Welcome ya'll,

Thanks for checking out my blog. This is mostly my own crazy thoughts on a variety of subjects, but primarily they will be about movies, tv, and books. Being a movie junkie, rabid reader, and TV show-aholic, this blog is just another excuse to feed my addictions. [a quiet 'yay me']. Hope you enjoy, Clancy Metzger

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

"The Get Yourself Organized Project" by Kathi Lipp

Ok – so, once again I agreed to read a book and review it (so I got the book free – FYI).  I've done it before for this author, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect.  Disclaimer (and the author was forwarned):  I am still an atheist, so the God and Jesus stuff is lost on me and actually a turn-off. 

With all that said, once again – I enjoyed Kathi Lipp's humorous and relatable writing style and I found the information very helpful.  She makes no bones that she is not a clean freak and her advice is for like types.  It isn’t to make your house perfect but rather to make it functional and productive.  And the God and Jesus stuff was even less prevalent in this book than in the "The Marriage Project", so that was good for me.

I am not only not a clean freak, I am actually a slob.  Sometimes my house even grosses me out.  So, I've read the book cover to cover and now plan to tackle the house chapter by chapter, project by project.  I had already started cleaning my place, but got stuck some where along the way.  This seems like a do-able plan to me.  Not like the million other books that have unrealistic expectations for the end result or unrealistic expectations of my ability to maintain their standard.  "The Get Yourself Organized Project" is for average shmoes like me who just want more functionality in their environs and some easy way to get there - in bite size steps.  Very do-able, indeed.  If cleaning and organizing your home and your life is not a forte, I'm going to suggest giving this book a try.

Here is more info…

Author Bio
Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker and the of The Husband Project: 21 Days to Loving Your Man—on Purpose and with a Plan, The Marriage Project: 21 Days to More Love and Laughter, and The Me Project: 21 Days to Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted and The “What’s for Dinner?” Solution. She is a frequent guest on Focus on the Family and dozens of other radio programs.

Church leaders and women’s ministry directors rely on Kathi to help women move from living out of obligation to enjoying godly passion. She speaks to thousands of women across the US and Canada every year.
Kathi and her husband, Roger, are the parents of four young adults and live in San Jose, California. Find out more about Kathi at www.kathilipp.com

Purchase Links
Link To Kathi’s Reader’s Freebies
Reader's Freebies
Kathi’s author page on Facebook:

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Silent Films

I know I've talked in the past about the local theater, The Organ Loft, I am blessed to have in my area that shows Silent Films and has a genius playing the 'Mighty Wurlitzer' Pipe Organ. Last Friday, I saw The Phantom Carriage there. It has a similar theme to that of The Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life.  It was serious though, dark and forbidding about a guy who becomes a drunk and an abuser of his family.  It does end on a positive note with him having learned his lesson and changing before it's too late but what stood out to me was his prayer.  I'll paraphrase... 'Please let my soul mature before I am reaped.'

For me, it meant a few things.  Like it's never too late to do what's right.  And, you never know how long you have on this mortal coil so make the most of it.  It was a simple statement, but it hit me profoundly.  I'll thank my darling T for that.  T was with me and because he feels everything very deeply, I find myself more open to that depth as well.  May I suggest watching something with meaning and allowing yourself the full permission to experience it deeply, profoundly, and with an open mind and heart.  It's exhilarating and liberating :)

Then I watched a film on Netflicks that another friend, N, had suggested.  Diary of a Lost Girl based on a book by Margarete Bohme.  Personally, I found the plot a little rambling and depressing.  There weren't any really redeeming characters including the lost girl although at the bitter end she did stand up for herself which made me happier.  My big surprise was how racy the topic was for 1929.  This girl is raped, has her baby taken away from her, is stuffed in a strict reform school by her father, escapes, finds her baby has died, and joins a brothel.  Most of the male characters are really skeevy including her father.  I get that by the standards of the time, she had few options and I am judging her on modern expectations, but she was such an easy victim.  I really didn't care for her.  Even after awful stuff happens to her, she continues to be naive and willing to be victimized some more.  Not saying I wanted her to become jaded and hard, but maybe smarter and stronger.  I don't know.  I didn't care for this one.  It does make me wonder if she is a better character in the book than she was in the movie.  I'll have to ask N since she read the book too.  If you're familiar with it, I'd love some feedback.

Monday, January 2, 2012

2012 Goal: Write THIS Blog regularly

It's so stupid that I keep ignoring ya'll... since of the blogs I do, this is my favorite one to write.  I like all of my blogs, but this is truly my favorite.  I was going to make this my resolution until I read a friend's blog and firmly agreed that goals is mo' better :)

In the last month, while I was shamefully ignoring ya'll, I went and saw a few films, started writing again and began an affair of the heart/mind/body.

First the movies (since not all of you will be interested in the other stuff).  I saw the second Sherlock Holmes movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  This one was as good or better than the first and I loved that one, so it's saying something.  Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law are their usual genius (and sexy) selves but we also got Stephen Fry (LOVE this guy!) as Mycroft Holmes, Jared Harris (you may not know the name but you'll know his face) as Moriarty, and Noomi Rapace (SERIOUS lady crush on her) who you may remember me raving about from the Swedish film trilogy versions of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books.  Kelly Reilly is also terrific as Dr. Watson's beleaguered new bride.  If you liked the first, just go see it (since I'm late on this you most likely already have), and if you didn't..... .

The second was the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Really good...the role of Mikael Blomkvist  is perfect for Daniel Craig.  It has a pretty stellar cast including Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Plummer and Robin Wright.  Rooney Mara was good but I thought Noomi Rapace was better.  I  didn't get as much emotionally from Rooney.  But I still loved the movie.  I may have said it when I reviewed the Swedish films too - but truly, read the books, see all the films - this is a story not to miss in all forms.

Next on my list - my writing.  For Christmas, I got a couple writing t-shirts.  One says, "Even if it's crap, just get it on the page" and the other says, "Writer's Block: when your imaginary friends won't talk to you".  Both were valid reminders of my writing during November and December.  If you want more on what happened, it'll be in my other blog shortly. Anywho - A couple things coalesced into me writing again and my imaginary friends are chatting cheerfully away at me right now, so HAPPY DANCING for that!

My love life is also part of the writing story, so more on the other blog, but I will say this.  It's a wonderful thing when you meet someone who inspires you to smile every day at every thought of them, laugh a ridiculous amount when you're together, and act sappy to the point of your friends throwing up around you (an exaggeration - but not by much).  It's wonderful.  

So, here it is - my 2012 Goal for this blog: Stop ignoring, postponing, and delaying writing it.  I will  write regular and perhaps more often than you will want, but there it is.  Happy 2012, ya'll!  Go attack this year with a cheerful vengeance.