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Colorado

31 Nights of Horror: Night 11: Candyman

October 15, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Cover of "Candyman"
Cover of Candyman

When my daughter, Nicole was 3 years old I can remember her sitting with her dad on his lap in his Lay-Z-Boy and watching this movie. Here we are 12 years later and she loves this stuff! What have a done? Created a monster?

Who says that letting your kids watch scary movies at the age of a toddler will warp their impressionable minds? Not to mention she used to head bang in her car seat to White Zombie as we blasted it driving on the windy mountain roads of Colorado.

Candyman (1992) is a film that never got it’s due. It is a movie that assaults the senses and leaves the viewer scared enough to never utter the words “Candyman” in front of the bathroom mirror again!

Did you know:

The bees were bred specifically for this movie. They needed to make sure that the bees were only 12 hours old so that they looked like mature bees, but their stinger wouldn’t be powerful enough to do any real damage. In fact, real bees were actually put into Tony Todd’s mouth while they where shooting the climax. His only protection was a mouth guard that kept him from having the bees go down his throat.

Exterior, hallway and stairway scenes were actually filmed for a few days in the infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects, though the producers had to make a deal with the ruling gang members to put them in the movie as extras to ensure the cast and crew’s safety during filming. Even with this arrangement, a sniper put a bullet through the production van on the last day of filming, though no one was injured.

Also did you know that the lead female character was close to casting the little known Sandra Bullock for the role of Helen.

What is your favorite scary movie? 

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Filed Under: 31 Days of Horror, Alaska, Daily Post, Horror Tagged With: Cabrini-Green, Candyman, Car seat, Colorado, Film, Movies, Tony Todd, white zombie

Smash that Ball Flea!

May 19, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

I am so proud of my little girl!

Nicole is a freshman at Houston High School in Alaska and is the starting catcher on the junior varsity team and the back-up catcher on varsity. As a freshman!

Nicole is away from home for the first time playing games in Kenai and Homer.

On the way down she texted me and said she was in Anchorage.

Being the typical dad I gave my fatherly advice:

Have fun, be safe, act like a lady and smash that ball!

I then said,

Don’t spend all your time texting, look to the right and you may see a whale in the inlet!

Nicole texted back, “Sweet!”

Nicole just moved up to Alaska over Christmas break. She stayed in Colorado with her grandparents until her mom, Michele, could get a job up here. I didn’t want to have the kids up here if mom would have to return home for lack of work.

Why does this matter? 

Nicole moved from a school in the Denver suburbs with thousands of kids roaming the halls to a little school of just a few hundred kids. Sports aside, she has been given the job as the newspaper photographer for next year and is doing great in her classes.

Who would have thought my little flea (the name we have called her since she was little–we are dog trainers ya know!) would do so well living in the sticks in Alaska.

Way to go Flea! Smash that ball!

Photo Credit: Matsusports.net

______________________

Robert Forto is mushin’ down a dream in the wilds of Alaska. He and is wife are raising two teenagers at Forto’s Fort.

 

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post Tagged With: alaska, anchorage alaska, Colorado, denver, Flea, Homer, Houston High School, Nicole, nicole forto, robert forto

NaBloPoMo: What do you do to celebrate a win?

May 9, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

I am participating in the NaBloPoMo challenge for May. It should be a fun one. It is titled: Play.

Today’s topic is: What do you do to celebrate a win?

For the past seven years or so we have played Forto’s Fantasy Football.

In early August we gear up for the draft and peruse over a multitude of stats books and prowl the Internet looking for players to fill our rosters.

Talk about competition! On any given year anyone in my family has a chance to win. For the last several years, my daughter, Nicole has held strong with her dad giving me a run for my money down the stretch.

After each season we award the winning team with the coveted Forto’s Fantasy Football trophy with an engraved plaque with the winner’s name.

The winner gets to keep the trophy for the year until it is claimed by the winner the following season.

The winner is also treated to a dinner, paid for by the losing teams, at a place of his, or her, choosing.

Even though I have won for the last three years in a row I still look forward to playing each year. Last year my son Tyler and I were in Alaska and my wife Michele, and Nicole were in Colorado. We conducted our draft over Skype. It was a blast!

I believe this little tradition is one of the things that keeps our family strong and teaching my kids what competition is all about. Sure it is fantasy football, but the camaraderie and passion each of us has is a good way to stick together.

What do you do to celebrate a win?

______________________

Robert Forto is mushin’ down a dream in the wilds of Alaska. He and is wife are raising two teenagers at Forto’s Fort. 

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Filed Under: Daily Post, NaBloPoMo Tagged With: alaska, Colorado, dailypost, Fantasy football (American), forto, NaBloPoMo, robert forto, skype, Sports

Trails, trails and more trails!

January 19, 2012 by robertforto 1 Comment

I was a (wannabe) musher for a long time. My first time on the back of the sled was way back in the early 1990’s. I even moved a few times searching for snow–don’t we all? I lived in Minnesota where it is sometimes very cold and the winters can be brutal but often there is not a lot of snow on the trails. I lived in Colorado where we would have to drive over two hours into the mountains before we could hook up the teams.

Then I moved to Alaska. I had dreamed about this for a long time. Now right out my back door is literally hundreds of miles of trails! Talk about snow? This year we have had so much snow that it makes it difficult to even run the teams.

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Mushing Tagged With: alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, mushing, Ski, Snow, Trail, Winter sport

Holiday Pet Safety

December 15, 2011 by robertforto Leave a Comment

My name is Robert Forto and I am the training director of Denver Dog Works and Alaska Dog Works. I am asked all the time about holiday do’s and don’ts from pet owners. While I always offer an article right around Christmas about training Christmas puppies I thought it would be wise to offer some tips to pet owners on holiday safety before the season’s festivities reaches a crescendo. While most of this is common sense, it is the little things that we overlook during this busy time of the year that can turn a joyous season into a nightmare for your pet if you do not take some steps to ensure their safety.

The holiday season can get pretty hectic, and with the decorations and extra goodies around the house, there is a lot your pet can find to get into. Here are a few safety tips to help keep your pets safe and happy during the festivities:

Christmas trees

Firmly secure the tree in its stand, and consider wire or twine ties attached to the wall to help secure the tree. You’ll want to make sure the tree doesn’t topple over if, or more likely when, kitty tries to climb the tree.

Dogs and cats will often try to drink water from the reservoir in the stand. The sap from the tree itself may irritate your pet’s stomach, and preservatives added to the water may be toxic. Devise a cover to fit around the base of the tree—even a towel wrapped around the trunk covering the stand will do.

[ Rewind: Christmas Puppies? Maybe Not. ]

Research also shows that the chemicals used in producing artificial trees contain chemicals that can be harmful or even fatal if ingested by your pet. While there are many pro’s and con’s to having a natural versus an artificial Christmas tree, this fact alone should make the decision a little easier.

Ornamentation is very attractive, especially to kittens, cats and puppies, but may be deadly. The tinsel, ribbon and glitter can cause intestinal blockages. Protect your pet by placing these items high enough to be out of reach. Packages under the tree may offer the same threat—the ribbons are just too hard to resist, and your pet may end up chewing on them while playing.

Those wonderful goodies

Holidays are the time for lots of baking, and receiving of baked gifts. These items smell just wonderful to your pet. Your dog may help himself to the candy, cookies, or part of the holiday meal if you are not looking. Eating people food may lead to indigestion, diarrhea, or worse. Remember, items containing chocolate can poison a dog, even if it is a small amount.

Remains of the holiday meal left on countertops, tables, and even in the garbage will entice your pets. If there is a way to get to it, be assured your dog will certainly try. Bones from turkey, a roast, or ham may splinter if eaten. Older garbage may even contain enough bacteria to poison a pet. Be careful where the trash is held while waiting to be disposed of.

And of course I don’t need to remind you that begging at that table can cause major behavior problems in the future…

Other Decorations

Plants, especially poinsettias, are often used for decoration in November and December.  Some of these plants contain toxins that can irritate your pet’s gastrointestinal tract if chewed on or eaten. Eating enough of some plants may poison your dog or cat. In some cases it may be the leaves, in others the stem, berries, or roots. Your veterinarian or behaviorist can help guide you, or you can do a bit of research at the library or online to see if any of your holiday plants may be harmful to your pets.

Toys

On Christmas morning when all of those toys are being played with (and soon forgotten, I might add) they contain many hazards for pets. Small toys, balls, marbles, board game pieces, BB’s from the Red Rider BB gun with the compass in the stock that your son just had to have!, and electric cords are all dangerous to your cat or dog.

Taking a few minutes to set some family guidelines and spot potential safety hazards could keep this holiday season from having serious consequences for your four-footed family member.

In the coming weeks Forto will be publishing and article on training Christmas puppies. His position is that you should never give a puppy for a Christmas present but thousands are given as gifts each year. In this article Forto will discuss when to train your dog, how to properly care for him and who should be in charge. Just remember that shelters are full of dogs that were once bundles of Christmas morning joy that grew up too fast and were not trained. Forto and his certified trainers at Denver Dog Works are here to help.

This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult your veterinarian or behaviorist for specific information related to diseases or medical care for pets.

________________________

Robert Forto is the host of The Dog Works Radio Show and is the training director of Alaska Dog Works. Robert Forto can be reached through his website at www.alaskadogworks.com

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Filed Under: dog training, Dogs, Robert Forto Tagged With: alaska, Christmas, Colorado, denver, Denver Dog Works, dog, Pet, robert forto

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