Zola

As an outsider looking in, I am quite fascinated by Donald Trump, I should quickly add that I am not a supporter or advocate of POTUS, but he really has lit-up the media with all sorts of wild stories over the years. But trying to find a news media site that offers a purely objective review of the guy and his past, is proving quite challenging. There are plenty of books out there about him and is many peccadilloes (true or alleged) , but again trying something balanced and interesting is proving difficult. Can anyone recommend a couple of books that offer some semblance of interest? I really wouldn't know where to start looking quite frankly. Thanks

To be honest I hadn't considered sleep paralysis. I don't think I've had it before, but then again how would I know? Perhaps it was just that, especially not being able to wake from that nightmare until I somehow managed to bang my hand or arm against my bedside table. But that was two nights ago, and last night I was kind of dreading go to sleep. But sleep took me and as far I know there was no re-occurrence of that bad dream. Quite the contrary in fact, I Had a good dream that involved picnics and children! However, a few days ago a friend of mine had to have a Caesarean section, and it didn't go too well due to complications (fortunately, mother and baby are doing fine). So perhaps the thought of that Caesarean played on my mind (or my subconscious mind) and got a little twisted into a really bad dream that involved me being in the same situation as my friend (even though I am not pregnant). Whatever it was, i sure hope it doesn't come back. But then again how can you tell your mind not to?

A few weeks back I tried my hand at Chicken Thai Red Curry, for myself to begin with. And really enjoyed it. So I did the same again for some invited guests, and they too said how nice it was. But a couple of them suggested trying the Green Curry version (using green peppers rather than red), as they're not overly keen on really hot spicy foods. So tonight I will treat myself to a Chicken Thai Green Curry (I hope it won't be too bland because I do like spices in my dishes) chicken breast fillets - diced Thai green curry paste olive oil coconut milk onions - finally chopped crushed garlic cloves green pepper - chopped baby aubergines, halved baby courgettes, stalks trimmed fresh basil leaves - chopped chopped coriander leaves

Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson, get on my threepenny bits! Ford just doesn't know how to smile or be happy - he is a miserable git, and not the most friendly of people off-screen either. Gibson - dreadful actor and horrible human being - hates nearly everyone, especially ex-girlfriends.

I had a nightmare last night. No idea where it came from - certainly not from anything I've been watching on the TV lately - but it took a big effort to wake myself up from it given that I was on my own. I was in my bed (in the centre) as usual, lights out, on my back, waiting for sleep to take me away. But then I could feel something or someone sit on the end of the bed, and then someone else sitting on the far side of my bed. And then another on my near side, then another at the foot of the bed etc. I opened my eyes but couldn't see anything in the darkness. But I could just about make out human shapes sitting all around my bed, with their backs to me. And as such I couldn't sit up, or even pull my arms from under my duvet because it was tightly pressed down by these "bodies" But then I could feel cold fingers touching my feet from under the quilt. I could feel cold arms brushing against my legs and hips and shoulders. And all of a sudden all those cold hands gripped my legs, arms and my hands, and held them down fast. Then those bodies that were sitting all appeared to either stand up, or just vanished. But the duvet was pulled away exposing me to those "ghouls" that even thought I couldn't see, i could hear from their breathing. Then one of them lit a torch (or flashlight) directly into my face, so I was blinded by the yellow light. But I could just about make out a steel scalpel in front of my face. I tried to scream out, but typically someone covered my mouth with a cold damp hand. The person with the torch started to move to the side of the bed (not sure if "it" walked back, or was actually floating above me). Either way the light from the torch lit up my body. And then I saw the scalpel touch my skin from below my throat and cut me deep all the way down to just past my belly button. I screamed and screamed but I couldn't hear my own voice. And that's when I managed to wake myself up, cold but also sweating, and with my duvet on the floor. Have never had that nightmare before, and it will play on my mind when I go to bed tonight.

On a more lighter note, I really hate it when I can't remember my good dreams; or, when I'm coming up to a really good part in my dream I am woken up by my alarm clock, phone, or someone poking at my shoulder! On the flip-side I can always remember my really bad dreams/nightmares. And in fact it takes a huge effort to wake up from a nightmare (in those instances I would be grateful for my clock going off, or someone nudging me awake)

I was invited to a really quite posh restaurant with a few friends a couple of days ago, and as usual, I went into my usual tailspin with regards what to wear! It was a formal occasion, so obviously no jeans and t-shirt. But then again I don't have that many dresses either. And the ones I do have are fairly plain and come in reds, black, pearl white and a grey. But which colour dress to choose for such a formal occasion? I was going to go with red, but then that could have sent out wrong signals. Black just didn't seem appropriate; white would have been asking for trouble given my problems eating and not leaving spillages on my tops. So I went for grey. And to be honest, looking at myself in the full-length mirror, I didn't look too bad. And when I subsequently arrived at the restaurant I did get complemented for my dress and hair, much to my relief. However, (and this is where it all goes horribly wrong), before taking my seat for dinner, I went to the ladies restroom, just to make a few final checks to my hair and face etc. I then turned on - what I thought - was the hot tap, but in actual fact it was the cold tap (no markings at all), and the sheer force of water splashed hard against the sink basin, and then splashed back all over the front of my dress and face! I looked in the mirror in front of me: my dress was covered in dark, damp patches; my face smudged and my bangs dripping with water. There were a couple of other women in the restroom with me, and they tried to help as much as they could. But the damp patches on my grey dress were too noticeable and I had nothing to cover it with. Upset and embarrassed, I sent a text message to my friends waiting at the dinner table to say that I was going home. I left the restaurant and got a taxi ride home. I took out my little makeup mirror from my clutch and looked at myself: it was difficult to tell whether it was water droplets from my hair running down my face, or my own tears :(

I had no idea it was "NCCD". We don't have that many "National blah blah" days in the UK. But for the record, my Chicken Bhuna was delicious :)

I still haven't got round to watching this. i guess I have a problem with women ending up as monster munch regardless of the intelligence of the script.

Home made Chicken Bhuna curry and boiled rice. My partner requested this as she loves my Bhunas :) chicken breast fillets, diced medium onions, finely chopped crushed garlic cloves fresh root ginge chopped tomatoes ground turmeric chilli powder ground coriander powder ground cumin mild curry paste fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped green chillies

i hate the term "girl" when talking about a woman in films and TV shows. I don't know whether its supposed to come off as a term of endearment, or something slightly more sexist, but it bugs me.

I love cooking, There is something hugely therapeutic and satisfying about preparing, cooking and serving a good meal, either for myself or for guests. However, during the cooking process the recipe might say "add a couple of shakes of hot pepper sauce", just to give a curry or chilli con carne a bit of spice. So I grab a bottle from my cupboard, remove the lid and give my dish a "shake", only to find one big dollop pour out because there is no sprinkle cap in the bottle! I realise that's my own fault for not looking before pouring, but nevertheless I would have thought the manufacturers of these things (especially those sauces that are hot or very spicy), should consider including sprinkler caps in their bottles so that cooks can judge for themselves how much "shake" to add to a dish (Tabasco Sauce, has such a sprinkler, and its great!) Oh, and while I'm on the subject of ingredients: the "sell by dates" are never in a clear and/or easy-to-read place on a jar or packet. And if you're on a diet calorie-counting, the nutritional information - although very useful - can be confusing when it says something like "134 calories/100 grams"; but the yogurt itself (for example), is 175 grams. So now you have to the sums on how many calories go into 175 grams! Moan over. lol

I don't think so. I can't recall that particular episode (probably from season 7), but I'm sure she was doing a walk and talk with Charlie. The CJ/Annabeth one is from season 6's "Faith Based Initiative"

I can't believe TWW ended over ten years ago now. Even more shocking is that the show is almost 20 years old from date of first airing back in 1999 (when I was only 6!) I haven't really seen much of Kristin's output since TWW, but will try and keep an eye out for her appearance in Mom, along with Allison of course. Still makes me laugh when I remind myself of a scene in one of the latter episodes of TWW when CJ and Annabeth are doing a walk 'n' talk, and CJ says something like "I can't believe we're from the same species!", commenting on their respective height.

The heart-warming "I'm Spartacus!" scene from Kubrick's 1960's sword & sandals classic "Spartacus" it certainly told Laurence Olivier's Roman legions a lesson about solidarity & loyalty in the face of death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8h_v_our_Q

@BookWoman56. Agree with you 100%. I have had similar hassles when I want to cancel subscriptions/contracts. The banks, utilities & ISP companies here in the UK are just as belligerent and anally-retentive as those in the States no doubt. You cannot simply cancel at the click of an online button or two; no, you have to go through to their "Customer Services (ha!)" team and speak to "one of our support operatives!" But even that isn't straightforward, because I have to ring a number (hopefully a free one), go through all that "if you want this press that" and then wait 10 minutes horse-shit until you finally end up with "Customer Retentions". You then have to hope you get to speak to someone with a good grasp of English, but even if they do they will still come out with the usual bogus corporate bullshit about "how valued you are as a loyal customer", and "we don't want to lose you!" (well you could start by not hiking up my monthly or annual fees, while giving new customers cheap deals for the same thing, you bastards!). And then they will bend over backwards trying to convince you to stay, even if it means reducing your future bills by almost half, despite me saying "can I just cancel please?" When they realise they're onto a no-win situation, I get passed to the "Cancellations Support Team", and have to go through the same spiel again. But more annoyingly they may charge me a cancellation admin fee for my pains, until eventually they cancel. (And even then I still have to check my bank statements just to make sure they don't continue taking direct debits out of my account!) I can now understand where Dante got his inspiration for his "Seven Circles of Hell" from now, lol <deep breath, and relax>

A favourite from "In the Room" from season 6, and the ongoing fuss about burning the flag. It was great seeing Josh getting pushed off his high horse again! Penn Jillette: What if we burned a flag, not in protest, but in celebration of the very freedoms that allow us to burn a flag - the freedoms that everyone who has ever worked in this magnificent building has pledged to preserve and protect? Josh Lyman: Did you go to law school? Penn Jillette: No, clown school.

I went to my local IMAX over the weekend to watch "BladeRunner:2049". I purposely left it late getting round to watching this as I knew there would be big crowds for the first few weeks after initial release. Unfortunately, the cinema of about 400 seats was almost packed to capacity. And my worst fears were realised 10 minutes into the film that a lot of people just wouldn't STFU; preferring instead to talk, or text (with loud rings); or holding their phones towards the screen to either record or take pics from the film. The dark auditorium was awash with little phone lights, no different to what you would see at a rock concert. I was hoping that given that BladeRunner might appeal to a more cerebral audience, the patrons would appreciate the film in its entirety. As it turned out, only the action sequences brought about silence (and darkness), albeit or just a few minutes before chaos and mayhem returned. Shame because films like BladeRunner are best viewed on the big screen. Home Cinema just doesn't cut it.

I haven't seen Ishtar, but funny you should mention that because a friend of mine suggested having a bet with me - "I will give you £50 ($50), if you can watch 'Ishtar', 'Batman & Robin', 'Showgirls', 'Glitter' and 'Gigli' back to back in one 24 hour day. And I will be in control of the remote control, so no cheating with the FF button!" That was about 3 or 4 months ago: I never took the bet because I have already seen the latter two, and oh my, it was painful to endure. And the idea of watching five of the worst mainstream films ever just didn't appeal at all.

Have recently signed up to Pinterest, and came across a board full of old newspaper and magazine ads - mostly from the early-to-mid 20th century. A lot of them are incredibly corny, a few marginally funny. But quite frankly I was quite appalled at the number of sexist/racist/homophobic ads out there!! I won't name names or brands, but OMG what a complete surprise to find strap-lines like "Learn to train your wife ....", "if your wife can't cook don't divorce her: keep her for a pet!" or "Women! Keep your mimsy clean" or "Get noticed: wear a nipple bra!" or Stevie Wonder saying "If I could play video games you bet it would be A***i" The ads concerning black and Asian people are even more offensive, none of which I will repeat here, not even the strap-lines. Part of me is thinking, are they actually genuine or just recently faked? But doing a little more research on the web suggests a lot of them really are for real. I realise the 30s, 40s and 50s etc. were a completely different era and mindset compared to today, but I really cannot believe what these advertising companies got away with back then.

"Battlefield Earth" I just had to watch it purely because of its notoriety as being possibly one of the worst mainstream films ever. And oh my, they weren't wrong! A couple of questions for the cast and the crew (especially John Travolta and director Roger Christian) - "What were you all thinking?" And more importantly, "What were you all on!?" The first 20 minutes was bad enough, and my finger hovering over the "stop" button on my remote, was trying to tell my brain to end it all; but somehow I managed to stay the course to the bitter, bitter end (a bottle of white wine probably helped along the way). The only good thing to say about this film is that if you have irritating guests round to your home that have stayed past their welcome, just put this on and they will flee for the hills!

Glad you're enjoying the show. The Josh/Donna story-arc in Germany, could have been done a little better, especially if done without the Irish photo-journalist muddying the waters and turning the show into a "ER"-like soap. But there were times when Josh showed us a more sincere side to his chameleon-like personality, which was quite touching for the most part. But the writing wasn't very good and that particular storyline felt rather detached from TWW as a whole. At least you're over the big bumpy ride that was the much maligned season 5. Enjoy the rest of the journey :)

I do wonder why some people on social media have to post inane questions like "does anyone know if Sainsbury's/Morrisons/Asda et al, is open on Christmas Day?" FFS, why not just check the respective website's opening hours before posting on SM! Moreover, when some of these people find out that said supermarket is actually closed on Christmas Day, they go into a tirade saying that "Well my Christmas is now ruined because I can't buy such and such from xyz supermarket. These shops should be open all the time including Christmas Day!" I guess these people love to make a drama out of a crisis to hide their own lack of forward planning; and it's common knowledge that most, if not all of the main supermarkets close on Christmas Day, and have done so for decades! ** edit. I am referring to supermarkets here in the UK: not sure if this applies to North America and the rest of the world

So last night I was invited to a Christmas Party by one of my business clients. All very nice and formal; very nice dinner etc. But then typically as the drinks flow I became more and more indiscreet and informal, to the point where i think I was drunk - so much so that I don't even remember what happened during the remainder of the evening. Earlier this morning I woke up in someone else's bed, very much worse for wear. But I am woken up my a women I met at the party, and she was carrying a tray full of breakfast food. I vaguely remember her greeting me with a "Good morning, Zola! How's your head?" I think I just mumbled something, trying to play for time because I had no idea how I got here, and no idea who she was, and neither did I know her name! I had a mild hangover, but nothing overly debilitating; and after drinking some coffee and eating a couple of slices of toast, I was feeling much better. But try as i might I still couldn't remember how I ended up in this woman's bed! And I still didn't know her name. Inevitably, she filled me in with the events of last night - I was being a complete asshat apparently. Drunk, loud and overbearing etc. She even showed me a couple of vids she took on her mobile phone, and OMG I really was being incredibly dumb and embarrassing! And it would seem that by 1am I was dancing my arse off and singing (badly) at or nearby my dinner table. This woman (Claire), decided to take matters into her own hands and took me back to her place in a taxi. She tried to have a conversation with me last night but I was too drunk to be very helpful. And even though I had brought my handbag to the party, I decided not to take my driving licence, which meant Claire had no idea where I lived after searching through my bag for some ID. Claire also mentioned that my client hosting the party, wasn't impressed with my outrageous behaviour, and that I will be getting an email from him at some point underlining his "displeasure". I then asked Claire if we had sex when she took me back to her place, and it would seem we did, even though I don't remember any part of it, other than waking up in her bed. It got me thinking - if I was really that drunk and not in control of my senses, should it be right for someone to take advantage of my drunken state without my consent? But then again, perhaps I did give consent but don't remember doing so? If I didn't give consent, could what she did be construed as a form of rape? Anyway, after taking a shower and dressing, I called a taxi and went home. She still wants to see me again, but I really don't know what to think about that. I have had one-night stands before, but this one feels different somehow. I feel as if I wasn't in control of things; couldn't remember anything, and that I ended up having sex with a complete stranger. For the first time ever I feel "violated" somehow, but can't explain why! OMG, sorry for the very very long post!

Actually, there is an upside for these dark winter nights for me, in that it makes for good star-gazing weather. Despite light pollution I can still see the planets, nebula and the odd galaxy from where I live as I am a keen amateur astronomer. So winter isn't all that bad I guess