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Something wicked this way comes. Shakespeare's tale of murderous ambition is reimagined and in conversation with Orson Welles' dynamic 1936 Voodoo Macbeth. Produced in partnership with NBAF (National Black Arts Festival).
*Appropriate for ages 12 and up.
Muddy, Pretentious, and Unpleasantby Dedalus
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The promise (and expectation) of Georgia Shakespeare�s �Macbeth� was great. Advance word was it would be a restaging of Orson Welles classic 1936 �Voodoo Macbeth,� part of the WPA�s Federal Theatre project. Directed by iconoclast Orson Welles, that production not only re-interpreted Shakespeare�s Scottish Play as a Colonial Caribbean rebellion, it also introduced a roster full of African American actors who excelled at classical works. The bits and pieces I�ve seen showed it to be a vibrant, exciting, and compelling production.
Alas, would that this result met those expectations. In this case, Georgia Shakespeare made the choice to go with a director totally inexperienced in Shakespeare�s works, who �re-imagined Welles� production for the 21st Century.� Unfortunately, that �re-imagination� goes no deeper than adding some high-tech effects that not only draw more attention to themselves than to the text, but also serves only to muddy the story and obscure the poetry.
You know something's wrong when the most common conversation overheard at intermission is along the lines of "I'm glad I read the play, otherwise I wouldn't know what was going on." Director Raelle Myrick-Hodges has most of the actors mumble their way through their lines (when they're not pre-recorded and reverbed into incomprehensibility), has the costumer go with a "let's put them in pajamas" approach that makes character distinction and recognition a Sisyphean task, and overuses a projection design that looks as if it were filtered through a kaleidoscope (kneecapping any potential for tension or true horror).
Still, Neal Ghant's performance in the title role is a thing of beauty, and some really good fight choreography make the final conflict a joy to behold. Still, all the good bits are totally destroyed by a final moment in which the entire cast (tries) to deliver the final lines in unison.
The program tells us we�re on a Caribbean Island still under Colonial rule, though nothing we see on stage helps set that scene (besides machetes being the �weapon of choice�). Generic baggy (but comfortable-looking) costumes make no difference between soldier and citizen, between rich and poor, between witch and mortal. The plot sticks with the basic �Thane meets witches and lets overwhelming ambition lead to tragedy� outline of the original play, though here, too much of the witch�s dialogue is pre-recorded and incomprehensible, too many of the actors make no effort at clarity, too much of the story experiences chronic disconnect between the Scottish references and the Caribbean pretensions.
The dialogue problem is especially stark with Lady Macbeth, who is completely incomprehensible. At no point did I see any sense of the scheming co-conspirator, the �power-behind-the-throne� driving force that propels Macbeth into power. At no time did I see any sense of transition from the power-mad queen to the tragically disturbed repentant. Her last scene is even further hampered by having her in a silly phone-booth shaped box that blocks her face from most of the audience, pushed around on castors that drown out most of her lines.
And the projections do absolutely nothing to illuminate the story or the themes. Images roll and roil with abstract self-importance, and, in places where they would have helped (the prophecies in the pre-final-battle witch�s scene, for example) they were no more imaginative than a student �cut-and-paste� art project. They distracted and diverted my attention, and did absolutely nothing to set a scene, evoke a mood, or underscore a theme.
Which brings us to Neal Ghant. He is the reason this production has any effect, any redeeming (and memorable) quality. He gives us a Macbeth of power, of magnetism, of charisma. It�s easy to see how this man is a leader, how he achieves his goals. It�s easy to �buy into� his tragic qualities � the strengths that appeal are also the flaws that seal his fate. He is comfortable with the language and with its place in telling this story.
Credit also needs to go to Fight Directors Scot and Kelly Mann, who have staged a final encounter that is dazzling, exciting, and suspenseful. The passions and fears and frustrations of the characters were an integral part of the choreography, and it made the play more than bearable for a few too-short moments.
Indeed, this is a production that requires patience to endure, that strings together disparate moments of muddy pretense and inappropriate sentimentality. It is directed with too many self-aware gimmicks that are just that � gimmicks that show �look what we can do,� when, most often, the gimmicks add less-than-nothing to the story, to the words, to the experience.
This was, indeed, a tale full of sound and fury, all of which, in the final analyze, signified nothing.
-- Brad Rudy (email@example.com)
Not a Universal View by playgoer I didn't go to see this production of "Macbeth," partly due to the vehemence of this review. But someone whose opinion I value did go to see it, and he raved that it was the best Shakespeare he'd ever seen. It seems that this version of the Scottish play was more an "experience" than a play, and not all viewers had the same experience viewing it. Indeed! by Dedalus Aaaaaannnd, that is why it's never a good idea to make a play-going decision based on only one person's opinion. How often have we read a review and thought "Did we even see the same show?" Of course, the strict answer to that question is "No!" The beauty of live theatre is that every performance is different, every seat gives a different perspective, and everyone has "baggage" that affect how we see a show (in more ways and to a greater degree than many of us would like to think).
Even time affects how we remember a show. In trying to clear out my backlog of reviews here, I sometimes find myself subtly adjusting a ohrase or two, or even a grade ("Did I call this show memorable? I don't remember a thing about it." or "If i hated the show that much, why is it still in my mind?")
In any case, thanks for your comments ...
-- Brad


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Wednesday, April 02, 2003
New Sophie pictures! Here I am, day 3 of working from home...working hard, and still being creative with a vengeance. My personal artistic goal for today is to send in my YES! Project postcard and keep on being creative all over my work projects (which, by the way, are very fun and involve this site). And without further ado, I'll post the link to what you really want... more Sophie pictures!
Posted by french toast girl at 8:58 AM
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
The data logger configuration software is compatible with Windows®
2000/XP/Vista/7 and 10.
The EL-USB-CO is a USB data logger that measures and stores up to 32,510
Carbon Monoxide (CO) readings over a 0 to 1000 ppm measurement range. The user
can easily set up the logging rate and start time, and download the stored data
by plugging the module straight into a PC's USB port and running the purpose
designed software under Windows 2000, XP, Vista & 7. The data can then be
graphed, printed and exported to other applications.
The data logger is supplied complete with a long-life lithium battery. Data is
stored in non-volatile memory and is not lost when the battery is empty. A
bright red LED will flash and a buzzer can sound when a preset warning level has
been exceeded.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING EL-USB-CO is a professional
instrument that is designed to measure and record levels of Carbon Monoxide (CO)
in air over a period of time. It takes a sample reading at set intervals for
recording / monitoring / analysis purposes. It is not a suitable substitute for
a domestic or industrial Carbon Monoxide detector/alarm.


text:
EFL praise Millwall manager for Wembley actions
The EFL have said the actions of Millwall fans who invaded the Wembley pitch on Saturday were "completely unacceptable", but praised Lions boss Neil Harris for urging supporters to go back to the stands.
Hundreds of fans entered to pitch after Millwall's 1-0 League One play-off final win over Bradford, and some were seen approaching Bantams' players and manager Stuart McCall.
Match-winner Steve Morison, who was visibly angry at the incursion, joined Harris in attempting to clear the pitch before the trophy presentation.
The EFL are contacting McCall and his players to apologise for what happened at Wembley, after Harris offered his own apology to Bradford when he spoke to the media after the game.
The EFL also praised the efforts of stadium stewards who tried to prevent fans from getting onto the pitch, and confirmed they would work with Wembley authorities to find out how the situation happened.
In a statement released on Monday, the EFL said: "The chorus of disapproval from the majority of Millwall fans forced to witness Saturday's pitch invasion was a stark indication of the feeling inside Wembley Stadium at the end of the League One Play-Off Final but unfortunately it failed to prevent some unsavoury scenes.
"It is a criminal offence to enter the playing area and whilst some of those who made the decision to break the law did so to celebrate their team's success back to the Championship, a mindless few opted to goad the Bradford City players.
"Their actions were completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the EFL. The efforts of the Millwall manager and some of his players to remove the offenders from the pitch should be complimented as should Neil Harris' appropriate and welcome apology on behalf of his Club.
"The EFL will be writing to Stuart McCall and his Bradford team to apologise for the situation they found themselves in.
"In addition, the EFL will be encouraging Wembley to work with both the Metropolitan Police and Millwall to identify those whose behaviour created the most concern on the day and to take the necessary and appropriate action.
"The EFL will also raise a number of concerns with Wembley as to how the fans were not only able to access the playing area but then able to get so close to the Bradford City team, who showed great restraint given an incredibly challenging and difficult situation.
"We cannot allow a set of circumstances to exist where the playing area becomes an appropriate place for fans to celebrate and Wembley, like stadiums across the Country, have to be prepared to deal with the type of events that emerged on Saturday efficiently and effectively so as to ensure there is no repeat.
"The efforts of one particular steward in keeping the Millwall fans away from the Bradford City team should be both recognised and applauded."
Millwall chief executive Steve Kavanagh also released a statement today. He said: "Unfortunately the sheer emotion of winning in that fashion spilled over for a small minority who ran on to the pitch after the final whistle.
"Arguments can be made about the strength of the security operation but ultimately people need to be responsible for their own actions, especially as it is of course a criminal offence to enter the field of play.
"In my relatively short time at this club I have already seen just how much hard work and commitment goes into enhancing the club's reputation and thousands upon thousands of our fan base undoubtedly did their part to further that at the weekend. But we cannot condone the actions of the few who just went that bit too far on this occasion.
"Our focus now turns to carrying out comprehensive plans throughout the club ahead of the 2017/18 Championship season, which I'm sure everyone can't wait to begin."
Image: Millwall FC


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From Akashic Records
I am the Admin of the site. I host, maintain, and built things around here. I'm a jack-of-all-trades. I want to believe. I have paranormal memories, but no proof of them. I want to find out for sure. The contents below are all true as I perceived and experienced them.
Paranormal Incidents
Paranormal or creepy things that actually happened to me.
Elements Dance
A long time ago, I got lost on one of my bicycle adventures. An old lady led me out of the forest and in return requested I bring her a flower. I did and she began telling me my fortune right there by the lake...
Growing up I used to see little lines running across random places like singular threads of a spider-web.
They would appear as single lines and you would think that it actually was a spider-web except these lines were never really there. Most of the times I would see it and it would slow me down just enough for me to think about it, or try to test if it was a real web. I sometimes did run into real webs and would struggle with wiping my face off at the sheer realization that it was part of a spider's web.
There were times where I'd sit around staring at it but most of the times, it would disappear too fast for me to analyze. Someday, they just stopped.
I like to think that maybe, just maybe, they were stopping me just long enough to save my life somehow, because in this world, a few seconds can mean the difference between life or death, success or failure. I don't know why a web was chosen, but when you think about it, what else could it have been without being too obvious?
Goodbye Computer
I was using a 486 (computer) once in my dad's repair shop and back then it didn't do much aside from print out invoices and whatnot. I was sitting at it and talking to it for some reason. "Eh look at you, you don't get a lot of play time do you?" and then proceeded to open a game of solitaire. In addition to this, I had one of those 21-pack floppies full of random games in a long accordion sleeve.
Since I was spending the whole day taking care of my Dad's shop, I needed to keep myself preoccupied. I played a few games like Leisure Suit Larry and Commander Keen. During the whole experience I was talking out loud towards the game and computer. Just saying random comments.
When my Dad came back at the end of the day, I shut everything down. Right before I put the computer to sleep I said "Later computer" and it said in a woman's voice "Goodbye."
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I looked back towards the computer. Nothing. I asked my Dad why he had a creepy shut down audio and he said he didn't. He shut it down every night and it never did that.
One day he sold the shop because it wasn't doing so well. He called me in to back up his book keeping so I did. That night when I was about to shut it down I said "Looks like you're leaving forever computer." And I started getting a floppy disk error. I ejected the back up disk and tried putting others in, but it wouldn't take. I was just going to force shut down, but instead I looked to the left of the desk and saw the 21 games pack. I put in commander keen and the error went away. I don't know why I had such an emotional reaction to think of doing this, but I was 13 and I guess we have a tendency to care about inanimate objects. I shut down the computer for the last time and before I was out the door. I heard one more "Goodbye".
Week One - Building The Board
I've been having a hard time sleeping in the past 2-3 days. Maybe it's the combination of working so closely on all this /x/ stuff lately, and staying up too late.
Been paranoid a bit.
Sleeping with the lights on for the first time in over a decade. Had a cold chill on my back the other day. Tried to shake it off and thought listening to music would help. Didn't really.
Feeling watched a lot. Especially since working on the wiki, imageboard, etc... Hearing things like bed creaks and snoring throughout the house. I'm the only one here at the moment.
Find myself wondering what /x/ is about to people. I like paranormal things. I like the truth. I like seeking out the answers without making up the answers. I wonder about the people who are here for fear or looking to troll others.
Manifestation is one of the things I worry about. What if in my less than stable state of mind, I conjure up something, either in the supernatural sense, or psychological sense. I don't feel that safe falling asleep and dreaming. I haven't lucid dreamed in a long time. A year in fact, though I used to be quite good at it, I understand it is strongly associated with how well in-control you are in real life. I worry about manifesting fears.
Dreams are a strange plane of possibility. I used to think that if anything was possible in a dream, then I should be able to find a way to manipulate the real world simply by bringing something back. I once attempted to bring the power of manifestation across the border of my dreams into the real world.
Unfortunately, I woke up powerless. Excuse me if I rambled at all. I'm in want/need of sleep but I'm not comfortable doing so.
I was sleeping with my digital photo frame on the nightstand as per usual. It came upon a picture of my nephew and I picked it up in my hand, sleeping stomach down and just looked at it.
As it continued to cycle through pictures of my friends, girlfriend, and whatnot, I fell asleep holding it in my hand. Earlier that night, my girlfriend came over where we shared a pizza and lurked this board while listening to Jack stream Cthulhu (and later caught dogma on the_game channel).
I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night with my hand still grasping the photo frame seeing something weird. it was if my thumb was sinking into the picture. Still dazed, that wasn't what freaked me out. I lifted my head slightly and then felt another hand grabbing mine. I panicked and placed the photo frame back on the nightstand face down. My panic continued as I started to hear a clicking sound in the room. I turned on the lights and tried to drown it out with some Kings of Leon. It took a good 5 minutes of sitting frozen before I came to my senses. I don't know what happened, but I lay back on my pillow with the lights still on and "someone like you" looping.
Deja Vine
What I'm about to write will make little to no sense. The truth is I haven't had time to digest it myself. Time to turn it into a real story, but I had to write it down before I forgot. And here I am, just fresh from writing it and I'm going to give it to you guys, raw. (Addition: I don't think I was myself in this dream. I think I was playing the role of another person.)
I. Toy Kingdom
Coming home from school, I usually pass through the mall to the other side and call for a ride while waiting by the entrance of a Best Buy.
This one particular Friday... I was walking through the mall when I came upon a wing that had a Toys R Us and a Babies R Us combined. As I passed by the first window of the Babies R Us section I had a thought that I wanted to check out the Toys R Us for a gift to buy for my nephew, so I kept walking.
It wasn't a Toys R Us. It was now called Toy Kingdom.
The entire storefront looked like the front of a basic castle. I will draw a picture and add it after. Now I haven't seen this entrance before, but it looked familiar. On the inside it was structured like a four leaf clover. When I walked in through the stem, it started to be even moreso recognizable. As I walked through, I was so excited as I saw boxes of old toys I once forgot, some with a sign saying 3 for 1 and such deals you'd only see at the flea market.
That's when I came upon it. At the point where the four leaves combined. It was a strange plant. So small and fragile. So familiar. It stood tall about 15 cm, had a stem as thin as a coffee straw, and the leaf came out like a steak carving fork. It was inside a plastic case save for a few holes. I put my bag on the counter next to it as I checked my wallet for some money. My bag almost knocked the entire display case to the ground. I sighed in relief as I caught it.
I kept walking and I eventually came to one section of the clover and that's when it came back to me. I had been here or seen this all before. That's when it came flooding back.
II. Gift
I was walking through the mall when I came upon a Toy Kingdom. I dragged my feet through the store, looking for a gift for my nephew. I noticed a strange plant that looked like a steak carving fork with its head bent down like a typical plant. I did eventually buy something and I went home.
As I was sifting through my backpack I found the toy I had purchased and put it on my nightstand waiting for a more motivated mood to wrap it. When I turned my bag over I noticed something weird. It was two white mouldy dots. It was sticking to the back of my denim sack. I wasn't sure where this came from but I kept on keeping on. Doing some randoms from homework to getting in a little Steam gaming. I decided to call it a night.
III. Nightmare
When I woke up the next morning I was in a haze of white spores and what looked like chalk powder. The entire room was covered in this white mould. I wasn't sure where it had come from. I watched in horror as it lay in patches on my arm. Running to the bathroom I begun rubbing it under the tap only to find that when the mould was washed off, it was just red beneath it. It had eaten my skin. Thankfully it wasn't on my face. I wondered what the hell was going on. I looked at other patches along my other arm. As I touched it under my finger it felt like cheese despite having a powder look.
I came out looking for my mother only to find the mould had spread beyond my room. My mother knelt in the kitchen barely able to speak as she watched her fingers, red from having rubbed the mould off. Bright red… like the mould had eaten her skin and her flesh beneath was showing. It barely bled however. Looking up close at my arm, I could see little pores where dots of blood could be seen. My mom was murmuring making no sense. When she looked up at me she couldn't talk. She didn't even really recognize me. Blood began dripping from her nose. Maybe the mould got inside her.
I picked her up and ran outside to see the mould had spread to the neighbours house. I wondered how I slept through all this. People walked around dazed, some hysterical, rubbing their arms. It was a nightmare. The worst nightmare. This was spreading too fast. It couldn't be stopped unless something thought fast and nuked it. Thinking about it now, you would need a bomb that actually sucked in all the air like a vacuum.
It seemed hopeless. I remembered my backpack and the two dots. It was my fault. I picked this up somewhere… and the only place I stopped by was the Toy Kingdom.
IV. Damned
I hurried over there as fast as I could. Taking my Mom's car, I sped like a madman to the mall. It didn't look like the mould spread this far, but at the speed it was currently going, in a few hours it could probably get there. I was so stressed. My heart pumping.
I came into the Toy Kingdom, just opening up. I walked straight to the plant and then it started to move. I watched as it danced from its stem, pointing to me like a water dowser. I shouted "What the fuck" as other people in the store came to see. One kid wanted to know how much it cost. Somehow it kept pointing intently in my direction. That's when I heard a voice…
"Come" it said.
Everyone else heard it as well. When they looked down they started to notice white mould had spread to their arms. Not knowing the horrors I had seen earlier, they all panicked and ran around the store. I shoplifted the plant and went outside with it, knowing it was the cause of all this.
"Come" it said. I didn't know how to get any closer so I placed the plant in the car where the mould had spread to the entire backseat. That's when I saw the plant begin to sweep, grow larger, and consume the mould. I could not describe how fast this happened but the car tipped over from the sheer weight of the plant. It smashed through the windows and tore the car apart, reaching out towards the sky and then turning its head to me.
I looked in terror asking aloud. "What the hell are you?!" and then it answered… vibrating it's two prongs as it spoke.
"I'm from a faraway place. I can't express the terms in a way you can understand. The people that created me gave me all their knowledge and a means to survive. It was the only way they could save themselves." it said in a harmonic emanating voice.
"The mould came to your people too?" I asked.
"Yes. And for all their technology, wonders that you can only imagine, they could not stop it in time. They originally created me for the purpose of making the only nectar that could stop it, but it was too late. They left me their database of knowledge knowing I would survive."
I looked at the trunk of the vine as it tore through the metal of the car. Part of the vine had been cut and the nectar flowed out. I ran over and drank some, rubbing it on my arms to watch the mould disappear leaving only the red patch where my skin used to be.
"This doesn't really do anything… it kills it but I might as well be washing it off!!" I exclaimed.
"They discovered the same thing…" the plant said.
It whipped around in the direction of my house sweeping up spores, eating it.
I knelt down defeated realizing that the only thing that would survive on this planet would be that damned plant.
V. Second Chances
As I stood in the Toy Kingdom, I was overtaken with a realization that I was having Deja Vu. I've seen this place before, in a dream or something. It was the first time I could really say I dreamt something before and it actually came true. It was proof that Deja Vu was real. Then the rest of that dream came back to me. The plant. The spores. The mould.
I immediately dropped my bag in realization, looking down at it, to see the two dots looking back up at me like eyes foretelling my doom. I ran to the plant in the centre of the store. I picked it up and noticed it didn't have a for sale sign. Sneaking it off to a corner of the clover-shaped store, I began talking to it.
"I know what you are…"
The plant turned its two prongs towards me. It vibrated but it was too small to carry on extended conversation. It merely said "help".
"Help?", I said with a little hysteric laughter, "You were programmed to survive!" I continued… "You placed the mould on me so it would spread… so you could eat it! You saved these two dots this whole time waiting."
The plant vibrated. "Survive"
"What happened? Someone figured it out and nuked your planet? Are you even from outer space? Are you all that's left?" I realized the futility in speaking to the plant.
When I turned my head, the store manager was looking at me talking to a plant, phone in hand. I guess he called the police. With little time to think, I tore the plant apart. I watched as it bled the amber nectar, struggling to survive. I placed two drops on my bag and watched the eyes of mould disappear. Then I rolled up the two pronged plant in its own juices.
When the police came by I didn't say anything. The best thing that could happen was that this all be forgotten. I don't have the rest of the story behind this. I don't know how this plant got into this store, and I don't know if I really even beat it. But I do know that there's something working for us and that we have second chances all the time.
VI. Race
I looked at my fingers still sticky from the nectar. My fingers started to glow and I began to understand things. My body seized up in the back of the police car as the knowledge of an entire race flowed through my head. I don't know if I died, blacked out, or whatnot...
Because that's when I woke up.
As I've said… it might not make much sense to you, and I haven't had time to digest it myself. All I know is my nephew's birthday is coming up and I got a lot of work ahead of me. Maybe not this year, maybe not the next. But sometime, I'll be ready… If you ever see a store called the Toy Kingdom, you know what to do. Destroy that plant.
My Lucid Dreams
Hi guys, I'm here to tell you everything I know about lucid dreaming. I don't claim to be an expert, I'm only here to tell what I know is absolutely true based on personal experience. There's not going to be any personal ego stroking or need to prove I'm any better at it than anyone else. Just the facts, which is I'm probably not even better than most.
For the record, I never trained for any of this. I didn't look up any technique or adopt some way of doing this. It was a natural progression.
Becoming pre-lucid: I would be in a dream and in most cases I would just stop and realize it. It didn't seem to matter if I was running from something, just walking through a mall, or having a nightmare. This is called being pre-lucid. Just becoming aware that you are dreaming. From what I've read, some people actually have a symbol for realizing it. I don't. It just happens.
The First Dream
My first experience came out of a nightmare. I was hiding in a rancher perched atop a mountain-side overlooking a city. I remember hiding in the closet, afraid that something would get me.
Then I came to the realization with a smile on my face.
In that moment I opened the door and ran out the front screen door looking out over the city. At my feet was tall crabgrass, but it was beautiful and almost golden like wheat. I began running through it as the wind picked up. Before I knew it, I leaped from the ground and began flying. My vision was fixed on the ground. As I flew up from the crab grass I flew higher and higher until I was looking at the Earth. Then the solar system. Then it skipped to the Milky Way. I woke up and thought that was probably the coolest dream I ever had. The thing to note about this is, I was only lucid for about a few seconds. Then the moment I flew, I was no longer in control. The dream went back on autopilot.
Grand Theft Flying
I can't tell you when I had these dreams because I don't remember. But I'll do my best to do them in chronological order. Another dream also involving flying. I was a burglar and attempting to escape out a window. This was the window to the house I grew up in though. I hadn't lived there in years and even lived on the opposite coast at the time. Things were getting heated and I realized someone or the cops would get me so I contemplated jumping out the second story window which seemed so much further up in the dream.
Then I became pre-lucid.
Placing my hands (with seemingly nothing in them despite the precondition that I might've stolen something or just broke into this house) on the outside of the window frame I launched myself from the house flying horizontally down the street. The strange thing about this is that I noticed I couldn't see directly in front of me. Just through the side, like I was a passenger in a car. I woke up by the time I hit the end of the street.
The Mall
The mall. I found myself walking in a mall. Somehow I was in Seattle of all places and the mall was floating in the sea off the coast. If you were to walk outside, there would be a few piers but you were literally in the sea. This is something I just "knew". I didn't personally take a look. It was a precondition of the dream. When I realized it, I tried to change the environment for the first time. Unsuccessful. I woke up. I actually tried this over several dreams, which was difficult because it's such a waste of an experience. However, I did eventually succeed and get better at it.
Changing the Environment and Sex
The first time I successfully changed the entire environment I could not recall the dream I was having before I became pre-lucid and then changed things. My moment of lucidity lasted only so long before I handed over the reigns to autopilot.
I did it with confidence as if I knew it was going to work. I sat back in a lazyboy chair and sunk into it. I suddenly fell from the roof like falling though a portal into a bedroom. Writing this now, I realized I didn't really change the environment, I simply moved to one. As I lay in the bed looking up at the light from the bathroom I saw a girl wearing a white tank and no pants. Well I let the dream run its course from this point through.
This wasn't the first time I had a sexual experience in a dream. My very first I was about 14 years old and somehow I was having very raw sex with Kylie Minogue of all people. It was the first and last time I ever had an orgasm in a dream and then woke and ejaculated. I use that experience as the basis that it is entirely possible to achieve both stages of an orgasm without touching yourself. Haven't pursued that theory though.
Zombie Dream
I was in a huge house and just walking out the door when I saw a zombie walking down this street that looked like something out of Back to the Future. It was foggy though. I immediately did the run and flew upwards past him, unafraid. As I overlooked the city, I noticed it was nothing but gas stations and repair shops. I never really understood this dream but I landed in a recreation centre and the dream went back on autopilot.
Heaven and Beyond
This is the more fascinating of all of them and I wanted you guys to know what happened in this most of all.
I was walking through this newly constructed mall. I can't relate this structure of this place to any mall that actually exists. I just know I was there and it was closing time. I bought a pizza pretzel and then left.
Outside, my sister offered me a ride home but I said I was fine. As she drove away I though to myself... it's 6pm, why would I be fine? Then I became pre-lucid and that smile came across my face. I got up and flew around for a bit over this city I couldn't even recognize. But then it got strange. I seemed to fly into a strange place. It was above the clouds and full of golden valleys with waterfalls. I looked closely at the relief of the rocks and thought to myself how detailed this all was for a dream. There were several of these floating mountains and valleys with waterfalls. Clouds separating them, the sun leaving glistening sparkles everywhere.
I wanted to explore it more, but I had a thought that I must go further. I don't know how to describe this concept of the further place, but I attempted to fly there.
Still flying I did a curve upwards and began flying so fast I started to see a dark tunnel. I flew through this tunnel and began seeing things like something out of Contact or Stargate. I was flying so fast that I knew I must be breaking some law of physics. Then I saw it coming towards me. The end of the tunnel and at the end it looked like jagged black teeth at the end of a cylinder. Like I was coming out from the inside of a sandworm from Dune. A part of me was afraid but I knew I had to go on. My body turned cold instantly like ice. By the time I was in blackness I felt it all stop. All movement, all consciousness. Like I was in a place of nonexistence and fading. Suddenly, I awoke.
I wonder to this day if I actually had the courage to make it through or if an ounce of my fear interfered and pulled me out, but I was making the conscious choice to continue all the way through. By the end, I was actually incapable of doing anything but feel the sense of my observation fading away.
Anyways, I haven't had a lucid dream since. That last dream happened last year around Winter.


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Anton Kosach
School Captain
Anton Kosach, Partner in BCG Moscow office. He holds a master degree from Graduate School of Management SPb which he graduated in 2005. Since then he had a consulting experience in CIS, Europe and Middle East. Anton is focused on power and oil&gas clients across strategy, organizational topics and operations. His interests include squash, tennis, swimming, snowboarding and spending time with his family.


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Unfortunately, business travel rarely turns out to be the adventure it is made out to be. More often than not, business travelers are constricted to a demanding schedule, frequently finding themselves bound to the wills and whims of airlines, hotel chains, or various transportation services when they are simply trying to carry out their plans and meet important deadlines.
If you've ever traveled on business, you may understand these frustrations all too well. Not only must you report for duty far from home and family, but you seem to encounter problem after problem. Your hotel room is uncomfortable, your meetings too early, business dinners too late, and tasks seem endless. In practice, the jetsetter's life is hardly as glamorous as it seems.
Luckily, seasoned business travelers know the tips and tricks to make their journeys a little more bearable. If you're facing down a number of business trips this year, we've got some advice that may help you on your way. One of the smartest things you can do is to plan well ahead of your trip and make reservations for accommodation and transportation as soon as possible. This will save you considerable stress and effort down the road. Reserving one of our luxury vehicles will guarantee you a relaxing and timely transit to your destination
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After multiple successful executions of growing koji-kin on charcuterie to accelerate the drying process, I needed to know how well prepared koji would work.
|Sliced Curry Koji Paste Cured Beef Heart
Months ago, Chef Andrew McLeod got in contact with me to find out more about using aspergillus oryzae to accelerate the dry aging process. He asked me specifically why I was growing the spores in rice flour on the meat instead of just rubbing prepared koji on the surface. Honestly, I didn't know the answer. This question lingered in my head for a while, so I decided to give it a shot.
|Curry Koji Cured Beef Heart
Prepared koji is a medium that is already packed with proteases, enzymes that break proteins down into amino acids. So if you're focused on depth of flavor, it only makes sense to introduce as much as possible.
|Salt Cured Eye Round Ready for Koji Paste Application
To contain and keep the paste in contact, wrap the coated bresaola in a few layers of cheese cloth.
One end of butcher's twine from the tied bresaola was brought through the cheese cloth to hang the meat. If you try to hang the meat by the cheese cloth, it will undesirably slump.
|Curry Koji Accelerated Bresaola
After 12 days of drying, the bresaola met the recommended weight loss requirement. This was 9 days ahead of the expected. When I cut into the meat, it was moist all the way through. The consistency of the center is similar to a prosciutto. The darker ring you see in the picture is closer to what you'd find in the center of a traditional bresaola. Also the koji coating was still moist and not dried out. The curry in the koji didn't penetrate very far, but offered a nice compliment to the depth of the beef flavor.
Let's talk a little about the other big advantage of the accelerated drying situation. Since the charcuterie is curing for a shorter period of time, that means the environment required is a lot less strict. For the most part, you don't need a curing chamber. "Cave" conditions with low humidity works well. A true game changer!
At the end of the day, this is another way to leverage the power of koji enzymes to yield a delicious piece of charcuterie. It is definitely easier to execute than the growing aspergillus on the surface method. I'm guessing that the softer texture may go hand in hand with the process. I'm not sure because I've only done this once. If you happen to have more experience, please reach out and share what you've learned.
As always, please share your discoveries to keep the ideas bouncing.


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Since 1911, three generations of the Amirkhan family have served customers from Dallas and across the country. Our customers trust their oriental and specialty rugs to Oriental Rug Cleaning Company for our expert cleaning and repair services. For more than 100 years, we have continued to build on the knowledge inherited from our founder, H.M. Amirkhan, Sr. What does that mean? It means, "WE'RE HERE TO STAY!"
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Our rug cleaning process is perfect for removal of pet odors caused by urine. We soak the rug in order to breakdown the urine salts that cause the odor. We then immerse the rug to remove all the contaminants.
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Excellent ServiceI stopped in to Oriental Rug Cleaning Co. just before the Christmas holidays to see if I could get them to come pick up my rug to clean. They gave me a time within a reasonable time and told me how long it would be before my rug was ...


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Recent Posts in Motorcycle Accidents Category
3 Tips to Prevent Motorcycle AccidentsPosted By Presley & Presley, LLCMost people know riding motorcycles is a dangerous proposition. Every 72 or so bikes out of 100,000 were involved in a fatal crash in 2006, while only 13 or so cars out of 100,000 experienced the same fate. If motorcycles were the only vehicles on the road, their potential for crashes would go down significantly. According to the Hurt Report published in 1981, 75% of accidents that year were found ...Continue Reading
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Book of Shadows may be a terribly attention-grabbing game. I do fancy sensible visual novels, and for the foremost half, this game tells a rather compelling tale. Granted, it will not be for everybody, however if you do not mind a decent quantity of gore and a few very creepy set items, then this game won't frustrate.
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In today's world, it is important to build professional contacts with other businesses. This networking is often done at a business party or an event, where a company can showcase their unique brand while making connections with other businesses. Networking is just as important, if not more important, for a start-up business. Since start-ups are young companies that are just starting to develop, it can be even more important for them to build those professional contacts. One way to do this is by having a classy business party.
Here are five ways to pull off just such an event.
No conflicts
When scheduling a classy business party, it is important to consider if there are any conflicts that evening. Particularly for a small start-up, it would not be as useful if their party was held at the same time as a similar one for a larger competitor. This cuts back on the amount of networking that can be done, forcing others to choose which event to attend. If a start-up is the only company in the area that holds their party on a specific date, other businesses are more likely to attend. This makes the networking much more useful.
There are many places where you can hold an event. From bars to hotels, these are places that people associate with business parties. Sometimes, it can be nice to mix it up, to hold an event somewhere else. However, it is important that the party is held somewhere that is easy to find, that has enough parking, and that is a classy location. Because of this, hotels and some bars, particularly hotel bars, are a good choice for an event. These places, in particular hotels, not only offer a discount but they can also be in lovely, upscale locations.
Hire help
It can be overwhelming to plan an event such as a business party, especially as a relatively new company. Hiring help can free up the staff to mingle and network. A company can find temporary staff using websites like staffheroes.co.uk. By hiring temporary staff to take care of logistical issues from the door to the bar, there are more people in case something goes wrong. Having a larger staff at the event means things are more likely to run smoothly, and if things begin to go wrong, it is more likely that someone will catch and correct it sooner.
Meet everyone
A classy business party is an important time to network with other local businesses and leave an impression. Because of this, it is important that the leaders of the start-up company who are hosting the event meet everyone who is there. Dressed in a professional manner and using appropriate business communication, they will need to engage their visitors in conversation; taking the time to talk to them and learn what the other businesses do. This will leave an impression, especially if they are able to convey a sincere interest. By doing this, there is also a guaranteed topic of conversation during the follow-up.
Follow up
After the event is over, it is critical to follow up with the people who attended. This allows the hosts to thank their guests again for coming, as well as getting feedback for the event itself. Once feedback is received, the next event will be even better. In addition, a follow up is a perfect opportunity to keep a company's name relevant, making sure that they are not forgotten after the party is over.
Pulling off a classy business party is just as important for a start-up company as it is a long-established one. There are many things to keep in mind, from planning the date and location to the follow-up contact afterward, all of which lead to a classy business party and solid networking.
Similar Posts:
- Market Segments of the Event and Meeting Planning Business
- Finding the Right Location for Your Small Business
- Marketing an Event and Meeting Planning Business
- How to Start an Event and Meeting Planning Business
- Starting a Career in Event and Meeting Planning


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Have you started facing the hardships associated with dieting? If you wish to get freedom from starving to lose weight then weight loss products are here for your rescue. If you are wondering what are these then read on to find out about their pros and cons in the blog below. Who knows that by the end of it, you might order one for yourself?
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The 100 was a pretty big disappointment. I'm all for great cliff-hangers that leave you desperate for the next book, but this felt like a commercial or a movie trailer. In other words, not a whole hell of a lot happened. Yes, it's the first in a series, but there was a lot of build-up with very little payoff. The "cliff-hanger" ending was a huge, "Um, was that really supposed to be shocking?" moment. But this wasn't the story's only… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Multiple POVs
Oct 11


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Beth Macy
Beth Macy is the author of the widely acclaimed and bestselling books Truevine and Factory Man. Based in Roanoke, Virginia for three decades, her reporting has won more than a dozen national awards, including a Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard and J. Anthony Lukas prize from Columbia University. Her latest book is Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America. Described as "a harrowing, deeply compassionate dispatch from the heart of a national emergency" by the New York Times, this is the only book to fully chart the devastating opioid crisis in America from a bestselling author and journalist who has lived through it. An instant bestseller, Dopesick was a Kirkus Prize finalist and was short-listed for the Andrew Carnegie Medal.


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Tagged: White Sox
Something to hang our hats on
Tonight Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale dominated the Yankees, and for as crummy and as inconsistent as Phil Hughes has been this year, he didn't pitch poorly. Hughes, allowing just two runs in a solid seven innings pitched, came up on the short end of the stick – as did the Yankees, losing 2-1 and getting swept in three games at the hands of the pale hose.
The best part of this trip to Chicago for the Yankees, aside from leaving: Derek Jeter, who homered in all three losing efforts. It marked the first time in the captain's career he went deep in three straight games.
Thankfully for the Yankees, they will not play the White Sox again during the regular season. However if the two teams meet in October, Chicago can head into the series with a positive mindset, knowing they took five of seven games from New York this season.
If you saw my tweet from earlier tonight, the White Sox scare me.
But the Yankees can concern themselves with the postseason when the time comes, and for now worry about fending off the Tampa Bay Rays – who have pulled to within three games of the AL East lead. That once comfortable nine-game division gap has thinned and the Rays now have a chance to swipe the East from the Yanks.
Better pitching and series wins are what the Yankees need to put first and foremost in their minds down the stretch and into September.
For tonight, though, I'd like to make reference to something that not a lot of people really know about; perhaps it's my way of dealing with the recent sweep and being at the mercy of the White Sox.
If you follow football, which is rapidly approaching, you know that the New York Giants won the Super Bowl in February, beating the New England Patriots, 21-17. Their last game before the Super Bowl, as most fans know, took place in San Francisco. The Giants beat the 49ers in the NFC Championship game on a game-winning field goal booted through the uprights by Lawrence Tynes.
What most people don't know is that Kyle Williams – San Francisco's punt returner who fumbled the ball, setting up the Giants' game-winner – is the son of White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams.
That's right. The White Sox GM's son was the goat of the NFC Title game.
Chicago may have completed its little sweep of New York tonight, but if you ask me, the NFC Championship game is proof of why Chicago is called the "second city" and New York is number one – which they've proven 27 times in baseball and most recently in football.
It may not be much, but hey, it's something to hang our hats on.
Twitter: A Baseball Writer's Friend or Foe?
A lot to feel good about tonight for the Yankees, as they routed the White Sox 12-3 to a series split.
Already leading 2-0 heading into the fifth, the Yankees' bats came alive and they scored six runs in the frame. It began with a home run by Brett Gardner and it all snowballed from there.
Curtis Granderson tripled, Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano both singled, Alex Rodriguez doubled, Eric Chavez was intentionally walked, Russell Martin singled and Jorge Posada reached base on a walk. They sent 12 batters to plate in the fifth, which lasted 32 minutes.
The brightest sign for the Yanks was Swisher, who went 3-for-4 tonight with a home run (his first of the year), four RBIs, and three runs scored. The right fielder was 0 for his last 19 coming into the game, but came out of his slump with a solid night at the plate.
CC Sabathia gave the Yanks a nice outing: seven innings pitched, seven hits, three runs (none of them were earned), one walk, and six strikeouts. For his efforts, he picked up his second win of the year and the big man lowered his ERA to 2.25.
Sabathia was countered by Edwin Jackson, who no-hit the Yankees through the first four innings.
But don't let the words "no-hit" fool you. He didn't have it.
Jackson walked four straight batters in the third inning to give up a run, followed by allowing a sacrifice fly to Cano to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead, despite not giving up a hit.
Gardner's homer to start the huge fifth inning was the Yanks' first hit.
But enough about tonight's squash of the ChiSox and onto the reason I am writing.
In the first inning of yesterday's game, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was run by home plate umpire Todd Tichenor after arguing a questionable called strike three on Paul Konerko; the ball was low and inside but the ump rung Konerko up.
The Chicago skipper argued, was thrown out, then continued to scream at the ump as he walked off the field and into the tunnel on the way to the clubhouse.
What did he do next? Well, he tweeted. Twice. First:
This one is going to cost me a lot of money. This is patetic.
Today a tough guy show up at Yankee Stadium.
Major League Baseball is now reviewing his tweets, as they maintain a policy that prevents employees (including players and coaches) from making disparaging remarks about umpires.
And here is where social media and networking can get ugly.
When I first heard about Twitter, I had absolutely no desire to create an account. I was only interested in Facebook as a means to connect with my friends, family, and classmates. A friend of mine kept telling me about all of the celebrity activity on Twitter as well as all of the famous athletes who have verified accounts.
He kept nagging me and nagging me until I finally gave in and created a Twitter. At first I had no idea how to use it; I just started following all the celebrities and athletes I like, not knowing how to communicate using Twitter.
Finally I got the hang of it and figured out how to use the @mention function.
When I did get to know how to use Twitter, I tried to garner some attention. It worked, a little bit. I tweeted a Yankee Yapping investigation to ESPN baseball insider and former Yankee beat writer Buster Olney, and he re-tweeted it, in other words posting it for his followers to see.
Another former beat writer and current YES Network analyst Jack Curry is another person who has re-tweeted me; I asked him some questions and he responded to me.
During a tweet-driven Q & A session with Yankee catcher Russell Martin, I asked him what his walkup music is when he comes to bat. He answered me, saying he hadn't yet chosen it and he would let the fans choose the song soon.
I even got a re-tweet from Comedy Central comedian and TV show host Daniel Tosh. In terms of reaching out to (and possibly hearing back from) celebrities and pro athletes, Twitter can be pretty cool.
Yet, like in Guillen's case, it can hurt you. Anything negative you post on the internet or in an open forum, such as Twitter or Facebook, can be damaging to your reputation. There are people who have gotten fired from their jobs because of content posted on the internet. Kids have gotten in trouble in school for things they have posted on such sites.
The bottom line is, you have to be careful in terms of what you post. There are ways to protect your tweets and posts, but obviously Guillen didn't and now it will cost him.
Another aspect about Twitter I find fascinating (and in a lot of ways scared of) is how often reporters tweet. Every Yankee beat writer tweets before the game, during the game, and after the game. They usually talk about what's happening in the clubhouse, what's going on with daily news, injury updates, and numbers.
All of this raises the question: is this hurting or helping the journalism industry? Is this what's in store for the long future? Instead of game recaps and numbers from the box score, are we just going to be reading old tweets?
It's pretty scary to think Twitter could impact the sports journalism industry in a huge way.
Even right now, in the high school sports reporting game (in which I'm currently playing), Twitter is a huge commodity. Sometimes I'm asked by former editors to tweet them the final scores of the games I'm covering, just to get them out there. I can only hope by the time I start covering professional sports I am not being asked to just tweet the game. I would rather show off my unique writing skills than my tweeting skills.
Also as a reader, I would rather read an educated game recap and be taken through the game than simply look up old posts on a writer's Twitter account.
Not saying it will come to that, but you never know. In this ever-changing environment and the dominance of digital and social media, who knows what the future holds for sports writing.
If you want to follow me on Twitter, my username is @AJ_Martelli.
I oftentimes tweet about the Yankees; that should come as no shock. However, I tweet whimsical sayings, movie and TV quotes, and lots of phrases that have absolutely no context if you're not with me when I tweet them. And in doing that, I garner the attention of random people.
So be forewarned.
Scrap Heap Heroes
He's finished. He's washed up. He's through. He's a loser. Why bother with this guy?
All things some current Yankees have probably heard over the past couple of years. But right now, no one is saying any of these things. Right now the Yankees are in first place in the American League East, mostly because of the players who were taken off the so-called scrap heap.
I'll begin with the obvious: Bartolo Colon.
Tonight he played the role of stopper, pitching eight strong innings en route to a 3-1 Yankee win over the Chicago White Sox, ending a two-game losing skid. Colon worked effectively, throwing 99 pitches, striking out six and only issuing one walk.
He only allowed one earned run, an RBI single in the sixth inning from Adam Dunn which plated Carlos Quentin. Other than that hiccup, Colon was masterful. He worked out of a bases loaded, no out jam in the second inning and his fastball had both life and movement, topping out on the speed gun at 96 mph.
So far Colon is 2-1 with an ERA of 2.77 and honestly, who expected this from him?
Probably not many people.
It's still early in the season, and Colon has not logged more than 200 innings since 2005, the year he won the A.L. Cy Young Award. In 2007 he tossed 99 1/3 innings, but only registered 39 innings the following year. In 2009 he only threw 62 1/3 innings.
The question has to be asked: can his arm hold up for the rest of the year?
Time will tell. If he continues to pitch as effectively as he has this month for the rest of the season, the Yankees will not have a problem. However if the season rolls along and his velocity goes down, his pitches lose life and they fall flat, the Yankees may have to take action.
But they will cross that bridge when they get there. For now, the Colon signing is looking as if it was the right move. Bench Coach Tony Pena managed him over the winter and recommended him to the front office.
At the moment, Pena deserves a vast amount of credit.
Another signing the Yankees made during the off-season, which right now is paying off, was the acquisition of Freddy Garcia.
Although Garcia hasn't gotten a lot of mound time, he has made two starts and is 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA. On April 16 he beat a powerful Texas Ranger team, pitching six innings and giving up no runs on just two hits. He only walked one and struck out one, but he made a statement with that game:
"I'm for real and I can still pitch."
On April 24 he certainly pitched good enough to win, befuddling the Orioles for six innings and not allowing a run while giving up just two hits. He walked two but fanned seven. The Chief did not pick up the win, as the combined efforts of Mariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain weren't enough to handle the O's in the late innings.
The Yanks did win the game though, 6-3 in 11 innings.
Garcia still has a little bit to prove because he only has two starts under his belt in this early season. But both starts have been of the quality variety and he has demonstrated decent control and good command of his pitches.
Another signing paying dividend: Eric Chavez.
Some analysts called having Chavez on the bench a "luxury" being that he is a former Silver Slugger winner (2002) and a six time Gold Glover winner (2001-06). Again, he hasn't had a lot of playing time (12 games played) but he is making it count when he does play.
So far Chavez is batting .348 (8-for-23) with two doubles, three RBIs, and four runs scored. He has also done a pretty good job playing defense, as he made a nice bare-handed play at third in yesterday's game, playing third base for Alex Rodriguez who served as the designated hitter.
Chavez has had a series of injuries in his career and the Yankees took a chance signing him. That risk is proving to be a great reward, at least for now. Again, we are in the early stages of the 2011 season, and there is no telling what can happen in terms of injuries.
But if Chavez remains healthy, he could be looked at as a steal in the future; a brilliant acquisition and one of the better moves the Yankees have made in recent years.
Along with Chavez is Andruw Jones – a player once regarded as the most dangerous hitter in the National League. Like Chavez Jones is a former Silver Slugger (2005) and he is a 10-time Gold Glove winner and a five time All-Star.
Jones has played in eight games so far this year and is batting .316 with a home run and two RBIs. He isn't as fast as he once was, and maybe not even as athletic. But serving the Yanks as the fourth outfielder, he has made a couple of good catches in left field.
As the year progresses, he could become more and more valuable to the Yankees. Jones hit 19 homers for the White Sox last year and knocked in 48 runs. If you ask me, that type of production from a bench player is definitely a plus, and in many ways a bonus.
Yankees' General Manager Brian Cashman was criticized heavily by the media and the fan base for making these questionable moves in the off-season. Skeptics (including myself) thought the players taken off the scrap heap were never going to make it.
I think the only way to look at it this way:
If the GM signs the player and he bombs, the GM looks like an idiot. If he signs the player and the player prevails, the GM comes off looking like a genius.
So far, Cashman is looking like a genius.
Yet, it cannot be stressed enough: the season is young. Very young. Through the first month each of the scrap heap signees has done extraordinarily well. They have stepped into these roles and flourished, keeping the Yankees (13-8) above the rest of the teams in the division.
But they need to keep on trucking, otherwise Cashman, as smart as he looks now, will look like a person who didn't know what he was doing in terms of making these signings.
And for now, they are the scrap heap heroes.
Too Late For Sori, Bullpen Blows It Again
Before this season began, many folks called the Yankees' starting rotation "comically thin." Those same folks praised the Yankee bullpen, calling them dynamic and strong. Rightfully so, considering they have Mariano Rivera, and they bolstered the 'pen with the signing of Rafael Soriano, who led the American League in saves last year with 45 for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Right now, it's almost as if everyone had it backwards.
A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon, and Freddy Garcia have been pitching great, giving the Yankees length and quality. Each of the starters, who everyone thought were going to pitch terribly, are doing their part. The bullpen on the other hand has been faltering and failing.
Case in point: tonight.
With the Yankees leading 2-1 in the eighth, Soriano plunked Carlos Quentin, who was quickly replaced by pinch-runner Brent Lillibridge (more from him later). The next batter, Paul Konerko, pulled a home run over the left field wall, giving the White Sox a 3-2 lead.
The Yankees tried to stage a comeback in the ninth; Derek Jeter singled, Curtis Granderson sacrifice bunted him over to second, and then Mark Teixeira walked.
Then it became the Lillibridge defense show.
Alex Rodriguez took a pitch to deep right field, all the way to the wall. On his horse, Lillibridge ran and tracked the ball down at the wall for the second out.
Robinson Cano, as the Yanks' last hope, lined a falling blooper to right, again setting up another excellent play for Lillibridge; he dove, caught the ball, and ended the game.
The only two runs the Yankees generated were by solo home runs, off the bats of Cano (in the second inning) and Brett Gardner (in the fifth).
As a team the Yanks only had four hits tonight and two of them went over the wall. The Yankees collectively have 38 homers, and it's evident they are relying heavily on the home run.
And as they say: if you live by the home run, there's a chance you can die by the home run.
Tonight, that was the case.
But it probably should not have come to that in the first place. The Yankees brought Soriano to New York to fill the void in the eighth inning. He was meant to get big outs in the eighth inning; to hold close leads late in the game and set up Rivera, but so far he hasn't done much of that.
In fact, Raphael the Ninja Turtle seems to be doing more for the Yankees than Rafael Soriano.
He is 1-1 with a 7.84 ERA and he has more walks (8) than strikeouts (7). He left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths last night, not going for that popup behind the mound. Tonight he blew a tremendous outing by Nova, who pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up one earned run on five hits.
Nova walked two and struck out three, the longest outing of his young career.
It was unfortunate for Nova, because if he had won he would have moved to 2-2 on the year. Instead Soriano blew the game and his chance at his second win of the season. Soriano's body language has also been rubbing certain people the wrong way.
When he surrendered the home run to Konerko, he didn't look fazed; he remained stoic and it didn't look as though he cared he had blown the lead. There are some pitchers who do not show emotion, but with the way Soriano has been recently pitching, it wouldn't kill him to look a little upset with himself.
Yet as poor as Soriano has been pitching, he isn't alone. Rivera has blown his last two save opportunities, both after good performances from the starters.
On April 19 in Toronto, Burnett gave the Yanks a great outing, turning in 5 1/3 innings and only allowing two earned runs. Rivera blew a 5-3 lead in the ninth and the Blue Jays went on to win 6-5 in 10 innings. Fast forward five days later in Baltimore, and another quality start, this one by Garcia.
Six innings and no earned runs by the starter and Rivera came in and once again let go of the lead. The Yankee offense bailed him out, taking the game into extra innings to beat the Orioles 6-3 in 11 frames, but it still goes as a blown save for Rivera.
The Yankee bullpen, as dynamic and strong as it can be, is not doing the job.
The only bright spot seems to be David Robertson, who has five holds so far this year. Robertson is 1-0 and has not allowed a run in 8 1/3 innings pitched. Tonight he tossed 2/3 of an inning, struck out one, and did not issue a walk.
It's nice to know we have one guy out there doing his job, but the rest of the relievers are ghosts.
Tomorrow night Colon (1-1, 3.50 ERA) will take the hill for the Yankees (12-8), looking to get them back in the win column. He will face Chicago ace Mark Buehrle (1-2, 5.40 ERA).
As for the bullpen, minus Robertson, I have one closing thought for you:
Act like you care. Get your heads in the game. Start doing work and taking care of business.
Yanks Blanked By White Sox
The Chicago White Sox had lost 10 of their last 11 games going into last night's game with the Yankees. Behind a masterful performance by Philip Humber, they changed that, beating the Bombers 2-0 last night.
It was the first time since May 16, 2000 the White Sox have shutout the Yankees.
Humber took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, when Alex Rodriguez broke it up with a seeing-eye single up the middle. The Bronx Bombers finished the night with just three hits.
The Yankees are now 12-7 on the season, still in first place in the AL East holding a 2 ½ game lead over the second place Tampa Bay Rays.
A lot to take away from this game. First…
A.J. Burnett
The lanky right-hander tossed eight strong innings, only giving up one run on three hits. He walked two batters and struck out two.
The Yanks' number two man threw a solid game, and it was business as usual for him, being that the calendar still reads April. Burnett was 8-0 in April games coming into last night's game, now 8-1 overall.
Burnett still leads the Yankee staff in wins (3-1) and he needs to keep pitching in top form for the rest of the season. He has enjoyed a great amount of success in April, which is good in terms of getting off to a quick start. Last year Burnett started at 4-0, and everything quickly caved in on him.
8-1 in April is nice to look at, but Burnett is 18-24 with the Yanks in all other months.
The Yankees cannot afford to have Burnett lose it, not with their current pitching situation. Yesterday things got worse for…
Phil Hughes
So far this season Phil Hughes is 0-1 with a 13.94 ERA. The Yankees have lost each of his three starts and in those three starts, he never made it out of the fifth inning.
He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 15 with a tired arm and seemed to be making progress; getting healthier and ready to make another start. In fact, he threw around 90 pitches in Baltimore and was set to make a minor league rehab start. Things were looking up.
That is until yesterday.
Hughes threw a bullpen session and had to stop after just 12 pitches, saying he felt "deadness" in his arm. He compared the sensation in his arm to getting punched in the leg and receiving a numb feeling.
It's hard to say why this is happening to him. Some are theorizing that his 2010 workload is the reason for his dead arm period right now. Hughes logged 176 1/3 innings last year, the most innings pitched in one season in his career.
Prior to last year, the most innings he had ever thrown in one season was 86 in 2009, a year Hughes pitched primarily out of the bullpen.
Was the move to the rotation in 2010 the reason Hughes has lost it?
Again, it's hard to say. All signs point to yes, but there really is no way of knowing for sure. Hughes himself can't even explain it, saying he needs to figure out what is going on and then take it from there.
He will go for an MRI today and maybe that will give him and the Yankees some answers. Until he comes back, the Yankees will need to continue to get stellar pitching out of Burnett, Bartolo Colon (who took Hughes's spot in the rotation), Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova.
Rafael Soriano, Derek Jeter, and the Strange Play
In the ninth inning last night, the Yankees called on Rafael Soriano to do what he was brought here to do: hold teams down and not allow them to score in the late innings.
Alexei Ramirez stood at the plate and cracked an infield popup, throwing his bat down in disgust as he ran it out toward first base. Soriano pointed straight up as Derek Jeter, playing back at short, raced in to attempt to catch the ball.
The Captain didn't get there in time, as the ball dropped between him and the back of the pitcher's mound, falling in for an infield hit.
The White Sox capitalized and scored in the frame, taking a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
After the game Soriano said it wasn't his ball. In his owns words, "You think I could catch that ball? I don't think so. I thought Jeter or Alex was going to catch it."
A little bloop," Jeter said. "Right behind the mound, not much you can do about it."
Pitchers are oftentimes uncomfortable fielding popups, scared of colliding with a teammate, stumbling over the mound, and ultimately getting injured. Soriano obviously was not keen on taking that risk.
Manager Joe Girardi said the only player who had a fair shot at catching the ball was Soriano – but added that he might not have gotten there, either.
It was a weird play, that's the best way to characterize it. The ball was hit so softly and it was just well-placed. It didn't have a whole lot of hang time and with Jeter and Rodriguez playing back at their positions, there was no way for them to get the ball.
Jeter, in his prime, may have been able to catch up to it. But even so, it would have been difficult given the placement of the ball.
Soriano could have done more to take charge, but I understand why he didn't. If he had gone for it, fell, and gotten hurt, I would be writing about what a foolish decision it was to go after the ball.
Bear in mind, Soriano sat out on Sunday with a strained lower back. He stated, however, that he was fine to pitch yesterday and just needed a day off.
That run cost the Yanks, somewhat, as Curtis Granderson smacked a single to leadoff the bottom of the ninth inning. He would have represented the tying run on first base if that run had not come around to score in the top half of the frame.
It didn't matter anyway as Mark Teixeira, on a 2-0 count, bounced into a 3-6-1 double play to end the threat.
Clearly it wasn't the Yankees' night.
Tonight it could be, though. Ivan Nova (1-2, 7.63 ERA) will take the rock for the Bombers, battling Gavin Floyd (2-1, 4.00 ERA).
Investigative Baseball Journalism: Did I Just Solve a Mystery?
"Hey batter batter batter! Swing batter! He can't hit, he can't hit, he can't hit, SWING batter!"
Ferris Bueller's best friend Cameron Frye yelled these words at a Chicago Cubs game the day they took off from school in the 1986 comedy "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
At the game, the two friends caught a foul ball and were even shown on TV. The Dean of Students, Edward Rooney, nearly caught them but didn't because he got Pepsi spat in his face at an arcade…
Well, it's a long story. But if you have seen the movie, you'll know what I am talking about.
Yesterday it was reported by Larry Granillo of Wezen-ball.com that Bueller and Frye (and Sloane Peterson, too) attended a Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves game at Wrigley Field on June 5, 1985. He gathered that by using Baseball-reference.com and the commentary that is heard in the movie during the baseball scenes.
As it turns out, the Cubs lost 4-2 to the Braves that day.
One word: impressive. With a little baseball investigation, he found out the exact day Ferris Bueller took off. And as a huge fan of the Ferris Bueller movie, I thought it was fascinating.
It just so happened that hours after I read Granillo's article about the Ferris Bueller Cubs game, I sat down and watched another one of my favorite comedies: "Wedding Crashers." Like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off,"" Wedding Crashers" also features a scene that involves a character watching a baseball game.
Towards the end of the movie, John Beckwith (Owen Wilson's character) was depressed; sitting on his couch he watched a Baltimore Orioles game, as the movie takes place in Washington, D.C. (which to my understanding) is located some 40 miles away from Baltimore.
I decided I wanted to make it my mission to find out what Orioles game Owen Wilson was watching. Much like how Granillo found out what game Ferris Bueller went to, I want to find out what game one of the wedding crashers was watching.
Here is what I have gathered:
· "Wedding Crashers" came out on July 15, 2005, which probably means shooting began in 2004, thus the game he was watching probably took place in '04.
· In the film, a player is seen coming home in a home run trot. The announcer identifies the player as Jay Gibbons, who played for the Orioles from 2001 until 2007. He had some time in the show this past season, playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010.
· The team the Orioles were playing had dark jerseys on. It's extremely difficult to tell which team it was, even by zooming in as close as I can on the DVD player. The White Sox perhaps? That was my guess. No help there.
· "It is gone! He is rejuvenated! And the Orioles take the lead, 3-2." This helps.
· "Well, Jay Gibbons connects; his first home run of the season off a left-handed pitcher." Getting a little closer, I hope.
· The footage in the movie was a night game from Camden Yards.
· According to Gibbons's baseball reference page, he hit 10 home runs in 2004–and strangely enough one of them did come against the White Sox.
I think I may have done it!!!
It took me a little while but here goes…
On May 5, 2004, the Orioles played the White Sox at home. Gibbons had a solo home run in that game off Mark Buehrle (a left-handed pitcher) in the fourth inning, according to the baseball almanac. Before the home run, the game was tied 2-2. Gibbons's home run made the game 3-2.
According to the recaps posted on the internet, the game was a 7:05 night game.
That home run was Gibbons's fourth of 2004. From what I discovered in my research, his other three home runs to that point came off right-handed pitchers, meaning it was his first of the season off a lefty.
Could I have just cracked a code? I guess I will never know for sure if it was the exact game, but the pieces are there; the evidence is in place.
Just as Bueller and his friends saw a losing effort on the Cubs' part, Beckwith (Wilson) did in "Wedding Crashers," if I have the correct game. The White Sox battled back on May 5, 2004 to beat the O's 6-5.
All that investigation and they lost.
The Times, They Are A-Changin' Part I
Here we are on June 11, 60 games into the 2010 MLB season. The New York Yankees are currently sitting in second place in the American League Eastern Division standings. The only team standing between the Bronx Bombers and first place is the Tampa Bay Rays.
Through 60 games last season, the Yanks were 34-26 while this year they are 37-23. In terms of their record, the team is doing three games better this year than they were this far into last year's campaign. But the record is just the record. The numbers are just the numbers.
Is this the same team we saw in 2009?
The answer is no.
As I have noticed the differences between '09 and '10, I will be writing a multiple-part blog over the next few days pointing out what is different in terms of the Yankees, whether it is good or bad. For the first part, I opted to write about…
The Core Four
The first thing I have noticed a difference in…well, in some ways.
Although Derek Jeter is still a god in New York, there's no denying the fact that his age is (just about) catching up to him. He can still hit, as evidenced by his .296 batting average this season, but on defense he looks more off than I can ever remember seeing him.
Jeter can still make beautiful web gems–I haven't forgotten about his amazing jump throw on May 26 against the Minnesota Twins. But his lateral range is just not what is used to be. According to many people I have talked to, he was never the greatest defender anyway.
I never believed that. Jeter's Gold Gloves and patented mid-air spin speak for themselves. Unlike last year however, (so far) this year he has not looked like the Jeter of old. He only has three errors this year and last year he only committed eight, which isn't a bad number.
Jeter is who he is. As Ozzie Guillen, manager of the Chicago White Sox, said earlier this season, "Jeter is god. Who wouldn't want him on their team?" He is right; there really is not anything bad I can say about the Captain. It's almost taboo as a Yankee fan to badmouth or try to negate Jeter's credibility.
While this is true, it is apparent Jeter is aging–which has nothing to do with how good he is, it's just a fact of life and what unfortunately happens to all of us! The Yankee Captain will be 36 by the end of the month and I just wonder how many more years he has left in him.
Then there's Jorge Posada.
The Yankee catcher was injured on May 16, taking a foul ball off his foot behind the plate and sustaining a fracture. He went to the 15-day disabled list and missed about two weeks before returning to the lineup on June 2–as a designated hitter.
Since coming back from his injury, Posada has not caught a game and has been relegated to the DH spot–a spot he has not been very productive in. In the eight games he has played upon his return, the 38 year-old catcher (who will be 39 in August) has only collected three hits in 27 at-bats.
Meanwhile, Francisco Cervelli has been clipping together a decent season in Posada's absence. The 24 year-old is currently hitting .280. Even though he does not hit for power and has no homers, he has 25 RBIs on the year.
Looking at it statistically, Cervelli is hitting four points higher than Posada for average and has 10 more runs batted in. Not only that, but it seems Cervelli is becoming the likely candidate to succeed Posada. There was a stretch where Cervelli caught nine games in a row before Joe Girardi had to plug the other backup catcher Chad Moeller behind the plate.
I remember once thinking to myself, "Who does Cervelli think he is? The starting catcher?!"
But hey, it has not been a bad thing. Cervelli has done a wonderful job and possesses great offensive numbers with two outs and runners in scoring position. I can only hope he generates a little bit more power and knocks some homers out of the park.
As for Posada, I hope he can remain healthy. In recent years he has certainly had his share of injuries and it is perfectly understandable. After all, he is playing arguably the most difficult position on the field; catchers have to take the most abuse and punishment of all baseball players.
After 2011 Posada's contract is up and he will be 40. Will he be a Yankee after next year? Will he be able to catch every day? Will he retire?
All of these questions remain to be seen. But any way it goes, things will be different. And as far as the Yankee catching situation goes at press time, in some ways they already are. Posada has not been an everyday catcher
Now onto Mariano Rivera.
A lot of people might say really the only thing that has changed about the Great Rivera is his age. From '09-'10 Rivera turned from 39 to 40 years of age.
But if you remember back on April 30, Rivera made a relief appearance against the Chicago White Sox. He suffered an apparent rib injury in his left side and did not make another appearance for over a week after he got hurt.
I don't remember him ever getting injured like that last season or missing an extended period of time the way he did last month. At the beginning of the season he was asked whether or not he would keep playing beyond 2010, seeing as how his contract expires at the end of the year and of course considering his age.
He said he does not yet know what his plans are and that he will decide after the season is over. The Yankees do however need to start thinking about what to do when Rivera's playing days are up or if he does not come back to the team next year–whatever the reason may be.
I have a bad feeling that if the Yankees do not make the right choices, Rivera will not be the closer next year. Worse off, they won't find a suitable replacement for him and they could be reduced to a "closer-by-committee" situation. One day it could be Joba Chamberlain, the next it could be David Robertson, and so on and so forth.
Surely nobody wants that to happen. If Rivera decides to play again, I think the Yanks need to get him back, or at least show him respect by making him a generous offer.
Yet, it's not like they really went full throttle after Hideki Matsui this past off-season. Matsui was a Yankee for seven years, was a fan-favorite, respected by the entire organization, and (oh, by the way) the reigning World Series Most Valuable Player.
He did so much for the Yankees during his tenure in pinstripes. Matsui was beloved, and helped the team regain the title. What worries me is that the Yanks did not go for him and he is close to four years younger than Rivera.
Who knows what will happen at the end of the season. We will have to wait until it plays out, but if and when Rivera leaves, what happens next? This upcoming off-season we will get the answer.
Last but never the least, Andy Pettitte.
Despite his age of 37 (he will turn 38 on June 15 {which is also my birthday!}) Pettitte is putting together a remarkable year. If he wins tonight against his former team the Houston Astros, Pettitte will own a powerful record of 8-1 on the year.
He currently has a 2.47 ERA, which is good for third in the American League behind David Price of the Rays and Doug Fister of the Seattle Mariners.
Pettitte was however taken out of the game on May 5 vs. the Baltimore Orioles with inflammation in his left elbow. He tossed five innings and registered the win, but was forced to miss a following start because of the injury.
Another concern is the fact that Pettitte has been on the disabled list five times in his career, all as a result of problems in his pitching elbow. Since he skipped the start after leaving on May 5 there haven't been any more problems or concerns with Pettitte.
Barring a catastrophe or any more pitching problems though, Pettitte looks like he will be an asset to the Yankees down the stretch run, which is no surprise. He has been doing it for years and years; pitching in big games and always coming up big when it matters most. But again the question comes up:
How much longer can he keep it up? He only signed on for one year at the outset of the season and like Rivera, his future is up in the air at the moment. He is unsure whether or not he is going to pitch or pack it in after 2010.
Pettitte's age and his desire to spend more time with his family have long been a topic of discussion in terms of his career. Even before he returned to the Yankees in 2007 many analysts and baseball writers speculated as to whether or not he would call it quits and retire or keep going.
Obviously he opted to come back home to the Yankees where he started and he was welcomed with open arms. Since his comeback in '07, Pettitte has been a rock in the Yankees' rotation. This season things have not changed. But next year will they?
They say age is nothing but a number. It's not about how old you are but about how old you feel. But considering the recent and apparent way things have been going for the "Core Four" Yankees, I have to disagree.
Age can and eventually will catch up, and we are beginning to see it amongst the most beloved Yankees of our era. This quartet of special Bombers can still get it done on the diamond, despite the obstacles they have had to hurdle this season.
But yet again I ask… how much longer can they do this….?


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The injured worker community is strong and united.
Making connections
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• Employers should put up signs or notices in the workplace which make it clear where smoking and e-cigarette use is allowed (if this is the case) and where it is banned.
• The rules should also state any unauthorised or excessive taking of smoking or E-smoking breaks and any smoking of cigarettes or E-cigarettes in a prohibited area at work will result in disciplinary action.
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5 Things to Do For Yourself: In 2016
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With the new year right around the corner and New Year's Resolutions flying around like crazy, it's time to start thinking about things to do for yourself for 2016.
- Schedule catch up days throughout the year to give you set times to get caught up on things that just slip the daily to do lists. I'm going to write a whole post dedicated to the beloved catch up day I love it that much.
- Set obtainable resolutions that you actually want to stick with. Give them a timeline with clear measurements so you know when you've completed them. Losing weight is a terrible goal, but losing ten pounds by Valentine's Day is a much better one that will keep you focused and on track.
- Get ahead while you still can. Use your beautiful new planner to mark down important dates and things you always seem to do last minute (holiday cards anyone), and then work backward from the deadline to give you reminders months in advance so you don't get so behind throughout the year.
- Check something big off your bucket list. Whether it's taking that pottery class you've talked about for years or finally taking that big trip overseas, make an effort this year to finally turn one dream into a reality.
- Treat yo self. You deserve it!
What things are you going to do for yourself in 2016?
xoxo Kayla