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Summer 2018- It Ain't Over Until It's Over
August 21, 2018
Mid to late August, it happens.
The back to school flyers weigh more than the news/travel/ and sports section combined.
My 14 year old daughter sighs and shakes her head-"I don't know where the time went."
Cunningham pool posts it's last day. Sunblock goes on sale.
I look up from everything
To wonder how the hell that happened.
The pool might close,
assignments might be due,
but the sales are going to run until it's time for Halloween.
Summertime is time out. Time off.
A day at the beach. An hour by the barbecue. An afternoon with a good book.
Some time at the park with your kids, grandkids,
or a bunch of dogs you're babysitting,
spying on them on the swing in the playground,
wondering where the hell time went.
I don't know where you're at in the journey,
but I can pass this on.
The beach doesn't close.
The barbecue doesn't care if it's Monday, November, or 4 am.
Cunningham pool shuts down,
but there's ponds, kiddie pools,
the ocean, the bay,
and the bathtub,
all offering different water temperatures and dining options.
We can move thru life
At summertime slow,
Or fall frantic.
It's still August, my friends.
No one is going to run out of pencils.
You don't need to start wearing fall until January,
orange is not on the runway this year.
Revel in flip flops, sundresses, and shorts of all shapes,
until knees are blue.
Stay barefoot whenever you can, have something on hand
in case you want to enter a store, a restaurant,
or have an appointment with a court officer, or a prospective employer.
There are beaches, and the water is warm.
If the sharks bother you-
There are lakes, kayaks, italian ice, baseball, drive-ins, eating outside, eating takeout from the boxes in bed while watching Netflix, bike paths, hiking trails…
These are my summer time things.
I want to say- to myself- as much as you-
It doesn't have to end because
the bus pass came in,
or a leaf turned,
or your son graduated high school, and all his friends are going to college,
and you want him to get ready for fall.
Summer is here.
It will not leave
until we mark
it in pen
Or email a colleague
Likely to note
it's expected departure
On the calendar.
There is time
To call your family.
Text your friends.
Light a sparkler. Go dancing.
Sing along to the radio.
Roll down the top.
Roll down the window.
Laugh out loud.
Wish on a candle.
Look at the clouds.
Buy a beach towel that
means something.
Everything else goes by so fast, everything else-
This year,
Let summer last.
We don't need to infringe
on the Fall season-
those that love the fall,
or make their living selling leafblowers, pumpkins, and autumn colored towels-
I respect their needs too,
I am just asking for a little room
to prepare for what needs to be done
in September.
There is work to be done in September.
This year,
I need a little extra time at the beach,
Before what comes
After Summer
November 13, 2017
I can tell the temperature,
within a degree or two,
first thing, every morning,
when I open the door
to let the cat in.
When I hear my best friend's voice
over the phone,
all she has to say is hello,
and I know if it's time to reach for my car keys,
make some soup,
or find a spot to listen.
I read body language,
talk to dogs,
and understand why
the three year old boy next door
finds poop endlessly amusing.
But I don't know what's going on with my 17 year old son.
I know where he is-
a flight of muddy stairs
a damp towel outside
a closed door.
I eavesdrop on his conversations,
Not to hear the words,
But to try to recognize his voice.
It hasn't worked.
He is steps and oceans away.
I am here,
with clean laundry.
Orangetheory and ME
November 5, 2017
I go to the gym almost every single day. Working out gives me the chance to listen to silly pop music and use the immaculate showers when finished, (I live with two teenagers).
As you've probably guessed, I'm not a gym rat. I'm as coordinated as a newborn giraffe. I carry baby weight 17 years after having the baby, and living with the teenager has probably added a late night when-the-hell-is-he-going-to-start-packing-for-college Breyer's induced pounds. I wear glasses, my hair refuses to stay in one of those adorable high ponytails, and my torso, when tucked inside a yoga top, looks like a well stuffed sausage.
When a person acknowledges they go a health club to listen to Shakira and hit the steam room, it's an indication this person should take their workout up a notch. When I received a chance to try out something new, I took the leap.
I was curious about Orangetheory, a fitness studio that opened a year ago in Quincy Center. There are about two hundred franchises nationwide, and the chain is growing rapidly.
Each gym is set up the same way, with treadmills along one side, a large area in the center for rowing machines, and an open space for strength training that includes TRX cords, free weights, and gravity balls. The colors are- you guessed it- tangerine orange, and slate grey.
Along the wall in the separate workout areas are flat television screens that flicker on when class begins. Every participant has their first name listed alphabetically on the screen in day glow letters. During the workout, people can track their heart rate and see how they measure up because of a special Orangetheory heart rate monitor strapped on their arm. The studios are dark, and the music is loud.
I knew all this beforehand because I'd been peering thru their window for weeks, while sipping coffee from the cappuccino shop next door.
On the day of my visit, I went to the Friday afternoon 4:30 class. As soon as I opened the door, I was surrounded by three different employees. All of them greeted me with the enthusiasm shown for adorable babies wearing cute hats and tiny little athletic shoes or socks with bunnies on them. They knew my name, were eager to answer all my questions and, four separate times, assured me I didn't need to be nervous
This made me nervous. After they strapped the heart rate monitor onto my forearm and led me to the waiting area filled with female twenty something fitness models wearing perfect ponytails and shiny spandex and one very male body builder type, I was very nervous. Looking at the body builder helped a little.
My trainer decided I would start on the treadmills, and explained that even though most (all would have been the correct term) of the others were runners or joggers, power walking was fine. I walk fast, and I stroll, but I have never power walked.
Power walking was a thing in the eighties. Today there are occasional outbreaks at the mall before it opens because some brilliant activities director at an assisted living facility is nervous about residents wandering around the parking lots trying to get their steps while dodging cars, dogs, visitors, and wheelchairs. It came back yesterday to downtown Quincy, Massachusetts, thanks to me, because I only jog when I'm running outside to chase Sophie The Best Dog Ever, (obviously there might be a better dog that doesn't slip out the door for a game of tag during rush hour,) find the newspaper, or realize someone is driving away with my phone.
Megan went over what my target numbers would be,and explained about the incline, monitor, and large tv screen where my name was right in between Jenna and Kylie. Somebody turned up the music, and I checked for the fourth time that I'd double knotted my sneakers.
During those twenty minutes on the treadmill, I worked really hard. When using the elliptical, I have access to the same data that flashed over my head at Orangetheory, heart rate, calories burned, and distance traveled. What made me work harder than I ever do at my gym- the data is posted in different colors, according to what your heart rate is. I really wanted to make my numbers RED.
I wanted to make my numbers red so much, I jogged. I even ran. It felt like running anyway.
After twenty minutes on the treadmill, we headed over to the water rowers. There is something significant about these rowers because they are powered by water, but they just seemed like nice looking rowers to me. Rowing is hard, but since I knew everyone could see exactly how much effort I was putting into it, I kept up. When I rowed, I rowed like I was actually trying to go somewhere. (I'll remember that for next time.)
Because of my unique approach, the fact that it took me about two minutes to strap my feet into the pedals didn't do too much damage. It only took me one minute to unstrap my feet out of the pedals because I was looking forward to the strength workout.
I'd had the chance to watch two groups rotate thru the exercises posted for us this part of the class, and felt pretty confident I could handle them. After all, I had jogged. I'd figured out the buckles on the rowing machine. I wasn't wheezing, or asking someone to call my mom.
There are three different sets of exercises during the strength interval, designed to work most major muscle groups. The first set of exercises were one legged deadlifts, spiderman arms on the TRX, and pushups. It's hard to do one legged deadlifts in a dark room with a Techno soundtrack, especially after running and rowing. I wobbled a bit, but didn't fall down, so I'll call that a win.
For the Spiderman arms, I had to position my body at a forty five degree angle, leaning backwards, while I clutched onto cables. I had to use my arms, like hinges, to pull my body up, one arm at a time. My moves were less Spiderman climbing a building and more clumsy person flails on resistance bands. But I flailed less with practice.
Finally, I made it to the pushups. I kept my back flat. My eyes faced the top of the mat. I didn't bend my knees. I completed five of the best pushups ever before realizing everyone was back up doing the one legged dead lifts again.
At the end of the workout, everyone came together to stretch. I looked around the room, and realized that I hadn't noticed anyone during my hour session, except so I could figure out what I was supposed to be doing. I had run faster than I have ever run in my life. (As a child, my games of choice was not tag or soccer. They were backgammon and reading books; the latter isn't a game and might explain a lot about my lack of coordination.)
The next day, they sent me a wrap up of my work out-
Am I a horrible person for pointing out the expected goal for a first time clients is around 12 Splat points and thatthe numbers are cut off, my Splat points were 29? Splat points refer to the amount of time spent in the red and orange zones, when the heart rate is elevated. Of course, my heart was racing! I ran, and I don't run, I rowed, and I even ended the workout doing mountain climbers. (At my regular gym, I usually just hold a plank. Not a climber, either.)
At the end of the day, what I'm most proud of is that I took on something new, in a room full of people I didn't know, and I did things I decided a long time ago I don't do.
It's really nice to surprise the world. It's even better when one of my kids looks at me with respect and says 'Mom, you're doing such a great job." But what I learned at Orangetheory is how wonderful it feels to surprise myself.
Next week, I'm going to try Acroyoga. I'll let you know what happens.
There is alcohol. Wine, fancy cocktails with basil floating in them like pine needles, and beer.
There are long, dark wood walks with a dog that follows, lingers, then sprints to a pile of damp leaves. There is the observation of joy, as she thrashes in gold and rusty brown and dirt. When she jumps into the van, my sweet girl smells like she was out all night, and it's Thursday afternoon.
There is work, swallowing handfuls of chocolate chips from the fridge meant for Sunday pancakes, dinners out at restaurants I can't afford, where we share appetizers and order just one more.
There is splitting the check even though I ordered just one more, and knowing it's understood. I needed that.
There is time with friends.
There are phone calls to mom, and not calling mom, because I don't want her to know details. There is knowing she is there to listen to the details if it comes to that.
There is music from when I was his age, and his own music, the inappropriate language, the grinding bass, the beat. There is time at the gym, lifting metal, finding downward dog in a room full of women who look they don't have a clue even though probably half of them have been where I am now.
There are impassioned conversations about Trump, the Supreme Court, moving to Canada, the latest from Trump.
There the memes of Obama and Biden.
There is tv and slippers and sleeping pills and falling asleep with the tv on so I don't have to think about anything but the carefully written dialogue written by writers on another coast that belong to a union and are probably talking about Trump right now.
There is knowing, somewhere, in my head, this is not cancer. It is not Alzheimer's, or living without heat, or living alone, or being old, and wishing for what will never come again.
When I find myself dealing with another variety of grief, I may or may not turn to the same these things I have found along this journey.
Inside this life of mine, right now, I still find bliss and laughter, even though this heart of mine weighs more than my whole house, weights more than anything I have ever carried.
I have found a way to lift this heart and love this child and move forward into the tomorrow and next month.
Sometimes I can't. Sometimes my knees buckle and I lean knowing I have lost it all. I find myself on the sofa, wishing I had softer socks, or a magazine, or a softer pillow, or it was ten years ago.
Then my daughter asks me to sign her permission slip. A student calls with a question. Sophie sighs in her sleep and I know she is dreaming of bunnies.
So I pull myself up and I take myself down to my bedroom. I find sleep, I do not dream of bunnies, that I know of anyway.
But I wake up next to Sophie and that helps.
My family is home with me tonight. I'm a little bit angry and totally blessed.
Well, mostly blessed.
I hope I dream of bunnies.
The Verge, Some Holiday Thoughts on Upward Mobility and The Importance of Christmas Music
December 22, 2015
This is the holiday season. I don't need to tell you that. The songs on the radio are carols, everyone at work is counting down days and feasting on cookies, kids are looking for elves on shelves and parents are wondering why they ever started another tradition that involves one more thing do during the season that demands the most of parents of young ones.
I've wanted to write about the holidays. I've tried to say something meaningful about slowing down and finding the spirit. I was going to talk about decorating our tree.
We didn't decorate our tree. My husband dragged it in one night while we slept. He strung the lights while I was working. My daughter hung ornaments with a friend of hers while they were trying to decide what movie to download. My contribution was to straighten out the tipsy angel, and sweep, daily, the tinsel, that seems to be growing, like sweet potato vines all over the first floor. I sweep, it slithers down and creeps along carpet while I sleep. I sweep again. The dog finds the whole process weird.
I shopped for the first time yesterday. An eleven year old and a fifteen year old, both of whom just got new smart phones a month ago. $600 smart phones we will be paying off while we are trying to figure out how to send them to community college because we don't have any money.
If the holidays aren't enough to make me crazy, I'm always on the verge of something.
I'm on the verge of everything.
I'm on the verge of killing my son, throwing him out onto the street with a bus pass and a back pack. I'm on the verge of falling at his feet and begging him to just watch one episode of the Middle with me. Like the good old days. He smiles, I think- what has he done now. He grimaces- I wonder- what have I done? I'm constantly cataloging our conversations, expressions, text messages and I've reached no conclusions other than he is my son, and he is a complete mystery to me, and I really, really hope he knows I love him more than my own breath.
About a month ago, I asked my boss where I was heading, in a general way. I've been at the same job a year, my title has nothing to do with the job I do every day. I've been hoping for a new one, or a title, and a little more money. Tomorrow, we are having lunch at a nice restaurant. I can't imagine he would take me to a nice restaurant to give me good news.
I'm going to the gym every day, and I'm eating cake, and large bowls of pasta, and putting cream in my coffee. So I guess I can't say I'm on the verge of getting in shape. But I do go to the gym every single day, and walk the dog, and take the stairs. I look up healthy recipes and I think about them. So maybe that qualifies.
Today, I drove my son to school to talk to the principal about an argument my son had with a fellow student. I picked up some Christmas presents for my nieces. I spoke to some students and reached out to one organization and two high schools about working together, me and them, to help more kids come to Quincy College. I went to Marketing for cookies and the Registrar's office for sandwiches. Based on my conversation with my colleagues, I am the only person in the world that hasn't finished shopping. I ate too many cookies and had a cup of soup.
Today I sprinted thru being on the verge of bribing an assistant principle, spending grocery money on really, really nice tee shirts, and getting a serious stomach ache. Thankfully, none of that happened.
I made it to my therapist's appointment where we discussed the anxiety of the holidays, and since I was in a rush, we made it quick. She wrote me a prescription. I am not on the verge of a nervous breakdown or I'm too well medicated to notice.
I raced home. Katy had a friend over to practice for their flute holiday concert this evening. I made them dinner while they mangled "Oh Holy Night." I had a glass of wine, and served them two huge bowls of spaghetti. While they ate, I gathered my clothes for the gym. I wiped counters. I kissed the dog and promised her we'd walk before the rain came.
We got to the concert. Katy and Madeleine played first. I'd warned Madeleine's mom, "they weren't very good." I asked Madeleine's dad to tape them on his Iphone.
The girls played "Joy to The World" and "We Three Kings".
They played beautifully. I sat on my metal chair and looked at them, poised and still in front of the music stand. I have never heard such beautiful music in my life.
I didn't want to write my boss an email. I didn't want to go the mall, or walk the dog, or lift a weight, or climb the corporate, or any sort of ladder.
My girl brought me Christmas.
It is eight pm. Sophie is at my feet. She will take me outside to look at the lights. I won't count my steps, I won't check my heart rate. I will pick up her poop, and I will let her sniff that weird patch of grass on Wood Street for as long as she'd like.
I'm inside my life. I share it with horrid, funny, magical kids, a husband that remembers a tree in the middle of his shift, and picks out the best one, the college, where my supervisors, students and colleagues teach me something new every day. Sometimes, the lessons get a little redundant. I think I'm pretty clear on the importance of patience in world of academia, but I'll know when I know.
The month of December seems to be a time where too many people live on the verge- of losing their minds, going bankrupt, trying to keep up with the neighbors, smacking their kids, or wishing they'd never fallen in love.
From this moment forth, I've stepped away from the verge, and I'm not going anywhere near it. If I shop, it will be without a list. If I buy gifts, it will be because I'd like to give something to someone I love.
I'm not even sure what verge means any more. Maybe it's when I choose something, horrible or amazing, to swallow up my entire focus. While I wait- I eat too much, I snarl at kittens or kids, I check my email, I scroll thru Facebook to glare at people who do not seem to be on the verge, while reassuring myself that Facebook lies and almost everyone is on the verge of something. Even if they don't know it.
I do know, by definition, to be "on the verge" implies resting one foot on one spot, a less than desirable spot, while the other foot hovers and waits for a better space to open up.
That's seems pretty silly.
I'm home now.
I'm blessed.
I'm pretty sure Colin loves me, and if he doesn't at the moment, he'll remember soon enough. I love him. I love so many people, and I'm so lucky that in the middle of this life, I've made enough space to know them.
The rest will come.
Right now, everything I want and need is here. I'm not waiting on anything.
The rest will come.
Yesterday it was explained to me that I am actually insane for insisting someone eat scrambled eggs and toast for dinner instead of frosted flakes.
Today, when I picked up the other one from after
school at 4:30- she reminded me about a band concert this evening, except I'd never heard about the concert in the first place.
After we established that- yes, there was going to be concert that every other family with a band loving child in Milton knew about, and my daughter really, really wanted to attend, the possibility was again mentioned that perhaps I'm losing my mind, because of course she would have mentioned it, I mean , Mooooom– (Mom, I have to wear black pants, a white button down shirt, and it has to be clean, mom, like real people's clean, and I need socks, I forgot about the socks, and shoes, black shoes, and they have to be… )
All explained to me one hour before she was due at the high school to practice.
It was a lovely concert. I was introduced to the band director, had the chance to see some good friends. So many of the kids on the stage I've had the pleasure of being in the audience for- either a Celebration of Spring Chorale, or Holiday concert, or Easter Egg Hunt or Isn't Our Town the Best Town in the Whole World Parade or The Annual Mother's Day March for Peace .*
The music was unexpected, for me anyway. The different bands performed the works of modern composers. I heard hope, terror, joy, grief, got a glimpse of spring, with just the right touch of "Let it Go". (I think it's going to years and years before the fans of that song take the advice spelled out in the chorus.)
The two people the closest to me have told me that I am completely insane and totally losing my mind.
Either one of those two statements might have really pissed me off, except- well, they reached this consensus a long time ago, and somehow I still remember to pick someone up for practice and sign someone else's test and I'm the only one that ever remembers to feed the dog.
And somehow, I don't point these points out to them on an hourly basis.
But I am really happy listening to the band, I even plan to tape the recital. I love cheering for the team, whatever the season. "Go Team" is ok, as long as I don't use any names. Or at least not his name.
It's been a good day.
And tomorrow, there is nothing on my calendar. No one needs a ride. No one needs anything baked, or bought, or delivered or signed.
Tomorrow's going to be great.
*At the annual Mother's Day March for Peace, moms aren't the audience, we are organizers and leaders, some of us sharing and spilling grief, some of us are there to listen, a lot of us sing. And while we march, everyone keeps an eye on the children, who tag along behind, or limp beside, sweaty sticky palms inside someone's slightly bigger palm, or race ahead, carrying signs, calling to friends, not looking for us at all, (because they know we are somewhere). Pretty similar to all of the other special days, I guess, except our name is in the title. And for the record, dad's are welcome.
Spring Fever
May 17, 2014
I got it bad.
Not the spring fever that means I really, really want to go see a baseball game. Or the variation that sends people to the drugstore to stock up on Clariten and the Kleenex with the vaseline in the tissue for a soft, comfortable blow. Or even the milder version that involves staying out in the garden until past dark, pulling up weeds and planting petunias or whatever it is people plant around here. I don't garden. Or like baseball that much. And I'm lucky that so far I've avoided this seasons allergies.
I'm as restless as a cat with no claws in a house full of mice.
I live a quiet life, mostly. Two kids. Lots of long walks in the woods with the dogs. Work I love that is just part of a life that I also love, most of the time. I dance, I see friends, I go to church, I cook dinner. I even like trips to the grocery store, can happily spend a half an hour engrossed in an aisle with 17 kinds of mustard. And walk away without buying any, if they don't have the cranberry spice mixture I like. Until the past week, contented was a word that would apply to me and the world I have made for my family.
Now, I'm inside an itch I can't scratch.
I want to go out. I want a manicure and pedicure. I want a new dress and to wear it inside a circle of well dressed people sipping cocktails muddied with herbs and infused with fruit, like I read about in the Boston Globe every week.
I want to be able to wear high heels without staggering. I want to go on vacation, stay up after jon stewart, meander somewhere without worrying about stepping in dog shit.
I want to be thirty two, and be mulling over a variety of book deals and suitors.
And right now I'm mulling over if it makes me a bad mom that I really don't want to see what Ben Stiller did to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It's no secret that the reviews were horrible, and I'm not in the mood.
I guess I'm not in the mood for much right now, except for things that I a. can't afford or b. probably wouldn't do much to make me feel a whole lot better.
Fever is a transient thing.
So I'm going to take out my flute, close my eyes, lose myself in a melody and let the night fall around me.
I'll have a cup of tea.
I'll let Katy braid my hair and I'll tell her about fireflies.
And if nothing works, maybe tomorrow I will visit Home Depot. I'll by a twelve pack of perennials, some gloves and some extra high quality organic darker than dirt dirt. I'll see why everybody outside holding a spade looks so damn content.
It couldn't hurt.
Places I Have Been To
September 10, 2013
I went to church last Sunday. It was the first Sunday of the church year. Everyone came early for a pancake breakfast hosted by the youth group. I'd actually been at the church since Saturday night since I had been one of the chaperones for the pre-pancake breakfast youth sleepover. (I am either a very brave or a very stupid woman.) As I moved around the halls, directed guests to the bathroom, and found a sugar bowl for somebody in the kitchen, it occurred to me- I feel at home here. I am a member of the club.
You know the feeling I'm talking about? When all the sudden you look around whatever space you are in and realize- you know where stuff is. You know the names of people around you, you even know if they are people worth knowing, and you move thru hallways and rooms with ease.
The church is the latest in a long series of places I made my own. I'm sure for many, school is the first thing that comes to mind. Not for me. As a matter of fact, for all the time I spent in school, my memories are mostly of feeling lost. Literally. I have a lousy sense of direction, every year classrooms are different, they were usually located on different floors. Kids in classes changed, and every few years, buildings changed. To make matters really difficult, when I was 12 my family moved from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.
I suppose, on a much smaller level, I got a sense of it over at friends houses. Going over to Leslie's and being able to drink from the water jug in the fridge reserved for family members. Over at my first boyfriend's house, I was entrusted with the location of spare key, and knew the names of all of his cousins. He only had three cousins, but I'm not that good with names. And of course, the Stanfields. Their home became the back up home to many teenagers in Mountain Lakes. I knew where to find the corn nuts, and what bedroom was likely to be unoccupied, or mostly unoccupied. Of course, so did about seventy five other kids between the ages of 15 and 18. But it was nice, knowing my home wasn't my only home. Especially since things weren't always so easy in my home growing up.
Skip forward quite a few years. My first true sense of belonging to a group, and knowing where I fit in, was when I settled in Boston, and discovered the club scene. And the bands. (And the members of bands. Whole nother story.) And the drugs, and the right ratio of drugs and alcohol for just the right buzz. I remember how it felt to saunter up to the front a line, nod at the bouncer and walk in a front door. How I felt so damn special to be granted entrance into a dark, crowded smoky room, with minimal bathrooms, insane lines- to buy a drink, pee, even to grab a seat. I became familiar with the bartenders, did my research and sought out the johns no one else knew about, and became particularly skilled at lurking behind someone getting ready to leave, then swooping in for their spot at the bar before they'd even picked up their keys. I knew where the stairs were, where the elevators were, where the back doors were, who bartended on which night, and who might be willing to pay for my drinks.
And the best part… Everybody knew me. By name. After years of feeling pretty damn anonymous, I had circles and circles of friends. I had friends to go out to dinner with, friends to sleep with, friends to stay up all night with, friends to play scrabble with… I had lots and lots and lots of friends. I spent piles of money, had, from what I remember a damn good time, and woke up from it all when I was pregnant with my first child.
Then I went back to feeling like I had in school, a little bit lost.
When I sat down to write this, I was going to list all of the places in my life that weren't my home, but that felt like home.
And this is what I found out- there were the clubs in Boston and Cambridge in the 90's, there is the space between my two kids anywhere in the whole world, and there is my church. My church is a place that practices something called "radical hospitality", and I guess they really, truly do. At least in my case. My church is a place where we have twenty minute conversations about which class will work for a nine year old who is more mature than most, but needs to make more friends in his grade. It is a place where there is always coffee, though I often have to make it, or find the filters. Where the minister is my friend, and I swim with the Youth Advisor most mornings, (not at the church, it's not that nice.) And where when the conversation turns to Social Justice, and it often does, it is not in the abstract.
I'm glad I finally found my way there.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2011) -- A Saturday night cruise-along suddenly turned into a demolition derby at Daytona International Speedway.
And one of the victims in the late-race wreckfest was Furniture Row Racing driver Regan Smith, who limped home with a battered race car to a 24th-place finish in the Coke Zero 400.
The wild Sprint Cup finish resulted in the race being extended from 160 to 170 laps with two green-white-checkered overtime restarts.
As Smith was looking to make a move in the first green-white checkered restart, he got collected in a Turn 1, 15-car melee on Lap 164. His No. 78 Chevrolet suffered major right-side damage in the incident.
"No doubt, we had an injured race car, but were still hoping to salvage a decent finish," explained Smith. "But on the final lap, the left rear tire went flat and I was fortunate to just finish the race."
The flat tire on the final lap was not the only problem that Smith faced. He was involved in another major wreck, an 18-car accident not far from the finish line.
Before being wrecked twice, Smith drove a patient race as he mainly teamed with Kurt Busch in the tandem draft on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The Furniture Row Chevrolet ran up front for a good portion of the race and led twice for four laps.
"We ran well with Kurt as we did here during Speedweeks back in February," said Smith, who finished seventh in the season-opening Daytona 500. "Even though we got shuffled to the middle of the pack before the first big wreck happened tonight, I still felt we could have made a move and picked up a number of spots in track position. But those wrecks and flat tire ended any hopes of that happening."
The race winner was David Ragan, his first career victory. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch.
The next race for the Furniture Row Racing team is Saturday night (July 9) -- the inaugural Sprint Cup event at Kentucky Speedway.


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Winter is coming and it's the time of year where people want bulky, filling food to keep them warm, but this doesn't mean you have to stop eating healthily! If you're out and about a lot, or just don't feel like cooking there are many amazing cafes in London that will give you the healthy eating fix you need without breaking the bank. Here are some of our favourites:
The Good Life Eatery
Located in Chelsea and Marylebone, this was one of the first places to get cold-pressed juice. It's filled with healthy options on classic dishes but their juice is definitely a must-have. It's made from all natural fresh ingredients, freshly pressed to ensure maximum health benefits.
Tanya's Café
If you're into raw food then this is the place for you. Located in Chelsea and Parson's Green, this place takes classic cooked dishes and puts a raw spin on them. If you're trying to stick to a raw diet but sometimes miss the taste of regular dishes then this place manages to mimic the taste incredibly well, without compromising on health.
Mildred's in Soho is a heaven for vegetarians. Everything on the menu is suitable for vegetarians, and their dishes are bound to convince even the most ardent meat eater that you don't need meat with every meal. They're incredibly popular and they don't take bookings, so get there early or be prepared to fight for a seat.
Wild Food Café
In the heart of Covent Garden, this raw food café is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Every item on the menu is prepared fresh each day with all the ingredients sourced from as local as possible. Their ethos is centred on well-being and each meal will leave you feeling satisfied.
The Detox Kitchen
Find this lunch break heaven on Kingly Street and get your fill of salads and smoothies. If you're after something light and quick they have an amazing array of leafy seasonal salads with veggies, chicken, prawns and more. Or if you want something more substantial you can swap out the lettuce for rice and have something warm for your lunch.
Pure Taste
If you follow the Paleo diet and are in Notting Hill then you should definitely visit this café. The whole menu is coded according to different dietary requirements so it's the perfect place for picky eaters. Everything is protein-filled and filling so you won't leave here feeling hungry.
Roots and Bulbs
Wholesome, natural food, cold-pressed juices and superfood smoothies, this café in Marylebone and South Kensington is the ultimate health food paradise. They have specially created smoothies such as their 'post-gym' smoothie, specifically blended to help your body cool down after a workout.
Maple and Fitz
Another cold-pressed juice heaven, this café in Fitzrovia also has amazingly delicious meals. They do breakfast, lunch and dinner and each meal is perfectly designed to be high in nutritional value and highly filling.
Little H's
Located in Parson's Green opposite its big sister Hally's (also known for its healthy food options), Little H's has a wide selection of gluten, dairy and sugar-free food as well as a spectacular vegan selection. As well as eating in, you can get their amazing food to go too – so you can take some into the office with you, or bring it home for dinner. They also have some slightly more indulgent treats if you're feeling like having a cheat day.
So there we have it – 10 of the best healthy cafes in London. If there's a place you think is missing from this list then why not add it to our site by clicking here? We look forward to seeing your suggestions…


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Status is something that follows a person no matter where he or she goes, and one of the ceremonies that modify the status of a person would be marriage. In fact, when a person travels to another country, the fact that he or she is married follows him or her so that he or she cannot get married in that new country. Marriage is also something that the general public is concerned with, and when one takes this into consideration, it is not that difficult to see why marriage records such as Sutter County Marriage Records, are being asked for, not only by the public but even by other governments.
It is for this reason that Marriage Records Sutter are considered public records. The classification, however, is limited only to informational copies which are available to every person who would request for the same. Note that informational copies could not actually be used for official proceedings, and only certified copies could be used for that. Certified copies are not public records in the sense that only a limited few, identified by the law in an exclusive list, could request for the same. Informational copies and certified copies, however, present the same information; it is just that informational copies could not be used for official proceedings.
County Marriage Records Sutter
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Zamin Insurance Agency
location on Google Maps.
in new tab.
on social media.
We are an an independent insurance agency located in Oglesby, IL. We provide Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, Life Insurance and Health Insurance to clients throughout North Central Illinois. Clients in LaSalle County, Bureau County and Putnam County have come to expect outstanding personal service from our agency for over 40 years.
We represent many fine property and casualty insurance carriers including Pekin Insurance, MetLife Auto & Home, Travelers, Progressive and Kemper Specialty. Our Life, Health and Group Insurance division is well represented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Humana, United Healthcare, Genworth Banner Life and Alliance.
Special focus of our personal lines department is on Auto Ins (including SR-22), Home Ins, Life Ins, Health Ins, Boat Ins and Motorcycle Ins.
Special focus of our commercial lines department is on Workers Comp, Commercial Auto, General Liability, Commercial Property, Commercial Umbrella, and Group Insurance. Commercial Clients include Contractors, Retail, Trucking, Restaurants, Taverns, and Professionals.
Business Hours
Monday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sunday Closed


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Extracts from our previous website
Last AGM - Tuesday 13th March 2018 7pm
Room D10 - Smestow School, Windmill Cres, Wolverhampton WV3 8H ________________
Last FCCA committee meeting Tuesday 6th Feb 2018.
Some previous events:
29th October 2017
Girl Shy (1924) - Film with live piano accompaniment - Sunday 29th October 2017. Bantock Park Tractor Shed 4.30pm-5.50pm. A great of the silent era, Harold Lloyd stars in one of the most important and influential films of all time.
29th July 2017
Lala Land film at Bantock Park - Click here for flyer
Summer at Bantock Park - Click here for flyer
1st July 2017
Our 4th. Annual canal cruise was held on Saturday 1st July, departing Wildside centre, Whitmore Reans Sat 4.00 pm, to The Fox & Anchor, Coven. The private dining area was booked. Complimentary drink on outwards journey, coffee and mints on return journey.
Tickets limited to 25 cost £10.00 ea., and no concessions.
21st March 2017
The AGM held on Tuesday 21st. March at 6.30 pm., at Smestow School, and followed by an open public meeting.
12th November 2016
Our 3rd annual Barn Dance was held on the 12th November, in the Performance Space at Bantock House Museum. Music was provided by The New Corona Band, There was a licensed bar, and food provided.
3rd and 4th September 2016
Our friends at Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society (WARS) taking part in the 1940's themed week-end activities at Bantock Museum. There was a range of Ham Radio equipment on view, and club members were operating various types. There was a demonstrations of sending messages in morse code, and voice contacts made with other amateurs in the UK, and world wide. Visitors were able to "send a message" and information on how to take up this interesting hobby was available.


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On Richard Carr's commercial and residential blog today, he looks at the effects Tesco's plans to drop nearly 50 store projects could have on local communities.
Retailer pulls the plug
Tesco's plan to drop close to 50 store projects comes after the grocer announced that profits for its financial year are likely to be under £1.4 billion – down 60% on £3.3 billion the year previous.
Many of the sites that Tesco had secured had come at a premium price and they were often up against bitter fights with community groups and traders to secure them.
However, the developments would have created 100s of jobs across the country and provided construction firms with plenty of work.
The sites are now likely to be sold at a loss by the firm's property arm who will try and get planning permission for housing estates on as many plots as possible.
Projects were planned in regeneration schemes across the country
A large number of the 49 abandoned projects were due to anchor redevelopment and regeneration schemes across the UK. Communities in Kent, Wolverhampton and in the Black Country will be affected.
Dave Lewis, Tesco's Chief Executive, explained that building the stores wouldn't be financial viable for the company.
"Let me be clear, these 49 sites are sites which were for big stores. And some of these projects have been around for a very long time and they were around for a very long time because it can take a while to build up the parcel of land to be able to build a big store.
"But actually when you look at those stores, when you look at the environment, you look at the market, you look at the capacity and you look at the economics, and by the way you then look at the capital I would need to be able to build them out and you say 'that's not a very sensible thing for us to do."
A full list of all the affect areas within the UK can be found on the planningportal.gov.uk site.
Expect other supermarkets to follow suit
In response to Tesco's plans, Richard Carr said that he found the whole Supermarket demise very odd. We're talking about some of the largest companies in the world and there are say 65 million people in this country according to the government, surely they knew that you cannot just keep building more and more superstores!
Or are they to blame for the 'obesity' crisis by force feeding us, no I do not think so, it was just ridiculous when you sit and consider the facts!
And then they go and build hundreds of 'Local' stores to change the whole of the UK's shopping habits, me and my family included. So we no longer need to go and fill a trolley, empty a trolley at the check-out onto the conveyor belt, fill a trolley once you have bagged it, empty a trolley into the boot of your car, then yet again carry it to the kitchen, then empty the bags onto your shelves and the fridge, then three days later throw 15% of what you bought, goes in the bin as it is out of date, and human nature is greedy so we always used to by too much!
What a great business model and it worked, so what bright spark trashed that habit, as I can tell you we as a family have not been on a weekly shop for at least 18 months.
Why would we, two deliveries a week by internet and the occasional quick trip into the 'Local' store, surely someone saw this coming down the tracks, but it will take a brave man to fix it.
Lastly we hear of Tesco's plans to close 40-45 stores and I believe we will see a lot more of this in the future. In 20 years there will be no 'Superstores' just another casualty of the internet.
There is one thing that may rescue the 'Superstore' mundane process, you wonder around and just touch a product button and it is ready in bags at the door, no more trolleys just a touchy feely experience, but then this should have been sorted years ago.
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Spa treatments and procedures at the Dome Spa
Moisturising Hydralessence Facial
Special care for tired, dry skin. This facial enriches the epidermis with vitamins and restores the glow and vitality of the skin. The facial, with French thalassotherapy THALION cosmetics, includes a peel, massage, regenerating serum, moisturising mask and moisturising cream. Afterwards, the skin is deeply moisturised and feels fresh and supple. Recommended for dry, normal and combination skin. After just one hour your face will radiate with a newfound beauty.
Nourishing Ma Vie Facial
This facial restores the skin's softness, suppleness and glow. Recommended for dry and combination skin. Especially suited for cool weather. Beautifully radiant, nourished and toned skin will be provided not only by the high-quality cosmetics, but also by a special massage technique – all provided by THALION. Includes peel, massage, regenerating serum, nourishing mask and nourishing cream.
ProfiLift Facial
THALION cosmetics, together with a unique sculpting massage technique, moistens and tones the skin making it glow. Even a single procedure can achieve a lasting lifting effect on the skin. The facial includes peel, face and décolletage massage, lifting serum, mask, face cream and décolletage cream. It restores the shape and the flexibility of the skin, and smooths wrinkles. Recommended for mature skin, as well for providing a particularly fresh look for a special occasion.
Modeling facial care FOR HIM
Specially selected THALION structural cosmetics restore the mineral balance of the skin, remove signs of fatigue and improve colour, and ensure optimal nutrient absorption. Includes peel, massage, mineral mask and facial cream.
Mineral facial care FOR HIM
Specially selected THALION structural cosmetics restore the mineral balance of the skin, remove signs of fatigue and improve colour, and ensure optimal nutrient absorption. Includes peel, massage, mineral mask and facial cream.
Classic full body massage
A classic massage has a positive effect on strained muscles and a taxed nervous system, and it improves circulation throughout the entire body. Various aromatic oils are available which will provide the body with new energy.
Relaxing full body massage
A relaxing massage is performed with mild touches and creates a pleasant sense of peace, reduces muscle tension, improves circulation, and restores emotional well-being. A massage can relieve tightness and direct excess fluid out from muscle tissues which helps the body to recover.
Sculpting massage and peel
A peel for the entire body and massage for problem areas with special, French-made, THALION body sculpting cream. The massage improves blood flow to the skin, the skin becomes more flexible and supple, and metabolism and skin texture improve. The massage effectively adjusts the metabolism, strengthens and nourishes the skin all while restoring the body's suppleness.
Back massage
A back and neck massage soothes the body's strained muscles, relieves pain, and improves your overall mood. The massage improves circulation throughout the body and gives a feeling of lightness.
Head and neck massage
A head, neck and trapezius muscle massage removes tension, relieves stress, improves the circulation and creates a sense of well-being. The massage improves circulation in the brain, head muscles and cervical spine. It relieves pain and tightness in the muscles, restores movement, and also cheers you up.
Foot massage
During a foot massage, a number of pressure points that affect the entire body are stimulated thereby improving metabolism, circulation and the function of internal organs. To clean off the dead cells we do recommend a foop peeling before the massage.
SPA Ritual for two
A romantic afternoon or evening in a private atmosphere. Warm-up and relaxation in the steam bath followed by aromatic body and facial peels, and regal, vitamin-rich body massages with aromatic oils.
Latvian aromatic herb SPA for two
Latvian herbs have long been known for their excellent healing properties. The herbs used for the procedures have been grown, collected and prepared in Latvia. The aromas of the Latvian fields and meadows give a relaxing feeling, and reduce stress and fatigue. The meadow flower herbal peel with gently cleanses the skin, while the body massage balances mood, and the facial massage calms and relaxes your mind. There is a wonderful sense of peace and lightness after the procedure.


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CONTACT US : email@example.com Find a Store
Product will be delivered in 7 to 10 Days
Tec Flex Steel Rollerball Pen
Porsche DesignWP16111
The fascination of Tec Flex is lifted to a new level and is even more advanced. Innovative design is combined with impressive technology. Porsche Design is the first brand that combines laser technology with this special writing instruments. The pen is made of stainless steel. The Porsche Design logo is displayed on the clip and the tail. The sleeve is movable due to precise lasering.
- Capping Mechanism : Threaded
- Nib Material : Stainless Steel
- Pre-Installed Ink Colour : Black
- Grip Diameter : 9.3 mm
Additional Information
- Product Colour : Silver
- Base Material : Stainless Steel
More Information
- Manufacturer Name : Porsche Design
- Manufacturer Origin Country : Germany
- Imported/ Marketed/ Packed By : William Penn Pvt. Ltd.
- Customer care : 1800 102 7366
- Warranty Terms & Conditions : Two years international guarantee against manufacturing defects.


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ballin2k11 is selling a rare signed Christy Mack
Tags Matching: Limited Edition
Christy Mack Signed Skateboard Deck
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- Boobs Christy Mack Hot Chicks Limited Edition Porn Pornstars rare
Cliche Skateboard Deck Marc Mckee American Icons
benborden102 is selling a limited edition deck from Cliche. These deck is an ode to famous Mark McKee Jason Lee American Icon deck. I really like Mark's update of this classic graphic.
- Comments Off on Cliche Skateboard Deck Marc Mckee American Icons
- Blind cliche Jason Lee Limited Edition Mark McKee Rare Skateboards Sean Cliver
Hook-Ups Vintage Devilman 13 Skateboard Shoes
impairedabilities is selling a pair of used Devilman 13 shoes by Hook-Ups. These are highly sought shoes by collectors of Hook-Ups. To bad they don't come with the box.
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- 90's Anime Devilman hook ups Hook-Ups Skateboards Jeremy Klein Limited Edition rare skate shoes
Darth Vader Blister Packaged Limited Edition Star Wars Santa Cruz Deck
cadillacking2010 is selling one of the new Star Wars decks from Santa Cruz. "Santa Cruz Star Wars Darth Vader Collectable Skateboard Deck In Blister Pack. First run, Limited Edition Skateboard Deck w/ Blister Packaging from Star Wars & Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Skateboards™ is honored to collaborate with Lucasfilm™ to present the Exclusive Special Edition Star Wars™ collection of Decks and Cruzers. Known for some of the most iconic graphics in skateboarding history, Santa Cruz has created new, exclusive interpretations of your favorite characters."
"This Collector's Edition is packaged in a vintage toy inspired blister pack and includes a laser etched numbered deck, matching laser cut Certificate of Authenticity, and a deck art poster."
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- Limited Edition santa cruz Star Wars
Rare Guy Mariano Claudia Schiffer Skateboard Deck
i_want_2_rvca_u is selling a rare Guy Mariano deck from Girl. This is the famous Jason Lee Claudia Schiffer deck from Blind. Artwork by the great Sean Cliver.
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- Claudia Schiffer Girl Skateboards Guy Mariano Jason Lee Limited Edition rare Sean Cliver
thecollectorformerlyknownasdillin… is still cashing in. He has some of best band skateboards I've seen. Take a look at this rare Anthrax deck from Brand X. The deck is in mint shape and signed by the whole band. Definitely a collectible for any Metal Head.
Limited Edition Tony Hawk "Skull" Reissue Deck
strubba-bubba has some great decks from Powell for sale. Check out the listing for the this Tony Hawk reissue. "This was the first color to be released of the Tony Hawk "Skull" skateboard deck. These boards were released to coincide with the Bones Brigade documentary by Stacy Peralta. There has been 3 colorways released. The white was first, and has long since sold out. Limited to four different colorways of up to 2,500 decks each, of the original shape and graphic from the 1980's. In some cases the rider has chosen the colorway."
Set of 5 Wu Tang Brand Limited Skateboard Decks
syd*smommy is selling a set of 5 limited edition skate decks from Wu-Tang Brand Limited. All 5 decks are still new in shrink.
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- HIP-HOP Limited Edition Rare Skateboards Wu-Tang Clan
2005 Powell Peralta RAY BARBEE Ragdoll Reissue
overtimework has 2005 Ray Barbee Ragdoll reissue from Powell. The deck is in great shape except for some silver paint that spilled on it and dried. You may be able to remove it. Other than that the classic Sean Cliver artwork is still visible.
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- Limited Edition Powell Peralta Rare Skateboards Ray Barbee reissue Sean Cliver
Sk8Mafia Asa Akira, Bunny, Love, Wet 2, Rudis – Girl Series Decks
inikmzr153 is selling a complete perv set from SK8 Mafia. My personal favorite is the Asa Akira deck. That chick is smoking hot. Pick these up as a set and hang them in your man cave.
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- asa akira Boobs Hot Chicks Limited Edition Pornstars Rare Skateboards sk8 mafia


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Dammn thats alot more than I thought would show up lol.
Ok so I just have to make VGA skins for some of the Digital clocks and find some VGA weather widgets as its impossible to skin them.
Thanks alot mate its looking alot better than Test version1 lol.
Pro Plus VGA Test V2 coming soon
I have read through quite a few pages of this thread it is easy to get confused. I know that I am doing something wrong but I can't quite get it figured out. I am trying to get the MS 3 Pro Widgets installed on my touch pro. I am only supposed to download the va_status_widget.zip? I looked on the first page for under widgets: overview. It had a link for the MS3 Pro Widgets VGA and I followed that link:
which led me to the post with the va_status_widget.zip link. I downloaded it and copied it over but no pro widgets. I know I am doing something wrong that is very simple. Could someone "gently" nudge me in the right direction?
|spb mobile shell 3, themes, tricks, widgets, zepiii
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Bio Oil has been touted to be a magical elixir for just about every skin condition. The oil has been successfully used to treat dry skin, stretch marks, scars, wrinkles and even dark knuckles. But what exactly is the oil made of? What makes it such a potent cure for a dozen skin condition? Here is all you need to know about the oil and how you can use it to treat dark knuckles in particular.
What is Bio Oil?
Bio Oil is a skin care product that is made from lavender, rosemary, chamomile and calendula oil. It also contains Vitamins A and E, both of which are renowned for their countless benefits to the skin. Another potent ingredient in the oil is PurCellin oil. This is a synthetic imitation of the oil that ducks produce in order to keep their feathers waxy and waterproof. With so many powerful ingredients, it comes as no surprise that the oil can be used to treat just about every flaw on your skin. The oil is popularly used to treat:
- Stretch marks
- Dark knuckles
- Dry scalp
- Scars
- Dry skin
- Cracked feet
- Weak nails
- Uneven skin tone
- Wrinkles and fine lines
Bio Oil Uses
Treat Scars
Nobody likes to have scars on their body. They are unsightly to say the least. Unfortunately, however, it is quite easy to get scared. Falls, burns, scratches and even acne can all give you horrible scars. Most people wish that there was a magical portion they could apply on the skin to instantly get rid of the scars. Even though there is no such portion, Bio-Oil comes pretty close to the description.
The oil can be used to permanently get rid of scars, particularly new scars. The oil contains ingredients that reduce inflammation, and this hastens the healing of the skin. Additionally, some of the ingredients have antiseptic properties. This not only helps to fight infection, but it also enables the scar to heal quickly. Finally, the fact that the oil has strong moisturizing properties means that it keeps the skin supple and elastic, which are the two requirements for getting rid of scars.
You are strongly advised to use the oil only on a properly healed wound. If the skin around the wound is still broken, then, by all means, refrain from applying oil on the area. For the best results, rub some oil onto the scar twice a day for three months. If the scar is relatively new, it should be gone within that period. Old scars may not completely disappear, but their appearance will improve significantly as well.
Most people wonder whether it is safe to apply the oil on the face, particularly so as to get rid of acne scars. After all, oils just make acne worse, don't they? The good news is that Bio Oil is exceedingly light and is not greasy, so it is safe to apply it on your face. However, it is better to rub some oil on the scarred areas as opposed to the entire face.
Treat Stretch marks
Most people have been assailed by stretch marks at one point in their life. Stretch marks are most pronounced during puberty and pregnancy when there is rapid stretching of the skin as one experiences growth spurts. Like scars, stretch marks are not pretty. But they are also stubbornly hard to get rid of. If you are among those who have been dogged by stretch marks, then you will definitely find recourse in Bio-Oil.
The product helps to boost skin elasticity, which prevents the creation of new stretch marks. It also adds moisture to the skin which helps minimize the appearance of the shiny lines. Overall, the oil makes the skin much more elastic and this erases stretch marks completely from the skin. For the best results, massage the affected areas at least twice a day using the oil and you should see the difference in a few months.
Lightens Dark Knuckles
Using skin lightening products on your hands can have a lot of undesired consequences. One of the most common side effects is that your knuckles appear a lot darker than the rest of the hand. Sometimes, excessive exposure to the sun can also make your knuckles appear extremely dark.
Rather than use a bleaching agent on the darkened knuckles, why not try Bio-Oil? The product has been shown to have natural skin lightening properties and can work wonders for dark knuckles. With consistent application on the affected knuckles, you should start seeing results in a couple of months.
Besides dark knuckles, most people also worry over overly dark elbows and knees. It gets worse if the skin on the elbows or knees is also dry and chapped. Bio Oil has been shown to help improve dark elbows and knees as well. It moisturizes them and also lightens them gradually until they are the same shade as the rest of the body.
Evens out your Skin Tone
Another way that Bio Oil can benefit your skin is by evening out your tone. No matter what causes the unevenness in your skin tone: be it the use of harsh chemicals, excessive exposure to the sun or hormonal fluctuations, Bio Oil can help restore balance to your skin tone. All you need to do is apply some of the oil on to your face at least twice a day and the change will be evident in due time.
Gets Rid of Wrinkles
The oil can also be used to minimize the appearance of wrinkles. Usually, wrinkles appear when the skin cannot produce enough elastin and collagen, which results in the sagging of the skin. Bio Oil is rich in Vitamins A and E, which are well-known for promoting skin elasticity. They also soften and moisturize the skin, which makes it firmer and suppler. With time, the wrinkles and fine lines that were once prominent on the face start to disappear, and it will only be a matter of time before they completely fade away.
Eventually, if you're not into chemical oils and the side effects of it, why not try natural ingredients to lighten your skin like the ones mentioned in the Skin Whitening Forever eBook.
Give Bio Oil a try:
Bio Oil is one of the most beneficial skin care products. Not only does it help to lighten dark knuckles, but it also gets rid of scars, stretch marks and wrinkles. The benefits of this oil are many and varied. You really should try it to experience all its goodness.


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SkiVert starting November 12th – 6 weeks training!
Committed to mountain performance
Be fitter on dirt & snow!
100% outdoor training Winter & Summer
We are vertical mountain athletes
Since 2015
Chamonix SKIVERT Training
NOVEMBER 12th to December 17th, 2019
Location: les Planards Chamonix & Track
Tuesday mornings: 06h15 – 07h15
Exception for the Thursday November 21th
6 weeks – 80euros
You need to pre-register no drop-in, sorry!
Designed for skiers, runners and mountain guides
Land training, running intervals and ski specific drills
Great people, non-competitive, kick ass workouts, super motivating and fun!
Each training session has two different workouts depending of your fitness level
The training will progress from week to week
Get inspired to be fitter this winter, Join us!
100% on slope & outdoors!
One track session will be focused entirely on ski drills
Vertical running intervals to be fitter on skis
Ski specific agility & strength drills
Leg oxygenation training
Eccentric drills for descents
Upper body drills for optimal drive with poles
Core-dissociation training to connect lower and upper body for better power on the snow
Do not need to be a runner just a passionate skier with base fitness!
Need: headlamp, ski poles, water, energy and a smile!
'A big thank you to Chloë, due to the SKIVERT training I felt so much better and stronger competing last winter.' Ionel Suciu
For questions, info or to register, contact me !
For the fifth year, we are back!
May, June and July 2019!
From May to July we offer weekly Vertical training sessions at les Planards in Chamonix.
Each sessions has two different workout options you can choose from depending of running fitness, race schedule or how you feel on that day. To run hills you need to train on them, join us, it's ton's of fun and everyone welcome!
We train for climbing and descending with a variation of drills & intervals, with focus on strength, power, endurance, and always with great tips to increase form and efficiency:
Learn how to get better at running hills
Be fitter & stronger for steeper terrain
Increase leg oxygenation for longer & steeper climbs
Confidence, speed and eccentric loading for the descents
Fun and innovative drills
Fine tune cadence
Increase recovery rate
Maximize form & efficiency
Schedule: Tuesdays 06h15 to 07h15
May 7, 14, 21, 28 – four sessions 50euros
June 4, 11, 18, 25 – four sessions 50euros
July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – five sessions 60euros
For more info or to register, contact us !
Chamonix SkiVert Training
Starting NOVEMBER 6th to December 20th, 2018
Designed for recreational backcountry skiers, skimo athletes and mountain guides.
Come get ready for the winter season!
We start the season with running intervals & ski specific drills once we have enough snow we switch to skis!
Skimo or heavier backcountry gear welcome.
Be fitter & stronger for the climbs and powerful for the descents.
Once or twice a week / Register before October 10th and save 10%!
Each training sessions has two different workouts depending of your fitness level and type of gear you may have. The training will progress from week to week. The sessions are balanced between uphill and downhill drills, short and longer intervals, ski specific strengthening drills, lots of training tips and one-on-one coaching. Much fun, join us!
Focus: 100% outdoors!
Uphill mountain endurance
Ski specific agility & strength drills
Leg muscles oxygenation
Eccentric strengthening for the descents
Cool drills & intervals to be fitter on skis
Skinning drills
Upper body skinning drills for optimal drive with poles
Efficient core to connect lower and upper body for better power on the snow
Location: les Planards Chamonix
November Month pass (8 sessions): once a week: 50 euros / twice a week: 95euros
December Month pass (6 sessions): once a week 38 euros / twice a week: 70 euros
Unlimited 7 week pass: 155euros
Tuesday mornings: 06h15 – 07h15
Thursday evenings: 18h45 – 19H45
Important: Do not need to be a runner but need to be a skier, base fitness and comfortable at skinning is required. You do not need to compete or be super fit:) Come get ready for the snow, it will be great fun and you will learn ton's!
Need: headlamp, backcountry or skimo gear, water, energy and a smile!
'Un très grand merci à Chloë grâce à son stage d'entraînement SKIVERT je me sens beaucoup mieux pendant les courses!' Hiver 2018, Ionel Suciu
'A big thank you to Chloë, due to the SKIVERT training I feel so much better and stronger when I compete.' Winter 2018, Ionel Suciu
For questions, info or to register, contact me !
Run2SKI Clinic
Discover great ways to get fitter
Design for skiers & mountaineers
Open to everyone!
POWER Cardio / Speed & STRENGTH / Upper Body DRILLS / Stable CORE
Focus of the clinic:
Mountain endurance: via running and skiing
Speed & strength for the climbs
Increased oxygenation of the leg muscles for the climbs
Power and eccentric strength for the descents
Strong & stable core to connect lower and upper body for better power on snow
Ski specific prehab exercises
Injury prevention
Fee: 95 euros
Dates:: January 12 & 13, 2018
Friday evening: 18:30 – 20:30
Saturday: 8:30 to 16:30
Includes: Patagonia hat, Lyo Food goodies, info booklet and much fun!
For more info or to register, contact us !


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Sonoma County and California defiant after Donald Trump's election
(photo: Tristan Collinsworth of Santa Rosa, right with about 250 demonstrators)
by Paul Payne, The Press Democrat, November 12, 2016
Lynn Woolsey was hopeful going into Tuesday's historic election that America was about to pick the first woman as president.
Most polls showed Hillary Clinton had a solid lead. In liberal bastions of California it seemed unfathomable that voters would go for Donald Trump — a political novice whose inflammatory comments on the campaign trail seemed to overshadow his appeal to a wide segment of the electorate.
As election results started rolling in, however, Woolsey, a liberal North Coast congresswoman for 20 years, realized she was wrong. Her eyes welled with tears at the thought of such a polarizing figure occupying the Oval Office.
"I am just so sad for our country that people would choose a reality TV star over someone who could actually do the job," said the Petaluma Democrat, who was first elected in 1992, the so-called Year of the Woman in politics.
Just as Trump's election electrified millions of his supporters nationwide, the reality of a Trump White House elicited disappointment, dread and disgust among many in Sonoma County and across much of California. Here, voters threw overwhelming support behind Clinton while also electing the first black woman to the U.S. Senate in 20 years and legalizing marijuana — a sharp contrast to the nation's pivot right Tuesday. Golden State residents also agreed to tax cigarettes, free nonviolent offenders from prison and uphold a ban on plastic grocery bags.
In doing so, California has emerged as a political outlier, cementing its progressive values while striking a defiant tone against the billionaire businessman elected as the 45th president. Among other things, Trump has touted campaign promises to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, roll back environmental protections, appoint conservative justices to control the Supreme Court and repeal and replace Obamacare, perhaps affecting some 20 million Americans.
California's political gulf with the rest of the country is most striking along the left-leaning coast, including Sonoma County, where 70 percent of voters chose Clinton over Trump. In San Francisco, Clinton's margin was 85 percent, and the best Trump did in the Bay Area was in Solano County, where he earned just over 32 percent of the vote.
Anti-Trump protests
In the election's aftermath, anti-Trump demonstrators have taken to city streets across the nation in nightly marches. In downtown Santa Rosa last week, protesters carried signs reading, "Love Trumps Hate," and "Not my president." Others waved U.S. and Mexico flags in protest of Trump's call for wide-scale deportations and a border wall with Mexico.
"Donald Trump instills so much fear in people," said Tristan Collinsworth, a 22-year-old Sonoma State University student and Santa Rosa resident who stood outside City Hall with a sign that said "Reject Hate." She is concerned about a rollback in civil rights for people of color, as well as for gay and transgender citizens.
"I feel deep sadness and a really intense fear that I did not feel the day before the election," she said. "I'm afraid that under him our progress will come to a standstill."
At a women's political club meeting last week that had been planned as a Clinton victory party, crestfallen members instead denounced the president-elect and vowed to defeat him in four years.
"We cannot pull back," Susan Moore, founder of the No Name Women's Group, told a crowd of about 300 members gathered in Santa Rosa. "We have to notch it up. We have to say, 'We're it.' "
As liberals wrestled with raw, Election Day emotions, many worried about what a Trump presidency could mean. In his first 100 days in office, Trump has promised to tear up President Barack Obama's executive actions to combat climate change, repeal or significantly amend the Affordable Care Act and launch his controversial plans to curb illegal immigration.
With Republicans running Congress, there is little to stop him.
Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, said the state is evaluating options to block the most contentious proposals through policy and budget maneuvers or court challenges. The state's top two legislators, Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount, issued a defiant statement Wednesday outlining that approach.
"While Donald Trump may have won the presidency, he hasn't changed our values," the statement read. "We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our social fabric or our Constitution."
"The threat to California's progress and the undercutting of our values is real and that is why the Legislature is going to do whatever it has to do to ensure we don't go backwards under a Trump administration," said McGuire. "I think there are going to be some rough days ahead."
Rise in nationalism
Trump ran on a platform that touted an "America First" foreign policy and rejuvenation of struggling communities through the return of jobs and industries that have disappeared over decades of globalization. But that popular message has given rise to a more visible nationalism, and perhaps fueled a spike in racially tinged harassment and hate incidents, according to experts.
The troubling reports include a recorded confrontation on BART this week in which a woman verbally accosted another passenger, calling her a "stalker from the Middle East" and threatening, "Trump might deport you." A video of the incident had attracted 4 million views on Facebook by Saturday.
A day after the election, on a wall in Durham, North Carolina, someone painted the message, "Black lives don't matter and neither does your votes," CNN reported. At a school in Florida, vandals posted signs reading "white" and "colored" above campus drinking fountains in an apparent throwback to Jim Crow days. And in Philadelphia, "Sieg Heil 2016" and "Trump" — with a swastika in place of the T in Trump — were spray-painted on a building's glass window, police said.
"Since the election, we've seen a big uptick in incidents of vandalism, threats, intimidation spurred by the rhetoric surrounding Mr. Trump's election," Richard Cohen, president of the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, told the newspaper USA Today.
Sebastopol resident Todd McMechen links such behavior to the teasing he said his biracial son got for his curly hair a few weeks before the election. The flooring store manager and activist said he worries about a rise in bullying and abuse of gays, women and minorities as Trump takes office.
"The Ku Klux Klan is going to have a rally to celebrate his election," said McMechen, who attended a candlelight vigil following Trump's election in Sebastopol's town square. "That's never happened for any president I can remember."
Jesús Guzmán, an activist with Sonoma County's North Bay Organizing Project, said the election's boisterous outcome has struck fear in the hearts of many immigrant families.
Chief among the concerns is the action Trump could take to undo Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program allowing undocumented people who arrived as minors to remain in the country. Such a rollback could affect more than 1.5 million young adults, including about 4,000 in Sonoma County.
In a cruel twist, participants were required to share personal information such as their addresses that now could be used against them. Guzmán said some are already packing so they won't be caught off guard.
"It's a very real threat," said Guzmán, who came from Mexico with his farmworker parents when he was 1 and went on to graduate from Sonoma State University. "That information could be very dangerous in the hands of the wrong president. Clearly, it seems imminent under Trump."
However, the administration could be stymied by the state's progressive policies limiting law enforcement's obligation to cooperate with federal authorities. Gov. Jerry Brown's 2013 Trust Act has been successful at reducing the number of deportations, Guzmán said.
"So there's both this fear and a lot of hope that at least in California, we're seeing things in terms of inclusivity," Guzmán said. "There's hope that California can lead by example."
Setbacks feared
Still, Trump's agenda is expected to directly challenge if not undermine many other local and state priorities, including the development of renewable energy and moves to address climate change and tighten gun control.
As a candidate, Trump vowed to cancel U.S. involvement in the Paris Agreement on global warming. As president-elect he has tapped a climate-change denier to lead his transition at the Environmental Protection Agency. Also, he is expected to increase domestic coal and oil mining and weaken or kill Obama's Clean Power Plan meant to reduce carbon pollution from the nation's power plants.
It represents a U-turn for most on the North Coast, which has led the state and nation in conservation and alternative energy innovation.
As she toured a state-of-the-art energy generation and storage facility in Sonoma last week, Ann Hancock, executive director of the Santa Rosa-based The Climate Center, lamented the future under Trump.
"This obviously is a huge setback," Hancock said. "Trump has said (human-caused) climate change is a hoax. This is not the person we want to take bold steps to reduce our climate footprint."
Rep. Jared Huffman, a San Rafael Democrat who succeeded Woolsey in 2013, said Trump's proposals could have "seismic impacts on virtually every issue I work on."
But just whether he can deliver on the sweeping threats is unclear.
Huffman was skeptical of Trump's ability to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal brokered by the United States and signed by China, Russia and European countries. And he said the Paris Agreement on climate change wouldn't simply stop "just because Trump doesn't like it."
Americans won't countenance abruptly pulling the rug out from under people on Obamacare, he said. Similarly, it's going to be difficult for his administration to institute mass deportations.
It remains to be seen if Trump backs off some of his incendiary campaign rhetoric and allows his pragmatic, deal-making side to take over.
"The reality of trying to deliver on some of these sweeping populist promises is going to be very challenging, as it should be," Huffman said. "Many of these are truly dumb ideas."
As a weakened Democratic Party does its own soul searching, local activists are looking ahead to the 2018 mid-term elections, hoping to find a viable alternative to oppose Trump and mobilize an awakened electorate. Political observers say if Trump fails to make good on promises to bring jobs or lower health care costs, blue-collar workers who came out in droves to support him could return to the Democrats.
Short of that, Californians who voted for Clinton can take comfort in living in a progressive state with an economy that's the sixth-largest in the world. Federal moves that threaten that prosperity and the state's values must be challenged, elected leaders said.
"We will have no other choice but to fight if the rhetoric from President-elect Donald Trump turns into policy proposals," McGuire said. "California leaders must be proactive to ensure that the progress we've achieved over the past seven years isn't erased."
source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6289634-181/sonoma-county-and-california-defiant?artslide=0
Staff Writer Angela Hart contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or email@example.com. On Twitter @ppayne.


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Find out how simple preventive treatment could preserve your child's healthy smile.
It's surprising that about 33 percent of children deal with dental decay by the time they start school. While decay can easily be prevented through proper brushing and flossing habits, children and adults alike still suffer from this dental issue. However, there are other ways to make sure that your child's smile is safeguarded against decay. Your Wauwatosa dentist recommends that all children get sealants to protect their healthy growing smiles.
What are sealants?
A sealant is made up of thin plastic resin that is directly applied to the chewing surfaces of teeth, most often the molars, for protection.
How do sealants protect teeth?
This plastic bonds instantly to the back teeth to provide an additional barrier of protection against decay. This is especially important for children, who may find it difficult to get into those hard-to-reach spots in the back of their smile. Even if your child does brush every day it can still be hard to get all the nooks and crannies on and around their molars. Therefore, sealants create another layer to prevent cavities and protect the enamel from acid erosion.
What does getting sealants entail?
This procedure is painless, non-invasive and won't require anesthesia. Your Wauwatosa dentist will simply paint on the sealant, which will instantly bond with the tooth and harden. That's all there is to it!
How long do sealants last?
Since sealants are designed to hold up under the heavy forces of chewing, they will last a few years; however, to make sure that the sealant is still working, your child will want to visit the dentist routinely so we can check the condition of their sealants and reapply them if needed.
Who should get sealants?
Your Wauwatosa dentist highly recommends that children get dental sealants. When you child comes in for routine care we will discuss when a good time might be to get them. We also recommend sealants for teens, as well.
If you want to find out more about sealants or if it's time to schedule your child's next appointment, call your Wauwatosa dentist, Dr. James Pechloff, DDS today! Let's give your child the added security they need to maintain a cavity-free smile.


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