The smile team is back.

The Devil Inside won’t break any new ground in the “found footage” horror genre, but it does offer some intriguing ideas about exorcism, a pair of interesting characters, and a number of tense (though not entirely frightening) moments. Overall, fans of the genre are likely to enjoy elements of the film – though, given the slow, exposition-heavy opening act and a TOTAL lack of any ending or closure, many moviegoers will leave the theater feeling as though the experience wasn’t worth the ticket money.

Man on a lodge

As you’d expect, “Man on a Ledge” is a Swiss-cheese plotted heist and “prove his innocence” movie but taken as just that, it’s quite an enjoyable movie. I suppose after having seen enough of these kinds of movies, I shouldn’t expect perfection in how every plot thread is tied up since very few movies manage it. However, what the movie does excellently is setup the plot and build up the situation perfectly. Just starting as a literal man on a ledge, we see subtle layers added until we get this full on crescendo of diamond heists, negotiators, cops, convicts, bad guys, good guys all happening on in a single block in New York. So, given that you’re willing to suppress your tingling plot-hole sense, it can be an enjoyable movie.

Charts

Serrulatus eating

Discovering Petah Tikva

Dear Petah friend, wait for my postcard at home!  Keep in touch.

Incredible Tel Aviv

Waiting for  the conflicts.... or preparing myself for the Medical Conference in Israel?
Hum... Tel Aviv waits for me? That´s not a stalemate, but anyways...

Medical conference in Israel

Should stay or should I go?

Ojo Rojo or Tequila cream

Michelada time? I don´t like it very much but if you do... I prefer Tequila cream! Here's a recipe for an Ojo Rojo;  morning booze-up for next time you're in Mexico! Your Mexican friends or bartender might call it a "michelada con tomate" but its called  an "ojo rojo" (red eye). Salt the rim of a pint glass by dipping the rim into a plate of water, then a plate of salt. Pour an ice cold beer into the glass. Extra points if its a sunny Mexican brand. Drop in two gloops of tomato juice (gloops being a technical measurement!). Add a dash of vinegary hot sauce (like Tabasco), and a dash of Worcestershire. Add cracked black pepper. Squeeze a fat quarter of lime and then drop it into the drink. Enjoy it!

 

Thai day with Emily Roll

Emily Roll with banana, mango and cream cheese!!

Sauce:

1 tsp. brown sugar

Optional: TAMARIND DIPPING SAUCE:

½ cup water

½ tsp. tamarind paste

2 tsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. soy sauce (or wheat-free soy sauce for gluten-free diets)

1 Tbsp. fish sauce OR vegetarian fish sauce (see above)

1 heaping tsp. arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) dissolved in 3 Tbsp. water

1 clove garlic, minced

1 green or red chili, finely sliced OR 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili or cayenne pepper

It´s time for air time

Ellory, whose biography reveals a difficult early life, clearly has some experience of tragedy, loneliness and the gloomier corners of the human condition. This is a dark, dark novel, full of misery which is punctuated only by brief moments of light which are quickly and brutally extinguished. It is an emotionally-demaning read and one can only begin to imagine how draining it must have been to write. But for all that it is beautiful, poetic and strangely uplifting and I was desperately sorry when I finished it. It marks Mr Ellory out as a writer of rare emotional range and wonderful story-telling ability.

Sun on my face

How to Become a Backpacking Chef?

Go online to get great recipes and advice from the pros!

• Backpacking Chef (www.backpackingchef.com/index.html)
• Backpacker Recipes (backpackerrecipes.wordpress.com)
• A Fork in the Trail (www.aforkinthetrail.com)
• Camping Recipes (www.quietjourney.com/recipes/index.html)
• Wilderness Cooking (www.wildernesscooking.com/index.html)

Backpacking & Hiking Guide for Beginners

Plan Carefully. Plan your backcountry trips, thoroughly, before you leave home. Be as knowledgeable about what lies ahead as physically possible, and you will be much better positioned to achieve and maintain a healthy attitude, perceived and actual security, as well as a darn good time. 

Communicate Your Plans to friends and family. Make a hardcopy of the destination and time table for your trip and give it to friends or family. Draw on a topographical map where you will be, how long you will be there, and when you should be back home. This may be your link to survival should you run into trouble in an isolated area. 

Know When to Turn Around & Go Back. Follow your knowledge, training, and gut instincts (the "sixth sense"). If you are unsure about a traverse, a climb, a trail, exposure to weather--whatever--back off, live another day, and contemplate your alternatives. Select a different route; Pitch your tent and layover until the storm passes; Wait til morning when the river's water level is lower, before crossing, etc. Keep in mind, ignoring your "sixth sense" and pushing forward into a questionable situation might be challenging and macho, but it can also be called stupid and have deadly consequences. Remember, many of the climbers who've been killed on Everest were the victims of their own inability to turn around when their guts were telling them to do so.

Listen to Your Body--Undress Before Overheat, Dress Before Chills--Drink Often--Eat Regularly. Not only does our pyschological and spiritual being speak to us, but our physiological parts send us loud messages, as well.Hypothermia is a real concern in the backcountry. It's a condition resulting from your body's core temperature dropping below normal. The symptoms you'd likely experience are lack of coordination, chills & shivering, slow speech, and acting out of character. It's important to recognize and even anticipate these early warning signs, and respond to them, accordingly. Several of the mild cases that I've seen resulted from persons exerting high-energy, getting wet with their own sweat, then getting chilled when they stop. For mild hypothermia, get the person into warm, dry conditions--clothes, tent, sleeping bag and provide and encourage consumption of warm drinks. Hyperthermia is also a problem. It can occur, mainly in hot, dry summer temperatures, when your internal body heat can't be released fast enough and you overheat. The Mountaineering First Aid book, is a good suggestion. Well, if you want to come to South America, read some tips on how to prepare yourself to the journey, specially if you decide visiting Brazil! Enjoy it.

It inspires me.

 I still write to you everyday in my head. I imagine that letter just dropped in the mailbox is from you – I can see your handwriting. I still lie awake at night and remember my fingers on your stubbly face in the dark.The night after we first spoke, I went outside and wished on the brightest star that all my happiness could be given to you so that you could feel better. I know you think wishing on stars is cliched and naive. But that’s me. In fact, I am so naive that I like to imagine that you still think about me now, some years later. I like to think that you sometimes wonder about me, sometimes wish you could tell me secrets and tell me jokes like you used to.

One night I dreamt about you. Shyly you looked me in the eyes and asked, “How do you know?” Taking one long breath I began to explain that things are just different with you. I have never in my entire life had these feelings before. It is a feeling of being scared and excited, with a bit of pleasure mixed in. There is so much I could write down of how much I feel for you. But I am afraid that I do not have the time, the paper, nor the writing ink to do so…because there is so much! Maybe you do not even need me to write it all down. You have a way of knowing what I feel anyways. But know this– you are the hope and the future I have always dreamt of and need. I want you to stay with me to laugh, cry, create, love and live. For the first time in my life I can say that I truly know myself and I know much more about you.

Autumn

Autumn 'tis! Our garden stands
Flowerless and bare,
Dizzy whirling yellow leaves
Fill the wind swept air.
Yet the distant mountain ash
In the vale below,
With our favorite berries red
Now begins to glow.
While with rapture and with pain
Throbbing in my breast,
Pressing hot thy hands in mine,
Silent, unexpressed--
Fondly gazing in thine eyes,
Through my tears I see--
That I can never tell thee
How dear thou art to me!


Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy

Pencil and oil on paper

Hemignathus ellisianus



Camptorhynchus labradorius



Heteralocha acutirostris



Conuropsis carolinensis



Alectroenas nitidissima



Eos Histrio



Corvus Hawaiiensis



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