The Bachelor… January 16, 2012

After believing that Sonoma was Ben’s home town, we learn that his true home and heart are in San Francisco.  He travels with his bevy of beauties to The City by the Bay.  His first one-on-one date was with Emily.

Ben takes this wonderfully intelligent gal to the Oakland Bay Bridge to climb it on cables to the top.  Unfortunately, she’s terrified of heights.  Being that I, too, am acrophobic, if Ben took me on this excursion, I would simply dump the guy.  I mean, who does this to a gal unless he knows that she’s an adventuresome climber?  Oh, Shame Shame… Tisk Tisk Ben and  ABC!  In any event, she eventually makes it to the top of the bridge after suffering a panic attack… all in the name of potential love.  At least the girl gets a nice dinner, the rose and a gorgeous display of fireworks to kiss Ben under.

Ben meets with his sister for an iced tea and discusses some of the standouts.  Thereafter, he takes the girls out on a group date of snow skiing down a street in San Francisco.  The twist is, it’s 85 degrees outside so Ben and the girls strip down into bikinis before heading down the slope. 

Kacie B. ends up skiing backwards, tush-up down the hill while others navigate it with ease.  They are joined with a rather large group of on-lookers (neighbors and lookie-loos alike).  This date just came across as so contrived and not as a fun, exciting outing.  Again, I believe that it’s ABC finding any excuse to get the girls in bikinis.  Later that night, they go to a nice restaurant where they are able to mingle and get some one-on-one time with Ben.  Meanwhile, Brittney is given the date card for the next one-on-one date.  (Recall, she’s the one with the Grandma who set her up for the show). 

While she contemplates going on this date with Ben, she decides that he is not the one for her.  To spare him his time and feelings, as well as to give another gal an opportunity, she gracefully bows out of the competition and says “good-bye” to Ben.  Although the viewers are not privy to the details change in his date choice, Ben elects to take out Miss First Impression Rose, Lindzi C.

Their less than exciting date includes a trip to Swensen’s Ice Cream Parlor, a private concert at City Hall, and an intimate dinner in an old San Francisican speak-easy bar/restaurant.  They are both quite enamored with one another and she scores the rose. 

During the rose ceremony, the pot gets stirred upon the arrival of Shawntel (a front-runner from Brad Womak’s season).  She apparently has had several telephone calls with Ben and felt that they had a connection that she needed to explore.  If this was the case, why wasn’t she one of the original 25?

The ladies are visibly upset with her entrance and interruption into their quest for love.  None is more upset than Courtney, whose eyebrows are really starting to irritate me to death (it’s nearly a unibrow).  She claims that if he gives Shawntel a rose, then she will give hers back and leave the show (oh, we can only hope!).  I think she’s just insanely jealous of Shawntel’s looks and intelligence.  Her holier-than-thou attitude is really starting to annoy the heck out of me!

During the elimination, Erika passes out.  Unfortunately, she is one of the three to be eliminated, including the rejected Shawntel. 

 Until next week…

Owen Thornton and Bob Chatt Star in the Premier of Combat Cash

Discovery Channel has produced such a unique and refreshing new reality series in COMBAT CASH.  On January 11th, I had the opportunity to attend the premier party and view two back-to-back episodes, which were a roaring success with the crowd.   Nearly immediately after it aired, Bob and Owen were met with emails from fans and collectors alike wanting to know and see more about this great, history-based reality show.

The first episode was about Bob and Owen’s quest to locate a rare and unique World War II Japanese Hago Tank for a tank collector.  Later, they purchase Sadaam Hussein progranda banner which was retrieved from Operation Iraqi Freedom.  In addition, Owen’s passion for paratrooping collectibles led them to a seller of a rare BSA 1942 foldout paratrooper bicycle.  However, this was not the easiest purchase of the show.  Owen was forced to prove his love for the paratroopers by jumping out of an airplane.    

Viewers learned about  about the amphibious “DUCK” vehicles which were used in D-Day to take soldiers from ship to shore in the second episode.  Bob and Owen participate in an annual D-Day live re-enactment in Ohio which included these DUCKs, planes, and thousands of enthusiasts bounding the shores of Lake Erie.  We also got an insight into a rare collection of WWII guns as Bob and Owen get to fire away in attempts to create actual sound recordings of these guns being shot for the sound effects of a video game. 

Of all the subjects I took in school, history was the one which I struggled the most with.   All of the dates and facts were hard for me to memorize.  In COMBAT CASH, I am given a reminder of what our veterans experienced in our war-time history.  What is surprising to me is the number of military and historical enthusiasts not only throughout our country, but also throughout the world.  With my never-ending love for good reality shows, this show is a rare one which I can not only get good laughs from, but also learn from.  If history isn’t your cup of tea… I would still highly recommend this show to friends, “hubbies”, and anybody who loves The History Channel.

Kudos to The Discovery Channel for discovering such an interesting aspect of American culture and bringing us into the world of militaria collecting.

For more information on buying or selling militaria and great military vintage clothing, visit VintageProductions.Com, Southern California’s premier military collectibles company.

If you enjoy such reality shows such as Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, or the like, you must tune in to Combat Cash tonight on The Discovery Channel at 10PM EST.   As described in Channel Guide Magazine, “Combat Cash follows Bob Chatt and Owen Thornton as they use their knowledge, experience and money to pursue rare military artifacts.  Also referred to militaria, these items include tanks, GI Joe figures, World War II flame throwers, Saddam Hussein propaganda banners and Vietnam war-era helicopters.”

I’ve seen a sneek preview of the show and it provides a balanced blend of historical facts and the good humor you would expect from reality television.  I mean, what kind of collector buys tanks and flame throwers?  Bob and Owen utilize their expertise to track down these wanted collectibles while Danielle Chatt manages the operations at their shop Vintage Productions.

For anybody who enjoys history, collectibles, or the military, this show is right up your alley, so tune in.

The Bachelor… January 9, 2012

Last night may have been one of the most least interesting episodes of The Bachelor to date.  Ben took the remaining beauties to his hometown of Sonoma, CA.  There, he had a one-on-one date with Kacie B.

Ben and Kacie enjoyed the local sight-seeing and shopping of downtown Sonoma.  As ABC aired clips of this evening date, the entire time I found myself annoyed by Kacie’s choice of date outfit.  For an evening date, in which Ben wore a nice outfit including a jacket, she wore a long-sleeved jersey shirt, shorts and boots.  She looked like she was going out for a picnic or bike ride, but not an evening out on the town.  At the very least, she could have worn slacks.  Nonetheless, she spots a baton in a shop they visited and grabs it as a surprise to Ben.  She then springs the news on him that she was a baton twirler in her day and proceeds to teach him how to toss the grand ole’ stick. 

They enjoy a quiet dinner in which Kacie is presented and thereafter accepted the rose.  Thereafter, they go to the town movie theatre where ABC put together a combination home movie of Kacie’s and Ben’s childhoods.  Ben, seeing his father (who passed away) on the big screen and hearing his voice, is brought to tears.  He shares with Kacie that this is an experience that only they will share.

While Kacie and Ben are out and about, the date card comes for the next group of girls.  This group date is for them all to perform a play in the local community theatre.  The playwriters of this work are children from the local school.  The next day, the ladies all audition for the kids in the park so that the kids may cast the play.  The one who made the biggest fool of herself was Blakeley who was wearing a completely inappropriate striped, short romper with her tah-tahs pushed up and out in full display.  It was appalling to see her dressed this way and running and bouncing about in front of the kids.  Needless to say, she wasn’t cast with the best part.  The evening’s play runs as planned and all are happy to see the child-friendly side of Ben.

The ladies move on to an evening of drinks, appetizers and pool-time (any excuse for ABC to get the ladies in bikinis).  It is here that Blakeley sets her sights on the rose and makes no qualms about going after Ben.  Her aggressiveness is received as an outright insult by many of the ladies who wanted some honest, good time with Ben.  Blakeley brags about her astrological sign of Scorpio and how that makes her a passionate person.  She adds that she has great kissing skills.  Well, it was either her kissing or her bikini bod that won her the rose from Ben for the evening leaving many ladies discouraged and jealous.  The good news is that she doesn’t appear to be Monica’s love interest anymore.

During the group date, the date card arrives which invites Courtney out for a one-on-one date with Ben.  Rather than being gracious about receiving the invite in front of others, she makes a snide remark to Kacie B. and acts holier than thou about getting the date card.  Like Kacie B., she throws on a tee, some shorts and boots and heads out for a picnic with Ben and his dog Scotch.  They eat lunch in a redwood laced forest and later have dinner at the winery.  Ben is amazed that somebody as beautiful and wonderful as she is not snatched up and off the market.  She explained that it is the treachery of dating in Hollywood that has left her single.  But, they both agree that finding one another is an “AHA” moment (thanks, Oprah for the phrase) and kiss.  She, obviously, gets the rose.

The elimination night includes the standard dose of drama.  Our tearful wack-a-doodle, Jenna, tells Ben that she’s not like a girl, but rather like a guy.  After she stumbles on her words to him in her one-on-one time, she heads to the bedroom to lie under the covers and cry.  Blakeley keeps interrupting Ben from his intimate encounters with those who have not yet received a rose.  This dons her as Queen Bitch of the Night as the ladies spew venom her way.  Even her Scorpion strength must not have been enough of a shield as she is later found by Ben hiding in the luggage room in the corner crying.  Personally, I think it was a ploy to get more attention.

As to be expected, the rose ceremony commences and the two eliminated are Crazy Jenna and who-even-knew-she-was-there Shawn.  A deep sigh of relief that Jenna is gone.

Next week, Ben is scheduled to take the remaining girls to San Francisco where he spends the majority of his time.

Until next week…

The Bachelor… January 2, 2012

Last night was the long-awaited return of The Bachelor, starring our Ashley-rejected suitor, Ben Flajnik. Not much differed from the prior seasons. Groups of gorgeous gals emerged from limos, with the exception of Lindzi C., who rode up on her horse to meet the man of her dreams. A little horse goes a long way as she gains the first impression rose.

The most endearing entrance was Brittney’s Grandma who emerged from the limo professing how she fell madly in love with Ben during the past season.  Brittney got some quality one-on-one time with Ben just because Grandma came along.  (Way to tug at the heart-strings, Brittney).  In actuality, it really did seem like Grandma was more excited about the show and the prospect of Ben than Brittney was. 

As sweet as this all was, nothing could be “sweeter” than the girl-love expressed by Monica to her crush Blakeley (would she be better suited as a potential lover on The Bachelorette?). 

As Monica cooed and cuddled up against her girl-crush, Blakeley, Jenna was in the midst of the beginning stages of her mental breakdown over Monica’s cruelty to her.  Honestly, it appears that the director staged it so that Ben would pick the trio to remain on for at least one more week to gain ratings.  Monica is an evil, potential lesbian.  Blakeley is oblivious to everything.  Jenna is a nut-case promoting her “over-analytical” blog.  In fact, she professes her job as being a “Blogger.”  She does it full-time and makes money at it with her neuroses?  It’s plain crazy if you ask me.  Nonetheless, Jenna is our emotional-break-down, in the bathroom, “this really isn’t like me” nutjob for at least another week.

The promos show that Ben will be spending a considerable amount of time with the professional model, Courtney, who will be called nearly every name in the book during the season including the “black widow.”  Later in the season, she apparently has enough gumption to get Ben to run naked into the surf and cause the women in the house to go crazy with grief.  Courtney appears to be set up as the one girl in the house that all others hate and she’s already made it clear that she is not in this contest to make friends.  Is it possible that this brunette makes it to the end as we were shown in the promos a long-haired brunette makes it to the helicopter at the end of the season?  She’s a physically pretty girl with a reported psued0-celebrity dating past.  It will be interesting to see how her personality shows through or if she is merely in this for the publicity (like Jake Palveka who is, by the way, now an actor who portrays the Forrester Family private jet pilot on the Bold & The Beautiful).  RealtySteve.com pegs her as the winner of the season (it will be interesting to find out).

 And, here’s to a great season of Monday Nights!

Author: Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

ISBN: 978-0-8499-4615-8

Publish Date: November 2, 2010

Pages: 162 Trade Paperback

Type: Biography: Religious

Purchase: $8.75 at Amazon.com

Review

After a minister’s son undergoes emergency appendectomy and nearly loses his life, Colton Burpo begins to reveal to his parents the tale of his visit to heaven while in the hospital.  At the young age of 4 years old, he begins to describe to his parents events of his out of his body experience.  For example, he tells them what he witnessed them doing in another section of the hospital while he was in surgery.   He then begins to share with him the glory of heaven and all that had witnessed, including meeting his great-grandfather and unborn sister.  Colton describes in great detail how angels appeared, what Jesus looked like, and the glorious beauty of heaven.

As Colton shares the details of his visit, these provided facts to his father mirror the words which are stated in the Bible.  At his young age, he had not yet read or heard about such things.  Some of the sweeter points of the book were how Colton described that nobody is old in heaven and everybody appears as their best self.  He held such a vivid image in his mind of the way that Jesus appeared, that he claimed that Jesus didn’t look like most of the pictures that were shown to him.   However, upon meeting a young female artist who had also claimed to have seen Jesus and subsequently painted his portrait, Colton confirmed that image as being what Jesus truly looked like.   Colton also shares his amazement of how “really, really big” God is. 

After reading similar tales such as 90 Minutes in Heaven, this story mirrors other books which I have read before about eye-witness accounts of God’s heavenly home for us.  It doesn’t provide a complete validation that there is, in fact, truly a heaven.  However, the book makes a strong case for believing in it. 

Rating

For Christians, a book such as this is a loving reminder of what we have to look forward to after we have finished our earthly life.   For non-believers, I maintain that this book will, at minimum, raise eyebrows and make them consider the possibility of life in heaven after death.  Children of such a young age cannot muster up the facts that Colton was able to bring forth to his parents out of a simple imagination.  Colton was even able to identify a picture of “Pop” after meeting him in heaven (as he had never met him in life).  This boy was also able to reaffirm the greatness and glory of God and heaven.  It was the perfect reminder during the Christmas holiday season of my Christian faith and of what I have to look forward to.

We are so blessed this year!  It is such a gift to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives… your impact on our lives this year means more to us than we can possibly say.  More importantly, God has shown his amazing grace to our family through some of our greatest challenges this year.  Like many Americans, we have faced struggles during this economic downturn, however we are so grateful for all of God’s wonderful blessings.  In 2011, I have been fortunate to be working for a dynamic and professional organization which keeps me challenged and quite busy.  I am grateful for the steady employment in a time when so many cannot find good jobs.   The twins have entered Huntington Beach High School and are learning the ropes of high school life.  With honors classes, learning to play guitar, church, and playing soccer, they lead a life with a full schedule.  As always, I am quite proud of their accomplishments.  Always addicted to their music, cell phones, and laptops, it’s a rarity to see them unplugged and just wanting to hang out with good ole’ Mom.  However, we were able to visit Big Bear on vacation this year and get in some good game playing and cooking time.  Living with teenagers is a new and, well, interesting experience!  As we look towards 2012, we are hopeful that we are able to continue to survive in today’s economy and pray that God bless you and your families with his amazing grace.