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Yep, it's raining here again. It started yesterday and we've gotten almost 3 inches so far with it supposed to continue into Wednesday according to the weatherman/person. It's already been an unusually rainy fall so this rain only contributes to the drab landscape around us. One bright spot is our Confederate Rose bushes though. I believe they're actually hibiscus and are supposed to be a little more tropical in nature than our climate allows but every few years we actually have flowers before the frost gets the buds. This is one of those years. The Confederate Rose flower is an oddity as it starts off as a deep pink bud, opens to a pure white flower, then gradually gets more and more of that deep pink color as the flower ages. I've tried to take progressive photos of one of the blooms but our weather has been less than cooperative! First, the bud - This one was already beginning to open so isn't as deep in color as it can be. After the bud opens it becomes a white flower - again, I didn't catch this one in the pure white stage and you can see a trace of pink along the edges of the petals. I ran out during a bit of lull in the rain and photographed the bloom in the pink stage - Right before the bloom falls off, it turns a deep, almost burgundy red. Unfortunately with all the rain, I missed that stage also. I just find these flowers fascinating and when they are in top form, they're very beautiful right up until the time they fall off the bush. Not only that, but because they bloom so late in the season, they offer a cheery pop of color at a very dreary time. |
n. infantile pattern of suckle-swallow movement in which the tongue is placed between incisor teeth or between alveolar ridges during initial stage of swallowing (if persistent can lead to various dental abnormalities) v. [content removed due to Bush campaign to clean up the internet] n. act of nyah-nyah v. pursuing with relentless abandon the need to masticate and thrust the world into every bodily incarnation in order to transform it, via the act of salivation, into nutritive agency just so I know I'm not always making a mess I've been having a time being a parent. I find myself to be: lenient but firm. I find Herald to be: mellow but still a puppy. No, it's fascinating, the process of getting to know a creature you've accepted without knowing into your home and family. I chose to adopt Herald initially because he's a mix with the breed I wanted a mix of. That is, I love Newfies - enormous salvatory water dogs with webbing between their toes and the ocean in their hearts. They're known for being enormous, loyal and relaxed with humor in addition, and that was the type of dog I wanted. But Newfies are so damn large - getting up to 200lbs for full-grown males - so I compromised by keeping an eye out for a half-breed. You know, only 115lbs at most. But I did not expect to find this Newfie-mix anytime soon, nor did I particularly need to as I have no real job. Yet, I was still looking and when I saw Herald's ad, I thought I'd go see if there was That Click. Herald is, as it goes, a charmer. He charmed me immediately with his insta-social ways and waggling and head-over-heels-falling-on-his-own-head way. There was That Click. That Click clicked quickly, maybe as soon as the wiggling mass piddled on my shoes. Observing this little stranger, he tends to adore anyone potentially although he has a particular fondness for children and women. He wuffs at unknown men, and barks at any two unknown men walking together, as I found out at the park. I was walking him at Padden with SP and she too noted, "He loooooves the ladies, but just can't get enough attention from them. Just like his mom." Then she saw my face and said, "I meant the first part, not the second." [People have been saying hilarious things to me lately. Yesterday when I told db that I love the kitty she's going to adopt from my sis/brolaw, but that I couldn't risk taking her to the house-with-that-road, db told me not to worry, that I could have as many "conjugal visits" as I wanted. When she noticed my strange facial reaction to this, she turned completely red and started stuttering. It was perfect. And Sunday night, a visiting friend of the family asked me how the kites were powered for kite-boarding. Without skipping a beat, I said "wind" then kept talking only to stop, feeling pleased somewhat when I noticed my Granny smirking that delicious amused smile of hers. Sometimes it's nice to have one's cleverness noticed. (I'm laughing here).] But I find myself waking at night to look at Herald, loving the way he has of lying on his back, loving his presence in my life, helping me to find something beyond loans and pride and family to get gumption for. He's not instant in giving his love, although he's instant in giving affection. So I love that he now runs to me when we're exploring and is excited to find me again. Yesterday, I went to the movies after work, and when I came home late at night to find him in my kitchen, there was a reunion of epic length and fervor. I feel he's starting to know me, just as I am starting to know him, but I respect the fact that nothing's yet welded, neither one of us assuming our match without the time it takes to make it. Herald is a wise soul ultimately, and he shoves his nose under water at the beach to search for the stick that happens to be one foot in front of him, floating on top of the water, supposedly obvious. JW has agreed to be Herald's doggodmother. That's a good sign. on the note of my daily life's intractable strangeness & indecipherability... incidence of language overlap with another's to two old bad pieces in one post: riding horse, saddle, rocks in hand, no language, hidden anger, bow legs, everything let go of, disemboweled eyes, dying horses. incidence of overlap with memory, not anyone else's: name, four goodbyes, broken glass, speaking and saying nothing, sand, hard ass. More to the point: nothing of copy - that's not nor's ever been the thought, point or pointless, however inarticulate the thought or point/less is anyway, plus it's much better-written than anything of that particular pastness, but rather . yes, it was startling, upsetting, the first time I've turned around that way at first glance, so I went back to double check i wasn't, as i am prone to do, only, only imagining. you know... when you get sick of experiencing things nobody else does so did it really happen, imagining incidents of coincidence or respondence or correspondence? so you start checking things, you continue doubting, cutting, cutting out (mostly), you later cry out of mixed frustrations, then end up calming down and firmly stating, as if for an unknown record because you're used to deciding you're very wrong: it doesn't matter, whatever, just move keep moving, testing, braving and then deciding to say something but then it sounds like an accusation, but that wasn't the point? but it's okay to say 'weird', isn't it? it's true, no matter what the truth is, right? so why did I turn beet red and decide right there, then, that this is it, no more, no no no no, no no, bad idea? that I won't go back to being emotionally vulnerable by myself in front of x,y,z? that I won't go back? that i won't risk being bent? that i'm really stupid for going back? that I won't break the rules I have built like a brick umbrella above me? that i want my life to plane, to skid up, to enlighten itself with more than this, this strange backwards? and who besides me cares anyway when it comes right down to reality and not just abstract self-buttering? do you sometimes just wish people would acknowledge that they're here, then feel guilty for your desire to not be always wrong about that? do you sometimes just wish to forget so as to better meet what's here? i'm so full of apologies, nettles in air without swans - past present likely future: one day maybe I'll meet somebody's hopes not expectations. so, either: (a) life has weird overlap, overlapping weirdness, and so do minds in motion, or (b) someone is lying. frankly, i vote for (a), but don't care. nobody lies anymore; it's so gauche. anyhow, i'm too old for this. see that... see it? i was lying, always about caring. lying for myself though, because i enjoy it. i do care, but there's too much distance between experience. too much left in the mind. too many things said, left unsaid, and neither one nor the other seemed ever to help. i care, but i can't seem to get much further than one question, puppies, and the desire to deliver plums to everyone I once or still or hope to love(d), but from here to here, delivering them by hand, mine, palm to table plums in a bucket, for everyone regardless with nothing taking away from it, ever, for the simplicity of plums, yellow, dribbling, in their yellowness. the second time is more unexpected than any first. last night i dreamt i painted semi-invisible flowers in the air with my mind, then squirted secondary colors upon their leaves with a pipette so that when people walked through them, they'd reflect the outside iridescent and fluid. Colors moving within colors on sunflowers and marigolds. Lots of yellow being given. But then again, two good books I'm working on (with all the others): The Whole Story & Other Stories by Tsypkin. So far, I like both of them much. But more than liking both of them much, I like the fact that they were recommended to me. For me. Especially with me in mind. One of the books was even lent to me. I like it when this happens; more people should recommend books specifically for others and then receive feedback as to whether they chose well, with that right knowledge of the other. And then the question of whether I could recommend back. I recently pegged the likes of a friend and it was pleasurable to have chosen well. As for the two who gave books/titles to me, I know I could recommend to the former, but am clueless when it comes to the latter. Interesting. I've also started thinking about what it might mean to make my own life here, in B-ville. The fact that I need to find a way to make new friends. Reflecting on said issue at hand, I have to admit do best when I have about 50-100 friends or acquaintances to take into account. That's not an exaggeration; it was so easy in Chicago. To create striations and difference. Not just one friend of one type, but many friends of many types (safer that way, as well as exquisite) - those to go to readings with, those to dance with, those to drink with, those to discuss with, those to admire, those to chitchat with, those to adore, those to find books with, those to intensify with, those to challenge you, those you dream of, those you challenge, those you want to grow, those who irritate you, those you accept, those you know the names of, those you know are friends of, those you know about lives of, those you pet the dogs of, those who scare you, those you don't really know but share important moments with, those who you notice enjoying similar things with, those who are so different you can't figure out how you communicate with, those you look at from a distance and wish for closeness with, those you forget and then enjoy again, those who know more about you than you wish they know, those whose teeth you admire, those who seem strange and unknowable, those who shine nearby so much you can't see them, those who are dull and boring but startle you, etc. So yeah. I would like to find many people to flow in and out of, to feel content with, and for awhile now, I've simply been enjoying my family and the four or so friends I still have in these parts. But I can't depend on those I already have to always spend time with, so now I am faced with the eternal moving question of how to meet new people in this town. The recent thought I've had is that I should throw a meeting party wherein everyone brings someone they think would enjoy knowing me, and those people would bring people they don't-think-but-suspect might also enjoy knowing those at the party, and those people bring people they can't possibly think or suspect will like the company but they might as well give it a shot because it's possible. It's a thought. I have a great patio that hasn't had its own party yet, so maybe I should make it more than a thought. But that's not it. What should I join? What activities should I do? How can I adjust my fates? Plus I've started thinking about sending stuff out for publish-like. I've begun a card catalog of journals just to keep my nose up, and JW recommended to help with the process. I kinda want to shout "I know this lady(!)... and like her(!)... and I admire her writing(!)..." from the nearest building, which, sorry JJ, wouldn't be that tall around these parts. She's awesome, and her blog's very funny. The problem for me with publishing, or at least one of them, is that I only have one piece I still like. Maybe two. All the rest just seem like potential, or discard. And this is chronic for me. How to deal with that one? Write more, maybe? Time to go, maybe go writing, you know. Either that, or go admire Herald, who is sleeping upside down against the fireplace with his five toys pulled up close. my god, that second video is just... too much. squealy-inducing!! squeeeeeeeeal! will be interesting to see how big he(raldy) gets, and how soon. little doggie shrinky-dink. needs a sidecar for your motorbike, really. on the subject of making new friends, at the moment i unfortunately have little to offer on the subject. well, though, actually: saying "well aren't you sweet" often, like even to people who are clearly more than half-assholes, could be a pretty good idea. i dunno. i came back from vermont with some real lovelies in my friend-pocket, but they all live in the northeast and the bay area. sigh. |
One of the many challenges in bringing home a 5 year old child about whom we know nothing, and who speaks no English, is that she feels like a stranger. She is a stranger. A very stressed stranger. We don't laugh at the same jokes. We can't even share jokes.
She doesn't know why I am being silly and lovingly teasing.
She can't tell us if she likes lima beans or cookies.
She can't tell us what she did at school (granted the boys don't do this either).
We don't know her interests. Although, we are figuring out she loves Babies.
She doesn't share our love of being outside.
Her idea of lots of activity is climbing to the kitchen stool 3 times a day.
We don't know if her behavior is just 'her', or adoption related.
We are different and yet the same - we long to know each other. It is tiresome to live with a child on whom we have imprinted NOTHING. I want her to become her own person, developing loves, likes and dislikes. However; I long for the day when we feel like a family. When it feels likes she is one of us. When we really know each other, and are comfortable together. I long for the day when I no longer walk around waiting for the next HUGE meltdown. I long for the day when she can really share her thoughts, feelings, memories and desires. As the longing grows increasingly impatient with the passage of time. I was very touched to see her look like one of us - a little crazy and wild. Here is our blossoming gun toting ballerina, letting a little of the boys wear off on her. |
for those who wants to read full news about the quake, for the entire life I've been living, I've never felt so scared in my whole life as yesterday. a great earthquake occurred here and all over the province, in almost all of the island of java especially the western region.it happened around 14.55 WIB, and it was indeed scared me to death when everything were shaking like crazy, i was in the 2nd floor of my house along with my hubby, working in front of the computer on some files when i felt the things around me including myself moving in a very unusual way. both of us spontaneously hurried ourselves to go downstairs and got out of the house.for more than 5 minutes the quake did not stop.after a while finally the shaking stopped,but not for long when the 2nd quake happened.we again went outside and stay there for more than 10 minutes to make sure it was the final moment of the natural disaster. that day surely will be unforgettable day as i have once experience the same thing although was not as worst as this one.i instantly forgot everything but just trying to survive,nothing i brought but this body to avoid from the worst possibilities.Thank God everything is ok.Alhamdulillah. it made me think i should be more obedient,remember and pray to God more than I've usually done. |
To My Mother by Robert Louis Stevenson You too, my mother, read my rhymes
For love of unforgotten times,
And you may chance to hear once more
The little feet along the floor. This photograph was taken by my son. Each time I look at it, the first thing that pops into my head is heartstrings. These are my heartstrings. At least, if heartstrings were something tangible, they would look like this. Infinite and complex, twisting, crossing, changing colors. For Mother’s Day, I felt this was the perfect image to share with you. To me, it’s the most appropriate way to describe my life as a mother. Heartstrings and mothers and children. To every mother that reads this post, Happy Mother's Day. |
I loved Tyr’s version of this song, but didn’t realize how much longer and more poetic the full version is. The song describes the Battle of Kringen which took place in Norway in 1612. An excellent overview of it can be found here. “Listen to me! The enemy has invaded us!” We are reminded that the once proud Norwegian people took it into their own hands to defend their land against invaders (in this case Scottish mercenaries). Monuments and folk songs immortalize this honourable deed. Translation (by Google Translate, by no means accurate, and corrections are more than welcome) 1 Mr. Sinklar went over salten sea,
against Norway his course meaneth stands;
among Gudbrand’s rocks he found his grave ,
there hung so bloody a forehead. Well up before day
they’re coming across the heath. 2 Mr. Sinklar crossed the ocean blue
for Swedish money to fight:
Help you God, you surely must
in the grass for the standard bite. 3 The moon shines at night pale,
the venture so softly rolling;
one mermaid out of the water rose,
She predicted Mr Sinklar ill: 4 ” Turn back, turn back, you Scottish man!
it applies to your life as phage;
Get To Norway I say the truth
right you are never going back!” 5 “Lead is your song, you poisonous troll
always you predict about accidents;
Catch you again in my power,
I let you chop into pieces.” 6 He sailed for days, he sailed for three
with all his hired followers,
the fourth morning he did Norway’s wonder see
I will not conceal. 7 By coasts of Romsdal he steered ashore,
declared himself an enemy;
he was followed by fourteen hundred men,
all of which had evil intentions. 8 They scolded and burned where they went,
all rights they violate;
the old man’s helplessness touched them not
they scoffed at the weeping widow. 9 The child was killed in his mother’s lap,
so and gently as it smiled;
rumor of this weeping and wailing
to the core of the country hurried. 10 Bavnen glittered and budstikken race
from canal to the nearest canal;
Valley’s sons into hiding not crept,
it had to Mr Sinklar true. 11 “The soldier is out on the king’s parade,
we must ourselves the country defend;
cursed be the unrighteous,
who now his blood will save.” 12 The farmers of Våge, Lesje and Lom
with sharp axes on necks
in Bredebøjgd together came,
with the Scot would they talk. 13 Close below like running a path
as you wonder Kringen cold;
Lågen rushes there over;
in it the enemies should fall. 14 The rifle hanging on the wall no more,
yonder aims gray-haired gunner;
nix lift up his wet beard
and eagerly await its prey. 15 The first shot at Mr Sinklar prevailed,
he roared and gave up his spirit;
every Scot cried when the colonel fell:
“God deliver us from this dilemma!” 16 “Above peasants, above, in Norwegian men,
beat down, beat down for food!”
Since wished the Scot back home,
he was not quite gaily to fashion. 17 With dead bodies were Kringen strewn
the ravens had enough to eat, –
the young blood, which flowed out,
the Scottish girls mourn. 18 Not a living soul came home,
as customer, his compatriot tell
how dangerous it is to visit them,
who live among Norway’s mountains. 19 End towers a support in the same place,
as Norway’s enemies wonder true.
Woe to every person here who are not named,
so often his eyes the spectacle! Well up before day
they’re coming across the heath. --- Festival of the Kin. I very much prefer that 🙂 February 14th is commonly being designated as “Valentine’s Day”, the day of lovers that is nowadays celebrated with roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, romantic gifts and valentines given to those beloved. Some couples even make a point to go out for dinner or to go see a movie on this day to express their love and rekindle their passion for each other. February 14th is indeed a very special day. That is exactly why the early christians felt the need to assimilate this pagan feast in order to facilitate the conversion of our forebears. Long before the two early Christian martyrs named Valentine that this special day is currently named after lived, the ancient Europeans in Northern Europe celebrated February 14th(around the 24-25 of Sokkvabekkr in the ancient calendar) as The Feast Day of Vali also referred to as The Festival of the Kin. This day was… --- Asleep within the seed the power lies,
Foreshadowed pattern, folded in the shell,
Root, leaf, and germ, pale and half-formed.
The nub of tranquil life, kept safe and dry,
Swells upward, trusting to the gentle dew,
Soaring apace from out the enfolding night.
Artless the shape that first bursts into light–
The plant-child, like unto the human kind–
Sends forth its rising shoot that gathers limb
To limb, itself repeating, recreating,
In infinite variety; ’tis plain
To see, each leaf elaborates the last–
Serrated margins, scalloped fingers, spikes
That rested, webbed, within the nether organ–
At length attaining preordained fulfillment.
-Goethe, The Metamorphosis of Plants (poem) As spring draws nearer, I find myself thinking more and more about the nature of plants, and how much we can learn from them about ourselves. Over New Year’s, I spent some time at a biodynamic farm, and had a chance to learn a bit about what biodynamic agriculture is all about. The idea is that the land itself is a living entity, and that the plants, animals, and humans that live on that land are part of a system that is interrelated. Compost plays a large role in this: only organic matter that is generated on the farm is used in the compost, and there are some very specific and rather odd preparations which are added to the compost (dandelion flowers stuffed into cow mesentery and buried over the winter then dug up in spring for example). The point of this as I understand it is that the health of the soil is paramount to the health of the farm and everything on it, and these are methods to re-introduce minerals and nutrients back into the soil. Of course they have done studies trying to quantify the value of this approach in terms of yield, versus regular organic and conventional farming, but I think that is missing the point. It’s not about what you take from the soil during this growing season, but about what is put back into the soil for subsequent years and generations. That’s where it really spoke to me. Craig Holdrege of the Nature Institute writes in his recent book Thinking Like a Plant: “By taking root in the earth, plants become in a way more dependent on their environment and more vulnerable than a roaming, self-mobile animal. But this dependency is the flip side of openness to the environment and the plant’s ability to engage with that environment and to do what animals cannot, namely create, essentially out of air and water, living substance.” All living organisms are adaptive. The genetic predisposition of a plant to achieve a particular form is shaped by many factors in its environment, much like animals and humans. Through its leaves, through its roots, it is in intimate contact with its surroundings and responding to stimuli. Although a plant can survive in less-than-ideal soil and light conditions, it will not achieve its true ideal form: its growth will be stunted or it will appear retarded. It is no surprise that when you plant native plants in your garden, they are more resilient and drought-resistant, they attract and support local wildlife like birds, butterflies and bees; they are specially adapted to the geography, climate and ecosystem in which they live. The plant knows how to function as a part of that system. We also know what happens when invasive foreign species of plants are introduced into an ecosystem. They can quickly become out of control, squeezing out native plants, shading them from light or choking out their roots. They can even change the pH of the soil to make it uninhabitable to native species. Cultivating and observing plants is great for the body and mind. I encourage you, even if you don’t have a piece of earth to call your own, bring a plant into your home and see what it can teach you about yourself! --- |
Time to get to the reviews, and as always, I’ve got my entire DVD collection set up at DVD Aficionado, a great site that I’ve enjoyed working with. With very few exceptions, I’ve been able to find all my titles in their archives. You can check it out right here if you’re curious, and I’ve made sure to point out what was purchased, what was sent as a screener, and what was a gift, since so many of your e-mails seemed to think that was so urgently important. --- THIS WEEK ON THE SHELF
(Click header to go directly to the section) HORROR-THON 2004 BEGINS! THE TOOLBOX MURDERS, GHOSTS OF EDENDALE, THE BOSTON STRANGLER, TERROR TRAIN, THE NIGHT STALKER, EYES WITHOUT A FACE, GHOST STORY, TROUBLE EVERY DAY, BLACK CHRISTMAS, SSSSSSS, THE LEGACY, GINGER SNAPS BACK, HE KNOWS YOU’RE ALONE, I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE, IT’S ALIVE, IT LIVES AGAIN & ISLAND OF THE ALIVE, and THE SENTINEL!! --- THE ESSENTIALS: OUT OF THE PAST Basically, this is the story of a poor sap private detective who gets hired by a gangster to track down his girlfriend after she shoots him, steals a wad of cash, and hits the road. When the detective meets her, sparks fly, and sooner or later, everyone gets burnt. I won’t summarize the plot any more than that. As with any great noir film, half the fun is negotiating this labyrinth of betrayal and bad behavior. There’s a particular twisted genius to the way the narrative uses flashback structure, turning inside out for well over a half-hour at one point. It’s daring, and it forces the audience to reassess the way films typically set up sympathy for characters. The dialogue in the film is pure hard-boiled pleasure, like when Mitchum’s trying to describe Jane Greer to another woman. Incredulous, she says, “Nobody’s all bad.” ”She comes the closest,” Mitchum fires back. Dialogue this rich makes me laugh with glee, and every viewing gives me a new line to fall in love with. Visually, the film’s just as impressive. The black-and-white photography is incredibly rich, a mixture between real locations and studio sets that works beautifully. The film never quite feels real. It’s more like a fever dream, a spurred lover’s nightmare. Scene after scene, these images sear the subconscious... a sudden rainstorm, a tryst on a Mexican beach, an ambush by a river amidst giant rocks... all gorgeous. This DVD is the single nicest home video reproduction of the film that I’ve seen so far. Warner Bros. didn’t exactly pack the disc with extras, but they did include a commentary by film-noir specialist James Ursini. Even if there were no extras, this is the kind of film that rewards repeat viewings. It’s the sort of film you’ll want to share with others once you’ve been exposed to its particular charms. There is no darker ending than this one, but I always find it oddly exhilarating. “Build my gallows high,” indeed. --- SUPER SIZE ME Like anyone who grew up in America, fast food has always been part of my life. If you’ve seen photos of me online over the past few years, then you can probably guess how big a part it was. The strange thing is that I don’t really like the stuff. Sure, it tastes good. Some of it, anyway. But the effects of eating it are physically uncomfortable, to say the least. It’s just that it’s easy, and it’s omnipresent, and it’s second nature in our culture. When I made a decision at the start of the year to do something about my ever-increasing gravitational pull, one of the first things I had to do was cut out the fast food entirely. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Once I did, I gained a different perspective on how ingrained it is in everyday life. It’s hard not to view America as a nation of addicts, all held in thrall by the most effective drug pushing machine ever built. Because all of this has been on my mind, SUPER SIZE ME is the flavor of high-profile agit-prop documentary that I prefer this year instead of any of the political screeds we’ve been hammered with. For one thing, Morgan Spurlock made his dissection of fast-food culture entertaining, first and foremost. The fact that he scores some great knockout punches is just an added bonus. What amazes me is how angry people seem to get when they dismiss this film or when they attack Spurlock and hi motivations. You can stick your fingers in your ears all day long and chant, “Everyone knows McDonald’s is bad for you,” but it’s stupid to just dismiss the film as an exercise in willful self-abuse. Yes, the gimmick of the film is undeniably cheeky. Spurlock decided to spend a month eating nothing but McDonald’s food for every meal. He set up a few rules for himself: he couldn’t eat anything that isn’t sold at McDonald’s, he had to eat everything on the menu at least once, and if he was asked if he wanted to super-size his order, he had to say, “yes.” At one point, just as he’s beginning, Spurlock seems almost giddy about the prospect, saying, “I’m about to live every kid’s dream.” He changes his tune pretty quickly, though. His first super-sized meal stays down for about ten minutes before ending up sprayed across the pavement of on a parking lot. To be fair, he seems to eat very little fast food in regular life, so it must come as a shock to his system. He’s used to the cooking of his girlfriend, a vegan chef. What happens over the 30 days of the film is obviously not typical, but it’s not meant to be. Spurlock’s not saying that you’re going to experience the same health issues he does just because you eat at the restaurant a few times a month. In fact, he goes out of his way to include a guy in the movie who eats two Big Macs a day, every day, and who seems to be average weight and in pretty good health overall. Spurlock knows full well that what he’s doing is an extreme stunt, one that he uses to frame the film’s key content. You could almost take this as the film companion to Eric Schlosser’s FAST FOOD NATION, and this is where the film excels. The film isn’t about how bad for you one brand of fast food is. Instead, it’s about how toxic the entire culture around fast food is, and in particular, it deals with the insidious way they reach children and convert them before they even understand what they’re getting into. One of the most impressive sections of the film deals with the way fast food and soda companies have co-opted the entire school lunch system for American children, and it asks some hard questions about how and why we allow this to happen. The disc is really nice, especially for an independent release. Hart Sharp Video has loaded the disc with extra footage, a very sharp and funny commentary by Spurlock, a great interview with Schlosser about his book, and more. In particular, I would direct your attention to the deleted scene called “The Smoking Fry.” I don’t want to ruin it for you, but I’ll say this: McDonald’s French fries are evidently not of this earth. There’s an insert booklet featuring the recipes for all the dishes served at Spurlock’s last healthy dinner before embarking on the experiment, and it’s all delicious, ultra-healthy fare, an unexpected extra for any DVD. This is a disc well worth picking up for anyone who pays attention to what they eat and how it’s made. And for anyone who’s curious... 60 plus pounds so far this year, with at least that much more to go. And I’m lovin’ it. SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING Because international filmmakers rarely work with the same sorts of giant budgets that Hollywood films have, they aren’t faced with the same commercial demands. Personal visions have a greater chance of surviving intact, and it means you can discover some truly eccentric films if you go looking.
Paramount Home Video is releasing LOVE ME IF YOU DARE this month, the debut film from French director Yann Samuell. Harry fell in love with this one earlier this year, but I missed it completely during its brief theatrical run. I’d tell anyone who loved AMELIE to seek out this unorthodox romantic fable, but be prepared... there’s a lot to like here, but it’s messy and undisciplined in many ways. It’s a first film, and in many ways, it’s just as frustrating as it is entertaining.
Julien and Sophie meet as eight-year-old children, played charmingly by Thibault Verhaeghe and Josephine Lebas-Joly. Both of them are dealing with their own miseries, as Julien’s mother (Emmanuelle Grenvold) lays in bed dying of cancer and Sophie has to confront the racist jibes of her classmates. The two of them reach out to one another, and they create a private game that shuts out the rest of the world based on ever-escalating dares. Julien’s father (Gerard Watkins)is distressed by the budding friendship, but he also realizes he has no idea how to handle his son’s grief when he can’t even manage his own. When they become adults, Julien (Guillaume Caret) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) continue their game, but the stakes get higher and the effects become more emotionally painful. Both actors are good, but it’s really Cotillard’s showcase. She is a mercurial presense, flashing from emotion to emotion at a moment’s notice, confounding all of Julien’s attempts to understand her. It’s a lushly photographed film with a wonderful score by Philippe Rombi, and at its best, the film works as a mood piece, even if the narrative occasionally rushes through big moments while taking strange left turns that go nowhere. Ultimately, I’d recommend the film, and Paramount’s done a beautiful job with sound and picture, creating something special.
I have no hesitations whatsoever about telling you to pick up a copy of SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING, the latest Ki-duk Kim film to get released here. This is one of my very favorite films of the year, and it serves as a great place to introduce someone to the work of this enormously gifted filmmaker. It’s nowhere near as brutal as earlier films like THE ISLE or BAD GUY, and as a result, it may be easier for some to appreciate just how great he is.
This film consists of five interlocked Zen koans, each dealing with a different stage in the emotional and spiritual development of a monk. The film starts with an Old Monk (Yeong-su Oh) taking care of a Child Monk (Jong-Ho Kim) on a small floating building in the middle of a lake. The Child Monk spends one day entertaining himself by tying rocks to a fish, a frog, and a snake, watching them struggle under the weight. The Old Monk teaches him a lesson about his actions that marks the Child Monk deeply. In the second segment, the Boy Monk (Jae-Kyeong Seo) has to deal with the awakening of sexual desire when a sick Girl (Yeo-jin Ha) comes to them for healing. When the Young Adult Monk (Young-inin Kim) tries to deal with the fallout from this in the third segment, the results are seemingly catastrophic for everyone. My favorite segment is the fourth one, where the director shows up as the Adult Monk, determined to heal his own frozen heart. When the film comes full circle, the impact of that fifth segment is powerfully uplifting. This is a deceptively simple picture, and Ki-duk Kim is given incredible support by his cinematographer, Dong-hyeon Baek, as well as his composer, Ji-woong Park. Long stretches of the film feature no dialogue whatsoever, and there’s a meditative quality to the film that is transporting. In these five simple sequences, the director has summed up much of what binds us all together as human beings. CTHE’s transfer of the film is visually striking, but I wish they’d done more, like include some sort of behind-the-scenes material. Right now, I’d include this director on a list of the fifteen most important and vital voices in cinema working anywhere in the world, and this could have been a more impressive record of this amazing artist working at the top of his game. It’s an important disc, nonetheless, and I urge you to take a chance on it. <!> <!Edit Article> HOME ON THE RANGE Disc One is loaded enough to count as a special edition in its own right. There’s the film, the incredible new 5.1 Dolby Digital Enhanced Home Theater Mix, deleted scenes and deleted songs, a commentary track by the directors, another by the animators, music videos by Clay Aiken, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, and one of those pop-up facts tracks. Disc Two is all about “A Diamond In The Rough,” the making-of documentary. It’s huge and exhaustive and loaded with great material. If you’re a fan of animation and the process that goes into creating these films, this is pure pleasure. In particular, I can’t say enough about all the stuff including Eric Goldberg and The Genie. It’s an invaluable look at what went into creating an icon. There’s also a great separate feature about Alan Menken, who deserves any amount of ass-kissing the company wants to dish out. If Disney can continue to live up to this level of quality with their next two Platinum releases (BAMBI in March of 2005 and CINDERELLA in October 2005), then fans are in for a continuing treat.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other animated titles in the Disney library, both new and old, that get excellent treatment in their own right. I skipped HOME ON THE RANGE in the theater, in part because of all the development troubles the film had since starting life as SWEATING BULLETS. Looking back at all the reports we’ve been sent by Disney spies over the years didn’t exactly instill me with confidence. Oddly, though, I found the final film to be quite charming and funny. It helps that Alan Menken’s come up with one of his most unusual Disney scores, working largely with cowboy music as inspiration. Artists like k.d. lang and Tim McGraw contribute winning vocal performances, with one stunner by Bonnie Raitt in the middle of the film called “Will The Sun Ever Shine Again?” that deserves a Best Song nomination this year. The film is pretty much a full-stop comedy about Maggie (Roseanne Barr), Grace (Jennifer Tilly) and Mrs. Calloway (Judi Dench), three cows determined to save the ranch where they live from a cattle–rustling land baron. My favorite character in the film is Buck (voiced by Cuba Gooding Jr.), a horse whose one dream is to ride with Rico, a famed and feared bounty hunter. Many of the film’s biggest laughs come from Buck’s overexcited reactions. Randy Quaid also does some very funny work as Alameda Slim, the bad guy, including a hilarious song in which he details his ability to hypnotize any cow with his yodeling skills. The film’s beautifully designed, and it makes me sad to think that half-hearted marketing might be responsible for the death of conventional 2-D animation at Disney, especially when this is far from being the worst of their films. The disc has several deleted scenes, a short documentary that just barely touches on the development troubles the film went through, and some kid-centric games and extras, and the sound and picture are top-notch. Give this one a chance, and you may be surprised. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of MULAN, I think there are things to like about it. There would be no Donkey in SHREK without Mushu in this film, and there are some great action scenes, beautifully staged. The weakest thing about MULAN is the generic song score by Matthew Wilder and Vanessa Mae. Disney’s done a great job of gathering up every possible tidbit about the production for the comprehensive documentary on disc two, and the best material has to do with how they chose the particular visual style of the film, drawing on traditional Chinese art as inspiration. Disc One’s got a fair sampling of deleted scenes, including the various openings they experimented with, and four music videos by Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder and 98°, Jackie Chan, and Raven. What impresses me most is how this isn’t considered one of the company’s major efforts. If everyone put this sort of time and energy into every special edition, consumers would hardly have time to watch them all. Anyone wondering why Disney continues to dominate the animation market need look no further than KAENA: THE PROPHECY, which CTHE released last month. A CG animated fantasy feature starring the voices of Kirsten Dunst, Richard Harris, and Anjelica Huston doing her 10,000th riff on her CAPTAIN EO performance, KAENA is incredibly empty and devoid of anything resembling narrative urgency. I am all for the idea of independent animation companies doing their best to level the commercial playing field, but for that to happen, they’ve got to work harder than Disney, and their films have to be better. Disney’s marketing machine is unbeatable, so the only way you can ever hope to compete is by being unarguably better. KAENA’s one of those generic fantasy stories about a girl, a prophecy, and some deeply underdeveloped bad guys, and it never adds up to anything. I can’t even recommend it for the visuals. By now, most video games look at least this good, and in many cases, they’re more dramatically satisfying, too. The only god thing on the whole KAENA disc is the MIRRORMASK trailer. There’s a radically different vision of fantasy that I can get behind. The notion of a 90-minute moving Dave McKean painting sounds pretty damn good to me. You can find the trailer online now, though, so I can’t imagine any reason to add KAENA to your collection. COLD MOUNTAIN Right now, Nicole Kidman is attached to star in three out of every five movies in development. And not just at the major studios, either, since she seems perfectly willing to star in a $21,000 Lithuanian film about cheese-making as long as she likes the script. Personally, after sitting through this trio of recent Kidman performances, I’m more than ready to see BEWITCHED, with her twitching her nose opposite Will Ferrell. Seriously, Nicole... smile once in a while.
There’s no mirth on display in the well-pedigreed but uninvolving THE HUMAN STAIN, a movie that is almost mystifyingly bad. How did Robert Benton, a genuinely talented writer/director, take a respected novel by Philip Roth, fill his cast with knockout talent like Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, and Gary Sinise, and come up with this total stiff? Part of the problem is how divided the film is. There are three major story threads going on, and they never wrap up into a coherent whole. The most provocative material focuses on the personal secrets hidden by Coleman Silk, a college professor who gets fired for his use of the word “spooks” in class. Anthony Hopkins may be odd casting, but he plays the role well. In fact, everyone in the film does good work. Kidman does the haunted thing really well, and Ed Harris is intense and scary, if underused. Jacinda Barrett plays a girl from Coleman’s past, and Wentworth Miller does a nice job of playing Coleman in flashbacks. Individual scenes are well-written, but nothing seems to connect properly. The DVD features a tribute to Jean-Yves Escoffier, the film’s cinematographer, who died just after finishing the picture after a career featuring films like GOOD WILL HUNTING, LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE, and the original French version of THREE MEN AND A CRADLE. Otherwise, it’s a fairly bare bones disc, and a bit of a disappointment overall. On the other hand, Miramax did a tremendous job with their 2-disc edition of COLD MOUNTAIN, assuming you enjoyed the film. Disc one features a decent transfer of the 154-minute film. It’s a gorgeous reproduction sonically, but the picture suffers from some compression issues and digital edge diffusion. There’s also a commentary track by Anthony Minghella and Walter Murch, his editor. Put very simply, these two guys have forgotten more about filmmaking than most filmmakers will ever know, and it’s a constantly entertaining, engaging, and informative track, even if you weren’t a fan of the film. I think it’s a good solid piece of Hollywood entertainment. It’s a very simple story, and what makes it work are the characters along the way. Inman (Jude Law) falls for a beautiful preacher’s daughter (Kidman) on the eve of the Civil War. When he heads off to the front, she tells him that she’ll wait for him. Moving back and forth in time, the film tells the dual stories of Ada’s struggle to survive as she waits and Inman’s trials as he finally gives up on the war and tries to make his way home to her. Law and Kidman both do really strong work, and what makes the connection between Ada and Inman interesting is the fact that neither of them seems completely comfortable in their own skin. The courage it takes for the two of them to confess their feelings for one another is exactly what gives them the strength to endure everything else along the way. The supporting cast, led by Academy Award winner Renee Zellweger, makes the most of their various moments. Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack White, Eileen Atkins, Giovanni Ribisi, and Natalie Portman all leave their marks during their brief screentime. Endurance must have been a key buzzword for the cast and crew, judging from the documentary on disc two. “Climbing COLD MOUNTAIN,” the 70-minute version, is the one to watch. The shorter 28-minute behind-the-scenes special is just EPK footage, all surface. The most entertaining of the special features is a 90-minute special called “Words and Music Of COLD MOUNTAIN,” shot largely as a live show at UCLA’s Royce Hall, featuring many of the soundtrack contributors. T-Bone Burnett, the executive music producer for the film, served the same function on O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, and he managed to put together an impressive roster of artists for this one. There are 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes on the disc, as well as storyboard comparisons, all of it adding up to a strong package for a film that, while not Minghella’s best, is certainly a worthwhile slice of old-fashioned storytelling.
DOGVILLE may be the best of these three films, but it’s also the most frustrating. Lars Von Trier is a major talent, and his BREAKING THE WAVES remains one of my very favorite films of the ‘90s. He’s a provocative stylist who sometimes allows his own experimental notions to overwhelm his great dramatic ideas, and as much as I admire the high wire act he attempts, I find myself sometimes stuck outside his films at the precise moment he means to draw you in.
Grace (Kidman) stumbles into a small mountain town late one night, just ahead of the sound of gunfire. She meets Tom (Paul Bettany), who finds himself immediately smitten by this pale and fragile stranger. Tom suspects that the pleasant face of his town masks a rotten core, and he sees an opportunity to put his theory to the test by throwing her to the mercy of the townspeople. They say they’ll protect her, and they ask nothing in return. In fact, they refuse all of her offers to help with the various chores around Dogville at first, smiles firmly in place. Little by little, though, they warm to her, and the huge ensemble cast indelibly etches the community and all its faults. Lauren Bacall, Patricia Clarkson, Jeremy Davies, Ben Gazarra, Philip Baker Hall, Chloe Sevigny, and Stellan Skarsgard are all excellent in the film, all of them tapping directly into that particular mood that von Trier is trying to create. DA ALI G SHOW: DA COMPLEET FIRST SEAZON Two sets representing two of HBO’s comedy series, one at the end of its run, the other just getting underway, but aside from being funny, they’re almost impossible to compare. DA ALI G SHOW is nowhere near as potent a comic creation as the always-intoxicating MR. SHOW, but they’re both worth your time, depending on your particular sensibilities. One is about perverting the interview process and pointing up the rampant stupidity of most talking heads on TV today, while the other is more of an absurdist’s take on the classic sketch comedy show. You could even say one is pure lowbrow, while the other is almost entirely cerebral. It’s hard to believe one network could champion both of these shows.
Many fans would argue that MR. SHOW’s fourth and final season was also its best. Every season had highlights, but there was a coherence to the shows in this particular run that made every episode more solid. Bob Odenkirk and David Cross may be the faces and the guiding comic sensibilities of the show, but I’ve always loved the entire rotating ensemble of writers and performers who were involved with it. Scott Aukerman, Jerry Collins, Jill Talley, Becky Thyre, Dino Stamatopoulos, Brian Posehn, John Ennis, Scott Adsit, Karen Kilgariff, Paul F. Tomkins, and especially the invaluable Jay Johnston (whose “Niagra” sketch alone makes this DVD worth buying) all contributed to making the show great. Every episode on the disc has a commentary, and even if you’ve seen all of these episodes before, there is plenty of reason to pick the set up. The commentaries feature many of the writers and performers together, and there’s a bracing honesty to the way they talk to and about each other. It speaks well of Odenkirk and Cross that they left in every criticism of them from the others, and it says a lot about this group of people that they can obviously butt heads creatively and still respect each other enough to get together and celebrate what it was that they accomplished. If you’re a big fan, and you’ve read Naomi Odenkirk’s excellent behind-the-scenes book, WHAT HAPPENED?!, these commentaries will fill out your appreciation for what went into the creation of the show even more. I think that what made MR. SHOW such an enduring pleasure for fans of sketch comedy is the fact that these guys were determined to push the envelope and not fall back on all the familiar formulas that seem to cripple shows like SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and MAD TV. The writing on the show was so smart, so dense with layers of jokes, and even manages to strike notes of unexpected poignancy at times. I can’t think of many episodes of SNL from the last 15 years that I would want to watch, start to finish, more than once, but I can revisit any of the episodes on this disc any time, and I’ll always find something that entertains me anew. MR. SHOW belongs on a short list with MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS, SCTV, and KIDS IN THE HALL, the very best of the genre. The extras on the second disc are good, if not plentiful. There’s a blooper reel from the first three seasons, Bob and David’s hilarious Comic Relief appearance from 1998 (proof that Odenkirk is completely fearless), and an original featurette about a reunion of all the writers and performers that degenerates into a brawl about parking spaces. Do yourself the favor of picking up all four seasons, all available from HBO Video at this point. It’ll be a while before we see another sketch comedy show this good again. I only wish HBO had thrown the sort of promotional support behind MR. SHOW while it was still on the air that they’ve obviously decided to lend to DA ALI G SHOW. Which isn’t to say that I dislike Sacha Baron Cohen’s show... I’m just confused about what gets anointed and what gets ignored. DA ALI G SHOW is a hit-and-miss affair, a one-man show that could easily wear the basic joke thin with repeated exposure. Cohen plays three different characters, each of them conducting unscripted interviews with hapless victims to varying degrees of success. His interviews are some of the most surreal and uncomfortable I’ve ever seen, and when he’s on, the results can be hysterical. Of the three characters, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Borat is the funniest. A hapless reporter from Kazakhstan, Borat travels around America, the worst imaginable goodwill ambassador. He is indefatigably cheerful, but his casual misogyny and his hatred of Jews get in the way of his best intentions. Ali G can be very funny, a wigga doofus who heads into interviews with little or not understanding of what he’s discussing. What makes me laugh hardest with him is when he baits people into incredibly inappropriate discussions. Cohen’s third character, Bruno, is the show’s weakest link, a gay German fashionista, and the laughs are few and far between during his segments. HBO’s put a few extras on the discs, including some extra footage, but there’s only one audio commentary for the first episode, and what I’m most interested in is the process behind the show. I want to hear more from the real Cohen and his producer/writer Dan Mazer. I think Cohen’s a gifted improvisational comic performer, and the best thing about the show is the way it provides him with an unfettered playground for these fascinating characters he creates. MGM really missed out when they signed Steve Martin to star in the sure-to-be-heinous PINK PANTHER remake. Watch the best of the Borat segments on this show and tell me that he isn’t the perfect comedic descendent from Peter Sellers’s Clouseau. DA ALI G SHOW may not be the greatest comic creation to come out of HBO (and, yes, I know it was imported from British TV), but it hits plenty of highs and is certainly worth checking out, a’iiiiiiight. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND This bold and beautiful SF love story is still very near the top of my list of favorite films of the year, and I think I summed up my feelings about the film with my original review, which was part of a much larger article. I’d like to reprint it here:
Experimental in structure but surprisingly direct in terms of emotion, the film is like a narrative Moebius strip, and it starts somewhere in the middle of things. Joel (Jim Carrey) wakes up alone and gets ready for work. Right from the film’s opening, Carrey’s doing something different than we’ve ever seen from him before. I’ve always felt like there is an anger and a sadness to Carrey’s comic mania. He hinted at it in THE CABLE GUY and MAN ON THE MOON, and even flashes in some of his silliest comedies. ETERNAL SUNSHINE isn’t just a script for Carrey; it’s permission. When we meet Joel, he’s a clenched fist. He uncurls only gradually, the same way the narrative unfolds. Joel finds himself oddly compelled to skip work and take the subway out of the city, out to the beach. Whatever draws him there also draws Clementine Krucynski (the luminous Kate Winslet), and the two of them keep encountering one another over the course of the morning. Finally, they can’t avoid their curiousity about each other. They talk. They don’t flirt so much as they collide. And just as we start to get our bearings, the film twists and convulses and folds in on itself as Joel stumbles across evidence that he and Clementine are connected, and between them lies something known only as “Lacuna.”
I’ll tread lightly here, because part of the joy of the film is that sense of discovery. I think it’s funny that most of the reviews I read tend to either focus on Gondry or Charlie Kaufman as the primary artist, but they’re missing the point. This is pure collaboration. Gondry and Pierre Bismuth co-wrote the story with Kaufman, and the result is deeper than anything any of them have done before. As much as I admire ADAPTATION and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, this film is so much more universal in its themes that it’s hard to compare them to this. After all, memory is something that defines all of us and makes us who we are. Our hardest moments, our worst encounters, are also the things that make us stronger when we survive them and learn from them. Our memory is what allows us to grow as we accumulate experience. This film digs deep into the nature of memory, and it feels like a Philip K. Dick adaptation without all the stupid action bullshit that Hollywood always insists on trying to shoehorn into the films they so loosely base upon his work. What makes this film so fresh is the way Kaufman’s dazzling landslide of ideas and character is so ably supported by Gondry’s visual invention. To his enormous credit, Gondry doesn’t try to outdo Kaufman by throwing a huge bag of visual tricks at the viewer. Some of his best moves here are subtle, restrained. The wittiest visual touches in the movie are the ones that sneak up on you, like the way color and detail slowly leeches out of Joel’s vanishing memory, or the way Gondry refuses to telegraph what’s real and what’s remembered, and what’s created as Joel pokes about in his own subconscious.
Winslet’s as brave as Carrey here, playing a flawed woman who is lovable precisely because of those flaws. She is achingly human, and when a critic sniffs in disgust at her drinking or her hair or her casual cruelty designed to shock Joel out of his shell, they miss the point. She’s real. This is what you get when you fall in love. You get a real person, who will never be the same as some fantasy in your head. They will always fall short if you’re chasing perfection. Winslet gives Clementine a wild and free spirit that is impossible to shut out. The rest of the cast is equal to the stars. Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, and Elijah Wood play Stan, Mary, and Patrick, the three young assistants to Dr. Howard Mierzwiak, played memorably in a few brief scenes by the wonderful Tom Wilkinson. The way each of them deals with the responsibility of what Lacuna does to people is what really provides the moral framework of the story. Stan does good work and thinks he’s helping people, but he sees his overnight stay at Joel’s apartment as a way to get into Mary’s pants. Mary sees her stay at Joel’s as a chance to get closer to Dr. Mierzwiak, who she adores and worships. Patrick has darker, personal motives in making sure that Joel’s memory is wiped clean. By the end of the night, each of them is driven to believable extremes, and by the time Dr. Mierzwiak’s wife shows up, everyone’s laid all their cards on the table. It’s as rich a collision of characters as Albee’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, bold and edgy and uncomfortable. There’s a moment between Dunst and Wilkinson in particular that is just wrenching, and she’s so emotionally bare, such a raw and wounded nerve in that moment, that you almost have to look away. Ruffalo’s better here than in any of the other films I’ve seen him in lately, eccentric and energized by the material. It’s a lovely balancing act between sweet and sleazy. Wood is anything but likeable as he emotionally rapes Clementine, a sequence I found deeply disturbing. The invasion suggested by what he does horrifes Clem even when she’s not quite sure what’s happened.
Ellen Kuras is a great cinematographer, her talent defining itself in a series of adventurous collaborations with very strong directors. There’s a clear, adult edge to her work that contrasts nicely with Gondry’s innate sense of whimsy. And the film simply wouldn’t work this well without the incredible work of Jon Brion. I’m madly in love with his score for MAGNOLIA, and I was impressed by how different this is, but how unmistakable his signature is. He’s one of the most innovative composers working in film today, and he catches the absurd dark romantic nightmare mood of this film perfectly in his music.
What touches me the most about the film is the fervor with which everyone involved obviously believes in love. Carrey and Winslet have had to deal with their love lives as tabloid headlines, and Gondry spoke to our own Mr. Beaks about his trials with love. Kaufman’s other films give you a pretty good idea where he’s coming from. And these bruised people, carrying the same kind of scar tissue as the rest of us, make a movie that says love is worth it. Love is worth all the pain. So often, “love” in movies is nothing more than a series of cute and silly encounters, easy and predictable. There’s a reason every romantic comedy trailer gives away the ending; they’re selling you a promise that you will get EXACTLY THE SAME FILM YOU’VE SEEN BEFORE, and the audience appreciates it, evidently. ETERNAL SUNSHINE believes in real love, imperfect and difficult and painful and confusing, but above all, beautiful. So beautiful. And in moments like Joel and Clem flat on their backs on the ice or the two of them in a beach house in the dark or together under a yellow sheet, blissfully happy, we see exactly the sorts of memories that tie people together in real life. The notion of a true second chance, eyes open and aware, is uncommonly hopeful, and I find myself rooting for Joel and Clementine. I believe that Mary’s return of the tapes is a good thing. Even the worst moments in our lives come hand-in-hand with the best, and sorrow and pain are part of joy and pleasure. Embrace it all, and embrace this remarkable movie. Going back to rewatch the film again on the wonderful new Universal DVD, I am struck by just how remarkably constructed the picture is. Both Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet deserve to be nominated for every major acting award there is. In particular, Winslet’s never been more heartbreaking or more vulnerable. Same thing with Kirsten Dunst, who I think may give her first truly great adult performance in this film. The disc is a gorgeous reproduction of the cinematography by Ellen Kuras, and if you’re as smitten with Jon Brion’s score as I am, the disc sounds as good as it looks.
The main reason to pick the DVD up, aside from the simple pleasure of owning the film, is the audio commentary by Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman. You may have a little bit of trouble making sense of Gondry’s dense French accent, but there’s something intoxicating about listening to these two artists strip the layers away, only to reveal even more layers. This DVD is the best tool that Focus Films has at its disposal as they head into the Oscar race, and I hope they get a copy into the hands of every single voting member of the Academy. It’s an extraordinary work of art, and this is a fitting way to package it for permanent addition to any film fan’s collection. <!> <!Edit Article> THE GIRL NEXT DOOR America and the industrial revolution essentially created the notion of an extended adolescence, a time when children got to behave like children while trying on the trappings of adulthood, and it’s been fertile ground for filmmakers from the days of ANDY HARDY through the peak years of John Hughes and all the way up to today. Four recent DVDs tackle the teenage experience from very different perspectives, and with varying degrees of success.
Universal basically snuck their special edition release of Peter Bogdanovich’s MASK onto the market. To be honest, I didn’t know it was a revised director’s until I put the disc in. When the film was first released in 1985, there was a fairly public battle between the director and the studio over soundtrack issues and several scenes, and Bogdanovich made his dissatisfaction quite clear when he spoke to the press. Originally, Bruce Springsteen’s music was used to show the passage of time (from BADLANDS to BORN IN THE USA), and also to reflect the moods of Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz). When Universal and Sony Music couldn’t make an agreement about the use of that music, it got stripped from the film at the last possible second, and Bogdanovich argued that they had gutted his movie. There were also a few key emotional beats that the studio cut, and even without them, the film tested incredibly well. It was released to critical acclaim and became one of the director’s few hits in the ‘80s. Now, finally, he’s been allowed to go back and restore those cut scenes, and he’s also been able to negotiate a deal that allowed him to put in all the Springsteen music that he wanted in the film in the first place. The result? He made a damn fine movie even better, and any fan of the film should immediately snap this disc up.
One thing that’s never changed in any version of the film is the strength of the performances. Eric Stoltz acts through a full-head makeup appliance, and he makes you forget he’s wearing anything at all. The entire film depends on us seeing past Rocky’s deformity to the special, gentle soul within, and Stoltz makes that easy. Cher may be a WILL & GRACE punchline today, but for a good chunk of the ‘80s, she was the real deal, a brave character actress capable of playing deeply fucked up people without any condescension. She is fantastic as Rusty, Rocky’s mother, and she plays pain and fury at perfect pitch. Laura Dern, in one of her earliest performances, is lovely and sweet as a blind girl who falls in love with Rocky, and there’s a scene between the two of them where he’s trying to explain colors to her that is just magic. Rocky’s entire extended family, a raucous motorcycle gang, is filled out with strong supporting performances led by Sam Elliott as Rusty’s occasional lover, Gar. The disc looks okay, with a noticeable shift in picture quality during the newly-added material. There aren’t many extras, but the commentary by Bogdanovich is worth any number of featurettes. He’s one of the most entertaining speakers about filmmaking, both his and anyone else’s, and this is one of those commentaries you can use to measure all others against. Hats off to Universal for making things right after all this time.
It’s obvious that writer/director Matthew Ryan Hoge wanted to say something profound with THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND, and he certainly put together one hell of a cast to help him say it. Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling, Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Kevin Spacey, Michelle Williams, and Martin Donovan all work to bring life to this script, but it just doesn’t work. It’s a mechanical exercise in angst and outrage, clinical where it should be combustible, rote where it should be raw. As good an actor as he is, Gosling’s totally unbelievable as a 15-year-old, at least a decade past being able to play the part. The film starts with his character, Leland, killing a retarded boy. It ends with another murder that is meant to jolt us. Everything in-between is pure psychobabble. Well acted, in large part, but psychobabble nonetheless. Everyone agonizes about the why of the crime, but Hoge offers nothing new to the dialogue about youth violence. You’ll forget the film before you even finish it. Paramount didn’t put any extras on the disc, but even if they had, I can’t imagine I would have dug any deeper into this one. Skip it. Paramount did much better, both with the film and with the disc, on MEAN GIRLS, the HEATHERS-esque comedy that turned Lindsay Lohan into this year’s “It” girl. Tina Fey’s script isn’t a brilliant reinvention of the genre, but it has some smart laughs and it does a nice job of skewering the social structure of high school. What really makes the film work is the chemistry between Lohan and her rival in the film, played by Rachel McAdams. They both know exactly what they’re supposed to do, and they set the comic tone for the rest of the teen cast. I think both Fey and Tim Meadows do very good comic work in their supporting roles, but neither of them has much screen time. Director Mark Waters keeps everything clean and colorful, and it’s not easy to make this kind of film look so effortless and energetic. Even when it falls into certain clichés or when it mimics HEATHERS a little too closely, Waters does his best to make it feel fresh. Paramount packed the disc with extras and how much you enjoy them and how deep you dig into them will depend largely on how much you enjoyed the film. There’s a commentary track by Fey, Waters, and producer Lorne Michaels, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, and three featurettes about the production. The film looks and sounds great, so if you dug the movie at all, or if you just want to marvel at the architectural majesty of Lohan or Lacey Chabert or McAdams, then this DVD should more than serve your needs.
When homage crosses into carbon copy, the result is a film like THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, and it’s a testament to the fact that Luke Greenfield has a certain knack for comedy that the film works in spite of being a shameless wholesale ripoff of RISKY BUSINESS. Personally, I think Paul Brickman’s 1983 Tom Cruise comedy is damn close to perfect, a classic, and I was ready to hate THE GIRL NEXT DOOR just on general principle. Truth is, though, it’s got some charm to it, and taken on its own merits, the film isn’t bad. Emile Hirsch proves to be a more engaging lead here than he was in THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS, and Elisha Cuthbert proves she can do more than just the “girl in peril” act she’s perfected on 24. The film’s MVP turns out to be Timothy Olyphant as Guido The Killer Pim... er, I mean, as Kelly, Cuthbert’s former boyfriend/porn director. He’s both sinister and hilarious, and he makes the film better every time he shows up. Luke Greenfield brings just enough style to distinguish the film, but without overwhelming the comedy. Since I didn’t see the film in the theater, I’m not sure what makes this unrated version different, but it’s a pretty mild-mannered R, all things considered. For a film about people in and around the porn industry, there’s a pretty notable lack of skin. Fox threw a lot of extras on the disc, but I have to ask... what the fuck is going on in the head of someone who designs a disc with the film on one side and the extras on the other? It’s a fairly simple rule that the industry seems to have accepted across the board: no flipper discs. Sure, it wasn’t uncommon when DVDs were starting out, and it’s different if you’re using one side for a fullscreen version and the other side for widescreen, but it’s a damn inconvenient way of doing things, and it’s not like this is a LORD OF THE RINGS film where every bit of storage space counts. You could have fit it all onto one dual-layered side if you wanted to. I would expect better from Fox, even on a marginal title like this one. <!> <!Edit Article> HORROR-THON 2004 BEGINS!! I love October.
I love celebrating this time of the year, especially cinematically. As soon as the month began, I started showing horror movies here at the Labs, at least one per day. I’ve been stockpiling them for the last few months, and once this month begins, plenty of new ones get released. I know we’re almost to the end of the month now, and many of you may be planning horror movie nights of your own, so I want to recap some of what’s been playing so far: THE TOOLBOX MURDERS As slasher films go, this is better than average. You’ve got to love any movie that kills off three victims in the first fifteen minutes with a drill, the claw end of a hammer, and a nail gun. Whoo-hoo! There’s some genuine characterization, both for the victims and for the killer, some great gore, the kid from LAND OF THE LOST, excellent nudity (including some outrageous ‘70’s bush), and a bleak “this is a true story” ending right out of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Blue Underground’s done their typical great job with the film and the extras. Highly recommended. THE GHOSTS OF EDENDALE What the hell is this doing on the Warner Bros. Home Video label? Stefen Avalos was the writer/director of THE LAST BROADCAST, a film best known for its marked similarity to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. This time, he’s made a shot-on-video film about a couple who moves into a haunted house in the Hollywood Hills where... well... nothing happens. Verrrrrrrrrry slowly. It looks cheap, both leads are wooden, and Avalos (credited as his own editor) knows next to nothing about pacing. Painful. Avoid. THE BOSTON STRANGLER A forgotten gem. Although this is technically more of a police procedural than a horror film, there’s a cold, clinical attitude to things that packs a real punch. Tony Curtis may be top-billed as Albert DeSalvo, but he doesn’t appear in the film until half-way through. Until then, the film focuses on the panic in Boston as the Strangler incidents pile on. The film plays loose with the actual details of the case, but it’s one of the strongest directorial jobs ever by Richard Fleischer, almost experimental in its use of split-screens and near-documentary drama. I’ve always been a particular fan of Henry Fonda in “crusty old fuck” mode, and this is one of those films. Curtis was rarely better than he is here. Definitely worth seeing in full anamorphic widescreen instead of on TV, and Fox has done a tremendous job with the transfer. TERROR TRAIN It’s funny that Jamie Lee Curtis was considered a “scream queen” for so long, since she didn’t make that many horror films, all things considered. The HALLOWEEN films, of course, and THE FOG, as well as PROM NIGHT and this movie. Again, this is better than average slasher fare, thanks in large part to the cinematography of John Alcott, who was best known for his work with Kubrick, including THE SHINING, which he shot the same year as this movie. There are some unintentional laughs in the film (especially during the “prank gone wrong” that sets up the entire thing), and anyone who thinks they know just how cheesy David Copperfield can be should wait until they see this, where he sets a new standard. All things considered, though, it’s a pretty fun film, and a decent disc. THE NIGHT STALKER/THE NIGHT STRANGLER Doesn’t surprise me at all to learn that Frank Spotnitz is planning a new take on the Kolchak series, since this was the obvious forefather of THE X-FILES, where Spotnitz really made his reputation. Nice of MGM to release both of the TV movies that led to the short-lived Kolchak series on one disc. I only watched THE NIGHT STALKER, but just based on that and the low price MGM is charging, I can wholeheartedly recommend picking this one up. It’s a pretty fresh take on a vampire as a villain, and there’s a surprisingly grim tone considering this was TV in the ‘70s. And above all else, there’s Darren McGavin’s wonderful performance as Kolchak, the reporter who’s seen it all and who never seems rattled, no matter how freaky things get. THE CRITERION COLLECTION: EYES WITHOUT A FACE This is one of the few must-haves on this list, a film that any horror fan should not only own, but internalize. Georges Franju’s film caused people to faint during its initial release, much to the director’s delight, and it’s lost little of its ability to unnerve in the 45 years since. Hammer Films had upped the stakes for horror filmmakers by introducing gore and sexuality into their films, and Franju seemed determined to meld the beautiful dreamlike quality of Cocteau’s BEAUTY & THE BEAST with something more overt, resulting in this mad scientist tale of a doctor determined to repair the ruined face of his daughter, no matter what it takes. There are so many classic images and moments in this film that demands rewatching just so you can absorb it all. The disc also features a powerful short documentary film called BLOOD OF THE BEASTS, featuring real footage shot in the slaughterhouses of Paris. Be warned... if you’re squeamish about violence against animals, it is one of the most graphic representations of the process I’ve ever seen. Even so, Franju finds beauty in it, and that is the truly remarkable thing about what he accomplished in both of these films. Criterion’s transfer is a revelation, easily the cleanest print of the film I’ve ever seen, and the overall package is a knockout. Outstanding. GHOST STORY John Irvin’s film adaptation of Peter Straub’s book seems to do everything right, but for some reason, it’s not particularly scary. It just seems like Irvin has no affinity for the genre. He apes the moves we’ve seen in dozens of other movies, but his heart doesn’t appear to be in it. What made Straub’s book great was the way it almost worked as a post-modern dissection of the very nature of ghost stories, embracing and slyly twisting all the conventions of the genre. Here, the film never really comes to life despite an interesting cast of older Hollywood actors (Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Houseman) and a healthy amount of nudity from the young and lovely Alice Krige. Not bad, but not great. Universal’s transfer of the film is solid, and fans of the film will probably be quite pleased. BLACK CHRISTMAS There’s one image in this movie... one undeniable |
### Power Suits
Iron Man draws his superpowers from his metallic suit, which, for the film Iron Man, was crafted digitally and tailored to blend with the live action. Animal Kingdom
In Prince Caspian, VFX facilities populate the Narnia universe with more and varied 3D characters, who interact more intimately with the live actors. Measuring Green Footprints
Green is everyone's new favorite color, and in the field of architecture, energy analysis software is driving sustainable design. Brain Power
A smart robot uses AI software from the film/game industry to think and learn. Man vs. Machine
Zoic uses complex modeling, animation, and compositing techniques to bring the latest Terminator to television. PDF | 3.4 MB |
Hallo weekend, here we come! This cottage looks like a perfect hideaway after a busy week - a place to slow down and let your hair down, to breathe deeply, sleep in and enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air, good food, picking flowers, maybe working in the garden or being creative. Don't you just love that turquoise wooden wall with white stencil leaves pattern in the bedroom? And the yellow-green with white and a touch of pink in the living room? Maybe, you can hear the sound of the ocean in the distance, and smell freshly baked scones - Mrs. Moussie is coming over for tea! Have a fabulous weekend dear friends. Do take time to spoil yourselfs a little - no pudding, no fun! |
Poison, It's everywhere. I had McDonald's this morning. I had my favorite; steak, eggs, and cheese all on a bagel. Oh, and I had a large Dr. Pepper, even though I ordered a medium. Welcome to America I guess. I then went and did something I haven't done in the two years since I started dialysis; I worked. Sure, I clean up around the house, do some grocery shopping, and cook most of the meals but I don't stand on my feet all day and actually work with the public. Why did I do this? Simple, my wife got to work today and found out that there was no one to help her make any bricks for the kids workshop. So she volunteered me to help. Long story short my wife works at a historic home and this was a learning activity for a field trip. So I worked all day making clay balls to be pressed into little bricks for the kids. It's a heck of a lot harder then it sounds. Trust me, I know, I made fun of it when I first heard what I was going to be doing. After eight hours of this my hands hurt, my feet hurt, and I was starving as we didn't have time to take a lunch break. Eight hours and 108 kids later I was ready to go home. I was far too tired to do any cooking so I made us each a sandwich. The wife had some fruit juice and I had another soda. I then spent several hours looking at some Facebook pages from local anti-GMO, homesteading, organic, and local eating movements. I had known about GMO ( ) foods for a while now but never gave it too much thought. Then I watched this lovely little video: Did you watch it? No. Then go watch it! I hate to say it but that should have freaked you out. If it didn't then stop reading this and go on about your fast food and TV watching life. After much reading about the horrible things they do to our food I decided to go make some more food! I thought I would try some "Instant Low Sodium Miso Soup" for some Goddess forsaken reason. It was horrible, plain old beef stock would have been better. I made my wife some canned potato soup and another sandwich while I made myself some black bean soup with some canned corn. At least this time I didn't have another soda, only because we were all out, I had some homemade lemonade. Yes, actually homemade not that weird powdered stuff. Though the lemon juice did come from a bottle so who knows what was in it. That brings me to today's topic (well yesterday's topic since my wife made me come to bed last night): How much real food do you actually eat during a day? Well, lets see, everything from McDonald's we will classify as not being real food as we know it was highly processed. How about the sandwiches? Well after reading the ingredients labels I would have to say no. Also, we all know the sodas are super processed so they are out too. Side Note: Go look up "cellulose", it's an ingredient in most baked goods. I'll save some of you the trouble, cellulose is another name for wood pulp. The Instant Miso will not being included in this as I am pretty sure its not food at all. Oh, what about the soups? Hey yeah, they were organic soups each with less then 5 ingredients and each ingredient was a food I would eat on it's own. Finally we found some real food! Then I go dump some GMO corn into my soup. How do I know it was GMO corn? I looked up the company on some anti-GMO websites. If your wondering about the homemade lemonade let me stop you right there. The same company that made the corn made the lemon juice so it's out. Though, I did have some apple cider from a local farm and its ingredients list is so short I will post it right here. Apple Cider Ingredients: Apple Cider, Water. Just a side not it was the best apple cider I have ever had. I know its not organic or anything and who knows maybe they use toxic pesticides but hey, it still has less death in it then the mega-mart brands. So to sum all of that up, the only real food the wife and I had were two cans of soup. Why is this such a big deal and what does it have to do with being a Pagan Man? Simple, Pagan Men are humans and as humans our health is a big deal in our lives. Though this post might not have anything to do with your religion it will have something to do with keeping you alive and healthy longer so you can enjoy that religion. Oh, these GMO vegetables secrete pesticide but they are totally safe to eat! The sad fact is that you have no idea what that GMO food is going to do to you. Lets think about that for a minute. We know that companies have manufactured GMO vegetables that will secrete pesticides. Why? Simple, so the farmer doesn't have to spray the crops with pesticides. Why is that an improvement? Because it saves the farmer money. Think about it, I don't have to rent a giant sprayer if I don't own one, I don't have to pay for the diesel to make it run, or along the same lines if I am using a plane, and I don't have to pay someone to run the machinery. Also, it saves on time since I don't have to do any of the above since its built in to the crop. What do you think happens when you eat a vegetable that secretes poison? No, there is nothing to wash off, the plant literally makes it on the cellular level so its everywhere in the plant. Want to know some of the real world side effects? Then read this article . Here, let me quote something from it: " In 2003, approximately 100 people living next to a Bt cornfield in the Philippines developed skin, respiratory, intestinal reactions and other symptoms while the corn was shedding pollen.
"
Sounds fun huh? This stuff literally kills insects, and animals that eat it yet somehow it's completely safe for humans. We have messed up stomachs. I mean it seems we can eat things that kill other animals. I don't just mean GMOs, we are one of the few mammals alive with a stomach acid level high enough to drink some sodas and not die, but I digress.
Let me paraphrase the Bible for a moment: "Your body is a temple, STOP defacing it!"
I could continue to rant about GMOs and highly processed food all day if you let me but I wont (at least not here).
I will wrap all of this up be saying I am tired. I sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am tired of having no energy. I am tired of feeling bad all the time. I know it is far too late for me to fix some of the more permanent things done to my body but you know what? It's not too late for me to try and fix the things I can. What do I plan on doing? Buying real food for one. I know it can be expensive and I know I won't be able to do it all at once but slow and steady wins the race. I also plan on exercising on the days I don't have dialysis, I might even do some light walking before dialysis in the morning too. Am I going to count calories? No. Why? The goal is to feel better and eat better, I am sure that weight lose will be a happy side effect of that.
So here's to my fellow Pagan Men! Get up, do something! Act like the proud man we should all be! I doubt the Horned God sits around all day staring at the TV. Know what your putting in your body! How can we do our sacred duty as men in our community, be it Priest, Warrior, or Father if we are too tired and sick to move?
As one of my favorite Pagan author says: "Be Glorious!" You will receive some Pagan Man point if you can tell me who that is in the comment section.
As always,
May the Gods watch over you all,
Snow Wolf |
Ok, so maybe I don't need a drum roll, but I have something exciting to share with you. At the last quilting retreats one of the older ladies shared some of her quilts that involved hand "red work". I was flabber gasted. So I finally got the chance to find a pattern and I did it... it's not the best, but pretty good for following the directions out of a book, and i promised myself I wouldn't undo any stitches that were screwed up- so here you go- flawas & all. I am absolutley in love with this form of quilting because I can do it while laying down, which for me has been so great, and it isn't as hard on my hands as knitting is. I can't wait to find a nice "Sun Bonnet Sue" pattern that I can do a whole quilt with. For now this scrap of fabric will go in my pile with no known purpose other than I saw, I tried & I conquered. Be sure to check back for Halloween fun in the next few days! |
All I seem to do is jump from one thing to another.Not sure why. Frustrating as all hell. I wanted to update here, I am in the middle of correcting a letter I need to send and I need to make some phone calls and do a little organizing. I can't decide what to do first, so instead I bounce around and get none of it down. Time to buckle down and get some stuff done. Maybe by the end of today, I can say I have accomplished something other than errands outside the house. So what has the Cummings and Nicholson clan been up to for the last week or so? Seems like everything and nothing all at the same time. We have been keeping busy, but not much to show for it. That is frustrating to me, but it's called life I suppose. I left off last Saturday. On Sunday, I took Ping to Harvard for a Daisy picnic. We had a nice time. I picked up Ping's friend and fellow Daisy Molly in Worcester and then the three of us headed off to a camp where Girl Scouts were invited for a few hours. We met the rest of the troop, had a hamburger and chips and then went to make bubbles. Some field games followed and then s'mores and a sing along followed! We had a nice time and it was gorgeous out. I then drove Molly home and Shayla and I headed home. The rest of the day was spent doing a few things around the house, baths, books and bed. On Monday, I had breakfast with a good friend of mine. I didn't like breakfast at all as they messed up the order something terribly. However, I didn't care. I was there to chat with a friend and that is all that was important. It was rushed, but it was good to see her regardless. The rest of the day was spent doing a little organizing around the house. There is so much to clean, organize, ditch and Freecycle. That evening Ping didn't have Daisies, but Bill went to the town meeting because he was being recognized as being on the fire department for 15 years. So I read to the kids and put them to bed. On Tuesday, I volunteered at the front desk at school. I then headed to Brighams to meet with the doctor and dietician that oversees my TPN. It was a quick meeting. My Albumin has dipped from 3.2 to 2.9 and they thought I had a little third spacing going on. I could not agree more. My legs are full of fluid again. I headed home so that I could pick up Shayla from school at 3:00 pm. She and I then drove in the pouring rain over to the Sterling Animal Shelter to meet her fellow Daisies. We were there to donate recycled newspapers and to have a tour. That went well. We then went home and had dinner, read books and went to bed. During the day, Bill was here for the men who came to install the new TV system. It's a nice looking TV. I have yet to be in that room and it's been over a week since we have had it. Just no time. Anyway, it was nice that he was home so that the men could be here. Wednesday was Manny's birthday party at the church. I booked the church basement for Manny's party this year. It was from 4pm-6pm. I spent most of the day at home doing a few things and getting ready for the party. At 3 pm, I went to the church and got everything ready. Bill grabbed Shayla and then joined me. We hung up a few decorations, put out the coloring packets and the crafts. Filled up the snack bowls and waited for our friends. The cheapest and easiest party ever. I am really done with doing huge and expensive parties. It has grown so out of control. I just can't do it for three kids. So from now on, parties are going to be small and enjoyed by just a few kids at a time. Ping wants to go to Applebees for lunch or dinner for her birthday, so we may just invite a few kids for that. We shall see. Manny got some great books. I asked people to forgo gifts and just bring a favorite book if they wanted to bring something. So Manny got some great books, two Toy Story toys, a shirt, an outfit and a Doodlepro. He was thrilled. He also got a stuffed bear and a stuffed monkey. The kids played musical chairs, we had cake and then we cleaned up and came home for a quick dinner and then bed. On Thursday, I had another appointment with a Brigham's doctor. This one was my new primary care. She was very nice. I then went to Waltham to pick up some of my favorite wings that I have not had in years. I then headed on back down the highway to home. The rest of the night was spent doing some stuff in the house and feeding the kids their dinner. I was exhausted from driving around all day. Friday was a great day. I had lunch at a friend's house. I have not seen her in some time, so it was really nice to be able to sit and visit with her and her sons. Her oldest two were away for the weekend. I then headed home and did some cleaning around the house. That night I went with another friend to a reflexology appointment. It was heaven. My feet loved it. It was nice to be out even though it was barely over an hour. I then came home as Bill was on call at 10 pm. On Saturday, we had three sets of plans. One was cancelled and I cancelled the other plans because it was too close to when Bill and I had plans. Bill and I had dinner out with another couple. We had an excellent babysitter here for a few hours. We went to Kyoto Japan and had a great time. Lots of laughs. Bill and I shared a dish and we each got a great appetizer. It was nice to be out with other adults. On Sunday, the kids went to Sunday School while I showered. I had a baby shower to attend. My friend Maura is due soon. I drove to Norwood for 1pm and proceeded to sit outside in the most gorgeous weather and enjoy Maura opening her gifts. It was a small shower. It was perfect. I actually got a chance to chat with people. The pollen was gross though. It was all over us. I then did a few errands on the way home. I was home in time to read the kids a book and tuck them into bed. Monday was Memorial Day. We got up early and Bill headed off to walk in the first part of the memorial/parade. The three kids and me joined at the second cemetery which is where we always join them. Ping and Daddy marched in the parade and decorated the graves there. I then took Shayla up town and dropped her off with the rest of the Daisies that were marching in the parade through town. Yamira, Manny and I put our little seats out and sat and waited for the parade to start. Our friend Ashly and her two girls joined us. After the parade, Daddy went to have a beer at the legion and I took the kids home. I tried to eat a little something as I was starved. I must have eaten too fast. I got sick and had to lay down. When Bill came home, he showered and then we headed to Ayi Meri's house for burgers. We sat in the sun and watched the kids play. We had a great time. Before I knew it, we had to go home for baths. The day went too fast. On Tuesday, the kids returned to school and I headed out to lunch with my friend Lisa. We met at Wholly Canolli. I had never been there before. The place was freezing cold and so I had to wear a jacket. I looked like a jerk as it was 82 degrees out. It was so bright in there, I had to wear my sunglasses too. We had a great lunch though. It wasn't long enough by any means, but it was nice to catch up. I will say that I was pretty disgusted as was Lisa with a fellow diner who thought that not wearing shoes into the place was okay. Then she crossed her feet right in front of us. I thought we were both going to vomit. It was disgusting and unsanitary. Should never have been allowed, but not sure anyone saw but us! I then headed off to Millbury to do a few errands and then home. At 4:00 pm we had a painter come by and give an estimate. The rest of the evening was spent having dinner and reading books. I actually sat down fairly early to try and watch TV and I passed out!!!! Today was a decent day. I had a dentist appointment. I then did a few errands and picked up Shayla and her friend Hannah from school. I am watching Hannah while her parents do some stuff this week. The girls came home and did some homework and had a snack. They then went for a walk over to the cemetery with Bill to check on the flowers. Hannah just left. It's time to feed the kids and get the backpacks filled for tomorrow. Then I will put them to bed as Bill heads out to the fire department for training. I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and a great week ahead. It's a short week! Before we know it, the kids will be out of school!!!! Maura and Patrick. |
Today left quite an impression on me. It did this for many reasons. Firstly because God is doing so much in me. He is constantly revealing new truth's about myself and life in general. He is guiding me, and changing me. Slowly but surely it's happening. Tonight, all the interns and camp staff met together like we have been to share life stories/testimonies. I love this, because it gives people an open floor format to be honest and real. If you asked me, "Hey mikey, what trait do you most adore in an individual?" I would reply, "genuineness." That is what we got tonight. Not only did it come from two interns tonight, but also from our intern coordinator. It was a very powerful and moving evening. A definite bonding moment, and a very special occasion. I am constantly realizing truth about my own personal testimony, and really taking a hold of what God has allowed me to go through without holding anything back. There are areas of my "life experience" that I have kind of glazed over, maybe as an automatic pain protection reaction, or maybe because I still hold some shame in my heart for things I have done or been through. Whatever the reason may be, God is breaking down those walls and allowing me to shine through, without guilt or feelings of burden silently plaguing my conscious. Even though I said I would come to this summer internship as an open blank book, ready for God to do whatever he needs. I still had certain expectations for what may happen. Still a very open and willing heart, but I am just set up to try to figure things out. Maybe to just see if I can figure out what God is really doing. All the preconceived notions I held about what God "might do" have been completely torn down. God does what God needs to do. I am so thankful for that; for the fact that I can't understand how He works. It just goes to show that the Master plan is only seen by the Master himself. Amen to that. There sure is a lot of heart and love in this camp in Arizona. God has really honored me by allowing me to be a part of it. |
Happy Labor Day! It was cold and rainy here and Mia took full advantage and slept most of her day away. What better thing to do when it rains, right? Mia was doing well when we made it over to see her this morning. We missed rounds but her nurse assured us she was good. Her heart rate was a little high this morning so they are going to monitor that, but when we went back this evening, it had gone back down to normal. Prays that it stays where it has which is anywhere from 140 - 156. It varies for her but normally stays somewhere in that range. Other then that - she really had a great day. Mommy got to cuddle with her girl on this rainy day because Daddy feels a bit under the weather and he doesn't wanna take the chance of her getting sick. We got him some medicine tonight but pray he starts to feel better soon. Now's not a good time to get sick. Katie and her Mom came to visit our little lady today! Katie's Mom has been like my other Mom for so long so it was only fitting she came to see her 'grand baby'. I'm pretty sure she's in love now too. Of course - we can't blame her. Mia is pretty loveable! They took us out to dinner and it was so nice to just sit and relax and talk and feel 'normal'? We have sort of adapted a routine here but it was nice to just get away from the hospital and visit with dear friends. So thanks Katie and Debbie - we really appreciated it! Drew ran back to the hospital at around 9 tonight to get the bottles and stuff for pumping that I had left here from earlier. When he went back, he spoke to the night nurse some and she told us that tomorrow night is bath night and invited us to come help bathe Mia! She also told Drew that they weighed Mia again tonight. Our little chunkster gained more weight. She's now at 2lbs 6.8oz. She hasn't left any food in her line and she's tolerating her feeds well so they are increasing her feeds from 3ml every 3 hours to 3ml every 2 hours. Means this Momma has to get more pumping in! Tomorrow the grandparents are coming and hopefully Mia will be awake but if it's another rainy day, the chances of that look slim! |
Hutch is here! Born 1.24.2010 at 6:01 AM 6 pounds 20 inches. I was totally not expecting to deliver Hutch as fast as I did, but nothing with this whole process has gone exactly to plan! First, I thought I was going to deliver him at 31 weeks when I went into preterm labor, and then all of that resolved and I had a normal last part of my 3rd trimester. God works in such mysterious ways and provides miracles in ways we don't even know he can. The only reason why I was able to go back to work after 34 weeks was because my contractions had stopped and I was not dilated...thinned, but not dilated. Well, as my due date was coming near- I thought, after all this surely I would start dilating- I did not even think I would make it to my due date. I was wrong! So, my doctor said at 40 weeks we could induce, but he did not want to start the Pitocin, the only thing most people who induce have to get...he wanted to give me a "cervical ripening" medicine that was going to make me start dilating so my risk of laboring for hours and having to have a c-section would be much lower. So, that was the plan. I was to go in on my due date, the 23rd and start the cervical ripening medicine which is actually inserted and placed next to the cervix- where you have to still be monitored in the hospital and everything. Brooks and I thought we would go in- get a good nights sleep and they would start the pitocin at 5:30 - 6 am Sunday, the 24th. Not so much! The medicine was placed at 6 in the evening and by 9 I was having full blown contractions. By 11 pm- I had to get my epidural because they were so painful...once I got this, life was much better and I knew I would be able to do whatever was next. My labor and delivery nurses were absolutely wonderful! Truly wonderful! Not only were they wonderful, but my sweet hubby was my protector and watching over me the whole time. The nurses were both convinced that I had a band of tissue that was keeping me from dilating that if that would just release, then I would probably go from not being dilated at all to like a 5. That is exactly what happened. That is why I call this my miracle stitch that God placed when I went into preterm labor. Because of this band of tissue- my cervix was unable to dilate as fast, and I therefore, was able to carry Hutch to term. So, on most people this cervical ripening takes like 12 hours- and only 2 for me! I was extremely sensitive to it and it sent me straight into labor. Brooks and I did not even have time to call anyone- our parents/family came to the hospital completely thinking they were going to be waiting all day for me to deliver and Hutch was already delivered. My sweet handsome little man is the light of my life! I can't wait to share our life with Little Man Hutch with everyone. |
Collingwood concentrates on England preparation Paul Collingwood insists that Australia's current struggle for form will have no bearing on England's preparations ahead of the first Test in Brisbane later this month, as they turn their attentions to their opening three-day warm-up game against Western Australia in Perth on Friday. England have named a 13-man squad for the first of their three practice matches, with the fit-again Ian Bell expected to replace Eoin Morgan as the only change from the side that won the fourth Test against Pakistan at Lord's back in August. That level of stability is something that the Aussies cannot currently rely upon, having slumped to an improbable one-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka at the MCG on Wednesday - their sixth consecutive loss in all internationals dating back to July. In addition to their lack of form, Australia are also struggling to deal with newspaper reports suggesting that Michael Clarke, the team's vice-captain, has fallen out with senior colleagues who do not believe he should be the next Test captain after Ricky Ponting. But Collingwood, while clearly happy for his opponents to take the heat in the early stages of the tour, was adamant that England needed to keep their counsel in the coming days and not get distracted by matters beyond their control. "It's a different position - it's something we're not used to when we come to Australia," admitted Collingwood, who witnessed at first hand the media feeding frenzy that greeted England in 2006-07, not least when Marcus Trescothick quit the tour ahead of the Brisbane Test with a recurrence of his stress-related illness. "But we know they're a good side, and we're going to have to play very well to beat them. "Let's be honest, the more games they lose the better it is for us. The more games they do lose, confidence levels may go down," he added. "But we're not going to read too much into it. We've got to prepare ourselves as a team to be in the best frame of mind going into the Test matches. I'm sure they'll be trying to do that themselves too. We're not going to take them lightly - it's as simple as that." Australia in a home Ashes Test will be a different proposition to the team that lost the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Collingwood insisted, but nevertheless, the manner in which they let slip a seemingly impregnable position at 107 for 8 has been taken as further evidence of a loss of killer instinct, something that England themselves witnessed at Cardiff in 2009, when James Anderson and Monty Panesar saved the game with an unbroken tenth-wicket stand. "Most of us watched the game [against Sri Lanka], but really we're very much focused on what we've got to do rather than the opposition," said Collingwood. "Obviously it's a different team to the Test team, so we're very much preparing ourselves to do well in these warm-up games. It would be silly to let the foot off the gas because of the opposition going through whatever they are going through." Collingwood, for his part, has plenty to keep his mind occupied in the coming days, as he prepares to readjust himself to first-class cricket after a sparse home summer against Pakistan. However, with just seven first-class outings since the World Twenty20 got underway in April, he's not too concerned about the suggestions that he is out of nick, especially having overcome several doubters on the last trip four years ago with a gutsy double-century at Adelaide. "Anyone who says it's a bad trot I'm going through, I'm not going to read too much into it," he said. "The challenges you get out here are exactly what I want as a cricketer, and something I'm very excited to get my teeth into. I look forward to playing what I hope will be some big, match-winning innings." As far as England are concerned, their preparation for Brisbane begins in earnest at Perth on Friday, and will continue through both of their remaining warm-up matches at Adelaide and Hobart. "If we can get three wins under our belts that will be fantastic," said Collingwood. ""You want good individual performances out there as well to get the confidence going high, because the belief is the most important thing, coming to Australia. "There is genuine belief around the camp that we can win out here," he added. "I don't think anything that happens between now and the first Test will waver that belief in any way. The guys are very experienced now, playing in different conditions round the world, and although there are a couple of technical adjustments, I think that belief is the major thing we can bring into this tough environment. We've done plenty of talking in the dressing room - now is the time to go out there and put those big performances in." England squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alistair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Eoin Morgan, Chris Tremlett © ESPN Sports Media Ltd. |
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Copyright: 6/10/2010 Little Critter is a bit nervous about starting school today. There's a lot to be done before he can even get on the bus-he has to pick out his clothes, find his backpack, pack the perfect lunch, and say good-bye to Mom. Join Little Critter as he gets ready for this exciting day. Lift the flaps and find out what surprises are in store for Little Critter on his first day of school! |
The [recently discovered] giant pyramid in the Azores Islands –submerged only 45m below sea level– must have already been identified by both military sonar scans and geo-satellite surveillance several decades ago, yet a local fisherman fortuitously stumbled upon one of the most exciting sites publicized since the major discoveries in Bosnia and Indonesia. The Portuguese military claims to be undertaking investigations that will be made public, but, conversely, continue to withhold all images and information on the site. Who’s ever heard of Monks Mound, a pyramidal shape just outside of East St. Louis, IL? And that Monks Mound contained almost the exact same artifacts as those in the recently discovered Pyramids in Bosnia thousands of miles away? An almost exact replica of this stone from Bosnia was found near Monks Mound…. Once you start connecting the dots, the inevitable conclusion that a coherent global civilization, with a global language and culture, once existed in prehistoric times. For the rest of the story: |
Whilst Summer is off in the hospital, bringing her little leorabbit into the world, I thought I'd work on her older daughter's chimerical creature. Now, this lass was a trickier one - she was born in the Year of the Ox, but her star sign is Libra. Libra is symbolised by a set of scales. Now, scales do not hybridise well. So I suggested maybe something WITH scales, but Summer decided to let the girl decide instead. And she likes monkeys. Oxymonkey was a bit trickier than the other two. The first effort was an abysmal failure, but on the second go, this handsome fellow stepped from the page. He's more monkey than ox, and that monkey is a squirrel monkey. I hope they all like it. And now, I guess, my commisisons for that family shall end. Unless Summer and her husband would like one each? And since Summer mentioned me in her blog, I feel I shall mention As you can see from looking through it, Summer is a wonderful supporter of local artists and I am sure her children's bedrooms must be truly delightful (I rather want to buy this . If I had a child, I most certainly would, it would look awesome in a nursery). |
After we left Grandpa's on Sunday, we headed to Dallas to watch our play in the Kirk Herbstreit Classic. I had never been to Cowboys Stadium, so I was in awe from the get-go. It's a pretty insane facility--impressive to say the very least. My kids were in awe, too... for about the first thirty minutes. Then it was all old news. Jeb fell asleep standing up and hung out in my arms for the next 45 minutes or so. I mean, his surroundings were so booooring... what else is a boy to do? And here's Estella Dru, playing her iPod from her suite. You know... nothin' else to do but play your iPod in Cowboys Stadium. Sadly, Shiloh lost. But seriously? Who gets invited to play in Cowboys Stadium in high school? We are SO proud of those boys and their coaches. Oh... And wanna see who we played? I'm just going to warn you.... this isn't normal. Not even a little. They performed this little number on the field before the game. I'll just tell ya'... it was just as freaky in person. |
Because it was a long weekend and because I had a free ticket on Southwest and because who really needs to have a good reason to get away for a long weekend, I went to Reno. I had not been back since earlier this summer and it was very nice to take a break from travelling. I don't know yet if it's a bad sign that I feel like I need a vacation after only two chapter visits. The weather last week in Tennessee was rough because of the remants of a hurricane (there have been so many I lost track of which one it was). The weather in Reno was on the cold side but a welcome break from rain and humidity. The highs each day were in the 70's or 80's and the lows at night were in the 40's and 50's. This is the reason for the funny hat. I was freezing and only had shorts and short sleeves packed. (I mostly didn't pack properly for the weather because I stuffed all of my dirty laundry into my suitcase to do while I was out in Reno. Yes, rather than go to a laundry mat or use someone's washer and dryer, I brought my dirty clothes with me to Reno. But, I digress. The University hyped the Grambling band to sell tickets and they were as good as advertised. I thought it was funny that they would put so much emphasis on another school's band when Nevada's band is getting cut because of a lack of funding. I got to sit up in the AD's box for the game and got to hang out with Ryan and Josh as well. There were a few adventures, but all in all, a good night. I left the blackjack tables up $15 so I can say I left Reno a winner. I played golf for the first two days that I was there and really couldn't have hit the broad side of a barn if I wanted to. There is something going on with my swing that I just can't seem to figure out. The course is a PGA course and will eat you alive if you aren't accurate with your shots... Not quite the place to be trying to iron the wrinkles out of your swing. I didn't keep score and just enjoyed being outside and spending some time with my Dad. I also got to spend some quality time with my family, including Claire (aka Booger pictured above). This was on our way to go shopping and the song "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" came one. This was ger expression after she heard my feeble attempts to sing the song. I know all of the words but was not blessed with any semblance of a singing voice. Claire was not impressed either way. Tuesday night was make-your-own-pizza night and this is the future heartburn I made. I has pepperoni, sausage, spicy beef, and jalapenos. It turned out much better than I expected but still managed to give me haertburn. (Man, am I THAT old?) The next pictures were when I stole Claire's glasses and wore them . I just thought they look funny so I included them. Whenever I travel, I never cease to be amazed at how stupid people can be. On my way out to Reno, my flight connected through Las Vegas. When the plane landed in Las Vegas and parked at the gate, a guy in front of me jumped up and started to try to make his way to the back of the airplane. Apparently, he had put some of his luggage in an overhead bin several rows behind his seat. Instead of doing the logical thing and waiting or having someone pass it forward, this guy decided to try to force his way through the aisle to grab his bags. The aisles on airplanes are clearly not large enough for two people to occupy the same space comfortably but this guy decided to go full speed ahead. Another funny note about flying into Las Vegas. You will never be on a more rowdy flight than one flying to Las Vegas. People have been drinking, they talk and laugh and are abviously very excited to get to Vegas. I have even been on several flights where the passengers clapped when the plane landed. When was the last time someone clapped when your flight landed? The part that makes this funny si when you have an early morning flight out of Las Vegas. Everyone is standing in the terminal hungover, chugging coffee, and looking like someone punched them in the gut. The flight out is as quiet as a tomb. The other thing I am amazed about is how people seem to get dumber the minute they hit airport security. I don't think I will ever stopped being amazed by people's stupidity when it comes to the security checkpoint in airports. On my way back to Nashville, I saw next to an older woman. We had the middle seat unoccupied between us and so I grabbed my book and settled in. The plane hit some turbulence and I woke up from a nap to see the woman staring intently at her tray table. She would lift it up like she was going to put it away and then let it drop. Then she would life it part way and begin to pull it up and down. As i watched out of the corner of my eye, she did this for a good 10 minutes before putting the tray up. Weird. If you ever have wondered, This is what I would look like with purple glasses. More adventures to come. |
This past weekend (April 25) was ANZAC Day in New Zealand. Being an American, I’ve learnt all about what ANZAC is and what the day means to New Zealanders over the nearly two years I’ve been here now. A short lesson for those unfamiliar. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was a joint force created during World War I. On April 25, 1915, the ANZACS landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey with the aim of capturing the Dardanelles. The ANZACS were unsuccessful…thousands lost their lives in that battle--87,000 Turks, 44,000 men from France and the British Empire which includes 2,779 New Zealanders and 8,500 Australians. About a fifth of those New Zealanders who served on Gallipoli were killed. It’s had an incredible impact on this small nation, as you can imagine. It is also significant in New Zealand’s history as it’s when they first are getting a sense of themselves as a country. ANZAC Day commemorates all New Zealanders killed in war and also honours returned servicemen and women. This year, being exactly 100 years since Gallipoli has been extremely poignant. The day is marked with a commemoration service at dawn and a parade later in the morning. Recently I was talking to my grandmother in the States and telling her about our long weekend and our plans to do some more travel. “It’s ANZAC weekend, Grandma” I told her. “What weekend?” And I got David on the phone to explain and give a little history lesson from WW I. After she heard how many New Zealanders died and what a tragedy it was (at Gallipoli), she said, “War is really stupid. We should get all the world leaders together in one room and let them fight it out… and really quickly they would find another way besides killing each other to work out their differences.” Well said, Grams. I couldn’t have summed up my view any clearer. |
Right after we moved into the house we needed to buy some furniture. The boys bunk beds were given away, oh like, five minutes before we closed on our old house. I'll just say this about that. My husband is a wonderful, wonderful man and so I forgive him for loading the moving truck so full of shovels and bricks and various and sundry items that we were not able to bring which belong to she who does not appreciate bricks.
Yes, we moved 150 pounds of bricks. Why? Because Kevin made a promise to John that his building materials would survive the hands of she who does not appreciate bricks.
So.
We got bricks, but we don't got beds.
In the beginning of March we went and ordered new furniture for the boys and a new entertainment armoire for the living room. It was all ordered on March 8. This past Thursday we should have received a call from the furniture place to let us know that the wooden eagle had landed. They didn't call. I was surprisingly calm. I hold people to their deadlines, but I let this one slide. I called on Friday instead.
I called in the afternoon and got through to a woman, name unknown. Our conversation was too funny to not recall every detail:
Lady: Furniture company.
Me: HI! We ordered some furniture and I was calling to see if it had arrived to your warehouse yet.
Lady: How long ago did you order it?
Me: Six weeks ago. I was thinking that it should have arrived by now.
Lady: Well, I wouldn't know that unless I went to check the files.
Silence, while she goes to check, only she totally does not go to check. She sits on the phone, breathing in my ear.
Me: Blink. Blink. O.K. I guess I should call back then.
Lady: Yep. Call back.
I hang up, tell Kevin what happened and we both crack up! He calls back and asks to speak with our salesman, which I should have done to begin with. Our salesman says the furniture just arrived and they will be here today to deliver it.
Happy dance!!! Boys off the floor!!! T.V. behind doors!!!
When the delivery guys arrived this morning they told us that one of the side units was damaged when the inspected the pieces and they have to order us a new one. I was mildy disappointed until they opened the boxes. Behold! The soothing power of new furniture. Real furniture that I don't have to put together or have a fight with my husband about who should be using the phillips head screw driver first while putting it together.
Damaged piece or not, it's beautiful.
And now, without further adieu, the boys rooms. This is John's. Notice the non-themed bedding. Still choking back tears over that one. Jeremy's room. Aaargh, Matey's! If ye be enterin' me room without knockin, it's Davey Jones locker for ye!
It's a pirate theme, obviously. I haven't completely lost my mind.
Look to the finish! |
Tracy Tangonan (right), 2016 Golden Apple Excellence in Service by a Staff Member awardee, with Office of Academic Affairs colleague Joseph Agudo, administrative coordinator The people make Hawai‘i Pacific University a special place, according to Assistant to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Tracy Tangonan. She joined the university on August 30, 1993.
“I started working on the same day as Lori Nakayama, (Administrative Specialist, School of Education),” Tangonan said. “Darlene Young Ramos (Academic Advising Specialist) was hired a few weeks later, and Joan Ramos Ishaque (Assistant to the Dean, College of Liberal Arts) was already working in the Senior Vice President’s Office.”
Nakayama, Ramos and Ishaque are just three of the many staff Tangonan works with in the Office of Academic Administration (OAA).
“In OAA, we have a good network,” she said. “These are people I know I can rely on.”
Over Tangonan’s nearly 23 years in academic affairs at HPU, she has supported the Vice President of Academic Affairs, now Provost, in various capacities. Until this past year, one of her primary responsibilities was processing faculty contracts. Through this function, she interacted with many of the faculty. “Just getting to know faculty has been a great experience. Talking with them and getting to know them beyond academics is pretty amazing,” Tangonan said. “I miss our offices in the MP building (1188 Fort Street) as we were right next to the Faculty Support Center. I got to chat with both faculty and students daily. I guess this is one of the reasons why I look forward to opportunities when I will be around faculty, like at forums, Commencement, or Convocation.” Part of the volunteer team for Spring 2016 Commencement Tracy Tangonan (back), assistant to the provost and vice president of academic affairs; Cassie Carter, Ph.D. (front, left), associate vice president of university relations; and Darcy Query, executive assistant to the vice president and chief financial officer Also working with faculty, Tangonan supported academic grants management, in her earlier years at the university. In the late 90s, she ran a 12-week lunch-time speaker series funded by a Hawaii Council for the Humanities grant.
"This grant was a by-product of the NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) grant that Dr. Michael Pavkovic (former Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences) brought in to HPU,” Tangonan said. “The open to the public lectures featured HPU and external community speakers. It was rewarding to be a part of this series.”
Two years ago, she became more involved with the Provost’s division budget. Tangonan now works closely with Budget Manager-Academics Sheldon Miyakado. As requests come through the Provost’s office, Tangonan helps to ensure that funds are available, for personnel and operating expenses.
“It can be challenging as we all need to make the most of a fixed amount of funds," she said. "When we are able to present to the Provost a way to make a new opportunity work, it is like a puzzle has been figured out.”
A central component of Tangonan’s job is supporting the Provost by scheduling and planning his work life.
“My days vary. I could be helping to plan functions such as HAICU (Hawaii Association of Independent Colleges and Universities), or whatever project the Provost has for me,” she said. “I think that if you summarized my job in a sentence, it’s that last sentence on all position descriptions — and other duties as assigned!” Additionally, Tangonan serves on the Staff Council’s Special Events and Recognition Committee and the Staff Relations Committee. In February, the Council presented the inaugural to Student Life, recognizing the team’s dedication and commitment to excellence. There were several great groups nominated for the award, and after much discussion, the committee decided to award the Student Life staff, Tangonan said. “Marites (McKee) and her group continue to go beyond their job description in their quest to provide balance to our students’ academic lives. The programming that they do for our students is unbelievable," she said. "They’re so important, and I see how hard they work. I was so happy to be a part of that inaugural award decision.” Tangonan also received an award — the Excellence in Service by a Staff Member — in May. With the Golden Apple, the Scholarship and Learning Resources Committee of the Faculty Assembly is ecognizing and commending her skills and contributions to the advancement of teaching, scholarship and service at HPU. Being given a Golden Apple is an honor Tangonan said. She then makes it a point to focus on the collective group of individuals, comprising the HPU community. “Each of us is like a thread, and as we get woven together because of our interactions, we become fabric,” Tangonan said. “And as we work closely together the fabric is stronger. That’s what really makes us great as an organization.” |
early morning walk. before the heat hits. the grass in the park freshly cut. like our own lawn that tom cut yesterday. the softest breeze off the lake. edgar isn't feeling well.....walking gingerly with sadness in his eyes. he's so sensitive to not having enough water. maybe it's some urinary tract trouble. i'll keep an eye on him today. my day in the studio yesterday was wonderful. seeing people i haven't seen in years. seeing the people i love to see everyday. and then seeing the people i don't see enough. it was a perfect day. i primped the space, making it bright and fresh and pretty. and the energy from all the nice comments from the lovely women who read my blog and visit through cyberspace...i felt that energy too. so thank you.
the scent of grass is floating in the window. i'm going to wander up to buy a coffee and muffin. and then get sewing. i cut out little girls dresses yesterday. and a pile of totes. i'll sew on the porch. |
Eggless Blueberry Banana Whole-wheat Muffins It is sunny and beautiful outside. The kind when you want to spend each minute outside, soak in the beauty, walk barefoot in the grass and make sunny memories to look back on during the dreary cold winter months. Especially during the weekends. But our days are being planned around World Cup 2014 schedule. The 4.75 year old has started enjoying the matches and now looks for Messi in each match. So last Sunday afternoon right after Mexico lost to Netherlands, we went blueberry picking and brought home 2 pounds of blueberries and a boatload of memories! We went to this rustic little farm - Hidden Valley Fruit Farm about 20 miles from our place. Oh, btw... I have very resourceful friends who are supplying me with lovely recipe ideas! Thanks guys! This recipe is once again a spin on the basic whole-wheat muffin recipes that I have used in the past. But I have been experimenting with the amount of oil. I reduced it by 2 tbsp and it did not affect the muffins at all! I have had a few of my readers ask me if the applesauce can be substituted with something. I think 1/4 Cup yogurt might do the trick, but I am yet to try it out. Ingredients: (Yields about 9 muffins) Whole-wheat flour - 1 Cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp
Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Applesauce - 1/3 Cup
Honey - 1/3 Cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1/2 Cup
Buttermilk - 1/4 Cup
Banana - 1, big, mashed
Blueberries - 1 Cup The most important thing to keep in mind while making a muffin is perhaps the how its batter is prepared. It is called a 'muffin method' (used for making quick breads, pancakes, waffle batter) where the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are mixed separately first and then folded in gently till fully combined to prevent gluten formation. Preheat oven to 350 F. Mash the banana and keep aside. In a bowl, sift together the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the applesauce, honey, oil and vanilla extract. Do not overbeat. Pour in the buttermilk. Buttermilk can be store-bought buttermilk or made at home (notes below). Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients along with the mashed banana. Fold in the blueberries until just combined.
Scoop in the batter about 1/4 cup at a time in a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners.
Bake for 14-16 minutes - insert a toothpick to check if it is done - it should come out clean.
Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. These should stay fresh for 4 days.
Buttermilk: For making buttermilk at home, add 1 tbsp of vinegar to a measuring up and fill it up to the 1/4th mark. Leave it undisturbed for ten minutes or till it curdles. |
Feeling much better today so drove to my daughter's to pick up my sweet Toby. I sure did miss him. My brother has a dog, A J, a golden retriever, beautiful. So calm, most of the time you are not even aware he is around except when he wants a little lovin'. The whole week I was there I never heard him bark, not once. We took him to Santa Fe with us and while Gwen and I were strolling the streets my brother would have him on a leash walking around the Promenade He became an instant magnet, attracting women, children & men. Everyone wanted to pet A J, he is so gentle and so tolerant. Toby, on the other hand is well, how do I say this, not calm, not quiet, you always know he's around and barks at just about everything. I keep telling myself that the barking is good, makes for a fine watch-dog, but if anybody came after him he would run with his tail between his legs. He sounds mighty, but he is really a woose (sp??) He was so happy to see me today he couldn't stop wagging his tail, jumping up on my lap, kissing me (I know those who aren't dog lovers are probably going yuck), and a few barks along the way. Isn't it nice to be loved like that, so unconditional, so happy. A J gives quiet love, Toby is a little more demonstrative. Wouldn't you say he was a happy camper to be home again??!! Thought I would post a few pics from the Scott Kelby Photo Walk I went on Saturday, Oct 1st. Just a few days before I left for Colorado. My buddy, Catherine and I joined a group that was to meet at Graceland Cemetery on North Clark St. in Chicago. It was established in 1860 and is a haven in the city with massive oaks, elms and maples that stand in testament to the architecturally significant monuments and markers that cover 119 acres of land. Chicago "giants" are buried here, early settlers, developers, railroad car manufactures, inventors, civic planners & builders, newspapers publishers, lumber merchants. This cemetary is filled with those who made Chicago the great city it is today. There were many mausoleums that had beautiful workmanship on the doorways. Because of their age they had this wonderful patina finish. And my goodness there were many, many tall pedestals marking the gravesites. This was the gravesite of the Burnham Family, early developers of the city. Very simple rock gravestone, but he had a small island that was all his. Was that ever a surprise (shock) to be walking along and this runs in front of us. The Cemetary had a coyote that made his home there. One of the fellow photographers found his den beneath a tombstone, almost stuck his hand in but decided he best not. (a wise man does not stick hand in coyote den.....an Indian lore) This small site belonged to the Honore Family, a big developer. (Carried on thru death looks like) And my friend, Marshall Field. I call him my friend because of how many times I went to his place of business to shop. He always sent me a thank-you in the form of my monthly bill. Very sad in this city when Marshall Field was sold to Macy's. It took me almost 4 years before I would even step foot inside Macy's. I was in protest. Suppose he belonged to the Pope family and just stopping by to pay his respects? They did have quite a few small headstones. They were not all super sized. Oops spoke too soon. This is another LARGE tribute, this one belongs to the Palmer Family. Another developer of our fair city and also the owner of the Palmer House Hotel. Mr. Palmer is laid to rest in that large above ground marble grave on the left, while Mrs. Palmer is on the right. Do you see the man on the left?, that gives you some idea as to the size of this. The last one was a small gravesite that had this statue of a young man playing a flute made from bronze sitting atop the grave. Apparently he was in his early 40's when he died after completing his medical schooling and had barely started his practice when he passed away. This was my entry for my "best shot" of the day. I just liked how serene and simple and that lovely bokeh. It was a wonderful day strolling thru this piece of Chicago history. I will definitely join a group next year. After the walk we all met at a local restuarant and bar just a couple of blocks away to enjoy a meal and talk about the coyote. "That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." ~ Emily Dickinson |
Not a report story, but it happened in my car rental days and it was funny.
I was renting a car to a lady whose regular ride was in the shop. Not unusual. The rental car, depicted by the red car in this drawing, was parked in "Stall #1." Right next to it, on the right, was a concrete sidewalk, six inches off the ground. The renter and I both walked up on it, and down on the pavement as we circled the car in a pre-rental inspection.
The renter noted aloud: "I'd better be careful of that sidewalk when I pull out!"
Me: "Yes, ma'am. Good news is you can drive straight ahead to get on the street."
Renter: "I see that. Good!"
She got in the car, and for some reason I still have not figured out to this day, she cut the wheel sharply to the right and drove right up onto the sidewalk.
I felt like Bill Engvall: here's your sign. |
Chris Doig: Shrewsbury Town's summer business 'slowly coming together' Assistant boss Chris Doig insists Shrewsbury Town's summer business is slowly coming together, adding: "there's a lot we still want yet to be done." Salop have completed three deals over the close season so far, signing Arthur Gnahoua, Lenell John-Lewis and Jon Nolan. Boss Paul Hurst has previously spoke about around 10 or 12 being brought in into the club, while recruitment administrator Adam Henshall recently warned there is going to be 'quite a big turnover'. And Doig believes once pre-season training starts, on Friday, the rate of incomings should speed up. He said: "It's slowly coming together. It's a case of waiting on things that we're able to move on. "There's been a couple of things that we have not been able to make happen. But that will happen every summer. "It's a game of patience and I'm sure if you speak to every manager and coach up and down the country they'll say the same thing. "I always find that a week or week-and-a-half into pre-season things seem to go up a bit. "A lot of things nowadays don't seem to happen until pre-season starts and during it. "There's no panic on our side. There's obviously a lot of business that we still want yet to be done, if we're capable of doing it. "It's a slow process but we've got to be patient." In terms of the three players bought in so far, ex-Kidderminster Harriers man Gnahoua and former Grimsby Town hotshot John-Lewis are both forwards while Nolan, signed from Chesterfield, is a central Hurst and Doig are keen to not overload the squad with similar players, but strike up a good blend of young players with a point to prove and experienced heads who will prove vital on and off the pitch as Town look to go much better in League One. Doig has assured supporters that plenty of work will be put into making sure any fresh face fits the bill, and said: "It'll be as it goes. "It's never been the case of bringing somebody in for the sake of it. "We'll only bring someone to the football club if we think it's right for the team and for us." He added: "We won't be panicked into making decisions or doing anything if we don't think it's right. "It will only be done if it's purely and simply in the best interests of Shrewsbury Town." |
For her 5 year old birthday Kendra received 2 chef hats and a few aprons. She roates through them every time she is cooking something. I LOVE the Hats!! With all of the apples from Grandma Sandy & Papa's tree, we made a LOT of applesauce. Today we made a Kook Kendra Kreation: 20 - 30 apples splash of 100% apple juice 1 T lemon juice 2 T cinnimon (or more) 1 t gound cloves (or less) 1 cup rasions (or more) Peal & slice apples, place them in a large pot with splash of 100% apple juice. Cook them down, stiring & smashing with a potato masher till they are soft. We like it pretty chunky, so we don't mash it all up. Once the apples are to the texture of your liking, add lemmon juice & spices. (You can add sugar if you want but we choose not to). Last add in raisins we used dark and like rasions this time. While sauce is still hot place into steralized canning jars. |
2 strips of smoked apple wood bacon, diced 3/4 cup chopped onion 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 2-3 ribs of celery Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 2 (6 ounce) can minced clams (1 drained, save the juice of one) 2 small sourdough bread bowls In a frying pan over med-high heat, cook diced bacon until crispy. Add onions, celery, thyme, rosemary and garlic; cook 5 minutes. Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Pour in half-and-half and butter. Drain clams, reserving clam liquid from one can; stir clams and 1/2 of the clam liquid into the soup. Cook until heated through. Do not allow to boil. Cut tops off bread and scoop out insides. Be careful not to puncture bottom or sides of bowl. Serve chowder in bread bowls and season with Tabasco and more pepper, if desired. |
All dressed up and no place to go Here I am with The Girls. Our friend Dave, the guy in the red hat, uses his draft horses for logging, sleigh and hay rides. He was logging across the street the other day and gave me a call to come see The Girls in action. So I did. Aren't I fetching? (I had just finished cleaning one of the hen houses. Can you say "stinky"? I won't say who or which stunk more.) Ira, to the right, was just walking back from cleaning the tanks at the sap house. In fact The Guys are quite colorful in this picture, brought to you by Himself. This was the second sweater I had knit some million years ago. You can see I didn't have a handle on decreasing by ?% for the bottom band. I just knew I didn't want to look like a balloon, so instead I look sloppy. The sleeves are long enough for an ape. But hey. It's a great barn sweater and it fits everyone! I've been weaving and knitting. Pictures at 11 or whenever I get "round tuit". |
Sears Tower unveils glass balconies on Skydeck A general view of cars driving on Wacker Drive is seen through a glass floor which is part of "The Ledge", 1,353 feet (412 meters) above the street, in Chicago July 1, 2009. The Ledge is part of Skydeck Chicago on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower. REUTERS/Frank Polich (UNITED STATES SOCIETY TRAVEL) Check out the link and the other photos. V exciting. |
Harper's Bazaar - September 12 Harper's describe this stunningly simple look as the prettiest of the AW12 beauty trends, and I have to agree. Suddenly, my usual powder blush looks a bit flat. The hunt for a cream replacement that will give that fresh faced flush has officially begun... |
Has anyone here read the Little House on the Prairie books? Or seen the show? I've never read through/watched through them, but I've read excerpts in literature classes and my family has several DVDs from the show. One thing I've always wanted to try is making maple syrup candy. That was from one of the early books, which I read an excerpt of in elementary school. The whole Ingalls family got together during the maple-sap season and made syrup and maple candy. Basically, they boiled the sap into syrup and then poured some hot, "waxing" syrup onto a pan of snow. After breakfast out one Saturday, I took home three little glass bottles of Cracker Barrel syrup and decided to spend my last morning in Indiana, with all its winter snow, testing out this candy-making. My first attempt involved microwaving a bottle of syrup and pouring it onto a plate of snow. Which did not work at all. Also, I forgot to photograph that one. Take two! This time I decided to pour some syrup into a bowl, add powdered sugar to thicken it, and then microwaved and poured onto snow. I really thought it was going to work. It came really close, but it didn't quite work the way I wanted. So then I asked my Mom and Grams if there was anything else I could add. Eventually that landed me on an internet search for pure maple syrup alternatives, since we discovered that my little Cracker Barrel bottles were half cane syrup. After a good bit of research, I came back prepared. Take three! Without Cracker Barrel bottles this time. And the result? Well, it came out like really soft, not quite sticky taffy. However, I wrapped most of it in plastic wrap and refrigerated it until my brothers came home. At that point, it was more like a thick fruit and veggie dip. So I decided to combine and rewrite the two recipes I used to create my own Homemade Candy Caramel Dip recipe! You can read the recipe below. Candy Kick Caramel Recipe 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/4 cup salted butter 1 teaspoon maple extract or vanilla extract Pour granulated sugar in a heavy skillet. Heat on high until the sugar melts and turns brown. Meanwhile, pour brown sugar into a heavy saucepan. Pour water over brown sugar and bring to a boil without stirring. Carefully add caramelized white sugar to the melted brown sugar in the saucepan. Simmer, stirring often, until syrup is Whisk in butter and Keep on medium-high heat, stirring to prevent boiling over, until the mixture stiffens when dropped onto a plate. Remove from heat and let cool before pouring into seal-able container and storing at room temperature. Stir before serving with carrots, celery, apple slices, or other dipping foods. Remove from heat and let cool before pouring into seal-able container and storing at room temperature. Warm on stove or microwave and stir before serving with pancakes, waffles, etc. Remove from heat and let cool before pouring into seal-able container and storing in the refrigerator. Scoop small pieces to serve. |
I was just listening to on Triple J and they were reporting on a small NSW town, Bundanoon, who are planning to ban bottled water from their town. Go Bandanoon! Filtered water fountains will be installed along the main street and residents will use their own re-usable bottles to keep hydrated. Hmmm hopefully Sydney catches up soon. These bottles from Sigg ( ) are sooo much cooler than plastic bottles anyway! |
Dohnanyi 'Variations On a Nursery Song' Op 25
There is a composer's tounge in cheek dramatic introduction to this very
simple piano concerto. A melodic variation on a Nursey Song composed by
Ernst Von Dohnanyi in 1918. He played the work at it's FP in Berlin on February 17, 1924. He
dedicated the work to the enjoyment of lovers of humor and to the annoyance of others. The tune is known by music lovers everywhere, Mozart used it for a set of piano variations in 1778. The Dohnanyi orchestral version is known for it's humor and wit. MORE Search Amazon.com for Ernst von Dohnányi Nursery Song
The native form of this personal name is Dohnányi, Ernő. This article uses the Western name order.
Ernő Dohnányi aka the German form of his name Ernst von Dohnányi for most of his published compositions.
Ernő Dohnányi (July 27, 1877 – February 9, 1960) was a Hungarian conductor, composer, and pianist. Composer and pianist. Ernst von Dohnanyi, is best known for the Variations on a Nursery Song. He taught at Florida State in the 1950s. The Dohnányi family was ennobled by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary. MORE. | Search Amazon.com for Ernst von Dohnányi |
I did a ranger walk yesterday with our new Boss Darren. He let me choose where we should go so I chose Cowley Peachey and some of the Slough Arm. One of the first things we noticed was this broken fence near Packet Boat bridge. then just as we walked away, a respectable looking middle aged couple walked off the towpath, through the hole in the fence and round the back of the building. It leads through to a little industrial estate. People will use whatever shortcuts they can I suppose. I wonder who cut the fence in the first place. The down the Slough Arm I had been telling Darren about the nuisance of kids on motor bikes on the towpath. Just then as if to prove my point, one appeared some distance away. We walked towards him but of course as soon as he spotted us he turned around and drove off into one of the many little footpaths that lead off. Then as luck would have it, just as we got to the footbridge where the arm meets the GU, he appeared again right in front of us. Before we could shout “Oi” he nipped past and disappeared over the bridge and drove off through another “unofficial” gate into the yard behind Argos, and then out into the main road and away. Of course he had no number plate or anything to identify him. The surprising this though, was that he was not a young whippersnapper, but a guy of perhaps twenty five years old. We’ve got signs up saying motor bikes are not legal along there but of course these people take no notice. The problem is not just the safety aspect, but also the noise these bikes make especially at night. Further down the arm, we detected signs that someone is sleeping rough under Bridge 1, and we think that at least one of the WWII pill boxes down there are occupied too. That’s something for Darren to address. We volunteers deal with the more mundane matters like reporting this impassable (without risk of wet socks) bit of towpath. I’ll send in a photo and no doubt it will be added to a job list, but at a low priority. At last I have been given a key which opens up CRT lockups like this little shed at Cowley lock. at the moment it’s used by the volunteer lock keepers, but we will be commandeering a shelf to keep a bit of Ranger stuff, now that we have keys. We need to find more lock ups like this on our very long patch from Ricky to Brentford. I think the next one might be at Norwood top lock. Another of our duties is talking to towpath users, boaters, cyclists, walkers, anglers etc. Sometimes to listen to their concerns, which we report back at meetings, and sometimes to try to persuade them to be a good towpath citizen if they are being a nuisance in some way. Yesterday we were chatting to a couple of anglers. Interestingly one of them said he had given up living on a boat in London because of the pressure to keep moving all the time. So for those who think CRT is doing nothing to deal with overstayers, it seems that some boaters don’t feel that way. Being a ranger is not all about walking about, (I did about five miles yesterday, and now my plantar fasciitis is playing up) at least is isn’t for me as a lead ranger. Today I have spend an hour or so sorting out bundles of uniform and bits and pieces that have arrived for my team, trying to remember who is size L and who is XXL etc. Then another hour sorting photos and composing emails. It’s all good fun. |
This time of year, it hits me really hard – the desire to get back on stage. I’m not sure if it stems from the fact that for the past 5 years, I have always done spring/summer shows (and therefore always been in prep this time of year) – or the fact that it’s Arnold season (stay tuned for a flashback post on this tomorrow!) – or from watching everyone else starting their preps for the upcoming season. But whatever the cause, it’s here and it’s proven to be a little tough for me this time around. You see, the last time I got on stage was 2 years ago (has it been THAT long) at the Arnold. That same year I moved to GA and during my prep for Nationals, decided I needed a break. At first, the break was welcome… my body and my mind needed it. I had gone through a lot of change and some rough spots in my life and instead of facing them, I used my competitions as a way of ignoring them and focusing my energy on something else, and it worked (at the time), but it caused me to become pretty burnt out both physically and mentally. So, in September of 2013 I decided not to compete at Nationals and give myself an indefinite break for the stage. Since then, I have spent most of my time thankful to not be in prep, and not be competing, but every once in awhile the urge would hit me again. Usually it didn’t last long, a minute, a day, a week tops – I would consider it, then consider the diet, and remember I like food to much to deal with that again. Sometimes the urge was stronger than others, and sometimes not so much… But lately, it is back, with a vengeance. Does this mean I’m jumping on stage anytime soon? Honestly, I’m not sure… Prep is hard, for me at least – and I enjoy my life when I’m not dieting. But, strangely enough, I enjoy my life when I AM dieting too. I like having a goal, and the work that goes into reaching that goal. I like seeing the body I’ve worked so hard to build over the years. I like getting on stage and for a few short moments being the center of attention (which, if you know me, is usually NOT the case at all). I also like not having to do cardio, like, at all - and being able to eat copious amounts of ice cream without really worrying much about it. I like having some extra body fat (well, JOHN likes when I have extra body fat – I like that he likes it LOL), and truth be told – I want to have children someday – I know plenty of competitors that have been able to have children, but I know enough women that aren’t able as well – and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. I have been avoiding social media a lot lately, and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking… I thought maybe writing all this out on here would help me figure some of this out, BUT I think I may have made it harder on myself. Someone asked me how many weeks out I am the other day – I told her none, but I think the correct answer should have been TBA. Sorry for all the words (and lack of pictures) – that’s a blogging no-no, isn’t it? Oh well – come back tomorrow for less words, and more pictures. |
Catching up with my Happy Day Projects. Day 6- Thank someone in service. We will be doing this one a little later in the week. I’ll make a batch of our favorite cut out cookies, we’ll decorate them and take them to the kids’ classes on Wednesday night to thank their teachers for being such awesome servants to our family. |
“Opinions are like feet. Everybody's got a couple, and they usually stink.” This week’s end of the week smile is “The Shadow Knows” cartoon from the satirical magazine, , that was my bible in my younger days. In case you don’t know, these comics depict people in a normal setting, while the shadows cast on the wall depict what they (or one or more of the people shown) really want to do. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend... |
Many clients ask me how the tarot works, usually after a reading when they are pleasantly shocked at the accuracy of it. My honest answer is that I don't know. There are many theories of course but to me its a kind of magic. A case in point was a client who recently returned to me for a further three card reading. I laid the cards and two were the same as they had been in her first reading. The cards had not been listened to and here they were again to reiterate their message. The client advised me that she had not wanted to accept the message from the cards as to let go of a damaging relationship was still painful to her. With the cards coming up again she felt more confident in feeling strong enough to make the break that was best for her. How does this work? The same two cards in two separate readings despite extensive shuffling of the deck? A kind of magic indeed and it will never cease to amaze me how accurate (and persistent!) the cards are. |
I throw a few books in a backpack and head out to a tiny, tiny library. I open the door and put the books inside. Next time I come by, my books will be gone and different ones will be there… Lately, I’ve been taking long walks through the neighborhoods of Northeast Portland. I go up and down the streets searching for Poetry Posts like this one and pausing to read the poems. I love Poetry Posts. A few years ago, I only knew of one. Now there are lots. Every walk is a literary adventure… and now, even more delightful, are the Little Free Libraries! I discovered the first one last summer in the upscale Alameda neighborhood. It looked like a very large Poetry Post, but instead of a sheet of paper with a poem, it was crammed full of books!!! I have since discovered three more. They’re enchanting and adorable. This one is in my neighborhood, about 6 blocks away. |
Below is a quote from Dead Poets Society, less famous than the dramatic ‘Oh Captain, my Captain!’, but in that scene, Mr Keating (Robin Williams) calls all boys together around him, in a very secretive manner, as if to explain one of the big secrets of life. Since this is a literature lesson, it is actually about why we read and write poetry, ... which is not far away from the big secrets of life. :) Well, in a way, he gives one answer which I always found very beautiful and intriguing. “But poetry, beauty, romance, love; These are what we stay alive for [...]“ Here, Mr Keating quotes the (for him) inevitable Walt Whitman “[...]The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life? That you are here—that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” The scene ends with Mr Keating looking at Todd, asking “What will your verse be?” This is where your own dreams should fit in, whether it is having a child and family, helping others or creating something new, leave a positive mark, write your own verse. I love the positive message of it, because it is inspiring and invites us to make something positive out of our lives. I am not sure if I had believed it if someone else had played Mr Keating, but Robin Williams was believable as a teacher. Thank you, Robin Williams, for being Mr Keating in Dead Poets Society. You will be missed by so many who thought, laughed and cried because you made them to. |
Last week I teamed up with Home Depot and Operation Homefront of Oregon with a bundle of Christmas goodies and made a suprise visit to a local military family just to say “thanks for all you do” as part of The Home Depot Foundation’s “Celebration of Service.” I was pretty excited because I got to make my first Christmas cookies of the season. I picked an old-fashioned Ginger Molasses recipe I got from a dear friend and heaped spoonfuls of ginger into the batter from a glass jar my husband brought back from the Middle East. I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving – or more appreciative – of the secret ingredient. With my house full of warm ginger, I packed the cookies into the basket from Home Depot which included a corner tree, turquiose applique tree skirt, a huge box of beautiful turquoise Martha Stewart ornaments, and a star for the finishing touch. Staff Sgt. Jimmy McEwing greeted us at the door. We shared that familiar military moment as we discussed his hometown and one of my old Navy brat haunts, Jacksonville, Florida. His wife Mary was from Texas, and seemed to flawlessly manage the three year-old, two year-old and precious 5 month-old children who wanted desperately to see what kinds of shiny objects we were hauling in the door. Like many military families, the age difference between child one and two is representative of time spent apart. We set up a corner Christmas tree in three quick snaps and let the boys decorate the limbs with ornaments, unintentionally sprinkling glitter all over Mary’s floors while the Operation Homefront representative, Kari McClellan, seized the opportunity to snap up the baby. I stood back to take a picture or two and laughed, thinking how that Christmastime is full of mess-making opportunities happily legitimized as a chance to get closer to another human. My kitchen floor and the flour still on my kids’ faces was further evidence of that sentiment. I knew from the short bio I recieved that Jimmy had been to Iraq twice and was Army Infantry, so I was curious to hear how this active duty military family made it into my little hometown of Vancouver, Washington. We don’t have much of a military presence here and the Army installation we do have consists of a shopette, historical housing turned office-space, and a military barber. What I heard made me swoon like the baby in Kari’s arms: instead of telling me how he got here, to Vancouver, he took my question to mean how he got here, to this stage in his life. And Jimmy proceeded to tell me a love story. In 2004 Jimmy joined the Army and by 2005 he was deployed to Iraq. The Team Leader of Operation Homefront sent care packages to his unit and appreciating the gesture, he sent a thankyou note to the creator of the box he had. Her name was Mary. It would turn out to be the only thankyou card she recieved from all those boxes. As he told the next part of the story, I looked across the table and Mary was staring at Jimmy wide-eyed, as if she didn’t know what came next. They corresponded and got to know each other through letters, falling in love slowly and deeply. The story unfolded like a vintage wartime romance, and though I knew it wasn’t true I imagined letters floating back and forth across the ocean in tiny bottles, each recipient waiting impatiently for the waves to bring the next message across. On his post-deployment leave Jimmy came straight home to Mary. Her first military “homecoming” was the first moment she laid eyes on her future husband. The first moment she touched him. “I had to make him go see his mother,” Mary laughed, remembering the time they spent together. In 2007 they married, and Jimmy said that when he deployed for another tour to Iraq he left behind not only a new wife, but a beautiful 3 month-old son. This time when I looked across the table at Mary, she seemed strong and assured. Jimmy was looking at her, too. Jimmy and Mary and their three children eventually landed in the Northwest after a recruiting position opened up, and Jimmy’s thankful heart is now carrying him much farther than that first care package in the desert: he’s now studying psychology and has eventually has plans to get his associate’s degree in theology. We gathered up our things and as much of the glitter as possible, and as I headed out the door I realized I was the one that had received the suprise gift of their story that evening. When I explained the cookies were made from ginger my husband had brought back from his last deployment, Jimmy smiled. “I bet they’re good and strong. I like them strong,” he remarked. I agree, Jimmy. That’s how I like them, too.- |
Due to health blah blah blah stuff I'm on a low acid (IC) Diet. I'm not suppose to have chocolate, my favorite sweet, so I'm trying out other dessert options. The only fruits I can eat are watermelon, pears and blueberries. Since two of these things are very seasonal and expensive, I have resorted to frozen blueberries. Because the fruit is so sweet to begin with, these don't need a lot of extra sugar. Or any. I lined the pan with store bought dough, added a handful of berries on top and some streusel I made out of oats, butter and brown sugar. I baked it until it smelled good. I'm pretty happy with the result, the blueberries and streusel were delicious but I don't think I needed the dough on the bottom. But yay! Food I can eat and like to eat! |
The theme for Project Spectrum 3 in August/September is WATER. Before I pulled out my blue/black/purple skeins, I thought: "Meeeh, not really my colors. I probably don't have that many skeins in my stash." Well... I guess this proves that my stash denial is pretty severe. To be fair, a large part of my blue stash consists of those Jaeger Extra Fine Merino that are already on the needles becoming a sweater for my Significant Other. The rest is mainly sock yarn. But still, I had no idea! Again! What about purple and black then? I knew there COULD NOT be that much purple in my stash, since it's one of those colors I just don't use (like yellow). And this time, it turns out I was right. Oh gee, who would have guessed there would be some more Rowanspun in my stash?! What the heck am I supposed to do with those bright purple skeins? They look almost lilac in this picture, but they're actually really bright. Sigh... On the plus side, there is some Noro Silk Garden, and that single skein almost makes up for the purple Rowanspun-craziness. I looove me some Noro! |
I printed the image on X-Press It Blending Card and colored it with Promarkers, then I cut it out with Spellbinder's Wonky Rectangles and sponged light blue ink around the edges before removing the die I hand-cut the Real Red mat and punched a hole in the corner to add my Real Red ribbon to make a tag. Then I added the tag to my card with foam tape. The card base is SU Real Red CS, and the mats are MFT Smooth White CS. The red DSP is from Echo Park's Tis' The Season 6x6 pad. The green DSP is a piece from my scrap pile. My teammates over at Christmas Stampin' All Year Long have created some great projects to inspire you. I hope you will play along with us. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend. |
Today’s Gift: today is the day to ______ (Fill in the blank). When we think about January, our thoughts turn to exercise, diets, and organizing to name a few common resolutions. I’m one of the few people out there that actually enjoys making a list of resolutions and sticking to them. I love January and it’s clean slate! But even more, I love that any day can be THE DAY TO…. Recently, I remembered that back in January my nine-year-old daughter had questions about New Year’s Resolutions. That conversation was a light-bulb moment for me. J heard me talking about resolutions and January being a fresh start for everyone and asked me this, “Why in January, Mom? Why can’t you just decide you want to do something new or change something and say ‘I’m going to do it NOW?’ I’m a big girl and I decided this my Year to do it Now!” J hit the proverbial nail on the head. Why wait for January? When the moment for reform or change occurs, why not just seize the moment and do it not tomorrow, not next week or next month but NOW? Inspired by my daughter, I decided to dedicate every day to doing things NOW. My Daily To Do list is long and I don’t always stay on task if unattractive items are on the list like laundry or grocery shopping. Sometimes, I can’t finish my list and barely cross off anything. And to be honest, I juggle my daily lists and tackle the more attractive tasks first when I know I should be doing those other chores first. Ever since my chat this week with J, I silently chant “Do It NOW” and life has been running so much smoother for me and our family. Instead of a lofty January 1 list, I’ve switched to a Daily Do It Now list. This subtle shift instantly improved my parenting and my work — I can’t stress how impactful that small phrase my daughter uttered has had on me. And so without further ado, here’s my virtual brag book of all I’m doing NOW – Packing Lunches and Snacks Putting Away the Clean Laundry Reading the book on my nightstand Tidying up my Desk Keeping the Kitchen Counter Clutter Free I hope my zest for the “NOW” inspires you to act in the moment, too.
Comments welcome! |
I love me some St Patrick's Day. I don't really know why, other than I feel sorry for the little holidays that seem to be overshadowed by the big, popular ones like Christmas and Easter and 4 of July. So in an effort to embrace all holidays and make them feel valuable and loved -- I celebrate like nobodies business. I also use the 40 minute to paint my finger and toenails. I am a HOWEVER -- as I dropped the boys off to their preschool a red-headed freckle-faced ADORABLE woman came up to me and said, "Oh, you must be Irish!" To which I replied, "No, I just like St Patrick's Day cause I feel like it is the red-headed step child that never gets enough attention." Then I opened my mouth and inserted my foot. Then she replied, "Oh, well with your hair and high cheekbones and wide set eyes, I just assumed you were Irish. You should check into it." WHAT??? Wide set eyes? Seriously??? |
WESTFIELD, NJ — On Sept. 28, Christopher Wolfson and Cathy Seastream-Barry hosted “The Sherbrooke Drive Block Party Reunion 2013,” a nostalgic celebration for those who grew up on that street. Months of planning by Wolfson and Seastream-Barry went into the party, which recreated block parties of days past. After gathering at Seastream-Barry’s house and exchanging greetings and hugs, about 15 participants walked to Sherbrooke Drive, stopping for a photo of the Seastream family in front of the tree planted in honor of their brother Ricky, who died while he was a student at Washington School. Once on the block, the group began the festivities with a bubble gum-blowing contest. Up next was an egg relay race, with participants balancing raw eggs on spoons and walking as quickly as possible to beat the other teams. A raw egg toss followed, as well as a three-legged race. “It all brought back such fantastic memories and was so much fun,” said Peggy Rothbaum, who grew up on Sherbrooke Drive and works in Westfield to this day. The group continued up the street together, stopping along the way for photos in front of the homes where they grew up. One friendly new owner allowed for a photo on “the rock,” which was home base for countless games of hide-and-seek, according to Scott Finter, who grew up on the block. Another owner was the mother of one party-goer, still living in the same home. “Incredibly, we crashed a party at the Lepore’s house and they welcomed us and invited us in for a tour. We took a great Wolfson family photo inside their former home,” said Rothbaum. The group returned to Seastream-Barry’s house to continue the festivities, eat and enjoy each other’s company. Guests left with a poster of Sherbrooke Drive and treat bag of delicacies like they used to buy at Heidi’s, a candy store that once stood in Westfield. Linda Wight, who grew up on Sherbrooke Drive, said that the party recreated happy childhood memories and rekindled friendships. “While some of the memories were bittersweet, it was by all accounts a very happy celebration and the beginning of a new tradition,” said Wight. |
I have been trying hard to do a lot of reading this week in order to finish by Barbara Kingsolver in time for our Sunday discussion. Also, I wanted to get it done in time for today's Friday Books post. Alas, I almost made it for Friday, but not quite. I'm about 80% done with the book. Today I won't have time for reading until late afternoon or evening. Come to my book club meeting on Sunday, and you can hear me discuss it there! haha... I'll get something posted for sure for next Friday. I had a tooth pulled on Wednesday, and it was NOT fun. Pain meds are helping, and I will soon be back to normal. I only hope I never have to have another tooth pulled, or if I do, they knock me out completely. |
Sunday May 29, 2016
Auschwitz wasn’t the only concentration camp used during the Holocaust. In fact, 6 camps existed in Poland. Today is our first full day in Lublin. We have a meeting with our tour guide, Magda at 9 am. Our plan is to visit another concentration camp, Majdanek (pronounced my don ick), to see how it compares to Auschwitz-Birkenau. When we first got there, the sight was completely different than the sight of Auschwitz. At first we saw a large rock memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives here. There were hardly any people there to visit, which raises an important question: why does everyone visit Auschwitz, but no one visits other camps, or even knows that other death/ concentration camps exist? I personally didn’t even know about any other death/concentration camps prior to this trip. One confusing part about this camp is that it’s basically in the middle of the city. People living near the camp can literally look out their backyards and clearly see a death camp. I’m not sure why anyone would want that as the view from their home. There are homes that are closer to the site than what this picture shows. Some have said that the Polish government is embarrassed about Majdanek, which could explain why the Holocaust is not taught in Polish schools. I found this information very puzzling. I can remember first hearing of the Holocaust when I was in 4th grade, so it amazes me that the people living near these camps are completely unaware of what’s in their backyards. The barracks that we saw at Majdanek were vastly different than the ones at Auschwitz. I’d say the ones at Auschwitz were slightly nicer than the ones at Majdanek, although neither are suitable for living. There was an excerpt from a Polish political prisoner who was at Majdanek for a little over a year, and here’s what they stated regarding the camp: “Along came several SS men whose ranks I cannot recognize, and they order us to enter empty barracks. There we must undress quickly and hold all our valuables and clothing in our arms. That’s the order. We stand there naked and wait. The double gates of the stable-type barracks are wide open, and we get goose bumps. The reading of the transport list finally begins; those whose names are called cross to the other side. Reading out 700 names takes a long time. The ones called out leave behind their clothing and food supplies… finally they order us to go to the showers in groups of 100. Naked and barefoot we run across the frozen ground to an adjacent building, about a hundred meters away ( 330 feet) in the cold cloakroom sit several barbers, Slovakian Jews, who shave off the hair on our heads, our mustaches, the hair under our arms, and all over our bodies.” I thought this quote gave the best overall description of what exactly happened when the Jews would arrive to a death/concentration camp. Inside one of the barracks, I saw the room that was used for showering. There were roughly 30-40 shower heads in the room. “Bathing and disinfecting the newcomers was one of the camps obligatory rituals. After showering, prisoners were made to immerse themselves in concrete tubs filled with a disinfecting solution. During the prisoners stay in the camp, baths and underwear were rarely changed, usually once every few weeks” As I learn more about the exact living conditions that these people had to go through, I am in complete disbelief. I cannot imagine such horrible conditions, and the things that these people had to go through on a daily basis. If you look at the ceiling of the first picture, you can see all the shower heads. The second picture is the tubs used for disinfecting. After seeing the shower room, we were led into a gas chamber. This gas chamber seemed a lot more intense than the one at Auschwitz. At the top of the picture, there is a wooden square opening, that’s where they would pour the Zyklon B into the chamber, then on the wall, there were two openings where they would send heat into the chamber. The heat/humidity would then activate the Zyklon B and become a poisonous gas. One of the most strenuous task at the camp was using the rolling pins to level out the road. These concrete rollers were quite large, and I can only imagine how exhausting it was to have to use those. I was able to see the design plan for the camp, I was surprised to see that only about 1/3 of the camp was actually constructed, which is the portion marked in blue on the right side of the photo. I’m not sure the exact reasons why the entire plan was not carried out. Again, we were able to see a plethora of shoes, another chilling sight. I have no idea how many shoes are actually shown in this picture, but it’s an unsettling amount. During our visit, I learned that the medics of the camp would use the fat from the bodies of those killed to make soap. People actually used soap made of body fat from someone who was murdered. Some say that only 78,000 people were murdered at Majdanek but we know that can’t be true since 18,400 people were killed in one day alone. The actual number ranges anywhere from 110,000-150,000. It is hard to get an actual estimate since people have long been trying to hide the evidence of this camp, and make it seem less impactful than it really is. The beds that the people slept in looked somewhat similar to those at Auschwitz. The barracks weren’t well equipped at the beginning of the camps operations, people usually slept on straw or wood shavings. The bunks weren’t introduced until the spring of 1942. When the number of prisoners reached the camps maximum, barracks designed for 250 people were holding around 500 people in them. Visiting the crematory building at Majdanek made me nauseous. There were 6 ovens in this one, compared to the 2 we saw at Auschwitz. There was something about this crematory building that was much more chilling than the one at Auschwitz, something that I never want to visit again. The final sight we visited at Majdanek was a large memorial site, inside was a mountain of ashes of those killed at Majdanek. We lit a candle in memory of those who lost their lives. The worst thing that I learned about Majdanek is that some Polish people want to tear the site down so they can build a supermarket. After Majdanek, our tour guide took us to a death camp. This wasn’t a part of the original plan, but she really wanted us to experience this camp. There is a difference between a death camp and a concentration camp. In a concentration camp, the people there are put to work, whereas a death camp is strictly a place where people are killed upon arrival. The next camp, Belzec (pronounced bell zick), was a death camp. There are no remains of Belzec, since the Nazi’s destroyed it when they left during the war. Some say that the site was destroyed because it was a death camp and would make the Nazis look more guilty than the concentration camps would. Also because such extreme acts of murder occurred here in such a short amount of time. One common reason that most people have not heard of Belzec is because there were little to no survivors. During the 9 months that Belzec was in operation, some 500,000 people were killed and only 3 people survived. The scale in which people were being killed at Belzec is astounding. If they were able to kill 500,000 people in 9 months, I can only imagine how many would have been killed if it was open as long as Auschwitz. Auschwitz was open from 1940-1945 and killed roughly 1.3 million people. At Belzec, they had a replica gas chamber that people could go in. This was the 3rd gas chamber I’ve been in so far, and by far the worst. Our tour guide suggested that we go in one at a time to get the most out of the experience. I cannot even try to explain to someone what it was like being in that chamber. I don’t think I took a single breath while I was in there. I think the fact that I cannot even form a sentence that can accurately describe the chamber speaks volume about just how incredibly horrific they were. “This is the site of the murder of about 500,000 victims of the Belzec death camp established for the purpose of killing the Jews of Europe, whose lives were brutally taken between February and December 1942 by Nazi Germany” I’m glad that I have been learning about other sites than just Auschwitz. Throughout my education, I have only been told of the horrors of Auschwitz, and to find out that there were several other places just like it is eye opening to say the least. Tomorrow should be a less emotionally challenging day. |
A flock of sheep are hanging out in the barn, having a little snack and happily going "baa baa" to each other and discussing life as usual when suddenly they hear a "moo moooooooooooooooo!" They look around and see only sheep. They carry on playing as before. Pearl can hear it all too clearly next to her. She shuffles away a little from her friend, a worried look on her face, and then asks, "Andre, why are you mooing? You're a sheep. Sheep go 'baa'!" Her friend replies, "I know. But, I thought I would learn a foreign language!" (just for the record, Violet says that this is one of the silliest jokes she's ever heard) Revised from Doc's Daily Chuckle. |
, on her blog Writing in the Buff , one of my favorite memes. Each week, she posts a photo and asks us to imagine it is the cover of a book. Then, she says, we are to: Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book. Above is this week's "book cover" offered for our creative blurbs by Orgeon's own writer-photographer-blogger Kathy Matthews. Here is my submission of 148 words: Madge and her children made it very clear to the skipper of the Charitea Rose, they wouldn’t buy tuna unless he could guarantee no dolphins had been harmed during the fishing. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” said the skipper. “I had a bad back, so my crew took the Rose out without me for a few days. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t harm any dolphins, but I can’t give you a guarantee unless I’m positive.” Madge and the kids were disappointed, and went home without buying any fresh fish. The next day, the Charitea Rose was found cut from her moorings, drifting with the outgoing tide. When the police boat towed her in, they found a note onboard. It said, “You never know what will happen, just for the halibut.” Then Madge and her teenagers became prime suspects when the body of a crew member was found in the bilge. |
Odinga Skips Kenya Presidential Inauguration Top leaders of the alliance preparing to be the official opposition - Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula - will not attend Uhuru Kenyatta's inauguration, nor "will they send an apology". Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya's first president, was sworn in as the country's youngest president on the 8th of April 2013. Cord principals PM Raila Odinga (C), Outgoing VP Kalonzo Musyoka (R) and Moses Wetangula (L) to skip Uhuru Kenyatta's inauguration. Kenya: Cord MPs to Snub Uhuru's Swearing in Ceremony
The Star, 9 April 2013
CORD MPs will not be attending President - elect Uhuru Kenyatta's swearing in ceremony today. Most of the Mps are reported to have not collected their invites from Parliament. CORD… Read more »
Kenya: Raila, Top Cord Leaders to Skip Uhuru Inauguration
Capital FM, 8 April 2013
The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) has said that it will boycott Tuesday's inauguration of Uhuru Kenyatta as the fourth president of Kenya. Read more »
Kenya: Cord MPs to Snub Uhuru Swearing-in Ceremony
The Star, 9 April 2013
MPs affiliated to Cord parties have decided to give today's swearing in ceremony of President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta a wide berth. Most of the MPs had not collected their formal… Read more »
Kenya: Odinga to Skip Uhuru Inauguration
New Vision, 8 April 2013
Top leaders of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) will not attend president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta's inauguration ceremony on Tuesday. Read more »
Kenya: Government Welcomes All to Uhuru Inauguration
The Star, 8 April 2013
The Kenya government has stated that tomorrow's inauguration of Uhuru Kenyatta as Kenya's fourth president is open to all Kenyans and has urged Kenyans to turn up in large numbers… Read more »
Kenya: Dozens of Dignitaries Set to Attend Kenyatta Inauguration
Daily News, 9 April 2013
PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete and former President Benjamin Mkapa are today expected to attend the swearing in ceremony of Mr Uhuru Kenyatta as the fourth president of Kenya on Tuesday. Read more »
Kenya: Kagame to Attend Uhuru Kenyatta Swearing-in
New Times, 8 April 2013
President Paul Kagame will today join other Heads of State at the swearing-in ceremony of Kenya's President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta. The 52-year-old fourth Kenyan leader will be sworn… Read more »
Kenya: Kimemia - We'll Kick Up a Bash for Raila
Capital FM, 8 April 2013
A farewell party for outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka will be held after Uhuru Kenyatta is sworn in as president. Read more »
Kenya: Bashir to Attend President Kenyatta's Inauguration
New Vision, 8 April 2013
The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir will fly out to Kenya on Monday to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Uhuru Kenyatta as new leader of the East African nation,… Read more »
Kenya: Sudan's Bashir Coming for Uhuru Fete
The Star, 8 April 2013
The Uhuru administration may have to handle its first diplomatic row if Sudanese President Omar al Bashir who is wanted by the ICC attends tomorrow's ceremony. Read more »
Kenya: Public Servants Car-Pooling to Uhuru's Inauguration
Capital FM, 8 April 2013
You've heard of employees car-pooling to work and now, according to the Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia, you'll have public officers car-pooling to Uhuru Kenyatta's… Read more »
Kenya: Sudan's Bashir Heading to Kenya Next Week for Kenyatta's Inauguration - Report
Sudan Tribune, 7 April 2013
The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir will fly out to Kenya on Monday to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Uhuru Kenyatta as new leader of the East African nation,… Read more » |
Rio Vista Rapids, L. Daniel, 12 x 16 Today our painting group met up on the San Marcos River, where the water is still flowing in spite of the drought we are having. It's a great place for tubing and kayaking and just staying cool in the heat. Lots of moms were there with their kids enjoying the glad freedom of summer. AND, I got the funniest plein air comment yet... While I was painting, a little girl named Amanda came over to watch. After awhile she announced, "I am going to be a painter when I grow up, too. I am going to practice and practice and when I get good enough to make a painting like this I am going to give it to you!" Then she thought about that for a minute and added, "that is, if you are still alive... But if you're not, don't worry, I will just put it on your grave." True story... And I took it as a compliment! :) |
When I drop my Little O off at school each day he always love to race to the kindergarten door then turn and wave or flash me an 'I love you' sign before disappearing inside. I have noticed something else, though. When another boy arrives at the same time as he does it is always a race to see who can get inside the door first. But when a girl is there? He runs to get to the door first but then always holds it open for her. Last Friday as Little O jumped out of the car and started to run to the door he looked and saw two girls being walked to school by someone's dad. He waved to me and then ran to the door. He then held it open and waited for probably a full minute until those two girls had gotten inside. He gave me my wave and started to go inside when he noticed another girl coming so he opened the door and held it again and waited until she was in the classroom before he followed behind. Neither Allen or I remember teaching him this. What a proper little gentleman. |
One of the little joys about our job is the fun of discovering what I call hidden treasures. This week there were a few, but one I thought I would highlight as a favourite was this cute bedroom or occassional chair. I love this style of chair and am always drawn to them. You may remember it, as it looks in the first picture, from a previous blog earlier this week. When I had a chance to have a good look at it I realised the covering was a slip cover that some clever person had made. Usually people do this as the fabric underneath is damaged, stained etc. So initially as I saw the first peep of the original fabric underneath, I thought damn, the original fabric is so lovely what a shame! So you can imagine I was very pleased when it turned out that not only was the original fabric lovely but I can find no trace of damage or stains and it has lovely pleats, piping and upholstery studs on the back. So it is off to find a new home for this lovely hidden treasure. To see previous Friday Favourites please scroll down. |
The Brindt-Garrian Conflict is a full-scale armed conflict that erupted in Aleria around late October 430 AR. The two belligerents participating in the war, Brindtsong and Gaur, are both influential Alerian nations towards Corseria, resulting in some Corserian citizens being drafted onto either side. Background During the early summer of 430 AR, multiple incidents of sabotage and theft were reported to be occurring in multiple locations in Gaur. In addition, mysterious forest fires became prevalent throughout forests in Gaur territory. Similarly, in Brindtsong territory, strange occurences similar to the Gaur Demon Crater incident began occurring in some towns and a few major cities. Unified Soldat-Gaur treaty A year prior, Chancellor Ilmarya of Gaur decided to have joint military exercises with the Soldat miltary force. He then attempted to pitch an idea of a unified Soldat-Gaur military force as a way of making amends with Soldat after their clashes during the Kislev Invasion. Over half the continent was happy with this treaty, but a few nations, such as Brindtsong, were against this idea. Popular rumor has it that the Brindtsong government views this as “cornering” them, as the threat of Gaul being inducted into the Dominican Federation would surely corner Brindtsong strategically, in both geographic and economic senses. Bank of Brindtsong Incident Several strange incidents in both these nations seemed to carry evidence that both sides were conducting sabotage on each other. This rose tensions in mid-summer of 430 AR. Due to several cases of theft and supposed espionage, the Bank of Brindtsong decided to freeze assets of Gaurian citizens and denied them access to a fraction of funds. Despite there being multiple talks trying to lift the freeze, none of them bore fruit. In the middle of the autumn of 430 AR, Gaur attacked ships off the east coast of Brindtsong with military boats. Brindtsong military decided to retaliate, taking it as an act of war, thus setting off the beginning of the Brindt-Garrian conflict. Current State While the war has been relatively bloodless, the damages and costs are something to be behold. Over 500,000sil worth of military technology has been burned for both sides, though rumors say that Gaur carries the upper hand in the war with more minimal damages to themselves. As of the end of October 430AR, the war is only estimated to worsen, with over 800 military casualties from both sides after 3 weeks of battle, not counting civilian collateral. |
Today I hit a bench mark. Ohh yes, the Camry hit 188,888 miles today. I felt it was such a big moment, I just had to take a picture of it and share with you all.
Today was a heck of a day. It started off with me waking up and realizing I had a very strange dream about Janice. I keep having these dreams. . . kind of makes it difficult to stop thinking about her if I can't even escape her when I sleep. But, check this out (I remember it so specifically, because I wrote it down as soon as I was up and moving). The dream I had last night I had was about Janice. I remember being in a pretty deep sleep and I remember talking on the phone with Janice. We were talking for quite a long time and I remember she was in her Aunt's BMW with Amilaino in the back seat. It was weird because I specifically remember talking to her on the phone, but I also remember seeing her and her cousin in the car. Anyways, the next thing I remember was I asked where she was going and she told me she was going to go get a Big Mac at McDonalds. That was when the conversation turned sour. When I look back on the dream, it is sort of silly now, but in the midst of it I was really mad .
Goodness, this feeling of her in my mind has got to dissipate soon. . . . right? I mean, when am I going to miss her less? Once I got to school. . . . well, God was testing my patience HARDCORE! Check this out. I wake up early, and me and another YL leader went to Snider High School to welcome kids in by holding the doors open. Then I went to school. Ya see I had to go to a Geology lab. I hadn't gotten the book yet, so I went with $100 cash to purchase the book. I remember I had checked it out and it only cost $92.50. But for some reason, it was over $107.00. . . . A little frustrated, I drove all the way home to get $10 more. I went back to the book store, and bought the book. Then I went right to class. Turns out I had purchased the WRONG BOOK! So, in the middle of class, I went and returned the book and got the right one . . . BUT, I forgot the receipt!!! So, I went back to the classroom, got the receipt, and then went back to the book store again. . . . Then back to the classroom, once again. I sat through class, and turns out I missed a lot when I missed that first class (I was in California an extra day). And, the Geology class is just insanely difficult. SO, when the class was over, I went and RETURNED the book one last time. Then I went to drop the class. . . . but there was a hold on my account for $17.50 from last semester for some reason. Then, I went and paid it, and all was well. It was very stressful though, lol. Spanish class was really good though BSF was amazingly good too. Did you know that Jesus Wept (John 11:35), the verse, may have more implications behind it than Jesus just feeling bad for Lazarus? Maybe, he was upset at their lack of faith, or just at the whole concept of there being death. The world God created was not to have death, just perfect life. We really screwed things up, what, with all our crazy human sinfulness and such. . . . . G'Night!!! |
A couple of years ago my friend Gerit told be about the Fischerhütte, or Fischer cottage, where an old woman lived with chickens, cats, sheep, and cows, in a farmhouse tucked into an orchard. Hikers who found the place could stop by and have a glass of apple wine and buttered bread. The thought fascinated me. And yesterday, Gerit, Maria, Anna, and the doggies joined me on a hike out to meet old Mrs. Fischer. Dirt paths, silver birch trees spreading the greenest of leaves, and perfectly mild weather. The entire afternoon was magical. Through the woods, talking about wild herbs, work, family. We filled our bottles at the fresh water spring. Supposedly there is a water nymph living there. Carved on the right side of the stone, you can see the year it was discovered: 1890. "This is the road that leads to the Fischer cottage," Gerit said. I had passed it many times but never gone down that road. It was very still; just us and the birds. It was quite a long way, but finally, Gerit led us to an opening in the woods. And like magic, a field appeared... The sheer beauty of this place made my heart pound. This small photograph hardly does it justice. The view over green hills into the hazy blue distance was breath-taking. We trudged down the field and I wondered where the cottage was, as there was no sign of a house or a road. We neared a blossoming orchard and Gerit told us it was right past these trees. I kept wishing I could walk in slow motion, or hold onto this moment longer. The beauty was almost unreal. I felt this was a place that only existed if you stepped into a faery ring. I kept trying to convince myself that this place was real, that it was just an hour long hike away from my home. Now I was getting very curious what old Mrs. Fischer would be like. We passed a barn and a shed. Blossoming trees everywhere. And a few sheep. Maria tried to give them some of the wild mint we had found on the way, but they were afraid of the dogs and stayed in the shade of their shed. Past the sheep we came to the farmhouse; chickens and roosters everywhere...dozens of potted plants and trees...and a couple of wooden tables and benches where we sat down and waited. And then she came. And my goodness, look at her! Her dress! Her apron! Her little woolen shoes! Her smile! Old Mrs. Fischer. I was in love. We ordered apple wine and juice, and bread with butter and cheese. Her son brought it out for us while Mrs. Fischer talked with us. She seemed quite pleased to have guests, and it was such a fine day. I snuck photos of her and hoped she either didn't mind or didn't notice. We took turns asking questions...it seems we were all fascinated by this woman who lived in a hidden valley with no street leading to it, who looked like she belonged to another time. She was kind enough to answer our questions. She told us that the house where she lived was the house she was born in. Her grandfather, a Slav, had bought it over 120 years ago. It had been built for the men who worked in what was at that time a stone mine. Her grandfather bought it as a summer house for his family. Eventually it became her parents' home, and hers. She told us that the sheep weren't giving milk now because there was no ram. When she had a ram, they made lovely milk, and she made cheese with it and sold it to people who stopped by. One of us asked what it was like to live here with no street and no car. She answered: "A car isn't important" She said that she has two stoves, and they gave enough heat in winter. She said she didn't need any electric heaters. When asked about her animals, she said that at some point there were 67 cats living in and around her home. Now there was only one. And a very old blind dog. The duck and the chickens roamed free. She said they come when they want and go when they want. There was one particularly proud and beautiful rooster which I managed to catch on camera while Mrs. Fischer spoke. Mrs. Fischer was so wonderfully bright. She could hear everything and could speak in clear sentences. I loved watching her talk. She was so incredibly content. When she said, "I was born here, and I've been here ever since," her face was glowing. When I asked which kinds of fruit trees she had and she answered, "Every kind there is," she had a little chuckle in her voice. Another small group of travellers arrived, and when we finished our drinks, we said goodbye, and set off, refreshed, into the green. As we made our way back up through the meadow, I stopped to look back at the flowering trees which hid the treasure that is Mrs. Fischer. I felt so blessed to have met such a soul. That there are still people like her. And I was grateful that I had had the chance to talk to her, and take a few photos. I was overcome with the strange feeling that I might never go there again, or that if I did, it wouldn't be there anymore. It was such a magical little piece of this world. And I am just so glad I saw it, and met Mrs. Fischer. I'll share the rest of the beautiful hike with you in my next post. It was quite a day. |
First 70 degree day in months and a great time to head out on the to clear the cobwebs and get ready for another quarter at the Learning Factory. Ongoing construction at Log Boom Park and along the BGT in Kenmore was mildly inconvenient, but kept a good pace and cruised down into Juanita Bay, where the cormorants were keeping watch on the old pilings. And, in the beaver pond on the other side, I saw this heron concentrating on some brunch. Stopped at the Mercer Island Lid for a snack and watched a bit of Little League baseball. The Mercer Island select team was in the field, with the at bat. I watched them load the bases and then the MI pitcher walked three batters in a row. This kid had a good curve and fastball but couldn't get it over the plate, as he started to fall apart. Pitching without confidence and trying to pinpoint the ball is one of the toughest things that these young players can do. It's truly a spot where failure breeds more failure as things spiral out of control. We've all been there, and it was difficult to watch, so on to the I-90 bridge and then up the Leschi side toward home. On the Seattle side I had three separate run-ins with potential wrecks due to idiot drivers attempting to turn in front of me while talking on their cell phones. As Click and Clack advise, " Hang Up and Drive! 37 miles, 438 YTD, and let's hope that we've turned the corner on the weather so I can rack up more miles. |
An excellent thing happened to me the other day, which was that I got to visit the hallowed halls of the Julian Ashton Art School, and to attend a class, no less! I dropped in on some life drawing and had a bit of a snoop around at the school where my teachers trained, perched proudly on The Rocks. While I’ve done loads of life drawing, I’ve learned a bunch of things about drawing in more recent times, and was bursting to try them out on a real live model instead of a cast. I propped up a board with some paper on a delightful little ‘donkey’ stool, perfectly positioned to study a nose in profile, and set to work. I’ve never been interested in shading, because I found it tedious, washed-out and it made me think of high school. All those kids smudging pencil to get those hideous bubbly-smooth effects. All of this has changed. Under the patient and precise guidance of the skillful Ryan Daffurn, I’m learning to mold form with intentional pencil strokes, each carefully and powerfully descriptive of form and of shadow. After sketching the broad figure and refining the accuracy of proportions and placement, we block in the shadow (making sure not to include any of the halftones—the darkest parts of what is really still in the light) and create an instantly dramatic drawing. The shading in the light follows the contours of the body, conveying fullness and perspective, and paying attention to the amount of light and the way it falls on different shapes. The shadows get touched up later, without giving too much detail that distracts the eye from the real information. This particular drawing, then, is my solitary effort, unfinished, unguided and performed in a single session, in my artistic Holy Land, and I’m a little bit pleased with it! And a little bit pleased at getting to walk around the Harbour by night, inspecting the soft glow of the sails of the Opera House and perusing books at the Museum of Contemporary Art. |
The past couple of weeks I have seen some stuff! And by stuff, you all know what I'm talking about. In these past couple of weeks there is little left to say that has not already been said about the justice system in the United States. I've always had trouble processing acts of violence and how another human could take another persons life. Murder has never made sense to me. Acts of violence have never made sense to me. Injustice has never made sense. In the case of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and the many who have come before them died as a result of police brutality. Both officers have claimed that they were "just doing their jobs", have now displayed an example for the world of what I thought our elders who came before us had fought for so viciously in the 50's and 60's with the civil rights movement. Apparently, I thought wrong. The same has been going on, now it's just been brought to the fore front. A bright spotlight has been set on the issue and people are tired of it! To be quite frank, the whole situation is stomach turning for me. As a mother of 10 month old son, when he came into this world I forgot that one day he too would become a young black man. Something so many are afraid of, including law enforcement officers. I could go on and on about the things I've seen on TV and read on social media in the last few weeks, but this would turn into a book instead of a blog post. I am all for the protests, I just hope that the chants and fighting for the cause do not fall on deaf ears! It all makes me very sad. |
The Brunei Runnergy Team yesterday led Brunei Liquefied Natural Gas (BLNG) 1.5km jungle trekking session at the Bukit Shahbandar Forest Recreational Park. Also present to lead the warm-up and jungle trekking session was Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah, who joined the Brunei Runnergy Team about a month ago. The activity was part of the company’s Healthy Lifestyle Programme. It is conducted twice a month in various forest reserves around the country and participated by BLNG staff and their family members. According to one of the BLNG committee members, Brunei Runnergy Team was particularly invited as an initiative to introduce Tan Siew King, a local veteran runner who has made quite a mark with her winning streak in many local and overseas running competition. Meanwhile, HRH’s presence was a pleasant surprise for them. The Brunei Runnergy Team was established three months ago by a small group of runners but currently has over 40 members. The team runs 12km or more every Monday to Saturday. |
As it turns out, we did not lose power for more than one second at a time. However, we did not have cable/internet for about three days. This made it pretty difficult to do my grad school work... which is why I am writing this and taking a break from reading boring articles right now. Although we were expecting the worst Saturday morning, here is the view we had from our deck on Friday night: Pretty, right? I like to think those clouds look like they are swirling in a hurricane, but unfortunately I checked the radar and they were definitely not hurricane clouds. Irene was quite the popular girl, but she ain't that great. Don't get me wrong: I saw the disaster that is Vermont. I am praying for those people. But seriously, this is the extent of our hurricane damage: Yeah, that's my poor crepe myrtle out front. With one amputated arm. Remember my friend, M, that I talked about in ? Well, she and her fiance live in our old townhouse in Salisbury. They were under a mandatory evacuation. So they stayed the weekend with us. It actually turned out to be a great weekend. We watched movies, drank beer, played games, drank wine, did the puzzle I bought, and drank whiskey. All in all, it was a good time. We didn't go outside, though, because our trees were sideways. Our neighbor's tree (and many others in Salisbury) actually fell down completely. And there were some tornadoes about 30 miles north in Delaware and one in our county as well. But everyone is safe and sound. Today was the first day of school! I went yesterday to set my room back up after tearing it down in hurricane preparation. It was a very pleasant day. Not very stressful, not chaotic, and altogether "good". My classroom is really cool this year, with "Under the Sea" as our theme. Josh's schools were closed today. Ocean City is in his county and they got pounded pretty good, so they were busy cleaning up today. Josh's first day will be tomorrow. He is excited because he starts out his year with a 3-day week (no school on Friday--labor day), then a 4-day week (no school Monday--Labor Day), and finally a 5-day week. He is lucky. I originally wanted to finish a spray painting project this weekend, but obviously that was out of the cards for me. Now I am going to finish reading for grad school, take a hot bath, and go to bed! I am exhausted! |
I love living in the student housing at the U of U. It really is great to walk outside and see a ton of kids running around playing and riding their bikes. Even better is when all the bikes are laying around on the ground at the end of the day when kids have all gone inside for the night. Highly reminiscent of home in a strangely positive way, and kind of therapeudic when you're really homesick. Unfortunately with living in student housing, it means you live the life of a student. And that includes the "on sight laundry facility". For 24 apartments there are 2 washers and 3 dryers. I didn't really have a problem with "sharing" a laundry facility until I got here. Sure, I've complained about how gross the laundry room was at our old apartment, but never getting a chance to get one load done is reminscent of home in a not-so-positive way. What makes things worse is that people just leave their stuff in the washers and dryers. I'm sorry, but don't get upset if you leave your stuff in a shared washer or dryer forever and come back to find it in a pile on top of the washer. The laundry room hours are from 8am to 10 pm, and I work full time, not enough time left over in my day to finish 4 loads of laundry. That leaves me one day a week that I am able to do my laundry, and I'd rather not spend the entire day getting it done. Today was especially rediculous. When I got to the laundry room I waited a good 15 minutes before the person came in to put her wet laundry in the dryers. Then she got all huffy at me because I had the nerve to have to do laundry at the same time as her. How dare I? So to be "fair to me" she said I can use one of the washers while she uses the other. The catch, she already had stuff in ALL of the dryers and just left everything in there, so when it was time for me to dry my clothes I had to remove her stuff. I was nice enough to only dump her things out of one dryer. By the time I had finished washing and drying 4 loads of laundry, one at a time, her things were still sitting in the other washer and dryers. Nothing had been moved since the first time I walked in this morning. SO FRUSTRATING! I had a million things to get done today, on my day off, but I had to sacrifice doing a lot of it so that this girl can leave her stuff all over the place, and be a brat about it at the same time. There needs to be a rule against this type of behavior. My suggestion: Laundry Jail. If you leave your stuff in the washer or dyer for more than 15 minutes after it is done, it goes into Laundry Jail and you have to pay a fine to get it out. And too bad if it's all wet and smells like mildew, you get to pay to rewash your clothes, too. This isn't your Mom and Dad's house where you can go out to lunch and run errands between loads of laundry. You leave it, I WILL move it. And I won't even feel bad if it gets wrinkled. |
This is my third round in the , and I am really enjoying it. It's exposed so many other blogs to me that I would not have otherwise come across. I thoroughly enjoy perusing over the blog I'm assigned every month. It's so much fun to see what types of recipes they enjoy, and learning about new foods, cultures and techniques. This month I was assinged a blog called , which is a blog written by Apeksha, who is from India, and enjoys vegetarian cuisine. Apeksha had many recipes that looked amazing, and I have bookmarked many of them to try in the future. The recipe I decided to make for the reveal was simple, yet something I've been wanting to make for quite some time, homemade granola. I am so glad that I came across this recipe for the challenge, because I finally had some motivation to make it. Not that you really need motivation to make homemade granola, or a lot of time for that matter. It has just been one of those things that has gotten pushed further and further down on my list of things to make. Well, I finally got around to making it and I'm so glad! |
This is my bff and my sister Marcie: She's a world traveler, an optimist, sassy to the core, empathetic, loyal, incredibly faithful, beautiful and a humanitarian. So we're sending her off to Nicaragua with HELP International to be her wonderful self and do some good for the world. Because well, someone's got to and why not send one of the best people I know? Help her get there. Donate because believe me- you want her to go. Anything will help. |
I try to always practice what I post, especially when it comes to learning. I truly believe that learning is not restricted to the halls of academia, that it is a lifelong process. I also believe that we always must be willing to learn new things, even if that contradicts what we thought we knew. Keeping an open mind allows us to grow and change across our entire life. Adapting your thinking to new information can be difficult. Everyone has at least one subject that they think they are an expert on. But admitting you were wrong about something teaches our children that we all make mistakes and we can move forward from those mistakes. For example, I've been a backyard bird watcher for at least 15 years. I thought I was at least well versed in identifying my frequent visitors. Imagine my surprise when I realized that some of the birds I identified as downy woodpeckers were actually hairy woodpeckers. In all my years watching, I had never seen both at the feeders at once, so I assumed they were the same bird. Seeing them together, it was so obvious. The hairy woodpecker is bigger, about the size of the red-bellied woodpecker. Its beak is longer. The downy is smaller, closer to sparrow size, with a shorter beak. I felt embarrassed to misidentify such a common bird, but I was also excited to realize there was another species of woodpecker at my feeders. Ever since I realized it, I've pointed out the differences to my family any time I see one or the other. I am not one to let embarrassment get in the way of showing off the beautiful birds in my yard. Downy woodpecker and her fledgling from June 2015. It's still hard to tell without seeing the beak, but the black barring on the white tailfeathers is more common with downy woodpeckers. Learning should always take precedence over pride. Let your children see you are not afraid of making mistakes. Recognizing and understanding our mistakes is one of the best ways to remember our lessons. |
Hansel and gretel fairy tale On the edge of a great forest there lived a poor woodcutter with wife and his two children; the little boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. Kids love fairy tales. Jingle Toons brings " Hansel And Gretel " - the world famous English fairy tale (story. The boy's name was Hansel and the girl's name was Gretel. He had .. Kinder- und Hausmärchen [Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales ], vol. Hansel and gretel fairy tale - Aktivitäten, die When the adults were asleep, Hansel got up again and wanted to gather pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. Once upon a time there lived a woodcutter and his wife. In later editions, some slight revisions were made: He told her his plan just in time for them to hear the witch hustling back. They won't find their way back home, and we'll be rid of them. They walked through the entire night and the next day from morning until evening, but they did not find their way out of the woods. Views Read Edit View history. He motioned her to distract the witch. We have only a half loaf of bread, and then the song will be over. Vajda, Edward 1 February But when night fell, they saw to their horror, that all the crumbs had gone. The good little creature did so, and when they were over without mishap and had been walking for a little while, the forest seemed to them to become more and more familiar, and at last from afar they could see their father's house. Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in. All at once the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, leaning on crutches, cam creeping out. Gretel, sensing the hag's intent, pretends she does not understand what she means. But the old woman had only pretended to be friendly. Gretel whipped her head back around to see that Hansel was locked up in a cage hanging directly overtop of a boiling pot of water! Then he went back and said to Gretel: The hag feeds Hansel regularly to fatten him up. Before they left, however, the small loaf of bread. And because they need be afraid no longer they went into the witch's house, and in corner there stood chests of pearls and precious stones. Hansel and were so frightened that they dropped they were holding Now the finest food cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel nothing but crab shells. We must get rid casino games free no download the children. Hurry along NOW," their mother grumbled. Hansel and Gretel went to bed, thinking they were in heaven. And she kept on trying to persuade her husband to abandon his children in the forest. Hansel is smart, and when the hag asks for Hansel to stick out his finger for her to see how fat he is, he sticks out a bone every time. Gretel ran to set her brother free as fast as she could, opened the cage, and creid, "Hansel, we are saved! The hag is too impatient and decides to eat Hansel anyway. But he comforted his little sister and said, "Don't cry, Gretel. The larger the better, little pretty! And because they need be afraid no longer they went into the witch's house, and in every there stood chests full of pearls and precious stones. After the full moon had come up, Hansel took his little sister by the hand. How they did rejoice, and their arms around each other's necks, and dance around kiss each other! Infuriated, the hag demonstrates, and Gretel instantly shoves the hag slots games book of ra deluxe and bolts the door shut, leaving " the ungodly creature be burned to ashes ", screaming in pain until she dies. The Classic Russian Play hearts online with friends Tale: The children ran out of the house once they had gathered the sacks of gold that witch had stolen over the years from the other children that came by her candy house. Casino: Hansel and gretel fairy tale | | |
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| BINGOS | Printable version of this story. The children stayed seated reluctantly. What are alf online sehen waiting for, little pretty? The Sick and Silly Show Don't eat it any sooner, for you'll not get any. But the father was overjoyed when he saw his children once more, for he freundschaftsspiel union berlin not wanted to leave them. But Gretel ran away, and the godless witch burned up miserably. |
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| TOP GAME APPS FREE | On they walked and walked, till cc casino they came upon a strange cottage in the middle of a glade. We have only a ironman games loaf of bread, and then the song will be. We are going into the woods to cut wood. Their mad mother ordered Hansel and Gretel to steinespiele on a dead log. After walking a few hours they arrived at a large body of water. My name is Tasha Guenther. We will come and get you in the floor deutsch when we are finished. Hansel and Gretel spent most of their cmc die dienstleister erfahrung finding the perfect, flattest skipping stones. We must get rid of the children. |
| DK POKER | A wild forest fairy bet application flew into your hair! As soon as he's fat I'll eat. Luckily, Hansel had remembered to drop the shimmering stones on real games for android ground every few feet — so that they could follow them back on their return home. Gretel put the wahrscheinlichkeit am gleichen tag geburtstag under her apron, because Hansel's pockets were full of stones. And now three days had passed since they had left their father's house. Then he went back and said to Gretel: When they had play hearts online with friends to the middle die meister die besten the forest their father said: Then all at once the door opened and an ancient woman, leaning on a crutch, shou das schaf creeping. Once casino bad neustadt provisions become scarce and the stepmother angrily orders her husband to take the children further into the woods and leave them there to die. |
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Happy National Running Day! Has anyone else heard of this holiday, b/c I sure haven't. And I'm what some people might call a "runner" (I wouldn't call myself a runner, but to people like my bf who won't even run to catch a bus, I'm a legit "runner," mmmkay). I'm all about these asinine faux holidays, like National Grilled Cheese Day and National Clean Your Room Day. When is National Lay on Your Couch Eating Nachos Day going to catch on? Apparently June 6th is National Running Day. Because, ya know, nothing else happened on this day in our nation's history that merits recognition. I actually planned on running today after work, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw #nationalrunningday trending on Twitter. It's like the universe knew I was going to kick the slump I've been in. The weather is even cooperating; the sun is out for the first time all week. Holler! So lace up your sneaks and get out there. Even if you're just running to the liquor store. before Broad Street w/ my fave running buddy! after the half, w/ one of my fave cheerleaders! yes, i wore the same shirt. running is one pricey mistress. |
The other day Owen was playing his LeapPad and Ella and Zeke decided to join him. I got my phone out to snap a picture and Zeke saw me so he immediately cheesed! Then Owen decided he needed to get his funny face in the picture. We now return to our regular programming! I love how Ella never looked at me...she was quite focused! |
This recipe has come down from the family. I owe this one to my mother-in-law .She makes the best prawn pickle. She makes the pickle masala right from the scratch but here I have used the ready made mango pickle masala. This pickle will keep for atleast 10 days. I make it during the rainy season because you often don't get fresh fish. So during those days this pickle is enough to satisfy your fish cravings. 1/2 cup Finely chopped Ginger 1/2 cup Finely chopped Garlic 4 to 5 Roughly chopped Green Chillies 1/4 cup Mango Pickle Masala 1 tsp Red chilli Powder 4 - 5 tsp Lime juice 1/2 tsp Namak Shamak 1 tsp Rai seeds Heat the oil in a pan. When hot, add the rai seeds and let them splutter. Now add the chopped Ginger, Garlic, Green Chillies and saute. Put in the prawns, haldi powder, chilli powder and the pickle masala. Cover and cook for 10 mins. Stir in between to prevent the masala from burning. Add the lime juice and cook for 5 more mins. Remove from flame and store in airtight glass This is our entry for Hosted by My Spicy Kitchen |
I saw this recipe and knew it would be something Phil would like. I was right! It tastes very much like a tamale, just in a casserole form. The cornbread gets to the consistency of the tamale when baked with all the ingredients on top of it. I changed up the original recipe that I got from Let's Dish Recipes Blog , by adding black beans. I feel like any type of Mexican food I make anymore I add black beans to anymore. I absolutely love them. If you are in the mood for a stick to your ribs casserole this is a good one to make. Adapted from Let's Dish Recipes 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 14oz can creamed corn 1 8oz box corn muffin mix 1 can chopped green chiles 1 10oz can red enchilada sauce 1 cup canned black beans 2 cups cooked chicken Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray and 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Combine cheeses in a bowl. In a large bowl mix 1/4 cup of combined cheeses, creamed corn milk, corn bread mix, egg, red pepper and cumin. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set. Top with enchilada sauce. Top with shredded chicken, black beans, green chiles and cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes. This recipe is linked on: Foodie Friday, Show and Tell Saturday, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, Weekend Potluck, Think Pink Sunday, Sundae Scoop, Church Supper, Cream of the Crop, Mix it Up Mondays, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, On the Menu Monday, Show me Your Plaid Mondays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Party, Talent Show Tuesdays, Show me What You Got Tuesdays, Share it Link Party, Tuesday Time Out |
Melanism related to the process of adaptation is called adaptive. Most commonly, dark individuals become fitter to survive and reproduce in their environment as they are better camouflaged. This makes some species less conspicuous to predators, while others such as black panthers use it as a foraging advantage during night hunting. Typically adaptive melanism is heritable: A dominant gene, which is entirely or nearly entirely expressed in the phenotype is responsible for the excessive amount of melanin. Adaptive melanism has been shown to occur in a variety of animals, including mammals such as squirrels, many felines and canids, and coral snakes. Below you will find a fascinating gallery of ten melanistic (all black) animals. Melanistic Big Cats aka Black Panthers A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars (Panthera onca), in Asia and Africa they are black leopards (Panthera pardus), and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars (Puma concolor – although this has not been proven to have a black variant), or smaller cats. Melanistic (all black) Ratsnake Melanistic (Black) King Penguin Melanistic (Black) Red Fox (Silver Fox) Melanistic (Black) Eastern Blue Tongue Lizards Melanistic Eastern Grey Squirrel (Black Squirrel) |
Putting a moodboard together is the easiest way to get started on a new scheme/project Hunting and gathering (in my opinion) is one of life's simple pleasures there's something magical about finding, discovering This top board contains a collection of feminine elements, a neutral based scheme with a pop of pink/cherry and some copper The board below started as a simple green scheme and slowly evolved into a slightly more sophisticated one. Adding and taking away layers is part of the creative process. It's a great way to collect ideas, reflect upon the design and explore a couple of different avenues before committing to the final scheme. see some more of our moodboards Have a fantastic day |
First thing this morning, I broke out the new jump rope determined to set a new double under PR in a minute. Just made 80. It's amazing how hard it gets in that last 15 seconds! Now I'm shooting for 85 - climbing the board. We got started with Overhead Squats. It had been awhile since we'd attempted any heavy weight but I knew that I was stronger so I assumed a max OHS of 95k. 5 - 5 - 5+ at 65% - 75% - 85% of 1RM 60k - 72k - 80k for 5 - tough! The WOD was 2 rounds for total reps of 5 at 80k wasn't bad and I was excited to go for a new OHS PR and even more excited to get body weight overhead so I headed back out to the Fort at 4pm with that goal in mind. Tough luck! I was a little to close to the wall and stumbled a bit warming up with 80k. I survived but the wall didn't! That is not a small hole :) I moved away from the wall after that incident and loaded up the bar with 93.5k - approx 205lbs which is body weight for me. Getting it overhead via a push jerk off the back was half the battle. I went into the squat and was determined to nail it. I didn't stand up fast but I did finish the movement before dropping the bar which is all that counts. I'll go for 2 next time :) |
What am I doing these days? Preparing for Quilt Market. as a maniac! Lots & lots of thing to arrange and finish. I have been quilting, by Litamora, she was so kind to lend me her longarm machine, thanks so much! First time longarming, well, far from perfect, but right now, finished is good enough. I'm writing patterns, making the free project for my upcoming fabric collection, Arctic Kiss. Today I sewed 16meters of binding (NO, not by hand, by machine! I'm not that crazy...) I'm so in love with this fabric! |
Treasure Dreams Poems From the Heart "Treasure Dreams" is a collection of poetry filled with discovery and soul searching. Through his poetry, Roderick Dean hopes to find meaning and relevance to life's experiences. Each one of his poems describes the fullness of life on a backdrop of ordinary events in which the readers will recognize will recognize themselves and identify with the emotions. Searching for more content… [United States] : BookBaby : Made available through hoopla, 2012. --- Opinion From the critics --- Community Activity Notices There are no notices for this title yet. Quotes There are no quotes for this title yet. |
095/365. 5 April 2010 It's been a really busy weekend, and today was probably the hardest of all the days. I'm posting this a day or 2 late because as I write this, I'm still not sure if I can get any internet access. And when I can get access is still questionable. Anyway I'll keep endeavouring to update my 365 and if I can "borrow" some wireless from someone here, then so much the better. OK back to today's shot. This was taken I think just under 24 hours before my usual 365 deadline, so I reckon it still falls under the "shot of the day" rule. If not, then please understand that this week and a bit will probably be a little difficult. It's a shot of some memorial from my old balcony (I know I said I'd stop posting from thee old balcony, but, with a moon like that, who can resist). Till tomorrow then. |
RIM has filed an opposition to Apple's trademark registration for 'WebKit' in Canada, according to Patently Apple. WebKit is an open source web browser engine and the name of the Mac OS X system framework version of the engine that's used by Safari, Dashboard, Mail, and many other OS X applications. WebKit's HTML and JavaScript code began as a branch of the KHTML and KJS libraries from KDE. It's used as a basis for the Safari, Chrome, and Kindle browser. As Patently Apple notes, it's currently unclear as to why RIM is opposing the WebKit trademark. Research in Motion has been granted until November 22, 2011 to produce their official opposition details. Until the contents of RIM's opposition are officially made public, we're a little in the dark. With that said, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if details of their complaint and opposition to Apple's WebKit trademark application eventually leak out by parties interested in seeing Apple's trademark application go down in flames. Time will tell. |
The Fed Express, the Swiss Maestro, the Mighty Federer: these are just a few of the hundreds of nicknames forged over decades of celebration around one of, if not the, greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer. He will overtake Nadal if he reaches the semifinals in Rotterdam. The group includes Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto and David Gilliland. After a record-breaking performance at this year's Australian Open, Roger Federer looks set to continue his impressive ascent into old-age. Fast forward 6 months after Wimbledon, where Roger was returning to action after a long layoff due to the knee injury, which plagued his 2016 game and the dream started to happen for him. Federer ended up losing that set and Cilic was gaining crucial momentum. He was number one from 2004, when he was toppled by Nadal. 'I think Philipp did that to me; it was a struggle. "The key is to start well, put him (Ruben Bemelmans) under pressure". Tahlak is hopeful that Federer will give the thumbs up soon. It was not to be 13th time lucky for the German in Rotterdam as Federer came through a testing two set encounter. Longest gap between first & most recent day as No 1: Federer (14 years and 17 days). The Belgian pulled the score back to 3-2 in the second set but that was the last game he managed and Federer finished the job in 46 minutes. Rublev, the world No. 34, forced his Bosnian opponent to save 10 of 15 break points, while he saved nine of 13. Haase began against his fellow Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker. Number one is a tough place to get to. Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You have to wrestle it back from someone who's worked hard to get there. 36 - Federer is three years older than the previous record holder, Andre Agassi, who was 33 when he last topped the rankings in September 2003. This latest milestone is yet another testament to Federer's extraordinary longevity. Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? "I'm pretty lonely. My family isn't here". Earlier this week, the Jaguars announced they would remove the last remaining tarps for the 2018 season. |
Never ending. The cold snap was supposed to break today but instead it's -24 Celsius right now. It's supposed to break Thursday, of course it was supposed to break yesterday and today, hmmmmmmm. I took a very cold coffee bean out to the mailbox today, to show how much snow we got over the last 24hrs (love shovelling the driveway). I figured maybe a coffee bean would help with the coffee mojo and ensure my Over Pressure Valve for the Brewtus II was in the mailbox. Apparently it worked, the OPV was in the box. Put that lucky bean somewhere safe. Maybe it went into this deelish Aeropressed mug of Sumatra Lintong Blue Batak - check out the oil on the surface from the inverted poly filter method and that's after a few sips. This tree in the front yard is really getting some good coverage with the D200. It's got character. While hooking the boys up with lunch, some movement caught my eye. A pile of birds flitting around in the backyard. I took about 10 images through the window, this cropped image showing the bird frozen in flight is pretty nice. |
Saturday's episode of Starz' "Outlander" will see Claire enlisting her sister-in-law Jenny's help as she sets out to rescue Jamie from his Redcoat captors. As fans of the show know, last week's episode saw Jamie joining the men of the Watch in their fight against the British soldiers. However, they were ambushed and only two men were able to make it back to Lallybroch. One scene has Jamie's older sister torturing the soldier by burning his feet to get him to talk.
They girls are joined, rather reluctantly, by Rupert MacKenzie, Angus Mhor and Murtagh Fraser. "You see when this goes wrong, I'm killing you first for getting us involved," one of the men tells Claire. Check out the promo below: Balfe recently spoke about the scenes involving Jenny and Claire going in search of Jamie, saying it was fun to play the rescuer instead of someone who always needed rescuing. "This is -- it's a huge shift and the wonderful thing about it is that you see Claire and Jenny get to – it's almost like they go on a female Western. They get to be the rescuers and I love that that's being flipped. ... It's really fun, fun stuff," Balfe told Access Hollywood. "Laura and I were running around on our horses with our guns. It was just so much fun." The actress also spoke about the all-too common sex and rape scenes on the show, saying she sometimes downs whiskey to get through the tough scenes. The official synopsis of Saturday's episode reads: "Claire and Jenny set out to rescue Jamie from his redcoat captors. When Murtagh joins up, they turn to unorthodox tactics to send word to Jamie. When word finally arrives, the news isn't what anyone had hoped." "Outlander" airs Saturdays on Starz. |
My last post was made many days ago, I also missed one skywatch Friday. And why? Well, the reason is quite nice - my sister and Smallone are staying with us. They are here just for a short holiday and they´ve turned our household upside down. But in the most pleasant way I can imagine. Now, our days are full of games, going for walks (an afternoon nap in her pram is Smallone´s favourite relax), singing songs, drawing, and reading and watching fairytales. Smallone´s favourite TV fairytale series are about Mole and his friends (Hare, Hedgehog, and Mouse), and she knows them by heart. And now so do I, because the most of time while we watch TV, these Mole´s stories are on. About two weeks ago a lot of snow fell. It is Smallone´s first snow. Well, actually the second one, but she was too small last year to realise that there was some snow. After her everyday-afternoon-nap in her pram... ...Smallone loves walking in the snow, and making footmarks. She can walk there for hours and she doesn´t mind having wet boots or freezing hands (despite having two pairs of gloves on). It is very hard to take a photo of Smallone´s face while she is playing on the snow (laughing, happy smiling), because she capers and runs around and cannot stop herself. She enjoys the snow so much. And that´s why the most of the photos I´ve taken look like these: "Oh no no nooo, you won´t catch me!" After coming back from the freezing outside, we have dinner (and play more games and watch more Mole´s stories), and then Smallone has a bath. She baths with her rubber ducks, many plastic pots and crudibles, a plastic ladle and spoon, and some other things which are absolutely indispensable for bathing. And after the long bath, she puts her red dressing gown and pink socks on, and starts to rollick again. And then in her pyjamas... well, she is never overtired. We have tried to make her tired, but nothing works. I always wonder where children get their never-ending energy. "No, no, noooo, I won´t fall asleep! I am not tired. I needn´t sleep at all!" |
First of all… Happy National Running Day! I started the day at 6:30 a.m. with a 3.33 mile run with my friend Melissa (blogging over at icrashedtheweb.com about our awesome run today). Yes, this actually happened. For those of you who know I don't do mornings… I did one today. Jillian Michaels said this, and it's been a huge inspiration for me – Cari, who last year could hardly finish a mile. Now, just in one week, I've run more than 10 miles (2.75 on Monday, 4.12 on Tuesday and 3.33 today). I'm actually having a moment here, and yes, bragging a little. But this has been such a struggle, and I feel really amazing that now I'm able to do something that I've never been able to do before. The result? My friend Kelsey and I signed up for the Rock 'N' Run Half Marathon in October. That's right. I said HALF MARATHON – which I heard was like 13.1 miles, but I don't really want to think about that right now… My feet hurt from kicking so much ass. Anyway, on to talking about food. One of my favorite, favorite, favorite things to eat when I visit my family in Colorado is Huevos Rancheros. In fact, the last time I went for a visit, my sister made several fat jokes as I downed my THIRD day in a row eating Huevos Rancheros. Much deserved. But still, I was not ashamed. You can't get that here in Ohio. You especially shouldn't get it if you go to ChiChi's or any of the Mexican restaurants in Findlay (which surprisingly are all owned by the same Italian family. I am not joking). I digress… So, for those of you who don't have the money to just fly out West whenever you get a good breakfast craving, this recipe for at-home Huevos Rancheros is going to rock your world. I just made it up, based on what I'd had in my native state. Kim Kardashian and Kanye, if you're reading my blog, I'm sure you can probably skip making it at home and just fly to Mexico for the afternoon. (Ah, the life). Kim, actually that's really bad advice I just gave you, since I'm pretty sure you can't fly when you're that preggers. Anyway… Mr. Grumpy was really excited about this one for two reasons. A) Usually I substitute the sausage for turkey or chicken sausage. Which he is usually pretty grumpy about (where's the REAL meat… Uhh, that is real meat, Mr. Grumpy). And B) He loves breakfast for dinner (even though he also asked if we could have pancakes, to which I replied, "You're joking, right?"). Also, I had been hyping up this dinner for about a week so there were extremely high expectations. NOTE: This recipe calls for one-half of a chopped jalapeno. When you chop up your jalapeno, take a moment and wash your hands. I was feeling real cocky and thought I was above washing my hands after cutting up a jalapeno. A jalapeno for god's sake, Cari. Like really? You thought you were above this? Yeah, I know. Listen. I was having a kitchen diva moment. So, I did not wash them but merely wiped them off briefly on my paper towel. So, after enjoying my Huevos Rancheros, taking a shower and getting snuggly on the couch, I noticed this terrible burning feeling on my fingers. All of them. Especially my thumbs. Immediately, I knew I had a flesh eating bacteria and I was going to be without hands in about an hour. So that's what I started Googling, obviously. And screaming, "MR. GRUMPY. WHY DON'T YOU CARE! I'm going to lose my hands! I will never be able to write again! I AM DYING!" To which Mr. Grumpy replied, "I am certain you're fine. Do you want some ice?" He actually was extremely displeased with my chaos, as I was interupting his STUPID awesome TV show about buying Alaska or whatever it is they're doing. So, he asked me if I burned it on the oven, to which I said no. Then, he asked if I washed my hands after cooking the jalapeno, to which I said," NO! I JUST CAUGHT THIS OUT OF NOWHERE! SOMEONE PROBABLY HAD IT AT WORK AND NOW I HAVE IT." So, he started Googling something obviously not as smart as my Googling "death from flesh-eating bacteria." At this point, I was pretty sure it was over for me. Until Mr. Grumpy told me to come to the kitchen, as he had the cure. For the record, if you do not wash your hands after cutting a jalapeno, it doesn't form a bacteria… it just really, really hurts. So, the cure? Take 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and mix it with 1 tbsp of sugar. Rub the mixture all over your burned area (aka, my fingers in this situation). Who knew that Mr. Grumpy would come so in handy? He found all of this on the Internet, although he was still really displeased when all of a sudden my fingers felt better, and I had changed the channel to watch TLC. Ok, so you've been warned. Also, do not ever Google "flesh eating bacteria." You will never be the same. Now, let's get cooking! 1/2 can of Bush's Brothers Bush's Black Bean Fiesta, drained and rinsed slightly
1/2 can of unsalted sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 can of fire roasted garlic diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1/3 cup red, orange and yellow sweet peppers
1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped
1/2 lb (about three sausage links) chorizo sausage
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
4 Mr. Tortilla uncooked soft tortilla shells (taco size); or your favorite brand of small soft tortilla
4 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup of Helluva Good Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapeno First, preheat your oven to 350. Now, chop up all your veggies. Wash your hands. Seriously. Do it. In a strainer, combine the black beans and corn. Drain and rinse. Add the tomatoes. DO NOT RINSE. Set aside. In a medium pan, heat your olive oil over medium-high heat. Take the chorizo out of the sausage casings, and add into the pan with the oregano. Cook chorizo all the way through (about 10 minutes). Remove the chorizo from the pan, and set aside. Drain your pan slightly, leaving about 1 tbsp of the juice from the sausage. Add onions and garlic, and cook for an additional 5 minutes until you can smell the garlic and your onions are see-through. Add the peppers, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the chorizo back in. Add in the black bean mixture with the tomatoes and corn and cilantro. Let that cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove your pan from the stove heat, but keep your burner on. Take your tortilla and, over medium heat, place it directly on the burner. If you're using uncooked tortillas like we were, let it sit on each side for about 20 seconds. Do this for all four tortillas. If you're using already cooked tortillas, which is more likely, only put them on the burner for about 5-10 seconds on each side. Spray an individual deep dish (you can use anything you can put in the oven with high sides) with olive oil cooking spray. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the black bean/chorizo mixture to cover the bottom of each dish. Place two tortillas on top to completely cover, and put about 1 additional small scoop of black bean mixture on top. Crack your two eggs over the dish, gently letting the eggs rest on the top. Careful, careful, careful not to break the yolk. Sprinkle the top with cheese. Place your dishes in the oven, and bake for 14-15 minutes, careful not to overcook the eggs. Now, don't worry. If you DO overcook the eggs, just scoop them off the top, make a fried egg in a pan really quick and replace it. Listen people. No one's perfect. Ok? Great. Now that we've had this talk, go forth and eat your Huevos Rancheros! Eiyiy! |
As I have mentioned before I have four kids at home. Our house isn't giant and our linen closet is ! No matter what we do and how many times I reorganize it, I feel like it is always getting out of control. Recently on Pinterest, I saw a great idea of folding sheets and keeping them together in the pillowcase for that set. I thought that was GENIUS! I was telling my brother about it when he said, "Laura, why don't you just get those under-bed storage containers and put the sheets that belong to each bed under them." BRILLIANT! I even got one for us (not pictured) and discovered that we have have too many sheets. I don't think more than two sets is necessary so I'll be donating the other set to Salvation Army. ~Now all I need to do is keep my towels organized in my (now) much bigger linen closet... Wish me luck! |
On June 10, 2010, Las Vegas Metro Police say Derral Blackston became involved in a violent confrontation with his girlfriend. During this incident, police say Blackston punched and strangled her numerous times, at times picking her up off of the ground by her throat. Because of this incident Blackston is wanted for: Battery, domestic violence, and
Felony domestic battery by strangulation. Derral Wayne Blackston is a black male adult, 21 years of age, standing 5'10" tall and weighing approximately 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Blackston has multiple tattoo’s including: A tattoo sleeve on his left arm,
The word ‘crip’ on his right forearm,
A picture of a dollar sign on the front of his neck,
The words ‘heartless hustler’ on his right hand, and
The initials ‘bk’ on his right forearm. Blackston is known to frequent the area of the 4900 block of East Owens and the 5700 block of Missouri Avenue, both in East Las Vegas. Prior to these crimes Blacksont’s criminal history included arrests for: Convicted person - failure to register,
Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person,
Robbery,
Affray,
Grand Larceny Auto,
Burglary with a deadly weapon, and
Robbery with a deadly weapon. Anyone with any information concerning the whereabouts of Derral Wayne Blackston is urged to contact the L.V.M.P.D. Gang Crimes Bureau at 828-3309 or Crime Stoppers by phone at 385-5555 or on the internet at |
Ta da! Introducing my first garment. Following a pattern for the first time was interesting to say the least! I just got my first little sewing machine in February and haven't had any lessons, so it was just a matter of muddling my way through. I have since made a second top, in a larger size (and using a different fabric), and there was a lot that I learnt in making the first that I applied to make the second better. It was great to just get in and have a go. The end result is not too bad. I will wear it. Mostly out of stubbornness.... It is such a great feeling to be able to make things by hand. Oh, and the top's not actually lop sided, that's just the way I am standing! |
This is my Once A Month Cooking, or at least part of it, for the month. Potato Soup (great recipe) (not pictured, because we had it last night) Most of these recipes make a very large meal, if you have a small family you can probably get two meals out of them. If you plan to use them for two separate meals, make sure to freeze them separately. I like to cook the rice ahead and freeze because it is quick and easy to defrost, and it is a great filler. I have not done my breakfast foods yet, but I ran out of time, so that will have to wait for another day. |
We published a qualitative article in Acta Paediatrica on how Swedish child health nurses felt about fathers coming into the child health centers. While child health nurses accepted and welcomed fathers, they did little to invite, include, or further support fathers (click here to read the full article). I interviewed 17 child health nurses from various places in Sweden: north, south, east, west; urban and rural; experienced and inexperienced; young and old. All child health nurses were women–Not uncommon since there are only a handful of men that are child health nurses in the whole country. Four themes were discussed in this article. While child health nurses are experts on children’s health and believe that fathers are attending the child health centers more than ever; they seem to be attending in spite of rather than because of support they receive from the child health nurses. Child health nurses say that they value mothers to a much greater extent than fathers and provide more support to mothers. However, child health nurses are in various stages of providing more support to fathers: while some have never thought about actively involving fathers, others have tried to, but feel their hands are tied when it comes to making changes, while others have even tried to make changes (e.g. discuss with their boss about having evening and weekend hours, magazines for fathers, pictures emphasizing fathers). However, no child health nurses that were interviewed had yet made any real changes. Conclusion: If we want mothers and fathers to be equal parents, fathers will need to be accepted and encouraged to participate, just like mothers. The Swedish child health centers provide great child development advice, host parenting groups, are seen as parenting experts, and are appreciated throughout Sweden. The extra support mothers receive aides mothers in continuing to raise their child, at least as far as their child’s health in concerned, since she is the parenting expert because she receives the most support and is the most welcome at the child health centers. Changing routine practices at the child health centers to further promote and support fathers will aid Sweden’s goal of becoming a gender equal country. |
I-Team accepts award at Columbia University NEW YORK - The ABC Action News I-Team was awarded one of American broadcast journalism's highest honors Tuesday evening for "Incapacitated: Florida's Guardianship Program," a months-long expose of how the state supervises the court appointees who make financial, medical and other decisions for senior citizens deemed no longer able to care for themselves. Investigative reporter Adam Walser, investigative producer Fran Gilpin, photographer Randy Wright, and I-Team executive producer Doug Iten accepted a 2015 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award during ceremonies in New York City. (For more about the I-Team's guardianship series, visit . A behind-the-scenes look at the series is available at The duPont awards celebrate excellence in journalism and are regarded among the most prestigious prizes in broadcast, documentary and digital news – the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes, which Columbia also administers. The duPont jurors wrote that the I-Team "exposed astonishing stories of elderly people stripped of their rights and property by self-serving 'guardians.' Their homes, personal property and vehicles were often sold for a small percentage of their actual worth and then resold by guardians’ friends for huge profits." In 2013, the I-Team initially focused on Willi Berchau, then 99, who had been locked in a dementia ward after being declared '"incapacitated" three times by court-appointed panels. After the I-Team began looking into his situation, Berchau was freed from the locked unit at a Pinellas County assisted-living facility and later was released from his guardianship when a fourth examination found him to be capable of handling his own affairs after all. ( Full Article & Source: Guardianship series earns second duPont for WFTS |
Where is the happy place in your house? Mine is in my workshop/office. Especially now that it is painted, has curtains and is nearly ready for its new floor. I am really excited! I even have things hanging on the wall!!! The best part, of course, is my scrapbooking wall where you can see 3 of my most recently completed layouts. The kids love coming into my room in the morning to see what bits I have left laying around and if the layouts in the frames have changed! They tell me their favourite photos and layouts and what they like about them...it's nice to have them encouraging me as I scrapbook our adventures (even if I am a few years behind!!!) I will share more bits about my room with you as they develop...I hope to see my new flooring down in the next month or so. Once the nice weather is here to stay my DH will be outside slaving away on our new patio so the sooner the better!!! He is in fact outside now enjoying the beautiful weather and working away (good thing he got my painting done yesterday!!!) |
James Blackwood along with his three brothers came to settle in Montreal in 1829 from Scotland. James Blackwood worked as a clerk. Though dissatisfied with his occupation Blackwood soon began seeking interest in the Talbot Trail Settlement in 1833. It was at this point in his life that he would meet and marry Georgina Innes. The couple settled in Stirling (now part of St. Thomas). Here James would purchase and successfully run a store. Blackwood as a Businessman Beginning in 1840 James Blackwood purchased Anison Gould’s Old Wollen Mill in Hog’s Hollow, St. Thomas. Eventually the old mill would be torn down and would make room for a six-storey frame Wollen Mill as well as a distillery in Hog’s Hollow. By 1848 James Blackwood had become one of the areas top businessmen. Unfortunately the new Mill would burn down in 1857. To re-establish himself and to uphold his reputation of such a successful businessman he would purchase 233 acres of Lot 8 in Concession 9 & 10 from George McBeth. Blackwood sold $16000 worth of town lots and spent $10000 of it building Mansion in Port Tyrconnell Have a good week and forget to stop in for a visit!!! |
Summer continued - Korean Culture Camp in Minneapolis! We stayed with my very wonderful cousin Margaret and her family. Sam, Alle, and their cousin Lucie went to camp and did cool Korean stuff. Sam learning Tae Kwon Do I volunteered in the camp nursing station, which was notable for a report of head lice (none seen), a dramatic bloody nose with screaming, tears, and hyperventilation, a near-fainting episode at the sight of blood from the bloody nose, and three giggly girls with "stomach aches" every day after lunch that were cured with Gatorade. We visited the Mall of America and a few other landmarks, and generally just had fun hanging out. |
This combination is brought to you by my new Butter Toffee protein powder by Dymatize. You can use any flavor protein for these pancakes though! My favorite pancake recipes all contain cauliflower. I promise you don't taste it, it just makes them extra thick and cake-like! Add whatever filling/toppings you like. There's no rules with pancakes :) I get my flours and other pancake essentials mostly from iherb.com. Used discount to get money off your first order: ZSG766 Butter Toffee Protein Pancakes with Caramel Peanut Sauce 1/2 scoop Butter Toffee protein powder (or any) 2 tablespoons coconut flour 1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk 1/3 cup riced cauliflower 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt 3 tablespoons egg whites 2 tablespoons almond milk (if you need more add in small amounts, but batter should be THICK) 1 tablespoon Walden Farms caramel sauce Water as needed (I used maybe a tablespoon) Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Put cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until it's finely chopped. Cook in the microwave 30 seconds. Blend together cauliflower and remaining ingredients. Cook your pancakes. Be patient! They are thick and you want to make sure they set before you flip them! Combine filling ingredients (or make your own) and layer between your pancakes. Eat and be happy :) |
So my friend Denae asked when we are moving back to St. Louis. I found that funny, because anyone who lives by me has to put up with my monthly countdown. It was one year left!, then 10 months left! and now we are at 7 1/2 months left. So in honor of my constant countdown here is a picture from when we lived in St. Louis last time. We lived in the ward that I grew up in. I moved in when I was 4 months pregnant with Paige and we moved out when Tommy was one month old. Sorry that it's blurry, but it's a picture of a picture. I love Kansas City. I really do. This is home. This is where my kids go to school. This is where I had Preston. This will be 4 years of our life. I love it here. I miss family, not St. Louis. (I do like St. Louis, but family first) I miss Sunday night dinners, Poppy's Pancakes, Saturday donuts with Grampy, sleepovers with Gram, Church with Family, walking to Nonnie's house, Loving Aunts that adore their nieces and nephews. More dates and free babysitting. I know that I still get family out here, family visits alot (even more this October with 2 birthdays ), but it's not the same. So there you go 7 1/2 months to go, till Adam is done with school. But we will enjoy the rest of our time here. |
Plastic Nightmare Did you know that the energy it takes to produce an aluminum can is enough to power a 60 watt light bulb for an hour? Did you know that there’s approximately 5.1 billion pounds of plastic waste created each year in the U.S. alone? In Alan Weisman’s book
“The World Without Us”
he states: “…every bit of plastic manufactured in the world for the last 50 years or so remains. It’s somewhere in the environment.” (4) I have been recycling aluminum and plastic for awhile now, and what really heightened my concern, especially when it comes to plastics, was when I came across the photos of dead
albatrosses
that were found on a beach on the
MidwayAtoll
. When a necropsy was performed on the birds their stomachs were literally packed solid with all varieties of plastics that they had consumed from the surface of the ocean (not knowing the difference between food and plastic). This occurred mostly in an area known as the
Eastern Garbage Patch located in the North Pacific
, one of the five major oceanic gyres of marine debris. These gyres consist of mainly high concentrations of
“pelagic”plastics
that became floatsum due to land-based sources and ship-generated pollution. A wildlife biologist by the name of John Klavitter who has looked into this estimated that “albatross feed through regurgitation to their chicks about 5 tons of plastic a year at Midway.” (1) Check out this video from Chris Jordan's upcoming film: MIDWAY a Message from the Gyre : a short film by Chris Jordan from Midway on Vimeo. It’s not only albatrosses that are affected by our plastic refuse. In Weisman’s book he reports: “….sea otters choking on polyethylene beer rings from beer six-packs;….swans and gulls strangled by nylon fish nets and fishing lines; ….a green sea turtle in Hawaii dead with a pocket comb, a foot of nylon rope, and a toy truck wheel lodged in its gut.” “Plastic bags clog everything from sewer drains to the gullets of sea turtles who mistake them for jellyfish.” (4) Scientists have found that discarded plastic in our oceans are eventually ground down into tiny pieces forming a “plastic soup” (aka micro-plastic pollution), that ends up being eaten by all sorts of ocean life, including plankton and krill, which then serves as the main food source of whales, seals, penguins, squid, and fish. “Beyond the albatross, studies have shown up to 1 million seabirds choke or get tangled in plastic nets or debris every year. About 100,000 seals, sea lions, whales, dolphins, other marine mammals and sea turtles suffer the same fate. And what about the humans ingesting seafood nourished by the plastisphere?” (1) (9) Nature is talking to us and we damn well better start listening. I shudder to think what shape the environment will be in when my grand-daughter grows up. While we bicker and ignore the signs, the health of the planet slowly but surely continues to degenerate into an inhospitable nightmare right under our ignorant noses. One day a devastating irreversible event will occur and we will then plead with God to fix it, whilst all along He has been screaming at us from the get go. “Nature is not merely created by God; nature is God.” (12) ourtesy of Chris Jordan References and Suggested Reading: Pacific Voyagers: Plight of the Albatross (2) Rise Above Plastics (3) Midway:A Message From the Gyre “The World Without Us” Alan Weisman © 2007. (5) NOAA: Marine Debris (6) Greenpeace: Trash Vortex (7) Discover Magazine: The World's Largest Dump (8) Plastic Pollution Coalition (9)
Wire Magazine.
November 2013. Pg. 48.
“Trash Fashion-Wear Your Own Water Bottles” Ben Paynter (12)
“The
Island
Within”
Richard Nelson. © 1989 (13) Drowning in Plastic (14) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (16) Micro-Plastics in the Great Lakes Labels: albatross, Eastern Garbage Patch, gyre, Midway Atoll, pelagic plastic, plastic |