Trouble With Being Myself is the latest release from Soul Sensation Macy Gray, and I can only think of one word to describe this CD… AWESOME!

I wish it weren’t the case but, it’s not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Trouble With Being Myself. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Macy Gray is one of those musicians that has the ability to just bowl you over with her talent. The kind of artist it’s really a treat to be able to listen to.

If you’re a Macy Gray fan this is a CD your collection flat cannot be without. In fact, this is one of those CDs that you don’t even have to be a fan of Gray, or even Soul to know is good. This is just good music. Period.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 6, She Don’t Write Songs About You. Outstanding!

Trouble With Being Myself Release Notes:

Macy Gray originally released Trouble With Being Myself on Jul 15, 2003 on the Epic label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. When I See You

2. It Ain’t The Money - (featuring Pharoahe Monch)

3. She Ain’t Right For You

4. Things That Made Me Change

5. Come Together

6. She Don’t Write Songs About You

7. Jesus For A Day

8. My Fondest Childhood Memories

9. Happiness

10. Speechless

11. Screamin’

12. Every Now And Then

Personnel includes: Macy Gray (vocals); Marsha “Songstress” Ambrosius (vocals); Pharoahe Monch (rap vocals); Lukas Haas (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Victor Indrizzo (guitar, drums); Mark Ronson, Dallas Austin (guitar, programming); Arik Marshall, Jinsoo Lim, Beck (guitar); Tracy Wannomae (bass clarinet); Printz Board (trumpet, flugelhorn); Tom Rawls (trombone); Jeremy Ruzumna (piano, Wurlitzer piano, Chamberlain, Farfisa organ, synthesizer, programming); Zach Rae, Adam McDougal (synthesizer); Justin Medal-Johnsen (bass); Scott Breadman (percussion); DJ. Kilu Grand (programming, turntables); Rick Shepherd (programming); Traci Nelson, Bobby Ross Avila, Audra Cunningham-Nishita, Fanny Franklin, Sy Smith, Chino Smith (background vocals). Producers: Macy Gray, Dallas Austin, Darryl Swan, Killu Beckwith, Dave Way. Recorded at Paramount Recording Studios, Royaltone Studios, and Ameraycan Recording Studios, Hollywood, California; O’Henry Sound Studios, Burbank, California.

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The 188 stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE 188 STAGE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Tells you what to write. For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro elements within.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to http://www.screenplay-structure.com/ or http://www.story-structure.org/ for full details)

*****New World of the Transformation and Trials*****

Even though the Hero may be willing, he (or she) may not be happy with the way the progression is turning out. In Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Clyde is angry because they’ve committed murder.

*****New Self of the Road of Trials*****

The beginning of the Road of Trials often sees the Hero become a New Self. In Raging Bull (1980), Jake and Joey get married and gain weight. In Brokeback Mountain (2005), Ennis gets married and has children and gets a job paving roads (not a cowboy). Time Shifts here are not unusual - Ennis has a few children.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.monomyth.info/

188 stages of the Hero’s Journey can also be reached from http://www.heros-journey.info/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

My first Hot Air Balloon ride was back in 1997 it seems like a long time ago now but I remember it like yesterday. Getting up at a staggering 4.00 am in the morning and driving to the Balloon Club. I had been given a Day out experience of a lifetime for a birthday present.

As a choice for an extreme sport it seemed the safest option as I had a choice of a parachute jump which I had done previously and can I highly recommend not to do again ever. The other fabulous choice was a diving experience and as I’m already a Divemaster I chose to do the Hot Air Balloon ride.

I drove up to the balloon centre and was welcomed and given the experience which includes the safety talk introduced to the day’s hot air balloon pilot and prospected course and a brief history of the sport of Hot Air Ballooning.

Watching in the early hours of the morning the giant red envelope inflating trying to calm my last minute nerves. Eventually the envelope was full enough to tilt the basket to the horizontal position. The pilot was fantastic at calming me and fiancée. At around 07:30 in the morning watching the sun rise and the balloon was ready. We scrambled aboard into the basket.

Watching the ropes release and feeling the initial lift made me shudder but then you feel strange as the ground gently slips away beneath you. The pilot gives a few blasts of the burner to give additional lift and we rise over the countryside.

Watching the landscape and the peace and quiet as we drift across England on a sunny day. This is one of the most acceptable extreme sports especially when you can the early morning rush hour of backed up traffic. Watching life go by slowly and feeling the wind and a fair bit of cold at altitude was one of the most fun days out I have ever had.

Eventually as they say what goes up must come down and the pilot pointed out into the distance to a large field and simply said landing over there approximately. The pilot had not used the burner for a while so we had started to descend. This is always going to be the tricky bit at what speed and our you going to get hurt when landing.

You start to feel a little bit anxious as you see the ground becoming a little bit closer but the use of the burner slows you down and I was confident in our pilots ability. We gently came down to the last 100 feet and you feel yourself counting as we get lower to the field and then as you touch drag along the floor you know the words the eagle has landed pass into your head.

We gladly helped out in tidying up the equipment as the call came through to where we had landed. We phoned through to find out where we are to get picked up. Overall it was a brilliant experience and now I have become a bit of a balloon enthusiast.

Becoming a hot air balloon pilot is out of my range at the moment but its something that I have started to look into. I have found that this is only way to fly gentle control and peaceful flying drifting over the countryside.

This article can be used under the standard terms and conditions of this website.
© 2007 Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool UK

© 2007 Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool,
http://www.bravemain.com

http://www.romanian-bride.com

The confusing maze of credit card offers can give you a headache especially when you are trying to decide which one to apply to. What with low APR, no annual fee to rewards cards to cash advance fees it is amazing that it is even possible to compare the credit card offer.

The first step in comparing credit card offers is to decide what is important to you and how you use your card. Ask yourself these four questions to get started.

* Will you always pay your bill in full every month?

* Are the possibility of rewards (cash back or travel miles) important to you?

* Are you going to use your card for cash advances?

* Are you going to carry a balance from month to month?

Once you have the answers to these questions you have a reference point for the credit offers to compare. Some credit card offers are better for one type of person and others for another type of person. The items to look at are APR’s both percentage and types, how the finance charges are calculated, the fees that are charged and under what circumstances and what the cash advance features are including access, APR, fees, limits, and how payments are credited.

What are APRs?

Actually a credit card offer usually has more than one APR. They often have an APR for purchases, another for cash advances, and yet another for balance transfers. Look for tiered APRs where different interest applies to different levels of balance on your credit card or penalty APRs which kick in if you are late with your payments. Introductory and delayed APRs are also popular credit card offerings.

Fixed or variable APR

Credit cards differ in the way they determine the interest you pay on the money borrowed. With a fixed APR the interest stays the same or at least does not change unless the issuing bank changes the rate. This does not happen with out written notice. Variable APR is usually tied to the prime rate or Treasury bill rate. It will fluxuate depending on the where the prime rate or Treasury bill rate is at a given period of time.

How long is the grace period?

The grace period is the number of days you have to pay your bill in full without triggering a finance charge.If you carry a balance on your card you might not have a grace period each month.

How is the finance charge calculated?

Credit card companies use a number of different ways to calculate your outstanding balance and which method they choose can make a big difference in the finance charge you’ll pay. Your balance may be calculated over one or two billing cycles, using the average daily balance, the previous balance or including or excluding new purchases.

Depending on the balance you carry on your card and the timing of purchases and payments your finance charge will be lower with a one-cycle billing.

What are the fees?

The items to look out for are annual fee, cash advance fee, balance-transfer fee, late payment fee, over the credit limit fee, set up fee, return item fee, or other fees such as paying by phone.

How much is the credit limit?
Determine how much you are going to need to accomplish your credit goals. The credit limit of your new credit card offer is the maximum total amount you may charge on your credit card. This amount includes purchases, cash advances, balance transfer fees, and finance charges you will pay a big penalty if you go over the limit.

Remember when choosing a credit card offer to apply to that the terms and conditions of the offers can vary widely. Take into account your spending habits when applying for a credit card offer. Apply to the right one can save you hundreds in fees and finance charges over a years time.

Jim Banks has been helping consumers compare credit card offers for years. In late 2006 Jim decided to put all his research in one spot, http://www.CreditCardMonitor.Org. For a side by side comparison of the various credit card offers by benefit type, credit card issuer or rewards type visit http://www.CreditCardMonitor.Org

Bans on public smoking are spreading throughout the world. That suits Eric who is a lifelong non-smoker, nay, ANTI-smoker. For 30 days he will change the world and the habits of current smokers.

Day 12

My campaign continues! After a few false dawns my resolve is undiminished. Now my attention turns to the child victims of smokers. Of course, all smokers say that they never smoke in front of the children (just like they say they never drop cigarette butt litter), but of course they do. And, they know also that smoke stays in the air for up to 2 hours after it is exhaled so their children are smokers whether the parents like it or not.

Yes, these are the same parents that run to the doctor for “something to be done” as soon as little Jimmy has a cold or a cough. Do they not know that they are doing PERMANENT harm to the lungs and hearts of these children in their very home? You wouldn’t give a child drugs or alcohol so why give them passive cigarette smoke. And the best way to stop a child becoming a “real” (as opposed to an involuntary “passive”) smoker is to set an example and stop smoking yourself. Get the cigarettes out of the home and the children will be healthier both now and in the future.

So, here is the plan. All children of smokers are taken from their homes and allowed to live in a Theme Park (Disney World should do it) of their choice until the parents stop smoking. They can do this at cost to the parents. They will be healthier and fitter – plus they will not be subjected to cigarette smoke. They can have private schooling (at parental cost) and they can have unlimited luxuries. They will not miss their parents because they will have everything they want and their days will be filled with activities.

Parents can visit if they miss their children. But – strictly no smoking.

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on health and visit our associated site articles for free.

Whether it’s young love or your golden wedding anniversary, a romantic break for two is an ideal way to guarantee some quality time together - something that’s vital for a healthy relationship. And though Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and birthdays are all opportune occasions to take a romantic break, don’t forget that a surprise trip on a random date can be an even more meaningful and exciting time for both of you. But with so many options for romantic breaks away, how do you start planning?

A few days spent in a vibrant city can do wonders for your love life. Whether you prefer arts and high culture, museums and music, or just exploring the history and architecture of a city, there is a huge choice of exciting places to visit - from New York to Niagara, Santa Barbara to Scottsdale. A city trip also allows you to eat out in style and sample some of the finest cuisine around, not to mention get a taste of the nightlife and dance the evening away in vibrant bars and nightclubs.

Or, if you’re already a city dweller, then perhaps a few days in the peaceful countryside will be more suited to your taste. A stay in a country hotel in a charming rural village will prove to be a relaxing break, allowing you lots of quiet, quality time in which to enjoy each other’s company. By day you’ll be able to take a walk into nature and enjoy the fresh air; while by night, you can go for a meal in a local bar or restaurant, sit by a crackling log fire, and take in the romantic rustic atmosphere.

If you’re less of a culture vulture and more of an adrenaline seeker, than planning an active weekend for two is a great way to get your blood pumping. Why not spend a few days in the great outdoors under canvas, hiking by day and cooking by firelight at night? If you prefer your creature comforts, however, you can try a snow sports or water sports weekend and stay in a luxury hotel, with on-site hot tubs, fine dining and an expert massage to sooth away your aches and pains after your day of exercise.

But, whatever your taste in romantic breaks, you’re sure to find that a little quality time spent with your loved one will do wonders for your relationship.

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance journalist.

The exceptionally talented Soul artist Macy Gray has released her CD entitled Big. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Macy Gray fans, and Soul fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Big Macy Gray’s artistic excellence is on full display as she has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be her best work to date.

Big kicks off with a great track, Finally Made Me Happy, that I anticipate will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. It really is a very nice track.

Macy Gray is one of those musicians that has the ability to just bowl you over with her talent. The kind of artist it’s really a treat to be able to listen to.

Listen to this CD and I believe you’ll find there’s not much to dis-like about it. The songs are inspired, the production is simply outstanding, and Macy Gray’s voice is in top form. Of particular note on this offering is her amazing rendition of Glad You’re Here with Fergie. If you’re even mildly into Soul music you’ll enjoy this album.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 3, What I Gotta Do. What a nice track!

Big Release Notes:

Macy Gray originally released Big on Mar 27, 2007 on the Geffen Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Finally Made Me Happy - (with Natalie Cole)

2. Shoo Be Doo

3. What I Gotta Do

4. Okay

5. Glad You’re Here - (with Fergie)

6. Ghetto Love

7. One For Me

8. Strange Behavior

9. Slowly

10. Get Out

11. Treat Me Like Your Money - (with Will.i.am)

12. Everybody

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A job in sales can be both rewarding and potentially very frustrating. Typically sales people are treated very offensively. Many people conform to the stereotype that sales people are pushy, rude and care only about your commission. If this is true about you, you really have your work cut out if you want to get anywhere in this business. If you are just a regular guy trying to make a living by selling a product or service, there is hope for you to be able to succeed!

Below are just 5 suggestions of how you can conquer objections BEFORE they come up…

Gain confidence – People do not like giving their money to or satisfying the needs of people that they do not trust. First impressions are everything. Whether you are conducting business in person or over the phone, learn to present yourself in a way that will gain the trust of your buyer. It is said that an individual decide whether or not they are going to continue talking to you in the first 5 second of the interaction. 5 seconds is not a long time but it can be just enough for you to win the heart of your buyer. People are relatively intuitive and will sense a lack of genuine interest if it is present.

Be real, rather than scripted – No one likes to feel like a number. It will help your potential client to trust you if you make them feel like they are the most important thing happening in your life right now. People like to feel valued and needed. It is a form of flattery. If you don’t care enough about who you are trying to pitch a sale to, they will not care to give you their money.

Anticipate – Knowing ahead of time the possible objections that you may face will help you to anticipate and create a plan for how to handle any possible objections. For example, let’s say that you work in a very high end shoe store with very high end prices. You should know that many people will object to paying such a high price for a pair of shoes. So before you hear another woman object by saying, “oh, I don’t know, I just don’t think that these shoes are in my budget right now,” remind her that a good pair of shoes is an investment and wouldn’t she rather buy one pair of good quality shoes than have to replace a cheap pair over and over again?! By anticipating the concerns of your buyers you prevent them from convincing themselves not to buy your product. Understanding what your buyers may be thinking will allow you to plant some more favorable ideas of your own.

Personalize – Everyone likes to feel special and unique, including your clients. There is always some way that you can personalize a sale. Ask questions and show interest in what is important to the buyer. Again referring to the example of a shoe salesman, if you are talking to a busy working mom, tailor the sale to her lifestyle. Show her shoes that are designed to be comfortable and functional and remind her that you can probably guess that such a busy mom needs shoes that can keep up with her lifestyle and make her look good when she’s out and about. A simple pair of loafers can all of the sudden be a mother’s pair of wonder shoes!

Get emotional involvement – nothing closes a sale and conquers objections like emotional involvement. If you can capture your buyer to the point that they have become emotional about the product that you are selling, you are in good shape. Many worthwhile products can really make a difference in the life of your client. Tell your clients how what you are trying to sell them can help accomplish a long un-reached goal, or how this product can help to save them time that they can then spend doing the things that they want to do.

Gavin Ingham is a leading sales trainer in the UK and Europe. Gavin gets to the root causes of sales procrastination, fear, lack of confidence and self-belief and shows your people how to battle these enemies within and win! Visit Gavin Ingham Ltd. for sales training products or call 0845 838 5958 for more information on how Gavin can get your salespeople to take action!

More people are becoming aware of their own health and fitness needs in these modern times. As part of this new awareness of a persons general health is the realisation that cholesterol level is very important and having the correct level can reduce your chance of heart disease which is a major killer in the modern world.

The first thing to do is to get tested properly and find out what your cholesterol level is and then finding out importantly the difference between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. The bad cholesterol is known as LDL Cholesterol the LDL stands for Low Density Lipoprotein. The good cholesterol is known as High Density Lipoprotein.

Bad Cholesterol problems when too much LDL is circulating within your blood stream, it can slowly build up on the inner walls of your arteries . The arteries are extremely important in delivering fresh oxygen rich blood from the heart to the brain and other vital organs.

The bad cholesterol builds up with other substances to form a plaque, a thick hard deposit that when it builds up reduces the diameter of the arteries and also makes them less flexible. This can lead to the following problem of a clot forming within the arteries which leads to a stroke or worse a heart attack.
Good Cholesterol HDL provides the defence against heart attacks. Between a third and a fourth of blood cholesterol that flows within your arteries is made up of HDL Cholesterol. The HDL Cholesterol is good at taking the LDL Cholesterol from the Arteries to the Liver where the body can process it and it can be passed from the body safely.

The best course of action is to examine your diet and reduce the amount of fatty substances that you eat, lay off the desert menu. Take an Omega 3 supplement daily fish oils have a very good effect on reducing your LDL Cholesterol. I know within my family that has been a number of deaths from heart attacks. I take regular exercise and go swimming, swimming is a very good exercise as it stretches most muscles and gives the added benefit that it’s a non impact exercise.

Some exercise such as running a impact based and maybe not as good as looking for exercise equipment that is designed to produce non impact fat burning. Consider finding out your ideal weight and seek medical advice on how to attain it. Give yourself reasonable goals in achieving this and mark your progress on something visible.

It’s important you need to see progress and that you feel the difference within yourself. Sometimes if you can not manage to get to the gym go for a good 2 mile walk and try to attain a good breathing rhythm. This can be more therapeutic than sweating buckets on a treadmill.

When you go shopping spend a little bit more time in reading the labels and if you are not sure what a product is research it and find out how good it is to eat and will it provide you with healthy sustenance or be bad for you. Getting the balanced diet and understanding your bodies processes can really help in maintaining a healthy heart and a longer more enjoyable lifestyle.

This article can be used under the standard terms and conditions of this website.
© 2007 Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool UK
A look at how important cholesterol control is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

© 2007 Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool,
http://www.bravemain.com

http://www.romanian-bride.com

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The 188 stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE 188 STAGE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Tells you what to write. For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro elements within.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to http://www.screenplay-structure.com/ or http://www.story-structure.org/ for full details)

*****Universal Terminology*****

The Hero’s Journey uses specific terminology, such as “Final Conflict,” “Hand-to-Hand Battle,” “Unbearable Antagonism,” “the Oracle,” etc. This misleadingly implies that it applies to only specific story-types (Arthurian Legend, Damsel in Distress, Fantasy, etc). In fact, the terminology applies metaphorically to the vast majority (if not, every) successful story or screenplay you may have come across.

For example, In Annie Hall (1977), when Alvie finally goes to meet Annie in Los Angeles, that is a Hand-to-Hand Battle and is the same one-on-one confrontation as Luke and Vader battling it out at the end of Star Wars; the same mano-a-mano confrontation between Riggs and Joshua in Lethal Weapon (1987), the same confrontation as the one between John McClane and Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988) and the same as the confrontation between Harry and Sally at the end of When Harry met Sally (1989).

*****Demonstrating the Magical Gift*****

One often missed stage of the Hero’s Journey is the demonstration of the Magical Gift. In the Bond franchise, Q also demonstrates the gadgets. In Star Wars (1977), Ben fires up Luke’s light sabre. In Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Bonnie dares Clyde to use the gun.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.monomyth.info/

188 stages of the Hero’s Journey can also be reached from http://www.heros-journey.info/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.