Loving Fargo on FX

                                                        

Unlike the big disappointment I had with HBO's True Detective’s second season, Fargo’s second season  on FX hit the ground, running leaving us breathless and in shock. I had the opportunity to watch the first three episodes on Halloween and I’m so happy that I did. On Fargo, we have our bad guys, the good guys and, a few good people who do dumb-ass stuff that makes them just as scary as the bad guys. The acting and script are superb, which makes it such a pleasure to return to good ole Fargo, North Dakota.
                                              

Waiting for Dutch S02 E01

The show opens with a snippet of film called Massacre at Sioux Falls. There are bodies everywhere; those of soldiers and Native Americans alike. Then we jump to a scene of Jimmy Carter speaking on television. It’s 1979 and there is a gas shortage. The Gerhardt family is North Dakota’s version of the Sopranos led by Otto (Michael Hogan), his wife Floyd (Jean Smart) and their three sons, Dodd (Jeffrey Donavan), Bear (Angus Sampson) and Rye (Kieran Culkin). People are afraid of this family and rightly so. They are cold-blooded killers who control trucking distribution for the entire Northern Midwest and, they fear no one, not even the law.

                                                           

 

We also have our good guys Officers Hank Larsson (Ted Danson) and Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) who eventually have to tangle with this crime family when the youngest son gets in trouble. There is one character that carries over from season one and that is Lou Solverson, who in season one played the diner-owning father of Deputy Molly Solverson, originally played by Keith Carradine. In this prequel, Patrick Wilson is playing the younger version of Lou when he was a Minnesota State Trooper who recently returned home from the war in Vietnam.
 

Rye, the youngest of the Gerhardt sons, wants a little more power than he’s given by his brother Dodd but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, especially because Rye owes Dodd money. A trip to Watson’s typewriter store promises some income with a newer self-correcting typewriter, but owner Skip (Mike Bradecich) needs a judge to forgive his case on back taxes in order to get the funding to purchase the stock. If Rye can accomplish changing the judge’s opinion, then he can get the money Skip owes him to pay Dodd. It’s the ultimate shell game.
                                                 

     

When Rye’s plans to talk to the lady judge go very, very wrong (I mean who carry’s bug spray in their purse?) Rye gets into a shootout. Now, this is why Fargo rocks! Once outside the diner, Rye is distracted by a UFO causing him to be hit by a car driven by Peggy Blumquist (Kristin Dunst). Does she stop? Does she call the police or an ambulance? No! She drives home with Rye stuck in her windshield.
                                                         

 

When her husband, Ed (Jesse Plemons) comes home from his job at Bud’s Meat Shop in Luverne, he’s wondering what the racket is in the garage. Peggy lies and says she hit a deer. Surprise! Rye is alive; badly injured, but alive. In an act of self-defense from a knife wielding Rye, Ed is forced to kill Rye.
                                                       

The fact that Peggy calmly drove home and made dinner gives a hint to her character. She’s the most dangerous kind of narcissist and we know from the get go that poor Ed is going to suffer.
 

Conclusion

Fargo did what True Detective didn’t do in their second season. It kept the formula the same. Why change what doesn’t need fixing. With the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joe at the helm and, Noah Hawley as the writer/executive producer/showrunner, Fargo remains an award-winning series.

                                                              

What Peggy doesn’t know is that Otto has had a stroke and the Kansas City Mafia is coming to town to take over the Gerhardt operation by force. The Gerhardt’s are going to be looking for their youngest and so will the police who investigate the diner killings.
                                                     

Her husband has Rye in the freezer for now, but they’ll have to get rid of the body and soon. The ground is frozen solid, so burying the evidence is out of the question. Oh, did I mention that Ed is a butcher?
                                               

The show comes on every Monday at 10 p.m. on FX. Watch it!

Miracles, Here and Now

                                                         

Do you believe in miracles? What exactly are miracles and do you have to be Christian to witness one?

Definition of Miracle: an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human and natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause: a work of GOD; a wonder.

Origin: from the Latin miraculum “object of wonder”

Miracles do exist and they are experienced around the globe by many cultures and religions, so I’m sorry to break the news to all you Christians out there, but GOD doesn’t play favorites with HIS creations and miracles have been reported before the time of Christ.

There are people who don’t believe in miracles, or don’t understand the true meaning of the word. They rely entirely on what science tells them, which is kind of funny since I’ve always felt that science reveals the hidden miracles that surround our daily lives.

Although I have disconnected myself from organized religion in order to strengthen my connection to GOD, I not only believe in miracles, but have experienced a few during my lifetime. When you have psychic abilities, you are aware of so much that goes unseen or unnoticed in this hectic world.

                                                               
The Christian will point to Jesus and his many miracles to defend their belief that miracles are real. The non-believer claims that Jesus’s miracles can be scientifically explained. Yeah, we know more about the world around us thanks to science, but science can’t explain how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, or how he healed the blind.

Why don’t we see more miracles today?

Maybe, we’re looking in the wrong places. We are the miracles, along with everything that exists in the universe. When GOD gave the command “BE” the universe, planets, stars, and life itself, began to evolve all over the place. Earth at one time was a most uninhabitable place to be, but thanks to GOD, who is the original universal scientist, evolution happened and here we are! Now that’s what I call a miracle. The fact that we haven’t blown up this planet is another miracle.

Recently, this 2013 video was all over Facebook about a miraculous event that involved a horrendous accident that caused a young girl to be trapped in her car. The rescue workers were unable to cut her away from the wreckage. She was dying until she was saved by a stranger who prayed over her. The rescue workers claimed this mysterious man appeared from no where and, after the workers were able to finally free the girl, he was gone.



Now, the story was listed as a miracle and it should be. People working together to help each other is always a miracle, especially, since it is so easy to walk away. Later, a priest admitted to being that mysterious stranger. Why didn't he stay around? Why did he leave so quickly? Does this diminish the miracle of that girl surviving the accident?




No! A miracle is a miracle! But, maybe we should be honest on what a miracle is and, how often it occurs. We, and I am speaking about every woman, man, child, animal, plant, the earth, the planets, the stars; you get where I'm going, right? Everything that has been created from the beginning of time to whenever the Creator decides to close shop, are all connected by a universal force that is stronger than all of us put together. This force binds us together and when we look out for each other, care for each other, protect each other, miracles happen.

If you want to find angels, you don't need to look far. They are here with us. We need to stop hating each other long enough to see them. They watch over us, sure, but we have this thing called free will. It is a double-edged sword. The angels will step in when we allow them to, but most of the time; we don't.

We can make our own miracles happen, every day. We only need to care! Jesus cared, yeah he was the son of GOD, but he cared about us and, he did many miracles. So, here is my plan. Instead of looking for miracles, we are all going to make miracles happen. We can do it. We are part of the universal force.

Shadows of the Forest Indigogo Teaser

                                                            

                     

Shadows of the Forest Indigogo teaser A
Shadows of the Forest Indigogo teaser with actor Brandon Allentoff !
Posted by Chris Eilenstine on Saturday, October 24, 2015

 

Great News! Filming on Shadows of the Forest has begun and here is a teaser from Director Chris Eilenstine

Shadows of the Forest Indigogo teaser B
The latest Shadows of the Forest Indigogo teaser featuring---ugggh! me!please spread the word, we will be looking for donations for the film soon. Thank you.
Posted by Chris Eilenstine on Friday, October 30, 2015

 

Indidogo teaser with Nicolette Davis
A new teaser for our Shadows of the Forest INDIGOGO campaign featuring Nicolette Marie Davis. Donations for the film can be made starting November 26th- Thanksgiving Day.
Posted by Chris Eilenstine on Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Shadows of the Forest

                                                                

Keep your eyes open for information on the new film by Christopher Eilenstine. Shadows of the Forest is a horror fantasy and it's going to be different than anything you've seen before.

Fundraising will begin soon and updates will be coming as the filming continues

The Magical World of Bombshell Pinups

 

There is a little shop in Mount Holly, New Jersey that is quite fabulous and, when you step inside the shop, you are transferred into a world of photographic fantasy.

                                                         

                                                              

Mandy Little is the artist who creates pure magic with each photo session she does. Check out her website here for price listings and the large scenery and clothing selection.

                                                         

                                                             

Mandy did the photo shoot for my author photo for the back of my Roof Oasis Apocalyptic Series.

                                                             

                Here are a few more samples of Mandy's work.

                                        

                                                               

                                                                   

      

Husbands, you might want to schedule a sitting for your bride come the holidays or birthdays, anniversaries. Hell, make your wife happy and just schedule a sitting for her with Bombshell Pinups.  Tell Mandy that Steampunk Granny sent you.         

Bombshell Pinups at Mill Race Village, 33 White Street, Mount Holly, New Jersey
856-287-0745

The Metaphysical Parasite

                                                         

Medical description of a Parasite: organism that lives in another organism called the host. It is dependent on host for its survival- to live, grow and multiply. Although a parasite rarely kills its host, in some cases, it can occur. As the parasite gains strength from the host, the host begins to weaken.

Psychic explanation of a parasite: a person who lives off the kindness of others, often at the expense of their hosts.

There are several types of parasites:

Ectoparasite- lives on the surface of host like mites and lice.

Endoparasite- lives inside the host like heartworms, tapeworms and flatworms.

Epiparasite- this one feeds on another parasite, a relationship known as hyperparasitism. Think of a flea that has a parasite in its digestive tract.

Parasitoid- its larval development takes place in or on another organism. The host usually dies. Check this link for signs that you may have a parasite inside your body http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11321/10-signs-you-may-have-a-parasite.html
                                                  

The rest of this blog will be devoted to the human parasite. They are also known as emotional vampires. I’ve already posted a blog on how to protect yourself from these most dangerous of parasites, here.

The parasite may have or have not grown up in a loving and nurturing home. It really doesn’t matter as I feel that most human parasites are wired to be the way they are. They have the most worrisome of personality disorders; narcissism.

How would you recognize that you or your home has been infected by these organisms? Let’s first go over the symptoms that you, as a host, would suffer from if one or more of these parasites were attached to you:

1. Constant feelings of depression, anxiety, and physical weakness due to the constant bullshit that is heaved in your direction.

2. Your emotions are on a constant rollercoaster ride whenever the parasite is in your presence.

3. You find yourself binging on unhealthy foods.

4. Your comfortable lifestyle that you’ve worked hard on obtaining over many years, via a real job, is slowly disappearing as you find yourself constantly getting the parasite out of trouble that they themselves have caused.

5. You find yourself either: wanting to move far away from the parasite or planning on putting the parasite out of its misery, permanently. I would suggest moving to another state without leaving any forward address or phone number. If you kill the parasite, then you’ll only be sent to jail that is packed full with other parasites.

So, how does one become a parasite? Most parasites have this inflated ego where they not only assume that the world revolves around them, but that the world should pamper their every need. Why work when you can mooch from other people. Why take responsibility for your own survival when it’s so easy to blame others for your laziness? Why save up for our own place when you can suck the life from your elderly parents or your siblings?

                                                                  

One of my pet peeves is with the medical and pharmaceutical companies who have listed drug dependence as a sickness. It is, but I’ll be damned if you’re going to collect social security benefits if you’ve never paid into the system. The pharmaceutical companies don’t give a shit that they are creating a generation of users. Why should they? They are raking in the big money.

                                                           

If there were a zombie apocalypse or major long term disaster, the parasites would find a way to live off the survivors...for a while anyway...until the situation got so bad that the survivors would feel the need to eliminate all parasites by feeding them to the zombies.

How not to become a parasite

1. Learn to take responsibility of yourself. Learn to accept the consequences when you fuck up.

2. Learn to take responsibility for yourself by getting a job and keeping it.

3. Grow up! The world does not owe you a blessed thing. Your parents don’t owe you anything once you’ve reached the age of 21.

4. Now, this is the hardest part, but it will set you on the road to personal success. Be a giver and not a taker.
                                                             

 

For the victims of emotional parasites I have a suggestion. If you do need to move far away from your personal parasites, Cuba is offering great rates for Senior Citizens in their upcoming Senior Retirement Communities. The medications are almost free and it’s warm year-round. Plus, Cuba doesn't tolerate parasites.

Keeping Drama Out of Your Life

Drama: a composition in prose or verse presenting in dialogue or pantomime a story involving conflict or contrast of character on stage or play. I love this photo of Greta Garbo, an actress who did drama, royally.

Drama: Letting ego control our lives; allowing others to influence our lives by participating in situations that are better left alone. Translation: an event or situation that should only be wrangled with a ten-foot-pole, like the ones they use to snare a wild mountain lion or a dog with rabies.
                                                        

Drama: is connected to negativity and I’ve already covered in an earlier post how one should protect one’s self from negative people. When we are around negative people, we lose some of our power. It is a dangerous and toxic form of entertainment. So why do we do it? Why do we allow ourselves to become involved in other people’s “Drama”? Are we bored? Do we feel obligated to help? Are we practicing for canonization into sainthood?

To Speak or not to Speak

We are not the Dali Lama, or the Pope, or Stephen Hawking. We don’t know everything! We certainly don’t know what’s in another person’s heart or mind. We’re not Judge Judy and since we’re not, it’s not our place to pass judgment on a situation that does not involve us. The only proper reply to give, when someone tries to drag you into an ongoing battle by asking your opinion is and, I’ve listed three:

1. “I don’t know what to say.”

2. “I don’t want to give an opinion or advice until I hear both sides of the story and, it’s been presented to the United Nations delegation.”

3. “I don’t know what to say.”

Advice

I’ve learned over my many lives (Yes, I feel that I’ve been here before in the role of teacher. And, I don’t care if you believe me because I’m not into drama) that the only people who will actually listen to your advice are people under the age of seven. After a person passes the age of seven, unless they’re grandchildren with whom you have a close relationship with, they basically don’t want your advice.
                                                           

Now, if someone asks for your advice, you can hold up a poster board detailing a list of do’s and don’ts which I’m pretty sure would go over like a lead balloon, or...you can tell the person asking for advice what you did when faced with a similar problem and, what the end results of your decision were. Then you keep quiet.

Survival Tips

We all have that one family member or friend that suffers from Royalty Syndrome. Princess Lena wants to know why the other subjects in her kingdom are keeping secrets from her, or Prince Froggy wants to know why he’s not invited to the pond for a fun night of beer and football games with the other frogs. They call you up and moan on and on about how they’re not understood or loved by all, but while they prattle on, your blood pressure is rising and you’re now feeling depressed. Negativity drains your power.
                                                             

The World will not end if you can’t solve another person’s social ills. You can listen to your friend or family and be compassionate about their woes, but do not engage in their dramas: no advice; no gossip, and definitely, no interventions! We can’t save everyone.

When friends or family, over the age of seven, are fighting, you need to stay neutral and, this means in your words and your actions. I know nothing, I see nothing, I hear nothing.
                                    

Don’t take sides and don’t be manipulated because there are emotional vampires who feed on drama. They might not even be aware they are causing havoc in their circle of friends and family, but they are.

Learn to step back. It is not your battle. It’s not about you. Let the drama die a quiet death.