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Product Description
FORA is an outdoors lamp with IP-55. The cast iron base is distinguished by a radial base whosetubular desing improves durability and allows light to reachthe grass. Light source is protected by an elliptical medium intensityand U.V. protection polythene globe, which guarantees awater tight electrical fixture. The shade is made of synthetic marrow, making it highlyresistant to weathering while casting a pleasant, diffuselight. The result is a luminaire that adapts well to all types ofindoor and outdoor environments. Its versatility is remarkableand difficult to find in products of this category. This family consists of a table lamp, floor lamp, ceiling,pendant retail and pendant big format.
Base: Natural white cast iron base, natural white concrete base, brown graphite cast iron base or brown graphite concrete base
Shade: Light beige or brown
Shade: 50cm DIA,Base: 39cm DIA,Height: 165cm
More Information:
Click through tosupplier website for:
3D CAD models: Unavailable
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High res images: Available


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Wearing: Vintage sweater, Nordstrom Skirt (similar), Vintage Chanel purse, Michael Stars sunglasses (similar)
So just the other day I got my hair done by one of my BFF's Zoe and she owns this amazing salon called dept. z . I absolutly love my cut/color and while there I decided to get a lil crazy with the Kevin Murphy Color Bug and add some pink to the platinum. Its temporary and fun while giving me the feel of pink hair without the commitment.
Some links to my fav black skirts available now !

subset: commoncrawl


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Chloe and Nadine are doing it for themselves in this story expansion
Seeing an Uncharted game without Nathan Drake at the helm is like witnessing a Call Of Duty game without guns. It shouldn't feel right. After all, his rakish style is a big part of what makes the whole series work. Turns out it might not be essential to it, though, as after the reveal of this long-gestating expansion, any doubts we have over his absence disappear faster than Rafe Adler's inheritance funds.


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After starting the business in 1987, Carol has built her business up immensely. From working out of her home for about 10 years and then buying the current building, she rebuilt the business and moved it to that location.
Carol strives in utilizing her skills as an Electrologist/Laser technician and to eliminate unwanted hair in a professional, sanitary environment. She also has a degree in Psychology which helps for listening to clients. As an electrologist, Carol has the knowledge of the skin and dermatological problems that may occur.
Honesty and caring about the total person is the backbone to Laser and Electrolysis. Carol works to boost self-esteem for those who need it and making people feel beautiful inside and out. Everyone that walks through her door is treated with respect and honesty. She is honest and straightforward as to what method of treatment is best and tries to keep cost affordable.
Say goodbye to the pain and hassle of shaving. Laser and Electrolysis strives to assist clients in achieving their goal of enhancing their personal appearance and self-esteem.
Laser hair removal and electrolysis is available for men and women on many areas of the body. Electrolysis uses state of the art technology to permanently remove unwanted hair by delivering a small amount of electricity to the base of the hair follicle destroying the bulb, with several treatments. This process is ideal for small treatment areas, such as a few hairs on chin, neck, lip and eyebrows. For larger treatments areas such as underarms, forearms, bikini line, legs, backs, chest, etc. laser is quicker and requires less visits than electrolysis.
After only a few treatments with us, you will notice less hair and smoother skin.
We offer a free consultation to see if you are a good candidate for laser! Contact us today to get started.


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Pinball FX Review
Since I was a young man, I played the silver ball, so I have a decided interest in checking out videogame versions of pinball. Now I know that no videogame can really capture the visceral experience of playing a pinball machine, but it can still be fun to aim the virtual pinball at ramps and targets and strive to unleash the excitement of multiball. As long as the ball physics is pretty realistic and the table design is interesting and fun to play, I'm happy to have some fun with a video simulation when a real table is not nearby. This brings us to Pinball FX, a pinball game available for Xbox Live Arcade. Does it meet a pinball enthusiast's criteria for fun?
First let's look at the physics. For the most part the game does a capable job of mimicking the movements of a metal ball rolling around a table, but there are a couple of ways it's off. The ball's acceleration does not feel quite right when it's coming down the table. It's not completely off; it just does not intuitively feel quite right. It's as if the simulated angle of the table is too low and the ball does not accelerate quite as fast as it should as a result. On the other hand, the ball accelerates too quickly off of the flippers. It's possible to catch the ball on a flipper to set up a shot, but it's pretty much impossible to pass the ball between the flippers. Lastly the tilt feature is simply unusable. Subtle tilting of the machine is a big part of playing pinball. I love giving the machine a sharp tap to the side to save a ball from going down the wrong outlane. In Pinball FX there's only one way to nudge the table and it does so with enough force to virtually guarantee that you'll get the hated tilt violation.
As for the tables, they are consistently inconsistent. The game comes with three of them, one of which is terrible, the next of which is decent, and the last is enjoyable. The terrible board is Extreme, which has an amalgamated urban theme of skateboarding and hip-hop culture. The two-tiered has hardly anything going on on the lower tier and when you reach the upper one you'll find it to be pretty bland. For me it was one and done with this table. The next table has a street-racing theme and is interesting with its numerous ramps, but it's a bit too much by-the-numbers to really capture your interest. The last board is Agents which has an espionage theme. This is by far the best table, with plenty of targets, a nice layout, and a number of "missions" to accomplish. The game also has a bonus table in the form of a downloadable table that's available free of charge. This table has a pirate theme to it and thankfully is more on par with the Agents table than the Extreme one.
The game does a good job of rendering the tables - they're all bright and colorful and look pretty good. I like that the dot matrix graphics you see on the backboard of pinball machines has been included here, albeit as an overlay on the upper left corner of the screen. The game has several camera view options and you'll probably find one that works for you even though none of them are ideal. It's just hard to capture a vertical table on a horizontal screen.
If you enjoy pinball, then Pinball FX is definitely worth a look. Downloading the demo and giving it a try is pretty much a no-brainer. However if you're not already a fan of pinball, then there's not enough to Pinball FX to win you over.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 74%. Pinball FX does a good enough job of recreating the game of pinball to warrant a look by fans of the silver ball who wouldn't mind occasionally saving themselves from a trip to their local bowling alley.


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Many of Kenya's poor would rather go hungry and walk to work than be short of airtime, according to a study commissioned by the World Bank. The preference reflects the changes in spending priorities brought about by the use of mobile phones. The study found that seven out of 10 poor people — referred to as the base of the pyramid in the report — cut down on food expenses to spare money for airtime. source
The poor invest in airtime to grow income, says study
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"Professional Learning for Teachers by Teachers"
TMWA is for Western Australian educators keen to connect, collaborate and inspire each other through teacher driven professional learning.
TeachMeets are free, informal and highly engaging professional learning sessions that are short and sharp.
New graduates are encouraged to attend, learn and participate.
All participants are encouraged to participate and share an idea, a tool or a website that they have used with their students. Alternatively they can discuss a strategy or product that they believe enhances their classroom practice.
TMWA sessions are open to ALL teachers from all sectors and are FREE. This is a chance for teachers to connect as professionals from all sectors of education in WA to network, share ideas and, learn from each other.
TMWA aims to provide teachers with opportunities to share good practice, practical ideas and personal insights into teaching 21c learners. The idea is to hear stories about learning from our colleagues.
TMWA intends to develop a community of connected educators who continue to engage in professional conversations and provide suppoort well after the event especially via the vehicle of social media.
"TeachMeets are building teachers capacity"
Thinking of hosting a TeachMeet in your local area?
Here is a HostPack to get you started.
Here is a HostPack to get you started.


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Here is a video of my little sweetie! She is so much more animated lately and I absolutely love capturing moments like these! I took this video a couple weeks ago and forgot to share it with all of you! I plan on sharing more fun videos in the future. Hopefully that is ok with all of you! :)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
I just had to share!
3 comments:
- Ida said...
Awww...She's just so cute. Thanks for sharing. I love watching babies as they change and grow.
- March 25, 2011 at 9:21 AM
- Lindsay said...
I have an award I'd like to share with you if you wanted to pop on over to my blog
- March 27, 2011 at 4:59 PM
- The Pennington Point said...
Precious! I love all of those coos and kicks.
I can't believe we have the same couch! That's so funny. I've been mulling over recovering mine as a summer project this year. Or I should say slip cover...not recover. I don't have the love seat. But I just recently took the cushions off and washed them and it was a huge pain. At least they're clean now, but that slip cover can't happen soon enough for me!
- March 27, 2011 at 10:58 PM
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When Citi Field first opened, one of the biggest complaints about the building was that it celebrated the history of New York's departed National League teams more than it celebrated the Mets.
The team took steps to remedy that problem in the last two years, but all of those moves seemed like a waste of time on Wednesday night. If you were watching the game with no idea about whether the Giants or Mets were the home team, you certainly would have guessed that it was the Giants.
There were hats and shirts with the interlocking "SF" everywhere you looked in a stadium that was much fuller than normal as a result of their presence. All of those extra fans meant that Tim Lincecum's each and every move gave rise to the kinds of shrieks and shouts normally reserved for the Justin Biebers of the world.
Those sounds kept getting louder over the course of the 2-0 victory as Lincecum authored the kind of gem that's made him one of the most popular players in all the land and there were probably even a few Mets fans joining in before all was said and done. He was just that good, striking out 12 and making the Mets lineup look even more boyish than the man emasculating them with his fastball.
It was hard not to admire watching that emasculation, even if Mets losses fill your heart with pain. Jason Fry of the essential Mets blog Faith and Fear in Flushing captured that feeling well, writing that, like so many of us who love baseball, he loves Lincecum but that he loves him a lot more when he's tormenting someone else.
Marveling at Lincecum is something you can't avoid, but you also can't avoid the larger backdrop to Wednesday's loss. We're only 30 games into the season, but the Mets are already eight-and-a-half games out of first and seven-and-a-half games out of the Wild Card spot.
At some point it stops being early in the season and at some point the fanbase turns itself off once and for all. We'll stop short of saying the Mets have reached either of those points based on last night, but it sure didn't feel all that far away as Citi Field celebrated the victorious visitors.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter and he is also a contributor to Pro Football Talk.


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What's the red thing on his neck?
Back in the late 90's the German game company Kosmos churned out an impressive range of two player games, which was slightly unusual then, and still is. Dragonheart is a more recent addition to that range, which sounded like a good idea to me. The presentation is, as with the other games I have seen from the range, great, with a gorgeous and striking box, and nicely illustrated cards and board, plus a cute dragon miniature figure. Once I'd got past all that it quickly became apparent that the theme (the forces of light and dark doing battle to decide the fate of a petrified dragon) is entirely superficial: you just lay down cards in a kind of serial game of advanced rock-paper-scissors. The rules explained the mechanics just fine but left me with no real feel as to how to approach game play.
Miss B, of course is not worried about such niceties as strategy and quickly embraced the whole concept of playing a fire dragon to grab the treasure, or three huntress cards to shoot down the fire dragon. The pictures provide enough theme for her to start imagining the stories going on behind the game play.
This is a game that actually feels harder to explain than to play. Dragonheart just plays insanely smoothly. Most of the rules, which could easily have involved a lot of referring back to the rulebook, are elegantly represented by arrows and rectangles on the board, so there is actually very little to remember. After the first few turns, Miss B was even starting to remind me of the rules.
Once we had finished our first game, we instantly had to have another go, and since then the game has found its way onto the regular request list, alongside the likes of Sleeping Queens and Coloretto, which is some achievement. More to the point I think that this is one of a handful of games that, in our little household of three of us, would work well as a quick game between any two of us. We're definitely pleased with this purchase.
The verdict from Miss B (aged 5½): "It was good because I really like dragons. Can we play again?"
The game: Dragonheart (Kosmos), 2 players aged 13+.
The boardgaming web
So where do you go for information on boardgames? Well, generally there is one answer:
Board Game Geek is the most comprehensive database of information on board games (and card games, dice games, etc.) that I have come across. I have never tried looking up a game and failed to find it there. This is a positively awesome resource, with images, rules, reviews and very active forums covering all aspects of board (and similar) gaming. The downside is that it can feel pretty jumbled, largely because of the sheer quantity of stuff there. But apart from that, it is the boardgaming site.
More recently we have gained BoardGaming.com which is much newer and has much less stuff there (and almost certainly always will), but is a true thing of beauty, having been built by people who care about appearance and ease of use. Plenty of the Board Game Geek functionality isn't there, but it is (comparatively) so easy to navigate and find reviews and comments on games. Plus, the big bit of fun is The Game. They have "gamified" the whole site, so you get experience and rewards for just about everything you do there, which can be a surprising amount of fun. The community isn't up to the "other site" yet, but it is building very nicely.
I enjoy visiting both sites and recommend them each for their own virtues.
Incidentally, if you decide to get an account on BoardGaming.com, please do it by clicking on this link and, if you stick around and get to level 1, I get some credit in-game. ;o) [Update: I forgot to add that you need to type in the "beta registration code" when you sign up. This is 849356.]
Repeat offenders
So I've been keeping this blog (on and off) for over a year now and we've played quite a lot of games. We've had only one report for most games, though a few have had extra mentions. The question now is which are the favoured games that we keep going back to?
Well, over the last couple of weeks or so, I would say that the games most requested by Miss B would be:
- Sleeping Queens
- Carcassonne
- Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule
The other games that have had a lot of play but which are usually suggested by me (and readily agreed to by Miss B) are headed up by:
- Castle Panic
- Coloretto
- Loot
Now, all this is just me recording my hunches, but it's probably safe to say those six games are a good selection that get plenty of play and will probably continue to do so for a while. But in the interest of science, I'm planning to be a bit more systematic for a while. My plan is to record what we play and who chooses it through the month of July. I'll report back after doing that and see what that tells us.
A… B… C is for clear up
After spending quite a while trying to come up with some clever way to introduce Miss B to Dominion, I finally decided that I was over-analysing, so decided to just cut the game back a bit and give it a go. If it all went horribly wrong, we could give up and try something else later.
In case you don't know Dominion, it is a game that spawned an entire new style: deck building games. It has a lot in common with some collectable card games in that there are relatively simple rules and cards with effects that can interact in exotic ways. What happens here, though, is that players begin with a small, skeleton deck which allows them to buy other cards from a selection on the table, and these make the decks grow during play, adding more options as you go along. Dominion has a selection of 25 stacks of ten "kingdom cards" in the basic set (several expansions are available) of which ten are selected for each game. If you do the sums that means that there are over three million ways to set up a game, which means that the game offers enormous variety, especially when you start buying those expansion sets.
I thought that one major cause of problems could be having too many options available, so we used just five kingdom cards, selected by me picking cards that I figured wouldn't cause too much confusion and from that set, Miss B chose cards she liked the look of: Cellar, Woodcutter, Smithy, Feast and Mine. Plus in order to shorten the game, we only had five cards in each pile, including victory cards, with the game ending after running out of cards in any two piles or just the Province pile. Aside from that we played the standard rules, though I played gently without trying too hard.
Another likely issue was with shuffling. A feature of Dominion is that there is a lot of deck shuffling, and Miss B only has little hands. Sometimes she went through a simple "deal to a few different piles" shuffling routine, which is pretty effective, if slow. Other times I did the shuffling for her. We even tried using an electric card shuffling machine a few times which, though fun, was not particularly quick when Miss B had to first split the cards into two even halves, and isn't really designed to be shuffling a 20 to 30 card deck. Now Miss B has tried it, though, she wants to use it at every opportunity.
Overall the game went really well and we both had fun. I think that one of the trickiest parts of Dominion is in figuring out when to start buying victory cards, and this is still a problem in our cut back version, so it may be worth coming up with some tweak to help with that. Or maybe I'm over thinking things again and we can just leave things as they are.
The verdict from Miss B (aged 5½): "It was good. I liked the shuffler and getting gold." So, swayed by gadgets and bling!
The game: Dominion (Rio Grande), 2 to 4 players aged 13+.
Don't Panic!
It was fun to see that on this week's Tabletop show, they are playingone of our house favourites, Castle Panic. The show gets a bit more loud and manic on this game than on previous episodes, but that's down to the chemistry between Wil and whatever guests he has. This is definitely one of the great, fun social games for folks who like beating up on monsters.
As it turns out, Miss B and I had a good game of Castle Panic at the weekend. We lost most of our walls and had a dodgy spell towards the end where the board was full of trolls and we had cards that were all the wrong colour, but eventually managed to chalk up another mighty victory for the valiant defenders.
Nobody's a grandparent, so that's OK
Fluxx is an odd game in so many ways. Some people love it, some hate it, some love it but then have a hand that goes on for ever with no sign of ever ending, so go off it. If you don't know it, you start the game with rules that say "draw 1 card, play 1 card" and say nothing about how to win, then all this changes as new rules and goals are introduced, plus other cards have odd effects or give you an item to keep on the table in front of you. The missus and I love it (but not all the time!) and were pleased to find that "Family Fluxx" is available (actually, it's been out for several years, we just hadn't spotted it) with supposedly prettier art and more family friendly cards.
The game went well, with all three of us playing, though sometimes took a while for B to read cards and decide what to do next. After the game finished, Miss B was keen to play again, which is always a good sign, though after that she was ready for something else. I'm pretty sure this one will come out on a fairly regular basis on the future.
The verdict from Miss B (aged nearly 5½): "Good. But I didn't win. Can we play snap now?"
The game: Family Fluxx (Looney Labs), 2 to 6 players, aged 6+.
Kids in the Dice Tower
I was listening to the latest Dice Tower podcast earlier, and there was a short section when they were discussing parents playing games with kids. Tom made a very good point there about how many of us glibly joke about how we're just working on getting ourselves a new gaming partner, but what it is really about is doing something fun that the child enjoys.
My motivations for playing all these games with Miss B are partly that I want to play games more often, sure, but it's also that it's really great to be doing things with her that we both really enjoy. I think board and card games are a great social tool, providing a framework for a shared experience with either some low-stakes competition or room for teamwork (I've got a few more cooperative games on my wish list too — need to save up for Defenders of the Realm!). Plus, from an educational side, the need to read, think, plan, reason, occasionally do maths, and so on, is all great stuff.
On the podcast, Tom warns against bragging about things like, "Hey, my kid was playing Twilight Imperium by the age of 4", and I must admit that I occasionally wonder if I'm straying into that sort of territory with this blog, but hopefully I'm managing to stick to having some fun with my daughter.


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Prices found within past 7 days. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
|Destination Airport IATA Code
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|Flight Price
People fly to Ouagadougou because it's fun to stay in and for its nature reserves, unique architectural style and exotic markets.
Built in the 1930s, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Ouagadougou is one of the largest cathedrals in western Africa. Composed of indigenous mudbrick, it is constructed in the style of a Roman basilica, contrasting with the stark white Grande Mosquee de Ouagadougou.
One of the top attractions in Ouagadougou is the Laongo Sculpture Symposium, where talented sculptors from all over the world are invited to craft granite sculptures in the garden using the boulders in their natural setting. New works are added every two years.
Burkina's respect for the arts is further reflected in the Artisanal Village, where visitors may purchase high-quality souvenirs.
Movie lovers fly to Ouagadougou for the Fespaco film festival, held biennially since 1969. Here, African films compete for the local version of the Oscars.
When you fly to Ouagadougou, you can leave your sweaters at home; mean daily temperatures are in the mid-70s to high 80s.
Ouagadougou International Airport (OUA) is accessible by car via a number of highways from all directions. A conveniently located public bus station serves Burkina Faso and abroad.
Fare, taxes & fees: Fares include all taxes and fees, except baggage fees. Rates shown reflect fares found by other Orbitz users over the past 7 days. Due to rapidly changing airline prices & seat availability, these fares may no longer be available.
Refunds/changes/cancellations: Itinerary changes, if permitted for the fare, will have a $30 service fee charged by Orbitz. Additional airline charges may apply.
Other conditions: Schedules, fares and rules are subject to change without notice. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights/dates or in all markets. Lower fares may be available. Fares will not be honored retroactively or in exchange for any wholly/partially unused ticket. Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable. Fare rules are provided for the selected itinerary before booking.


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Aged care facilities in the Morisset Park area
11 aged care facilities in the Morisset Park area
For people who need help with day-to-day tasks and personal care through to 24-hour nursing care.
DailyCare is your guide to the options for government-subsidised aged care facilities and nursing homes, as well as private care in or near Morisset Park.
Contact facilities directly, and shortlist your preferred facilities for Morisset Park to share with family and people close you you.
Allity Bayside Aged Care
Bonnells Bay, NSW
Located on NSW's Lake Macquarie district, Bayside Aged Care enjoys the coastal lifestyle of the Bonnell's Bay community.
- 149 beds
- $275,000
Wyong Aged Care
Mardi , NSW
Ideally positioned on the banks of the peaceful Wyong River and just moments from the town centre, Japara Wyong is a modern care home, designed to deliver a new benchmark of aged care living to the area.
- 44 beds
Bethshan Gardens
Wyee, NSW
Bethshan Gardens works tirelessly to ensure our residents are happy, comfortable, and supported in a welcoming environment. We have a strong team of professional caregivers who are finely equipped to assist and support older people in need.
- 117 beds
- $275,000
Anglican Care Warnervale Gardens Hostel
Woongarrah, NSW
Our residents relax in a warm and wonderful atmosphere of support and care at Anglican Care Warnervale Gardens Hostel. We have a strong team of professional caregivers who are finely equipped to assist and support older people in need.
- 132 beds
- $275,000
Magnolia Manor Aged Care
Kanwal, NSW
Top quality nursing care from highly qualified staff in a home-like environment is the priority at Magnolia Manor Aged Care.Specialised team members endeavour to provide personalised aid to our residents.
- 160 beds
- $390,000
William Cape Gardens
Kanwal, NSW
- $250,000
Opal Glenmere
Kanwal , NSW
Located in a tranquil bush setting with landscaped gardens and a large koi pond, at Opal Glenmere our focus is always on providing a friendly and inviting atmosphere for all our residents and families. In this spacious and light-filled home where all rooms lead onto a garden area, our outstanding...
- $290,000
Opal Killarney Vale
Killarney Vale , NSW
Overlooking Tuggerah Lakes and directly opposite Killarney Vale shops, at Opal Killarney Vale our focus is always on providing a friendly and inviting atmosphere for all our residents and families.
- $290,000
Bupa Bateau Bay
Bateau Bay, NSW
Discover the charming Bupa Bateau Bay, a modern care home set in a coastal suburb of the Central Coast, NSW. You'll be close to the local community with neighbouring shops, parks, church, schools and transport links nearby.
- 116 beds
- $220,000
Killarney Court
Killarney Vale, NSW
The highly qualified staff at Killarney Court is dedicated to providing top quality nursing care in a residential setting. Individualised care for our residents is diligently administered by our specialist team.
- 42 beds
- $450,000
Opal Berkeley Village
Berkeley Vale , NSW
Located on the beautiful Central Coast of New South Wales opposite Berkeley Vale Private Hospital, at Opal Berkeley Village our focus is always on providing a friendly and inviting atmosphere for all our residents and families.
- $290,000
Did you know that in-home care can be another option for those living in Morisset Park?
Get a little or a lot of help with personal care, domestic help, meals and more. Private and government-assisted services are available to support living independently at home.


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|Rodzaj umowy
|Pełen etat
|4 miesięcy temu
|Ptaszyńska-Biały Anna
|Nr Ref.
Treść oferty
Who is our Client?
- Global security leader in a fast moving industry
- Who actually "makes a difference" by securing and protecting information of the biggest corporations and enterprises worldwide
- Whom employees are passionate security technology fans working in an environment where they thrive
- Where managers drive and support the career progression building very nice and casual work atmosphere!
If you:
- Are passionate about IT technologies and interested in networking, security and server areas
- Has the advanced skills in ENGLISH and GERMAN languages enabling you to work using these languages in daily communication with customers and international offices
- Want to work in a dynamic environment enabling the development of your IT knowledge and skills
…you are the person we are looking for!
Place of work: Warsaw
The Technical Engineer will be responsible for:
- Maintain a high level of technical support: resolving complex problems acting as a 2nd line support (Windows Server, Active Directory, Network, IT Security, Backup, Antivirus)
- Supporting the installation, repair and maintenance of complex Endpoint Protection systems
- Assisting customers in remediating threat outbreaks within their corporate environments by recommending best practices for prevention / containment.
- Diagnosing and addressing technical problems
- Working closely with other IT departments and offices, collaborating in projects
- Experience in resolving IT problems, ideally working with international customers
- Experience with Microsoft Windows operating systems including Windows Server 2003/2008/2012
- Experience in troubleshooting software related and applications issues such as: process monitor, process explorer, Wireshark
- Good knowledge of Active Directory infrastructure including DHCP, DNS, user accounts, group policies and security.
- Understating of Network and Security issues
- Advanced skills in ENGLISH and GERMAN languages
- Being a communicative person with a "team spirit" attitude
- Attractive salary
- Health insurance
- Educational assistance, trainings
- Gym reimbursement
- Possibility of a further development within structures
Other notesTo apply for this offer, please follow the "Apply now" button. The salary rates presented here are monthly gross and are based on Grafton Recruitment's research into salary trends. The final salary offered upon hiring will depend on how closely the candidate meets the requirements set out in the job offer. Job offers by Grafton Recruitment are not commercial offers within the meaning of the Polish Civil Code(Articles 66 and 71 CC). We kindly inform you, that we will process all applications with full discretion and contact selected candidates. We will register your data in our database. We don't send back the documents sent to us. Grafton Recruitment Sp.z o.o. is registered on position 812 in the National Recruitment Agencies Register.
For more related job opportunities visit www.grafton.pl/en/jobs?disciplines=it-komunikacja
IT and Telecommunications | Multilingual and Customer Service | Software | Hardware | Telecommunication | Network | IT | Administrator | Helpdesk | Windows | Network | Pracownik back office


text: Martina McBride's is a great American Country singer and her fan following us huge in all around the world. Her fans always love to get her new wallpapers. We are giving here her latest and best hd wallpapers. If you would like to get then just visit our website and get your favorite wallpapers.


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by Dog School Glasgow // July 2017
Dog School Glasgow had the pleasure of welcoming gorgeous toy poodle puppy Arla to our classes last month! Arla had previously had a negative experience at another training class she went to, but got on so well at our 5-week puppy course. Her owners Emma and Leigh tell us about their experience with us:
"We enrolled Arla, our toy poodle, onto the Dog School Glasgow puppy course in May 2017. We had been attending another puppy class but had some concerns with how Arla was behaving whilst she was there. We did think that this other class was too overwhelming for Arla, as she seemed to spend a lot of the time hiding under the chair and during one class was actually carried around to 'meet' the pups by being held in front of each of them. Back home that evening our sweet little poodle was not her usual boisterous self. So we decided not to take Arla back to these classes and after speaking with the coaches at Dog School and attending the induction class, we were sure we made the right choice.
The Dog School coaches reassured us that they would never force our pup into a situation that would frighten her and this was evident from the moment she first entered the class. She was allowed to watch the other pups from the safety of her booth during the socialisation parts of class. During the first class, Arla was clearly hesitant about getting too close to the other puppies as she would back away if another pup tried to approach her to play. However, taking confidence from our presence and curious by the playful antics of the other pups, she eventually ventured over to take a closer look. This made socialisation with other pups our favourite part of the course.
By the end of the training classes, we had a much more confident Arla. She is now much more comfortable meeting the other puppies and clearly enjoys interacting with them. It has been so rewarding to see our puppy increase in confidence and when I was asked if I would recommend Dog School to other owners I said '100% yes!'."
Well done Arla!
If you think our classes would benefit your own puppy or you would be interested in or adult or rescue dog courses, you can contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com, or on 07920658653.


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Later this July, Pennsylvania's list of 21 conditions that qualify for medical marijuana treatments will grow to 23. On Thursday, Pennsylvania's Department of Health approved the addition of two new qualifying conditions: anxiety and Tourette Syndrome. According to Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, the decision to add the two conditions wasn't an easy one. But ultimately, Levine approved the conditions in light of growing evidence that cannabis can be an affective adjunct to traditional anxiety and Tourette Syndrome treatments.
The addition of the two conditions could transform Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program. While the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say it's difficult to know exactly how many people have Tourette Syndrome, studies estimate that 1 of every 162 (0.6 percent) of children in the U.S. lives with the condition. Furthermore, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting more than 18 percent of the adult population.
PA Health Secretary: Cannabis Should Accompany Anxiety, Tourette Treatments, Not Replace Them
Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Act became law in April 2016. But it would take until early 2018 for the program to be fully up and running. The law mandates that the state's medical marijuana program be run by a Director


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Take Action
Take a look at what's new and get involved.
Do You Have A Farmer?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a system of local food distribution. Members of the community partner with a farmer and purchase shares in return for regular deliveries of fresh food throughout the growing season. Harper College is currently a CSA drop off site where fresh food deliveries are brought right to campus - directly from the farm! Sign up and become part of the local food movement to enjoy the freshest, healthiest food, support the local economy and promote a healthy environment. Learn more by following the links below.
Troggs Hollow Vegetable CSA:Website, Flyer
- Pickups weekly, Harper College Lot 12, Thursdays, 5:00pm
Cedar Valley Sustainable Meat CSA: Website, Flyer
- Pickups Monthly, Harper College Lot 12, Thursdays, 5:00pm
Band of Farmers:Website
NEW! Become Green Office Certified!
Think your office has what it takes? Take the challenge and become green office certified at Harper College. Offices of all sizes are eligible for the program. Download and complete the checklist below to start taking part in office efficiencies, cost savings and environmentally friendly practices.
Green Office Program:
Program Introduction - Learn everything you need to know about the Green Office Program including goals, why to participate and how to get started.
Green Office Checklist - Download and complete this fillable checklist to become Green Office Certified
Participation Pledge - Download and complete this participation pledge to define your office and involve your office members
Green Office Program Guide + Tips - A Complete guide to all of the items on the checklist. The guide offers explanations and tips on how to accomplish each item.
Waste-Free Move Guide:
Moving? Cleaning out? Reorganizing? Help Harper go green and make your move waste free. Check out Harper's new waste-free moving tips and see how you can reuse and recycle those unwanted items.
Green Event Certification
Student Clubs and Organizations are invited to help green Harper's campus by incorporating sustainability initiatives into events and activities. See the guides below to get started today!
Green Certified and Zero Waste Event Checklist
Green Event Resource Guide
Student Learning Outcomes and Evaluation
Small Changes = Big Impact: Harper's First Zero Waste Event
Zero Waste means maximizing recycling and reuse, minimizing waste and reducing consumption to be mindful of how we are using (and not wasting) our resources. At April's student Coffeehouse Concert event, featuring The Voice artist Angie Keilhauer and three student performers, Harper College accomplished just that. The event attracted over 350 participants and boasted a waste diversion rate of 70%! That means 70% of the total waste generated at the event was saved from entering the landfill through either recycling or composting. That's a huge improvement from the 8% waste diversion rate of the Coffeehouse Concert in March.
On April 6 the Student Activities Board (SAB) in partnership with campus sustainability, Sodexo, Facilities Management, the Environmental Club and local non-profit Mindful Waste hosted the College's first Zero Waste Event. The goal of this event was to divert as much waste from entering the landfill as possible while educating campus users about what it means to be waste free. The Student Activities Board worked with Sodexo and Facilities Management to make changes throughout all stages of the event starting with how the event was planned and set up to sorting and weighing waste at the event's conclusion. "There wasn't anything that was overlooked to accomplish our goal of a completely green event." - SAB member Ryan Buckel.
The waste diversion goal was accomplished by first, eliminating waste at its source, and second, by using a single waste sorting station. All trash cans were removed from the event area and replaced with one centralized waste station that included compost, recycling, trash to landfill and a liquid waste bucket. When participants had waste to dispose of they visited the waste station and volunteers at the station helped participants sort waste.
SAB added giveaways to this event to further engage students and the Harper Community in living a green lifestyle. The students gave away free travel coffee mugs to eliminate the need for disposable cups at the event and in the future. The students also worked with Sodexo to gather coffee grounds from food services, dried them out with the help of Facilities Management and packaged them with seed packets into another giveaway. Through this project the group successfully saved a days' worth of coffee grounds from going into the landfill and instead provided attendees with a fertilizer kit to be used in their home gardens. "Filling biodegradable bags with used coffee beans to give to the Harper students as fertilizers was such a fun learning experience for how to help save our Earth." –SAB Member Alex Moyer
SAB member Jake
Boshhold claims: "Our Zero waste coffeehouse was a massive success! We had our largest turnout yet." Thanks to the collaboration of so many departments on campus, student involvement and great musical entertainment, all had a great time putting together this event on campus. The group looks forward to continuing this trend and seeing how else waste can be reduced on campus.
"We are extremely proud to say we were Harper's first ever waste free event, and I think it showed us that a little effort goes a long way. If we made changes like this for every Harper event we could really impact our community in a positive way." –SAB member Amanda Torres
Can you spot the differences in these before and after photos?Many changes were made at this event to create a Zero Waste atmosphere.
Zero -Waste Changes:
- Eliminated Styrofoam Coffee Cups
SAB gave away free reusable coffee mugs to all attendees, saving 400 Styrofoam cups from entering the waste stream.
- Insulated Coffee Containers
Using insulated beverage containers eliminated the use of sterno gas fuel and containers.
- Bulk Condiments
Coffee creamer and sugar were provided in bulk to eliminate the waste produced from individually wrapped creamer and sugar packets. Non-recyclable plastic coffee stirrers were eliminated and replaced with compostable wooden stirrers.
- Reusable Serving Trays and Utensils
Disposable serving trays and utensils were replaced with reusable serving trays and utensils.
- Paper Table Covers
The non-recyclable plastic table covers were replaced with paper that was cut up at the conclusion of the event and donated to the tutoring center to be used as scratch paper. The environmental club contributed environmental facts to be written on each table to educate and inspire.
- Mindful Waste
Local non-profit Mindful Waste joined SAB at the event and set up a vermiculture (worm-composting!) display and a display showing how long items take to biodegrade in a landfill. Mindful Waste was a great partner and helped educate participants about waste, where it goes and how to reduce it.
View more event photos HERE
GYOG (Grow Your Own Garden)
Students from Harper's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa have partnered with local nonprofit Little City to create a vegetable garden that will serve the Little City community. Volunteers from the honor society prepped and planted at the garden to prepare the space for the growing season and will continue to work throughout the summer and fall months to see the garden through to harvest.
The members of Phi Theta Kappa were excited about this opportunity for a community partnership. The students, along with their advisor, Katie Hollis, came up with the idea to start a community garden and after discovering the resources available at Little City, decided to jump on board and help to establish the new garden together. One of Harper's student volunteers, Hanan Aquil, states: "It's a beautiful cause. . . . [It's] great to know that the residents of Little City will be able to utilize this fresh produce for their own food!"
The students worked to create a 6600 square foot garden designed with accessibility in mind. The volunteers laid wide walking paths to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers. The garden also utilizes six raised beds. There is a wide variety of plants growing in the garden, including tomato, pepper, squash, onions, carrots, gourds, pumpkins, radishes, celery, beets, collard greens, sweet corn, kale, watermelon, cucumber, green beans, cantaloupe and sunflowers. Phi Theta Kappa also generously donated an irrigation system for the garden with club funds.
The garden has become a great learning opportunity for the members of Phi Theta Kappa and also the residents of Little City, who also help to care for the garden. The Little City horticulture students have been involved in the garden from the beginning stages and were involved in selecting the crops and planting the plants from seeds and they continue to provide daily maintenance.
Little City Horticulturist Deatra Sams and coworker Jenda Woods have been great mentors to the student volunteers, teaching them about the responsibilities of maintaining a garden, the process of gardening organically and the benefits of local foods. The students have learned many valuable skills they can bring into their future lives. The garden at Little City also serves as a learning environment for other programs at Harper including continuing education classes and InZone sessions, where students in these programs are able to get hands-on gardening experience.
Last year's president of Harper's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Nicole Wagner, who was a major advocate for starting this project expresses her excitement: "I'm thrilled to be a part of this project. . . . It's rewarding witnessing our team work together while weeding and helping care for the plants [and] realizing that our efforts in planting the seeds and cultivating the soil from the beginning make a difference." While she has finished up her time with Harper College, she is excited to pass the torch to the next leaders and is looking forward to seeing the garden flourish. Sustainability at Harper College is excited about this partnership and is looking forward to expanding it in the coming years.
Going Green with Harper's Sustainability Coordinator
Going green comes with responsibility. It means a shift in mentality, daily habits, and it means making a personal commitment. But it also means a healthy planet and body and it means saving money! For many, change is hard, but the good news is: green changes can be simple. Just by making a few small changes to your daily routine, you can help make a big difference in reducing our environmental impact (and you will also begin to notice some other side effects, such as health benefits and money savings!). All it takes is that one extra step to throw your plastics in the recycle bin, or remembering to bring a refillable water bottle to cut down on waste and your grocery bill. Once you decide to make the commitment and you start to see the benefits, environmental, economic and health, going green will become a no-brainer. Find out ways you can start living (and saving) green today!
Going Green on Campus
- Join the Environmental Club
- Mondays, 3:30 p.m., Room Z204
- View photos of Harper's Earth Week activities on the Harper Flickr page.
- Recycle. College Recycle Chart .PDF
- Green your office by following these Green Office Tips .PDF
- Find an alternative to driving. Bike to Harper on bike paths in Palatine, Schaumburg, or outlying areas. Take a bus or find a RideShare through PACE.
- Get updates on green practices during Harper's campus construction.
- Follow the Harper College Green Committee on Facebook
- Share your ideas! Email Amy Bandman.
- 2019 Electronics Recycling and Document Destruction Event Flyer.


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The NFDA SPRING BALL will be back on Saturday 11 May 2019!
The event will be taking place at the stunning Grove Resort in Hertfordshire.
The NFDA Spring Ball provides a unique opportunity to network with your fellow franchised dealers and colleagues and enjoy an evening of good food, fine wine and first-class entertainment. Back by popular demand, your host and compere for the evening is TV presenter Mark Durden-Smith.
NFDA will be presenting three awards on the night: Industry Partner, Manufacturer and Recognition awards.
For ticket information and to book your place please email email@example.com
We look forward to seeing you all!


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Animal Hospital Policies
Appointment Policy:
To allow ample time for all patients and scheduled surgical procedures, we operate primarily by appointment. Emergency cases shall always receive top priority, which is why occasional appointment delay is inevitable.
Patient Arrival Policy:
For your protection, and that of others, all dogs must be on a leash and properly controlled while in the waiting area and exam rooms. All cats must be in a carrier or on a leash if leash trained.
Restraint during appointments:
We ask that all pets be restrained by the vet assistant during examinations for the safety of the pet, the staff and the client. While we make every attempt to make your pet feel comfortable during a visit, they may be uneasy about the new environment, new people, other animals resulting in your pet behaving differently than usual.
Payment Policy:
We require full payment at the time that services are rendered. For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Care Credit, cash and personal checks.


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|About this Recording
8.550792 - BALAKIREV: Symphony No. 1 / Islamey / Tamara
Mili Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837 -1910)
Balakirev occupies an important if equivocal position in the history of Russian music of the later part of the nineteenth century. He was born in Nizhny-Novgorod in 1837 and had his first piano lessons from his mother, who later arranged some lessons for him with Alexander Dubuque, a pupil of John Field. Through a later teacher, the German Karl Eisrich, he was introduced to the circle of Alexander Ulïbïshev, an enthusiastic amateur, author of books on Mozart and Beethoven and owner of a useful music library. At Ulïbïshev's house he was able to hear chamber music and occasionally orchestral works, the inspiration for his own early compositions. It was through the agency of this patron that Balakirev was able in 1855 to travel to St. Petersburg, where he met Glinka and other well known musicians and made his own debut as a pianist and composer.
Supporting himself with difficulty by giving piano lessons and private performances, Balakirev managed to survive in St. Petersburg, where he met two young army officers, César Cui and Modest Mussorgsky, both keen amateur composers, over whom he began to exercise some influence. He had, at the same time, formed a friendship with Dmitry and Vladimir Stasov, the latter an important figure in the intellectual support of Russian musical nationalism. In 1861 he met Rimsky-Korsakov and the following year Borodin, completing the group of five Russian nationalists described by Vladimir Stasov as the Mighty Handful, the Five who would follow Glinka's example in the creation of a distinctively Russian musical tradition. At the same time Balakirev had increasing involvement with the Free School of Music in St. Petersburg, set up in opposition to the 'German' Conservatory established by Anton Rubinstein, with the encouragement of the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, who did her best to remove Balakirev from the conductorship of the Russian Music Society concerts, which were under her patronage. Balakirev's own character, obstinate and tactless, did much to increase the division between the Conservatory and his own followers, castigated by Anton Rubinstein as amateurs, a charge that could never have been levelled at him. Balakirev's later relationship with Nikolai Rubinstein and the Moscow Conservatory, where Tchaikovsky taught, was more satisfactory, and it was Nikolai Rubinstein who introduced the oriental fantasy for piano, Islamey, to the St. Petersburg public in 1869.
Religious conversion led to a brief retirement from musical life and from familiar society between 1871 and 1874, but gradually thereafter Balakirev resumed something of his old activities, particularly, in 1881, the direction of the Free School, which he had surrendered to Rimsky-Korsakov in 1874. In 1883 his friends found for him a position as director of the Imperial Court Chapel, where he was assisted by Rimsky-Korsakov. A breach with the latter came in 1890, as Belyayev, an important patron and publisher of Russian music, gradually seemed to usurp his place as leader of the Russian nationalist composers. A measure of friendship was restored, to be destroyed completely and finally by Rimsky-Korsakov's behaviour at the first performance of Balakirev's First Symphony at a Free School Concert in 1898. Balakirev had retired from the Imperial Chapel in 1895 and thereafter had devoted himself more fully to composition, to his continuing task of editing the music of Glinka and to the encouragement of a new group of young Russian composers, including his always loyal disciple Sergei Liapunov, who later orchestrated Islamey. Freedom from other activity allowed the completion of a symphony he had started many years before and the completion of a second in 1908. In this final period of his life he attracted little attention from the musical public and expressed some bitterness at the neglect of his work. Russian music, nevertheless, owed him a considerable debt. Combative by temperament, he had fought for his own conception of truly Russian music, which found future expression in a synthesis of the technique of the Conservatories and the spirit that he had engendered and nurtured.
Balakirev started his first symphony in 1864, a year after his first appearance as a conductor. According to Rimsky-Korsakov, by 1866 Balakirev had written down a third of the first movement, with sketches for a scherzo and a finale on Russian themes, the songs Sharlatarla from Partarla and We sowed the millet. The sketches for the scherzo were later used in the second symphony. Balakirev resumed work on the first symphony in the 1890s, finishing it in December 1897. An arrangement for piano duet was played by the composer and Liapunov to a few invited guests, including Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov and the Stasovs, and was received on that occasion without enthusiasm. It has since won a warmer welcome.
The symphony is scored for three flutes, two oboes, cor anglais, three clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, three timpani, triangle, cymbals and bass drum, harp and strings. The first movement opens with a slow introduction, the source of the rest of the movement, the first subject is derived from the first two bars, while the second subject is derived from a phrase played by flute and violas starting in the fifth bar. There is, in an accompanying figure in the second violins, the suggestion of a scene from Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. The first subject is announced by the full orchestra at the start of the Allegro vivo, a theme later augmented by the brass, before the entry of the second subject, which is immediately developed. Balakirev's technical competence is apparent in the subtle re-appearance of the first subject, leading to a subsidiary second subject, before the central section where further development continues, with here and in the third section of the movement, considerable use of augmentation, the theme now played in still longer note-values. The A minor Scherzo adds a Russian dimension to Mendelssohn, with an expressively melancholy D minor Trio, the principal theme of which appears again in the final coda to the movement. The whispered end of the Scherzo leads to a D fiat major slow movement. Here the clarinet has the principal theme, accompanied by strings and harp and leading the way to an E major subsidiary theme in a prolonged exploration of the possibilities of sonata-rondo form, unusual in a slow movement. The harp, in a series of scales, prepares the necessary change of key for the C major Finale, which begins without a break. Here cellos and double basses announce a Russian theme, the first subject, followed by a D major second subject from the clarinet, in compound rhythm, a theme that Balakirev had heard sung by a blind beggar. A third, asymmetric theme is introduced by the cellos, adding to the thematic material of a movement that ends in a vigorous Tempo di polacca.
The oriental fantasy Islamey was written in 1869 and revised in 1902. It remains, in its original piano version, the best known of Balakirev's compositions, the only one to bring profit to his publishers, its exoticism matched in Liapunov's orchestral version. The fantasy is based on three themes, the first known as Islamey and heard by the composer on a visit to the Caucasus. The second theme is lively in rhythm, and these two themes lead to the expressive third theme, which the composer had heard sung by the Armenian baritone Konstantin de Lazari at Tchaikovsky's house in the summer of 1869. This theme later emerges in more energetic guise, as the material is developed.
The symphonic poem Tamara is based on a poem by Lermontov. The evil and beautiful Princess Tamara lives in a tower set in wild countryside, overlooking the gorge of the Daryal and the river Terek. Lights from the tower, glowing through the night mists, lure the traveller seeking shelter. Over him the Princess casts a spell that cannot be broken. He is received by a black eunuch, who shows him into the presence of the Princess, reclining on a luxurious couch. The two meet in love, but strange sounds are heard, the sounds, as it were, of young men and girls brought together on their wedding night to the echoes of mourning. At dawn all is silence, but for the rushing of the river below, bearing with it a corpse, to which a soft voice from the tower bids farewell.
Balakirev completed Tamara in 1882, although the subject had fascinated him for some fifteen years, with Islamey seemingly a preparatory sketch for the symphonic poem, which follows closely enough the moods of Lermontov's poem. Here is the gorge and rushing river, the mists, the mysterious tower, and then the pagan seductiveness of Tamara's melody, introduced by flute and oboe in sinuous unison, followed by a second more sensuous melody for clarinet. The wild entertainment of the night ends in the death of the traveller, the sinister farewell, as the river bears away its burden into the distance.
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The coffee shop sat on the edge of the city, where nobody would recognize us, making me feel like I was the one cheating. The paneled walls were an ocean turquoise with pastel mermaids, sea turtles, and fish hanging from them. Blue-bulbed Christmas lights were strewn along the walls and overhead. They reflected in Kristen's eyes as she sat down. "You're Jay?"
"Yeah," I said. "I'd say nice to meet you, but—"
"But my husband is screwing your wife. No need to be polite, right?" She exhaled deeply and hung her coat on the back of her chair.
"Right," I said. I forced a smile while my jaws clenched and unclenched. Kristen was much younger than my wife, her dark hair hanging in curly tendrils around her slim face. "I didn't realize you were…" I trailed off and looked down at her stomach. I wasn't sure what was acceptable to say to the wife of my wife's lover.
"Pregnant. It's our first. Had I known my husband was a scumbag…" Kristen trailed off. The reflection of the Christmas lights in her watery green eyes, made them look like angry ocean waves. She looked at least six months pregnant, her stomach stretching at the material of her sweater.
I reached out to pat her hand, but it didn't feel right, so I put my hand back on my side of the table. If I were the type to cheat, maybe I would have picked someone like Kristen, but I wasn't. Maybe every relationship has one cheater and in this one it was my wife.
"Can you believe this?" She asked, her voice weak from crying.
"Yes. I can tell you're having trouble making the leap." My wife and I hadn't been close for a couple of years, having sex only when we'd been drinking. Maybe deep down I expected an affair.
Kristen laughed bitterly. "How did you find out?" She'd rubbed below her eyes, spreading her mascara into dark circles. She looked exhausted.
"I don't know how to put this. I saw your husband…" I paused, looking away, kneading at my knuckles, the popping sound emitting from my fingers almost as soothing as the violin I used them to play. "He had his mouth…on my wife." I could feel my face redden at the memory of coming home, wanting nothing more than to take off my stuffy suit and instead finding a man's face between her bent legs, her eyes rolled back in her head. The only thing she had on were high heels, her naked body lost in the depths of our bunched up comforter. When I spoke, she scooted back into a sitting position and the man scrambled around for his pants. It was the deacon from our church. "Both of you get the fuck out of my house," I said, as calmly as possible.
I chose not to go into detail with Kristen, who shook her head, pressing her fingers to her forehead. Each time she moved her head back and forth, more tears gathered on her cheeks. Finally she said, "How old is she?"
"Forty-nine. And your husband?"
"Thirty-four. She must look amazing. I mean…I'm nineteen years younger." I shrugged. "I know this probably sounds crazy, but…I just need to see for myself why my husband would cheat, you know?" She looked into my eyes, to see if I understood. I pulled out my phone and showed her a picture of my wife in a blue dress that matched her eyes at a wedding the summer before. "I've seen her at church. She's pretty." I put the phone back in my pocket and Kristen sat there for a minute, her eyes moving back and forth in thought. "Damn it!" she said, pounding her fist on the table. The saltshaker fell over and rolled off the table. This time I did rest my hand on hers.
I knew what her husband looked like, a younger version of myself. My hair, now silver at the temples, was otherwise brown, like his. I played basketball on the weekends and went for a quick run every night after work. If anything, he was a little heavier.
"What are we going to do? I'm not just going to divorce him quietly. He stands up there and preaches and then has the nerve to cheat on his pregnant wife." Kristen looked up at me, the tears from her eyes gone. "I want people to know."
I looked back at her and nodded. "I have an idea," I said.
"I'm in," Kristen said, not requiring an explanation.
"Do me a favor and text me a picture. Embarrassing, if possible."
Kristen smiled.
We met a couple days later at the same coffee shop, this time during the day. With ocean sounds coming from the speakers and sunlight coming through the paneled windows and shining on our table, it felt like we were on the beach, instead of in Des Moines, Iowa, on Christmas Eve day.
Kristen smiled when she saw me, her cheekbones glowing as if the sun itself had reached down and kissed them, snowflakes nestled in the tendrils of her hair. I didn't know if a little time had allowed her to feel better or if it was the prospect of revenge on her husband. "Hey. How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Fine. As good as I'm going to given the situation." Kristen took off her coat and scarf and set them in what little lap she had left. "So…what's the plan?"
I pulled out a few versions of the flier I'd designed since the last time we'd met. Kristen looked at each one intently before tapping on the middle one with her finger. On the left side was a mug shot of my wife from the OWI she'd received after a work Christmas party two years prior. On the right, a picture of Kristen's husband holding up his deacon robe and flashing his plaid boxers. "When did this happen?"
"He was just goofing around one day before church saying, 'What if my robe flies up Marilyn Monroe-style in front of the church?' I took a picture with my phone and told him to put some pants on. Little did I know, he really does have a problem keeping his pants on."
"That is going to bite him in the ass," I said. In between the pictures, I had typed, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." An arrow indicated to turn the flier over where a third picture took up the entire page. I'd hired a private detective to follow my wife and Kristen's husband around the day after I met Kristen and take a picture of whatever he could catch them doing, which happened to be making out in the secluded alley behind the church. Stained glass windows sat directly behind his shoulder — red, blue, and green panes almost glowing in the flash of the camera, a dumpster to the left of my wife.
"My husband doesn't know I know. I've been lying awake next to the jerk every night just so I can see the shock on his face. When he tried to…" Kristen looked down at the table and took a deep breath. "When he tried to touch me, I just told him I felt sick, which couldn't be more from the truth."
"Jesus." We sat there for a moment in silence. "How are you going to get out of the Christmas Eve service anyway?"
Kristen contorted her face in pain, placed her hands on her belly, and said in a weak voice, "I'm not feeling well. I just got sick."
I couldn't help but laugh and Kristen laughed with me.
Snow had started falling again when Kristen and I met at the church. The sun had gone down and we stood outside watching. The church was dark inside except for the glow of hundreds of candles swaying back and forth. Faintly, we heard the congregation singing "What Child Is This." Kristen sighed. "We better get busy. They usually sing this toward the end." We started putting a flier under everybody's windshield wipers. I probably did twice as many. I could tell Kristen was tired, from the weight of her child and the changes tonight would bring. When a picture of our spouses peered into every car windshield, Kristen and I stood at the front of the church again, a thick stack of fliers under each of our arms. "Ready?" Kristen asked.
Kristen and I snuck into the church, through a hallway, and finally to a door with a staircase behind it. The staircase led to the bell on the flat rooftop. When we got up there, it was windy and snowflakes swirled around us. "Be careful, it's slick," I said, reaching for her hand.
We waited twenty minutes, leaning over the castle-like pillars lining the edge of the roof. Although her hand was warm, she shivered, so I took off my coat and layered it onto hers. When the bell rang, we both jumped a little. It had been so quiet before.
People started coming outside, standing around and chatting despite the cold. When I saw my wife and the deacon standing beside each other on the sidewalk, I nodded and we hoisted our arms upward and let the stacks of paper fall. As they spiraled down like snowflakes, people looked up. "What the—?" we heard someone say. Others caught them or picked one up, but I was waiting for my wife and the deacon to see them. My wife saw it first, gasping and looking up at the roof, but she couldn't see me in the darkness. She shoved the flier at the deacon, who stood stone-faced. The congregation started to look at them, cover their mouths. An old woman shouted, "How could you?" The priest's face turned red and he let go of his flier as he stormed over to the deacon. "You are no longer welcome in this church. Remove your robe."
"I—I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Remove your robe," the priest said, louder this time. The deacon slowly removed his robe, tossed it in the priest's waiting hand, and hurried off to his car in nothing but a t-shirt, boxers, and church shoes. The priest's mouth hung open and some of the congregation gasped.
Kristen smiled, her red cheeks and snowy eyelashes lit up by the reflection of the snow. She squeezed my hand before wrapping her arms around my neck. "Thank you," she whispered. Before I got a chance to say anything, she looked me in the eyes and kissed me so softly, had I closed my eyes, I would have thought a snowflake landed on my lips. We stayed up there watching until the last car had gone.
Mikaela Shea received her MFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago and was recently a writer-in-residence at Ragdale Foundation. She has published stories in Midwestern Gothic, Copperfield Review, Chicago Literati, Hypertext Magazine, and others. Mikaela won the Editor's Choice Award for Fiction at Waypoints Magazine and Superstition Review's First Page Contest. She also published a children's book at the State Historical Society of Iowa. Mikaela is currently writing a novel and is Editor-in-Chief of 3Elements Review. She lives in Iowa with her husband and baby boy.


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Net Weight 17,600kg
Lateral Outreach (max.) 16.70m
Working Height 42.70m
Safe Load on Cage (max.) 400kg
Width / Height of Traveling Position without Cage 2.48m w x 2.98m
Climbing Ability 45degrees
Handles any terrain including steep gradients and will work in up to 1m of water
42m working height, supplied with dedicated operators
Up to 400kg Safe Working Load
Low ground pressure – eliminates the need for track way or ground preparation –minimises damage
Fast, efficient alternative to truck mounted platforms


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2018 Board of Directors
Carl J. Kamm, III
President, 2018
Attorney, Flynn, Py & Kruse Co. L.P.A. 2006-present
OSBA Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, and Probate Law
Mayor, Berlin Heights, Ohio 2012-present
J.D. University of Akron
B.A. Political Science, Baldwin Wallace College Two chocolate labs
Brian Rizzo
Vice President, 2018
Veterinarian, Bellevue, Sandusky Animal Hospitals, 2016-present
Attending Vet, Stautzenberger College
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University
Boston Terrier, Brangus, two cats, Beanie and KitKat, bearded dragon, Liz, and turtle, Mr. Paddles
Brennan Otto
Treasurer, 2018
Controller, Brady Sign Company, 2018-Present
B.A, Accounting, Kent State University
North Coast Young Professionals
German Shepard, Shelter lab/cattle dog mix
Julie Brooks
Secretary, 2018
Director, Sandusky Library 1977-2014, retired
Paul Harris Fellow, Sandusky Rotary
Masters, Library Science, B.A. English, Kent State University
Standard Poodle, Jack, Miniature Schnauzer, Kate Three rescue cats: AllieCat, Lucy, and Emma
Jan Bucholz
Stein Hospice, Chief Executive Officer
Golden Retriever, many cats
Erle Ellis
Shell Oil Company, General Manager, Real Estate, retired
Six rescue cats: Rosie, Cinders (Dottie, Sparky), Grace, and Max
Jennifer Kinney
Veterinarian, Four County Veterinary Services, 2016-present
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University
B. S. Biology, Ohio Northern University
Goldendoodle, Coconut, cat, Nemo
Michelle Renee Leathem
Veterinarian, NOAH Pet Clinic
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University
Two cats, Big and Byron
Jim Spicer
Asst. Vice President of Operations, Firelands Regional Medical Center and Firelands Physicians Group
American College of Healthcare Executives, member
Doctor of Pharmacy, Ohio Northern University
Rescued German Shorthaired Pointer, Maya
Chrissy Wostmann
n2y, Chief Executive Officer
Firelands Regional Medical Center, Board member 2018-present
MS Ed, BS Ed, Miami University
4 dogs (3 rescued), Fritz, Gabby, Lucy and Oscar


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Top user migration gripes, part 2
Software migrations are as unavoidable as death and taxes, and just as aggravating, according to a recent SearchWindowsManageability survey. When asked to describe their migration headaches, IT pros sadly submitted tales of DNS snafus, mangled mailboxes, and the loss of users' "favorite" links.
Software migrations are as unavoidable as death and taxes, and just as aggravating, according to a recent SearchWindowsManageability survey. When asked to describe their migration headaches, IT pros sadly submitted tales of DNS snafus, mangled mailboxes, and the loss of users' "favorite" links. Hope for a lasting cure to these headaches is dim, they said.
In part one of our migration headaches' survey report, users discussed the headaches associated with moving e-mail mailboxes and DNS issues. In this conclusion to the series, users tackle conflicts between hardware and software and how corrupt configurations affect migrations.
Legacy system interaction
A Technical Systems Analyst at a 3,000-user Canadian manufacturing corporation finds reengineering the company's legacy systems the most time consuming process of a migration. With every new OS rollout, the legacy system must keep up and interact with the other PCs in the office, she said.
Because this IT manager's company has been using legacy systems since the 1950's, they are an integral part of the storage system. So, when a new OS arrives, the legacy must be reformulated to communicate with it. Even if the company wanted to phase out the legacy, she said, regulations require records to be available for seven years in case of an audit.
Hardware not up to par with software; big wigs veto replacement
At the library where Penny French works, budgets are not in her control. So, she battles to convince higher ups that computers are too old and need replacing. Therefore, when a migration is complete, older computer hardware, or "old beaters," as French calls them, run new software, such as Windows 95, 98 or 2000. Newer hardware, she said, could make that new software run more effectively. She wonders what the point is of migrating to new software versions if the hardware is lagging behind?
To alleviate the hardware problems, "we've been using Symantec Ghost to image workstations, but that only works if the system components are exact or very similar," said French, customer support lead for Washington State Library's Information Technology Support Services.
While French knows standards are difficult to get people to adhere to, she thinks it would be helpful at the library. She noted that the library is getting better at having a set of standard applications and versions, however. Still, "there are enough differences to make upgrades and migrations take much of our technicians time at each PC," she concluded.
IT consultant Richard Scott has nightmares about companies not investing the time to train users on new versions of OSes or applications. "The time spent by technicians to upgrade older equipment and software would be more productive if they didn't have to hand hold users at their workstations," he said.
While Scott is impressed that many of the companies he has worked with have strategic plans to upgrade, test and ensure positive functionality of new equipment, they do not think about end user training at all. "The average office worker knows very little about the computer they are using, much less the difference between Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or XP," he said.
Though, Scott admitted, the actual training can be tough because users can be clueless. Users often don't know what their new computer can do or even how to sign on, he said. "Often times, they lock themselves out of their own accounts trying to figure out what to do with this new thing."
Corrupt configurations
Kurt Stanwick had quite a problem when he first began his IT job. The existing setup at the school where he works had corrupt configurations. Consequently, when Stanwick moved the school to Windows 2000 from NT 4.0, the corrupt configurations got in the way. Stanwick, being the only person experienced in desktop and server management at the school, was out of luck to get help.
So, Stanwick came up with his own solution. He said it was easier, though more time consuming, to start from scratch with new equipment. Then, he moved all the old data over. "That way I know that what I did is clean, and I have no headaches from previous people."
Stanwick didn't throw out the old machine, though. He was able to rebuild it and use it for another application.
Return to part one
Dos and don'ts to removing Active Directory migration obstacles
Ten Active Directory migration dos and don'ts


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Why is time of day so important for senior portrait sessions and family photo sessions you may ask? It has everything to do with the light that is the result. I try to encourage every client to schedule their photo sessions as close to sunset as possible. The hour before sunset is called the golden hour. As the sun reaches the horizon, an incredible, dreamy kind of light seems to pour over everything. It creates a magical glow on your subject and results in the most beautiful skin tones. The light illuminates your subject and their surroundings making for a truly beautiful photo session.
As we begin to wake up from our sleepy and long winter in Minnesota, Senior Photo season is fast approaching and families are beginning to think about their family portraits. This year, I hope to have more and more sessions during Golden Hour. It is so worth keeping your little ones up a bit later so that you can snuggle in the beauty and quiet of this time of day. I hope to enjoy more Seniors in the beauty of the many beautiful natural landscapes we have here as well. These photos were taken at the Millenium Gardens in Plymouth, MN and down a country road by my house. The beauty of Golden Hour is that it can turn even the simplest backyard into something beautiful just because of the light that is bathing the surroundings.mi
As a photographer, you are truly an artist that paints with light. Different types of light allow you to create a mood that sets the stage for your subject. I still feel I am learning to truly embrace light in this way. It takes a great deal of patience and practice. It also forces you to stop, think, and be fully present in your surroundings. This is the beauty of photography for me.


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Natural Language, my second album as Avvenir, is out now, and I'm really excited to finally have it available for all of you to listen to. In many ways, it's a continuation of Glyphs, an homage to early '90s acid techno, with hints of industrial, glitch, and other styles that were bubbling up when I was a teenager. Is my look back to 1993-to-'95 just a little bit nostalgic? Sure, but my hope is that people will hear a convergence of styles that feels contemporary.
Moreover, in terms of my own progress I've sharpened the sensibilities of my first LP; where my Avvenir debut was very much a scattering of different techno subgenres, Natural Language is meant to fit together as a Capital-A album, conceived with a particular set of aesthetic and thematic throughlines in mind. And since I love talking about influence, I've put together a playlist of music I was listening to while composing this new record.
Once again, Autechre reigns: I can't deny that Tri Repetae was central to the aesthetic of Natural Language—caustic and alien, marked by flanged and distorted beats, stark melodies, and brief excursions into noise. But where even Tri Repetae's melodies sound machine-made, I wanted to give Natural Language a warmer, more orchestral spin. Aphex Twin's Donkey Rhubarb EP had a big impact in that regard, but Björk's Homogenic packs an even stronger melodic punch, an album featuring some of the most beautiful orchestration I've ever heard.
Industrial music is also a big reference. I hit my teenage years when the "3rd wave" of industrial came to pass, and often find myself following in the footsteps of groups from that era, darkening the melodic songs I write with bursts of atonality. Special shout-out to Neubauten's "The Garden": Natural's closer, "Humanism", is an unintentional riff on that song's orchestral melody. I was totally unaware of the resemblance until after finishing the arrangement.
Notably, the vast majority of Coil and Cabaret Voltaire's records are missing from Spotify (specifically The Snow for the former, and Plasticity for the latter), so not much of their works are included here. However, there were many days during the writing process where I listening to nothing but their respective discographies on shuffle.
For those who are unaware: Natural Language will be absolutely free through the end of November when you sign up for the Safety mailing list. Sign up now, and tell your friends!


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Reiki (ray-key) is Japanese for 'spiritual energy' and is the word used to describe a system of natural healing formalised by Dr Mikao Usui. There are variations of reiki but all aim to support the body emotionally and spiritually. It is a tradition that is open to all faiths – earth or heaven bound.
It can be difficult to describe reiki. Using purely mental energy to understand a therapy based on compassion and connection can lead to confusion rather than clarity. Reiki offers an experience to connect to ourselves and discover our place or home in the world.
Reiki is non-invasive and meditative. It is important to let go of the outcome when practising or receiving . What is perceived as being a healing path may still lead to challenge. The destination may not be in line with our expectations.
As I have mentioned, how a practitioner uses reiki varies. I tend to ask people to lie on a massage couch, fully clothed. The focus is the whole person rather than specific areas.
Each person experiences reiki differently. Some feel deeply connected to the process, others experience a space in which they can relax. Sometimes the client reports visualisations of colours or stories or sensations in the body; sometimes it is just quiet. There is no correct way to experience reiki. The only desired response is deep relaxation to promote a calm and peaceful sense of well being on all levels. Occasionally it is difficult to relax, the mind questions everything rather than trusting the process – a common experience when sitting to meditate.
People access reiki for many reasons:
- emotional support during times when life is challenging and overwhelming
- to release tension in the physical body, often in response to emotions, sometimes following physical trauma
- to relax and support in pregnancy
- to calm and relax children
- to come to terms with the cycle of life – beginnings and endings
- curiosity
How many sessions?
This is a decision for the individual. Some people enjoy a short intensive course, followed by regular reiki to maintain wellbeing. Sometimes people just come as and when they feel they need to.
See also:


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Available in various grades, coatings and weights, solid board cartons are a cost effective solution for the packaging of single or multi-pack items that can be used for most retail, pharmaceutical, and automotive products.
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I shared this quote a while ago in my Facebook Group Seeking Slow and it seemed to resonate with lots of you… "Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are." ~ Chinese Proverb
I therefore thought it would be useful to unpick this concept a little more, and a good starting point is learning to recognise how we physically hold tension in our body.
We need to understand the difference between tension and relaxation and understand how to navigate from one to the other.
Lots of us walk about holding tension in our body without even realising it. Sometimes tension becomes so habitual that we always 'hold' our body that way, it then feels completely normal to us. It's only when we give our bodies the space and time to deeply relax that we can realise what released feels like. And by comparison, we can know what tension is. They are at the opposite ends of the spectrum and in some ways one allows the other.
It's vital that we are able to sit in a place of relaxation and stillness and have that feeling be familiar to us in order to take ourselves back there. We must also recognise that sometimes we think we know what rest and relaxation is but actually there are deeper layers of peace to discover.
In terms of releasing any physical tension that our body holds, sometimes it simply takes an external acknowledgment for us to be able to let that tension go. As an example, we can be holding tension in our shoulders, and the simple act of glancing in a mirror and noticing that we are holding our shoulders up around our ears helps us to release that tension. Or someone places supportive hands on your shoulders, and again this helps you begin to soften that tension and relax.
It's also important to remember that there will always be phases of tension and stress in our lives, and perhaps we need periods of stress in order to change and grow. However, as I get older I use tension more and more as a guide of things to avoid.
Next, we need to acknowledge that it's a fundamental life skill to really 'know' our bodies, yet it's something a lot of people neglect to do. In my new online course Power of Slow (out later this year) there is a whole module dedicated to knowing your body and why it's so important. It looks at how we can get to understand our body better by techniques like body scanning and body mapping.
We have all heard people say things like; "My gut's telling me…" or "I went with my heart and decided to…", "I think my head knows best this time…". They are all different components of our body, but how do we know which one to listen to and what our truth is?
We often do all our thinking with our minds but our bodies have inherent intelligence too and it's really important to honour this.
Once we have learnt to listen to our body and learnt how to understand what tension and relaxation feels like in our body, how do we use those skills to help us navigate through life and find our happiness and joy?
We have all been in situations or relationships where it just feels a bit off, a bit like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Sometimes we want things to turn out a certain way but it just doesn't make sense. It's wonderfully freeing to acknowledge that most of life is out of our control. If we can cultivate the grace to accept life for what it is, then suddenly things feel lighter and we can focus on enjoying the simple things.
Most important of all is learning to accept who you are (imperfections and all) as this automatically helps you find a deeper sense of relaxation and peace. Imagine consciously letting go of any preconceived ideas about what you 'should' be doing or where you 'should' be. Realising that you need no-ones approval or validation is wonderfully liberating.
When we fight against our truth and who we really are – that's where tension can arise. There is great freedom to surrendering and letting go and finding joy in just being you.
It's easier to write down than actually do, but finally as I get nearer to my forties I have found new layers of peace and acceptance within myself and I am less worried about being liked and pleasing people than ever before. I wish I could pass some of this wisdom onto my twenty-something self… instead I will try to pass it onto my daughter… I think she might have to learn the lessons of life in her own time though.
How aware of tension and relaxation are you? Do you feel connected to your body? Or does it feel like a separate vessel… would love to know.


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It's still early and I haven't started on my draft for the day so this isn't going to be an accounting of today's writing. Instead, I thought I'd tell you a bit about my process for getting ready to write and staying on track.
I never used to have a process. I didn't find it necessary during NaNoWriMo because the time involved was so short. I can do anything for a small about of time. It's keeping it up over an extended period that I have difficulty with. I figured, if I was going to make this 85k90 thing work, I'd need to develop a system that had as few pain points as possible. Something simple that I didn't hate and that I actually might like.
I love planners. The weight of them in my hand, the smell of the leather and the paper, finding just the right pen to make up a set. I also find them utterly useless for keeping track of things. I live in a digital world. I need my planner to be digital too and so I started looking for an app that gave me the same sorts of features I'd find in a planner without too much else going on so that it wouldn't be overwhelming and become a chore.
After a few failed experiments, I landed on Planner Pro and have been very happy with it.
If you love physical planners, you'll find the layout of Planner Pro familiar. It has both iOS and desktop versions so I bought them both. I like being able to access my planner on any device I happen to be using but, if I had to choose only one, the iPad version seems to be the best fit for the software. It feels like it belongs there. There are daily, weekly, and monthly views plus tabs for your collection of tasks and notes. While the weekly view can be quite useful, spend nearly all of my time on the daily view.
To make this app useful for 85k90, I've eliminated all calendars but the one I've set up for the project. I've created a list of tasks that I'd like to accomplish each day and repeat daily so that each morning I open Planner Pro, I have a fresh checklist to go through.
The first thing I take care of is One Hour of Reading. I do this with my morning coffee/breakfast and try not to rush through. I try to read novels from writers who's work I admire and books that I see as similar to what I'm currently writing. I set a timer on my device and, when the timer goes off, I put the book away and check that item off of my list.
The next task is journaling – something I've found to be invaluable for thinking about what I've written the day before and what I'd like to write today. I write my journal entries directly into the Planner as daily notes. Once I've used it to figure out what I'll be doing, I can check journal writing off of the list and and I'm ready to start in on my novel.
I use Scrivener to do my writing, sometimes on my desktop and sometimes on my iPad using the excellent mobile version. I like to change it up so I don't feel held captive by my desk. When I reach my predetermined goal for the day's words, I stop and check it off of the list. I might go back later and add more if I come up with an idea that I feel I need to get down right away but, for the most part, I'm trying to keep it slow and steady so that I can really ruminate on what I've written and where my characters are heading. This also keeps me eager to start up again the next day because I haven't burned myself out the day before.
In the evening, (today being an exception) I will do a blog post. I'm trying to use the blog to keep me accountable to others. So far, the blog posts have been the hardest to get through and feel forced. That's why I've changed it up today and decided to blog about something other than my word count which, let's face it, just gets boring for both you and me.
Planner Pro has a subscription model but it's not onerous like so many are – something like $5 per year Canadian. That's peanuts for how valuable it's been to me so far. I'm not affiliated with the company or the creator in any way and you might find other ways to mark out your days that work for you (I'd be interested to hear about them!).
How to you organize your writing life to keep you going through a long haul?


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They said the Global Dressage Festival show grounds would draw dressage horses and riders from all over the world to Florida. And I guess they were right – because now Florida has 11 CDI competitions in just 4 months!
So in an Olympic year, many riders are looking for qualifying scores to make one of the three spots on their "team". One of these riders is Canadian Joni Lynn Peters and her horse Travolta.
For many, the trip to Florida is just a few days, but from the Southern Interior of BC, it was a two week trip! Keep in mind BC – in the Pacific North West is pretty much as far as you can get from Florida across North America!
The Southern Interior of BC was snow covered in November 2011, so with chains on her tires, Joni Lynn took Travolta to a vet clinic 6 hrs from home to get health papers and documents sorted for crossing the border.
Travolta then went to the Lower Mainland of BC while Joni Lynn went back to pack. He layed over a few days before crossing the border and then onto California. From Southern California, Travolta caught a flight (one of the few) to Florida. It seems that getting horses to and from Europe is an easier task!
Joni Lynn went to Florida with Travolta with Olympic aspirations because Florida offered the best dollar for dollar experience and exposure to the most CDIs (11). Joni Lynn is no stranger to the Canadian Team. She has a long history of accomplishments starting in Eventing. She won Individual Silver and Team Gold at the NAYRC in 1984, acknowledged as the "Leading Female Rider of Ontario Horse Trials Association" 6 times between 1984 and 1994.
She rode at the Rolex Three Day Event and won the Fair Hill Advanced Horse Trials, in addition to being long and short listed for the Canadian Eventing Team many times. After 10 yrs in Ontario, she returned to BC and in 1995 turned to dressage with her two event horses Snap Decision and The Equalizer. The Equalizer was a great horse who took to dressage easily and was short listed for Canada's Eventing Team in 1995, and then long listed for Dressage in 1998 and short listed for dressage in 1999.
When Joni Lynn saw Travolta, it was love at first sight. He was 3 yrs-old and just one month under saddle. He had an impressive show career being virtually undefeated as a 5 and 6 yr old. Joni Lynn describes Travolta as "honest, smart, willing and exceptionally talented, (he) is very sweet and people oriented." Then, he was successful at small tour and big tour, and now off to the big CDIs in Florida.
But it is not all dressage! With her eventing background, she has done cross-training with Travolta including rides through the forest, streams over ditches, encountering all sorts of wildlife including deer, cougars, bears, hikers and bikers. But he is always happiest inside the safety of the little white fences!
What is amazing, is that over the years, Joni Lynn has worked predominately on her own. With input from many top clinicians from around the world, Joni Lynn has brought Travolta along to Grand Prix mostly by herself and is now hoping to be in Olympic team contention.
Now in Wellington Florida, she is immersed in dressage from all around the world, soaking it all in by riding in and watching clinics, demonstrations, lectures as well as watching the top riders train. There is much to see and absorb in Florida and it is action packed and busy. The climate is wonderful for training, clean, green, open with quality facilities and great footing.
Operating on a shoestring budget while in Florida, she has had support from fundraising, along with Horse Council BC funding and an AAP grant. Now a D carded athlete, she receives a small monthly stipend. As long as she can afford to keep competing and Travolta feels fresh and strong, she will continue to live out her dream of London. She has much support from her husband, John Knol, as well as her parents, Jacquie and Bob Peters, who all give her courage and strength to continue to follow her dream.
We wish Joni Lynn and Travolta all the best in her Olympic quest.