Can anyone come up with an explanation as to why someone who has arachnophobia insists on watching movies with killer spiders in? While I laugh at the movies, which are more often than not deliberately comical, I still end up waking up in the night thinking that I can feel spiders crawling over me. I can feel their nasty little legs crawling over my body, but of course when I turn the light on and have a look - ready to have a full-blown panic attack - there is nothing there.
As I type this I am torturing myself by watching the delightfully amusing Big Ass Spider! (Mendez, 2013). The movie follows the day of pest exterminator Alex Mathis (Greg Grunberg, Heroes) who, because he is far to nice, often gets paid in fruit cake rather than cash. His first customer panics when she sees a Brown Recluse spider on his shirt, tries to hit with a shoe causing it to bite him. His day goes south from that point after a corpse containing a nasty surprise is mistakenly sent to the hospital where he is being treated.
The big ass spider created by the military scientists grows at a phenomenal, rate as it is pursued through New York by both the military and Alex. The film is, alternately, amusing and gross. I don't care whether a melting face is done with stop-motion or CGI, it is still gross to watch. Still, the film is entertaining overall and well worth watching during those times when you just want to veg out and not have to think too hard for a little while. I won't tell you whether Alex ends his day alive, dead, getting the girl or going home alone. Watch it and find out!
As for me, well I can almost guarantee that there will fog-filled streets where spiders the size of houses lurk, unseen and deadly, awaiting me in my dreams when I finally fall asleep. Why on earth do you think I am still wide-awake at 3:45a.m?
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Maybe I should change my name...
Maybe I should change my name to Insomnia Woman, with my super-power being able to avoid sleep and still appear the same as I usually do. I swear my eyeballs feel like they are about to fall out of my sockets and dribble down my face leaving a slimy trail of blood behind. Don't I paint a wonderful image first thing on a Sunday morning?
I have spent the night watching made-for-t.v. movies and now fully understand why they were t.v. rather than box office. The hero of the current movie is a larger man who has just shown a good size butt-crack as he miraculously escapes the runaway train by climbing onto a helicopter. I think that the writers of this particular movie have aimed to include just about every cliché imaginable. So far we have had the misbehaving son clashing with the new step-mother after the mother has passed away, the runaway train itself, the step-mom's secret pregnancy, the college football hero who fucked up on national t.v. going through his rebuilding-of-character moment, the engineer falling off the train (drama moment!). Then we had the dad saving the day by persuading the company not to derail the train in order to prevent it plowing into the hospital. I think I am actually worn out with clichés.
Well, my mp3 player is now fully charged so I am going to attempt a little sleep; assuming that damn pigeon shuts up, that is. I wonder if pigeons understand the threat of a crossbow bolt in their feathery arse...
I have spent the night watching made-for-t.v. movies and now fully understand why they were t.v. rather than box office. The hero of the current movie is a larger man who has just shown a good size butt-crack as he miraculously escapes the runaway train by climbing onto a helicopter. I think that the writers of this particular movie have aimed to include just about every cliché imaginable. So far we have had the misbehaving son clashing with the new step-mother after the mother has passed away, the runaway train itself, the step-mom's secret pregnancy, the college football hero who fucked up on national t.v. going through his rebuilding-of-character moment, the engineer falling off the train (drama moment!). Then we had the dad saving the day by persuading the company not to derail the train in order to prevent it plowing into the hospital. I think I am actually worn out with clichés.
Well, my mp3 player is now fully charged so I am going to attempt a little sleep; assuming that damn pigeon shuts up, that is. I wonder if pigeons understand the threat of a crossbow bolt in their feathery arse...
Friday, 20 March 2015
Novel review: Naked in Death by J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts)
I sometimes have a tendency to resist reading a series of books, or watching a series on television purely because people insist on telling me how good it is, not once or twice, but every single time I talk to them. It is childish of me, I know, but the more people try to push something on me, the more I resist.
That is how it was with J.D. Robb's 'In Death' novels, featuring the emotionally damaged homicide detective, Eve Dallas. J.D. Robb is, as most people who have read her novels know, one of Nora Roberts pseudonyms. I finally - and reluctantly - picked up the first novel in the series, Naked In Death, and sat down to read it. Several hours later I closed the book and put it down only because lack of sleep was starting to make the words swim around on the page.
Set in 2058 the novel follows heroine Eve Dallas on an investigation in the homicide of a wealthy licensed companion - prostitution being both legal and well controlled - who happens to also be the daughter of a conservative Senator. The world Eve inhabits is near enough to our own that it requires little in the way of imagination. True, menial tasks such as cooking and cleaning are often handed over to drones and other technological advances, but the less savoury aspects of life such as poverty, violence and drug addiction seem to exist in greater numbers than ever. As one of Eve's contemporaries points out, basic human nature cannot be altered, even with the advanced and common use of genetic controls in the mid twenty-first century. With the world's population larger than ever, items that we take for granted in our own lives, such as real coffee or meat, are available in large quantities only to the super-rich in this futuristic world.
During the course of the investigation Eve finds that not only is she falling in love with the billionaire suspect, Roarke, her investigation is being closely monitored, perhaps even interfered with, by her superiors in the police as well as the deceased's grandfather. The bad-tempered yet caring detective is well-written and I will admit that there were times that my heart was in my mouth during this gritty novel. Roberts strikes a balance between detail and pace that is rare; the world she builds is so well-written that it is easy to imagine yourself there watching as Eve fights her way through the case to its conclusion.
I can admit that I wish I had read the novel sooner. Roberts writing is a delight to read; a futuristic crime-thriller with enough violence, police intrigue and romance to appeal to a wide range of readers.
That is how it was with J.D. Robb's 'In Death' novels, featuring the emotionally damaged homicide detective, Eve Dallas. J.D. Robb is, as most people who have read her novels know, one of Nora Roberts pseudonyms. I finally - and reluctantly - picked up the first novel in the series, Naked In Death, and sat down to read it. Several hours later I closed the book and put it down only because lack of sleep was starting to make the words swim around on the page.
Set in 2058 the novel follows heroine Eve Dallas on an investigation in the homicide of a wealthy licensed companion - prostitution being both legal and well controlled - who happens to also be the daughter of a conservative Senator. The world Eve inhabits is near enough to our own that it requires little in the way of imagination. True, menial tasks such as cooking and cleaning are often handed over to drones and other technological advances, but the less savoury aspects of life such as poverty, violence and drug addiction seem to exist in greater numbers than ever. As one of Eve's contemporaries points out, basic human nature cannot be altered, even with the advanced and common use of genetic controls in the mid twenty-first century. With the world's population larger than ever, items that we take for granted in our own lives, such as real coffee or meat, are available in large quantities only to the super-rich in this futuristic world.
During the course of the investigation Eve finds that not only is she falling in love with the billionaire suspect, Roarke, her investigation is being closely monitored, perhaps even interfered with, by her superiors in the police as well as the deceased's grandfather. The bad-tempered yet caring detective is well-written and I will admit that there were times that my heart was in my mouth during this gritty novel. Roberts strikes a balance between detail and pace that is rare; the world she builds is so well-written that it is easy to imagine yourself there watching as Eve fights her way through the case to its conclusion.
I can admit that I wish I had read the novel sooner. Roberts writing is a delight to read; a futuristic crime-thriller with enough violence, police intrigue and romance to appeal to a wide range of readers.
Thursday, 12 March 2015
Where to go to find competition listings
For those who haven't noticed, I've been entering a lot of online competitions lately ('No, really?!' I hear you cry in astonishment). There are an astonishing amount of competitions and giveaways out there from businesses and bloggers all anxious to be noticed. The vast majority of us understand this and realise that businesses run competitions and giveaways in order to promote their business to new customers. This can be a far cheaper way of promotion than using traditional advertising methods; it is unlikely that your local corner shop is going to be able to afford to run an ad on television, but giving away a prize worth £50 to £100 is likely to draw more customers in through the door, providing people know about the competition. Getting people inside the door/on the web page is the first step towards them making a purchase.
I have seen numerous competitions online that are simply 'like and share/retweet' that have only been entered by a couple of dozen people at most. This is far more likely to be because people simply don't know about the competition, than because they don't want to enter. There are a variety of competition sites out there that not only list competitions for free, but in some cases will reward the person who notifies them of a previously unlisted competition, prize draw or giveaway. While many of these sites are free to join, some of them do charge subscribers - who usually receive a monthly magazine.
Some of the many competition listing sites include:
These are a mixture of pay and free-to-join competition listing sites, most of which I am a member myself. If you do an online search, you are likely to find hundreds more listing sites and competitions themselves. Most competition listing sites will encourage members to inform them about any new/unlisted competitions or prize draws, which they will then add to their lists - which is then seen by thousands of online compers.
Just a quick word of warning though: not all competitions are as above board as they may seem. There are scams out there that just want you to promote their product by sharing their page on social media sites, but never actually send out prizes to anyone. A comping friend of mine, Leanne, has started a 'known scams' page on her blog for people to add any companies are known to run scams. In addition, any company that does not comply with the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) requirements for running a competition in Britain can be reported to them for investigation. The rest of Leanne's blog is well worth reading, not only because she is a talented writer, but because she provides some excellent hints and tips in various posts. As she has quite possibly had more wins than any other comper I know, her advice is well worth reading!
The page that I have linked to for the ASA contains a number of in-site links to relevant information both for consumers and industry in relation to competitions, prize draws and giveaways. The information is well worth reading as it gives you the knowledge you require to be safe. Much of this information is repeated on the better competition listing sites.
Finally, good luck to everyone! I would love to hear about your comping wins, so make sure that you let me know. Hearing about everyone else's wins encourages me to keep going in those times that we all inevitably have where we don't win anything for a while.
I have seen numerous competitions online that are simply 'like and share/retweet' that have only been entered by a couple of dozen people at most. This is far more likely to be because people simply don't know about the competition, than because they don't want to enter. There are a variety of competition sites out there that not only list competitions for free, but in some cases will reward the person who notifies them of a previously unlisted competition, prize draw or giveaway. While many of these sites are free to join, some of them do charge subscribers - who usually receive a monthly magazine.
Some of the many competition listing sites include:
These are a mixture of pay and free-to-join competition listing sites, most of which I am a member myself. If you do an online search, you are likely to find hundreds more listing sites and competitions themselves. Most competition listing sites will encourage members to inform them about any new/unlisted competitions or prize draws, which they will then add to their lists - which is then seen by thousands of online compers.
Just a quick word of warning though: not all competitions are as above board as they may seem. There are scams out there that just want you to promote their product by sharing their page on social media sites, but never actually send out prizes to anyone. A comping friend of mine, Leanne, has started a 'known scams' page on her blog for people to add any companies are known to run scams. In addition, any company that does not comply with the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) requirements for running a competition in Britain can be reported to them for investigation. The rest of Leanne's blog is well worth reading, not only because she is a talented writer, but because she provides some excellent hints and tips in various posts. As she has quite possibly had more wins than any other comper I know, her advice is well worth reading!
The page that I have linked to for the ASA contains a number of in-site links to relevant information both for consumers and industry in relation to competitions, prize draws and giveaways. The information is well worth reading as it gives you the knowledge you require to be safe. Much of this information is repeated on the better competition listing sites.
Finally, good luck to everyone! I would love to hear about your comping wins, so make sure that you let me know. Hearing about everyone else's wins encourages me to keep going in those times that we all inevitably have where we don't win anything for a while.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Five things not to say to a Black Country chronic pain patient
If you do an internet search for comments that you should avoid making to people with chronic health conditions you will find yourself inundated with examples. Many of these relate to specific conditions and are often written either by health professionals or people living with the health condition under discussion.
The reality is that we are all different and what may seem silly to one person, may be devastating to another. What I would say instead is that before you inadvertently hurt someone, just take a moment to think about what you are saying and try putting yourself in the other person's position. If you think that what you are about to say would upset you, then the sensible and caring option is not to make that comment. Of course, many upsetting comments are made with the best of intentions, but that is not the point. Rather, the point is how comments are received.
While I cannot speak for everyone else, I am going to give you some examples of comments that have been made to me over the past eleven years since I first became ill. I will include a little of my internal monologue - which makes me sound incredibly grouchy - to give you some an idea how these effected me. I have heard all of these more than once, in fact more than two dozen times and I have to say that they get more annoying over time, not less.
1) "It would do you good to get out of that flat for a bit instead of always sitting indoors."
My internal response: Really? You think? Okay, well as soon as I come up with a magical cure that allows me to sit up, have a shower, get dressed, get down the stairs, walk along the path and go wherever, then I'll do just that!
I agree, that response is something best kept inside my head, just like the person talking to me would have been better to keep their comment inside their head... In all seriousness, I would love nothing more than to get outdoors and just walk through the countryside and experience the peace that it brings me. Unfortunately the levels of pain and fatigue that I experience do not allow me to do that. It is not down to lack of desire, or lack of willpower, but down to inability as a direct result of my medical conditions. Having it pointed out that I do not leave the flat very often does nothing for my morale. It has a negative, rather than positive, effect.
2) "You don't need all that medication, it doesn't do you any good."
My thoughts: Hmm, I wasn't aware you had degrees in medicine or pharmacology. When did you gain those and which University did you study at?
If you believe that I enjoy taking so many different medications then you really don't know me very well. The medications that I take are, most definitely, necessary. Without them I am in so much pain that I vomit regularly, am unable to stand at all (even with help and two elbow crutches) and unable to tolerate even the touch of my bed sheets. It is extremely hard to describe pain to people who have only ever experienced it fleetingly, but try this for an analogy: Imagine having enough layers of skin removed to expose every nerve end in your body and then imagine someone grabbing hold of your arm. That describes just one element of my pain.
3) "I know exactly how you feel."
My thoughts: Really? You're a mind reader now? When did that happen? You could earn a fortune with that trick!
This one appears on every countdown list of things not to say. Please understand that you do not know how I feel because you are not me. You have not lived my life, had my experiences and do not have the same pain and fatigue that I do. Just as I am not you and so cannot say that I know how you feel. We are individuals and while you may empathise with my pain, you certainly do not know how I feel. If you want to say anything, tell me that you empathise, that you cannot understand my pain because you do not have a pain condition or whatever your individual circumstances are. What I would tell you if the situation was reversed is that while I cannot understand how your pain affects you, I have a pain condition myself and know how much that impacts on my life; I can empathise with you and if you ever feel like talking about things I am here to listen. I probably won't hug you, for the record, because it often hurts like hell when people hug me, particularly if I am not expecting it and haven't had time to mentally brace myself.
4) (often as an extension of 3) "...I am tired as well."
My thoughts: I would give my left arm to feel tired.
Really. I would. Tired would be a luxury. Fatigue is a different kettle of fish altogether. I have a couple of different types of fatigue: first is muscular fatigue. You may have some idea of how this feels if you have ever done long-distance running, or weight training. It feels very similar to lactic acid where there is just nothing left in your muscles except for a persistent ache. Where a healthy person may experience this while running a marathon, I often experience it from lifting the duvet off me. That is why I have to choose between eating and having a shower, or sitting up and talking. Mental fatigue is another, while general fatigue is a third. All feel distinctly different to me.
5) "You're so brave" or "I don't know how you cope"
My thoughts: What else am I going to do? (this always baffles me).
I suppose other choices could be to constantly moan (but I would bore myself if I did that) or to commit suicide. Now I know this may be controversial to some people, but I do believe that we have a right to choose when we die and to die with dignity if we, as individuals, wish to do so. I have no desire to do so at present though. I am not brave, I am nothing special. Like some of my friends in similar positions to me, I think that the person caring for me is far braver. They have the choice to walk away, yet choose to stay. Unpaid carers save our economy over £120 BILLION EVERY YEAR by choosing to stay and care for their loved ones. They push themselves to carry on even when they are exhausted beyond belief, they work for nothing, they are not supported by the 'authorities' (often quite the opposite) and they perform a thankless task that goes unrecognised. No, I am definitely not the brave one; my husband, who works as my full-time carer and personally saves the tax-payer over £35, 000 each and every year as he spends over 70 hours every week actively caring for me, is the brave one. Lets be honest - how many of you could do that?
Over the years I have been on the receiving end of more ill-advised comments than I can remember, largely because my short-term memory is often effected by both my health-conditions and the side-effects of some of the medications. If I am honest, I also have to admit that I now switch off when I hear an offensive and ill-considered lecture from someone who thinks they know better than me and my health-care team. But the point of writing this genuinely isn't to point out individuals or make people feel guilty; it is simply to ask people to just take an extra second to think before trotting out remarks that may be hurtful to those on the receiving end. Putting yourself in the place of a person
The reality is that we are all different and what may seem silly to one person, may be devastating to another. What I would say instead is that before you inadvertently hurt someone, just take a moment to think about what you are saying and try putting yourself in the other person's position. If you think that what you are about to say would upset you, then the sensible and caring option is not to make that comment. Of course, many upsetting comments are made with the best of intentions, but that is not the point. Rather, the point is how comments are received.
While I cannot speak for everyone else, I am going to give you some examples of comments that have been made to me over the past eleven years since I first became ill. I will include a little of my internal monologue - which makes me sound incredibly grouchy - to give you some an idea how these effected me. I have heard all of these more than once, in fact more than two dozen times and I have to say that they get more annoying over time, not less.
1) "It would do you good to get out of that flat for a bit instead of always sitting indoors."
My internal response: Really? You think? Okay, well as soon as I come up with a magical cure that allows me to sit up, have a shower, get dressed, get down the stairs, walk along the path and go wherever, then I'll do just that!
I agree, that response is something best kept inside my head, just like the person talking to me would have been better to keep their comment inside their head... In all seriousness, I would love nothing more than to get outdoors and just walk through the countryside and experience the peace that it brings me. Unfortunately the levels of pain and fatigue that I experience do not allow me to do that. It is not down to lack of desire, or lack of willpower, but down to inability as a direct result of my medical conditions. Having it pointed out that I do not leave the flat very often does nothing for my morale. It has a negative, rather than positive, effect.
2) "You don't need all that medication, it doesn't do you any good."
My thoughts: Hmm, I wasn't aware you had degrees in medicine or pharmacology. When did you gain those and which University did you study at?
If you believe that I enjoy taking so many different medications then you really don't know me very well. The medications that I take are, most definitely, necessary. Without them I am in so much pain that I vomit regularly, am unable to stand at all (even with help and two elbow crutches) and unable to tolerate even the touch of my bed sheets. It is extremely hard to describe pain to people who have only ever experienced it fleetingly, but try this for an analogy: Imagine having enough layers of skin removed to expose every nerve end in your body and then imagine someone grabbing hold of your arm. That describes just one element of my pain.
3) "I know exactly how you feel."
My thoughts: Really? You're a mind reader now? When did that happen? You could earn a fortune with that trick!
This one appears on every countdown list of things not to say. Please understand that you do not know how I feel because you are not me. You have not lived my life, had my experiences and do not have the same pain and fatigue that I do. Just as I am not you and so cannot say that I know how you feel. We are individuals and while you may empathise with my pain, you certainly do not know how I feel. If you want to say anything, tell me that you empathise, that you cannot understand my pain because you do not have a pain condition or whatever your individual circumstances are. What I would tell you if the situation was reversed is that while I cannot understand how your pain affects you, I have a pain condition myself and know how much that impacts on my life; I can empathise with you and if you ever feel like talking about things I am here to listen. I probably won't hug you, for the record, because it often hurts like hell when people hug me, particularly if I am not expecting it and haven't had time to mentally brace myself.
4) (often as an extension of 3) "...I am tired as well."
My thoughts: I would give my left arm to feel tired.
Really. I would. Tired would be a luxury. Fatigue is a different kettle of fish altogether. I have a couple of different types of fatigue: first is muscular fatigue. You may have some idea of how this feels if you have ever done long-distance running, or weight training. It feels very similar to lactic acid where there is just nothing left in your muscles except for a persistent ache. Where a healthy person may experience this while running a marathon, I often experience it from lifting the duvet off me. That is why I have to choose between eating and having a shower, or sitting up and talking. Mental fatigue is another, while general fatigue is a third. All feel distinctly different to me.
5) "You're so brave" or "I don't know how you cope"
My thoughts: What else am I going to do? (this always baffles me).
I suppose other choices could be to constantly moan (but I would bore myself if I did that) or to commit suicide. Now I know this may be controversial to some people, but I do believe that we have a right to choose when we die and to die with dignity if we, as individuals, wish to do so. I have no desire to do so at present though. I am not brave, I am nothing special. Like some of my friends in similar positions to me, I think that the person caring for me is far braver. They have the choice to walk away, yet choose to stay. Unpaid carers save our economy over £120 BILLION EVERY YEAR by choosing to stay and care for their loved ones. They push themselves to carry on even when they are exhausted beyond belief, they work for nothing, they are not supported by the 'authorities' (often quite the opposite) and they perform a thankless task that goes unrecognised. No, I am definitely not the brave one; my husband, who works as my full-time carer and personally saves the tax-payer over £35, 000 each and every year as he spends over 70 hours every week actively caring for me, is the brave one. Lets be honest - how many of you could do that?
Over the years I have been on the receiving end of more ill-advised comments than I can remember, largely because my short-term memory is often effected by both my health-conditions and the side-effects of some of the medications. If I am honest, I also have to admit that I now switch off when I hear an offensive and ill-considered lecture from someone who thinks they know better than me and my health-care team. But the point of writing this genuinely isn't to point out individuals or make people feel guilty; it is simply to ask people to just take an extra second to think before trotting out remarks that may be hurtful to those on the receiving end. Putting yourself in the place of a person
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Competitions for free
I have been entering competitions for a few weeks now and know that although there are undoubtedly a few tricks useful in raising your profile and tipping the odds in your favour, for the most part it is numbers game. If you only enter one competition, then yes, you stand a one in five thousand chance of winning - or however many competition entries there have been.
Some guidelines for those new to comping as a hobby include sensible approaches such as only entering competitions that you would like to win the prize on. After all, there is no point someone like me who doesn't have children entering a competition to win nappies, so I will leave it to those who want or need the prize instead. Obviously the less people enter a competition, the better your odds of winning; so if you enter competitions with low entrant rates it stands to reason that you have a better chance of winning. These would include competitions that require you to do something, which could be writing a story or poem, taking photographs or a wide variety of other activities. There are examples out there where someone has won a large amount of cash and has been one of only around twenty to enter. You never know - as the saying goes, you have to be in it to win it.
Probably the first thing I would suggest to improve your odds of winning a prize would be to join a comping club. That could be a local meet, but nowadays it is much more likely to be online; social communities such as facebook or twitter usually have comping groups set up. There are also a number of online services that provide links to competitions, such as the prize finder which allows you to just click on a link and be re-routed to the competition site. If you are feeling a little more extravagant and are prepared to spend money, then sites such as Simply Prizes provide an excellent monthly service in the form of a monthly magazine as well as access to their web site. They have around 400 competitions a month, many of which are worth a fair amount of money. Given that the cost of the majority of these services is a lot less than a hundred pounds per annum, this can be earned back very quickly once you start entering - assuming that you are lucky enough to win of course!
Facebook has some quite tough regulations in place that ensure any competitions that are run on there are fair to all involved. Twitter on the other hand appears to have much looser regulations and I have read several blogs by people who have run competitions on there, that tell of the complications that they have faced on Twitter. I have to say that I have won on both, although only the one prize has been on Twitter.
It doesn't matter if the prize offered is a packet of crisps or a diamond necklace, the excitement when you open that email telling you that you have been picked as the winner is fantastic.
Some guidelines for those new to comping as a hobby include sensible approaches such as only entering competitions that you would like to win the prize on. After all, there is no point someone like me who doesn't have children entering a competition to win nappies, so I will leave it to those who want or need the prize instead. Obviously the less people enter a competition, the better your odds of winning; so if you enter competitions with low entrant rates it stands to reason that you have a better chance of winning. These would include competitions that require you to do something, which could be writing a story or poem, taking photographs or a wide variety of other activities. There are examples out there where someone has won a large amount of cash and has been one of only around twenty to enter. You never know - as the saying goes, you have to be in it to win it.
Probably the first thing I would suggest to improve your odds of winning a prize would be to join a comping club. That could be a local meet, but nowadays it is much more likely to be online; social communities such as facebook or twitter usually have comping groups set up. There are also a number of online services that provide links to competitions, such as the prize finder which allows you to just click on a link and be re-routed to the competition site. If you are feeling a little more extravagant and are prepared to spend money, then sites such as Simply Prizes provide an excellent monthly service in the form of a monthly magazine as well as access to their web site. They have around 400 competitions a month, many of which are worth a fair amount of money. Given that the cost of the majority of these services is a lot less than a hundred pounds per annum, this can be earned back very quickly once you start entering - assuming that you are lucky enough to win of course!
Facebook has some quite tough regulations in place that ensure any competitions that are run on there are fair to all involved. Twitter on the other hand appears to have much looser regulations and I have read several blogs by people who have run competitions on there, that tell of the complications that they have faced on Twitter. I have to say that I have won on both, although only the one prize has been on Twitter.
It doesn't matter if the prize offered is a packet of crisps or a diamond necklace, the excitement when you open that email telling you that you have been picked as the winner is fantastic.
Film review - Zombeavers (2014)
Last night we watched one of the multitude of movies borrowed from a friend of ours, and yes, this film is every bit as silly as it sounds: Zombeavers (2014). And I warn you ahead of time, this has spoilers.
At the time of writing just under four thousand people have submitted ratings to IMDB.com, giving the film an average of 4.7 out of 10. I know that sounds low, but this film is actually worth watching. Firstly because it knows that the whole concept is ridiculous and it treats it as such. There are moments when one or two of the actors are perhaps a little too dramatic, but overall the quality of acting is good.
The title of the movie does pretty much say it all: zombie beavers. I don't know why it hasn't been thought of before... It does have a couple of unexpected moments though, which I found highly entertaining. Like many films in the genre it begins by giving you the reason that we end up with zombie beavers as two careless delivery drivers hit a deer and lose a barrel of bright green gunk that conveniently lands on a beaver dam.
We are then introduced to the unfortunate future victims of the furry big-toothed zombies in the form of a bunch of college students. The three girls, the first to arrive, are all predictably enough dressed in shorts small enough that a belt may actually cover more. As soon as they arrive they are greeted by the next door neighbour, who they initially treat as the old prude (because, of course, everyone over 25 is a prude and rarely if ever has sex) only to receive a surprise in her answer to them. I loved this film for that part alone.
The first zombie beaver appears shortly after the girls boyfriends show up unexpectedly. While two couples have enthusiastic and very noisy sex, the third couple talk about their problems. The rather terrifying beavers show up in the bathroom, looking a little like some insane child has been let loose in a puppet workshop. Although initially seen by only one of the group - her descriptions convince the rest that she is either drunk or stoned - the beavers soon attack en masse. I defy anyone to watch this movie and not laugh themselves silly at the sight of a cabin surrounded by angry zombie beavers wanting to feast on a bunch of college students.
The funniest moment of the entire film had to be the sight of the rather strange human-beaver hybrid created as a result of being bitten or scratched by the killer beavers. Predictably enough the college kids do die, although the writers do subvert expectations when it comes to the manner and order of those deaths.
Yes, it is a silly film. But it is also a very enjoyable watch both for horror fans and comedy fans alike. Guys, you really do have to watch this one if you get the chance to.
At the time of writing just under four thousand people have submitted ratings to IMDB.com, giving the film an average of 4.7 out of 10. I know that sounds low, but this film is actually worth watching. Firstly because it knows that the whole concept is ridiculous and it treats it as such. There are moments when one or two of the actors are perhaps a little too dramatic, but overall the quality of acting is good.
The title of the movie does pretty much say it all: zombie beavers. I don't know why it hasn't been thought of before... It does have a couple of unexpected moments though, which I found highly entertaining. Like many films in the genre it begins by giving you the reason that we end up with zombie beavers as two careless delivery drivers hit a deer and lose a barrel of bright green gunk that conveniently lands on a beaver dam.
We are then introduced to the unfortunate future victims of the furry big-toothed zombies in the form of a bunch of college students. The three girls, the first to arrive, are all predictably enough dressed in shorts small enough that a belt may actually cover more. As soon as they arrive they are greeted by the next door neighbour, who they initially treat as the old prude (because, of course, everyone over 25 is a prude and rarely if ever has sex) only to receive a surprise in her answer to them. I loved this film for that part alone.
The first zombie beaver appears shortly after the girls boyfriends show up unexpectedly. While two couples have enthusiastic and very noisy sex, the third couple talk about their problems. The rather terrifying beavers show up in the bathroom, looking a little like some insane child has been let loose in a puppet workshop. Although initially seen by only one of the group - her descriptions convince the rest that she is either drunk or stoned - the beavers soon attack en masse. I defy anyone to watch this movie and not laugh themselves silly at the sight of a cabin surrounded by angry zombie beavers wanting to feast on a bunch of college students.
The funniest moment of the entire film had to be the sight of the rather strange human-beaver hybrid created as a result of being bitten or scratched by the killer beavers. Predictably enough the college kids do die, although the writers do subvert expectations when it comes to the manner and order of those deaths.
Yes, it is a silly film. But it is also a very enjoyable watch both for horror fans and comedy fans alike. Guys, you really do have to watch this one if you get the chance to.
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