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I have so much to be thankful for in my professional life. I think first of all the relationships I have developed all over the country, in Canada and Australia. I have come to know so manny good people trying to improve treatment throughout our system. I have learned about many cultures, from Hawaiian to North Dakotan to First Nation. I have enjoyed seeing the sights and the art. And so many people have been kind and helpful and encouraging towards me! I am immensely thankful for the people at Klingberg. My boss Steve Girelli is a constant source of intelligence, support, good ideas and kindness. My co workers Steve Brown, Marci Marciniek and Michelle Kenefick offer excellence in so many ways: creativity, hard work, attention to detail, skills and knowledge, and great relationships with our customers. Also at Klingberg Dave Tompkins is a constant reliable support, and others like Rebecca, Christine, Joe, Eileen, Mark, Sue make my job much more pleasant and interesting. My professional life is greatly enhanced by my husband Roger Nielson, who is my advisor and marketing director. And my friends also support me. I am most thankful for the whole phenomena of trauma informed care. We are coming to trust our clients and realize that in behavior and words they are communicating the absolute truth. We are experiencing that change happens with safety and kindness, with collaboration and respect, not through coercion. We are actually beginning to realize that our clients will act better when they are happier. Words are not always the answer. Our most important task is to give our clients the experience of connection with good, kind, trustworthy people. I am thankful for the clients I have known who have inspired me and honored me with their truths. It is for them that I work so hard to change our treatment approach. Does this sound like an Academy Award acceptance speech? I am so lucky professionally and wanted to take this Thanksgiving weekend to acknowledge my gratitude.

The Case Of The One Penny Orange A Masao Masuto Mystery Detective Masuto investigates a string of strange Southern California crimes that lead all the way back to Nazi Germany Returning from a funeral, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Briggs find their Beverly Hills mansion ransacked. As they wait for the police, they discover something unusual: Despite the chaos, nothing appears to be missing-a fact that greatly interests Beverly Hills police detective Masao Masuto. But the Zen detective only has a few minutes to ponder the strange break-in before a murder intervenes. The victim is Ivan Gaycheck, a stamp dealer whom Masuto remembers for his stout frame and unplaceable accent. A .22-caliber bullet killed Gaycheck, but-just like the Briggs's home invasion-nothing in the shop has been disturbed. Suspecting a connection between the two crimes, Masuto dives into the case, uncovering a strange conspiracy that stretches back to the darkest days of World War II. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Howard Fast including rare photos from the author's estate. Searching for more content… [United States] : No Publisher : Made available through hoopla, 2011 --- Opinion From the critics --- Community Activity Notices There are no notices for this title yet. Quotes There are no quotes for this title yet.

When I first saw the stamp set Aviary in the 2010 Stampin' Up! catalogue I thought it was cute but didn't even think of putting it on my extensive wish list. It became obvious in a very short time period that I was going to "need" this stamp set. I signed up for Heather Summers' Aviary class - she so very kindly does a kit to go as we don't live in the same city. The class fee included the stamp set! How fun is that! My kit arrived last week and I quickly got the cards done - everything was cut and stamped. I just had to punch a few pieces. The kit included all the supplies for 4 projects - three standard size cards and one little card set that included 3 little notecards and a matchbook cover to hold them in. This is the first of the cards. I'll post the rest of them over the course of the week.

Over the past few months I have been chasing my tail attempting to adopt a dog. Endless piles of paperwork, month long games of phone tag, joy, disappointment, more disappointment, three zipcar rentals and about $500 later, I am finally a doggie momma. Yesterday I drove in the rain (and got lost in Yonkers) to adopt the beautiful Parsley you see below. I found her on at the Elmsford Animal Shelter in Westchester County, New York, and I loved her from the first moment I saw her. Parsley, previously named Chantelle (but she didn't respond to her name, so I figured it was okay to change it. Judge me not!), has been a complete angel since arriving at our apartment yesterday afternoon. She was mellow and quiet in the car, which I know can be stressful to a dog that's been shipped around from shelter to shelter. She's only had one accident in the house since arriving. I know no one likes to clean up dog mess, but it is completely natural for a dog to want to mark a new space, and the confusion of the move would probably make me pee on the rug, too. Most amazingly, she seems to love us unconditionally even though we just met this weekend. She cuddles up to us and follows us from room to room, and she seems to trust us completely. I was pretty shocked that she didn't put up any fuss when I lifted her into the crate in the car. She hasn't begged at mealtimes, she doesn't jump on the furniture, she is great on the leash, she smiles politely, she hasn't barked (although she howled once while the feller was in the shower this morning; here's hoping separation anxiety doesn't result in all day howling), and she lets us hug and kiss her all over. I think, thus far, she is a testament to the joy a shelter dog can bring to one's life. I adopted a dog that seemed unwanted, but has already exceeded my expectations. I have had a permasmile on all day, and I think that's definitely worth more than any price tag. I also just feel great knowing I helped an animal. I've got her first vet check up booked for this weekend so we can make sure she's fit as a fiddle, and I need to call a dog walker to break up her days while I'm at work. I got her a sweater to wear in the cold weather tomorrow. I know she's not a craft or a DIY project, but I think I might blog about her training and acclimation to life in her new home on here, because family and home is what DIY is all about to me, and she's family and she's helping to make my rental apartment become a home. Here she is, world.Here's Parsley!

Good morning Vancouver! Were you all as wired as I was last night? Stupid pop at dinner - shoulda know it would keep me up. But at least I got 6 hours in. It looks like it's going to be a GORGEOUS DAY! Perfect weather for a marathon, in fact. You can all thank me for buying that rain jacket now ;) See you out there, Vancouver! Good luck to everyone running Van and a big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers!

today i was feeling outdoorsy, so i decided to walk to a local park and do some reading. it took me about twenty minutes to get there, i guess. lucky for you, it only took you a few clicks of the old keyboard! welcome to webster park, orono, maine. the park is guarded by this awkward statue of a man with his head split open. odd. and, no, i have no idea what it means, but here he is. if you look really carefully, you can see the sun shining through his cranial divide. after you pass the statue and the time capsule that is to be opened in 2076, you reach the real business of the park. i walked up to the river where i found this cute little bench. sitting on the bench, i took this picture and then realized that there is a rock that is flattish and right down by the water. i think you can see it near the right of this picture. of course i had to go down there. this is the view from down on the rock. just outside of the frame to the far left is the "portage" sign that mom liked so much. since the rock was, indeed, flattish, i didn't have anywhere to set my bag where i wouldn't have to worry about it slowly sliding. so...i headed back up to my bench and read a bit. is this bit of park getting popular with the critters? i could have sworn i just heard something scurrying... at this point i moved to higher ground to a picnic table. less in the woods and less controlled by things that might scurry or make such noises. i read at the picnic table for a while longer and then made the trek back home. it was a good few hours in the park, but my allergies are now all upset. ugh...i'm told that after the first frost i will have free reign to enjoy the outdoors without threat of allergic reactions. hmm...snowshoeing anyone?

This week the Daring Card Makers are daring you to make a card with a 'see through' element. I've always love the original Tenniel drawings of Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass and I go the 'Six impossible things before breakfast' stamped image in a swap, but have never found a way to incorporate it into a card. The little frame stamp is from the Wild Asparagus stamp set by My Mind's Eye, that I got as blog candy from Sue H and suddenly, just like the cheshire cat, there was my idea in front of me! Alice is on the inside of the card looking through her acetate looking glass, there are some bits of 'Touch of Teal' paper by Papermania lurking around the card, but mostly I used the images from ..thorugh a looking glass found in a google image search. and don't forget to leave a comment with a link to your card.

5kg by December/15kg by May I know I'm not huge, But I also know I have weight to lose. We all have that favorite pair of jeans or favorite little black dress, yes? The ones we just don't fit into the way we use to!! Well I have a pair of jeans! It's going to be my goal to fit back into these jeans by the time summer comes around. I want to lose 15kg all up, but my goal for now is 5kg! How do I plan on doing this? I plan on starting simple, Cutting out the bad things while introducing the good things. I will be saying goodbye to soft drink, goodbye to take-away food, hello to more water & more healthy foods! I'm not in a hurry, I want to do it at my own pace and I know I can do this!

The new year may only be 10 days old, but I've already done 3 new things that I'm excited about. I went to my first football game (outside of high school football, which hardly counts), and what a big one it was! It was the BCS championship game at the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Texas last week. AND IT WAS FREE. Allow me to explain.... My friend (and roomie) Rebecca and I took the afternoon off work, and headed down to the Rose Bowl to see what has been going on in our Pasadena backyard. Our objective was not to go to the game (we did not have tickets), but rather soak up the human experience in the form of redneck tailgaters. And while neither of us had any specific allegiance to either team, we decided to root for Alabama. For me, some of my good friends are die hard Bama fans, and for Becca, Alabama is closer in geographic proximity to her home state of Georgia. Hey, it's better than picking them based on who had the prettiest uniforms. Upon arrival at the tailgate party outside the Rose Bowl, our first order of business was beer. This turned out to be more difficult than I expected. We waited an hour for Bud Light. At least it was cold. Because of the long line, the only sensible thing to do was to buy two. So I did. Becca knows her beer. And she knows what's crap, and what's good. So consequently, she's NEVER HAD A BUD LIGHT. Why would she? Since that was the only option, she sucked it up and braved the nastiness. You can tell she's a little unsure of the drink she's just committed to. But like any good girl, she drained that puppy. Such pride for my pal Becca. After the beers and a phenomenal bratwurst, we wandered over to the Goo-Goo Dolls concert that was being put on by ESPN. It was what you'd expect of a Goo-Goo Dolls show...it was fine. Nothing earth shattering. We staked out a spot, which is where we came across this gallant gentleman: Then we meet these guys, who are the brothers of one of my co-workers (she's not pictured). After they got interviewed by CBS for their fabulous attire, the one on the left asked us if we wanted to go to the game. We said that it would be fun, but we really couldn't afford scalped ticket prices, and our plan was just to be a part of the tailgating fun and go home. That was unacceptable. He then quickly procured a couple tickets, tossed them in my popcorn bag, and told us to have fun. To which Rebecca asked, "Um, are we gonna have to sleep with you for these?" We didn't. He was just that generous. Wow. Here's me with my ticket and my kettle corn. We got inside the stadium just in time for fireworks and the national anthem. An incredible night, and a fabulous game. Thanks Paul, our mysterious ticket man, wherever you are. Baking: I'm no slouch in the kitchen, but baking is not my forte. I get worried that everything I bake is going to be undercooked, so consequently everything is overdone and dried out. Delish. In my quest to become a better baker, my mom gave me a Kitchen-Aid mixer for Christmas, and it's the best toy I've gotten in years. (Note: Referring to a kitchen appliance as a 'toy' officially makes you an adult...in a little bit o' denial.) Anyway, I made chocolate chip banana bread last night, and I'm terribly proud of it. It tasted like heaven. I even documented the action, just for you. You're welcome. The finished product. Not burned. Moist. Delicious. A success. New Thing #3- Blogging: I've been MIA for well over a month, and my blogging record has not been stellar over the last few months. So this is my first 2010 post, making it my last new thing. I guess that's good because it means I'm out there living life. I'm just not telling both my readers about it. That is, if I even have 2 readers left....hello? Hello? I know I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, but I'm gonna try better with the blogging. I'm always happier if I'm writing. Remind me of this later when I become an apathetic blogger again. Thanks.

The other day, I was talking with a professional woman around my age. I have never met her. A mutual friend referred her to me. This woman owns her own ad agency and she was consulting with me on a project I am working on. The information I was given was extremely helpful and I was so grateful for her time and patience. While we were talking, the subject of women supporting women came up. Or, more precisely, women undermining women. She told me that it saddens her to see and experience so much backstabbing amongst females as they climbed up corporate ladders or were just starting out in their fields. There is no question that we live in a competitive world. Women are especially challenged as they also go toe-to-toe with men, who for the most part have populated the professional marketplace for generations. Jealously, competitiveness and fear are real and ever-present. I know there are many women who are confidant, self-assured and generous in their support and encouragement towards other women. I know this personally, as I have been extremely fortunate to have come in contact with many of them. Remember someone who helped you, so that you could be successful. Think about the opportunities you have to pay it forward.

Prison 15H I’ve been to this place 4 times now, to be confronted with a solid wall. That’s the problem with prisons, they’re quite easy to seal. But it was 5th time lucky, as this time I obviously made it in. Normally I commentate on my thoughts and feelings throughout the report, but I managed to find a letter from a prisoner who wrote from this prison in May 2008. I think their words are far more poignant than mine. “Finally I’ve decided to write, four and a half months after my arrest and imprisonment, because I’ve become incredibly sick of this giant, yet suffocating cage that haunts us, outside and inside.” “The fear of macabre crime and hordes of barbarians, sometimes spontaneous sometimes organized, is indispensable for the State to justify a repressive strategy of security and policing that perpetuates its complete power. Citizens can sleep soundly, knowing that the State watches and condemns the criminal pedophiles, the murdering terrorists, the bloodthirsty bandits that nest in our neighborhoods. . . The threat is everywhere. And words are powerful for creating a danger. ” “The reality is that the economy of fear is a fertile and blooming market. Surveillance cameras are sprouting around, as are private security companies. New technologies excel when it comes to security and snitching. And the police swarm our streets and our transit stations, justice is mechanical and brisk, the prison of all kinds are flourishing and overpopulated. ” “It is clear that the world is divided between honest people on the one side, and then on the other side the poor, unemployed, documented and undocumented immigrants, youth, strikers, people without permits, cons of social welfare, frauds, small traders of the black market, petty thieves, agitated people who offend and rebel, unruly people who refuse identification and data profiling, alcoholics, drug users, partisans of fireworks and smokebombs, prostitutes, depressed people, bruisers, casseurs (hooligans), saboteurs, lazy people, people interested in subversive readings, vagabonds. . . In a world that is governed in favor of honest people, different and guilty behaviour is not acceptable, and the struggle to be part of the honest class is admirable and worthy of merit. ” “Does such a servile and narrow consciousness of the world really exist? Is that the sad order that governs us? We’re not dupes and do not play along with that game. We will not embody these horrors. We will not be scapegoats nor martyrs. In a society where it’s good to remain silent and stay in one’s place, revolt can be fought with beatings, walls and barbwire, and irradiated with the dominant and false discourse, but will not be stopped. Ideas and critical thought know neither masters nor boundaries and free spirits will always remain outraged over having to live under the eternal constraint of the exploiting oppressors and oppressed exploited. ” “In four months, I’ve explored the penitentiary of [15H]. In a month, I’ll enter the prison of Rouen. . .What to say about this unexpected dislocation that jerks our feet off the ground and our heads out of the clouds to compartmentalize us, to divide us, to reduce us to a thousand times and spaces, to a thousand places and realities, in a jumble of “self”, of self image, of multiple misshaped and amnesic faces?. . . How to define my uncertain paths between police, justice and prison?. . . ” “Every step is a step forward in a jungle of cages that interlock like Russian dolls, silent and censored. Every step has to be a return to yourself in order to bring back together the dispersed pieces of your mind, and to destroy the bars that slowly take shape inside your body. It would be ridiculous if my prison situation was getting under my skin! To deny our own consciousness for a paranoia of the State is an act of suicide! ” “To illustrate the insignificance of this condition I could for example recount how I spent two and a half hours in a cage in a police truck, with my hands cuffed, a few air holes, hardly any daylight, without food or water, until my arrival at the court. There I spoke for a few minutes with the lawyer whom I had not seen since my last transfer and then with an unbearable headache I was finally interrogated by the judge, knowing I had to look forward to the same thing on the way back again. That is a thorough and precise representation of our rights. And that is well known. ” “To go back a little, arriving in the prison was an terrible shock. After a nightmare of five days under pressure, under arrest and observation, with heavy accusations and in proportions which I could not have suspected, the never ending waiting has started. . . Until when? After two months I found a certain balance, linking experiences. . . But they preferred to break me a bit more, in a logic of punishment and revenge, and I’ve ended up in [15H] ” “Once again, I lost my bearings. I ended up in an environment with more apparent security, smooth, clean, but icy. Long lit-up hallways filled by cameras behind protective covers, a small soulless yard under video surveillance, covered in tar and surrounded by a double row of fences and barbwire, a cell with a shower, a television from the State and five electric power boxes! And to populate this bleak place with ghosts, a rationalization and discipline of movement, meant to repress life to every extent.” “The spirit of this place has strongly combined comfort and cleanliness in the service of order. The flux and numbers are brought down to a minimum and are strictly regulated (three walks in the yard for 150 prisoners, limited activities in small groups). The time in the yard does not exceed the obligatory maximum per day (one hour and fifteen minutes per half a day). Exchange and solidarity between prisoners (besides the trade in stamps) are particularly complicated to develop in an atmosphere where repression is widespread (even pen and paper are not allowed during yard time). . . And not to be confused, when laundry service is offered it is to avoid disorder and confusion with clothes hanging from the windows; to avoid the possibility that prisoners could “re-appropriate” and reshape the place within which they’re trying to survive. ” “Elsewhere in this new prison, that is partly managed by a private that organizes prison labor, the laundry shift is an essential activity for the women. I think that 1.5 tons of laundry is washed per day, coming from different prisons in the region. The men have to work in the kitchen. According to the same principle, [15H] delivers meals in trays to all prisons in this zone. The wages are less than 200 Euros for the women (for a full time job) and 100 Euros more for the men.” “Now they are working to make it an ultra-secure wing. The security network progresses blindly: a new row of barbwire was recently added to the outside wall, the underground piping for the sewer was equipped with bars, etc.” “I compare this pacified banality with the penitentiary institution for women in [14H], which has its history, its struggles, its evolutions, its accomplishments. . . And what characterizes the old prisons, like “collective” showers or the distribution of warm water in the morning. . . Sunday afternoon the yard time is extended to three hours with the authorization of a “picnic”. And never will a guard set foot in the yard. . . In fact, the façade is more apparent in the absolute. At [15H], it’s like separation and erasure work on their own. Seldom do you hear prisoners banging in unison on the doors. But I hope that the women’s wing will be shaken in the future by the refusal of resignation, conquering new “rights” and freedoms, here and elsewhere. And finally, that these institutions of imprisonment everywhere are torn down. At this moment I am still waiting, but with more confidence and a progressive understanding of the mechanisms used to try to control us. . .The struggle continues! ” No photos have been added to this portfolio yet or the previously uploaded photos have been removed. To get in touch, please use the

The Jardins de Coursiana, also known as the Arboretum Coursiana, are botanical gardens with an arboretum (6 hectares) located in La Romieu, Gers, Midi-Pyrénées, France. They are open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.The arboretum was created in 1974 by eminent French botanist Gilbert Cours-Darne. In 2000 its Tilia collection (more than 60 taxa) was designated a national collection by the Conservatoire des collections végétales spécialisées (CCVS), in 2001 the garden of aromatic and medicinal plants was begun, and in 2005 the ensemble was designated a Jardin remarquable by the Minister of Culture.Today the arboretum contains 700 species of trees and shrubs, including mature Quercus robur (200 years old), as well as Aesculus californica, Alnus cresmatogyne, Davidia involucrata, Firmiana simplex, Parrotia persica, Sassafras officinalis, Tilia americana nova, Tilia chemnoui, and Tilia henryana. The gardens also include an English garden, vegetable garden, and garden of aromatic and medicinal plants. Make Les Jardins de Coursiana part of your personalized La Romieu itinerary using our La Romieu holiday planning tool Create an itinerary including Les Jardins de Coursiana Unable to display map at this time. Please try again later. Salle de réception superbe pour vos soirées d’évènementiel, magnifique cadre & super accueil... Le beau terroir du Gers ! more » Reception room great for your evening event, beautiful setting & friendly... The beautiful land of the Gers! View original Un site qui a une âme. Une vue incomparable sur la collégiale. Un jardin bien entretenu, et de grande qualité. Bref, si vous passez dans le coin arrêtez vous, vous ne serez pas déçus. more » A site that has a soul. Incomparable views of the collegiate church. A high quality and well maintained garden. Anyway, if you're in the area stop you, you will not be disappointed. View original On y trouve une végétation chamarrée, quasi luxuriante, presque sauvage, disposée avec raffinement. C'est tout un art ! Bref, un jardin à l'anglaise bercé dans les plaines du gers, placé sous la prote... more » There is a vegetation exotic, almost lush, almost wild, prepared with refinement. It's an art! In short, a garden in England cradled in the plains of the gers, placed under the benevolent protection of a collegiate church of the fourteenth century. Splendid. View original Gorgeous!! And we can even enjoy a sherbet or coffee,tea, cold drinks and buy plants at the little cafe at the entrance of the garden. Wonderful quiet boutique hotel offers the main street. Great breakfast spread, good sleep quality and exceptionally friendly staff Absolutely enchanting. This Museum of trees (arboretum) is very well-maintained by a passionate and exciting family. The welcome is warm and family. I recommend without moderation! View original All simply superb and pleasant, a great ride to do. A jillion of very beautiful plants and trees. Possibility of picnic, accepted pets on a leash. Don't hesitate to make a detour. View original Very nice, very well-kept garden with magnificent flowers and especially a very large variety of trees. Deserves to be visited. View original Places to stay near Les Jardins de Coursiana Plan your trip to La Romieu Get a personalized plan A complete day-by-day itinerary based on your preferences Customize it Refine your plan. We'll find the best routes and schedules Book it Choose from the best hotels and activities. Up to 50% off Manage it Everything in one place. Everyone on the same page. Are you the owner of this business? Click here for promotion tips.

always take a picture of your friends when they get their hair done. even despite their protests. gorgeous, no? if the only way you will take vitamins daily is through gummy form, by ALL means, do it. don't freak out so much about taking the Christmas decorations down right after the new year. it's kinda nice to let it linger. buy flowers for yourself. also something you won't regret. it's absolutely okay to go to a show by yourself. i met new people, and ran into people i knew. had a blast, and got to start using my camera.

It's funny because these reviews are so backlogged that the meals have long since been cooked and eaten by the time they come up here. In fact, I have more meals coming next week from and here I am talking about meals from the beginning of the month! This meal was Thai Coconut Noodles with Basil and Kale - and it was delicious. One thing we have noticed with the pasta and rice dishes is that you get a when you order from Plated. However, often they start to get boring after a while so we decided to add tofu to this to give it a little bit of something extra (and also to make it more of a meal). There were a lot of ingredients and steps for this meal and although it could have been made by one person, it was nice having two of us to work on it. Of course, we added the step of cooking the tofu as well. I had mentioned previously with one of the Plated dishes that it needed a bit more sauce. This time, I feel like it maybe needed less, but I also think it was my fault. I should have used less water. I followed the recipe but as you can see, the sauce probably could have been thicker, which would have made it cling to the noodles more. This was likely my fault as I couldn't get the noodles as dry as I would have liked coming out of the bowl. I also should have used more of the kale, which would have soaked up the sauce more, but I knew we would likely eat around it if there was too much. Regardless of the sauce, this was an awesome meal! I liked everything - the sauce was great, the noodles were the right kind for this mix, the mix of kale, basil, bean sprouts, and scallions worked, and adding the tofu made this near perfect.

Today also marks one year since I found out Zachary was on his way. I know the other days I found out with my other boys, but this one adds new meaning. Considering what I would then encounter 3 months from now. I think that anniversary will be much harder.

Today is Joe and my one-month wedding anniversary. We never celebrated anniversaries when we were dating, but I am LOVING celebrating each tiny wedding milestone that comes our way. If you remember, I rushed home at 6:00 a.m. on Halloween from out of town so I could spend the day with Joe... it was our three-week anniversary, after all. :) Anyway, Joe and I plan to have a romantic homemade dinner in tonight to celebrate. Little did I know, Joe was going to up the celebration anty today. He sent me these at work: Daisies, my absolute most favorite flower ever. They are perfect and beautiful and smell delightful. They make me smile just looking at them. (Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flowers?) This husband of mine.... I think I might just keep him. Name that quote and you rule in my book. :)

My friends are so kind, generous and thoughtful to me that I do get moved literally to tears. Ask Melinda. And thank all of you for your gifts but I very much appreciate the prayers and words of encouragement. It fills my soul with much needed energy.

Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jayant Malaiya and his wife Sudha were robbed of their valuables when a gang of robbers forced their way into their AC first class compartment of the Jabalpur-Nizamuddin Express at around 4 am on Thursday. The train was Delhi bound and the incident took place near Kosi Kalan in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The MP's wife Sudha confirmed the incident, adding that an FIR had been filed with regard to the case. "It is not possible to put guards in every train but something needs to be done," she said. Three Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel have been suspended and Railways has ordered an inquiry into the matter, reports CNN-IBN. According to Jayant Malaiya and his wife Sudha, a group of 8-10 robbers, who had reportedly boarded the train in Mathura, barged into their coach near Kosi Kalan and looted them at gunpoint. In his complaint, Malaiya claimed that the robbers took away Rs 25,000 cash, his wife's 'mangalsutra', a gold chain, gold rings and a bracelet amongst other things, reports Hindustan Times.

We got out of Pattaya ASAP in the morning. We checked out of our guesthouse and went to the bus station to book the next bus to Bangkok. It was more of a local bus than the airport bus we took to get here, but the buses are all well kept and there were no problems with this bus. I think the air conditioning was even better this time around, and it took less time to arrive at the Bangkok Eastern Bus Terminal. Once in Bangkok, we took a sky train, tuk-tuk, and taxi to get from the bus station to Khao San Road – the backpacker Mecca of Southeast Asia. I assumed we'd be able to get a pretty cheap hotel here. We managed to get a room (box) with 2 twin beds and communal shower for only 250 baht. No power outlets, no TV, no blankets, no towels, toiletries or toilet paper included, just a big box with 2 twin beds. One thing that is disappointing is that most of the cheap guesthouses don't provide free wifi internet. Almost every other backpacker city I visited had free wifi since it's such a necessity for all backpackers. For dinner, we walked around Khao San Road and got some Greek food from a Thai owned street cart, with a Nepalese worker. I talked to the worker and asked her if she thought I looked Nepalese, and one of her colleagues said I did have Mongolian features that made me somewhat look Nepalese. We spent the rest of the night walking around the street, looking at all the random merchandise up for sale. On the bus ride to Bangkok, one of the passengers told us that Khao San Road would be so much more wild than the Walking Street in Pattaya, but I definitely thought this was nowhere near as sinful and crazy as Pattaya.

The bronchoscopy was quick and went smooth. Dr Rutter (ENT) got a look at the pouch repair and while the tissue had not absorbed as much as he was expecting in to the trachea he was pleased with the way it looked and was healing. He said he tried a few different length trach tubes to see what might work best and because of the lack of absorption the flaps of the pouch were still creating a bit too much of an issue. So he left in the pediatric 3.5/40mm longer trach tube in. While he did recognize that this is not the ideal tube length it was the best option for now. We discussed how we were slowly beginning to knock things off the to-do list towards getting Elias more stable with his airway issues. The CT-Angiogram was also talked about. Dr. Rutter has yet to see a 3-D reconstruction at this time, but should soon. It was difficult to say for sure on the 2-D version if the Subclavian artery or the right-sided aortic arch was placing pressure on the trachea around the carina. We will revisit this when that 3-D reconstruction has been completed and reviewed. If it is there may be a need for a surgery to relieve that pressure and potentially a thoracic-heart surgery if “replumbing” as they referred to it is needed. There is a lesser chance for the later of the two, but he wanted us to be aware of the potential that exist dependant upon what they see. So potentially 2 more unexpected surgeries to add to the growing list. Secretions and the abundant amount of suctioning required was something else of interest we briefly spoke about. It is possible to do a procedure to tie off some of the salivary glands if we can identify that Elias is truly aspirating his spit into the trachea, we will place green dye on Elias’ tongue to test. The other thought is because of the floppy area at the carina (base of the trachea that forks off to bronchi towards lungs) the back and front walls are touching frequently cause secretions to be produced at a much more rapid rate. We will do some spot checking at home in order to provide some insight. The G-tube incision over the last 24 hours has become progressively more red and puffy. It feels and looks like cellulites, although we do not think that is what it is exactly. Never the less the surgeons decided to add a little stronger antibiotic to the regiment. It is tender, very ugly, and obviously not comfortable for Elias. He was trying to pull at it and scratch it all day. They are also putting bacitracin ointment on the site and cleaning it more frequently. The thought is potentially to be discharged tomorrow. However there are a few questions and issues of concern that surfaced late evening that need to be addressed with the doctors prior to that decision being made. Without going into specifics they basically revolve around getting some clarity on the long and short term plan and addressing Elias high blood pressure and elevated heart rate. He has had both for the last month dating back to August 12th and that first surgery that led us to this point. We also, after absorbing what Dr. Rutter spoke to us about post surgery thought of a few questions we need some answers to. So it is possible that we will come home tomorrow, but it all depends on how the doctors receive and react to our questions and their thoughts. Hopefully, they can provide some security and answers towards the concerns we have and we will be home. That would be great. Pray that we can work all the little details out that can get us home. Elias was 50/50 today in the feeling well department. Some of that was post-surgery discomfort and part needing sleep. With all the different issues and the overwhelming secretions that wake him he is struggling to do well consistently. However, when he does have his moments that he feels better, he makes the most of them and is hilarious as he blows raspberries and moves all around the bed. He is really beginning to develop an aversion to the medical staff. He starts crying (tears, no sound) and making very sad boo-boo lip faces almost immediately whenever anyone walks in the room. We hope this is simply from the last few weeks being so intense, long, & tiring and not the beginning of something that will carry forward. Only times will tell on that though. We can’t blame him if he is though. We just do not want him to dread the doctors, nurses, & hospitals so soon since he has such a long road to travel still. A few prayers to add to your list if you would. Joshua was just released from the hospital here on Saturday post-BMT. They had their first follow-up today and his engraftment (blood cell production from transplanted marrow) percentage is down and dropping. This could mean many things including the transplant becoming unsuccessful. Please pray that it is a less serious complication and only a minor set back that will resolve quickly for the better. Tonight we also learned of yet another little boy with FA passing away. They did not have a website, but is friends with another FA family who passed the info through the group. His name was Felipe, he was 4 years old. So very sad as we also learned his father had also passed away within the past few weeks. That family has really suffered a devastating amount of loss in a short period. Please keep them in your prayers. This is the second passing of a FA child this week. It is very difficult to hear about these sweet children knowing that Elias faces the same challenges.  While we do not normally dwell on the negative and somber prognosis of FA, it is always in the back of your mind and often is brought to the forefront when events like this occur. We have stayed focused though and it reminds us to cherish everyday that God allows us to spend with Elias regardless of the outcome. He has spirit and fight like all these children do and that makes them extraordinarily special. Thank you all and may God bless all these sick and medically complex children.

Hello there my sweet crafty friends!! Today I am up on the KaDoodle Bug Designs Blog sharing a super sweet 12 x 12 scrapbook layout I created with their Valentine Snow Cuties svg file. This file is so super cute and very easy to put together. I used it for a Valentine's Day layout, but it would look great and could be used for pretty much any theme or occasion just by changing the paper or cardstock that you use. To start off, I uploaded the svg file to Cricut Design Space and cut all of the pieces out using my Cricut Explore. I then chalked and inked each piece, adhered them together and added some highlights using a White Gelly Roll pen to complete each one. I chose my patterned paper for my layout and die cut two photo mat frames. I love how it turned out and can't wait to take some cute pics and add them this layout. A full list of supplies that I used for this layout are listed below: ReCollections Valentine's Day Paper Pad (Patterned Paper) Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Aged Mahogany, Festive Berries, Spun Sugar, Tea Dye) Pebbles Pearlescent Chalks - Shimmer Shades Craftin Desert Divas - Truck Die (used for small mailbox envelopes) Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulously crafty day!!

In 2011 Gary Stroutsos worked with Julie Cajune at the HeartLines Center for American Indian Policy and Applied Research - Salish Kootenai College with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to produce "Remembering the Songs," a CD and DVD collection of traditional Native American music. This project sprang, in part, from Stroutsos own path after he gave up a career as an Afro-Cuban jazz band leader in 1995 to pursue the simple and incredibly pure sound of the Native American flute. That path led him from the banks of the Missouri River to the red rocks of the Southwest. Along the way elders asked him to preserve their songs through the flute and implored him to play them often, lest their songs be forgotten. Remembering the Songs reflects time spent with friend and mentor Paul Thompson, Navajo flute maker, Fernando Cecillion, Zuni song keeper, and Lucy Vandenburg, daughter of Jerome Vandenburg one of the last Salish men who made and played traditional flutes. Gary Stroutsos has brought a rare gift to the world with his music. With influences spanning rock, jazz, Latin, West African, Indian, Zen, in addition to his work with American Indian cultures throughout the West, he has consistently translated world music into music of the heart. He has more than 45 recordings to his credit, plus the sound tracks of several films including the Ken Burns PBS documentary, Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery and the HeartLines Center for American Indian Policy and Applied Research -Remembering the Songs project. Never satisfied to rest on his accomplishments, Gary took up the classical Chinese xiao and dize, bamboo flutes rarely heard outside of the Far East. Not long after, one classical master of these flutes, named Gary the best contemporary player in the world. Gary has performed throughout North America and in the Far East. He has played at the White House for President Clinton, and he is a frequent head-liner and master-of-ceremonies at flute festivals throughout the country. Village Books will have copies of Gary's CDs and DVD available at the event.

This project has been waiting patiently for me to finish it for about a week now.I was going to gussy it up a bit more, but, since Thanksgiving is just a few days away, I decided to call it done without any extra bling. Otherwise, it just might not get done at all. I used the Cricut for all the cutting. Storybook cartridge and Amber Autumn (DCWV) cardstock. The leaves are from Doodlecharms. So far the girls haven't noticed it. Big surprise, huh? They are sitting at the computer right next to the fireplace where this is hanging, too, as I type this. LOL Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope your week is off to a good start!

Lewis Ave. near W. Sterns Rd. is covered in snow on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014. The Blade/Amy E. Voigt Enlarge | Buy This Image MONROE — The consensus of Monroe County officials is that a little planning in advance of the big snowstorm and ensuing bitter cold that paralyzed the county could have saved a lot of headaches. A discussion involving county agencies, they said, could have resulted in a decision to issue a travel advisory early in the storm, urging residents to stay off roads and highways. That could have reduced the number of cars and trucks that were abandoned or stuck in snow and drifts, which hindered the county Road Commission’s ability to clear snow from the roads. Streets were especially rough in Bedford Township, an area that relies exclusively on the Road Commission for snow removal. Some areas in the township have their tax levies in place to pay for additional removal measures. “I think communicating and asking people to stay off the road was one of the most important things we could have done,” said Jerry Oley, chairman of the board of commissioners. “The rest of the pieces in the puzzle would have come together.” Jason Sheppard, a county commissioner elected from Bedford Township, said a meeting of county directors could have avoided many of the problems that occurred over the last six days. “On Sunday night, we should have been sitting in this room ... putting our heads together to have a model plan on what’s going to happen in the next 24 to 48 hours and working as a team,” Mr. Sheppard said. “If we don’t do that we are going to continue to have problems in the future.” Other officials attending the meeting in the Central Dispatch Center of South Raisinville Road were Sheriff Dale Malone; Emergency Management Director Mark Hammond; Administrator/​Chief Financial Officer Michael Bosanac; Al Frank, Central Dispatch director; Phil Goldsmith, the county’s legal counsel; Road Commissioners Scott Davidson and Bob Stammer, and Bedford Township Supervisor Greg Stewart. Between 9 and 13 inches of snow fell in the county during the storm from Sunday into early Monday and strong, gusty winds drifted over roadways in the following days. Besides vehicles stuck on roads, Mr. Pierce said snow removal operations of his department’s 45 drivers and 30 trucks were handcuffed by equipment breakdowns. The road commission contracted with Stoneco, a local quarry operator, to provide assistance. Many of the officials at the meeting drew comparisons to the cleanup efforts in neighboring Toledo and the city’s Division of Streets, Bridges, and Harbor’s fleet of snow plows and other equipment, which was able to restrict travel and clear the roads faster. Guidelines: Please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Comments that violate these standards, or our privacy statement or visitor's agreement, are subject to being removed and commenters are subject to being banned. To post comments, you must be a registered user on toledoblade.com. To find out more, please visit the FAQ.

It was summer hot today, a perfect afternoon to get some "heat" practice in, so I rode 20 miles starting a little after 3 in the afternoon. Took water with me, which was a good move. Well, the first half of the ride was not bad. I rode west to Hiawatha to catch the Cedar River Trail to the Cedar Valley Trail, and headed north on that trail for 6 miles. I had planned to do 5, but the 5-mile-marker was missing so I did one extra mile by accident. I felt pretty powerful. It was hot, but not too hot, I was sweaty but not uncomfortable, all was going well. Until I turned around. Forgot that a 15- to 20-mph south wind was making it hot. Well, at least the wind in my face helped cool me down, but it also made me work very hard. Taking the photo of the cattle which were visible from the trail was an excuse to stop briefly on the return journey (and gulp the last of my water). Still, I suppose, headwind training for RAGBRAI is a good idea!

I made a trip up to Island Park today and found snow in the high country in massive heaps. I would guess about 4 feet on the ground. The famous mailbox at the Ranch walk-in acccess was only just keeping its head above the white stuff. Here are a couple of photos I took. Check out the Snow on the roof of Henry 's Fork Anglers. Looking down the Box Canyon from Island Park Dam.

So, I was looking through the fridge last night, with no clue as to what the heck I was going to make for dinner....other than the fact that we had a bag of cheese ravioli in the freezer (and not much else). We usually have a game plan of some sort, but tonight just wasn't that night. Our big grocery shopping trip isn't until the weekend, so I had to go "Chopped" on tonight's meal, so to speak. And, in all honesty, it came out pretty damn good, if I do say so myself..... Not bad, right..? Ok, maybe Scott Conant would have some words for me, but he doesn't eat dinner at our house, or....at least not yet!!!! (insert sinister laugh) What you see is... 1 bag frozen ravioli 1 box frozen spinach 1 chopped medium yellow onion 8-10 chopped garlic cloves Extra Virgin Olive Oil That's it, and it's all stuff we had kicking around the house, no shopping required, quick and very low cost. All I did was saute the onions and garlic in a large frying pan with some butter for a few minutes, then I added some dried oregano, salt and pepper and cooked it until you could get the aromatics from the garlic and oregano. Then, I cut the frozen spinach brick into 4 pieces and threw it right in the pan, reduced my heat and covered it. Meanwhile, I dropped the ravioli into a pot of salted boiling water, for about 5 minutes or so, just until they floated. Once the spinach broke up and was cooked, I added the ravioli, drizzled some Extra Virgin olive oil over it and some grated parm. A little more pepper and I gave it all a good toss, covered it and let it sit off the heat for a few minutes to come together. The bread on the side is a toasted piece of a little whole grain boule we got at the store for like two bucks. Not only did it feed my wife and I each a good portion of dinner, there are leftovers to take to work, it just keeps getting better!!!! To hell with Powerball....ok, just kidding. Anyway, we just wanted to share this, because not everybody has a gourmet pantry and fridge full of foie gras and prosciutto...as much as I would love that...mmmm. Sometimes you have to work with what you have, and the result can be surprisingly good. This is one direction we hope to go here, but there is so much more to come. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and have a great day!

I am back again after the summer hiatus. We spend those months with our children and grandchildren, so all my time is taken up with making memories to last me through the winter. That being said, this challenge called to me and I developed several ideas, finally settling on this piece of fiber art. The base fabric was made with one of my new favorite tools, the Gelli Plate. I used several different techniques to build up the surface texture including brush strokes, stamps, and tree stencils. I was very taken with the ghosting which occurred on the right side of the piece. I also really like the ethereal feel of this piece. Can you see the bird up in the bare limbs of the tree? I decided to finish this differently than I usually do by mounting it on a black canvas and adding some old jewelry findings, metallic skeleton leaves, and some decorative trim. I am really happy with the end results and I am sure that I will be playing with these techniques again. Thanks for a fun and interesting challenge!

Before Thanksgiving every year, we try to make a large of food and since Sofía was born, we have included her in the ritual because we think it is important that she learn about giving to others in need. My husband used to make his to general organizations like Toys for Tots before he met me. Then it became personal. Sure, I think that everyone feels a twinge in their hearts when they make a to their churches or food banks because they wish that they could help more people out. That’s just it, they are people. People who need your help, who, in the majority of the cases, you don’t know, but who you know need your help. I think it is another story when you are a teacher. You see these children every day, in every situation. You notice that when it starts to get cold outside, that the students who don’t come dressed in coats, don’t because they don’t have one. Or maybe they come to school with the same clothes on every day. In my case, our school had some 320 students and out of them, 55 families were given food baskets for Thanksgiving last year. That’s just the number of families, I can’t give you the number of kids because some have multiple children, but there are at least 55 kids affected. to the “needy” becomes a whole different ball game when you know these kids and their families personally. One doesn’t worry so much about the students who live in homeless shelters because, there, the students and their families receive clothing, food and school supplies all year long. (We worry about them for other reasons, but not for these basic human needs.) The majority of the families in need, have jobs but aren’t able to make ends meet. They work and they work long hours, so not only can they not always provide for some of the basic needs for their children, they also don’t get to spend time with them which only adds salt to the wound. Many of these families live with extended family members who help out with child care, or often an older sibling will take care of the younger ones. In our case, the majority of these families are Hispanic, but not all of them. Many are from other countries too, (we live in a very diverse region) but again, not all of them. So while the students are in school, we at least know that they are eating breakfast and lunch. We don’t really know about dinner, but at least that will free up some of the burden and mean that the families only need to buy for one meal. If you saw the way some of the students ate breakfast at 6AM….you would understand that they had not eaten since lunchtime. So, when we really worry about the familias and the students is when they are on vacation. If there is no school, there are no free breakfasts and lunches. So during Thanksgiving and Winter breaks (at least 3 weeks for our area) the school rallies its community together and gives food baskets. The number of familias went down by 10 this year. So 45 people were going to be given food baskets. Last year we made a donación of about 20 pavos. This year we tried to challenge ourselves to buy all the pavos for the families. We did…. for the minivan!! We unfortunately have no pics of Sofía that day. She had a lot of fun being the center of attention of course. I was prepared to blog about how disgusted I was with humanity and the supermarkets because no one wanted to give us a LITTLE discount for buying so many turkeys. I wanted to write the headquarters of Giant and Safeway because they were ridiculously stingy when so many people really need so much help. No one wanted to help us out or give us any kind of discount. When I spoke with people in person or on the phone (yes, I dragged Sofía with me to the meat counters for some extra empathy) the answer I got was pretty much the same. “We have a lot of people and organizations coming in here buying way more turkeys than you and we just can’t give that amount of people a discount for turkeys or we will lose money.” I told them that if that many people are buying that many turkeys for donaciónes, that means that there are that many people out there without FOOD!!! Everywhere I went, it was the same and it was futile. I came to the realization that none of these butchers and none of these wholesale poultry vendors have ever known someone who was in true need. If they had, they would have at least SHOWN some ounce of empathy. I should correct myself, everywhere was the same except one small supermarket that had a young butcher as a manager. He tried to help us. He made several phone calls, he contacted me daily and when we met, you knew that he also had met many familias who needed a pavo, a box of cereal, soup or a coat. It ended up that he couldn’t even convince his meat managers to meet the competitor’s regular price and he unfortunately could only offer us the regular price…which was in fact DOUBLE the competitor’s regular price. So we were forced to actually buy all 45 pavos elsewhere because of money. That’s fine. We made our and we helped some of my former students survive a little less stressed during their vacation from school. Out of this we decided that between Thanksgiving and Navidad, that we would do some kind of “good deed” with Sofía every week. It is kind of like my own LIVING ADVENT CALENDAR. So next week, we will buy a load of canned goods at Costco to donate to the school again. (What happens is that the food pantry becomes depleted during Thanksgiving food basket time and when the students return to school again, there will be families who will need food again.) The weeks after that, I don’t know what we will do, but I will try to post what happens!

I think it is so funny that on my Craft-a-long post the number one word used in the comments is "organized" because if you all saw my room and the fact that I've been meaning to do my laundry since Tuesday. Organized would be the last word on your mind. Here is my "plan" for the tour de Fleece last year (for those of you who don't know the tour de fleece runs the same time as the tour de france. Everyday they spin, you spin. Simple right?) Step 1: Look at spindles Is there anything you want to spin? If Yes: Then SPIN If No: Go to Step 2 Step 2: Is there anything on the wheel? If Yes: Then SPIN If no Go to Step 3 Step 3: Go to Fiber closet Does anything catch your eye? If Yes: Then SPIN If No: Go back to step one. And that's it! hopefully I'll get a lot of spinning done this year. It is my first year with a wheel and I am sooo excited!

Our 2nd INFO (Ideas Necessary For Organizing) meeting was a "closet clarification". One member of our group offered her closet for a purging exercise. Often, I find that the difficulty in getting rid of things with sentimental value or significant monetary value (like nice clothes or books) is not wanting to appear wasteful. It's hard to "throw away" something that is still practical even if we have a surplus of this item. In such situations, most people are seeking permission to get rid of these things that are cluttering their lives and homes. Another hindrance is an emotional attachment that we form to objects. It is important to remember that while these objects may have produced real emotions; they do not have real emotions. To overcome these hurdles, we decided to throw a farewell party for the clothes. We gave them a proper send off and they were donated to a good cause so they were not wasted. As far as permission: if my authority was questioned, we went to our panel. I equipped the panel with signs that said "stay" or "go". Our panel gave us great advice and some new ideas while also learning from our hostess' example and receiving motivation to go home and clear out their own closets. Some areas we discussed were: Clothes that no longer fit. Let's be honest. If the clothes don't make you feel good, you're not going to wear them. If you do put back on weight that you've lost, wearing clothes with extra room is only going to allow you to eat more...not motivate you to lose weight again. Some of these clothes were kept and put in a pile to be tailored. If they cannot be altered or if she does not take them to get altered, she has to throw them out. Clothes that went out of style that you think might come back in. There are a few classic styles, however styles that "come back in" usually do not come back in the exact same way. When in doubt, ask a friend (or a panel) - if it's dated then it'll be obvious. Clothes with sentimental value that you never wear. In this category are maternity clothes (when your children are all grown up) and funeral wear. For the maternity clothes, you usually have plenty of pictures with you wearing your favorites. As for the dress you wore to your parent's funeral, I'm definitely against keeping. Why keep something that will make you sad and take up room in your life? We did let her keep a scarf that went with the dress as a smaller and not so dreary memento until she's ready to let that go as well. Clothes that you might wear once a year to a holiday or fancy party. The panel made an excellent point here. If you wear an outfit to every holiday party, then your coworkers/friends/family have seen it, and it's time for something new. Here I let her keep a few things that were still fashionable, hadn't been over worn, and were fancy enough for a holiday party. Clothes that duplicate. Our "victim" (big thanks by the way) had several black skirts. We let her keep most of them because she could give us a reason for them and she actually wore them. But we did make her get rid of 2 that she hadn't worn and couldn't foresee an event that she could wear them to. Some other ideas our panel came up with were: -some items our hostess gets to keep for a year and then reevaluate whether she wears them or they're wasting space. -there comes a time to dress in what suits you instead of dressing for an image that you're trying to portray. -try on the clothes that you haven't worn for awhile and see if they might be worn in a different way/for a different occasion. Thanks group! That was a lot of fun.

Well, it was both a relief and a little sad to set free the first dozen altered cats this morning. The day was cool, which was good given the many stairs I had to walk, and the cats were happy to be out of their traps and back in their territory. Out of the released 12, 9 immediately ran to the double tunnels. One (Daisy) ran through the building opposite, another (Bozo) ran around the side of the building and into the bushes, and one (Daphne) ran into the opposite tunnel. Oh! I forgot to mention that upon checking on the recovering cats first thing this morning, I discovered that Mr Mistoffolees had not only torn up all of his newspaper (not unusual) but he had also managed to get most of the plastic sheeting on the floor in front of his trap pulled in with him and tore that up as well. You can see it in the picture at the top here, and there's two more that show the mess he made (clever kitty!) better I've uploaded pictures taken of the kitties just moments before their return. (I knew I wouldn't be able to take pictures of them when they were actually let out of their traps-- they'd just be a streak of color dashing to hide!) Those are in the

Yesterday was the Valentine's parties at the kids' schools. I had already made several batches of pretzels and Hershey Hugs, but with the unforseen snow day on Friday followed by "Winter Break" on Monday and Tuesday, the snacks seemed to have vanished. Hmmm.... I did make a couple more batches, but this time also made a pan of popcorn balls. I got the recipe from who assured me that it was easy to make. After all, I didn't feel like spending all my free time in the kitchen. I used pink marshmallows just to make sure the finished product was nice and pink. I popped 2 bags of popcorn and let it cool for a bit before doing anything else. Once cooled, I take out all the kernels. (Aislinn can't eat them because of her braces) I then mixed the melted butter, pink marshmallows and strawberry jello mix; poured it over the popcorn and stir it all up. Doesn't it look good? Then I sprayed an ice cream scoop generously with Pam. I was able to get a total of 29 scoops of popcorn balls! Not only that, but it was a hit with the kids!! I'll be making these again. Once the scoops were firmed up, I put them into cupcake liners. A quick pop into clear bags tied with ribbon and they were ready for the party. Delicious and Adorable!!

After being announced Pre-season player of the year and the “savior of Indiana basketball”, Cody Zeller’s name graced many newspaper headlines, and it still does. Similarly, Victor Oladipo, although not projected as a top ten pick in the NBA after only his freshman year of high school like his teammate Zeller, received enormous recognition, all of which he deserved throughout this past season. With the highest shooting percentage of the Big Ten and many perfect dunk moments highlighted on ESPN, Indiana fans and general NCAA fans a-like worship Oladipo’s accuracy and speed. Seniors Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls are expected favorites also. Watford serves as a power forward and strong senior leader, with a strong loyalty to the Hoosiers, and Bloomington’s own Jordan Hulls, a high-school state champ in his earlier days, has court presence and composure unexpected for a six foot star facing some of the NCAA’s largest players. To close up the regular Indiana starting five is freshmen Yogi Ferrell. As is Indiana tradition, a freshman comes in strong, learning the traits of a dynamic and fluid team to create a sense of longevity; when Watford and Jordan graduate, when Zeller and Oladipo leave the NCAA, Yogi will remain for another three years, unless he joins the rank of NBA potentials. As beloved as these starting five, the depth of the Indiana Hoosiers is what allows for so many invigorating second half comebacks. If it weren’t for some fresh energy and a drive to prove oneself play worthy, the Hoosiers would not be recognized as the team they are today—they wouldn’t have accomplished so many feats. Arguably the best sixth man in college basketball, number zero forward Will Sheehey storms the court, bringing an intensity and passion deserving of acknowledgement, if not, praise for his many contributing plays. I won’t bore you with a chart of his stats as compared to other players, although I almost thought of submitting one just as evidence. To sum it up, Sheehey’s numbers of made free throws and field goals, as well as number of rebounds, exceed those of other starters. As his title as “sixth man” would have it, Sheehey’s ranks third in the teams assists, one away from Zeller, and only significantly trailing Oladipo. Another reason Sheehey is worthy of recognition? His passion and drive make him an emblem of Hoosier basketball. Sheehey plays hard all the time, fumble or on-point, he offers his 100% effort every time he is called on court. It’s ironic his jersey number is zero. Maybe it signifies zero percent slack.

After California courts ordered state prisons and jails to ease up on overcrowding, last year, thousands of lower-level offenders were released early. This program is called “realignment,” and because of it, many who would have gone to state prison for low-level crimes are now being supervised under house arrest. Their crimes range from drug sales to deadly hit-and-run accidents. So what is the public’s take on early jail release in California? As lawmakers begin to experiment with new alternatives to jail time, many continue to fear that defendants are being released too early. Now we are starting to feel the effects of this decision in several parts of the state. They say it is justice by geography and the length of one’s sentence now seems to be determined by the location in which one was arrested. California’s 58 counties manage this inmate shift differently. The results have been both good and bad. For example, in Kern County, a man convicted of several DUI’s was released after serving a few months of his six-year sentence, which hardly seems fair for such a repeat offender. Kern has also witnessed an increase in burglaries. In Merced County, a woman who accidentally killed a local firefighter with her car was sent home under house arrest after serving less than a day of her sentence. In San Joaquin County, a man who had been released early from jail tried to kill his girlfriend. On the plus side, Counties like San Francisco have created successful alternatives to incarceration, like electronic monitoring and counseling, which have proven to be more effective than locking the offender up. Each county receives state funds to cover the costs but the financial burden is much less than if these defendants were to be kept behind bars. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out for California, business, bail and for those arrested in the future.

Super delicious quick lunch from leftovers of a roasted chicken. Stir together in a bowl: 1/3 cup mayonnaise (or combo of greek yogurt and mayo), a couple teaspoons of rice vinegar, and 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola crumbles. Dice up one large chicken breast and two ribs of celery. Take a couple handfuls of green grapes and slice in half. Mince up a tablespoon of parsley. Combine all ingredients, season with fresh ground black pepper, stir to distribute dressing. Chop up a 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts and sprinkle on top. Spoon onto a bed of lettuce, and eat lunch!

At first, the plan for the November 2007 global team was to build a teacher’s house. When more people than expected became involved it was decided to split into two work teams. Team A’s project was the second story of a teacher’s house. As part of Team A, we spent the first day passing bricks, both on the ground and up on the scaffolding. Michael, a tireless team member spent the day pushing wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of mortar up t he ramp to the second level in the hot sun. Team B's classroom was being built from the ground up. After the first day of work we all recognized that there were more workers than we needed on each team. More local workers were hired and people were pulled from each team to form Team AB. On Day 2, We became part of this new team to build a family home. Day 2 was a good days work. We all moved bricks. We all laid bricks. We all moved bricks again. There was a great rapport between our team and the local workers. We taught each other words in our own languages, sang together, prayed and laughed. Oh yes, we did laugh. Because I was quoting scriptures such as Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I was dubbed the "team preacher". Then there was the song I made up to the tune of "We Will Rock You". Standing in a line passing on the bricks, got to get it done let's get on with it. We will, we will build it (grunt) build it (grunt) We will, we will build it! Sun is getting hot and we start to sweat and it isn't even nine-thirty yet. We will, we will build it (grunt) build it (grunt) We will, we will build it!

Rebuilt the carburettor (Weber DGV) Fixed fast idle Got normal gas mileage (~23 mpg instead of 7) Misfiring and backfiring resolved Diligent readers will have noticed that it's been a while since I've last posted. There are various reasons for this -work, travel, family, etc, I'm writing this in Poland- but the most pressing one would have to be that when I replaced the B's exhaust, as described in the previous post, I killed the car. It just so happens that the various systems of this B were working together in perfect harmony. I was always aware that the engine was running rich (7mpg is not very good, not even for an old MG), and that the exhaust had a massive gap under the hood and was sending exhaust fumes into the cabin. But I didn't know that the exhaust gap was indicative of a clog further down the line, and the exhaust fumes not being vented were choking the engine, which was compensated for by having a richer fuel mixture. When I replaced the exhaust system the engine was free to breath again, and the excess fuel was burning off as it should. However, this resulted in an engine refusing to go lower than 3000 rpm (and would stay high if you tapped the accelerator), an exhaust manifold turning bright orange, and flames shooting out the carburettor and the muffler (worse than before). My car was shitting itself while throwing up, but still devouring gas. It was bad. There were several problems with the carburettor after I rebuilt it, mostly linked to the previous owner not having the right settings and overcompensating for the asphyxiated engine. Rebuilding a Weber is quite straight forward (I bought a manual but have yet to read it); essentially just grab a screw driver and pull stuff out. In a next post I will post pictures with descriptions (once again, I'm in Poland right now). Here's what I've learned, and some tips on what to do when rebuilding your carburettor (specifically, the Weber DGV): Unless you really need to change everything, don't bother with a rebuild kit . Buy the gaskets separately, and get all the rest from a local hardware store. Rebuild kits are about $35 for stuff you can get for less than $15. Also, in my case the parts were of inferior quality (previously metal parts are now plastic or even paper!). This brings me to ... Buy a new power valve . I guarantee you, if it wasn't already broken you've broken it now. A broken power valve is what caused my engine to race and not idle below 3000 rpm (the power valve activates circuits supplying fuel for conditions requiring more fuel than at idle). It's an easy replacement I highly recommend, but is not included in most rebuild kits. It costs about $20. If your car comes with a vacuum advance vacuum port on the distributor, keep in mind that ported vacuum from a Weber acts differently than manifold vacuum , the system the distributor was designed for. The engine goes crazy when I connect the vacuum port from the Weber to my stock distributor (the original one with an amplifier in my '77). The engine runs fine without it, so I'm leaving it disconnected for now. UPDATE: This does not happen anymore. In fact, connecting the vacuum port to the distributor actually reduced misfiring. I think there were too many other problems at the time I wrote this article. Alternatively, you could buy a different intake manifold (a non-Weber manifold) which has more vacuum manifold ports (you'll see what I mean if you care about vacuum). As I'm replacing most things, I'm replacing the distributor entirely at some point. Do all fine-tuning before putting the carb back on . On my B the fine-tuning screws face the wrong way, towards the engine, making fine-tuning a pain in the butt. Also, with the carb out you can see what the fast idle screw is doing to the throttle, and how it's placed with respect to the fuel lines of the various circuits. I'll go into more details on this later. The float was another source of frustration. Too high, and fuel will spill over the holding tank and go everywhere, which could result in a mini aurora-borealis under the hood. Too low, and the car will never run on it's own. Weber manuals describe correct heights of floats, and I strongly recommend you stick to them. Unfortunately my float did not appear in any manual, and as it was a brass one (not plastic like the new ones) I wanted to keep it. So I just fiddled with it a few times till fuel wasn't overflowing or starving the engine. This took a while, and was very frustrating. British fuel pumps are garbage. One minute they're too weak, the next they're so powerful the intake needle won't close and fuel shoots out everywhere. I recommend buying a fuel pressure regulator and setting it for 3.5 psi. WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES!!!! Flames shooting out the intake almost cost me all my facial hair. I guess I'd recommend at the very least keeping the air filter and cover on while doing any work with an engine running... Also, I had to often remove the fuel line while it still had some pressure, resulting in fuel shooting out. Fuel in your eye can result in blindness! Wear goggles! (Well, atleast while doing stuff with fuel and oils.) The trouble with carburettors is that they are very fine-tuned pieces of equipment. Screws slightly off can result in complete chaos. For example, if your mixture is too lean the engine won't start or stay on at all. Too rich, and you could blow off more than just your eye-brows. In either case, long term usage of bad tuning can result in severe engine damage (slightly off is OK). General Weber tuning instructions can be found . These are very good instructions that helped me get things started again. Remember to adjust the timing after this. Some documents of interest: Quick trouble shooting guide (did not help me) Complete Weber installation guide Note (from below): These files and links are posted for informational purposes only. No profit what so ever is generated from these files. These files can be found everywhere on the internet and are simply collected here for reference purposes. UPDATE: I have done many more things to the carburettor. Click on the 'weber' label on the right for all updates.

In the wake of the United Airline fiasco, it's nice to see a positive story about an airline going the extra mile for one of its passengers. Flight attendants are not only there to help hand out snacks and check your lapbelt, they are trained to handle a variety of emergency situations to help keep all passengers on board safe. And for this mother, it's a good thing they are! Nafi Diaby was 28 weeks pregnant when she boarded the Turkish Airlines flight from Conakry, Guinea to Ouagadougou. “The cabin crew noticed that a woman passenger named Nafi Diaby, [who was] 28 weeks into her pregnancy, was suffering childbirth pains,” Turkish Airlines said in a statement. “They promptly responded to assist her childbirth during the flight.” “The lady was in great pain,” flight attendant Bouthayna Inanir said. “And then the baby was on the seat. This was the hardest part. I had to grab the baby. I took her and gave her to the mother.” In spite of being born 3 months premature and about 42,000 feet in the air, the baby named Kadiju, and her mother were healthy and doing well by the time the plane landed. After the events, Turkish Airlines posted the birth announcement on Twitter. There has been some criticism as to the baby's actual gestation, because the newborn looks closer to full-term than premature. What do you think? Childbirth can be scary, but can you imagine how this mother felt?

In the very first Beer, TX post I mentioned several friends by name, thinking I would refer to them often because of our shared love of good beer and good times. Among them were Dan and Tammy McQuillen, the kind of beer fans who keep a well-stocked refrigerator and who travel to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival. And they truly were a couple; before yesterday I had seen one of them without the other only one time. I assumed I would see them again at some point Tuesday, Tammy dressed in one of her colorful get-ups that made every festive event that much more so. But in one of those odd and awful plot twists, Dan woke up on St. Patrick’s Day to find that his wife had died in her sleep. She was 47 years old. A few things about Tammy: She loved wild costumes and big hats; she loved the polka and was never shy about dancing in public (a photograph of her and Dan at iFest once appeared in the Chronicle); a few years ago, she survived cancer and grueling rounds of chemotherapy. The McQuillens were fixtures at Texans games, the rodeo and the Houston Marathon; they attended the International Festival downtown, the Crab Festival in Crystal Beach, West Fest in Tammy’s hometown and, of course, the St. Patrick’s Day parade; when they drove to New Braunfels for Wurst Fest, they always stayed at the Prince Solms Inn. Tammy loved to wear tie-dye on Sundays. As the news spread on Tuesday, friends turned off computers and told their bosses they had to go. Relatives got in their cars and headed toward Houston. Dan made arrangements. The backyard filled with people who wanted to share his burden. The weather was gorgeous, and Dan said he was glad his wife hadn’t died on a cloudy day. When we asked what we could do, he told us, “Just live every day to the fullest. That’s all you can do.”

Photo credit: Bob SteshetzThis story was originally published on The Orange County Register site on Feb. 28, 2012 's career has come full circle. On the just-issued Night Train to Memphis , the 50-year-old cat who got his start in the late ’70s has reworked some favorite songs into a self-produced tribute to his musical heroes and friends, as well as a celebration of the enduring power of rock ’n’ roll. “I feel like this record is me doing what I do best — it’s songs and music that I’ve played for a lifetime,” says the longtime Laguna Beach resident, who changed his name from to Lee Rocker when he and pals serves up versions of classics made famous by , among others, plus a blistering original and even a reworked Stray Cats cut. “It’s my take on some classic stuff,” Rocker says. “Some of these songs I did myself or with the (Stray) Cats. I worked with Carl Perkins a lot, and I did ‘Honey Don’t’ and played ‘Night Train to Memphis’ with him, actually.” In addition to his role as fast-fingered double-bassist in Stray Cats, one of Rocker’s more notable turns came in October 1985 at the Carl Perkins and Friends concert, where he joined George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and several others in saluting the rockabilly legend. “I also got to perform quite a bit with (Presley’s guitarist in the ’50s), who toured with my band, and , Elvis’ drummer.” Naturally, among the dozen tracks on the new album is a medley of “That’s All Right Mama” and “Blue Moon.” “It’s a roots record that has got a lot of roots to me, and it was recorded with very little technology. I don’t think there are any musical overdubs except on maybe one or two songs (for which he or added banjo or dobro over their respective bass and guitar playing). So in a lot of ways it was a real rock ’n’ roll record how they used to be done.” Not only was the recording process more old-school but the album was completed very quickly: “Sometime last winter I went into the studio for three days with the band, and then over the summer might have gone in and finished it over the course of a few days. It’s a record that went down very easy … it wasn’t an agonizing experience like sometimes things can be. “And I think that’s pretty telling — when it’s right, it just happens. We just sat down and played. It’s really what I’ve been playing live for a lifetime and what the guys in the band – on guitar), Buzz (Campbell on guitar) and on drums) – have been playing with me for more than a decade.” Along with a variety of solid rockabilly tunes, there’s a healthy blend of blues, bluegrass and even gospel elements fused into the material on Night Train. Rocker showcases his superb voice on several tender ballads, closing things out with Don Everly’s “So Sad” and the Felice & Boudleaux Bryant-penned Everly Brothers gem “All I Have to Do Is Dream.” Then there’s his remake of “Built for Speed,” the title cut from Stray Cats’ breakthrough album, which turns 30 in June: “(That) is a song close to my heart … (but) I wanted to do something different with that. This is the rockabilly/bluegrass version.” There’s a directness and honesty to Rocker’s throwback style that eludes so much of modern music’s focus-group, mass-marketed thinking. Yet an original song as straightforward as “Slap the Bass” can still explode out of the speakers. (It’s “what I do,” he says simply. “I had a platform to showcase that. It’s about the bass.”) As for this weekend’s release party, Rocker knew all along he wanted it at the Coach House: “I’ve played there so many times and seen so many other great shows there. It’s that home away from home … it’s a natural.” Lee Rocker plays Saturday, March 3, at 8 p.m. at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, in San Juan Capistrano. Graceland Mafia and Space Rocket open. Tickets are $18. Photo, from last year’s Doheny Blues festival, by Bob Steshetz, for the Register.

Well, you caught me slacking again! Only 2 books tonite… I just finished reading Jodi Picoult’s latest book, Handle with Care. I can’t say that I enjoyed it as much as her previous book, Change of Heart, but so far my favorite is Nineteen Minutes. If you have high school age children, it’s an absolute MUST read. Throughout the book I would question my then 10th & 11th graders if this or that happened in school, and more often than not, they would confirm that things like that indeed happen. I’m currently reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and enjoying it immensely! I’ll share the details when I’m finished… Hope you had an enjoyable Tuesday!

Friends of Scituate’s Future would like to share a Photobucket album with you. View Now. History of Gates and some of the existing issues: The center historic part of the school was built in 1916.  Additions were added on in 1929, 1952 and 1959. Gates is currently overcrowded (per state guidelines) and only houses 7th and 8th grades. By building a new middle school, enabling 6th grade to move where it belongs with 7th and 8th, it eliminates the overcrowding at the elementary schools.  This also gives the 6th graders more opportunities like a foreign language that they are not able to get now. Safety is a huge concern in the building.  There are not the proper fire doors that enable the school to be “locked down”.  In the event of a fire kids can slip back in to the building.  It also means that anyone could enter the building unnoticed. Air quality is also a huge concern. The water damage is evident to the naked eye. The failing HVAC systems result in extreme hot and extreme cold in classrooms (often all in the same day) and poor fresh air circulation causing considerably bad air quality – stagnant and stuffy air high in CO2. The size of the classrooms at Gates prohibits 21st Century teaching and learning.  Most of the classrooms are too small to allow for group work, project-based learning and technology integration.  In addition, they are severely limited in terms of technology. The ratio at Gates is 7 students to 1 computer, which is far below the state average. There are electrical concerns with only 1 or 2 outlets per room, which is very inadequate, and the network wiring that has been put in is all exposed.  During my tour of the building a teacher showed me an outlet that she had to tape over to protect it from a water leak. The building is not compliant with accessibility laws. The ramps are too steep.  The one on the front of the building has to be used throughout the day to access different parts of the school.  Keep in mind that we are not only talking about the disabled in wheelchairs that cannot navigate the Gates school but ANY child or teacher can have an accident that temporarily puts him or her in a wheelchair and then not able to receive the same education as everyone else. Children needing to use the lift have to wait until the stairways are cleared of other children.  That is humiliating. 2/3rds of the students responded to a survey last year that building concerns affect their learning.  Imagine how distracting it is to be in class at 55 degrees the same day you are in another classroom at 80 degrees, or have a window crash into the room, or a ceiling tile fall in and water leak in, or just to have to move to another location because it is raining that day. $150,000 per year is wasted just on heat – out the windows and sides of the building.  300 gallons of oil PER DAY.   This is 4 times as much as any of the other schools in our town. (please note that the town changed it from oil to gas and we will update this # once we get the current figures) The original portion of Gates was built in 1916. It is 97 years old! In order to put that in perspective, here are some events that also occurred in 1916: – WWI was happening – Woodrow Wilson was president – Jackie Gleason, Walter Cronkite & Gregory Peck were born – A gallon of gas was about $0.16 – A loaf of bread was about $0.05 – Cost of a first-class stamp was about $0.02 Gates Intermediate School Newsletter December 2011

He becomes unhappy when his holiday is ruined. Dingle wants to create his own holiday ever since he heard the Earth tale about Christmas. He speaks in rhymes and has his own version of Christmas elves and reindeer. His intention is to spread joy and holiday spirit to everyone.

Emily Norwine and Benjamin Evans are the recipients of the 2014 Alexander Award bestowed by the First Congregational Church of Westfield. Named in memory of longtime members Edna and John Alexander, the award is given annually to one or more high school seniors who have made a significant contribution to the life of the church. Both Ms. Norwine and Mr. Evans have been leaders in the church’s youth fellowship program and attended several summer mission trips. Emily Norwine has participated in the church’s vocal and bell choirs since kindergarten and is an assistant in the church school. A senior at Cranford High School, she will attend Boston University in the fall. Emily is the daughter of Mark and Katie Norwine. Ben Evans was recognized for his leadership in the annual “30 Hour Famine,” a multi-church program designed to raise awareness and money to fight hunger. He is a senior at the Union County Magnet School and will attend Allegheny College in the fall. He is the son of Bob and Cynthia Evans of Fanwood.

So we finally did it...Carter went to the nursery at church. I thought it was going to be major drama because he doesn't like being anywhere without us. Chris and I got him signed in and met his teacher. Then the strangest think happened Carter went right to the teacher and wanted on the floor to play with the baby (a little girl). He never even looked back at us. In a way it kind of hurt your feelings because he is growing up way to fast. Yesterday we brought him back to the nursery and he was so excited to go play with all of the babies (Carter calls anyone who is not an adult a baby). Lately we have been working on saying Sea World. Chris said that whenever Carter can say it we will go there. He doesn't quit have it down yet but he knows that whales are here. This weekend we had a surprise visit from our Papa and Grandma from Austin. We were all glad to get to see them and for them to see Carter. They got him a new Texas football and everytime he goes to play with it he says Papa. Carter also got to play with his cousins and had a great time. He has been saying Nate all weekend. So I think he had a bunch of fun with them. Picnic at the park- We stopped to see all of the ducks from the dock with our cousins Kinzlee, Wyatt, Kate and Jack. Since it has gotten warm we had to go and get a turtle sandbox. Carter loves it and spends many hours a day in it. Carter is into everything. I left him alone outside for only a second and came back to find him digging in all of my flowerpots. He had such a great time.

Hello! I'm Charlene. My goal is to tone up and get fit, as well as eat a healthier diet. This was originally my new years resolution but I work best when in a team and have someone or something (like this blog!) to help me stay motivated so I haven't been doing very well on my own. Hopefully with the help of the other girls taking part, and also everyone reading, I can make my 2nd attempt a success! I've had a gym membership for almost a year now, although it has been gathering dust for a few months. I plan on dusting it off and going to the gym at least 3 days a week for a good cardio and weights work out. I do enjoy being at the gym once I'm there - it's just finding the motivation to get off my backside and go that I struggle with. After walking 6k with a friend last week I'm also considering taking up running as there's a bike track next to my house which would be perfect to do longer, or even shorter, runs on. It's just the weather that's putting me off at the moment! I'm also the only vegetarian in the group, so whilst the other girls may post recipes or mention foods containing meat, I'm going to focus on the vegetarian side of things. I'm going to stop eating processed so many foods, cut down on cheese and eat a lot more fresh fruit and vegetables. There are so many exciting, healthy meals that can be made with vegetables and fresh ingredients. For me it's not all about dropping dress sizes. I think dress sizes in shops are crazy anyway - a size 10 in one shop is completely different from a size 10 in another. Instead I just want to be toned, get rid of my bingo wings and my squishy tummy. I will probably keep you updated on any weightloss (or maybe inches lost seeing as I'll probably gain muscle weight) but it's more about how I look and feel than what I weigh that I'm focusing on.

Well, it's a done deal. Betsy Devos is the new Secretary of Education. Against all common sense, we have a Secretary of Education that has never been a part of the Public School System in the United States. Probably worse, we have a Secretary of Education that doesn't really know the issues relating to how to improve education within our Public Schools. Like a Secretary of State that has never been overseas, we have a Secretary of Education that has never been in the classroom. This seems like a really bad choice. But since the truth is always found in the middle, and we can't spend all our days crying over spilled milk - let's consider a few things. Not all Cabinet Secretaries have been involved in their areas (1/3 of our Defense Secretaries were never in the military). So maybe there is something that she might be able to bring to the table that traditional educators cannot. Again, I am not a supporter of any administration or political view - I am just trying to help us see that maybe there is something we can focus on that is positive rather than doom and gloom . . . First - The Secretary of Education does not dictate what your kid learns. This is what the Department of Education does: 1.) It gives out financial aid. 2.) It collects educational data. 3.) It identifies education issues. Your school board tells the kids what books to read and what math to study and so on. DeVos really has little reach into your kids' classroom. Feeling a little better? So what does she bring to the table? What can DeVos do and do well? Well - she loves vouchers. She loves helping Charter Schools get funding so people have options when Public Schools are failing. Consider this . . . In 1999, the Los Angeles School District was struggling - graduating 50% of its students. Green Dot was a brand new charter school that started up with just 140 students. It revolutionized education in LA. Green Dot is one of many Charter Schools in America that are changing how we educate. Now I need to say, there are a ton of things that Public Schools are doing well - and many of these things are being done in coordination with creative charter-school influence. I also need to say I am not a public school teacher and far from an expert in education. Maybe we all can look for it. Like you, I am tired of the, "everything is horrible and we'll never get out of this mess" stuff. Or, "I'm just so scared about the future of this country." Stop with the fear - let's move on with action. Can we take what we didn't ask for and work with it to get what we all want? My guess is that positive energy will get you more than a well-done snarky meme.

Just plain sick Today was one of those days when I wish I lived near family. I woke up with some sort of stomach bug and felt like total crap all day, with a slight fever. Of course, I couldn't "call in sick" because I don't have any childcare alternative at the moment. That meant Cameron watched hours of TV today. He eventually became bored of it and tried to entertain himself. He got a kick out of putting Max's hamper over his head to make a "costume." He found his Star Wars life saber and told me that this is what he was going to be for Halloween...no matter that he can't SEE out of the hamper!!!!! The only thing I managed to do today was feed the kids and get Max down for a couple naps (oh, and change a few diapers that incited my nausea). Below is what Max thought of the PB & J I made him. He just took it apart and smashed it all over his tray, eating none of it. Thankfully Melvin came home a little early (4:15) to help out with the kids. He took them out to dinner. I tried to tell him to just order in, but he insisted on leaving. I pray it's not the disaster I'm imagining it will be with the two boys. We also had to cancel a weekend wedding trip to NJ.

After finishing a huge project like a novel, I'm always torn between the two forces of wanting to jump right in to begin another and needing some time to recover. Being a writer for me is like being a child in a Grimm Fairy Tale wandering in an imaginative woods. There are lots of dark paths and evil temptations calling for us to visit. As in a those Choose-Your-Own Adventure books that were ever so popular in my youth, some paths lead to good graces and being rescued by helicopters while others leave you trapped on a cliff with the option to do jumping jacks for warmth or perish from the cold. The completion of a story is proof of successfully navigating one such path through those dark woods. Reaching the clearing on a high, the momentum urges you on to the next path. But if you start skipping away too hastily, you might miss the wolf waiting behind the trees. I know because I used to be that foolish character. There are the skeletons of many dead manuscripts in my closet to prove it. I have three fantastic novel ideas waiting to be written. In some ways this is a good speed bump since I can't write them all at once. I will let them all stew in my cauldron for a bit. I will take a rest in the middle of the haunted woods and let the apparitions visit me. I will ask them careful questions, figure out their game, and chose the right path after careful consideration and a freshly baked muffin or two. In the meantime, I'm keeping my mind busy by writing a children's book that takes place on the other side of the galaxy.

"Por Lor Pau" This morning, bro decided to break the monotony and introduced my grandparents and me to a new venue for our we had the usual siew mai (meat dumplings), har gau (prawn dumplings) and yu dan (fish balls), but bro also deviated from the norm and ordered the following: This was apparently the "Por Lor Pau"...literally translated as Pineapple Bun. Depicted as a popular staple of dim sum parlours in the standard TVB serials, I suppose bro's curiousity was piqued. Well...as they say...the test is in the tasting...so, we eagerly sunk our teeth into it. EEEEEEWWWW!!! Its so horrifically SWEEEEEEET!!! Well...of course we'd anticipated any item purportedly containing pineapple to be sweet...but really...this was over the top and gulps and gulps of tea hardly helped to wash it down any easier! As the dish was ordered by bro...he fulfilled his obligation without much grumble and polished off one. My grandparents shared the other...while I was left, woefully eying the fist of a lump of sugar on my plate. Shucks....what was i going to do with mine...I attempted a few more valiant bites before concluding that there was no way on earth I'd be able to voluntarily shove that thing down my throat. Bro kept shooting amused looks at me and mouthing..."hahahahah....i'm done with mine...so just do your part and eat up!" Sneaked him the evil eye...hmmph In view of my grand dad's philosophy on waste, there was absolutely no way that we would leave prior to me finishing the half-eaten pineapple ball ......so there I sat nursing my cups of tea, displaying an air of nonchalence, but in actual fact, racking my brains like crazy for a way out of the spot I was in.... Then suddenly, a light bulb went off when I vaguely recollected this particular Mr Bean episode in which he provided a step-by-step guide with respect to the discreet disposal of a revolting meal at a smart French restaurant... well...what works for him should work for me...so i decided to adapt and adopt the principles ...and improvisation led to the following scheme: Whilst granddad got up to get the teapot refilled (he has this strange insistence of doing this personally), bro helped to distract grandma, as I quickly scooped what was left of that offending ball into an empty bamboo steamer. Deftly, I placed another empty bamboo steamer on top, effectively hiding the unfinished spectacle from sight. hahahahaha...bro and I were pretty chuffed at our smooth execution...and all seemed to go well, with the usual chatter and conversation flowing.... right until a diligent waitress cleared the table of all empty plates and steamers...all, save the particular steamer with the skeleton in the closet! ello!?!? when a customer goes to such great lengths to bury some left-over morsel in a sea of empty steamers...it can only mean one thing: Please take it away (discreetly) without further comment!!! groan - silently hoped that grandpa had not yet seen it as i tried to strategically shift my arm (tra-la-la-la-la...as if that was the most natural thing for me to do!) to obstruct his line of sight. Back-up plan would have worked only if bro had not started giggling at the development of events...the little self-restraint he thought he possessed soon errupted into a hearty guffaw....it was just as lucky that he had not begun spewing tea all over the table as well! Kicked him hard in his shins...and shot him another evil eye...but alas...twas too late!! Grandpa had seen the ball of sugar and was insisting that I finish it off....nevermind all the excuses I could proffer...it was clear that there was no way I could worm myself out of the dilemma. Need to think out of the box, need to think out of the box.... Couldn't conveniently export it to neighbouring tables as they were all occupied by patrons. The nearest dumpster/rubbish bin was nowhere in sight. Then i reasoned out a compromise....what i hated was that solid sticky filling....was ok with the crust itself....so as Grandpa, yet again, rose to refill the teapot....I quickly sprung into action: Dug out all the offensive filling (pretty much the consistency of lotus paste) and hid it all by stuffing it under my downward-turned spoon...and when grandpa was back at the table, I was obediently finishing off what was left of the crust. He beamed at me and said: "See...that wasn't so bad after all..." Bro and I began doing shots (well, as best as possible) with cups of hot tea....we simply could not risk leaving the last pot of tea to be savoured at leisure ...just in case another diligent waitress comes along and reveals all..... For me, that was probably my first and last "por lor pau" for a heck of a long time!!

Taking a dig at the Congress during his speech at the Lok Sabha on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that his government was trying to address "old" problems which it had inherited from the previous setup. Modi further went on to say that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) would continue, and that it was a living example of Congress's failure, reports The Times of India. Replying to the accusation that NDA government was simply renaming the schemes started by the earlier government, Modi said: "We must rise above what should be the name of project and see to it that issue is addressed." The prime minister also said that opposition should be pleased that the government was actually agreeing with them on some policies. "The debate has been very good. Many MPs expressed their thoughts and several MPs sent their views in writing as well," Modi said. Some of the other highlights of Prime Minister Modi's speech were: Congress has never had such a low number of seats in the Parliament in the history of India. Corruption has ruined our nation and corruption shouldn't be talked of in context of politics, that makes it into a "tu tu mai mai" format. Governments come and go. Nation is made by the people, their strength and their 'samarth'. I don't claim that whatever work has been done was done in nine months only.

This weekend, we are one of the vendors at the quilt show in Washington, NC. It's the guild that I joined in 1985 when I began to learn to quilt. I owe them so much! Once we've unpacked and set up, the fun begins. E very show is different and every booth is different. This is our set-up this time. When the booth is ready, it's one big party. There are so many wonderful things to see and so many quilting friends to visit with. One very special quilt on display is the one created by the host guild, the Pamlico River Quilters Guild, to commemorate the TRICENTENNIAL (that's 300 years, folks) of Beaufort County, NC. It was presented to a county commissioner and the chairman of the tricentennial committee at the start of the show. I'll snap some pictures of ribbon winners tomorrow and report again.

Everyone has a go-to weeknight dinner right? I mean something other than fried eggs on toast…though that is also one of my faves! Well, this chicken & broccoli dish is really easy and quite delicious. It’s hard to go wrong with chicken and pasta in general, but when I discovered this flavor combination, it quickly became a repeat dinner. First, cut a boneless skinless chicken breast into ½” cubes. (One breast should be enough to serve 2 people) Sauté with some olive oil and McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Add in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or some Turkish biber (a dried red pepper) to give the chicken a little kick! At the same time, boil the pasta of your choosing (I like whole wheat penne or whole wheat orzo), and either sauté or steam some broccoli. When everything is cooked and the pasta is drained, combine everything in one pot. Add more olive oil and either milk or cream. You need just enough milk or cream to make everything come together – probably a couple turns of the pan as you pour (maybe ¼ - ⅓ cup). Add a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese, stir to combine and heat through just until cheese melts and becomes creamy. Salt and pepper as needed. Not the prettiest dish out there, but super tasty – enjoy!

It's been a world wind few days trying to get as much in before Christmas. Now that the school holidays have begun you can imagine the extra bodies one has to fight through to get anywhere. So heading back into Sydney we opted for the tranquility of the Chinese Garden. Spending a good two hours just contemplating the meaning of life, feeding the Koa Carp and watching the Ibis. Did you know that Carp here in Oz are a pest? To catch one it has to be disposed of or get a hefty fine. Those fish at the garden were confined and unable to get into any rivers but just think how much they would be worth in the UK. Here you can't give them away! It was then a route march back to the Maritime museum to finish off seeing what we were unable to see a few days ago. One of the main attractions was the British tall ship Tenacious which is a vessel geared up for allowing the disabled to crew. It's a Titanic moment. Then from Darling Harbour, we caught the ferry to Circular quays. Much nicer day then when we set off the tall ship lunch cruise. Bit of a hairy moment when one of the Sydney to Hobart racing yachts motored straight in front of the ferry Catching the train back to Thornleigh and getting back into the car at the station the temperature gauge registered a hot 41°. That evening we had a storm, very brief but it cleared the air which gave us some relief. At least we could sleep that night. View from Andy and Sally's balcony. And the wildlife.....and spiders so beware all you arachnophobic's.

Reflecting on her years as a youth, Mother Catherine Aurelia Caouette said: “I could sense the Divine from an early age.” Most unusual about her childhood was her desire to spend long hours in a church for adoration. And this desire was actually manifested in her early years as she would spend hours in church on her knees gazing at the Tabernacle. Her parents noticed in her something special and when they confided to their parish priest about their daughter, he said to them: “You have a child of predilection. Watch carefully over your treasure.” She was permitted to receive her First Communion at age nine which was about three years sooner than the norm for that time. As a student, she played the role of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, in the play written by Reverend Joseph Sabin Raymond titled: “The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine.” In that play young Aurelia proclaimed with great passion a line which touched the audience, and a line which she would later say that her extraordinary devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ was brought to light at that moment. The line in the play was: “I feel in my soul all the energy of the Divine Blood; it is a generous Blood which desires only to be shed.” Father Joseph Sabin Raymond became her spiritual director. Because of Aurelia’s incredible sanctity and Father Raymond’s expertise in spiritual matters, he told her to keep a diary to which she was obedient. Because of her obedience to making entries in the diary, the world knows a great deal about her interior life. In October of 1849, she wrote: “Lord, You know what my heart desires most ardently: to be united to You in Your Sacrament of Love. It is so consoling for a miserable creature to possess You. You inflame me with such a burning love, You inspire me with so many beautiful sentiments, that it seems heaven is in my heart. If, however, O my Divine Savior, I am not worthy to possess You now in Your heavenly home, I wish, at least, to go often to adore You in Your Tabernacle, where I have already passed so many happy moments, where You have spoken mysteriously to my soul and where You have so many times given Yourself to me.” In November of 1849 was this entry: “O my God, I conjure You, increase my desire to love You, to belong to You alone. O my Jesus, I shall love You all my life. You alone shall possess my heart. It is towards You, it is towards heaven that I wish, above all, to elevate my thoughts, my affections. Dispose of my entire being as it shall please You, but grant me, O well beloved Jesus, Your holy love, because without it, life would be too long, too sad. May all my actions be a continual prayer and may my heart be always turned towards You, O Infinite Beauty!” Keep in mind that these are the writings of a sixteen year old. Feeling an intimate closeness to the Blessed Mother as well, in December of 1849 she wrote: “O Mary, permit me today to bless you in seeing you so pure! I love you, I venerate you, all beautiful Dove, the favorite of God and of His Elect. Amiable Mother, do not fail to cast a tender look upon the wounds of my soul. Draw my heart towards you and have pity on me. O my Mother, I long for you, I burn with the desire of seeing you in heaven.” In 1850, after finishing her studies, she returned to her family, but remained under the direction of Father Raymond, whereby she wanted to occupy her soul with God alone. The now seventeen year old submitted to Monsignor Raymond a plan for her spiritual life which included meditation, Mass, work, adoration, silence, and spiritual reading. She very much saw God in His creation. She wrote: “How glorious and sublime it is to enjoy the sight of an exquisite night! This clear sky which is obscured by no cloud, these brilliant stars which ornament the azure firmament, the moon, that queen of night which diffuses its soft light, this calm, this peace which reigns in all places, inspire one with thoughts of heaven. Omnipotent God, how this silence touches my soul! How it fills it with religious sentiments!” Her mysticism is now becoming more apparent. This was her experience of watching the Tabernacle on Holy Thursday night, as recorded in her diary: “The consideration of the Agony of Jesus has continually occupied my mind. I have mingled the tears of my repentance with the Blood of my Well Beloved. I have suffered with Him. At one o’clock I was left alone for a few moments. I do not know what secret sentiment inspired me, I dared in spite of my fears, to mount to the altar – I kissed it, I bathed it with my tears – I pressed my lips to the door of the Tabernacle which encloses our love. It felt so good to be so near! I blessed, I loved, I thanked, I wept over my numerous sins. As I saw the Divine Blood flow in large drops, I presented to Him our souls. He blessed them in His Sacred Heart. Jesus asked the sacrifice of my entire self, docility and submission. I have the firm conviction that He will make me share some of His sufferings. I can suffer; it is my consolation! I wish only for suffering.” In her spiritual hunger she wrote: “Father, the remembrance of Communion returns to me unceasingly. I am dying of hunger!” In 1851 a dire illness kept her in bed for ten months. She said that she was cured miraculously at the end of a novena to Saint Catherine of Siena. She wrote: “It seemed to me that I saw my amiable protectress. Her whiteness equaled that of the lily. She was dazzling with grace and beauty and seemed to be blessing me with her hand in the Name of Jesus Christ, and in a whisper, she told me to hope and love.” This started what would blossom into a great devotion to Saint Catherine of Siena. In 1853 she made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Succor in Montreal. She told Father Raymond of her mystical experience there in which she saw the Blessed Virgin clothed in dazzling white, praying to her Son. Our Lady told her to make frequent Communions to console Jesus because of the many souls that forget Him. Providence led to her to be the Founder of the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood, the first contemplative Order of nuns whose beginnings were in St. Hyacinth, Quebec. It was her deep contemplation of Christ’s love through His Passion which led to her great devotion of the Precious Blood. The cause for her canonization officially began in November of 1984.

Guest Author - Michelle Snow "In 525,600 minutes / how do you measure a year in the life? / How about love?" ("Seasons of Love" from Rent) Like all rock operas before it -- Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, and Hair to name a few -- Rent isn't a film that will appeal to everyone. It isn't a happy feel-good movie where the singing takes place in between bouts of dialogue. Quite often, in Rent, the dialogue is sung ... the story, told in a succession of musical vignettes, is dark and gritty. Based on Puccini's La Boheme, Rent tells the story of one year in the life of friends living the Bohemian life in modern day East Village New York. The film opens on an empty theater with the main characters onstage singing the musical's signature number, "Seasons of Love." After this brief introduction to their faces, we are thrust into the cold night of the story's beginnings. As Christmas Eve 1989 dawns on the denizens of Avenue A in New York City, we meet eight people who seemingly have nothing in common...other than a desire to live their lives to the fullest regardless of sacrifice. Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp) is a struggling filmmaker who has decided to shoot a documentary about what goes on around him...his 525,600 minutes in the world. His roommate Roger Davis (Adam Pascal) is a musician who, after struggling through years as a junkie, is trying to write his one last great song. He is enchanted by their downstairs neighbor, Mimi Marquez (Rosario Dawson), a 19-year old S&M stripper who is also a junkie. He is deeply attracted to her, but has no desire to be drawn back into the world of drugs -- especially since he's already lost a girlfriend to them. En route to meet with Mark and Roger for Christmas, Thomas "Tom" Collins (Jesse L. Martin), a computer teacher, is jumped by a group of homeless men for his jacket. Badly beaten, he is rescued by Angel Shunard (Wilson Jermaine Heredia), a flamboyantly gay drag queen. The two eventually fall in love and set up house together. Mark's ex-flame Maureen Johnson (Idina Menzel) is a performance artist. She is a free-spirited loose cannon that both bewitches and infuriates her current lover, lawyer Joanne Jefferson (Tracie Thoms). Maureen is working on a one-woman conceptual show to protest the impending destruction of a homeless tenement on Avenue A. This inconveniences Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III (Taye Diggs), a former roommate of Mark and Roger, who has married into high society and plans to turn the tenement space into a digital arts studio. As we follow the eight through their year, we find out some are HIV+. This eventually impacts the dynamics of the group, as they lose a beloved member to AIDS. In 1989, when the story takes place, HIV and AIDS were still relatively new diseases, but even today, over fifteen years later, the topic still holds a huge relevance in life as we know it. There are also huge secrets being kept by various members of the group...secrets that will lead some to find they have more in common than originally thought. Rent deals with a variety of hot topics -- AIDS, homosexuality, bisexuality, drugs -- but it does so in a no holds bar way. It doesn't glamourize the issues, but it doesn't exploit them either. Relationships are also presented without apologies, explanations or sugar coating. They just are what they are...take it or leave it. "Take me for what I am / who I was meant to be" -- ("Take Me Or Leave Me" from Rent) The performances by the actors are simply amazing and even fearless. I particularly enjoyed the storyline between Mimi and Roger. As the characters, Dawson and Pascal generate so much heat and angst that some scenes just broke my heart, while others had me waiting for the next kiss. Angel's storyline also broke my heart ... so much so, that I spent most of the last half hour of the film silently crying during the film. But while it breaks your heart, Rent and its characters make a point to convey that no matter what happens in life if you count your blessings, it makes the bad bearable. As Maureen states at one point in the film, "Angel used to say that he was lucky for knowing all of us...but we were the lucky ones." It emphasizes that these characters survive because they have friends to catch them when they fall. They have people who love them and look out for them. And it tackles two of life's most significant questions: "What do I want to do with my life?" and "Who am I going to spend it with?" It's not all weepy moments, though. Set in a cafe, the defiant "La Vie Boheme", is sassy and vibrant romp that involves all of the characters. In the theater, it illicited several boisterous laughs from the audience. There are also seemingly random lighthearted moments, like Mark and Roger's answering machine, that keep the story from being overwhelmingly maudlin. Since its debut onstage ten years ago, Rent has become one of the longest running shows on Broadway. It was the winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Obie Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, four Tony Awards and three Drama Desk awards. Director Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) has done a fine job with this film adaptation of the musical. In casting the movie, it may have been tempting to cast big box office names as the main eight, but in the end, he decided to go with the original cast -- with a few changes. All of the eight actors in the movie originally played the roles on Broadway, with the exception of Rosario Dawson as Mimi and Tracie Thoms as Joanne. Some fans of the Broadway version may have issues with this, but I think on film, the chemistry between the new additions and the established roster is electrifying. This movie challenges you and moves you. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry...and most importantly, it makes you care, not just about these eight people, but about the joy of life itself. I immediately called my close friends afterwards and told them I was glad they were in my life. Rent is not always an easy movie to watch -- but it is an easy movie to love, if you give it a chance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cast: Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Tracie Thoms Director: Chris Columbus Rated: PG-13 [mature thematic material involving drugs and sexuality; brief naked backside shot; and for some strong language] Rating Score: 8.5 out of 10 Official website: (film); (broadway)

Shelley C. - Tutor Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Precalculus, ACT Math I am in my 38th year of teaching and I still love it. For a student to be successful in the classroom, he or she needs to feel confident in the subject matter. I can give you that confidence. Over the years, I have tutored many students and enjoy the one-to-one learning environment. I currently teach Algebra 2, Precalculus, and College Algebra and Trigonometry. I have taught and tutored other math subjects like Geometry and ACT. I use the MathXL programs in my high school and college c... Your first hour with any tutor is

Manchester United Football Club | Man Utd Football Team | Man United Transfer | Manchester United Transfer News Now | Manchester United Transfer Latest News | Manchester United Transfer News | Manchester United Transfer Talks and Rumors | Man Utd Transfer Target | Man Utd Transfer Target Summer | Javi Garcia Benfica Midfielder | Javi Garcia Man Utd Transfer | Ferguson keen to sign Javi Garcia from Benfica | Season 2011-2012 Ferguson keen to sign Javi Garcia from Benfica Javi Garcia Transfer News | Latest News Javi Garcia Transfer | Javi Garcia Transfer News Now | Javi Garcia Pictures and Wallpaper | Javi Garcia Photos 2011-2012 Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson hands of the players rumored to be hunting on the upcoming January transfer window, is connected with the transfer speculation Ferguson's interest to Benfica midfielder, Javi Garcia. Five goals in 50 league appearances made Ferguson wanted to come Garcia to Old Trafford to replace the retiring Paul Scholes. Manchester United actually have Cleverley, Fletcher and Carrick but they felt still have weaknesses that need a midfielder. To transfer Garcia, Manchester United reportedly has set a fee of £ 11m. AC Milan are also reportedly interested to bring the 24-year from Benfica. whether this is true, or just gossip? we wait for further news regarding the transfer of Javi Garcia. How do you think about Man Utd News : Ferguson keen to sign Javi Garcia from Benfica?

What a week! Tonight, I had an opportunity to give a blessing to Taylor and again, I felt a witness and the truth and legitness of everything we share! Our message of the restoration is true, Christ’s only full Gospel was restored again to the earth beginning with the visitation of God and Jesus Christ to the young boy Joseph Smith, who described his experience as he prayed asking which church he should join. “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. … When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other–This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith–History 1:16–17). God the Father and his son Jesus Christ, two separate glorified beings appeared to him that day and told him “that they were all wrong” and that “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof” (Joseph Smith–History 1:19). 14 year old Joseph Smith had a vision and really saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. And he was later called as a prophet of God to restore the gospel which had been lost, back to the earth in its fullness. He was an instrument in Gods hands, and because of his willingness to do what God asks we have tangible evidence of whether or not Christ church has been restored again and whether Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. We have the Book of Mormon. Another testament of Jesus Christ, it is a “record of God’s dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel”(introduction of Book of Mormon). We invite all to read it with a sincere desire to know if it is true and to pray and ask God, like 14 year old Joseph did in 1820. I know without a doubt in my mind and heart that what I have written is true. I would have already quit my mission if it was false. I am a witness, a representative of Jesus Christ, set apart and called of God through a prophet Today. His name is Thomas S. Monson. I know he is a prophet today because I prayed and asked God. I love you all and I beg that you give our message a chance, it can truly change your life if you truly desire to know truth. Take care, Elder Barber! Yuh! Go to Mormon.org for any questions or email me! I’d love to hear from you and try to answer any questions you may have.

I am someone who is OK with limitations. I can't use real clay. I tried, remember? I think most of my problem is I can't knead it. I have an issue with my right hand and arm that prevents me from that kind of thing. Paper clay is a wonderful solution. I really want to make clay stuff! I really, really, really do. So this is a start. Aluminum foil, a skewer, thin cardstock, and duct tape (it's not "duck", people) Wings - I just pressed it flat using a bottle of acrylic paint as a rolling pin and cut them out with the edge of those green scissors you can see in the corner (25 cents at Wal-Mart) Clay over the cardstock/foil/skewer "figure" This is it with the wings attached, laying on the roll of tape with bits of foil wedged under it so it dries in the position I want it to: Tomorrow, I'll paint it and see if I like it! So far I think it's pretty cute, and it's exactly what I had in my head so I was successful in that regard. I think I'm going to try and do a more stylized face next time, with features. Maybe. We'll see. Baby steps.

I was reading a talk this morning by Sheri L. Dew entitled "You Were Born to Lead - You Were Born for Glory", and it is a very good message. We are here on earth during the last days before the Second Coming of Christ. The end of our time of preparation is steadily drawing closer. I feel like things are picking up, and honestly it makes me feel more of a need to do the work I am here to do, because the deadline is soon and we simply can't afford to be caught off-guard, pursuing our own rewards right now, and then not be able to abide the day of His coming. Little bit straight-up, huh? But the cool thing that Sister Dew explained is that we have the opportunity and privilege to have the Lord's help and direction in these times. We can get on the right train and continue doing the right and have the strength and help we need. Very good talk. Also today, we had clouds! Yay! It was super sunny in the early afternoon, and then about 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm-ish it got cloudy and a nice breeze ran through our area, so that was fantastic. During District Meeting this morning, we bought these bags of orange juice from one of the investigators of the elders in La Ideal area (where the church we meet for District Meeting is) and they were soooooooo good! Everything's sold in bags, and these little guys (actually they're about a half liter of juice, kind big) even had ice cubes and a straw with them, fancy that! And cheap, only 10 lemps. So they made some good bank from all the missionaries buying 2 or 3 bags of juice, each, but it was totally worth it, as it was quite a long morning. And we were hungry. And I missed orange juice. And it was just really hot. So that was awesome. Our night without light! And the power went out at about 7:00 pm, so we had to go back to the house. Which was really sad, because we actually were teaching the lessons we had planned for! So we had to come back home and we're using candles to make some sandwiches for dinner and write in our journals, and then plan for the next day. Pretty sweet, right? We even sang Happy Birthday to each other and made a wish. (mostly that the power can come back soon, we gotta go teach and have our fans work again! Our house has no windows where the wind would actually be able to come in, so we have to rely on our fans, and they obviously don't work right now, so that's a little no fun. But it's a little cooler in the night, so that's good. Hot, but a little cooler.) Candles are pretty neat, I like to watch the flame and see them all glowy... makes me think of Christmas and I feel all snuggly and warm! But yeah, overall today was good. Mostly we are just thrilled to actually have some plans go through today, so we're just really happy campers! (We even got our little baby fire!)

As I prepare my spirit-self for a ceremony that will take place in the spring, I have been mentally attending to various details, unfolding… relaxing into the open space within me and just seeing what comes. These contemplations have tended to align with the earth elements, and medicine wheel teachings, and how each one of these will manifest into the ceremony. To call this contemplation, isn’t quite right. This is free-flowing introspective practice, which opens the channels of insight. It is really a way of being - with each of these aspects. I envision them as points of light, like sparks – around which energies, understandings and knowings – gather. For me it is a process of opening myself – growing quiet and seeing what shows up. It’s about listening, watching – waiting - and feeling the vibrations as connected things engage one other. It’s about how knowings come to me. One point of light around which there has been much activity has been the Western direction on the medicine wheel. The directional door through which our beloved departed ones pass on their journey to the ancestors, is in the West. I have a hard-hard time with these passings. A . When one of my beloved people pass through the western door, if we have shared a close bond. The hole left by their Westing – is like a vortex into which energy is drawn, into which thought patterns flow like the cataract of Niagara. Very recently, with the guidance and perspective of a beloved friend – immersed in his work, a wondrous enlightenment shone through my previous experience with death journeys. Three losses that have been devastating to me, my cousin, my Mother, and my infant Grandson - I am experiencing them anew. Now in addition to the very real sorrow that lives in the memory of each passing, a sense of wonderment also resides. By relaxing into this open space in the West – and feeling the vibrations as connections are made - I have this beautiful, amazing energy flowing, the strings are thrumming with vibrations. I feel the life-rhythms. It is totally wonderful to me, that the act of Westing, passing away, walking on, crossing over - is a process by which our dear ones, encounter the moment when the trappings of this Earthly existence slide away. Societal rules, morays, constructs, and value systems are just not important any more and we are gifted – with unfettered, unconstrained existence as our essential selves. Our Isness, our Spirit gets to burst forth and move and work and flow in ways that are simply not possible when Earthbound, and clothed in the gift that is our body. We move and engage in delightful entwinement with our Divine Beloved, how amazing is that?! So the West is a totally amazing spiritual launchpad, so that’s one aspect - I’ll call it Yin. To balance the ethereal Yin – there is a very physical, very grounded, very substantial Yang. West is where the Earth element resides. Solidity, stability, nourishment, endurance, the sustaining force – all of this is embodied by the Earth element. is reliant upon Earth. This is true of each element - but Earth, especially so. Earth is richly adorned with traces and pieces of all that has ever existed on the planet, in one form or another. Earth is connected to our five senses in profound ways. If we allow ourselves the opportunity to lay very still with an ear to the Earth, we can hear the gnawing of creatures, the vibrations of beings in motion within, and on top of the Earth. We can hold earth in our hands and experience through our eyes and our touch-sensing, the dampness, the texture, the heat, the viscosity of that which we hold. By cradling Earth in our hands, by being outdoors during planting or when it is raining, or as the frost is coming out of the ground, or by digging into the rich, sweet Earth with our fingers - we can smell the bouquet of the Earth, the complexity and the nourishment Earth holds in her particles. We can truly smell the cycles of decay and regeneration going on, in that moment. By chance encounters with windblown Earth, by sliding face first to home plate, or by doing a graceless faceplant, we taste Earth. Sometimes we taste by design – or some of us do – directly, or in particles lifted up by tender greens and fiddleheads plucked for salad that never quite make it to the house. Mom told me many times as a child, that we all needed a bit of dirt to grow. Was this a testament to the merits of randomly eaten Earth, or a witness of the life-long connection to the ground –experienced by her middle child? I dunno. Earth is sacred to me. Truly.sacred. I always-always have a bit of Earth – in the form of rocks, on my person, in my pocket. The lovely plate of rocks in the picture is on my desk at work. There are rocks in each vehicle that I drive. I have an extensive family of rocks that move in and out of my care. It is an act of sacred connection to pass a rock that has journeyed with me, to another beloved soul. Rocks ~ the most solid and substantial of Earth forms, have memory. Pebbles, stones, rocks, boulders – carry the energy, and contain the story – of every place they’ve ever been. The planet, the ground, the soil, the flesh of our Earth Mother - the place where we connect to sacred physical selves – this is the West and it is where we all come home.

Liffy came to town this past weekend, so we had to get some good thick-of-NYC music in. First some good eats, though. The fryer came out of hiding for some fantastic wings and a first stab at some onion rings... wethunk they were alright: Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, 4 May 2007 Friday night was Hopewell at (the new) Luna Lounge in Brooklyn. The room gets a provisional thumbs up from OTW upon first visit. Good size (figure 200-300ish comfortably), good sightlines all around (nary a support column to be seen), good layout (bar on the far side of the door; wide area in front of the stage), big fat stage.... sound was decent in most spots, better close to the stage than near the bar for sure. Hopewell is a band I've been meaning to check out live for a while. They seem to play a ton of gigs around town but I'm always on a different schedule. Glad I finally caught them. Band is two guitars one played by lead vocalist plus keyboards, bass, drums. The key for the first two thirds of the show was the bass/drums combo. These guys just made the whole thing work for me -- the bulk of both the technical talent and the rock-this-shit-out energy came from the rhythm section who were out of the Moon/Entwhistle school of kickin' ass. When the songs would make their way to the bridge or an extended instrumental section, it was these guys that seemed to pour out the melody while the guitarists took a supporting role. Based on delicious bass playing alone, Hopewell is worth checking out. The front man had a wonderfully semi-psychotic slant to his presence which worked in the context and his energy was just the right mix of everything you'd want in a guy leading your band. As the set went on, he became more and more integral to what was going on... not coincidentally, the shit got tighter and tighter. While that first chunk was well worthwhile and would have had me thinking "definitely gotta check these guys out again," it was all a set-up for the payoff that was the last 3 or 4 songs. These guys didn't necessarily jam or even go off instrumentally too much, but that last stretch may have been one song or it may have been several, I don't know, they all ran together perfectly. It was one of those sum greater than moments -- so many bands and musicians out there, the line between what's good, what's great and what's transcendent seems to be dictated mostly by perception, mood and context. If you want Hopewell to blow your mind, they may very well do so. The final blistering 15 minutes came to a close with a kick ass cover of Jane's Addiction's "Of Course" with a long, psychedelic intro and zig-zagging vocals and guitars. "What do they sound like?" is usually the hardest question to answer... especially in words. If we instead use music as our language, cover songs are a great way to start (which is why I wish all bands would play at least a couple covers). If I had to sum up my 1st Hopewell experience it would be with this set-ending cover. They made it their own. Of course, you could just check out their myspace page or just go see 'em live. We stuck around for the next band which was La Laque. If I had to sum up this one in a word it'd be: sex. There's a band back there playing some weird manic surf popedelica via Paris circa 1965, but really all you're paying attention to is the woman up front. She was wearing a dress that was little more than a towel wrapped around her waist and made eyes at the sparse audience as she sang in French. The music was actually pretty good, or I was tricked into believing so by the slithering seductress. The base of the band -- guitar, drums and bass -- actually seemed to operate completely independently of their main attraction, digging deep. The drummer especially seemed to be on a different level, but it all worked together. I wouldn't say no to another La Laque experience, although I figure they'd work wonders in a more lounge setting. Abrons Arts Center, 5 May 2007 Saturday was, as the stench flows, just across the Willamsburg Bridge, but musically and emotionally, we may as well have taken the J train to Jupiter. John Zorn continues to work the onion bagel of the Lower East Side with his special schmear of Masada cream cheese. Saturday was a show put on by the wonderful folks that brought you such next-level shit as everything that happened at Tonic for the past however many years. They've moved on and are doing a limited number of shows at Abrons Arts Center which is both more lower and more east than before. The performance space is like a small lecture hall, maybe a 1/3 of the size of a standard high school auditorium. File under ironic: all the nights I spent at Tonic wishing I had a comfy seat... took the place to get priced out of the neighborhood, I guess. But I was comfortable! This was the John Zorn Masada Book II "mini fest" -- two nights, 4 different ensembles all playing songs from the gift that keeps on giving that is the Masada songbook. Saturday was Shanir Blumenkranz Group and the Masada String Trio. Let's get the superlatives out of the way quickly: the best damn musicians. period. Blumenkranz played the oud and was backed by Erik Friedlander on cello, Greg Cohen on bass, Rob Burger on accordion, Satoshi Takeishi on percussion and Steve Gorn on flutes. Masada music is first and foremost a Jewish music, balancing nicely the sounds of the Middle East with Eastern European. Under this ensemble's direction, though, the music was just flat out foreign without regard to where it came from or where it was going. Who knew that these instruments would mesh the way they did Saturday night? With the exotic, droning twang of the oud leading the way, the sounds of these disparate elements came together in what could only be described as magical ways. Every once in a while it's good to just get serious about music and for all the uninhibited glee this music builds inside me, it is nothing if not serious. Watching these masters play and interact with each other is to appreciate not just this music but music itself. You get a sense of not just the sound but what makes the sound: the way a bow across a string makes it vibrate and how a finger plucking the same will be similar and yet undeniably different; the way air blown into a long wooden cylinder will form a standing wave across its length; the strange dynamics of the accordion and so on. And somehow, as you sit in your cushioned seat, 6 men coax all this noise, these sounds, out of these instruments and make them all coexist in such a way that it sends chills down your spine. Serious stuff. This is what John Zorn can do -- he's not even in the band, not even on stage... actually he's sitting a couple rows in front of us in the audience. Yet here is this music he has made, and it's really a simple music, the range across the hundreds of compositions in the Masada catalog don't vary too much, to the point of many songs sounding pretty similar when you get down to it. But somehow it inspires. It is the thing that makes mere mortals , talented to be sure, but men nonetheless, somehow do miraculous things. The spider that bites Peter Parker turning entire bands into a group of superhuman Spidermen, defying gravity and the laws of physics with the music that they make. The last song or two were above and beyond what the $20 ticket required. Group mind, a musical seance where we all conversed with the dead. I only hope these guys play again and that they're recording some time soon... Not to be outdone, the old guard of the Masada String Trio followed after a short break. By this time the work week and the previous night were weighing down on my eyelids and I drifted in and out of consciousness. It may have been that I dreamed the whole thing. There are no 3 musicians out there that know, I mean really know each other, the way these three do. Tinker to Evers to Chance except turning triple plays... every inning... ever. Here Zorn sits on the stage and "conducts" but really I think he just wants to sit close to see if whatever these three -- Friedlander, Cohen and Mark Feldman -- are on. "How do they do it?" he's thinking to himself as he sits there counting out beats, "what's the trick?"

Zodiacal signs Capricorn, Virgo and Taurus Furnishes the energy used to create and maintain our foundation. This is the energy that keeps us on firm ground and provides us with the basic skills to uphold a place in the world The 4th Ray of "Harmony through Conflict" governs the base chakra or root. This chakra symbol represents the most earth centered chakra. It stands for our inherited beliefs through our formative years. Self-preservation, personal survival and our identification with the physical world centers in this bottom most of the main seven chakras. A healthy root chakra connects you with vitality to your family of origin, your immediate society and to the global community. If your 0-7 years were challenging and without love, then this damaged root chakra will function much differently. Issues of survival such as emotional dysfunction, stress, anxiousness, and restlessness will plague you. Possible fears of letting go, scarcity, poor boundaries, and more. It’s during the 0-7 years that we learn about where we fall in our relationships with siblings, parents, our community, and how we relate to them. Joint pain, lower backache, elimination problems, obesity, constipation, anorexia, and poor immune system function. What beliefs did you inherit or learn from your family? Is there unfinished business between you and your parents? What limiting beliefs did you learn about personal survival and money? Do you have personal boundaries that you maintain? Is it difficult for you to bond with others? Are you often sick or suffering from illness? Transcendence of unloving imprints in this chakra "Others show you yourself and what you need to work on within, by their reflection of your own rejected or denied emotions."

Sculprox – an interface for virtual 3D sculpting This video presents a new interface for virtual sculpting using a physical proxy for the creation and manipulation of conceptual 3D geometric models. Related Stories A five minutes speeded-up video that shows the creation process of a car rendering. Done in Photoshop CS4 with a Wacom Intuos3 graphic tablet in about two hours. Official videos that document the testing of the Lancia New Stratos: with Tiago Monteiro on the Balocco racetrack and at the Pininfarina’s wind Tunnel.|Final Wind Tunnel Test at Pininfarina. This video shows the creation of a steam iron concept done. Done in 20 minutes in Autodesk Alias Sketch by designer Kyle Runciman. Newsletter Get all the updates with our weekly newsletter!

Indian animation pioneer Bhimsain Khurana’s works are to be screened as part of Retrospective on 29 January, 2018 at JB Hall, Films Division under the aegis of the prestigious Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), 2018. Khurana has been the creator of indelible short films such as Ek Anek Aur Ekta, The Climb, Munni, Freedom is a Thin Line and many more. The Retrospective package consists of films from his illustrious career between the early 70s till early 2000, which defined and shaped not only the nation’s psyche but also inspired and furthered the emergence of Indian animation in the global scene. Khurana was instrumental in defining and starting MIFF in the early 90s. MIFF’s ubiquitous logo has been designed by him in one single brush stroke. Life will come a full circle for The Father of Indian Animation as his Animation Retrospective premieres at the Mumbai International Film Festival, a befitting tribute to a man who started his career with Films Division on a humble note in 1961 as a background artist. Apart from this, films in various competition categories – like best documentary short and animation films produced in India and abroad – will be screened. Special packages under Retrospective include animation films from Russia, Turkey, Japan and Brazil.

It's Championship Week baby! As always, the Big East Tournament should be a great one to watch! A lot of teams have the potential to take it, but this year I'm going with Louisville. They've been playing great the last month or so and now they're healthy. They've been a different team ever since David Padgett came back from an early injury. They have great depth, especially at the the guard position, they're well-coached and they also have some experience. UCLA will win the Pac 10 Tournament. They just have too much experience and talent. Yes, they've caught some breaks lately but in their last few games they haven't played to their potential. No one else in this tourney has an answer for Kevin Love either. I expect a different Bruins team to show up for the conference tournament. The SEC is down this year and no one is much of a threat to Tennessee other than Kentucky and Vanderbilt. I see the Vols cruising to the final and then win a close one vs. Kentucky to win the conference and solidify a 1 seed for the Big Dance.

My favorite way to use homegrown tomatoes - once I've had all the BLTs I can stand - is to make salsa. My daughter likes to eat this with a spoon. Maybe I should call it Mexican Gazpacho and let her have at it. The rest of the family eats it with Snyder's yellow corn chips. 6 or 7 medium tomatoes, chopped (cored, too, if you like it less juicy) small can diced Mexican-style tomatoes small onion, diced (I like red, but Spanish yellow is good, too.) 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil juice of 1 lime (or lemon is OK) 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped salt to taste, somewhere between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon few grinds black pepper Dump all of these ingredients in a bowl and stir. That's really all you have to do, but I like to puree some of it with an immersion blender so it isn't so chunky. You can eat it right away but it gets better after a few hours. Add more jalapeno if you like it really hot. Some Mexican-style tomatoes are hotter than others, and salsa has a tendency to get hotter as it sits so check it first and beware. The photo above is from the Spring 2009 garden tour. I loved the attention to detail in this garden! Check out the shed at the end of their driveway. Love the pots of marigolds in the window.

I'm running very behind keeping this updated, need to get caught up so I can report on my latest experience at Ultra. I go to a lot of music events every year, I first started in 2004 when I was 19. I love the experiences and doing these things with friends, but in some ways also research. I'm going to start my own music festival one day, hopefully within a couple of years. And for now any experience I get will be valuable towards building what I hope to be an awesome event that hopefully you will attend. So, SXSW day 3: I had to wake up a little earlier on Friday at SXSW to go film the first Dee Goodz show. It was a bit early to draw a big crowd but he still put on a great show considering he only had 10 minutes. Some really good artists were playing later in the day such as Freddie Gibbs and Big K.R.I.T. but I didn't stick around. I wandered around a lot during the day, even tried to go the Fader Fort party to see Odd Future play but my plans were thwarted due to a dinner obligation with my Uncle who got me the passes. But I got to chill out at the convention center a little and see some random bands whose name I don't even remember, which was much needed. First act I really got a chance to see was a new find, this girl named Tokimonsta who is on the same label as Flying Lotus. She was pretty excellent (cute too) and definitely have a similar sound to FlyLo which is good in my book cause I'm a big fan of his. We stayed until the very end even though her power cut out randomly at one point and they had to hook her back up. Next we decided to go the the Vice showcase at Kiss n' Fly, this place I had actually never been to before and honeslty may not have existed in 2006 when I first went. Our goal was to make it in time for Jeff the Brotherhood, a local Nashville band that has been doing well lately. But by the time we made it there after a good and crucial bathroom detour it was too packed to get in for that show. Luckily I was interested in the rest of the night's lineup. Once we got in it was pretty easy to get a good spot for the next band, a group I had never heard of called Yuck. They had an intersing vibe, a sort of English garage band with a weird female bassist who for some reason was put right in the middle even though she seemingly did the least in the band. Seemed to fit their dynamic, their show was raucous but never overly so, no moshing or anything like that. Once they finished some of my friends left as some others tried to get in for the remaining shows. I debated leaving to see Menomena back at the awesome church but I was pretty happy where I was (despite the $5 Lone Stars) and I really wanted to check out Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, a band I had been hearing a lot about recently. Ariel Pink's album made lots of best albums lists last year, but for some stupid reason I still don't have it. I decided to see first hand what all the fuss was about. They did not dissapoint, easily my favorite show of this showcase. Their music was at turns poppy and psychedelic, definitely giving off a cool and relaxed vibe it was not hard to see why people like them so much. I will be getting their album shortly, and will probably check them out again at Coachella in a few weeks. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Bun B was next, a rapper who I have seen and had the pleasure of filming before at Phatkaps in Antioch, TN. A bunch of us were there to see him and were really pumped for the show but it was a slight let down. While his energy was there the sound-man was not behind him. He had a full band with him who was coming through loud and clear but he was simply not. In fact even one of his backup vocalists could often be heard above him. Pretty tough to have a banging show when your mic is fucked up, still mad respect for the guy though. We bounced a bit early to head back to the room and beat the rush. All in all a great night.

"Not for review" is an occasional series of pieces in which I offer my thoughts on the pilots for this year's new shows. These are not reviews, as many of the pilots sent to press aren't final versions. Roles can be recast; scenes can be re-edited and many other changes can be made. These are simply my first impressions based on watching early versions of the shows. Ben (Matthew Perry) manages the Sunshine Center, a successful but rundown arena that hosts everything from sporting events to circuses. A loner by design, Ben is starting to reconsider the way he's constructed his life, particularly when it becomes abundantly clear that his way of living has left him alone and disconnected. Wow, there is a whole lot of wacky going on here. This early version of the pilot features clowns with axes, a roaming elephant and Alison Janney singing an inappropriate, fairly racist song. Perry, though engaging and funny as always, seems like little more than a quip machine here. But there is potential in this show. By episode's end, Perry's performance seems to have leveled off a little and he seems to be playing a human being, not just a delivery mechanism for jokes. Meanwhile, Janney is an utter hoot as Perry's loopy, insensitive boss. Unlike Perry, she finds the balance between realistic characterization and joke delivery instantly (plus, it's nice to see her looking glam and polished again after her role as Nameless Mysterious Island Woman on "Lost"). I would watch this show again, but it needs find a smoother, less strident tone.

Mackensy L. - Tutor Ivy League Grad; Science, Math, English, Reading, and History Tutor! Hi there! My name's Mackensy, and I'm from Commerce, Michigan. I attended Columbia University in New York as a pre-med student, and majored in biology with a minor in history. I'm 22 years old, and I love working with and helping others, especially students! I recently completed a year of service with Americorps, teaching at a charter school on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. I've had previous tutoring experience helping in algebra and geometry, but I am definitely more than able to help ou... Your first hour with any tutor is

Welcome to Stafford House Brighton! With the beach in one direction and town the other, the school is located in the heart of Brighton. Situated in a beautiful Regency building, for which Brighton is famous, our school has 16 classrooms with interactive whiteboards, student and computer lounge, self study room, outside courtyard and a library. Why choose Stafford House Brighton? high quality learning atmosphere small classes (average 10) excellent teaching with adaptable study programs perfect combination of studying and having fun premium facilities and many accommodation options We look forward to welcoming you! Stafford House Brighton Team :) --- Host family accommodation without students of same native language Own apartment In hotel/guesthouse Shared Apartment Student Residence Brighton_City_Factsheet.pdf

posted on x by the Salt City Sinner By now, most of you will have heard that I will not be finishing the remainder of this year as your Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. Because a number of most hurtful and unseemly rumours have been heard circulating amongst my students, I have kindly been allowed to issue the following clarifications. You WILL still be expected to pass the extemporaneous written examination on “Contract Law In Norse Mythology And The Origins Of Complex Fraud And Trickster Gods” (I suggest you refer to your notes from class throughout May for the purposes of this exercise -- a three page essay should suffice here) . The same does not hold true for my one-day lecture on “Faustian Bargains In Goethe And Marlowe,” however, which has been redacted in its entirety. You are required to find and turn in your notes from this lecture. You will still be expected to perform two simple and one complex banishment(s) to pass your OWLS. Any lecture notes labeled "Necromancy" are to be turned in to an instructor at once. (As a footnote to this, all students who participated in my voluntary extracurricular 'Dead Tapdancers Society' are required to report to the infirmary immediately – be assured this will be treated with the utmost discretion) The section of the examination previously marked “Blood Magick” is not to be discussed, and will be replaced by a brief multiple-choice review of the history of the muggle black market in magical items. Speaking of which, any students who were present during Show and Tell on the equinox please see the above instructions regarding the infirmary. Until you can see a magical/medical professional, keep repeating "there was no shoebox, no little box could hold that much dark." Allow me to say that it has been my pleasure to serve as your professor for even this brief duration. Please be aware that any attempt to contact me will be viewed by the Ministry as an act of magical terrorism.

The fifth storm this winter hit overnight, but it finished just in time for Dear Husband and Tall Son to drive across the state. It was time to say good-bye as the spring term starts on Wednesday. Tall Son had asked for socks. Mind you this is the first time he asked me to knit anything since the 7th grade, when he wanted me to make him a hat. I took too long getting the hat started. He finally made it himself. But I got right on it with the socks, and finished them last night. Yes there was some procrastination in there. I'm really good at creating deadlines for myself.... Size 13 feet. He said, just pick a yarn that you have a lot of. I had some Opal 6 ply in my stash, in a burnt orange color, and used size 3 (3.25mm) needles. 54 stitches. I used a 2x2 rib for the ribbing, then went to 3x1. They fit him well. It felt good to be able to send him off with these on his feet. Alison is gravely ill . I know so because for her to be writing such an incredibly short post, which took a lot of effort, means she is very ill. I felt moved to send an email to last night. I mean, what they're doing, that's just not right. Please send prayers, good thoughts, strength, love, hugs, whatever you got, her way. Thank you.

It has already been a few days since I took part in the planning and managing of the first ever IU Athletics Social Media Day and I am still amazed at what we pulled off. Problems started piling up from the get-go. We didn’t have the right equipment, we were having trouble with scheduling, and there were countless issues with communication on every level. But somehow we did it. My day started around 9am setting up equipment and making sure everything worked and it turned into a day that I will never forget. It was probably the longest day of work I have ever put in on anything in my life. When I got home that night, I just sat there and took it all in. A few professors and friends of mine told me they were proud of what I accomplished and that made it all worth it. I was humbled. Words can’t really describe what we put together. I took pictures and video to remember it, but it was really more than that. There were so many pieces. We had the website, we had Jeremy Gray (who is a huge asset for this university), and we had our great baseball and softball programs. Then we were lucky enough to have people like myself who wanted this to work. We had the backing of the athletic department and I hope we did them proud. I could write on this all day and I would but I’m working on a 5pm deadline here on this blog post, so I will wrap it up and probably throw some pictures on here real fast to make it look more exciting. Its not my most exciting blog post, but I want to make a Courtney-Cronin-esque shout-out and say this class has been a blast to be a part of. One of the best I’ve taken in my time at IU.

coming to 2nd and Lead. Whole Foods in EDO? Latest EDO News & Views newsletter ( ) details meetings with Mayor about working to secure a Whole Foods in EDO. The Neighborhood Association has identified the First Baptist Church parking lot (on Broadway just north of Central) as ideal location. The group listed the following attributes of location: Better transportation access from all points of the compass. More quality residential adjacent. No psychological barrier of railroad tracks coming from the east. Existing buildings on the First Baptist Church that could be converted to high quality rental housing. that Sony Imagining is pulling out of Albuquerque raises questions about Governor's vitriolic Hollywood rhetoric. In the early days of her administration she pitted Hollywood vs. kids. Did this have an impact on Sony's decision to exit ABQ? Megan Kamerick of the New Mexico Business Weekly has a pretty balanced on this issue. Unlike our Republican mayor who seems genuinely interested in quality of life issues, the governor seems stuck in permanent campaign mode. I encourage those interested in these and other New Mexico issues to read both Kamerick and blogger Joe Monahan of

'Best player that's ever graced MLS' says goodbye - MLS - Yahoo! Sports “He’s the best player that’s ever graced MLS,” said United interim coach Ben Olsen, a longtime teammate. “It’s no coincidence that every trophy that this team has won, Jaime Moreno has been a part of.” Moreno entered the league during its inaugural season in 1996, and he’ll play his last game Saturday when United ends their regular season against Toronto FC at RFK Stadium. He is the only player in MLS history with 100 goals and 100 assists. His 132 goals are tied with Jeff Cunningham of FC Dallas atop the all-time list—and Moreno has played in four fewer games. Moreno’s 102 assists are fifth all-time, and he’s a seven-time All-Star. How much have defenses feared him? He’s suffered 703 fouls, 66 more than anyone else. But it’s the hardware that sets the 36-year-old Bolivian apart from any contender on the MLS legacy charts. United have won 12 trophies with Moreno on the roster: four MLS Cups as league champions, four Supporters’ Shields for best regular-season record, two U.S. Open Cups and a pair of international titles . He is a winner, one who didn’t get sufficient due in the general sports world. This is a bit off topic for the blog, especially these days as we don't really cover - as we don't play - MLS fantasy any longer; but I wanted to take a minute to pay tribute to my favorite player ever. As I wrote when Thierry Henry signed with the New York Red Bull You see, Neal and I are DC United fans. Since day one. Since Eric Wynalda beat us with an 88th minute goal in the first ever MLS game. Since the magic triangle of Etcheverry, Moreno and Diaz Arce turned around that first season and led us to consecutive MLS Cup championships - the second of which we watched in the pouring rain at our home field, RFK Stadium. Since the day Peter Nowak and the expansion Chicago Fire beat us to deny us a hat trick of championships, and broke our hearts. Of that magic triangle, it was Moreno who stayed around the longest, adapted his game the most and really is my last strong link to DC United - which makes me quite sad. But in the words of perhaps my favorite bit of signage ever at a DCU/NY(J) match:

: Omnivision launches a 12.6MP RAW image sensor supporting 1080p/60fps video with electronic image stabilization (EIS) aimed at high-end feature phones and smart phones. The new OV12825 is built on OmniVision's proven 1.4-micron OmniBSI pixel architecture with sensitivity of 650 mV/(lux-sec). The sensor's binning capability further increases sensitivity in 1080p HD video mode at 60 FPS, while still providing additional pixels for EIS. The OV12825 has an active array of 4,224 x 3,000 OmniBSI pixels operating at 15fps at full resolution. Its interfaces include 4-lane MIPI, LVDS and DVP. The sensor is currently available for sampling, and volume production is expected to begin by the second quarter of 2011. While we are at Omnivision, here are few slides from its March 2011 investors presentation OmniBSI low-light progress, 10 lux light at 8M 1/15s exposure (click to enlarge):

Science day. Actually it was Special Person day today for my niece. Her kindergarten class does it: every week a different student is the "special person," and they get their parents to do something special for the class. My brother in law is a chemistry science nerd, so Science day in the kindergarten class. I came along to take pictures. Best reason to take a day off of work yet- to blow up a garbage can! By the way- this particular explosion split the garbage can from top to bottom. This is by far my favourite picture of the event. So, I've alluded to a photography project I have in mind for why I started this blog. Since the project will be an ongoing thing for the next year, I'll take this opportunity BEFORE I start to explain what I'm doing. For one year, I'll be taking a self portrait a day, and uploading the pictures (maybe not getting them uploaded the day I take them... but I'll try). I plan on starting on my 29th birthday, and stopping the day before I turn 30. That's right, I'm going to document my last year in my 20's. But it's not just documentation. I'll be exploring different aspects of my personality through photography, as well as exploring different photographic techniques. I'm a VERY amateur photographer. I got my camera for Christmas just over a year ago and fell in love with it, and have been teaching myself how to use it with the help of the "Canon Xsi for Dummies" manual. I highly recommend that book if you're a newbie like me- it dumbed it down enough that now I actually understand the basic jargon used! So many people claim to be "lost" and need to "find themselves" when they embark on an adventure. I have NEVER felt that way. Yes, I'm going to be exploring more of myself, good and bad. But that doesn't mean I feel as though I don't know myself already and am lost. Will I learn new things about me? Most likely. Mostly, I'm just letting the project take me where it will. "Let's go, following whatever way the wind blows Flying with our hands out of the windows We didn't even see the dust."

Andre Villas-Boas arrives at White Hart Lane with an exciting squad at his disposal but it's not one without its problems. We look at where the Portuguese may need to make changes as he seeks to prove he's the real deal after a disappointingly brief spell at capital rivals Chelsea. 1) Sort out Luka Modric's future Securing Gareth Bale's commitment to Spurs was a major coup for the club, but they have been far less successful in persuading Modric to stay. The playmaker was promised a new deal last summer after Chelsea's overtures, but he has yet to commit his future to the club. Modric was not quite at his best last season, but he is still one of the most gifted midfielders in the Premier League. Yet he became unsettled after Chelsea's advances last summer and it looks as if the Blues, and Real Madrid, are keen on signing him before the start of the season. If he wants to go, Spurs should cash in on him. A fee of £30-40million for a man who soon turns 27 represents good value. 2) Sign at least one striker Emmanuel Adebayor may be a former Arsenal player, but the Spurs fans took to him last year and it is easy to see why. The striker scored 18 goals in 37 games and he proved to be a perfect partner for Rafael van der Vaart up front. His wages, reported to be around £175,000 a week, have been an obvious stumbling block, but if Tottenham can reach some sort of agreement with the 28-year-old then they should. If that is not possible then another hitman must be pursued. Hulk would be a perfect fit but he appears to be on his way to Chelsea. Brazil striker Leandro Damiao and Marseille's Loic Remy are possible alternatives. 3) Resolve Ledley King's future King has become a hero in the eyes of many Tottenham fans after 14 years of loyal service to the club. His well-publicised chronic knee problems caught up with him towards the end of last season. A youth team goalkeeper clattered into the 31-year-old and King was not the same disciplined player he was in the first two thirds of the campaign. King had an operation at the end of the season in the hope he would be able to give Spurs one more year. Villas-Boas must determine whether King feels he can play at least 20 matches before he gives the out-of-contract star an extension. 4) Clear out the deadwood Although Villas-Boas will want a big squad, there are plenty of players clogging up the wage bill who could leave. Vedran Corluka, Niko Kranjcar, Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen have already left, but there are still plenty of others who could be discarded. Giovani Dos Santos, Heurelho Gomes, Sebastien Bassong, David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas were all out of the first-team picture under Harry Redknapp. Clearing them off the wage bill would free up plenty of money for new signings. 5) Go on a charm offensive Villas-Boas had admirable aims at Chelsea, but in the eyes of many he went about achieving them in the wrong way. He was arguably too forthright in his bid to clear out the old guard and he therefore ostracised himself from many experienced pros at Stamford Bridge. Harry Redknapp was close to the players and his best skill was motivating them. Villas-Boas must develop a similar relationship with the players at their new base in Enfield.

Brady, a former news photographer and market data analyst, fell on hard times more than a decade ago when he became unemployed and suffered from depression. He was supposed to be at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 for a business event — and the knowledge that he could have been killed traumatized him, he said. After using all his savings and retirement funds, he ended up on the streets and later at the Bergen County Homeless Shelter in Hackensack. He had left the shelter for his daily walk on April 16 when he found and turned in the money he found in a bank envelope on the sidewalk. Brady said he was doing what he believed was right and didn’t want to take money from anyone who could be worse off than he is. Invite your family and friends to Subscribe to ! Vote in the Homeless In America polls. Become a Homeless In America Follower, middle right column, main page. Donate online to help the 3.5 million American homeless we serve at Post a donation, Servants of the Father of Mercy, Inc., P.O. Box 42001, Los Angeles, CA 90042. All Donations are Tax Deductible.

Those that know me are aware of my obsession with pizza.. but I am so picky about it.. I love a crust that is not super thin nor super tick, mozzarella cheese and homemade marinara sauce. I also love jam and corn kernels as my toppings… (I swear it’s a thing in Dominican).. Since I am so picky about my pizza, I decided to perfect my pizza dough and I have.. So here I am sharing it after some failed attempts… Trust me! Once you start making pizza at home, you will never order! It is #1 cheaper and #2 so easy.. plus you get to choose your toppings and it is of course, much healthier…So here goes my recipe for the perfect dough! This recipe makes enough for one dough (6-8 slices of pizza). 1 package of quick yeast 1/2 cup of lukewarm water (lukewarm not hot, not cold.. and yes, this is the key to a good dough) 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup of olive oil 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 tablespoon of kosher salt My first recommendation? Make sure your yeast is alive before you start making your dough.. This will save you a lot of time and effort. How can you do this? Combine the lukewarm water, sugar and your yeast and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. If your yeast is indeed alive, it will form a creamy foam on the surface of the water and it will get thicker. I took a picture for reference.. This is the key to the perfect dough.. If you get this consistency, we can now start mixing the rest of the ingredients.. I used my stand mixer but you can also do this by hand. Throw the flour and salt into the bowl of the electric mixer with the paddle attachment (I repeated the recipe later and found it works better than the dough hook). With the mixer on, drizzle in the olive oil first. Next, pour in the yeast/water mixture and mix together until it’s combined. I recommend you stop the mixer and scrape the flour every 30-40 seconds to get the dough combined faster… You do not need to knead the dough, but if you are mixing it by hand you can do some light kneading to combine all the ingredients. The dough should be sticky and a little wet after it is combined. Next, lightly oil a bowl. Remove the dough from the mixer. Hold it in your hands and working the edges downward, shape the dough into a neat ball. Toss it in the lightly coated bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Store the dough in the fridge until you actually need it. PS.. The longer it stays in the fridge, the yummier the pizza.. I say make your dough at least 3-4 hours before your using it if you use quick rising yeast. If you use regular yeast, let it sit for 24 hours..  This is how my dough looked when I was ready to make my delicious pizza… As you can see it almost doubled in size.. Ready to make your pizza? Simply pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees. I recommend you use a passata de tomate or homemade Tomato Sauce and mozzarella, of course! The pizza takes 10-15 minutes to cook depending how tick it is.. I used a cookie tray to cook my pizza. You can simply pull and stretch on the dough for a minute or two to work it into a thin rectangle shape. You do not need to roll the dough but you can if you like.. Before you start piling the ingredients onto your dough, lightly drizzle some olive oil over the crust…This will make it crunchier! In this occasion I made a sweet Italian sausage, bacon, peppers and white onion pizza and I have to say it was super simple and delicious.. I still prefer ham and corn as my toppings but that’s just me 🙂 I used mozzarella that is not in water because it tends to make the dough watery and I hate that! So I recommend you buy mozzarella that is not in water and cut it to pieces.. It melts perfectly! Here’s the pizza before the oven.. And here it is after… I always sprinkle a bit of oregano and wow..I promise this recipe will not disappoint..

monkey outlives fascism chronicles how the authors of the books escaped nazis by fleeing paris on a bicycle: With refugees pouring into Paris from the north, Mr. Rey built two bicycles from spare parts, while Margret gathered up their artwork and manuscripts. They then joined the millions of refugees heading south, while German planes flew overhead. The Reys found shelter in a farmhouse, then a stable, working their way by rail to Bayonne, and then to Biarritz by bicycle again. They were Jews, but because they were Brazilian citizens, it was easier to get visas. One official, perhaps thinking that because of their German accents they were spies, searched Mr. Rey's satchel. Finding "Fifi," and, seeing it was only a children's story, he released them. They journeyed to Spain, then to Portugal, eventually finding their way back to Rio. "Have had a very narrow escape," Mr. Rey wrote in a telegram to his bank. "Baggage all lost have not sufficient money in hand." The couple sailed to New York in October 1940, and "Curious George," as Fifi was renamed - the publisher thought "Fifi" was an odd name for a male monkey - made his first appearance the following year. curious fifi became curious george. nazism lost and a little monkey who was too curious lived on to swallow puzzle pieces, sniff ether, and provide inspiration for naughty little monkies (and wallies) everywhere.

While I'm in North Dakota, I'll keep sharing bits and pieces as I run into them. Here's one new way to look at an old event. The Civil War...in color. Look at the difference some color and restoration make to this antique photograph...and there are many others on the link. Gives this old subject a new take, doesn't it...

Alikah - 3 1/4 years She makes me so proud. Everyday she says and does something that just amazes me. She is the sweetest girl. So understanding. I love her so much. She tries so hard to be patient with Harper, and the older he gets the more they play together and get along. I just love watching them. She can make him laugh more than anyone else and its always been that way. When we were cheering for him to walk, she always wanted to go hold his hand and help him. The other day I was wet-jetting Harper's bedroom and he started crying. He was downstairs and Alikah and I were upstairs. Theres a gate on the bottom step. I knew Alikah went by him, so I told her Id be done in 1 minute and to just hang on. When I got by them, Alikah said, "Dont worry mama! I caught him! I saved him!" Harper was pulling on the gate so hard that he got the top parts loose and it started to fall. Alikah had caught it and was holding it up, with him on it, so that he wouldnt fall down a step. •She tells me when Im "not being nice" or that "I shouldnt do that" when I am frustrated/when I yell. •We do a weekly sticker chart. She gets stickers for: bringing down her cups in the morning, being patient, using manners, sharing with Harper, eating all her food, and cleaning up messes. She loves it. •Shes been doing really good the last few days with only having her nunu while shes sleeping. •She can spell her name & is working on writing all the letters. Shes learning easy addition (1+1 and 1+2.) •Whenever she gets in trouble or sent to her room she draws me a picture. Its always a smiley face and when she gives it to me she says, "so you wont be mad at me anymore." I always tell her Im never mad at her, but she keeps doing it. •She prefers talking to older people. Especially adults. She can have full conversations with anyone. She usually introduces herself, "Im Alikah. I have a cat named Stabler." Harper - 13 months I love this little boy like crazy. Harper is so happy that he is getting bigger. He loves discovering new things. He is walking more and more everyday. He is so independent, smart, and shy. I want to say that hes quiet but my head just shouts NO HES NOT! Because when Harper screams - he screams. He is hilarious and we often say (and have other people tell us) that he is going to be trouble because he is so brave. He gets into everything and is climbing all over the place. •He has the hardest head ever. If he whips that thing around and happens to get you, it hurts like fuck. He could probably break your nose. His newest nickname is Hard-head Harper. •He fake laughs super loud whenever we laugh and it is awesome. •He loves books. Sometimes hes being too quiet and we look for him, only to find him sitting in a corner flipping through a book. •He dumps out bins of toys then picks them up. He will transfer the play food from its basket to the shopping cart. When we were just at my parents he was picking up all of Luke's hot-wheels and putting them away. •He loves music. We were at Stefanies bridal shower on Saturday and they had a stereo and speakers in the garage. Harper was trying to find out where the sound was coming from and I held him up and pointed out the speakers. After that he didnt want to leave. Everyone was out in the yard but Harper was just hanging out in the middle of the garage, swaying back and forth all by himself. Adorable. •Harper is a cancer, like me, and I keep noticing new similarities. Maybe that is why we have had our troubles. We are too much alike :) whats important to us... -I want to always have a strong, open and honest relationship with Spencer. We hold this all together. -I want my kids to be open minded & accepting. , nice kids that are full of love. -I want our home to always be a safe place. Calm, comfortable, somewhere we can all relax. -I want to spend most of our days laughing and smiling. -I never want the kids to wake up to me in a bad mood. If Im not ready for the day to start or I am frustrated when Harper wakes up from a nap, I need to just wait. Calm down & go get him up and out of his crib in a good, happy mood :) -It bothers me sometimes that I dont cook "nice" meals for us. I am not a fan of our house being messy and/or dirty. But sometimes I really need to step back and realize that these things are not that important. I am the only one that notices how "dirty" it is. My kids dont see a difference between buttered noodles or gourmet steak. And actually they would prefer the plain noodles. They are so young. am so young. I have so much time to cook, clean and decorate the house. There is no need to rush. It will all fall into place. It really will. Ive decided not to make any changes until the baby is born. Seems pointless to change something now, just to need to change it again in 2 or 3 months. We have also been dealing with M's family lately and I am having a really time trying to understand it all. I cant even describe how much anger I have towards them. It has quickly gone from anger towards him - to anger towards them all. And I hate it! I hate that I am Everything that has a beginning, has a n ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well." Buddha

I needed a recipe for a dish to serve to my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) friends at our last meeting. It was about an hour before bedtime when I remembered I had to bring a snack. I started flying through my cookbooks when my 12 year old son walked up with a cookbook that he and his friends had made in his 6th grade HomeEc class the year before. "Can I make a dish out of my cookbook?", he asked. I could use some time off of my feet so I answered with, "Sure, knock yourself out!" 1 hour later, my aspiring chef had baked one of the most tasty pies I have ever eaten. Thanks Cameron (and his friend Matthew Cunningham for adding this recipe to their book)!! 1 prepared 8 inch pie crust 2 Tbsp butter, melted 2/3 cup evaporated milk 2 Tbsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Preheat oven to bake 350F. In a medium bowl, beat eggs for approximately 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, butter, milk, evaporated milk and vanilla extract. Mix well. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Bake 45-60 minutes, until top is light brown. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Serve warm or chilled.

So I'm 43 today. I don't really have anything profound to say except I'm 43 today. Woo.Hoo. I did get a phone call from my neurologist telling me I don't have Multiple Sclerosis (YAY!). I have a sclerosis, that will never go away, and will always give me problems, and they can't tell me what it's from except a virus caused it. But no meds in my future, so that's awesome. I've been knitting, which is also kind of awesome. Saturday I spent the day with a friend of mine I don't get to see very often (Let's face it-I don't have many friends, and the ones I do have, I don't get to see very often). We both needed to catch up on Season 5 of Downton Abbey before the new season started on the 3rd. So we watched Season 5, had tea and scones and little finger sandwiches and knit. I started a sock, and she made cute dishcloth which she then gave me. It was one of the most pleasant days I've had in a while, and it made me "home" sick (even though it's not my home anymore.) I love self striping yarn. In addition to my sock, I started the Downton MKAL last night. I did my gauge swatch and it still came out to size 4's even on my sportweight yarn. So then I had to cobble together 4 size 4 dpn's. I'll be happy when I graduate to a circular needle. So far, so good. With multicolored needes. So that's all that is going on here.

Teen's Death Remains Shrouded in Mystery It's been three years since the body of Blayne Davis was found dead at lake Keystone. His mother, Chanda Gilbert, believes without a shadow of a doubt that foul play was involved, but to date, no one has been charged or arrested for his death. She continues to push for accountability and hopes authorities will continue to probe for answers.

A few months ago, Carmel and I joined a running club with his work. I didn't actual do any running with them due to my schedule but we all signed up to run in the Montgomery Half Marathon. The morning of the half we met up for a few pictures and for a couple of the guys to be interviewed. Both half marathon and marathon runners were starting at the same time so we were all mixed together. I am used to being in the back so I was surprised how close we were to the start line. We were right behind the elite runners. I felt very inexperienced and out of shape just being near them. Their speed amazes me! When the announcer said, "start" these runners were already a the top of the hill before I took my first step. There were students from a high school nearby taking pictures of the runners throughout the race. I wish I would have known because I would have at least tried to smile in the midst of sweating and heavy breathing! Carmel told me up front that he would be running along side a friend. This friend was running his first half and planned to keep a slow pace. I started out running with them but wanted to try to do my personal best(or better than my last half) during this race. I hung with them for about a mile or 2 before I decided to go off on my own. From my training, I figured I could accomplish a finishing time of 2:30. I was not expecting the amount of hills on this course. They only warned us of a big hill around 10 miles. There were several all throughout this course. While training for my last half and full, I chose a neighborhood with hills. This time around I mostly trained around our apartment complex. I should….have…added…hills! Hills always slow me down! I had to stop twice to empty tiny rocks from my shoe. I have no idea where they came from or how they found there way into my shoe but they had to go. While running long distances, tiny rocks can seem like little knives stabbing your foot. Before I arrived at mile 12, I noticed from afar a table with cups. As I got closer, I thought to myself "yay!!! a water station!!" My saliva is just not satisfying me anymore. I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I realized it was several small cups of beer(I don't drink). Now why would they torture a thirsty runner with an alcoholic beverage. At the half and full split, a man was waving us to the side of the road. I could see a group of people but didn't know what was happening. About a minute later a fire truck pulled up. By then I knew something was wrong. I figured someone had fallen or was having trouble breathing. Once the truck pulled up and we were redirected, I saw a older gentleman receiving CPR. It did not look good! As I was running the last mile of the race, all I could picture was the man lying on the side of the road. I prayed that God would watch over him and the people helping him. I did find out the next day he was revived and taken to the hospital. I was grateful for the positive outcome. Due to all the unplanned circumstances, I finished at 2:40. Although I did not meet my goal, I did finish in the upright position and had a new PR. Once I grabbed a water, I headed over to the side to wait for Carmel to finish. You have to love technology. He downloaded an app which updated his location. I knew when to expect to see him. As I was waiting, I couldn't help but over hear a 10 year old girl sharing details about her race. I figured she was talking about the 5k until I glanced over and saw she was wearing the same metal as me. WHAT?????? 10 years old?????? I felt really proud of myself until that very moment! I found out from the newspaper she came in 4 seconds after me. I can't help but laugh at this picture of Carmel coming to the finish line with kids. The Montgomery Marathon offered a Mayor's Marathon Challenge for kids in the local schools. It was a 16 week program that would allow these kids to complete a marathon by running 2 miles per week. The students completed the last mile on this day. These kids just happen to be finishing the same time as Carmel.

During the many years I have lived in Stamford, I’ve met a lot of mayors: good, bad and indifferent. Some were brilliant, others stupid; some venal, others models of morality. Some I actually got to like and others I hated (and they hated me.) Eventually I became a professional historic preservation consultant and got to travel to other cities throughout the state. In every town hall I visited, I found a Rogues Gallery of photographs of former mayors, just like the one in Stamford. Whether it was Waterbury, Bridgeport or Hartford, there were common threads among them. First of all, most of them looked untrustworthy, shifty, you wouldn’t give them a nickel, let alone your tax dollars. Maybe the camera made them nervous; I don’t know. Some looked pompous, self important, others positively corrupt; several looked like actors playing the part of a mayor in an old black and white movie. The other pattern I noticed was their ethnicity. In the early 20th century, mayors were Anglo-Saxons, “Yankees”, often scions of prominent local families. They all seemed to have rimless glasses and authoritarian stares. After the Yankees came the Germans, the Irish, with their good looks and charm, the Italians, the Poles and other ethnics, depending on local immigration patterns. More recently, I notice a smattering of minorities: Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, maybe even an occasional woman. Around ten years ago, drawing on my experiences in local politics, I decided to spoof the lineup of Town Hall mayor photos and create my own cast of characters. I began with small paintings on canvas that I photocopied: first the mayors, then their wives (or husband in one case). They were all composites of the officials I had been working with (or against) for the past 30 years. Each mayor came with a tongue-in-cheek, made-up bio (and a spouse). I then put them into a home-made portfolio I called: Thirty Years of Good Government: a Portfolio of Civic Leaders Suitable for Framing.” Since I am an “equal-opportunity” satirist, my characters come from all ethnic backgrounds and walks of life. I begin with the (imaginary) Honorable T. Phelps Glemson III, who was mayor from 1974 t0 1976. He was so incompetent, he only lasted a single term. Rather than have him back in the family banking business, creating havoc, his relatives exiled him to Florida where his wife still refers to him as “The Mayor.” I end with the (semi-imaginary) Honorable Humphrey Siggle, mayor from 2002 to 2004. Unlike the others, he was based on an actual person I knew in local government (not a mayor.) He was a notorious drunk, You could reach him only between 11a.m. to noon. Prior to 11 he was too hung over from the night before to function and after his usual liquid lunch, he was either asleep on the office couch or busy molesting the women who worked for him. If you’ve ever been involved in local politics, you will recognize them all. Of course, since these pieces were done so many years ago, they couldn’t possibly be anyone you know. Or could they? I have a fantasy that one April Fool’s Day I will put my mayors’ portraits in narrow, black frames and hang them in the hallway next to the lobby of the Stamford Government Center. I wonder if anyone will even notice?

There hasn't been much going on worth blogging about since the . I got in an easy 3 mile run Saturday morning just to test out the legs. I know I need to take at least another week off before trying anything serious. It was just an easy jog. I still have 58.4 miles of running left before hitting the Cast Iron Club milestone. And with just under 2 months left I think that's going to happen. I'm sitting on 52.22 Iron Swims, 34.52 Iron Bikes (and holding fast), and 27.78 Iron Runs. The goal is to get over 30 for each sport. Today's MMNW (Monday morning naked weight) was 181.8 lbs and 20.6% body fat. This is pretty good. After IMFL in 2011 I put on 20 lbs in the first two weeks after the race, which was pretty extreme. I'll take a 6 lb gain the first week no problem. You should see the massive amount of foods I've been taking down. Recovery has been going really well. By Wednesday I felt normal again and the "holy shit why did I want to do this" mentality has turned into planning for the next one. No troubles walking with the kids on Halloween. This weekend was all glorious relaxation. I got to watch college football and it was fabulous. I made some hot sauce and a salsa with the habanero peppers from the garden. I love how Kelley used a Hello Kitty water bottle that the kids don't use anymore, and drew on the skull and crossbones and the "do not eat" warning for the children. It is a pretty hot sauce, a that I almost used that recipe for. Mangos and onions and habs, oh my! Pretty tasty stuff too. It makes a really good meat marinade, like a jerk sauce for chicken and stuff.