text:
Meet The Team
Meet The Team
"Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself from the inside out, that's when you're most beautiful."
About Larissa
Owner/Master Colorist
Larissa is an experienced veteran in the beauty industry. Her natural gifts and passion were ignited at a young age as she watched her mom work as a Cosmetologist both outside and inside of the home. With a salon at her fingertips, she began experiencing with hair styling techniques. It was common to find her up late at night wrapping her sister's long hair in tight curls or practicing on a mannequin head. During those formative years, her aptitude and love for transforming hair and people's appearances become ingrained in her. She knew without a doubt this was her life calling. She began her formal training by enrolling in beauty school as a senior in High School. Upon graduating, she passionately applied and got accepted into a prestigious Advanced Training Program with Gene Juarez where she developed highly specialized color techniques. She went on to work at Gene Juarez Redmond Town location for four years where she developed a very loyal client base.
She continued to improve and expand her skill set by getting trained to become a Balayage Specialist. Balayage is one of her trademark services.
Larissa's desire to expand her services and career led her to begin leasing a station independently with various salons for the last eight years. She pursued on-going training to fine tune her skills and keep up with the latest trends. As a way to add more value for her clients, she has partnered with local businesses to host fun marketing events showcasing fashion and unique merchandise. She continuously strives to improve her knowledge and expertise, traveling to New York numerous times to collaborate with colleagues on the latest trends. Additionally, she's trained to become a product educator on top lines, as well as creating videos demonstrating how to perform balayage services for other stylists to learn from.
Opening her own salon is the culmination of a life long passion and dream. She is excited to hand select her favorite tools, products and techniques from over a decade of experience and make it her own by offering a unique, high end experience for her clientele.
FAQ with Larissa
Why did you choose to name your salon Larissa Sofia?
I chose Larissa Sofia as a tribute to my Bulgarian roots and my late father who was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was a fearless entrepreneur with an exceptional work ethic. He influenced my desires to own my own business; I know he would be proud of me for following my dreams and in his footsteps. My logo has personal meaning as well. Each element was lovingly hand drawn by my sister, Natasha. The unique design formed a butterfly where the leaves come together; a ladybug was discreetly placed in the butterfly as a tribute to our dad whose childhood name for me always makes me think of a ladybug. My name and logo is not only beautiful and shabby chic, it represents my style, my culture and special family ties.
Why do you specialize in Balayage?
Balayage is a technique I discovered over a decade ago while at Gene Juarez. At that time it was only available in salons in New York with an average cost of $500 per service.
I love the versatility Balayage offers – not only does it allow me to be artistic & creative, it also is more gentle on the hair. Balayage is known for providing a subtle grow out, which allow for more time between services. It is so rewarding to see my clients' hair transform from dry and damaged hair to beautiful, shiny hair with added dimension and depth. It's also an amazing technique to use when performing corrective color services; it allows me to remove old hair color with very little compromise to the integrity and health of the hair. Please see our F & Q page for more info.
Why Did You leave Gene Juarez?
I wouldn't be the stylist I am today without the valuable training I received at Gene Juarez. I took a huge leap of faith when I chose to branch out on my own. My desire to offer full services and to be more creative with my branding and services is what continues to drive me. My passion for the beauty industry has evolved over the years. I now have the opportunity to teach others and to build an exceptional team.
Why did you pick Sammamish?
I moved to the Issaquah Highlands five years ago. I have been working in Issaquah during this time as well. I have fallen in love with the area, the people and the community. Sammamish is part of that atmosphere and I really wanted to open a salon that was part my neighborhood and community. I'm so excited to create a warm, friendly experience that offers all the things you can find in a high-end salon without the corporate feel.
What do you do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I enjoy being active, especially with my shih-tzu, Rosie – she is my first and only child to date. I value spending time with my family and close friends. I also love to travel during my spare time. I recently went to Iceland last year. I'm a foodie at heart: being Bulgarian and Filipino, I grew up eating an eclectic group of foods (thanks, Mom!).
Love for Larissa
"Almost weekly my hair receives a compliment. With high-lights and low-lights, Larissa makes my blonde hair look so natural. It's easy to leave a recommendation for her here as I have already recommended her to several friends who were so happy that they are now her regular customers. It's an added bonus that Larissa is also a super-nice person." – Christina Hart
"Beauty is being comfortable and confident in your own skin. " Iman
About David
Senior Colorist & Stylist
David is a colorist/stylist with a passion for bringing out the best in others. Known for his expertise in dimensional color, David excels at creating vibrant reds, rich browns, and natural-looking blondes. He particularly enjoys achieving soft, natural grey coverage which delights his clients who leave the salon looking and feeling younger! David believes the hair experience should be fun for both client and stylist.
David trained at the Gene Juarez Academy and Training Salon (where he won the Client Service Award) and he spent over a decade working in some of Chicago's top salons. He is renowned for creating healthy, beautiful hair for women and subtle color and classic cuts for men. He is also licensed in Keratin Smoothing Treatments.
With a decade of prior experience as a counselor, David delivers great results while providing a warm atmosphere for his clients. His enthusiasm for improvement and change continues outside the salon as well where David is an avid gardener and runner. He lives with his partner and their dog Tucker in Columbia City.
Love for David
"My goodness where to start. I walked in looking like a train wreck my hair being 6 weeks overdue for a cut and color. The salon itself is gorgeous. Comfortable and chic. Then David whisked me to his chair and began his magic. Took his time and listened to my hair issues and wishes and WOW. I have found my new salon. My new color (low and highlights) and soft cut are just what I wanted without knowing it was what I wanted!!! Ample parking (free parking) wide spaces for those with big SUVs and next door to Starbucks. What more do you need. Book David ASAP if you want a fresh, new and fun look." – Teresa Marshall-Kovach
"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." - Rumi
About Dimika
Senior Hair Colorist
Dimika, a Washington native, has over 15 years of experience in the hair industry. She is a graduate from the Evergreen Beauty College and has completed the Gene Juarez Advanced Training program. After working for over a decade for Gene Juarez, she now works as an independent stylist at Larissa Sofia salon. Dimika's skills aid her in catering to people of all backgrounds and hair types; specializing in balayages, keratin smoothing treatments and relaxers. In addition, she is excellent at all coloring techniques such as foiling, bleach and tones, and color corrections. Her knowledge and experience coupled with her kind, easy going spirit ensures her clientele feel pampered and renewed.
Dimika lives in Bellevue, with her two daughters and two dogs. She enjoys exploring different hiking trails, traveling, and spending time with family.
Love for Dimika
"Went here for the first time today and loved it! Place is lovely, great decor, accents, lavender diffusers, etc. I couldn't stop looking at every detail from the chairs to the chandeliers. Was a very calm and relaxing atmosphere. I went to see my long time color expert, Dimika, who is AMAZING! I lost track of her after she left Gene Juarez where I had been seeing her for years. I am just absolutely thrilled to have reunited with her! As always, she did a fabulous job with my color and cut. I'm so happy! Service was great. Perfect easy location right next to a Starbucks and a QFC. Great overall experience. Would highly recommend it!"
– Joann S.
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
About Hannah
Senior Hair Designer
Hannah has been in the beauty industry for six years. After graduating from the Gene Juarez Academy in 2011, she was accepted into the Gene Juarez Advanced Training program, specializing in hair cuts. While attending, she had the opportunity to assist and learn skills from the company's Creative Director, Christophe Soltane. Hannah worked as a Designer at the Redmond location for over five years until she decided to grow her business independently.
She is an expert at thorough consultations – focusing on her client's hair texture and density, face shape, as well as lifestyle. Her strengths include long layered cuts, soft textured bobs and styling. Hannah's friendly, relaxed spirit will make you feel comfortable as she uses her expertise to create/fine tune your perfect style, so you leave the salon feeling refreshed with happy and healthy hair.
Hannah lives in Maple Valley with her husband, Casey, their German Shepherd, Roary, and cat, Olive. She loves animals, movies, art, cooking and wine. When not behind the chair, she enjoys spending time with her family and happy hour with friends.
Love for Hannah
"Hannah has cut my hair for a long time and consistently gives me the best hair cut I have ever had. You will love her and her haircuts! The Salon is beautiful, warm and inviting too!" – Marlene Christian
"You can only become truly accomplished at something you love" - Maya Angelou
About Meredith
Framesi Colorist Specialist
Meredith Marie Riddle graduated from Greenwood Academy of Hair, an Aveda Institute, in 2004. Soon after she apprenticed at Napolitano Day Spa in Seattle for a year where she trained under Lorenzo Sumera, a Framesi* educator. After her apprenticeship, she began work at Gina Mary Hair Design, a Framesi-exclusive salon, for five years before she began her time at Maximus Salon in Merrick, New York. There, she gained experience with hair color and product lines from Redken, Joico, Scwartzkopf and Matrix. Upon returning from New York in 2013, she came back to Gina Mary Hair Design for four years and became a Framesi-certified stylist, specializing in color and cuts. Meredith is now apart of the Larissa Sofia team and offers her specialized services to the Sammamish community and its surrounding areas.
In her free time, Meredith can be found in the mountains skiing, long distance bicycling, or spending time with her family.
*Framesi is an Italian color and product company based in Milan, Italy.
Learn more about Framesi
Love for Meredith
"Meredith looks out for the health of my hair while treating it. She knows what looks good on me. I always walk out feeling like I look great after my appointment with Meredith. Been seeing her for countless years and will continue to do so. Not to mention her personality is always so upbeat. She's a kick." – Michelle G
"Live the life you love, and love the life you live" - Bob Marley
About Diana
|Diana has been doing hair for 10 years & graduated from the Victoria Academy of Cosmetology in Eastern Washington. She moved to the Seattle area to pursue her dream of becoming a master Hair Designer in a high end salon.
|She's passionate about making her clients look younger and feel fabulous when they walk out the door.
|She believes consultation is the key to discovering the perfect new look or maintaining the one the client already has, as well to keep the hair looking and feeling healthy.

|She worked at Ulta Beauty Salon for the past four years, where she sharpened her skills in hair cutting and coloring. In 2016 she advanced her haircolor skills by becoming a Redken Certified Haircolorist. Her favorite services to perform are: balayage, vivid colors, and hair makeover transformations. She also does foils, blondes, keratin treatments, any haircuts including long layered, bobs, pixie cuts, and men cuts.
|When not behind the chair you'll find her getting her work out on every morning, cooking, hiking, kayaking, and exploring new restaurants and wine tasting. She travels once year to a new country.
Love for Diana
"She can do anything! She listens to your wants and can achieve any hair goal! I don't know what I'll ever do without her if I leave the area." – Samantha M
"The future belongs to those who believe in the the beauty of their dreams."
About Sherry
Senior Colorist & Stylist
After working for Gene Juarez Salon for nearly 14 years, Sherry is excited to expand her horizons and join the team at Larissa Sofia Salon.
She specializes in all chemical services such as color, corrective color, highlights, low lights, balayage and keratin smoothing treatment ( express, full keratin). Her longtime passion for hair, makeup, fashion and beauty shines through in every service.
In her down time she loves to spend time with family (son and daughter) and friends.
Love for Sherry
Coming Soon!
Life is too short to have boring hair
About Jennica
Senior Stylist, Colorist & Updo Artist
Jennica graduated from Lucas Mark Academy in Eastern Washington in 2013. She has been passionate about "all things hair" for as long as she can remember. She is committed to not only creating the perfect style for each guest, but also providing them with the tools and knowledge to re-create the look at home on their own. Her favorite services include men's cuts, color, balayage, vivid colors, special occasions and bridal styling.
In addition to working behind the chair, Jennica has continuously worked for Salon Centric, a L'oreal professional beauty supply store for the last 5 years. There, she has gained extensive product knowledge in dozens of hair care lines. She regularly attends continuing education classes to stay current on all the latest fashion forward trends and techniques. In 2016, she won the "Matrix Watercolors Creative Hair Color" competition against over 1500 competitors. In September 2017, her work on an A-Line Bob was featured on Latest-hairstyles.com.
Jennica moved to Western Washington a little over a year ago with her husband Chris and Miniature Schnauzer Snickers. In her spare time, she enjoys attending car shows and concerts, cooking, traveling, and trying new restaurants with friends and family.
Love for Jennica
I only trust this woman with my hair! I love what she does! she will be honest with you and help you get what you want at the same time. She's very personable and is fun to work with!"
"She's the best! Always listens and takes the time to make sure my hair, and my daughter's hair is beautiful. She knows what she's doing."
"Love is in the hair..."
About Tammie
Master Colorist/Balayage Specialist/Stylist
After finishing cosmetology school in Minneapolis where she grew up, Tammie sought out on a new adventure in Seattle at the age of 19. To expand her skills and knowledge of her craft, Tammie received advanced training at the Gene Juarez Advanced training salon for hair color in 2002. She then went on to work for Gene Juarez salons for over 12 years and was fortunate enough to work alongside some of the very best in the company for over a decade. There she attended continuing education classes in the newest hair coloring techniques while also being able to travel to New York to visit the L'Oréal training academy. Tammie has extensive knowledge in many hair coloring techniques including balayage, ombre, foiling, bleach and tone, and corrective color. Since leaving Gene Juarez, Tammie has attended continuing education classes to sharpen her skills in cutting and styling, being able to confidently complete the perfect look for all of her guests.
Tammie lives locally with her husband, 2 wonderful step children and 3 lovingly boisterous pooches! In her spare you will find her spending time with her family and friends, taking the dogs to the park, going to concerts and movies, cooking, camping and traveling.
Love for Tammie
"Tammie has done my for the last 14 years!! She is AMAZING. She stays current on all the hair trends. We have done everything from foil highlighting, balayage highlights, all over colors and back to highlights. The integrity of hair is very important to her as well. She does a great job of making sure that my hair stays healthy so I can do all the crazy things I want to do to my hair. She is great at product recommendations so I can recreate the style she gave me in the salon easily. I would recommend anyone to see her. She takes the time to listen to what your desired goal for your hair is and is honest with how that goal will be achievable." – Megan S.
"Love is in the hair..."
About Effie
Color Specialist/Stylist
Effie, a Washington native, attended the Gene Juarez Advanced Training program in 2004, specializing in hair color after graduating from cosmetology school. Upon completing her advanced training, she went on to work for Gene Juarez Salon in Redmond for over 10 years. Throughout her career, Effie has strived to further her training in advanced services such as keratin smoothing treatments and balayage. Effie has thorough knowledge and experience of all coloring techniques, including foiling, balayage, bleach and tones, and corrective color. She confidently provides excellent service with her many years of experience, whether coloring, styling, or cutting.
Love for Effie
"Your hair is your best accessory " - Unknown
About Connie
Hair Stylist/Color Expert/ Special Occasion & Braid Specialist
Connie is a lifelong resident of Issaquah, and even owns the house she grew up in since she was 2 years old. She has watched Issaquah grow from a small town without stoplights with vast farm lands to the busy suburb it is today.
Connie has been doing hair her whole life. But it wasn't until Jan. 2018 she officially became a licensed cosmetologist. She has always loved doing hair as a hobby, and grew up doing family and friends hair. She married in 1997 and had 3 kids. Both boys serve in the Marine Corp and her daughter attends Issaquah High School.
She tried various careers, but nothing quite seemed to satisfy her creative energies. Her kids never went to a salon to get their hair done, since she always took care of all their haircuts, styles, dying, etc.…
As the kids got older, Connie realized it was her time to achieve her dreams and went to Gene Juarez Academy in Federal Way to earn a Cosmetology License.
She has always loved doing braids and special occasion styles. Always looking for new ideas or latest trends to learn and master!
She has spent the last year training under Larissa as her Associate. Learning the melting techniques of balayage, foiling highlights to create brightness, and the fun of color to accent your natural features. She has a special fondness for doing fun fashion colors for those who like to change it up.
In addition to that she loves cutting men's styles just as much as women's. Having 3 men in the house she has had many years of practice cutting various men's styles.
For examples of Connie's work check out her Instagram page @bellasconnie


text:
Dec 13, 2017
Heavy Duty Traffic Door Is Still Lightweight
Known for its lightweight yet rugged construction, the Apex SR 9000 heavy duty insulated impact traffic door also offers ease of maintenance and long service life. The locally manufactured doors open easily, operate smoothly and allow for safe, damage free passage for personnel and equipment.
Available from Apex Strip Curtains & Doors, the Apex SR 9000 door is suitable for majority of application where both pedestrian and motorised traffic move from one area of a facility to another.
All SR 9000 doors feature a patented ABS outer shell forming a thick panel that retains its physical properties even in conditions where temperatures reach as low as minus 40°C. The door body is impervious to moisture, acid, petroleum products, animal fats, rodents, insects and salt solutions. This makes it ideal for all types of environments including refrigerated or wash down areas.
The Apex SR 9000 door features bull nosed perimeter edges which prevent excessive wear on the edges. The doors are all mounted on an internal welded steel perimeter with corner gussets. Gasket keys are moulded in place and retain gasketing without the use of screws, rivets or other fasteners. Replacement of gasketing is simple and easily done on site.
Optional polyethylene spring bumpers, impact plates, partial edge gasketing, lower hinge guards and double pane vision panels are all available.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Look closer next time. I bet she's pretty rough in person
Sounds like you are a proponent of No-Fault coverage Flip.Please define "Life Altering" as it pertains to an auto accident.That is the burden you supposedly need to overcome to sue in this state - otherwise the money in that fund is supposed to overcome all the ills.I will tell you how the courts define it isn't how I would.
Yea.....that pale looking blonde. I always wondered about here.
LOL I was just joking with a friend who was injured in an work related automobile accident which of the fine "Lady" attorneys he was going to choose... his accident occurred on 94 almost under Joumaya's sign... they are everywhere - and along 275 as well.
So Congrats to all the participants who got the Were all but done thread locked down.Good Work!I am hoping the news will unlock it very soon - before it gets buried.A few posters who troll should not ruin it for everyone.
Start it up again, name it.. 'We are all but done II'. That works.
I'm working on getting the WAD unlocked. My advice would be to ignore the poster who has no other agenda than to inflame.
And you're also talking about the poster who throws out the racist garbage, right John?
It was a generic reference, why is it you were the only one that felt compelled to respond.


text:
Card details:
- Card stock is Stampin' Up soft sky (aqua), Papertrey Ink (PTI) dark indigo (navy) and stormy sea (medium gray), and a print from Carta Bella 12 x 12" all bundled up/ snowflake swirl.
- The gray is embossed with PTI cover plate: circles.
- The "thanks" word is cut with Silhouette Cameo, the same as this card.


text:
Guidelines for live-webcast participants
Participating from home or in a group setting might have the same impact as being in Engelberg. We consider you as joining the same space with us and invite you to follow the same guidelines we offer to everyone being with us in Engelberg:
During the whole time of the retreat, from the opening to the closing meeting, we ask you to refrain from any activity that is not directly related to The Work and what Byron Katie has to offer i.e. using the internet, reading, or listening to music. Doing sports is also not part of the retreat.
Byron Katie will frequently ask you to observe your thoughts and a part of The Work is to write those thoughts down on paper. Please refrain from writing down anything else that is not related to The Work. In addition to the guided walks (that will take place in Engelberg the mornings), spend as much time as you´d like outdoors and in silence.
To commit fully to this Retreat please obstain also from communication with people outside the retreat. Please let your loved ones, colleagues and clients know, that you are not available for phone calls, text messages or emails during the entire time.
Every participant in Engelberg gets a folder. Follow the links below for all the information participants attending onsite in Engelberg receive in their folders.
- Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet
- One-Belief-at-a-Time Worksheet
- The Three Kinds of Business
- The Turnarounds
- I Complain About
- Emotions List
Katie invites you to share your experiences at home, after the opening session. Please send photos or short videos from wherever you are joining the webcast, and of your morning walks. We look forward to showing many of these as time allows, on the screens while people enter and settle in for the morning sessions in Engelberg.
You are welcome to send questions or something you'd like to share with Katie. In your email include your first name, your location, and your familiarity with The Work (I am new, I have some experience, I am a candidate or certified facilitator in the ITW). Please keep your question or sharing simple and short. Katie does her best to read all emails, and she may also address some of them during one of the sessions. "
Please send your photos or short videos and email contributions to firstname.lastname@example.com
If during the retreat you experience technical difficulties please let our support team know at email@example.com. All of your emails will be answered as soon as possible. Every broadcast begins 50 minutes before the regular start of the session (which is 5 minutes before the doors open in Engelberg). We recommend that you use this time to check if everything is working properly and not miss anything as soon as Katie starts.
We wish you a wonderful retreat,
Your "Being with Byron Katie" Team


text:
A popular destination for visitors, Temple Square is a 35-acre complex of historic buildings located in downtown Salt Lake City. With distinctive towering, castle-like architecture, visitors are welcome to explore the ornate buildings and stroll the landscaped grounds. Temple Square is also home to the largest genealogical library in the world.
Ask for a room on the upper floor of the Hyatt Place Salt Lake City/Downtown/The Gateway for a beautiful city view that's affordable. West-facing rooms at the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown offer views of the nearby Wasatch Mountains (ask for fourth floor accommodation or higher).
Staying near Temple Square puts you right in the center of Salt Lake City's downtown area. There are plenty of attractions within walking distance. Therefore, you should expect to do a lot of walking. However, if walking's not your thing, the TRAX public transit system is a convenient way to get around the city.
The grounds and the two visitor centers are open to the public at Temple Square – both are free to enter. If you have a layover more than two hours at the Salt Lake City airport, ask at the information desk about the free shuttle to Temple Square.
© 2019 Hipmunk® and Concur® Hipmunk® are trademarks of Hipmunk, Inc. and Concur Technologies, Inc.
© 2019 Hipmunk® and Concur® Hipmunk® are trademarks of Hipmunk, Inc. and Concur Technologies, Inc.


text:
Ireland Is Neither Cursed With Snakes, Nor Blessed With Nightingales, And The Characters In Maeve Binchy S Fiction Occupy The Same Middle Ground These Five Stories, Specially Dramatised For BBC Radio 4, Feature Modern Irishwomen Emerging From A Culture Where They Knew Their Place Into A Hazardous, But Rewarding Light In The Night People Came In For Something That Was No Trouble , Cara S Envy Of Another Couple S Disingenuous Ease At Giving Dinner Parties Spurs Her To Plan The Perfect Casual Evening Down To The Last Detail But Things Don T Go As She D Intended The Stepson Sees Clare Walking On Eggshells, Taking Great Care Not To Try To Replace Her Stepson Simon S Dead Mother Until She Finally Attempts To Break Through His Hostile Diffidence Decisions At Sea Finds Tessa, An Overlooked But Good Tempered Secretary, Heading Out On A Cruise, Where She Faces A Big Decision In The Answer Machine , Biddy Reasons That Her Family Need An Answer Machine For Christmas, And Gives It To Them Early But, By Christmas, She Is Beginning To Regret The Whole Idea And In By The Time We Get To Clifden , Nessa And Her Husband Harry Are Planning Their Annual Break To Clifden When Neighbour Melly Seeks Their Help, And Ends Up Changing Their Itinerary And Their Lives Featuring A Full Cast Including Niamh Cusack, Sam Dale And Harry Towb, These Five Maeve Binchy Stories Are All Typically Warm, Wry And Witty.1 CD 1 Hr 15 Mins.
!!> Epub ➤ No Nightingales, No Snakes ➣ Author Maeve Binchy – Eiyo.us
- Audio CD
- 1 page
- No Nightingales, No Snakes
- Maeve Binchy
- 15 January 2018 Maeve Binchy
- 1405677457


text:
Since long before I bought Slabtown last February, I wanted to run a DIY music space, a place where I could put on shows for my friend's bands, for touring bands who don't "draw" enough to play bigger venues, for those weirdo bands who will always have a small but devout following, and for fledgling bands who've never played in front of people they don't already know on a first-name basis. So, I've decided to set up what amounts to a second venue within Slabtown by converting our back game room into a part-time show space. We held our first show in the Game Room last Friday, with Rat City Ruckus out of Seattle and Raw Dog and the Close Calls. Thirty or so people and it was a fucking blast.
Some details... We're working with a smaller PA set up--a 600 watt power mixer, speakers, and vocal mics--in a room with a capacity of closer to 50 than 150. This means two things: First off, I can "take a chance" on any band because I'm not paying a sound guy or closing off the entire bar for a show with a cover. Secondly, bands who may only bring in 25 people are now playing to a relatively full room instead of to a room sprinkled with bodies, which always makes for a more funner show. Since we're using the main room for larger shows and most Friday or Saturday night shows, we'll be doing the Game Room shows mainly on Sundays and weeknights, with an occasional matinee show on the weekends.
So, I'm telling you now: I want yr band to come play the Game Room at Slabtown. Well, certain conditions do apply... The Game Room is perfect for yr band, if:
1) You're okay with a minimal PA set up. Lo-fi, punk, garage, indie, semi-acoustic, fucking kazoos--all bitchen in the Game Room. But, if you have SEVEN FUCKING MARSHALL STACKS and need to TURN THEM UP ALL THE FUCKING WAY, the Game Room won't work. The PA just won't cut it. Well, then again, maybe it will work, as long as you don't give a shit if people hear the vocals or not.
2) You want to interact with the audience. The shows there will get very personal, and someone from the crowd will touch you. If you don't like that or if it'll fuck you up while you're playing or you want to be on a stage and have people watch yr performance instead of engage with it, the Game Room won't work.
3) You don't have a huge draw. It is a small space, after all. If 80 people are going to come see you play, we may as well do that in the main room, right?
4) Music is yr passion, not yr profession. Lux Interior once said that any rocknroller worth his or her salt wants to play in front of as many people as possible, but let's not push it. The Game Room is not yr stepping stone to stardom, it's yr stepping stone to playing a bitchen fucking show with other bitchen bands. This is especially true if yr band is in no way, shape, or form commercially viable.
One last thing: If you're a homophobe, a bigot, a misogynist, or just a douchebag in general, don't bother getting in touch. I don't work 60+ hours a week so you can push hate and idiocy. You have plenty of other places to go. Move along.
I think that pretty much covers it. Just drop me a note at firstname.lastname@example.com, and let's set something up. I have a venue. You have a band. Let's fucking go, huh?


text:
This recipe was inspired by some open white wine in the refrigerator, and some mushrooms that needed to be used up sooner than later. It's basically a chicken marsala, but I think I used a chardonnay. Pretty much any white wine will work.
Pan Fried Mushroom White Wine Chicken
3 tbsp butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp flour
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 tbsp canola oil
Melt 3 tbsp butter in a medium sized sautee pan. Add mushrooms, green onions, lemon juice and garlic. Sautee over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add wine, salt, pepper and flour. Stir. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer while you make the chicken, stirring occasionally.
Heat the canola oil in a large, nonstick skillet. Dredge each chicken breast in flour, coating thoroughly. Then dip in beaten egg to coat. Dip in bread crumbs. Put the chicken breasts in the skillet. Cook over medium low approx 5 minutes on each side. Length of cooking time depends on the thickness of the chicken.
Drain cooked chicken breasts and serve with sauce.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Mushroom White Wine Chicken
Posted by jennifer c. at Monday, February 23, 2009 0 comments
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Cannoli Cookies
Inspired by cannoli filling, these chocolate chip cookies contain ricotta cheese as a twist, for something a little different.
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp orange zest
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder & salt in bowl, set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, combine sugar and butter. Beat at medium until fluffy. Add ricotta, vanilla and eggs (one at a time). Beat until combined.
Reduce speed to low. Add orange zest. Add flour mixture a little at a time and mix until dough forms. With spoon, mix chips into dough.
Drop by level tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake approx 15 minutes until edges are golden. Makes approx. 3 dozen.
Posted by jennifer c. at Saturday, February 21, 2009 0 comments
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Kahlua and Cream Brownies
This recipe was my first national recipe contest win, for Better Homes & Gardens magazine. It is soooo easy to make. People always seem to think it involves a lot more effort than it really does. I do variations on it all the time when I need to take treats to school or another function. This recipe has afew add ins, but you can make "brookies" using any refrigerated cookie dough, and any brownie mix you like. Just make prepare the brownies as directed on the package, pour over the cookie dough "crust" and bake. They usually take a little bit longer to bake than what is listed on the brownie instructions.
Kahlua & Cream Brownies
1 16.5-18 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 19.5 oz package milk chocolate brownie mix
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup kahlua
1 cup semi sweet or white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with baking spray. Crumble the sugar cookie dough and press it into the pan to form a crust.
In a large bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil and Kahlua. Spread the batter over the cookie crumb crust, sprinkle with chips.
Bake approx. 40 minutes or until edges are set. Cool and cut into bars. Makes approx. 24 brownies.
Posted by jennifer c. at Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2 comments
Friday, February 13, 2009
7-up Cupcakes
I had to make cupcakes for school Valentine parties today. I wanted to make them at LEAST a little bit less unhealthy for the kids, and I didn't feel like baking them from scratch today since I had quite afew other things to do for the parties (plus the kids just inhale them anyway).
To make simple, not-quite-as-bad-for-you cupcakes - Just take a box of white cake mix, a can of diet 7-Up or Sprite, and one egg white. Mix together, pour batter into liners, bake about 20 minutes. They do seem to to take afew more minutes to bake than if using the regular box instructions. The egg white is optional, but I find that they hold together better. I also try to go easy on the frosting. Other flavors of cake mix and soda will work too.
Posted by jennifer c. at Friday, February 13, 2009 2 comments
Good Old Uncle Jimmy...
Posted by jennifer c. at Friday, February 13, 2009 2 comments
Labels: Funny product
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Pizza Crust Recipe
My favorite easy pizza crust. I make this all the time with various toppings. Only takes afew minutes to put together, then about an hour to rise. I lightly sautee my vegetable toppings before putting them on the pizza, and I also like to prebake the crust for about 4 minutes prior to adding the toppings. Dry yeast is extremely cheap at Sam's club, and it lasts forever when kept in the freezer. I don't use a thermometer to check the water temperature. When it's hot enough that it feels like the right temperature for a bath, that's when I add it to the yeast.
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 cups very warm water
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil (plus a little extra)
Approx 4 cups AP flour (another variation is to use half AP flour and half whole wheat)
In a medium bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and honey. Let stand approximately 10 minutes, until the yeast looks "foamy". Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 cups of the flour. Combine. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and gradually start adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl with a little olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with a dish towel, and place in a warm place until dough has doubled in size. Punch down, spread on lightly oiled pizza stone or pan, top as desired, bake approximately 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
Posted by jennifer c. at Thursday, February 12, 2009 4 comments
Friday, February 6, 2009
Sounds yummy
Today at the grocery store I spotted the display below. Does Cadbury really not have a marketing team savvy enough that someone didn't say "Hey guys, this is probably a delicious cookie, but maybe we could come up with a more appealing name..."
Posted by jennifer c. at Friday, February 06, 2009 2 comments
Labels: Funny product
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Cherries Jubilee Chicken
This recipe was a winner in a Weight Watchers Smart Ones contest to use fruit to create a sweet and savory entree. It calls for grilling the chicken, but the chicken can also be baked. It's really all about the sauce, which can also be used on pork. Fresh, frozen or canned cherries all work well. Frozen cherries should be thawed, and canned cherries drained.
Cherries Jubilee Grilled Chicken
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 shallots, chopped thin
1 tsp fresh choppd rosemary
1 tsp fresh chopped sage
1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
2 cups bing cherries, cut in half (thawed if using frozen, drained if canned)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Rub chicken with 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place chicken on medium hot grill, turning once during cooking time. Grill until cooked through (depending on thickness of chicken breasts).
Heat remaining oil in medium skillet. Add shallots, rosemary, sage, thyme. Sautee over medium for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add cherries, vinegar, honey, lemon juice and nutmeg. Heat and stir 5 minutes.
Pour sauce over chicken, garnish with fresh rosemary sprig if desired.
Posted by jennifer c. at Wednesday, February 04, 2009 0 comments
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Lowfat Banana Blueberry Muffins
These muffins are a great way to use up ripe bananas. Blueberries are optional, but I really like the way they combine with the banana flavor, and they add an extra nutritional punch. Baking tip - lightly dust the berries with flour before added them to the batter, and it will keep them from sinking to the bottom.
Lowfat Banana Berry Muffins
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup blueberries
Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with baking spray or line with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg and applesauce. Ad in flour mixture and stir just until ingredients are combined. Don't overmix. Gently fold in the blueberries with a baking spatula or spoon.
Bake approx. 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Posted by jennifer c. at Tuesday, February 03, 2009 0 comments


text:
I have nothing to say about it. Just quietly ticking off the miles.
Blurred Lines
I'm really better with a plan.
12 Weeks to another PR I hope.
I bought and paid for 2 races, both of which I bailed on due to time constraints and bad planning. I bought a bib for Folsom Half in October, because my friend wanted to train too. So, we picked a time frame and race, and plugged in the numbers. As happens so many times, someone gets injured (he did), or life gets in the way. For the Santa Cruz half, I just wasn't in the mood. For the Salinas Half, I had done such an amazing job at the SF Half, I just didn't want to race again, but just luxuriate in my post-injury PR.
That's why the photo is blurry. I'm committed, but, you know, stuff happens.
Well. Tomorrow, this plan starts again. Of all the many race training plans, this one is my favorite. I loved it when I trained for SF Half. As most of us know though, we love ANYTHING that gives us results. And this one did me.
I can't wait. And, by the way. I love that it starts with a rest day.
Happy Sunday!
Five marathons, dozens of half marathons and other races.
I am 5 weeks in on a race plan.
And am invited to come to San Francisco to run the 2nd Half Marathon with friends. Penny, my Glee girl…and Beth and Brianna. ADORABLE and lovely company…
I get this bib. With Chet & Princess.
And have a 12 mile long run on the schedule.
Race Morning Penny & I head to Starbucks and hear SADE Smooth Operator, which is the theme song for the whole day. Couldn't get that thing out of my head.
Now, remember, I'm a 12:30 min runner. Ever since the boot & cast, that's as fast as I can go.
But today. Today is a different day.
Mile 1-4
You know how it is when you start a race. Everyone is excited. You get going with the crowd. It takes me almost to mile 3 to realize that I'm going much faster than I had wanted. It was then I also noticed that this was a rolling course. I am destined to find rolling hills no matter where I go. In any event, I knew past mile 4 I'd be pretty downhill.
1 11:09.1 1.00 11:09
2 11:57.3 1.00 11:57
3 12:17.7 1.00 12:18
4 12:27.9 1.00 12:28
Mile 5-7
Somewhere around here is Haight Ashbury, my favorite part of the course. I look at my watch at Mile 5, and I'm at one hour, and I cannot believe it. Because I haven't done that for a very long time. Since San Luis Obispo in last Spring's marathon. I keep thinking. Is this me? I'm not looking at a SF course map while I write this. I just remember that I liked this. A lot. And, those are ELEVENS. 11 minute miles.
5 11:41.2 1.00 11:41
6 11:47.8 1.00 11:48
7 11:06.6 1.00 11:07
Mile 8
I'm usually obsessed at this part of the race. Where am I? How much further do I have to go? Where am I? Mile 8 is straight downhill. It feels like it's downhill the whole way. I unbend my arms, and do what my old coach told me to do. Arms by my side. Let my body fly. Passing everyone. Feeling like one of the fast girls. Have I mentioned that I run a 12:30 minute mile?
8 10:54.4 1.00 10:54
Mile 9-12
Again looking at my watch. Figuring that I will be at mile 12 at my original PR, pre-injury. I'm in shock. I'm starting to get a little tired and can see the time going longer and longer. But. Here's the other thing. I'm usually walk/running at this point. And I didn't. I didn't walk, not once.
9 12:24.6 1.00 12:25
10 13:13.3 1.00 13:13
11 13:01.9 1.00 13:02
12 13:43.0 1.00 13:43
Mile 13
Have I mentioned here that we are running by AT&T park? I try to go a little faster, but I can barely move my feet. McCovey Cove, the Coke bottle. Ugg. I'm just trying to get past the thing. No, you really don't understand if you're a Dodgers fan. This is brutal. And my feet hurt. And then I go past 13, then 13.1 …and then it's 13.25 and I'm like, man …this is a long section.
13 14:10.2 1.00 14:10
14 3:18.0 0.25 13:16
Summary 2:43:12.9 13.25 12:19
I'm a slow runner. I've accepted this.
Today though. I couldn't stop thinking about this race. LOVED the course. LOVED the people. LOVED how I felt.
I haven't run since Sunday. First the DOMS on the quads, then the shins (I knew those downhills would kill me), and then the joy of relaxing and eating ice cream with the luxury of no weight gain. That ends soon. Maybe this weekend. Because I'm still in a race plan for Salinas.
But for now. I fly. Like all the fast girls.
Half Marathon Respect
I'm a marathon snob. Have I written about this? I'm not even a good runner. I just love to train for a full marathon. Having done 5 of them (so far), I just love wrapping my head around a good training plan, and having my running agenda set out for me week after week.
So, after last year's stupid stress fracture, I've spent a year of cobbling together random races and some lifting. I had a half marathon that I completed in March, and I loved training for it. But come race day, well. I just don't have respect for the Half Marathon. It's like, oh, it's only 13.1 miles. Sort of a long run in a marathon plan. And, so I ignore the real aspect of nailing that distance. Anyone who's trained for a full knows that when you're about halfway through, a 13 mile run is a short run. It's a breeze.
About 6 weeks ago, I once again started jonesing for a race. Any race. I found a training plan, and counted 12 weeks forward from that day, and signed up for the Salinas Half Marathon. My friend at work wanted to train, so we are doing Folsom in October. And my dear friend Penny tweeted me to come to the San Francisco Marathon, which I'm doing this weekend. I'm running the 2nd half with her, because on my plan, Sunday is a 12 miler. I can do one more.
I stopped thinking of a Half Marathon as less than, well, a Full. It is less than, it's obviously Half. But. The training? These last 5 weeks? Other than missing a few runs, it's been mostly 100% in attitude. I've lost weight as usual, but I'm loving these runs. 4am is my new favorite time of the day, and I can't wait until Sunday to see if I can squeeze out a little post injury PR.
Happy Weekend!
I Accidentally Did A Brick.
I love runs like this one today. I had 10 on tap for an easy Sunday morning. In case you've missed it, I'm training for Salinas Valley Half Marathon in August, using a running competitor plan…which I really like. I missed just one run, because I wasn't, ya know, in the mood, but these types of plans I love, where there is something different every week.
I woke at 4:15am, because that's my norm during the week when I run and have to be at work at 7am. I laid back in bed, and thought, how stupid to think I could grab another hour and just run then. Because, it's been hot. Summer is here. Which means daybreak/sunrise runs. Plus, knowing I have that 10 on tap gnaws at my brain. Best get up.
I got dressed and out the door in record time, and the sky was already light-ish, although I still carried my mace, and my hat blinker was on full tilt. When I do long runs, the best thing is not think about it, facebook or tweet it, but just RUN. I have everything out in perfect put on order, so it's easy for me to get dressed and walk out the door.
This was really an uneventful run. At mile 1.5, I said hi to my clerk (yes, my clerk, and he sometimes opens the door for me) at the Shell Station restroom stop. I was chugging alone, just grateful and enjoying the feeling of my feet on the ground. Down Spring Creek and turning back onto Milgeo, I saw something moving on the left side of the road. Not a cat. Not a dog. But a fox. And, though I wasn't afraid, I was really happy that I had my mace, just in case. It was still dark by the time I was at the next tower at Mistlin Park …I was at mile 5 there. I planned two Clif Shots for this run…one at 4, and one at 8 miles. So, I was really happy that I was still feeling good. Over Jack Tone, to the next tower and I was still pretty happy with my slow pace. Nothing really eventful, just really felt good. I rounded into my block at 9.7 miles because the police were in front of my house, and it reminded me of the Day Chet Was Brought Home In The Back Of A Squad Car but the cop was listening for another barking dog, not mine.
I was gonna stick my feet in the water, but I looked down at my new Garmin 910X and thought, well I should get some use of the waterproof function. (I bought this ridiculously expensive watch when I got a new job because I had a coupon)…and I sold Crash Davis, just cuz a new runner pal needed one, and decided to take advantage of the swim feature.
I knew vaguely what a brick was. Two different workouts that most triathletes do to simulate changes in their transitions, etc. Something like that. I had to look it up just to be sure. I switched workouts on the Garmin (no name yet) …And, I started to swim, and my feet, well…they felt really good. I could feel my quads working, and they too really liked it. I was petrified that maybe my watch wasn't really waterproof, but it was cool…I could see it working. And, though I only swam for 10 minutes, it was .40 of a mile, and that was pretty exciting. (I'm sort of a data geek.)
I spent the morning making waffles, and nearly passing out in the spa from that sweet tiredness you get when you work hard. Waffles, Strawberries, Bacon, Coffee. Near bliss. Boys are home. My life is at a peaceful place. My life has predictability. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I have the same pictures every day. Chet, food, my kids' sports, the spa, running. Kinda boring, but in a way, very consistent and safe.
Here's the data from today:
Run: (slow, yes)
|10.00 mi
|Avg Pace:
|13:16 min/mi
|Elevation Gain:
|856 ft
Swim: (first time…love it)
|625 m
|Pool Length:
|25.00 m
|Avg Pace:
|1:37 min/100 m
|Avg Efficiency :
|Avg SWOLF :
And now, it's time for Dodger Baseball, which means some crying. 🙂
Happy Sunday! Go be AWESOME…
Unbelievably, It's June.
My running is starting to take off. Honestly, don't people say that in, say, January? It's June, and as I look at my widget over there, the most miles I ran in any month was last month. Kinda pathetic, but it's where I've been, and I finally have embraced this running path I'm on. I can't stop running. I love it. But, I'm the kind of runner that needs a plan. And a running partner. So, I got both of those, and I have renewed hope and fresh eyes on the prize…that I can nail a full marathon again. However, I have come to realize I don't respect a half marathon…I just don't. And with that knowledge, I decided to train for and respect 13.1, and have come to understand that a half marathon is an event all on its own.
Here I am. In a new job that rocks my world, with new people, new friends, and a renewed sense of purpose. By the end of the year of food stamps and unemployment, my sponsor said, "I don't care if you work at Taco Bell. You have to work." So, as I prayed to my God, he revealed this amazing opportunity to me, and I said Yes. I just risked. Stepped through. And you know what? I'm really good at what I do, just like the old days. It just takes one person to believe in you, and my boss called me OUT OF THE BLUE, and offered me this job. Seriously, out of the blue.
I have written very little since February, mostly because I start to write, then I didn't know how to write "in code" to explain again why the same thing happened. Again. I would begin a topic, then just. Stop. I have more unfinished drafts in my queue than I can count. Suffice it to say, it has been difficult to stay in the "void"…a new term that my buddy Hoss taught me this week. I've spent time there, just accepting what is, and I'm finding joy in it for now. I'm happy, but it was not without the same heavy sigh that happened numerous times in the past 2 years. Acceptance and happiness now that I'm finding my sea legs again.
And so.
It's June. I'm having a blast. I have wonderful men and women in my life. The Dodgers are in last place, but my days are spent watching nail biters. My teenagers make me happier than any other people on the planet…the oldest with his scholar (3.71 GPA) and sports abilities..too many to list, and my younger with his humor, his internet acumen, and hilarious rants about pickup trucks and Jason Aldean. Chet by my side whenever I'm home. This is a good life. Thank you God…for answering my prayers, and saying "No" when it was needed.
Today was a 6 mile tempo, tomorrow a 10 mile LSD run. Pancakes have been eaten, and I will try to sleep tonight again. Turning the corner, I'm planning to write more, now that I've broken the seal. Stay tuned.
2 Weeks Out
In two weeks, I'll toe the line again for a half marathon. The same race I've run so many times, and my comeback from last summer's injury. I've been patiently crossing off the workouts, and noticed today that there are so many S's on this page. A month ago, I had a 10 day illness that had me crazed from not being about to train. Two days ago, I woke with a similar scratchy throat feeling.
So. I'm 2 weeks out. Only one more long run of 9 miles on Wednesday coming up, but I can't shake that same feeling. I could have done more. I could have trained harder. These thoughts are followed by the notion that you cannot go back. You simply have to show up on race day with what you have.
The hay is in the barn, but it's sort of wobbly, stacked funny. I'm not sure if all the pistons will be firing correctly on that morning, but there is simply nothing to do about it now, except…go forward. I'm excited, no matter how the race comes out, because last summer, I was begging the gods for just one more chance. You have no idea how much you want to run…when you can't.


text:
Ted bares all
November 03, 2008
Anyone lucky enough to attend the recent Resistance 2 event hosted by Ted Price will know the Insomniac President and CEO is one of the genuine nice guys of the games industry.
Price is articulate, passionate, generous with his precious time and obviously a fantastic boss given the number of workplace awards Insomniac has won. (And after this recruitment video, who wouldn't want to work there?)
As well as joining Ted on a panel session at the Resistance 2 event when he visited Sydney, Screen Play caught up with him for the illuminating chat below.
In part one, I concentrate on learning more about Ted and his successful studio, covering topics like his role at Insomniac, the studio culture and the fight for recognition of games as an art form.
Part two (published tomorrow) covers topics like Insomniac's experiment with digital distribution, the appeal of shooters, Resistance 2's community features, innovation and storytelling.
Let's start a little more personally than usual. How do you view your role at Insomniac today - do you see yourself primarily as a creative person, or a businessman or a manager?
My role is dual. I'm the CEO, my job is to lead to company and help set the strategic direction for the company. But I'm also the creative director on the Resistance franchise. Our creative directors at Insomniac are more consensus builders than anything. Our job is to make sure people have a chance to speak up about what they like and don't like in the design and the stories and the weapons and the enemies, and then make the call on which direction we're going to go. Our job is not necessarily to be a dictator and say 'this is exactly how the game is going to be'. On the other hand, we're responsible for making sure the vision is consistent across the game and we don't lose sight of what's most important. Ultimately that comes down to the 'fun factor'.
So for me, I get bored easily, so its enjoyable to have multiple challenges at work. I'm blessed to be working with a fantastic team of very motivated people who love games and love making games. It makes my job easy.
So is there such a thing as a typical day for you?
Nope. Every day is different.
That's good. Insomniac keeps getting awarded as a great workplace. What makes it special or different?
I think a lot of it has to do with the relatively flat hierarchy at Insomniac. People when they come on board are encouraged to contribute creatively to any aspect of the games they want to. It doesn't matter if you are a programmer and you want to talk about design, it doesn't matter if you're an artist and you want to suggest improvements to our technology. We solicit all of that from all of the team members.
As a result, I think people feel a lot of ownership in the games that we create. It's not just a few key people driving the game, it's about a team effort all the time. I think that's the most important aspect of our culture at Insomniac.
But we also have a lot of other great perks. We have a great kitchen, we do fun things together as a team, we sail....
But it must be difficult when you have 100 members on a particular team for everyone to have an input...
We have about 180 people at Insomniac. Well, I don't think it's hard because, once again, it's not just about soliciting input from everybody. We give people on the team a lot of freedom to create their part of the game the way they see fit. One of the important aspects of being a creative director or project manager at Insomniac is to ensure everybody knows what the story is, knows what the art direction is, and people work within those rules to create their piece of the game. But they're not being micro-managed. We don't like it when people feel like they're a grist and they're just doing what somebody else tells them.
We get some of our best moments in the games from people who just say 'you know what would be really cool, what if we did a 300 foot tall enemy walking through Chicago?' That is the result of a couple of animators working with one of our gameplay programmers just to make a really cool gameplay experience.
How difficult has it been to keep the studio culture intact over the past few years when you've had such a dramatic increase in staff numbers because of the requirements of working on PS3? Has it been a big challenge?
No, we've grown relatively slowly over the last 15 years. The culture, we've certainly gone through some trying times where we were experimenting with different ways to build games and different ways to structure the company. But in every case we always came back to what I consider to be the traditional Insomniac feel. That is a highly collaborative, communicative environment. The thing that is important is that we all love making games. While some at Insomniac might not be the hardest of hardcore game players, they might like creating art, that might be their passion, they may be passionate about audio. We ensure that people's passions are reflected in the final outcome.
I guess some other developers might think it's easy for Insomniac to dish out cruises and massages and bonus cheques, it's easy for you guys because you have been very successful. It might not be so easy to be so good to your staff when money is tight and a studio is relying on work-for-hire jobs to survive. Many Australian studios are in that boat. What advice can you give them?
First of all, we've been very fiscally conservative over the years. Even though we do a lot of great things as a team, we don't spend irresponsibly either. It's been very important to me and a lot of the other guys at Insomniac to save money and to put a lot in our bank account and keep it there just in case things go wrong, for stability's sake.
The advice I would have is making games is hard, but if you focus on making games about which you are passionate, and your pour your energies into the right type of game, then you will succeed. What we have found is that if you pursue a direction that doesn't feel right with the game design, you're destined for failure. We've certainly done that. There have been several times where we have had false starts and we really pushed hard on a particular idea and it just didn't feel right. And it wasn't until we killed the idea and started afresh that we managed to succeed. So another piece of advice would be to not be afraid to kill your ideas, because ultimately that might get you a lot further in the end.
You do almost everything in-house, yet have been able to churn out four high quality PS3 games in a couple of years since the PS3 launch. No other studio has been able to do that. What's been the secret to that?
I think doing the tech in-house is a big part of that.
That's the opposite of what some people might expect...
Yeah, we're not reliant on outside vendors to provide our technology and we can move more quickly that way. As a result we get to make some significant gains in our technology from game to game. We also have tools that we develop internally so if things break we can fix them very quickly. That ensures less iteration time and means that everyone is generally very productive. We're always moving forward, not stuck.
What does your role as chairman of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences involve?
I'm no longer chairman. I was chairman a few years ago, I'm vice chairman now. I've been a board member for a long time, a board that helps set the direction for the academy.
Not many Australians would know about the academy. What's its role?
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' role is to promote games as an art form. We do that in a few ways. We have the Interactive Achievement Awards every year where we hold up the best and brightest games as voted on by games developers and members of the academy. We also hold a conference called DICE in Vegas, which is our attempt to bring designers and industry luminaries and people outside the industry together for a one track conference where people can hopefully be inspired to design new and fresh approaches to games.
Does the organisation get involved in any of the political campaigns waged at present?
No the academy is not political. It's a non-profit organisation, we are primarily focused on promoting games as art. On the other hand, academy members are, for sure, involved in various ways.
Can an organisation like the academy really not be political? I mean, the cause of furthering games as art could be considered a political one. In Australia the games industry is currently battling for a common classification system with film, and for the same tax breaks that film producers enjoy...
In the United States there's an organisation called the Electronic Software Association which is responsible for fighting those battles. And many of us have in the past helped with those battles. That's one of the differences between those organisations. And the ESA, in its former incarnation as the IDSA (Interactive Digital Software Association) helped fund the academy's beginnings. So there has always been a link between the two organisations.
To me the fights we are having in Australia and your goal for recognition of games as an art form are very similar, they are both really a battle for legitimacy of the industry and the medium. Do you think cultural recognition of gaming is something that will just come in time and is something we should just wait for, or is it something that we should fight for?
Both. In think that in 10 or 15 years when we have more gamers in legislative positions it will be easier for us to combat anti-video game legislation. On the other hand it's really important for us all now to be vigilant and help strike down laws that, at least in America, are unconstitutional. That abridge creator's rights. That treat games differently to other forms of entertainment.
It is really, in my opinion, patently unfair that games become the scapegoat for society's ills simply because it's the newest form of entertainment and it's an easy target. The reality is we have better rating systems than just about any form of entertainment. And as long as parents pay attention to the rating system they can ensure that their kids are not playing inappropriate material. I mean, there's a reason why games are marked M for mature.
I think we also have a very good track record in America. There are recent studies that show a very large percentage of games are sold to the appropriate age group. I don't think I stated that right... What I'm trying to say is that the rating system has been very effective. It's unfortunate when politicians use games for their own political gains.
Resistance 2 is gorier than any of your previous games. Is it in the back of your mind...
To court controversy? No.
Or do you ever feel that you should tone things down to appease the critics?
Not at all. It's mature rated entertainment, adult-rated entertainment. If you are under 17 years old you should not be playing Resistance. Pure and simple. In my opinion, it's up to parents to regulate what their kids play. I don't think its appropriate for the government to step in and restrict how games are distributed. I think that will have a chilling effect on the industry, especially in this economic climate. We don't need that.
I asked this question of Cliff Bleszinski earlier in the week, and you have a similarly high profile so it's appropriate for you too. There are a lot of people in the industry that say we need more articulate and visionary developers to speak out, to inspire and challenge others, to help the industry keep moving forwards and generate press coverage. But then some sections of the specialist media like to lambast some of the most interesting, vocal and passionate designers. Does that frustrate you? Are you comfortable with your position as one of the most high-profile developers in the industry?
I'm flattered that you think that. I don't think I'm the most high profile person, not even close to it. Because I'm the CEO of Insomniac and because I'm creative director on Resistance, I tend to be out there talking about our games more than anyone else but... I guess I have never thought of myself as a leading industry figure. I think it's necessary for people to be talking about the importance of games as an art form and to be educating non-gamers about why games are important to our culture. And how important they have become.
I think its interesting that probably most of our parents, certainly people that are maybe 10 or 15 years older than I am, really don't understand games at all. If people like Cliff or I can maybe demystify games a bit by explaining what we are trying to do with the designs, maybe that will help. It may help generations connect a bit better over what is currently the biggest pastime for people under 20 years old - gaming.
Post a comment
Comments Terms & Conditions
When posting comments on our blogs, you agree to be bound by our terms and conditions. Comments that are offensive, defamatory, unsuitable or that breach any aspects of the terms and conditions will be deleted.
Recent comments
- Gimmo
- November 03, 2008
I should really get around to playing Resistance one day. If only I had a PS3...
*Brainstorms Your Turn ideas for 72 hours straight*
- DexX
- November 03, 2008
Sydney-based Screenies were raving about Ted the other week.
He sounds like a fantastically well-balanced bloke - passionate and visionary, but sensible and practical too.
Molyneux should take notes. ;)
- Anthony
- November 03, 2008
He's too well balanced DexX!
I couldn't think of a single comment I wanted to post, his answers are all too clear and concise. XD
- InstinctSage
- November 03, 2008
That man wears a lot of hats! CEO and Creative designer.
The move from platformers like Spyro/Ratchet & Clank to a shooter like Resistance shows the versatility of the Insomniac engine.
I wonder how many projects they've canned, since everything they've released has been praised by critics.
- Michael
- November 03, 2008
Complete fan of the insomniacs. I'm most impressed with their technical drive and achievements - for example, they were excited to get their hands on the CELL and make it do its thing. Unlike some other `incurious and intellectually lazy' developers around. The presentations and papers on their site are a very interesting read, if you're into that kind of thing.
An obviously nice bunch of guys, passionate and driven, and able to make software that works well, on time and within budget. And they just keep churning out these quality titles at an alarming rate. A role model for us coders out there.
- Misty
- November 03, 2008
I wonder if one of the factors that helps Insomniac's development process is that they focus only on the one platform? As far as I know, they have only developed games for Sony's Playstation consoles. Ted mentioned they were able to give input on the PS3's development and release one of its launch titles due to their exclusivity.
- Lok
- November 03, 2008
Being exclusive as a developer, as far as I'm concerned, helps the games heaps. You know the console's limits and how to make a game fun on it without worrying about other consoles. It also helps in that less time is spent worrying about it on all consoles and gives more time to development.
- Anthony
- November 03, 2008
Yeah, that sort of involvement would do wonders for understanding the tech. That said, it's actually very unusual for a company to do that in itself.
From my understanding, most development mobs tend to only get involved in Console development at the beta programming development kit stage, if that.
- Misty
- November 03, 2008
@ Anthony
Yeah, that was the impression I got from the Resistance 2 event too. Sony may have actually done some different stuff in the PS3's dev stage (like listening to game developers) to make the final product a bit special. I think we've yet to see the true potential of this console, and when it does start to show I'll probably buy one.
- InstinctSage
- November 03, 2008
I have to agree Misty,
You often hear of developers having trouble making games 'work' for the PS3, but while the 360s limitations are clear cut (storage on DVD medium + cost per disc + no guarantee of HDD in the box), the PS3 architecture does actually have the ability to do more than it's doing.
But then, it's the same story with every console. You look at early releases on the Mega drive and SNES, the Playstation and PS2, compared to releases nearer the end of their respective lifecycles and the difference in quality is always startling.
Comments Terms & Conditions
When posting comments on our blogs, you agree to be bound by our terms and conditions. Comments that are offensive, defamatory, unsuitable or that breach any aspects of the terms and conditions will be deleted.
Video games are the new pop. Australians now spend more money on shooters and sims than hip hop and punk rock. Debate the latest news and trends in interactive entertainment with award-winning games writer Jason Hill.
Recent Entries
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006


text:
The Royal Estate of Tatoi is situated in a densely wooded southeast-facing slope of Mount Parnitha.
King George I started buying property in this area in 1871 or 1872, with the intention to build there, his summer residence. The construction of the main building was finished in 1888 and until the end of the 19th century the estate had over 15 auxiliary buildings. Initially it was used as a summer house but after 1948 and until 1967 the Greek Royal Family used it as permanent residence.
Today the estate is abandoned, looted and most of the buildings are dilapidated. In June 2007 the Greek governement decided to turn the former palace and grounds into a museum, but until today very little has been done.


text:
By: Team SFMC — Jillian Noelle Ellis
Earlier this month, Jillian Ellis and Theresa Coates Ellis of Team SFMC spent a Saturday morning with the Bull Run Rotary constructing a sculpture of canned food for the GFWC Woman's Club's first annual Extrava-CAN-za Challenge!
Each participating club was responsible for building a Train themed sculpture made from canned goods. When the judging was complete, all of the canned goods were donated to the hungry! It was a creative way for local clubs to help food banks fill their shelves at this time of year.
The Extrava-CAN-za Challenge took place at the 2017 Manassas Railway festival. Attendees enjoyed realistic model train displays, music and food trucks!
Congratulations to the Manasss Lioness Lions Club for winning the Peoples Choice Award and the Lake Jackson Lions Club for receiving the Mayors Award!


text:
Our PGA Professional
The Dunes is pleased to announce the addition of our new 1st Assistant Golf Professional, Mike Abbenante who is also available for private and group instruction.
Three Key Pre-Swing Fundamentals
From Ryan Hagerman, PGA
I like to keep golf simple. Get a routine and stick with it. This easy pre-shot routine has always served me well. It encompasses everything PGA Professionals like me stand for, literally. Here is a simple technique to try the next time you are here at The Dunes hitting practice balls:
Posture: Stand tall and athletic like you are about to guard someone in basketball. Bend at the hips so that your sternum goes down and your seat goes out until your arms hang naturally. Unlock your knees and you are ready for the next step.
Grip: Put your right index finger into the palm of your left hand and wrap the fingers of your left hand around it. Try to pull the finger out. Comes right out, doesn't it? Now, put your right index finger into the fingers of your left hand and wrap the fingers of your left hand around it. Try to pull your finger out now. You will pull your finger out of the socket before that finger will come out. Tells us that our fingers are strong and our palms are very weak. Let's get the grip on your club into the fingers of both hands.
Alignment: Set a club on the ground aimed at where you want your ball to go. Take a second club and put it parallel to the first club about 1 foot apart. Pick up the first club and you have an aiming club. Align your clubface, feet, knees, hips and shoulders at 90 degree angles to the aiming club and you are now aimed at your target. Now you can judge you practice shots and analyze the errors. If the ball goes left it is probably the clubface is closed at impact or the path of the club is outside to inside. If the ball goes right of target the face is either open at impact or the path of the club was outside to inside.
With just a little practice, this technique will have you in control of your golf ball and playing like the pros in no time!


text:
The First Horizon Award
Each year, the Eric Hoffer Award presents the First Horizon Award for superior work by debut authors (i.e the first published book of any type by the author). This is an additional distinction beneath the Eric Hoffer Award umbrella.
"The passionate pursuer has all the earmarks of a fugitive."
Upon registering for the Eric Hoffer Award, a book by a first time author is automatically considered for the First Horizon Award. In the spring, the First Horizon finalists are announced. The First Horizon Award was introduced in 2012. Recipients can be viewed below. Detailed coverage of current winners can be found in the US Review of Books.
* A Dreadful Fairy Book, Jon Etter, Amberjack Publishing
* A Spiritual Hypothesis, Daniel Punzak, P.E., AuthorHouse
* Baby X, Rebecca Ann Smith, Mother's Milk Books
* Adrift in a Vanishing City, Vincent Czyz, Rain Mountain Press
* At-Risk, Amina Gautier, University of Georgia Press
* A Song of Praise for Shifu, Susan J. Byrd, The Legacy Press
* Buried in the Sky, Peter Zuckerman & Amanda Padoan, WW Norton
* 52 People, Jayson Krause, Driven By Passion Press


text:
Free Reign would be, under normal circumstances, a "decent" rock act. They will never win a Grammy, they will never be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, nor will they ever fill a stadium… at least, not as musicians.
But, for a nu-metal-type rock-act, Free Reign is anything but ordinary.
Comprised of three Dallas Cowboys offensive linemen/ apparent metal-heads, and one lead guitarist, the act is dubbed as "heavier than metal," a description that is clearly apt when you look at bassist Leonard "Bigg" Davis.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Davis, who you may have seen crushing defenders with a vengeance on Sundays as the Dallas Cowboys' right guard, stands 6 feet 6 inches and weighs about as much as a jet ski.
Davis, along with tackle Marc Colombo (vocals, rhythm guitar), left guard Cory Procter (drums) and Justin Chapman (lead guitar), will make their debut on April 3 at the Granada Theater in Dallas.
Colombo, who played rhythm guitar for the heavy metal acts Blackmuff and the Metal Mercs previously, is the front man and leader of the quartet and no stranger to the bombastic drive of good metal; he lists Metallica's James Hetfield as his greatest influence.
Musically, Free Reign is probably better than anyone would guess. Their Myspace page boasts two songs ("Last Goodbye" and "All in Vain") that, at worst, are pretty good.
That's not to say that the band will win any approval in the world of hipster record-store employees, but it's (at least) as good as any so-called novelty act I've ever heard.
And even if you don't like Free Reign's lyrical stylings, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that no critic will tell them to their faces. If the Grammy Awards add the category, "Most Physically Intimidating Group Act," well, then, I'd have to change the second sentence of this piece.
But first things first; Free Reign will play their first show at the Granada on Friday, co-headlining the bill with local act Shorelines End. If the stage can hold under the gargantuan figures of the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line (and if you're willing to spend $10), you might just see a pretty good rock show.
And if not, I'd respectfully and sincerely advise against booing.


text:
using Family Tree, Two Inch Circles - Debrina Pratt
and DP232 - Debrina Pratt collage sheets
by Retro Cafe Art Gallery
This month, we are pleased to have Retro Cafe Art Gallery as our generous March sponsor. Retro Cafe Art Gallery is an oasis for the altered artist. They carry altered art supplies, collage sheets and images, vintage finds, handcrafted jewelry, and original art. Find out more at their fabulous website - www.RetroCafeArt.com.
We are excited to have Laura Carson with us throughout this month as our March Muse. She is a fabulous collage, altered arts and mixed media arts. We are sure that you will fall in love with her beautiful vintage style and wonderfully imaginative designs. To find out more about Laura, come back on Saturday when we showcase her wonderful art. If you can't wait, check out Laura's blog, Artfully Musing.
For our last Visiting Artists as Gingersnap Creations, we are delighted to welcome Cheri Weston for the first time and welcome back Brenda Brown. We can't wait to see what they create this month as they help us out with our last challenges!
Coming up in March:
~ 3 regular challenges including Chestnut Theme, Spicy Supply, and Random Redhead and this time you get to choose the Ginger Gems!
~ 5 more wrap-ups with more stunning Ginger Gem art and 5 new Home Page Artists
- our 4th Annual Copper, Ginger and Rust Challenge where we challenge you to show your Gingersnapper Spirit
~ a Muse Spotlight with Laura Carson, collage and mixed media artist, who will share some of her inspiring work with us
~ a visit with Kristin Hubick, owner of Retro Cafe Art Gallery, in a sponsor spotlight, who will also be joining us to show us some great art later in the month
~ some wonderful tutorials by Suzanne Brookfield and Deb Corder
We hope you join us throughout March as we celebrate family and heritage!


text:
Past events
The Unsaturated
May 15, 2015
Location: Kunsthalle, Helskinki
A conversation about contemporary art practice between Belgian artist Carsten Höller and Daniel Birnbaum, director of the Moderna Museet.
Participants: Carsten Höller (SV), Daniel Birnbaum (SV)
Play Today
May 9, 2015
Location: Kunsthalle Helsinki
Presentations and discussion addressing issues of play and technology, design, and neuroscience for children born today – the first digital-native generation.
Participants: Linda Liukas (Hello Ruby, FI), Hugo Liu (US)
Principles of Play
Children's Workshop
May 9, 2015
Location: Kunsthalle, Helskinki
If computer code is the Lego block of our time – a tool of creation – how do we teach curiosity, joy, and wonder to our kids? Hello Ruby founder Linda Liukas will lead three workshops with children aged 5-9 to teach tech to kids.
Participants: Linda Liukas (Hello Ruby, FI)
Guggenheim Helsinki Live
Public Discussion
May 7, 2015
Location: Kunsthalle Helsinki
Demos Helsinki presented the outcomes of the discussions of the previous Guggenheim Helsinki Live events and mediated open conversation with Laura Kolbe, Leonard Ma, and Troy Therrien on the subject of participatory planning and urbanism in practice.
The event was held in Finnish and English.
Participants: Laura Kolbe (Helsinki City Council Member, FI), Leonard Ma (Architect, FI), Juha Leppänen (DEMOS Helsinki, FI), Maria Ritola (DEMOS Helsinki, FI), Troy Conrad Therrien (Guggenheim, US)
Difference and Repetition: A Roundtable on Architecture, Society and Competition
April 26, 2015
Location: Museum of Finnish Architecture
Juulia Kauste, Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, and Troy Conrad Therrien, Curator of Architecture and Digital Initiatives at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and curator of Guggenheim Helsinki Now, will moderate a roundtable discussion about the function of competitions in contemporary architecture and the role of architects in society.
Participants: Bjarke Ingels (BIG, DK/US), Jeanne Gang (Studio Gang Architects, US), Marco Steinberg (Snowcone, FI), Pentti Kareoja (Ark-House, FI), Riina Palva (Verstas, FI), Juulia Kauste (Museum of Finnish Architecture, FI), Troy Conrad Therrien (Guggenheim, US)
BIG Gang
April 25, 2015
Location: Ateneum Hall / Ateneum Art Museum
Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Principal of BIG Bjarke Ingels Group, and Jeanne Gang, Founder and Principal of Studio Gang Architecture and a member of the jury for the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition, will deliver lectures on their work, followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by Pekka Timonen, General Secretary of the Centenary of Finland's Independence 2017, FI. The program will be introduced by Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.
Participants: Bjarke Ingels (BIG, DK/US), Jeanne Gang (Studio Gang Architects, US), Richard Armstrong (Guggenheim, US), Pekka Timonen (the Centenary of Finland's Independence 2017, FI)


text:
Currency Displayed in
Corporate Flags
Make a lasting impression on future clients by branding your space/building. Historically flags have been used to rally support or show boundaries. The easiest and most economical way to brand your building or space is through a custom flag with your corporate logo or message.
Consider using a flag or banner for:
|• Corporate Branding
• Special Events
• Parades
• Sports and Recreation
• Ceremonies
• Commemorations
• Decorations
|• Real Estate
• Automobile and Truck Flags for Parades and Delivery Vehicles
• Hand Held Custom Flags for Parades and Events
• Beach and Tear Drop banners
All flags come with a header and grommets for display or with pole hem and tab for mounting to an indoor pole set for ceremonies or display. Custom finishes are available.
Let our design experts help you create a new flag or bring us your existing design (in vector format) for a quality flag that can be displayed anywhere.
Need any help or advice? Call us today at 877-935-3524 X234 or Request a Quote and our staff will assist you with any questions you have.
All prices are in USD.


text:
Go to…
King's remains fully committed to being a multicultural, international university and our European students are a very important part of our community.
The Prime Minister, Theresa May has now triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which formally marks the start of the negotiation process for the UK's exit from the European Union. There is still much uncertainty about the future, but we hope things will now start to become clearer.
We embrace diversity and are international to the core. We are enormously proud of all our students and staff, wherever they are from in the world. Since the referendum, the university community has come together to provide support for all those impacted by Brexit. We have been working closely with students to make sure we focus on their needs and concerns.
We understand that many people will have concerns about the future, but it might be helpful for us all to reflect on some of the things that we do know at present:
You will be able to find regular updates on this webpage and if you would like to speak to someone at King's, please get in touch with us on 020 7836 5454.
Last updated: 11am, 9 July 2018
Full list of student events
Learn more about the degree programmes on offer at King's. Download or view a prospectus in PDF format.
Undergraduate prospectus
Postgraduate guide
Receive email updates about our courses, events, fees and funding, studying in London, how to apply and more.
Sign up
Browser does not support script.


text:
Commenter Gen Kanai contacted me a few nights ago asking about whether I would talk about the "Light Mellow" series of CDs since I've often referred to them on specific articles. And seeing that I've written on a couple of other series "Good Times Diva" and "Seishun Uta Nenkan"(青春歌年鑑), I went "Why not?"
Unlike those first two series which I found out about when I was living in Japan at the turn of the century, "Light Mellow" was something I discovered after returning home to Toronto for good; I had a chance encounter with one of their campaign YouTube videos and listening to the sample tracks on one of its albums "Breeze", I realized that the series concentrated on J-AOR and City Pop. The love lights suddenly flashed on in my head! Plus that title and the calming design of the cover had me thinking air freshener...and I do love me a good air freshener.
To make another comparison with "Good Times Diva" and "Seishun Uta Nenkan", the various songs from the "Light Mellow" series are not Oricon-friendly hits and mostly fall within the underwater 90% of that J-Pop iceberg which I've found to be the case with the genres of J-AOR and City Pop. There are a few songs that have become recognizable to listeners at large but the vast majority of them are tunes that are either somewhat more obscure album-only tracks by famous singers such as EPO and Masayuki Suzuki(鈴木雅之)or complete revelations to me by folks that I had never heard about. Basically for me and the blog, "Light Mellow" has been quite the manna from heaven!
I've also already spoken of some of the songs on the blog because I discovered them through "Light Mellow" such as "Parallel=" (パラレル=) by Fumiya Sashida(指田郁也)and "Day Dreamin'" by little-known R&B unit Chocolate Lips, and one of the nice things about the series has been that producers have been able to put up tracks that had never been committed to CD before such as that latter song. For those who have enjoyed listening to some of the Future Funk or whatever they're calling those certain remixes these days by Artzie Music or Yung Bae, I would say that this series could be a nice medium to find out where they all began. But heck, anyone who likes their Steely Dan or Doobie Brothers and doesn't mind the Japanese language can get into "Light Mellow".
According to their website, the series was released during the years of 2014 and 2015 and if I have counted correctly, a total of 24 compilation albums have been released. But as you can also see above, the producers also released albums focusing on specific artists of the genre. Up to this point, I've been able to get a few of those discs and hopefully I can procure a few more.


text:
Lip Liquid - 7 Naturals Collection
Assortment of Natural pigments and dyes predispersed in Castor Oil. Perfect for lippie projects.
The pack includes: Pigment Black, Chocolate Brown, Pigment Red, Pigment Yellow, Pigment Mauve, Pigment White, and Carmine Dye (formerly Natural Red).
- Details
- What's included?
Our predispersed liquids are not only easier to use and less messy than working with powders (which we also sell), they have been specially milled to make sure that the pigments and dyes are well-dispersed into the oil. As a result, there is no chance of grittiness or "blooms" of color which are the result of a dye or pigment that has been poorly dispersed (or hand-mixed) into the oil.
Recommended Add-On
Twist Top Spout for 2-16 fluid ounce bottle
Twist Top Spout for 32 fluid ounce bottle
Recommended dosage:4 drops per 4 grams lip stick base for Pigment Black, Chocolate Brown, Pigment Red, Pigment Yellow, Pigment Mauve, and Pigment White 15 drops per 4 grams lip stick basefor Annatto Dye (formerly Natural Yellow), and Carmine Dye (formerly Natural Red).Our Lip Liquids may also be used in other projects such as soaps, lotions, etc. Anything where there is an oil phase.


text:
It is well-understood at this point that even basic personalization, like using customers' individual names, can substantially increase open and response rates for physical and digital mail.
"The pursuit of data is really the pursuit of relevant communications," says Dan Kohn, vice president of corporate marketing at Pitney Bowes, which recently conducted a survey of consumers in France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. and their feelings about the collection of personal information.
Kohn says that the Pitney Bowes survey found that consumers are aware of the value of their data, and they also value their privacy.
That study concluded that, at best, consumers view such communications as pushy.
In extreme cases, customers feel threatened that companies know so much about them.
Also, a recent McCann Worldwide Group report found that 56 percent of respondents said that when they consider sharing data with a company, a commitment from that company to not share personal information with a third party was of critical importance.
Kohn says that successful marketers must recognize appropriately requesting data and applying it to make customers feel valued is a balancing act.
Inappropriately requesting too much information or applying information in ways not connected to your message can give consumers an uneasy feeling about your brand.
The Pitney Bowes survey found that only 10 percent of respondents were unwilling to share their date of birth, 13 percent were unwilling to share their postal address, 14 percent were unwilling to share their email address and 22 percent were unwilling to share their bank details.
Of these intimate data, consumers are most free with their sexual preferences: only 45 percent of consumers are unwilling to share their sexual preferences.
Political persuasion is the most closely held data: Fully 76 percent of consumers are unwilling to share information about their politics.
"Every marketer must begin with full compliance with all security and privacy regulations in his or her country," Kohn says.
Consumers are looking for a two-way, value-creating conversation, not just an offer."
When it comes to collecting and leveraging Big Data for customer communications, Kohn recommends the following data management steps: "Ensure compliance with all local and federal data regulations and keep up with current legislation.
Automated Summary from: CIO.com


text:
This BreckInsider Calendar is brought to you by:
Thursday Night RidesThursday, August 29, 2019 from 05:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Event Details
Breckenridge, Colorado, United States, 80424
Come join RMU Breck every Thursday night starting June 13th-September 5th at 5pm for a fun evenening ride starting and ending at RMU with live music and one free beer per participant every week!
Cost & Tickets
RMU Tavern & Beer Garden
Organizer website
RMU Tavern and Beer Garden
Breckenridge, Colorado, United States
*Events and specials may change or be canceled at any time and without notice. Always confirm details and hours directly with the business or organization before arriving. If you know something is wrong on this page, please click here to report an error.
*With any discount or special, please be sure to tip on the FULL, PRE-DISCOUNT TOTAL (this is what "Tip on the original" means)!
Exercise your body and your mind right here in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado! Use this page to find health, fitness, yoga, cycling, and wellness activities and events in Breck.


text:
Heavy Rebel Weekender
15 years and counting! See this week's Relish for more info!!
15 years and counting! See this week's Relish for more info!!
WS's first ART Park Grand Opening and Dedication Celebration is Saturday, May 9th. Location: Liberty Street between 6th & 7th in Winston-Salem This is Winston-Salem's first and only "Art Park" created with private funds through AFAS – Art for Art's Sake. Saturday's Grand Opening schedule: 8:00 AM Mural Painting by 11 Artists begins. 1:00 PM Gates open!! Food Trucks on Liberty. Live Music Live Body Painting Mime Living Statue, Face Painting, Bubble Station All-day mural painting by 11 artists continues. 2:00 – ARTivity Dedication 2:30 – Live Music Resumes and the Park is officially opened to the community.Come out Continue reading
Any of these events would be cause for celebration. But All of them in one month?? Now, that's cause to be merry in the month of May 2015 !! First Friday Gallery Hop MayDay, Friday May 1st saw the monthly DADA Gallery Hop. It was a beautiful evening and lots of people came out to enjoy gallery show openings.and artist receptions. Arts on Sunday Sunday, May 3rd, was the first of this year's Arts on Sunday festival series, featuring to-die-for rock and roll by the area's finest rock and rollers that performed as the Luxuriant Sedans. Plus dozens of artists Continue reading
ARTivity on the Green, a Public Art Initiative of the AFAS Group Construction is in progress at ARTivity on the Green! The city's first public art park is located on Liberty Street near 7th Street. The park will serve as a link between the Downtown Arts District and the Innovation Quarter. Plus, it will encourage further development in the 500 and 600 blocks of Liberty Street. More info on this exciting project can be found at http://www.theafasgroup.com/publicartinitiative #AFASGroup #PublicArt #ARTivityOntheGreen #ArtsDistrict #InnovationQuarter #DowntownWS #teamAFAS


text:
This is where you can stay up to date with all our investor reports and publications, from quarterly results and analyst presentations to the Annual Report and Accounts, and more.
Find our latest quarterly results, search all results and presentations going back to 2002, watch investor webcasts and find out about upcoming events.
View an archive of Unilever presentations and speeches.
We're always looking to connect with those who share an interest in a sustainable future.
Get in touch with Unilever and specialist teams in our headquarters, or find contacts around the world.Contact us