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This item is in your Recycling Bin |   ...there you will find me. |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **   A fascination for the stars, a friendship with the darkest night; a search for adventure, a longing for the light; a journey to the edge of the universe, a wonder in my eyes... I have strong convictions, I love to sing and dance, I hate sham, lies and guise. I love life, people, oceans, pens, dreams, cats, chocolate, and I'll stand for what is right. You can tell me what I should be, Everything I lack. But at the end of the day just take me back to where the stars still shine at night.  Warning: Contains pert opinions, illogical thoughts, unrealistic dreams, ridiculous rants, irrelevant links, un-profound philosophy and "conservative" religious beliefs.You're welcome to read, follow, comment, listen, laugh and cry.  I can't promise any emotionally-tranquil content.  ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ® Bragging Rights Reserved |
| *clicks on "Reviews Pending Response"* Reaction:  I am so rude! To think I haven't replied to 125 reviewers.  I really need to get onto that. NOW!!Missing Gaby ~ Keeper Of The Realm  like CRAZY!  Sorry nangwaya left.  But...I'm enjoying editing my novel, listening to Ben Howard and updating "Give It 100!"  (so much activity over there right now!  It's awesome!). |
| I got tired of my shortcut icons looking the same (a million documents with the same icon can get a bit confusing!). So I went searching online and found a great site where you can download icons (such an incredible variety!). Check it out: www.interfacelift.com Now I am happily looking at a clean, tidy and visually appealing computer screen. Makes me feel good.  |
Wow, I can't believe all the depressing newsfeed posts today!  I'm running around left, right and centre trying to cheer people up (even though I feel sick at the moment and I'm missing Gaby ~ Keeper Of The Realm big-time ). Anyone out there got something happy to share?  I have! I am excited about my secret project. :-[ I recently had a breakthrough idea for my novel's plot. I'm really enjoying going back and editing what I have written, and I'm looking forward to writing more. I'm finally getting back into reviewing and I'm actually enjoying it.  I'm reading a great book (a non-fiction autobiographical spy-thriller about a Palestinian working as a double-agent for the Israelis during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict; it's called "Son Of Hamas" by Mosab Hassan Yousef, and I highly recommend it if you're interested in what is happening in the Middle East ~ look it up!). It's sunny and warm outside (and it's winter!).  I'm going to go for a walk or something to enjoy the weather. I love Writing.Com!  I adore listening to Ben Howard. :-[ [Embed For Use By Upgraded+]  And today I came across an inspiring video: [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] Please! Count your blessings! Be grateful every day! Smile as much as you can! Do RAOKs, indulge yourself, try something new. Be productive, be passionate, be inspiring... And don't you just love this emoticon:  ? |
I am delighted by all the support I am receiving for my secret project! Thank you all who have given so generously, both in time and enthusiasm and...other things, too.  And to Maryann  , Hannah ♫♥♫  , Marci Missing Everyone and Elle - on hiatus  for these stunning MBs.  Elle's message made my day.  ![Merit Badge in Give It 100
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Congratulations on completing your goal at [Link To Item #giveit100] , having successfully written a poem each day for 100 days . *^*Boxcheck*^* Your devotion to the art of writing as well as your determination to consistently pursue your goals have shone through during this time. We salute your courage and discipline and are proud of how far you have come on the road to this huge accomplishment. Never underestimate yourself, and keep making your dreams reality! *^*Starbl*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Give_It_100-1974153_9.gif) ![Merit Badge in PDG Team Spirit
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For Excellence in "WDC Spirit", "Paper Doll Gang" is Proud to Present You with Our "Team Spirit" Merit Badge. Thanks for All You Do to Make WDC a Wonderful Place! Hannah & Gang~*^*Heart*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-PDG_Team_Spirit-1630911_13.gif) ![Merit Badge in P.E.N.C.I.L. Reviews
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As co-founder and co-leader of this illustrious reviewing group, you do a fantastic job, Kas. It's not easy keeping reviewers and authors happy and organising everything but you and Gaby do a brilliant job. [Link To Item #pencil] sets one of the highest standards in reviewing on this site. Well done.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-P=46E=46N=46C=46I=46L=46_Reviews-1916109_4.gif) ![Merit Badge in Power Review Shop
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*^*Lightning*^* In fond appreciation for all you do! *^*Lightning*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Power_Review_Shop-1300305_13.gif) ![Merit Badge in Power Reviewers Rock
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*^*Lightning*^* In fond appreciation for all you do! *^*Lightning*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Power_Reviewers_Rock-1300305_10.gif) ![Merit Badge in WDC Power Reviewers
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*^*Lightning*^* In fond appreciation for all you do! *^*Lightning*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-WDC_Power_Reviewers-1300305.gif) (Patience, my loves. :-[ You will find out what all this is about eventually...those of you who don't know already, that is. ) And on a separate note:   if you haven't already, please take a moment to vote in "Invalid Item"   Thank you all. Ain't WdC the best place to be?! :-[ No place on earth is quite the same...if it is on earth. I'm thinking it's more like heaven. But then, they say that drug highs are like heaven, and I am addicted (eh, kiyasama? ). |
 400 Poems since 2010   ...and skyrocketing towards 500! If my calculations are correct and I continue to write a poem every day as I have been since the 26th of January, I will have reached 700 by the end of this year! "Give It 100!" is certainly keeping me (and Marci Missing Everyone ) on my/our feet! I have been looking forward to 400 for a while, now, but I didn't realise that I had actually reached this milestone until I was talking with Elle - on hiatus about the amount of poems we have written and I went to check."Oh," I thought; "I'm only at 188. I must have miscounted." Then there was a moment of  ,  ,  , ,  ,  , , ,  : I had only counted this year's poems! Including all of the poems I have stored in two documents since 2010, I have written 400. This is huge for me, and I am so excited. Somehow 1000, my dream...doesn't seem so far off! In fact, if I continued writing a poem a day next year, I would reach it by the end of 2015. Quantity over quality, right? Actually, it's a bit of an experiment: I want to know if I can rely more on discipline, determination and devotion, rather than just inspiration, for my creativity; if I can train myself to sit down and write something good just like that (it's far-fetched, I know, but I wanted to give it a go). So far it has been about 60% crap, 39% half-decent and 1% good (in my opinion, of course ), but I think I might be getting better.Wow, wow, wow! *happy dance* I can't believe this! I need to celebrate.      Maybe I could do a combined celebration for 400 poems and my up-coming birthday. :-[Oh, oh, oh, can't stop jumping around.  On To 700! I'll see you in 2015...    |
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| It's got to be bad when you spend a full minute staring at your latest MBs with the warm fuzzies inside. But aren't they beauties? I absolutely love them!!  Thank you so, so, so much, The StoryMistress  "Give It 100!" is just getting better and better.   (Most underused emoticons ever...  ...aaah, gotta love vintage :-[)That epic moment when you get a massive plot breakthrough. Lately, with my novel, I haven't just had writer's block, I've had writer's constipation. And this morning I was out walking in the rain when... bingo! and there it was, my beautiful, clean, smooth, lovely, logical plot twist right there in front of me. It's totally perfect, and I'm over the moon. I've never had such a great Monday before in my life. So excited to finally be getting back into my novel!And I came up with a really cool quote (at least, I like it :-[): Goals are dreams that mean business.  I think I'll use this for a new "Give It 100!" image. And while I'm blabbing, I may as well share my excitement at Elle - on hiatus 's emerging inner poet. :-[ She's not just a rising poet, she's a blazing poet! This girl's on fire, and I'm loving her *new* poetry (since she insists that all of her old stuff has been "95% crap and 4% okay and 1% decent "  ).She asked me today which poem I reckon she should enter into a contest, "Invalid Item" or "Invalid Item" and my answer was a broken heart. Choose between them?! How could I?! Both are incredible. I'm like Take a look:
So keep it up, Elle.  Soon you'll be "standing in the hall of fame". (Such a good song!) [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] |
| So some of you have been asking what my new job is. I'm doing a morning delivery truck run, which I started a couple of weeks back. It has been good so far, but today was a pretty bad day. It was the Queen's Birthday Weekend, so I had Monday off, but it seems that a few places expected me to deliver that day. Then I messed one of the orders up and one of the dairy women ranted at me, while the other one muttered and mumbled that "if she'd known, she wouldn't have ordered for Monday"...then another place I had to deliver to closed its doors at 9am so I had to wait an extra half hour for them to open again. {e:sigh} Then at one place the mussels I delivered got rejected, so I had to take them all the way back to the depot, and at another place I got told off by one of the other drivers for parking in the way. I hit the 8:30am traffic and got home much later than usual. Just a bit much for one day, especially when I was trying to be cheerful and polite and asking after their weekend, etc. And on Sunday my best friend told me some devastating news, which I was still recovering from and hoping for a better week. (No such luck. )The only good part of the day was when I saw one of my friend's driving to work and he gave me a big wave, toot and grin. And my brother wrote on my hand yesterday "keep smiling's" (the "smiling's" part was a joke...I was reading through a Real Estate magazine and groaning and wincing over their spelling and grammar mistakes, and correcting them, much to my brother's amusement, so he wrote that on my hand), and it lasted, although a little faded, as a reminder for me to smile! (I think a few people might have seen it when I handed the clipboard to them. I hope they got a kick out of it. ).Drama. So if I'm a bit...scratchy today, there's my excuse, sorry as it is. Oh, and I want to say to everyone: A smile can truly, really, actually make someone's day. If you see someone without a smile, please... give them yours! CJ Reddick gave me his: ![Merit Badge in Just Because
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Little something to brighten your day.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Just_Because.gif) And Escape Artist and Andrew  's recent RAOKs warmed my heart:![Merit Badge in Writing
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A small gift for a fan, and a friend. Why? Because we are writers.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Writing-2180.gif) ![Merit Badge in Job Well Done
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Thanks for helping me celebrate my WDC anniversary! *^*Smile*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Job_Well_Done-1150.gif) |
| I am overwhelmed. On Saturday night my brother came over and said, "I have a surprise for you." And you know what? There was my laptop, sitting on the table... on! He fixed it! Don't ask me how, but it involved a lot of time, hard work and secrecy, some intense cleaning, a few replacement parts and a special gadget they use at work (he's an Avionics Technician in the Royal New Zealand Airforce) to microwave/dry/heat it (he joked that he "just cleaned it in the sink and put it in the oven to dry"!). He didn't even think he could fix it himself, and so he was doing a happy dance around the kitchen with his wife. :-[ (So was I [with them]! )The only thing that isn't working is the back-light for the keyboard and some of the keys are a bit sticky (space bar, delete and enter especially), but I am so grateful and happy that I don't mind. He says he may even be able to fix them. You should feel honoured to hear that this is the first (large) amount of words that I have typed on this beauty since it started up. I still can't believe it. The hard-drive is intact - I lost no information and all of my writing is fine (thank God! ); the screen, trackpad, keys and even the speakers work (I opened iTunes without a doubt that no sound would come out and much to my delighted surprise, it works like magic, so in celebration I am listening to one of my favourite songs right now, Lost But Won, by Hans Zimmer, from the movie Rush :-[).What an amazing brother he is. PS. I want you all to know that I'll do my best to get things under control more from now on, but don't count on it. :-[ The last couple of weeks have been hectic not only without a laptop but out in real life, especially with a new job. I am going to be limiting my activity on WdC more from now on to focus on what is most important to me, online and offline. So excited right now! *goes off to find some chocolate to celebrate some more* Free hugs, anyone? while I'm in the mood.   I love my brother. Never take 'em for granted. |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 31 Prompt: Movie – Pick any movie you want (that you haven't already used) and explain why you picked it/why we should watch it.I finally got around to watching it, and it exceeded my expectations in every way. Yes, I'm talking about the one and only: If you haven't seen this movie yet, you absolutely must! First of all, it's based on a true story, and it is my conviction that one should see as many true-to-life films as possible. And this true story is very true, with almost every minute detail factual. It is highly realistic, perhaps one of the most realistic films I have seen. Secondly, the suspense and action is so intricate and intense that the plot will keep you riveted from beginning to end. It's a story that will leave you thinking about it for days, weeks even, to come (at least, I haven't stopped thinking about it since I watched it) and leave you inspired and hoping again in mankind. Thirdly, and most important and riveting of all, are the characters. Each actor (except for Tom Hanks, perhaps ) isn't someone you'll recognise as an actor, just any everyday guy...yet a brilliant actor at that. This made it very realistic. The guys weren't handsome or strong or outstanding or familiar. They were just ordinary people you'd find anywhere, on board a ship or in a village in Somalia.Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi made this movie. Hanks' portrayal of Captain Phillips is outstanding, with an excellent symmetry of intelligence, emotion and courage to perfect the captain's character, and Abdi's role as Muse was human, intense and with a kind of dignity that I was definitely not expecting from a Somalian pirate. Their interaction over the course of events forms an understanding, a respect, a quiet relationship, between kidnapper and kidnapped. Both men are used to being in charge, both men understand the responsibility, the competition and the struggle that each faces to win I like it how the makers of the movie collaborated with the real Captain Phillips and based the film off his book, A Captain's Duty . I came away with a lot to think about. This movie deserves its six Oscars nominations, and its various other six wins and sixty-eight nominations. It's a shame that Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi didn't win any Oscars for their roles, but congratulations to them for their nominations. (Personally, I reckon they deserved all that the Oscars had to give. )Kudos to the director, Paul Greengrass (and the screenwriter, Billy Ray ). This movie is a new favourite of mine. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 30 Prompt: Television – Pick any television show you want (that you haven't already used) and explain why you picked it/why we should watch it.This is John Cleese at his best. His painful, infuriating, rude and outrageous best. :-[ In this comedy show, he plays hotel owner Basil Fawlty, whose incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away. I love it how it has a careful balance of characters, with Manuel, the ignorant Spanish waiter played by Andrew Sachs , making the show more light-hearted, Polly, the steady maid played by Connie Booth , making the show more bearable, and Sybil, Fawlty's wife played by Prunella Scales , making the show more rounded. :-[ Otherwise, Fawlty's character would be too heavy and impossible to laugh at. Set against the classic backdrop of post-war England, the the humour is very British, so I'm not sure if many of you Americans would enjoy it, and it can be painful at times, how stupid Mr. Fawlty is and how everything culminates in disaster for him at the end, but it is hilarious and I never fail to get a good laugh out of it. I highly recommend it. |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 29 Prompt: Movie – What comedy movie makes you laugh the hardest?Since I'm winding myself up in knots, having already blogged about my favourite comedy movies, Johnny English and Johnny English Reborn , I'll have to settle for some other favourites:The Billy T James Show , Dad's Army , Bad Taste , Get Smart , Zombieland , Shaun Of The Dead , Came A Hot Friday , Some Like It Hot , Kung Fu Panda (1&2) , Yes Minister , Knight And Day , Mr. Bean and Mr. Bean's Holiday . But undoubtedly the best of all is: Johnny English (1&2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274166/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634122/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 See "Invalid Entry" :-[ |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 28 Prompt: Open – What upcoming show or movie are you most eagerly anticipating and why? I wish I could see all the prompts before they turn up and inform me that, after straying off topic, I've already dedicated a previous blog post to their subject. (See "Invalid Entry" )Only George Clooney could get together such a stellar cast! George Clooney himself alongside Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett. I can't wait to see how these talented artists work together in this story.I love war films, especially those based on true experiences, and this one cracks into a story as-yet untold. And I knew it had to come eventually. Humankind has too much appreciation for art to ignore the tragic loss of thousands of paintings during World War 2. I am looking forward to watching this film, more than any other in 2014! |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 27 Prompt: Television – Which character's departure from what television series was the most shocking to you? No last episodes allowed; we're talking important characters leaving and the show continuing on for at least a little while without them. Erm, well, I said before that I haven't seen Game Of Thrones , but I have seen bits of it...so I would have to say:Her brutal murder at the Red Wedding shocked viewers all over the world. And that was the purpose. George R. R. Martin wants the audience to feel with every fibre of their being that none of the characters are safe. In fact, it's quite the opposite: everyone one of his characters is in danger, one way or another, and it's unlikely that they will survive his ruthless and gruesome world. As if the death of her husband, her father, her two youngest sons, and likely her youngest daughter, plus the marriage of her other daughter to one of her family's tormentors, isn't enough, she had to go mad and slash her own face before she got her throat cut. {e:shiver} It was even more shocking than the death of her husband...and everyone else in the damned show. |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 26 Prompt: Open – What show or movie will you always watch when it comes on, no matter how many times you've seen it before? I have already blogged about my top choices, The Lord Of The Rings , Pride & Prejudice (1995) and The Bourne Trilogy , so let's go for something fresh: Johnny English (1&2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274166/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634122/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 Oh, I could laugh myself inside out watching these! Every time I watch them again, I am reborn into the comedy genre. Rowan Atkinson is Charlie Chaplin's successor. There is no greater living comedian. He is brilliant. Again, his expressions and body movements really make him the legend that he is, plus all the dumb things he says and does...yet always comes out on top. These are by far my favourite comedy movies, and I could watch them a thousand times and never get sick of them. :-[ |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 25 Prompt: Movie – Did you ever watch a movie you weren't supposed to (like sneaking into a theater playing an R-rated movie when you're too young to buy a ticket yourself)? If so which one and how did you feel about it afterward? If not, were you ever tempted to? Hmm...I can't think of any. I guess I'm not the rebellious type. Although I do remember as a child peeking through the curtains separating the lounge and dining room at a friend's house, where my family was watching The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King , and being more than a little shocked by a scene with Gollum. Good thing I didn't see Shelob! Another time I remember being told I couldn't watch Titanic but putting my ear against the wall and listening. All I could hear was lots of dramatic music, a profound female voice and lots of screaming.Pathetic, I know. |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 24 Prompt: OPEN – Do you have a favorite screenwriter? BONUS: If you don't have one or know any (or even if you do), why do you think screenwriters aren't given as much prestige as actors, directors, and producers? Screenwriters definitely deserve more acknowledgement than they get! All movies are born through their pens, yet their hard work and pains are rarely recognised at all, let alone half as much as they should be. I'm ashamed to say that I don't know of many screenwriters or even what it involves (I know vaguely, but not specifically), and perhaps this is the reason why I think we need to change this. Screenwriters should be put up with the big names. Although we never see them, they are one of the most necessary gears in the movie-making process. On the other hand, the recognition they don't get is because their role is smaller, like a costume-designer or cameraman or soundtrack composer, and not as (dare I say it?) movie-oriented as the roles of directors and actors. I mean, perhaps it's better to be just an author? :-[ That way, you're totally in control and you get all the credit. But yes, screenwriters are talented and hard-working people who make the movie possible, and therefore deserve more credit for what they do. :-[ My favourite screenwriter? I have Philippa's autograph! I just had to get that out first. I got a signed version of the extended DVD editions of The Lord Of The Rings . I think she made a marvelous success of the colossal job of adapting the books to the screen, and she has also worked on other classics such as The Hobbit , The Lovely Bones and King Kong . (Notice her close collaboration with Peter Jackson? :-[ So do I! Good choice, Ms Boyens. Even if he's grumpy and eccentric, he's a genius of a director.) |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 23 Prompt: What was one of your favorite cartoons as a kid? Or today...if you still watch cartoons today, you can totally talk about those too. There are quite a few cartoons I have enjoyed, but there is one timeless cartoon that will always have a special place in my heart: Tom & Jerry http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105616/?ref_=nv_sr_1 (the above link isn't the exact link I was looking for, since I own the entire collection of Tom & Jerry films) The only cat and mouse! I love their antics and the hours of fun and laughter I have enjoyed while watching this cartoon for all ages. I still puzzle over how the makers of these cartoons managed to make the audience sympathise with both the cat and the mouse, yet come away satisfied when Jerry always (or nearly always!) won. The ongoing conflict between the two animals is never serious – they remind me of the kids you see who are best friends and spend all their time tormenting each other. And the music! So perfect! Since Tom and Jerry rarely speak and mostly just use noises and body movements to convey what they are thinking and feeling, the music is a kind of communication to the viewers, and it works so well, taking you right into the minds and actions of the actors.It's also clever how you only ever see the legs of the humans and nothing above, showing that the world of animals is so much smaller and almost oblivious of us. Tom and Jerry are immortal to me. |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 22 Prompt: Who is your favorite director? The easiest of all! And I'm not just saying so out of patriotism (okay, yeah, it was a factor ):PJ is a Kiwi and New Zealand is proud of him!! {e:kiwi} I love his splat-stick humour, as shown in Bad Taste and District 9 , and his man's man earthiness – he lives in Wellington and could turn up at any Kiwi's barbecue. None of this Hollywood crap! He doesn't consider himself above everyone else, and his ambition starts at cooking alien masks in his mother's oven to bringing to life the greatest fantasy story ever written in the magnificent The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. And it just gets better – he's halfway through creating The Hobbit trilogy. I especially love it how he gets all of New Zealand involved, from Air New Zealand to a friend of a friend who is going to audition to play a minor part, to the next door neighbour's horse (good pun, huh? ).Doesn't he just look crazy? He's just a genuine Kiwi bloke, yet there's genius, finesse and love for what he does in the mind under Way to go, Peter! You beat all of those Hollywood celebrities any day. |
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Day 21 Prompt: Movie – What's your favorite movie of 2014 so far?I haven't seen any, yet! But I'm absolutely dying to see half of them!! 2013 saw a huge improvement in our standard of movies, and 2014 is really stepping it up – I'm loving it, especially all the war movies coming out in memorial of the hundred year anniversary of the start of World War 1.My most anticipated 2014 movies are God's Not Dead , Noah and Divergent . And best of all:Only George Clooney could get together such a stellar cast! George Clooney himself alongside Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett. I can't wait to see how these talented artists work together in this story.I love war films, especially those based on true experiences, and this one cracks into a story as-yet untold. And I knew it had to come eventually. Humankind has too much appreciation for art to ignore the tragic loss of thousands of paintings during World War 2. I am looking forward to watching this film, more than any other in 2014! :-[ |
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Catelyn Stark 
Peter Jackson 