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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

On Marrying a Life Partner

Ice-cream cookie sandwiches (easy and tasty!)

Matt's special healthy "cookies" (yummy!)

Matt and I attended a fun birthday party this past weekend. The theme was "Cookies and Beer."

As a person who is sixteen weeks pregnant, I am neither partaking in sugar nor beer, but I wanted to go nonetheless.

My amazing life partner has decided that he, too, will abstain from eating sugar throughout my pregnancy as a way to be supportive and loving. For the Cookies & Beer party, he decided to make cookies without sugar. I was skeptical, but, fortunately, he proved me wrong. He used mashed up bananas, butter, soy milk, dried cherries, oatmeal, sundry spices, and sunflower seeds (following this recipe) to make a pretty decent "cookie." They definitely can't compete with a good ol' sugar-laden cookie, but they were absolutely a nice and thoughtful treat nonetheless. The dried cherries made all the difference.

Matt's amazing gesture of support is yet another illustration of his commitment to be a life partner.

Throughout my many years of dating, I opted for some not-so-supportive guys. I couldn't help it. I was attracted to them. However, I am so, so thankful that when it came time to tie the knot, I found someone who truly embraces the idea of being a life partner, for better and worse.

In the process of planning a wedding, it can be so easy to get preoccupied with all the wrong things. There are so many details and distractions. But at its core, this is what it's all about. It's about formalizing our choices and our commitments. It's orchestrating a moment of seriousness and celebration that allows us to proclaim our love and our intentions out loud. It's a precious moment--worthy our attention and effort--but it's just one precious moment in a long line of many.

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Monday, August 30, 2010

Couples' Counseling

I haven't talked much about the biggest problem that Matt and I have in our relationship. I've mentioned it a few times here and there, but I haven't gone into much depth for one primary reason: we don't know how to solve it.

You see, our biggest difficulty is that Matt wants to have sexual intercourse more frequently than I do.

It's difficult to get at the route of the issue. I think there are several different issues at work. On my end, I think I respond to stress differently than Matt does. The more stress I have in my life and the busier I am, the less I want to have sex. On the other hand, the more stress Matt has and the busier he is, the more he wants to have sex.

I also know that I have issues with control (meaning, I like to be in control), so I wonder if I subconsciously relish the control I get from being the one who always decides when we have sex.

I also wonder if I just have a low libido. I once read a book all about a woman who had a low sex drive. She opted to start putting a hormone ointment on her vagina, and her sex-drive skyrocketed.

On Matt's end, I think his "language of love" is physical touch, so I think he feels unloved if I don't want to have sex. If it's been a while since we've had sex, he can start to get pouty. These moods feel "desperate and demanding" to me, which makes me less inclined to have sex.

Those are the only possible causes that come to mind, although I'm open to myriad other possibilities that we haven't considered. The situation has been exacerbated lately with my pregnancy, and it will only cause more tension when we move into the later stages of my pregnancy and when we have an infant.

We started looking into couples' counseling a while ago, as part of our pre-conception planning, but we realized that our insurance doesn't cover therapy, so we kind of lost steam. Then last month, my midwife asked, "What's stressing you out the most?" I explained our situation, and she said that we should seek help. She recommended a person to help us with this specific issue.

I'll definitely keep you updated about how it goes! I'm nervous, but I'm eager to deal with our problem in a proactive way. I think it's easy for small fissures in a marriage to become deep cracks.

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Thursday, August 26, 2010

E-mail Updates

Matt and I are heading to Indiana for the wedding of our good friends in a couple weeks. I can't wait!

As the date approaches, however, I find myself asking Matt questions like, "Do we need to book our hotel?" I have no idea what our itinerary is for the weekend, where we'll be staying, what day/time the ceremony is, etc. Matt doesn't usually have a satisfactory answer to my questions. I know I could find all the information on their wedsite. But usually, I'm away from my computer when I think of such questions (typically, I'm brushing my teeth), so I forget to visit their wedsite and I remain in the dark about what's going on. [Editor's Note: I just visited their wedsite and all my questions have been answered!]

All of this reminds me of the beauty of the e-mail update. A couple of times leading up to our wedding, Matt and I sent an e-mail update out to our guests, with information about how to book the hotel, how to coordinate carpooling from the airport, and links back to our wedsite. I know e-mail communication with guests is usually taboo (it's impossible to letterpress an e-mail!), but I find that it can be a really good way to help guests keep tabs on the logistics of a wedding.

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Registry Recommendations

It's funny how many parallels there are between planning a wedding and preparing for a baby (see this post about parallel industrial complexes...). As I finish up my third month of pregnancy, I find myself needing to create another registry. Oy vey!

When Matt and I were getting married, we used My Registry. I find the site to be a little busy and difficult to navigate (especially for guests who aren't as technologically savvy). I've also used Alternative Gift Registry to create classroom wish lists. Although I find it easier to navigate than My Registry, I didn't find it as easy to add items to from my end.

As I start to put together a baby registry for loving and caring family members and friends, I'm wondering what else is out there. What online registries do you recommend?

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Q & A: Renting Out the Reception Site

I know I've answered this question before, but I feel compelled to address it again. Our choice to rent out an entire Bed & Breakfast and invite our friends to stay with us for the entire weekend really shaped the nature of our wedding.

Reader's Question: When you chose your venue and booked the entire thing, did you pay for all of your guests' rooms? Or did you guys ask them to pay for themselves?

I sometimes wonder what Matt and I would have spent more money on if our budget had been more than $2,000. I worry that we would have invested in tablecloths (instead of using vintage sheets from the Goodwill) or that we would have made more cloth napkins in a cute, coordinated fabric. I use the word "worry" to describe these additional purchases because they would have done nothing to improve our wedding.

If we did have more than $2,000 to spend on our wedding, I hope we would have used it to cover the cost of our guests' hotel rooms, as a way to thank them for making the trip to share in our celebration of love and commitment.

Although we weren't able to cover the cost of their lodging, we did manage to find a very inexpensive Bed & Breakfast off the beaten path outside of Estes Park, Colorado. We were able to rent out the whole thing (approximately 40 beds spread out over several cabins and a main house) for $750 a night. We charged everyone $25-$35 per night (for Friday and Saturday), depending on the type of accommodations they were requesting. We set the price higher than the actual per person rate because we weren't sure how many people would choose to stay on site with us in shared accommodations.

Fortunately, we ended up with more people than we expected, which meant that we had money left over. We used it to pay the innkeepers $50/hour to heat up the food we prepared, keep it stocked, and clear it away at the end of the reception. We also used the extra money to cover lodging for a few people who went above and beyond to help us out.

In order to collect the money, we asked one of our most meticulous and outgoing friends to be the Pay Master. We made a form for her, and she went about collecting money from everyone. She started at the Friday night Welcome Picnic and continued through the goodbye breakfast on Sunday. She said she actually enjoyed the task because it meant that she was forced to meet every single person.

Renting out an entire Bed and Breakfast allowed us to have a free location for our Friday Night Welcome Picnic, a kitchen to self-cater our reception, a place to hold our wedding reception, and free communal breakfasts every morning. Although we sacrificed some aesthetic beauty (the cabins were a bit old, and the entire place is smothered in stuffed moose toys), we ended up having the best experience and we stayed within our budget. The innkeepers were the most amazingly helpful people who let us borrow so many of their resources. I didn't think we would ever be able to find something in Colorado, in the mountains, in the summer, with only seven months of planning, but we searched off the beaten path and made it work.

Wishing you the very best!

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Monday, August 23, 2010

DIY: Dress Applique

I finally got around to emulating Kimi's dress (well, to the best of my much-less-artistic abilities!).

Thanks to a kindred spirit's recommendation within the comments section from a post I wrote a while ago, I decided to use Wonder Under to attach the applique fabric to the fabric of the dress.

Here's what I did:
  1. At the fabric store, I searched high and low for an applique fabric that would not fray. I managed to find a velvet that didn't fray, but it was stretchy. I worried that the stretchiness would make it difficult to deal with, but since I wasn't actually sewing it to anything, it didn't end up making the project too much harder.
  2. I asked the fabric store clerk to direct me to the Wonder Under. I've used Steam-a-Seam before, and Wonder Under is like its less expensive twin sister. You buy it by the yard, and it's so cheap! I got enough Wonder Under to match up with my velvet fabric.
  3. Following the instructions on the Wonder Under, I ironed the Wonder Under to my velvet.
  4. Next, I flipped the whole thing over and started to draw my design on the white paper backing (remembering that it would be in reverse). I tried to use a light pencil, so I could erase every time I messed up (which happened a lot!). I mainly drew my design by staring at Kimi's dress (even though mine completely pales in comparison!). I also looked at clipart of birds to help me draw the bird. If I were less lazy, I could have printed clipart, cut it out, and then traced it onto my paper/fabric.
  5. After I sketched everything out in pencil, I went over the design with a black Sharpie, so I knew exactly where I needed to cut.
  6. Then I spent a very long time cutting out the design. Emphasis on very long.
  7. After peeling off the back of the Wonder Under, I was then able to lay out the applique on my dress.
  8. With the design in place, I slid the ironing board under my dress and began ironing on the applique (again, following the directions that came with the Wonder Under).

And that was it! (Those directions definitely make it sound easier than it was...the process was quite tedious at times...).

I've worn the dress once (and won't be able to wear it again for a while because my breasts are swelling big time, in response to this pregnancy!). I didn't get a single compliment on it, but I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. I think this process would be an excellent way to embellish a wedding dress.

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Never-Ending Industrial Complexes

During our seven months of wedding planning, I started to grow pretty tired of the Wedding Industrial Complex. I grew weary of messaging about how I needed to look at my wedding as a "Once-in-a-Lifetime" event or the "Best Day" of my life. I sighed every time a company beseeched me to obsess about X, Y, or Z because it could make or break the wedding.

Now that I'm in the throes of planning for a baby (T-minus six months until the birth!), I'm faced with yet another insidious network of corporations and cultural messages conspiring to make me spend, spend, spend. Enter, The Baby Industrial Complex.

A good friend of ours gave us a book called, Baby Bargains. It's all about the things you have to buy in preparation for the baby. For example, it has 83 pages about buying a crib (and that doesn't include the 43 pages about bedding for the crib). Although I'm enjoying the book (and it actually does have some conscious consumer messages, such as don't buy a coordinated contraption in order to store your diapers), it's still page after page of products.

There's nothing inherently wrong with products. For example, we need to get a car seat, just like we needed to get plates, napkins, and utensils for our wedding. Some products are absolutely necessary. The problem, however, comes when we start to obsess about those products or become convinced that we need more than we really do (which is bad for the environment and the budget).

Another book, Attached at the Heart, really gets to the core of the issue:

When preparing for the birth of a child, it is easy to get caught up in the material things associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care. Cute infant clothing, the latest maternity fashions, and all the baby gear can be an all-consuming part of preparing for a baby, but the lasting investment of preparation involves creating a peaceful, loving environment in which to grow, birth, and care for a new life.

The same thing applies to preparing for a wedding. It's easy to get up in the material things: the dress, flowers, chair covers, napkins, bridesmaids dresses, cake toppers--the list goes on and on. But the "lasting investment of preparation involves" preparing for marriage: joining finances, distributing domestic responsibilities equitably, learning to disagree in constructive rather than destructive ways, figuring out how to forge your own path as a couple without alienating good-intentioned friends and family, continuing to cultivate yourself beyond your relationship--the list goes on and on.

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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

DIY: Living, Growing Scrapbook

For those of you who have oodles and oodles of photographs on your hard-drive but haven't yet figured out what to do with them all, you might find this easy-peasy recipe for making a living, growing scrapbook helpful.

Here's what Matt and I do:
  1. We bought a regular binder from an office supply store. We spiffed it up by putting an image from an old Nikki McClure calendar inside the plastic cover.
  2. While we were at the office supply store, we also bought a bunch of sheet protectors, white cardstock, and double-sided tape.
  3. Every time we return from a trip or have a new set of photos that we want to add to our scrapbook, we upload them to Snapfish, search for a coupon on retailmenot, and have the photos delivered to our house.
  4. Then we use the tape to adhere the photos to the cardstock. We write a few words on the page (nothing fancy! just functional...). Then we slip the cardstock into a sheet protector.
  5. Voila! It's such an easy, low-pressure way to create a tangible record of our lives together...

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Dress Giveaway Results

Hooray! Generous Jennie (of our dress giveaway) has picked one lucky winner to be the next wearer of her joyful wedding dress.

[insert drum roll....]

Russell Jill!

Here's what she said in her entry:

Hey! I love your blog! (new addict) This dress is stunning on you. I would love to win it as well. My future hub and I will have to settle for a courthouse wedding since we are both in the military. With military pay checks and being away all the time working we can neither afford or have the time to plan a big wedding. If I win this dress I would also pay it forward by donating the dress.

Even if I don't win, thank you for your donation to the deserving bride. If only more people were willing to make things a little easier for their neighbors!

I am giddy that we've got a little sisterhood of the traveling dress going on among kindred spirits! If you would like to giveaway your wedding dress, please let me know!

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Monday, August 16, 2010

Q & A: Wedding Magazines

Reader Question: I'm looking for some suggestions and thought maybe you or your blog might be a good place to start. My mom really wants to subscribe to a bridal magazine for me, but I don't want to get sucked into the Wedding Industrial Complex. Do you know of any magazines that are more along your lines of what a wedding should be like? Perhaps some other readers would have some suggestions as well of what magazines they do and don't like.

I wish! I really do. Maybe someone out there will know of something?

All I can say is: Tell her you want books instead! You're right to worry that reading too many wedding magazines can cause you to see the world through the lens of the Wedding Industrial Complex. Magazines are chock-full of advertisements that try to convince you that you absolutely have to spend more money in order to have the once-in-a-lifetime wedding you always dreamed of. And not only do you "have" to spend that money, you should want to!

Even the magazines that feature interesting weddings (like Martha Stewart Weddings) seem to overemphasize the "pretty details" of a wedding. The truth is, most of our guests don't gush over such details. They notice much bigger-picture things. When we look at too many pictures of pretty details (either in magazines or on blogs or on TV, etc.), it can become easy to get obsessed with recreating them at our own weddings or feeling guilty if we don't have the time/money/desire to do so.

I'd say skip over the magazines and head for the bookstore. Ariel's book, Offbeat Bride, is full of lots of awesome examples of weddings, as well as solid, how-to advice. I'd also recommend One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding if you want an in-depth analysis of the Wedding Industrial Complex. Although I haven't read it, I've heard that The Conscious Bride does a good job of exploring the deeper, emotional issues surrounding weddings. I also found The DIY Wedding to be super-helpful in my own planning.

Or how about some books about relationships, since our weddings last approximately one weekend and our marriages should last the rest of our lives?

I recommend the Five Love Languages (even though it's super-cheesy) or Getting the Love You Want couples workbook, for starters.

As for your original question, I'm eager to see if other kindred spirits do have some good magazine recommendations!

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Tip #22: Ideas for Building Successful Relationships

The other day I was watching the movie Love Story for the second time (I think I've read the book more than once, too).

There's a scene where the husband loses his temper toward the wife, and she storms out of the house in protest. He immediately regrets what he's done and heads out to look for her. He spends the entire day scouring local coffee shops, the library, etc. At the end of the day, he heads home and finds his wife shivering on the doorstep. She says that she forgot her key.

The husband immediately starts to gush an apology and the wife says something like, "Stop. Love means never having to say you're sorry."

That line makes me very, very irritated. I am of the school of thought that love means having to say you're sorry a lot. In fact, being an honorable and courageous person means saying you're sorry--a lot!

It is inevitable that we make mistakes in our partnerships and in our relationships with others. If we're tired or stressed or hurried, it can be easy to say something or treat someone in a way that we regret (lord knows this happens to me all the time!). Although we can work hard to proactively prevent those mistakes by being more aware of them, we also have to be diligent about fixing those mistakes once we've made them. Not only do we need to say we're sorry, but we also need to fully explain what we're sorry about and why we regret it. We have to be sincere and heartfelt.

In fact, accepting responsibility for our mistakes is such an integral part of my relationship with Matt (we make a lot of mistakes!) that we actually wrote it into our vows. At the end, we said, "And if I stumble and fail to live up to my promises, I will look you in the eyes, hold your hands, and apologize with sincerity. I will be my best for you."

It definitely comes in handy!

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Postcard #6: Plan Your Day Your Way

This picture cracks me up. It comes from our wedding rehearsal. Matt and I asked our wedding party to join us for our first dance. We choreographed a dance to "Kiss" by Prince and then videotaped an instructional video to distribute to our wedding party in advance. On the day of our wedding, we spent about 30 minutes putting it all together. This particular picture comes from the free style portion of our dance.

It reminds me that we need to plan our "in between" times carefully. Our weddings are not just the big, formal parts; they are also the in between moments. Here's what our schedule looked like:
  • Sleep in
  • Spend two hours lounging on the flagstone patio with our friends, eating breakfast
  • Rehearse our ceremony and first dance
  • Eat lunch with family and close friends
  • Spend a couple hours cooking food for our reception
  • Get ready among friends
  • Ceremony
  • Take a limited number of family photographs
  • Reception
It was exactly how we wanted to spend our day. That's how it should be! It can be easy to let the day get consumed with obligations. But ultimately, we are in control of how we spend our time. Do you want to spend hours being pampered among friends? Go for it. Do you want to go for a hike all alone with your partner-to-be? Go for it. It's up to us!

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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Bridal Shower Alternatives

The youngest attendee Addie, who won the ScavengArt, and Mary, the Bride-to-be!

I get a lot of e-mails about how to escape from the confines of a traditional bridal shower. My answer is the same answer I give to questions about how to plan a good wedding: Think about what kind of parties you like to go to and plan accordingly!

That's why I was ecstatic when Mary shared her "Bridal Show Book Swap" and art scavenger hunt with me. Here's what she said about it:

Your blog has really helped me put things in perspective as I struggled in the beginning on how to make this day meaningful and creative on the nonexistent budget we have (I work in non-profit visual arts and Blake is a student!). I really loved the way you and Matt made the day about love and family and friends.

This was the same philosophy that was taken when my friends and I were planning the bridal shower! It was based around one of our favorite hobbies: reading! We had a lot of guests coming from out of town so we decided to roll all the traditional events into one weekend and make a mash-up of an engagement party, wedding shower, and bachelor/bachelorette parties. The result was a really fun and eventful weekend of celebration, that ran from Friday night drinks to Sunday afternoon BBQ at the Lake! The “Bridal Shower was the main event on Saturday.

The Bridal Shower Book Swap was a HUGE success! It was co-ed and everyone brought a book to exchange. The guests could leave with however books many they came with! The leftover books were donated to the local library for their resale event.

In addition to the book theme, the shower was held at a local art gallery that I am affiliated with through work, so one of the games we played was called “ScavengArt.” My friend Kathy, who works at the gallery, helped to make a scavenger hunt based on the pieces that were on display! This was great fun and everyone commented that it was nice to incorporate the venue into the party.

The second thing we did for fun was had all the guests fill in a “wedding Mad Libs,” which is one of my favorite things to do since I was in High School! These were so fun to read later in the evening while we drank wine and opened the gifts (we didn’t open them during the shower because it felt too isolating for our guests and we wanted them to be as important to the party as anything else).

Everyone pitched in and made food and drinks (we had the most amazing Lemonade/Rosemary Spritzers w/vodka …as well as non-alcoholic lemonade with blueberries and fresh lemon slices!) and the spread ended up having a sort-of 1950’s retro meets farmers market feel! My friend Katy picked up flowers that morning and gathered a bunch of mismatched bud vases and it looked beautiful!

We played Nina Simone in the back-ground and everyone mingled. I couldn’t have asked for more….

At the end of the weekend, I was exhausted but so happy that everything turned out! It makes you feel really blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

Hope this inspires someone else!

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Monday, August 9, 2010

Contest Winner

And the winner of a free Lulu photo book is...

Molly Hei.

Please e-mail me so I can put you in touch with the right people over at Lulu!

To everyone else, thank you for entering! I always love seeing all your comments and links. If you want to order your own photo book, head over to Lulu and use the code 2kblog -- good for 25% off all photo books, expires 8/31/10, (max savings $100).

Happy Monday!

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Dress Giveaway

Hooray! Kindred spirit, Jennie, is giving away her much-loved and full-of-joy wedding dress to one of you. I almost had the opportunity to meet Jennie while Matt and I were on our Annual Adventure, but we didn't make it to the most western part of Canada.

Here's what Jennie has to say about the dress:
I was the second bride to wear this dress. I bought it online from another bride who had a wonderful, happy day wearing it! It is white taffeta with a sweetheart neckline accentuated by a beautiful beaded lace feature and beaded lace straps. t fits anywhere between a size 6 to 12 because of the lace up back. The back panel can be easily removed if you don't want to use it. I am 5'4" and I wore flip flops with it, but it would work with a bit of a heel as well. I found the dress very light and comfortable to wear. I had a perfectly wonderful day in it and hope that another bride will too!

If you'd like the opportunity to score a free wedding dress (you just pay for shipping), please leave a comment explaining why you want it. Jennie will pick the winner.

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Holding Your Mail (while Honeymooning or Otherwise Vacationing)

This Public Service Announcement may totally be a statement of the obvious, but I wanted to make sure that absolutely everyone in the U.S. realizes that you can go online and request that the postal service hold your mail while you are on vacation. Then, when you're back from vacation, they will deliver it all in one nice bundle. It's such a snap. I seriously love the post office.

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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Mini-Adventure Update

Matt and I were brainstorming where to go outside of Las Vegas, as we made pizza together the other night (incidentally, did you know that Whole Foods will sell you a glob of ready-to-go pizza dough for a couple bucks?). I said something along the lines of: "I'm basically looking for someplace with a pool that has comfortable lounge chairs. And I want to be able to go on half-day trips to do something like white-water rafting or swimming in a lake or creek or something. What do you want to be able to do?"

Matt explained that he was fine driving several hours to get to the place, but once we were there, he didn't want to spend a lot of time driving around. He wanted to be able to go for runs in the mountains. And he agreed that swimming would be nice.

Then, thanks to your awesome recommendations, we realized that Zion National Park is a mere three hours from Las Vegas. Since the lodge inside of Zion apparently fills up 23 months in advance (thank you, Lonely Planet USA edition), I started searching for B&Bs in small, surrounding towns. Thanks to Trip Advisor, I stumbled upon The Perfect Place (no, it's not actually called that; I just capitalized it for excited emphasis).

It's called The Desert Thistle. And it's right near Zion National Park. And it has a pool. With comfy lounge chairs. And a king-sized bed. And satellite TV. And wireless internet. And a nearby river for swimming. And they have one room available (for $130/night) for the three nights we need it.

I am agog.

I can't wait to spend a delicious three days with my Partner-in-Awesomeness!

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Anniversary Traditions

Matt and I celebrated our anniversary this past weekend. Here's how our traditions work:

One of us writes a letter to encapsulate our year together, while the other person plans some sort of date. We alternate who does what each year.

This year, I was in charge of writing the letter (thanks for indulging me in my brainstorming process!), and Matt was in charge of planning the date.

On Sunday, he informed me that I needed to leave the house for a couple hours. I asked if I could instead sequester myself in our office/craft room, to which he responded in the affirmative.

When he gave me permission to emerge, I walked into a beautiful backyard picnic. He had covered a folding table with one of the tablecloths (er, vintage sheets) from our wedding, put up Christmas lights in the shape of a heart, and had set up flowers, music, drinks, and a menu for our three-course meal. Even the dog was wearing a tie. (Apparently, he made ties for the chickens to wear, too, but they weren't having it.)

We dined, chatted, played Scrabble, and flipped through our living, growing scrapbook, which included the letter I wrote to him this year.

I'm growing very fond of our little anniversary tradition. It's something to look forward to every year without being overwhelming. If you're looking for more anniversary inspiration, check out John and Sherry's ideas over at Young House Love.

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Monday, August 2, 2010

Contest: Enter to Win Photo Book

Hooray! Another contest I am so excited to announce!

Lulu is offering:
  • a free hardcover photo book (of any size!) up to 20 pages (which is really 40 pages when you count the front and the back) plus free shipping to one lucky winner.
I love photo books. Matt and I made one of our wedding for each set of parents. My best friend used Lulu to make a memory wedding book for us. So awesome!

To enter:
  1. Leave your first name and first three letters of your last name in the comments section.
  2. Enter to win by Monday, August 2 at 11:59 EST (one entry per person, please--although you can get your partner to enter, too!).
  3. Cross your fingers!
Happy Entering...

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Animate rock scroll

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Animate rock scroll
Animate rock scroll
Release date 28 February 2005 (Update)
Members only? Yes
Quest item? One Small Favour, King's Ransom
Tradeable? No
Equipable? No
Stackable? No
High Alch 30 coins
Low Alch 20 coins
Destroy Drop
Store price Not sold
Weight 0 kg
An animate rock spell is written on this parchment.

The Animate rock scroll is a quest item used in the One Small Favour quest as well as in King's Ransom. It contains the spell Um nahi listic durooo-rah!. It is obtained by giving some iron oxide to Wizard Cromperty in Ardougne. The scroll is used on a girl named Petra who has been accidentally embedded into the rock face of a cave near the Fishing Guild. After using it on her, however, the player accidentally animates some nearby rocks, bringing Slagilith to life. The player must kill this creature before trying again and successfully releasing Petra. The animation of using this spell looks like Wind Wave.

Sometimes you would not be able to cast this, and you would receive an in-game message, "You don't feel that you should cast this with enemies around". If this happens, kill the giant bats and goblins directly outside the room to fix the problem.

If you try to cast this with Slagilith alive, you would receive this message, "You're a little too busy fighting to cast that right now."

Once she has been freed, the player must return to Phantuwti in Seers' Village in order to complete the next step in the quest.

In King's Ransom, it is needed to free King Arthur from the statue underneath the Black Knights' Fortress. The scroll is obtained again by simply talking to Wizard Cromperty.

Using animate rock scroll

A player using the Animate rock scroll.

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This article is about the Construction skill. For information on training Construction, see Construction training.
For a list of all items and upgrades within the Construction skill, see Construction/All milestones.

Also known as Con, Cons
Release date 31 May 2006 (Update)
Members only? Yes
Players with
as of 21 January 2017 - update
Players with
200M XP
as of 23 January 2017 - update

Construction is a members-only skill that allows players to build their own houses and provide furniture for them. To begin Construction, players must buy a house from one of the estate agents. A starter house will cost 1,000 coins, and will be in Rimmington. A level 40 Magic spell can then be used to teleport to the house, or players can walk to Rimmington, where there is a portal (Player-owned house icon icon on the map) that will teleport players to their house.

The house starts off with only a small room and garden, but more can be built. To build, go to the options menu, select house options, and set the build mode to on. Players will then see what looks like ghost-like "Hot Spots" where new objects can be built. See the Constructed items list for details on what you can build at what level. Players can also visit a friend's house if they are home and using the same portal. Construction is widely regarded as one of the most costly skills to level up.

Audio options icon
Construction level-up (link)
The first music that can be played when levelled up.
Audio options icon
Construction level-up (link)
The second music that can be played when levelled up.

Estate agentsEdit

Estate agents are located (identified with the house Real Estate icon icon on the map) in

House portalsEdit

Estate agents can move a player's house from its starter location Rimmington to a new location identified by the portal Player-owned house icon icon on the map.

Location Level Cost to move Map
Rimmington 1 5,000 POH location - Rimmington
Taverley 10 5,000 POH location - Taverley
Pollnivneach 20 7,500 POH location - Pollnivneach
Great Kourend 25 8,750 POH location - Great Kourend
Rellekka 30 10,000 POH location - Rellekka
Brimhaven 40 15,000 POH location - Brimhaven
Yanille 50 25,000 POH location - Yanille

Additional house location infoEdit

Location Advantages Disadvantages Skill Usage
  • Relatively far from a bank.
  • Far fewer nearby resources compared to Rimmington.
  • Nearest bank is the Rogues' Den.
  • You will need many house teleport tablets to use Rellekka effectively, as there is no bank in town.
  • Takes a long time to reach this location without teleports.

House stylesEdit

Estate agents can also redecorate the outside of your house for a fee.

Style Level Cost Notes
Basic wood 1 5,000
(it starts off as basic wood)
Looks like Rimmington
Deathly Mansion 1 35,000 Looks like Death's Mansion from the 2015 Hallowe'en event
Basic stone 10 5,000 Looks like Lumbridge, Varrock and such cities
Whitewashed stone 20 7,500 Looks like Al Kharid
Fremennik style wood 30 10,000 Looks like Rellekka
Tropical wood 40 15,000 Looks like houses in Karamja and East Ardougne
Fancy stone 50 25,000 Looks like Falador

It is worth noting that for each new style of house you get, the enter tune for the house changes, based on the style your house has.

There are many different rooms that can be added to houses. The house a player buys will begin with a garden and parlour, but more rooms can be added. Different rooms will require different Construction levels and will cost money.

Dining Room105,000
Skill Hall2515,000
Games room3025,000
Combat Room3225,000
Quest Hall3525,000
Costume Room4250,000
Portal Chamber50100,000
Formal Garden5575,000
Throne Room60150,000
Superior Garden6575,000
Treasure Room75250,000
Achievement Gallery80200,000

Maximum number of rooms and areaEdit

Up to level 49 Construction, a maximum of 23 rooms and gardens can be built. This rises to a maximum of 33 rooms at level 99 Construction.

There is also a maximum area that can be built on that also goes up with Construction level, starting at 3 rooms by 3 rooms up to 8 rooms by 8 rooms.

As your maximum house dimensions goes up, so does your yard space. Yard space increases by adding a row top the top of your current yard space, and a column to the right. You should plan accordingly should you desire a centred house, as increasing your construction overtime will off-center it.

Maximum number
of rooms
Maximum house
Yard space
1233 x 35 x 5
15234 x 46 x 6
30235 x 57 x 7
45236 x 68 x 8
50246 x 68 x 8
56256 x 68 x 8
60257 x 79 x 9
62267 x 79 x 9
68277 x 79 x 9
74287 x 79 x 9
75288 x 810 x 10
80298 x 810 x 10
86308 x 810 x 10
92318 x 810 x 10
96328 x 810 x 10
99338 x 810 x 10

Many different items are needed for Construction, especially planks, nails, cloth, bricks, soft clay, and steel bars.

Sawmill operatorEdit

Main article: Sawmill

There are two sawmill operators in the game and can be identified by the Saw mill icon icon on the minimap, their main purpose is to exchange logs into planks for a fee. They also sell other construction supplies such as bolts of cloth, some nails, and saws, by trading with them. A saw is essential to begin construction.

The Sawmills are located at Varrock Lumber Yard and in the Woodcutting Guild.

Nails can be made using the smithing skill from all types of bars. Additionally, the sawmill operator sells bronze, iron, and steel nails for 2, 3 and 5 coins each, respectively. When constructing objects using nails, there is a possibility that players will bend a nail. With higher level nails such as rune, this possibility becomes less likely. Because higher level nails are expensive, most players prefer to use mid-level nails such as iron or steel.

Players can buy various stoneworking materials from the stonemason in Keldagrim.

Limestone brick26
Marble block325,000
Gold leaf130,000
Magic stone975,000

Limestone bricks (21 coins) and limestone (10 coins) can also be bought from the Mort'ton building/general store.

Players can also mine their own limestone east of Varrock or Arandar and use a chisel to make it into limestone bricks.

Bagged plantsEdit

The Garden supplier in the Falador Park sells a variety of different plants that can be used by players in their Gardens and Formal Gardens.

Bagged dead tree1,000Garden
Bagged nice tree3,200Garden
Bagged oak tree 5,000Garden
Bagged willow tree 10,000Garden
Bagged maple tree15,000Garden
Bagged yew tree20,000Garden
Bagged magic tree50,000Garden
Bagged plant 11,000Garden
Bagged plant 25,000Garden
Bagged plant 310,000Garden
Thorny hedge5,000Formal Garden
Nice hedge10,000Formal Garden
Small box hedge 15,000Formal Garden
Topiary hedge 20,000Formal Garden
Fancy hedge25,000Formal Garden
Tall fancy hedge50,000Formal Garden
Tall box hedge100,000Formal Garden
Bagged flower5,000Formal Garden
Bagged daffodils10,000Formal Garden
Bagged bluebells15,000Formal Garden
Bagged sunflower5,000Formal Garden
Bagged marigolds10,000Formal Garden
Bagged roses15,000Formal Garden

Stuffed headsEdit

Players can get monster heads, randomly dropped from monsters, turned into frightening trophies at the Taxidermist in Canifis. These trophies can then be used in the Skill Hall.

Crawling Hand1,00038
Abyssal demon12,00058
King Black Dragon50,00078
Kalphite Queen50,00078

The taxidermist can also stuff your big bass, big swordfish and big shark, which are randomly obtained through fishing the correct type of fish.

Players can buy maps, landscapes and portraits for decoration by talking to a Sir Renitee in the White Knights' Castle - he's upstairs on the east side of the building. Additionally, the Herald can change a player's family crest, which appears throughout the house and on armour created by the player.

There are five different servants, which can do different things. If you already have a servant, you will need to fire him or her in order to hire a new servant. All servants are able to greet guests entering a players' home, but some will have different abilities, such as taking items to and from the bank or sawmill. The higher level servant you have, the faster his service is. After using a servant's services seven times, you will be asked to pay him or her again. After using a servant's services eight times, you are required to pay him or her or the servant will quit.

Servants can be found in the very northeastern building of Ardougne.

It is required that you have a second bedroom with a bed in your house to hire a servant.

ServantCostLevelFood ProvidedServicesItems
Cook3,00030Pineapple pizzaBank, Sawmill16
Butler5,00040Chocolate cakeBank, Sawmill20
Demon butler10,00050CurryBank, Sawmill26

Building oak furniture at your workbench provides a nice balance of cost and experience. You could also break down and build oak larders in your kitchen, which uses 8 planks each build and is thus as fast or faster than building oak furniture at your workbench which you have to drop.

You can use noted oak logs with your servant, who will exchange them for unnoted oak logs, and then send him to the sawmill to get oak planks.

At level 28 Construction, players can make Skill Hall armour stands, provided that they have either full Castle Wars armour or have 68 or higher smithing. These stands provide from 67.5-80 experience per oak plank (2 needed), and can be taken apart, allowing players to regain their armour. As most things made with oak planks provide only 60 experience per plank, this provides more experience, however, it is much slower than building oak larders which use 8 oak planks instead of 2.

For level 33-40, limestone seems to be a cheap option - building lots of fireplaces. After you have reached level 40 or above, you should switch back to oak because the experience will be too slow after this for you to level.

At level 74 Construction, dungeon oak doors (10 oak planks) will be faster than oak larders (8 oak planks); 4 dungeon doors instead of 5 larders for the same experience. In the skill room, or elsewhere, build a stairway going down to a dungeon stair room. Costs would be same as armour stands.

# Strategy Raw materials cost Butler costs Planking costs Cost per experience point (larders/workbench) Cost per experience point (rune or cw3 armour stands)[1]
1 Buy oak planks for 500 coins each, use them with your butler to exchange them for unnoted ones. 500 52 0 9.2 6.6
2 Buy oak logs for 50 coins each, use them with your butler to exchange them for unnoted ones, and then send him to the sawmill. 50 104.2 250 6.73 4.4
3 Use the Balloon transport system to go from Castle Wars to the Varrock sawmill (cost: 1 willow logs each time), cut your own oak logs and turn them into planks yourself, using a ring of dueling to bank. Same as strategy 1 in all other respects (rings of dueling and willow logs assumed to be largely free in calculation) 0 52 250 5 3.5
4 Use the Balloon transport system to go from Castle Wars to the Varrock sawmill (cost: 1 willow logs each time), cut your own oak logs and turn them into planks yourself. Teleport to your house with a tablet to do some construction work and use a ring of dueling to bank. Transport cost per log/plank is 840/24 or 35 coins. 0 35 250 4.75 3.45
5 Use same method as 4, but this time with teak logs from Managing Miscellania. 165 35 500 7.78 N/A
  1. Butler costs roughly halved if you're doing armour stands, because you only have 20 free inventory spots you may as well have a normal butler rather than a demon butler.

As we can see from the table, Construction costs at least 3 coins per experience point, and in practice, getting fast experience will mean spending closer to 6-7 coins per experience point.

Have a Dining Room near the Kitchen (if you're doing larders), the Workshop (if you're making flatpacks) or the Skill Hall (if you're making armour stands) and therefore a butler bell-pull so you can summon him quickly when he wanders off around the house. You can also keep him near you while training by starting to build before completing conversation with your butler. This will usually prevent them from moving.

This chart shows the experience given per object when each object is used.

Item Experience
Cost per Item Cost per Exp
Plank & Nails29372 - 897
(Depending on nail quality)
12.83 - 30.93
(Depending on nail quality)
Oak plank605028.37
Teak plank908549.49
Mahogany plank1402,10115.01
Soft clay1014014
Bolt of cloth1593162.07
Steel bar2050225.1
Limestone brick201949.7
Gold leaf300134,249447.5
Marble block450329,852733
Magic stone1,000979,713979.71

Get there fastEdit

Levels Strategy
1-14 Buy 500 iron nails and 120 planks then make crude wooden chairs.
14-17 Make rocking chairs.
17 Build a Workshop for 10,000 coins.
17-22 Buy 230 oak planks (no nails needed from this point on) and build pluming stands.
22 Build Dining Room for 5,000 coins.
22-32 Build oak dining tables (4 oak planks).
32-38 Build carved oak tables (6 oak planks). at your workbench. You will need around 235 oak planks.
38-46 Build teak tables, at your workbench, which you will need around 420 teak planks.
46 Build a steel framed workbench (6 oak planks and 4 steel bars).
46-52 Build carved teak tables (6 teak planks and 4 bolts of cloth) at your steel framed workbench. You will use around 620 teak planks.
52-99 Build mahogany tables in your Dining Room. You will use 92,140 mahogany planks
99 Build your house the way you want it.

Total suppliesEdit

level required
The Fremennik Isles5,00020
Cold War2,00034
The Great Brain Robbery2,00030
Darkness of Hallowvale2,000-8,0005
Tower of Life1,00010
The Eyes of Glouphrie2505

Temporary boostsEdit

Depending on the type of shelf, tea will give a 1, 2, or 3 level bonus. With a normal cup, tea gives +1 Construction. With a porcelain cup, tea gives +2 Construction. With a gold-rimmed cup, tea gives +3 Construction.

Tea cup Shelf Bonus
Clay Wooden 1-2, Oak 1 +1
Porcelain white Wooden 3, Oak 2, Teak 1 +2
Porcelain white with gold trim Teak 2 (Teak 1 with Butler glitch was fixed) +3
Other itemsNotes
Crystal saw Obtained from the The Eyes of Glouphrie +3
Evil Dave's spicy stew Made by adding orange spice to stew -5 to +5

The crystal saw will only work with items that require a saw to build them (will not work when building rooms, placing monsters or growing plants) It will also work simultaneously with bonuses from tea (to get max of +6) or Evil Dave's spicy stew, allowing for a maximum of +8 to Construction!

For the maximum effect in Evil Dave's stew, add the orange spice 3 times.

  • The watch, sextant and chart cannot be used in your house, trying to use it will give the message: "The sextant doesn't seem to work here".
  • In RuneScape Classic, there was a skill that had no use called Carpentry. The skill today of Construction was an updated version of this unused skill.

See alsoEdit

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Thursday, April 09, 2009

Nash-O'Neal Suns Truly Define "Quitting"

For quite some time, the Phoenix Suns had been pointing to last Sunday's showdown in Dallas as an important game, an opportunity to gain some serious ground in the race for the final Western Conference playoff berth--but after all of the buildup and all of the brave talk of closing out the season with eight straight wins, the Suns gave up 81 first half points en route to an embarrassing, humiliating and pathetic 140-116 loss that all but ended their playoff dreams (the Mavs officially clinched the final playoff spot on Wednesday, though the Mavs are not locked into the eighth position and could in fact move up). The Suns are without question the most disappointing NBA team this season and it is interesting that more attention/blame is not being focused on the two former MVPs who are ostensibly Phoenix' leaders: Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal.

Even with an injured Amare Stoudemire not being available down the stretch, it is inexcusable for a team as talented as the Suns to not make the playoffs--and it should be noted that the Suns were hardly tearing up the league even when Stoudemire played (30-23). With Stoudemire in the fold, the Suns have enough talent to be a championship contender, as they showed last season by going 15-5 down the stretch, including two victories over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Even without Stoudemire, the Suns easily are talented enough to be a playoff team and they should have been fighting for home court advantage in the first round instead of failing to snare the final spot. What the Suns lack is collective mental toughness and a commitment to defense, two flaws that are obviously connected.

Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich--a four-time NBA champion--recently told me specifically how LeBron James has improved defensively and why that has helped to make the Cleveland Cavaliers a serious title contender: "I think basically he is just taking more pride in it and playing it with more purpose, understanding when stops might be very important and taking it upon himself to set that kind of an example. That's important--when your best player sets a standard, at either end of the court, everybody else follows and it's infectious. I think that he has done that to a much greater degree than he did a couple years ago." Reasoning by analogy, when the best players on a team do not play defense with "purpose" and do not set "a standard" it is only logical to assume that their team will follow suit in that regard as well: say hello to Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal and the Phoenix Suns.

Nash and O'Neal focus most of their attention on scoring, not on defense; Nash favors an uptempo offensive style and his "defense" mainly consists of the dangerous maneuver of sliding under airborne players in an attempt to draw charges, while O'Neal is primarily concerned with how many times he receives the ball in the post. When O'Neal first came to Phoenix he talked about taking a complementary role on offense while helping to transform Stoudemire into a superstar but it sure did not take long for O'Neal to begin grumbling that he should be getting the ball in the post more often (even when Stoudemire was still healthy)--which is not to say that O'Neal is no longer effective but merely to emphasize that O'Neal is a lot more concerned about his offensive touches than about doing what has to be done for the team to win. Nash and O'Neal played a major role in running off new coach Terry Porter after just 51 games precisely because Porter dared to suggest that the Suns needed to concentrate more on defense. ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy rightly said that the way that Nash, Stoudemire and Grant Hill refused to buy in to Porter's system is a "blight" on their resumes--and O'Neal surely belongs on that "blight" list as well (ESPN's Marc Stein reported that during one of Porter's speeches to the team O'Neal bragged that things would be done differently after Alvin Gentry replaced Porter, which echoes the open disrespect that O'Neal displayed toward Stan Van Gundy in Miami before Van Gundy got the ax).

O'Neal had an excellent season in 2004-05--I thought that he deserved to win the regular season MVP instead of Nash--and he drew enough defensive attention in the 2006 NBA Finals to give Dwyane Wade room to go nuts and carry the Heat to the title but O'Neal's post-L.A. Lakers resume contains a lot of "blight": O'Neal presided over one of the quickest and largest collapses ever made by a championship team (from championship in 2006 to first round exit in 2007 to worst record in the league in 2008), then he went through an escape hatch to land in Phoenix where he has presided over that team's plummet from Western Conference contender to Draft Lottery participant in a year and a half. O'Neal deserves credit for still being a productive low post scorer at age 37 but the idea that he is a great teammate who everyone loves to play with surely must be questioned in light of what has happened to the Miami and Phoenix franchises under his leadership.

Watching the Mavericks shoot .600 from the field on Sunday versus the Suns as a supposedly aging Jason Kidd lit up Nash for 19 points and 20 assists (in just 30 minutes), one word kept popping into my mind: quitter. That was the allegation that was widely hurled at Kobe Bryant in the wake of the L.A. Lakers' 121-90 loss to (ironically) Phoenix in game seven of the first round of the 2006 playoffs. Bryant scored 23 first half points on 8-13 field goal shooting but in the second half he scored just one point and after the game I predicted that Bryant would be bombarded by criticism; sure enough, several commentators pounced on Bryant for allegedly pouting and quitting in the second half. I refuted those assertions thusly:

The whole scenario is very comical. Critics have spent this whole season--and much of Bryant's career--labelling Bryant a selfish gunner who cares more about scoring than winning, despite the fact that Bryant was the primary playmaker on three championship teams. Bryant did not shoot a lot for long stretches of the first four games of the series against Phoenix. Why should nefarious motives be ascribed to him not shooting during the third quarter of game seven, particularly since he was constantly double-teamed? The same guys who are blasting him now would have blasted him even more severely if he had attempted shots with two defenders on him. Mike Lupica made the comment that two defenders couldn't stop Bryant from hitting the game winner in game four, intimating that Bryant must have been pouting to not attempt more shots against double-teams in game seven. Of course Bryant can shoot--and connect--against double-teams. That is one of the things that makes him special and one of the major reasons that the Lakers even made the playoffs--but against Phoenix, Coach Phil Jackson made establishing an inside game the Lakers' top priority. Bryant went along and the strategy worked, to a point. But, as TNT's Kenny Smith astutely observed, guys who are not accustomed to being big time scorers are unlikely to be able to produce high point totals for the duration of a seven game series.

Bryant's production in the fourth quarter of game seven is a moot point, because the game was long out of reach by then; people who are making a big deal of him only attempting three shots in the entire second half are ignoring the fact that the Lakers had no realistic chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, whether Bryant sat for the whole quarter (like LeBron James did on Sunday--see below) or jacked up 15 shots in 12 minutes--even down the stretch of the third it was apparent that only a complete Phoenix collapse could save the Lakers. What happened in game seven is that Bryant played the same way that he played in the Lakers' wins but his teammates failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities to score against one-on-one (or one-on-none) coverage while two defenders shadowed Bryant's every move; how exactly is this Bryant's fault?

The LeBron James game referred to in that post was game six of Cleveland's series with Detroit; as it later turned out, game seven of the Detroit-Cleveland series provided an even better comparison with Bryant's game seven performance, as James scored just six points on 1-9 second half shooting in a 79-61 Detroit victory. In the first half of that game, James scored 21 points on 10-15 shooting--virtually identical numbers to Bryant's first half production in game seven versus Phoenix--but in the wake of James' subpar second half no one suggested that James had quit. After the Detroit-Cleveland game I wrote:

Yet I would be willing to bet that no one is going to accuse LeBron of being selfish or quitting or pouting--and don't tell me that this was different because the game was close for a longer stretch of time or that LeBron was being more aggressive than Kobe. LeBron's "aggressiveness" in the second half consisted of taking forced jumpers, committing offensive fouls and attempting off balance drives; it was not a productive aggressiveness. What happened in both game sevens to these superstars is very simple: their teammates did not meet the challenge of playing in a game seven. Neither Kobe nor LeBron could accumulate assists because none of their teammates could make a shot. Their teammates were so inept that the other team could double-team them at will and then send even more defenders once they put the ball on the floor. Kobe did the best that he could to carry his team to a game seven and then to give his team the best chance to win that game seven--and so did LeBron. The question is why will these two performances be written about and discussed in such different terms. The answer is simple: a lot of people don't like Kobe--they are "haters" and whether Kobe shoots 30 times or 3 they will always criticize him.

Why do I blame Nash and O'Neal for the Suns' blowout loss to Dallas on Sunday and the team's disappointing season but not blame Bryant or James for those game seven losses? Simple--Nash and O'Neal have a very good supporting cast this year in Phoenix, while in 2006 neither Bryant nor James had good enough supporting casts to beat Phoenix and Detroit respectively. In fact, it is a tribute to the greatness of both Bryant and James that they forced those series to seven games. James had more help that season than Bryant did but James' supporting cast was clearly neither talented enough nor mentally strong enough to compete with a powerful Pistons team in a series deciding game in Detroit.

Look at the boxscore of the Suns-Lakers game: Lakers not named Kobe Bryant shot 24-75 from the field (and they played even worse on defense than they did on offense). The other four Lakers starters in that game were Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Smush Parker and Luke Walton: Odom remains a talented enigma, Parker is out of the league and Walton and Brown are best suited to being reserve players, yet Bryant led that group to the seventh playoff seed in the competitive Western Conference and then carried them to a seventh game against a bona fide championship contender.

Three years ago, I maintained that if Bryant had played with Nash's supporting cast he would have taken that team to the Finals, while if Nash had been saddled with Bryant's supporting cast he would not even have made the playoffs. We will never be able to test that hypothesis in the real world but I think that the performance of this season's Suns team provides some strong evidence supporting my assertion: Stoudemire started in more than 60% of the Suns' games this season, but even leaving him completely out of the equation, would you take that 2006 Lakers group that Bryant carried to the seventh seed over the Suns' current starting lineup of Nash, O'Neal, Grant Hill, Jason Richardson and Matt Barnes that will miss the playoffs entirely? If you have to think more than a second before answering that question then you are at the wrong website and should go back to ESPN.com, Yahoo! or SlamOnline for your NBA "analysis."

This story would not be complete without mentioning that in the wake of carrying that ragtag Lakers crew to the playoffs, Bryant received more first place votes (22) in the 2006 NBA MVP voting than anyone except for Nash (57) but Bryant finished fourth overall (behind Nash, James and Dirk Nowitzki) because more than 20 voters--one sixth of the pool--left him off of their ballots completely, meaning that they did not consider Bryant to be one of the top five players in the NBA. I will never understand how anyone can objectively look at that season and not conclude that Bryant was clearly the best player in the NBA and it is absurd that anyone could suggest that he was not even among the top five performers.

Why am I talking about the 2006 NBA MVP race and a 2006 Suns-Lakers playoff game in a post about the 2009 Phoenix Suns? Simple--history is important and context is important: that 2006 NBA MVP race is a permanent part of NBA history and the faulty commentary about that 2006 playoff game is still used as a hammer to chisel away at Bryant's reputation; I recently had a discussion with another writer about this year's MVP race and he cited that game as "proof" of a character flaw in Bryant in contrast to LeBron James, who--ironically enough, as noted above--had a virtually identical second half performance in a much closer game seven playoff loss that very same year.

As time passes, the faulty NBA commentary and biased MVP voting from past seasons are being completely exposed, while insights that I offered three years ago that may have been ignored at that time have proven to be quite prescient. I concluded my post about the 2006 game seven between Detroit and Cleveland with this analysis:

Near the end of the season, I wrote an article for ProBasketballNews.com in which I said that Kobe should be voted MVP; I ranked LeBron fifth "with a bullet" at that time. I would move LeBron up to number two after seeing him perform in the playoffs. He is still not good enough defensively to be placed ahead of Kobe. During the ABC telecast of game seven, Hubie Brown repeatedly pointed out that Tayshaun Prince was the one Detroit player who consistently met or exceeded his regular season performance throughout the series. Prince had a superb game seven and he played 47 minutes--which is nothing new for him since he led Detroit in minutes played during the series. Well, who had the primary defensive responsibility on Prince? LeBron James. There was a beautiful play in the second half when Hamilton came off of a baseline screen and received a pass in the lane; LeBron turned his head and Prince cut to the basket, drawing a foul. LeBron's on ball defense has improved a lot and he uses his athleticism to get steals and blocked shots in the open court but his off the ball defense is still not at a championship level. I am sure that he will improve in this area. In one of the post-game press conferences during this series, LeBron talked about not listening to what Charles Barkley or other critics say about his game--but he then listed some of what has been said about him, showing that he is indeed aware of his shortcomings and has worked hard to eliminate them. If their teams improve their rosters just a little bit, Kobe and LeBron will be battling for MVP trophies and championships for years to come.

While it may not have been an entirely bold prediction to suggest that Bryant and James would be top MVP contenders for the next several seasons, how many other people asserted in 2006 that in a short time the Lakers and Cavs would soon be in the hunt for championships? James has methodically and ruthlessly attacked the skill set weaknesses that I mentioned above and in other posts, while Bryant's Lakers upgraded a subpar supporting cast enough so that Bryant is no longer going into gun battles with "butter knives." Bryant and James have consistently done everything in their power to help their teams win, with Bryant continuing to maintain the best all-around skill set in the NBA and James eliminating his few weaknesses one by one; can Nash and O'Neal honestly say the same thing about their performances--not just their offensive statistics but their leadership and their focus (or lack thereof) on defense--for the 2009 Suns?

Labels: , , , ,

posted by David Friedman @ 5:27 PM

links to this post

At Thursday, April 09, 2009 7:43:00 PM, Blogger FreeCashFlow said...

Keep setting the record straight, David.

People will come back to this site in 10 years when they want to get the truth, not some "history" re-written and perpetuate by the collective forces in power.

At Thursday, April 09, 2009 8:09:00 PM, Blogger TP said...

I appreciate and respect your commentaries and insights but I am now beyond puzzled. Why must everything revolve around Kobe Bryant for you? Nash, Shaq and the Suns' failings are clearly evident on their own. Forcing this into yet another discussion about Kobe makes it harder to consider you a balanced source. Thanks for your continuing good work.

At Thursday, April 09, 2009 8:15:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

At this point in their career, asking O'Neal and Nash to improve their defense is wishful thinking. I also think that if they gave inspiring speeches to their teammates, well... since they're not even that good defensively in the first place I don't think it will have the intended effect.

I do not, for one second, believe that having your team leader slack off on defense excuses you. Defense is about effort and pride. If Amare doesn't rebound or defend, it's 100% Amare's fault. Look at how Antonio McDyess plays even though Detroit is going down the tubes. In real life, if your co-worker slacks off, does that mean you can slack off too?

I don't think Shaq was wrong in demanding the ball. If your near 60% scorer wants the ball, you give it to him. He was always a good passer out of the post and always made good decisions there. Either way they go about it, offense was never their problem so it doesn't matter.

Other than that, I agree, they totally quit on their coach.

At Thursday, April 09, 2009 11:47:00 PM, Blogger David Friedman said...

This post could be classified as a "meta" analysis not only of this year's Suns but of several larger issues as well:

1) How basketball teams and players should properly be analyzed in general.

2) Specific fallacies concerning how Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash were analyzed by many people in 2006.

3) The deep set biases and/or incompetence that render a large portion of "mainstream" basketball commentary utterly ridiculous.

To put it in simpler terms, some fools said years ago that Kobe Bryant "quit" in game seven. That is an asinine statement. On the other hand, it could very reasonably be argued that Nash and O'Neal "quit" this season, in the sense that they were not committed to playing good defense on a night in, night out basis and that lack of commitment permeated their entire team. Sunday's game represented the culmination of that lack of commitment, yet most "mainstream" commentators neither understand that their 2006 statements about Bryant were incorrect nor do they truly understand what is wrong with this current Suns team.

Anyone who considers what I am doing to be "imbalanced" simply does not understand what I am saying or has his own agenda.

At Friday, April 10, 2009 12:03:00 AM, Blogger David Friedman said...

This is not about giving speeches. The point is that the leaders set the tone for how an organization operates. Nash and O'Neal set a tone that defense does not matter and that Coach Porter did not have to be respected because he was not going to be around for long.

For years I've been hearing about how Nash "makes his teammates" better and how people love to play with Shaq but hate playing with Kobe. Nash is a great point guard and Shaq was a great center and is still arguably the third best center in the NBA but Nash was not working some kind of magic circa 2005-07: he did his part but he also had a very good team around him and it could be argued that a truly MVP level player--let alone a two-time MVP winner--would have won at least one championship with those teams (put Kobe, LeBron or Duncan on those Suns teams and they would have won a championship). Don't get me started on the annual sob stories out of Phoenix about why the Suns did not win; every team that won a championship overcame some kind of adversity, whether it was injuries, bad calls or anything else; the best teams live by the motto articulated by recent Cleveland squads, namely being "no excuse teams," a description that certainly could not be applied to the Suns teams of the past several years--they could have published a calendar with an excuse for every day of the year (which is not to say that they did not face some adversity but merely to point out that every team faces adversity but only some teams complain about it so much).

I thought that Nash was underrated prior to arriving in Phoenix--much like Mark Price was during his career--but once he came to Phoenix I think he became overrated (he was the best point guard in the NBA, not the best player in the entire league). So, I think that Nash got a little too much credit for the Suns' success and he and O'Neal are not getting quite enough "credit" for this year's debacle.

As for Shaq demanding the ball, as I indicated in the post, I am not saying that he can't score or even that he should not want the ball; the problem with him--dating back to his prime in L.A.--is that he is more focused on getting touches than on playing defense. That is what he and Kobe were really feuding about, not all of the nonsense that the media talked about: Kobe has always been a two-way player who worked hard in practice, while Shaq is largely an offensive player who constantly has to be prodded to defend and to work hard in practice; it is not coincidental that Shaq's best defensive years are the ones in which the Lakers won titles.

At Friday, April 10, 2009 1:19:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

shaq has been great for league and all but his work ethic at time could be question not nearly as muchas overated nash. shaq has 4 rings so and 6 finals so he's worked very hard in his career i dont know what kobe is doing or did back then has to do with how the suns are playing now. you said if kobe had nash supporting cast he would get to finals probably so i agree nash shouldt of won mvp those years he did. shaq was good enough defensively to win 4 titles last i checked bird and magic werent greatest defensive players but got 8 rings combined so shaq being all time great defender or not is moot point.

At Friday, April 10, 2009 3:09:00 AM, Blogger David Friedman said...

Shaq has worked hard during games, particularly on offense, but he could have worked harder in terms of conditioning and also in terms of his defense.

The post is about how to properly define "quitting," so I made a comparison between an erroneous accusation of quitting and a situation that truly exemplifies quitting. Reasoning by analogy is one of the most powerful ways to make an argument, so this post is not solely about today's Suns or how Kobe played three years ago--as I said in one of my earlier comments, this could be considered "meta" analysis of basketball and basketball commentary.

Bird and Magic were not great one on one defenders (though Bird actually made the All-Defensive Second Team a couple times) but they did understand the importance of team defense and played for teams that knew how to protect the paint and get key defensive stops. Both of them were also adept at playing the passing lanes and getting steals.

At Saturday, April 11, 2009 5:55:00 AM, Blogger Barry said...

anyone else notice the AIR BALL kobe uncorked in his last shot against portland earlier tonight? that was clutch.

At Saturday, April 11, 2009 6:50:00 AM, Blogger David Friedman said...

That's some deep NBA analysis; one air ball definitely outweighs Kobe's career full of achievements and is more significant than the way that O'Neal and Nash led the Suns down the tubes due to their indifference regarding defense. With insight like that, all you need to do is create your own basketball blog and you are sure to be a part of the True Hoop Network by next week--or maybe you can do some game notes for Slam Online.

At Saturday, April 11, 2009 12:51:00 PM, Blogger TP said...

David, while I appreciate your thoughtful response, it is hard to understand what you hope to gain by suggesting that 'Anyone who considers what I am doing to be "imbalanced" simply does not understand what I am saying or has his own agenda.'

I have no agenda here and understand quite well what you attempted to prove in your post. My confusion (and the reason I commented to begin with) is with your insistence on including Kobe in this and so many other conversations that seem unnecessary. Attempting to bully someone, in this case me, by questioning my understanding or motivation is also unnecessary and seems likely to stifle not promote open discussion.

Do you disagree?

At Sunday, April 12, 2009 2:59:00 AM, Blogger David Friedman said...

When this post is read and considered on its own merits it is apparent that it is not "imbalanced." I don't feel the need to justify how often or how seldom I mention a particular player or team. I made comparisons that seem apt to me and explained quite clearly my reasoning. That is not to say that I am always right or that no one can disagree with my take on a given issue but I find no rational justification for anyone to suggest that my writing is "imbalanced" in the sense that it is biased for or against particular players or teams (in a broader sense, everyone is "biased" by his knowledge--or lack thereof--his life experiences, etc., but I am not biased or imbalanced in the sense of consciously and deliberately favoring certain teams or players).

I did not mean to "bully" you or suggest that you are calling my work "imbalanced"; I simply intended to state quite forcefully that I completely reject the idea that my work is "imbalanced." The resident blogger at ESPN openly acknowledges that he is a Portland fan and that bias is quite evident in many of the stories that he features and in the takes that he provides on certain issues. A blogger with "Knicks" in the very name of his blog recently attempted--with poor analytical skills and even worse writing skills--to act as if he has a more objective take on the Knicks than I do. I take objectivity quite seriously and I think that this site nearly stands alone as an objective beacon in a sea of basketball websites that have agendas that are either openly declared or lurk just below the surface.

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My Soundtrack: Michael Kiwanuka

by Rolling Stone Australia | September 8th, 2016 4:18:PM EST

In front of a picturesque Sydney skyline, British R&B sensation Michael Kiwanuka shares the songs that have provided the soundtrack to his life — alongside accompanying stories of growing up, touring across Europe and his jealously of Daft Punk — in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone Australia.

Earlier this year, Kiwanuka released his second full-length, Love & Hate, to widespread praise, including Rolling Stone Australia's Michael Dwyer who described the album as a "marriage of celestial atmosphere, heart-sinking melodies".

Kiwanuka is currently on tour across the UK, with dates scheduled throughout Europe and North America between now and the end of the year.

Rolling Stone


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ranger 24india news

Acting on a summary moved by the Sindh Home Department, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Tuesday night extended powers of paramilitary Rangers in Karachi for another 77 days.

The government extended the Rangers’ powers with the same mandate, which the force has been enjoying in the metropolis since 2013.

Extension in Rangers’ policing powers awaits Sindh CM’s nod

The Rangers additional powers were going to expire on Tuesday night, May 3.  The special powers have been extended till July 19.

With these additional powers, Rangers are allowed to seal exit/entry points and conduct searches in all districts of Karachi. These powers enable the force to carry out search operations without any warrants.

A summary of extension in special powers for the Pakistan Rangers had been facing a delay on the grounds that Sindh CM was out of Karachi.

The provincial government handed over policing powers to the paramilitary force on 10th November 2013 under Tahafuz-e-Pakistan Ordinance on the directions of the federal government.

Karachi operation: Sindh extends Rangers powers

On Saturday, the interior ministry sent a letter to the provincial authorities, requesting a 77-day extension in the powers of the Rangers, as these were reaching a deadline on Tuesday.


text:
Alex Wiley – Jerseys & Loafers (Force One Seven Remix) f. Vic Mensa

blame it on Shake September 10, 2013

To celebrate his debut show in New York City (at Santos on September 25th), Alex Wiley drops off the official remix to his Vic Mensa-assisted “Jerseys & Loafers.” Exchanging Chuck Inglish’s original beat with the sounds of Force One Seven.

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RTOPO 1.5 free download
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  • STDU Viewer - an advanced PDF, DjVu and multi-page TIFF viewer — If you occupation involves a lot of reading (especially of technical texts), you may have noticed that all the documents usually come in one of the following formats: PDF, DjVu and multipage TIFF. Unfortunately, these are three independent file formats that require separate viewers, which creates a certain problem. If you need an all-in-one viewer that will read all these formats with equal efficiency, make sure not to miss STDU Viewer! STDU…
  • PDF-XChange Viewer - a powerful free PDF viewer and editor — PDF files are so popular today that you can find them anywhere on the web. They are used for anything — from a booklet of an online car dealership to the menu of a Mexican restaurant around the corner. PDF’s are compact, have an excellent compression/quality ratio and are used universally, so what else would you look for in a perfect document format? Easy editability. PDF-XChange Viewer is an extremely…
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  • CPUSpy 1.044 — CPUSpy tests your processor and using an internal database of most common CPUs, displays CPUID data such as cache details, cache and CPU speed, processor features, processor name, IP, OS and drives in a tabbed window. Supports HTML exporting of data.
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  • DnsSpeeder - an efficient tool that will help you speed up your web surfing through DNS caching — There are many ways of improving your browsing speed — from switching to a higher-speed connection to disabling the display of «hefty» and often unnecessary elements (such as Flash movies) in your browser. These are some of the most obvious and common approaches to browsing speed improvement. However, there are other methods that can help you cut server response times and get websites to load faster to your browser…
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Our Mission at 40:20 Vision

Women have more choices and freedom today – to marry or stay single, to have children alone, in wedlock or not at all, to work or stay at home, start a company or enter the gig economy — to name a few.  Sometimes more choices are overwhelming — it’s harder to choose what is “right” and easier to wonder what if.

Women in their 40’s today are part of the first wave of women to see the other side of all these choices — the consequences of delaying marriage, fore-going childbirth or following an unexpected career path —  in large numbers. And while we all have made different decisions, what we all have in common by the time we hit our 40s is the confidence of making decisions that are right for us. We feel stronger, sexier and smarter than ever. We may still have shit happen to us, but we now have a whole vault of experiences to get us through the downs (and we know there is always an up on the other side). We can draw on this learning to help us make better decisions…or at least know what we are getting ourselves into. And that is a magical power.

It is that learning from experience that we hope to pass on as an oral history, a collective memoir – a vision of the other side so you can get a sense if the grass is greener or not – and perhaps get a head start on making your own best decisions. Many women have said, “Wow if 20-something women had that power, it would be kick-ass world for everyone. They would actually be as cocky as they act. So watch out world. Stop, listen and then decide for yourself.”

About the Ambassador Program

Our ambassadors will serve as 40:20 Vision’s eyes and ears in their local cities, supporting our mission of helping 20-something women get a head start on making great decisions about their career, life, relationships, and more using the collective wisdom of 40-somethings and beyond (and everything in-between). When we share our wisdom in a collaborative, mentor-like setting, we can all have better than 20:20 Vision.

Specifically, 40:20 Vision Ambassadors interview local women in their city who inspire them. The women who are a step or two ahead in their career and are making an impact in their organization or community. 40:20 Vision creates the space to help women have lightbulb moments faster as they hear from savvy 40-somethings and beyond about “what they know now that they wish they knew then!”


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description:Minecraft Stickman Showdown is a Puzzle game on TheHotGames.Com. You can play Minecraft Stickman Showdown in your browser for free.Minecraft like you've never seen it before! Our Game Tribute Legion 2 Competition Winner! - Total AG Ratings: 4.0 (1097 Vote)

All copyrights and trademarks of this game are held by owners and their use is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright Law.

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text: (Chicago, IL)  --  Chicago fast food and retail workers are staging a walkout today to demand better pay.  Workers from 30 downtown fast food eateries and retail outlets have joined forces for their "Fight for 15" campaign.  The workers are pushing for a minimum hourly wage of at least 15-dollars for low-skilled employees working downtown.  They also want union representation.  The protest is taking place along Michigan Avenue and State Street.


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Another Successful Year For KONY Coins For Kids!

Post 391 of 415

coins for kidsHow do I say thanks? I know that these words may seem inadequate…..but all I can say is THANK YOU! Maybe BLESS YOU would be more appropriate. Let me first say thanks to all of our donors to KONY Coins For Kids. Somehow we pulled it off once again. This time we hit our goal about 7:00 pm while we were shopping on Wednesday night. Thanks to all of those who volunteered to help shop, wrap, and those who will help deliver tonight. When you start to think of the number of people involved with donating, shopping, wrapping, delivering, or in any way contributing to the success of this charity, it would result in literally THOUSANDS of residents in this incredible community. Thanks to KONY Country and Canyon Media for supporting us in what we do. Thanks to all of our CFK sponsors. Great supporters like Star Nursery, Wal-Mart, The Dixie Center, Boulevard Home Furnishings, Stephen Wade Auto and the Wade Family Foundation, Toys for Tots, Rainbow Sign and Banner, IV Seasons Auto, TCN, Yesco Sign, Snow and Nelson, Ence Homes, Preston’s, Dixie Direct, U-Haul, Malibu Cleaners, and so many others that I know I’m missing right now. Please forgive my bad memory!  From the applications process to the final delivery of toys, there are dozens more great businesses and individuals that I haven’t mentioned that play a big role in this mammoth task. Our chairman Brian Musso is the man that makes it happen every year. He works tirelessly with very little credit or accolades to bring this about every year! Our board members are incredible……countless hours given to the charity with NO PAY but only a desire to give to the children. Yes, we do it for the kids. I don’t think there’s another community in the country of similar size that raises so much money and helps so many kids as the marvelous southern Utah area. Again, thanks Southern Utah! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

This article was written by CARL LAMAR


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The African American Family & Cultural Center opened in 2011 as a MHSA funded collaboration between Youth for Change, Butte County Department of Behavioral Health. The idea of the cultural center was to create a place to restore cultural values and identity as well as offer programs and services pertaining to mental health to families in the surrounding community.

We believe that by increasing awareness of the many mental health issues within our community, and with the right resources and guidance that the community can be healed and we will create vibrant lives.

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Ag leaders disappointed with announced water allocations

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West side farmers in the Central Valley project hoped for the best but most were prepared for the worst. (KFSN)

The wet winter and healthy snowpack had many valley farmers hoping they would receive a decent water supply this year.

But west-side growers who rely on federal water won't get much. Last year they received zero allocation due to drought conditions, but on Friday word came that they will get just 5 percent.

Despite an above average rainy season, farmers on the Valley's west side won't get much relief from the US Bureau of Reclamation. Their initial Federal Water Allotment of 5 percent of normal was not well-received.

"I don't know that there are words that describe my reaction," ag commissioner Les Wright said. "It's just plain despicable."

Many people who live in western Fresno County rely on the work provided by agriculture, so a 5 percent allocation came as a big disappointment.

"What's going to happen to happen to all the jobs and all the people out in Firebaugh, Mendota, in Huron, Coalinga?" farmer Shaun Ramirez of Firebaugh wondered. "These are communities that have been producing better yields and more food than any other place in the nation."

This year we've seen flood releases from Shasta and Folsom dams in northern California because of all the snow.

Most of that water, though, doesn't make it to San Luis Reservoir and growers in the Westlands Water District.

"What's happening here in the Central Valley is all because of laws and regulations that have completely strangled the ability to move water through the delta," said Johnny Amaral with the water district.

Frustrated farmers hoped for a higher allotment because of this an El Nino year.

"The bigger question mark becomes are we even around for the long term at this point," Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen said. "Here we are on a closer to average year and we're looking at a 5 percent allocation. We can't survive on that."

Farmers who rely on federal water from Friant Dam fared slightly better. But growers said a 30 percent allocation would not be enough to recharge their groundwater supply.

Farmers who rely on federal water from Friant Dam fared slightly better, but growers say a 30 percent allocation is not enough to recharge their groundwater supply.
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OTRC: Darren Criss makes Broadway debut in 'How to Succeed'

Darren Criss appears in a promotional photo for the Broadway musical 'How To Success In Business Without Really Trying,' posted on the show's Facebook page on January 1, 2011. (facebook.com/H2SBway)

Darren Criss, who plays Blaine Anderson on "Glee," made his debut on Tuesday night in the Broadway musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

Criss took over "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe's role of J. Pierrepont Finch, a window washer who aims to climb the ranks at the World Wide Wickets Company in New York City. Criss will appear in the show, which marks his Broadway debut, until January 22, when Nick Jonas will take over.

Criss made his "How To Succeed" debut to a sold-out crowd and was joined on-stage by Beau Bridges, who also made his debut in the musical.

The 24-year-old "Glee" actor greeted a mob of fans after the show and told them, "Anybody that can hear the sound of my voice. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is a very special night for me, so thank you," reports OK magazine.

The New York Daily News said of his performance, "Darren - unlike the guy he plays - doesn't need to consult a book for pointers on how to succeed. He could write it."

Criss rehearsed during a break from filming "Glee" and told fans on Twitter, "So I've been gone from the Internet for the past two weeks- been busy getting ready and excited for my opening of 'How To Succeed' on B-Way!"

The musical is based on a satirical self-help book and stars Beau Bridges as J.B. Biggley, the president of the firm. Radcliffe, 22, has played Finch since the musical, a revival of a 1960s show, opened in previews in February. He departed the show on January 1, when his contract was set to end.

On "Glee," one of the FOX network's most successful shows, Criss' character was a leading singer of a rival club who got involved in a relationship with a male member of the main glee club and transferred schools. The San Francisco native has said that as a child, he listened to cast record recordings of musicals such as "Les Miserables" as well as pop songs. When he was older, he began writing and performing music and was discovered from his YouTube videos, which ironically included one called "A Very Potter Musical," based off of Radcliffe's "Harry Potter."

To order tickets to "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," go to the show's website).

(Copyright ©2017 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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We went in search of "Borat" and were shooed away with brooms.

We tried getting to the bottom of arguably the most offensive movie in theaters this year, and people told us they'd like to kill the star, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

Barring that, they're going to sue him!

The Romanian village of Glod stands in for Kazakhstan in the film, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

Glod literally means mud, and that's only some of what its people would like to sling at Cohen and his production company.

About 85 miles from Romania's capital, Bucharest, Glod looks like something out of the Middle Ages.

About 1,400 people live in Glod, and, by Western standards, one could say they are dirt poor.

The air is rancid, probably from the fires that burn on the outskirts of the village. The sight of old women carrying wood is common as is the manure that litters the narrow roads. The majority of villagers live on welfare benefits. Some try to make a living by selling their produce, such as fruits and mushrooms, while others sell woven baskets and slabs of stone.

"These people will do anything for money. Of course they were going to take part in [the film]," said the deputy mayor of the five-town region where the film was shot. "They thought they were earning money for not doing a lot of work."

Can you blame them? Being in a movie is fun. Unless, of course, you are portrayed as a rapist, hooker or prostitute, as some of the people in Glod were.

Many villagers were hesitant to talk with us; others refused to talk with us unless we paid them -- and we would not. They were especially hostile the second time we went to the village. There were a couple of screaming matches between our local fixers and the villagers who initially thought we were shooting a similar movie.

Our guide for the day was local councillor Nicolae Staicu, who told us the villagers had been approached by a lawyer, and surprise, ABC News has learned that a German lawyer named Michael Witte will be filing suit in the United States next week against Cohen and 20th Century Fox.

Witte made headlines six years ago when he helped win Holocaust victims compensation from the German government and industry. So maybe it's not all about the money.

"We were mocked and should have made much more money," said Staicu, who has joined with the son of a character in the film to rally the town against the Hollywood studio.

In the movie, Spiridon Ciorbea is portrayed as a local mechanic who performs abortions on the side.

We found him welding a green iron gate. He told us he was paid $70 for his role in the movie and had no idea what his cameo role was in Cohen's fictional road trip.

"Yes, I fix cars and I'm a welder, but I know nothing about abortions. How can I do anything like that with these hands that are full of scars?"

The grandfather of 11 children threatened to attack Borat, if Cohen came back to face him.

"If he does, I will hit him over the head with this hammer." With a wide smile, his teeth brimming with gold, he said, "If a lawsuit goes ahead, I will sue."

"I was stunned. How could he show my father in such a way?" asked Ciorbea's son Ion. He too has a message for Cohen: "If I see Borat, I will kill him with my own hands."

Paulina Solomon also has a bone to pick with Borat. She showed us her contribution to the movie, which earned her $100.

Her old, blue Dacia car served as Borat's horse-drawn vehicle.

"They took it to Bucharest, and when they brought it back the engine was full of sand. I had to pay $500 to get it fixed. I want my money back," she said.

And then we met the man who owns "Borat's house."

It's more like a shack, but no we didn't see a cow in the living room. Gherorghe Luca owns the house. He was so opposed to talking to us, he began screaming.

We were of course invading his town, so we don't really blame him. Luca's wife shooed us away with a broom.

"There is no point in suing. Nothing will change," said one of the neighbors who also said that Cohen's production company had called her telling her not to waste time contacting a lawyer because they "won't get anything."

Greg Brilliant, a spokesman for 20th Century Fox, defended the behavior of the film production team in Glod, in a phone interview with ABCNEWS.com.

He said the villagers involved "were extras that were hired to be in a movie. They were paid to do that. Nobody was made fun of."

Brilliant went on to say that the movie "is a satire that has a message of tolerance. It exposes bigotry and racism."

He also highlighted Cohen's generosity to Glod, saying the comedian had given $10,000 to the village.

Not everyone is angry at the comedian with the moustache.

Luca Irina, who also goes by the name of Chocolata, blurted out, "Borat is the best. He is funny."

She showed us the dance moves that earned her a small role in the movie. Irina also happens to be the only person in Glod who has seen the movie.