MightyPen

Just finished watching the movie "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (for about the tenth time). Big sigh -- I really love everything about that film. As a result: La Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid No. 6 and for context, the last two minutes of the movie, one of the places that music is heard:

I stopped being nervous meeting new SPs pretty quickly, but I've never stopped being excited. These days I pretty much know who I'm going to meet when the door opens from ads, picture galleries, posts, and at least a couple of e-mails or PMs; and that knowledge takes away most of the uncertainty that might otherwise make me nervous. But the prospect of meeting someone new that I've chosen to meet, who I know is really attractive and appealing and interesting to me in some way (or else I wouldn't have chosen her)... that's exciting and makes my heart beat a little faster every time. Now that I'm all grown up, I'm a pretty relaxed and sociable guy who has little trouble making honest, engaged conversation, even with someone new. But even though it doesn't show, in one small corner of my mind there's still an 18-year-old version of young, shy, nerdy me gleefully going "I can't believe it! This is awesome this is awesome THIS IS AWESOME!!!". And that's part of the fun. :)

And it's even worse when former trusted mates betray you; 'cause then it's re: allies! ;)

I saw the good news today; that's a happy turn of events and not at all the way I expected it to go. Thanks for posting the update.

Yeah, this makes me angry on several levels. One because I really love dogs, and so I'm super-protective of them. But just anyone who's cruel and abusive to someone or something less powerful than they are instantly earns my deepest wrath. The charges include "corrupting morals", so I expect there will also be pictures and/or videos involved.

Yeah, this is a common attribute of people (and businesses) in general, not just women or people in the sex trade. By knocking down a competitor, they hope to improve their own prospects. But it's a lazy and dumb strategy that seldom works in the long term. Sometimes it does works with the right audience though, which is one of the reasons people keep doing it. But a wiser audience will realize, "if person X is willing to do this about person Y, eventually person X will have a reason to do it about me." Whether it's tearing someone else down, or just thoughtless indiscretion and gossip, this is a good reason for me to drop someone from my life -- personally, professionally, or SP-wise.

Plot twist: she's being quiet because she recognized all the faces in the images -- she's been seeing the same escorts and is afraid you're on to her! - M. Night Shyamalan

Yeah, but the last line of Season 4 was Walt saying, "I won." You knew Breaking Bad would never leave the story there. Check back in after you've finished Season 5. ;)

Yup, last night's episode was possibly the best hour of television I've ever seen -- for writing, cinematography, and of course acting. In Walt's phone call toward the end of the episode, he has to say hateful things in Skyler's direction that are really intended for the audience he knows is listening in; the whole speech is designed to help position her as innocent, abused wife instead of accomplice. Those minutes should win Cranson the Emmy all by themselves. And Anna Gunn did a great job as Skyler on the other end, realizing what Walt is doing and playing along -- so hopefully she'll be around for what's left of their family, at least. It's true, the episode could almost have been the series finale. Walt's world has collapsed, everything he'd hoped for is destroyed, and he's completely on his own. He's paying the full price for his own crimes at last. I'm guessing the last two episodes are about two things: a) getting revenge on the Aryan guys and destroying the organization (including Lydia?), and b) bringing Walt's personal story and most probably his life to an end, hopefully with a bit of redemption while tying up Jesse's final fate. I usually agree with a lot of other people and prefer to wait 'til I can watch everything at once on disc. But this is one case where I'm happy to see these last hours bit by bit, week by week, reacting and discussing things with others as they happen. It's television I'll remember in 20 years, and how often can you say that?

EDIT: Ah, never mind.

Most of all: that she believes that she is. Once the attitude is there -- a combination of "I want this." and "I deserve this." -- the rest is just details.

Yup, I like this idea for the last reason cited -- it generally lets you look at someone's most significant contributions without having to wade through loads of simple pictures, one-liners, and other throw-away posts. On the other hand, I'm not sure that it's the high-reputation posts that necessarily tell you the most about someone's personality; it only promises to show you those that prompted lots of affirmations from like-minded people in the CERB community (which is never a bad thing). After all, I can think of a few posts in the "what's your age limit?" thread with very low reputation scores, that nevertheless tell you quite a lot about the person who posted them.

Heh... that comment was going to be "The 'bad girl' always dies first! Stay away from the 'bad girl'!".'' A slip o' th' keyboard hit "enter" early and made it looked like the bad guy got me just as I started my sentence.

Even better, Jimmy Fallon does a whole Breaking Bad spoof here: ... watch for especially brilliant guest appearances around 9:45.

I know the ask you mean! It was a one-time-only thing that Bryan Cranston wore for a bit at ComiCon. Someone manufactures them (they cost thousands of dollars each), and Cranston (who had regrown his hair by then) put one on and walked around the convention floor. People were getting their pictures taken with a guy whose mask made him look "just like Walter White!", not realizing it was Bryan Cranston himself under the mask. :) It really was spooky-effective, for a mask. Cranston discusses this with David Letterman (around 6:00)

Maybe to keep us all safe they should just skip the 13th in the calendar when it falls on a Friday and declare it the 14th instead, the way some old buildings skip the 13th floor. Then again, some traditions say it's a lucky number, so I guess I'll keep taking my chances. Seems to have worked okay so far!

I agree. Bill Odenkirk is a very funny guy AND a respectable actor; he's done the tough job of keeping Saul amusing but not cartoonish. And notice how much more serious he's playing Saul now that things are getting so dicey and he's genuinely afraid. (My favourite Saul moment was the negotiation when buying the house from Jesse's parents, taking complete control of the situation after they'd dismissed him out of hand as a two-bit ambulance-chaser. "What do you say, counsellor... do you concur?") I see they're billing the start of the series, at least, as a prequel to Breaking Bad... so this talk of a spin-off doesn't absolutely guarantee that Saul survives the three more weeks to the BB finale. ;)

Yeah, she has the upper hand here and I think she's aware of it. It can be okay to stay in touch with an ex, and a secure partner won't mind. But it sounds like the ex is actively haunting the new relationship, so your friend and his GF need to sort that out. If your friend is doing all the work in the relationship, and she's not aware of or heeding his boundaries regarding the ex, then the thing is doomed unless he changes that dynamic. He needs to be confident that he has other relationship options so he can honestly ask himself whether this situation is really what he wants, or if he's just sticking with it because he's afraid of being alone. If you're desperate, many partners will sense it and take advantage, plus you become less attractive in the bargain. So... in addition to talking to his GF about this stuff he should work on himself and his social options closer to home (not cheating, just making friends and establishing a social circle with potential partners). That way he has a viable exit ramp from this relationship if/when he decides it's needed. Then he can work on his relationship out of desire, instead of enduring it silently while paralyzed from fear.

I think most people find it got better and and better with each season, though I have to say I personally found it pretty compelling right from the start. That first season took its time but also had some high points: Walter's dilemma about killing Crazy 8, and the "this isn't meth" scene to gain the upper hand with Tuco. The show charts Walter's descent as he gets drawn deeper and deeper into a high-stakes, violent, and complicated enterprise while battling his own ego and thirst for power after a largely powerless life. It does take its time so that each step in that progression makes believable sense, and to examine the effect on Walter and the people around him. I guess you have to enjoy watching those character moments, and Walter's steady distortion away from where he started, for the show to really seize you.

Yep. Only problem is, lots of guys interpret that as "Keep her in submission! Never show any weakness!" and that's not the point at all. You have to be confident, capable, and able to meet the many demands your life puts in front of you. Know yourself, share yourself honestly, and be ready and able work on the parts of you that naturally need work. Everyone's got some of those. Prove that you are these things, and any worthy man or woman will stay by your side. Fail too often, and s/he'll rightly start to look around for a better partner in life while there's time.

Yeah, Lydia is kind of weird. Neurotic. It was so cute to see Todd's affection/lust for her in the last episode. It's jarring to see the Scottish actress who plays her speaking with her natural accent (see 0:47): Inside Tohajiilee "He actually fancies Lydia! Gosh... you'd have to be really messed up to fancy Lydia!"

Is anyone else here following the end of the tv series Breaking Bad as closely as I am? The fifth and final season ends in three weeks, and I've found it absolutely gripping. I discovered the show late (in the middle of season 3 as I recall), but have watched it religously ever since. I think it's one of the best television shows ever written, brilliantly conceived and executed; truly grown-up, smart, literary-level drama. It's in a special class with just a few other shows like The Wire and Deadwood. Sunday nights are absolutely sacrosanct in my schedule for the next three weeks as the show draws to its conclusion. Anyone else watching?

I agree with one provision: that's equally true of both sexes. If you're a doormat for your partner, that partner will eventually tire of you. Relationships are supposed to challenge us and help us grow beyond who were are when they start. Our partners should be our equals who support us and who we support in turn... not mere providers for a particular set of needs when we happen to feel like it. As others have said already, there's too little information in the original post to offer specific advice. But on the assumption that the OP is looking for just some general advice that can apply to all relationships, I'll offer this random list, which has a common theme of communication: a) Know what kind of things you expect from your relationship in the short, medium, and long term. Make sure you and your partner are on the same page with respect to where you're going, and when you want to hit the milestones on the way. (Even if the answer is "meh, let's just see what happens," that's cool as long as you both feel the same way. Find out.) b) Recognize that your partner is just a regular person, not a magical answer to all your dreams. Most of us start out with pretty dreamy, mostly unspoken ideas of what our partner should be like and all the wonderful things they should do for our lives. But if you're going to be with someone for a long time, learn to measure them for who they really are and where they're going, not just by counting how many of your personal boxes they tick and how often. c) Respect your partner as a separate person, and make sure they respect you. Every relationship has a power dynamic. It's okay if one of you is stronger than the other in some things or at some times (money? social skills? knowing how to do particular stuff?); but this should balance out in the big picture with contributions in other areas. If not, this WILL create tension and could doom things in time. d) Grow together. Don't stop working at life just because you've got someone. Be on the same page about this. e) money: the scourge of so many relationships. Work out a budget together (for immediate and long-term stuff), figure out how much you should each contribute to a joint account to cover those joint expenses. The rest of your earnings (such as they are) are yours to spend however you like, so agree ahead of time not to hassle each other about how you spend it. If he's covering his contributions to household, mortgage and savings, don't hassle him when he adds to his collection of Star Wars action figures! And you, mister, be quiet about the shoes! (Or, you know, vice versa.) I could go on but that'll do for now. Would be happy to see how others would add to the list.

I really like this IKEA commercial. Should probably get a chuckle here. "... they don't seem that uptight."

... hundreds of thousands of lives. That day was just the first day of a very, very dark, violent, and slightly insane decade that followed from it. I spare a thought for the thousands of innocents killed that day, and also for the hundreds of thousands who died needlessly in the cataclysm that followed it. The two cannot be separated; it would be like sighing "ah, poor Franz Ferdinand and his wife" every June 28, and leaving it there.