Meeting someone for the first time on a date can be exciting and nerve racking. Making a good first impression is important so it is natural to feel a little nervous before the first date. If you do like the person, you will want to make a good first impression.
While making a first good impression is important, it is not as difficult as it seems. You don't have to resort to cute charms, over the top ideas or outrageous stunts to win someone over. One of the best ways to make a good first impression is to listen to the other person and show interest.
During the first date, it is easy to provide your own verbal autobiography but it won't win you many favors. Spending too much on yourself could be a turn off and you will want to listen to the other person's responses. Take the time to listen to what the other person is saying instead of providing him/her with your life story.
By listening to your date, you will be able to have a better conversation because it will provide points for the two of you to talk about. Taking the time to listen provides opportunity to learn more about the other person and keeps the conversation moving forward. It will provide you with a better understanding of what the other person is passionate about in life.
In addition to listening, show an interest in what the other person is talking about and it will help the conversation and date tremendously. Taking time to show an interest in the topic at hand will prove to the other person you have an interest in getting to know him/her. That will make the conversation flow better and increase the chances you will get another date.
By not showing an interest, you run the risk of coming across that you don't like the other person or don't care. How many times have you been on other dates where the other person didn't care much as to what you were talking about? How many times have you had normal conversations where the other person didn't show much interest in you? Chances are, you probably walked away feeling like the other person didn't care. It's unfortunate it happens but keep in mind how the other person may feel if you ignore or don't show an interest.
While having a first date can be exciting and nerve racking, taking the time to listen and show an interest are two steps to making it a good one.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Taking Time To Do What You Love....Priceless!
For eight years between high school and college, announcing local sporting events for community television and radio stations had been a big part of my life. I spent many Friday, Saturday and sometimes weeknights in various press boxes calling a game for a local high school or small college. Calling games had been something I enjoyed doing and got a special rush each time I turned on the microphone.
When college ended, I ventured off into the "real world" and it was the first time in eight years I didn't have games to announce. I had my first job out of college to focus on and I didn't have any plans to call any games. I hadn't gotten around to finding a way to do what I love and there was strange void.
A couple years passed and I managed to fill the void by getting into sports photography. Being on the sidelines during various high school sports brought the rush back and helped keep me in tune with the local sports I had fallen in love with. I found something to fill the void but hadn't had a microphone in front of me for quite a while.
On New Year's Eve 2010, an opportunity to announce again appeared not in my lap but on a Facebook message from my neighbor. The Solon TV station had not found anyone to call the Solon vs Chagrin Falls hockey game that would be on January 2nd, 2011 and they were scrambling.
I read through the message two or three times before it really hit me. After a long time of not being behind a microphone, the opportunity to announce again was right in front of me. Best of all, it would be an opportunity to call my favorite sport of all time.
A couple e-mails and three phone calls later, I booked my first announcing gig since college! I couldn't help but get goosebumps as I was walking into the Gilmour Ice Arena to call the game. I was finally getting another chance to announce.
The rust was there for a the first couple minutes but it felt like old times as the game went on. I was in the moment and had forgotten how much fun it really was to have the microphone in front of me.
A year after calling that game between Solon and Chagrin Falls, I was offered another opportunity to announce a Solon vs Brecksville Broadview Heights game and accepted. Similar to the year before, the fun feeling I had growing up while calling games returned. I felt the same rush I had felt many times before as the game went into overtime.
The game ended in a 5-5 tie but I felt victorious afterwards. I was able to relive the rush I had felt many times before while calling games and had an opportunity to do something that had been a huge part of my life for a long time.
When college ended, I ventured off into the "real world" and it was the first time in eight years I didn't have games to announce. I had my first job out of college to focus on and I didn't have any plans to call any games. I hadn't gotten around to finding a way to do what I love and there was strange void.
A couple years passed and I managed to fill the void by getting into sports photography. Being on the sidelines during various high school sports brought the rush back and helped keep me in tune with the local sports I had fallen in love with. I found something to fill the void but hadn't had a microphone in front of me for quite a while.
On New Year's Eve 2010, an opportunity to announce again appeared not in my lap but on a Facebook message from my neighbor. The Solon TV station had not found anyone to call the Solon vs Chagrin Falls hockey game that would be on January 2nd, 2011 and they were scrambling.
I read through the message two or three times before it really hit me. After a long time of not being behind a microphone, the opportunity to announce again was right in front of me. Best of all, it would be an opportunity to call my favorite sport of all time.
A couple e-mails and three phone calls later, I booked my first announcing gig since college! I couldn't help but get goosebumps as I was walking into the Gilmour Ice Arena to call the game. I was finally getting another chance to announce.
The rust was there for a the first couple minutes but it felt like old times as the game went on. I was in the moment and had forgotten how much fun it really was to have the microphone in front of me.
A year after calling that game between Solon and Chagrin Falls, I was offered another opportunity to announce a Solon vs Brecksville Broadview Heights game and accepted. Similar to the year before, the fun feeling I had growing up while calling games returned. I felt the same rush I had felt many times before as the game went into overtime.
The game ended in a 5-5 tie but I felt victorious afterwards. I was able to relive the rush I had felt many times before while calling games and had an opportunity to do something that had been a huge part of my life for a long time.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
More Online Dating Tips......
Online Dating continues to be a growing trend for many people. It's not an exact science but has helped many people get dates and find someone to spend time with.
Below are some tips for venturing into the Online Dating world:
1) Talk With Others Who Have Used Different Dating Sites - This will give you an idea what to expect before joining a site. Take the time to talk with people who have used the different sites to understand what to expect and how the process works.
2) Take the Time to Manage Your Personal Appearance Before the First Date - This might sound obvious but you may turn off someone by looking sloppy or like you just rolled out of bed. Take a few minutes to dress appropriately, look nice and presentable to the other person.
3) If You Haven't Dated in a While, See If You Can Go on a "Mock Date"With a Friend - This idea might sound corny but if you haven't dated in a while, it can be really helpful. If you haven't dated for a while, this is a way to get a little practice before going on a real date. It also helps relieve the jitters a bit too.
4) Know Who is In Your Corner - It always helps to have some support so find people who can maybe lend some advice and support your efforts.
Below are some tips for venturing into the Online Dating world:
1) Talk With Others Who Have Used Different Dating Sites - This will give you an idea what to expect before joining a site. Take the time to talk with people who have used the different sites to understand what to expect and how the process works.
2) Take the Time to Manage Your Personal Appearance Before the First Date - This might sound obvious but you may turn off someone by looking sloppy or like you just rolled out of bed. Take a few minutes to dress appropriately, look nice and presentable to the other person.
3) If You Haven't Dated in a While, See If You Can Go on a "Mock Date"With a Friend - This idea might sound corny but if you haven't dated in a while, it can be really helpful. If you haven't dated for a while, this is a way to get a little practice before going on a real date. It also helps relieve the jitters a bit too.
4) Know Who is In Your Corner - It always helps to have some support so find people who can maybe lend some advice and support your efforts.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Superhero Movies to Look Forward To in 2012
The Dark Knight Rises
Back in 2005 when Batman Begins was released, I didn't have high hopes for this franchise and figured this was going to be just another Batman movie. Director Christopher Nolan proved everyone wrong by rebooting the franchise with Christian Bale as Batman and returning the franchise back to it's original dark roots. Begins got people excited about Batman films again and The Dark Knight was one of the most incredible sequels ever produced. These two films had fans asking for more and this will be Nolan's final installment in this series.
The Dark Knight left fans wondering what will be in store for The Dark Knight Rises and we do have some clues. Anne Hathway, Marion Cotilland and Joseph Gordon-Levitt join the cast and Christian Bale will reprise his role as The Caped Crusader. Michael Caine will play Alfred again and Gary Oldman plays commissioner Gordon. With any Christopher Nolan film, you can expect to have a good cast that is believable and help carry a film.
With any Nolan film, don't expect just a simple plot in this film. Sources say the movie takes place after the events of The Dark Knight and Batman is forced to resurface after being in exile. Bane, who will be one of the main antagonists in this film, pushes the Gotham Police far enough to the point that Batman is forced to return.
As a director in this franchise, Nolan is very careful which characters he picks and Bane may have been a surprising choice. Bane, who was introduced in the mid-90s in for the Knightfall saga in the comics, was not portrayed well the last time he was in a Batman film. The character of Bane was used in the Joel Schumacher Batman and Robin, which still makes Batman fans cringe (including myself). Bane was portrayed as being cartoonish and a minor character in that film, however, it appears Nolan has returned the character to it's original intended purpose. Bane has always been a dark character that Batman has trouble defeating and Tom Hardy, who has worked with Nolan before, will portray the character.
Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in the film. How big of a role Hathway will have is still in question but knowing Nolan, the character will probably play a significant role in the film. Marion Cotilland has been cast as Ra's Al Guhl's daughter and rumors of the Ra's Al Guhl character appearing again have surfaced. Josh Pence has been cast as a younger version of Ra's Al Guhl but it has been rumored Liam Neeson could be showing up in this next installment.
Nolan has stated this will be his final Batman film and there is no doubt he will probably incorporate several different ideas and concepts into the story. You may have to pay close attention to what is happening, however, Nolan does manage to tie everything together and will not want to leave fans saying he could have done better.
The Avengers
Marvel Entertainment has dreamed of putting The Avengers on screen for a long time and finally put the pieces in place with the first Iron Man movie. Iron Man did much better at the box office than anticipated and rebooting The Incredible Hulk after the horrific 2003 Hulk was one of the best decisions Marvel has made to set up this movie.
Thor and Captain America also did a great job creating excitement and interest around The Avengers. Director Kenneth Branagh took a different approach when directing Thor but created enough background on the Thor and Loki characters to stir interest for The Avengers. Captain America, a film that Marvel had hoped to successfully make after a failed attempt in the early 90s, accurately portrayed what the character is all about and left fans wanting more at the end.
There is no doubt The Avengers will have an incredible cast. Jeremy Renner, who made a brief appearance in Thor (and had a larger role in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) will play Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson will return as the Black Widow, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Helmsworth as Thor, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man make for what will be a fun cast. Mark Ruffalo will replace Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the alter ego of the Hulk, however, Ruffalo has proven to be believable in other roles.
The Amazing Spider-Man
This will be the first Spider-Man movie produced that will not have Sam Raimi as the director or Tobey McGuire playing the famous web-crawler. Not too long after the Marvel characters were purchased by Disney, Raimi decided to move on from the franchise and so did McGuire. As a result, a reboot was decided upon with a new cast and direction.
This movie will not feature the character of Mary Jane, however, it will feature another famous character in Gwen Stacy. Emma Stone, who is making headway as one of the top actresses in Hollywood, has been cast as the character. The character was only used as a minor character in the last Spider-man film, however, it will be used as a major character in this flick.
Choosing a successor for Tobey McGuire was not easy and Marvel settled on Andrew Garfield to play the role. Garfield will have big shoes to fill and is best known for playing Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. Garfield showed lots of emotion and anger in The Social Network and will need to use those same talents to portray Peter Parker/Spider-man.
The villain will be The Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors. The Lizard never made an appearance in any of the Sam Raimi Spider-man films and it is clear Marvel is not ready to reboot The Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus or any of the other villains used in previous films.
Back in 2005 when Batman Begins was released, I didn't have high hopes for this franchise and figured this was going to be just another Batman movie. Director Christopher Nolan proved everyone wrong by rebooting the franchise with Christian Bale as Batman and returning the franchise back to it's original dark roots. Begins got people excited about Batman films again and The Dark Knight was one of the most incredible sequels ever produced. These two films had fans asking for more and this will be Nolan's final installment in this series.
The Dark Knight left fans wondering what will be in store for The Dark Knight Rises and we do have some clues. Anne Hathway, Marion Cotilland and Joseph Gordon-Levitt join the cast and Christian Bale will reprise his role as The Caped Crusader. Michael Caine will play Alfred again and Gary Oldman plays commissioner Gordon. With any Christopher Nolan film, you can expect to have a good cast that is believable and help carry a film.
With any Nolan film, don't expect just a simple plot in this film. Sources say the movie takes place after the events of The Dark Knight and Batman is forced to resurface after being in exile. Bane, who will be one of the main antagonists in this film, pushes the Gotham Police far enough to the point that Batman is forced to return.
As a director in this franchise, Nolan is very careful which characters he picks and Bane may have been a surprising choice. Bane, who was introduced in the mid-90s in for the Knightfall saga in the comics, was not portrayed well the last time he was in a Batman film. The character of Bane was used in the Joel Schumacher Batman and Robin, which still makes Batman fans cringe (including myself). Bane was portrayed as being cartoonish and a minor character in that film, however, it appears Nolan has returned the character to it's original intended purpose. Bane has always been a dark character that Batman has trouble defeating and Tom Hardy, who has worked with Nolan before, will portray the character.
Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in the film. How big of a role Hathway will have is still in question but knowing Nolan, the character will probably play a significant role in the film. Marion Cotilland has been cast as Ra's Al Guhl's daughter and rumors of the Ra's Al Guhl character appearing again have surfaced. Josh Pence has been cast as a younger version of Ra's Al Guhl but it has been rumored Liam Neeson could be showing up in this next installment.
Nolan has stated this will be his final Batman film and there is no doubt he will probably incorporate several different ideas and concepts into the story. You may have to pay close attention to what is happening, however, Nolan does manage to tie everything together and will not want to leave fans saying he could have done better.
The Avengers
Marvel Entertainment has dreamed of putting The Avengers on screen for a long time and finally put the pieces in place with the first Iron Man movie. Iron Man did much better at the box office than anticipated and rebooting The Incredible Hulk after the horrific 2003 Hulk was one of the best decisions Marvel has made to set up this movie.
Thor and Captain America also did a great job creating excitement and interest around The Avengers. Director Kenneth Branagh took a different approach when directing Thor but created enough background on the Thor and Loki characters to stir interest for The Avengers. Captain America, a film that Marvel had hoped to successfully make after a failed attempt in the early 90s, accurately portrayed what the character is all about and left fans wanting more at the end.
There is no doubt The Avengers will have an incredible cast. Jeremy Renner, who made a brief appearance in Thor (and had a larger role in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) will play Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson will return as the Black Widow, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Helmsworth as Thor, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man make for what will be a fun cast. Mark Ruffalo will replace Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the alter ego of the Hulk, however, Ruffalo has proven to be believable in other roles.
The Amazing Spider-Man
This will be the first Spider-Man movie produced that will not have Sam Raimi as the director or Tobey McGuire playing the famous web-crawler. Not too long after the Marvel characters were purchased by Disney, Raimi decided to move on from the franchise and so did McGuire. As a result, a reboot was decided upon with a new cast and direction.
This movie will not feature the character of Mary Jane, however, it will feature another famous character in Gwen Stacy. Emma Stone, who is making headway as one of the top actresses in Hollywood, has been cast as the character. The character was only used as a minor character in the last Spider-man film, however, it will be used as a major character in this flick.
Choosing a successor for Tobey McGuire was not easy and Marvel settled on Andrew Garfield to play the role. Garfield will have big shoes to fill and is best known for playing Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. Garfield showed lots of emotion and anger in The Social Network and will need to use those same talents to portray Peter Parker/Spider-man.
The villain will be The Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors. The Lizard never made an appearance in any of the Sam Raimi Spider-man films and it is clear Marvel is not ready to reboot The Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus or any of the other villains used in previous films.
War Horse Review
War Horse has been hyped to be one of the best films of 2011. It's been advertised as being a story of a man and a horse being separated by World War I and the belief the two reunite eventually reunite. The filmmakers had a great idea and story in mind but didn't necessarily pull it off as advertised.
At the beginning, the film does a great job depicting how Albert, the son of a poor farmer and played by Jeremy Irvine, befriends and raises a horse named Joey. Albert's father, Ted (played by Peter Mullan), purchases Joey for a lot of money despite the fact Joey is not a horse that can help with farming. Albert is determined to prove his father and other doubters wrong by teaching the horse several commands and making the horse useful around the farm. The set up is done well and creates emotional moments when Joey is taken by the British army for World War I.
While the set up to create the connection between Albert and Joey is done well, it is dragged on for a long time and will leave you wondering where the plot is going. This connection is needed for the rest of the movie but could have been done in a shorter amount of time.
After Joey is taken in by the British army, the plot is mainly moved by sequences involving the horse. Through several different plot points, Joey ends up on a farm and goes back and forth between both sides fighting in the war. While it is easy to tell that the people living on the farm Joey ends up on are French through the dialogue, you may still want to brush up on your World War I history. The battle scenes in the trenches clearly mark the time period, however, there are several moments in which it is difficult to tell which army is which. English is spoken throughout the film and you do have to look at the helmets to figure out who is who. It does make it confusing at times and it is hard to tell what army Joey is currently with at certain points.
While there are several key emotional moments throughout the film, there are also points that are not explained. Albert is refused for the army early on in the film for being too young, however, he eventually ends up fighting in the war. There is no explanation as to how Albert was let into the army or if enough time passed for him to finally be let in. This inconsistency does make you wonder if a key scene had been edited out and it is not the only time this occurs in the film. There are other times in which other characters are not as well developed making it difficult to understand the importance of a couple key scenes.
War Horse does have a great story and accurately displays how a single animal can be meaningful to so many people. This part of the movie is heartwarming and does leave the audience feeling like there was a story to be told. This is portrayed well but could have been pulled off a little bit better.
Grade: B
At the beginning, the film does a great job depicting how Albert, the son of a poor farmer and played by Jeremy Irvine, befriends and raises a horse named Joey. Albert's father, Ted (played by Peter Mullan), purchases Joey for a lot of money despite the fact Joey is not a horse that can help with farming. Albert is determined to prove his father and other doubters wrong by teaching the horse several commands and making the horse useful around the farm. The set up is done well and creates emotional moments when Joey is taken by the British army for World War I.
While the set up to create the connection between Albert and Joey is done well, it is dragged on for a long time and will leave you wondering where the plot is going. This connection is needed for the rest of the movie but could have been done in a shorter amount of time.
After Joey is taken in by the British army, the plot is mainly moved by sequences involving the horse. Through several different plot points, Joey ends up on a farm and goes back and forth between both sides fighting in the war. While it is easy to tell that the people living on the farm Joey ends up on are French through the dialogue, you may still want to brush up on your World War I history. The battle scenes in the trenches clearly mark the time period, however, there are several moments in which it is difficult to tell which army is which. English is spoken throughout the film and you do have to look at the helmets to figure out who is who. It does make it confusing at times and it is hard to tell what army Joey is currently with at certain points.
While there are several key emotional moments throughout the film, there are also points that are not explained. Albert is refused for the army early on in the film for being too young, however, he eventually ends up fighting in the war. There is no explanation as to how Albert was let into the army or if enough time passed for him to finally be let in. This inconsistency does make you wonder if a key scene had been edited out and it is not the only time this occurs in the film. There are other times in which other characters are not as well developed making it difficult to understand the importance of a couple key scenes.
War Horse does have a great story and accurately displays how a single animal can be meaningful to so many people. This part of the movie is heartwarming and does leave the audience feeling like there was a story to be told. This is portrayed well but could have been pulled off a little bit better.
Grade: B
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Review
This was not one of the best Mission Impossible movies that has come out. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol had a lot of anticipation and hype around it but several key elements hindered it from living up to the hype.
Tom Cruise reprises his role as Agent Ethan Hunt and the film starts out like several of the other Mission Impossible movies. Hunt is held captive in a prison and manages to battle through several guards to break free. He is helped by Agent Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg, and Agent Jane Carter, played by Paula Patton.
It is a typical set up for the beginning of the movie but the story gets choppy from this point. The film fails to create any emotional connectivity with the characters and scenes and there are several inconsistencies within the plot. Unlike the last Mission Impossible film, Ghost Protocol does not create any reason for the audience to feel connected or feel emotion for the characters. As a result, it makes it difficult for the audience to care about some of the scenes going on and does not create much emotion in the movie.
In addition to lack of emotional connectivity with the characters, there are several inconsistencies in the script. There are several moments in which sequences are inconsistent with previous plot points and there are a couple of characters that played absolute no role in moving the story. At times, there is no explanation as to why Hunt and his agents are after certain characters.
Cruise manages to keep the character of Ethan Hunt consistent with the previous films and Jeremy Renner, who plays agent William Brandt, is a great addition to the cast. Pegg is believable and adds comic relief but Patton's performance leaves a little bit to be desired. Patton's character as Agent Jane Carter is not very believable throughout the film.
It would not be a Mission Impossible movie without great special effects and action sequences and this film has plenty of them. There are several good chase scenes in the movie and several key objects and gadgets are introduced. Though the gadgets may not seem as revolutionary in real life, they do make the scenes interesting and make for great special effects.
Ghost Protocol had a good idea in mind but without the prescence of emotional connectivity with the characters and inconsistent plot points, it is not a memorable film.
Grade: C
Tom Cruise reprises his role as Agent Ethan Hunt and the film starts out like several of the other Mission Impossible movies. Hunt is held captive in a prison and manages to battle through several guards to break free. He is helped by Agent Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg, and Agent Jane Carter, played by Paula Patton.
It is a typical set up for the beginning of the movie but the story gets choppy from this point. The film fails to create any emotional connectivity with the characters and scenes and there are several inconsistencies within the plot. Unlike the last Mission Impossible film, Ghost Protocol does not create any reason for the audience to feel connected or feel emotion for the characters. As a result, it makes it difficult for the audience to care about some of the scenes going on and does not create much emotion in the movie.
In addition to lack of emotional connectivity with the characters, there are several inconsistencies in the script. There are several moments in which sequences are inconsistent with previous plot points and there are a couple of characters that played absolute no role in moving the story. At times, there is no explanation as to why Hunt and his agents are after certain characters.
Cruise manages to keep the character of Ethan Hunt consistent with the previous films and Jeremy Renner, who plays agent William Brandt, is a great addition to the cast. Pegg is believable and adds comic relief but Patton's performance leaves a little bit to be desired. Patton's character as Agent Jane Carter is not very believable throughout the film.
It would not be a Mission Impossible movie without great special effects and action sequences and this film has plenty of them. There are several good chase scenes in the movie and several key objects and gadgets are introduced. Though the gadgets may not seem as revolutionary in real life, they do make the scenes interesting and make for great special effects.
Ghost Protocol had a good idea in mind but without the prescence of emotional connectivity with the characters and inconsistent plot points, it is not a memorable film.
Grade: C
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