It goes without saying that there is always a struggle when one is trying to find just the right party games and entertainment when coordinating a party plan, but with a little creativity this task can be made into a very easy and enjoyable job. After the scheme of your event is set, it is time to dig out the old favorites and start brainstorming. Here are some hints to how you find the entertainment diamond in the rough for your occasion.

In creating games for your party, there are three vital pieces of information to consider.

Considering the interests of the crowd that will be attending your gathering is vital in that the games should be enjoyable rather than a nuisance. Elderly individuals are not going to enjoy Twister and Limbo just as active children would rather not play Scrabble and Monopoly. Active or mellow, many choices are available for us to choose from today.

Taking into consideration the time frame allotted for games is also imperative to success. A game that runs too long or too short can become unfavorable quickly, leaving you with many unsatisfied party-goers.

Once these two items have been ironed out, it is onto creating a new game from the dull and drab original. Consider the holiday or scheme your event is to be molded around. There are many ways to change an old favorite. Curbing hang man or scrabble by limiting the types of words one can spell or pinning-the-tail-on-the-donkey can be clothing on a baby. Hot-dog-eating-contests can become pie, pizza, or any culturally relevant food. Pictionary and Clue can come to life with scenarios relative to the guest of honor.

No matter what your party is pertinent to, whether it be birthdays, anniversaries or a holidays, you can always count on an evening filled with fun when you take the time to get creative with your entertainment.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has a huge selection of free party games, coloring pages, word find, word scramble, printable baby and bridal shower activities. Tons of Free Party Games (Party-Games-etc.com) for every occasion, birthday, holiday and party theme including free printable games and activities. Plus, over 1,000 free baby shower games, bridal shower games, birthday party games and printable party games for kids parties. All the games have easy instructions. Also, printable activities for kids parties, baby showers, holiday celebrations and bridal showers.

Tags: anniversary, birthday, creative, entertain, entertainment, fun, games, holiday, party, plan, prepare, theme, toyanniversary, birthday, creative, entertain, entertainment, fun, games, holiday, party, plan, prepare, theme, toy

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Did you know that you can travel anywhere in the world in less than two hours, for less than $10 and without ever stepping out your front door? How? But, of course, through movies! Such “traveling” becomes especially more enjoyable when you are homebound, raising small children, on a budget, or simply without any vacation time.

How about a country you’ve never visited before? A country that for years was closed behind an iron curtain, inaccessible to visitors from the WestRussia? The movies that follow take you through the history of that magnificent country, showing you how Russian emperors ruled, lived, loved and fought, how Russian peasants worked, suffered, and rebelled, how Russian artists saw their country in colors, sounds and words, and how Western directors saw Russia as the unknown enemy that had to be penetrated with spies, intelligence, and drastic measures.

So, why not cook a Russian recipe, make some strong tea, rent a couple of these movies and invite your family to a real journey you’ll never forget? Expand your horizons together, as you explore a new culture in your own living room.

And, the movies are:

A. Historical Dramas by Russian Directors

Benefits: You will travel through Russian History, meet the Czars, and watch the revolution.

1. Aleksandr Nevskiy (Sergei Eizenshtein, 1938) It is the 13th century, and Russia is overrun by foreign invaders. A Russian knyaz’, or prince, Alexander Nevskiy, rallies the people to form a ragtag army to drive back an invasion by the Teutonic knights. This is a true story based on the actual battle at a lake near Novgorod.

2. Ivan the Terrible, Part I (Sergei Eizenshtein, 1945) In 1547, Ivan IV (1530-1584), archduke of Moscow, crowns himself Tsar of Russia and sets about reclaiming lost Russian territory…

3. Ivan the Terrible, Part II: The Boyars’ Plot (Sergei Eizenshtein, 1958) Having lost his wife to poisoning and deserted by his chief warrior, Kurbsky, Ivan is lonely as he pursues a unified Russia with no foreign occupiers

4. Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002) A 19th century French aristocrat, notorious for his scathing memoirs about life in Russia, travels through the Russian State Hermitage Museum and encounters historical figures from the last 200+ years.

5. Ten Days that Shook The World (Grigori Aleksandrov, 1927) In documentary style, events in Petrograd are re-enacted from the end of the monarchy in February of 1917 to the end of the provisional government and the decrees of peace and of land in November of that year.

B. Masterpieces by Russian Directors

Benefits: If you love art, through these movies you will watch poetry in images and paintings in motion. These motion pictures explore the lives of certain Russian artists and describe how their spiritual quest leads them from suffering to redemption. You will meet some extraordinary Russian poets, artists, philosophers and open a dialogue with them that will stretch your mind and give you new perspectives about life.

1. The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov, 1968) A biography of the Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova (King of Song) reveals the poet’s life more through his poetry than a conventional narration of important events in his life.

2. Shadows of Our Ancestors (Ivan Parajanov, 1964) A Carpathian medieval legend about the tragic story Ivan and Palagna. A visual masterpiece.

3. Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969) This epic charts the life of the great icon painter through a turbulent period of 15th Century Russian history, a period marked by endless fighting between rival Princes and by Tatar invasions.

4. Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983) A poetic piece of magic realism, this is the story of The Russian poet Gortchakov who, accompanied by guide and translator Eugenia, is traveling through Italy researching the life of an 18th century Russian composer.

5. The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986) Alexander, a journalist and former actor and philosopher, tells his little son how worried he is about the lack of spirituality of modern mankind. In the night of his birthday, the third world war breaks out.

C. Foreigners in Russia through the Eyes of Russian Directors

Tender, trying and tragic, these films are also stories of passion, courage, and surrender to a fate one cannot control.

Benefits: They will inspire you to appreciate the freedom you are enjoying and be thankful for living in a democratic and peaceful society.

1. A Chef in Love (Nana Dzhordzhadze, 1997) The story of Pascal Ichak, a larger-than-life French traveler, bon vivant, and chef, who falls in love with Georgia and a Georgian princess in the early 1920s.

2. The Barber of Siberia (Nikita Mikhalkov, 1998) Richard Harris stars as a foreign entrepreneur, who ventures to Russia in 1885 with dreams of selling a new, experimental steam-driven timber harvester in the wilds of Siberia.

D. Russia through the eyes of American and European Directors

These movies offer a kaleidoscope of tragic and heroic human stories that happen at different moments in Russian history, as seen through the eyes of American, English and French directors.

Benefits: If you love history, drama, and literature, these movies will educate you through images and dialogue, while also keeping you entertained. You will learn about periods in American and Russian history you may not know about, and you will get a glimpse into the politics and ideals of Russia as they evolved through the centuries.

1. Onegin (Martha Fiennes, 1999) In the opulent St. Petersburg of the Empire period, Eugene Onegin is a jaded but dashing aristocrat who breaks the heart of young, innocent Tatiana.

2. The Brothers Karamazov (Richard Brooks, 1958) Ryevsk, Russia, 1870. Tensions abound in the Karamazov family. Acts of violence lead to trials of honor, conscience, forgiveness, and redemption. Based on the famous novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

3. Doctor Zhivago (1965) A Russian epic, the movie traces the life of surgeon-poet Yury Zhivago before and during the Russian Revolution. Based on Boris Pasternak’s novel.

4. The Reds (Warren Beatty, 1981) John Reed, a radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.

5. East - West (Regis Wargnier, 1999) June 1946: Stalin invites Russian

Tags: ebh, entertainment, movie lesson, movie therapy, movies, relationships, russia, russia travelebh, entertainment, movie lesson, movie therapy, movies, relationships, russia, russia travel

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Ordering wine in a restaurant is not much different than buying it in a wine store. The main difference is that you have an audience. Yet ordering wine in a restaurant can be intimidating especially if the wine list is extensive.

Experiment or Homework
Keep in mind that even the experts will not be familiar with every selection on a wine list. If you are a novice and your are going on an important date, you should do a little homework to get some idea of what you might want to order. Unless you are feeling extremely adventurous, a restaurant is usually not the place to try something new since the mark up can range from 100 to 200%.

The Wine List
Today, most restaurants have a wine list, but expect a myriad of shapes and sizes. Some establishments might simply offer just a house red or white, while others have a daily blackboard to outline their rotating selection. Most wine lists are presented as a printed menu, with the wines arranged by color; red, white, and rose and the region of country. Additionally, many establishments will number their wines on the list, which helps big-time if you do not know how to pronounce the wine. You can simply say, “I will have the number 8″.

Before you order, you are going to want to factor in what you are going to be eating. Unfortunately, not a lot of menus give advice on food pairing. If you need some help talk to the wine steward, or sommelier. They are there to help you make the best decision for your occasion, and a good one will not try to take you out of your price range.

Getting the Best Wine for Your Money
Skip the house wine. Unless you are familiar with the house wine, don’t bother because they generally carry the highest mark up.
Scan the wine list too quickly to get an idea on the average price of a bottle. Try to stay within this median price range where the mark ups tend to be average.
Choose a wine from the same region as the restaurant’s food specialty. A good French restaurant, for instance, should have a solid selection of French wines.
Ask the server for a recommendation. Just ask if they have any special values currently.
If two or more at your table are going to have a few glasses of wine, it is cheaper to order by the bottle than the glass.

Corkage
Many restaurants will open and serve a bottle of wine brought by the patron. A quick call to the restaurant will confirm if this is possible, and if so, they will charge a corkage fee. They usually charge between $5 and $15 per bottle, although some restaurants will charge a lower fee if the wine brought is not on their wine list.

Contributor: Stuart Glasure [A wine enthusiast and publishing member of the wine source: http://www.WineDefinitions.com.]

Tags: buying, dining, entertainment, food, relationships, restaurants, romance, shopping, winebuying, dining, entertainment, food, relationships, restaurants, romance, shopping, wine

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