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The Character Elements of Breaking Bad

There have been so many life-changing, and potentially life-changing events going on lately that I’ve been one big ball of emotions. I’ve even taken a pregnancy test because I can’t remember being this emotional and not being pregnant! (And no, I’m not pregnant.)

Additionally, this blog is currently in the process of moving to a new web host. (More on why in a later post.) This has been going on since Friday — 5 days ago! — but my old host is being a dick and making the migration process as slow as possible. And I don’t have the time or energy to fight them. So please bear with me as the transfer continues.

But wait! My It Can Wait giveaway, featuring a prize pack worth $600(!), is still underway. Have you entered yet?

And, to celebrate the return, and mourn the beginning of the end of Breaking Bad, I wanted to share with you these pieces from Shutterstock, where stock artwork from various artists are used to create Bad Chemistry: The Character Elements of Breaking Bad. While I don’t exactly agree with all the analyses (e.g., I don’t think Skyler is that innocent), you can see that some of them are supposed to be humorous generalizations (see: Walt Jr.). Enjoy!

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Former Walmart Transformed into a Modern Library

When most people look at 124,500 square feet of abandoned warehouse space, they probably see nothing more than the establishment it once contained — a Walmart, in this case.

But when the architecture firm of Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle saw the building, they saw potential.

Take a look at these stunning photos from the end product. The McAllen Main Library (of McAllen, TX) is not only functional — with separate community and meeting rooms, a space dedicated to computers, and a staff area — but beautiful as well. The design is clean and modern, yet warm and inviting at the same time. It is a library built for today.

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Take the “It Can Wait” Pledge and Win a BlackBerry Q10!

Confession: I have texted while driving. Have you? (YES, texting at a red light counts!) If you have, consider this sobering fact: more than 100,000 crashes a year involve drivers who are texting. Wanna know something that's even more alarming? Nearly half of all adult commuters and 43% of teens admit to texting while driving (TWD). And, as the highest consumers of smartphones, Asian-Americans are at an increased risk to the dangers of texting while driving. (But don't think that just because you're not Asian, you can get away with it!) This needs to stop. NOW. AT&T's It Can Wait campaign seeks to do exactly that by asking drivers to take a pledge to never text and drive. When AT&T contacted me about promoting the It Can Wait...

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What Could’ve Been, Movie Characters Edition

Last month I shared with you some concept sketches of Disney characters. And today, I give you the early character sketches of famous movies, compiled by the good folks over at Screen Crush.

Take a look — Yoda could have looked like a garden gnome, and the original Jabba looks even more turd-y than the version we all love to hate. Bane seems to be an S&M dungeon master, while the two versions of Ralph (of “Wreck-It” fame) looks nothing like. I do, however, prefer the earlier designs of the Kraken and the Mad Hatter to their final forms. What do you think? (Warning: many images up ahead!)

Shrek, ‘Shrek’
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DreamWorks/Barry Jackson for DreamWorks

Yoda, ‘Star Wars’
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Aerin’s Developmental Assessment

Yesterday, two ladies from the state early intervention program stopped by our home. NJ's early intervention program assesses a child in the following areas of development: Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skills Communication, Speech, & Language Social/Emotional Development Cognitive Skills Adaptive/Self-help Skills In order to be eligible for early intervention services, the child must have delays of at least: 2.0 standard deviations below the mean in one developmental area; or 1.5 standard deviations below the mean in two more more developmental areas Aerin scored below the mean in every category, with the exception of fine motor skills. (She actually scored well above average in this area.) While her gross motor skills and social/emotional development were just below average, her cognitive skills and adaptive skills were about 1.5 standard deviations below the mean. Particularly...

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