Grandpa is still in hospital. Apparently the docs were willing to let him go home this week, but he wasn't willing to go home, so there he still is. Grandma, on the other hand, decided to give us all a fright by going to the emergency room on Friday evening with chest pains. Which, by the way, gave my brother his first experience calling 9-1-1. As happy as I am to have never needed to call them, I'm kind of jealous, too. For some reason, they sent an ambulance, a police car, and a firetruck. I'm still not too clear on the details of why the emergency services do this. Did they think Grandma's chest pains might be related to her being on fire? Or (perhaps the more likely conclusion) did they just remember that the last time they visited this house, someone had to be carried out the window, and thus thought the more people there, the better? Anyway. Grandma was sent home at 2 AM, after having experienced a battery of tests, and having scared my mother half out of her wits. The good news there is, you keep scaring her half out of her wits, she always has some left. As long as no one scares her out of the other half, we're okay.
And you would think, that being the case, that I wouldn't bother to blog. Well, you would be wrong.
I was summoned for jury duty this week. Eagle-eyed readers will note that "I was summoned," not "I attended." Well, it wasn't for lack of trying. I set out on what was a cold, very windy Wednesday morning to get the bus. I didn't know it was cold and windy until I was on my way, and thus had to stop to retrive my hat and gloves from my bag. I was still a couple of blocks from the bus stop when I saw it go by-- even with the bus having a red light, I was too far away to run for it. So good sense prevailed and I didn't try. Instead, I went back home, logged on to the county's really exciting web site, and rescheduled. (And I'm sure the county clerk employee who got my email muttered something really nice about waiting until the last possible minute to reschedule.) And then went to work. Funnily enough, in our office of 30ish people, two other people were summoned for the same day. Neither of them missed the bus though, perhaps because they had cars to get there in. Hmmm. Anyway, one of them was my supervisor, who actually was picked to serve on a jury. But it was a quick trial apparantly, as she was back today.
In completely unrelated news, the rain we got over the weekend was enough to fill the playa lakes back to more or less their normal levels. I've been watching the one in Maxey Park (near my work) shrink over the last five months, and it's been enough to fascinate even me who has no interest in-- I don't even know what field "looking at the earth under the water of a playa lake" falls into. Geology, maybe? Anyway, it was cool to watch, even when I was wishing for rain. But on Monday, when I went out for my normal lunch-time walk, the water was back where it belonged, and it was even more bizzare than seeing the water receding. I walked around the lake, finding it unbeliveable that I was walking out there just five days ago. (Well, at that time it was five days ago.) I was also having a rough time keeping my feet because the wind was so wild. If I'd had a cell phone, I would have called someone from the office to come get me, while hanging on to a tree for dear life. But I fought through it and went back to the office. And spent a considerable amount of time brushing out my hair so I wouldn't scare the patients.
Edited to remove quiz results, because they were screwing up my margins, and therefore, my sidebar.
If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Indiana.
If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Indiana.
6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events including weddings.
I decided to really show my true Hoosier colours (which, by the way, are not red and white), and put stars next to the ones that, at some point in my life, I have thought/experienced. I hope everyone gets a good laugh out of this one.
Yesterday morning, I was brushing my teeth when I heard a strange noise on our roof. We live on the top floor of our apartments, and pigeons tend to hang out around the air-conditioning units (why, I have no idea), so I thought it was just the birds. I looked outside and told Chad that it must be cold, because people were really bundled up-- and then I realised that it was raining. But I think our ensuing excitement must have scared it away, because it was gone when I went outside five minutes later. I think this morning's shower may be already gone, too.
Anyway, at nine o' clock this morning, tea cup in hand, I went outside to have a closer look at the rain, and thus became one of those people who goes outside dressed in a bathrobe and sweats early in the morning. (Well, early for a Saturday morning.) But, it was totally worth it. And a great opportunity for a prayer of thanksgiving.
I'm adding the Myers Brothers Band to my list of family/friends blogs (hey, I may not know them well, but I have known them for a while!). I'm assuming, again, that most people who wander on here have at least a vague idea of who they are-- so pop on over to their blog and give them a listen. And if you don't know who they are-- same recommendation.
Well, I am able to view my blog now (apparently my credentials checked out), but I only get the archives section. Oh, and the last two posts on the list of recent posts. Sigh. I hope no-one out there is looking for me today.
Another week has come and gone, and I am once again up against a weekend. This weekend, however, will be spent typing up notes from Judges and Ruth, for myself and to share with the kids in Bible bowl. So I'm going to start on that as soon as I finish emptying my brain here.
I am not authorised to view my blog, apparently. Too bad my own credentials don't meet my own exacting standards to view my own blog. Eh?
Anyway, viewing my blog is actually a small matter to me right now, b/c I have something to share of actual value for a change. I was at Camp Adventure off and on this week-- the building is pretty close to my work, so I skipped on over at lunch a couple of times, plus we went to the evening stuff. So on Wednesday at lunch, I walked to the building hoping to hear a couple of letters from Aim students on the field, see some friends, etc. When I walked in, Kris Smith was in the middle of a story about visiting the Aim students in the Ukraine. He asked one of the girls what she was going to do first when she got back to the States, and she told him that she would buy some new shoes. The shoes she was wearing at the time were getting worn out, with holes in them and the sole parting company with the rest of the shoe. As Kris was describing the shoes, I was thinking, "I hear ya." If you didn't read my post about needing new shoes-- I walk just about everywhere and am quickly wearing my own shoes out. SO, a couple of weeks later, Kris gets an e-mail from this girl telling him that she was wrong, and she doesn't need new shoes. She had noticed that one of the Ukrainians (and possibly more than one) had shoes that were much, much more worn than her own, so she decided that she could do with hers as they were.
Well, obviously, I decided that I don't need new shoes. I am getting holes and worn-down treads, but they still work, and thus far the soles are sticking with the uppers on my shoes. So I had a conversation with God as I walked back to the office, and we made a list of all the things that I want, which I frequently refer to as "needs", that I don't actually need. I'm not going to repeat the list here, except to say: 1. New Shoes.
The day may come when I discuss the 5 month+ drought we've got going on here, but it is not this day. Today, we go to bed!
What can I say, the Les Miserables soundtrack is in my head more or less all the time, so this brilliant song at the conclusion of Act One is bouncing around in there right now. And I must say, while I liked this song before ever seeing the musical in person, it was much, much more impressive live. And now it's tied for my favourite song in the musical, with "Do You Hear the People Sing?"
Thursday and Friday we had some nasty wind, accompanied (as it usually is around here) by flying dirt. Saturday gave us a bit of a reprive, which lasted (as it turned out) into early Sunday morning. So on Sunday, we rode our newly-repaired bikes to church. Now it's just over 3 miles from our apartment to South Plains. This is a trip we've taken many, many times before, but it's been a few months so we're out of condition, and the light wind that we had on Sunday was against us on the way there. Neither of these things were a problem.
Check out this video at sparquay's blog (He's my former teammate and now a youth minister in Georgia). It's a parody on the current run of Sonic adverts and is quite funny.
So we went to the Aim graduation banquet last night, probably the last one we'll attend-- at least until we start meeting more Aim students. I knew about 5 people in the graduating class, one of them being the younger sister of my own Aim teammate. But in the last class and the current class, I know a grand total of zero (0) people. So I do not see many Aim graduations in my future.
And I only write about it here because of what I wore. Now, I am not at all a normal 20-something woman who knows all about clothes and shoes. If I ruled the world, we'd all wear scrubs to work, capris and T-shirts in our spare time, and skirts and tights would be banned. And high heels (although I have no objection to platform shoes). Anyway, I do normally dress up for Aim banquets, but this year, we had to walk there (or, as I've heard it said, we took the "shoe-leather express"). So we both went in slacks, nice tops, and tennis shoes. The best outfit in the world can be made to look very casual when you put tennis shoes on with it.
As often happens to those who use their shoes a lot, Chad and I both need new ones. I have three pairs of tennis shoes, he has two, and none of them have any tread left. Well, that's kind of important. And when we buy shoes this time, we'll have to get good quality, substantial ones that can stand up to us walking a few miles every day. So this will take some looking, comparison shopping, and so on. If anyone would like to offer suggestions, they would be highly appreciated, because I know next to nothing about shoes. I know which foot they go on, and that's about it.
And as we were walking, we were talking about God and his promises. I am so blessed to have a husband who cares passionately about studying the Bible and sharing what he's learned. But our topic led my brain to wander and think about Jesus and his disciples, who walked everywhere they went (no cycling for them!) wearing sandals. And not the comfortable sandals we have today. I don't know what their shoes were made of, although I would guess either wood or some reeds woven together in a complicated way. And they walked for miles in them! I discussed this with Chad and a friend of ours (another younger sibling of my former teammate) after the banquet last night, and Chad pointed out that the sandal-wearing was the reason for the practise of washing feet being an integral part of hospitality at the time. Personally, I also think this is why they ate lying down-- just to get your feet elevated a bit and off the ground. As someone who has experienced a blood clot in my leg from too much standing, I shudder to think what it would be like to have one in an age in which not only was it undiagnosable, but it was certainly untreatable! Anyway, I don't know if they had the same kind of thorns and sticker bushes to deal with as we do, but I imagine there was some form of it. I can't walk around in sandals without getting a sticker in my toes. So what a walk that must have been for Jesus and his disciples-- going along, dust blowing, hot day, and every few feet someone has to stop to remove a thorn from his foot. And another thing we talked about last night was blisters. Did people in that time develop some serious callouses an early age, so that their feet would not be continually covered in blisters? I would certainly hope so. I hate to think the shape my feet would be in if I walked to work, or to church (4 and 3 miles away, respectively), in sandals. I wouldn't be walking for a few days after that, that's for sure.
Okay, so I've written an entire post about shoes. I can't believe it. Oh, and just as a side note, I saw a friend from waaay back in my summer camp days last night. He's in town to visit someone over spring break, and he came to the Aim banquet as well (he is also an ex-Aimer). So it was cool to see him, and maybe we'll have a chance to catch up a bit this week.
I just checked my e-mail and in it were the prayer requests from our Bible class last Sunday. And mine was phrased thusly: "Susan-- Grandpa broke hip & family." Now to be fair, I think that is how my husband wrote it down. However, while my grandfather does indeed have a broken hip, he did not break his family. We are all still in one piece. I really hope everyone else find it as amusing as I did. As far as Grandpa goes, apparently he will be in hospital for at least a week. Our phone card ran out of minutes on Wednesday, and we don't have a cell phone (pauses for gasps of horror), so I haven't talked to them in a couple of days. I just get my information from my brother's blog.
Yesterday! I bought a new coat! That may seem like a lot of excitement for what is actually a very small deal, however it can be substantiated. My last coat I've now had for seven winters. It was a thrift store find in Glasgow, one of those with two layers- an outer windbreaker and an inner fleece jacket- that can be worn together or separately. And when they are together, it is the warmest jacket I've ever owned. So I've been reluctant to part with it, but it has been steadily deteriorating over the past few years of wear, and after my bike accident last fall, the windbreader now has two irreperable tears in the sleeve. So I decided to wait until winter coats went on sale, and get a new one as much like the old one as possible. I had anticipated it would take most of my day today to (1)ride my bike to the mall, (2)find a place to park it, and (3)look in several stores until I either found something I liked at a reasonable price or gave up in frustration. Well, while sitting at work yesterday, I decided that Chad and I should walk to Kmart (pauses for a second gasp of horror) after work and see if there was anything available that would be suitable. So after a rather windy (and life-threatening-- some of these people should have their driver's licenses revoked) walk to Kmart, we walked straight to a rack of exactly what I was looking for. Not only does it have two detachable layers, but the inner layer is reversible, and it's a nice lime green. The only drawback to this new jacket is that the outer layer isn't wind- or waterproof. But I am still pretty happy about it.
Chad is getting our bikes fixed this morning (another reason against riding my bike to the mall) and I'm going to the gym. I've been doing cardio workouts all week in our mini-gym at work, but I need to do some weights, too, and thus far I've been avoiding it. Fortunately, there aren't many people at the gym at this time on a Saturday, so I can take my time figuring out how much weight, how many reps, etc. And if I am totally bewildered by any given piece of equipment (which seems likely), I can ask without feeling too dumb.
Tonight is the Aim graduation banquet, for... I think the class that began in 2003. This is the only class in recent years of which I know quite a few people. After being an assistant for the 2000 & 2001 classes, I haven't really kept up with them. And, quite honestly, it's hard for the Aim students themselves to be interested in talking to someone who is outside their realm. I found that out when I tried talking to various people in the current class, early in the year. And goodness knows I remember what that was like-- there are too many new people, new sights, new experiences, and so on to want to add anything extra. Even going to the grocery store was an exercise in "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto" for me. Anyway, the banquet also is the beginning of Camp Adventure, and it is a time to see friends we don't really see apart from this time of year. And a friend of Chad's from California is the main speaker during the week, so we always enjoy getting to see him.
This Sunday at Bible Bowl, we're teaching the last three chapters of Judges. If you haven't read them in a while, they are an example of just how evil Israel could be. I'm not repeating the content here, mostly because everyone who will be reading my blog owns a Bible and can read it themselves. But our skit for the evening is "A Pirate Adventure." It was really entertaining reading it Sunday evening, because everyone uses a different accent, and because the person who wrote the script generally includes a few spelling errors for our entertainment. (For example, in one of my lines, I say, "Not even a bite!" However, the script reads, "Not even a bight!") I am naturally using a Scottish accent, because it tends to lend itself to moments like these (my apologies to any Scots reading this whose ancestors were not pirates), and also because that way I can say pretty much anything I want and none of the children or other teachers will understand. Well, except for Chad, of course. We have the evening off from actual teaching, which is a relief because we haven't had a week off yet. Actually, we got the week off because I wrote the review questions for these chapters, and told everyone else in no uncertain terms that there was no way I was teaching them. And they took me seriously.
Now that I have my links going at the side, here's a quick rundown of what they are: Google news-- duh. South Plains is the website for the church we currently attend. AIM is the abbreviation for Adventures in Missions, a program that allows college students to experience missions firsthand (and of which I am a graduate!). Know Truth is a website run by a couple of friends of ours, which talks about absolute truth and the existence of God. LOTR caption page has a lot of stills from the LOTR movies, along with some very funny captions about those pictures. Some are stories, some are stand-alone, and some are a bit questionable, just by way of warning. And the last one is for Best Smileys, the index of the emoticons I use-- there are a lot of good ones on there.
Now that we are over a week past the end of the Olympics, and the Paralypmics are about to start (on March 10), the hype is (more or less) forgotten, the soveniers are bought and, most likely, stashed in a corner somewhere, and our TVs are long since tuned to something else. And while I enjoy the Olympics, I only mention them here because I am still so encouraged by people like Joey Cheek, Clara Huges, and Yang Yang A. who used their Olympian status to bring attention to Right to Play. And I didn't see interviews with either Clara or Yang, but Joey Cheek used a lot of his interview time talking about Right to Play and why it is a good cause. So thanks to these athletes, and the others who donated who haven't been mentioned by name, for bringing some sense of dignity and what has been called "the Olympic spirit" back to the reputation of the athletes. Unfortunately, some others of the athletes really gave them all a bad name this time around. And I'll be adding the Right to Play website to my list of links shortly.
This post is getting kind of long, but what can I say? I'm long-winded. Today was the primary election in Texas. An acquaintence of ours from church is running for judge, and the results so far are very much not in his favour. But, the only ones posted are from early voting and they were expecting turnout today to be higher than turnout all through early voting. So I'm keeping a pretty close eye on the results as they come up. Turnout locally was expected to be pretty high, due to a rather heated, and pretty ugly, campaign for a Texas House seat. The incumbent is well on top at the moment, and I'm pretty happy about that because the challenger went negative-- and I mean way negative-- first. So I have to say, it totally serves him right should he be defeated.
And, finally, we saw Hotel Rwanda on Sunday night. That is one powerful movie, one which certainly earned all its nominations and awards. I was warned to take some tissues with me to see it, which it turns out I didn't need, but it was pretty close. If you haven't seen it yet, by all means, do so. But be prepared; it is a close look at one of the most horrific moments in recent history. I can't speak for everyone who was watching, but I know I felt this; when the U.S. failed to help these people, and in fact wanted to pull out the few UN peacekeepers who were there... to say we messed up is inadequate. We blew it. Completely. I hope we've learned from our previous foreign policy mistakes, but as we all know, the only thing people ever learn from history is that no one ever learns anything from history. Rwanda is now one of the most stable countries in the world, but what a terrible price they had to pay to get there.
Well, I finished this abnormally long post on a down note, I'm afraid. But if you've stuck it out to get to the end of this post; thank you. You deserve a medal.
It's almost time for me to go to work! Grandpa had his surgery last night, and all went well. I was on the phone with my siblings until about 10, when they were able to go into his room and I really needed to go to bed. But at least I got to hear that he was out of recovery and in a regular room.
The birds are wide awake outside-- I seriously don't know how anyone could sleep through the birds getting up. And they don't sleep in on the weekends. It's nice of them to announce the day, I suppose. And I do enjoy watching them on the tree outside our window.
Time to go... more soon, I hope.
Well, I'm having trouble getting to my previous post to update, so I'll just post a new one. Grandpa has broken his hip and, as my brother put it, he'll be staying in that $1,000-per night hotel room until his team of various doctors can be consulted regarding surgery. Any prayers sent his way will be appreciated.
I just got off the phone with my brother. Our grandfather fell down earlier this afternoon, landing on his hip, and he couldn't get up again. So they are now at the hospital, and I'm waiting on a call back from my brother once they know something.
Both of my grandparents are really calm right now, which is something. Of course, Grandpa has been in poor health for about 20 years, so they are more or less accustomed to the routine. And on a lighter note, the paramedics had to take Grandpa out of the house through the window! My grandparents' bedroom is at the end of a narrow hallway, with a fairly narrow doorway added to that, so with Grandpa on a backboard there was no negotiating the turn. So out the window he went. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I would give a whole lot to have been in the room when they took him out. Or- even better- standing outside. Hee.
I love walking. Especially early in the morning. One of the upsides to being car-free is that I get to take the bus quite a bit-- and today was one of those days. So I got off the bus about a mile from the office and had a nice walk the rest of the way.
On my mind this morning was an e-mail I got last night about how women can safeguard themselves, to some extent, from being abducted. Apparently women with long hair are more likely to be a target (the reason being the the hair is easy to grab on to). Also the prime time for abduction is between 5:30 - 8:30 am. Well, I have 2 out of 2 right there. So I was more jittery, and certainly more aware of my surroundings, than usual this morning.
My morning started off pretty funny; our apartments have access gates, and when I went out, the doorknob came off in my hand. That's never happened before. And on the bus, I overheard a man talking about the bus he normally takes, which had "about 60 kids on it this morning." Well, I could guess what was coming next, so I stayed tuned. The woman he was speaking to thought he was talking about schoolchildren, I think, but it turns out he was talking about the Aim students, and he said some really nice things about them in the course of his conversation. So if there are any Aim students, or assistants, reading this: People are watching. Keep up the good work.
But what really made me feel particularly alive and happy this morning were the daffodils. Now I know we've had a mild winter, so it's no surprise that flowers are blooming, but I have also seen these same flowers brave the ice of Scotland this time of year. Daffodils are gifts sent from God, just as everything else on earth is, but flowers that bloom while there is still snow on the ground (in some places) are an extra-special blessing. It's almost as though God is saying, "Don't worry- spring is coming, look, here are some flowers to tide you over."
Okay, well, that turned out more sappy than I intended, but that's the kind of morning I had. :) I also thought of the new series of Visa commercials (the Life takes... Visa ones) as I was walking, and decided, I feel more like I'm participating in life when I'm out walking at this time of day. And I can't think of a better way to start a Friday.
Every week... seriously, this has been the case for the last five months or so... I get to Wednesday and think, "Really? It's Wednesday already? This week is flying by!" Then, by 3:00 on Thursday, I'm thinking, "It's only Thursday? This week is NEVER going to end!"
This has been a week of good conversations for me. Not all of them have been fun ones, but there have been a lot of good ones. And the unfun ones tend to lead to growth for me, so I can't really be sad about that, can I? It all started with some very good conversations with God, which leads naturally to conversations with friends, coworkers, and my husband. I've been praying (among other things) to hear God's voice and to see areas in my life that need growth. So it happens that this has been a week of frustration, in which Chad has had to bear with me more than usual. :) I love him so much.
I was talking with a coworker, in one of these conversations, about reading the Bible. It swung round to me saying that I frequently read the Bible and think, "ouch." For instance, I read in Judges about God doing amazing things for Israel, only for the Israelites to desert God in favor of Baal. Over and over again, he draws them back and they go their own way. Ouch.
This picture is from our first Sunday of Bible Bowl; not the best shot, although Chad and I are both in it. Well, you can see my hair. :) The mummy in the background is an actual person, who came to life and chased Scooby and Co. around the stage at one point in the skit (I was backstage and didn't get to see it, but the screams coming from up front were enough to keep us all rolling with laughter in the back.).
Chad made some brilliant spaghetti for our dinner; I usually make the sauce myself, but this time he bought some stuff in a jar that was just amazing. And I would recommend it to all, but I can't remember the name. Garden fresh something or other, I think-- it had tons of veggies in it. Really good stuff. And afterwards we went for a walk to enjoy the really nice evening. The neighbourhood we live in is great for walking in (which is good, since that's all we do!). The sunset was very orange tonight-- it was brilliant. Oh, and two dogs were following us for a while. I don't know if that means anything.


Like this white Bordeaux blend, everything is just right with MGM's classic comedy Libeled Lady. Pour a glass and enjoy four of the greatest stars of the 1930s – Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, William Powell and Myrna Loy – for a hilarious film of love and libel that has likewise garnered acclaim (including a Best Picture nomination). Match a top vintage with a top film from Hollywood's golden age.
Our man on the ground, Jean-Marc Sauboua, introduced us to the Courselle family a few years ago with a red release Robert Parker called "a great little Bordeaux." They also make serious white wines, as you're about to discover. It's a classic, 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, partially aged in barrel to impart a lovely, rounded mouthfeel. The estate's vineyards, located southeast of the city of Bordeaux, are gravelly, south-facing slopes sitting atop a subterranean bed of fine clay – the perfect base for growing premium white grapes.
The Courselle family have been a top name in Bordeaux winemaking for over 100 years. In 1950, André Courselle acquired Château Thieuley – 30 years later, his son Francis added Châteaux du Clos Sainte-Anne and Saint-Genès to the family's stable of estates. Today, Francis' daughters Marie and Sylvie (here, with Jean-Marc) are continuing their family legacy with top-class wines like this complex white.
White Bordeaux is a lovely partner for seafood. So if you're planning to splurge on lobster or oysters, this is the wine you'll want to have chilled and ready to go. (To play up this wine's richer texture, you could go for a creamy lobster pot pie.) If you're vegetarian, try a farro- or lentil-based salad topped with grilled eggplant, scallions, cherry tomatoes, basil and arugula.


One of the most-exciting ways to play roulette is through live dealer casinos, which offer you a real casino atmosphere through your desktop or mobile device. But it's even more exciting to play live roulette when you're winning. That said, let's look at some live roulette tips, strategy, and good live casinos where you can play.
Contrary to what some players suggest, roulette is a pretty straight forward game that doesn't involve any secret strategies. But there are a few tips that you can use to improve your chances of beating live roulette. The first is to look for French roulette when possible. Most live casinos only offer European roulette, which has a fairly low 2.70% house edge. But French roulette offers a 1.35% house edge because it features special rules that favor players on even-money bets.
Another tip is that even though European roulette bets all have the same house edge, you should understand the odds behind each wager. Some players make Inside bets, like single (36:1 odds of winning), split (35:2 odds), and street bets (34:3 odds), without knowing how poor their chances of winning are. In contrast, Outside bets, like red/black (19:18 odds), odd/even (19:18 odds), and column bets (25:12 odds), will see you win far more frequently.
Once again, there are no secret mathematical systems that'll give you a long-term edge over the house. So don't waste your money on any roulette systems that people are selling. What we advise is a simple strategy that involves sticking with even-money bets or, at the most, column and dozens bets, which both have 25:12 odds of winning. This allows you to win frequently enough to sustain your bankroll and not be in danger of losing everything.
As with most online casino games bankroll management makes all the difference in maximizing your chances. Make sure you have a sufficient balance and then bet within your limits to keep your RTP rate as high as possible.
With all that in mind always remember to gamble responsibly and stay within your limits, consider setting a session reminder to help you keep track of time when you are playing and take your wins when they come to you.
Where should you Play Live Roulette?
While we mentioned earlier that most casinos only offer European roulette, NetBet is one that features French roulette. This is huge because you can cut the house edge in half. Other good live dealer casinos with reputability include 888 Casino, 777 Casino, Mr. Green, and one of our favourites here at TheCasinoDb in Thrills Casino.
Whats the best Live Roulette Software?
There are plenty of options out there these days for Live Roulette but very few operators do it as well as Evolution Gaming. These guys know their stuff when it comes to Live Casino and are hands down one of the best Live Roulette software providers in the business.
Check out our exclusive List of Evolution Gaming Live Dealer Casinos and take a look at some of the different types of tables available including Immersive Roulette and Dual Play Roulette which combines a real land base casino incorporated into your laptops, mobile devices and desktops for an authentic casino experience.
Live casino really is the next best thing to actually visiting an online casino and the future looks bright with virtual reality options on the horizon in the not too distant future!


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Alitalia 6.9
Pros: "The crew's positive energy and great service were truly amazing. Kudos Delta!"
Cons: "Turn on the lights before landing graduallyb- noone likes bright fast - too nasty;"
Cons: "Not a thing!"
Pros: "Most of the crew was great with the exception of curbside check-in in Denver."
Cons: "Curbside needs to stop chasing cash tips and do their jobs. If they focused on that tips would be easy to come by. The curbside attendant that took my bag didn't even bother to check my id. He asked me my name and asked where my destination was. I told him Cincinnati as a layover then LaGuardia where he said that was wrong. He then proceeded to print a boarding pass that wasn't mine and load my bag into the conveyor. Not 5 mins go by when I realize what happened I wound up having to go to special services to rectify the situation. Which ultimately consisted of me waiting another hour in LaGuardia to get my bag. Please delta have these curbside handlers actually want to do their job and stop chasing cash tips."
Pros: "It's nice to be in a plane fitted with modern conveniences. Great entertainment options."
Cons: "I didn't have a window at all. The staff didn't offer any snacks to us. My bag was the only one that didn't make it while I had a plenty long layover."
Cons: "uncomfortable seats, thin seat cushions"
Cons: "Had to pay extra for seat assignment. Very tight seating; almost demands paying extra for "comfort seats." Crew moved my carry-on bag; should have told me or helped me find it when deplaning. No beverage service due to turbulence (understandable -- not their fault). Flight was delayed."
Pros: "extra legroom of comfort plus zone"
Cons: "Bordung process runs smoother now that the order is made clear ahead of time. In jfk they did not have the columns marked "comfort" "priority? "Main 3", etc, like they had at Reagan arpoirt in DC"
Pros: "Crew was good"
Cons: "No idea why there was over a two hour delay."
Pros: "Boarding was easy, plane clean, snacks good."
Cons: "Small plane but that's not really fixable"
Cons: "It was a 1.5 hour late leaving San Diego (6am flight), one of three bathrooms out, no coffee or tea (wtf?), we circled Atlanta for an hour, ran out of gas, landed in Pensacola, no information, missed the flight to DC ... And it's not even noon"
Pros: "I am always impressed by the Delta staff. Top notch."
Cons: "The entertainment screens have an (older) head phone jack that many people do not have. The headphones available for purchase by the airline are of very poor quality. I also am surprised that airlines (not just Delta) continue to provide such low quality food options on flights. I think consumers would pay more for better options."
Pros: "Delta gate agents kept everyone well informed and updated as to new boarding time/procedure"
Cons: "Flight was delayed by 4 hours and reason was not explained or obvious"
Pros: "And arrived early, too.☺"
Pros: "comfortable seats"
Cons: "delay delay delay"
Pros: "Cabin service was coffee or water. Short flight tome of 45 minuted."
Cons: "Only offered cookies...would have liked nuts."
Pros: "Flight wasn't full so the service was very good lots of food and snacks and we arrived early too"
Cons: "Music was a. Bit limited"
Cons: "Horrible wait if nearly 30 minutes after landing"
Pros: "We purchased economy tickets in Delta. With these tickets you don't know where you are sitting until you get to the airport. Well, we lucked out and got the Plus seats! We got free alcoholic drinks, and big plush seats! We left right on time and got there early! Overall a great experience!"
Pros: "Crew was good."
Cons: "Plane was late"
Pros: "Left ontime, arrived 30minutes early."
Pros: "New and improved food options!"
Cons: "Boarding took more time than usual. They were able to accommodate less carry on baggage."
Pros: "The crew were nice enough. However, I thought it was strange that the flight attendant woke up the guy next to me to see if he wanted to eat, which he didn't."
Cons: "Checking in was bad. We had difficulty with the agent, who said that we needed to wrap our plastic tubs. We have flown other airlines using these same tubs for 15 years. After our minor altercation, the food on the two legs from Dammam and then on to Atlanta was very bad. I am not very picky with food and like just about anything. However, I was unable to eat the food served in 2 out of 3 meals. My time on Frankfurt was also not very pleasant. I will most likely try to avoid Lufthansa in the future."
Pros: "Nice crew, friendly. Plenty room on flight as it not booked full. Flight left on time"
Pros: "Comfortable and Clean"
Pros: "Quick, comfortable and easy"
Cons: "Boarding was a bit clunky"
Pros: "The crew were nice and the service very good. The layover was short."
Cons: "Our luggage was lost so we had to go back to the airport the day after. In economy class the Last 3 central rows or even more, have no carryon storage. We were stuck with our carryons for over 7 hours during the flight Montreal Munich. This is the case if you fly their new A350-390."
Cons: "Flights being on time. Friendlier staff. They would t have misplaced my luggage."
Pros: "It was short."
Pros: "Yes"
Cons: "No"
Cons: "Impossible to do beter."
Cons: "Stop overcharge people for 1 luggage :( very disappointed"
Pros: "The crew was very pleasant and accommodating."
Cons: "Better movie selection."
Pros: "The punctuality, customer services and refreshments served were all great."
Pros: "Very comfortable with enough of leg room. Huge choice of movies. 8 hours flight just passed fast with 4 movies I have watched."
Cons: "Pasta with beef can be better."
Cons: "getting fine from DC to Munchen and Munchen to Bucharest, 7 h delayed but we get to Romania. - when waiting for the luggages, guess what? Both luggages are missing. -made the complainment, now we are waiting to show up in Romania and to be delivered at home. -went to pick up the rental car, because of the plane delay, they gave our car away. -after trying several companies, we found a car, 3 times more expensive, but we have a car....yeeyy"
Cons: "There was hardly any communication about the delay."
Cons: "I didn't like selection on movies"
Pros: "Tout était impeccable."
Pros: "Good staff and food."
Cons: "Flight was late and boarding was unorganized. When the person sitting in front of me moved their chair it hit my head and moved all my stuff, this should not happen. We should not feel our area moved because the person moved their seat in front of us."
Pros: "Service, food, and entertainment was great!"
Pros: "The services was good and enjoy it"
Cons: "Nothing it was all good"
Pros: "Not go your a day off"
Cons: "Your programmers don't know what they're doing"
Pros: "Usual good service for economy class on this airline"
Pros: "The entertainment options were great, The plane was very clean and the bathrooms was HUGE!"
Cons: "uncomfortable seat, off set from the seat in front of me so my entertainment screen was at an odd angle to watch. Food was ok but they had a sauce on the chicken that was not very appetizing. It actually made my wife sick and lets just say she did not keep her dinner. Also, I asked for a scotch after take off and it was a small shot and after dinner I asked for another and it was just a whisper. It did not even cover one ice cube. It would have been nice to get at least a full shot."
Cons: "The passenger behaind, was a tall guy. All the 7 hours flight i had to fight him to allow me puting my back sest dowm on his hearting legs. Why didnt hay extra and seat where it fits his size?"
Pros: "Flight was on time."
Cons: "I was sitting at the tale end. Seat was extremely uncomfortable. I was trying to rest yet flight attendants and several passengers were talking loud. Crews kept forgetting passengers orders/requests. A lady sitting besides me pushed a call bottom 3 times to get noticed. Flight attendants were too busy chatting with passengers to help other passengers. I have never seen that type of services before."
Pros: "Premium economy gives you extra confort, more space to sleep better."
Cons: "The flight was delayed 40 minutes."
Pros: "The entertainment was good."
Cons: "Many things. Starting from the online/mobile check in process via United airlines. I was not given any other option but to check in through the United website. On that website I was not allowed to check in for my Lufthansa flights and i was stuck with seats I did not want in my 2 long intercontinental flights. This has happened before. Lufthansa has no option to check in online if my first flight leg is united. This is a very big drawback and also the reason I would not prefer to fly Lufthansa again. United is bringing the quality down."
Pros: "The service was very good. You never really felt you had to ask. I was able to catch up on a few movies of my choice. That was nice."
Cons: "It's a long flight and it's always difficult to get comfortable and 1st class is just out of my budget."
Pros: "Best trip and crew that i ever had"
Pros: "Interesting the bathroom downstairs...then asking people to not form lines on the stairs makes the process a little more complicated...if a person has mobility problems, which restroom should they use?"
Cons: "The boarding process was confusing. Lack of clear signs and announcements didn't help to form lines. People just went to the gates after families, handicapped, vets, etc..passed the gates, business and first. Improving that process by forming ordered lines would help. Entertainment presented movies that are old and have been dysplayed on flights for years. Entertainment in general is poor. Seating not as expected! I chose my seat online and once on the plane I found out the organization of the seats was different than the one displlayed online. I chose an aisle sea on a 3 seat row and I ended up on a 4 seat row and squeezed in between two other passengers. The seats are "growing" smaller and smaller, and the shape and mobility of the chairs makes them uncomfortable. On my row there were 3 screens installed on the ahead seats, and my screen was by 3/4 in front of the passenger on my right. That made difficult controlling the screen function with me stretching my harm over the other passenger's face. I payed $2,000 for that flight in economy. $2,000 for an economy class is not cheap! And you don't offer a great experience. Either lower the price or improve the overall experience."
Pros: "The aircraft was clean. The service was great. Food was OK. I enjoyed the wine service. Lots of movie choices. HOW does one get "bumped up" to Premium Economy?"
Cons: "The seats in Economy were the most uncomfortable I have ever sat in for such a long time nine and a half hours. All six of us found them to be uncomfortable. No seat bottom cushioning. I had a back pain. Boarding started with the First Class and Business Class first. It took an additional 20 minutes for Economy class to start boarding. The line was very, very long and interfered with other travelers in the airport terminal. "boarding area to Frankfurt was cramped" When we arrived in Denver, only five Custom Agents were on duty to process our arrival passports, although there are 14 control stations at Denver. It appeared as though the Custom Agents were not aware of the arrival of the Lufthansa 747 nor the one that followed. All other Custom in Europe were much more efficient and move people through quickly. What a bad first impress made by the USA Customs people."
Pros: "Upgrade to Economy Plus. Very comfortable seats, I am a fan! Excellent Indian veg food."
Cons: "Taking back the headsets 30 mins before landing."
Cons: "I could not get any information in Moscow until arriving at the airport."
Cons: "The automatic boarding system was slow"
Pros: "lufthansa always on time, relatively comfortable economy seat with relatively enough leg room for a larger person. food was pretty good. no problems checking in. staff mostly friendly. the germans are efficient."
Cons: "one very rude flight attendant, the others were nice."
Pros: "Food and seating space much better than Delta."
Cons: "My luggage was left in Frankfurt at connecting flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta"
Cons: "Na"
Cons: "I never took this flight."
Pros: "Promptness, profesional and nice service. Everything overall."
Pros: "Good in-seat entertainment"
Cons: "Uncomfortable seats Mediocre Food"
Cons: "Lufthansa sent my luggage to the wrong destination. And I'm spending the 4th of July weekend in another city without my clothes. And I need to go back to the airport to get the luggage."
Pros: "Food was delicious, service was amazing"
Cons: "only one type of food offered. presented in a rude way."
Pros: "Movie selection was great, food was ok as was the service."
Cons: "Boarding and deplaning was nothing short of a cattle call. No plane ettiquette and no direction from the crew on how to properly deplane. I am a 6'2" tall person stuck in between two 300+ men. Not only did I feel uncomfortable I felt unsafe. When I asked if I could upgrade to premium economy or even business it was a straight no without even looking in the system to see if their were open seats. The girl in front of me ate with her seat reclined which allowed me a whole inch of space to bring my food to my mouth. Terrible airline and terrible experience. If I could cuss in this review I would."
Pros: "quiet on-time flight"
Cons: "Overnight flights are usually a pain in the neck, which is obviously not the airline's fault"
Cons: "The connections for audio wasn'y working, false contact..."
Pros: "Comfortable - seats were comfortable, and there was plenty of leg room."
Cons: "Meal was awful - I'm not a picky eater, but I couldn't eat this one. Overhead bins were very limited in space available. The video screens were tiny - difficult to see, and colors were way off. Wi-Fi connection was not intuitive - apparently it requires the user to type in a specific web address to access the log-in, something that I didn't find out until after the flight. That info should be more obvious - not on a card deep in the seat back pocket. Overall, it was obvious that this was an older aircraft and needs to be overhauled or retired."
Cons: "The delay and the lack of movies. Seats are very small. I was sitting near a larger passenger and it was very tight. We had over two hours delay for mechanical problems with the plane."
Pros: "Smooth and quick ride."
Cons: "There was a metal rod situation under the seat in front of me, which meant my bag wouldnt even fit, not to mention my legs. Also, I am not the biggest fan of flying and I started feeling sick at the end of the flight - kept it to myself but asked the flight attendant if I could have 2 sparkling waters and an orange juice (just to have it in front of me when I need it and not to bother anyone). I received what I asked for with an eye-roll and a shocked face. Just be nice - that's all."
Cons: "The food, the entertainment"
Cons: "All good but crew wasn't very attentive - for example i had had to put my suitcase quite a few rows back because of lack of space at the end of the flight i had to wait for most of the plane to empty out in order to be able to retrieve it - the crew member who had originally indicated i put my suitcase further back and who was standing right by the cabin where the suitcase was stored saw all of this but didn't move to help in the slightest even though he knew i was waiting for a chance to get to my suitcase - in my experience of customer service i would have gotten it for the passenger and brought it to them to reduce the wait time"
Pros: "Boarding was ok compared to other Alitalia flights"
Cons: "A snack between the meals. More food options for the second meal."
Cons: "El avión, en especial los baños, muy mal estado La tripulación con poco tacto para atender La comida en primera muy poco apetitosa"
Cons: "Hour delay getting on the plane, after going through boarding. No explanation as to why."
Pros: "Flight was smooth"
Cons: "they must work on quality and price"
Pros: "on time departure and arrival"
Cons: "price for baggage, water is only "service" on board"
Pros: "nice crew on the Rome to US leg"
Cons: "Airline food is usually bad but this was inedible. Tiniest seats ever. Outdated entertainment selection. Obscene baggage fees. Never ever again- not worth the 'deal'"
Pros: "Very new and clean plane."
Cons: "Nothing it was all good."
Pros: "On time and complimentary drink"
Cons: "Everything was good."
Pros: "All flights on time"
Pros: "Short trip from Rome to Milan"
Pros: "We landed safely in Toronto"
Cons: "In this 10 hr flight cabin crew came down the aisle only twice to offer refreshments. There should have been offers of at the least water or juice more than twice on this length of fight. I was disappointed that there were no hot drink e.g. coffee or tea offered at any time, not even with the meal, but this was certainly the least of our disappointments. Only once on this flight did I see a cabin crew member smile. Don't know why, but they were a most unhappy crew that day and this was conveyed to the passengers. I find this hard to believe, and perhaps both my husband and I fell asleep for the few minutes this would have taken, but neither one of us saw a crew member check for seatbelts and seat position before landing in TO. Boarding gate wasn't announced until an hour before boarding, which on an international flight from a large airport was a little stressful, but I am assuming there was a good reason for this."
Pros: "Crew was fast"
Cons: "Boarding was late and also arrived late"
Cons: "Flight was delayed. People/staff was not that friendly. I considered switching flight times, but the options were limited and it would have required me to purchase a new ticket. The fair was relatively inexpensive, but did not include checked bag and in the end was more expensive than other carrier options."
Pros: "short peaceful ride. Not much food could be served."
Cons: "Really bad boarding controll, contributing to grumpy patrons. Just poor management and efficiency created by the airlines with a last minute gate change, but in addition, the personnel were irratable and not well motivated or trained to manage the crowd."
Cons: "They l lost my p partners lugage in Rome .. and now it has ruined her whole Holliday"
Cons: "Change of gate at BCN with no notification"
Cons: "Because the flight was one hour and a half late"
Cons: "Initial flight from London to Rome left late, so missed connecting flight to Johannesburg. Although we were put up in a hotel and got a flight next day, missed another connecting flight, which was with another flight company and had to pay again to get another flight. No apology from the airline for the inconvenience this caused. The travel to South Africa was for an emergency and ended up getting there two days later."
Cons: "The seats were terrible for me ( i'm 6.4 194 c'm broad) although we paid extra $95 /seat I approached Torresin Lorella Chief purser , she was helpless , and from that moment I never saw her till the end of the flight. i really want my money back ! Her entire management of the service was very poor compared to other airlines Zvi and Judith Yaniv"
Cons: "horrible seat ergonomic"
Pros: "Nothimg"
Cons: "My seats were changed to the rear end of the plane, not even a sandwich for snack.i had to empty my carry on luggage to 9kg ."
Pros: "Everything was great except that our srtoller was nos given back in our stop in Rome and we needed it badly."
Cons: "Everything was great except that our srtoller was nos given back in our stop in Rome and we needed it badly."
Cons: "Alitalia made me pay 50 Euros for my bag although I am traveling on the same day with them internationally, in less than 3 hours. They said that because I had two separate tickets they couldn't waive the fee. they have just lost a customer."
Pros: "KLM Flying Blue App ( which I didn't get to use because they switch to Alitalia at check in)"
Cons: "KLM switched to Alitalia right at online check in time, which made things very confusing. Even the flight number changed. It would have helped if KLM would have let customers know this in advance."
Pros: "Crew was ok.."
Cons: "Legroom inside the aircraft is too small. Salted and sweet snack options including cookies. This is on a two hour flight. Very uncomfortable journey"
Cons: "Lost our luggage from Rome to Malta. Now, 13 hours after arrival in Malta, no one can tell us where our luggage is!!"
Pros: "Short flight crew was very friendly. Not many passengers so crew let us move around"
Cons: "The plane was boarded early and then the flight ended up being delayed an hour. The seats were extremely uncomfortable and the leg room almost nonexistent. It was difficult to move at all for this 12 hour flight. I am not very tall at only 5'7" and I am slim. Also, the lunch was worse than any I've ever had."
Pros: "Almost nothing"
Cons: "- Rude crew - Uncomfortable seats - Broken seats - Missed our order for Vegan meals"
Pros: "Entertainment choices, boarding efficiency, helpful staff"
Cons: "Delayed departure - then even more delayed arrival - stuck on tarmac. First row of extra leg seats are extra narrow to account for entertainment system."
Pros: "The flight departed on time and arrived 35 minutes early. The flight crew was very helpful onboard."
Cons: "Tried to upgrade my elderly parents to more comfortable seats when checking in, but was told the flight was full and there were none available. It didn't appear that way after being boarded and seated."
Pros: "My checked bag did not show up in Prague"
Pros: "Check in easy."
Cons: "Two hour weather delay Impossible European connection (which I somehow made) No luggage (it didn't make connection)"
Cons: "No food served. No coffee. Just coca cola and water."
Cons: "Very small seats and too warm!"
Cons: "flight was over 30 minutes late which is unacceptable for a 1:55 flight!!!!"
Cons: "No room and very uncomfortable"
Cons: "f"
Cons: "We were not able to print our boarding passes for our connecting flight in Berlin and thus were forced to check in again for our flight to Rome. The system did not have the update and we were forced to wait over an hour with the agent. We nearly missed our flight."
Cons: "The boarding was chaos in both Munich and Rome. Apparently Al Italia had instituted a new computer system and the workers did not know how to use it. I spent hours on line getting a boarding pass in Munich, and then again another in Rome (in Munich no one was given boarding passes for connecting flights). I spend hours again in lines to get a boarding pass for a flight to Palermo, missing my connection and only getting a much later flight to Palermo. It was utter confusion. Shame on Al Italia."
Cons: "LUCKY IT WAS A SHORT FIGHT!"
Cons: "The flight crew was very rude, never answered call bells, were drinking and socializing in the back of the plane. Worst airline I've flown by far and I'm an avid traveler."
Pros: "After shuffling me between terminals, a flight attendant finally recognized I was injured and was going to miss my flight. She stepped up and got the assistance I needed."
Cons: "Check in clarification."
Pros: "Nothing, I don't care about Boarding, Crew or Food when the airline loses luggage"
Cons: "Losing luggage and making it extremely difficult to hold the airline accountable for their screwup"
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It seems to me "permissive will" conflicts with the idea of God "willing" tragedy.
I believe He set His creation running, saw it go to Hell, and redeemed it. Yet the effects of sin and evil ripple through creation. He intervened in Jesus and continues to lead in the Holy Spirit and His Word. But the ripples carry on. No one is immune to ripples, although they appear to miss many.
We are in an imperfect world, where even minor manifestations of sin and evil affect us. Like, perhaps, the poor judgment by a truck driver who did not respect the dangers of whiteout conditions on the highway, or the poor judgment of the people who stopped their van by a highway in whiteout. Are those people sinful or evil, or did God will their accident (even permissively)? No, they were victims of the ripple effect of sin.
He promises that one day the imperfections will be dealt with and that His followers will come back into line with Him. In the meantime, we run the risk of a ripple attack — and that is why God says, "Yes, I will be with you always, even to the end of the world." He can protect and he can heal — part of His Purpose-driven Plan to get us all back into His creation.
This is life, life as we know it, life as it has been known for millennia, life that is imperfect, life that has been promised redemption.
But this existence is still the grit and gristle of our breathing, our beating heart, our flashing neurons, our sensitive soul. It is all we have at hand to deal with — the ripples hit, we are struck down or raised to greater heights; it doesn't seem fair to those who see someone who goes down or someone who soars above. But it is life, great, unfair, persistently pressing forward LIFE.


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text:
(NBC/Mitch Haaseth)
Penn Jillette on his crowd-funding scheme, Donald Trump and atheism: I regret my "big swinging dick attitude" about Christians
The Vegas magician on his time with Trump and why he's asking for money: "I just can't do 3 million on my own"
Check out this article! https://www.salon.com/2013/09/18/penn_jillette_on_his_crowdfunding_scheme_donald_trump_and_atheism_i_regret_my_big_swinging_dick_attitude_about_christians/
Daniel D'Addario
September 19, 2013 2:59AM (UTC)
Penn Jillette, the Las Vegas magician, outspoken libertarian and atheist, and erstwhile "Celebrity Apprentice," has a moviemaking dream.
Jillette has previously produced the documentaries "The Aristocrats," about a famous dirty joke, and "Tim's Vermeer," about theories surrounding the Dutch painter. Both of those, he told Salon, were funded out of pocket, a method that would be unsustainable for his new fiction film: "Writing a check for half a million that you won't see for a few years does make a difference in how you live," he said. "I just can't do 3 million on my own."
The performer is sanguine about potential lack of interest in his project, for which he is seeking just short of a million dollars, to be raised before Nov. 5, on FundAnything, a crowd-funding service.
"Director's Cut" takes on the story of an obsessive fan who kidnaps an actress and makes someone else's film into his own; Jillette is to play the villain, and the casting of the actress will depend on the degree to which Jillette's fans overfund the project.
Playing the villain is a new turn in a career full of them; the magician, whose television series "Bullshit!" conveyed for years his libertarian and atheist ideas, has lately been a reality-TV fixture -- FundAnything, indeed, was co-founded by "Apprentice" major domo Donald Trump. Jillette's feelings on his reality television career are wide-ranging and exhaustive. In a book excerpt previously published on Salon, Jillette wrote: "The nightmare of Trump is not that he doesn't care what people think; it's that he desperately cares what people think and … he's doing the best he can." These days, Jillette says that he was using reality television in order to convey a deeper sense of humanity through a flawed medium, much like a friend in the Monkees. (Maybe it's better to let him explain.)
Ardent fans may be disappointed that this project doesn't assay Jillette's pet political topics. But Jillette seems to be interested in living and letting live. After all, tomorrow he may well have a religious epiphany -- though that may be deferred if he gets funded and spends some time shooting his film.
Who do you view as your core fan base, the people most likely to help fund you?
I have more contact with people who consume, for lack of a better word, my product than any other performers. Every night, after the show, we meet everyone who wants to meet us. We stand there for 45 minutes to an hour. When we play England, or a 1,400-seat theater in Vegas, a 3,500-seat theater on the road, our after-show can last longer than the show itself. I'm lying a bit there. Not longer. But the people that listen to me, they talk to me.
All the other performers I know go backstage and hide. There's a few changes in my life. Other performers are terrified and hate quiet audiences. Teller and I love them. The most quiet audiences we've had have been the most enthusiastic audiences. They just carry on. I can't get myself in a head space to applaud when I don't care.
The other symptom of meeting a lot of people is: I have a very clear image of who would contribute to this movie. The short answer is me. I was a very early adopter of crowd funding. I enjoyed, separate from the rewards, watching someone put something together and being pulled into the inside. Twenty bucks pulls you into the project -- it's amazing. I've been waiting for the right time to do something myself. The last two movies I've done -- "The Aristocrats," a movie about a joke, and a movie about Vermeer -- they're very different movies that I was able to fund myself with my own money. That's the best and worst way to do it. It's nice to have all that control and all that power. It's also bad. For one thing, you have your own money on the line -- but what's scary is you don't have other feedback. And you want other feedback. "Director's Cut" is a movie I've wanted to make for four years and I simply don't have enough money. Doing the documentaries was the price of a small house, doing a scripted movie is the price of a business. I can't write a check for that. We will make a $3- to $4 million movie with the help of investors, calling in favors -- but we're also getting a fan base of people that say yes, this is a movie I'd like to see.
Money is important. What money means is more important. If there aren't people willing to put up the money, then I really shouldn't make it. I have all these quixotic feelings -- I want to make the movie, I want to make the script, but I'm also trying to listen to feedback. I'm going to put out there the whole pitch, the whole script, the whole idea. It seems like if this movie should be made, there should be enough people to be excited about the idea. There are exceptions: There's bunches of movies you could not have predicted would be good, and would not have been crowd-funded, and they were wonderful. It seems like I should be able to gauge from the success of this. And we have three to four different budgets. From a three- to four-week shoot on available sets on up. The more money we have allows Adam, the director, to do what he wants to do. I'm so focused on writing ideas and being in it, that budget is less of a concern for me.
Tell me a bit about the script -- it seems something of a metacommentary on fame?
I got fascinated by director's commentaries and how there was an intimacy that you automatically got. I love the way you get completely sucked in. You listen to the commentary on "The Silence of the Lambs" -- even when he's saying crazy shit, he's your friend, and he's inside of you. I get obsessed with the possessiveness you get with the director. And there are exceptions to this. I'm talking about the ones where the director is in the auteur position. There's a lie built into that. Movies are made by hundreds of people. You don't have a movie made by fewer than dozens of people. And yet all of this is portrayed as one person's vision. Teller says art is making what you had to do look like you want to do it. Even in brilliant movies with brilliant directors, that's a real human thing we do everywhere, not just in show business. I was overwhelmed with the idea -- what if the person you were listening to was not involved in the movie and kidnapped the actress -- forgive me for saying actress, but it's easier than "female actor."
I just loved the violation of trust that comes from the idea -- we do trust the director, but what if the director was evil. I was so fascinated with something very, very new to movies and very old in literature. The story that masquerades as something else, the novel that pretends to be a diary. That was not possible in movies until this century. Maybe it started with "Blair Witch" at end of the last century.
What do you make of criticisms of celebrities using crowd-funding sites?
The only thing that counters that is the fact that it's so easy to say no. I have a lot of experience with funding these things, I give huge amounts of money to everything from comic books to stuff closer to real charity to movies. And when I feel that way, I just don't contribute and stop watching. The kind of idea underneath that argument is that art shouldn't be sullied with commerce. But nobody went to see "World War Z" because Brad Pitt needed the money. The funding for "World War Z" was crowd-funded, just with a speculator in between thinking he could make the money on the back end.
The perks we're offering are precisely what we'd give to a movie studio. If you were a studio exec investing $4 million from a studio, you'd be able to come to set, see the script, get pictures for your children. It's just an ad hoc studio made up of the same people who are going to pay for it anyway. And nobody makes movies with their own money except me. It's really, really hard for a working entertainer in the trenches -- though there's no doubt I make more than my dad did as a jail guard -- and writing a check for half a million that you won't see for a few years does make a difference in how you live. I just can't do 3 million on my own.
Tell me a little bit about how you're able to maintain an earnest connection with your fans after having been on "Dancing With the Stars" and "Celebrity Apprentice," two shows that are maybe off-brand for you.
I'm pretty good friends with Mike Nesmith of the Monkees and I was a child when they came out. I talk a lot to him -- he was on a show he didn't enjoy being on, but his humanity came through. And the Monkees led me directly to Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. There was some humanity that came through. He talked a lot to me about Timothy Leary. There are a lot of us from the time where there were three networks and the family watched together -- there was something wonderful about the human sensibility. You take something formulaic, laid out beat by beat, done in the crassest, broadest strokes possible, and you put people in there and you get something else, something you can relate to. If all of that goes beautifully, and there's something subtle and nuanced, you have a masterpiece. And if it's something a little crasser or cruder and the humanity comes in, you get a wonderful dissonance, you see something that interests and touches you.
When I go on these shows, which is my job, to sell my Vegas show, I try hard to be more direct and honest than I am day to day. I watch people on these shows construct a character they're going to play, and I find it so much more interesting -- the purpose of art is to stand naked onstage like Allen Ginsberg said. I would watch that scripted sitcom, so phony, and with Mike Nesmith on-screen, there was something real there. There's a carny rule: Never play another man's game. When I go on Arsenio's or certainly on Trump's show, I'm violating that rule. But even with someone else ringmastering it, there still seems to be something. People seeing me on "The Celebrity Apprentice," they say, "It's weird, I feel like I know you after watching that." And even creepier, I have the sense they kind of do. It's wonderful to see, with Dixie cups and shitty string, something gets through. I'm talking to Donald Trump. There couldn't be a more imperfect translator! I, too, am bothered by someone saying, "I need money, give me money." But there's nothing distasteful about commerce.
As someone who entertains audiences and seeks fans, isn't your vocal atheism working at cross purposes with your best interests?
I'm absolutely working at cross purposes with myself. But politicians' highest ratings are when they haven't said anything. It's that first sentence when you say what you believe and feel that kills you -- and it's the same thing with an artist. I talk a lot at atheists' conferences and skeptics' conferences. People say, I want to give you credit for how brave you are for speaking out even though it could hurt you -- I always say, "Well, yeah, except the more I talk about this, the more money I make." I'm doing fine. People have dealt with huge adversity from their atheism. I'm not one of them. I'm not Salman Rushdie. Maybe because I picked a different religion to not believe in.
One of the things that came out and it does make me cry, one of the things that changed about me during "Bullshit!," when we first started doing it in 2002, and we'd pitched it right after 9/11. When we first started doing it, there was a big swinging dick attitude Teller and I had: "We're telling the truth, fuck you. We're ready for the adversity." We did these mean-spirited shows on Christianity, creationism. And we steeled ourselves for a barrage of hate. And yes, there are mentally ill people who do death threats: We don't count them. Commenters on the Internet, we don't count them either. Mentally ill people come from all belief systems.
But the letters we got from sincere believers, really religious people, all the letters said, I disagree with you completely about your view of God but I love the show, I love the passion, I love how funny it is, and I love that you're speaking honestly. We'd see these and cry our fucking eyes out. If you sit next to me at the end of our show at the Rio, many times a night, someone will say to me, I'm a Christian, a very strong Christian, I disagree with a lot of what you say, but I love hearing you say it and I want you to know a lot of Christians love you. My answer to that is, "Thank you," of course. But my eternal answer is, I listen to gospel music, I listen to Bach's "St. Matthew's Passion." But more important than that, I consume art very contrary to my position. "St. Matthew's Passion" is contrary to my position. I read the Bible. I read the New York Times, which I disagree with in many, many ways, being a Libertarian.
And I'm growing. I don't know if I'll disagree with the Times next year. And I don't know if "St. Matthew's Passion" will touch me in a religious way next year. The sample I described is self-selecting. People I've alienated don't come to my show. But even without those people that don't want to see something done by anyone disagreeing with them, you can have a wonderful, thriving career that will make you cry.
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