Author Archives: shadengk

The Holiday Fix Up Movie

Posted on by

On the Holiday Fix Up (affiliate link), Sam is the host of her own renovation television show, but a new face at her studio is taking the limelight of the yearly Christmas show. Sam’s producer tells her she needs to show her more personal side, and she can do so this Christmas while she has time off from her normal hosting duties. Sam doesn’t know what she should do, but news from her hometown brings her back to where the show started and where her heart was broken before she left for the big time. The news? The Inn where Sam grew up had a tree fall on it, and it won’t be able to hold the Harbor Fest this year. Unless Sam saves the day… and works with her ex.

Sam arrives in town with 10 days to complete the renovation. She goes to her friend’s bakery. She alienates the only other person working on the renovation (her ex). They participate in a snowball fight and a pie judging contest. I was concerned and a little stressed. When are they going to get the renovations done. Then they had an argument about whether they should use the “okay” builder’s material or whether they should use better materials that would take more time.

I’m no builder. I have no idea how long a job like that should have taken, and then they added on an arbor and a special made mantel piece while also talking about their past relationship I very emotional, walk away terms. Seriously, the only way this renovation could’ve been finished was with some Christmas magic and maybe some elves who worked while the humans were off doing human things.

Of course, the movie has some of its own ideas about what makes Christmas great – the connections that people when they put down their phones, but this gets undermined when they also make connections through their phones. Still, in spite of the stress, it was a fine Christmas romance as far as those types of movies are concerned.

Now, you’ve probably already judged me, and that’s okay. I can watch whatever movies I feel like whenever I want. If I want to watch “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Easter, it’s well within my rights. But if it makes you feel better, Orthodox Christmas is on Jan. 7. We chose the Holiday Fix Up because it has Maria Menounos of Noovie fame, she plays the friend with the bakery.

How to Make Money with InboxDollars – 2025 Edition

Posted on by

I looked at my most recent blog post on InboxDollars, and it was woefully out of date. This is an updated post with information that was correct as of Dec. 29, 2024.

InboxDollars is a website that pays its users based on what they do on the site. You can make money with games, magic receipt redemptions, surveys, offers, web searches, Bingo and other promotions. Through December 29, 2024, I had made $199.69. For the time I’ve been on InboxDollars, I made $1009.00. It’s not riches, but it’s not chump change. But how can you make the same or more than I have?

The Daily List

The easiest way to make some small coins is to look at your daily list and complete it. I usually just made it through the first level of completion, which on some days included Answer and Learn, Add a Magic Receipts Deal, Deal of the Day, Daily Games, and Attempt a Survey. Some days, Daily Games is replaced by Earn from Offers. If you complete these five activities, you get the Scratch and Win boost from Answer and Learn, the attempt at a survey, and the Daily Games, and you get the two or three cent bonus from completing those first five objectives. It doesn’t take long to do these activities, and over the course of a month if you do these every day, you’ll have at least 60 cents if nothing else went right.

Answer and Learn is one, multiple choice poll question. Click on the appropriate bubble and you’re done. Click on Deal of the Day from the Daily List; visiting that page is all you have to do.

Magic Receipt Deal

The Magic Receipt Deal is also one click after you get to the appropriate page. Just select one of the deals, any one of the deals, and you’re done as far as the Daily List is concerned.

However, Magic Receipts can offer you much more than just the completion of your Daily List. If you save your receipts from places where you normally shop, you can earn cash back on the things you buy. The store has to be registered with InboxDollars, so most independent shops are out. However, chain grocery stores like Safeway are available.

You’ll need to take a picture of the receipt and upload it to the site. Look for the possible deals available, and choose them. Some deals are so good, you might be able to get the items for free. Just be sure to read the fine print. One year near Halloween, I got paid to get One Hundred Grand chocolate bars from Walgreens. Walgreens had them on sale and the redemption prize for two bars was about two cents more than the bars cost. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s nice when it does.

Daily and Free Games

I usually choose Solitaire for the Daily Games. They have some other choices, and they’re in the QuickPlay section on the Games page. Basically, you can play until the Scratch and Earn line has flashed and registered your play or until the game tells you that you’ve earned as much Scratch and Earn progress as you’re going to get that day. I usually stop in the shortest time possible, but I have played until I go the warning when I was trying to get through the Scratch and Earn faster.

The other games on this page will allow you to earn money, too. They are time sinks, so you’ll have to grind it out if you want to make any serious coin. Just make sure you’re choosing games that have a bonus with them and that you will enjoy. Also, watch for the time limits involving the various awards.

Earn from Offers

There are a lot of offers on this page, including the game offers. When I’m trying to make a quick cent, I go to the Content Discovery where I find something that allows me to look at an article for one cent. This is the easiest way to fulfill the Daily List requirement. It usually involves three or four clicks and a little time on the web page. Make sure to read the conditions and be ready to click on a second choice if the first one doesn’t pay out.

Attempt a Survey

The surveys are the bugaboo of the entire system because you never know what you’re going to get. Attempting a survey is easy. Find a survey you like and click on the link. The survey gets registered as attempted as soon as you get to the new website.

Completing a survey is much more difficult. You are likely to qualify for one in five surveys or fewer, which means that you’ve spent the time to look at four surveys and answer their preliminary questions only to get kicked back to the InboxDollars site. This will give you more Scratch and Win progress, but it will take up your time. Most surveys don’t pay minimum wage, so it’s important to understand how much time you’re willing to put into getting a $1 and whether 20 cents for five minutes is better than 75 cents for 20 minutes. If you’re just burning daylight, and can do them, it’s mostly no harm no foul.

Scratch and Earn

The Scratch and Win bar across the top is probably the most exciting thing about InboxDollars. As it progresses, it gives you the opportunity to win bonuses (not so great unless you use them) or up to $100. I haven’t won the $100, yet, but I have gotten 12 cents. It’s important not to miss this bar because it will only accumulate to the end, so you need to scratch the card before you earn more progress. I always let this fill up because it seems the best way to win $100. I haven’t done the math, though.

Billy Button

The Billy Button is a search engine add-on that will direct you to possible InboxDollars deals when you are on other web sites. I resisted adding this until a couple of days ago because I don’t want anyone tracking my wed browser history. But the Billy Button is needed if you’re going to complete your Daily task list to the fullest. It’s also useful for the Bingo game.

Web Searches

This is where I stack up the progress bar. There’s a limit to the number of searches you can do a day, but that’s okay. Searches not only fill up the Scratch and Win progress bar, they also can give you a bonus if you complete enough days in a row. If I need to search something, I go to InboxDollars first.

Bingo Game

Every month or so, InboxDollars has a Bingo game. It’s listed under the More tab. You’ll get a small amount of money for visiting sites from the InboxDollars Bingo board page and completing that line. You’ll get more money the more squares you fill. Another line is activating the Billy Button at certain websites. Completing a search, redeeming offers, and logging into the InboxDollars App are some of the other items that get listed.

Get Others to Join

Another way to earn money is to get others to join using your Refer Friends code. You’ll get a bonus if they make a certain amount of money in a short time frame, and you’ll get a 10 percent stipend based on what they make. Obviously, if you could 100 active people to make $10 a month, you’d get $100 a month. I haven’t gotten there, yet, but maybe you will!

Why He-Man is Essential for Gen-X and Beyond

Posted on by

The person, who created the meme with He-Man, M.A.S.K., The Transformers, and Thundercats captioning it with “Two have to go,” doesn’t understand the history of cartoons and children’s television. (This article uses affiliate leads. If you order from an affiliate lead, our website gets a tiny stipend. But it doesn’t cost you anything.) Brian C. Baer’s book “How He-Man Mastered the Universe” makes it clear that without He-Man, none of the others exist. In fact, there are whole series that would never exist.

The difference between He-Man and every show that came before it was that He-Man was designed to sell toys. Other children’s shows had toys made because the show was successful. He-Man was successful because it sold toys.

In the early 1980s and before, Action for Children’s Television (ACT) fought to keep advertising out of children’s television. They wanted TV for kids that was wholesome, educational, non-violent, and non-commercial. When Reagan became president in 1980s, children’s television was deregulated, and ACT’s work during the 12 years before was undone. Still, they were a powerful group that the networks didn’t want to upset. He-Man would be the first take them on.

He-Man’s first concession was its lack of real violence. For a sword and sorcery show, there is a surprising lack of death. There are some punching scenes, mostly when He-Man punches his fist at the screen and the character he is punching falls down. Much of the violence is directed against robots and creatures rather than humanoids. The larger concession was the moral at the end of every episode. The networks wouldn’t bite on the show, so it was sold to independent stations and became a huge hit.

With all the talk of a new He-Man movie and its casting choices, it’s important to understand just what He-Man is, how it came about, and how it absolutely destroyed the rules of children’s television. You might even want to learn more about the movie that went bankrupt before it could be finished and how it became a cult classic despite its flaws. Brian C. Baer’s “How He-Man Mastered the Universe” is an essential read for any Gen Xer and He-Man enthusiast.

More than a Merry Christmas Wish

Posted on by

I want to write something for this Christmas that will make everything better. A fiction, a feel-good story, a joke, even… But I realize that there is nothing I can do or say to make anything better, not for the majority of people, anyway. My message would never reach them. Even if they were able to access it, find it through the mass of Internet mis/information, it wouldn’t penetrate their hardened hearts and wispy souls on the verge of being sucked out by the incoming tide.

Even for my small circle, making things better is little more than a pipe dream. I tried to spread some joy at the beginning of the month but was then stifled by time and lack of financial resources.

Still, with much of my heart, because I recognize my own darkness, my own inability to overcome my human failings, and my own very real wishes for the people who make life harder for the rest of us (and it isn’t the homeless guy on the street, the undocumented, or the poor), I want to make life easier for all of us. I’ve specifically avoided writing things that were dystopian in nature. I’ve tried to keep things positive, and I’ve tried to dwell on my mixed blessings. When a seemingly good thing ends up being a sucker punch, it can be difficult maintaining the sense that the good win and we all get our just desserts, especially when viewing those who make the news.

So here I am, at the end of the Christmas holiday, a day I love for its secular glory and its myths of kindness, Santa, and the redemption of the truly deplorable Scrooge. And I’m writing my Christmas wish to you, for you, and for the everyone else. I hope that the holiday has been more about those around you than it has been about you. I hope that the ghost, past present and future, have nurtured their lessons in your heart, and I hope, beyond all common sense, that the next year will be extravagantly successful, beautifully joyous, and so full of prosperity that your over-flowing cup will allow you to share your good fortune and happiness without thought to the consequences of your own position.

In short, I wish you more than the best that you can conceive. I wish you the best life here on Earth that any being can conceive. With love and dread parceled out to keep life spicy, merry Christmas and happy new year.

Red One: Can the Rock and Captain America Save Christmas?

Posted on by

In Red One, Santa Claus is kidnapped, and it’s up to Santa’s bodyguard, Callum Drift played by Dwayne Johnson, and the hacker who tracked Santa to the North Pole, Jack O’Malley played by Chris Evans, to save Santa and Christmas. The plot outline is cliché among Christmas films involving Santa. Santa gets kidnapped, thrown in jail, or lost, and someone from the North Pole must team with a non-believer to save him. Jack O’Malley is no Captain America, but Evans is charming and still gets to fight.

The power of this film lies in its message. Callum has lost his ability to see the child, and therefore the good, in adults. All he sees is their selfishness, anger, and pettiness. He hands in his resignation, effective after Christmas.

Santa says it isn’t about getting people to do right. It is instead about helping them to see that every decision, big or small, is an opportunity to do good. The choices people make become who they are.

Callum doesn’t see it anymore. He sees people being mean for no reason and feels like people may not need Santa anymore because nothing matters.

Santa says now, they need us more than ever.

Red One has action, quips, and fun. It also has something the world is missing – a positive message without any baggage.

With a stellar cast, including J.K. Simmons as an athletic Santa, Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Claus, and Lucy Liu as Zoe, the head of MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority), Red One provides an entertaining couple of hours. More importantly, it is the kind of movie we need right now.

Red One is an Amazon/MGM film in theaters. Check out this affiliate link for more information (when you purchase something from Amazon with this link, we receive a small finder’s fee.)

Advent Calendar 2024 What’s Inside (with Photo)

Posted on by

I like surprises, but I realized that I don’t always get the item that’s a mystery. In fact, I usually only get a mystery item if I trust the business or person enough to believe I’m going to get value. Rarely, do I pick up a surprise because I want to be surprised; it usually involves my birthday or Christmas. Sometimes, it’s about value; can I risk the amount something costs? So, I decided to publish a sample list of items you might find in an Advent Calendar I put together.

Then, I realized that some people are visual and would much prefer a picture. So, that’s what I am putting here. A photo of a sample Advent Calendar. Please note: if you were to get an Advent Calendar from me, it will likely contain different items. The stock is constantly evolving and some items may not be available for a calendar.

If you want an Advent Calendar, leave me a message or a comment on my Patreon. Once I’ve worked out shipping, I’ll let you know the cost.

Holiday Shopping with a Personal Impact

Posted on by

If you are going to be using Amazon for your holiday shopping, you can help our website out by using one of our Amazon links. When you shop through Penguinate.com, Amazon pays us a commission, The best part is that you don’t pay any more than you normally would for what you order.

Etsy Penguinate

If Amazon isn’t your thing, consider checking out our Etsy shop for plushies. Jenya has knit a bear with a sweater. The bear is super cute. We also have a selection of penguins available, including our popular Roly-Poly penguins.

Books Available

If plushies aren’t your thing (and I’m not sure that’s a possibility), I have written several books. All of them are available on Amazon in one form or another. I also have a few hard copies available that I could autograph and send.

If you’re looking for an archery book or something from an independent author, I still have several authors available, including Drue M. Scott, Darren Lamb, and Shannen Crane Camp. I’m going to read Sugar-Coated again, so I can see how the trilogy ends. Also, I have the Colorworld series.

Advent Calendar

If you would like an Advent Calendar, I am creating some. They will have stickers, projects, and other goodies. I’ll be posting on Patreon for the month of December. You could also get the 2023 Advent Calendar, which is electronic and already published.

Holiday Shopping for Impact

Of course, if none of this excites you, I urge you to find an artist, writer, non-profit, or small business to support this year. Don’t let the big businesses consolidate more cash into useless, leaden “wealth.”

Thank you for visiting our website through out the year. We appreciate you being here whether holiday shopping or not.

Saturday FanX 2024 Panel Schedule First Look

Posted on by

Dick Van Dyke’s move to Saturday makes it easier for me to get in to see him. (He was originally schedule for the hour before my panel on Friday.) However, now that he’s scheduled for the first hour of the busiest day, it’s going to be important to get in line early. He is the panel to see on Saturday.

The noon hour features the Terminator celebrity panel. At 12:30 there is Deafinitely Cinema, a discussion of how the deaf are portrayed in the movies. The 1pm hour has the Behind the Magic: The Secrets of Disneyland panel and a discussion on the Twilight Zone. Mel Gibson is scheduled to 1:15pm.

The next panel to get to is at 2pm. Singer/songwriter Paul Williams and his Rainbow Connection of Muppet’s fame is legendary. This panel will end soon enough for us to get to the Little House celebrity panel at 3:30pm. At 4:30pm, Harry Potter fans will be treated to a celebrity panel, but my choice would be to hit up the Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman celebrity panel. Both panels will run into the Hope for the Trope panel at 5pm, but I’m willing to miss it. At 5:30, the Provost Park Passs will reveal more secrets to park travel.

So, our schedule will look something like this:

  • 11am – Dick van Dyke
  • Noon – Terminator celebrity panel
  • 2pm – Paul Williams
  • 3:30pm – Little House on the Prairie celebrity panel
  • 4:30pm – Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman panel
  • End the con with a trip through the vendor floor

This plan was made on Sept. 15. Conventions change their schedules. Be flexible and go with the flow for the best comic convention experience at FanX 2024.

Check out our Thursday and Friday plans, as well as some more tips for enjoying FanX 2024. Pick up my book to be prepared for my panel on Friday at 1pm.

FanX 2024 Friday Panel Schedule First Look

Posted on by

As I mention in my Thursday First Look, it’s important to remember that conventions change their schedules for a myriad of reasons. These first looks and subsequent schedule proposals are just a way to get some focus for the day while trying to find the one thing I want to do during that day at the convention. The FanX 2024 Friday panel schedule, as of Sept. 12, contains the most important panel of the convention for me; I will be presenting “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity” at 1pm.

That means I will miss Patrick Warburton because he’s scheduled for 12:30. I will also likely avoid any panels before one, so I can be sure that I am ready to do my panel. (High School the Musical celebrity panel is at noon.) The next big panel is Priscilla Presley at 5:30pm. There’s a high probability that Jenya and I will make that presentation. Everyone knows Elvis, and Jenya’s seen a recent biopic on Priscilla.

However, between my panel and Priscilla’s panel is the Thelma and Louise celebrity panel at 2pm. At 3pm, there’s a presentation on 1950s Scif-Fi: Monsters vs. Aliens and Jason Isaacs of Harry Potter fame. Lou Diamond Phillips is at 3:30pm.

At 4pm, the panel Tolkien: Back and There Again will examine the media adaptations of Tolkien’s fantasy writings. At 4:30, writers might want to attend the panel on the Realities of Being a Full-Time Author; with Halloween around the corner, others might find the Nightmare Before Christmas panel more entertaining. Marissa Tomei is at 5pm and the Once Upon a Time celebrity panel is at 6pm, so we’ll probably miss both of those. At 7pm, Jon Heder will likely try to recreate his dance from Napoleon Dynamite during the movie’s panel. Vote for Pedro!

Likely Schedule:

  • 1pm – The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity; Don’t forget to order your book.
  • 2pm – Thelma and Lousie celebrity panel
  • 3:30pm – Lou Diamond Phillips
  • 4:30pm – This is a toss-up, but I’m leaning towards Nightmare Before Christmas.
  • 5:30pm – Priscilla Presley
  • 7pm – Napoleon Dynamite

FanX 2024 Thursday Panels Schedule Revised

Posted on by

FanX 2024 Thursday panels have undergone some changes from the first look that I did. So a quick look at the new schedule, as of 9/12/2024, is in order with a reminder that convention schedules are subject to change.

Anthony Daniels is still on the schedule for 6pm, and he’s a must-see. However, he’s not the only heavy hitter panel on Thursday. FanX has scheduled a Lord of the Rings celebrity panel for 2pm. Fortunately, these two panels are far enough apart in time that I think we can make them both. Before two, we can grab some food and take our time exploring the vendor hall and some of the rooms that have displays not requiring a specifically timed visit.

Matthew Lillard is at 3pm, which is also a change that means we might be able to see him. The Ghostbuster celebrity panel is at 4pm. After that, we’ll have some time to get something to eat while we wait for Anthony Daniels. At 7pm, Brandon Sanderson will be presenting. So all told, our schedule will look something like this for Thursday:

  • 2pm – Lord of the Rings celebrity panel
  • 3pm – Matthew Lillard
  • 4pm – Ghostbusters celebrity panel
  • 6pm – Anthony Daniels
  • 7pm – Brandon Sanderson

As always, one of the best ways for me to enjoy a convention is choose one thing I want to do every day, but just one. Then, as long as I accomplish that one thing, the rest of the day is icing on the cake. It’s not always possible to accomplish the one thing though because conventions can change their schedules, so having a back-up plan is a good idea as well.

What’s the one thing you’re looking forward to at FanX 2024 on Thursday? Let me know in the comments.