jacob, except they play with people. And perhaps to win the game against Jacob, Smokey has to remove all his pieces from the board (i.e. the LOSTies).

But that could be a lot of mumbo jumbo on my part. Another thing I loved about this episode was that it set Jacob and Smokey up as brothers, just like Jacob and Esau. At the beginning of this season, I mentioned on this blog that I thought it would be interesting if the MIB and Jacob turned out to have a similar story to those Biblical brothers, who were lifelong enemies. Welp, look who gets a cookie! That's right...ME!

The thing I'm struggling with is whether it's good to be right. Because as much as I'm glad I was able to accurately predict some elements of the episode, I don't know if that necessarily made it great storytelling. The whole backstory was a little too simple...when you give a bad guy an empathetic backstory, it becomes kind of boring...like showing us Anakin before he was Vader.

Anyways, let's hit the big notes:

• ADAM AND EVE: Well, I was right about the white and black stone being game pieces (not sure if it's backgammon or not). I was not right about the skeletons having to do with time travel. They are the boys' adoptive, murderous mother and what was once the Man in Black.
• The Man in Black has a corpse?! If Jacob killed the Man in Black, but we've seen him interact with Richard, then how was that possible? The only thing I can figure is that Smokey figured out how to take form, especially in bodies that could really haunt the people they came in contact with.
• The Man in Black is nameless: Did no one ever name that little boy? He was, truly, an afterthought, but from the moment of his birth, the adoptive mom (played by the glorious Allison Janney) seemed to recognize his potential and removed his own mother from the picture.
• Why is he special? Is it because he has the power to see dead people? Or because he has the power to lie?
• Wine = birthright: In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob offers Esau stew in exchange for his birthright. I thought it was interesting that in the LOST world, the power of Island Protector passes through a gulp of wine.
• What is that light anyways? Okay, so the island has crazy magnetism and light coming from beneath. Will we ever get an explanation to this? I thought it was cool to see that the MIB had the idea to build the wheel, which we now know only moves the island. But his whole plan was really weird and I thought, "Why does he think this plan will work?"
• Why did the light turn him into Smokey? I don't have any theories, but the entire scene reminded me of the scene in Indiana Jones when the Ark of the Covenant explodes with light and you're NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK!!
• How did the Adoptive Mom get to island? She said it was an accident. How did she come to be the Keeper of the Light? I also wondered if she had the same abilities to sway people and infect their brains like the MIB. She seemed to know exactly what to say to both her boys.
• Smokey mentioned before that he had a crazy mother, and boy did he. But have you noted that her influence still dictates many of his actions? He still has no qualms about murder (like her) of men, because they are corrupt.

I think, of every line spoken on the whole damn show, Allison Janney spoke the most telling when she said, "Every question I answer will simply lead to another question. You should rest. Just be grateful you're alive."

Again, the show was back in the thick of the faith vs. science debate, and I really do believe that's what the show is about. At times, it seemed like it was about many different things, but at its core, it's always been about different world views. Is it better to question everything and search for answers, or better to have faith in a greater power and accept one's fate as it is? The show seems to have been a six-year-long pros and cons list for both, and I think most of us wrestle with the desire to just go with the flow or to seek for more.

One note about this week's episode: While it was super corny, I found myself disappointed to see that next week, we'll rejoin the castaways. Has anyone else come to hate most of them the way I have?

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TitleLost in Translation (2003) - Insomnia

Well, what is there to say about "Lost in Translation"?

If you've seen the movie you'll know why I chose to make a video about it - and if you haven't watched the movie yet you should definitely give it a try. :o)

"Lost in Translation" is one of the very few movies that I remember watching more than once at the theater (instead of waiting for the DVD release).
The underlying sad truths and the uplifting note (yep, both there at the same time) lingered with me for quite a while, and even made me think about a couple of things (or lack thereof) in my own life.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to be."
"You'll figure that out. The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you."

:o)

I had a hard time finding a song to go with all the scenes I wanted to include (way too many by the way, but I hope I still managed to combine my favorites without making an unstructured mess), but eventually settled for Electric President's "Insomnia".
Apart from the fitting title, it matches the mood of the movie very well, being both tragic as well as hopeful...

And speaking of hope, I hope you enjoy watching this. :o)

Music: Electric President - Insomnia

Cast:
Bill Murray (Broken Flowers, The Royal Tenenbaums)
Scarlett Johansson (The Prestige, Match Point)
Giovanni Ribisi (Cold Mountain, Saving Private Ryan)
Anna Faris (Brokeback Mountain, Scary Movie)

Title:Lost in Translation - Coldplay "Trouble"

Clips from the movie Lost in Translation
Song: Trouble by Coldplay

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New Use for Refrigerators

I recently went to my friend Miranda's childhood home and while giving a tour, she asked us to guess how many refrigerators her family had. I thought maybe two, one for the kitchen and one for the garage? But no...I was nowhere close.

I lost count, but I think we tallied 4 or 5. Miranda was asking a trick question, but we couldn't have known. That's because when refrigerators have stopped working over the years, her thrifty dad has turned them into basement storage.

Before you get all judgy about whether that's really aesthetically pleasing, take a look at that fridge! The man has neatly organized all the tools and maintenance equipment in the house, reusing jars as storage while he's at it. I was totally impressed.

Obviously I won't be doing anything like this anytime soon, since I don't have a fridge on the fritz, but I was blown away by her dad's ingenuity. That's kind of the opposite of newly domesticated, isn't it?

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TitleThe Refrigerators - "Big Dog" Albany, NY

Hugely popular and funky Albany rock band performs this winning songwriting contest entry (mine) as part of a benefit for the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center.
I sent them an mp3 demo of this song and they picked it as one of three they recorded. Great horn section in full effect here. For more on this band:
http://www.the-refrigerators.com/bios/cbone.html

Title:Keeping your refrigerator stocked will get you many women

HELP SUPPORT THE CAUSE...GIVING TO THOSE WHO NEED IT:

http://www.SnickerTees.com

EVERY SALE GOES TO THE LESS FORTUNATE



man my home boy thought i was lying when I said I keep my crib female friendly...so I decided to do a video on how you do it right...real talk I will put you on...Chicago stand up..lol

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TitleBrian Regan - Refrigerators

this one keeps your food cold for 600...

Title:RV Refrigerator Repair Maintenance

http://www.pedatarvcenter.com -- A walk through on how to fix your motorhome refrigerator. Learn what to look for when fixing your RV refrigerator along with simple steps to keep your RV out of the dealership repair bays. A few simple do it your self repairs that just might save you thousands.

What you want to look for is a small compartment that looks like a vent on the outside of the unit. Turn the screws and the door comes off and you will be able to see the back side of your refrigerator. Common problems with your refrigerator are improper cooling. This is caused by a "Dirty Burner Assembly". Looks like a small metal box usually to the bottom right hand corner. Before you start repairing on this you need to be sure that the power is unplugged, that there's no 12 volt power and that the gas is unplugged. The gas can be turned off by a knob on the bottom left hand side, turn it so that it's up and down. Next thing you want to do is go back to the Burner and take out the screw and slide the box out. The burner is located all the way to the back. What happens is that when it burns rust fills up inside the fluid, and it falls down on top of the burner assembly. Even though it is lit and still produces heat, it's not enough heat to keep the cooling unit cooling all the way it needs to be. So what you need to do is take some canned air and blow out all the dust and rust in that compartment, tap on the compartment above a few times to get all the excess out as well. Keep repeating that until you see it is all out. Then you can re-assemble the compartment by sliding the cover back up and screw it back on, plug it back in and turn your gas back on, turn on your 12 volt and then test. You can check the flame by turning the knob on the compartment and looking in the little hole to see if it is on. The most important problem that can occur is nothing that you can do to fix or maintain it yourself. The black tubes are filled with ammonia, if you start to smell ammonia or see yellow seepage around the tubes, you must disconnect power and turn off the gas immediately! This is a very- very high fire hazard and has been occurring a lot recently which has caused a lot of recalls on refrigerators. You can call and check with the serial number located on the back of the chlorine unit to see if your refrigerator is under that recall. http://www.pedatarvcenter.com

Don't forget to watch all the other RV maintenance videos in this series on Youtube. http://www.pedatarvcenter.com

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TitleRV Refrigerator Repair Maintenance

http://www.pedatarvcenter.com -- A walk through on how to fix your motorhome refrigerator. Learn what to look for when fixing your RV refrigerator along with simple steps to keep your RV out of the dealership repair bays. A few simple do it your self repairs that just might save you thousands.

What you want to look for is a small compartment that looks like a vent on the outside of the unit. Turn the screws and the door comes off and you will be able to see the back side of your refrigerator. Common problems with your refrigerator are improper cooling. This is caused by a "Dirty Burner Assembly". Looks like a small metal box usually to the bottom right hand corner. Before you start repairing on this you need to be sure that the power is unplugged, that there's no 12 volt power and that the gas is unplugged. The gas can be turned off by a knob on the bottom left hand side, turn it so that it's up and down. Next thing you want to do is go back to the Burner and take out the screw and slide the box out. The burner is located all the way to the back. What happens is that when it burns rust fills up inside the fluid, and it falls down on top of the burner assembly. Even though it is lit and still produces heat, it's not enough heat to keep the cooling unit cooling all the way it needs to be. So what you need to do is take some canned air and blow out all the dust and rust in that compartment, tap on the compartment above a few times to get all the excess out as well. Keep repeating that until you see it is all out. Then you can re-assemble the compartment by sliding the cover back up and screw it back on, plug it back in and turn your gas back on, turn on your 12 volt and then test. You can check the flame by turning the knob on the compartment and looking in the little hole to see if it is on. The most important problem that can occur is nothing that you can do to fix or maintain it yourself. The black tubes are filled with ammonia, if you start to smell ammonia or see yellow seepage around the tubes, you must disconnect power and turn off the gas immediately! This is a very- very high fire hazard and has been occurring a lot recently which has caused a lot of recalls on refrigerators. You can call and check with the serial number located on the back of the chlorine unit to see if your refrigerator is under that recall. http://www.pedatarvcenter.com

Don't forget to watch all the other RV maintenance videos in this series on Youtube. http://www.pedatarvcenter.com

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BRIDAL EVENT: Bridal Reflections Hosts Military Brides Day is Today

BRIDAL EVENT: Bridal Reflections Hosts Military Brides Day is Today

Gowns for Military Brides!



Bridal Reflections wishes to give back to our troops that have done so much. Today, December 13th, Military Brides, or the fiances of men in the military serving in Iraq or Afghanistan can join Bridal Reflections and choose from a selection of beautiful gowns at their Fifth Avenue salon at 260 Fifth Avenue, (At W. 28th St), New York, NY.

email your questions to: bridalwishlist@gmail.com & visit our sister site, the capitol fashionista (http://thecapitolfashionista.blogspot.com)

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Title: The Wedding Party

Martha Stewart Weddings along with the Wedding Library host the ultimate event, the Wedding Party at the Breakers in Palm Beach on January 17, 2010. Event and Wedding Video crafted by Open Eye Media, www.elandocumentary.com/video/open_eye.

Title: Dallas Bridal Show | Fashion Show

We were proud to be a part the Dallas Bridal Show presented by Bridal Shows Inc. This year's event featured a fashion show by famed designer, Jorge Perez. During the show it was announced that Project Husband's Lisa Linehan will be wearing one of four Perez dresses, and that America gets to decide which of the final four Lisa will wear on her special day.

Jorgeperezdelahabana.com
For more information about Project Husband, and to vote for your favorite dress, visit www.projecthusband.com.

Music provided by:
Nicholas Alan - Hollywood
Kahuna Kawentzmann - Passage to Papeete
The Lascivious Biddies - Odd Bird
Lisa Linehan - Wanna Get Married

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Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Oh you guys, it was good to be baking again! I hadn't baked in months and going to a Fourth of July party offered the perfect excuse to flex my baking muscle again. I wanted something that seemed super American and incorporated at least two of the three magic America colors: red, white and blue. I landed on Martha Stewart's Strawberry Shortcake Cookies.

First things first, I diced two cups of strawberries.

Put the strawberries in a bowl, then add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Need something to do with the rest of those lemons? I spent ten minutes with my elbows resting on them; they're great exfoliators.

Then I added sugar to the strawberries and let them sit while I mixed up the flour mish mash.

I whisked together flour, baking soda, 7 tablespoons of sugar (7!!) and salt.

Then cut up six tablespoons of cold unsalted butter.

And added the butter with a pastry cutter.

Here's the magic sauce: heavy cream. Don't go...um...heavy with it, though.

The recipe calls for 2/3 cup of cream. You stir it in and a dough starts to form. I thought I knew better than Martha, though, and I added a little more. I think that was a mistake.

Once I was satisfied with the dough, I added the strawberries, which added more moisture.

Just to take it to the next level, I added some white chocolate chips.

Then I tried to use my ice cream scoop to scoop up perfect cookie-sized rounds of dough. This never works for me, so I gave up and used my hands.

I baked at 375 for 24 minutes and they probably could have cooked another 3 minutes, but they were delicious. I will say they were a bit too moist, so I'd go less heavy on the heavy cream. They were the perfect Fourth of July treat, however; totally fresh and sweet and tart and sugary all at the same time. Best of all? It didn't involve an electric mixer, so anyone could make these!

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Real Wedding: Wendy & Sean

Real Wedding: Wendy & Sean

Thirteen people were present at Wendy and Sean's June wedding, and that's including the bride and groom! Their intimate and charming ceremony is a great example of how to include children from previous marriages in a second wedding. Says Wendy:

We have three boys between us, from our first marriages, and we both felt very strongly that this wedding wasn't just about Sean and myself, but about our new family. It was a chance for our children to heal from the divorces and to feel safe and secure in our new family. Everything we did was geared towards making it a happy, special day for them.








The day before the ceremony, Wendy and her sons decorated the church inside and out with magnolia leaves taken from trees she had planted when they were born.









A few details from Wendy: For our first "family date," we visited a little church in Amelia where a small battle had been fought during the Civil War. We took Frisbees and had a really fun picnic, plus we got to share a little of Virginia's Civil War history with my sons. It was a magical day and the real start of our family. When we were trying to figure out where we wanted to get married, that little church, Namozine (maintained by the Amelia Historical Society), seemed like the perfect place.

For the wedding, we did a sand ceremony with our boys. Each of us had our own jars of sand, which we poured into a larger jar to symbolize that we are individuals, but joining together into one family. The children took the sand ceremony very seriously and I think that it meant a lot to them. I hope that every time they look at that jar of sand, they will know how much we love them and want to make a happy, secure family for them.

Wishing all the best to this new family! And thank you to Susan Bolling for sharing these charming photos with us.

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The Golden Touch: Fernanda Carneiro at Bad Joan

The Golden Touch: Fernanda Carneiro at Bad Joan



Lovin' this strapless dress by Fernanda Carneiro (in goldenrod) for your bridesmaids. I am always trying to find 'maids dresses that your girls can definitely wear again. Not only can they wear this again, but the price is incredible - $67.00. Hurry, limited quantities left. Available at Bad Joan.

email your questions to: bridalwishlist@gmail.com & visit our sister site, the capitol fashionista (http://thecapitolfashionista.blogspot.com)

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Happy Holidays Giveaway from Ban.do!

Happy Holidays Giveaway from Ban.do!

To celebrate the season, and to celebrate the launch of their new bridal collection, the ladies at Ban.do are giving away this fabulously glamorous crystal headband to one Snippet & Ink reader.



This is just one of the awesome new styles over at Ban.do, so to enter, head over to the site, pick out another favorite (unless of course this is the only one for you), then come back here and leave a comment letting us know which one you love, where you'd wear it (to your wedding? someone else's wedding? a holiday party?), and/or what you'd wear it with (knee-length wedding dress? silver stilettos? velvet cigarette pants?). You have until Thursday at midnight to enter, and I will announce the randomly selected winner Friday morning. Good luck!

Update! This contest is now closed. The winner was announced here.

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J.Crew Jericho Tote

Wow. J. Crew's new leather handbags just made my heart swoon something serious.

This Jericho tote is $258 (!!!), but boy don't those pockets just look perfect? I have a beautiful leather bag and as much as I love it, I'd kill for some better pockets. All my stuff is always getting buried in there!

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Wedding Vendors, The B-List Is Coming To DC. Come Join Us

Wedding Vendors, The B-List Is Coming To DC. Come Join Us


The B-List, a consortium of the top wedding bloggers, is holding it's annual conference in Washington, DC the weekend of April 16, 2010 and we are so excited to be attending! If you are a wedding vendor, you are invited to attend the meet + greet cocktail reception being held on Friday, April 16th at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia from 7 - 10 pm. The event is a great opportunity to meet and chat with all your favorite wedding bloggers in one place. For more information on registering to attend {and hurry because there are limited spaces!} please click here: B-List Meet and Greet. We hope to see you in DC next month!

email your questions to: bridalwishlist@gmail.com & visit our sister site, the capitol fashionista (http://thecapitolfashionista.blogspot.com)

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