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February 21, 2014
Find yourself tipping more than you used to? You're not alone. The "act of tipping" has actually become easier with all the newly available apps and payment systems. And, apparently, taking the hard work away from figuring out what 15% of $58 is, for example, has made people tip in larger increments than ever before.
Here's why. According to a recent article in Marketwatch, many of the new apps offer suggestions — providing the user with a choice of three tipping options: 15%, 18% and 20%. Because most people don't want to look cheap, but also think 20% is too much, the majority choose the middle value, which is probably more than they would have given in the past. Also, by making the math easy (really easy), it takes away from the annoyance and frustration of figuring something out.
Touching a screen to find your answer is also less taxing than pulling cash out of your pocket. There may be some "guilt" involved — especially when the vendor is standing right in front of you. New York City cabs, for example, used to be a full cash business. You would see the fare, pull your bills out, and then give the driver whatever might be left over. Today, many drivers use a payment system like Square, directly from a tablet, which might suggest as much as 20% or even 30% as a base tip. Pressing a button or swiping a pad — often leads to larger amounts.
While in general, people are tipping more, the digital suggestions can only push it so far. If percentages are set higher than what a consumer would view as reasonable, a backlash could ensue with the buyer tipping below what they would have normally.
Ultimately, the decision to leave a tip or not, and how high remains with you, the consumer. And, if you really think someone deserves more than usual due to great service, it's up to you (not an app) to deliver it.
Posted February 21, 2014 by Liann Walborsky
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In my day (I'm a 70s baby) we wore mostly brown and orange. Lego was only produced in primary colours, and bikes, in general, were red, blue or white. Pink was just another colour.
Fast-forward a few decades and pink has become the epitome of femininity and used to market everything; from toys and clothes to razors and even pens 'for women'. (True story). And, if you venture into the baby aisle in Asda you will be literally pinked round the face whilst the boys' aisle is filled with baby blue. Pink outsells white and other colours by a huge percentage which is partly why retailers keep on pumping out the pink, but the sheer volume of the colour in favour over all others is somewhat disheartening and oh so limiting, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Girls and boys have increasingly been polarised into stereotyped boxes and told what they should like. Boys like dinosaurs, robots and monsters. Girls like princesses, butterflies and glitter. But what if they don't?
There is nothing wrong with pink princesses, but there is so much more to girls than that. Equally, there is nothing wrong with snarling Marvel characters, but there is so much more to boys than that.
In an ideal utopia, a purists' paradise, there would be no gender stereotypes whatsoever; no labelling as 'girly' or 'boyish' and, crucially, no signs, aisles or gender-based departments. There would simply be unisex options with all children free to choose what to wear and what to play with, without being limited by retail or societal definitions of what is 'for a boy' and what is 'for a girl'. Everything would just be 'for children'.
I love this idealistic notion, although I do believe there are other ways to tackle gender stereotypes en route to this vision. Ever since my daughter was three and expressing her likes and dislikes, I have been miffed by her being unable to find what she liked in the girls' aisle; whilst in contrast, the boys' aisles have dulled-down their colour schemes and focused on roaring fighty 'here comes trouble' slogans and motifs. Of course, I do what many people do, I bought (and still buy) the majority of my daughter's clothes from the boys' aisle, occasionally stumbling upon a purple or green t-shirt buried amongst the pink in the aisle deemed as suitable for her own gender.
That said, I know many of her female friends, the majority in fact, who LOVE the overtly 'girly' toys and clothes on offer in the girls section who do, like it or not, fit the stereotype. Some of them like dinosaurs, climbing trees and Star Wars too, but some of them really don't and opt for pink butterflies and princesses by default.
Crucially, NONE of these girls are wrong. What is wrong is when retailers/society tell them that they are wrong for liking/playing with/wearing something that is 'girly' or 'for boys'. And in our dreams for a unisex society which is not limited or restricted by gender stereotypes, we should remember that retailers ought to cater to all tastes, across the entire spectrum of what it means to be a child. (We don't want girls who DO fit the stereotype to feel ostracised for being themselves; just as we don't want girls who don't fit the stereotype to feel that way, as Amanda Deibert points out wonderfully on XOJane in her blog about why she doesn't want her daughter to hate pink).
Thankfully, the increasingly limited definitions of what it means to be a girl or boy has generated a growing movement of mums who have been roused to take action and do something about it in various ways.
Indeed having struggled for years to find clothes in the girls' aisle that my 7 year old dinosaur-loving football-fanatic daughter loved, she and I decided to launch our own range of brightly coloured bold t-shirts featuring the dinosaurs, monsters and pirates that were once exclusive to boys' clothing, but which would sit comfortably in the girls' aisle and appeal to all girls.
In doing so, http://www.ClimbingTreesKids.com (which launched in June 2015) aims to give children a choice not previously offered to them whilst enabling them to escape the limited definitions that they are boxed into. And, in so doing, empowering those girls who are told 'that's for boys' with the chance to say, 'actually, it's for girls too! Look!'
In order to do that we decided to design a range that would appeal to ALL girls, whose preferences range from one end of the spectrum to the other. So our range features cute dinosaurs carrying flowers and splashing in puddles; female robots with bows on their antennae and hearts on their monitors; a feisty girl pirate, a snazzy She-Rex and a rainbow rocket, all designed by independent up-and-coming British designers and screen printed here in the UK.
We purposefully chose to feature girls wearing our tops and to go on a mission to empower girls to be all they can be for two reasons. Firstly, because I have a daughter and the lack of dinosaur tops for girls was our absolute WHY and reason for starting up in the first place. Secondly, we wanted to ensure that we didn't dilute our primary message of giving girls a choice not previously offered to them.
Vitally though, although we chose to feature female models and add subtle 'feminine' touches to a couple of our designs in order to make a point, we are not saying our range is FOR GIRLS ONLY. We are saying our range is FOR GIRLS TOO. That's an important definition. We know that some boys love our range and much prefer our brightly coloured tees to the dark and dingy colourways on offer in the boys' aisle. As such we are purposefully ClimbingTreesKids.com.
Indeed, my daughter's friend Elliot features on the site wearing his favourite colour pink monster top from our range - because boys like pink too (yes we have one out of 7 tops in hot fuscia pink because we have nothing against pink, just a lot against pink as the primary and sometimes only option). We also link to a number of websites who are part of the movement; doing their bit by providing boys with more choice (e.g. via HandsomeInPink, MyPrincessBoy and SelfishMother.com).
Of course, consequently, we knew that by adding a subtle 'girly' twist to a couple of tops in our range of six t-shirts some 'unisex-only' campaigners might feel that we are in fact perpetuating gender stereotypes. Yet we feel so passionately about providing a choice to girls that is not currently offered, we decided that was a risk worth taking. Ultimately, we are on the same team. We have found one way to provide girls with a choice not currently offered to them and are pro-actively taking a step forward to flag up the issue of gender-based limitations and reclaim stereotypical motifs 'for all'.
Others might wonder why we don't just continue to get my daughter's clothes from the boys' aisle rather than go to all this trouble to create an alternative solution. And of course, we shall. Frankly, we have no other choice, and therein lies the point and our raison d'etre – lack of choice.
Currently, generally (with ClimbingTreesKids.com and a handful of others the exception) in order to get clothes featuring dinosaurs, rockets and pirates, my daughter can only find those in the boys aisle; she can't buy those clothes from the girls aisle. That's why we decided to take that first step on the journey towards gender-neutrality; towards that utopian unisex ideal where there are no gender-labels. That first step to provide a choice where none existed before – to create a range of tops featuring those motifs that had, until now, been reserved exclusively 'for boys only' that could fit perfectly well in the like-it-or-not-still-feminine-girls-aisle.
And so that's what we did.
It's a first step and, as such, it's a step forward, onward and upward. In doing this, we can provide dinosaur tops to the whole broad spectrum of girl – at one end of the spectrum, those Star-Wars-Ninjago-loving girls (like my daughter) who prefer to shop in the boys' aisle and curl their noses up at Barbies and baby pink and, at the other end of the spectrum, those girls who embrace their in-built femininity (yes – it exists for many and shouldn't be dismissed) who fit into the pink-princess stereotype that retailers box the entirety of girlhood into; plus all other girls in-between (i.e. those who like dressing up as princesses/playing My Little Pony one day and playing Knights and football and climbing trees the next) – something that ALL GIRLS can choose from their OWN aisle, without having to venture into the boys aisle to find the clothes they love. And that is why we chose to add a few subtle elements to our designs which might appeal to those girls who do like those things.
As an active girl who loves sport (especially football, with which she is significantly obsessed) this whole pro-active 'taking action' thing has been empowering for my daughter and I.
And, to receive messages and photos from customers saying how happy their little girl (who loves her dinosaurs and dolls equally) is to wear a dinosaur top that is 'made for her' rather than having to borrow her brother's all the time. That makes the journey worthwhile.
In business it's hard to be all things to all people. You need a niche and you need to solve a problem. The problem we are striving to solve is that there weren't any dinosaur/pirate/rocket or robot tops in the girls' aisle; so we created some. And if giving girls a choice that they didn't have before is wrong; if showing little girls that those motifs are NOT just for boys only but for girls too is wrong, frankly… we don't want to be right. :-)
One day (hopefully) there will be no aisles – just a children's section where uber-feminine/uber-masculine and unisex clothing mingles together without labelling (because we cannot get rid of pink princesses or snarly characters, as they are just as valid for some children as anything else).
Just as girls and boys preferences range from one end of the spectrum to the other, so should the full spectrum of colours of the rainbow be accessible for all children. No more pink or pastels or brights and princesses for girls only and no more blue or dark and dinosaurs for boys only.
Step one – make the former available for boys too; and the latter available for girls too.
Step two – do away with labelling altogether.
Children should BE PROUD TO BE WHO THEY ARE AND LIKE WHAT THEY LIKE without limitations. That's what we all want for our children and we salute everyone who is part of this movement, taking action to make that happen; however they choose to do it. Because there are many ways to tackle this gender-limitation issue. And we are proud to be doing something about it.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us thus far.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Sea Came | Linda Hallgren
The dead never stayed buried for long. Asra regards the three-fingered hand reaching out from the cairn. There's no tissue left, nothing to hug the discolored bones except for algae. Most bodies are swept away before they begin to smell. She hunches down to pick up a couple of wayward stones, holding them against her chest. Many years ago, as a newlywed, she held her breasts to keep them from bouncing when Harris chased her naked down to the river. Her breasts don't bounce anymore.
"Swinging," she says, "like great pendulums of flesh. And still you'd nag me to let them hang loose."
Asra sets a foot against the skeletal hand and pushes down, hard. The ring finger snaps, but she keeps at it, slowly forcing the hand back inside. Satisfied, she covers up the hole, breathing heavily from the effort.
"If you expect me to feel bad about that finger, you'll be disappointed."
Asra unwraps her headscarf and uses it to dab at her brow and neck. In the valley below, the river has risen above the gorge, and is now expanding across lawns, streets and playgrounds – its advance that of an iron, breathing steam as it moves over cool ground. But images of green grass and red swings belong to memory, same as the people who used to enjoy such things. With every tide, the sea breaks down and consumes anything worth having, and what little comes out the other end is a digested and regurgitated version of whatever it was before.
"I'll be glad when it takes me. The dead could give a damn about the stink up their nose, or the salt in their eyes." She ties the scarf back into place. "Or bones long abandoned."
The onus of the living. Asra imagines sitting down next to the cairn, waiting for the water to make its slow climb up the mountain. And then. . .
A cold settles in her abdomen.
"They can't have me, Harris. I'll climb the highest peak and slit my throat before I let that happen."
She picks up the broom shaft she uses as a walking stick and sets off along the trail that will take her up to the house.
Asra turns on the radio, catching the last few notes of David Bowie's Quicksand.
"You're listening to Roof of the World, brought to you straight from the city of Altitude. Roof of the World, keeping your head above water: all day, every day."
She's mainly interested in the newscast. The Kangding evacuation is still under way, and the radio host quotes an Altitude official assuring that the city's 300 000 inhabitants will be relocated to a newly established camp, Refuge 112.
Asra snorts. Such camps were built back when lowland cities started going under, but she can guess the reason they stopped naming them after their location. The residents of Kangding are the latest batch of well-loved pets, sent off to live out their lives on a country farm. Meanwhile, the walls of Altitude grow higher.
The weather report features an interview with a prominent geoengineer, addressing recent rumors concerning a global decline in water temperatures. She confirms that such a trend has been observed, but that the progression of the phenomena is slow, detectable only by the most sophisticated weather stations. Moreover, she is confident that contact with the Iris satellite will be reestablished long before climate reversal becomes an imminent threat.
"For the past few weeks," she says, "our team has been running preliminary tests on a new transmission model, and so far results have been very promising. Once we regain operational control of the satellite, water levels will be restored to pre-Iris levels within a matter of months."
"And if you are successful in reversing the flow of water back to inner earth," the reporter says, "will the hostiles follow?"
"I'm not qualified to answer that question."
The newscast ends with a hazard report.
"Due to hard weather, the air bridge between Altitude and New Chamonix will close over the weekend. Commuters from asset colonies are advised that the gates of New Chamonix will remain closed for the duration. Water levels for the Himalaya region are expected to rise dramatically over the next few days, and the coast guard reports a high level of hostile activity centered to the southern and eastern territories. Be careful out there."
Asra's hand hovers by the switch for a few seconds before she turns it off. One day, she will start rationing her batteries on music instead of news.
Her son had built the house. Much later, there were those who cited its location as proof of premeditation on his part. A precaution for what was to come. In truth, he had built on the mountainside because it was where – growing up – he had spent countless cold nights gazing at the stars.
The first floor has been flooded every night for the past two months. Asra had tried to keep it dry, waterproofing the rooms with silicone from the inside and tarpaulin on the outside, but the battle was lost once water levels reached past the windowsills.
She retreats upstairs before the tide reaches the front porch, makes herself a cup of tea and settles down by the vaulted window overlooking the valley. The sea always brings silence with it, and the swelling water – thick and black like oil under the night sky – seeps into her house without a sound. It's the heat, traveling though the walls and ceilings to Asra's feet, that gives it away.
Her tea finished, Asra moves to the master bedroom and lays down on top of the covers. She dozes off, dreams about being snatched from the bed and dragged out to sea, wakes up in cold sweat, listens. There's a sound like a slab of meat being dragged along a rough surface. She holds her breath until the pain in her lungs becomes greater than her fear. Nothing. She pulls a blanket around her and curls up as tight as her joints will allow.
"You may have come a long way," she whispers, "but you can't come here. Not tonight."
Asra wakes close to noon with a pounding headache and joints as sour as her mood. Getting out of the bed is torment, and making it down the stairs is worse.
Once outside, she's greeted by humid air that stinks of salt and rot. Harris's cairn is sheltered between two loaf-shaped outcrops, about an hours walk downhill from the house.
Asra pauses behind the first outcrop, and the loose skin of her face draws in to a web of wrinkles around narrowed eyes. Looter.
Wildlife has been scarce since the valley flooded, but Asra feels certain that if one lousy fox remains, it will have found its way to the cairn, seeking a contaminated bone to chew on. For a moment, she is tempted to let it, purely out of spite. Instead, she hefts the broom stick and musters what little speed she has in her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator before it bounces off. Maybe scaring a bone from its jaws while she's at it.
But the grave-robber is not a fox. It stands on two mismatched limbs, hulking and round-backed, sculpted in grime and bound together by seaweed. Here and there, sticks and bones have pierced the soggy flesh like chthonic asphalt flowers. A row of teeth is visible through a gaping hole in the cheek, no tooth the same size or shape, as if they have been collected from different mouths. At its torso, the improvised skin has split, and inside the chest cavity organs hang in a net of seaweed, gleaming in the sun like pearls the color of bruises.
Asra opens her mouth to scream but slips on the wet rock underfoot. Her ankle snaps, and the scream becomes a yelp which is cut off as her sternum connects with the ground. Breathless, Asra starts clawing at rock and pebbles, kicking with her good foot. She's in a nightmare, her limbs and lungs betraying her when she needs them the most, all her efforts yielding inches when what she needs is miles. Spotting the broom stick on her right, she snatches it up and swings it behind her, blindly. No impact.
"No no."
The words are slow, deep and deflating.
Asra struggles onto her back, waving the stick wildly in front of her.
"You stay away from me!" she shrieks.
The grime creature is standing over the cairn, a bleached bone in one hand, and a round stone in the other.
"I see you!" Asra says, her voice hoarse. "You're one of them."
"No no"
It bends down and sets the round stone on the top of the cairn.
In the valley below, water levels have reached the foot of the mountain.
The creature sighs, its lungs in their hammock of seaweed swelling and shrinking without rhythm. Asra feels faint, her adrenaline ebbing away and fresh pain thriving in its absence. The creature cradles Harris's bone to its side.
A ghost of the sea, mimicking humanity.
"That's a humerous bone," Asra says, quietly. "You want one for the leg."
It cocks its head, hesitating, then holds up the bone.
"Wrong," it says, dropping it.
It bends down and reaches an arm inside the cairn, pulling out bones and stones and tossing them to the side.
"You wont find it there," she says.
For the briefest of moments, Asra's anxious about the mess it's making. It will take her hours to set things right again, and the sea's coming.
"Gone," she says. "Went with the sea, months ago."
The creature goes still, looking out over the valley. Asra can feel its longing, and hopes it will simply set off down the mountain and rejoin the sea.
Instead, it walks towards her, each slow step accompanied by a squelch from the dangling organ bag.
"Wrong one," it says.
Asra holds the broomstick out in front of her like a spear. "No!"
It snatches the thin stick from Asra's hands and tosses it to the side before grabbing her by the front of her shirt and pulling her upright.
"Wait!" she screams. "Wait."
Much to Asra's surprise, it waits.
"I'm too short!" This was no lie, even Harris's bones would be an ill fit. "There's another grave, just up the mountain. The man inside was tall, and strong. His bone would fit you."
For a moment, it just looks at her. It's got one blue eye and one that is smaller, milky and dull. She can feel it seeing her.
"You lie, you die," it says, needing two exhalations to get the words out. "Take me."
Asra nods and struggles to stand, but the creature reaches with one arm around her midsection and lifts her over a marshy shoulder.
It's an uncomfortable ride. Asra keeps slipping, but is afraid to grab on to something. The sun is forcing the moisture out of the grime, and soon chunks are falling off. The creature seems unperturbed by its disintegration. It keeps along Asra's trail, silent except for its labored breathing.
The sun is setting by the time they reach the house. The creature shrugs Asra off its back before reaching a small hand – a child's hand – inside its chest cavity, tentatively rearranging the organs.
"And I thought I was falling apart," Asra says, not bothering with getting to her feet.
"It's the water, isn't it?" she says. "Getting colder. Harris thought you wouldn't like that. He was certain you all came from inner earth, poured out of there along with the water."
A chunk of muck falls off the creature's elbow. Bone is visible through the hole, and transparent tissue wraps around the joint like tendons of cellophane.
"And I believed him," Asra says. "Made me wonder if Iris's little rebellion set you free, or sealed your fate like it did ours."
The sea, pink and purple in the fading light, has flooded the shelf where Harris's cairn sits.
"I suppose this is where I invite you inside."
The creature half-carries half-drags Asra through the house until they reach a study on the second floor. Concealed behind a heavy curtain is a code locked steel door, painted the same egg shell white as the walls.
Asra punches the code, then flicks a switch next to the handle.
"Go on."
Beyond the door, a dank corridor takes them into the mountain itself. To Asra, it feels like moving through the veins of a corpse. For her son to have made this his headquarters, it seemed about as natural as a mole building its nest in a tree. The corridor takes them to another steel door, this one opening to a large oblong room.
Asra claps her hands and the light flickers on. "The narthex."
The walls on three sides, and the ceiling, are bare rock, weeping mineral tainted water onto the tiled floor. A stainless steel desk sits in one corner, and rigged around it are multiple screens in varying sizes. The length of the room is occupied by a long work bench, its surface cluttered with papers, microscopes, soda cans, tools, and many more things that Asra couldn't name, let alone tell what they were for.
She hops on one foot to ease down into an office chair. The creature walks slowly around the room, now and again moving its hand over an object, but never touching anything.
"Nar-thex," it says, and Asra's certain there's a slight upward inflection.
"Comes before salvation." She snorts. "My son was full of good intentions, Icarian though they turned out to be."
A one-way window runs the length of the far wall, interrupted only by a glass door lined with rubber. The creature taps the glass with its child hand, leaving smudge marks on the seemingly opaque surface.
"Church," it says.
Its face is expressionless, but something flickers across its human eye. Asra swallows, and smiles. She feels nauseous, a sweat breaking out on her brow.
"Let me show you," she says, and – kicking off with her good foot – rolls across the floor to a control panel mounted on the wall.
She fumbles with the controls for a while, trying to remember. After Harris died, she had taken over the role of assistant, operating the control panel while her son monitored the trials from behind his screens. That was years ago.
The lights go on.
Asra's son hangs from a noose in the middle of the room. A white shirt is the only piece of clothing still covering his skeletal frame, the rest lies in a heap on the floor, along with an overturned chair. The room is much larger than the narthex, and clad entirely in glass. Pipes and ventilations run along the walls and ceiling, interrupted in places by oddly shaped appendages in stainless steel. More pipes can be seen through the sheer floor.
Asra punches another button and the door slides open. "There's your bone."
"Yes," the creature says. "Bone."
It walks inside but pauses before reaching the hanging man, its gaze moving slowly around the room.
"Frankenstein's mesocosm, Harris called it," Asra says.
Cold touches her feet. She looks down, surprised to see a thin film of water expanding across the floor. The creature continues around the room, sweeping with its hand as it did in the narthex.
"One day, my son brought me down here," Asra says. "He showed me a code on his computer, just numbers really, be he told me it was the Holy Grail of weather modification technology. The final piece of the puzzle. The end of draughts and storms and hurricanes and floods."
The creature turns. "Code?"
"Of course," she says, "by the time he realized just how much his discovery would end, he came back here and hung himself. I found him the same night, but I couldn't remember how to get the damn door to open. Might have been the shock, I suppose."
The creature is lumbering towards the door.
"The code. Show me."
"Sorry," Asra says. "I believe a bone is what was promised."
She hits the emergency stop button. Red lights pulse around the control panel, and the glass door closes. The creature reaches the window and starts pounding at it.
"It's no use, I'm afraid," Asra says, raising her voice so it can hear her through the glass.
The water is coming in faster now, carrying pieces of trash around the room on miniature currents. The creature keeps pounding the glass, bits of mud and bone flying from its fists and arms. Within minutes, there's nothing left beneath the elbows but a dangling string of transparent tissue, decorated with bone shards and brown seaweed.
"Truly, I am sorry," Asra says.
The creature ceases its onslaught, slumping forward until its forehead rests against the glass.
"In greek mythology," Asra says, "Iris was the personification of the rainbow. The bringer of rain, and a messenger of the gods."
She leans her head against the glass, takes a deep breath and feels the familiar sting of salt at the back of her throat.
"But one does not control the weather any more than one controls a goddess. The satellite was not the answer to our problems, and it will not be the answer to yours."
She gets out of the chair and limps to the work bench. It takes her a while to find something even remotely sharp, but she eventually settles for a thin piece of scrap metal.
"I'm afraid this is as high as I'll make it, Harris."
All at once, the lights go out, and the only sound to rival the silence of the sea is the soft sigh of someone dying.
Linda Hallgren is a twenty-something year old mythology and arts enthusiast from Northern Sweden. She has previously been published at Shipwrights Review.


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Sparkles, glitter, and goodies - Oh my!!! I can't wait to try these out...the question is, which one first?
'Tis the season to start seeing some new products come out for the winter and Holidays. CVS had the new Sally Hansen products displayed - Gem Crush and Diamond Strength. These were not on an end cap, instead they had added a shelf to the top of the cosmetics aisles. I almost missed them, so if you haven't seen these in your CVS, take a look above you!
There are several of these polishes I want - any of the Gem Crush and there were a couple of pretty shades in the Diamond Strength collection as well. What have you picked up? Any suggestions?
Another Studio M/Massini color from Meijer. This time I have on Ego Trip, which was on an end cap with their Holiday colors for this year. There were tons to choose from, many of which I will need to go back for! Lots of metallics and foils. If I had been thinking, I would have taken a snapshot of the actual display, but I spaced it.
Ego Trip is a very deep emerald green with hints of teal. It switches based on the surroundings, although I wouldn't call it a duochrome. To me, it's a very Christmas-y green. The first thing I thought of was Hermey the Elf from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
This was an amazing formula. I could have gotten away with just one coat, but I did two just for good measure. The coverage was fantastic, it dried very smoothly without any streaking from the frost, and the texture was thin enough to make it easy to apply, but not so thin that it was runny. I wish all the formulas were like this, but of course it depends on the color.
(this is the most true-to-life picture for the color)
Sorry for the grainy pictures - my camera was dead so I used my phone. I just had to show this one off! I'm thinking for Christmas I will layer some red glitter over the top. The pictures don't do it justice, though. It is gorgeous in real - life. I will take some updated pictures once the batteries are charged.
Too Faced will be having tons of great deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday...
Looking for a preview? How about this?
Free Shipping: CODE=BLACK11 (valid 11/23/11 - 11/28/11)
Eye Want it All Collection: $99 (a $165 value!)
Vintage makeup deals: 50% off!
Free Gifts: Every order over $75 from 11/23-11/27 will receive a FREE FULL-SIZE SHADOW INSURANCE EYE SHADOW PRIMER with your order!
Cyber Monday: Customers can receive up to $60 in FREE GIFTS with qualifying order including full-size mascaras, makeup brushes and more!
Manic Monday: It's on! Just as always, the Manic Monday deals will be available!
Sounds like fun! I'll definitely be heading over to Too Faced to check these out!
I had very minimal exposure to Jordana Cosmetics until Walgreens revamped their set up and put an entire permenant display in their cosmetics department. Until then there was a little rack with eyeliners and lip liners that I would pick up every once in a while. You can see what I have purchased and reviewed here. Actually, some of my most used items are the Glitter Rocks Retractable Eyeliners I swatched and reviewed here, and I got those on clearance for $0.62 a piece!
Now that there is a display at Walgreens, I took a look at the other offerings from Jordana and picked up one of their Easyshine Lip Colors to try out. There are six colors on the display, and I picked up Sugar Cookie, which is a warm, reddish brown cream - no shimmer here.
Actually, if you head on over to the Jordana website, you can see all of the different colors here. The website also has a handy key to tell you what the finish is for each of the colors.
Not only did I mangle the top of the lip color with the lid when I opened it, but my flash totally washed out the color in the tube. It is a much deeper shade, with more brown undertones. This is a smaller stick of color too, similar to the size of the Carmex I reviewed earlier this week.
Swatched on the lips, this is my lips but better. The shine is unbelievable, and unfortunately my camera did not capture this either. It reminds me of a the shine you get from a liquid lipgloss in a tube. Definitely an easy color, it adds a hint of warm red shine, without being over the top. This is a very slick, non-sticky gloss. Lasting strength is minimal at best, especially if you have to talk alot during the day. There is a slight fragrance, sort of a warm vanilla sugar (hence the name), and it is also sweet to the taste.
At $1.99 this is a nice little thing to keep in your desk drawer or purse when you don't want lipstick on. It doesn't tout any benefits (i.e. Vitamin E, aiding or healing chapped lips, etc), but it does feel nice on. These would also be nice for the younger girls that are asking for some lipgloss or lipstick...maybe a stocking stuffer or two from Santa?
A few days ago I posted some swatches of the Avon Draw the Line set of mini eyeliner pencils and I wanted to do an EOTD with the Sapphire Blue. Like I mentioned in the original post, this is a matte liner, so I was intrigued with how it would look on.
The pencil applied nicely - very smooth and creamy. Like I said in the earlier post on it, this is a bit of a sheer shade, so I had to apply it a couple of times to get the intensity seen in the pictures above. The wear was well - I didn't experience any smudging or color loss over the day.
To get the look:
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Revlon Edgy Elegance Eyeshadow in Girly - inner corner
Revlon Edgy Elegance Eyeshadow in Fierce - middle of lid into outer corner
Revlon Edgy Elegance Eyeshadow in Downtown - outer corner/crease
MAC Eyeshadow Phloof - highlight
Avon Draw the Line Mini Eyeliner Sapphire Blue - lower lashline
Tarte emphasEYES Clay Eyeliner in Black
L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara - Black
It's that time again - time for dry, chapped lips and brisk winter chills. I always have my tube of chapstick in my purse. It's my go to. Actually, I have one on my bedside table, one in my office desk, one downstairs in the "junk" drawer, and one in my purse. Well, what about those times when you want a little color and the benefits of a chapstick?
Enter Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm. Made with Vitamin E, Aloe and SPF15, not only does this nourish and moisturize, it protects. Also, it is available in numerous shades, including two new ones: Sheer Berry and Sheer Plum.
I tend to lean towards warmer berry and plum shades in the fall and winter, so I purchased Sheer Plum to try out. The pictures below actually brighten the color in the tube a bit more than Sheer Plum is in reality, but you get the gist of the color. This is a deep plum, almost warm chocolate shade in the tube. Once applied, as you will see in swatches below, the berry colors really shine through.
The product itself is a thin, non sticky formula. It smells a bit less like menthol and a bit more minty than the original Carmex in the pot, therefore it's not quite as medicinal smelling. Once applied, there is a cooling sensation familiar with Carmex. The product wears nicely and didn't feather after application.
Above is two swipes on the skin for a swatch. Below is two swipes on the lip. See, a nice color, but not overwhelming. The berry color really comes through upon application as well.
Final verdict: Why not? For $2.59 a tube you don't have to give up the benefits of Carmex for a little color. My lips feel soft afterwards, and the color payoff is nice and lasting. There are several colors to choose from, although I think a lot of people would like to see more of a red and less of a berry available. Maybe in the future!
Have you tried this yet? What did you think?
From Revlon's Spice it Up Collection, I picked up the nail polish called Glitz and Glam. This is a cranberry jelly base with silver glitter. It reminds me of one of last year's holiday colors by China Glaze - Mrs. Clause - but I don't own it so I can't do a comparison.
Although the color is a bit sheer, due to the jelly base, after three coats you do have a nice coverage. The dry time was pretty quick, so I suppose it lives up to the name "Top Speed", but I prefer to use a quick drying top coat like Seche Vite as well.
I've posted a couple of different angles/pictures below. I just had one of my nails break, so I had to cut them back - they look so stumpy...sorry. One picture is with a flash and the other in more natural lighting. I will say, being that this is a glitter polish, it really does sparkle! Look at that first picture - see what I mean? You know how sometime glitters end up a bit more matte once dry? Well this one is nice and shimmery, which is great for holiday parties or even just a pick me up.
I also picked up Mistletoe, which is a really vampy olive green - pictures coming soon once I wear it!
I ran across the Revlon Spice it Up collection for this holiday season while at Walgreens earlier this week. There are 8 nail polishes and 8 lipglosses to choose from. On the display there was a $1 coupon off Revlon, so I ended up purchasing two nail colors: Glitz & Glam and Mistletoe. I'll have pictures to post shortly.
Have you spotted this? What did you pick up? I really like some of the nail colors - lots of shimmer and sparkle!
Every year Avon comes out with mini-sets of some of their best selling products: nail polishes, eyeliners, lip gloss, etc. Of all the products I've tried from Avon over the years, one thing I haven't purchased are the Glimmersticks, and I've read some pretty nice things about them. I figured the holiday mini set of these would be a good way to test them out. The collection is called Draw the Line, and it is a set of four of the retractable, 12 hour wear, self sharpening eyeliners.
The four colors in the set are Sapphire Blue, Purple, Bronze and Smoky Grey. Only the Bronze has any shimmer. The other three shades are what I would consider a matte pencil. Swatches of the four pencils are below.
This collection is called a mini-set, and it truly is. The pencils are very small, and actually are a nice way to try out the Glimmersticks for the first time. The set of four costs $7.99 regularly, but I'm sure it will pop up on sale at some point, especially as we get closer to the holidays (or after). Because of the size, I find they would be good to keep in my purse, especially the Bronze or Smokey Grey, simply because they don't take up a lot of room and those two colors are shades I wear a lot and could touch up my makeup easily if needed.
Onto the product itself. The pencils have a nice, fine point, which is good for precision application. Overall, the consistency of the pencils were smooth. I found that Bronze and Smokey Grey were the creamiest and easiest to apply out of the four (Bronze being the best followed by Smokey Grey). Purple and Sapphire Blue were a little drier and a bit more difficult to use on the eye - there was some tugging, but overall the application was fine. I found it easier to apply on the lower lashline because of the size (or lack there of) of the pencils. Overall pigmentation was OK. These certainly don't have the pigmentation or ease of application like the superSHOCK Gel Pencils did (for the record, I still absolutely love these!), but they aren't terrible either. Again, the Bronze and Smokey Grey had the most pigmentation, where Purple had the least. I think you can see that by my swatches above.
So, bottom line, would I buy these again? Honestly, probably not, simply because for the price and quality, I have better products in the same colors or shades. Now, if you are looking to explore and enter the world of colored eyeliners, this might not be a bad idea for you - for $7.99 you get four colors that are a bit outside the box to play with. On the other hand, for those of your seasoned veterans of the eyeliner world, this is not a "must buy" by any means.
For those of you who have this, or any of the other Glimmersticks, what do you think? What is your favorite color?
Another pumpkin for you today, but this one wasn't quite as seasonal. This is a clear base with pale pink microglitter and very large, silver hexagonal glitter. Similar in texture and makeup as the Pumpkin polish in a bronze/silver, the actual coverage was quite sheer compared to the bronze. This is three coats, and you can still see quite a bit of nail through. With that said, the sheerness didn't really bother me. Because the pink color was more of a neutral, my nails just looked sparkly. It's kind of a safe-for-work glitter, in my opinion. I received tons of compliments on it too, which is an added bonus!
Below are a few more shots from different angles. I actually found this one on sale after Halloween at Meijer, and I think it cost $0.62 - talk about a find!
I had read somewhere that Nicole by OPI was partnering with the Kardashians, but I didn't realize how many colors there were going to be until I saw the display at Walmart this past weekend. The collection is called Kardashain Kolor. Each of the leading ladies has a set of 3 colors to choose from. There are some basic cremes and shimmers, and some really glitzy glitters.
The display is enormous, especially by Walmart standards. It's very rarely that I find seasonal/temporary display for one product that fits the entire endcap in the beauty department, but this one did! It definitely catches your eye when you walk by!
The polishes retail for $7 a piece and can be found instore or online.
I picked up Disco Dolls which is a golden glitter with hints of red microglitter throughout. Swatches to come soon.
From 11/10/11 through 11/16/11 Too Faced Friends and Family Sale is running - save 20% off your entire purchase with code FF2011F!
Michelle from Michigan posted a question last night, so I thought I would address it here since many of you shop at Meijer.
"I apologize-this comment is not about Hard Candy. I know that you shop at Meijer.Have you seen the 'Studio M' cosmetic section there? Meijer is the only place I have seen this. I had a coupon & purchased the baked eye shadow-have not tried it yet. If you have tried anything in this brand would you let me know your thoughts? Thanks so much!"
Great question Michelle!
Studio M is Meijer's "house" brand of products - they used to be called Massini, and have since switched over to the "Studio M" name. You will also find some accessories and such in the Massini or Studio M name if you wander around the store.
As for the cosmetics, I have purchased quite a bit of the Studio M products, particularly the nail polishes and liquid eyeliners - you can see some here and an EOTD with my favorite of the eyeliners here. I can say I have not tried the baked eyeshadows before, although every time I pass them in the store I am tempted.
As for the quality of the products I have tried, I am very happy overall, especially for the price. The nail polish come in a great variety of colors, types (glitters, creams, sometimes duochromes), and I am very pleased with their wear. Some last a bit better than others, but overall, for the price they are great. As for the liquid eyeliners, I use them every day. The color selection is fantastic - there are glitters, metallics and of course the basics. They also have a variety of blushes, foundations, lip sticks, lip glosses, balms, and eyeshadows. The actual size of the display is about the same as Wet 'n Wild in the store, so there is quite a variety to choose from.
Looking around online, it seems like most people are pleased with the quality of the line. What about you, fellow readers? Have you tried anything from Studio M/Massini? What do you think?
Hopefully this helps Michelle!
Walmart was setting up their holiday gift aisle this past weekend, and I spotted the set of 5-Hard Candy LE Nail Polishes. This is a deep purple shimmer, a bright orange/red shimmer, green glitter, gold glitter and silver glitter. It looks very similar to last year's set too, but I can't find my picture of it to compare. Price is $5 for the set. There were also single polishes for $1 a piece in similar shades to last year.
Spotted at Walgreens: New NutraNail Gel Perfect 5 Minute Gel-Color Manicure Sets11:30 AM
On a recent trip to Walgreens (looking for the Wet 'n Wild LE polishes none-the-less), I saw a little display of a new NutraNail product - their Gel Perfect 5 minute Gel-Color Manicure sets. I can only assume these are the up and coming "at home" versions of the very popular Shellac Nail system that has hit salons over the past year or so.
Although the display I saw only had four colors to choose from (I picked up Dahlia), there are actually quite a few on the website.
I'm going to try these out here in the next day or two. I am wearing my Chanel Peridot right now, and I can't quite get enough of it.
Have you seen these out? What do you think?
Bare Escentuals
FOTD: Bare Escentuals Pussycat and Gold Leaf, Maybelline Pressworthy Pink, and Laura Geller Como10:41 AM
Years ago I was introduced to Bare Escentuals, and to this day I consider it one of my standard/go-to brands to use. I was feeling inspired by all the beautiful golds and bronzes of fall, so I fell back to two of the prettiest shades I think BE has: Pussycat and Gold Leaf. Below is how I put the look together.
Laura Geller Champagne Spackle
Laura Geller Real Deal Concealer "light"
Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten Porcelain Foundation
Maybelline Blush "Pressworthy Pink"
Urban Decay Primer Potion "Greed"
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Bare Escentuals "Gold Leaf" - inner corner
Bare Escentuals "Pussycat" - outer corner, crease
MAC "Sugar Shot" - highlight
Tarte Emphaseyes Clay eyeliner - Black
L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara - Black
Laura Geller Dream Creams "Como"
A close up of the eyes below - Pussycat comes across as almost a dirty brown in the pot, but once applied is a beautiful deep bronze. It's beautiful for fall.
I think I've found one of my new, favorite, neutral lip colors for the fall. Laura Geller's Dream Cream lip pallets are wonderful. I have received mine through the Escape from the Tropics Collection I ordered on auto deliver from QVC -- you can see the first set's swatches here. These are stripes of lipstick, for lack of a better term. These are not lip gloss, but instead are fully pigmented and can be applied on their own or mix and matched to create a color you find best suits you.
The color I am absolutely loving is the coral stripe second from the right in the Como pallet. In the pan it looks to be an almost washed out brick shade. When applied, it is a beautiful nude creme with a hit of coral, and I am absolutely in love. It works so well with my skin tone, is easily wearable with most anything, and the lasting power on these colors are fantastic.
If you haven't tried the Laura Geller Dream Creams, I would highly suggest you try them. A lot of possibilities in one little compact.
Avon Nailwear Pro in Vintage Boutique. This is a deep khaki/gray creme, leaning more on the warmer side. Depending on the light, it can look brown to an almost pale brownish lavender. In my opinion, it's more of a brown with grey undertones, kind of like the color of melted milk chocolate. Although it may look a little dull in the bottle, when applied this is a gorgeous color, especially for fall.
I don't know if Avon has updated the formula or not, but this applied extremely well. This is three coats, although I probably could have only used two. The nail polish dries so shiny too, which is different than some of the older shades I've used in the Avon line.
Side note, sorry for the blurry picture. I used my camera phone instead of my actual camera since the battery has died on it and needs to be charged.


text:
December 1, 2008 Length: 2:49
At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrite! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" As Jesus said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
1. When was the woman in this gospel healed?
2. What was her reaction?
3. How does the ruler of the synagogue react to her healing?
4. Why do you think he reacts this way? What good things does this tell us about him? What is problematic about his reaction?
5. What "rules" do we have in the Orthodox church?
6. When do we sometimes react the way this ruler did when people "break" rules? Why do you think we do that?
7. What can we do to learn how to react like the woman did?


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Deluxe Wood Santa Throne
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Investing in our energy infrastructure ensures that consumers will be able to enjoy the full benefits of surging U.S. oil and gas production, create jobs and increase our energy security.
Our nation's energy renaissance is underway.
We are producing more oil and natural gas than we have ever before, and we are now the No. 1 natural gas producer in the world. This has allowed our industry to supply the fundamental needs of all U.S. consumers on a daily basis. We are the backbone of the U.S. economy!
Our potential depends on a robust infrastructure system.
As more energy is produced and the demand for a sustainable energy grows, we need to expand our nation's infrastructure to ensure that our system is efficient and safe in order to respond to today's energy production. An investment in our nation's infrastructure means that we are creating jobs, expanding opportunities for our industry, and laying the foundation for a better future.
It's up to us.
As industry members, we must help educate our communities that the energy we produce in the fields—that supports every aspect of our lives—has to reach our homes…reach factories and businesses… and reach utilities. All of this requires energy infrastructure. Take a look at some of the resources we've created for industry members and help us spread the word.


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Archives for November 2013
White Friday at Maddison Row!!
Date Night at Home: Breakfast in Bed
After a delicious, hearty breakfast on this crisp morning, the girls of Sweetgrass Social decided the best way to Date Night at Home this week would be in bed… with brunch! How great does a lazy morning sound, snuggled in the warmth of your bed with a delicious breakfast and your future hubby by your side?! Everything about that just sounds perfect. We've got savory, healthy and of course sweet!
Hearty Breakfast Biscuit Stacks
1 recipe Flaky, Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
12 slices bacon
1 1/2 Fried eggs
Vegetable oil for deep-fat frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
6 chicken breast tenderloins
Prepare Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy.
Cover gravy and set aside until read to use.
Cook bacon until crisp and prepare fried eggs; keep warm.
In a deep-fat frier or large deep saucepan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 365 degrees F.
In a shallow dish, stir together flour, garlic salt and pepper. Pour buttermilk into another shallow dish.
Dip chicken into flour mixture, turning to coat. Dip into the buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off.
Dip again into flour mixture, turning to coat.
Fry chicken, half at a time, in hot oil about 5 minutes or until coating is golden brown and chicken is no longer pink.
Remove chicken and drain on paper towels.
To assemble, ladle 1/4 cup of the gravy onto a serving plate.
Split a biscuit and place the bottom half on the gravy. Top with a fried chicken piece, two slices of bacon and another 1/4 cup gravy.
Add a fried egg to the stack; top with the biscuit top.
Repeat with the remaining biscuits, gravy, chicken pieces, bacon and fried eggs.
Serve and enjoy!
Kale Goat-Cheese Frittata
2 cups coarsely, torn fresh kale
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
6 eggs
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup drained oil-packed dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Preheat broiler.
In 10-inch ovenproof non-stick skillet, cook and stir kale and onion in oil over medium heat for 10 minutes until onion is tender.
Meanwhile, in medium bowl whisk together eggs, egg whites, salt and pepper.
Pour over kale mixture in skillet.
Cook over medium-low heat.
As egg mixture sets, run a spatula around the edge of the skillet, lifting egg mixture so th euncooked portion flows underneath.
Continue cooking and lifting edge until egg mixture is almost set but still glossy and moist.
Sprinkle egg mixture with dried tomatoes and goat cheese.
Broil 4-5 inches from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until eggs are set.
Cut into wedges to serve and enjoy!
Vanilla French Toast
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
2 tbsp sugar
tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmet
8 slices dry white/whole what bread
2 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
Maple-syrup (optional)
Sliced bananas (optional)
In a shallow bowl, beat together eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Dip bread slices into egg mixture, coating both sides.
In a very large skillet or on a griddle, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium heat.
Add half of the bread slices and cook for 4-6 minutes or until golden, turning once.
Repeat with remaining bread slices and butter.
Serve with syrup and bananas!
Wedding Day Planning as told by Maressa Brown
Today's blog post comes from The Huffington Post's Maressa Brown and is titled "Wedding Day Planning: The 7 Things You Need to Know". Thanks Maressa for these great tips!
You can read every article in every bridal magazine, every Q&A or checklist on wedding websites, and pick your married friends' brains for months and still be unprepared for some of the "OMG" (both wonderful and cringe-worthy) moments you're bound to encounter while wedding planning and finally walking down the aisle. That's why just about anyone who has ever been a bride has coulda/shoulda/woulda thoughts well after they're someone's Mrs.
While it's not healthy to dwell on those thoughts, it doesn't hurt to dish on what you only wish you had known! Hey, it could be the heads-up that saves another bride's day. Here, seven things brides often wish they'd been warned about before their Big Day.
- Fights: With potential for emotions to run high, money matters to set people off and family drama galore, you could very well end up having the biggest fight of your entire relationship with your fiance in the lead-up to the wedding. Hell, maybe even on your wedding day! Wedding stress can make even they most even-tempered person act occasionally crazy and out of character. I wish more of us would admit this is perfectly normal and does not mean you need to tear off like a runaway bride. As long as you're able to cool off and talk it over at some point, it's all good.
- Budget: For various reasons — season, location, timing, procrastination, etc. — certain vendors/services/other wedding details can end up costing a lot more than you expected. And while you can do your best to negotiate and trim the fat or DIY as much as possible, sometimes you have no choice but to grin and bear shelling out a few hundred more for that chuppah or extra hour of open bar or summer Saturday night.
- Emotional Moments: You might get super-emotional about something you didn't expect to … like the dance with your dad or a speech that comes out of the blue. Just consider it a reason to ask the Maid of Honor to tote some tissues and touch-up mascara in her clutch!
- RSVP Drama: Guests you thought were shoo-ins find out they have to work or are going to be eight months pregnant or have some other reason they can't attend. Guests you thought in a million years wouldn't show say they're coming and bringing all of their +1s. And worst of all, you may get an RSVP for people who decide not to show at the last minute — which is why it's always best to tell your venue that you have fewer people, because it's always cheaper to add than subtract at the eleventh hour!
- Promises: What everyone keeps telling you is supposed to be the happiest time of your life can quickly go south if promises regarding finances aren't kept. Many brides wish they had been warned to get everything in writing when discussing with their parents and their partner who would pay for what.
- It's Not Over Til It's Over: Last-minute requests for things you never even thought about — a toiletry basket in the restrooms or a Kosher/vegan/nut-free dinner or dessert or cocktail hour option, particular shots taken by photographers, etc. — can have a way of popping up no matter how much you prepare ahead of time. And be prepared for this to continue even well after your wedding day, whether people expect thank you cards by a particular deadline they deem appropriate or they're hounding you for photos/video, etc.
- Wardrobe Malfunctions: Whether it's uncomfortable shoes or too-tight Spanx or earrings that aren't hypoallergenic, any sort of wardrobe malfunction that can happen will. Or at least can. Good to have a plan B — like flip flops waiting in the wings to replace those 4-inch heels wreaking havoc on your tootsies!


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There's been a lot of talk about comics in the future.
And welcome to the future, by the way. Oh, and that's "twenty-ten" not "two thousand and ten." It should've been twenty-something from the get-go, but folks are lazy and "two-thousand" is so much easier to say than "twenty-hundred" much less "twenty-oh-one" and so forth. But we didn't call 1999 "one-thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine" so calling 2000 "two-thousand" really didn't make much sense. Anyway - if you're still saying "two thousand and ten" when the flying cars are delivered, you don't get one.
So - comics in the future. My first column back after my vacation generated some feedback and whatnot and, as expected, some trade-waiters got all huffy and defensive about waiting for the trade. A number of them accused me of "living in the past" and said, "that's the direction things are going, man, in the future there won't be 'floppies' anymore - there'll only be graphic novels."
Did I tell you that my New Years resolution was to punch anybody that called comic books "floppies" or "pamphlets" square in the gonads? Thought this would be a good time to remind people.
In any case - I'm not so sure.
The 32-page, saddle-stitched comic books aren't going away anytime soon - as long as they continue to be profitable (and they are) they will be published. And trades will be published, too, but it's doubtful that either one is going to replace the other. Trades will continue to come out, and the folks who prefer that format will buy them and comic books will come out and folks who prefer that format will buy them. And some comic books will never be collected as trades and some trades will never be serialized in comic book form.
But beyond that - I don't think the comic book format will ever go away - not completely - period. I do think, however - in 20 years time they'll be like vinyl or CDs to the more popular mp3s.
Y'see, digital comics are coming.
Digital comics will be a reality - and all of us are going to be pulled, whether we like it or not, kicking and screaming into the 21st century. It's just a matter of time before people will be saying, "Print? That's old school," or, "that's so passe."
There will be comics that continue to be published in this format - possibly for decades to come - but as digital takes off, print will look less and less appealing and the numbers will dwindle.
I don't know about you - but my shelves are full. I have stacks of books and comics all over my office. It looks fucking scary in here. It looks like the kitchen of your crazy uncle who's never thrown away a piece of paper in his life and has stacks of magazines and newspapers reaching the ceiling. People talk about what a pain it is to store comic books, but trades are just as bad once the shelves fill up - I can shove 200 comics into a long box and pile those in a heap. Trades need a shelf, and I'm long out of shelves.
Digital files will replace most comics - and trades as well.
Welcome to the future.
The silver jumpsuits don't work for everybody. My wife Jannie looks totally awesome, but Grandpa - not so much. I'm just saying, if you can tell you've been circumcised, your silver jumpsuit is too tight.
In any case - here's what I'm anticipating. We'll still get monthly comics - but they'll more often be files on a screen (either on your phone or on a reader or a computer or all of the above). Some comic books will make it to print and some won't.
Brick and mortar bookstores will never carry everything. They don't carry everything now. They don't have the space, they only want to stock books they know will move (big names, movie tie-ins, etc.) and they'll never embrace a non-returnable product the way comic book stores have.
The trades will likely dwindle as well - replaced by digital files. Why fill your shelves or litter your living room if you have your entire collection in a handy reader no bigger than a single trade paperback?
How many of those books on your shelf do you really look at again and again, anyway? How many really need to be a permanent obstacle in your life, to be packed in boxes and moved from house to house and apartment to apartment, to be damaged and take up space forever more? A good chunk of books on my shelf just sit there, slowly gathering dust and turning yellow.
Yes, there are books I refer to all the time and I absolutely do want those to be there, in print and accessible forever but with a good many comics - I just want to read the story and having done that - I just don't want to have to store them or dispose of them. If I could have some magic place where I could put books so that I could refer to them only when I wanted to - that would be awesome.
The big winners in this will be places like Amazon.com who can ship out printed TPBs to the home of print freaks everywhere - the big question is what happens to comic book stores? Many may become something akin to used bookstores. They'll carry what few comics make it into print and trades but a lot of the draw to them will be from those who still embrace the old technology - who want to be able to read a book even when the lights go out and find and flip through books with their own hands.
It's going to be a long process. It'll be gradual. It's not going to happen overnight.
Thus far, we're still searching for the platform which will deliver the goods. The guys formatting things now are too greedy and shortsighted. Eventually, somebody's going to come along, having seen the eBay model, and say, "you know - if we take 5% from rights owners instead of 50% and make this easy enough and cheap enough - every publisher is going to use us - because it won't be worth their while to go anywhere else! It'll be too much of a headache - too much of a hassle - and too expensive," and they will become the only show it town and everybody else will die off, but that hasn't happened yet.
It will happen though.
And every comic book that's ever seen print ever will suddenly become available.
There will still be new comic books - new singles - and there will be trades - but I imagine that there will be fewer original graphic novels (in a way) because everything will get serialized!
When it all goes digital, most everything will be broken into pieces and sold a chunk at a time. If a publisher or creator can make money as a book is being worked on, why not? If it can be sold six times as it's assembled it will be. If a publisher can recoup their costs as a book is worked on and comes together it will make it that much easier to put books together. And, like with MP3s on iTunes you'll be able to upgrade and complete your trade or graphic novel or album or whatever it's called.
You're likely to be able to buy works in progress even - to see pencils - plots - inks as books come together. Process junkies and aspiring creators would be all over these things, plus, there would be spoilers galore for those fans that just can't wait to find out what happens in the next thrilling episode.
It's all pretty exciting, actually.
I read a few books in digital form now. Robert Kirkman sends through Invincible, the Walking Dead, the Astounding Wolf-Man and anything else he's working on to be proofread and gone through in jpeg form. The Luna brothers do the same with their books, sending PDFs. I've read them that way for years and it's fine. It kind of sucks looking at those books on a phone, but on a computer - it's not too bad. Print looks better, of course, but what the hell, I get to read these books a couple weeks before they see print - that's a decent tradeoff. When they're printed, I give the comics a cursory glance. Because I've read them already, there's no need to sit down with them next to the fire with a pipe and slippers (I just like that visual of that, by the way - I don't actually read anything with a pipe and slippers, but it sure does sound cozy, doesn't it?)
The bonus for bellyaching publishers and creators alike is that, with digital comics, they're no longer at the mercy of storeowners with limited space or faith in their product. If a reader wants to read a given book there would be nothing keeping them from getting that book in their hands immediately.
We can all be that balling baby that wants that titty slapped in their mouth at 3:00 in the morning. We can get that next issue - that next chapter immediately.
And - how great it would be to see a footnote on page 10 of issue #157 to "see issue #155" and be magically able to make that book materialize out of thin air!
Thinking about the prospects, the applications, the possibilities, is truly inspiring.
And yes, God yes, I do love print. A picture on a tablet can never have the impact of that Little Nemo collection that's the size of a car door I have sitting on the coffee table in my living room, but the vast majority of the books in my possession aren't Little Nemo collections the size of car doors, and a lot of those books really wouldn't lose much in translation.
Again - this isn't happening tomorrow, and comic book companies will keep printing comic books as long as comic books continue to make money. And right now, comic books are doing quite well. It's not a time to panic.
But the future is coming. This Christmas Day, Amazon.com sold more Kindle books than they did of traditional books. Comic book enthusiasts are uploading and downloading comics illegally right now. It's the music industry all over again as freeloading fans stumble over each other to obtain a bootleg version of a product we're not selling. Bit by bit, slowly but surely readers will make the shift and opt to buy digital comics over printed ones. If the quality is better and the price is low, they'll pay for them instead of downloading them illegally.
Some publishers are already trying to come up with ways of keeping comics "collectable" and make digital "limited editions" with "variant covers" and whatnot, but this too will blow over. Eventually, digital comic books will be as readily available as MP3s and the only comic books with any serious monetary value will be those in print.
Print will be there for the collectors - the investors - and those who prefer the aesthetic of ink on paper. Digital comics will be there for the readers who don't want books taking up space in their lives.
And, in any form, there'll always be something worth reading.


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NBA League Pass | Game Choice allows users to choose up to 8 games per month and includes the following features:
- Choose from every game*
- Every feed - Home, away, Mobile View, additional languages and camera angles
- Available on the web, iOS, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku, Playstation 4 and Chromecast
Remaining credits do roll over at the end of each month. To keep track of how many game credits remain for your account, please follow these steps.
- Open the NBA app or launch watch.nba.com
- Sign in with your League Pass | Game Choice credentials and navigate to My Account
- Select the NBA League Pass | Game Choice tile
- View remaining credits
*Restricted locations apply. For users living in Canada, all games that are not restricted by Canada Blackouts will be available for viewing on Game Choice.


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I am on my 4th antibiotic since my sinus surgery (7 1/2 weeks ago.) The newest one is Levaquin, which I started on Thursday evening. The next day I had to drive 40 miles to work and try to do a fun storytime in spite of not being able to breathe, being in excruciating pain (as a migraine sufferer, I believe that I am qualified to state that this pain in my cheek was, indeed, excruciating, and not just uncomfortable,) and feeling like if I blinked I would fall asleep. The little kids (and their parents!) were tired and cranky because it's county fair week in their community, and even my teen helper had had too much fair and her back hurt from some of the rides. (And her ankles. Apparently there's some ride where you hang from your ankles.)
So much for what is usually the best part of my day. Then the rest of the day was horrible because a co-worker was unhappy and I had no reserves of sympathy to give her. Most of my interactions with her involve a certain amount of willing suspension of disbelief, anyway, and Friday I just wasn't willing. Finally, work was over and I managed to drive home and went directly to bed and fell immediately sound asleep. Then my daughter, bless her, brought me a bowl of soup and some cornbread, and woke me up, and I ate it and fell right back to sleep, and slept twelve hours.
The next day it was back to work, but at the little library I love, where the worst thing was having to blow my nose so much in such a small, quiet space. I'm beyond embarrassment at this point, however.
So today I can stay at home and sit or lie down whenever I feel like it. And I'll do laundry, and I'll wash dishes, but no way am I getting in the car for any reason and no way am I cooking anything, since I hate cooking and I just have to draw the line somewhere, even if we all starve. It's the principle of the thing.


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Kiran Bedi seeks VRS!!!
Just now a colleague shared with me this news & oh I read it also, how sad this news is… very few people are there in our system whom most of us really admire for their gallant & honest work which they have done in their tenure for our country & Kiran Bedi was definitely one of those whom I think most of the Indians really admire as idol. Well, sad it is but looks like India's first woman IPS officer who has always been known for her deeds & ingenious acts has also finally succumbed to the dirty politics game. I remember as a kid how I used to admire Ms. Bedi & how mesmerized I used to be when she used to speak on DD news. What an aura & what an exemplary personality she was!
She has surely denied the reasons like Dadwal becoming commissioner instead of her or Govt not fulfilling its promise of giving her due position rather she has quoted strong academic & social interests as the guiding factor for her decision. She has stated that she would like to work outside the system & fulfill her dreams.
Well, whatever be the reasons I think she has taken a very right decision. Despite the weird comments by some media guys & few people that she is throwing womanish tantrums to show her dissatisfaction for not being made Delhi Commissioner, I personally feel that such laudable personality surely doesn't deserve to be in Indian Govt. System. It's an irreparable loss for Indian Govt to lose somebody of her caliber & as far as her future, dreams & responsibilities towards society are concerned I am sure she will do even more wonders if she works outside the system without any insane rules & regulations imposed on her & will definitely keep on contributing more & more to the society the way she has done in past. I have always saluted this lady & will keep on doing this forever. Good move Ms. Bedi & as always kudos to you!


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Inspiration for this Blog came from six or seven other blog websites I visited and enjoyed them immensely. They were informative and inspired me to create my own. Originally I thought it would be a lone effort then I considered the small group I game with regularly. These guys have been my best friends for, in some cases, over 20 years...so I decided to dedicate it to them!!
I've been searching the web lately and have been inspired by several blogs and websites dedicated to wargaming the Marlburian Period. At the moment..and for the last two years it has become an obssession. I made the mistake of buying a packet of Front Rank War of the Spanish Succession British in December 2005 and have been hooked ever since. What was to be just a passing interest has grown into a collection of over 700 figures (90% Front Rank) and still growing.


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Naji Aljohani
King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia
Title: Waist cut-off values to predict diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertension risk in Arab adults
Naji Aljohani, MD, ABIM, FRCP, is an endocrinologist consultant and assistant professor at the Specialized Diabetes and Endocrine Center, Faculty of Medicine in King Fahad Medical City, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is also a board member of the Prince Mutaib Chair for Biomarkers of Osteoporosis in King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Director of Diabetes Prevention in the Saudi Diabetes Association. He obtained his fellowship at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada and thyroid fellowship at University of Toronto, Canada. He has authored/co-authored several peer-reviewed papers and has been an invited speaker in both national and international conferences in the fields of endocrinology, obesity and vitamin D.
Obesity is considered a major risk factor for diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension. Identifying people at highest risk through ethnically appropriate waist circumference (WC) cut-off points was the main target of this study.


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My twin babies fell madly in love with zucchinis. So, I buy big quantities of zucchinis and put them in pretty much every vegetable dish. I even like them raw in a salad. Their mild taste works for the days when there isn't a single cucumber in the fridge. Since,in my opinion, a casserole is the easiest dish to feed the whole family, I like to make this simple zucchini bake. It tastes delicate enough to eat the leftovers for breakfast. Zucchini is rich in nutrients, especially manganese and vitamin C. One cup of cooked zukes contains 1.64g of protein and .15g of omega-3 fatty acids.
You can make this recipe vegan by using flax or chia, instead of an egg and a vegan cheese instead of cheddar. I personally never tried using quinoa or gluten-free flour here, but am sure it's possible. If you manage to make this casserole free of gluten, please, write me a note!
4 cups unpeeled, chopped zucchini (and/or yellow summer squash)
¼ cup chopped onion
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. agave syrup
1 egg
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, set aside ½ cup
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients and stir well. Mix in all other ingredients (except for ½ cup cheddar cheese) and stir well. Pour into a greased 8-inch pan. Bake for about 45 minutes. Sprinkle the second ½ cup grated cheddar cheese on top and bake an additional 15 minutes.
My husband bought some whole wheat bread today. He doesn't like the taste of the sprouted grain bread I buy ( the one that needs to be stored in the freezer.) After quickly glancing at the list of the ingredients in this new whole wheat bread, I became as determined as ever to buy a bread maker and start using it! Preservatives, dough conditioners, vegetable shortening, aluminium sulphate – are some of the ingredients of the bread, which is marketed as a "healthier" choice!
Do you know of any links to good healthy bread recipes I can use?
- Plantains contain high levels of vitamin A, potassium, calcium, iron and fiber. They are also low in sodium, have no cholesterol and contain natural mood enhancers. Nutritionally, plantains are similar to bananas. I like plantains as an interesting potato alternative once in a while. I buy black plantains (they are sweet inside) or let the plantain ripen and turn black on my windowsill.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat the baking dish with some olive oil. Slice the plantains lengthwise into skinny strips that are about 3 inches long. Place the plantain slices in the baking dish, sprinkle them with some more olive oil and place them in a hot oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the fries over and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until the fries are crispy. Lightly salt the plantain the minute it comes out of the oven. You can also sprinkle the plantain with spices, such as curry, cayenne or garlic on these fries.
Salsa and lime juice work well as an accompaniment.
photo credit: healthbent
This post a reprint of a post by AnneMarie Colbin. The author suggests the following tips for a healthy school year. I would take this one step further and recommend these steps year-round for happy and healthy children. Annemarie has been on the forefront of educating people on how to eat healthily through her books, articles and seminars.
Here are my four top tips for helping your children to stay healthy and avoid illnesses in the new school year. The foods that make kids the sickest are sugar and dairy.
1. Avoid dairy.
If you can possibly raise them without milk products, you will prevent the most common mucus conditions, especially colds and ear infections. Milk is a great mucus producer; bacteria love living in it, and casein, the protein in milk, is commonly used in laboratories to set up bacterial cultures. Cheese is just as much of a problem, and yogurt is little better. And it's not because of the fat – in fact, butter does not bring on infections, according to my observations – it is the protein and the calcium, which in cow's milk are intended to help baby cows become big cows (or steer), and are excessive for humans.
2. Don't reward them with sugar.
If you can avoid giving your kids sugared foods – including sugared breakfast cereals, cookies, cake, candy, and ice cream – you will allow their immune systems to do a better job of keeping them healthy. Sugar is known to depress the immune system, and what is worse, it is really addictive. According to a recent study at the University of Bordeaux, France, it appears to be more addictive than cocaine. I know that we tend to reward the children with sweet goodies, but that habit is perhaps best reconsidered – crayons, balloons, comic books or nuts and raisins might be a better idea for rewards.
3. Give them lots of protein.
To keep the kids healthy, they also need to eat sufficient protein (some in each meal, such as fish, chicken, meats, or beans and legumes), with lots of vegetables both cooked and raw, as well as good quality fats (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, organic butter). See my post on protein breakfasts for more advice. 4. Make sure they get plenty of rest Most importantly, they need enough sleep and rest, which will allow their bodies and their brains to recuperate and restore, as well as grow. Lack of sleep is one of the major causes of stress and illness. So there you have it: feed them well, keep them off the ice cream and sweets, and make sure they sleep enough, and they will avoid many illnesses.
4. Make sure they get plenty of rest
Most importantly, they need enough sleep and rest, which will allow their bodies and their brains to recuperate and restore, as well as grow. Lack of sleep is one of the major causes of stress and illness.
So there you have it: feed them well, keep them off the ice cream and sweets, and make sure they sleep enough, and they will avoid many illnesses.
This breakfast is sweet, delicious , easy to make and also works as an afternoon snack. You can substitute olive oil for butter or coconut oil, if desired. The crepes are usually well-received by kids who like sweets. If fruit salad is not your thing, consider filling the crepes with two-three sliced bananas and maybe a couple of tablespoons of nut butter.
Buckwheat is a gluten-free grain, which is rich in iron, b-vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber. Buckwheat flour can be purchased in any health-food store.
Ingredients (for 6 crepes):
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 tbsp quinoa or almond flour
- 1 large egg or chia
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- A pinch of sea salt
Whisk the water, he olive oil, and egg together and then mix in the dry ingredients. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Heat a pan and melt some olive oil (or butter). Once the pan is heated, pour some batter in and rotate the pan to get the batter thin and smooth. Return the pan to heat for a couple of minutes until the top is hard. Flip the crepe over.
Ingredients for Fruit Salad:
2 bananas, sliced
1 apple or pear, chopped
4 strawberries, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced
1/2 cup Orange juice
Mix the fruits together and sprinkle the juice on top.
Fill the crepes with the fruit salad and serve.
Today, my friends and I were discussing avocados. Specifically, avocado smoothies. The best part about putting avocado in a smoothie is the smooth texture it provides and the light flavor it gives out, making it possible to mix avocado with stronger-flavored foods. I believe, avocado can be substituted even for ice cream in any milk shake recipe! It can also be substituted for frozen yogurt or regular yogurt, because of its texture.
Avocado is a powerhouse of healthy nutrients. It is exceptionally high in soluble fiber, which has the ability to bind to fat and excess cholesterol. One cup of avocado has about 23% of FDA's RDV for folate, a nutrient important for heart health and for healthy pregnancy. Avocado also contains "oleic acid", a monounsaturated fatty acid, which may help lower cholesterol. Avocado is a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate intake of potassium can help protect against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke. Avocado is also a very concentrated dietary source of the carotenoid lutein. Addiitonally, it contains measurable amounts of other carotenoids and significant quantities of vitamin E.
Avocado Banana Strawberry Smoothie
2 servings:
Half a ripe avocado
1 frozen banana
5 strawberries
Splash of nut milk
Blend everything on high.
Blueberry Avocado Smoothie
1 avocado
2 bananas
1 cup orange juice
1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup ice
Blend everything until smooth.
Avocado Colada
serves 2-3
1 avocado
1 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
stevia to taste
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp shredded coconut
2 ice cubes
Blend everything until smooth.
Avocado Cashew Smoothie
serves 2:
1 medium avocado
1 handful raw cashews
1/2 teaspoon stevia
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup water
6 ice cubes
Blend everything until smooth.
Chocolate Avocado Banana Smoothie
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 banana
1 avocado
1 tablespoon of raw cacao or carob
10 ice cubes
Stevia to taste
Blend everything until smooth.
Avocado Coffee Smoothie
Serves 2
1/2 cup brewed coffee, chilled
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 banana
1 avocado
Stevia to taste
Blend everything until smooth.
Remember the carrot chips I made yesterday? Well, I had some leftovers and they went into a sandwich that turned out pretty amazing. I suspect that this sandwich can also be made into a delicious salad.
Two pieces of whole wheat or gluten-free bread
2 tbsp. pesto sauce
1/4 block of extra firm tofu, sliced thinly
1/2 cup onions, sauteed in olive oil
1/2 cup carrot chips
1/4 cup mixed greens
Lightly toast the bread. Spread the pesto on both slices. Put the greens on top of the pesto sauce. Put the carrots over the greens and onions over carrots. Put the tofu over the onions. You can add more pesto to go on top of the tofu, if you wish. Close the sandwich and serve right away!
As a busy mother, I know nothing beats a good casserole when it comes down to a quick and delicious family dinner. This casserole is very easy and is excellent for utilizing leftovers. The vegetables I chose to use this time are more suggestions than musts. Green beans work well, cauliflower is fine corn is delicious and sweet potatoes taste great! Furthermore, you can take any other grain you fancy and use it instead of quinoa, making this casserole into a completely different dish altogether! I am a big fan of millet for this dish, but I also love brown rice. I sometimes use garbanzo beans instead of the multi-colored ones. I usually serve this casserole with a nice salad of arugula, cucumbers, carrots, celery, avocado and pumpkin seeds with a bit of extra virgin olive oil on top. Go to the kitchen and begin experimenting!
- 3 cups quinoa, cooked in vegetable broth
- 2 medium sized peppers, chopped
- 1 medium sized onion, chopped
- 1 cup thawed green peas (the frozen ones)
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt to taste
- tabasco sauce to taste
- curry powder to taste
- 1 cup of grated cheese ( goat cheese or soy cheese is fine)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all chopped vegetables, (except for tomatoes) beans, garlic olive oil and spices.
In a casserole dish, put the quinoa on the bottom and the vegetable mix on top. Put tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 45 minutes.
Today, I was making some butternut squash puree for my babies ( they have tried broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, carrot, apple, cucumber, banana, avocado, quinoa, buckwheat and butternut squash so far.) Then, I realized I had way too much leftover squash. In a case like this, I usually make a soup, but today I was craving something cold, so I made a smoothie instead. A pretty great one, I might add.
Butternut squash is rich in Vitamins A and C; and minerals, such as potassium and manganese. It is also rich in fiber. Butternut squash is good for blood sugar regulation and prevention of type 2 diabetes. The B-vitamin like compound d-chiro-inositol-a has been connected to blood sugar stabilization by multiple studies. Blood sugar regulation is also associated with other B-complex vitamins, and squash provides a good amount of five B-complex vitamins, such as B1, B3, B6, pantothenic acid, and folate.
Butternut Squash Smoothie
for 2 cups:
- 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup milk or almond milk ( soy works, too)
- 1 banana
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. of agave or a few drops of stevia or one date
- 4 ice cubes


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Bumbling bee believed blue is best
Blithefully bouncing from bloom to bloom
Blue bonbon blossoms bring the bees bliss
© The Naturarian
Bumbling bee believed blue is best
Blithefully bouncing from bloom to bloom
Blue bonbon blossoms bring the bees bliss
© The Naturarian
Limerick – A short sometimes vulgar, humorous poem consisting of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme and have the same verbal rhythm. The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme and have the same rhythm.
Some Saint Patrick Fun Facts (SPOILER! These facts are not St. P Day friendly…)
St. Patrick wasn't even Irish! Born in England circa 385, St. Patrick didn't arrive in Ireland until Irish pirates kidnapped him at age 16. After escaping and becoming a priest, he returned to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity and became an Irish patron saint.
The original color for St. Patrick's Day wasn't green. The odd thing is that green wasn't even the original color used to represent St. Patrick; it was blue. After the Order of St. Patrick was established in 1783, the organization's color had to stand out from those that preceded it. Since dark green was already taken, the Order of St. Patrick went with blue.
There were no snakes for St. Patrick to banish in Ireland. St. Patrick was known through folklore for having chased away snakes in Ireland, thus protecting townspeople from the mysterious creatures and sending them to the sea. However, Ireland didn't have snakes at the time. Surrounded by icy water, Ireland was the last place that these cold-blooded reptiles would want to go. It's much more reasonable to think that the "snakes" that St. Patrick banished were representative of the Druids and Pagans in Ireland since they were considered evil.
St. Patrick was never canonized by a pope. St. Patrick never got canonized by a pope, making his saintly status somewhat questionable. But in all fairness, St. Patrick wasn't the only saint that didn't go through a proper canonization. In the Church's first millennium, there wasn't a formal canonization process at all, so most saints from that period were given the title if they were either martyrs or seen as extraordinarily holy.
St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity to the Pagan believers who already believed in a multi-god religion. He also utilized the sun, a strong presence in the Pagan religion and incorporated it into the cross, now known as a Celtic cross. Many Christian's bastardized Pagan holidays to help convert Pagans to Christianity.
It wasn't arbitrary that the day honoring Saint Patrick was placed on the 17th of March. The festival was designed to coincide, and (it was hoped), to replace the Pagan holiday known as Ostara; the second spring festival which occurs each year, which celebrates the rebirth of nature, the balance of the universe when the day and night are equal in length, and which takes place at the Spring Equinox. In other words, Saint Patrick's Day is yet another Christian replacement for a much older, ancient Pagan holiday. Although generally speaking, Ostara was most prominently replaced by the Christian celebration of Easter (the eggs and the bunny come from Ostara traditions, and the name "Easter" comes from the Pagan goddess Eostre).
© The Naturarian


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I have this old SBS2003 server. Over time, I've replaced Exchange, Sharepoint and all the other SBS services with other services. This SBS is no longer being used as SBS. This server is about seven years old.
About 2 years ago a w2k8 server was added to the network to do the fileserving, including all users' "Documents" folders.
Thankfully this network is small, 10 workstations, plus 3 VPN clients.
Rather than wait for the older SBS server to fail, I'd like to turn it off and let the w2k8 server be the PDC.
What will I need to do in Active Directory to safely remove the old SBS2003 server and promote the w2k8 server in its place?