8 Reasons We Love Arnold Schwarznegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger became a household name during the 80s and 90s. His larger than life 

appearance on screen helped launch him into the spotlight, and land him a place among the various 

legends of action films. But what is it about Arnold that makes us love him so much? Here are eight 

reasons we love Arnold Schwarzenegger.

1.   They ripple, and he had lots of them. People knew who Arnold Schwarzenegger was because of

 his body, and the large amount of muscles he built on it. Long before he started making movies, 

Arnold was lifting weights and building mass. He won the “Mr. Universe” title in 1969 at age 20 and 

went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest a total of seven times. His unique physique gave Arnold the 

opportunity to do things lesser men can only dream of, and that’s one reason we love him.

2.   There’s probably no doubt that the Terminator role landed Arnold a place in the movie history 

books, but it wasn’t just the way Arnold played the role of a Terminator that got our attention. The 

thought of our own creation turning against us and trying to “terminate” us was enough for us to 

question whether or not our computers had feelings or a personality, and that’s one reason we love 

him.

3.   Arnold was born in Austria shortly after the conclusion of WWII, and first moved to the United 

States in 1968. He didn’t speak English, overcame a thick, difficult to understand Austrian accent, 

won multiple world championship bodybuilding contests, and became the biggest movie star in the 

world during the 1990s. He’s living the epitome of the American dream and he’s not even from 

America, and that’s one reason we love him.

4.   Comedic relief is a necessary component for any good movie, which may be why Arnold’s

 movies have been so successful. He’s funny, and he’s funny when it counts. Take for instance 

the ending to the movie Commando, the entire dialogue between John Matrix (Arnold) and Bennett 

(Vernon Wells) is hilarious. Arnold’s mannerisms make us laugh, and his ability to be funny is one 

of Arnold’s best qualities, and that’s one reason we love him.

5.   In any given movie Arnold has an arsenal of witty one liners that are easy to remember. In his 

booked titled “Total Recall” Arnold says he asked early on to include his own, self-made one liners 

in movies to help break up the action sequences. Lines like “I’ll be back” and “Hasta La Vista Baby”

 from the Terminator series have become common knowledge as a result of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 

movie roles. His lines are witty, they’re memorable, we could probably use one every day, and that’s 

one reason we love him.

6.   In 2003 Arnold proved he’s more than just a bodybuilder turned movie star, by throwing himself 

into the center of the political fray surrounding the Governor Gray Davis recall election in California. 

In typical Arnold Schwarzenegger fashion he announced his intent to run for the Governorship while 

appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Whether you agree with his politics or not, a man who 

can accomplish such a feat has the respect of everyone, and that’s one reason we love him.

7.   When it comes to saying ridiculous stuff there’s no one who does it better than Arnold. During 

an interview he once said “Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million, but I was just as 

happy when I had $48 million.” Then, shortly after being elected the governor of California a reporter 

told Arnold, a staunch republican, something democrats had said about him. When asked what he 

thought about it he replied, “Who cares what the democrats think, the democrats are losers!” Arnold 

isn’t afraid to speak his mind and say something ridiculous, and that’s one reason we love him.

8.   Arnold, like Jean Claude Van Dame, just can’t seem to get enough and always comes back for 

more. Recently he’s been in The Expendables and Expendables 2, but we’ll be able to see him in his 

first main role in years when he comes back as Sheriff Ray Owens in The Last Stand, to be released 

in 2013. When Arnold says “I’ll be back” he means it, and that’s one reason we love him. 

About the author:

Zack Mandell is a movie enthusiast, writer of movie reviews, and owner of Movie Room Reviews which 

has great information on movies and actors. He writes extensively about the movie industry for sites 

such as Gossip Center, Yahoo, NowPublic, and Helium.

Domestic Goddesses

If you are a woman, like me, you know how hard it is to have perfect hair and makeup, a clean house, clean kids, clean dogs and cats, clean aquariums and koi ponds, clean rabbit cages, vacuumed floors, folded laundry, cooked dinner, and any and all art projects completed.

Oh, you don't? I'm just insane, then. 

I love every minute of the complete chaos that is my life. We recently put in a koi pond in the backyard to be able to accommodate my mother's koi (as she's suffered several heart attacks in the last month and couldn't deal with the upkeep anymore). I've upgraded my Oscar's tank (his name is Troy, he lives with a pleco dubbed Cam). I've not missed a single televised football game ('tis the season, after all... for football!). My little store on Etsy has done remarkably well this holiday season (especially since we are very new). I've even gotten my 2.5' tall Batman decorated with his Santa hat at a jaunty angle.

Most importantly, though, my floors are clean! I spent this afternoon situating the guest room for all the family that will be here in the next couple of weeks for the holidays. I've had 8 cappuccinos today alone. 

Also, I made sure dinner was ready when the hubby got home. Working double shifts at UPS during the holidays isn't fun for anyone. But here's what he had for dinner:

That's right! I took time out to play around in my kitchen and do something I love... cook! Here is his crab and cream cheese sushi rolls with tofu miso soup. I think it should be pointed out that hand rolling sushi is no laughing matter. 

So to all those domestic goddesses in your life, raise your eggnog (hopefully spiked with the good stuff) and remind her how awesome she is!

The Dark Knight Returns

My love for geekery never ceases to amaze me. I am now the proud owner of "The Dark Knight Returns" #1... FRANK MILLER!!! In MINT CONDITION!

I a) love Frank Miller's artwork. That guys is freaking amazing. b) love me some Batman in the worst way. c) think the deeper, darker story of Batman is FANTASTIC.
I won't take it out of the bag. I just gaze lovingly at the cover and salivate (thank God for plastic). It's so amazingly beautiful. I guess now it begins. Stacy collects comic books for more than just work. I will have to renovate my office to make sure that I have storage for all of the ones I want to collect, now.
Is is wrong to leave it in the plastic and frame it and display it? Out of direct light, of course... I can't have the cover fading...
If you have no idea what I am talking about, check this out: http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_The_Dark_Knight_Returns_Vol_1_1

Murals

I realized the other day that the thing I love best in the whole world, painting murals, has kind of fallen by the wayside in my fledgling business. I love painting on walls, probably because I got in trouble so much as a child for this very thing. Murals are like giant canvases on a big wall. They are empty. Being able to fill them up and completely change the look of a room is one of the biggest rewards.  That's why I'm vowing, here and now, to put more murals in my house. I have the one under my kitchen counter:

But that's the only one I've done so far in my house. I'd like to paint my son's room black or dark blue and use glow-in-the-dark paint to do a bunch of planets and stars all over his room. I'm working on it.

This is hard work...

So after being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and full-time student for the last several years, I've opted to try my hand at selling some of my more creative stuff... the idea that my creations + some smarts = stay at home mom with more time with kids + more income.
Hah! It's nothing like I ever imagined it would be. While it is true that I am home every day to spend time with the kids while they do homework, talk about their day, etc, I am more exhausted now than I was working full-time or studying for exams!
The idea was that I could use my talents (painting and whatever) to make a little extra money on the side so the hubs wouldn't have to work so hard without paying for childcare or worrying about where my kids were, who they were with, and what they were doing. The biggest fail here is that creating custom items takes so much time... and energy. I spent an inordinate amount of my day online shopping for supplies, talking ideas with prospective customers (until I am cross eyed from reading the computer screen) and then the kids get home, need help with homework, the dogs want to go out, the cat is in the Christmas tree, the aquarium filter needs changing, the outflow valve on the koi pond is leaking, the hubs is going to be late, dinner needs to be made, the rabbit needs his cage cleaned....
And I thought this would free up my time? (Obviously not, I don't get to blog often anymore...)
On the other hand, the dogs are curled up and snoozing, the cat is cuddling with one of the kidlets, the rabbit is content, the fish are all alive, my house is decorated for the holidays, the husband is snoring.... and I have about 7 orders to design and fill.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Halloween is Coming...

Ever since I can remember, Halloween has been my favorite time of the year. I love fall anyway, with the crisp air, cool nights, color changes, and smells. But Halloween holds a special place in my heart. Growing up, it was the only time I could get away with dark makeup and funky colored hair. I'm pretty sure I went trick-or-treating until I was 16... and then I just took my nephew as an excuse. Now I have two kids and it's the same festivities, only I don't have to knock on all the doors to get the candy (and yes, I do still dress up).
In keeping with the spirit of the spooky and the morbid, I've recently been focusing all my energy into making comic book shoes (and other accessories) that highlight my favorite time of the year. (Also, before too much longer, every channel will have new and old horror movies playing, another guilty pleasure of mine.)
So check these out:

That's right. Nightmare on Elm St. stilettos. How better to rock your love of the macabre than with these babies?

Another horror classic! Friday the 13th.

And how about a Dexter Morgan bracelet to compliment the look?
I know, I know. At some point, I will have to grow up, stop having blue hair, and conform to society. Just not today. It's too close to the time of year where I can really be myself and no one will look at me funny.

Things to Put Off As Long As Possible

I thought (instead of loading the dishwasher or picking up the house now that everyone else is in bed) that I'd make a list of things that I like to put off as long as possible:

1. Laundry. It's the only chore I really, really hate, so I like to put it off until everyone in my house in on their last pair of everything. By this I mean, "I am sorry you are out of socks, borrow a pair of your sister's. You still have clean pants, right?" Also, once I have finished folding the laundry, I am supposed to put it away. This can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months.
2. Making coffee. If we've ever met, you know that I have a severe caffeine addiction, with coffee and Mountain Dew featuring in my diet most prominently. However, coffee takes so long to make and their are so many steps involved, I sometimes pretend to be asleep until someone else makes some.
3. Sleeping. Sleeping is boring and I have way too many things to accomplish. I'd rather skip it altogether.
4. Eating. I can't ever have what I want (I'm a diabetic) so food is a chore. I don't like eating. I do, however, love cooking.
5. Finishing a project. I love to start a project (and get all those cool butterflies in my tummy from excitement), but I hate to finish them. That means I have to start all over. Also, while I could be working on an existing project, I could be starting 12 others! (Like finishing the paint in the guest bathroom I started about 18 months ago.)
6. Making tea. We've graduated to using Lipton's Cold Brew tea bags, so it takes even less time to make it, but I hate doing it. If there is between 1/2 and 1 full 8 oz glass of tea in the fridge in the pitcher, I won't drink it because the rule in our house is: If you finish it, fix it.
7. Making phone calls. I don't mean calling family and friends (although I prefer text messages), I mean like calling a doctor's office to schedule an appointment, calling the vet for any of our 400 animals, or ordering food (see #4). I hate talking on the phone to people. I'd rather let my skin/hair/teeth rot/fall out, wait until the absolute last minute or an emergency, or starve to death if they don't have online ordering.
8. Leave the house. A prime example of this is tonight, when I ordered a single pack of printer paper online rather than drive the 5-10 minutes down the road to Staples or Wal-Mart. I will wait until Friday (grocery day... or later than that, if we have anything resembling food in our house) to pick up anything, rather than run out during the week.
9. Get dressed/get ready to leave. Again, this is due to #8. I'll wait until we have seriously, like 5 minutes to walk out the door to put my makeup on, straighten my hair (decide I hate it down and pull it up) and put clothes on. I really prefer to live in my PJs.

That's just a quick list off the top of my head of the things I hate the most. I will eventually do all of them, but not unless I'm under duress.