Musings,Meanderings & More

Recently, I ran across a couple of sites that had gadgets that tested your reading speed … Who Knew?  Some not only tested your speeds but some also gauged your comprehension of the text that was read.

Gosh, sometimes it is just so easy to become distracted and to lose track of exactly what you are suppposed to be focused on.  Well, that’s what happened to me, I fell off the track and so to re-coup for that lost time, I thought I would turn what I discovered into a post.  I am sure their are quite a few readers that would just love to give that test ‘a-go’, to find out just how fast she/he really is.

Well, below are links to what I thought were the best from the list that these gizmo’s can be found on … now it’s up to you to find out exactly how you measure up.  And don’t worry, it will be ‘our little secret’.

• FreeReadingTest by AceReader
• StudyHabits
• Speed Reader X Review

Just another one of those nifty online tool …

It’s not my intention to only muse about family fantasy movies on Monday’s … however, there was such a wonderful family presentation on the telly the other night … I just must mention it today.  And after all, I did promise to write about story’s that evoke strong feelings … well, this was one.

The name of the movie is ‘The Song Spinner’ and it is a wonderful yarn about a town where silence is golden,  actually it’s against the law to make any type of noise at all.Children weren’t allowed to play or laugh,  music isn’t performed and songs aren’t sung. And as the years passed in this tiny hamlet, the winters have grown longer and colder because of the absense of sound.

However, there is a young villager by the name of Aurora, who hears the most wonderful sounds in her head.  Many within this little village believe this little girl to be a bit strange, and most try to avoid her.  When the unexpected happens and her path crosses with that of a mysterious gypsy woman that had been banished from this town many years before.  She  tells Aurora a story about her [Aurora] destiny and mission.

Now, this is really a very abbreviated version, I have said more than enough … lots of things have yet to be revealed … or in this case seen.

So, Happy Monday Movie Musings To All!

Yesterday, my daughter and I signed a lease for an off camp apartment for her … the location is ideal, the ameneties are amazing.  Everything was happening splendidly until I asked some very basic questions and that’s when the crap hit the fan.

This was our second visit to this property and along with the signed lease a deposit of $150 was needed.  Now, we were OK with this because a security deposit wasn’t required.  Everything was all smiles until I asked about the $150, I wanted to know if it was applied to the first months rent.  And I wanted to know when and exactly how much was due at move-in.

The Misdirection Begins Here

I was told that the $150 was used to cover lawyer fees, apt prep, planned activities that were sponsored within the community and so on.  Now as far as I know most Property Mgmt Corp have lawyers already on the payroll, and they have housekeeper’s and a maintenance team that are salaried employees … they are not paid on a commission basis.  The apartment preparation is included in their job description … and what did she mean when she stated that I was responsible for financing their planned gatherings … isn’t that something that I should be able to offer some imput on, especially if I am expected to finance these events.  In any case, I knew I was being fed a bit of ‘hog wash’.

Fluff Was Added

Then we were told that the ‘move in date’ was in the middle of the month, however the rent for that same month was due on the first.  So, naturally I said the following …  this is why a security deposit wasn’t required because we were paying for a full months rent in an apartment that would only be available to each resident in the latter half of the month.  She said oh NO NO NO, that it worked out at the end of our stay because once we made the final monthly payment we would be allowed to stay that full month.

This Deal Wasn’t Sealed

Did she honestly believe  that I would ‘buy that explanation’, or even worst … did she actually believe that the Mgmt was really giving us something.  I really couldn’t tell, she may have believed what she told us or she may have believed that she had ’sold the deception’.  In any case, with the deposit and the unused days that we were paying for, they actually had that security deposit.

As a matter of fact, we actually would have been doing ourselves a favor by moving into an apartment that required a security deposit, because at the end of the lease we would actually get those funds back.

Just another random thought to ponder: It seems as though misdirection is being ‘dished out’ in abundance lately … this wasn’t the first time I have encountered individuals that have tried to coerce me into believing a complete falsehood using truthful elements as a smoke-screen.  Needless to say, this is demeaning; demonstrates a shabby business ethic … and leads to distrust and a lack of respect.

I am not going to ‘let this sleeping dog lie’, I am going to do a bit of researching and then I will push this issue with management as far as I legally can.

So,  I just thought I’d share this random thought on this otherwise beautiful Tuesday that you could ponder.

Are you looking for a warm n’ fun, actioned packed, adventurous flick that can be enjoyed by your entire family … well, look no further than ‘Horton Hears A Who”. This lovable elephant will steal your heart away as you follow him on his quest to save the inhabitants of Whoville.

This adventure began when Horton thought he heard a yelp eminate from a speck that was blowing in the wind.  He followed this tiny bit of dust and learned that people were living on that speck and from there he decided on assisting the Whovillites on a mission to save their home.

Now, I don’t want to give too much of the plot away … otherwise it will spoil this entire fantasy for you.  And by gosh, no-one including myself wants someone to reveal those juicy tidbits and highlights of a story before you have even seen it.  But I must share this, I found myself smiling through out this amazing CG animation, and have seen it twice since my first viewing.

So, happy movie time to all … until the next Monday Movie Musings … ciao

Have you ever noticed the AD’s that reveal the IQ’s [supposedly] of the celebrities and then challenge you to compare your scores with the celebs.  Then after clicking the advertisement and answering a few questions, those sites then request your ‘cell phone’ number and who knows what else before they let you know how you rate.  Do you really want to know you IQ, well … read on.

Earlier today I thought I would click one of those AD’s, but when they started to get personal … that’s when I closed the page and started searching for a site that offered a fast, free n’ fun IQ test that I could take just for a laugh.

I found one but it turned out to be quite a challenge … you have exactly 40 minutes to answer 20 questions that range in difficulty from thought provoking to  ’I haven’t got a clue’.  So, today I took a bit of ‘me time’ and spent roughly 19 minutes on this quiz, I answered 12 questions during that time … 8 were correct … which really surprized me, I thought I had fewer than that right.

Anyway, it was fun and when I have a full 40 minutes to spare, I am going to retake it … I doubt if I will do any better, but it was a HOOT!

Give it a try, it’s free and there are NO STRINGS!

Want To Know Your IQ?

Have you ever had a few things happen to you that just didn’t make any sense at all … sure you have, things happen … life happens and that’s how it is.

Well, yesterday was one of those days for me, it started out just fine but as life would have it, I needed a few things from the grocery store.  So, I took what I thought would be a short ride down the road to quickly grab those items and be back in time to watch a little NCIS.

The theory was sound … but that was as far as it went.  On my way back home, after picking up the few things that I needed from the market, that’s when things started to go awry.  My car would not start,  it cranked up and I put it in drive but as soon as I was in the middle of the lane, even before I could initiate a complete turn … she stalled and turned off.  Their I was in a stalled automobile,  almost completely blocking 2 lanes of a very busy shopping center.

Did I panic, well not immediately … I tried time and time again to get her started, each time that I turned the key it sounded as though she was about to turn over … but after about 15 minutes of failed attempts, I panicked a bit.  At first people were just passing by and looking at me curiously.  No one stopped and asked if there was a problem, if anything their glances indicated that they thought I was the problem and not my car.

I quickly called a couple of people via my cell to ask for suggestions, any quick remedy that might help crank-her-up, before calling AAA.  Meanwhile, not only was I getting ‘the look’ but folks were now trying too exit the shopping center by way of the aisle that I was blocking.  Now, keep in mind I was completely blocking an SUV on my passenger side of the car from exiting from the lane that I was in.  However, there were other lanes that any other out-going traffic could easily access.

This was a multi-lane shopping center.  Since I was close to the CENTERS main road, people who now were entering the shopping center and decided that they had to park in the lane that I was unavoidably blocking, were patiently/impatiently waiting for me to move so that they could pull in.  Numerous times I had to stick my head out of the window and direct traffic, oh … and my hazzards  meant absolutely nothing.

There was an empty space in front of my car to the right in a handicapped parking zone, a little old lady without any noticeable level of difficulty navigated her auto into that space [she did park a bit on an angle, by the way] and she then bounced out of the car and into the store in a flash.  Now, there were 2 other available spots for ‘handicapped parking’ located opposite to that spot that she could have taken, but ‘no’ she had to add to the chaos.

Folks pulled up behind me and waited for me to move, some honked me but all looked extremely irratated, in either case all I could do was inform them that I was unable to move, and in a snap they found another way out of the lot.  And the huge SUV that I was totally blocking, just drove straight ahead to exit, while everyone else seemed to think that backing out to access the blocked lane … was mandatory.

Now, all of this was happening while I was talking to an AAA representative … me directing traffic, people honking me, mean looks and what felt like utter and total chaos.  And during all of this, the little old spry lady bounced out of the store and into her vehicle, and circumvented my disabled car like a PRO.

Meanwhile my son was on the way, as was AAA … I hoped.  You see, I called them and  after strenuously trying to explain my situation and my location to AAA [you see I was still directing traffic] … I was told that a vehicle would be there in an hour and 30 minutes to tow me away.  Okay, guys/gals that when I totally caved.   I was on the verge of screaming but I still managed somehow to hold it together.  In much detail I re-explained my current location and situation and predictament too the operator at length, with the hopes that I could acquire a vehicle in under a hour and a half.  She then told me she would relay the urgency of the situation to her supervisor and hopefully someone would be there sooner.

So, here I was still trying to hold it together, when this lady in a small little red thing that was across from me slightly facing my left entered into this little drama.  She had been sitting in her car for about 10 minutes, I didn’t have any idea what she was doing but she suddenly turned around in her seat, shrugged her shoulders … as if to say DUH, what is your problem, get that vehicle out of the way.  That’s when I started screaming … and I quote, THIS CAR ISN’T MOVING … IT’S DISABLED, GO AROUND ME!  I think she got it, cause that’s what she did.

The only redeeming thing that occurred during this whole insane episode, was that a lady approached my car and asked if I needed a push.  At the same time, a friend called and suggested that I try something I hadn’t and ‘lo and behold’ my car started to idle, I tried to let this lady know that I was okay, but AAA’s contact was also calling … I asked both him and my friend to hold just a moment so that I could end the conversation and thank this lone concerned citizen … when the fellow on the phone started too act out on the phone because I had asked him for just a minute.

I didn’t thank that lady and I really should have … and that so bother’s me!

When I got home I was so wound-up, I had to walk it off.  I did about two miles before I started to feel almost normal again …

Things happen … and sometimes there just isn’t anyway to prepare for them.

Just finished watching ‘The 13th Warrior’ starring Antonio Banderas, besides being a huge Banderas Fan … I gotta admit this is an exciting, edge of the seat, nail gnawing, fast paced and content rich … saga.

If left to our own devices, many of us including myself would have absolutely no idea what life was like in 900AD in the Northern hemisphere, however John McTiernan the director of The 13th Warrior has spun a tail that may or may not have happened, in a village that did or did not exist. He gave us an imaginary glimpse at the Northmen and how they may have spent there days and nights. Truly these fierce warriors lived life to it’s fullest; whether they were fraternizing and consuming a feast in a ‘great hall’; love making; battling adversaries or on the high sea’s; they completely embraced each and every waking moment.

Many elements have been inter-woven throughout this film; views of opulence and luxury on one hand and then scenes of depravity and squalor on the other; an educated and affluent society surviving side by side with mindless and savage flesh eating drones; honor driven fearless hunters and a race that simply exists to hunt, nest and pillage.

To start off … Ahmad, who in the beginning was pictured basking in the lap of luxury was more or less banished from that cushy life and sent on a diplomat mission across perilous terrain, and then as fate who have it, they were unexpectedly attacked by Tartans … a vicious wasteland predator. When another unexpected turn of events erupted and they encountered yet another band of warriors, Northmen … however, these Norsemen were feared by the Caravan’s pursuers who fled leaving Ahmad and his caravan alone to face this new enemy … but quite unexpectedly he develops an unlikely relationship with these conquerors that leads to an understanding of their culture and subsequently a friendship ensues.

12 of the Norsemen and Ahmed the 13th warrior subsequently enbarked on a mission to rescue King Hrothgar from a vicious attack by an ancient enemy that is even more feared and dreaded than the Vikings. And the events that follow will keep you riveted to your seat. There were many moments in this movie that sent my mind reeling with wonder about how mankind survived such a hostile and savage period in history, but the scene from this ‘flick’ that I think stood out the most was during their voyage up North to Denmark to aide King Hrothgar. A storm raged, the waves were 3 stories high and the ship rose and sank with the tide, completely under the control of the elements. However the Norsemen were on deck, sitting quietly as if one with their surroundings, appearing almost as if drugged or intoxicated by the moment.Be warned there are many battles, but each battle was necesssary … and fit into what was occuring at the moment. This wasn’t a movie about senseless and ruthless slayings  … here is a story about a struggle for survival in a savage and mercilous era.