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By Mitchell Peters Sept. 18, 2014 It’s 1864, the night after the confederation meeting. The stage looks like a bloody battlefield as the lights on the stage slowly rise like sun-up. The Fathers of Confederations are lying scattered across stage. Dead? No, never mind, just hangover. 1864: The Tall Hat Chronicles is a P.E.I. made satire based on the famous gathering that led to the creation of Canada. It was written by Josh Weale, Lennie MacPherson, Graham Putnam and Rob MacDonald. The four authors also act in the play along with Alicia Altass. “A year ago we began preparing, at the time we also had a Christmas show to juggle. It was just the four fellas, we all wrote it up and we cast Alicia,” said actor/playwright Josh Weale. “We were initially just writing a bunch of unconnected sketches, but Graham Putnam brought the idea of using a ‘hangover’ style opening and this gave the show an overall structure.” The idea came to the crew while fact checking the 2014 celebrations. “Then we added some humorous exaggerations,” said Weale. Actor/playwright Lennie MacPherson said “We wrote more than needed for a two and a half hour show. We just began bridging plot lines and connecting ideas.” Weale cut in. “It’s a long lead up, we have been performing since July, and had a long writing period.” “The writing period took about a year”, he said, “which is a little long for a play.” Despite all this work and preparation the show continues to evolve with every show night said MacPherson. “As the show goes on we play with each other and as the characters develop dialogue is added or changed and the show develops.” The show runs every Wednesday and Saturday until Oct. 11. Student tickets are $15, and the show features a licensed bar. Visit the or call 902-620-3333 to purchase tickets. The group also plans a Christmas play for this holiday season.

With more than 10 participating nations, the unity of youths in the , empowered to have a vision for their country, to shine and stand out for and preach the way. Asia Pacific Youth Alive Conference is here, and it will be happening in Gosh its been quite some time since i attend an event organized by , the last i did was in 2005. So here when i know that this will be happening, i was a bit excited. Hope to bump into some old friends i made back then. To those bloggers who're as well, do blog and announce about this conference as well and spread the word around.

Another late post. I had so much for studying yesterday I forgot I was supposed to post about the third manicure of the spring challenge. So, here it is :) In short, I made a gradient using yellow and green, the last combination I had left. Then using a black polish I stamped the ladybug design from BM13 on my index and ring finger, and the swirly design from BM20 on the other nails. Check out what the other participants did: One more to go. Stay tuned!

STADIUM TALK There are fans glued to the construction cameras and I even read one guy has three screens so he can see all three live stadium cameras at once, now that is devotion. What comes out of the chat is that there is a small army of workers on site. If memory serves Less Roswell, who is a Spurs fans and is being used for scaffolding work, said there were 500 when he hired an ice cream van for them. A lovely touch for the workers that I'm sure they appreciated on a hot day. It is the little things for workers that often make a big difference. He and his form will have gone up in their estimation and be remembered. On Monday there was plenty of movement on the site before 6am. The build is a tight schedule with plenty doubting it will be completed on time and suggesting we may be out of the stadium for longer than a season. We'll see. Come to give Tottenham Hotspur a quote on the New White Hart Lane Development The latest Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust (THST) July newsletter has been released. "It was confirmed that, once the season starts, supporters will be able to access the North Stand via the West Stand entrance like last season. Those who sit in the East Stand, coming from White Hart Lane station, will be advised to walk around the supermarket due to the new scaffolding staircase that has been erected for supporters to gain access to the east side of the North Upper."

We Didn't Start The Fire I've been out of commission for a bit, but upon my return I was able to watch and enjoy the film, . Set in 1983, he film tells the story of a young boy who has recently lost his father in the war and who is constantly picked on by his peers. After being accepted by a group of older skinheads, Shaun - the main character - establishes his identity as a purist for England (not the United Kingdom) and his ideals as a racial purist. After some terrible events, Shaun is left with decisions about his identity. But in the midst of everything, he's found a family of people who truly love him. It's a great film, well shot and with a great soundtrack. I definitely recommend this film.

Liz continues as CCEE Stampers hostess and tells us that August is National Catfish Month. Fishing is a year-round sport and hobby. For our challenge this week, we were to find a fish or someone fishing. I pulled out my Heartfelt Creations Under the Sea set to make my card. These stamps are just too much fun! Liz had said that this challenge might give us a chance to make a masculine card. I don't think my card quite fills that bill. Check out the to see if the rest of the team took her advice.

Kern River dangers: How to beat the heat and stay safe BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — With temperatures hitting over 100 degrees this weekend, cooling off in the Kern River may seem tempting, but officials are urging people to stay out. "The river is extremely dangerous this year," Ray Pruitt, spokesperson for the Kern County Sheriff's Office, said. "The levels are higher than we've seen in years." Although some areas of the river look calm and safe, Pruitt said it is deceiving. "It's going to be hot, people may be drinking alcohol, it looks tempting to jump in real quick and there are areas of the river that don't look too dangerous, but the currents underneath are very strong. It's very easy for people to get swept away or get pinned against rocks or shrubbery." If you plan to go into the river, Pruitt said make sure you are wearing a life jacket and do with a professional company. River's End Rafting and Adventure Company is one of the many businesses in the area that offer guided tours of the Kern River. "When you go with a professional guide, we now what we're dong, we've been on this river for years, we know it like the back of our hand," Sara Adona or River's End and Adventure Company, said. "They're [guides] are trained in safety and know exactly what to do if any situations do come up." Adona said the best way to enjoy the river and stay safe is with a professional guide. "There are a lot of options right here in Bakersfield to up in Kernville," she said. "Don't go in alone."

“The Fantastic Rubbish Art Exhibition, showcasing how valuable rubbish can be, runs at the Ubuntu Village at the Wanderers in Johannesburg until 6 September as part of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.” “The intention is to provide a platform for communication between the artists and crafters on the one hand, and the general public on the other, and to inspire thoughts and discussions around the environment and waste specifically.” “Artworks, showcased in containers, are made from rubbish ranging from scrapyard objects to melted plastic and telephone directories. To reach the containers, one follows a footpath through a maze which could easily be mistaken for a scrapyard, because its high walls are made of scrap metal and discarded household appliances.” “Discussions happen at the end of the exhibition in a ‘South African Talking House’ built by French artists and South African crafters from KwaZulu-Natal. Constructed out of crates and plastic, it looks like a shack – but inside there is a pool table and sound-sensitive lights that shine brightly when you shout and dimly when you whisper – art and technology in action.” Yeah! I love the fact that they have a manditory meeting place at the end of the show. Awseome stuff–this is what art should be, I think.

Rice Noodles Stick XL, 30 x 13.20 oz. , Imported from Thailand , 30 lbs Use these noodles for preparing Pad Thai, noodle soup and Pad See-ew (Rice Noodles Stir-Fried with Black Soy Sauce, see recipe below). To prepare, soak in room temperature water to soften for 20 to 40 minutes. Rice noodles should be considered for inclusion in a gluten-free diet. To store noodles keep in a cool dry place in an airtight container. Use all types of noodles within one year of purchase. Rice noodles should be a stock item in your pantry. Also see other noodles: Rice Noodles Sen Lek, Rice Vermicelli, Rice Flake Noodles and Egg Noodles. Ingredients: Rice flour and water. Product of Thailand. Availability: Ships in 2-3 business days from Los Angeles, California.

I got up early this morning with all sorts of good intentions which went no where fast cause I took my pills and fell back asleep before hubby woke me a few hours later. I am doing much better and feel so much better then I did a week or so ago. I spent part of the day outside then came in and had fried zucchinie for dinner. We had chicken, zucchini, and turnips. Most of the stuff came from the garden. The garden is doing lovely. My husband went out behind the house and got a picture of a buck feeding on some things he planted behind the house for the deer. While he was doing that I got some pics of my flowers in front of the house. I love the hollyhocks. They grow every year and always seem to look so nice. But I also caputred a picture of what my front walkway looks like with all the flowers that are in front of the house. This seems to have been a great year for the flowers. Lots of rain when we needed it.

Just when you thought I was done catblogging... Hershy and Rusty, the original top cats of the neighborhood. This is the one and only picture where Hershy looks like he might actually win the fight. This is Sorcha as a kitten. So tiny and cute! Knittingwise, my time has been consumed by my scarf. I just finished the Green Lantern section and am moving on to Wonder Woman! I finally have my own Green Lantern lantern. And it is knitted. I have also started knitting some infinity scarves which Hannah says are only for "a very special person." Not sure whether I should be insulted.

From its first depictions in historic scientific literature to modern depictions in mind imaging, mania has been principally linked to its Greek roots, "to rage." sooner than the 19th century, "mania" used to be used interchangeably with "madness." even if its meanings shifted through the years, the be aware remained layered with the kind of insanity first-century writers defined: rage, fury, frenzy. Even now, the psychological ailment we all know as bipolar illness describes stipulations of utmost irritability, inflated grandiosity, and over the top impulsivity. Spanning numerous centuries, Manic Minds lines the a number of ways that the be aware "mania" has been utilized by well known, scientific, and educational writers. It unearths why the rhetorical heritage of the notice is vital to appreciating descriptions and meanings of the "manic" episode." Lisa M. Hermsen examines the best way doctors analyzed the manic situation in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries and gives the 1st in-depth research of up to date manic autobiographies: bipolar figures who've written from in the sickness itself. Read Online or Download Manic Minds: Mania's Mad History and Its Neuro-Future PDF Similar history of psychology & counselling books A History of Psychology: A Global Perspective Delivering a clean, available, and international method of the heritage of psychology, the absolutely revised moment version of Eric B. Shiraev’s A historical past of Psychology: a world viewpoint, offers a radical view of psychology’s revolutionary and evolving position in society and the way its interplay with tradition has built all through background, from precedent days in the course of the center a long time and the fashionable interval to the present millennium. Memory and Intelligence (Psychology Revivals) During their researches for psychological Imagery within the baby (1971), the authors got here to understand that motion should be extra conducive to the formation and conservation of pictures than is mere belief. This raised the matter of reminiscence and its relation to intelligence, which they learn during this name, initially released in English in 1973. Extra resources for Manic Minds: Mania's Mad History and Its Neuro-Future Rated 5 – based on votes

on Ali's blog today and really loved it. Summer somehow snuck up on me and it might be good to take a minute and think about what we are going to do here. Though, to be totally accurate it is still spring for another month, but you get the idea. Avi's school ends next week, which seems crazy to me. We have daily swim lessons for two weeks at the Y. And, I am already thinking about which yoga class to take afterwards. I love this one fiesty Japanese yoga instructor there and may be stalking her this summer. Nandini is already fourteen months and still not walking. It may be time for to sign her up for some kind of baby gymnastics class or something. I know I shouldn't worry, but I can't help it. Try to keep an eye on all the free events going on around the city this summer. I already added a bunch of free shows playing at to my calendar. We went to the opera the other night and had a very relaxing almost entire first act before we had to leave. Ryan and I are going Aruba this summer for my best friend's wedding but we decided to leave both kids at home. I am sure they are going to love all the Nana and Nani attention. But, what about our just regular days? I know that I want less TV. It feels like an addiction whenever we are in the house and not at school or out. I don't want it to be the default. That is for starters. Off to look for ideas and inspiration. Please, feel free to send me your links in the comments.

This is my second round design team entry. It is a 9 x 9 accordian album from Close to My Heart. For this round we were sent supplies that had to be worked into the project. These consisted of felt shapes, cardstock, grungeboard, ribbon, and brads. For the front cover, I cut the title Easter Memories from the Pooh Font cartridge and the bunny from Doodlecharms. The next page on the inside cover I used some of the felt pieces provided and some Easter diecuts. The bunny is a sizzix die and is cut out of the grungeboard we were given to use. I added a pompom for the tail. The buny and basket are from Stretch Your Imagination. The chicks on the bottom are another sizzix die. All the patterened paper for the project is from My Minds Eye and the cardstock is core'dinations. I used my nestabilities to mat the photos on the egg hunt page. The grass border is cut from Paper Doll Dress Up and the eggs are from Doodlecharms. The bunny is from Stretch Your Imagination. This next page features one of my favorite pictures ever. I used more of the grungeboard bunnies, some petaloo flowers and made a paper doll to look the picture of Ainsleigh. For the next two pages, I decided to play around with cropping pictures to get some better shots. There was some glitter paper in with the supplies we were required to use, so I used them on the eggs. I needed the rest of my eggs to be glittery too, so I fan them through the xyron upside down and glittered th Now for the back cover. Since the front of the album featured a bunny face, it's only natural that the back of the album would also be the back of the bunny. I used the rest of the ribbon provided and glued on a giant pompom for the bunny tail. This was a really fun project to make and it will be hard to send it away. I will have to recreate one for myself.

To float or not to float? For many years, global markets had focused their attention on traditional sectors such as natural resources rather than on life science companies, so initial public offerings (IPOs) for such companies were uncommon. The past few years have, however, seen a sea-change and life science companies – from biotech to medical devices firms – have come very much back into favour as the must-have stocks; with opportunities for significant upsides. The turnaround started in 2013; the markets began to pick up that year and 66 life science IPOs were completed globally. By 2014, there were an extraordinary 133 life sciences companies completing IPOs, raising some $11 billion. The first quarter of 2015 seemed to show a dramatic downturn in life science stock market launches, however, with a number of analysts suggesting that this presaged the closure of the biotech IPO window. This was not to be the case, and the second quarter saw a resurgence; June 2015 was the busiest month on the market for the sector in 15 years. During this month alone there were 35 companies that went through United States IPOs, raking in some $5.9 billion. When, in early September this year, gene therapy company RegenxBio floated at a price of $22 per share, its valuation almost immediately jumped to $37 per share. Business was booming. However, the market for biotechs is particularly vulnerable to changes in public policy. On 21 September the US democratic party presidential hopeful, Hilary Clinton, tweeted that she would release a plan to combat the high price of prescription drugs. She was apparently responding to the news that Turing had acquired an older antibiotic and increased its price by more than 5,000%. Immediately following this tweet there was a dramatic drop on the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. It is clear that Clinton’s tweet hit a nerve since the sector had already been concerned about drug pricing, but there appeared to have been a knock-on impact on the markets, with a number of US floats, including Cytomax, Aclaris Therapeutics, Nabriva, Edge and Mirna, not reaching expected valuations. At the beginning of October, UK company Shield Therapeutics postponed its IPO on the London Stock Exchange, noting that current market conditions did not make it a conducive time to raise cash. The rest of this article is restricted - login or subscribe free to access bi-monthly issues in print and/or digital format case studies, whitepapers, webinars and industry-leading content breaking news and features our extensive online archive of thousands of articles and years of past issues ...And it's all free!

Hello, I'm Sarah & here's a list of things you might like to know about me: I'm in my mid 20's and live in Melbourne, Australia. I grew up in a small small town in Victoria. Words are one of my favourite ways to express myself. I know what it is to be sick; I have healed from Glandular Fever and more recently chronic hyperthyroidism. I believe illness is one way our soul wakes us up and gets out attention- love is another. I am drawn to helping others. I am learning to put my own needs first so as I can help others without losing anything of myself. I have experienced burn-out as a Social Worker. I have given my power away to others or a cause because some part of me believed it was more worthy of it than I. I know how afwul it feels to not be 'in your body'. I know how amazing it feels to be present and completely 'here and now'. I have had a broken heart. My heart has mended. I am passionate about people living out their dreams and honouring their unique truth. I enjoy getting to know myself more each day. It is my intention to match my inner and outer worlds in order to live authentically and with the greatest ease and joy possible. The forest re-energises me, I feel peaceful when I am near still waters. I dislike being too hot or too cold, I like 'just right'. I dislike lies. The most dangerous sort are the ones we tell ourselves. I love sharing my journey with others, I hope that my own challenges and insights will help others to feel equipped to face their challenges and find their own answers. This is me, this is my blog, you are so welcome to join me here and to share as much or as little as feels right for you. I'd love to hear from you, feel free to contact me via e-mail or on Twitter.

Sorry I've been away for a while--the humans have been very busy! A perfect example of this was this weekend, when one of them did something called a . It meant getting up veeeery early, and driving to the beach, which I really liked. There were a bunch of humans swimming in the water. So many of them! Then they got out of the water and ran past us, and jumped onto bikes and raced away. I missed my human a lot--I just wanted to hang out with him. Then they came back from riding their bikes, and started to just run away. I was pretty confused. But my human came back soon! I guess it wasn't good for him that he came back, but I was so happy to see him I didn't care. It was only 10 am when we finished with all this, so it was just the start of our day. But I missed most of the rest of it: I slept in the car on the way home, and with the other human when we got back to our apartment. Triathlons are all well and good, but nothing beats sleep--I'm the champion of that!

Kolkata, Jun 2: Eight persons received burn injuries when a fire broke out in two godowns in North Kolkata's Cossipore area last night. The injured were admitted to state-run R G Kar medical college and hospital. 14 fire tenders were engaged to fight the blaze which was brought under control after midnight. A disaster management team of Kolkata police joined the firemen in fighting the blaze which swept through two godowns at 10 pm and doused after about two hours. Police cordoned off the entire area to keep the onlookers at bay as the cause of fire and extent of damage fire was yet to be ascertained.

Vastu Tips for North-West Facing House | Plot | Property Five important elements of vastu shastra – fire, water, Earth, Wind and Space are mutually related to the four cardinal Directions and four inter-cardinal directions of the compass. Each direction is associated with an element and an area of your life. Wind element is located in the north west zone. The Air or Vayu is vital for our survival. Our sense of sound, touch and feel are related to Air. All communication, networking energies can be improved if the wind element is has all vastu compliance. Vastu Tips for North West facing house In North-west plot, the major directions falls in the corner of the site. The strength of such plot is weak compared to regular plot. Make a lower boundary at north east zone of such plot.Lower boundary at north east will help in attracting positive flow of cosmic rays from Ishanya corner. South-west boundary should be the higher in north-west facing properties.The height & size of the boundary wall should be based on size of the house or plot. Leave more open space in the north-east zone of the plot while making a constructions Leave equal space on south-east and north-west zone of the plot while making a home constructions Leave minimum space at south-west zone of the plot while making a constructions. This will improve the vastu strength of the plot. Avoid plot with T junction from the any side. Any T junction at north-west should be treated with the strong vastu remedies. T junction plot or home are highly inauspicious and need a strong vastu remedies, if selected, use vastu partitions, crystal boundary & vastu bricks to rectify the defect. Also avoid plot with veedhi shoola (road ending) at east of south-east, north of north-west, south-of south west and west of south-west. Correct north west zone dosha (defect) by installing a nine or multiple lapis pyramids the border of north-west boundary. 10 Plot facing north-west can make a aroma garden to enhance the wind element properties. Avoid any projection in the plot (Except North east to the extent of 10%) Make sure that vastu plan for house has all internal & external arrangements as per vastu guidelines before making a constructions. Any extension or projection or cut in the north-west corner could impact on business relationship. It may cause enmity with friends & relatives. Enhance counter direction i.e. south-east by installing strong fire element in fire zone. This will improve the energy of north-west Vastu remedies like pyramid, vastu brass helix, wind chimes (wind element), aromatic plants etc. can be big help in enhancing north-west facing properties. A North-West facing properties should have a fire element i.e. kitchen, power station, electric panel etc. should be placed in south-east zone North-west facing properties should have master bed room in the south-west, children bedroom at east, pooja room at north east and bathroom in the west zone of the house Vastu Consultant Mumbai, Read Case Study Vastu Consultant Ghatkopar, Read Case Study Vastu Consultant Dubai, Read Case Study Vastu shastra tips for North West facing house,Plot,north west facing house,north west facing house vastu,house facing north west,kitchen north west,north west bedrooms,north west direction,west north west direction,north west kitchen,north west east south direction,north west facing house vastu,northwest facing house,vastu northwest facing house,northwest facing house vastu,vastu northwest facing house,house facing north west,north west facing house,north west facing house vastu

This week was an actual "recovery" week, giving me three rest days instead of the usual two. I actually followed my plan pretty closely (except for cutting the medium long run a bit short) and nailed most of the workouts, including a killer tempo run! This week was just what I needed since I'm now in the middle of a build week that is testing my limits! While no running happened today I did get the opportunity to participate in a 4 hour training session on I didn't have to work til 11:30 so I took advantage of the later start and ran to work again. Commuting on foot once a week has become such a convenient way to fit in my medium long run and get it out of the way first thing. This week I felt great from the start and by mile 2 I was consistently within 5 seconds of marathon goal pace for the remainder of the run, even clocking a few sub-9 miles in the second half. Finished at the Starbucks near work to grab a smoothie before heading in to work! I don't know if it was due to all that Trigger Point I did on Monday or if it was just a good day, but this was just one of those awesome runs that leaves you smiling. It was longer than my usual tempo runs, but only had 4 at tempo pace so I just did a longer warm-up and cool-down. I had the day off so I waited til early evening when it had cooled off and it was just gorgeous out on the bike trail. I hit my goal pace, 8:30/mi, easily and felt smooth and strong with consistent splits: 8:26, 8:27, 8:23, 8:16. I often have to stop for quick breaks during my tempos, but this time I only stopped once to get water. I ended up back at home with a couple cool-down miles to go so I grabbed my pup and finished the run around my neighborhood. It's runs like these, even if they only happen once in a blue moon, that make running worth all the time, energy, pain, and sweat. I also wore a new outfit for the first time and loved it! I got some compression-style Nike to hopefully help with the I've been having as well as a bright pink Nike . Despite the hot weather we've had the last few months I realized I only had a few tank tops, so I decided I needed to add another to the collection (even though fall is fast approaching!). The color is fun and the material is really light and airy. I've worn it at least 4 times in the last week! The shorts definitely did the trick, too. They have a tighter hem at the bottom of the leg so they don't ride up even a tiny bit, the material is ridiculously soft and stretchy, and they are the perfect length coming just a few inches above the knee. And of course, no more chafing problems! Both winners in my book. my new favorite outfit : ) I randomly had Saturday off and had a recovery run planned for the morning, but slept in instead and didn't head out til late afternoon. After having such a great run the day before I was hoping for the same but it was pretty lackluster. Not good, not bad. I set out for my long run solo this week since I had to fit it in before heading to work. I got started a bit later than planned but was pleased to find the morning nice a cool with a bit of cloud cover. I didn't really have a solid route planned; I thought maybe I'd do an out-and-back one direction then add on a loop the other way, but the further I got the easier a straight out-and-back seemed. The plan didn't call for any specific paces this week so I kept it fairly easy and tried to just listen to my body. I kept telling myself that long runs should be a bit slower than race pace and not to push it, and I consistently hovered between 30-40 seconds slower than marathon goal pace. Not long after passing William Pond Park around mile 4.5 I passed an older gentleman shuffling along. Oddly enough though, as soon as I passed him he picked up the pace and started running just behind me like I had a shadow. I figured I'd lose him after a while, or maybe he'd try to pass me, but he just stuck with me for the next few miles until I headed back! I kept thinking I should turn around and say something, but then I thought maybe he just liked the company or was using me as motivation (or maybe just for drafting purposes?). Admittedly it kept me moving over the looong 3 miles til the turnaround (I didn't want to get passed by him!), so I guess I didn't mind too much : ) I stopped to stretch and refuel a few times over the course of the run, but in looking back at many of my long runs, I think I spend too much time doing this. I know that these are training runs and I don't intend to eliminate these breaks completely, but the clock won't stop on race day for me to take a break, so I'll hopefully be cutting back on future long runs. With my late start I didn't finish til much later than planned and had to rush to get to work, but made sure to make myself a recovery smoothie to take with.

I remember the time when I was still struggling to learn English, and how hard I tried to learn quickly. Back then the people around me didn’t dare to ask me what I wanted to do because they always got the same answer. “Read with me, please.” Everybody around me had to read with me and they all gave in, even the ones who didn’t like to read a book -I was merciless. I tortured them endlessly with simply written books, often romance novels. Too many complicated words are too frustrating when you learn a new language, one or two in a paragraph are manageable. I highlighted the words, looked them up in the dictionary, wrote them down in my notebook and repeated them all every day until I knew them by heart. Being able to read a book in English all by myself, that was my ultimate goal and dream and I worked hard for it. Hard to believe isn’t it. Today I write in English and I even dream in a language that I was not born and raised with. One day a neighbor bought some American classics for me at a flea market, and he handed them to me as a gift. One of them was Haper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It was not an easy read, and it took me months to finally finish the book. Many, many words were highlighted at the end, and the book left me with so many questions -but also gave me some answers. I loved the book, have read it numerous times ever since, and I love the movie just as much. I even have it as an audiobook, and I enjoy listing to Sissy Spacek, who did a marvelous job reading it. Today I found out that schools in Virginia have pulled copies of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Mark Twain’s classic “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” after a parent’s complaint. “There are so many racial slurs in there and offensive wording that you can’t get past that, and right now we are a nation divided as it is.” The racial slur in question appears more than 200 times in “Huckleberry Finn,” Mark Twain’s 1884 satire about racism in pre-Civil War America and are used almost 50 times in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a 1960 novel about anti-black bigotry in the midcentury American South that has been a staple of school syllabi for 50 years.  (Source: Los Angeles Times) I do wonder what is next. Will they forbid Holocaust books, because of racial slurs against Jews? Book banning, that rings a bell, doesn’t it? What is next? Burning books? Censorship? For Heaven’s sake, parents try to protect their children of racial slurs and “bad” language. Have they read the comment section at a website like yahoo lately, where they seem to have simpleton meetings every day? I am very sorry dear parents there in Virginia, but racism is real, has been real and it should NEVER be forgotten. Will it end one day? I don’t know, but it won’t end because we don’t talk or read about it. Pretending, that something didn’t happen, won’t solve the problem. A Pulitzer Prize winner is banned. If I would be a believer I would be tempted to say, “Lord help us in this insanity.” The book is not solely about racism, this would be a terrible oversimplification of the novel. It’s an outstanding exploration of morality. Harper Lee uses a very powerful instrument in her book, she uses children. She also introduces the reader to an extraordinary person like Atticus Finch, who is teaching morality in a world that is full of immorality and illogicalness. Racism exists. Social Inequality exists. A pseudo-caste system exists. Evil exists. But also the good exists. Not just in a novel, but also in real life. In the book, Atticus Finch tells Scout and Jem to put themselves in other people’s skin before they act. It’s a powerful message that’s needed today as much as it was needed back then -maybe even more. There is good and there is evil and sometimes all it takes is to get to know people and you will see the good. Some people we will never be able to reach. Somehow we all coexist. Please, don’t kill my Mockingbird, let children learn from the mistakes of the past -let’s not hide them.

I like to create a theme for special events and parties. While you might not want to paint twelve plates, dinner for two can be really personalized with decorated dinnerware and table accents. That special someone will really appreciate the effort you've made to show you care. You can use glass paints to embellish or personalize dinnerware. For this tablescape I used Plaid's PermEnamel to create a shell border on plates from Pier One. I used Mod Podge to decoupage a shell print scrapbook paper onto a jar candle. A bit of raffia and a shell collected from the beach will add the finishing touch to this centerpiece. What can you think of to add to the scene?

You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Bronx’ category. Here are the previous posts in this series.  This is the SUNY training ship’s return this past week from a “sea term” that began this way on May 10. This first set of photos comes from Roger Munoz, who took them from high above 74th Street. That’s Roosevelt Island just to her far side, and the Queens and the Bronx farther beyond. Later that morning, Thomas Steinruck took these during the assist back into the dock friends and family welcomed TS Empire State VI home.   Now it’s back to classes, study, and tests in this part of the Bronx. Many thanks to Roger and Thomas for use of these photos. Summertime . . . and today I’m lazy after finishing two projects that’ve been transfixing me all month. So how about some sail . . . in the evening, like Aquidneck, a moth . . . Aurora (1949) with tanbark sails, The Blue Peter  . . . unfortunately AFTER she had dropped her parachute spinnaker. and finally Black Watch . . . built in the Bronx and a veteran of World War Two. I’ve been to the Narragansett Bay before, but I need to spend more time there in summer. But first, I hear there’s some big sail coming to the sixth boro.  Last but not least, all photos by Will Van Dorp I took it from a southernmost point in the Bronx looking eastward toward North Brother Island . . . the brick chimney to the right.  I can’t identify either the Weeks tug or the current usage of the red-and-white striped stack to the left. What caught my attention was the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon on the front of the house of Mediterranean Sea. By the time I got back to the sixth boro, the pink “M” on Moran tugs was once again white.  The only photo of a Moran tug I managed in the whole month of October was the one below, a photo of a photo of a Catherine Moran in the lobby of a restaurant in Lockport.  Label says . . . as you can read it . . . “Lockport 1939.”  Would this have been the vessel built by Neafie & Levy in 1904? As to the pink ribbon, I was happy to see it. All photos by Will Van Dorp. Of course, there is Tilly, seen afloat here just  a few weeks before she was allowed to sink near Key West. And then there are a set of ice yachts, built in the Bronx but not listed on this website, although I’m not sure why. And then there was sub chaser PC-1264–two dozen projects BEFORE Tilly, sold for scrap but never scrapped. Close up of 1264 starboard at low tide. A view of her port side . . . three years ago.   But if you go decades farther back in products of the Bronx, there is this!!  Here’s an article from a 1916 issue of Power Boating (scroll to p. 37) on the Speedway products of the Consolidated in the Bronx.  Besides Consolidated, the Bronx also had Kyle & Purdy and Here’s a Bronx product of Lyon-Tuttle shipyard, previously Kyle & Purdy. And here’s another . . . All photos by Will Van Dorp, who snapped the last three photos above at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton NY, a must-see for anyone interested in recreational boats. And although this is a bit late, I’ll be at the midtown main branch of the New york Public Library this evening with Gary Kane to show and discuss our documentary . . . Graves of Arthur Kill. I had fotos of Tilly on this blog about six weeks ago here, and on a cold sixth boro day that threatens to get colder, I want to salute smart folks like Mike Knape who a) spent it in a warm place and b) sent me a set of fotos of this boat which had the good sense to travel south itself. Tilly is from 1943 and built in Morris Heights in the Bronx at Consolidated Shipbuilding.  An online museum should be created with images of as many of Consolidated Shipbuilding products as photos can be located of.    For example, this one.    Morris Heights also produced some of these iceboats . . . to give a seasonally appropriate vessel for the sixth boro. Here, here, and here I did some posts from the Conch Republic myself a few years ago, although I had the poor judgement to go there when upnorth was warm.  Next time I should make my way here when a walk on New York streets is incomplete without glances over my shoulder in case a pack of polar bears might be following.   Poor Fred up in Fort Edward is hunkered down in his boathouse with famished  Ursus maritimuses circling. Mike . . . many thanks for passing along these fotos from a warm place. Captain Charles . .  1953.  Know the location?  The bridge in the background is a clue.  Answer can be found at the end of this post. James Turecamo, like me class of 1969, foto taken just before yesterday’s planned building implosion.  By that early hour, James had already earned a fair amount of “keep.”  To see James in Turecamo livery, click here. Hunter is something different!  She’s just towed in a dead fishing boat.  How much would a RIB like this cost new? Catherine and Kimberly, both Turecamo, escorted Tonna up the Arthur Kill, past the scrapyard where Gary Kane and I filmed the documentary. Jennie B, 1955, in the mighty Columbia. Captain Bob, August 1945 Marietta Manufacturing Point Pleasant WV hull #538, is a one year younger sibling LT of Bloxom (June 1944 and hull # 519)!  Also, in this run was Mary E. Hannah and James A. Hannah, posted here on tugster in 2012.   To get a sense what Captain Bob (ex-Sea Commander) looks like high and dry–and by extension what Bloxom of Graves of Arthur Kill once did–click here.  On the vessel below, I love the green “door.” Scroll through here and here for more LT Army fotos. HMS Liberty 1978 here sidles up to schooner Virginia. Linda L. Miller, eastbound of the East River.   Linda L. and Gabby Miller assisted in loading Mighty Servant a year and a half ago. Coastline Bay Star, once known as Coney Island, dates from 1958. Longsplice (originally Shrike, 1959) recently high and dry near the Arthur Kill. Pilot, 1941 out of a yard in Sturgeon Bay WI, is a sibling of Spooky! And this vessel, on the left bank of the Willamette, I’ve no idea.  Anyone help? Getting back to that first foto, the bridge in the background is the Bronx-Whitestone.  Foto then is taken from the north end of that unique part of the Bronx called City Island. All fotos taken in the past month by Will Van Dorp. Hmmm . . . does that describe tugster?  Feel free to add to a characterization of the blog.  But seriously, I need to step away for a while this summer . . . to gallivant, of course.   Get in touch for details.   Learning the blogging template is not difficult. This cryptic title will become clear in time, but first check out these fotos taken by Jim Ash . . . back more than a decade ago when the long-gone Coral Queen was headed up the creek . . . the creek referred to being also known as the Anne Hutchinson River. The thing about these creeks is that large vessels–that’s a relative term–can only navigate them only when water levels are up.  But if you’re up the creek too long after ebb, you stay where you are until the water comes back.  When levels are up, you head downstream, around any and all obstacles, overtop of submerged but hidden threats you know are there, underneath the ones that don’t have to lift for you, through the portals only at that instant when they’re open and you’re lined up, and toward the open water. More on this–the specialized creek work of Diane B and  . . . the proud, the very few . . . soon.  All fotos by Will Van Dorp. All manner of small vessels traverse the waters of the sixth boro.  Twin Tube is truly one ageless fixture of the harbor.   If I did photoshopping, I’d have the boom dangle something tantalizing over the Statue’s upstretched hand. Annie G II . . .  makes me wonder about Annie G I.  Here she stands by as crew perform some truck task over on the west side of Governor’s Island.  I’ve enjoyed watching the derelict buildings on the Island disappear.   A largely unseen harbor project farther south (sorry no pics from UNDER the sixth boro) has been the tunneling of a new deeper “water main” (p. 7 ff) between Brooklyn and Staten Island. A small USCG boat stops for maintenance on the red 32.  Unfortunately, I was on a vessel headed away from the buoy, and a few seconds after I took this, one crewman stepped aboard the buoy, on the other side. A small USACE vessel speeds to the southeast past Robins Reef Light. John P Brown pushes fewer than a dozen of the mere 1500 cars per year across the harbor, the miniscule fraction of merchandise that travels between NJ and parts of NYC on non-rubber wheels. A small fishing boat crosses the bay under the cranes on hovering over Bayonne. St Andrews runs light past some unidentified tugs obscured in the fog.  I spent July 4 docked near St Andrews. New England style fishing boat heads out of the Bronx while Fox Boys (I think) pushes some scrap probably toward Jersey City. In fading light, HMS Liberty heads for the Kills.   I’ve often wonder what the HMS stood for in this case. . . .   Is the H his, her, or something else . . . . All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who wonders whether Sandy will be sandy or just windy, snowy, rainy,  . . . tricky . .  . . Thanks for today’s fotos and text go to James Ash, port captain for Poling & Cutler.     “I took [these fotos of ]  about 12 years ago from the Boston Post Road Bridge in Eastchester ( Mt. Vernon). The “Rock Cut” is one of the most challenging transits as lining up for the turn around the last corner under the B.P.R. Bridge is a widow maker in a single hull, single screw, tanker built in 1920. Probably a highlight of my career [is] the 1,200 trips up the in my time on this vessel. There was a time when she made two trips per day up this river, one on each tide.   Master mariner Tony McDonald is at the helm on this trip. I came in for crew change.” Here are my fotos of Coral Queen, which began rebirth through the scrapyard portal a few years back now. Imagine a tugboat with a bowsprit, at least some of the time?  See the link at the end. First from Robert Apuzzo . . .  Crow (1963) in the East River, and Susan Miller (1981, ex-Uncle Ned) in the Bronx River.  Speaking of the Bronx River, here’s its namesake tug and some info on doings in the Bronx River this summer.  By the way, you saw Bronx nearly lost in the lush bow pudding of Cornell here last September… scroll through a bit. From John Watson, the newer (Feb 2011) and bigger (630′) orange juice tanker Orange Stararrives escorted by Laura K. Moran. Same shot, bigger context. A distant sound like a train whistle Saturday morning . . .  that was the aforementioned Cornell. A school of Vane boats (l. to r. Elk River, Pataspsco, and Quantico Creek)  get their stern-parts bathed by the oracle waters Gowanus Canal. Eagle Service, fairly fresh off the Great Lakes, heads into KVK about a week ago. Like Eagle Service, Greenland Sea was originally built as a Bollinger-built Candies boat.  . .  Grant Candies (November 1996) and  Doc Candies (December 1990). Another Hornbeck boat, Freedom Service (1983) heads into the Buttermilk from the East River. Buchanan 12 (1972) heads into the East River.    See her light here. Thanks to Robert and John for sharing their fotos. Unrelated:  Here are some fotos from the Seattle Maritime Festival, tug race and more, from yesterday.  Wish I’d been able to go.   Here and here are some Seattle water fotos I took last summer.  For updates on Coot, the tug in W. O. Decker colors, click here. Scrolling through you’ll also find some great tugboat names as well as the hull–high and dry–of a supertug under construction. Also unrelated but  . .  a two-minute video honoring WW2 vets.  Watch it all, please. Anna Frater is the bowspritted tugboat;  click here to see it.    It’s not the first such tug to appear here:  check out this tugantine from 2008.

Nowadays, Santa's actions would be classified as criminally insane. However, as children we're told that once a year—while we're asleep, mind you—a colorful, omnipresent lunatic is welcomed into our homes and allowed to punish or reward us for our actions. How exactly does Santa determine what's considered naughty or nice? And what kind of quality control does he have for this alleged list of his? Checking it twice? That's less than the number of times I checked my cell phone while I was writing this post. Why is a poorly dressed, largely unemployed madman with an animal fetish and an elf internment camp responsible for determining the moral integrity of the gift receiving community? This isn't a Christmas Tale, it reads more like the plot of an episode of Investigation Discovery.

I’ll love you while we’re making the most of the night.  Wow, it’s been almost a year since I last blogged…! Not that the end of 2014/first half of 2015 was uneventful or anything, but I guess I just felt like the odd lengthy FB post was enough. & perhaps I didn’t want to keep writing about the same thing over and over again. But I’m still constantly running. Away from reality. Is it something about this place? I feel so bogged down by negativity. The bored, lifeless faces around me on the train…the constant worries I hear about the future; about jobs…people who are close to me going through depression/dealing with serious issues…the routine of school-work-external classes-meeting friends. In class, I’m just daydreaming most of the time. The only time I pay attention is when it’s Lit. I feel so empty and frustrated that I keep planning my future and googling jobs in cities I want to move to, but I haven’t found anything suitable. I keep thinking that things always change – someone might say something that’ll throw a wrench in the works and make me want to do something else; go somewhere else. So I keep waiting for a sign from the Universe that’ll give me clarity. Still, there’s the underlying guilt that leaving is an option for the privileged – leaving and being able to live comfortably elsewhere. Of course anyone could buy a one-way ticket to chase their dreams and work hard from the bottom. Those are the people who usually end up successful, and I admire them so much. But I don’t know if I have the ability to do that, & so I’m going to need a little help starting out. I stayed here for the past 3 years, as promised, and so in turn, mum has agreed to finally let me go/support me (at least in the beginning). To what extent, I don’t know. I know I look like a lazyass since my grades suck and no one ever sees me studying, but I’m willing to work hard if I feel like there’s a purpose. Just need constant motivation, I suppose. I know that I want to write. And dance. And help people. And meet lots of people. And travel. I want to speak their languages and immerse myself in their culture. But what kind of job would allow me to do all of that? & everyday there’s just so much tragedy in the news and unhappiness in the lives around me that I start to trivialise my own sadness. I tell myself that my own problems aren’t really problems, and that I don’t deserve to feel sad. It exhausts me, because I want to be strong and happy, especially when the world doesn’t need another sad soul. I don’t think that I’m the nicest person around, but I keep wanting to give. Like, I keep thinking, maybe I can absorb all this pain and shoulder the burdens of others. Let me take it all. Let me just be nice to people and love others without expecting anything in return. Let me listen to them and be there for them. But I don’t think I’m that noble. I certainly haven’t done enough. I need to keep reminding myself to stay on track. Don’t be all talk and no action. Sometimes I slip up, distracted by my personal desires, but then someone asks me what I want to do and I’m reminded again of what my ultimate goal should be. I really believe that everything happens for a reason, and that seemingly inconsequential things lead you to where you’re supposed to be in the end. So let’s wait and see.

Ahhhhhh but I can't show it to you. Sorry! It's my card for Sundays with Crissy & I can't post it till the 13th. I'm such a tease, I know :) Wish I could say I'd have another card done before the 13th but that would be a lie -- & Santa frowns on lying! But I did want to share some pictures with you -- not the best -- my photography skills seem to get worse the more I work with my camera, lol. Last weekend we went to an event in our small town called Midnight Magic. The whole town is "open" from 10 until midnight. All the stores have specials, the churches have music, tents are set up all over town with food, there are carriage rides in the park, a craft fair at the middle school, & my favorite - a parade! This was our first year participating -- not sure why we never did before because it was a BLAST!!! It was raining & we almost didn't go, but decided we'd go watch the parade from our car. It stopped raining just as we got there. So we enjoyed a DRY parade, then went to view our brand spankin' new library (I am a total library GEEK!!). Here are my boys in front of the tree at the library. Everything smelled so NEW! One of the churches had a live nativity scene, a kids party, & a petting zoo. A petting zoo?? In a church? Michael was all over that - Those poor bunnies, lol. Michael was super gentle with all the animals, but some kids, not-so-much. I cringed every time I saw a bunny struggling to get away from someone -- it's a miracle none were dropped on its head! We also went to the garden center, where they had gingerbread houses -- another church to see the middle & high school orchestras -- & oh yeah -- dinner at Culver's, lol. Never did get to the craft show -- will have to plan our day better next year! A couple of pictures of our Christmas trees: This is the one in our great room... and this is the one in our playroom. I really wanted to get a shot with the lights on, but I really struggled with what setting to have it on. I tried shots on all settings, & this was about the best. I really need to get a photo of our outside lights. My 13 year old BEGGED me to let him put up lights. My husband used to do it but gave up years ago -- he now refuses. He would always pop a circuit, a strand would be out AFTER he hung them, and/or snow would cover all the lights on the bushes. So he dug them out & let Matthew at them. Not only did he get them untangled & hung up, he got them wired together & did NOT pop any circuits. All by himself, with no guidance from us. That kid amazes me!! So -- I will have to try to get a good shot so I can brag a little more about my brilliant son :) And last but not least......I gotta stick a kitty picture in here, lol. We actually hadn't put up our smaller tree in the past couple of years & Elwood really missed it. He's just not comfy under the other one. You should have seen his eyes light up when we started decorating this one... Do you think he's trying to blend in??? I will see you back here on the 13th!! Hope your holiday preparations are moving along splendidly.....

Protesters demanding for the dismissal of an allegedly corrupt Anglican bishop interrupted the Anglican Church from convening its synod. The said protesters also clashed with authorities which resulted with five people injured. According to the Anglican's official website, protesters surrounded St. John's Anglican Church in Amukpe on July 28 and blocked the clergy and delegates from entering the church to participate in the scheduled synod. The protesters held placards and demanded the resignation of Rt. Rev. Blessing Erife­ta, the bishop of Sapele. The vicar of St. John then reportedly called the who were soldiers positioned to protect an oil pipeline nearby and requested them to clear the church building of the demonstrators. The clergy prayed at a school nearby as the authorities and protestors clashed. The incident resulted in injuries among four women and a youth.

We're busy for the next little bit with a student and several certified divers. Today we had a rather strong north wind from a front that was passing by, didn't do anything to the diving but it made it look kind of rough 'til it settled down mid-day. Conditions have been pretty reasonable, we had a bit of a swell last week, but Thursday was really the only day that it made for crummy conditions. I've not personally been in the water since Wednesday, tomorrow that'll change as I plan on working with the student. Cathy said it feels as though it's cooled off the last couple of days, so it'll be curious to see if I'm noticing it or if it shows cooler on my computer. We're getting into that time of year where if a big north swell comes in the temperature drops a degree or so. We had a fun group on the other day. I thought I'd mention it because the entire boatload was very good on air. I'm thinking the shortest dive for any in the group was in the 70 minute range, and we had two divers hit the 100 minute mark (that's real good on air and we don't see that all too often) on one dive. Blogstuff... I added a little mapping widget on the sidebar. If you click on the map you get a larger map and can see where clicks are coming from. It's kind of interesting to see where people are popping in from, and sort of amazing that that type of information can be tracked. So here's another Flame Angel (Centropyge loriculus). I took this one using the long zoom/no flash diffuser and hope for the best method I mentioned several posts back. These guys are generally so shy you can't get within 5' of them without spooking them into the coral within seconds. Recently I found one that seems rather unphased by close company with divers, but I didn't have a camera in hand that day. I'm hoping it's there the next time I visit. Flame Angels have a very small territory and once you find them you can almost count on seeing them at the same spot (I really mean spot, often within a foot or two) an a frequent basis. If we brief Flame angels, that generally means we know exactly where it's going to be.... I've got a flame angel at one frequently visited site that I've been watching since early 2005 that I've seen all but 3 or 4 times I've been there since finding it. We're coming across more of them all the time as there seems to be a bit of a bloom of them lately.

We're considering selling our house and moving in the neighbourhood. We have been considering that for some time now. There was alway a reason why it wasn't the smart thing to do. This summer we ran out of arguments. After letting that sink in for a while, we're now in action modus. We had a talk with a financial advisor, we invited some real estate agents. When something is in your head for so long and it's finally beginning to become a reality it can be a mind-clearing event. Don't you think? It works that way with creating things too I think. Images and ideas keep haunting you, and after some time (some take longer than others) one is just ripe for the making. You take out the fabrics, patterns, scissors etc. and you just make what your mind sees. A beautiful proces. Well, don't worry, this was the en of my philosophical mood. Wij overwegen om ons huis te gaan verkopen en daar een nieuwe voor terug te kopen in de buurt, met wat andere criteria. Dat doen we al heeeel lang eigenlijk. Er was altijd een reden dat dat niet slim was om te doen. Deze zomer waren eigenlijk ineens alle argumenten weg.Toe dat besef een poosje had gesudderd, kwamen we in actie. We hebben met een hypotheekadviseur gesproken en hebben makelaars uitgenodigd. Als iets al zo lang door je hoofd speelt en "plotseling" gaan de eerste stappen realiteit worden, dan kan dat een enorm opgeruimd en verfrissend gevoel geven. Herken je dat? Het werkt bij mij ook een beetje zo in het creatieve proces. Beelden en ideeen spoken rond in je hoofd, verdwijnen weer even, komen weer terug en na een poosje (soms langer, soms korter) is er één rijp om te maken. En plop, alles valt in elkaar, je pakt je stof of je schaar, of whatever en je maakt met je handen wat je geest ziet. Een prachtig proces! Maar goed, genoeg filosofie voor vandaag, een spannende tijd komt er aan. I made the 99 blocks "Boxed in Block", which were easy peasy after the just Jack's. I'm curious to see what they'll look like all put together. At night in front of the tv I'm just crocheting on with my granny stripes. That is a happy project. Ik maakte de september blokken voor . Dit blok heet "Boxed in a Box" en was een eitje vergeleken met de Just Jack's van vorige maand. Ik ben erg benieuwd naar het geheel van de blokken straks. S'avonds voor de buis haak ik lekker door! Er is er nog 1, maar de fotot was een beetje overbelicht en ze zijn al onderweg! Granny stripes met dit patroon Ik heb ook de gratis tutorials pagina weer bijgewerkt met allemaal geweldige ideeën!

Hello, Everyone. After years and years of using livejournal as our blog, we've decided to move to wordpress. Wordpress seems to have a much more convenient system of going from having fun and taking pictures to actually posting them online in a hilarious manner. What does that mean for me? Nothing, really. It might take a while for me to get used to everything, but the goal is to be able to post in an easier, more regularly-scheduled manner. What does that mean for you? Not a whole lot. Instead of coming to to this site, you just have to visit: Simple, right? The new blog even automatically transferred all of the old posts over, so you have years of years of entries to reminisce over. Plus, you can count on more frequent posting and non-stop action. (This may be a lie. My first post on the new site is about cheesemaking, which isn't really too action-packed.) Anyway. Check it out. I promise you'll like it.

Eric Decker reaches out to school shooting survivors "It changes your life in a second." That was one of the many messages Broncos receiver Eric Decker had recently for students at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo., trying to make sense of the fatal shooting at their school in December. Decker, a former Gopher, has been in their shoes with the 2003 shooting at Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minn., and told them that in a Denver Post story as well as a video shown at a school assembly. "We didn't know what to think," said Decker, who hid for 45 minutes after the 2003 shooting of two students at his Minnesota high school. "Every girl was crying, every guy was trying to stay calm, and when they came and got us, we had to go across the street to the elementary school with our hands up. You see snipers on the top of the buildings, it's just surreal. That moment, you'll never forget." © 2018 Star Tribune

my first Mother's Day One year ago today, I was relaxing in a lounge chair with a beer in my hand, the sun beating down on my arms, and the Thunderbirds flying over my head. We were at the air show in Smyrna, enjoying the day as a distraction from Mother's Day and our infertility struggles. I was armed with a positive spirit, a new camera lens, and a It was nothing short of a perfect day. Little did I know, that was actually my first Mother's Day . I likely conceived Logan less than a week before according to my due date. I had absolutely no symptoms, and at this point didn't believe we would ever have children naturally without medical intervention. But I wonder now if that little fertilized egg didn't have something to do with my positive attitude that day, and the lack of crying my eyes out on Mother's Day for the first time in 3 years (I'm sure the sun, beer, and planes helped too). I would have never imagined that a year later I would be waking up to a bouquet of flowers, a beautifully written card from my husband, and my entire heart made into the most precious little miracle in my arms . It is more that I ever thought it could be. I've wanted children for as long as I can remember, but I really had no idea the way it would transform me and the way I look at the world. I could have never predicted the overwhelming love I have for that little boy, and the admiration I would have for my husband as his father. I never knew life could be so perfect and so full of happiness and love. It is absolutely My heart is heavy for those still waiting for their little miracles. Some have struggled for so much longer than I did, and I can't imagine continuing to face the world with such a brave face on such a heart-wrenching day. I've also been thinking a lot about all of the single parents in this world, and the lack of appreciation they likely feel on this day. I am truly blessed for all that I have, and I'm reminded more today to be thankful for what life has given me. The last 3 months have also taught me just how little I understood about the sacrifices my own mother made for her family, and the love she has for us. I can appreciate all she has done so much more now. She is compassionate, self-sacrificing, and supportive. There has never been a day I questioned her love for me. She has always been there for every tear and every celebration. I share every detail of my life with her, and she still answers my phone calls every day. She's given up everything for me and my sister, and now my nieces. I will never be able to thank her enough. She is truly amazing I wish my Granny was still here, so that she could spend one more day knowing how much she is loved and appreciated. I can't imagine what it must be like for my mom or her siblings on this day. She was an incredible woman, and I only wish we could have had more time to get to know one another and become closer than we ever were. To all of the mothers, single parents, grandmothers, and anyone else that has loved a child with all of their heart, Motherhood is the single most wonderful gift I have ever received in life. I'm never been more proud or grateful for all that I have.

The beginning of March saw temperatures in the UK plummet, with snow falling heavily across much of the country, As a result, homes and businesses cranked up the heating and the demand for gas went through the roof. One North London gas supplier, Cadent, reported that on March 1st, hourly demand peaked at 20GW, which is around one and a half times more than the average for that time of the year. This cold period saw gas demand reach its highest in eight years, which alerted the powers that be to the fact that we do not have the supplies necessary to meet this need. We have now come out of the other side of that cold snap but the problem is not over. Britain must still face up to the fact that it is far too dependent on fossil fuels as a source of heat. Approximately 85% of heating in the UK comes from natural gas. This can be compared to electricity generation, which comes from a mix of gas, coal and renewables. Recently, during the cold snap, wind was responsible for 30% of this power generation. This comparison shows that the UK has taken great strides towards decarbonising electricity but still has a long way to go with regards to the heating sector. In 2015, domestic and industrial heating accounted for 32% of Britain’s emissions. But, Britain is going to need to find a way to curb these carbon levels if it wants to meet its emission targets. Experts are in concurrence with the notion that decarbonising heat should be Britain’s top priority for its future energy policy. In 2008, the Climate Change Act came on the scene and demanded that the country cut greenhouse gases by 80% from 1990 to 2050. The UK is on track to meet some of its short-term emissions targets but looks unlikely to meet them in the long run. To meet these targets climate change executives have stressed the importance of decarbonising heat from our buildings. The problem is that we are used to natural gas. It is what we all have installed in our homes already. Alternatives to natural gas are not very well known and could well cost more. Experts have also criticised the government’s Clean Growth Strategy saying that while the targets laid out are promising, many of them lack detail. However, one government representative said that the government is exploring “low carbon heating technologies with the potential to support the scale of change needed to meet our 2050 targets”. Another issue that is posing an obstacle to shifting away from gas is the fact there is no blanket solution to decarbonising heating. A range of options is currently on the table, including district heating systems. These heat networks comprise a network of hot water pipes that could supply a number of buildings from a central, low-carbon source. In 2016, the government poured £320m into an investment programme, which could support up to 200 projects to renovate heating in towns and cities. However, the total cost of decarbonisation is going to be high and the government needs to be prepared for the necessity of pumping more money in to achieve this goal.

This is what I've woken up to for the last three mornings...What? Huh? Seriously... Snow every morning, sections of highway that require chains, and storm warnings for the mountains. It's like I fell asleep in October and woke up in January. This puts a little cramp in my running that I wasn't expecting for another month or so. I'm pretty sure it's a fluke and will warm up again. Positive thinking. I was reading an article on runnersworld.com over the weekend and wanted to get your take. It is about a guy that is a marathoner and basically a MIT whiz. He came up with a formula to figure out how many calories needed for a carb load phase of 3 days before a marathon. If the right amount of calories are consumed then there will be no hitting the wall during race day. Check the article out . Or you can just check out the calculator calculator When I put in my info, I need to load an extra 2500 calories. That's an additonal 800 calories a day for 3 days. That's a lot. But if it can get me through a marathon without hitting the wall I'm in. I'm thinking I'm going to try it. That means I start today. An extra piece of fruit here and there, an extra serving of rice, another piece of wheat bread and another cup of pasta. Honestly I feel like they'll have to roll me to the start line if I eat that much! How much do you eat before a marathon? Do you like this calculator? Do you think this guy's got it right? We're heading out to Cali today. We're so excited! It will be nice to leave the snow behind. Now, it's time to get my eat on! I should just wear a bib around my neck all day... : )

Well that's it for another season - time to get back to normality. Do not let this photo fool you, today was pure survival tactics. The first sign was George's helmet getting whipped away with the wind. The second sign was George's crampon self destructing at the very top of the Fiacaill Couloir. Even if I had the biggest and best crampon repair kit in my rucksack - speaking a bit more than some metal cable ties, screws etc - there was absolutely no way that it was getting fixed en route. For Bob & George, I think today will be one to be remembered. [Struggling to see computer screen tonight since even though I have very good googles, today they never cut the mustard].

A very relaxing weekend ahead. Took this while Troy and I were at the grocery store tonight picking up some things for dinner. I like the bright colors. In PS I played around with the exposure/saturation/contrast to make the colors more dramatic. I also used the clone stamp tool (my favorite tool of the week) and removed all the little annoying stickers from the apples.

Cómo utilizar una jarra medidora Book - 2018 | Spanish SUMMARY: Measuring cups are essential in the kitchen, but they're also crucial in the science lab. Scientists need to be precise in their experiments to test their hypotheses, and science tools such as cylinders for measuring volume aid them in their important research. This appealing book shows that young scientists, too, can use measuring containers for their own science experiments. Important STEM concepts such as volume and units of measurement are explained in a comprehensible manner. RESUMEN: Las tazas de medir son esenciales en la cocina, pero también son cruciales en el laboratorio de ciencias. Los científicos deben ser precisos en sus experimentos para probar sus hipótesis, y las herramientas científicas, como los cilindros para medir el volumen, los ayudan en su importante investigación. Este atractivo libro muestra que los jóvenes científicos también pueden usar recipientes de medición para sus propios experimentos científicos. Los conceptos importantes de STEM como el volumen y las unidades de medida se explican de manera comprensible. Searching for more content… New York, NY : Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2018 24 pages : color illustrations ; 19 cm --- Opinion From the critics --- Community Activity Notices There are no notices for this title yet. Quotes There are no quotes for this title yet.

A few months ago, I went to go see my roommate's band. With his band, there were also a few other bands that played. One of them was the excellent , who I highly recommend you check out their . But, another band blew me away with their music, the singer's voice, and their overwhelming exuberance. That band is called Made up of three of the finest individuals I've met around here, Mojaco is a delight to see. The drummer (pictured above in the center) is also the singer. Her exuberance and sheer joy while performing is unbelievable! The other members (guitarist on the left, bassist on the right) are also talented, energetic, and fun to watch on stage. When I saw them live for the first time, I was first struck by their talent and accuracy. It was clear that they had practiced several times before and almost seemed to know what the other members were doing automatically. But, the major striking feature of the band is the lead singer's voice. It's amazingly robust and incredibly high. If you want to hear their muisc, click The third time I saw them was on a Monday night which I had Tuesday off. I had fun, but it wasn't the sake drinking nonstop riot that the first time was, since everyone had to work the next day, but it most certainly was fun. The most recent time I saw them was a week ago Tuesday. I convinced my American friend in the area to come with me, as they were playing in her neighborhood. For reasons I don't quite understand, I had no school on Wednesday as it was a school holiday. We ended up staying up all night drinking beer and enjoying everyone's conversation. Needless to say I had yet another good time.

In my three years at Decanter, I've yet to pick a grape. Until last weekend. With English sparkling's star in the ascendancy, I was keen to get out to one of our local vineyards and muck in with the picking. Wickham Vineyard in Hampshire invited me to take part in their harvest last Saturday, along with members of WineShare - a vine sharing scheme that offers vine rentals in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence, Chianti and Hampshire. Picking starts predictably early, so I have to board the train in London, bleary-eyed, at 7.30am, in order to be there for the 9.30 start. The early start is made bearable by the beautiful weather. It's one of those perfect autumn days - bright, crisp, and full of sunshine. Looking out of the train window, the leaves on the trees burn bright with jewel-like hues - copper, ruby and amber – in their final blaze of glory before death. A short taxi ride from the station and I'm at the vineyard, being ushered into a garden full of WineShare members huddled together in their wellies, clutching cups of coffee for warmth. Gulping down a coffee (it's too early for bubbles, even for me) winemaker William Biddulph hands round a bucket of pruning sheers and explains our mission for the morning - to pick as many grapes as humanly possible. Biddulph, who looks like a foppish Jason Donovan, started life at Berry Bros, then spent the mid '90s in Gisbourne, New Zealand, taking the helm at Wickham five years ago as winemaker on the seven hectare estate planted with six white and four red varieties, including the epically named Triomphe d'Alsace; the grape we're about to pick, which will go into their Row Ash Red 2010 and Row Ash Rosé NV. We're split into three groups and given a row each to work on. Basket and sheers in hand, I stand at my alloted spot and get picking. There aren't many rules, we just have to avoid unripe and over-ripe bunches. Apprehensive of the sheers at first, I soon find my rhythm and pick up picking speed. Seeing everyone else frantically picking around you helps spur you on. It feels a bit like a competition, but the more you pick, the quicker your basket gets emptied. Mid pick, I pop a couple of the grapes in my mouth. They're small, round and inky blue-black like blueberries. They're lovely and sweet but incredibly tannic. I decide not to eat any more, and take to peeling one open instead. Behind the blueberry skin, the flesh is red and pigmented like Dornfelder. I squidge it between my fingers and ruby red juice squirts everywhere. After a couple of hours, the sun is high in the sky and warming our backs. It's hard work, and I find myself looking at my watch and wondering when we might be rewarded with lunch. Every now and then a quad bike roars up my row and zooms away with the contents of my basket. Flagging a little, I wish were picking to music. I run through a picking soundtrack in my head of high octane tracks to keep my momentum up.

CA readers sent in their memories of the first ever moon landing 40 years ago, and I thought this was cute: Sam Wolfe was a 20-year-old intern assigned to the metro desk at The Commercial Appeal to take obituary phone calls on that night. He said one call was from a low-level manager at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division, who said five water pumping stations were cut off during the moon landing because of low consumption. "Apparently no one was washing dishes, flushing toilets, bathing, washing cars or watering the lawn," said Wolfe, who now lives in Asheville, N.C. "Everyone was glued to the TV, fascinated by this marvel of science and technology. "The next day, the front page of the paper featured a photograph of the moon that covered three-quarters of the page. A banner headline shouted 'WE MADE IT.' "The bottom quarter of the page was the feature story and a little boxed sidebar about MLGW having to turn off pumping stations because water pressure got too high during the landing. My story went without a byline, but I can rightly claim to have a few rare column inches on the front page of that paper."

How many times have you passed a place(a park, a store, etc.) thinking I would love to stop and explore? Normally, you are in a hurry, you need to be somewhere or you just don't have the time. Today, was the day that I pulled into the parking lot of the "Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area" with my friend, Linda. I looked at Linda and said "We are going exploring today." The trail is 2.4 miles one way. It is a shortgrass prairie landscape. Drylands and wetlands provide habitat to a variety of plants and animals. The pathway connects to two other parks. Linda and I and two bicyclists were the only ones on the paved trail. As we walked along the trail and looked out into the prairie towards the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, all I could think about were the pioneers who crossed this exact trail so many years ago. They were on foot, in a wagon or on a horse exploring the unknown. It definitely wasn't a paved trail! With the Rocky Mountains ahead, they were trying to cross over the mountains before winter set in. In the early 1800s, these people were discovering the unknown, not knowing what was ahead of them. What danger would they encounter? Would they have enough food and water? Would they make it to California? The unknown? They got up each day, willing to face the unknown so that they could obtain their dream of living in a new place that might provide them new opportunities. I thought of my own unknowns and of my own dreams. Do I have that same drive in me to reach my dreams? Am I willing to walk the unpaved road of not knowing what is ahead? We live in a society where the roads are paved. We can get on our phones to find out how the traffic is flowing; what the weather is doing; and how far is our destination. The pioneers did not have these luxuries.. They went without knowing. They were willing to take the risk. Be willing to stop and to explore! The unknown and your dreams are waiting for you!

Man Accused of Fatal QT Shooting Found Guilty A 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting two people outside a Tulsa QuikTrip in 2012 has been found guilty on two counts of first degree murder. He will a life sentence in prison with the possibility of parole. Both sides in Jermaine Jackson's court case returned Friday for closing arguments. KTUL was in court this week when Jackson took the stand and talked to the room about being at a friend's house before the shooting. It was when he was walking home that John White reportedly almost ran him over. White and Krisjan Throssen were the two individuals shot and killed outside the QuikTrip near 71st and Riverside. Prosecutors have stated that Jackson shot them after an argument in the parking lot. During his testimony, Jackson told jurors that he had been robbed twice before the shooting and that's why he had a gun. He went after the white car in order to find out why he almost ran over him. Jackson added that he was threatened when White confronted him and looked like he was reaching for a gun. Jackson said he shot ten rounds in the car. Attorneys for Jackson told the judge that Jackson shot the two individuals in self-defense. Previous reports state he was located by authorities in Arkansas a few days later and taken into custody on a warrant for his arrest.

We were given a collage sheet for July design project...2 projects for July. First photo, I created a die cut of an image for this project. I embellished with paper flowers, vintage buttons, vintage key, and vintage lace & seam ribbon. Second project, I used a vintage bottle, black rub-ons, and embellished with vintage laces, vintage chandelier crystals, and a vintage button. This is the second in a series for our master bedroom redesign. I used a vintage platter, vintage image, vintage dollie, vintage laces, and vintage vintage buttons & ear rings. Sorry for the bad photos for this post...problems with lighting.

Paul writes in Titus 2:3 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Today we begin by looking at ways we, as older women can follow these instructions: Be reverent in the way we live Don't be slanderers Don't be addicted to too much wine Teach what is good That's a big list! How can we go about this? We can start at the beginning, being reverent in the way we live. Age is not a precursor to living reverently. God wants all of us to live reverently, showing His love in our deeds, words and actions. Rachelle Fleming writes In the normal course of life, this would be a reference to a godly woman who has done the work of raising her own family and honoring her husband. In God’s design, the task of discipling young women belongs to older women who have built God’s principles for living into their lives – women who are intentional about developing Truth-based thinking. Titus 2 Women-Living Reverently As we have done the work of child-rearing, we have learned many many things. These life-lessons can be invaluable to the young mother at the end of her rope. You, yes you may be the one who can teach her that a closed mouth and a calm but strong demeanor can often stop the tantrum of a 2 year old. Would it be so bad to hug up your wailing child, speak soothingly to her and show her that no matter the problem, you are there for her. Once calmness has been regained is the time to resolve the issue, if that is time-out, discussing options, or dealing out consequences. This is alien to our automatic response to mirror the behavior of the child. What is the bank president mirrored that behavior, or the doctor who just told you you need to cut back on the calories? I'd think she was crazy, how about you? For today, try to think of a young woman who is overwhelmed or who you think might be overwhelmed. Again, pick up your phone and call her. Tell her you just wanted to check on her, see how her day is going and how her family is. By offering your friendship in this way, you start the conversation leading to reverence. Tell her that her children are sweet and you know she loves them. Remind her of the special memories of these days that she will treasure in her heart later, draw from those memories that you treasure in your heart. The sweet smell of an infant's cap of curls, the excitement of a youngster's first bike ride, or the pride that swelled her heart and brought tears to her eyes when that sweet girl graduated from Kindergarten. Before you hang up, let her know that you are praying for her. Set a time to meet her for coffee or accompany her to the park with her littles. Help her keep an eye on them and just have an adult conversation. Sometimes that's all she needs. Younger women, what are you to do? Are you frazzled, feeling lost, swimming in the sea of having a family to take care of, a job, running all over the city for soccer, dance, and yoga? Need an adult conversation? What to do? Ever think about striking up a conversation with that older lady at church, sitting alone in the pew? Say hello, compliment her, ask her to join you for a visit to the park. Who couldn't use a bit of extra help and some adult conversation. Older women whose children are grown are sometimes feeling empty and lonely. They, too, crave companionship. Invite her to have coffee or a milkshake. Invite her to yoga or walking. Share with her your frustrations and triumphs with your children and husband. Ask her how she might have handled the situation. Sometimes her insight will be like a lightning strike(forget the light bulb, this is way beyond that!) Pray for her,let her know that you value her insights and friendship. Oh, and pick up that phone and call or text your husband just to say "I love you" again today! He may not mention it, but he loves it when you do it! I promise. Prayer thoughts: Pray for reverence, pray for the young mothers at your church and workplace, pray for the older women in your church or workplace, Pray for their children, young and old and continue to pray for your husband. More soon about Titus!

My unit, the Washington DC Unit, had a rally this weekend and it was without a doubt the best one of the year. No offense to the host and hostesses of all the rallies I attended this year, but for me, this rally was the best one yet. Rob Baker was the host and he graciously allowed me to co- host with him. I was just in heaven from the moment I left for the 1000 mile trip. I left at 2 am on Wednesday morning and headed North to Central New York. Unfortunately my family did not go along on this one. Beth has no more vacation time, and Ava had a test on Friday and Field hockey over the weekend. At about 4:40 am I woke Rob up. He was waiting for me at a Crackle Barrel in Frackville Pa. He had stopped there for the night and to wait for me to catch up. We caravaned through the early hours of the morning. And then we caravaned into the day light hours. 6 hours door to door with a breakfast stop and fuel up at the Flying J. Rob took me to his welder and he fixed my bent bumper. Sorry for no pictures, but it is really not very exciting. We next headed over to the rally sight to layout a wagon wheel. Funny thing is, that within ten minutes of laying out the wagon wheel in the field, we had trailers showing up. This is what it looked like at the end of Wednesday.

I am the husband of Suzanne, (the smartest and boldest person I know), and the father of Natalie, Dylan, Jake, and the player to be named in January. I am an ordained deacon in the Florida Conference and the Minister of Discipleship at . I attended (most of the time) Florida Southern College, Candler School of Theology, and Reformed Theological Seminary (a long story). 1.) Why do you blog? For enjoyment and for the occasional opportunity to add value to someone’s life. While I don’t want to take myself too seriously and think that major influence is being exerted from my humble blog, I have had the chance every now and then to minister to someone through something I wrote or something I provided a link to. 2.) What has been your best blogging experience? Clearly, figuring out how to even do a blog. Second, being asked by John to do this interview. 3.) What would be your main advice to a novice blogger? Even though I am still a novice myself, it seems pretty clear that having purpose and passion for your blogging efforts will help your blog last for more than a month. I found to be extremely helpful and informative to novice bloggers. Though I have only been technically “blogging” since May of this year, I have been around the web since about 1998. In fact, I was probably blogging without calling it that. Here’s a quick sketch of my life on the web. If you only had time to read three blogs a day, what would they be? Gene Edward Veith’s blog That was a tough question, but those are the blogs I usually look at first each day. However, they are by no means the only ones I read each day. And, I’m discovering, the longer I have my own blog, the more great blogs I am finding and profiting from. 5.) Who are your spiritual heroes? Great question. In no particular order: A.W. Tozer, , St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Bernard of Clairvaux, , C.S. Lewis, John Newton, John Calvin, Abraham Kuyper, and many others. To paraphrase Hebrews 11:4, “Even though they’re dead, they still speak.” 6.) What are you reading at the moment? Dallas Willard’s Renovation of the Heart, When God Says War is Right by Darrell Cole, Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill, Love Is Stronger Than Death by Peter Kreeft, and This World: Playground or Battleground? by A.W. Tozer 7.) What is your favorite hymn and why? I guess that’s a little like asking which one of my children is my favorite. Five of my favorite hymns are: Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty A Mighty Fortress Is Our God The Church’s One Foundation And Can It Be That I Should Gain Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing I love these hymns for pretty much the same reason. They are rich with biblical truth and feeling. They are God-centered and Christ-exalting. They all humble me and remove me from the center of the universe. And they don’t have 50 stanzas of “na na, na na na na, na na, na na na na.” 8.) Can you name a major moral, political, or intellectual issue on which you’ve changed your mind? I’ve changed my mind on capital punishment two or three times. I used to be into evidentialist apologetics…but now I would call myself a presuppositionalist. I used to think mercy, peace, and justice issues were just for “liberals” (hanging my head in shame, even still) I now believe God is much more sovereign than I used to believe. 9.)What philosophical thesis do you think is most important in combat? I guess this will be a boring answer in light of some of the other folks’ clever answers to this question, but I think that the traditional Just War theory is still a good rule of thumb. I ought to plug the book I referred to earlier, When God Says War is Right 10.) If you could effect one major change in the governing of your country, what would it be? Probably something along the lines of putting a halt to yanking God out of the public square. 11.) If you could effect one major policy change in the governing of the United Methodist Church, what would it be? To actually practice and enforce what’s in the Book of Discipline. 12.) What would be your most important piece of advice about life? To seek to glorify God in all you do, to be intentional in the living of your days, and not to take yourself too seriously. 13.) What, if anything, do you worry about? I probably worry about my children more than I should. Worrying seems fairly inconsistent with the sovereignty I spoke about in question 8. I’m working on it. Pray for me. 14.) If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything that you would do differently? These kinds of questions are always difficult. Clearly I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if I hadn’t taken some of the roads that I chose years ago. And Lord forbid that I wouldn’t be with my wife and children. And I don’t know what I would do if God hadn’t called me into ordained ministry. But, if those things were to remain the same, then I would have to say that I would have pursued God more faithfully, taken college more seriously, studied harder, and had a clearer direction of where I was going. 15.) Where would you most like to live (other than where you do now)? Perhaps an English, Scottish, or Welsh countryside. 16.) What do you like doing in your spare time? reading, reading to my children, wrestling with my children, celebrating family worship, going out on dates with my wife, watching my children discover and utilize their gifts and talents, watching University of Georgia football games (even when they play poorly…which lately is most of the time), having the occasional guys’ night out 17.) What is your most treasured possession? Well, if we’re agreed that I do not “possess” the members of my family, then I would have to say that I have an 1836 edition of The Saints’ Everlasting Rest by Richard Baxter that John Wesley wrote the introduction to. I also have a complete set of the works of Charles Dickens from the 1800’s that means a lot to me as well. 18.) What talent would you most like to have? I would love to be able to play a musical instrument well. Probably the piano. 19.) If you could have any three guests, past or present to dinner, who would they be? Richard Baxter, A.W. Tozer, and C.S. Lewis

(גרי אקשטיין) é um cantor, músico e compositor nascido em 1948 em Israel. Começou sua carreira na música em pequenos grupos locais ainda nos anos 60, mas lançou seu primeiro disco solo apenas em 1977, sendo seguido por breve período de sucesso local no início da década seguinte. Eckstein possui uma longa discografia, onde "passeou" por diversos estilos, ele ainda segue na ativa, mesmo que sem grande intensidade. Posto este homônimo que parece ser seu segundo álbum, lançado originalmente em 1979. É composto por 13 faixas predominantemente curtas, tendo como estilo primário o blues e rock clássico tradicional, soando como se fosse de alguns anos antes. O instrumental é muito competente, quase levando a esquecer as letras incompreensíveis em hebraico, onde Gary mostra todo seu talento na guitarra, muitas vezes acompanhada pelo violão e gaita, ainda com bons teclados, que ficam no "background" e aparecem em alguns momentos para solo, dando certas doses de prog ao disco. Uma das melhores pérolas vindas de Israel na época, sólida e muito bem executada. Altamente recomendado! Gary Eckstein (גרי אקשטיין) is a singer, musician and composer born in 1948 in Israel. He began his career in music in small local groups in the 60s, but released his first solo album only in 1977, followed by some local success period at the beginning of the next decade. Eckstein has a long discography, he is still active, but without the same intensity. The self-titled seems to be his second album, originally released in 1979. It consists of 13, predominantly short, tracks, with primary blues and classic rock style, sounding like it was recorded a few years before. The instrumental is very competent, almost forgetting me about the lyrics in Hebrew, where Gary shows all his talent on the guitar, often accompanied by acoustic guitar and harmonica, even with good keyboards, which are in the "background" and appear at times to a solo, giving certain doses prog. One of the best Israeli gems at the time, solid and very well executed. Highly recommended! Gary Eckstein (guitarra, vocal)

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Yesterday we visited some friends. The weather was good and they played and scuffled in the garden. Today we went to the Cinema to see Cars2. It was the safe option for me because I wasn't feeling too well and I didn't want to run around, plus it was a sticky hot day. This is not a brilliant photo as we were in the cinema - I had just given them a packet of Maltesers and told them they couldn't eat them till the film started. They were giggling and smelling them. Smallest HAD to have one but Small managed to wait. Nice one Small. It was an okay film, I thought the first one was much better, but the Smalls enjoyed it. Then the Smalls had their hair cut and played with their friends (who happened to be the hairdressers children). Small decided he would climb the tree, swing from the branch 'like a monkey' and grab hold of a rope............ ......... and then fall off - whoops (oh yes whilst wearing roller skates) - EXTREME!!! Then the boys went for a bike ride I am waiting for the storm that has been forecast and I don't mean the boys fighting again, although that's happening right now. I asked smallest why they can't just get on and play nicely together. His reply was "I think it's because we are not girls!"

La Otra Orilla celebrates the timeless appeal of flamenco On Thursday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m., acclaimed flamenco dance company La Otra Orilla brings Unplugged to the Fredericton Playhouse. Recognized for taking a radical approach to flamenco, La Otra Orilla is based on a trans-disciplinary collaboration between dancer and choreographer Myriam Allard and singer-director Hedi Graja. The company embodies and celebrates the timeless and universal appeal of flamenco. The artistic directors rely on their in-depth knowledge of the nuances of this art to suggest a hybrid language that is modern and poetic, creating strong productions that are firmly rooted in the present. Unplugged marks the Montreal-based company’s return to the traditional style of flamenco presentation. At the heart of this spontaneous, cabaret-style performance lies an intimate conversation between song, dance and guitar, in which each element reveals itself, while also defining the others. Featuring live music on stage, Unplugged is a powerful, dynamic show that appeals to purist aficionados, as well as flamenco newcomers. Tickets for La Otra Orilla are available through the Fredericton Playhouse box office by calling 458-8344, or online at .

Bollywood's ex-lovers Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif has recently shot the remaining portions of Anurag Basu's much-awaited film 'Jagga Jasoos'. Things seems to be peaceful between the estranged couple as they now share a great bond of friendship which can be clearly understood from a recent instance that we have came across. As per a report in a leading daily, Anurag who was shooting with Ranbir and Katrina in Mumbai thought to have some fun on the sets and thus he forcibly chopped the hair of his two-three assistants. It was then, the lead actors decided to teach their director a lesson. They immediately teamed up and cut off Anurag's hair. A source informed the publication that, "Most assistants run scared of Anurag, so none of them mustered the courage to touch his hair. Instead, they approached Ranbir and he agreed. Katrina and he ganged up, and waited till the sun went down. Then they forcibly made Anurag sit on a chair, picked up a trimmer and took turns in chopping his hair. Since the cuts were random, Anurag's hair looks quite odd now. He doesn't have an option but to wait till the hair grows back and then give it a decent cut, hopefully not forced one this time around", (sic) Next time, Anurag would surely think ten times before playing a prank on anyone. 'Jagga Jasoos' is slated to hit the theaters on April 7th, 2017. User Comments If You are a member of India-forums, Then You can also log in here.

His eyes have turned from brilliant, sky blue to green and are now very similar to mine, with a ring of yellow around his irises. His speech is beginning to blossom and while he can be quite difficult to understand, he really is much more vocal and expressive. He says some cute and funny things, as all kids do! Hodilay instead of holiday, banklet instead of blanket. His best little mate’s name is Maurice, but O calls him “Aurice”, without the M. My heart just sighs each time he says these cute things. He says hilarious things like “I will. I can. I do” about... almost anything he really wants to do. He calls me BBBBBBBB Blyyyyyyyyyyyyythe. So funny. He still sucks his thumb. He’s still a little tiny thing. He weighs just over 12kg and a few of his little shorts are size 0, though generally he is in size 1. He may just graduate to size 2 for some winter clothing! He has basically toilet trained himself. We really have not put any effort in at all, the kid does it all himself. The house will go quiet and I’ll find him on the toilet, reading a book and doing a poo. He no longer wears a pull up during his day sleep and while he does wear one at night, he has woken us a few times to ask for helping doing a pee. Only once has he gone in his pull up, and he kept saying “did a wee wee in my bed Mummy”, although he hadn’t, it was just in his pull up. He was quite sick that night (croup) so all in all, he’s just so amazing! We’re considering taking his pull up off at night to see how that goes, it would lovely to have it done before winter and colder nights hit. He loves sport. He loves to watch tennis, cricket and football. He loves to play his version of all these sports and he is so adept with a ball, it’s amazing! He’s going to start playing soccor at Kindy, he begged to do it. Pease, pease play soccor? PEASE Mummy, PEASE. he doesn't get the ball sport thing from either of us, although Itay is in to tennis! He loves the water, he loves playing in the pool or at the beach. We started back at swimming lessons last weekend and he simply adored it! The teacher called him a water baby, he was just so happy in the water. Love this! He wakes up between 5 and 5.30am and comes in to our room, snuggles in between us. He then kicks, talks, squirms, tries to play with our phones, brings puzzles in to the bed, books, balls... and then we get up. This morning I dragged myself out of bed at 5.05am (for the first time in forever!) and went in to our bathroom to get ready. The little boy was in our bed, sleeping. Sleeping! He never, ever does that! Itay was watching him and we looked at each other in disbelief. He actually slept for another hour in our bed. Amazing! He loves books and reading. His favourite book is Dig Dig Digging and we have read it so many times that he can actually “read” it himself now. So ridiculously cute to hear him recite it! (I highly recommend this book for any little boys who love diggers, tractors etc, uses repetition, rhyming and a nice little “go to sleep” message at the end.) We can often find him sitting quietly in his room reading his books. He loves anything with wheels. I think I mentioned the worst parenting decision we’ve made, back at Christmas? I got him a little skateboard. He adores this thing, even though it’s a “sitting down” skateboard. It’s terrifying! Motorbikes, push bikes, skateboards, tractors, trucks – they all stop him in his tracks. Loves, loves, loves things on wheels! Food. O has been a hit and miss little guy with food. He doesn’t eat much and he’s reasonably picky. I think he’s improved quite a bit but he can still have BIG moments about food. At the beginning of the year, Kindy began to provide food, so now all we pack is O’s water bottle. It turns out the he is almost always eating all of the food provided and quite often he is one of the very few who are doing so. We think he likes to show off at Kindy! He is beginning to try new foods a little more easily which I’ve been very impressed with. His favourite foods are pasta (specifically spaghetti), rice, the plainer the better, chips (ho hum), strawberries, pretty much any junk food. He won’t eat many raw salad vegies at all, although we put them on his plate . If we give him steamed carrots, peas, corn, he loves them. I can’t believe I allowed the kids to become so addicted to Nutrigrain for breakfast, but I did. Sigh. When I began to go crazy about sugar, we didn’t buy anymore. M has yet to figure out what she will eat easily for breakfast, but O loves my porridge. My sweet, darling boy. He’s just so... boy. I love him so. His laugh is ridiculously infectious and he laughs a lot. Sweetest sound ever. He’s divine.

The Atlanta Thrashers got into the free trade frenzy today by trading a fan favorite, Garnet Exelby and (a personal favorite) Colin Stuart to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Pavel Kubina and the negotiating rights to prospect, Tim Stapleton. Pavel is a 32 year old defenseman from the Czech Republic. He was on the All Star Team in 2004 and helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win the cup the same year by scoring 4 goals. Last season saw him playing in 82 games and scoring 40 points. He's also 6'4'' and 244lbs, maybe he can give Boris some skate lessons for big boys. There is an excellent write up on Kubina here: Tim Stapleton is a right winger from La Grange, IL. He played most of last season for the Toronto Marlies (played 4 games with the Leafs) In 80 games with the Marlies, he scored 89 points.

Here's the completed quilt I had in pieces a couple of weeks ago . After crit, I felt like I just had too many ideas for one piece. I edited for clarity: moved to bird up, took out images that clamored for too much attention, worked for rhythm the eye could follow. I'm satisfied. And there's a pile of material that didn't get in, waiting for new pieces to begin. Here's another detail. The piece is about half-quilted. I hope to finish it before the weekend. Today I played hooky, though. A friend and I curled up under a quilt and watched "The Orphanage." Now I'm all dizzy with those grey images, and must give my mind time to come back to me. Do you find movies haunting? My husband can watch one after another on TV, but me, I find the visual imprints itself behind my eyes. The pictures can linger for a days.

Last night, I got an email from the Obama Intrawebs Machine inviting me out to show my support today for his visit to nearby Wakarusa, Indiana. I pondered it a little bit, because who knew how organized it would be, or if it would be worthwhile, and the speech itself wasn't open to the public...but Ken said, "Go. You never know what you'll see, and you'll be sorry if you don't." Right he was, so I set my alarm this morning, and was rarin' to go at 8 AM. Well, rarin' to go might be an exaggeration, but I was up! I had a message from my friend Milwaukee Dan #1 saying that he was going, too, and then when I updated my Facebook status, turned out that our friend Barb was also going! She's a photographer for our local paper, and the three of us went to Ball State together. It was a beautiful day, sunny and around 80°. I got there at 9:30, and there were already lots of people there. I got a sign that said Health Care for America NOW! on one side and Health Care Can’t Wait! on the other side, and a sticker, and found a spot at the side of the road. I talked to a couple of nice women close by, who had volunteered for the campaign, and everyone was enjoying the day and hoping to get a glimpse of the motorcade. I'll end the suspense right now and tell you that it didn't come by us. Bummer! But we got to see Air Force One fly overhead, and that was cool! There were plenty of police, naturally, and choppers circling. There were several workers walking around and firing people up. One woman with a loudspeaker appeared to have boundless energy, and she had a pretty cool groove going on! I saw Barb first, and it was so great to see her! It's been too long. She said she'd seen Guido (Dan's college nickname...are you still with me?) on the way up, so I was watching for him. I finally spotted him, and it was just as great to see him! Barb came by a little later and got one of her friends to take a picture of the three of us, so I hope to put that up here when she sends it to me or I can snag it off of Facebook. It was a freakin' Ball State reunion, I tell you! Barb had pictures to take for the paper, but Dan and I hung out most of the time. He walked around more than I did and got lots of pictures. He ventured over to where the protesters were and said there were some really interesting signs. One that he saw said Let ME Treat My Patients. We saw one that said Obama Lied, Grandma Died. [rolling eyes] One woman had a sign up to sign a petition for state sovereignty. I was happy to see that sovereignty was spelled correctly. We agreed that although they weren't trying to be funny, their signs were definitely more humorous than our health care and energy signs! Oh, and we each got super cool T-shirts that say Make Our Energy Clean, Make It American. Score! The 'other side' sent a group of youngsters carrying anti-abortion signs over to stand behind us. Most of these kids did not look old enough to vote. Those of us talking felt that it was a little cowardly to send the kids over, obviously trying to incite us into some sort of clash. Of course, these were just kids, and had the right to protest, and I didn't hear anyone go after them. There were a few folks talking quietly and earnestly to them, and everything remained calm. At least at that time. I have to say, though, that over on the supporters side, everyone was very positive and upbeat. The anti-abortion kid protesters that were sent over were not harassed, and no one was getting nasty. I wonder why the protesters were so negative and nasty? Most of us were just standing there listening to the speech, and the reporter was just trying to interview someone. I don't understand why they had to get so exclusive all of a sudden. They had people coming over to where we were...why couldn't they let us stand there and listen to the speech? Some of them were really negative and belligerent. If it was private property, they had the right to tell us to go away, and we did. It was all pretty interesting, though. After the speech was over, Dan and I hung around a little longer (I saw Barb again, too, and gave her a big hug), and watched some of the Invited Ones driving off. Some local politicians, mostly, but apparently Indiana Senator Evan Bayh was there. Our biggest laugh of the day came when we saw the South Bend Police Department Bomb Squad truck drive by...and the driver threw his cigarette out the window. The irony just cracked us up! BOOM! We made our way back to our cars, said it was great to see each other and that we hope to have a chance to all get together, and headed home. I got to watch the local TV coverage of Air Force One taking off, so that was cool. I think I'm sunburned, and I was sore from standing for 3+ hours, but I'm really glad I went. It was a disappointment not to see the motorcade, but it was still a great chance to experience the excitement of a Presidential visit and the sense of community that most of us shared. Great to see some old friends (I can say old, because we're the same age!) to boot, and I had a lot of fun. A very good day!

I had a wonderful weekend with my humans but before you knew it, Monday was here. Mondays are usually pretty boring around here. I just spend most of the day sleeping because of my busy weekends but this Monday was different. Momma went out to get the mail. The mailman came early today, which is really unusual. I usually have to sit in the window for hours waiting for his truck. (this is one truck that I love the sound of and usually come running when I hear it) Momma came back in the house and said ''Dunkin, you got a surprise in the mail'' - I was like -''oooh let me see, let me see! '' I got two packages from @grpetsupply - I won their contest! Woo-Hoo! I couldn't wait to open my packages and see what was inside them. The first one was in a bag, much easier on my teeth as I could just tear open the side and them momma helped me with the rest. I knew it had to be something wonderful because their website is the coolest! Inside I found a beautiful collar - a Man-Cat collar. I've never had a collar before. This one also had a bell on that. I wasn't sure if I was gonna like the bell but wow, it was so pawesome. Every time I moved it made a little noise. I felt like I was special. The other was a box. I couldn't open it myself so momma helped but once open I put my paw inside and out came Bubble wrap! How cool was that? They sent me bubble wrap. I love playing with bubble wrap. I started to lick the bubble wrap but then I smelt something oh so good. I knew that scent too well. It was catnip! I knew there had to be something hiding inside the bubble wrap so I began to rip open and Ta-da! There was a huge back of the best catnip around! I kept trying to get the bag open but I couldn't. I had to wait till momma could open it for me. dang. I was such a happy cat (not just because of the catnip, mol) but because I got two of the coolest gifts from if you haven't already checked them out - you must. They have tons of stuff for all kinds of anipals. I even got to be Spokepet for the day! Now how cool is that! Look how GORGEOUS I look. I just want to say big thank you to all my friends at @grpetsupply! You are Pawesome!

Everyone that knows about knows about the fun side of Holi; merrymakers throwing colored powder and water at one another. This is the Holi that Lindsay and I experienced in a tranquil, controlled environment at the resort we were staying between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. It was our third Holi here in India, figured it might be our last one, and decided it was an experience not to be missed. Plus, how many times in life do you get to throw stuff at your wife with no real repercussions and have her do the same? She looks a little too excited Unfortunately, Holi has a slightly darker side. It turns children into monsters. Late Saturday afternoon as we walked through the fort and streets of Jaisalmer, we began to see more and more kids already stained with with the deep purple result of mixing the traditional colored powders with water. Kids were stained, goats were stained, even a dog was stained. Stained dog, though I must admit, he didn't seem to mind Lord of the Flies . At one point, we saw them with a pick axe digging a hole in a city street from which to start a bonfire. I mean, at least they were thinking about safety, but I can't say I'd ever seen kids digging up a city street without supervision. Not that I had even seen it with supervision either. Just another day at the office for the youth of Jaisalmer On Holi morning, we had a 200 kilometer drive through the Thar Desert. The driver encouraged us to get a late start, but we had plans starting early afternoon for a jeep safari through the desert. Based on what we had heard about drinking and driving on the holiday, I couldn't see why we'd want to start any later than we had to. The villages we drove through were eerily quiet. Very few, if any, people were on the street. Shops were closed; there was no loitering. Empty. If you've been to India, this never happens. About halfway through our journey we approached some kids forming a human blockade across the highway in an attempt to collect their self-imposed toll. The driver slowed, rolled down his window, and started yelling. When that didn't seem to work, he left the vehicle and basically chased the kids away. For kids, whom we decided to call bandits, that were tough enough to block a road, they certainly wussed out when faced with a little adversity. Yes, both my Dad and I capured the human blockade on Flip video Celebration after a successful Rs. 10 heist Shortly after the first blockade we hit a second where the little bandits had dragged brush across the road and then ran away. There seems to be a lot of running away involved in this business. Our fifth and final blockade was the most aggressive of the day. It was the only blockade where the bandits actually through color at the car while one brave soul stood squarely in front of the car. Not exactly the same type of stand made at Tiananmen Square but effective nonetheless. When throwing color didn't work, the bandits turned to stones. That was actually a little scary. Finally the brave little Tiananmen Square reenacter moved aside and we were allowed to pass. Quite a different way to celebrate a holiday. Annoying? Yes. Harmless? Seemingly. What we experienced was harmless. What some truckers experienced was certainly not. Later that day as we crossed the highway on our jeep safari, we came across what I can only describe as the worst head on collision I've ever seen. Two trucks. Two fatalities. The cause? According to our driver, large rocks placed across the highway the night before as a blockade. The driver likely didn't see them until it was too late, swerved, and had the misfortune and mistiming of a truck coming from the other direction.

Maki attend a birthday party today. It's King's birthday party. The celebration was held at Jollibee in Regalado, Fairview. Right before we arrived in the venue we were caught in a heavy rain. We secure Maki because last night he was not feeling well. In other word we were able to get inside the place though Mommy and I were a little bit wet. Since Maki wasn't feeling well he just enjoyed himself on his chair. Though he was responding to his Titas, Ninong and Ninang's greetings, still you can see on his face his dull look. He dances a bit on all the music that being played but he don't want to dance along with the other kids. We know that Maki is afraid of mascots, we just somehow take it little by little to let him be familiarize with it. Ever since Maki didn't have picture together with a mascot so this one is a milestone for him. Together with the Titas, Ninang, other kids, and King we were able to capture a moment of Maki with a mascot.

Two weekends ago I went on a little adventure to the south part of England. I hopped on the train towards Brighton for a two-pronged trip: a visit to longtime family friends the O'Sullivans, bookended by days in Chichester for research-slash-Church of England immersion. I've been continuing to be engrossed by my research into Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb. You may remember that I visited the Britten-Pears Library in the summer and fall, and had a chance to look at the holograph fair copy of the score - that's the handwritten score where Britten had already finished the piece, and wrote it out in good. Digging around in the British Library a while ago, I discovered that he had made a gift of the composition score - i.e., the score that would reveal more of his thought process, with amendments and deletions and additions - to the vicar who commissioned the work, Rev. Walter Hussey. Hussey, who went on to become Dean of Chichester Cathedral (where he commissioned the Chichester Psalms from Leonard Bernstein), left a large collection of papers and correspondence which are now housed in the West Sussex County Record Office, in Chichester. Those papers include the Rejoice in the Lamb composition score, which he kept until the end of his life. So, I packed my backpack and headed to Chichester, to have a look at the composition score. While the archive is open to the public, I discovered I would need written permission from the current Dean of Chichester, the very Rev. Nicholas Frayling, to actually view the Hussey papers. So I wrote to him, and he (or his PA) very kindly wrote back to give me permission, and to say 'if you are with us in worship on Sunday, please make yourself known.' Well alright, if you twist my arm! Please note that this was a solo trip, that required me to do my own navigation. I had a map printed off Google, but the were no obvious roadsigns once I got off the train at Chichester Station - I guess everybody in Chichester just knows their way around. A friendly local looked at my map with me and told me where to go for the record office - and gave me directions to the Chichester Council Office. Not the same thing. But! the receptionist there gave me a good local map of Chichester and told me how to get where I was going. Chichester is built around a main cross shape, with this clock monument at the centre: Just past this clock (and feeling a little more sure of my way), I got my first look at Chichester Cathedral. I was excited to explore the Cathedral but I knew I had to let it wait for Sunday, because I only had about half a day to be in the record archive. A little ways further down the road (off the right "arm" of the cross) I saw a sign for the council office. I knew the council office was different than the archive, but it seemed logical that they would be all in one row of buildings, or possibly even attached by a walkway. So I went in there, and turns out I was in the wrong place again. The receptionist directed me to a nearby roundabout, which I had to cross (taking my life into my hands) to get to the archive. It was as I was trying to navigate this crossing (nevermind trying to see if I could actually see the record office, they hide it well apparently!) that my mobile rang; it was the transatlantic shipping company calling to ask if I'd had a chance to consider the quote they sent me. OMG now is not a good time!! I have manuscripts to study! I finally found the right building! The receptionist there set me up with a reader card and a locker. She reminded me no cameras, no food, no nothing with you in the archive room ("mmph," I responded, shoving a Nutrigrain in my mouth for sustenance.) When I got in to the reading room, the archivist told me everyone was about to go for lunch, so hurry and write down the items you want so you can have them before lunch starts. (This was a little flustering, but still nicer than the Britten-Pears Library where they kick you out of the building for 75 minutes over lunch. And no bench outside or anything.) I had a wonderful and productive day studying my documents at the archive. I'd tell you more about it but maybe I should save it for the terribly clever and groundbreaking article I hope to write about the whole thing. ;) Oh who am I kidding, Skype me and I'll tell you everything. As the Record Office closed for the day I got myself ready to hop on the 45-minute train to Portsmouth. However I was nearly thwarted by my (you will remember) sub-par wayfinding skills; I ended up wandering merrily down the wrong "arm" of the cross, and a road that should have taken me straight back to the station was in fact leading me out of town in a most useless fashion. After verifying the error of my ways with a local, I hurried back toward the centre of the cross and asked yet another bystander for directions. My train's departure time was fast approaching. He said "oh yes, just go up there and turn left, and if you keep to your right you'll go straight to the station - it will take you about 15 minutes." BUT! I made it just in time. And was very warmly greeted at Portsmouth station by Brian and Ruth, two of my hosts for the weekend - about which more in the next post!

I have a confession to make: I have no idea how to use my camera. It is a Canon Rebel T2i and has all sorts of fancy bells and whistles and I have no idea how to do anything more than point, focus and shoot. Of course I could just read the manual, but that sounds incredibly boring. Wouldn't it be more fun to read a pretty book? I've been drooling over about photographing kids. I'm assuming there are some pointers on how to actually use the camera in there as well. One of the blogs I like to read has a great list of online resources on how to use your camera. Click for that link. She also has a great page of general photographry related information . I can't wait to read through all of these tutorials! And, if all else fails, I could alway read the stupid manual!

I can’t believe how much I’m enjoying experimenting with fabric manipulation. Last night, as I was searching for my next project, I decided to use this faux leather fabric that I purchased at Joann’s fabrics. As I was studying the fabric, as beautiful as it is, I thought I could still make it more exciting. I want all my dresses to be exciting. I did some additional research on fabric manipulation and got inspired to sew some pleats down on this fabric before I even cut out anything. I already started the pleating process this morning and I’m contemplating between both these patterns to use on my next dress. I used Butterick 5851 on last weeks dress as a reference. I’m sure once I’m done pleating the fabric, it will talk to me. It’s fascinating for me to develop and learn new sewing skills and techniques with every dress I create. Even while wearing these dresses, I learn from them. The way each wears, feels and moves. I love to learn new things and see ideas at work. I enjoy following sewing blogs and see what the rest of the sewing world is up to. I’m also going to order these two books, Couture Sewing Techniques, and The Art of Manipulating Fabric by . I’m wondering if anyone else out there shares similar interests with any recommendations on fabric manipulating. Well, have a good day everyone and let’s see what develops in the sewing studio this upcoming week. “sew” exciting!

There are not too many things in life that feel better than cuddling under a quilt warm from the dryer. I snuggled with my 7 week old grandson yesterday, that was better, but there isn't much else. I think that we, quilters, have a mission to introduce people to the feeling of a REAL quilt fresh from the dryer. One day late last year I was in one of my banks (I go to the bank A LOT, for two businesses, you must know your bankers and tellers!) and through all the chit chat, quilts came up, and I happened to have one in the car (don't you?). It was Bird on a Branch , which is the perfect sofa quilt. It is used all the time, like a good quilt should be. One of the ladies right away, said make me one, how much, I want it to be deer and forest, but not camouflage. Yay! Love those kind of people! So I found Riley Blakes fabrics which I thought were the perfect match for what she had asked. She said her husband was a traditional guy, a hunter, but I know her a little and I can tell she leans toward modern. I worked toward a balance of a traditional block with a modern twist. And keeping with the forest feel for the fabrics. I added a few solids, and the reflections deer print was actually a table runner I found . I cut it up and used pieces in the quilt. The blocks are all random, I did not use any precise measuring. When I got to the point I wanted to sew a row together I took the largest block and added a bit to the others in that row to get them to the same size. To make the quilt longer for a good sofa quilt, I added sashing in between the four rows and also the top and bottom. I backed the quilt with a flannel that was dark green with pine cones on it. I don't have any photos of the back, but trust me, it looked good! I use Matilda's Own 50% cotton / 50% wool batting. I used to be able to get this from a local quilt show, but haven't seen any for two years. I had a stockpile, which is now almost gone. I'm not sure where I will be able to find it now. I love the way it puffs up after washing and feels good and warm from the wool. This quilt which was on my calendar for the last month is done, my design wall is free - I am open to all kinds of sewing possibilities! Keep Calm & Quilt On!

The magnificent gates of the dawn open with pride// Bells cling and clash in the democratic wind// boasting with patriotic colours and a face of hope. An elve bears the torch of salvation and preaches on. We sight the light in its sermon // as it flickers and render an applause //with tongues stroking the sides of our cheek. At dawn //we always dream we would stand on strong feet and get to plough our own lands. Just like every other animal //in our neighbourhood. Carefree and Calm //unperturbed by wandering travellers. At mid-day //we pray our wings do not sweep against the powerful coursing river // that douses our sense of liberty //or plunge headlong // while we clamour //for an identity. Let twilight’s pledges submerge our loud pleas//and draw us closer. Let us not be tongue-tied //with the errors of our Lords //or the defiance of our elites. All of our offerings //must paint this land white and //then a lasting green. May the memories of our heroes past // linger and not drown // in the sweeping flood.

I finally got home from my trek to . It’s a 3+ mile round trip from the Subway station to my closes store. All that for 1 pound of raisins, two pounds of walnuts and a jar of sea salt. The things I’ll do for good food and a good deal, not to mention a little extra exercise on a beautiful spring/summer afternoon. My legs felt like pendulums, pumping away, even though I’m sitting now, they still want to keep going. I guess that hike balances out my splurge of last week. In the middle of a very busy, very stressful week I had a moment of weakness. Well, really, the weakness lasted more than a moment, but it only took a moment to open the box of Vanilla Wafer Cookies. Luckily my office mates are adept chocolate scavengers and they handily helped me polish of this box of cookies. And let me tell you, we NEEDED chocolate last week. These are vanilla wafer cookies with vanilla cream, coated in chocolate, and they are divine. The cookies are light and crispy and the vanilla cream really is creamy. The chocolate coating is just a bonus. As a youngster I used the deconstruct wafer cookies, for some reason I liked they way they came apart. These were so good, I wanted to eat them just the way the were. My memory may be a little fuzzy, but to me, these were much better than the wafer cookies I remember getting in bulk from the local Meijer store that were always dry and saw dusty tasting.

Luiz Suarez salvaged a last-gasp point for Liverpool in an entertaining draw with Chelsea at Anfield three years ago today, but the Uruguayan was remembered for all the wrong reasons after a moment of madness. Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea Rafa Benitez had his return to Anfield spoiled by Suarez’s 90th minute header as Chelsea failed to get the win they needed to keep their title hopes alive. The visitors took a 26th minute lead through Oscar, who punished the Redmen for slack marking as he headed home a Juan Mata corner that snuck inside Pepe Reina’s near post. Liverpool drew level in the 52nd minute of the match, however, when Daniel Sturridge capped a flowing move, poking home at the far post. Suarez then gifted Chelsea the chance to retake the lead as he handled a corner, allowing Eden Hazard to step up and give the Blues the lead once again. The afternoon became more controversial when Suarez bit Branislav Ivanovic, as described by the BBC match report of the game. “The misdemeanour took place following his handball from a corner as his frustrations at conceding a spot-kick seemed to get the better of him. It is not the first time he has committed such an offence: he was banned for seven games for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal’s shoulder while Ajax captain in 2010. “Referee Kevin Friend did not seem to see the incident but spoke to both players after they clashed, with Ivanovic trying to show the official a mark on his upper arm.” That was not to be the end of the drama, though, as Liverpool’s number seven popped up again to nod home Sturridge’s cross in the seventh minute of six added at the end of the game. The current Barcelona player had already been given a seven-match ban during his time at Ajax for a similar biting incident involving PSV Eindhoven player Otman Bakkal, and of course famously went on to nearly take a chunk out of Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup. Teams Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique, Gerrard, Lucas, Downing, Henderson, Coutinho, Suarez. Subs: Jones, Assaidi, Sturridge, Coates, Shelvey, Coady, Skrtel. Goals: Sturridge 52′, Suarez 90+7 Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Luiz, Bertrand, Ramires, Mikel, Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Lampard, Moses, Ferreira, Terry, Ba, Benayoun. Goals: Oscar 26, Hazard 57 (pen) What they said Luiz Suarez has since been asked about the incident many times, but he snapped when asked by the Guardian in 2014. “They have asked me about the bite 38,000 times. Never again. This is the last one of them (interviews). “Everyone has different ways of defending themselves. In my case, the pressure and tension came out in that way. Other players react by breaking someone’s leg, or smashing someone’s nose across their face. I understand why biting is seen so badly.” Ivanovic did admit the month after the game that while the bite may have left a mark on his skin, it certainly hadn’t left a mark on him moving forward. “When it happened I was really surprised and, of course, in shock,” Ivanovic told Vecernje Novosti. “But, when the match it ended, it all cooled down. I almost forgot about everything. “The next day we talked on the phone and I accepted his apology. I didn’t attack him for what he had done, but I also didn’t defend him. “But I forgive him. For me that can happen. But I really don’t care too much.”

The garden is dry, like everyone's garden. We still have plenty of fat red tomatoes to pick, and our first harvest of small fuji apples, but everything else has finished. Time to start digging and clearing and sorting and making room for autumn. I just joined Ravelry. I am part of a primary school community of insatiable knitters and this will be the Winter of My Casting On. I've only ever made scarves. Now I have a little list of projects to start on, and a knitting group of lovely ladies to frequent. Knittin' and sangin' - oh my stars Delilah - what a joy.

Kathy received the piece I stitched for her, so I can show some pics. I stitched Austrian I from the February issue of Just Cross Stitch. Yes, that's over one. It's not quite my style, but after looking at Kathy's blog, I thought she might like it. I did enjoy stitching it. I used some floss I had gotten in a past exchange--I always like putting my stash to use. I had fits with the finishing. I wanted to do something different, but it wound up being a pillow. I haven't been blogging much lately. I haven't felt like stitching, which I know is a huge shocker. Things are starting to pick up, so I'll have more pics soon. I finished Barnabee's Bride by Just Nan , and it's about time for another showing of Legends of the Spellcasters. Stay tuned! I'm mostly recovered from my surgery. I haven't had a sinus infection since, and that is such a wonderful feeling! I also don't have the chronic halitosis which I've been plagued with my entire adult life. I suppose all those nooks and crannies in my sinuses harbored nasty stuff. It was so embarrassing--brushing your teeth, gargling, and still having bad breath! And now I'm cured, for the most part (still need to remember to gargle!). The only downside is that my voice has a more nasal tone to it (wow, I bet my French pronunciation has improved now!). It's not bad, but I do notice it. I'm learning to adjust how I talk. Yes, another surgery. I have surgery scheduled for March to get the LapBand. I'm hovering around 300 pounds, and I want this extra person I've been carrying around gone! I have a bad back, bad knees, bad hips. I need to get the weight off before I can add to that diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. The only thing I'm waiting for is the insurance to finish the paperwork. It's agony waiting. I just hope they get their act together before my surgery date. My eating habits will drastically change after this surgery. Some foods will be right out, like soft bread, pasta, and rice--my favorites, of course. I'll only eat tiny portions, will have to chew everything ad infinitum, and I'll be sipping water constantly. But it will be worth the sacrifice to have my life back.

This Thursday, 22 January, I’ll be speaking on Revolutionary Boston at Old South Meeting House. My talk is part of this month’s “Middays at the Meeting House” series on Loyalists. These events run from 12:15 P.M. to 1:00, so bring your lunch and your questions. The admission is free for Old South members, $5 for others. Depending on which brochure you look at, my talk is titled “The Gores: One Family Divided” or “Gossiping about the Gores.” Whichever turns out to be official, I won’t be able to stay away from the juicy gossip. This is, after all, a family whose members: secretly helped to organize America’s first public protests against the Stamp Act. hosted a spinning bee for women objecting to new Customs regulations. suffered a wound in a riot eleven days before the Boston Massacre. patrolled the docks before the Boston Tea Party—and on that dramatic night. snuck cannons out of an armory under British army guard. were split by the war, with some family members going to Britain and others staying in Boston. included two sisters who married the same man, and one sister-in-law who married a married man. helped launch the Industrial Revolution in Massachusetts, and suffered a sudden bankruptcy. The thumbnail picture here is ’s portrait of the oldest four surviving Gore children in about 1755. From left, they are Frances, Elizabeth, (in the pink). The painting is now in the in Delaware, and this snapshot comes from Jay Glenn’s Flickr site

I stumbled across an adorable card by Kay Miller on her blog , and just had to CASE it myself. I knew my little Winter Sparrows set by Lawn Fawn would be perfect, and I also pulled out an old set by Stampin' Up called Snowflakes, one of my favorites. Love it! I kept the same layout and colors, substituting the dies and stamps I happen to have. I stamped my little bird on white cardstock, colored it with Copic markers, and then cut it out. I stamped the snowflake on a white circle using Spring Rain ink, and then added a branch for my bird using Rich Cocoa ink. That's the only real change I made from the original design. I felt my little bird needed grounding, and the branch in Winter Sparrows fit perfectly. I embossed white polka dots on the kraft circle using Polka Dot Basics. (I really need Polka Dot Basics II. I'd like a stamp with polka dots closer together. Love my polka dots!) There is an extra layer of hidden cardstock behind the snowflake to pop it up a bit. I did the same thing behind the Dark Chocolate circle. The white snowflake was cut with my Fancy Flakes die. I used a die included in Blueprints 3 by My Favorite Things to cut the scalloped piece from Spring Rain cardstock, and then stamped it with Netting, a background stamp by Stampin' Up. After stamping the sentiment, I glued everything together and added faux stitching lines with an Early Espresso marker. The whole thing was adhered to a Dark Chocolate card base. Stamps: Winter Sparrows (Lawn Fawn); Snowflakes, Netting (Stampin' Up); Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink) Paper: White, Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Spring Rain (Papertrey Ink) Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento); Spring Rain (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark Copic: C1, C3, C5, Y11, B41, B45 Dies: Circle STAX Set 2; Blueprints 3 (My Favorite Things); Fancy Flakes (Papertrey Ink) Misc: white embossing powder (Filigree); Early Espresso marker (Stampin' Up)

On Wednesday night I got the last minute chance to join up with a little craft show a neighbor was having at her home. I had less than 24 hours to prepare. I didn't even have tags or prices on any of my work. It was hard work. I had to make lots of little business cards by hand and scramble to find a change box and other little necessities. It was worth it. I had a wonderful time. I met many wonderful neighbors, ate some excellent food, and even made a few sales. The best part is I am now much more prepared for the next craft show. I think I did pretty well for less than 24 hours to prepare. I brought it all. Old works and new. On a side note, sorry these pictures seem to be a bit grainy. I am pretty sure Calvin (the almost 2-year-old) got to the camera and did I don't even know what. Jamarta for braving snow and ice to babysit for me. Jane Bresser my host. Caroline Sparks for the great fabric I used as a tablecloth.

The Portofino Bay Hotel I got back from Florida last Sunday. I also got sick AGAIN, while I was on vacation.So that's why I haven't been on here to write anything for the past few days. I don't think I got the flu, then again, im not sure. My symptoms were chills, body aches, dry-coughing, nausea, head-ache.. it was worse then before. I think it's because I went to Island's of Adventure & Universal Studios on the coldest day. My mom assured me that "Florida never get's too cold". HA! Even though it was the coldest day, it was fun. We left Beaufort on Tuesday and arrived at Hard Rock in Orlando that night. Hard Rock to me didn't seem that great . Luckily my Uncle Richie (Who's super kick-ass), got us the room at a good price. But you don't get anything for free except the pool. You have to pay for the workout room and then the towel (If you want a towel). You have to pay for breakfast. You have to pay to park your car overnight. But the upside, we did get a really nice room with a couch, or I would have been like "ugggh, Hard Rock blows". They do have restaurants and bars in the lobby and downstairs. City Walk and the two theme parks is about a ten min. walk or you can take a ferry (as I did) which is a lot better then walking in the cold. My mom, my brother, my two uncles (No, they are not gay, they are brothers) and I, went to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios on Wednesday. It was freeeeezing ! The first ride we went on was the Hulk! We rode that a lot actually. Then we went on all the other rides. (Not water rides, they were shut-down, except Jurassic Park). We tried the new Simpson's ride, which my mom likes a lot, I got kinda of sick because of the screen. (It's like your on a rollercoaster but your not, your in a car that is just moving back and forth). The last ride we went on was Jimmy Neutron, please do not EVER go on it! (It's the worse ride in my opinion). It made all of us want to throw-up. That night we went to the other hotel which is called the Lowes Portofino Hotel, to go eat some tasty Italian food. The hotel actually looks like your in Italy! It was beautiful at night, with boats all around and music playing. When we were done eating, we had to walk back cause the Ferry for some reason didn't go to the Hard Rock Hotel. It was a ten min. walk through gardens and under bridges. It woud have been nice if it were warmer outside. When we got to our rooms, I just hit my pillow. I still felt like I was on the rides! It honesly felt like I was drunk and the room wouldn't stop spinning! The next day we went to Kissimmee to go see my moms friend Ceci, her husband Steve, and her little girl Zoe. We talked and laughed a lot and then made eraser penis's (my mom bought Zoe a "make your own eraser kit" and when she went to bed all the grown-ups played with it). The next day we went to go see Underworld 3 , loved it! Then went to the Millenia Mall in Orlando. Then ate at this High-end Chinese Restaurant, my mom and I ordered vegetable's with wide noodles, it was good but so spicy! A little too spicy for my tastebuds. When we got back to Ceci's house, I started coughing and feeling the body aches coming but still had the strength to play dress-up and watch the movie Nim's Island with Zoe. The next day we said bye and left to go see my Grandparents. We saw the Grandparents, and their new 7-month old puppy, Karen. She's a hyper dog, but she's so cute! My brother and I played with her the whole time. After that we went to my Uncle Robert's house to meet his "New" girlfriend. She's really nice actually. She made us Sushi and bought all this Japanese food for my family to take back to Bft. After that we went to my Aunt Renee's house, to stay the night. When we got there, I was feeling like shit! I was freezing, coughing, and just wanted to die! I had a mud-slide then went to bed. The next day was the long drive home. We made it home around 10ish I think. And I went straight to bed. My poor vacation was ruined cause I had to get sick again. :( The pool at Hard Rock The start of our Adventure! Zoey and I playing with make-up. Karen (My Grandparents new pup).

I found the Breadbaking Day Event because I follow the blog, Zesty South Indian Kitchen . I love Indian cooking; especially southern Indian. And, Swathi uses fresh, whole ingredients. She also meshes together "American," and Indian cuisine. Which means, she uses what she finds on the produce shelves in most grocery stores and incorporates it into Indian recipes. The Breadbaking Day Event is hosted by Heather at . You can get to her blog b;y clicking to the link to the event on the side of my blog or Anyway, Heather hosts this month's Breadbaking Day Event and she chose Corn as the special ingredient for this month's bread. To participate, you email her some basic information (you will see it on the link) about your recipe and a link to your blog. She already has gotten back with me on a thing or two and has proven to be a most gracious host. I don't usually use a recipe when I cook. In Florida, with the humidity levels ranging from 50 to 99% most moisture levels in recipes in real life vary from a recipe card. However, breads are probably the one of the food types that I do try to stick to a recipe and only vary with either wheat gluten (so I don't add additional yeasts) or liquids. I don't eat egg. The only dairy I usually eat is Greek Yogurt (usually Cabot, but it has to have LIVE ACTIVE cultures). So, it is the Greek yogurt that goes into the bread for moisture and the wheat gluten helps it to rise (along with the yeast) if the humidity is really high. But the recipe today doesn't call for yeast. It is a cornbread recipe. I adapted the recipe from a Corn Bread recipe in Laurel's Kitchen. I, like I said, adapt all my recipes. And, not only because of not adding eggs, or butter, or milk, but because I also like to add whole wheat or other grains, seeds or nuts into the recipe. Here are some of the products I used. The herbs/spices, and soda/powders, and arrowroot I buy in bulk. Corn Bread Cous Cous Muffins 2 cups yellow plain cornmeal 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (ground) 1 tsp. sea salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1-3 Tbsp agave (or honey) 1 C. Greek Yogurt 1-2 Tbsp. softened Earth Balance (or olive oil spread) 2 C. Soy Milk 3/4 C. Cous Cous (Moroccan) 1/2 C. boiling water 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds or previously spiced with cumin/curry (if you have them about) Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the cous cous in a small bowl. Pour the 1/2 boiling water to cover and set aside. In a large bowl stir the dry ingredients together, making sure there are no lumps of baking soda or powder. Mix liquids together and add alternately the dry ingredients and the cous cous, stirring smooth. Scoop into oiled muffin stone or tins and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with raw (or curried) pumpkin seeds 10 minutes into baking. After taking the muffins from the oven sprinkle with a little organic raw sugar. Makes about 10 large muffins. Tom and I eat mostly raw, uncooked foods in the Spring and the Summer. But in the Fall and the Winter. I love to use the oven. To cook by the stove/the hearth. To bake breads. We eat squashes and stews. Slow foods; hot and steaming. These muffins, yes you know, great with a big pot of chili! It is on the stove right now. Another cold-front came through this afternoon. The sky is gray. Tom will be home after his shift at the hospital, and even though it'll be late, we'll eat a big bowl of chili and hot buttery (Earth Balance, yep!) muffins. And go to bed on a full stomach. This is a winter blessing come true. Not much. Just simple. But means everything to me.

Usually I don't pick this magazine up, but I was in Barnes and Noble today trying to decide on a new magazine to buy when this cover caught my eye. I don't know why I have not noticed it before. Out of curosity I picked it up and started to flip through it. Wow! I am floored by the mixed media jewelry in it. Beautiful work. I'm itching to come up on some designs like the ones in it's pages. This is the Autumn 2010 issues so I'm glad I found it before it was removed. So busy Saturday with family stuff and movies on Sunday, but I WILL find time to do some jewelry.

Busy doing nothing. One of my favourite songs and our theme tune for this week Except TS has made these rather good shelves from some planks he found in the barn we are debating whether to paint them to match the rest of the kitchen or leave them woody. Inertia will probably win out. , in the attic, in the cellar, in the garden, in the barn (no she doesn't go out but we were getting desperate). No she wasn't in the basket all the time we looked in the baskets ten times at least. But she appeared from that general vicinity. we were putting the chickens back in their run. Four times if it was once (eventually we just took them down to the woods and left them to it) or scraping the cremated remains of meringue off the bottom of the cooker. The meringue seemed to be the ideal way to use up the five egg whites left from the creme that took five egg yolks and use up the left over creme . In fact to generally concoct something sweet and yummy. Instead I concocted a previously unknown substance that resists all attempts to remove it. The settings on the cooker are only notional it seems and the choice is actually gas mark blast furnace or gas mark inferno. Yes it is the cookers fault the cook is blameless. The oven has only just been put into , it needed the burner changing for LPG but we couldn't find the burner until we took the back off the cooker. It's taken two months for our desire for pizza to overwhelm our desire not to bugger about pulling the cooker out and taking it to bits. Then we couldn't find the replacement burner which we'd put somewhere safe. In a box. But where was the box? That was three hours searching then. The box had been turned into kitten proofing blocking up a hole in the bathroom. So although we looked and looked it was no longer the box with the cooker bits in it was kitten proofing and we just didn't see it. Oh and we're blighted our beautiful spuds blighted. This is what happens I guess when it's either raining buckets or 28 degrees and the veg growing advice is based on the UK weather and the gardener doesn't use her brains. So since they've all flowered I'll follow "The Vegetable Expert" advice and cut off the , leave the spuds in the ground for 10 days and then dig them up. Unless anyone has a better idea.

You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Montessori’ category. I’ve regurgitated this post from one I wrote over at HDYDI.com. Because I can. As mid-August approaches, I join a few million other people in my city as we brace ourselves for the onslaught of School Traffic. In the meantime, I’ve noticed an uptick of posts in both my neighborhood parents and my Mothers of Multiples group forums related to school issues and childcare. And I guess it’s because I have kids now that back-to-school has me thinking about more than just highway congestion and school zones, but also about developing our parenting/education philosophies and future intentions. And though what I’m about to say surely is full of sweeping generalizations and un-unstudied opinion on education systems, I feel that public schools have become all about teaching-to-the-test with a visible reduction or elimination in subject matter such as physical education, art, and music. Do I think any and all public schools are horrible? No. But I do think that public schools focus on one, maybe two types of learning styles. So what are the alternatives? Well, there are private schools with expanded curriculum. Yet for us, by virtue of tuition, there’s the…Cost Of Tuition. How the heck do people afford it? And with more than one child? Though to me, the bigger cost of private education is limiting access to the demographic and socio-economic fabrics that make up our larger community. The ones we’ll turn them loose on in twelve years, expecting them to live and work together. There’s public and private magnet schools, but goodness, so many Labels and compartmentalization and boxing like “the math kid” or the “health careers kid” or the “performing arts kid”. I was lucky (that’s not the right word), to have been labeled Gifted from an early age. (Clearly, somebody screwed up!) I say “lucky” because I have been witness to kids being treated differently depending on if they are “regulars” students or “honors” students. Though I can’t quote directly, I do know there are studies that prove this to be true. In my experience, it meant that I was encouraged to think freely, more easily forgiven when I didn’t conform, and given more say in what courses I took. The very type of individualization that would be beneficial to so many, but is often limited to not enough. Gifted kids are excused their ‘genius’ when the same actions by an underperformer merely gets them labeled as trouble. That kinda didn’t have anything to do with magnet schools, but I’m thinking out loud here anyway. Oh, and homeschooling. At its best, kids get immersed in their environment and learning is a natural process with appropriate amounts of structure and double doses of discipline from both the parent and child to make it work. Backers say kids are smarter, do better in college, and know better how to deal with all kinds of people and situations. Detractors say they don’t get socialized appropriately or that the parents are granola wackos and religious extremists. With unlimited financial resources, and should I notice either of my children to have learning styles that don’t correlate with the more traditional auditory learning and/or reading/writing preference-learning, we’d lean more towards the option of homeschooling rather than the current local public school system. And I consider myself pretty middle of the road. Speaking of which, being that our kids are ONLY SIXTEEN MONTHS OLD, our ‘middle of the road’ will be Montessori school, probably entering sometime between 18-24 months. At this age, with two working parents, we’re still in a situation where we have to pay for childcare, so I’m less inclined to get worked up about shelling out money for ‘schooling’ at this time. We like Montessori because it fosters self-directed learning, but still offers some structure. And more importantly, encourages independence, respectful treatment of others, and integration as respected individuals in the environment in which they live, and PLAY. It’s a lot of work and a lot more messy, but we strive to do things in a “Montessori way” at home, too. Once we hit Kindergarten or 1st grade age, I’m not sure what we’ll do, or even what our finances will allow. No matter which educational methodology we approach and ultimately choose, there are pros and cons to all of them. None of them are perfect. And we as parents have equal (if not more) responsibility to continue their education outside the walls of any school. I mean, I find it to be Jennifer’s and my responsibility to teach things like manners and learning that there is a world outside ourselves, and a sense of community, and spiritual development, and fostering self-confidence without self-absorption. I suppose in the end, we are required to do what’s best for us and our child(ren), studying them for their learning styles, getting involved with educators without becoming that parent. After all, we have to be the change we want to see. I just wish the process didn’t come with so damn many variables! And wait lists! And residential zoning requirements! If your kids are young like mine, have you begun considering what’s important to you and what’s not as it relates to education? If you’ve hit the Kinder/1st grade era, what kind of environment are your kids in? What was your thought process? Are they thriving or have you had to tweak things? If you have older kids, say upper junior high or middle school, have you been pleased with your choices? Would you have done anything differently? I’m not sure who made the rule that child-size items had to be so chunky and loud colored. Utensils, for example. On many products, the edges are so rounded that the fork can hardly stab through any food. And those that are stainless steel seem to have weirded out wavy handles that look nothing like what we’ll expect them to use appropriately within a couple of years. I suppose if my kids needed motivation or colorful distractions to eat, I might be more a fan of the retail ware, but have you seen our kids’ stats? They are obviously not strangers to food! Oh sure, for trips out during or around meals, we take our fair share of take and toss utensils, but when we’re at home, I love the child-size flatware by Oneida. They’re a perfect size for small hands, approximately four-and-a-half inches long, pictured above next to a grown up fork. We purchased ours (set of 5 forks and 5 spoons) from the Michael Olaf Montessori online store for $27.00. I did a search on the internet and you can also find them on Amazon. I may have mentioned no less than a thousand times that we’re really striving to develop and foster independence in our kids, and this includes respecting their participation at mealtime by having dinnerware not unlike Mommy and Matou’s. This includes what the drink from. We never used traditional sippy cups, instead transitioning from cups with lids and straws to, around nine months of age, these open-top 5oz tumblers made by Carlisle Foodservice Products. Less than four inches tall, they are the perfect size for tiny hands to manage. A curious thing happens, too. They are more intent and careful – for the most part – with the open top cups. Whereas with the flip straw cups elicit more carelessness, I guess because when they’re tossed to the ground, there is no consequence other than for mom to pick it up. This is not to say they always place the cup back on the table, or that it is done so without spills, or that they don’t sometimes blow bubbles into the cup, or stick their fork in the cup, or drop blueberries into their water and go “UH! OH!”. BECAUSE ALL THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. But we do minimize spills by pouring only enough liquid into the cup for them to manage readily. And they are getting better and better. It has also given us a chance to teach and reinforce the signs for “more” and “please” and “thank you”. And since they only drink milk or water, we’ve worked on the use of the words “milk” and “agua”. All good practical life experience for us. We picked ours up at AceMart, an area restaurant supply store, for…wait for it…FIFTY CENTS EACH. Check your local restaurant supply store, or find them in their online store, here. Schleich is a German toy and figurine producer, headquartered in Germany, with the majority of their sales in Europe, though Canadian and American sales are growing. Their toys are modeled from nature, and meticulously handpainted. They are beautiful, and lifelike, except for the size, of course. Schleich makes many figurines including farm, wild, and sea animals. While we don’t strictly adhere to Montessori principles, there is much I conceptually agree with, including that play and work objects should provide a real sense of the world (when possible) and that when introducing an object, it is better to introduce first the Real Thing prior to showing a two-dimensional or caricature of Said Object. This is not always practical, but, for example, we pulled out the Whale after a trip to Sea World and seeing Shamu. And I don’t know, but given the choice, aren’t Schleich’s walrus and penguin far superior than the ones here? Oh, we have those too, mind you, I’m just saying these are far more beautiful and realistic. They are not cheap. This here lamb (sized 5.7 x 2.5 x 4.5 cm) was $2.49 and the killer whale (sized 22.0 x 9.3 x 9.8 cm) was $12.99. Almost all the animals are between 2-6 inches and most are in the $6-$8 range. So yeah, multiply that times God’s creation and you could spend a fortune if you wanted to. However, we see these as long-term, multi-purpose toys. When it wasn’t hot as hell outside, we’d go to the zoo and then reinforce object permanence by identifying the animals at home. We also use them to describe colors (look at the brown cow! this is a black and white whale!), and to mimic the animals’ sounds. Well, some of them anyway. I mean, the hippo? No. By the way, you should hear Harper’s lion or Mateo’s monkey sounds. Could make a hardened criminal pee his pants. In the coming months, we can use to practice sorting as in farm or woodland or sea life. They can certainly identify them now (Mateo, go get me the Alligator), though naming will come as their language explodes. And we’ll be able to work in classification during play like putting all the different cats together and the horses together. Like blocks, these will truly grow with the child(ren) and provide for hours of imaginative play when the time comes. So… Yeah. Worth it to us. We’re in collection mode, picking up a couple every few months. I think since I took those pictures a while back, Grandma added a camel and another horse. We have purchased most of ours from the online store and Grandma finds them at an educational toy store in her area. If you prefer to see in person before you buy, you can find a reasonably decent collection at your local Target, or you can find an authorized retailer in your area by using Schleich’s retailer search. Raaaahhhrrrr! I spent quite a bit of time researching which blocks to get. I know, shocker. We finally decided on a starter set called the Barclay Blocks Premium Maple Baby Wooden Unit Block Kit A (on the Barclay site known as “BAB07/BABKIT-Version AA”), which consists of 43 pieces in 19 shapes. We purchased ours from KidBean.com, an eco-friendly website, for just under $77. Yes, that’s about $1.77 per block and that seems outrageous, but here’s the thing: AMORTIZATION. By no means do I assume that higher price equals higher quality, but in the case of wood blocks, its just true. And I don’t mind paying a lot for something that will last a long time. Quality blocks have always been expensive, but if you calculate the amount of play for the dollar, they are actually quite inexpensive. Kids will develop some interest in blocks around a year – holding the shapes, feeling the texture, figuring out what a triangle tastes like. As the months and years pass, they’ll stack them, identify them, and later build elaborate structures from their imaginations. We’re talking easily 8 years of entertainment, if not more. And that comes out to less than a buck a month. A week before the kids’ party, I was telling my dad that we had ordered these blocks as a first birthday present. He offered to write a check for the blocks, which we gladly accepted. Saved him a trip, and it purchased a quality toy we wanted for the kids. Ka. Ching. Some manufacturers tout that their blocks are “hardwood”, when in fact they are not. Don’t be fooled. There are lots of different kinds of wood but Barclay blocks are made from high quality wood and our premium blocks have been made from hand picked American Rock Maple. Some manufactuers produce so many other products they just can’t be bothered with quality WORKMANSHIP. They might lack uniformity in the cuts, or use softer woods vulnerable to blemishes and splintering. Barclay blocks are not coated with anything, have rounded corners, and they are hand-sanded on the ends and edges. Barclay’s has an unconditionally guarantee and they are so sure as to workmanship and materials that they will replace cracked or broken blocks for free. We keep our blocks stored in a cotton gauze drawstring produce bag nestled in a toddler-level bookshelf in the living room. I chose these bags because they are thin (offering transparency to the kids to see what is in the bag), durable (can be machine washed), and multi-functional (we can use them for their intended purpose at any time). At 12-13 months, we enjoy watching the kids stack two to three blocks. But mostly, they enjoy knocking down the things we build. I like toys that inspire imagination from within, instead of some prescribed way of doing things. Blocks will allow them to play freely, and will assure them smaller bruises as they take to throwing things at one another. You can find reviews of our other favorite products at the bottom of this post over yonder. Although we’ve had electricity at our home since last Wednesday, we still don’t have cable, phone, or internet access at home. Which is fine, really, because Comcast’s rates are so absurd as it is that it’ll be a nice break from a full-month’s bill from them. Speaking of which, do you know if you call to change your service in any way, they CHARGE you for the phone call? Don’t even get me started. Work is really busy. One of the hats I wear is as risk manager, and needless to say, with properties affected by both Gustav and Ike, I’m swamped. Oh, and did I mention I am also on the Garage Sale Committee for our area’s Mother’s Of Multiples sale October 17? I decided one of my contributions would be to create an online volunteer scheduling system using subscription based software in order to reduce the amount of time swallowed up by any one individual having to do this manually via phone calls and excel spreadsheets. And to prevent any accusations of favoritism for the more popular shifts. I had no idea parenthood was a lot like junior high. So this is the best my September posting is going to get, until I can find some time. We arrived to San Antonio late in the evening on September 11, ahead of Hurricane Ike’s anticipated path through urban Houston, where we reside. We took enough clothing for three days, not expecting we’d end up there for a total of ten. The next day, we went to the hospital where my mom works. We told her we’d take the kids so her co-workers could see in person two of the five little creatures she speaks of incessantly between bringing people back to life and taking out their intubation tubes. After a brief visit, you know, because they’re kinda busy making sure people stay alive post-surgery, we left and went to my dad’s house. This was the first time my dad had seen the babies since the week after their birth. And Tato especially was mesmerized. I don’t know if it was the tone of his voice, the resemblence of his bald head to his own, or the captivating ponytail that had him hooked. Later that evening, we went to Alamo Cafe on IH-10 and pretty much took up the whole center of one side of the restaurant. I commend the staff for not flinching when we asked for a table for twelve: 4 infants, 1 toddler, and 7 adults. Much of that night, we watched the drama unfolding on the Weather Channel regarding the projected path and coundown to landfall of Hurricane Ike. But some time around 11:00, I decided enough was enough, said my prayers for those affected, and went to bed. The next morning, I started mapping out plans to return to Houston to assess any damage. But mostly to clean out the refrigerators and freezers. I knew we probably didn’t have power, which was confirmed via text message from our neighbors who rode out the storm at home. Neither Jennifer nor my mother wanted me to return, but I just remembered the refrigerator stories from friends who went through Hurricane Katrina, and I just didn’t want to have to deal with rotting food and otherwise perfectly good refrigerators that had to be thrown out. Granted, we had friends who had keys to our home, but they had enough going on with water and wind damage to their OWN home. Plus, you always want to check things out for yourself. As a compromise to my mother’s paranoid concerns regarding safety, my dad went with me. I didn’t take any pictures, but I did take some video which you can see here and here. But fair warning, you should take a dose of dramamine before watching these, or a shot of tequilla, or whatever it is you do for motion sickness. My sister-in-law, who is still on maternity leave, mentioned that she was going to Stroller Strides the morning of September 15. And since we were all ready to get out of the house, we decided to crash the stroller striding party, or as Jennifer calls it, the Diaper Derby. Not only did we attend this in a different city, but we came with twins, and we were two-mommies at that. Everyone was welcoming (and in already great shape). The class totally kicked my ass. Enough to think about the fact that I still need to lose weight and exercise. But not apparently enough to take further action. As working mom’s, and because Jennifer works on Saturday’s, there is little occasion to start something new and do it together. So we took advantage of being stay-at-home parents and tried rice cereal with the kids a couple weeks before we originally anticipated. Which is fine, really, because it’s not like we were giving them the keys to the car or anything. They both took the Eat-First-Ask-Questions-Later approach and seemed to like it enough. Towards the end, Tato really just wanted the damn bottle. His words, not mine. Jennifer had set the cup down on Carpet’s tray table and she immediately picked it up. I’d insert something snippy here about her raging independence, but that would be self-incriminating. On Saturday, September 20 (yes, we were STILL THERE!), we took a drive out to the Shops at La Cantera, a wonderful outdoor shopping center not too far from my mom or sister’s homes. And I qualify “not too far” with the fact that we live in Houston, and if you can get to your destination within 30 minutes of your house, it’s considered “close by”. Whereas for locals, our “close by” would be considered the other side of town. Later, we went to Rudy’s BBQ, a delicious picnic table joint just north of town. This was the RJBs’ first trip to Rudy’s but since I didn’t have my camera with me, I took it with my poor-quality-camera-function on my Blackberry. Still, how cute are they with that BBQ sauce!? The next day, Carpet was especially chipper at the inception of meltdown time, that section of time between 6pm and bathtime that can send their heads spinning. So I just snapped a shot of her on the bebe chair just before bath time. And here’s a photo of Tato, with eyes that draw you in. Or at least they do me. We returned to Houston early morning of Monday, September 22. We dropped the kids off at the montessori school around 8:30, then Jennifer dropped me off at work around 9:00. My dad had driven in the day prior to set up the generator my boss let me borrow now that he had power. He also set up a small window a/c unit that one of the neighborhood kids’ group families had let us borrow, since they, too, had power. Jen went home to finish helping and to get everything ready for baths and bedtime so that when we got home with the kids, it would be a seamless transition for them. Thankfully, we had only two evenings of sleeping without power in house. The generator kept the nursery cool and the guest room that we stayed in sufficiently cool with a fan. After putting the kids down to bed, we’d go upstairs to wash bottles and eat dinner. It was 90 degrees in the house. And if you moved VERY VERY SLOWLY, it actually wasn’t that bad. It did, however, have a way of making you feel like you were trying to take a breath of air with a mid-sized vehicle sitting on your chest. Power was restored at our house on Wednesday, September 24th. Being that we’re only home a few hours a day, it took us a couple more days to get almost back to normal. Just in time to go pick up my mom and sister from the airport so they could attend the twins’ Baptism. Jennifer’s mother and grandmother also came in from Louisiana. And we were joined by several other family members, both of origin and chosen. And while at least the Baptism will be a separate post that I hope to write before they are one-year olds, I conclude with this lovely photo of us and my second neck, framed by their godparents, Karin (l) and Alli (r). It was a blessed event and lunch at our home afterwards, more of which I’ll share soon. As I previously mentioned, the Montessori school was closed on Tuesday due to a hypochondriatic reaction to Tropical Storm Edouard. So what’s two mom’s to do with a day at home with the kids? Make your daughter’s hair into a dorsal fin and video, of course. Change of plans?  The thing you planned isn’t what will actually happen?  We said we’d be there at 10:30 and didn’t get there until 10:50?  WITH TWINS, CURVE BALLS ARE SO PREDICTABLE. We got on the phone, made a couple calls, and suddenly, two places that had waiting lists a year long in January had two entries available.  A lot can change in seven months. The third place, the one we really wanted, wasn’t open so we got on a waiting list there.  Could be one month, could be ten, but that’s ultimately where we’ll move them. And let me go off on a branch of tangents here and say that, unlike what I previously thought, Waiting Lists are not just for those rich New York people, the one’s whose nannies are banging the unfaithful husband’s on Law & Order SVU.  No, those waiting lists happen for regular people like us, middle of the middle-class typical two-mom family in a urban area, trying to get into what I’m pretty sure is your average school. One of the two places that had availability was a Montessori school. It took some reading up on, but, for example Montessori schools don’t use sippy cups. As soon as the babies are big enough to sit on their own, that they teach the little ones to drink from a regular open-topped cup and eat at a little table instead of on high chairs.  As I weighed aloud the pros and cons of the two schools with my mother, she said it sounded like the Montessori school wasn’t going to let the babies be babies. My thought was any inkling of order and self-confidence and independence would be beneficial in our household.  So guess where we enrolled them. Monday, July 28, was the first day at Montessori School for the RaJenBabies.  I started preparing on Saturday.  Picked their clothes out for the week to make mornings easier.  Packed blankets, towels, burp cloths.  Extra clothes.  Bottles.  Formula.  Water.  Labeled everything.  Monday morning, with the help of our night nanny, they were dressed and fed and ready to go at 7 a.m.  Matou and I got everything in the car.  I brought my camera. And we even remembered the babies. We got to the school and took them to their new room to meet the teachers.  Then we did all our security paperwork, pictures, and paid the monthly mortgage on the 5,000 square foot summer home on Lake LBJ tuition through September 1.  The babies were smiling and happy.  Which in turn made us smiley and happy.  So leaving them there wasn’t terribly emotional. It helped that Matou and I were both there together. At 9:30 a.m., the phone in my office rang and I could see from the caller-ID that it was the school.  And my immediate thought was Oh, Shit, They Threw Up Again And We’re Getting Kicked Out.  I picked up and said “is everything ok?  The kids are ok?”  And the teacher said “Oh, they are fine.  But….ummmmm….did you pack them any diapers?” That’s right, Internet. I remembered the Camera but forgot the diapers! I had prepared a box with 50 diapers, a big ‘ol bin of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, and ten bibs. AND LEFT IT BY THE GARAGE DOOR. No, we usually just keep them in the same one all day is what I didn’t say because I figured they didn’t know me well enough to be subjected to my Smartassitis condition. MAYBE TOMORROW.

When something isn’t working right, it’s a good idea to try something NEW. That’s what I did. As I look back on what’s been going on for the past few years, I see a lot of NEW things. Rather than bore you with the details of my life, I thought I’d just show you one slice of my life: NEW art. If you’ve followed my blog, you have seen my NEW handmade quilt. It’s been keeping me warm this winter. I now have a greater appreciation for quilters; it took me almost a year to complete mine. BTY, my bed now lives in the bedroom I painted a couple of months ago – very proud of that! ❤, I configured a NEW weekly calendar for my art journal. Previously, I’ve always made artsy, monthly calendars. With so many NEW things happening, I decided to give myself a little more space for journaling. The page started out with a splatter sheet from my art table. I cut the sheet down to size and stamped/cut some circles for it. Next I glued down strips from more used paper to delineate day blocks. While sitting around, watching TV, I’ve been doodling on the sheet. That’s something NEW I hope to do more in the future. Come see what other bloggers and web designers have to say about the Letter N, over at Ms. Jenny’s site, …offon my tangent…

Honoree In 1926, Walter J. Matherly came to the University of Florida to organize the newly formed School of Business Administration and Journalism (formerly the Department of Business). By 1933, the school was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and was renamed the College of Business Administration with Matherly as its first dean. During Matherly’s two-decade tenure, the College of Business Administration grew tremendously. He advocated a larger faculty to reduce class size and provide specialized training, correspondence teaching and guidance counseling to future students. Matherly also recognized the need for more space and channeled resources into infrastructure. As a result, a new facility was built; but one month before the building’s dedication ceremony, Matherly passed away. Matherly attended William Jewell College in Missouri and obtained his master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1916. Before coming to UF, he taught at the University of North Carolina. Matherly served as president of AACSB from 1935 to 1936 and was also a founder and the first president of the Southern Economic Association. Although Matherly never lived to see the fruits of his labor, his dedication and foresight laid the foundation for a prospering college and a building that bears his name. Facility History Matherly Hall housed the College of Business Administration and was constructed in post-World War II style featuring a clay tile gabled roof and brick veneer. New additions include expansive window fenestration and linear cast concrete detail in harmony with surrounding campus buildings. The School of Business Administration originally consisted of three departments: business administration, economics and sociology, and journalism. The College of Commerce and Journalism became a separate entity in 1926, and the School of Business Administration was elevated to College status in 1933. The Bureau of Economics and Business was formed in 1929, the precursor to the current Bureau of Economics and Business Research.

We're doing some research into food at the moment - winding up for contributions to Assembly inquiries into food production later this year and the emerging Green Jobs Strategy for Wales. If this turns into a full-blown policy research piece we'll let you know but we'll blog some of what we're seeing in any case....share the wealth... We decided to look at food for a number of reasons: Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association, Spoke at our recent conference in Machynlleth. Patrick talked about how he'd struggled to respond to the climate change challenge - found himself changing lightbulbs, recycling and worrying but not really knowing how to make an impact. Then he talked Precariousness. When Patrick heard about Peak oil/oil scarcity/price volatility he thought about how long his farm could survive without oil or with oil prices prohibitively high. The answer, if I remember rightly, was not very long at all. As a result Patrick is now working to reduce his farm reliance on fossil fuels, looking to build a turbine, working via the soil association and JCB to make an electric tractor etc etc. Great stuff but this makes you wonder how precarious our wider food production, processing, transport, retail sector is - the whole chain appears to me to be highly dependent upon fossil fuels, hence the strong links between oil prices and food prices paid by consumers. What was interesting was Patrick's assertion that his selfish interests were stoked by the notion of oil scarcity, more than climate change. I can understand this - Climate demands us to adopt an altruistic position: Yes, it is happening now, affecting mainly those exposed by geography and poverty - but it doesn't seem to resonate sufficiently as a 'clear and present danger'. There's obviously been alot said on the selfish nature of humans so I wont go into that here - but Patrick's relative reponse to the two sides of a similar coin seems to reflect the fact that so many people now understand that cliamte change is happening but find it difficult to engage fully in doing anything about it. This reminded us of The Post Carbon Institute , who recently gave a live conference call and powerpoint presentation at the Welsh Local Government Association Climate change event. I'll try and find the presentation for you. The speaker talked to the local authority and WAG representatives about the need to plan for climate change impacts and resource scarcity/variability at a local level - everything from floods to travel planning and basic infrastructure. Oh, and food. At that event we launched 'Transformation Nation'. The report, designed to inform the Welsh Assembly Government's remake of the Sustainable Development Scheme, had a few things to say about food: "The Wales Spatial Plan should set a strategic context for Wales’ response to global resource scarcity (notably oil and food)." I'll blog a link to it when we publish teh online version - comments gratefully received btw Rising food prices are in the news. See the scrapbook on the right of the page Jamie Oliver and his Ministry of Food. Watch His video (Click the picture Read about his 'Pass it on' recipe campaign

International Space Station 10 Years Credit: NASA In the beginning.Zarya control module was the first element of the International Space Station. 1998. Credit: NASA The International Space Station 2008. On this image is the ATV Jules Verne still attached to the station. It was removed and it committed a successful 'suicide' in our atmosphere this fall. On November 20th ten years ago, the first International Space Station module was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch of the Russian-built Zarya module marked the start of on-orbit assembly of the most extraordinary space complex. ISS is a truly international space cooperation shown in particular by the modules built by different nations.

Just as well all are gripped in the throws of yet another completely effed up Winter, braving the below zero temps, we get a bit of a respite in the form of BBAS member Audible Doctor's newest drop, , that is only four tracks deep, but provides just what you want.. Featuring emcees Has-Lo, J Nics and Davenport Grimes, you can rest assured the lyrics are taken care of.. Bundle up this Winter and make sure you have this witcha.. The Audible Doctor - The Winter Tape

Last week I drove up to Buffalo, which is always an adventure. As you can see from the picture, Buffalo is pretty much due north of C'ville, but much of the way is through wilderness that lacks the highway essentials: Starbucks and toilets. The all-interstate route is a full 120 miles further than the direct route. See how much of the route goes through Pennsylvania? Most of it is mountains and steep grades of the sort that require all trucks to come to a complete stop before descending. I've ranted about Pennsylvania before . It is always a great relief to get to New York. The point of the visit was to collect Ian from college, but then he got a groundskeeping job on campus which comes with the perk of a FREE room in the dorms for the summer but I decided to go up anyway. He has also been working as a desk clerk at an old-fashioned downtown hotel, where I got a fabulous room on the 8th floor, with a view of distant Niagara Falls (on a clear day.) I couldn't quite see the falls, but I could see the Grand Island Bridge, which is pretty close. It's good that my son is not coming home. I celebrate his independence! And yet, I also feel blank about the fact that he will be gone for the whole summer. He may never live at home again. He and his friends have rented a flat off campus for next year. He's only 18 years old and he will be graduating from college next year. He's talking to me about taking the GRE, of taking a year off between college and grad school, to work and just enjoy life. It's good, it is, but it was just yesterday that I was dressing him in little John-John suits that showed his chubby thighs. Now he is tall--over six feet--and skinny and handsome. Returning to Charlottesville from Buffalo makes me depressed. It is so hard to return to the fetid, muggy, dank, hot Charlottesville where there's hardly ever a breath of real wind and where bugs infest dark corners and you don't even want to sit on the couch in your own house because it feels damp and smells like dog. This, after fresh, clean, cool, breezy Buffalo that has block after block after block of stunning old houses and gardens and museums and restaurants and art and parks and abundant Catholic churches, and people who are friendly and actually know how to drive and to cross a street. I would move back in a second, but Jon refuses to do so. It's not so great when you hate where your husband wants to live and he hates where you want to live. Who is supposed to make the sacrifice? I'm a terrible photographer, but I'll post these anyway. Our old house in Buffalo. We had the second floor flat, which was huge. Arlington Park in the Allentown neighborhood--one of my favorite streets in Bflo. A deli I saw in Black Rock. The other side of the sign says: POP, BEER, FROZEN FOOD. It's not the most upscale part of town, but it has a certain charm and a fantastic coffee shop, where I stopped for breakfast on my last day. (This photo is from their f Ian is convinced that Black Rock is due for a revival and is thinking about living there after graduation. At least the rent will be cheap and there's a certain air of it being a cutting edge place on the verge of discovery. It has an awesome gritty urban vibe, trains continually rumbling through, abandoned factories, heavy iron drawbridges over the Black Rock Canal. Where was I? Ian moving out, Buffalo, Black Rock. I'm sorry for hating on Charlottesville, there are some things I like about it but it's a very difficult city: so smug in its belief that it is the perfect place to live. You're a college town! Get over yourself! Maybe I am more conscious of the smugness because in general the people of Buffalo--where I lived for most of my life-- have a different attitude--a little defensive sometimes, but pleased when anyone choses to notice what's great about their city. Definitely not smug.

Week 16 of SDW. I can't believe how far we have all got, and I am so pleased to be doing this as a SAL. The motivation from the girls is so inspirational. I have finished the alphabet letters, as as I said last week, was changing the colours to make the whole, in my opinion, more balanced. Well the D and H just had to go as they were do pale, they might as well have not been there anyway. I also wanted to incorporate more red, but without it detracting from the chapel. I think I have done that. The mystery is, just what does JOJJJZ mean. At first we thought it might be some more initials but this alphabet doesn't have a letter J, and what does look like a letter J is actually a number one. Krista came up with what I think is the solution, and it is in fact, 10,11, 12. Any other ideas are gratefully received, and Marsha if you have a idea, then we would love to hear it! Sorry about the creases.

Interesting - be afraid, very afraid... This is an interesting bit of news which I find significant – indirectly it affects birds, oh, and us. There is something called ‘The Doomsday Clock,’ a symbolic time-piece that was (is) used to monitor global security issues. Historically it visualised the perilous state of the world when nuclear technology was used to ‘sabre-rattle’ political intentions in a game of one-upmanship. The closer the minute hand got to midnight the more likely our demise via a nuclear holocaust. (The closest it got was two minutes in 1953 after the USA and USSR, as was, both detonated hydrogen bombs). Anyway, to the point of this post. The clock has been advanced by two-minutes (now standing at 5 minutes to midnight) because of our headlong race into a period of unprecendented collective impacts on the biosphere, climate and oceans due to our unrestrained use of carbon-emitting technologies. This is the first time, following periodic reviews of issues of global security and challenges to humanity, that climate change has been included as an explicit threat to the future of civilisation. The clock’s ticking…

The inevitable happened and for the first time since coming to Abu Dhabi, I ate at McDonald's. In my cafeteria, there's a Subway, McDonald's, Starbucks, and Dunkin' Donuts along with a restaurant that sells three different healthy set menus each day. I don't know what the name of this restaurant is, but I've started eating there after getting sick of Subway every day. The meals at the new place are rotated on a daily basis so that they have three different selections for each day of the month. I usually enjoy their lunches, but none of them appealed to me today so I went to the Golden Arches next door. Without really thinking I ordered a Big Mac set with fries and a coke, but after I ordered, I noticed a few other choices that seem specific to the region. There was a chicken Big Mac that I wished I'd ordered, and a few other chicken meals that were "seasoned to the Arab taste" that looked good. If I'd have ordered one of those I could at least justified eating there by saying I wanted to try something new. There was no Quarter pounder (or "royale with cheese" for you "Pulp Fiction" fans) but there was a pizza pocket type dish that looked pretty unappetizing. Also, I heard that they still fry the apple pies here whereas they started baking them in North America for health reasons. This was presented as a plus for ordering apple pie here. They have no breakfasts, though I've seen them at the McDonalds where get gasoline. They also had the ice cream and sundaes, but no milkshakes. I checked online and while the official site for the Middle East looks like it's under construction, there's a site that lists all the locations in Abu Dhabi. There's only eight, including the one in my cafeteria (HCT Saada St). According to the site, the one at my local gas station seems to be the only one with breakfasts in Abu Dhabi. Based on how I felt running with a belly full of McDonald's, I don't think I'll be making this a regular thing. It's nice to know that they have the ice-cream for an occasional treat. At least until the school opens up a Baskin Robbins.

Student Captures Declining New York Dance Subculture A Kingston University graphics student has used his camera to tell the story of the dying art form of subway dancing in New York City. Scott Carthy, who is originally from Drogheda, Ireland, arrived in the United States with his camera in March of this year with the intention of documenting the declining subculture which is currently being clamped down. The result of Scott’s trip is the seven-minute film 1050.6(c), which takes its name from the section of the New York City Transit Rules of Conduct which prohibits performers from dancing within the subway cars. Hiss film takes a snapshot of social and political change in one of the world’s most famous cities, and captures the artistry and often unappreciated talents of New York’s subway performers through the eyes of an aspiring young film-maker. Scott is now determined to find a way to return to shoot a feature-length version of the movie and, to that end, has set-up a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to try and get the project in motion.  “I want to film these amazing performers now, because this could be the last chance to record this art form,” the 22 year old explained. “If no one else does it, it will be gone.” Kingston University aspiring film-maker captures declining New York dance subculture The first half of 2014 has been a bit of a whirlwind for budding film-maker Scott Carthy. “I've barely had time to think," the 22 year old, who is originally from Drogheda, Ireland, admitted. On top of completing the final year of his graphic design degree at Kingston University London, Scott has found the time to shoot and edit the seven-minute film 1050.6(c) which tells the story of the dying art of subway dancing in New York City. The movie takes its name from section 1050.6(c) of the New York City Transit Rules of Conduct, which prohibits performers from dancing within the subway cars. This local law has been largely ignored till now but will shortly be more stringently enforced. The film has therefore come at a pivotal moment for the dancers, documenting as it does the end of something that will change part of the character of one of the world's most famous cities. Undeterred by the distance, and having begged and borrowed from friends and family to fund the trip, Scott touched down in the Big Apple in March 2014, six-months after seeing the dancers for the first time. Getting the film off the ground had presented some unique challenges, he explained. "I wasn't actually in New York to shoot the movie - the main reason I was there was to complete a graphics project as part of my degree, which consumed most of my time, so I had to fit filming around that," he said. "In fact, the whole trip was made possible by friends putting me up and my parents giving me their discounted staff plane tickets." Despite these hurdles, Scott grabbed the opportunity to go and film the performers. He rented a high quality lens from nearby photography store, which he used with his Canon EOS 7D SLR camera and a stabiliser, and set about scanning the New York streets for some willing subjects. "I met the two dancers in the film, Shariffe and Junior, inside 34th Street Station, a location where they'd often perform for tourists and passers-by. They were initially wary about what I wanted to do, so I shot a short clip of them in action, added some music, and went back the next day to show them the results," Scott said. Excited by Scott's footage, Shariffe and Junior agreed to spend the next ten hours with Scott and his camera. "I followed them on to rooftops, in to trains and filmed them in the street," he recalled. "It was fascinating. The equipment allowed me to follow the dancers' movements on the trains, which helped to make the shots appear very natural." Scott said it was not until returning to Britain to edit the film that he realised the extent of the dancers' plight. New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has pledged to clamp down on subway dancing as part of his 'broken windows' policing strategy which makes small but conspicuous crimes, such as unauthorised public performances, subject to more robust regulation. "I had to be really careful, especially as filming in the subway carriages is in itself an offence," Scott said. "I didn't want to go out there and cause trouble." Nonetheless, he remains determined to find a way to return to shoot a feature-length version of the movie and, to that end, has set-up a Kickstarter public fundraising campaign to get the project in motion. "I want to film these amazing performers now because this could be the last chance to record this art form," he added. "If no one else does it, it will be gone." Scott's film-making ambitions now stretch beyond 1050.6(c). "I want to tell stories, but film is more than just narrative, it provides unique visual opportunities," he explained. "Being at Kingston has really helped me discover myself as an artist and I've been encouraged to pursue my creative interests even when they are outside the boundaries of my course. The projects that I've been able to be involved in have also made the prospect of becoming a professional film-maker feel less like a distant dream." Senior lecturer in photography at Kingston University Paul Jenkins said he was pleased to have been able to play a part in helping to nurture Scott's talents. "Scott has made something special with this film," he said. "He has the ability to communicate in a very direct way and 1050.6(c) really illustrates this skill." Scott had always been a dedicated and talented student who hadn't known the meaning of the word 'no', Mr Jenkins added. "The graphic design and photography courses at Kingston encourage students to experiment with their work, and Scott's enthusiasm meant that he was always willing to try something new. He really can go wherever he wants to in the future - anything is possible." Scott is due to begin an internship at prestigious New York design firm Sagmeister & Walsh in December and aims to venture further into the world of film before returning to the United States. Your Comments

Y'all, nothing I'm about to write is related to bicycling. There's your disclaimer. I won't blame you for clicking away now. Earlier this month I got laid off, and I still can't believe it. While I was assured multiple times that the action was in no way related to my work performance, and merely taken because of a lack of revenue, it still hurt. No one likes to be dumped. took a major gamble when I accepted the job last summer. We sold our house and moved our son from a loving in-home child care provider to a preschool environment. Fortunately, Cody found a job he loves -- . He's proud of his work, and I'm so proud of him. The kid misses his first sitter and his first friend, but he eventually adjusted to his new friends and his new class, and is now thriving. Cody and I both grew up in the area so we get to see a lot more of our friends and family. It all seemed like the perfect life for our little family. But now that I've had time to sit back and reflect on my time working for my former employer, I've come to realize that I didn't love my old job as much as I expected. For sure, I miss the friends I made there -- those smart, fun hardworking people -- but the actual work was less enjoyable than I hoped. Plus, I was stressed out all the time, working the second shift and missed spending evenings with my dudes. I'm also a lot happier. Maybe this whole unexpected life change has been a good thing after all. Sure, we're on a tighter budget now, and it's really weird for me to be unemployed and I sometimes lose sleep worrying about it all. But, you know what? That's okay. We may be living with a little less income. But we're also living with a lot more joy. And that's really a small price to pay.

when we landed there around 1pm on a sunday there was hardly anyone around excepting a bunch of four rowdy boys sitting in a corner,smoking the hookah(supari and some essence) and playing music through the cellphone speaker loudly unmindful of the others in the restaurant. the waiters were chatting with the boys and didn't even ask them to stop playing the music when we arrived. i had to put an end to the deafening noise. though tranquility prevailed for some time, i was completely put off by the lazy demeanour of the staff and their sloppy attitude. the place had been disinfected with phenoyl.the smell made me feel that we had come to a hospital and not a restaurant. we took a seat in the corner,far away from the bar and i noticed that the sofa next to ours had a torn upholstery. we looked at each other and wondered whether we had made a wrong choice. i assured s that the food will be good(rajasthani style in shuddha ghee); so let us turn a nelson's eye to the brats around and the rather poor standard of service and housekeeping. the steward came in casually,took our orders in an inattentive and nonchalant manner and then disappeared for quite a while.we had ordered some starters and it took ages for these to arrive.and then the main course.while s settled for some biryani, i decided to be somewhat adventurous and ordered some mexican food.the food was not bad but the service and housekeeping left a bad taste in our mouths. there is a family room or reserved section which has lowstyle seating.the centre of the table was a heavy grinding stone from rajasthan presuambly.the various artifacts and lamps did not jell at all.polished wooden sleepers from the railways have been used as base for the furniture to give it some sort of an antique look. while leaving,i left behind my comments in the guest-book. i hope the owners take cognizance of what i have said.there is no greater dampener in a restaurant than lazy servers who make you feel unwelcome. there are many potential pluses going for the place.they could be converted to make 'spices and flavours' true to its name and a winner. those who write reviews need to be more careful.you just can't get carried away by a few good things.the review must be balanced and objective; giving due consideration to all factors that make dining out a pleasurable experience.decor,ambience,courtesy,service,food and price point must be properly evaluated before the final marks are given. i enquired whether i could meet the chef.my question met with a blank expression from the face of the steward. we then left. a big disappointmnet to the high expectations raised by the review.

I've been away for a couple of days because our internet service was not connecting with the wireless router and the boys were away at Man Camp so the girls chose to play for the weekend. This evening I spent 39 minutes with a woman at the help desk who had me "kindly open my web browser" and then "kindly type this address in the bar" and "kindly reconnect my modem with my router" followed by "kindly restart your computer". Then, TA-DA! Once again connected with the whole world wide web. bliss. Here are some more pictures from our family week: We went to the mountains and did some of this... a lot of this... and quite a bit of this... Now, we are all back to our own homes with great memories of another summer week together. Rested, rejuvenated. Our home is resisting the idea of this being our last full week of summer vacation. School starts the 18th. sigh It went way too fast.

So, since you are reading this tomorrow, I am writing this yesterday, I'll show you what my bead table looked like yesterday. I know that this is a photo of She was very tired when this photo was taken. Notice how her mouth is hanging open. This photo makes me smile. Well, you ask, where are the beads? This week there are no beads on my beading table. I'm with Jenny this week. She is going to have her stem cell transplant, but, before that can happen, she has to go through a range of tests. This is why I am with her right now. She will be admitted to the hospital for her transplant between the 25th and the 30th. We just don't know when yet. We will have a much better idea by the 25th. That's when she meets with the transplant doctor. Now, it's just a matter of waiting. Kitties are the bosses here, and she is learning the rules. They do tolerate each other well. I only wish I could be a fly on the wall to see them in action when we are gone! Now, for our family, it's just a waiting game. We are waiting for each test to be completed and waiting for the results. That's the hardest part. I only wish we were past this stage. Yet, there's nothing we can do. The doctors are good. The hospital is good. The time will come soon enough. For now, it's important to smile and to enjoy each day as we draw closer and closer to the transplant. I'll keep you updated. I've put my Etsy store in the vacation mode for now. I hope to feature other artists and stores, but if I loose a day or two, well, that's just the way it will be. Please keep us in your prayers.

Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah has been taken to hospital with a worrying head injury in his side's 36-4 NRL loss to Canterbury on Sunday. Farah was knocked out after he collided with the hip of Josh Reynolds as the Bulldogs playmaker put in a kick during the first half in front of 20,936 at ANZ Stadium. After being stretchered from the grounds, he was taken to hospital as a precaution however his involvement in next month's State of Origin series opener is in jeopardy. With NSW to name their team for game one after next weekend's round, Blues coach Laurie Daley will be sweating on Farah's fitness but has in-form Cronulla rake Michael Ennis waiting in the wings. After being inconsistent during the opening rounds, the Bulldogs looked well organised with their big men rolling over the top of the Tigers. The Tigers played the second half with just two men on the bench after Josh Aloiai failed a concussion test. As well, prop Sauaso Sue was an 11th hour withdrawal after injuring his ribs in the warm up.The defeat was the Tigers' eighth in nine games and reapplied the pressure to coach Jason Taylor. Tigers halfback Luke Brooks also came in for criticism from legends Peter Sterling and Andrew Johns in television commentary after his light involvement. Winger Justin Hunt will come under the scrutiny of the match review committee after an ugly coathanger tackle on Dogs halfback Moses Mbye. The Bulldogs shot out an 18-0 lead before returning Tigers skipper Aaron Woods put Mbye through a hole to score in the corner to give the home side a sniff. But when Josh Morris scored in the shadows of the break and Curtis Rona bagged his double 12 minutes after the resumption, the match was effectively over.

Well the weather is full of rain this morning so very gloomy here in deepest darkest yorkshire :-) The card I'm going to show you today is another that I received in Bekka's kit. It uses the the Dress up framelets from the spring mini. I've used the polka Dot DSP and daffodil delight card. On the front here I've used the perfectly penned stamp set and one of the roses from the vintage trim. Again I've used the polka dot DSP for the dress this time in rich razzleberry and crumb cake card for the body, I've added a little bit of Baja Breeze ribbon and another vintage trim rose around the waist. Here is the greeting inside, again using the perfectly penned stamp set and stamped in daffodil delight ink

magazine from the time I moved to America and credit it with my design education. I loved the cover story in the March 2010 issue. It focused on a home decorated in silver, which resonated with me because for the past couple of years I have been collecting mercury glass and antiqued mirror items like these... Antiqued Mirror Vanity from My home in town is very traditional, and to me nothing says traditional better than the sparkle of crystal or silver.

My darlings are nestled all snug in their beds and I am thinking that on next year's countdown I am going to take the weekends off...I would like to get nestled in my bed, but I still have to plan a Sunday school lesson. Today was day 8, if my memory serves me correctly. Our task was to watch a movie Christmas movie with Daddy bc he is finally home. Libby complained about the movie and Maggie cried for me to hold her. Then we went outside together instead and the same thing happened, Libby complained and Maggie cried. Even the best made plans sometimes don't turn out...and I'm okay with that. I think that one of the first job requirements of parenthood is flexibility. I may have flexed my ladies a bit too far this weekend after our bead partying last night and our carol singing tonight (did I mention that my friend released today and it is amazing and we attended the release tonight and kept the girls out past their bedtime again. Hmmm, I'm glad that run-on sentence came to play since it has little to do with my post) We are great parents, 9:30 bed time two nights in a row is just fine. I hope that you can hear my sarcasm where you are..I think that they have reached their limit. I'm hoping that some well needed rest and healthy eating tomorrow will make us merrier than we were today. Dream sweet. Unless of course you are reading this in the morning, in which case I will say good morning.

During the week of October 13 through October 19 deputies of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office responded to 1,342 calls for service throughout the community. Citizens with information on the following crimes or any criminal activity in Calvert County who wish to report it anonymously can now access the Calvert County Crime Solvers link through the Sheriff’s Office website. Destruction of Property Case #14-57645: On October 13 at 4:13 p.m. DFC R. Wilson arrested two men and charged them each with trespass, operating an off-road vehicle on property, destruction of property less than $1,000 and disorderly conduct. A Chesapeake Ranch Estates Security Officer had earlier advised Wilson that he and another witness had observed the two men riding a four wheeler on the runway in CRE as well as on the roadway. They damaged the grassy area of the runway. The witnesses advised they saw the two men park the four wheeler at a home in CRE, then get into a passenger vehicle and leave the area. Wilson ran the tag number of the passenger vehicle and drove over to that address. The suspect vehicle arrived at the house and contact was made with the two suspects. Thomas Scott Burroughs, Jr., 18 of Lusby, and Emory Jackson Baldwin, IV, 19 of St. Leonard, were arrested and charged. Thomas Scott Burroughs, Jr., 18, of Lusby Emory Jackson Baldwin, IV, 19, of St. Leonard Disorderly Conduct Case #14-57708: On October 14 at 3:00 a.m. DFC P. Mosely responded to the area of Chesapeake Village Drive at Lawrin Court in Chesapeake Beach for the report of three people yelling in the street. Mosely made contact with the three subjects. They advised they had gotten into an argument earlier. Mosely could detect a strong odor of alcohol. They were advised to go home. Fifteen minutes later Mosely received another call for disorderly subjects yelling and walking through the same neighborhood but he was unable to locate anyone. About 15 minutes later he received a third call for the same thing. He made contact with the same three subjects from earlier. One of the subjects, later identified as Brenna Erin Bateman, 21 of Upper Marlboro, started to yell and curse. Another of the subjects, later identified as Ray Clinton Kinzer, 22 of Chesapeake Beach, also began to yell. They were both placed under arrest and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct. The third subject was not arrested and was sent on her way. Brenna Erin Bateman, 21, of Upper Marlboro Ray Clinton Kinzer, 22, of Chesapeake Beach On October 15 between 5:00 p.m. and midnight, someone entered a home in the 3900 block of 17th Street in Chesapeake Beach and stole a 42 inch LG television set. DFC C. Fox is investigating. CDS Violation Case #14-58183: On October 16 at 10:43 a.m. DFC C. Fox responded to the 9000 block of Chesapeake Avenue in North Beach for the report of a male walking around smoking a possible controlled dangerous substance. Fox made contact with the man, identified as Robert Henry Munson, 66 of Chesapeake Beach, and subsequently issued him with a civil citation for possession of marijuana less than 10 grams. Robert Henry Munson, 66, of Chesapeake Beach Destruction of Property Case #14-58218: DFC A. Locke is investigating damage done to a vehicle parked in the driveway of a home in the 1800 block of Higgens Lane in Huntingtown overnight between October 15 and 16. Someone broke out the driver’s side window. On October 16 during the daytime hours, someone stole a green Hot Wheels bicycle on Sanford Lane in Owings. DFC J. Migliaccio is investigating. Destruction of Property Case #14-58606: Someone caused damage to the yard of a home in the 70 block of Dares Wharf Road in Prince Frederick sometime between October 13 and 16. DFC J. Denton is investigating. Overnight entry into a vehicle was made between October 18 and 19 in the 4700 block of Williams Wharf Road in St. Leonard. A handheld fire department radio was stolen. Dep. T. Holt is investigating.

Hey guys! Horrorella here... MSN has a released a trailer for a new comedy starring the always-hilarious Nick Frost. The story (based on an idea from Frost) follows Bruce, a former childhood salsa dancing prodigy who decides to take up the hobby again in adulthood in order to win the heart of his American boss (Rashida Jones). One of the major hurdles he has to face along the way is his co-worker (Chris O'Dowd), who is also vying for the woman's affections. Ian McShane also co-stars as Frost's dancing instructor, which is kind of awesome on its own. Nick Frost always manages to craft characters that are simultaneously relatable and hilarious, and it's exciting to see him take on a leading role here. It looks like this project could be giving him some decent material to work with. There is a particular moment in the trailer where Frost and O'Dowd have a parking lot dance off that had me laughing. CUBAN FURY will open in the U.K. on Valentine's Day. No U.S. release date has been announced yet. What do you guys think? Follow me on Twitter

Without your medical knowledge, I don’t know where I would be. You promised me that by doing the surgery to remediate the pinched nerve in my back my leg would feel 100% better – you did not lie, it does Dr. Kaixuan Liu, considered a world leader in minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery, announced today the times and locations of Atlantic Spine Center’s upcoming free January Spine Seminars, which will outline the differences between true minimally invasive spine surgery and open back surgery procedures. What Defines Minimally Invasive Surgery A minimally invasive surgical procedure is defined as being less invasive than a traditional open surgery that accomplishes the same result. An endoscope or large scale display panel is used for indirect observation to visualize the procedure. Rather than multiple stitches or staples, a band-aid is all that is usually required to cover the incision. Minimally invasive surgical procedures result in less infection, quicker recovery time, shorter hospital stays, and in most instances, the ability to perform the procedure in an outpatient setting. January Schedule of Speakers: January 9th and 28th: Dr. Kaixuan Liu, President of Atlantic Spine Center will discuss endoscopic procedure, the benefits over traditional open back surgery, and how quickly patients can recover after surgery. January 28th: Dr. Daveed Frazier, a leading expert in spinal deformities at Atlantic Spine Center will join Dr. Liu as a keynote speaker. The doctors will be available at the end of each seminar to answer questions about conditions and treatments, explain endoscopic surgeries in detail, and review MRI’s and X Rays. In a letter praising Dr. Liu and Atlantic Spine Center staff, Marie Buckalew stated, “Without your medical knowledge, I don’t know where I would be. You promised me that by doing the surgery to remediate the pinched nerve in my back my leg would feel 100% better – you did not lie, it does!” January Seminars will focus on the benefits of minimally invasive procedures over other open back surgery methods. How endoscopic procedures improve recovery time, do not require a stay in the hospital, and get you back to enjoying the life you had before back pain. During each presentation the doctors encourage attendees to ask questions and take time to meet with a staff member after the presentation for as long as time permits. MRI reviews will begin at 6pm prior to the start of the lecture at 6:30pm. Guests are encouraged to bring their latest MRI, X-rays, CT scans, nerve diagnostic tests, or reports from previous surgeries. Reviews will continue after the presentation for as long as time permits. Seating is limited. Because of the popularity of free Atlantic Spine Center seminars, please sign up here as soon as possible to reserve your seats. About Dr. Liu: Kaixuan Liu, M.D., Ph.D., is a renowned endoscopic spine surgeon and President of Atlantic Spine Center in New Jersey (). Dr. Liu is certified by The American Board of Pain Medicine and is a member of The International Society for Advancement of Spine Surgery, The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP), The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), The International Intradiscal Therapy Society (IITS), and The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

I had a pretty big moment this week. A taste of my very first homegrown tomato. It felt like forever since I planted that little seed but finally, after all that waiting and babying it was time! After deciding that it was ripe enough to finally pick, I bit into it, still warm from the sun and man did it taste good! I mean, to be honest it wasn't the best looking tomato, kind of mutated and a bit cracked but... I grew it! That fact alone made it taste way better than any other tomato I've ever had before. I feel a bit like a proud mum. I also feel like I now need to buy a farm, move to the country and eat only the things I grow with my own two hands! Yeah, I'll keep dreaming here in my little Toronto apartment while the street cars rumble on by. I'll stick to little balcony gardens for now. So, in honour of my tasty, ugly tomato I've made a very simple galette, just for me. Using up the half of my tomato that I didn't eat right away and a few other things I had kicking around the fridge, this little guy came together very easily. I'm happy with this because there aren't a lot of recipes that work for just one and I'm all too often only cooking for myself. Which usually results in leftovers, which are cool but not always as exciting the next day. So after a bit of research I found out that making crust is really very simple and if you follow the ratio of 3 parts flour to 2 parts fat and 1 part liquid you'll be set to make however big or small a crust you need. However, the important thing to remember when making a pie crust like this is to keep you ingredients as cold as possible throughout the entire process. This helps to ensure a flaky crust that isn't too dense or too chewy. Tomato Galette with Goat Cheese, Pancetta, and Onion 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup chilled butter, cubed 5-6 tbsp ice water 1/2 large tomato, sliced 2 tbsp goat cheese a bit of pancetta, chopped a few slices of white or red onion Preheat your oven to 425 F For the crust, in a small mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and cold butter. With your hands coat the butter with the flour and continue to rub the butter into the flour between your hands, creating smaller and smaller chunks. Continue until the chunks look roughly the size of peas. I recommend chilling the dough for a few minutes here, especially if you're working in a hot kitchen. You want the butter in the dough to remain fairly cold so that it won't melt when you put it into your hot oven. Instead, you want to create a bit of steam which will create a beautifully flakey crust. After chilling the dough for a few minutes, create a little well in the middle of your mixture and start adding your ice water. Add it by the tablespoon to ensure your don't add too much water. Combine the mixture as you do this and stop working when the dough starts to come together. You don't want it to be sticky so just enough water until you can form a ball but it's not sticking to your hand. Again, chill that dough. After chilling for a few minutes until it feels cool to the touch but isn't so stiff you can't roll it out. Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface. With a floured rolling pin gently roll it out into roughly a roundish shape, about a 1/4 inch thick or so. In the centre of your dough, crumble the goat cheese and place your slices of tomato on top. Top this with a bit of sliced onion and a handful of chopped pancetta. Fold the edges of the dough onto of your filling and drizzle with olive oil and a touch of balsamic. Place your galette on a parchment lined baking tray and pop in your preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden. You can top this with a bit of freshly grated parmesan. Some fresh herbs like basil or thyme would be nice too. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy!

Note Please: All links open in a separate window, and all pictures can be viewed full screen in a separate window by double clicking on the picture itself. A selection of the pictures Kevin and I took can be found on-line at my Picasa web site here Livin’ in this crazy world So caught up in the confusion Nothin’ is makin’ sense For me and you Maybe we can find a way There’s got be a solution How to make a brighter day What do we do --Ziggy Marley In 1916, the people of Montana elected the first woman to serve in any western nation’s national legislature. , born in 1880 in Missoula, Montana, took her seat in the US House of Representatives on March 4, 1917. Four days later, she made history again by voting against US entry into World War I. As she cast her vote, she said “I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war.” She was not re-elected in 1918. A single term in Congress was not unusual in . Since becoming a state in 1889, Montana had elected nine congressmen prior to Ms. Rankin, four of whom served only a single term and two more served just two terms. What is remarkable is that in 1940, Montanans sent Jeannette Rankin back to Congress where she cast the only vote against US entry into World War II. This time she said, “As a woman I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else.” Her position caused her to be vilified, and again, she served only a single term. After leaving Congress in 1943, she spent the rest of her life working for peace. In 1985 Montana sent Ms. Rankin back to Congress, this time in the form of a statue to be placed in in the US Capitol. Today her statue can be found in the House corridor, first floor. (Statuary Hall allows each state two statues. Montana's other statue honors Charlie Russell--the only artist to be found in this national collection.) In 1986, a group of Missoula area activists came together to found the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center . In the twenty-two years since, they have built an organization that is making a difference world-wide. In Missoula they operate a store and library downtown, and sponsor several activities throughout the year. They have acted as fiduciary agent for various peace and justice organizations, including the Western Montana Gay & Lesbian Community Center which was formed ten years ago. One of the principal fund-raisers for the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center is their annual Peace Party, held this year under the big tent in Caras Park on Sunday, September 14th. Members of the Missoula Gay Men’s Chorus were asked to show up at 2 pm sharp for a sound check. We joined the women of the Missoula Women’s Chorus, and ran through a couple of numbers. The festivities were scheduled to begin at 4:30 when the children of the Lewis & Clark Grade School choir would take the stage to sing a song they had written themselves. The men and women would sing along on the chorus with the children. The event actually began with men, women and children forming a circle and dancing several dances from various traditions in what has come to be known as the Dances of Universal Peace . I had heard of this activity, which in Missoula happens on the third Friday of every month, but I had never participated. Nonetheless, when the audience was invited to join in the dance, I gladly entered the circle. Dancing has always been one of my great loves. I had no idea that I was becoming a part of an international movement that meets not only in Missoula, but in four other Montana communities, twenty-two California communities (both large and small), and countless other places around the country. There are even two groups dancing in Wyoming and one in West Virginia. After dancing and chanting prayers in English, Sanskrit, Arabic, Hebrew, and I don’t remember what all else, the children took the stage and the men and women singers joined them. Throughout the evening, the men and women returned to the stage numerous times to perform together and separately. We men sang five pieces in total, two by ourselves, two with the women, and the opening number with the women and children. The Missoula Women's Chorus Taken 9-14-08 in Missoula Montana In addition to our singing, the Peace Party included dinner, a silent auction, a live auction and several items which were raffled off. Many of the items in the live auction were dinner parties hosted by prominent Missoulians. The one that really caught my attention was an Ethiopian dinner for six at Granite Hot Springs, but that one went for over $100 a plate. Kevin, knowing how much I love exotic food, bid for (and won) a Persian dinner for eight which we will enjoy on Friday, April 24th, 2009. We quickly found six friends to join us at $55 a plate. While I don’t know just how much money the Center raised, I know that the participants enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Each table had a jar for pennies, those jars going to build schools through one of my favorite organizations, The Central Asia Institute , which I wrote about back in . Once again, I urge you to read Greg Mortensen’s book Three Cups of Tea and then to do whatever you can to support this worthy organization. The children of Missoula have collected over $5,000 in pennies to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and have set themselves the goal of collecting $50,000 so that they can pay for a complete school. For us, the evening closed with the men and women on stage singing Ziggy Marley’s “ Give a Little Love ,” after which we packed up and left the volunteers to take down the displays and empty the tent. Five of us piled into the Volvo and headed out to Lolo Hot Springs for their clothing optional swim night. A fun time was had by all. Seriously, though, ask yourself “What can I do to promote peace at home, in my community, in my country and around the world.” As Ziggy puts it:

Where to start? Well. For all of this year, I have been a bit constrained about some of the things that I might have wanted to write about in this 'ere blog. That may (only may, though!) go some way towards explaining why I haven't popped up quite as often as I would have liked. The truth of the matter is that the DSM has been off sick from work ever since Christmas, apart from a few days in the summer when he attempted a phased return. No need to panic - let's put it this way, it was his psyche that was playing up rather than any vital body part. In other words, stress and anxiety. We don't really know why - does one ever? (Well, yes, obviously sometimes, and I don't mean to be flippant.) At the time of the attempted return, he had the ghastly news that the office was relocating back to Lytham, increasing his drive time to around an hour and a half each way. After a few days of denial, telling me that it would all be fine, whilst I felt sick as a dog, we quietly acknowledged that it wouldn't - but what to do. Voluntary redundancy reared its head. We then had a lengthy period of time not knowing what was going on - would they, wouldn't they - and twice, they didn't. And some time during that process, I quietly pointed out that, actually, we could cope just fine if he never went back to work. There was a bit more shilly-shallying, and I still felt that I couldn't actually say publicly that he had "retired"; but suddenly, voluntary redundancy was back on the table, and I really felt that this time.......and they did. So, on Tuesday - which was our wedding anniversary - we had a day out to return a lap top, and collect a few personal belongings; for him to say goodbye to co-workers; and for a rather sweet little ceremony of speeches and a card and a gift. And that's it. Oh, officially he is on the books until the end of the month. But it is all over. Now he gets to do the art, and the spinning and the weaving and the teaching that he has not had time to do alongside a demanding day job. So it is all good. Strange, and will take some adjusting to, but good. To prove we were there, a couple of seaside pictures. We had a lovely celebratory lunch after the office visit, and then a walk along the prom. (I loved these two - not such ugly ducklings, eh?) Then there was the drama with my mother. My mother the uber-drama queen. She had reported a health problem that had caused me some concern, and had promised to phone on Monday. I wasn't too concerned when she didn't, but then my sister rang mid-evening on Monday to say - as I thought - that my mother was "in hospital". We had little idea why. I started having emergency thoughts about cancelling holidays and so on. So anyway I phoned her Care Home the next morning, and was told in no uncertain terms that she was actually in her room. Oh. I ring her number. I had got the wrong impression from my sister, but I know how it happened, and don't need to go there now. The lady had indeed been taken the hospital, but I have absolutely no idea why, other than it being a problem with her vision. She has to go back for treatment - I don't know what, or what for. Blood tests have been taken - again, no clue. I did eventually, in a slightly raised tone say that it really would be a most excellent idea if questions were asked. I seem to remember that Hilaire Belloc wrote a tale......... Yesterday, I had my own visit to the Eye Clinic, but only for a check and all was well. Yippee! Plus, the nice consultant had a test done to measure the thickness of the front of my eyeballs, and apparently the fact that they are thicker than normal may well mean that I do not after all have high pressure in them, which would be good. She has ordered a couple more tests just to check things out. I have been under the impression for years that I could be at risk of glaucoma, but apparently this may not be the case. A nice surprise. Today, my hair turned, in parts at least, bright red with the shock of it all. Golly. I have maundered on and on and on about all of this. I apologise! I have, however, a small FO, to return the subject to fibre work. As you will notice, I have treated myself to a Kindle, largely for travelling. Covers are an outrageous price, so I crocheted and felted one from some Polwarth S-spun singles that I just happened to have to hand. Not a great work of art, but functional, I hope. And that's it for now. Possibly foolishly, I'm off to Coven tonight. You can never see fibre friends too often. Have fun, kiddies, I intend too.......

Well, the Fam left for Alabama today. I am VERY PROUD of my wife...she's been invited to do of Hartselle Camp Meeting this year. She and Amanda left on a plane today, a bit late, but they finally got off. They were supposed to be at the airport for an 11:30am flight. Due to the weird storm we had blow in, they didn't get to leave until 2:45pm! But they are there now and I am home...alone! So tonight I had two options: sit around and mope, or find something fun to do. I chose the latter, grabbed my GPS and Pocket PC, hopped on the motorcycle and went geocaching at a local preserve. The storm thing today (that's what I call it...it was really odd) cooled things off a bit, so I thought it would be a good night to try and find the 10 geoaches hidden in the preserve. I found nine of them but ran out of sunlight before I could find #10...very frustrating! Here's a few pictures from my adventures this evening: And here it is in my had. It is a pill bottle glued into that tube. Can you see the lid at the top of the container? This is one of the most clever hides I have seen in a while. The name of the cache was "Flat Tired". I looked and looked through all the trash dumped in this area, all the while thinking the about the name of the cache. Just when I was about to give up (after looking over all three tires in this trash pile), I looked at this one once more. Do you see anything out of place? How about the valve stem coming out of the tire? Yep, the log you sign is inside that. It was a little harder to find though because it was dark. The flash on my camera makes it a little easier to see. Very clever!