Monday, December 21, 2015

Guess which candidate has the best social media campaign

QUICK NUMBERS:
Cruz: Total Followers-2,601,303/Total Engagement: .15%
Rubio: Total Followers-2,786,963/Total Engagement .04%
Sanders: Total Followers: 4428200/Total Engagement .14%
Clinton:Total Followers: 7,474,837/ Total Engagement: .08%
Trump: Total Followers: 10,905,948/ Total Engagement .28%


SO what candidate has the strongest social media presence. Who is getting the most people to engage with them? The answer may surprise you, it surprised me. How did I get interested in this? What would possess me to compile this information and cross it?  I have this odd habit of becoming fascinated by, um..interesting people. For instance Mike Tyson. I'm obsessed. I watch his cartoon, any YouTube videos that pop up..basically anything Mike Tyson related.....I find him fascinating. Like wise I find Trump fascinating and that's how this all started. I began following him just to see what he would post. I noticed his social media engagement (as he has lots of it) and wondered..how did the other top candidates compare and I decided to do a basic cross study comparing Trump, Clinton, Sanders, Rubio and Cruz across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 Let me explain just a few things to those who are't quite as savvy on social media basics. First Facebook is still the most important platform. People are basically on Facebook..all of the time. Everyone is on Facebook 18-60..everyone uses Facebook. The demographics are good too. The average age of Facebook users is 40. I bet you didn't expect that did you? Also 75% of people use Facebook. These are the people who vote, so when you see the information I'm going to give you, consider that. . Next is Twitter. The average age of a Twitter user is 37 and about 25% of people use Twitter. Lastly is Instagram. This is primarily a tool for young people. The age range is primarily 18-29. While one may say this isn't the age group that votes, I would say if someone in that age bracket interacts with you on Instagram, they are probably very interested in what you have to say and probably the type of person more likely to vote.

*DISCLAIMER:
First, this was no scientific study, obviously. I compared followers, likes, shares, re-tweets and positive vs negative posts. I used Facebook posts from Dec. 14th to Dec 17th, the last twenty-five Twitter posts, and the last ten Instagram posts. Then I averaged the numbers to get an engagement score for each candidate because it's fine and dandy to get followers, but its another thing entirely if they are engaged in your campaigning. Re-tweets and shares weigh double as this widens the candidates reach to new voters and causes discussion. I did not consider things such as comments because those could be people expressing dislike in the candidates views. This is not in any way to give a complete take on social media engagement as many other things would have to be taken into account and since I'm not getting paid..I didn't go to deep with this. I'd also think a really good study would include YouTube. I am not endorsing any candidate. I will give my take on their social media campaign though. Math is not my strong point, so take my stats with a grain of salt or you know..do it yourself.
Formula is likes+shares+shares divided by followers =engagement number
Total engagement is all likes+all shares+all shares divided by the total number of followers.

*No the Facebook posts aren't the same amount..those candidates not posting enough have themselves to blame for not using free advertising. Of course there are those candidates who prefer to get much engagement on a well thought out post rather than just posting multiple times.


TED CRUZ
FACEBOOK: Followers-1,764,303 (Posts-35) Likes-273073 Shares-47756 Engagement: .02%
TWITTER:  Followers-660000 (Posts 25) Likes-10082 Re-tweets-6857 Engagement:.03%
INSTAGRAM: Followers-177000 (Posts 10) Likes 27303 Engagement:1.5
Total Followers-2,601,303 Likes-310458 Shares/Re-tweets-109226 TOTAL ENGAGEMENT: .15%

Notes:From What I looked at Cruz was running a mostly positive campaign. He takes his social media campaign seriously and I believe he has purchased likes and possibly followers on Facebook. (many of his posts had no engagement on them, which is odd) He didn't seem to know what to post on Instagram though, however he had the highest engagement on Instagram. His feed seemed to be full of endorsements, places he can be seen, and things he wants to do in office. Cruze is trying hard, but maybe he should follow Trump or Sanders for idea on how to do social media correctly.

MARCO RUBIO
FACEBOOK: Followers-1,167963 (Posts 18)  Likes-42881 Shares-4069 Engagement:.04%
TWITTER: Followers-1,020,000 (Posts 25) Likes-13855 Re-tweets-6746 Engagement: .02%
INSTAGRAM; Followers 599000 (Posts 10)  Likes 24358 Engagement:.40%
Total Followers-2,786,963 Likes 81094 Share/Re-tweets-21630 TOTAL ENGAGEMENT .04%

Notes: Rubio's social media is focused on things he wants to change, such as repealing Obamacare and other things he dislikes about the current administration. While not exactly positive, he isn't cutting down other politicians running so I would say he is running a positive campaign that is clearly focused on the message he wants to get out. His Twitter the day I viewed it however, was mostly re-tweets of other people's messages. At first I didn't think he even had an Instagram account he was using because @marcorubio has 3 posts and 600 followers. I decided that just couldn't be correct and found the account he is using, it's under @marcorubiofla or .marcorubio16. It is confusing. I was however able to get a clear view of the things he wants to tackle in office. It is important to remember though, that isn't all your social media should be about. 


Bernie Sanders

FACEBOOK: Followers-2,655200 (Posts 26) Likes-758641 Shares-292901 Engagement: .50%
TWITTER: Followers-1,300,000 (Posts 25) Likes 35,483 Re-tweets-20336 Engagement: .05%
INSTAGRAM: Followers-473000 (Posts 10) Likes 305000 Engagement: .64%
Total Followers: 4428200 Likes-1099124 Shares/Re-tweets-626474 TOTAL ENGAGEMENT: .14%

Notes: Sanders is running a positive campaign. While yes, he remarks on the GOP, he is mostly focused on things he wants to change and not running other politicians down. His social media game is on point. It is handled very well. Although I would say he is posting on Facebook through two accounts.  To get enough posts in the specific time I had to use posts from each page. I am not sure if this is a social media technique or not..but I feel he should focus on one main page for his campaign. He has great Instagram pictures, an informative Facebook and a fun Twitter feed. I give his social media game a B+.


Hillary Clinton

FACEBOOK: Followers- 1,989837 (Posts 29) Likes 314305 Shares-35879 Engagement:.19%
TWITTER: Followers- 4,910,000 (Posts 25) Likes 28184 Re-tweets-19781 Engagement; .01%
INSTAGRAM: Followers-575000 (Posts 10) Likes 191200 Engagement:.33%
Total Followers: 7,474,837 Likes 533689 Shares/Re-tweets:113320 TOTAL ENGAGEMENT: .08%

Notes: Hillary has the most negative campaign of all of the candidates. It is disappointingly negative. As I looked through her posts it really stood out and was the main thing I remember from her social media. So, Hilary..you don't like conservatives..got it. Quite a few of her posts had NO shares or re-tweets, this leaves me to believe..much as I thought about Cruz, that she is purchasing likes. I'm sorry but if you have that many followers and your engagement is THAT low..something is up. I didn't feel looking at her pages were at all encouraging.


Donald Trump

FACEBOOK: Followers-4,863,948 (Posts 29) Likes-2131419 Shares-222795 Engagement: .52%
TWITTER: Followers-5,320,000 Likes-111402 Re-tweet-71045 Engagement:..04%
INSTAGRAM: Followers-722000 Likes-235700 Engagement: .32%
Total Followers: 10,905,948 Likes-2478521 Shares/Re-tweets-587680 TOTAL ENGAGEMENT.28%

Notes: Trump has by far the highest number of followers and a decent engagement with them. His campaign is surprisingly positive. He is focusing on the fact he is ahead in the polls and places you can catch him. However I believe he could increase his engagement by focusing on exactly WHAT he plans on doing in office. According to these numbers though, I'd say if the campaign was between Hilary and Trump..I'd bet my money on Trump right now.


Follow up notes: I'm really curious as to how well social media and the engagement of people who follow politicians on social media will do so far as determining who people will vote for in the election. I'll do this again once we have our candidates selected and get closer to election day. Of course the reason these numbers aren't compiled by a paid professional with the time to do all of it correctly is we have no idea how social media will effect the election. There is a huge difference between social media usage now as what it was at our last election. The time the average person spends daily on social media is now almost TWO HOURS and 40 minutes of that time is Facebook. Its fairly obvious that Facebook is a great way to engage with voters, however my view is that people first like you and then engage with you on social media, so television is still a very important media.



















Tuesday, November 10, 2015

How to get rid of Telemarketers.

I have been in sales and marketing for quite sometime now. I specialize in calling business over the phone and social media. I'd like to help business people who seem to have no idea how to handle a sales call to their organization...because really i speak to some people who really have no clue. I imagine this would also work for people who telemarket your home.

Do not say anything else say this EXACTLY:
I am not interested, put me on the Do not call list.
THEN HANG UP.


Saying anything else means the sales person has to rebut you. Literally anything else you say and they have to argue back with you. People listen in on the calls. Sometimes we get text messages from people listening telling us not to let you off the phone.
No one wants to talk to you, no one is disparately trying to make a sale. Believe me you are one of hundreds of calls ill make in a day. For the love of God if you are not interested let us off the line. Don't explain why you are not interested..i do no care.(yep even you just bought the same thing from someone else, youre in a contract, whatever..say none of this as I HAVE TO REBUT IT)  Do not tell me your boss will never do it..I do not care. Don't tell me you are all set..I still have to argue with you. If you just say you aren't interested we have to call back. If you don't speak English, people call back, If you put them on hold, they call back. If you say something mean, we call back. IF you play a prank, we call back. If you say this is the wrong number, we call back. If you say this is the douche bag registry, may I have your fist name..WE CALL BACK. There is seriously nothing else to say except what i told you to say. Something may get you put off for a month or even six..but yeah-you will get called back.
  Don't SAY ANYTHING BUT: 
I am not interested, put me on the Do not call list.
THEN HANG UP

Do not play games with me..I have all of your personal information. Address, name, ect. Yeah even at businesses trust I have most of the names of the employees even if I don't ask for someone by name. Pissing a telemarketer is a pretty bad idea. At the very least we will make sure you get more phone calls because honestly..we have nothing better to do than call people.

In addition, as hard as I try to make sure I'm calling the right kind of organization perfect for the product, sometimes I mess up. Your business just isn't big enough for me to sell to. Let me find out if 'i can help you. Im not asking you questions because I'm super nosy and believe it or not..most of that information is probably public somewhere. Yep even who your phone company is, how many employees you have and what insurer you offer your employees. All of it..available. I'm just asking to save us both time. Now this is less likely with what I'd call a true telemarketer as their leads are purchased, but then again maybe they have even more information.

Lastly, Half of the time we are on autopilot, no I have no clue what you were even saying..do you want my crap or not. Just to let you know however, you shouldn't always say no. Getting the best rate on things DOES occasionally mean talking to a sales person and letting two companies fight for or to keep your service.In the past I have been authorized to give stuff away and offer a minimum of  a 20% discount on top of whatever you are paying now. At one point I was even giving doctors coupons to give their patients free drugs at no cost to them, so yes occasionally you absolutely should talk to those pesky phone operators.

Now I say this to help people. Sometimes I am on the phone and I'd like to help them. I so badly want to tell them what to say, but I can't. So use this information! lol USE IT!

...AND again I have the answer if you REALLY don't want too talk to anyone:
I am not interested, put me on the Do not call list.
THEN HANG UP.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Crimson Peak


I was fooled. I saw the trailer for months for Crimson Peak and it just looked so delicious, so beautifully scary, that I couldn't wait to watch it. Also Steven King said it scared him, so there was that. I waited for months to watch this film....oh the disappointment.... (there are very light spoilers below if you are not the very intuitive sort, so warning.)

First I should have known because Guillermo del Toro wrote this, anything he writes is boring. Yeah he knows how to make things so visually unique it usually saves him but his writing skills are just lacking. He takes what starts out as a good idea and somehow makes it boring.  Everything I have every watched the he wrote himself with his own original material ( Hellboy doesn't quite count because it was not his original creation) Is just boring. The same thing happens again in Crimson Peak. 

The film is just..tedious...and not very well told. Why does Mia fall in love with the baronet??? The only real reason we are given is because he can waltz really well. Seriously, that's it. There is nothing to back it up what so ever. He doesn't do anything dashing like save her life or overly romantic such as talk to her about he too is missing a parent and understands the pain of losing his mother tragically (which would have fit in the story). The love story part was very obviously written by a man. The fact that the romantic parts are quite lacking hurts the entire film. Even the doctor who is also in love with her, their scenes are just lacking. Why does he love her. why does he go to such extreme lengths for her? 

Then there are the ghosts. Yeah they are visually interesting to look at, but I am in no way afraid. Were there not enough of them? I don't know. Stephen King, I am so calling you out right now. You are going to tell me this frightened you when you wrote one of the best ghost stories ever written. Um, Crimson Peak is no Shining Stephen and shame on you for letting me think the ghosts who live there could in anyway live up to the ghosts who live in The Stanly. There is no suspense with the ghosts in this film. All of the suspense come from trying to figure out what is going on between the brother and the sister. Yeah, it's pretty horrid in a flowers in the attic kind of way but it isn't enough to push the entire story. I was there to see murderous ghosts, not whatever that was.

Final thoughts: The movie felt like it was to long because not enough was happening. If you are going to write a romantic movie, spend a little time learning about freaking romance. Watch a few damn chick flicks or at least turn on the lifetime movie network for a few days. Ultimately Del Toro needs to learn how to make monsters not just amazing to look at but actually frightening...and tell me again WHY this film was rated R? This movie would have worked better for the Twilighters with just a few adjustments, trust me on this. 

Horror Fans don't waste your time on this, go out and watch the much better Tales of Halloween. I loved this anthology film. It's not quite up to par with Trick R Treat but pretty close, I plan on making this film part of my Halloween tradition.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

The Ultimate Halloween Horror Movie Play list


Looking for a film to cuddle up with? I have made a horror movie play list for each week this month. In general(but not completely) I tried to steer away from well known films (that you would think of on your own) until the week of Halloween. Each week has a theme and the films play off each other, just as a play list should. Have fun finding how each film connects. (the first week is easy as they are all anthologies;),   ENJOY!!!

Week of October 1st through the 4th

Trick 'R Treat
The Vault of Horror
The Monster Club
Tales from the Crypt 1972
Ghost Story
Cat's Eye
Wax Work and Wax Work 2 
CreepShow  (there are three if you are interested)
Tales from the Darkside the Movie
V/H/S
Black Sabbath

Week of October 5th through the 11th

House
Haunted Honeymoon
Doghouse
Juan of the Dead
Big Ass Spider
Bubba-Ho tep
Critters
Fido
Dance of the Dead
Cemetery Man
Dead before Dawn
April Fools Day



Week of October 12th through 18th

What Lies Beneath
Here Comes the Devil
Hide and Seek
Hard Candy
Copy Cat
Chasing Sleep
Videodrone
Brainscan
Basket Case
Identity
Vacancy
The House of the Dead


Week of October 19th through the 25th

Fair Haired Child (A short from Masters of horror, available for rental)
Pet Cemetery
Storm Of The Century
Frailty
The Gate
The Rite
Lost Souls
Stir of Echos
Mirrors/Mirrors 2
The Lady in White
Dark Water (2005)
Book of Blood
Salvage (2006)
Circle of Eight
Dead End
Haunter


Week of October 26th through 30th

Arachnophobia
8 Legged Freaks
The Company of Wolves
Silver Bullet
Cursed
Cujo
Nightbreed
The Hunger
A Return to Salem's Lot
Sometimes They Come Back
Night of the Comet
The Invasion
Signs



HALLOWEEN
(These films aren't related other than all being awesome)
The Blob (1988)
Sleepy Hollow
The Shining
The Howling
Psycho
Evil Dead
Army of Darkness










Tuesday, September 15, 2015

10 Things about Black Mass


1. Depp gives one of his best performances. I forgot many times I was looking at Depp up there on the screen, partially because of his make-up (more on that later) partially because he isn't making a character more like him, he made himself like the character. That isn't something Depp normally gives us.

2. The make up was horrible. Seriously who did the make up? I could visibly see the contour work on Depp. It's called blending. Also what was up with the contacts..it looked like he didnt have pupils. Jesse Plemons looked..odd, his face with bumps and bulges in all of the wrong places.

3. Joel Edergton looks just like Conan O'brian in this movie..so much so I found it distracting.

4. Apparently in the 70's and 80's you could just shoot people in public, including restaurants, and get away with it.

5. There never is much of any connection made about Whitey's brother being a senator and how that happened...exactly. You are going to tell me your brother is a mobster and you were just elected as a senator? Ok then.

6. You are also going to tell me it just so happened that his friend Connely just happened to get into the FBI and just happened to end up back in the neighborhood and just happened to come up with the idea they should "work together". ...Why not..

7. Whitey Bulger has his own IMDB page due to being featured in several shows about crime.

8. Whitey is actually a boring character in this film. We never really get to know about him or what makes him tick, just about the things he does. Sure he is a complete ass you would never want to cross, but WHY is such an ass? Inquiring minds want to know. This is a pretty big flaw in the film.

9. Seriously did they go out of their way to make everyone look HORRIBLE in this film?

10. My actual review. Everyone is going to tell you this film is great, because it is the kind of film people want to say is great. It is the kind of film that wins Oscars, but the film just wasn't that good. i didn't care about any of the characters and i certainly didn't care about Whitey and a film needs someone to root for. Someone you feel is the hero (even if that someone is a bad guy) and someone to be the villain. there was nothing terribly shocking that happened on camera, other than no one ever apparently reporting the various shootings in public. Let's not even get started on the horrible make up..honestly inexcusable on a film with a budget like that. The film wasn't horrible. It is a rental, a movie to watch on Friday night over pizza. All in all I give it a 6. A film that is slightly better than average but in no way a wow film. yes the acting is GREAT, but it just wasnt enough to save a poor script and bad styling.


Friday, September 11, 2015

Yes, America is Great.

Today, being the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, I decided I would post on my social media sites an article about why America and more specifically Americans are great. So I "googled"  and found nothing but article after article stating that America was in fact, not great. When did we become..this? When did we switch from a people proud of our accomplishments and proud of each other to a group of victims all waiting to talk about how bad their group has been treated and how much better it is...in every other country in the world. My goodness, maybe Donald Trump is gaining so many followers because he promises greatness and winning. I for one am exhausted with people, American people..bashing the United States.

Allow me to remind those of you who want to disparage this great country, that all country's have a violent past. All of them, Rome was not built without a bit of blood shed. No country is without their sins. If we are so horrible, why do people still dream of coming here, even when they truly love their homeland? I found this article, after looking for quite some time written by an immigrant to this country. It is definitely worth a read, it shows you how those who come to this country view us.
 http://www.phillytalkradioonline.com/comment/10-great-things.html
In it he calls America the freest most virtuous nation on earth. I am going to quote a paragraph from this gentleman's article.

 "But if freedom brings out the worst in people, it also brings out the
best. The millions of Americans who live decent, praiseworthy lives
desire our highest admiration because they have opted for the good when
the good is not the only available option. Even amidst the temptations of
a rich and free society, they have remained on the straight path. Their
virtue has special luster because it is freely chosen.

By contrast, the societies that many Islamic fundamentalists seek would
eliminate the possibility of virtue. If the supply of virtue is
insufficient in a free society like America, it is almost non-existent in
an unfree society like Iran."


Our country has long been known as a nation of givers, always falling at the top of lists when it comes to the percentage of us who give to charity. The media isnt going to report on what is going right obviously..they aren't going to tell you about the thousands of volunteers, those who stand by their neighbors in times of trouble, and those who are not afraid to speak their mind when someone needs to speak up.

America, quite frankly, has forgotten how wonderful she is. We have become the high school girl who wasn't asked to prom, our ego bruised and not capable of believing in ourselves. It doesn't make us bad people to believe in ourselves or to believe we are great and that we are capable of great things. On the contrary, I believe that believing in how wonderful we are, believing in what we have accomplished and what we WILL accomplish is essential to us becoming an even greater nation. 

Today Septemper 11, 2015 I hope we can remember how great we are and let the world know we are a country of people who stand united. May God bless those who died during the attacks and may he comfort those left behind.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

The Nice Guy Epidemic Overtaking America.


There was a time when it was women who were always looking for relationships. Entire sections of books stores were dedicated to women finding relationships. Now I notice, as I peruse social media,  tons of men bemoaning their single state. OH! and it's never their fault, its always the women. Unlike in the past where women's self help books were all about them becoming more dateable, more desirable to men..men seem to squarely blame women for their bad taste in men because of course women should want to date them. They after-all, are nice guys.

If you are one of those men...what I am going to say next will either hurt your fragile male ego or piss you off but it needs to get through your think skulls.  First off everyone says they are a nice guy. EVERY GUY OUT THERE THINKS THEY ARE A NICE GUY. Its like some kind of damn badge you all wear. "I'm a nice guy."  "Girls don't want to date nice guys."  "I have proof women don't want nice guys." May I ask what a nice guy is exactly? What makes a guy nice? I mean do you think women are out there looking for men who call them bitches and have them rob liquor stores with them? I am unclear as to what you "nice" guys even mean by that statement. To me a nice guy is a man who is honest from the beginning about his intent and does not lead a women on who has more interest in him than he does in her. He ends it even when that might hurt him, because he knows its for the best. That's a nice guy. I mean if women could tell from the get go and read minds I'm pretty sure they wouldn't end up in pointless relationships. In other words, women don't look to get hurt but everyone wants what they can't have. I mean that's why you are alone right now, because instead of pursuing someone who might actually be interested in you...you are going after unicorns. (what I call women realistically out of someones league) You are just like the women you talk about..which leads me to this...

Women are just people. What do women want?? I mean it isn't like we are a collective. We don't all want the same thing. What each woman is attracted to varies from woman to woman. If you just can't seem to get women to go out with you..keep asking more women. Someone will say yes. It's a huge damn world and its a numbers game. Stop complaining and get real.

Do you really know why you can't get the girls you are interested in? Are you ready for the truth? You want a 9 and you are a 4. (metaphorically speaking) Be more realistic about who you chase. I mean you can chase nines all you want but that may not be what you can actually get. Just because a girl talks to you or even agrees to dinner and drinks doesn't mean she is ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. Why do we need to tell men this, as a women I know that. I get that, why don't you guys. Get over it. It's just how things are. I see men who really need to work on themselves and they wonder why no one wants to go out with them. A better question is, why would someone want to date you?  Why? Your not getting used men, you are setting yourself up for failure....AND I know its hard to believe but women have things they find attractive physically and the woman you are chasing just may not find you physically attractive. The end. I know its hard to believe that woman can be so shallow. We are just as shallow as you guys. Remember that and life will go way smoother. I see men who think they can buy girls. You can't because in the end they will still be looking for something else and you can't have a successful relationship with someone who ultimately thinks they could have done better. You can't buy love. Let me say that one more time YOU CAN'T BUY LOVE. Not with money, gifts, deeds, or friendship. A person is either attracted to you or they arent attracted to you. If they arent, move the hell on. Oh, you know some friends who eventually dated, got married and had kids? Wonderful. That isn't going to happen to you. You want to get more girls?  Put down books like this...http://www.nomoremrniceguy.com/ and read this article http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/

Why the hell do I even have to say this? Why do I see so many men complaining on social media these days anyway? Have some freaking dignity. Stop whining about women. (while I find you guys amusing, you guys are seriously very funny) Its unattractive.








Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The last light and Get Hard..reviewed

the Last light is the kind of horror movie I love. There is no crazy serial killer offing college students one by one, no absurd chase scenes..justa good old fashioned fight between good and evil. The movie is visually very appealing, the lighting is in point, the music carefully selected to give just the right feeling of menace. The acting is superb. Seriously spot on. The only technical problem I can find is the ambient sounds were a bit to loud making the fact that they were recorded way to obvious. For a low budget film..this movie is very well done.
In it you have six survivors of..something, something none of them can quite remember. They only know that something is outside. Something that will destroy them if given the opportunity. Now the rest of this review will have *spoilers* because this is the kind of movie you can't really review without giving away major plot points.
Ok they are in purgatory, I caught that right away but I can see how some people may never figure it out. Without that knowledge you really can't understand the film. The problem with the characters is none of them (with the exception of one) has really done anything worth going to hell over. Good lord one lady is there because she left home for a job and almost missed her sisters death. The reasons are never quite given for two of the people there. This really bothers me, it's such a well put together film in every other respect, to have not put more thought into character development is just tragic. Also all they have to do is walk into the light to be saved? When they believe monsters are right outside the door? How does that have anything to do with forgiveness? Don't let these two problems stop you from watching this film though the performances the actors give and the great soundtrack and moody lighting make this film well worth the hour and a half run time.

Get hard
This film is not funny, well at least not most of it. That's pretty much all you need to know but if you want to know why it isn't funny here goes: Will Ferrell and Kevin heart have no chemistry. The best parts of the film are when Ferrell is interacting with annone else but heart. I feel like they keep teaming heart up with people in movies hoping that someone will give him that comedic chemistry he needs. Both Kevin and heat need straight men to play off of. Someone to bounce their actions off of. You can't have two larger than life characters on go at the same time. However Ferrell joining the gang and giving them stock market advice was pure gold. My advice is watch once it hits Netflix.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Why Tennesseans love hot food

In case you didn't know Tennesse is the hot chicken capital of the United States. The popularity of it grows each year and new hot chicken spots keep popping up all over Nashville, which is THE PLACE in Tennessee to get your chicken fix...specifically east Nashville. I recently read a very indepth article about the beginning of hot chicken in Nashville. The article did a great job of  telling the story of one particular hot chicken joint, seregation in Nashville and what one person thinks is how hot chicken became popular. In the article the author basically surmises that the rich white people in Nashville never heard of hot chicken until the last few years because of segregation. This guy has no clue what he is talking about. You see hot chicken and hot food isn't a black thing. Let me shead some light on this.

First of all I come from a blue collar family. Well red neck is a better term. My grandfather on my mothers side was a farmer...a fix it yourself guy...a real man kinda guy. He comes from the last generation of men who can fix whatever is broken. He is the oldest of ten children I believe. (Give or take) so needless to say there wasn't a lot of extra money floating around.....and how do you think my grandfather likes his food? Let's just say hot is an understatement.

This is a man who I personally witnessed eat hot peppers off of the vine. No water, just to see if they are 'hot enough' yet. Who does that? He collects hot sauces like some people collect baseball cards. He was in the hospital once for a bleeding stomach ulcer, I'm not saying hot sauce put him there...but damn. The fact is you will always find a prevalence of hot sauce/hot foods in poorer communities, world wide. I haven't exactly figured out the correlation but believe me it does exist. I have an idea  about why this happens though.

When you are poor, really poor..I don't mean McDonald's poor...I mean beans and rice poor, your food gets really boring. I mean think about eating the same dishes day in and day out. What would be an inexpensive way to add flavor and taste to your otherwise bland food? Hot sauce, pepper, chilies, ect, of course. At some point it becomes a novelty, even to the people who eat it regularly. A badge of courage so to speak. Who can stand the hottest of the hot? This is a thing in poor communities everywhere. It's easy to see how a hot chicken (fried chicken was the first foods to offered in a take me home sort of way, small rural towns often had take home chicken way before burger joints) place
would be popular in the 40's and continue in popularity all the way to today. It's basically a combination of poor people food. Tasty, amazing, poor people food.

Let's now focus on Nashville..the birth place...ok the place where hot chicken became a popular thing. Let's talk about how that happened. First of all Nashville has always been a place full of money...for a small group of people.  Seriously at one point in time Nashville was one of the preppiest cities I'd ever seen. Hello vanderbuilt, Belmont and David lipscomb universities. Across town, for years though..there was a group of people who didnt make that kind of cash  and they liked their food..suprise, suprise..just as my grandpa likes his...hot. Then about say, ten years ago,  before the real estate crash....upper middle class people started moving to the east side...flipping houses and generally turning it into hipster city. ...and where did these hipsters go to eat? The long standing hot chicken joints, which because of the influx of people to the area suddenly were 'discovered' and gained in popularity.

So why does most of Tennessee like hot food....because most of Tennessee is poor. That is the answer. It has nothing to do with segregation..other than the normal segregation of classes that always occurs. People, make that poor people, have been eating hot chicken for a long, long time.

I like how the article I read talks about how the author was from Nashville but had never heard of it and how his friends were now moving to parts of Nashville they wouldn't have stepped foot in years ago, which basically confirms what I just said. Im not sure why it annoys me, but for some reason the east Nashville hipsters do. It's like they are urban explorers discovering things that have been around for decades or their suprise at their 500k 900sqft home next to the projects getting broken into.

No east Nashville hipsters you were not the first people to like hot food, drink pbr, or shop at goodwill...but I'm sure everyone making money off you is happy to let you stay in your delusion.


Sunday, July 19, 2015

A weekend of terrible movies. (Joe dirt 2, trainwreck, and it follows)

It's hot outside. Really hot. So hot and humid that I get a headache after then minutes out there.this means my usual weekend experience of an ice cold beer by the pool is out of the question. I've spent the whole weekend watching movies..indoors. This has also been less than satisfactory. Due to multiple requests for reviews, here is my weekend at the movies.

Trainwreck
I'm not sure what I expected but an r rated lifetime movie wasn't it. I've heard people compair this to a typical romantic comedy. Noooo because this movie definitely deals with the Stars personal demons that include drugs, alcohol and sexual deviancy. Not in a funny look at how silly she is way but a, if I don't change my life I'm going to lose my family, friends and career kind of way...maybe even go to jail. This makes the film drag, it's about two hours and twent minutes long. I got bored after an hour and a half. The film makes no sence if you really think it out. Supposedly she is unable to commit because her dad tells her as a child that it's not possible. She then likes a guy and her problem isn't commiting but the fact she feels she doesn't deserve someone good in her life because she has slept around?? Wait..what?
That said John ceda is halarious and so is LeBron James. The hapless guy who plays Amy's love interest is funny and adorable. These guys deliver so real laughs during the film. The movie would have worked much better if her dad hadn't been seen after his brief appearance at the start of the film...and the rest of the movie had focused on Amy's character learning why she needs or wants a relationship..and the nerdy guy winning her over of course. Leave the sappy drama to lifetime please.
Out of five stars I give this one three. It's a funny movie, but it's no match for films like Superbad or Pineapple Express, who have more laughs and less drama.

Joe dirt 2

Dear David Spade,
I am super pissed about Joe dirt 2. You had what like...twenty years to write something and you give me some stupid time traveling, angel, inception bs? I give you NO excuses about a smaller budget because a big budget wasn't necessary. You acted like the first move didn't even happen. I mean Joe went from guest staring on mtv to obscurity again? Not to mention your constant rehashing of the same jokes. Again you had like twenty damn years to write new ones.  Whyyyyyy???
Hey I have an idea why doesn't Joe run for the office of mayor of silvertown as the underdog? ...Or what if fame went to his head and brandy left and he had to win her back?? ...Or even if Brandy was pregnant and he gets lost in the tornado and has to make it back before she has the baby? I mean there is like three better ideas...right freaking there!
Guys the idea behind the film is so stupid..it's just hard to even watch the movie and worst of all towards the end it just gets boring. I swear at the end they just started making shit up. I don't even
think there was a script. Now that's fine if you are will Ferrell ....but the chick who plays brandy is no will Ferrell or even a Christina Applegate.
I'll give it this..it does start off with promise. I thought the first half hour was ok for a low budget crackle film. Christopher Walkin is obviously amazing, except when they make him say..get yo momma to sew this like thirty times.
Unfortunately I have to give Joe dirt 2 only two stars. The best I can say for it is...I've seen worse.
Anyway..hey David..lets just pretend this didn't happen.
Sincerely,
Joe Dirt fans

It Follows
Everyone loves this film...everyone. I have had people call me after watching it just to tell me I needed to watch it, so I was super stoked to watch it obviously!
What the hell is everyone talking about? This movie is so slow I could hardly watch. There is almost
no dialogue it. The great shots everyone keeps telling me are so good..are also boring, plain and unimagitave. Did I watch the same film as everyone else? The one good scene is at the very beginning when our lead actress is first cursed. I got excited after that scene...and then nothing. Snooze fest.
All I can say without giving to much away is... typical ending, not much excitement, poor dialogue..bad set, poor lighting..just nothing interesting. The idea behind the film is great..a std that really does follow you home! Yes please! Great idea. I'd like to see this made with an adult cast...better set design...and can we call a damn priest or something? Everyone knows you can't shoot a demon damn it!
I'd give this film a two out of five also. Again, I've seen worse..but this could have been executed way better.

Ok that's it..three crappy movies this weekend. So far this summer I haven't seen anything to get excited about. I'm hoping the new vacation movie will wow me! Fingers crossed!











Friday, April 17, 2015

How to work from home

I'm writing this article because I know many people part of my online community are struggling to find work, life balance, or need extra cash. So, because I believe sharing is caring and I believe doing good comes back to you..I'm going to share my experience working from home and give you GREAT online resources to find the right work from home job for you. Yes that means the names of real companies that hire work from home jobs. If you don't want to read my review, skip to the bottom!  It seems like the people who have these jobs, for the most part don't want to share how they got started working from home. Its sort of like in the entertainment industry, you have to figure it all out for yourself. Well, I'm here to help!

Basically I was randomly applying to anything and everything. One day I was contacted by USHA a pharmaceutical discount card company. I didn't even remember applying, but when one applies to basically every job on the internet, it can get a bit foggy. I was a little rude to be honest, I really thought it was a scam. This ended up being the best job I have ever had and the only job I have LOVED. However, if I hadn't needed a job badly I would have never given this a chance. I am so glad I did.

I never met anyone in person for an interview even though the company was based out of my city. I had two interviews. One with hr and one with the actual owner of the company. I was hired the next day and trained from home. It was very fast. Except I wasn't really trained from home. If I didn't have extensive experience on the phone I wouldn't have been able to do the job. The first two weeks they paid me a bit less than the agreed upon amount but quickly raised my pay once I proved I was great at my job. I had so little contact with people I didn't even know they were going to do that. I was a 1099 employee and could set my own schedule, however I was a full time worker and I'm sure if I had not consistently worked 35 hours or more they would have let me go. If I did want a day off I would give one week notice and it was never a problem.

The one thing that would upset me was the lack of communication. If I had a problem with my system, getting it fixed would be very difficult. I couldn't just call someone I had to email and wait. Sometimes it would be over a day before I would hear back. This always made me worry I would get fired and I would stress over this hard. I really had nothing to worry about though. After a few months I figured this out and stopped worrying so much. The job is very autonomous, which is great but also unnerving when you are getting very little feedback about how you are doing your job. Once you get used to that, it becomes magical, no one is breathing down your back all day long. Just do your job and that's it!

Last month I got an email saying they were closing and I was so sad because I loved my job. I didn't want to work anywhere but from home! I quickly took a job I thought would be similar but found it wasn't..so what's a girl to do? RESEARCH.

The secret is there are HUNDREDS of companies that hire work from home employees. Some are obviously better than others. Most are 1099 but some are regular positions with very high pay and amazing benefits. Most positions require high speed internet access and a desktop computer. Specifications change depending on the company. Some want you to have a land line phone, fax machine or specific software. There are a few that just require a cell phone if you don't have internet access. However I recommend investing in a full home office if you need to. Honestly it is worth it. Pay varies of course, but most jobs range from 12-25 per hour. Obviously having experience and a degree gets you more pay. My advice is if you have little experience, go get some before starting with some of these companies because if you aren't good you get less pay and it can be hard to change that.  While all of the positions aren't telemarketing, those are what many of them are. (there are also professional jobs like teaching and nursing and more though) Go work some very crappy call center job for a month or two. You really should have some experience. If being a service tech is your thing you DEFINITELY should have experience. Yes many of them will hire without experience but if you don't start off strong you get less calls when it is pay by call. Other positions will just let you go. So bring your A game. Or be prepared to get experience, then move on to a different company. In my research the people unhappy with their experiences are usually people who needed more training. Work from home isn't going to offer that usually. They want people who don't need supervision and can just get the job done.

So here is what you have been waiting on...the list of companies that hire work from home employees. Please do your research on each company you apply to. Check their rating on glassdoor if it is available. Yes, all of these positions are very real. Some of the ones where pay is not listed on the site i am giving you, pays more than 15 an hour. Those jobs do require educated/experienced people with a full home office though. The information I am giving isn't even everything I have found. So now that I have got you started, just keep hunting. The right work from home position for you is out there.

http://realwaystoearnmoneyonline.com/money-earning-directory/phone-work

http://realwaystoearnmoneyonline.com/money-earning-directory

This is woman has over 40 videos with work from home opportunities THAT SHE CHECKS OUT. I suggest you subscribe to her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h85u7uQ5LUs&list=PLHeYJU6HrYnCkv5f8ae_Z7s-VW_hOrpW5