I’ve been enjoying my new car over the last few weeks!  It’s been so long since the last one and on those days when I’m not thinking, I’ll still search the parking lot for it; like I did last night!

Once upon a time I had a red Chevy Blazer with red vinyl interior that was Armor-All’ed to be slicker than a non-stick frying pan.  Anyways, I was coming out of a store one day and spotted a red blazer in the parking lot.  I unlock the door and proceed to sit in the driver’s seat.  it was at that point I noticed some books in the passenger floor board.  That’s funny, I don’t remember putting books there.  Well after scratching my head about this for a few seconds I realized thsi was the wrong blazer!  So I quietly open the door and exit the vehicle making sure to lock the door again.  After a quick look around, I found another red Blazer…MY Blazer.  I felt so stupid and wondered the odds that my key would open another GM product and that it would look exactly like mine!

So the economy is getting a bit stronger but there are still many professionals still looking for work.  Could it be your are not getting that job because of too much experience?  Just because you have enough work experience to cover three pages doesn’t mean you need to include it all on your resume. In fact, trimming your resume to create a more targeted message about your skills and achievements can be a better way to land your next job. Most employers are interested in knowing only the most applicable ways your skills can help their organization, and a concise resume is the first step. “It’s vital to make sure the relevant information is at the forefront and easily viewed by the reader,” says resume expert Charlotte Weeks and founder of Weeks Career Services. Not sure which experience to leave off your resume? Here’s what to consider:

Decades-old experience
Most hiring managers don’t care what you did 20 years ago, unless it was something truly spectacular. As you revamp your resume, be sure to focus on the last 10 years of your experience, with only a few mentions of previous achievements to provide breadth. But there’s always a caveat: If the role you held 20 years ago is still essential to your experience and it won’t make you appear overqualified, leave it in.

Appearing overqualified
Jam-packing your resume with too much experience can hinder your chances of getting hired. Most recruiters and hiring managers are looking for candidates with just the right amount of experience. As a general rule, shave off experience “when you’ve been working a lot longer than the years required for the job,” Weeks says.

Unrelated industry jobs
Once you’ve racked up enough experience, it’s OK to skip the mention of your summer college job or a position you held in an unrelated industry. While leaving it on your resume can demonstrate work ethic, it can also create a cluttered document that can confuse recruiters. As you gain more experience, most recruiters expect that irrelevant positions will no longer be listed on your resume.

Short-term jobs
Even if it pertains to your field, there’s typically no need to include a short-term position. For example, if you’re applying for a marketing manager role and you held a three-month stint in a marketing department five years ago, feel free to take it off. The only instance where keeping a short position on your resume is beneficial is if it is the only proof of industry experience.

Internships
When you’re just starting out, your internships are everything. However, as you progress in your career, these internships should be replaced with a more solid employment history that includes more permanent positions.

Create different versions
As you whittle down your resume, there’s no need to think you need to make the same trims for every position, Weeks says. For each position, she suggests looking at the specific job positing to see what of your experience is most relevant. “See what requirements they’re seeking, and make sure you include this information — if you legitimately have it — on your resume,” she says.

Condense work experience
Not sure how to fit in your most recent experience on your resume? One trick is to condense other bullet points. The older the job, the less information you need to provide about your role and achievements, Weeks says. As you build your resume, it’s important to take time to reassess the applicability of your experience. Since most resumes are one to two pages, it’s important to constantly edit to keep only the most relevant parts of your experience. This can be difficult with a 20- or 30-year employment history, but it’s often the only way to get hired.

Guess Snooki from ‘The Jersey Shore” is doing what seems to be a new trend; launching a perfume.  That’s right, for a moderate price I’m sure, you too can smell like Snooki.  I wonder if it’s the smell of stale cigarettes, B.O. and liquor?!?! Oohhh!  Sorry..I couldn’t resist   Have a great day~Chris Malone

Happy Wednesday!  Being somewhat in the south we  all know the powers of duct tape.  It can repair just about anything right?  Apparently this was the thinking of  a Ryan Air flight crew.  A plane with 200 passengers on board had to turn back after tape used to patch up a pilot’s window came loose. Passengers watched in horror as ground crew put the tape around the edge of the windscreen shortly before take-off from Stansted, Essex, to Riga, Latvia. The Irish Aviation Authority said the tape was being used as an extra precaution to secure a new window seal. But the pilot aborted the flight after 20 minutes when the tape started to become loose and made disturbing noises. Ryanair insists normal procedures were followed throughout, and there was no danger to passengers or crew. But one passenger, Anthony Neal, 33, of Bromley, Kent, said: “We were kept in the dark, and were terrified. I could see guys taping in the windscreen with what looked like duct tape or gaffer tape. “We were in the sky, then the pilot said due to damage on the windscreen, we were going to have to turn back.” Former pilot John Guntrip said: “This could have been disastrous, the pilot could have been sucked out mid-air if the window had come off.

The Halloween classic & must-see “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” will be on ABC-TV this Thursday night at 8. I know, YouTube and several other web sites have the movie available to watch anytime, but there is something about watching it on the traditional TV.  So set your DVR’s, er, no don’t set your DVR.  Make your family plans to watch it Thursday!

By now you have picked out the perfect pumpkin and perhaps you have already carved it.  Here are some tips on keeping your carvings fresh and fly-free for up to 7 days courtesy of Cheryl Stoughton of Pumpkin Masters:

==Spray the carved area with water, cover the entire pumpkin in plastic wrap, and store it in your fridge or basement throughout the day or when not on display.

==Give your pumpkin a bath. Submerge it in a filled sink for up to eight hours. “Check on it periodically to make sure it isn’t getting too soft,” says Stoughton. “If you leave it in too long, it can split.”

===Keep the carved edges fresh by sealing in moisture with a think layer of petroleum jelly.

According to careerbuilder.com, nearly one-third of workers plan to or are considering dressing up for Halloween at the office. Here’s some last-minute costume ideas for trick-or-treating through the cubicles:

A Day Off — Using black lettering, write October 30, 2011 or November 1, 2011 on an orange shirt. When people ask what you are, say, “A day off!”

Running Late – Show up to the office with messy hair and disheveled clothes with your pajamas showing underneath.

Vending Machine — Dress in black and fasten snacks to yourself with the cost of each item displayed. To be really evil, place an “out of order” sign on the real vending machine and charge your co-workers for your snacks. When they pay, make sure you throw their snacks on the ground as the vending machine does.

Office Gossip — Make up fun stories about your co-workers. Fasten the stories to yourself and put the name of your favorite grocery store tabloid on a hat. Hang around the water cooler and invite people to read the latest news.

Pink Slip — No one ever wants to be served the dreaded pink slip at work. Wear a pink slip over your work clothes and chase your co-workers.

Post-it Note – Wear all yellow. When people say “trick or treat” at your cube, pass out real Post-it notes.

Red Tape – Buy red tape and tape it all over your clothes and cubicle. When people ask what you are, make them cut through some red tape to get the answer.

Leftover – Wrap yourself in aluminum foil and give yourself an aluminum swan hat. Place a sign on your chest that says, “Anything left after 4pm on Friday will be thrown away!”

Happy Hour — Wrap a tie around your head and carry around an empty (yes, empty) martini glass with you throughout the day. At 5pm, scream, “Happy hour!”

Headhunter – Carry a mannequin or doll head around with you, holding it by the hair.

~Chris Malone

What a great weekend!  Saturday started off with a delightful drive to Ocala for the Ocala Arts Festival.  I don’t know how they do this, but as far as I can remember the weather for this event is perfect without a cloud in the sky.  It’s always nice to talk with fans of 98.5 KTK and who doesn’t love a mega corn dog from the food vendors?  Then to see Tim Tebow do what he does best and lead his team from a 12 point deficit to an overtime win was the perfect way to wrap up the weekend.

By the way, the time change is still two weeks away.  Time to move the clocks back on November 6 by one hour to end daylight savings time.

A recent article in Woman’s Day points out a few things your boss won’t tell you but it’s important information and perhaps explains the actions he/she does that have you scratching your head.
Your boss doesn’t watch your every move – unless you give them reason to — but is keeping tabs on you. Ask yourself, “Would I want my boss to read this?” every time you post something on Facebook or any another social media site, suggests Edith Onderick-Harvey, president of Factor In Talent, an Andover, Massachusetts-based corporate consulting firm. “Be careful about how much you share about your weekend or what a jerk [you think] your coworker is,” she urges. Otherwise, your boss may start seeing you in a less-than-professional light, and that could carry over to how she values you as an employee.

Your attitude is as important as your assignments– Like ‘em or not, office politics matter — both day to day, and in the long run. “What your manager won’t tell you is that what may be even more important than completing tasks and following directions is your ability to work with her and your coworkers,” says Onderick-Harvey. Even if you’re getting the job done, if your coworkers find you to be abrasive, rude or just unpleasant, it will be hard for your boss to promote you.

Speak up!–Don’t be afraid to make yourself heard. The most valuable employees take initiative, says Patty Briguglio, president of MMI Public Relations in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I like having an employee who isn’t afraid to show her personality,” she says. “I don’t want someone to just fill a spot at a desk.” If you want a promotion, ask for it, says Briguglio. Also, let your boss know what you need to succeed, urges workplace consultant Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University, whether it’s training, time or money.

Follow the lead–if you’re not sure whether your boss prefers to communicate in a meeting or via email or phone, ask, suggests career and executive coach Lauren Mackler. Also ask what he/she wants to be consulted on and what he/she prefers you handle on your own. And take cues from her personality, says Mackler: If your boss is introverted, don’t keep pushing for face-to-face time.

Toot your own horn–Your boss can’t possibly keep tabs on what every employee is doing every day — it’s up to you to let him know! “When you wrap up a project, send a congratulatory email to your team and CC your boss,” suggests Mackler. You might also send him/her a monthly overview of the projects you’ve completed and other accomplishments, and have these month-to-month emails on hand at your annual performance review. And speaking of performance reviews…

Bosses don’t like performance reviews, either–“They’re just as painful for your boss as they are for you,” says Daniel Debow, co-CEO of Rypple, a web-based feedback tool. “But you can help make them easier.” Rather than trying to recall the details of a project from 10 months ago on the day of your review, keep track of your successes as they happen, suggests Debow. You should also try to connect with your boss regularly throughout the year — not just on review day.

Dress like you mean business–“Dress every day as though it’s possible you’ll be called into the company president’s office for a meeting,” urges former business manager Sue Thompson, a consultant and speaker with Set Free Life Seminars. Even though your manager has more important things to focus on than your clothes and your business etiquette, if you fall short in either category you’re just asking not to be promoted — and you may be on the verge of a very uncomfortable conversation.

Bosses appreciate positive feedback, too–if you make your boss look and feel good, you’ll reap the rewards, promises Stefanie Smith, head of executive consulting and coaching firm Stratex. Generally your boss is the one doing the encouraging and nurturing, but you can turn the tables to your advantage. Compliment your boss in front of other people, suggests Smith. Just be sure to keep your kind words sincere — and brief.

Be a problem solver–“Most employees bring up problems and expect the boss to solve them,” laments Jennifer Prosek, CEO of consulting firm CJP Communications. “The employees who stand out are a part of the solution.” If you’re struggling with a project or a client and aren’t sure what to do next, present your boss with three possible options. Even if she instructs you to do something entirely different, she’ll appreciate that you’re thinking ahead.

Take responsibility for your actions–Whether you’re running late (“The traffic was terrible!”) or botched a big time project (“Well, she sent the email late!”), don’t try to push the blame elsewhere. Instead, acknowledge your mistake and take care not to repeat it. “Even if you’re a nice person with decent skills, I can’t promote you if you refuse to accept the blame when you mess up,” says Deborah Becker, the owner of a State Farm Insurance agency in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. And when you make a mistake, keep your apology concise. “The phrase ‘I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,’ goes a long way.”

Have a great day!~Chris Malone

Last night I joined a friend at The Red Onion here in Gainesville.  After a couple ‘Octoberfest” pints and a plate of wings (mild…yes I’m a wimp) it was time to settle the bill.  As the bill slides in front of me the bartender searches frantically for a pen.  She remarks how most of the pens have been taken by customers and it got me thinking, why not make a pen like a clothes ink tab?  If the pen gets too far out of range of the store, it explodes leaving an ink stain!   Hmmm, maybe it’s a little harsh for such a minor infraction?

We all know there are rules for everything, but these seem to be ignored rather than followed:

You Need A License To Sell Anything (Including Lemonade)
Welcome to modern-day bureaucracy, where, outside of breathing (for now), little gets done without a piece of legal paper allowing you to do so. And, if you love going by the books, this means shutting down everything that is being run without permission, including garage/yard sales and those adorable corner lemonade stands run by six-year-old kids who charge a nickel a cup. Which has, naturally, happened on several occasions. Do you know what else happens in this case? The entire town tells the local government to suck it, that’s what.

Keep X Dollars In Your Register
Anyone who has worked with cash knows this one. To prevent robbers from getting their hands on too much dough, loss prevention commands the drawers be kept at a certain amount at all times. It can be $75, $50, or even $30 if the neighborhood is particularly ornery. If robberies persist, all the money is removed and replaced with a register full of rabid weasels. Great for security, not so good for cashier morale. Now, ask any busy cashier who deals with multiple transactions a minute, oftentimes with impatient customers who want what they want NOW, and you can see how impossible it is to keep your cash down at all times, or even most times. And never mind the hustle-bustle; what is a worker supposed to do? Get their drawer down to that magic number and then drop any extra money EVERY time? The manager counting the money in the morning would be thrilled to go through 500-1000 envelopes, each containing anywhere from .35 to $1.25 because gum and coffee were popular that day. Money builds up and gets dropped, several hundred at a time, and nobody suffers for it. Unless they get robbed, of course.

Only Download Music/Games/Movies You Currently Own
Hidden in the fine print of most download sites is the oddball requirement that we only download things that we have already paid for and own. No, it can’t be a game you owned when you were seven and then sold to the kid down the street for twelve cents and a half-chewed pack of lint-covered bubble gum. It must be in your possession at the time you download the electronic version. After 24 hours, you are supposed to erase the download and go back to your physical copy. If that rule were written in an ancient caveman language that went extinct 15,000 years ago, it would make more sense. If you own the media, why download it? The point of a download is to get something you don’t have!

Jaywalking
If you’ve never jaywalked before, then you probably haven’t been outside, ever. You jaywalk when you cross the street with no crosswalk, or walk when the light clearly says DON’T WALK. This crime is something you see a hundred people doing every hour on the hour, which would account for officers almost never busting people for it unless it causes a real hassle.  Jaywalking can be very dangerous, especially when it becomes jayrunning and those nasty ol’ cars don’t see you coming. On the other hand, it’s really convenient for those times when you desperately need to get across the street and doing it the legal way is tens of yards down the road. So we weigh the pros and cons, and we jaywalk. Can you blame us?

Shower Before Using A Public Pool
We should all do this. Most of us are quite dirty and disgusting. So to enter a public pool reeking of dirt, sweat and bacteria is fairly wrong. But do you remember to do this more than once every so often? Unless you’re a germaphobe, probably not. After all, you’re going into the water anyway. You’ll get clean there. Besides, who is there to stop you if you try to enter a pool unshowered? Armed guards with dogs? Definitely not. Bicycle cops with batons? Probably not.  And once you get into the water, nobody can tell the difference unless they start sniffing around your armpits .

Don’t Read That Book/Magazine/Newspaper If You’re Not Going To Buy It
if you’re reading part or all of any of the above without paying first, you’re technically stealing. Those words are their product. After all, you wouldn’t go into the corner store and eat their candy bars while browsing around, right? Well, maybe you do and, if that’s the case, you didn’t get the idea from us. Of course, virtually every bookstore will let this slide, as at least a few of these browsers become paying customers (though not enough of them, if the ever-increasing amount of closed book nooks is any bit of evidence). Even stores and supermarkets will allow this, not wanting to lose even one potential customer to the competition. If the customer is a long-time regular, they can basically paw through all the newspapers and magazines they want, and nobody blinks an eye. Well, nobody save the idealistic rookie who doesn’t yet know what rules are made to be broken.

Only Use The Left Lane To Pass
You know the “fast lane”? The one where you pretend you’re a NASCAR champion for a minute? The one where you can go 80 and not get ticketed like those dummies that do 80 in other “slow” lanes? Well, doing that makes you a dirty criminal. The “fast lane” is actually a “passing lane.” You’re allowed to speed to pass somebody, but that’s it. Once you pass the person, you must go back to the middle or right lanes or risk getting pulled over. Except that’s obviously horse-dookie. How many people drive fast in the left lane for long periods of time? A lot. How often have you done so? Vegas odds point to, once again, a lot.

No Home Gambling
You know that basement game of Texas Hold ‘Em you and friends held for ten bucks a pop last Thursday? Hang your head in shame, because that makes you are breaking the law. In most places, any kind of home game, save for ones where no money is on the line and the poker chips are actually potato chips, is illegal. Why? Because, outside of casinos, gambling is just plain against the law.  Of course, most officers are too busy to crack down on every four-player game held in every dorm on the planet so, unless complaints are piling up and they have to investigate, this law doesn’t get enforced.

~Chris Malone

You are what you eat, but some everyday food items can be deadly.  TIME magazine recently took a look at what we eat and came up with the top 10 deadliest foods:

1—Hot Dogs — About 17% of food-related asphyxiations in kids younger than ten are caused by hot dogs that get lodged in the throat, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

2—Fugu – Call this food roulette. Fugu, which is the intestines, ovaries and liver of blowfish, is served sliced paper-thin. Only expert chefs with special training that can take up to three years are permitted to make it. Why? Fugu contains tetrodotoxin, a poison that is 1,200 times deadlier than cyanide.

3—Ackee — Known as the national fruit of Jamaica, ackee can cause what has been called Jamaican Vomiting Sickness, which can lead to coma and death. The unripe fruit contains a poison called hypoglycin; in addition, the black seeds that surround the ripened fruit are always toxic.

4—Peanut Butter – If you’re part of the 1% of the U.S. population that is allergic to peanuts, this little nut can be deadly. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says it’s the No. 1 cause of food-allergy deaths.

5—Leafy Greens – Spinach, lettuce, cabbage, arugula and kale taste good and are good for you, but the Center for Science in the Public Interest identified 363 separate outbreaks linked to these leafy greens in 2009 alone. Of these, 240 cases were from restaurants. Contaminants included the Norovirus, E. coli and salmonella.

6—Rhubarb – The rhubarb stalk tastes so good in pies that it’s called “the pie plant,” but beware! Ingesting a large amount of rhubarb leaves can cause poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control warns that the leaves should never be consumed–either raw or cooked.

7—Tuna Fish – Whether it’s a tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat in a lunch box or seared fresh tuna drizzled with wasabi-butter sauce at a gourmet restaurant, this is a favorite fish worldwide. It’s also riddled with mercury, which can damage the nervous system and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

8—Cassava – We know cassava as tapioca. This favorite pudding flavor comes from the roots of the bush-like cassava plant. If it’s not properly prepared, cassava can produce a deadly compound: cyanide.

9—Coffee — Drinking coffee is just fine–as long as you don’t spill it. If that hot liquid hits your lap, it hurts and can even result in third-degree burns.

10—Mushrooms – Beware mushrooms that grow in the wild! Many varieties are poisonous and potentially deadly, including those with these ominous-sounding names: Death Cap, Destroying Angels and Deadly Webcap.

Lots of rain is forecast for the Heart of Florida over the next couple of days, so the city of Ocala is offering up to 10 sandbags for city residents at these two locations:

The recycling location at NE 14th Street & 8th Avenue (click here for a map)

Jervey Gantt Park on SE 36th Avenue–near the swimming pool  (Click here for a map)

The city will be offering sandbags until 7pm tonight (10/17/11) and will resume Tuesday (10/18) at 7am.

Happy Monday!  Yesterday I got sucked in to another TV series!  The day started like most Sundays with a slow wake up and after wiping the sleep out of my eyes, on comes the TV and viola, AMC began to air “The Shining“.  Excited, I got up and moved into the living room to see this horror classic on the bigger screen.  Thinking I’d get to some work after it got over, I warmed up the laptop during the ending credits only to see “Cujo” was on.  Off goes the laptop and I watch another one of my favorites (although it doesn’t seem as scary as it once was).  Then it happened, “Cristine” come on!  Are you kidding me?!?!?  I’ll never get to the work on my laptop now!  Then it happened, after the trifecta of Stephen King horror movies ended, AMC began to run it’s “The Walking Dead” marathon.  What a great show!  The world is plagued by zombies and a handful of survivors search the Atlanta area for a cure.  It’s a bit gory and one the little kids shouldn’t watch but I watched the entire marathon through the season2 premiere at 10pm! I highly recommend you catch this series, you’ll love it and yes, I spent the entire day on the couch watching TV!

The biggest complaint women have about men using the bathroom revolves around the toilet seat.  But the other issue that can be a problem is a guy’s aim sometimes can be off.  One restaurant in Vancouver is implementing a new policy requiring men to sit down when they are making a #1.  The Edible Canada bistro on Granville Island has just one unisex bathroom with about six private stalls and a communal sink area.  Right above the toilets are signs showing a stick man tinkling into a toilet with a line through it. Yes, Edible Canada has banned men from peeing standing up. It’s no surprise that men’s restrooms are dirtier then women’s because some men don’t even try to aim nor lift the seat before.  In Edible Canada’s case, where men and women have to share toilets, I can see why they request all customers to sit, but is banning stand-up peeing a little extreme?

~Chris Malone

Yes, I’m gonna say it, why did Hollywood remake Footloose?!?!?  You wouldn’t re-paint the Mona Lisa, so why re-make an already perfect movie and cast by using the same script and replacing Kevin Bacon with Kenny Wormald, Lori Singer with Julianne Hough and John Litgow with Dennis Quaid??? Although there are some movies and plots that can be updated, such as Breakin’ and Breakin’ 2 Electric Boogaloo (what were the 80’s fashionistas thinking of), but leave these 80’s classics alone.

“The Breakfast Club” (1985)
This John Hughes (RIP) classic  has the perfect cast of Judd Nelson, Emilo Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy as five high school students from different stereotypes — brain, princess, criminal, athlete and basket case — spend a Saturday together in detention and realize that each of them is more than just the clique he or she belongs to.  Plus you always think of the closing credits every time when you hear (Don’t You) Forget About Me from Simple Minds!

“E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982)
The movie that introduced us to Reese Pieces (because M&M didn’t want to be associated with a movie they thought would be a flop) still gives me chills as E.T. lift Elliott (Henry Thomas) and his friends into the air on their bikes!  Plus I have a soft spot for the first movie of Drew Barrymore.

“War Games” (1983)
Today’s kids have no idea how terrified we were of a nuclear WWIII against the Soviets, so this movie wouldn’t make sense to update.  Plus Matthew Broderick’s and Ally Sheedy’s roles are unduplicatable.  The same is true for Red Dawn, but it has been remade with the North Koreans replacing the USSR.

“Dirty Dancing” (1987)
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey are perfect this this movie, yet Hollywood thinks it needs to be updated.  Yes, there is a re-make on the way, but I am not alone in voicing my objection. The announcement of a remake had fans expressing their outrage on Twitter. Many felt it a dishonor to Swayze, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2009. The only evident saving grace is that Kenny Ortega will be helming the production. You may know him as the director and choreographer of hits such as the “High School Musical” films (2006-2008) and “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” (2009), but he was also the choreographer for the original “Dirty Dancing.” Maybe this one will only compliment the original.

“Back to the Future” (1985)

Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, Christopher Lloyd as the comically unstable “Doc” Brown, and Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover as Marty’s future parents, Lorraine and George McFly, this is an exceptional sci-fi comedy. Marty’s feathered hair, Calvin Klein underwear and acid-washed denim may be dated, but Fox’s comedic timing, Lloyd’s crazy-eyed “Doc” and Glover’s transformation from an oddball to a hero are irreplaceable. No one else could play these roles.

“The Princess Bride” (1987)
Fantasy, comedy, adventure, fairy tale and romance with a simple enough to be written on a napkin plot. Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Mandy Patinkin, Christopher Guest, Andre the Giant, Billy Crystal and Carol Kane. You can’t get a cast like this together again.

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)
“Bueller? … Bueller? … Bueller?” Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck and Mia Sara is alother John Hughes classic that doesn’t need a touch up.

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981)
This film is the epitome of movie magic: As soon the first reel begins, the audience is fully transported to another time and place, where men were brave, noble and able to keep their hats on, even when running from a giant boulder. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas teamed up to direct and produce this action-adventure film starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, a swashbuckling, whip-wielding archeologist who battles Nazis for possession of the lost Ark of the Covenant.

Heck, I think the weekend is planned now! Have a great one~Chris Malone

Halloween is just around the corner.  Time to find the perfect pumpkin, gather bags of chocolate ‘fun-size’ candy bars and select which pop culture icon you will honor in costume!   But if you want a thrill this Halloween, think about visiting one of these haunted hotels scattered across the country:

The Marshall House, Savannah, Georgia
It’s no surprise why this charming B & B experiences plenty of otherworldly phenomena: It was the first hotel in one of the world’s most haunted cities. It was built in 1851 and served as a hospital various times, housing wounded Union soldiers during the Civil War and then later victims of yellow fever. With that eerie history, the Marshall House is quite a spirited place. Guests report hearing children run up and down hallways, even when no children are present, and faucets are said to turn on and off by themselves. There are even reports of guests feeling pressure on their wrists while they’re in bed, as if someone is trying to take their pulse. Rooms from $129 weekdays in October.

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
No list of haunted hotels would be complete without this 138-room, 16,000 square-foot grand dame, which inspired Stephen King’s The Shining, after the horror novelist stayed in room 217. King’s tale might have been fiction, but The Stanley, which opened in 1909, oozes plenty of real-life weirdness. Besides its eerie, isolated feel in the mountains of Denver, guests have reported seeing the original owner, F.O. Stanley, on the premises, usually in the lobby or billiards room. And his wife, Flora, is believed to play the piano just like she did in real life. Ghost tours are held daily; rooms from around $209 in October.

The Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, Mo.
The Lemp family, at one time the most powerful beer barons of St. Louis, have a tragic history that spans the mysterious death of a young son, loss of a fortune once valued at $7 million and three suicides that took place in the mansion where they lived and worked. The grand building is now a quirky, five-suite hotel proud of its haunted history. Ghost tours with a psychic are offered every Monday night, and guests can also take part in paranormal tours that come with refreshments and use of an infrared camera to document the mansion’s ghostly happenings. Rooms from $125 weeknights in October.

The Queen Mary, Long Beach, Calif.
This historic ocean liner, which now operates as a hotel and tourist attraction, is overflowing with spiritual activity. More than 50 people are believed to have died aboard the ship, many of whom still make their presence known. For example, about 300 sailors met their watery end when the giant ship, used for military transport in World War II, sliced through their boat. Tour participants often report hearing pounding on the ship’s hull below decks. Other hotspots of activity: the first-class swimming pool and the Promenade Deck, near the passenger information booth.

Several tours and events during October focus on the ship’s paranormal activity. The most authentic are those led by psychic Erika Frost, during which visitors are encouraged to snap photos and take audio recordings. Check ahead of time for October tour schedules, which vary to accommodate Halloween-specific events. Rooms from $129 weeknights.

The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast/Museum, Fall River, Mass.
You may not get a good night’s sleep at this eerie old inn, which is the site of perhaps the country’s most gruesome unsolved murders. But you will get a trip back in time to the fateful August morning in 1892 when Andrew and Abby Borden were hacked to death by an axe-wielding, still-undetermined killer in the inn. The Victorian-era inn boasts decor and details of the day, right down to the New England johnny cakes served at breakfast. The enduring question of who dunit lingers, too, though many point the finger at daughter Lizzie Borden, who, at 32, was the only official suspect of the brutal murders of her father and stepmother. Thrill-seekers vie to spend the night in the John Morse guest room, where Abby Borden’s body was found (the room is booked months in advance). But guests throughout the B & B reports all sorts of odd activity, from whispers and strange noises, and regularly leave in the middle of the night. More timid souls can opt for a day tour, held hourly from 11am to 3pm. Rooms from $175 in October; a few still available this month.

The St. James Hotel & Restaurant, Cimarron, NM
The Wild West spirit abounds – quite literally – at this historic hotel, whose famous guests have included Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Buffalo Bill Cody since it first opened in 1872. Since then, 26 deaths have occurred within its confines, and the tin roof in the bar area still boasts gunshots from its gun-slinging days of debauchery. Today, guests can stay in any of the hotel’s 12 original rooms, which are named for the outlaws who once stayed there. However, one that’s off-limits is Room 18, reserved indefinitely for ill-fated cowboy T.J. Wright, who died of a fatal gunshot wound while toting his poker winnings to his room and is believed to still occupy the room. The hotel is offering several spook-tacular specials during October, including a paranormal investigation weekend on Oct. 21-22, and discounts on Halloween night. Rooms in the haunted historic side from $125.

Make sure you leave the light on!~Chris Malone