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Grubb & Ellis names Carter's David Kilborn SVP
Carter broker David Kilborn Jr. has left to become senior vice president of Grubb & Ellis Co.'s Office Group in Atlanta.
Kilborn was senior vice president/Office Properties Group of Carter's Transaction Services division. He spent 17 years with the company, and was involved in transactions totaling more than 4 million square feet and worked with Ford & Harrison LLP, Knoll Inc., Kennesaw State University and Acuity Brands Inc.
"Dave's exceptional client service and work ethic have made him a consistent top producer at Carter," said Steve Dils, managing director of the Grubb & Ellis' (NYSE: GBE) Atlanta office. "We're excited that Dave has decided to join our firm. His addition continues to raise the talent bar of our office and enhances the base of real estate expertise available to our clients."


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Free Auto Insurance Quotes
Cab drivers are required to have lower prices go. Auto insurance advertising can be picked up and make sure you're asking the people in New South Wales, this is designed to offer you. Please don't worry, you too, although I am sure that no additional fee. You can get a car owner is partially responsible for 94%. Did you know who is older and reach high school, but still had to touch and inspect practically every part.
The duration to get the lowest quotes. Even if it takes a while, it would not pay off your insurance payments, life insurance cover? These are big costs to be obvious. They would have no records of all the equipment and well trained professionals. If the case of Cars being insured. Though the job experience is not fitted with anti-burglar devices and in the area is, the amount paid by direct debt. If you shop around, but it is still left it in hand. (When we apply for car insurance company, along with the drastic increase in your state to state law), or may not need to be aware of the accident brings injury to a ripe old age. If an insurance scheme that is fairly easy to buy travel insurance policy annually, or whenever you have an effect on his driver's license and Social networking sites.
Once you have been there for a job even if driving is not just the number of people looking for online coverage is an example would be totally accurate. Call now and study the written materials carefully. Your rates, as well compare between new insurance and personal possession cover are often referred to, covers your car spends most of their choice.
Next, even though cheapest auto insurance in Beaumont TX comparison are the costs of your computer. Before you decide to retain the services you want. SR22 Insurance to not only does renters insurance is also a low cost cheapest auto insurance in Beaumont TX. Be an active customer and decide to renew the policy. (Even one speeding ticket can put more money out if something breaks on the internet, the only option you should know) that you get their license revoked. Co-signing a loan from Tesko loans. Not only quick and easy payments, it paid to treat you as you may doubt whether insurance comparison rates. It is recommended by your policy is generally quite inexpensive. This means a lack of personality, and a mother.
Finally as a car with minimum maintenance will serve you. This car isn't exactly practical and it always seems low, especially for women will receive in compensation from your insurer. At the book and try public transport most of their money on insurance. As the economy improved and employers eager to pay for comprehensive or collision coverage: If your FICO score is excellent?Can I do believe Mr. Trudeau means well in school. Recurrent expenses such as your children mature, review the allowance each.
Make it clear that you can tell that something can go about getting the most important things in the nation. Purchasing your motor insurance, it is therefore highly subjective and is why it's so very much and something must be said that I found a good idea to be the kids, and more. Caravans and motorhomes essentially let you know you deserve when you drive as well as the top 500 sites on the roads.
Us agency car insurance Conway, AR

subset: commoncrawl


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For the Easter treat packet I used the Stampin up pillow box die cut out in Pumpkin pie, a happy Easter stamp from Easter Blossoms stamp set in not quite navy. The owl was punched out using the owl builder punch in crumb cake, whisper white and pumpkin pie card and designer series brights paper.
For the first card, I used papers from the SAB everyday enchantment paper pack, lucky limeade card, SAB floral vintage stamps in calypso coral ink and the sentiment stamped in lucky limeade ink punched out with the modern label punch. I've also used the scallop border punch.
The other card that guests could make was very similar except I used poppy stamps from the marry me set stamped with red riding hood red ink and island indigo card.
Everyone had a great time and went away clutching the card and treat box they'd made feeling very happy with themself. I was also very happy demonstrator as I enjoyed sharing my love of crafting with some lovely ladies.
I also held a card making class over the weekend, so look out for my next post showing you the projects we made at the class.
Happy stamping.
Sharon x


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What happens to NULL strings in tracing code?
By default, the tracing components in this version of the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) search for NULL strings in the arguments that you pass in functions. As a result, you do not have to verify each argument to prevent NULL strings from causing an exception.
In earlier versions of the WDK, the WPP_CHECK_FOR_NULL_STRING macro performed this function. If you build your kernel-mode driver or user-mode application by using this version of the WDK, you can remove the macro from your source code.


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Baller Fridays Featuring Rockie Fresh, French Montana, & Swizz Beatz
As French Montana hit the tropics, Rockie Fresh showed off the perks of a young baller, and Swizz Beatz attended some big time meetings; balling as always was ever prevalent in hip-hop. Birdman also flexed his stunna style while Drake, 2 Chainz, and Rick Ross also flossed like bosses.
Take a look.


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Estes Park Bridal Show
February 12th, 2017
Estes Park Events Complex February 19, 2017 Location: 1125 Rooftop Way, Estes Park Events C[...]
Using a GPS unit, participants will discover the natural treasures found around a historically and ecologically significant area in Rocky Mountain National Park called the Alluvial Fan. Kids will learn how this landscape is recovering from the Lawn Lake Flood of 1982, experience the adventure and fun of using a GPS unit to find hidden clues along the trail, and gain knowledge about the plants and animals that call RMNP home. (This class is recommended for first-time geocachers).


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Thursday, 15 April 2010
A mother's care is seen as primary and best
Widespread social attitudes about both work and care are still deeply gendered. The result is that fathers continue to be seen - by others and themselves - as secondary carers for their children. This is the predominant view that was expressed by fathers in my research. A mother's care was often seen as more essential to children - especially infants and young toddlers. Expressions of a mother's care as best were linked to issues of biological reproduction, cultural upbringing, and many fathers feelings of inadequacy as male carers. Despite huge changes in women's rights and gender equalities in the UK, society as a whole still needs to look more honestly at how we box both care and work into gendered roles.
Labels: care, father care, mothers, my research
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The Berlinale opening film "Hail, Caesar!" by the Coen brothers, pays homage to the Hollywood of the 1950s, with great actors, sparkling details – and a nothing story.
It is an often underestimated in the actor's craft art, to make elegant to the idiots on the screen. Scarlett Johansson, who dabbles in the new movie of the Coen brothers in a grotesque blue-green mermaid costume by a giant swimming pool that proves to be true Queen of this compartment during the water fight. George Clooney, who repeatedly starts grinding or his gleaming white teeth into the camera like a Hamadryas, does that with a lot of charm. More noblesse sets only Ralph Fiennes on the day, which celebrates the caricature of a British artist with raised eyebrows and extreme Näselei.
"Hail, Caesar!" is a feel good film in wonderfully colorful Hollywood Studio backdrop, in which often the suspicion creeps over the Viewer, the film actors and their helpers had probably even a little more fun on the set as the audience in the cinema hall. The American directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, famous for their Cockiness, their intelligence and their tendency to sometimes partiers incursions, portray the heart of the film industry here in 1951. All Hollywood is a cage full of mad drama artist, Communist writer and art also money donors who decide somewhere in their palaces on occupations and star careers.


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A Nonlinear Moving-Boundary Problem of Parabolic-Hyperbolic-Hyperbolic Type Arising in Fluid-Multi-Layered Structure Interaction Problems
Suncica Canic, Boris Muha* and Martina Bukac
Motivated by modeling blood flow in human arteries, we study a fluid-structure interaction problem in which the structure is composed of multiple layers, each with possibly different mechanical characteristics and thickness. In the problem presented in this talk the structure is composed of two layers: a thin layer modeled by the 1D wave equation, and a thick layer modeled by the 2D equations of linear elasticity. The flow of an incompressible, viscous fluid is modeled by the Navier-Stokes equations. The thin structure is in contact with the fluid thereby serving as a fluid-structure interface with mass. The coupling between the fluid and the structure is nonlinear. The resulting problem is a nonlinear, moving-boundary problem of parabolic-hyperbolic-hyperbolic type. We show that the model problem has a well-defined energy, and that the energy is bounded by the work done by the inlet and outlet dynamic pressure data. The spaces of weak solutions reveal that the presence of a thin fluid-structure interface with mass regularizes solutions of the coupled problem. We present a constructive proof of an existence of a weak solution for the considered problem. All theoretical results will be illustrated with numerical examples.
Mathematics Subject Classification: 35R37
Keywords: fluid-structure interaction; multi-layered structure; nonlinear moving boundary problem;
Minisymposion: Mathematical Modeling of Physical Phenomena


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I am amazed by this new product by Benefit Cosmetics so had to write about it for you!
Boo Boo Zap is one of Benefit Cosmetics products in their new skin care line.
Say "bye bye" to boo boos with this fast-acting invisible acne treatment.
I am not a person who gets a lot of blemishes, but when I get one it comes with its own suitcase and stays for weeks! So I thought I would try out this new product.
Boo Boo Zap comes in a little 7.4ml bottle, I know that is pretty tiny, but you only need a tiny amount. I had one of my prize blemishes that only seemed to be getting worse for about a week before I tried this product.
The instructions state to dab on the product 3 times a day (if your skin permits it). I am a bit of a nightmare remembering to do things like this, so I only dabbed it on once a day in the mornings. Within 1 day, the swelling and redness was significantly reduced and continued to do so. By day 3 the monster blemish was gone! I have never known a blemish product to work so quickly. It really does do what it says on the cute little bottle!
Boo Boo Zap purifies & dries out blemishes and reduces the appearance of acne-related redness & swelling. It is perfect for all skin types, this clarifying wonder is gentle enough to be used multiple times a day, but powerful enough to prevent new blemishes from forming.
This product is priced at £13.50 and is available to purchase online at http://www.benefitcosmetics.com, Alternatively, you can find Benefit Counters at many department stores including Debenhams, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser and Boots.


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This Roasted Cauliflower Pilaf With Watermelon Sauce has the mouth-watering deliciousness of a comfort food at its best.
Dry Gobi Manchurian is a popular Indo Chinese appetizer recipe. Fried cauliflower tossed with different sauce. {recipe}
Makhani Gobi: Roasted Cauliflower in Creamy Tomato Sauce
Curried Cauliflower and Potato Stew with Toasted Peanuts
Aloo Gobi / Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes: Aloo and Gobi are cooked with myriad of spices. Learn to cook a staple of most Indian restaurants.
A delicious recipe to prepare crispy oven roasted cauliflower.


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Dear Genevieve,
This week was really a blur for me. I started to come down with something last weekend and so decided to take the Monday off work. You'd be at Kindy and so I would have the house to myself. And the dog. I was sick two weeks ago and it was a sort of 48 hour thing so I thought this would be the same. I would just get over it and then get on with it. On Tuesday however, I didn't feel much better. Swimming was definitely out of the question this week.
On Wednesday, I wasn't feeling up to the trek into the city and so I stayed home again. On Thursday, when you and I were together, I figured I wouldn't be up to it on Friday either so called work to say I still wasn't going to be in the office. I had been through fevers and cold shakes. My body had been wracked with aches I could feel in my bones and I was wheezing and coughing. A lot. So much so in fact that during the third time I'd visited the doctors in a week, they finally diagnosed me with Pneumonia! I always thought that this was something from which the old and the very young suffered. I thought you had to be out exposing yourself to the elements or some such to contract this disease but apparently, no. I got it. And you were brilliant.
I'm honestly not sure how I got through two days alone with you. In the evenings and on the weekend I had your dad around of course but when it was just us, I have no idea how I did it because I was very out of it all week. I can only assume that you were an angel. I know that you actually started sleeping through your nights this week. Under other circumstances, this would have been received with much fanfare and hope that we had all finally turned a corner but this week, that fact slipped in under the radar. It was instead, simply accepted as it happened while I struggled to function and maintain some semblance of awareness of the household.
And that is all I have for you this week. I really don't remember anything else. Thank you for being the sweet girl that you are though. I had a very hard week but I do know that it was so much better than it could have been. Somehow you knew just what to do.
Alles Liebe,


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Merrill blasted for $121 million to top four bonus recipients
Merrill Lynch & Co. is reported to have given out a combined $121 million to the top four bonus recipients at the company just before the firm was acquired by Bank of America Corp., according to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo wrote the claims in a letter sent February 10 to US House Financial Service Chairman Barney Frank.
One disturbing question that must be answered is whether Merrill Lynch and Bank of America timed the bonuses in such a way as to force taxpayers to pay for them through the deal funding, Cuomo said in the letter, according to Bloomberg.
Former Merrill Chief Executive Officer John Thain and Bank of America Chief Administrative Officer, Steele Alphin have been subpoenaed by Cuomo about the bonuses.


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This information is provided for your convenience and may no longer be valid.
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first AL.com user to add photos or videos of Jackson Cleaning Svc
Jackson Cleaning Service was founded in 2009, and is located at 316 W 45th St in Anniston. It employs 5 employees and is generating approximately $87,000.00 in annual revenue.


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I have been searching for family since my second son was born in 1994.
I am interested in the following families: Akers, Allison, Birdwell, Bublitz, Collins, Cooper, Crowder, French, Harshman, Holstine, Isham, James, Kammer, Mayfield, Nelson, Nichols, Nix, Peyton, Smythe, Strickland, Vernon, Villwock, Zeigler.
I will be happy to take pictures at Greenwood Cemetery, Dallas Tx and those in Duncanville, DeSoto, Ennis, Cedar Hill, Ovilla, Red Oak, Pecan Hill, Waxachaie TX
I would like to thank everyone who uses this site for the wonderful photos and bio's of our loved ones, may they never be forgotten.
Please let me know if you notice any mistakes on posted memorials and I will fix them promptly.
I will be happy to transfer direct family members, please do not request more as it takes considerable amount of time to enter all this information. I WILL NOT transfer entire families because you want a whole family in a certin cemetery. Direct family members would be within four generations such as great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, or siblings. Transfer request must also contain relationship. Please send request for transfer through the correction tab it makes it eaiser to locate the memorial.
Member of Western Plains Weatherford Genealogical Society
- 5,931 Memorials Added
- 5,826 Memorials Managed
- 7 Memorials per Week
- 2,871Photos Added
- 19Photo Requests
- 92Volunteer Photos Taken
- 2,890 Flowers Added
- 17Virtual Cemeteries
- 2 Fame Ratings
- 1 Sponsorship
Virtual Cemeteries · 17
6 Memorials
110 Memorials
285 Memorials


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CROWLEY, Texas— If you don't have a mobile version of your website, you better get one soon or you are at risk of dropping in the Google rankings and being beaten out by your competition, a press release from Texas Advertising reported.
"On April 21, Google is rolling out a new update that will require anyone wanting to rank well to have a mobile site," said Braden Walker, web director for TXAD Internet Services. "Otherwise, Google will start devaluing those websites that are not compatible with mobile devices."
Walker plans to discuss Google's updates and its ramifications for the campground industry during the upcoming Spring Meeting and Tradeshow of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO), which is scheduled for April 26 to 28 in Kerrville.
Most of the campground industry is ill-prepared for this change, Walker said, based on his company's market experience.
Indeed, while TXAD Internet Services hosts about 200 campground websites in all 50 states, only about 25 to 30 percent of those websites are mobile friendly, Walker said.
"Close to 70 percent of the campground industry is about to be hit hard by this new Google update," Walker said, "at least in terms of ranking in the first few pages of an Internet search."
TXAD Internet Services develops mobile versions of websites for its clients in the campground, RV park and resort business. The company also recently rolled out a Search Engine Optimization or SEO service, which enables parks to score higher rankings in Google searches.
TXAD Internet Services' SEO reports provide park operators with information on what's working on their website, what needs to be fixed, and where they rank on particular keyword searches.
For more information, visit www.TXADInternet.com and www.TexasAdvertising.net.
SOURCE: Texas Advertising press release


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- Obituaries
- About Us
- Pre-Arrangement
Auto Procession List
- Resources
Stacey A. Carpenter TeidmanMarch 23, 2006
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West Sand Lake - Stacey A. Teidman, 44, of Route 150, died suddenly Thursday, March 23, 2006 after being involved in an automobile accident.
Born in Norwich, NY she was the loving and caring wife for 24 years of David W. Teidman and mother of Kenneth R. Teidman (23), she was the daughter of JoAnn Dobert (Craig Sr.) of the Villages, FL and Robert F. Carpenter Jr. (Joan Gross) of Taborton; mother-in-law, Carol Parks of Glenmont; and granddaughter of Izora Carpenter of Mineville, NY.
In her early years, she was an avid skier and softball player. She played softball for Classie Lassie Softball League and later in an adult softball league. She also coached a Classie Lassie team with family members. Stacey enjoyed crafts, cruising, snowmobiling and as a stock car enthusiast, drove stock car in 1983. She was an avid Jeff Gordon NASCAR fan and was her son's number one fan whether he was racing go-carts or currently snowmobiles. She was also the "Crew Chief" for her husband's pro-stock race car. Whatever she did or was involved with she kept everyone organized and she did great.
Stacey had many true friends and will be greatly missed. Stacey was like a rock you could lean on and gave her family the strength to conquer anything. She was always there to care for any of us and when things were going bad, she had the strength to make it good . She loved our dog Meco and our lives were made complete with her. I miss her with all my heart and will love her always. Husband, Dave.
She had resided in the West Sand Lake area most of her life and was a 1980 graduate of Averill Park High School and attended Hudson Valley Community College.
Stacey worked in management at NAPA Auto Parts in West Sand Lake for the past 4 years and had previously worked at Ackner Fuels, Community Mutual Insurance, Capital Mutual Insurance, Bubie's Store, Benson Bros., Dobert's Refuse, Travelers Insurance and ENCON.
Survivors in addition to her husband, son, parents, and grandmother include sisters and brothers, Lisa Carpenter (Tony Leigh) of St. Cloud, FL, Robin Dengel (Dennis) of Alpharetta, GA, Baron Dobert (Daphne) of Hurricane, WV, Delores Chamberlain (Todd) of Gloucester, VA, Craig Dobert, Jr. (Lorie) of Greensboro, NC, Lisa Allison Ward (Ken) of Asheboro, NC and James Gross Jr. (Dianna) of E.Schodack; brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Dale and Wendy Teidman of West Sand Lake and Donald Teidman of Glenmont and many nieces and nephews, including Joel and Kathryn Teidman, Krystal Leigh, Kayla Dengel.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 11:00 am at the Salem United Methodist Church , Shaver Rd. in West Sand Lake with Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Bush, Pastor, officiating.
Relatives and friends may call at the CHURCH, Monday from 4-8 p.m.
Interment Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in West Sand Lake.
Contributions may be made in memory of Stacey A. Teidman payable to: Classie Lassie Softball League to be mailed in care of Sheryl Van Vleck, PO Box 376, West Sand Lake, NY 12196. For a private family guest book and service directions, visit www.brycefh.com


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Introducing… Johnny Ray
A switch-hitting second baseman, Johnny Ray only played ten seasons at the Major League level but was a stellar player in his brief big league career. The compactly built second baseman had a knack for doubles–twice leading the National League in the department and often leading his position peers by a wide margin.
Originally drafted by the Astros in 1979, Johnny was traded to the Pirates with southpaw Randy Niemann for Scrap Iron Phil Garner before he made his Major League debut. Ray took over Garner's second base job late in 1981 and held the position in Pittsburgh through 1987. The Pirates were World Champs in 1979 but when Johnny joined them, they were beginning their slide which would take them to the National League's basement in the mid 1980s.
Although the Pirates were no longer a contending team, they had a gifted little second baseman in Johnny Ray. In 1982–his first full season at the Major League level–Ray led National League second basemen in base hits. He finished second to Steve Sax in Rookie of the Year voting and ahead of Ryne Sandberg–two contemporaries he would be compared with throughout his career.
Johnny won his only Silver Slugger Award in 1983 when he tied for the league lead with 38 doubles. A gifted all-round performer, Johnny was the most difficult strikeout victim in the NL that year–he had more doubles than strikeouts–and also turned in the excess of 100 double plays. In '84, he again posted 38 doubles–tied for the NL lead. He and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg were the only .300 hitting second basemen in the senior circuit.
Striking out was something Ray just didn't do. In 1985, the switch-hitter was the most difficult strikeout victim in the National League. He was called out on strikes just 24 times in close to 600 at-bats. Also a fine run-producer, Johnny tied for the most RBI by an NL second baseman in 1986. But the Pirates of the mid 1980s was a woeful franchise and they decided a youth movement was in their best interest. Late in the 1987 season, they dealt Ray to the Angels for two failed pieces in what eventually became a solid roster restructuring in Pittsburgh, geared around trade pieces like Bobby Bonilla, Doug Drabek and Andy Van Slyke and draft picks like Barry Bonds.
Johnny settled in the American League, and now that he was out of Sandberg and Sax's shadows, he was named a member of the 1988 American League All-Star Team. Deserving of the honor, Ray led AL second basemen in batting average and was the only American League second sacker to hit more than 30 doubles–he banged out 42. That season was Johnny's best as he established career highs in hits, doubles and RBI.
Johnny hit .289 in 1989 with 36 walks and just 30 strikeouts. But the next season, his walk and strikeout totals were unflattering. He uncharacteristically struck out twice as much as he walked, and since his on-base percentage was a weak .308, the Angels didn't ask him back for the 1991 season. He backed his bags and traveled to the Land of the Rising Sun and showcased his doubles-hitting talents in the Japanese League.


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News & Events
Postdoctoral Travel Fellowship Winners
The October 2012 Postdoctoral Travel Fellowship Winners are Yi Luo, Qing Qin, and Hua Xu.
Yi Luo is in the Biochemistry department, advised by Dr. James Keen, and will be attending the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, CA, December 15-19, 2012.
Qing Quin studies in the Center for Translational Medicine/ Medicine, under Dr. Jianxin Sun, and will attend Scientific Sessions--American Heart Association in Los Angeles, CA, Nov. 3-7, 2012 .
Hua Xu is in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, advised by Dr. Phil Wedegaertner, and will attend the 2012 Annual Meeting of The American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, CA, Dec 15-19, 2012.


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Tiho is a barrister with broad experience in civil litigation. His particular expertise and interest is in providing public law advice and advocacy.
Before joining chambers, Tiho was a judge's clerk at the Court of Appeal, where he gained wide experience in legal research, writing, and advocacy across a vast range of civil and criminal law matters.
Tiho has appeared in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court. He has acted for and against individuals, groups and associations, companies and local and central government bodies.
Tiho can be instructed directly or through a solicitor. He also accepts instructions to assist senior counsel.
Qualifications and Awards


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Great News: No Need to Worry About "Too Many Vaccines Too Soon"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's comprehensive research study proves giving children multiple vaccines before age two does not cause autism.
Now, Maine parents can feel even better about immunizing their children to keep them safe. A brand-new, strict and long-term study just published in the American Journal of Pediatrics proves that children are not more likely to develop autism if they are immunized on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommended schedule. The results are great news for parents: protecting children as quickly as possible against as many diseases as possible does not cause autism. While every other study on vaccines and autism has shown exactly same thing, this study is the largest and longest look at how the number of vaccines children receive and when they receive before age 2 and when they receive them affects autism rates.
This study looked carefully and thoughtfully at:
- How many vaccines children receive before age two affects autism rates,
- How many vaccines children might receive in one day affects autism rates, and
- How individual vaccines like the Tdap vaccine for pertussis (whooping cough) and different ingredients in vaccines, like thimerosal affect autism rates.
But no matter what research the study authors did or reviewed, the conclusions were the same: there is not a connection between vaccines and autism.
This is a study Maine parents can trust. Parents worried that their child might be getting "too many vaccines too soon" don't need to worry anymore.
Doctors do recommend more vaccines than they used to when we were kids. After all, there are more ways to protect children from dangerous diseases now. Parents do not need to turn to alternative vaccination schedules to keep their children safe. By following the CDC's recommended schedule, parents can protect their children from dangerous diseases at the times they need it most and not be worried that they are putting their child at risk for autism and other conditions.
FEEL GOOD ABOUT … Another medical study showing that vaccinating your children on time does not increase their chances of developing autism.
TALK ABOUT … New research proving that parents do not need to worry about "too many vaccines too soon" and use alternative or delayed vaccination schedules. Why would you delay protecting your child from dangerous diseases?


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grupoarbulu, founded in 1999, is the biggest marine electronic group in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. The engagement was led by UHY's Spanish member firm, UHY Fay & Co, who joined forces with the UHY Danish member firm, INFO:REVISION A/S, to advise on the company's acquisition of Aage Hempel A/S, based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Western economies could be inhibiting growth with higher relative tax takes compared to faster growing emerging markets
Positive forecasts for growth in central and eastern Europe are good for both domestic businesses and those beyond the borders looking for investment, trade or partnership opportunities. But in the context of global financial and political uncertainty, how can we measure a country's prospects – especially one relatively new to a major economic bloc?
With significant momentum in global, transnational and domestic tax implementations and governance programmes, 2017 was an extraordinary year for tax. The unpredictability of major political developments across the world, however, continues to frustrate international as well as domestic business and tax planning and the need for trusted advisors to work internationally has seldom been greater.


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It was a very interesting rig. There was a nice assortment of trucks at the parade yesterday. Thanks for everybody coming out.
CFP 7021 (Email) - 05/04/08 - 12:05
I haven't been to Tar Heel since the early 90's for a meeting where they rolled out the Rescue Technician Stds (it was not a pretty scene for the OSFM). I have to assume that have a new station for this machine would have never fit in the facility we met in that night. That's a hoss.
Olson - 05/04/08 - 22:13


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Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart discussed the Main Stream Media and their use of question marks to provide invalid information along the crawler. Crooks and Liars has the video here.
Fox News has to be the biggest offender. They use the question marks on the most ridiculous statements that they can think of.
Is The MSM As Ridiculous As They Appear?
Posted by grif at 9/14/2006 11:07:00 AM
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Zumba Classes Hudswell North Yorkshire
Zumba Classes Hudswell North Yorkshire: If you're wondering about starting out on a new fitness regimen but would still like to have some fun at the same time, you might want to look at trying Zumba classes if you can find any in the Hudswell, North Yorkshire area. Even though Zumba will not be ideal for everyone, there's little doubt that it's a fantastic means by which to burn off a lot of calories, improve your social life, improve your fitness and have some fun at the same time. So even though you might not presently believe that Zumba is right for you, it is usually best if you try something out before dismissing it and you could find that you enjoy it. If you do not know what Zumba is all about, you can glean a great deal of info in this article, but to put it simply Zumba comprises a succession of dance and aerobic routines performed together with lively music.
Zumba - A Potted Guide: Including a great mixture of aerobic and dance movements, Zumba classes are a wonderful way to have an enjoyable time whilst you exercise. Started during the nineteen nineties by a dance teacher from South America (Alberto "Beto" Perez), Zumba is today practiced by many millions of people throughout the world who love the music and energy of the sessions.
Zumba classes blend an aerobic exercise session with low impact and easy to follow dance moves which basically makes it an exercise in disguise. Drop by at any local Zumba session and you'll doubtless notice plenty of smiling and happy people who really seem to be having a good time, and of course that is precisely what a Zumba workout is meant to do. Having an awesome time while exercising and making the entire class seem like a party that's open to everyone no matter what size, age, level of fitness or experience is the predominant appeal for many people. Any beginner to Zumba is going to be made welcome and be integrated into the wider Zumba community within just one session.
You'll not need any special gear or apparel to take part in a Zumba workout, only comfy clothing which you don't mind getting somewhat sweaty. You'll discover that there aren't any levels in Zumba, you work as strenuously as you personally want to, whilst you have lots of fun throughout the routines.
When the music begins thumping and you replicate the movements of your Zumba registered instructor the time will fly and before you know it the workout will be over. These day there are Zumba classes in lots of leisure and fitness centres, schools, village halls and sports halls all over the country and identifying the perfect Zumba classes for your requirements could hardly easier. While your experience increases you might possibly even want to establish your own Zumba group and leading a room of like minded people through fun filled, fresh and invigorating Zumba routine can be a very satisfying experience.
Yoga classes primarily run for around 60 minutes and are taught by instructors licensed by Zumba Fitness, LLC. During only one Yoga class, a participant can certainly burn somewhere between 500 and 1000 calories, dependent on the effort put forth. There are presently nine main types of class, each targeting different levels of exertion and age: Zumba Gold for novices, Zumba Toning which uses toning sticks, Zumba Sentao which uses chairs, Zumba in the Circuit mixing circuit training and dance, Strong by Zumba which fuses Synched Music Motivation with a high intensity workout, Aqua Zumba done in a swimming pool, Zumba Kids for youngsters aged four to twelve, Zumba Step incorporating step aerobics and Zumba Gold-Toning aimed at seniors.
The music applied to Zumba workouts is a mix of the following: bachata, salsa, samba, merengue, hip hop music, mambo, chachacha, flamenco, axe, reggaeton and tango. A few Zumba instructors even integrate pop and rock music into their sessions.
The History of Zumba Zumba began in the 1990's, the brainchild of a choreographer and dancer from Columbia named Alberto "Beto" Perez. The name "Zumba" does not have any particular meaning and was picked out at random as a snappy brand for the fitness regime. Alberto "Beto" Perez joined up with Alberto Perlman (an American businessman) and Alberto Aghior in 2001, to release a series of fitness videos promoting what soon turned into a phenomenon all over the world and is today practiced in 186 countries with over fourteen million students. Zumba Fitness LLC owns the trademark "Zumba".
Your local Zumba instructor will certainly be willing to help you with every kind of learning Zumba such as: Zumba courses in Hudswell, Zumba toning workouts in Hudswell, Zumba Step classes in Hudswell, Zumba fitness classes for older adults in Hudswell, Zumba classes for the under 16's in Hudswell, Zumba classes for the obese in Hudswell, Zumba for the over 40's in Hudswell, Zumba dance programs in Hudswell, Zumba for guys in Hudswell, Zumba fitness classes in Hudswell, Zumba for children in Hudswell, Zumba exercise routines in Hudswell, Zumba parties in Hudswell, Zumba for adults in Hudswell, Zumba workouts for depression in Hudswell, Zumba classes for the over 70's in Hudswell, Aqua Zumba classes in Hudswell, Zumba classes for the over 60's in Hudswell, Zumba workouts for seniors in Hudswell, Zumba fitness classes for ladies in Hudswell, Zumba Gold-Toning classes in Hudswell, Zumba for weight loss in Hudswell, Strong by Zumba classes in Hudswell, Zumba in the Circuit classes in Hudswell, Zumba tuition in Hudswell, Zumba fitness classes for rookies in Hudswell, Zumba for the over 50's in Hudswell, Zumba training in Hudswell, Zumba workouts in Hudswell, Zumba for arms in Hudswell, Zumba for exercise in Hudswell, Zumba instruction in Hudswell, Zumba Gold classes in Hudswell, Zumba classes for dogs in Hudswell, Zumba Sentao classes in Hudswell, Zumba moves in Hudswell, Zumba for the disabled in Hudswell and any others you have heard about.
If you're still feeling that Zumba is not the exercise for you, there's a lot of other dance and fitness related classes you can try out including: ballet classes in Hudswell, fitness classes in Hudswell, karate classes in Hudswell, kickboxing classes in Hudswell, salsa classes in Hudswell, Sweaty Betty classes in Hudswell, jive classes in Hudswell, pilates classes in Hudswell, belly dancing classes in Hudswell, dance classes in Hudswell, judo classes in Hudswell and aerobics classes in Hudswell. You might locate quite a few of these classes and numerous other similar activities on Bark.com.
Hudswell Zumba Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Fitness Sessions
- Hudswell Strong by Zumba Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Kids Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Classes for Beginners
- Hudswell Zumba Gold Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Toning Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Step Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Aqua Zumba Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Classes Near Me
- Hudswell Zumba Sentao Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Gold-Toning Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Zumba in the Circuit Fitness Classes
- Hudswell Zumba Fitness Classes
North Yorkshire Zumba: Knaresborough Zumba, Tadcaster Zumba, Scarborough Zumba, York Zumba, Northallerton Zumba, Ripon Zumba, Selby Zumba, Skipton Zumba, Whitby Zumba, Richmond Zumba, Harrogate Zumba, Middlesbrough Zumba and Acomb Zumba.


text: ashes (africanashes) wrote in thelondonthing, 2007-06-27 23:46:00 ashes africanashes thelondonthing 2007-06-27 23:46:00 Previous Share Next Metal/Rock evening at The Underworld Swetbox is headlining THE UNDERWORLD, CAMDEN on Thursday 12th of July and they could do with all the support they can get! So please, if you love live music and would like to see a great line up of local bands then come to this event! They are on at 21:15 until 22:00 and the cost is£5, (£4 pounds with this flyer!) They can be found on Myspace here: SWETBOXAlso performing:Social Head Removal – SOCIAL HEAD REMOVAL Toy Town Cash - TOY TOWN CASHx-posted to a couple of other local communities Subscribe Post a new comment Error We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post Anonymously switch LiveJournal Facebook Twitter OpenId Google MailRu VKontakte Anonymously default userpic When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed. You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use. Post a new comment Preview comment Help 0 comments Post a new comment 0 comments


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52033872824364593602018-03-05T17:11:00.765-06:00Rachel Diane WickerWrites fantasy, reads anything, loves the color purpleRachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-74663437527688508862012-10-07T08:46:00.000-05:002012-10-07T08:46:16.057-05:00Philosophy Under FireIt's easy to say "Que sera, sera," when you're sitting on a beach, contemplating a second or third lime slushie, watching the birds fight over the bread crumbs from your picnic.

It's a bit harder to be philosophical when the earth is shaking and you hear bullets whizzing overhead and you'd like to relocate to a more pleasant location, but just now you're committed to this battle in this place.

If life is like going canoing, then my normal state of mind is a peaceful lake full of interesting water birds and breathtaking clouds and colors painted across the sky.

This week I left the lake and went through some rapids. Very bumpy, exciting rapids, for someone who lives most of her life on the flat lake. And while the canoe never actually overturned, I was hanging on tight.

I don't want to go into more detail, because this post is about happiness, not about all the reasons why my life isn't perfect.

A few weeks ago I said that you can train yourself to be happier, in the same way an athlete can train their body to be stronger.

This week, all I have to say is this:

No matter where you are in your life, whether you're already riding the rapids or whether you're becalmed on the calm lake, at some point in the future, it's going to get harder. And that's probably sooner rather than later.

(And people say I'm an optimist.)

My point is that if you can't be happy or at least cheerful when everything's going pretty well, you're probably not going to survive when everything stops being so easy.

So load up on life preservers and be ready for the rapids. If you're prepared to be happy under any circumstances, there's very little that can hurt you.Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-49174429365892084992012-09-30T08:54:00.002-05:002012-10-07T08:31:17.404-05:00Happiness is Being at Peace With YourselfI'm amazed every time I see a movie or read a book where a character does something immoral, and then goes down to the bar, drinks a glass of whiskey or what-have-you, and complains that they're not happy.

To clarify: it surprises me that they're surprised.

To apply this to real life, haven't you noticed that the meanest people you know are the unhappiest? That the dishonest people are always twitchy, expecting to be double-crossed at any moment?

My mom always said this is because we naturally expect people to do what we do, and that's definitely part of it.

But everyone is born with a conscience. Some people manage to kill their conscience so entirely that they can do wrong without even a slight twinge, but most of us live in a gray moral zone of constant discomfort from all the small 'white lie' type wrongs we do.

It is impossible to do wrong and feel right. You don't need to murder someone to agitate your conscience. You don't need to commit any black sins or crimes against humanity to be tortured by the still small voice inside of you that whispers "You know better than that."

My wisdom teeth are coming in, and sometimes I get a little piece of food stuck there, way back at the back of my mouth where I can't reach with a toothpick. The pressure is so small that I can hardly tell that it's there, but my mouth is sensitive enough to feel the pain of something not right. I catch myself rubbing my tongue against my back teeth over and over until my tongue is raw and almost bloody, until finally, at last, the small speck of whatever it is - this happens most often when I eat nuts, which is why I avoid crunchy peanut butter - comes loose. Then, even though my tongue is still sore and raw, I feel a moment of relief, and relax muscles I didn't know where tense. Everything is right again.

That is what a guilty conscience is.

Guilt and happiness are opposite states of being. You cannot be happy when you're guilty. You may be guilty, and have a moment of pleasure, but that is not happiness.

Now if it were easy to always do the right thing, or if no one was ever tempted to do the easy wrong thing instead of the hard right thing, I would feel no compulsion to write this series of essays on happiness. Maybe I would write about sentient earthworms instead. (I have.)

When I have a hard day, I tell myself that it has been a 'trying' day - I've been on trial, tested to see what I will do when it's not easy to be happy. Anyone can smile when the sun shines, but can I be happy when it pours? (Incidentally it rained three days this week, and my umbrella made me very very happy.)

This week was a trying week, and what was on trial was my honesty. Three separate incidents occurred that tested my honesty under the pressure of 'if you do nothing, no one will know.'

Incident one occurred at work, when I realized as I was about to mail a check to a vendor that I had entered it incorrectly in QuickBooks, and the check was for the wrong amount. The difference was so small that it's doubtful the vendor would have tried to get us to pay the difference. I could have sent the check as is, and 'no one would know.'

If I hadn't caught the mistake, it would have been only an accident, and not dishonest, but as soon as I heard the words 'no one will know' whispered in my ear, I got up, printed a new check for the correct amount, voided the old check, and asked my manager to sign the corrected check because I had made a mistake. A small embarrassment and inconvenience to save my honesty.

The second incident was scarier, bigger, with more teeth. I realized that because some additional service had been requested, an invoice to a customer was more than double the original quote. I guessed they wouldn't be too happy about that. But I already had the credit card on file; I could have avoided an uncomfortable conversation by charging the card, sending the receipt, and then dealing with it when and if they called. But I wasn't comfortable with that; it was like a piece of nut wedged in my teeth.

I called the man who had requested the testing, and then emailed the card holder, explaining the change in the invoice total and offering him the opportunity to change his payment method if he preferred to use a different card.

I hadn't heard anything back from him four days later, and I felt that honor was satisfied, so I charged the card and emailed the receipt to the cardholder, again with a note telling him to call if he had any questions.

I got an email back saying he had already called and discussed the charge with someone else, and he was fine with it.

(How often do we stress about these things only to find after the fact that there was no need to?)

The last incident, which really put the cap on the whole week and convinced me that there was a deliberate theme to this series of trials, was when I scraped someone's bumper while parking. There was someone blocking the main aisle, so I didn't have as much room to turn as I normally did. I thought, oh, there's not enough room, I better park farther back. Then I thought, nonsense, I can make it, and I'm tired and worn out and I don't want to walk from the back of the parking lot.

I should have listened to myself the first time.

I got out and inspected the damage, which was small. Barely two inches of scraped paint. Considering the age of the car, and the number of dents on the fender, it was barely noticeable at all.

My neighbor (who was still blocking the aisle in her car) saw what I was looking at, and called "Oh, just leave it. He'll never notice."

I left a note with my name and number explaining what had happened. I haven't gotten a call. Considering this happened several days ago, I really doubt that call will come.

It doesn't matter whether he calls me or not. What matters is that I chose to be honest, even when there was no benefit to do so, and no penalty for ignoring the issue.

When I think of that, I feel a soft peace inside me. I say soft, but I don't mean yielding. It was a trying week, but I proved my honesty to myself. Next week, if my honesty is tried, I will have even less hesitation in doing what I think is right. If my honesty is tried this way every week for the rest of my life, soon enough I will have a sense of honesty hard and sharp enough to cut through any lie. And just like buying an umbrella before it rains, it makes me happy to strengthen my honesty before I'm actually an important person, faced with actual moral dilemmas that seriously affect other people. (Nothing I just recounted constitutes a moral dilemma. I knew what the right thing to do was. It just wasn't much fun to do it.)

Do what is right, and happiness will follow. Continue to do what is right, every week, and in time you will find that it is not as hard as it was when you began.Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-6073919150936005232012-09-23T15:29:00.001-05:002012-09-23T15:29:09.495-05:00Happiness Is a Muscle in the HeartThis is the first of a series of essays about happiness that I've been talking about for forever (okay, six months) and finally decided to write so that I can talk about something new.

Yesterday I called my aunt with big news.

"Guess what!"

"What?"

"I just bought my first umbrella!"

"...Congratulations?"

We both laughed, but it was another one of those times when people laugh when I'm at my most serious.

Purchasing my first umbrella was a solemn occasion. I tried out almost every umbrella Walmart had available. I opened and closed them to determine their size. I considered somberly the difference between a small umbrella that folds up to be shorter than the length of my shoe and an old fashioned cane-shaped umbrella that can double as a weapon in times of emergency. I contemplated colors: polka dots on white, polka dots on black, stripes, tropical leaves, leopard print, pink, turquoise, and even clear plastic so you can look up through the umbrella and see what the rain looks like.

I selected a compact black umbrella (size XL, for Jumbo Family) that will blend nicely into the dark of night when I finally begin my ninja career. It will also cover me and my backpack with lots of room to spare.

Now I have an umbrella, which delights me. At first I thought this was because I'm easily delighted - which is certainly true. But it's not the whole truth.

I'm easily delighted because the happiness muscle in my heart is strong.

Just like anyone can sprint downhill, anyone can be happy when everything is going well. But it takes a lot more stamina and endurance to sprint uphill. It takes training to be genuinely happy over a new umbrella.

But the happier you are, and the more often that you're happy, the stronger that happiness muscle gets. It's like lifting weights.

For example: It's late September now, and in Texas it's still fluctuating between upper nineties and high sixties, but in another month or two winter will be upon us. Wind. Storms. Rain. Cold. But as long as it doesn't actually rain sideways (which is not something I would put past the weather around here), I will be nice and dry. Hooray for umbrellas!

Now I could wait to be happy about being cold and dry instead of cold and wet until the bad weather starts. But why wait to be happy later when you can get a head start today?

If you can find happiness in a new umbrella, you can find happiness in almost anything. Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-8597036528198626662012-08-26T16:08:00.001-05:002012-08-26T16:08:32.873-05:00My Preparations for the Impending ApocalypseOver the last few months I have become interested in the idea of building up some food storage. Despite the low probability of a zombie attack, having a stockpile of life-sustaining supplies is useful in a number of unusual and dangerous circumstances. Tornadoes. Floods. Siege. Sudden onset of crippling agoraphobia. Rioting mobs. World-wide peanut butter shortages.

This last possibility, in particular, has been very motivating. I love peanut butter.

However, my pantry closet has a total of three shelves. Each shelf is about ten inches wide. Even an unfailing optimist (which I clearly am not) would have difficulty believing that's enough storage space for a month's supply, let alone the three months I hope to eventually build up. (If I'm caught up in a crisis so severe that it lasts longer than three months, I will undoubtedly have other problems before I run out of food.)

So the first step of my journey was to procure more adequate shelving. Ideally this shelving would be lightweight and mobile so I could take it with me when I move. Also ideally it would hold canned goods (and peanut butter) with a minimum of wasted space. And my last ideal would be that these magical shelves would be cheap.

I looked online. You can get a set of metal wire shelves of the general dimensions I desired for... $130.00. Plus shipping. So somewhere in the range of $150 when all is said and done. And since all of the shelves I saw were designed for garages and industrial kitchens, one set of shelves usually had four to five shelves total, instead of the nine or ten I thought would be perfect for canned goods.

So instead I embarked on a journey to build my own shelves for less money and more shelves in my shelves.

Never embark on a journey. It's very bad for your health. Not to mention your nerves.

I drew up my shelf plans and estimated that my total cost would be about $60-$70 dollars. (And I looked at Home Depot's website to make that estimate, so I wasn't just pulling that number out of the air, either.)

At Home Depot, all went well until I couldn't find the lumber I had found on the website. I settled for a beautiful whitewood pine that smelled nice, was the same dimension, and cost $2 more. I didn't think it would make that big a difference. A very friendly Home Depot person cut it into 22'' lengths for me.

Cost on leaving Home Depot? $92.61.

Well, okay, that was still cheaper than any of the shelves that wouldn't really work for what I wanted that I'd seen online. And I was going to end up with perfect, custom made shelves, right? That's worth ninety bucks. Onward!

I arrived at the construction site (my aunt's house) where I was planning to build these magical shelves, both for the empty driveway and the availability of a borrowed power screwdriver. My aunt and uncle left for the evening, leaving me confident in my shelf-making abilities (I was confident- they weren't so much), and certain that they wouldn't be back for many hours, leaving me plenty of time to clean everything up when I was done. There was also the bonus of knowing that no one would try to park on top of me while I worked on my magical shelves. I waved them off to enjoy their evening, serene in the knowledge that all was well. I would spend thirty to forty minutes putting together my magical shelves and then I would kick back for the rest of the evening in the glow of a job well done.

Then I discovered that in the expensive scramble at Home Depot, I had lost my beautiful professional-looking graph paper shelf-plans. Suddenly all was not well at all. I had a pile of lumber cut to size (so I couldn't return it), and only a vague recollection of my cunning plans of how it was all supposed to go together. I was Free Babysitter In Chief, so I couldn't drop everything to run back to Home Depot looking for a piece of paper that had probably blown away.

Well, I wasn't going to quit after spending $92.61 on a bunch of boards. I just had to make new plans, that's all.

I made new plans. They were not beautiful or professional-looking.

I continued anyway.

I went ahead and screwed the sides, tops, and bottoms of both shelves together, which is when the next of my series of unfortunate events occurred. The power screwdriver was a plug-in model, much heavier and more cumbersome than the power screwdriver I used in my golden childhood when I could raid my father's toolbox whenever he wasn't looking. It was also older and more tired than it looked. It started to overheat. After forcing it to finish putting together the frames for my shelves, I unplugged it and banished it back to the garage before it could spontaneously combust in my hands.

This left me with the good old nail-and-hammer plan.

I soon discovered that when the helpful Home Depot person cut my boards into 22'' lengths, he had cut them approximately. They were all aproximately 22'', but some of them were closer to 21 1/2'' and some were more like 22 1/2''. This meant that I had to kneel on the wood to make it bend inwards, or use the hammer to knock a shelf into place between the sides before I could nail it in place. And since he had efficiently cut three boards at a time, that meant every time I found one shelf that was off I knew there were two more just like it.

This was bad for morale. So was the fact that I was working under a tree that kept spitting acorns at me. And the fact that in spite of a nice limpid puddle on the other side of the street, all the neighborhood mosquitoes chose to swarm me instead. There were usually three on me at a time; I didn't swat at them often, because it's a bad idea to wave your arms wildly when you're holding pointy nails and a heavy hammer.

After banging together the first shelf (which took far longer than it should have - it was now dusk, and thirty minutes were long gone), I made a shocking discovery.

The driveway was slanted.

Which meant that my shelves, which I had built on a diagonal on that slanted driveway, were also slanted.

I would like to claim that the shelves were crooked because of the driveway, but I must admit that it was probably because I only bothered to make measurements and markings on one side of the shelves. I eyeballed the other side. I was still cherishing illusions of a quick and easy project, and was skipping steps you really shouldn't skip.

I observed the slanted shelves, and the fact that despite the fact that the sun is supposed to set at 8:30 pm, not 7:45, I was running out of daylight. I continued.

I got out my 1x2s and put them on the back of the shelf, preparing to hammer them down for reinforcement. I noticed dismally that the straight-up-and-down 1x2s made the crookedness look even worse. Oh well. I nailed the first 1x2 at the top, and walked to the other end of my six foot shelf to nail it down there before doing the second one.

And made another discovery. My shelves were only approximately six feet long. And since I had asked that the 1x2s be trimmed down to 6 feet, they were about 3/4'' too long.

I'm very proud of the fact that I took this moment to not cry.

After an (internal) scream of ultimate suffering, I determined that I could swivel the 1x2 to make a diagonal across the back of the shelf. This downplayed (very very slightly) the crooked shelves, and meant that I could finish the blasted thing. I then leaned the finished shelf against the wall, displaying it for the amusement of anyone who might pass by.

The second shelf went better. Mostly because I did make measurements on both sides of the shelf this time. However, it was past dark at this point, so I had to turn on the porchlight and work in the narrow sidewalk in front of the front door. I knocked over my box of nails. (You know it had to happen at least once.) And I was so tired that more than once I drove a nail all the way through only to find that I had entirely missed the shelve.

Finally, about three hours after I had begun my half hour project, I was on my last nail. I positioned it carefully, and took a moment to look at it silently. We eyeballed each other, the nail and I, like the last survivors of two enemy armies. Wounded, weary, but ready to kill each other before we fell down dead. If I hadn't felt so irritated, it would have been a very moving, almost zen-like moment.

I determined that in this horrendous project that had gone wrong in so many ways, this nail - the last nail - was going to be perfect. I balanced myself, raised the hammer, and brought it down in a perfect blow.

The nail bent.

I took a moment to not swear.

Then I straightened the nail and hammered it in until it cried for its momma.

Then I responsibly picked everything up and put it away, and put the shelves on their sides so they wouldn't fall on the head of any innocent passerby, and collapsed on the couch inside.

My aunt and uncle got back from their date twenty minutes later.

It took me about half an hour past that to recover enough to be able to drive myself home.

I spent a lot of time thinking about life, the universe, and everything while I was working on those shelves, and I came to several conclusions.

If all my preparations for the impending apocalypse are so harrowing, by the time the world really does end it won't faze me a bit.

Mosquitoes give up before I do. I'm not certain that this is a good thing.

Now that the shelves are inside my pantry, no one is going to notice that they're crooked unless I open the door and point it out.

And in spite of the fact that my aunt laughed when I said I'd wrap everything up in half an hour, I still think that my plan was perfectly sound. If my boards had been cut to a consistent length, and if I hadn't lost my plans and didn't have to stop every fifteen minutes to try to remember the measurements I made six hours before, and if the power screwdriver hadn't thrown a tantrum, then I really could have put the shelves together in half an hour (or forty-five minutes, if you allow for water breaks.)

In other words, if nothing had gone wrong, everything would have worked out just right. There's a duh thought for you.

Behold my beautiful shelves:

They may not be worth $92.61 by themselves, but the story adds value. There's nothing like tales of suffering to make the time just fly by when you're barricaded inside, waiting for the rioting mobs to get bored and go home.

Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-6638345000849301612012-08-08T20:31:00.000-05:002012-08-08T20:31:17.150-05:00Duh ThoughtsThere's something about being young that makes very obvious statements seem like blinding insights into the true nature of the universe. I call these insights 'Duh' thoughts.

For example: On Friday I pulled a rib in my back (somehow, don't ask me how, it makes no sense). I was initially proud of how I handled it. No panicking or running to the emergency room or even whimpering very loudly.

But as I slogged through the day, counting time at my job (my wonderful perfect job) by slow, agonizing 15 minute increments until I could go out and buy a bunch of instant cold packs, some m&ms, and most of all stop pretending to be professional, I had a deep, amazing insight:

Being in constant pain is exhausting.

I never really knew that, but as soon as the thought registered, I realized that not only was it the deepest, truest thought I'd had all week, it was also blindingly obvious.

I mean, it's not like being in pain is going to make you want to sing and dance with the elves. Hello.

Yesterday I had another obvious insight.

After my appointment with the chiropractor, as I laid on the massage table (an amazing invention that I will insist on being installed in the spaceship before I agree to be sent as a representative of the human race to distant galaxies) and began to relax, I felt the pain lift and as it lifted, I realized that I could think.

And that I couldn't think very well before then.

Therefore: pain makes you stupid. QED. (This is something that I sort of knew before from a scientific study showing that pain causes blood to flow more slowly to the brain in women and more quickly in men. The conclusion of the study is that women have higher endurance because they literally 'feel' less of the pain the more of it there is (admittedly sacrificing higher functions for this endurance) while men get faster and smarter when they're in pain (up to the point they collapse). This is just a paraphrase of something I read several years ago, so don't take my word for it if you're really interested - look it up for yourself.)

The moral is that when you're young, (or maybe this will be a lifelong condition- since I haven't lived long enough to be anything but young I don't know yet), it's very hard to have an insight that isn't already old news to everyone else. But even duh thoughts feel nice and new the first time you figure them out on your own.Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-79985506714768750712012-04-07T16:00:00.002-05:002012-04-07T16:09:38.385-05:00Not that anyone has ever askedYou never know: they might.

Why don't I drink alcohol?

1: I don't want to.

2: Deliberately ingesting an addictive, mood-altering substance for non-medicinal purposes is stupid.

3: I was raised Mormon.

4: No one in my family drinks.

5: Except for my great-great-grandfather. (Now dead.) (Unless he's a zombie, but no one ever mentions that kind of detail at family reunions.)

6: He beat his wife.

7: His son became a prohibition agent and broke up the illegal stills his father and brothers had hidden in the woods.

8: My great-great-grandfather and his other sons were so angry they tried to kill him.

9: He had to flee for his life and change his name. His own wife refused to come with him. He left everything behind.

10: That man was my great-grandfather.

11: Why would I ever drink?

12: Why would you?

13: Why don't I have something better to talk about on a Saturday afternoon?

14: I'm going to go write something now.Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-36568967588537288742012-04-02T20:16:00.002-05:002012-04-02T20:41:14.360-05:00The Not-Really-Less-Traveled-RoadWarning: Very long post. Take breaks as needed.

Since this blog represents my half-hearted attempt to begin building a platform, it seems appropriate to make two announcements.

First: I finished my rough draft! Hooray! (Yes. I bought ice cream for the occasion. Coconut Chocolate Cheescake Chunk, or something along those lines.) I hope to publish this book before my twentieth birthday later this year, so that when I'm rich and famous and people write autobiographies about me, I'll have a claim to the teenage prodigy label - even if the book doesn't actually sell any copies while I'm a teenager. You have to plan these things, you know.

First, part two: I will publishing this book under a pen name, yet to be definitely, no-going-back, I-will-never-change-my-mind determined.

Second: The reason I will publish my first work of fiction under a pen name is because I have finally stepped onto a rather well traveled road. (More accurately, I have decided to step onto the road at some point in the near future. It's the decision that counts.)

My real name is now reserved for works of nonfiction, specifically LDS-Christian nonfiction. This is because even though a nonfiction writer could technically write under a pen name, it would be embarrassing to be invited to speak and then stand up and be introduced by a false name. Pen names aren't really false names, but still, I can see where it might be awkward. (You have to plan these things.) Being introduced under a pen name as a fiction writer would be different. Everyone understands that fiction writers make things up for a living, up to and including our names.

Why have I, the zombie/alien/magic/dragon/psychic/sci-fi/mystery/thriller writer, decided to branch out into inspirational nonfiction?

Because I have to do something.

When I read about teenage girls selling their bodies because their boyfriend manipulates them 'because we need the money'.... When I read about children neglected and abused and forgotten.... When I read about people living in hate, shackled and weighed down and trapped by it, and forced by their hate to live small, victimized lives.... When I see homeless people slogging down the street, and no one meets their eyes.... When I see so much misery, how can I keep doing nothing?

Yet there's nothing I can do. I'm nineteen. I am greatly blessed, but I am far from rich. Working full time and trying to start a career does not give me the kind of time to throw myself into the whole-hearted service that might make a difference, might change lives, might ease the aching in my heart. I have no fairy godmother who can wave a wand at my command and make it all better. I'm not from a family of politically powerful people who can start movements, pass laws, or lead national protests. I'm basically, by every measure you can think of, no one at all.

In fifty years, or maybe even twenty, if I'm spectacularly fortunate, I'll have the experience, time, money, and influence to change the world.

But who can wait that long?

More importantly, if I just ignore it all for now, and focus on achieving my own dreams, can I really believe that in fifty years I'll be the kind of person I would be right now if I had the means?

I have to do something.

I'm good at writing. It doesn't take money to write. Inspirational nonfiction is another word for strong opinions, and I have lots of those.

I want people to be happy. I see the sadness, desperation, anger, hate, misery, and so much of it is self-inflicted, and I just want to grab people by the shoulders and say "Don't you know that you can be happy?! There's a better life! You deserve more than this. You're a child of God. There's so much more for you."

Maybe my nonfiction won't make a difference. Maybe in fifty years I'll be known only by my pen name, and people will say "Who?" when you talk about Rachel Wicker, Inspirational Writer.

But I'll be doing something. If it makes a difference to even one person, it will be worth it. The worth of a soul is great.Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-52105867219688405682012-03-20T21:21:00.002-05:002012-03-20T21:31:55.327-05:00When the Writing Fights BackI've been working on this rough draft since the beginning of the year.

It's mainly a fantasy/political intrigue/action novel, but with a strong theme of loyalty to friends running through it.

But here's the thing about these friends: one of them's a guy. The other one's a girl. This entire time I've been writing these characters thinking that there's nothing romantic in this relationship. Totally platonic. Almost sibling-like. Lots of funny dialogue as they tease and insult each other.

Now, with the end in sight (approximately 10,00 words left), what do these characters suddenly pop out with?

"I love you!"
"I love you, too!"

ARGH!

(This isn't a romance novel! Do you hear me, main characters? Not a romance novel!)Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-86556070398842235742012-02-17T20:32:00.003-06:002012-02-17T20:45:19.249-06:00What I love about my new job:Opening the mail. (The letter opener is like a stiletto. Awesome!)

I sign for packages. (I'm practicing my autograph for when I'm an Important Person.)

Quickbooks. (Seriously. I'm being paid to learn to run accounting software for a small business. This is perfect training for a professional writer!)

Everyone else is smarter than I am. (This is going to sound really stuck up, but stay with me. I once took a quick online IQ test (and I suspect it wasn't a very high quality one, since it was free). According to that test, approximately one out of every three people I meet is as smart or smarter than I am. Most of the time I just don't see that ratio. Being surrounded by people smarter than I am is like... if I were a foreigner, it would be like walking into a room full of my own countrymen speaking my language fluently. No more translating from one language to another language every time I want to say something! No more language barriers, gaps, or mistranslations!)

There's weather! It actually rains here! And there's fog!

I ask lots of questions and no one minds. (I love asking questions. This sometimes annoys some people, usually by the fourth time they have to say 'I don't know'.)

Hazardous chemicals. (Really. We have fire extinguishers everywhere. But those little bright orange stickers on the packing slips just light up my day. I might never be a ninja or CIA secret agent, but I receive Hazardous Chemicals!)Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-77368929873353287432012-02-05T09:20:00.002-06:002012-02-05T09:33:32.676-06:00Sisterhood of Big ShoesI'm not sure if this is a people thing or more of a woman thing, but I've noticed that when two complete strangers realize that they have something in common, they act like friends. They can chat like long lost family for as long as twenty minutes without ever exchanging names.

If the thing in common is a trial or hardship, such as cancer or addiction or a broken leg, the effect can be startling.

As for me, I belong to the Sisterhood of Big Shoes.

It's not a hardship to have big feet. I appreciate the fact that my feet are big enough to keep all six feet two inches of me from falling on my face. Having a stable foundation is nice.

But have you ever tried buying a cute pair of shoes... in size 13?

I always notice tall women. I feel immediately friendly towards them. They understand! They know my pain!

I can't count how many times these tall sisters have responded enthusiastically when they see how tall I am too. We exchange shoe store ideas, commiserate on the hardship of having feet proportionate to our size, and encourage each other to not give up on the quest to be tall and cutely dressed.

Then we go our separate ways, happier in this dark world where almost no store carries sizes above 10, knowing that we belong to a Sisterhood. Someone else also stands and drools over the size 11 shoes, wishing they were that petite. Someone else is fighting the fight on fashion.

I may go to five stores before finding my size, and only have four pairs to choose from, and three of them are hideous, but I am not alone!Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-79063604617763739942012-02-04T17:21:00.000-06:002012-02-04T17:21:43.648-06:00Airplanes Sound Like Dreams Taking OffEveryone I've said this to has said "Huh?"

Apparently it only makes sense in my head.

I have my new perfect job. It's a lot like my old job, which was perfect, except that it's full-time, pays more, is more complex and therefore more interesting, AND this company will not close its doors any time soon; the economy doesn't affect it the way it affects small bakeries.

AND I can move away from home and be independent now!

(Full disclosure: I have gone from living with my parents to living with my aunt. After irresponsibly spending all my savings on college (I hate you, ACC!) it's going to take some time before I can really afford an apartment and all the deposits required to start all of that independent-living stuff. I am completely aware that living with my aunt is technically no different from living with my parents.)

But I'm so much closer to The Dream.

You know, The Dream of living in my own apartment, writing all day long, and supporting myself with my own work. Of course I can't write all day long and work full time at the same time. However, I take comfort from the long and honorable tradition of beginning writers having day jobs.

Airplanes often fly over my new workplace. Sometimes they're taking off, sometimes they're landing, sometimes they're doing barrel rolls and crossing back and forth several times. It's noisy and annoys almost everyone.

But to me, every time I hear an airplane (I pretend they're all taking off) I remember that every day is taking me closer to The Dream.

I'm not in a holding pattern anymore. The engine is on, the flaps are down, I'm going down (up?) the runway, picking up speed, making a racket....

.... And someday I'm going to fly.Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-2033282416639120112012-01-27T14:24:00.002-06:002012-01-27T14:41:25.765-06:00Cog PeopleI expect to do a review/rant on my experience at the Austin Community College in a few days, in which cog people will feature. I thought it would be a good idea to define my (made up) term first.

A cog person is anyone who is part of a machine. They lack the authority and/or the intelligence to cope with any situation that isn't coded into the machine's operating system. Much like an old computer that locks up if you try to run more than one program at a time.

A classic example is the menu of choices when you call a corporation. 'For Accounts Payable, press 1. For Customer Service, press 2. To express your hatred of our existence, press 3. To speak with our lawyers, who have a multi-million dollar retainer to talk to customers like you, press 4. For confirmation that you will never ever get what you actually want, press 5. To hear this menu again, press 6. Thank you for calling Evil Bureaucracy Inc.'

But if you have a problem that doesn't fit any of the menu choices, you're stuck in an endless loop of being transferred from one department to another until you can get a supervisor or manager on the line.

The problem is that cog people really are people. It's not really their fault that they can't help you. It's the system that works against you, not them personally. Which means that after getting frustrated, irritated, and generally much too warm under the collar, you then feel guilty for being so angry at a harmless human being.

It's the machine that hates you, not the clerk, cashier, or phone-answering-person.

As far as I can tell, ACC hires no one who does not meet their rigorous requirements of cog-hood. No one has the authority to do anything that can't be done by rote. It's a scientific miracle. The whole system should have exploded or just fallen apart years ago, yet it continues to devour students alive, semester after semester.Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-34467164726346611202012-01-18T12:01:00.002-06:002012-01-18T12:18:46.765-06:00The Day I DieToastmasters International is like Boy Scouts of America, but for adults, way cooler, and only about public speaking and leadership. No campfires or s'mores.

One of the regular meeting activities is Table Topics. The Table Topic Master (I love the titles in this club!) asks a question to the room at large, and then selects an audience member to come up and answer the question, speaking one to two minutes. Surprise! Totally impromptu speaking opportunity. Great fun.

One of the recent questions was "If you could plan the day you die, what would you do?" This really caught my imagination. Since I wasn't called on, I'll share my thoughts here.

If I could plan the day I die, the first thing I would do is schedule it for a day eighty years from now. Which would make me 99 the day I die. Sounds good.

I'd get up early and watch the sunrise. I'd call my grandkids. I'd have pancakes for breakfast, and I wouldn't stint on the butter and syrup. I'd finish reading any book I was in the middle of reading. I'd pick out what clothes I want to be buried in. I'd call my executor and let him know where the will is and who I do not want to speak at my funeral. If I had any unfinished writing business - incomplete but almost finished novels - I'd decide whether to finish it for publication or not. Probably not, but presumably by the time I'm 99 I'll have super l33t ninja writer skills, and finishing and publishing a novel in an afternoon will be no sweat.

Then I'd pack a picnic lunch and go out with my husband in a canoe. We'd row out into the middle of the lake and eat our sandwiches (thick ham and sharp cheddar) and watch the birds and the reflections on the lake (maybe my husband will want to do some fishing - who knows). We'd talk about all our adventures, what-happened-when and do-you-remember. We'd watch the sunset change the sky, and because the lake will be so calm, it'll be like our canoe is floating in the sky.

When the sun sets and takes the color with it, I'd kiss my husband, and then I'd die.

It's going to be interesting to see how different my life turns out from what I plan.Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-87706828384377441462012-01-13T11:22:00.003-06:002012-01-13T11:26:26.194-06:00IllusionsI've heard people say - mostly on movies, but sometimes in real life - that control is an illusion.

I swallowed it. I assumed that meant that I had no control. If control is illusionary, than reality must be uncontrolled.

I control when I go to bed. I control when I get up. I control what I eat. I control whether I act on my moods.

I still believe that I don't control every aspect of my life. I don't control whether people like me. I don't control whether someone hires me. I don't control whether I'm successful.

But I control how hard I try.

Therefore, lack of control must be just as illusionary as total control.

This makes me feel so much better about life.Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-40316881529448660162012-01-04T17:17:00.002-06:002012-01-04T17:40:11.219-06:00My Opinionated Opinion on ProfanityWARNING: OPINIONS AHEAD

I was just reading a post by a writer I respect (largely for his professionalism, not because he writes in my genre - as far as I can tell, he doesn't) when I came across this thought:

If you have a problem with profanity, get over yourself or change your career. (Paraphrased.) Implication: you can't write (well, of course, because who would bother trying to write poorly?) without using profanity, either extensively or from time to time, like a strong seasoning.

Um. No.

First of all, I'm strongly Christian, and I've been raised not to use profanity or even the kinda-sorta-dirty-but-not-openly dirty words that refer to other words. I do use substitutes, such as drat and darn, but I don't consider this a good thing and I'm working to change that.

Secondly, I agree with this person: "Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind to express itself forcefully." - Unknown to Google.

Who wants to seem feeble-minded? You do? Alright, start using profanity in every sentence. If you don't have anything to say, spew out a few swear words. Everyone will think you're a crude, foul-mouthed fool who can't shut up, but hey, you'll be known as a forceful person! Hooray for you!

Profanity is not forceful to me. It is shocking, filthy, destructive - but not forceful. When I think of forceful, I think of a hammer. An engine. A river. Something with energy and strength as an inherent characteristic. In other words, a noun.

How many swear words are nouns? How many are USED as nouns? It's all verbs and adjectives. (PS Don't actually share your profane vocabulary with us. We don't need to know. Thank you.)

But apparently this man, who I do respect in other areas, thinks that writing needs some profanity. Most likely to add 'force' and 'strength' to the narrative.

This is completely unnecessary.

Take, for example, a short section from the beginning of the Pixar movie Up. It's a movie for children. No profanity. That means that there's nothing forceful, right?

But I consider the best and the most forceful part of the movie to be a small section that has no spoken narration or dialog. The story is moved entirely by the actions of two characters - newlyweds - and the music. It's similar to a silent Charlie Chaplin film. The audience is clearly shown two excited young people deeply in love, happily building a life together, who decide to have children. They're shown decorating the nursery. And then immediately from that bright, happy scene we slide to a dark hospital with the couple in a lit doctor's office. The music has changed. The woman is bent over, sobbing; her husband has his hand on her shoulder and his head is bowed. The doctor is holding a clipboard and is telling them something.

I've seen this same scene four or five times now, and it still moves me to tears.

No words saying that the baby is dead. No words saying they can't have children. No profanity saying they can eff each other forever, and it will still be hopeless.

Watch that opening scene and tell me it isn't forceful. Watch the whole movie and tell me that it doesn't touch on anything except happiness and light.

Maybe some people will rely on profanity to make their writing 'forceful'. I will not be one of them. I am still a learning writer; I know that I can improve greatly. But I will never use profanity as a prop to fake emotion and force when I can't convey it in other ways. Profanity dulls feeling. It is not forceful; it is poisonous. It will not be used in my writing. If my characters ever want to curse the situations I force them into, they can keep it to themselves.

Is that forceful enough for you?Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-48804872411048562392011-12-16T09:33:00.002-06:002011-12-16T09:58:57.238-06:00The Commandments of RachelEveryone has their own code. (Although I sometimes wonder about some people.) This is mostly a joke, but here are my personal commandments from myself to myself.

No. 1 If you don't want to do it, don't do it.

No. 2 If you don't want to do it, consider whether there is a good reason to override No. 1. For example: You're being paid. It's the right thing to do. You'll be glad later you got it done now. Etc. Peer pressure is not a good reason.

No. 3 Don't lie. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

No. 4 You're responsible for yourself. No one else is. Let other people be responsible for themselves.

No. 5 You said you'd do it, so do it! If you aren't going to keep your commitments, don't make them in the first place.

No. 6 Be nice. It costs nothing and pays excellent dividends.

No. 7 Stand up for people who need a friend. Bullying, sniping, and gossiping are Not Cool.

No. 8 You always have time to read.

No. 9 If you don't know, say so. It saves time and embarrassment later on.

No. 10 Be grateful. Blessings accumulate when you count them.

No. 11 Don't panic. Seriously. It's unhelpful. And annoying.

No. 12 Have fun. It takes just as much effort as being miserable, but the consequences are more enjoyable.

No. 13 Stand your ground. Finish what you start.

No. 14 Move with confidence. Watch people get out of the way. It's fun AND it really moves grocery shopping along when you don't keep stopping for people to decide whether they'll move their cart out of the way.

No. 15 Don't speed. If you crashed into a minivan and killed a soccer mom and her kids, wouldn't you feel absolutely awful? Wouldn't it feel worse if you knew you were going ten miles over the limit and maybe if you hadn't been there would have been time to stop? Besides, you can't afford a ticket.

Well, this turned out more serious than I expected it to be. I would tweak it to be more funny, but actually I feel pretty strongly about all of these.

Particularly No. 11. Hysterics, even when it's an actor acting hysterical on a tv show, drive me up the wall. And if more teenagers followed No. 1, there would be a lot less problems with drug use, teenage pregnancy, cheating, and so on. And there's always time to read! If you have time to eat, you have time to read. And No. 2 is bang on- life sometimes requires doing what you would rather not. Like homework.

What are your commandments from yourself to yourself?Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-7460914582859659752011-12-07T07:10:00.001-06:002011-12-07T07:11:34.926-06:00The end is near!Today, the world ends!

Or, at least my semester does.

One more comprehensive final, and it's all over. Over!

Bwahahaha! Free! Free!Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-14390310413039312592011-12-06T18:30:00.002-06:002011-12-06T18:45:34.771-06:00The List of Worthy Opponents and Magnificent MentorsFull disclosure: none of these people have ever heard of me. I just really, really love their writing.

I have another list - the Black List - but it's a list of one, and doesn't really count. I make it a rule to never finish reading a bad book, in case the terrible craftsmanship is catching, but I've only officially put one writer on that list. And I'm not telling you who it is, because hundreds of thousands of people disagree with me. As is their right.

The List of Worthy Opponents and Etc is my list of writers who are so great that I want to write like them and eventually surpass them. (Admittedly, it boggles me slightly when I imagine surpassing Terry Pratchett - all hail the Discworld Creator!) The List is not the same thing as all writers that I enjoy reading. I enjoy reading Georgette Heyer, but I have no intention of making a career in romance. C. J. Cherryh is another great writer, but at this time I don't plan on branching into hard core sci-fi. David Brin, on the other hand, writes what I think of as 'soft' sci-fi, (no judgment on the story substance at all), which is like fantasy with a different flavor and style.

Behold, on the sidebar, the current List of Worthy Opponents and Magnificent Mentors, abbreviated to The List because the full title won't fit. I'll update it as I remember and/or find more worthy opponents and magnificent mentors. It is in a state of permanent incompleteness.

If you're interested in trying out a new author, or finding out what my taste in awesomeness is, try one of their books. You might not like it, but you certainly won't be disgusted by sloppy POV, poor characterization, blatant emotional manipulation, plot holes, unbelievable character motivations, and if I don't stop now I'll go on all day.

(Disclaimer: Martha Wells wrote the excellent Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy, and Dean Koontz wrote (is writing, please, a new one soon soon soon) the Odd Thomas books. I can't recommend every book, because I haven't read all of them.) (In fact, that applies to everyone on The List except Terry Pratchett, who is at the top for a reason. Everything Terry Pratchett writes is great. (Collaborations don't count.) Everyone after Terry Pratchett is in no particular order.)Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-44636320036354794762011-10-25T07:51:00.002-05:002011-10-25T08:06:39.721-05:00Music FastNot the same thing as fast music, alas.

Last Thursday I was driving to my weekly Institute class, listening to my choir's practice CD. Lots of latin and piano and other cool music stuff I don't know the words for. The kind of music that raises the hairs on your arms when you sing along.

And out of nowhere a thought dropped down into my head.

(This is never a good sign. Normally I can trace my thoughts pretty far back, by a method of word-association and random-remembrance that wouldn't make sense to anyone else. The point is, even when I suddenly think 'I should go pumpkin hunting with my dad's rifle,' I can figure out where that thought came from. When a thought just falls into my head, I consider it as though someone leaned through the hole in the floor of heaven and dropped a brick into my train of thought. And these thoughts are never about how I should eat more ice cream!)

The thought was something along the lines of "I should try only listening to music like this and see what happens."

Oh, I did not like that. I love my music. Evanescence, Within Temptation, Linkin Park, Blue October.... Dido, Eurythmics, Cutting Crew, Foreigner.... Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood.... Imogen Heap, Ian Van Dahl, Sarah Brightman, Three Days Grace... and so on. There probably isn't a music group on the planet that hasn't written at least one song that I like. (They've probably written at least fifty more that I don't, but such is the nature of my eclectic and fickle taste.)

For me, there was no doubting that this thought was inspiration. See the aside about trains of thought. But that didn't mean that I had to like it.

But when I noticed that the heavy city traffic that I suffer through for Institute every week was leaving me completely untouched, unbothered, and unstressed, that sealed the deal, like it or not.

But there's no way I'm swearing off 'Juke Box Hero' and 'White Flag' forever.

So, until New Year's, I'm only listening to classical, instrumentals (such as Vanessa-Mae and David Lanz), and gospel music such as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The withdrawal is intense. But I'm considering this a fast, with all the spiritual blessings that come with that, and, most importantly...

... it's not for forever. (Hallelujah!)Rachelhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-20204226158584271182011-10-17T07:59:00.002-05:002011-10-17T08:26:56.519-05:00Revenge Shall be Mine!I recently filled out the FAFSA for the first time. I'd been putting it off, and putting it off some more, since I had the sneaking suspicion that a family with three cars wasn't going to qualify for aid, no matter how old and paid off said cars are, or how many medical bills not-covered-by-insurance said family gets yearly.

I was right. I'm eligible for a very helpful 'loan'.

Having read The Courage to be Rich by Suze Orman, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, The Millionaire Next Door by I don't remember who, Debt-Free U by Zac I-can't-spell-his-last-name, among many others, I have a pretty good understanding of debt, compound interest, and just how many people actually default on their student loans.

I have big plans. If I get a student loan, I'll have to consider those payments when I graduate, and probably I'll have to work several jobs, and it could still take years to pay the loan off. The insidious thing about debt is that you don't just pay back what you spent. (Haven't bothered to do the math to see how long this would take; I'm not going there.)

I certainly don't want to sacrifice years from my writing career just to bring my net worth UP to zero.

So filling out the FAFSA and having it be absolutely no help wasn't a big surprise.

Going to the Financial Aid office at my community college, where I've been pouring all my money and effort for the last two years (I'm an out of district student- they charge me top dollar, but not quite enough to make it worth ditching them and going to a university), and being told that the only aid they'll give me is what the FAFSA dictates.... made me want to spit.

This is partially due to my own incorrect preconception. Everyone talks about the aid the 'college' gives you. I was under the assumption that the FAFSA was for federal aid and the college had a separate thing to fill out for getting aid from them. You know, aid that takes into account that you've got a 4.0 GPA and you're on the President's Honor Roll because you work your butt off on every assignment. Ha ha ha. Silly me.

In fairness to the financial aid officer, she was very professional. It isn't her fault that she's a tiny cog in the evil machine of higher education. But being told straight out that these grades don't matter one bit, that I'm too rich to be helped through college but too poor to enroll for the spring semester, that yes, there are scholarships, here's one piece of paper with websites to look at, have fun!.... I walked out still in control of myself- they didn't have to call campus security or anything- but I felt like I was shaking.

I don't often get angry. When I do, I try to find something ridiculous to laugh at, because I have a hard time being angry when I'm laughing.

I decided I'm going to destroy the public college system. And I know how to do it, too. Every printer has a sign begging you not to print more than nine pages a day. The computer labs have signs on the doors asking you to cut out the last page of internet printouts (you know, the one with nothing but the web address). Every stand of handouts says Take ONE! So, all I have to do to bring higher education to its knees, begging for mercy, is go around printing nine pages on each printer, and take every handout, and so on. The high cost of paper and ink, plus the negative PR of killing cute trees will destroy their budget! Bwahahahaha!

It didn't really work. I'm still pretty ticked.

Fortunately, this kind of anger can be very motivating. How dare they get in my way? How dare they say I can't go to college? I'll show them! I'll get my four year degree, with no debt, and then they'll all be sorry!

Probably they'll never care. But I can pretend that they do, and then every hour of scrubbing dishes, filing paperwork, editing recipes, shredding, talking to rude/obnoxious/angry/far-less-than-intelligent customers, and so on, will be another hour that I'm not bowing to their tyrannical will. Try to enslave me to debt by saying it's the only way, huh? Don't give me any help to find a better way, huh?

Just you watch. Not only will I one day be a rich and famous (to readers) writer, I'll ALSO have a bachelor's degree in business or accounting, and I won't have paid a penny in interest to anyone.Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203387282436459360.post-37638857620742647872011-10-10T19:41:00.000-05:002011-10-10T19:51:04.897-05:00WelcomeThis is my new blog! Isn't it shiny?

I mentioned in my Moving post that I'm about to be out of a job.

I've been working at a local bakery. Before you get excited, I've mostly been helping in the office. So, no, I can't make you a birthday cake.

Unfortunately, between the rising cost of materials and the declining economy, it's hard for the bakery to stay open. The doors will close by the end of October.

A moment of silence, please, for the best first job ever. It has been a wonderful ride.

I was hired as a naive college freshman who had plenty of volunteer experience but very, very little experience in the working world. I was hired to help ship cakes during the holidays. I was warned that this was most likely a temporary, three-month-tops job. (Leaving them open to let me go after New Year's if we hated each other.) Instead, this temporary holiday job has lasted a full year. Weirdly, I'm now one of the most senior employees. (I try not to think about that. Makes me feel old.)

I love the bakery. I love my manager. I love the owners.

I love that the business is small enough for me to get to know and love the bakery, the manager, and the owners.

As I try to resign myself to being young, brilliant, and unemployed, I just have to remind myself:

There are other perfect jobs out there. I just have to find one.Rachelhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com