On a Roll with Charmin at Gallery Nuance

Check out this video on YouTube: it’s me, at Gallery Nuance face painting. Thank you Sherry Disney! 

An update to this article, sadly Sherry had to close her gallery in September so she could spend time with family. We miss having Sherry and her bubbly personality on the 100 block of Gay Street, and we hope she comes back soon.

 

Charmin talks about Quadriciser

Quadriciser Corporation, is located on Central Avenue Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The owner Larry Bohanan’s diabetic father was seven days away from losing his foot when Bohanan created the Quadriciser to increase blood flow, it worked and the Quadriciser is now Larry’s passion in business. To find out more, visit http://www.quadriciser.com.

Thanks for reading.

This video was created while working for Quadriciser, it gives you an idea of the possibilities. It was produced and edited by Charmin Foth.

Video killed the blog… Or did it?

PHOTO FROM: http://www.freemake.com/blog/top-5-iphone-video-editors-for-movie-producing/
PHOTO FROM: http://www.freemake.com/blog/top-5-iphone-video-editors-for-movie-producing/

You know that old song, Video Killed the Radio Star? Has video killed the blog? Have we become such a visual society that the written word is no longer relevant? I have mixed emotions.

This discussion came about recently, when a friend and I were talking blogs. She told me that when she read my blog, she could actually see me in her head, talking. I understand that, I do it with books all the time, as the author brings the characters to life in my mind.

She suggested that I should consider adding a video component to my blog, so people could see what she sees. It seems she thinks I’m a pretty entertaining in person.  While I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, I get her point.

From what I know of my biological father, his side of the family had a strong Italian heritage. Talking with your hands is a part of that tradition. Combine my DNA with my love of theatre and you get a very animated personality. My husband tells me all the time; I should have been a cartoon, or a Muppet.

But who wants to see me talking to them on a screen? That part I have a hard time wrapping my head around. A business coach suggested I map out a plan and put a few together and see how it goes. Intersperse it with written blog posts so it doesn’t have to be all me, all the time.

That made me feel better, video doesn’t have to kill my written blog completely. So who know’s the next time you see my blog it may be a vlog.

I am weighing the options, considering the possibilities, and there are many. I love video editing and production, so I can see it merging all my loves into one venue.  My vision incorporates a variety of aspects to it, including writing, photos and video, interviews, etc.

I would like your opinions on video blogs or vlogging, so feel free to post a comment.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

The Gummy Bear “Cleanse”

Sure, they look innocent, but are they? That grin looks a little evil.
Sure, they look innocent, but are they? That grin looks a little evil.

I have been on a low-carb diet for a few years now and I love it when I find a new product that fits into my lifestyle. I thought I had found just that product this weekend when I bought sugar-free gummy bears. Low-carb, sweet, perfect for movie night. Or so I thought, until the next day. Let’s just say I will NEVER touch another sugar-free gummy bear as long as I live.

I only wish I had seen the following Amazon review, BEFORE I made my movie night selection. All I can say is this review is dead-on. Please let this be a warning to any consumer.

POSTED REVIEW ON AMAZON
40,637 of 41,263 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Just don’t. Unless it’s a gift for someone you hate., October 3, 2012
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Haribo Gummi Bears Sugar Free 5lb Bag (Grocery)
Oh man…words cannot express what happened to me after eating these. The Gummi Bear “Cleanse”. If you are someone that can tolerate the sugar substitute, enjoy. If you are like the dozens of people that tried my order, RUN!

First of all, for taste I would rate these a 5. So good. Soft, true-to-taste fruit flavors like the sugar variety…I was a happy camper.

BUT (or should I say BUTT), not long after eating about 20 of these all hell broke loose. I had a gastrointestinal experience like nothing I’ve ever imagined. Cramps, sweating, bloating beyond my worst nightmare. I’ve had food poisoning from some bad shellfish and that was almost like a skip in the park compared to what was going on inside me.

Then came the, uh, flatulence. Heavens to Murgatroyd, the sounds, like trumpets calling the demons back to Hell…the stench, like 1,000 rotten corpses vomited. I couldn’t stand to stay in one room for fear of succumbing to my own odors.

But wait; there’s more. What came out of me felt like someone tried to funnel Niagara Falls through a coffee straw. I swear my sphincters were screaming. It felt like my delicate starfish was a gaping maw projectile vomiting a torrential flood of toxic waste. 100% liquid. Flammable liquid. NAPALM. It was actually a bit humorous (for a nanosecond)as it was just beyond anything I could imagine possible.

AND IT WENT ON FOR HOURS.

I felt violated when it was over, which I think might have been sometime in the early morning of the next day. There was stuff coming out of me that I ate at my wedding in 2005.

I had FIVE POUNDS of these innocent-looking delicious-tasting HELLBEARS so I told a friend about what happened to me, thinking it HAD to be some type of sensitivity I had to the sugar substitute, and in spite of my warnings and graphic descriptions, she decided to take her chances and take them off my hands.

Silly woman. All of the same for her, and a phone call from her while on the toilet (because you kinda end up living in the bathroom for a spell) telling me she really wished she would have listened. I think she was crying.

Her sister was skeptical and suspected that we were exaggerating. She took them to work, since there was still 99% of a 5 pound bag left. She works for a construction company, where there are builders, roofers, house painters, landscapers, etc. Lots of people who generally have limited access to toilets on a given day. I can’t imagine where all of those poor men (and women) pooped that day. I keep envisioning men on roofs, crossing their legs and trying to decide if they can make it down the ladder, or if they should just jump.

If you order these, best of luck to you. And please, don’t post a video review during the aftershocks.

PS: When I ordered these, the warnings and disclaimers and legalese were NOT posted. I’m not a moron. Also, not sure why so many people assume I’m a man. I am a woman. We poop too. Of course, our poop sparkles and smells like a walk in a meadow of wildflowers. Thanks for all the great comments. I’ve been enjoying reading them and so glad that the horror show I experienced from snacking on these has at least made some people smile.

 

Quality products are hard to find

It seems quality products get harder and harder to find. This is the age of “As Seen on TV” ads that tout wonderful products with amazing features only to find cheap products that never live up to their hype. So, when I find something of true quality I like to let others know about it.

As many of you know, we live in an 80 year old country house on a farm near Knoxville. “The Little Money Pit” as I like to call it is always involved in some type of home improvement project. We have been in the house 11 years now, and when we moved in the fireplace was red brick and made the room look dingy and dark.

My goal was to find a paint that would cover the brick and look good. What I found was Zinsser Perma-White. In 2003 when I first painted the fireplace. It went on smooth and covered the brick with only 2 coats. The difference it made in the room was astounding, bright and open instead of dark and dreary.

Late in December, my husband and I decided it was time to give the room an update. We took down old ceiling tiles, trim, painted walls, trim, and the fireplace. The living room was painted with a beautiful shade of very light sea foam green, and the trim was painted kelly green, the wall next to the fireplace will be a plum color. (I will post the completed revamp once the room is complete.)

Fireplace now and before painting

The original look was very dark, on both the brick and walls, no longer! 

My family will tell you I am very frugal. I save things and recycle when I can. I have been known to repurpose a thing or two. So it wasn’t a surprise to me to find that I still had the original can of Zinsser Perma-White that I painted the fireplace with 11 years ago.

What was a surprise was that the paint was still good! After 11 years! I repainted the fireplace tonight, and it looks amazing. I can’t believe it. The paint held up wonderfully over the last 11 years; there were a few places where dark purple candles had melted on the mantle. The Zinsser Perma-White covered it in one coat!

If you have ever tried to paint over where a waxy mess has been you know that is a BIG DEAL because even when you think all the wax is gone, the residue it leaves behind will keep the paint from sticking to that spot.

So this blog is dedicated to an amazing quality product, and no Zinsser doesn’t even know I bought their product 11 years ago. So there is no kickback involved, just an honest review of a product that really works, even 11 years later.

So if you are getting ready to paint and you need a paint that will last and cover, spend the extra and get the Zinsser.