Movie Review - The Ice Harvest (2005), Part 2

The "simple plan" is to first split the money and then to split Wichita early in the morning towards much warmer climates. However, fate has her own plans.

When Charlie stops by at the bar before going home he cannot help but come across too relaxed and too smug for comfort to his love interest and tough-cookie Renata (Connie Nielsen). This feline blonde can smell BS from a mile and she immediately knows something's afoot with Charlie.

There is also the matter of this executioner Roy (Mike Starr) who is looking for Charlie all over the town. How will Charlie spend the night without letting the cat out of the bag and leave in one piece in the morning? That's the dilemma.

Things get even more hairy when he runs into Pete (Oliver Platt), who married Charlie's former patrician beauty of a wife. Pete makes good money and he is a solid provider but he is not a happy man. On that particular night, he is drunk as a skunk and he latches onto Charlie like a pilot fish would to a shark. Pete character provides the humorous counterpoint necessary in this otherwise grim film noir.

In the third act, we follow the "trail of Coen Brothers" straight into a bloody hell that could only be cooked up by Tarrantino. The sequence in which Vic and Charlie are getting rid of Roy is a true "Fargo"-like crime masterpiece. I have rarely seen humor balanced this well with sheer horror of it.

The final sequence is a no holds barred "reconciliation" between Charlie, Vic, Renata, and Big Bad Bill (Quaid is perfect in this only scene he has throughout the film). With beats that reminds one strongly of those in "Blood Simple," the participants in this terror tango settle the score among themselves while the two million bucks in cash is waiting for the victor in its black leather bag still carrying the tag "V.I.C."

The film ends with Charlie and Pete driving out of Wichita on a dreary Christmas Day, with the money bag sitting next to Charlie on the passenger seat. We do not know where they are going but we can only guess that both feel a very bad chapter in their lives is closed and a new one can now begin - if, that is, Charlie can evade the law long enough to build that new life for himself and digest the cold and bitter fruits of his "Ice Harvest."

Vacation - Planning Tips for International Traveling

Dreams of the Pyramids haunt your days and nights; visions of Moscow's onion domes dance in your head; a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa appears in your mind's eye. If these images or something similar come often to mind for you, then it's time for you to take an international vacation.

But, you say, I don't have time to plan a major vacation across the world, and even if I did, I don't know where to begin. There are some simple steps to planning a successful and exciting international vacation.

To begin your planning, there are a few big decisions you need to make: "How much are you willing to spend? Where do you really want to visit? Are there things, such as specific attractions or certain quality hotels, that you are not willing to miss?" If you make these decisions in the beginning, you can save time and energy by looking only at trips that really interest you.

Also, decide what can be provided for in your budget; perhaps, if you have the chance to see the Russian ballet while in Moscow, you will be willing to tweak your budget a bit to have this once in a lifetime experience.

After making the major decisions concerning your travels, you can now decide how to organize the trip. Do you want to plan it yourself or pay someone else to do that?

Travel agents can be extremely helpful, but before you choose an agent, talk to friends, family, and neighbors to find someone who has a good reputation with people you trust; also, be sure they are a member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), which helps ensure the quality of the services they offer.

Travel agents generally know the best deals, and they can connect you with an agent in the countries you're going to visit if you need help while you're there; this can be especially useful on an international vacation where you may not know the language.

In addition, you will usually get lower prices by using a travel agent; however, a small service charge is often added to flight reservations. Generally, you don't actually pay the travel agents; they make the majority of their money from company commissions.

Despite the relative ease of using a travel agent, some of us still want to plan our own vacations. Organizing your own vacation has become much easier in the past ten years with the Internet boom.

Travel search companies such as Travelzoo, Expedia, and Priceline, have made travel planning easier than ever. You can go online and find a complete package that will help you set up your vacation.

When putting together an international vacation, however, relying solely on internet research can be a drawback. If you do not know the language or culture of your target country, you should at least spend some time consulting with a travel agent.

You will need to have information about visas, culture, and transportation, that may be difficult to find on your own. Even experienced travelers can get into bad situations when they're visiting an unfamiliar country.

In summary, planning an international vacation can be as simple as consulting an agent or as creative as putting together an adventure online.

If this will be your first trip out of the country, you might also consider finding a group to go with. Whatever you decide, remember your camera and have a wonderful time on your international vacation!

Problems Using Basement Waterproofing Paint

You can go down to any home improvement center or lumber yard and find a good basement waterproofing paint. You can read the directions on the can, talk to any home improvement Center specialist and they will tell you the same thing, these are great products and they work.

I'm not saying that they don't, the biggest problem with waterproofing paints is the fact that they allow water and moisture to be retained inside the block wall or concrete basement retaining walls. Once these walls are painted on the interior wall of your basement, without installing a waterproofing membrane on the exterior of these walls, you can almost guarantee problems in the future.

There are quick fixes for everything and basement waterproofing paint is one of the biggest quick fixes that anyone can use today. These paints work and they work pretty good, however you're rarely going to see the exterior of a basement wall painted with a waterproofing paint by anyone who knows anything about waterproofing.

Here's what happens, when you paint the inside of your basement wall, because it is leaking on the inside, the problem with your exterior basement walls, is that they aren't waterproofed correctly. Once you paint the inside basement retaining wall, you're not eliminating the water from entering the cement block retaining wall or concrete retaining wall.

This water will accumulate and stay for long periods of time, inside the basement walls before eventually drying out. The only way that these retaining walls will be able to drying out properly, will be when it stops raining or any moisture in the soil is gone.

The long-term problems with moisture in your concrete or block retaining walls, is that it will eventually start to deteriorate your basement walls, causing structural damage.

If your basement is leaking, the problem isn't the interior, it's the exterior. The best advice that I could give you, is to contact a professional, if your basement is leaking.

Getting to Know iPod Video

You've heard it all over--Apple's iPod Video is the best video player there is. You don't question it anymore because a lot of people claim it is so. But is it, really? Not quite. That honor rightfully belongs to Zen Vision, a Creative Labs product. Zen Vision is every good thing iPod Video is, and more. The size of the screen for video playback in Zen vision is a whopping 3.7" high-resolution screen, which is a lot of steps ahead of the iPod Video's 2.5" screen. On paper, 1.2" may not seem to be such a huge difference, but it really does matter once you're in front of the screen.

Aside from that, Creative Lab players--in which the Zen Vision is included--have something very useful that iPod players don't have--a feature that allows listening to and recording FM radio. In this way, you can catch up on your favorite radio shows any time you want. Creative Lab players also have a built-in voice recorder which is great for taking notes in classes or work; it's also very helpful in giving yourself some reminders every now and then.

Of course, there are some areas wherein the iPod Video reigns supreme. In terms if battery life, iPod Video has 20 hours, while Creative Zen Vision only has 13 hours. To make up for this weakness, Creative Lab offers the option to purchase extended-life batteries, but this will cost you extra.

If you're torn between the Creative Zen Vision and the iPod Video, here's something to consider--the iPod's screen is smaller, but it offers better views even when looked at from different angles. The Creative screen, though larger, is best viewed straight on; when viewed from other angles, the pictures aren't as clear. If your priority is storing music over video, get the iPod Video. However, if your main concern is storing video, and storing music is only a nice additional feature for you, then you're better off buying Creative Zen Vision.

Nowdays, a digital audio player isn't enough. People are looking for a player that can do so much more than churn out music. As a result, manufacturers are in stiff competition with each other to come up with the latest innovation. As of this moment, the latest is the video player. iPod has one, Creative Lab has one. iRiver also jumped on the video player bandwagon with it U10 video player. iRiver's U10 is a bundle of contradictions. Sometimes, it seems to be the perfect choice for all digital media lovers; sometimes, you just don't have any idea what iRiver folks were thinking when they were designing the player.

Let's begin with the positive. iRiver's 2.2" screen, though smaller than those of iPod video (2.5") and Creative Zen Vision (3.7"), has a higher resolution and quality. The battery life is also something to rave about at 28 hours. That in itself is a good thing, but it's made even better by the price--$199.99 and $249.99, depending on the disk size.

Now let's move on to the negative. The U10 come in two sizes--512MB and 1GB. For music files, these sizes are adequate, but for video files, they mean nothing. Unlike Apple and Creatice, iRiver does not offer video players with a disk size of around 30GB.

Aside from the dismaying disk size, iRiver also has a hard-to-use navigation system which can't hold a candle to iPod's clicking wheel system. You need to have a bit of a techie in you to find your way around iRiver U10. However, most people don't want something that's hard to operate, so in this aspect, iRiver fails to appeal to the pop culture market.

As of now, the iRiver U10 feels like an experiment, something which iRiver will use to decide what the market really wants--is it disk space, battery life, or extra features? Perhaps iRiver is just biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to release a player that can surpass iPod and Creative. This remains to be seen.

How Do You Keep The Music Playing?

It's so easy to let the everyday stuff of living get in the way of your creativity. Sometimes, when you're done with your day, it's the last thing you feel like doing. I think most of us would agree, though, if we just start working on a song, play an instrument, or put on music, then listen or dance, the time flies and the music works as wonderful therapy. We de-stress, forget the concerns of the day, immerse ourselves in right brain activity, and feel great. It's a fantastic way to end the day.

One of the challenges that comes up for many artists is inspiration, and keeping motivated. When you're stuck, or just can't find the time in your schedule to feed your creative soul, I suggest setting aside an hour or two once a week to do music, even when you don't feel like it. Put it on the calendar, and commit to that time. It's rewarding time for yourself, and you'll feel better when you make that an ongoing "date" with yourself.

Also, during your work day, take 15 minutes to work on lyrics, music, or a song you'd like to share. It will free your mind, and you'll return to work more open, more productive, and able to "think outside the box". Take a moment to be inspired by the beauty of nature around you, by the sounds of life happening right where you are.

It's easy to let our passions assume a place of lowest priority in our lives; but when this happens we suffer. We feel out of balance, unfulfilled and resentful. Take time, make time, to indulge in those activities that you love, that bring you joy and peace; that make you feel good about yourself. Instead of thinking about music or art as a "hobby" that you do when you have time once in awhile, think of your art as being the driving force in your life! Only you can give it that place of importance in your schedule. It's not a hobby, it's your life blood; it's what makes you a creative, vibrant, artistic human being! Don't diminish the importance of your artistic outlets. Your creative spirit, your playful spirit is always there, tapping on your shoulder, reminding you to come out and play.

We all have responsibilities, but don't let those responsibilities rob you of the joy of expression through music and art that makes you who you are. We communicate through art, it is part of our collective psyche as human beings. Take time to express yourself! You will feel so much better, so free, so open when you integrate your creative spirit back into your life!

Miami Home Selling Market:Tips For Establishing A Great First Impression

In a time when the Miami real estate market is indicating signs of slowing down, the ease of selling a home subsides along with the increase of inventories as well as the growing list of homes for sale. Proper pricing is crucial but creating the positive impression among buyers can give that competitive advantage. An old saying goes that anyone only gets one chance to make a first impression. This saying is undoubtedly true but in the Miami home selling market, there exists a corollary to that statement saying: Great first impressions generate rapid sales. With this in mind, this article provides some practical tips for creating a great first impression towards prospective buyers and gaining that edge in the Miami home selling market.

Let us launch the tour at the kitchen. The kitchen is one of the salient selling points in any house currently listed in the Miami home selling market. The best thing to do is to get rid of those things in the kitchen that are hardly ever used in order to minimize the clutter. It would be easier for prospective clients to see the kitchen as it is without clutter. Another advice is to eradicate unusual odors of any kind, as well as to keep all surface free of spots.

The next area of the house that we shall focus on is the toilet and bathroom. Great bathrooms are similarly crucial to selling a home. Leaks in the shower, the tub, the sink, or the toilet should be eliminated. Similar to the kitchen, everything in the bathroom should appear spotless. Hence, mirrors should look shiny as well. Keeping nice towels out that perfectly match the color scheme of the bathroom can provide aesthetic sense that will make the bathroom more attractive to a prospective buyer. Clutter must also be minimized especially on the countertops and shower stalls.

Sellers often fail to notice the importance of closets. Everyone prefers a wider closet space for storing things. Hence, it is critical to put away the clutter inside closets in order to make them appear more spacious. The most practical thing to do is to vacate as much of the things in the closet as possible, and pack them up in preparation for moving out.

Moreover, basements and garages tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. If possible, try to box things that are rarely used. By putting these things in storage, a considerable amount of space will be freed up and prospective buyers will have a chance to witness and most likely be enticed by the amount of space of these areas in the house. It may be quite tedious to do, but putting aside all excess tools in the garage and basement can certainly create the most positive first impression towards buyers.

In the living room, it is imperative to make everything match in terms of embellishments and decorations. Once again, clutter must be minimized; hence remove unnecessary things in the living room and only leave behind enough furnishings and attractive ornaments to make the room appear as cozy and comfortable as possible without the risk of overcrowding it. This can be quite tricky, but getting everything right is guaranteed to render that great first impression that is needed to sell the home.

The minimalist principle also applies with bedrooms. Enough furniture is left in the rooms to fashion an inviting space without piling so much in that the bedrooms appear small. Keeping bed sheets and blankets neat, well-arranged pillows and no clothes lying around can go a long way towards establishing a favorable first impression to buyers.

Everyone only gets one chance at a first impression. Make the most use out of it by imparting a little amount of effort in fixing the home and minimizing clutter. Rest assured, the competitive advantage that one will gain through the tips discussed here can guarantee a quick sale in a buyer's market such as the Miami housing market.