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Hello, friends! Welcome to another "Mis-Matched to Miss Match" episode. I know you were hoping this would be a good news post because I have not written in some time. Sadly, that is not the case.
The subject of today's blog is a handsome 42-year-old professional. He was downright yummy. He was intelligent and funny, and we hit it off wonderfully. At the beginning, he was attentive and eager to please. He even sang to me while we slow danced. I was in heaven. It was a romantic dream come true! Slow dancing and singing! Just imagine it! Continue reading
Tag Archives: date
It's Hard to Be Arm Candy
Welcome to the next installment of "Mis-Matched to Miss Matched." Today's story involves a bachelor about whom you have already read. I believed he was worth a second chance. However, that chance was short-lived. It was nice while it lasted.
In life, timing is everything. Right now, he admitted his schedule is not conducive to dating. That is a gross understatement. And so, he broke my already-wounded heart.
I will not say anything bad about him. He is a great guy, and he apologized. We are still friends. So this article is more about my experience at this party than about him.
I never revealed to him how I felt. So, it might surprise him if he reads this. As the saying goes, if you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything at all. But, hell, I write a blog, so I have to write something!
This bachelor and I attended a large social function together. The food was fantastic, and the live band was really good.
As the event progressed, everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. Everyone except for me, that is.
Let's say this event was industry-specific. And honestly, it is a field in which I have little interest. Normally, I would make small talk. That's easy enough to do, right? People are people. Lord knows I can talk about anything. However, the other attendees were not into small talk. They were laser-focused on their field. Period.
When I was introduced to people, they seemed disinterested since I was not part of their "inner circle." The only question I received from a few of them was, "Do you have any children?" When I answered, "No," that was the end of the conversation. Seriously. End of conversation. They turned to engage someone else in a discussion. Time is money. Money is time.
What planet am I on that the only question anyone wants to ask me is that one? I have no children. Ergo, I am not worth talking to. Yikes!
I have a lot to offer, thank you, very much. I have plenty to say and have a myriad of great stories, just ask me something else. Anything else!
I felt as if I had developed a superpower instantaneously—I became totally invisible! Since I did not add any perceived value, I was not worth their time.
Mind you, I had an opinion of what they were discussing, but since I was not a player, my opinion would not have mattered. So, I kept my mouth shut. Picture that if you can.
For some time, I smiled and paid attention to the discussion. However, as time wore on, I surrendered. I allowed my mind to wander as I smiled and nodded at what seemed appropriate times.
I watched a child torment a bug in the grass. I saw an older man nod off, only to have his wife poke him and wake him up. I watched one of the waiters fill cups of lemonade and iced tea and line them up on a table. He dutifully replaced them when a guest would walk off with one. There were twenty-one cups. I wondered why he did not choose an even number.
I spotted a trail that went off into a wooded area. I desperately wanted to slip away and explore where the path led. But I decided that would be in bad form. Instead, I remained glued to my seat.
Then, I counted the tent poles and estimated the tent to be approximately 1300 ft x 40 ft. I did not hazard a guess on height because of the varying heights from the edges to the center. If I had a pen and paper, I might have been able to figure it out mathematically. Not. I was not that bored!
In all of my forty-six years, this is the first time I have ever been excluded to the point that I felt like arm candy.
Good Lord, being arm candy is a tough job! I had no idea! And I didn't even suffer through a boob job, tanning sessions, liposuction, or Botox injections.
As a child, my parents always told me I could do anything. Well, I learned in first grade that I would never be a gymnast or an athlete of any kind. Obviously, over the years, I discovered other things I could not or would not do. Being arm candy just got added to the list. Pole dancer is on that list too. But I will save that story for my next blog article.
Copyright © 2015 by Suzanne Purewal
My Big, Fat Greek Tragedy
If there was any doubt that my life is a Greek tragedy in the making, this episode of "Mis-Matched to Miss Matched" should solidify the notion in everyone's minds.
This installment's bachelor is a well-known businessman in this area. So, all I will say is that he was in his early 50s and had blond hair and blue eyes.
Initially, when he contacted me, I turned him down. One of the descriptors in his Match profile did not sit right with me. And I explained in my reply that descriptor was why I was turning him down.
He wrote me a long email in return, clarifying his position and dispelling any incorrect impressions I had. His arguments were good ones. So, I agreed to talk to him.
We talked and hit it off. We wanted to meet. However, he was in Florida vacationing with his kids. We would meet when he returned. Despite him being on vacation, we spoke every day.
Then, my dad had a heart attack. So, I was driving to New York as this intriguing man was about to drive back to Indiana.
God just loves messing with me.
My potential suitor understood, and we kept talking on the phone.
Finally, we were in the same city at the same time. So, after talking for almost three weeks, we met for dinner. We got along splendidly. Our likes and dislikes were the same in just about all areas, including politics and religion. That, in and of itself, was amazing.
He grew up on the East Coast, just like me. Loved to travel. Loved live theater and musicals! Yes, musicals! Where had he been hiding all of this time?
Well, most of the time, he was working, networking or attending his kids' activities. He had the busiest calendar I had ever seen. He could not plan out more than a week ahead because meetings and events were constantly being added to his schedule by his assistant and his kids. But he swore he would make time for me. And he did try.
In the days that followed, we talked for hours on end, about everything and anything. The conversation never got stale or boring. The more we got to know one another, the more perfect we seemed for each other. The similarities were uncanny.
Drinking and smoking were not issues. Awesome!
His children were older. Another bonus.
He had no pets and had no intention of ever owning one. Thank you, Jesus!
Pinch me already!
Anyway, everything was going pretty well until it was time to meet his friends. That's when the bottom dropped out.
While Mr. Seemingly-Perfect did not have any pets, every single one of his friends did. These friends were his work colleagues as well as his personal friends. He spent almost all of his time with these people. And from what he told me about them, they were the best friends a person could ask for. I'm sure I would have agreed.
But the conundrum was that they all entertained in their houses. You know, where the animals lived.
If you have not read my previous posts on the subject, my allergic reaction to animals is anaphylactic. So, I can not be around animals. Extended exposure to them could literally kill me.
Meeting his friends out at a restaurant would have been fine. I suggested that. But in the long run, that would not have been feasible or sustainable, as they all loved to entertain at their homes. Each had an elaborate backyard oasis, fire pit, and/or boat, etc.
Then there was his buddy's lake house. I absolutely love lake houses because I love sitting by a lake, looking out at the water and listening to the water lap up on the shore. And there's nothing quite like watching the sun rise or set over the water.
That's one of the biggest things I miss about living in New York. I really miss being close to a large body of water. Growing up minutes from Lake Ontario was a luxury I did not fully appreciate until I moved to Indiana, land of small, man-made lakes. But I digress…
Alas, there were always animals at his buddy's lake house. The owner brought his pets and allowed everyone to bring their pets too. Well, just shoot me now and put me out of my misery.
I could not in good conscience ask him to pick between me and his friends. He's known some of them for over twenty years. If I kept him from them, he would become resentful. And I would feel guilty.
And if he always went over to his friends' houses and to the lake house without me, I would become resentful. And presumably, he would feel guilty.
We discussed the situation rationally. No compromise was suitable, and he picked his friends.
I will not lie. I am extremely disappointed. But let's face it; I could never compete with them, the lifestyle to which he had grown accustomed, the boats and the lake house.
How pitiful is that? We can't have a relationship because of other people's pets.
Heavy sigh.
Animals are truly the bane of my existence.
Copyright © 2015 by Suzanne Purewal
Dysfunctional Dates Abound
This is another dysfunctional installment of my online dating series, "Mis-Matched to Miss Matched." Polite social interaction appears to be going the way of the dodo bird. There is no good way to ease into this, so, let's jump right in!
The first bachelor, a 54-year-old IT professional, passed the email test, but failed the phone conversation test miserably. During the course of the conversation, he brought up the subject of sex.
He clearly stated his view on the subject, and I quote, "By the third date, a woman should be ready to give up the goods."
Where do I start with this? Even if this guy bought me three very expensive dinners at St. Elmo's, I would not consider that appropriate criteria to have sex.
And goods??? I'm sure he would have wanted the entire package of "goods and services." Let's face it, in the sex department, the goods aren't quite as enjoyable without the accompanying services.
Nevertheless, this girl and her "goods and services" are worth a lot more than three dinners, even if decadent desserts are included!
Next up was a 52-year-old executive at a large company in Indianapolis. He actually passed the phone interview, but live, he was a completely different person.
I have nicknamed him, "The Negative Bachelor." The restaurant was too warm. The fire made the air too dry. He asked the waiter questions about the precise origin of the seafood. The poor kid had no idea.
Dude, if you want the salmon, order the freaking salmon.
Then he substituted the sides. Not because of an allergy or health reason, but because, "the chef obviously doesn't know how to pair sides with entrees."
When the food arrived, he complained that his potatoes were too lumpy. The carrots were too soft, the squash was too hard. His chardonnay was not as good as the chardonnay he had last week.
My mahi-mahi, wherever it was from, was fantastic. I loved my lumpy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.
To my surprise, he insisted on ordering dessert. Why? I don't know. He did not enjoy the rest of the meal. So, I did not understand why he wanted to perpetuate the experience. He ordered cheesecake.
Guess how that turned out.
It was not as good as the cheesecake he had had in New York City the previous month.
I gazed into the fire, which under different circumstances might have been romantic, and attempted to drown myself in the chocolate dessert I ordered. It was delicious. I scraped my plate to savor every drop of chocolatey goodness. Alas, not even the chocolate could make up for the bad company.
A well-intentioned friend set me up on a blind date with a guy she knew. He was my age, and he looked okay in a picture she showed me.
He walked into the restaurant wearing a baseball hat, chomping on a piece of gum. The hat never left his head. And the gum chewing was distracting, to say the least. Finally, he took the gum out of his mouth. My praise to God was short-lived.
There are a myriad of things you can do to dispose of chewed gum. You could dispose of it prior to meeting your date for the first time. Or, you could excuse yourself to the men's room and throw it away in there. Or, you could dispose of it in a napkin.
Did he do any of those? Unfortunately, no.
Instead, he removed the gum from his mouth and stuck it on the side of his drinking glass. Then, he proceeded to play with the gum like it was Silly Putty. And when he was finished eating, wait for it — he put that same piece of gum back into his mouth.
I can only imagine that the look on my face mirrored the utter and complete dismay and disgust I felt. Too bad no one took a picture of me. It would have brilliantly captured that Kodak moment for sure.
Moving on to a seemingly, happy-go-lucky bachelor of 50 years. He readily admitted that his mood was due to his habitual pot usage.
Ugh. "I don't do drugs, and I don't want to be around anyone who does."
"I've been doing it for as long as I remember. But for you, I'd give it up."
Uh huh. "Sure."
Then with his next breath, he said, "You should try it though. You'll like it. It will make you more creative."
I refused, "No. I have no desire to. Never have, never will. I'm creative enough."
"It will make you more creative than you ever imagined. You don't know what you're missing. All the great artists do it."
"I'm not missing anything."
"You know, sex is only good if you get high beforehand."
What??? "If you have to get high to enjoy sex, you're not doing it right."
So far this year, there has been a plethora of overbearing, controlling bachelors. All of the men were in their fifties. Yeah, I was on an older guy run for some time. I ran out of forty-somethings without any pets. I am not sure if the over-fifty statistic has anything to do with it, or if it was just coincidence.
The common theme was the men telling me all of the things that I should and/or need to do. Here are a few, in no particular order.
"You need to learn to play golf."
"I'm not really interested in golf. I have other interests. It's great that you play golf with your college buddies so often."
"You need to learn. I play golf, so you need to play."
"We have different interests. We don't have to do everything together."
"Yes, we do."
Thinking he was joking, I laughed and responded, "No, we don't. But I could drive the golf cart."
Sternly and slowly, he said, "You're not hearing me."
Oh yes, I am, Mr. Control Freak. Yikes!
"You should join my gym. It's the best one in the city."
"I exercise at home."
"That's not good enough. You need to join the gym, so you can get buff."
"I'm happy with my body the way it is."
"You have areas of your body that need improvement."
Excuse me???
I will be the first one to admit my body is not perfect. But I do not need a man telling me that my body needs improvement on a first date.
"You should wear higher heels."
"I'm comfortable in these."
"I like higher heels."
Then you wear them. "These are the highest ones I have."
"You need to buy higher ones. You'd look sexier."
I laughed, "Trust me, I wouldn't. I am not graceful in four-inch heels."
Looking at me very intensely, he whispered, "Babe, your feet would never touch the floor. Ever."
Not exactly appropriate first date conversation. And I hate being called, "Babe."
"I want to throw you on the back of my Harley and head down to Brown County."
"Brown County is beautiful, but I don't ride motorcycles."
"You just need to try it."
"Already tried it. I rode on one once. I didn't like it at all. I won't do it again."
"I'll change your mind. Guaranteed."
"Sorry, you won't. I like road trips in a car. Those are fun – rain or shine."
"You're just a stuck-up bitch, aren't you?"
Heavy sigh.
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Time and time again, polite conversation is nowhere to be found. And men continually attempt to pressure me to do something I am not interested in doing.
Why do these men feel as if they have to force women to do or like everything they do? I am sure Dr. Phil has done plenty of shows on this subject. But it still baffles me.
I do not try to force my interests and hobbies on anyone. I would never dream of it. We are all individuals. We do not have to be identical on everything.
Potential mates should have similar mindsets. That way, we can appreciate each other's likes and dislikes to discover things to do together as a couple.
The problem with online dating algorithms is that they can not analyze mindsets. Hence, my ongoing conundrum.
Copyright © 2015 by Suzanne Purewal
Just Say, "No!"
Welcome to my first 2015 installment of my online dating series, "Mis-Matched to Miss Matched." According to online dating statistics, January 4th is the biggest sign-up day for their sites. That gave me a new glimmer of hope. Although, so far, Indianapolis' bachelors seem to be singing the same old song – same tune, just different words.
The initial contact email from one guy read, "My view of your profile indicates we are a 97% match. If we were any more alike, you would have strong biceps and I would have boobs."
I have to assume he thought I would find that funny. He guessed wrong. I could not find words to reply. I take that back. I did have words. I just did not want to engage him in conversation. Any guy that uncouth in an introductory email did not deserve a reply.
A retired sales executive, who was out of my desired age range, contacted me and said he did not have pets and thought we were a perfect match. His profile indicated he was a cigar aficionado and ultimate sun worshiper. So, I had my doubts.
Among other questions, I inquired, "How often do you smoke?"
He replied, "I don't smoke. Well, occasionally, a stogie and of course pot."
Of course pot???
This is not Colorado or Amsterdam, the last time I checked. This man was in his late 50s. He was not some punk kid or Olympian gold medalist, Michael Phelps.
"I don't do drugs and will not date anyone who does. So if getting high is part of your life, then this is where our conversation ends."
And that was the end of that.
The next bachelor's email claimed he was a gemologist from New York City. He went on about how the family business takes him all over the world.
Not interested, I replied, "You live over 700 miles away. So I'm not sure why you're looking in Indiana. Logistically, it doesn't make any sense. I'm not looking for a long distance relationship."
"If I find the right woman, I shall relocate to be closer to her or even live in the same house with her."
Oh, I bet you would like living off of a woman, wouldn't you?
"No. Best of luck to you."
"It will interest you to know that I have been thinking of you all day and I really want this to work between us and as of the distance that shouldn't be a problem because like I said earlier that I shall be relocating closer to you. All what I need now to bail myself out of financial struggle is just 25,000 dollars and I have 21,000 already what I need is 4000 can you help me YES or NO no long mails and explanation."
Wow! It's bad enough that he was trying to swindle me out of money, but to demand an answer immediately, with no explanation, that's so ridiculous. Apparently, he was an impatient thief and did not want to waste time if he wasn't going to get a payoff. I hoped I would not hear from this scammer again. No such luck.
"Why the silent? A friend in salt lake want to transfer me money into account but I can not access my account here so I was thinking if they can transfer the money into your account when you get it, you will send it to me using western union the amount is about 5000 or 6000 can you help me? I need money urgently here in Turkey to get out of here."
Turkey can have you!
The fatal flaw in this scammer's logic is that the friend could send the money via Western Union. I think it could be a ring of foreign thieves because the English in the initial communication was good. It went downhill with each subsequent exchange. Who knows.
It worries me that some people might be gullible enough to fall for this scam. I reported him, but his profile and any trace of him were gone.
Beware of low-life scammers! They are everywhere!
After talking for the good part of a week, I went to dinner with a project manager from the south side of Indianapolis. I liked that he preferred talking to texting. I found that encouraging. When we met, I realized he was a little bit country, and I was a little bit rock and roll. He seemed uncomfortable and out of his element at the restaurant. But he was polite, and we had a nice time. I was hemming and hawing about whether to go on another date with him.
The following day, I received a text from an unknown number.
"Why the f*** do you have my f***ing number saved? Get out of here and leave me and him's relationship ALONE. Bye now."
It was followed by an emoticon of an expressive hand. Use your imagination.
Huh? Nice mouth! And me and him's??
I felt bad for the poor, functionally illiterate woman with the cheating boyfriend.
Believing it was a wrong number, I replied, "I have no idea who you are or who you're talking about. I think you have the wrong number."
No response.
About an hour later, I got a call from the guy. "I'm sorry, but I'm not over my ex. Just wanted to let you know. I'm gonna take myself off Match. I shouldn't date until I'm over her. Sorry."
Are you kidding me?
Maybe it wasn't a wrong number after all. I could not believe it. The more I thought about it, the more pissed off I became. He used me to make his ex jealous. Wow! That was a new low.
The next bachelor also liked talking on the phone. We met at a café. He appeared nervous and claimed he had butterflies in his stomach about meeting me or possibly it was a lactose intolerance problem. Okay, no big deal.
However, about an hour into our conversation, which was pretty one-sided, he departed for the bathroom. Upon returning, he announced he was really sick, the "I need to spend the day in the bathroom" kind of sick. He confessed he had been ill since the previous day.
I wished him well, literally, and we parted ways.
What kind of person shows up sick to a first date? It was a complete and utter lack of respect and common courtesy.
People, if you are sick, stay home and reschedule!
He contacted me days later to say that he did not remember anything about our date or what we discussed. He said he remembered he liked me and my cleavage, but that was all. He wanted another date.
Um, no. My cleavage and I think not.
I have no rational explanation for why the men in this area are so relationship-challenged. If anyone has a theory, then I'm all ears. Better yet, if you know of a decent single guy, send him my way. The Law of Averages dictates there has to be some decent guys out there somewhere!
Copyright © 2015 by Suzanne Purewal
Fright or Delight?
My quest to find a good, decent man is becoming epic in length. But I refuse to give up! So, here is the latest and greatest in my "Mis-Matched to Miss Matched" dating saga.
There once was a man who was prolific in poem and prose.
He had a quick wit. Let's meet. Why not? Who knows?
Alas, his memory was lacking, he called me by the wrong name,
Despite me correcting him over and over. How totally lame.
Was this other woman his ex-girlfriend or an ex-wife?
I cared not, for I was cutting him out of my life.
The next eager bachelor was an eHarmonious man
Who unfortunately decided to try a product to self-tan.
Since he was not an Oompa Loompa, orange was an awful hue.
Why he did not realize this while looking in the mirror, I have no freaking clue.
However, it was his obnoxious behavior that upset me the most.
Being rude and insensitive caused him to end up as a jerk in this post.
Then there was a guy who promised me a special surprise.
When the big reveal occurred, I could hardly believe my eyes.
If I was watching a horror movie, I would have yelled for the girl to run.
Touring ramshackle buildings buried deep in the woods is not my idea of fun.
Any chemistry that might have existed was extinguished pretty fast.
What a huge letdown after being psyched up for an absolute blast.
After each date, to Mom, the obligatory email I did write,
So she wouldn't be pacing the floor half of the night,
Worried that I was dead in a ditch or suffering an even worse fate.
"Home safe and sound." Another zero of a date.
"A total waste of makeup," is what I eventually would type.
It sums up the evening well without painfully boring details or hype.
So that, gentle readers, is all I have to tell.
Perhaps the month of October will cast an enchanting spell.
Could the eclipse of the blood moon help me find my "Mr. Right?"
Or will it bring more ghouls and goblins to give me an awful fright?
Those are the questions that I seek the answers for.
Stay tuned, my friends, you never know what's in store!
Copyright © 2014 by Suzanne Purewal
It Finally Happened!
It finally happened! About two weeks ago, I received the most unbelievable message on Match.com. It was short and to the point. I read it twice before it sank in. I just could not believe my eyes. But there it was staring me in the face. It read, "0 Matches Found."
Yes, I accomplished the seemingly impossible feat. I exhausted all of my possible matches on Match.com. Even with my extended search range of 100 miles and age range of 35 to 55, there were no matches. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
I hear you saying, "Well, you're being too picky."
No, I'm not. I'm giving a 20-year age range within 100 miles. All hair and eye colors, all body types, except obese, all religions, and a college degree.
It appears my primary problem is that almost everybody in this state has indoor pets. Over half of my supposed matches were eliminated due to a pet situation.
Granted, some guys say they will get rid of their pets. But I still couldn't go into their houses. They would have to rip out the carpets, replace their furniture, clean the house's ductwork, etc. So, let's face it, not many men would go through that or have the financial means to do so.
Not to be deterred, I thought I should try another dating site. So, I signed up for Christian Mingle. Their questions were quite different than those found on Match.
Would you engage in premarital sex?
Is my mom running this site?
Do you believe that the only reason to engage in sexual relations is for procreation?
Um, no.
How often ideally would you want to have sexual relations? The answers ranged from "every day" to "never."
I plead the Fifth on my answer to this question.
I am sensing an anti-sex theme here. Seriously? Never? If you want to remain eternally celibate, you should look into becoming a Catholic nun or a priest. They need new recruits.
Moving on…I particularly loved the questions that revolved around my children, especially since I don't have any. There was no way to bypass the questions. So, I had to base my answers on the imaginary children that I don't have and never will have.
Other questions asked about the woman's role in the home. Those questions pissed me off. It upset me to think that there are women who are acting subservient to men. That's an entire blog post in and of itself.
I found one useful question: How is your timeliness?
I am always early. If you are habitually late, then you will be literally and figuratively wasting my time. Do us both a favor, do not waste my time.
There were so many absurd questions, I wish I could share them all. But one of my favorites was: How do you feel about wearing fashionable clothes?
Oh, just throw a burlap sack over my head, and I'll tie it around my waist with some twine, thank you. Itchy is all the rage this season!
The more questions I answered, the more I felt I was falling down a rabbit hole, and I was positive I would end up in Wonderland. Remember, Wonderland was royally screwed up.
After suffering through the questions and filling out the profile, their system told me I had zero matches. I laughed out loud. No kidding. So, I went to the search feature and altered some criteria. Ten guys popped up. I recognized six of the guys from Match. The others had no pictures. I do not communicate with guys who do not post pictures.
After five days on this site, I wanted to shoot myself. I did searches to cover anyone breathing and with a pulse within 100 miles. There wasn't anyone remotely close to what I was looking for in a partner. The majority of profiles had no pictures, and the men lived in rural areas and very few had graduated from college.
The system sent me profiles to view. Most of the men lived in Illinois or Ohio. Sheesh.
I was done. So, I called to cancel. The best the girl could do was downgrade my account to one month instead of the original six. Wonderful.
Obviously, some people have found that site successful. I am happy for them. Sorry to say that I was not one of them. Based on my experience, I would never recommend Christian Mingle.
Since that went so poorly, I joined eHarmony. So far, that site is a dud too. I had no matches again. But this site will not let you search for people. Their computer does the work and sends you matches.
Really, there is no way to search. Instead, you keep answering questions. I answered 290 questions. Yes, I answered that many. I'm just sitting on my couch watching television on a Saturday night, so why not?
I got messages saying, "So-and-so is just outside of your parameters."
The majority of men were from other states. Not neighboring states like Illinois or Ohio, but states such as Texas, New Jersey, Florida and California.
The ones that really astonished me were incompatible based on our answers. If we answered 67% of the questions differently, we are not a match. But those were the profiles the computer kept sending me.
This service was the most expensive. And this was pissing me off. So, I wrote their Customer Service people a nasty-gram.
"You only send me 'matches' who are outside of my parameters. What is the point of answering all of the questions if you ignore them when matching people? I'm getting 'matches' when over 50% of our answers differ. Those aren't matches.
And I am not interested in anyone who lives out of state. You repeatedly send me guys who live all over the country. How can I get you to stop sending me people who live out of state? It's ridiculous. I'm not looking for a pen pal. I'm looking for a mate.
So far, this service has been a waste of time and money. What are you going to do to make this a better experience for me?"
And I waited. I am not sure what type of response I was expecting. I just wanted to notify them that their computer algorithms sucked, and I was not happy. Less than twelve hours later, I received a response.
"Our goal is to find matches for you that are compatible with your unique personality in deep and important ways. We do this by using the results of your relationship questionnaire to screen for individuals based on the 29 Dimensions of Compatibility.
We understand that you won't feel a connection with all of your matches. Although we put a lot of emphasis here in the early stages of being matched with someone, establishing chemistry only accounts for a portion of what makes a relationship last and is only something you can determine once you get to know someone. We caution you from trying to make such an early assessment from just the match detail information.
Please be assured that you will no longer receive matches outside your distance setting."
I wish I had a pair of hip waders to trudge through that pile of BS.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, I received an email from Match. Apparently, since all of the kids in Indiana have gone back to school in the last two weeks, there has been a considerable influx on the number of new Match members.
So, for now, I'm back to the bachelors on Match. Gentle readers, I know you enjoy these posts, but nothing would make me happier than to have a reason to stop writing them. Wish me luck!
Copyright © 2014 by Suzanne Purewal


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We at SportMargin aim to deliver brilliant quality content for our readers.
This is a site for Football fans to catch up with the lastest news, videos, statistics, pictures, transfer rumours also including major sports updates.
We have made available to our readers up-to-date access on multiple columns, transfer news/rumours, general football news or guest posts.
Our aim is to deliver to our readers everything football related, from news to transfer rumours to all the latest multimedia trending. Our aim is to provide you all the content you need to be up to speed with the footballing world.
Founded in July 2018.


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Health Directory
Health Directory provides information about doctors, hospitals, dentists, pharmacists,etc from all over the world. Wherever you are you can find the information from the medical field in your local area. the information usually contains phone numbers, emails, address, schedule. It's free and easy to use! Key Features: -find medical info from your local area -find info from a certain domain like dentist, pharmacists -the ability to free register if ou are a doctor.
Developer: Innovative Software
Other apps by Innovative Software


text: Thank you for choosing to volunteer at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels. Please complete the volunteer application form below: Name* First Last Date of Birth* MM DD YYYY Address* Street Address Address Line 2 City AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces Pacific State ZIP Code Primary Phone*Email* Preferred Method of Communication*PhoneEmailOccupation*Position Applying For* One-Time Volunteer Short-Term Volunteer (3 months or less) Long-Term Volunteer (6 months or more) Unsure Note: Most positions are 3-4 hours per shift (usually 9:30 am to 1:30 pm); some limited opportunities in the afternoon.Are you volunteering for Corporation/Business Service Day?*YesNoIf yes, what Corporation/Business?*Do you have community service hours you need to fulfill?*YesNoIf yes, number of hours?*Please enter a number from 1 to 999.Completion date?* Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY Hours are needed for:*SchoolReligious or Service GroupCourt Ordered (special requirements prior to being accepted)Do you have a valid California Driver's License?*YesNoHas your driver's license ever been suspended?*YesNoHave you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?*YesNoIf yes, please explain:*Why are you interested in volunteering at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels?*How did you hear about the program?*List any previous or current volunteer experience:*Include: Organization, Position/Major Responsibility, Supervisor and Phone/EmailSpecial Skills or Qualifications*Emergency Contact InformationName of your emergency contact*Relationship (ex: mother, father, etc.)*Phone number of your emergency contact*PreferencesDays you are available* Select All Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Holidays Volunteer Interests* Select All Driver Runner Kitchen Office Staff Events Can you perform the tasks required to carry out the job for the areas of interest you have indicated without accommodation?*YesNoIf "No", please explain*Preferred Start Date* Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY By checking this box below:* I agree to the following:I confirm that all information contained in this application is accurate. I agree to keep all identifying and personal information about St. Vincent Meals on Wheels clients confidential. As a volunteer for St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, I hereby release and hold harmless St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, the Board of Directors, and their officers, employees, and agents from all actions, damages, injury, or claims which I or my affiliates may have against them which may be incurred as result of my participation in the Volunteer Program. This iframe contains the logic required to handle Ajax powered Gravity Forms.


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Boat booms are a cheap and secure way to attach small boats in the harbour. The booms are easy to install and transport, if necessary.
Standard fitted boat boom consists of a strong, hot-dip galvanized metal frame, a plastic float and two mooring rings. An EPS foam-filled plastic float also functions as as a boom end fender.
Boat booms are attached to the pontoon with metal hinges or elastic rubber connections.
As an accessory, you can order 300 mm wide timber decking, metal rails to change the width of the boat space, and fenders.


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- ITV Report
Appeal for pickpocket who befriended elderly couple on train and then stole purse
Police are appealing for information after a pickpocket, who befriended an elderly couple on a train, stole a purse.
British Transport Police says the "audacious theft" happened at Aberdare train station.
On the morning of Wednesday, 9th March an elderly couple boarded a train at Cardiff Queen Street, bound for Aberdare.
During the hour long journey, an unidentified man approached the victim and her partner and attempted to talk with them, seemingly to build their trust, say police.
After they left the service at Aberdare, the couple then made their way down a steep bank towards a waiting pre-booked taxi.
Police have released the above CCTV images of a man they want to speak to.
Anyone with information is asked to call 0800 40 50 40 or send a text to 61016 quoting reference 160 of 21/04/2016.


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More than half the country is dealing with brutally cold temperatures and being urged to stay inside. In addition to the cold, two feet of snow already covers our ground here in upstate New York with the potential to get another 2-3 feet in the next two days. How crazy is that!? What's crazier, is how that's not necessarily abnormal for this snowy pocket of the Northeast. But honestly, I don't hate it. I mean, who doesn't love an excuse to stay in and drink all the hot beverages? But I do understand that not everyone loves being snowed in. And I'll admit, after a while I can feel cabin fever start creeping in if I'm not careful to prevent it.
For me, part of living intentionally is being aware of how certain things can make me feel and making choices that positively impact my well-being. I don't handle boredom very well. I never have. As a child I was tinkerer; able to keep myself occupied for hours playing or drawing. I watched TV, but I wasn't one to sit and watch for hours on end. To this day, I have to be in the mood to do absolutely nothing (or terribly ill) to watch more than a couple episodes of something while not working on anything else.
Being stuck inside for a full day or more could quickly result in boredom if I didn't intentionally choose to keep myself occupied with things I enjoy. Having a back pocket of favorite indoor activities is helpful in not just preventing cabin fever, but boredom in general. Being stuck at home is a great opportunity to spend extra time on things you love. So let's talk about a few of my favorite ways to prevent cabin fever!
Try Out a New Recipe
Whether baking or cooking is your preference use a cold or snowy day as an opportunity to try a new recipe! In the winter I make it a point to keep my baking supplies fully stocked so that I have the staples in the event of a surprise snow storm. Depending on what you're baking or cooking, you can be occupied for a rather large amount of time. This is an especially opportune moment to try some fancy cake decorating. How gorgeous is this cake?!
Do an Online Workout Video
Get your blood flowing and release some endorphins! While many online fitness options have a cost, there are also plenty of free online workouts! Bless you, YouTube. That being said, even the paid sites typically offer a free trial. I'll admit, I've totally free-trialed my way around the fitness domains. If yoga is your jam, I highly recommend Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube! I also really love Barre3 and the Kait app for barre/pilates style workouts!
Put on Some Music and Dance
While we're on the subject of endorphins. One of the best ways to lift your mood is to blast your favorite jams and dance around. In college I would take study breaks to groove around my room. Good mood guaranteed. Need I say more?
Channel Your Creative Spirit
I personally believe we all possess creative energy. When people say they aren't creative, I think it really just means they haven't figured out where their creativity flourishes. Just because you can't paint a portrait or DIY some home decor doesn't mean you aren't creative! Play around with different types of arts and crafts and see what really pulls you in! There are a lot of low cost/risk crafts to try. My current favorite is hand embroidery!
Play a Board or Card Game
Corey and I pride ourselves in our board game collection. When we've exhausted ourselves on other activities or our to-do list, we open a bottle of wine and enjoy a game or two together! Honestly, we don't need an excuse for this activity, it's something we enjoy pretty often. But if you typically pass on playing games, use winter as a prime time to try out a couple!
Clean or Organize an Area of Your Home
No, no: I am not suggesting you go full blown Marie Kondo on your house. But if you're feeling a little bored, you could just go address your closet, or that junk drawer that barely opens anymore. Or you can seize the opportunity to do some less favorable deep cleaning of your kitchen or bathrooms. Sure, not the most fun way to stay busy. But having an organized and cozy home environment certainly never stole joy from a person.
Catch Up on Magazines
The arrive in the mail and just pile up. Does that resonate? You're not alone. I typically end up binge reading magazines when I have spare time. I recommend tearing out pages with recipes or activities that interest you and place them in a folder or binder for easy access!
Make a Vision Board
Once you're done reading those magazines, do some manifesting. Cut out words, pictures and phrases that resonate with you and your intentions/goals. Glue or tape them into a collage to keep on your desk or by your mirror. Similarly, you can do the same with design inspo for redecorating or renovating your home!
Curl Up With A Book and Some Tea
As much as I love the feeling of reading a book with paper pages, I also love that technology provides us the ability to access a new book from home. If you aren't already a member of your local library, I highly recommend you look into it. Our small public library has an app for checking out e-books, allowing endless access to new books from the comfort of home. Additionally, it's not terrible unreasonable to buy e-books through amazon or kindle. Usually e-books are cheaper than the cover price!
and last but definitely not least…
Gratitude: Winter Edition
Is it ideal to be cooped up inside? Maybe not. But at least you have an inside to keep you warm! When cabin fever starts to set in from being indoors all day, remember that not everyone is so fortunate. Writing down all the reasons to love and be grateful for being snowed in. For instance, be grateful to have a warm house and fuzzy blankets. Be grateful to maybe have a day off of work. Or be grateful for a bonus day with your kids (even though it can be stressful at times). Be grateful to have time for some hobbies. Be grateful to live in a place with seasons — Some people go their whole life without seeing snow. Point being: It could a be a whole lot worse. Seek the beauty in the situation!
So there you have it! Now some of these activities might not be something you're into, and that's totally okay! My hope is that this simply inspires you to get creative and take action towards preventing a case of cabin fever. As I said above, it might be inevitable at moments to feel stuck. We're only human, right? In those instances I just encourage you to make some tea, take a few breaths and be grateful for all the good in the situation. And remember that this too shall pass.
Wherever you are, I send love and light. Stay safe and warm, friends!


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Members of the North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise held one of their regular 'Meet the Chamber' breakfast events at Pinches Medical + Wellbeing in Macclesfield recently.
They were joined by local MP David Rutley, who updated members on the opportunities for companies arising from the ongoing initiatives to regenerate Macclesfield town centre.
Mr Rutley also spoke about the positive role that the local business community can play in taking forward these plans.
David also spoke further with the group on the positive progress that continues to be made in promoting the Cheshire Science Corridor, including the recent £20 million investment at Jodrell Bank to develop its new 'First Light' heritage and discovery centre.
Representatives from local businesses then had the opportunity to ask David about a range of local and national issues affecting business.
On the day, David was also pleased to once again meet with the chamber's chief executive, Sue Bowden, to discuss its ongoing work to attract more local companies to join its network of local businesses.
Mr Rutley said: "It was great to once again have the opportunity to speak to local businesses about the real and positive economic potential in Macclesfield and north east Cheshire, and to see representatives from so many local firms present.
"It is clear that the chamber continues to go from strength to strength, and I hope yet more local businesses will look into the benefits of being part of this exciting and growing organisation."
The North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce is currently in the process of finalising this year's North East Cheshire Business Awards, for which the deadline for entries has recently been extended to Monday 8th October.
Click here to find out more.


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Dodging Common Pitfalls of Real Money Online Casino Play
It can seem like a big step to start playing real money online casino games, but it can actually be very safe, a lot of fun and not overwhelming at all. We'll take you step-by-step through all of the little things that you might need to know so that you can hit the ground running.
There are a variety of things that you'll learn whenever you start playing online casino games for real money that you usually just have to pick up as you go. Experience is one of the best teachers, but a lack of experience can keep people from feeling comfortable with jumping in and playing. What we want to do here is offer up a number of points and ideas for you to know ahead of time so that you can learn from what we have to show you here instead of having to learn a lot of these things on your own.
The point here is that we want players to have the best experience possible, and that means eliminating some of the hard lessons that can come the first few times you log on to play. While what we're going to list out here is going to come in no particular order, if you check out the tips and pointers that we have for you here, then you'll definitely have a much better time and a much smoother learning curve.
Aggravation Coming From Real Money Casino Deposits and Withdrawals
Online casino site banking represents what seems like a pretty straightforward idea: You put the money on your account, play with it, and then you take money off of your account when you're done. However, this is a critical bottleneck that can seriously affect your experience and your ability to even get set up to play. We want to take a look at a few key idea that most players end up learning through experience (and typically bad experiences at that) so that you don't have to suffer the same fate.
Currency Availability
You'll find that there are a variety of currencies available at many online casinos. However, there are a few that are more popular than others:
- US dollars
- Euros
- British Pounds
- Canadian dollars
- Australian dollars
- Bitcoin
These six are probably the most popular overall, and bitcoin is obviously the odd one out as a real money casino currency, but US dollars and euros are the most popular overall. Depending on where you're playing from, you may strongly prefer one currency over another, and that will affect the choices you have to pick from. While many of the top options offer USD, EUR and GBP deposits and withdrawals, some are a bit more limited, so it's something you should check out before you make your deposit.
If you do decide that you want to play at a site that doesn't offer your preferred currency, then exchange options are available in different ways. Some casinos will exchange your currency for you given the most current exchange rates, but some electronic wallets will do it for you as well. Your best bet is to just see which of the two will offer the lowest charge for doing so and to go with that, but it's typically a better deal if you just find a casino that offers the currency you prefer in the first place.
Real Money Online Casino Banking Option Selection
Before you can play, you have to be able to get your money into your casino account, and before you can enjoy your winnings, you have to be able to get it back into one of your other accounts. These transactions are handled by deposit and withdrawal options, respectively, but something that many players don't realize is that not all payment methods allow both deposits and withdrawals. Many only allow one or the other, and the most common case is that something allows deposits without allowing withdrawals.
If you want to play in online casinos for real money, then you'll want to have both. Whether it's credit cards, electronic wallets or other methods, you'll preferably want to have two deposit methods and two withdrawal methods available to you. The reason for this is that it gives you a backup in case your primary option goes down. Bank transfers are usually available as a withdrawal-only option that players can typically count on, so that leaves the two deposit methods and one withdrawal method to go.
It's pretty important to have this squared away before you start to play, and a part of the reason why is that many casino sites are required by their licensing jurisdiction to verify your identity before you're allowed to cash out.
If you wait until you actually want to request a withdrawal before you decide on your methods and get everything set up, then you run into the problem of having to wait for your identity to be verified, which can delay your initial deposit. Once your identity is verified, however, you won't have to do it again when making your cash withdrawals.
Banking Waiting Periods
There are plenty of situations where you'll want to quickly move your money from either one casino to another or from a casino into your bank account for some kind of purchase, etc. What you need to be aware of in this type of situation is that withdrawals aren't always instant, and even when they're advertised as happening within 24 hours (or similar), that doesn't always mean what you necessarily think it means.
Always assume that online casino cash withdrawals are going to take longer than advertised. This will help to prevent situations where you get put in a bind because of unexpected banking waiting periods.
The key thing to realize is that not all delays in online casino cash outs are the fault of the sites. They may do things as quickly as possible on their end, but many payment methods have their own delays involved. This is particularly true for anything that involves a traditional bank account since transfers to them generally take at least a business day or two. If you cash out within hours to your electronic wallet, for example, it can still take days before the money gets to your checking account, so keep that in mind when planning ahead.
Avoiding Problems With Managing Your Real Money Casino Bankroll
There are a lot of ways to go about bankroll management, and different players will have different approaches that they're the most comfortable with. While we recommend setting a line item in your weekly or monthly budget that's the most you will dedicate to your bankroll, there are a number of lessons that you will learn about managing that money over time. We want to speed up the learning process and give you a few ideas to think about on your own.
Volatility and House Advantage
Few players only play one game over and over again, and the vast majority play at least a handful of different types of games. When moving between titles, it's not immediately obvious how you should adjust your bet sizing in terms of being more conservative (smaller bet sizes) or more aggressive (larger bet sizes). There's a complicated mathematical answer to this for all of the real money online casino games out there, but pretty much no one has the time or inclination to work all of that out.
Luckily, there are really only two things that you need to adjust for: volatility and house advantage. Here's how this works:
- If the volatility of a game is higher, then your bankroll management strategy should be more conservative.
- However, if the volatility of the game is lower, then you should adjust by being more aggressive with larger bet sizes.
- On the other hand, games with a higher house advantage require you be more conservative with smaller bet sizes when you gamble online with real money.
- When the house edge is lower, you can adjust by using bigger bets and being more aggressive.
These factors combine as well. For example, a game with a low volatility and a low house advantage means that you can be particularly aggressive with how much you wager and use larger bet sizes than you have with almost any other games. However, when there's a high volatility and a high house edge, then you should go to the other end of the spectrum and be hyper-conservative with much smaller bets than you'd otherwise use.
The point of using these two ideas is to make it easier to compare bet sizes across games. This takes a lot of the stress out of your experience while still giving you something concrete to base your decisions on.
Live Dealer Casino Real Money Bet Sizes
One of the most innovative things you can do when playing with real money in online casinos is to join a live dealer table. These tables allow you to play classic table games like blackjack, roulette and Baccarat (in addition to others) via high-definition video feeds with actual dealers from a real casino stage on a real casino table. You'll place your wagers from your computer, and things are automatically updated as you play along.
While you can chat it up with players, tip your dealer and a lot of other things that contribute to a more social environment than what's typically available online, there's something important about these games that you have to know:
The minimum bet sizes for real money live dealer games will be higher than when playing the "normal" online table games.
The reason for this is actually fairly simple: It costs the sites more money per person to support these games because there's such a greater overhead cost, so if they allowed players to get in on the action for lower amounts, they would actually take a loss in the process in some cases.
Avoiding Common Gambling Fallacies
There's a common gambling fallacy that sounds really good the first time that you hear it: If you start betting one unit of currency on an even money wager, and then you double it every time you lose until you win, then you'll always profit one unit each time you win.
Here's an example of how this would work. If you wager one unit and lose, then wager two units and lose, then wager four units and lose, but then you wager eight units and win, you can add it all up to see that you won eight units on your last bet, which gives you a profit of one unit after the seven you lost on the first three wagers.
You can see how this process would work with more losses in a row, but it runs into a big problem: Table maximums. Eventually, you'll hit a losing streak that would require you to choose a bet size that's bigger than what's allowed, and when that happens, this strategy breaks apart.
We want to point out that this is one of the most common real money online casino strategies that players with games like blackjack and roulette come up with because it sounds great on paper. However, if you try it, eventually you'll learn from experience that it doesn't quite work out, and that experience can cost you quite a bit.
Don't Lose Value With Casino Cash Bonuses and Promotions
One of the most rewarding aspects of real money Internet casino play is getting special bonuses and other promotions that amount to free money that's added to your account balance. With that having been said, there are some ways to go about getting them that are better than others, and there are definitely some ways that you can mess up and miss out on all of your value. We want to help you to get this right from the beginning instead of having to learn hard lessons that cost you serious money.
Observing Terms and Conditions
Almost every single person who decides to play at online casinos for cash will mess up at some point by violating the terms and conditions of some promotion, and they will disqualify themselves from getting paid for that promotion in the first place. The most common terms and conditions that get violated, often by accident, are the following:
- Cashing out before the wagering requirements are completed.
- Making a bet size that's larger than the maximum allowed while working off play-through requirements.
- Playing games that aren't allowed while you still have active wagering requirements to finish.
- Not finishing the play-through requirements before the bonus expires.
Anytime you take advantage of a real money casino bonus or some other type of promotion that's going to pay you cash for playing your favorite games, you have to become hyper-vigilant about the above points of the terms and conditions. If you aren't super careful, then you will most likely lose out on all of the value of that promotion by violating one of the above four points.
Casino sites are super strict about their policies for promotions and deals like these, and if you violate even the smallest rule just one time, they will most likely take away your chance to cash in on that particular bonus or other promo.
Choosing Between Loyal Programs or Bonus Shopping
There are two main strategies for getting the most value from the promotions and offers that these sites give you. The first strategy is called bonus shopping (among other things), and it has the following pros and cons:
On the other hand, we have the idea of staying at one place and really focusing on their loyalty program. This is a polar opposite approach, and it has its own pros and cons:
What's pretty important to your bottom line is that you pick one of the above two options and stick to it. When playing real money casino games, you have to cultivate every edge and advantage that you can while minimizing as many of the casino's advantages as possible. This includes taking full advantage of their promotions and offers, and the two above strategies are the best ways to go about it.
Long-term Planning for Value
While staying in line with terms and conditions and picking a style of taking advantage of promotions are both largely tactical decisions, there are also strategic decisions when it comes to planning out how you're going to play to get the best value. On a strategic level, we feel that this is the most common way that players get burned when they start playing at cash online casinos.
To avoid these types of long-term problems, you should form a strategy for how you're going to get the most value overall. This strategy should be based on the amount of time you expect to be playing, if you're going to take long breaks without playing at all and what level of stakes you're comfortable with.
Without a plan that takes all of this type of stuff into consideration, you're going to waffle without any real direction. The end result is that you're going to lose a lot of value, and that means money that would have been in your account balance will really be out the window. Nobody wants that, and it's tough to look back on your mistakes and see how much money you pretty much set on fire. That's why we want you to start off on the right foot instead of having to learn the hard way by making your own mistakes.
Protecting Yourself From Yourself and Others
No one sets out to intentionally screw themselves over in any situation whatsoever unless they have a death wish. We're going to assume that you're reading this because you don't have a death wish and that you'd prefer things go well instead.
Along these lines, and while the online casino environment is generally safe and secure as long as you stick to reputable sites, there are some dangers that lie below the surface if you aren't aware of them and if you ever get caught not paying attention. We're going to describe some of these dangers below so that you can be ready for them.
Prevent People From Getting Into Your Accounts
Playing casino games online for real money is supposed to be about having fun, being entertained and having some serious chances to come out as a big winner. However, you have to remember that your casino account has access to whatever money is in it along with whatever saved deposit methods you have in your cashier window.
Because of this, you have to be serious about protecting your account. A simple example of this is not leaving your casino accounts to automatically log in. With an automatic log-in, someone could easily gain access to your computer or mobile device, log into your account and drain your balance by putting it all on red on the roulette wheel and losing big. We don't want this to happen to you, and you don't want to experience what it's like, so learn the lesson here and now to protect yourself.
Here are a few other simple things you can do that can have big affects on the safety and security of your accounts:
- Use a different password than what you use with any other accounts so that if those other passwords are compromised for some reason, no one gains access to your casino log-ins.
- Set up a dedicated email address only for your casino accounts. Don't use it for anything else, and don't let anyone else know it exists. This will prevent people from trying to gain access to your casino accounts through your email address via "forgot my password" features.
- Regularly scan your computer for keyloggers and other malware that could try to capture your password whenever you type it.
A couple of smart decisions can make it much, much more difficult for your account to be compromised. This can lend itself to a much more serious level of peace of mind when playing.
Deposit and Betting Limits
This may tie in to some degree with bankroll management, but there's also an element to gambling of any type where you should be proactive about protecting yourself from yourself. Just like it's easy to go shopping and accidentally spend a lot more than you intended to, it's not uncommon for players to end up spending more than they meant to when playing at the real money casino tables.
Thankfully, there are two main options you have available to you at most reputable casino sites that make it easy to keep this type of thing from ever getting out of hand:
- You can set a personal maximum wager amount that you cannot go over. For example, you may decide that you never want to make a bet of more than $5 for any reason on any game. Making this decision ahead of time before you start playing and having it set in the software makes it much easier to stick to such a limit in the heat of the moment.
- Players can also set maximum deposit limits on daily, weekly and monthly bases. Again, this makes it much easier to avoid depositing more than you meant to, which is a great tool to have at your disposal if it's set up at the same time that you create your account.
It takes just moments to adjust both of these options when you start playing, and some jurisdictions force the sites to ask players to set these amounts if they want to make a real money casino deposit.
The Big Picture
The bottom line is that playing casino games for cash means that you'll have plenty of room to make mistakes here and there. Many of them are just irritating and might waste some of your time, but others can cost you a significant portion of your bankroll.
In either case, it's better for you to learn from other people's mistakes with a listing like this one instead of having to repeat the same mistakes yourself to learn those lessons the hard way.


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SINGAPORE - Genting Hong Kong said on Wednesday (Dec 16) that it plans to sell a 2.3 per cent stake in Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings (NCLH) for about US$148.25 million (S$208.5 million).
The sale will result in a gain of US$14.5 million (S$20.4 million) for the leisure and gaming company, with proceeds to be used for working capital and to fund new investments should opportunities arise, it said.
Post-sale, Genting Hong Kong's stake in NCLH will fall to 11.1 per cent from 13.4 per cent.
Genting Hong Kong and fund manager Apollo entered into an underwritten disposal deal with Goldman Sachs on Dec 14 to sell 10.3 million shares of NCLH for US$296.5 million in net proceeds. Half of the shares for sale, or about 5.2 million shares, will come from Genting Hong Kong's wholly owned subsidiary Star NCLC.
In August, Star NCLC sold 10 million shares of NCLH for about US$590 million, booking a gain of US$44.6 million.
Genting Hong Kong shareholders had, at a special general meeting in June, granted a disposal mandate authorising the board to dispose up to 40.57 million NCLH shares over a year, or the amount of remaining NCLH shares held by the group at the time.
Trading of Genting Hong Kong shares will resume on Wednesday after it was halted on Tuesday for the announcement.


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50NB sch 80 Smls A106b Pancake Coil
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A durable, double braid dock line, Solid Color is flexible, shock absorbing, and resists rot and mildew. Standard prespliced eye size is 12" for 3/8"–5/8" diameter lines, and 18" for 3/4" diameter lines.
Dock/Anchor Line
Flexible •
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Mitigates shock •
Resists rot, mildew, mold, and most chemicals
Specifications are for spliced strengths.
Recreational Marine


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The intentional efforts Dallas ISD is making to diversify its schools socioeconomically aren't unique to the district. They also aren't some sort of newfangled idea that hasn't been tried elsewhere. In fact, it could be argued that Dallas is behind the curve when it comes to integrating schools.
Last summer, This American Life produced a two-part series titled "The Problem We All Live With," named for the Civil Rights-era Norman Rockwell painting. In the opening segment, New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones notes there's one reform that people have pretty much given up on, despite a lot of evidence that it works — school integration. (Fair warning: The first episode in the series may leave you curled up in the fetal position, but the second is more hopeful, and all of it is worth listening to.)
Less than two months after the episodes aired, Dallas ISD's Office of Transformation and Innovation, which oversees the district's choice schools, posted the below video titled "The Case for Socioeconomic Diversity," which references similar studies and data, notably the 1966 Coleman Report.
The video (which is only seven minutes long and, again, worth watching) notes that 80 U.S. school districts are making conscious efforts to promote integration, and these efforts have worked to improve student achievement in places like Raleigh, N.C., and Louisville, Ky. The video is meant to explain "our theory of action," says Mike Koprowski, the district's chief of transformation and innovation. As to whether it's working, "we won't really know for sure until a couple years out."
He's heartened by evidence that shows the new lottery-based schools are attracting families from across the district and from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Koprowski and his team are looking at more than just income in analyzing student body make-up; they also are considering homeownership, single-parent households and adults' education levels — three other data points that have strong indications as to how students will fare in school. The result is not simply two groups (affluent and economically disadvantaged) but four blocks of varying affluence and advantage, Block 1 being the most advantaged and Block 4 being the least.
"This isn't a 'mission accomplished' spreadsheet by any stretch of the imagination," Koprowski says of the above data, but it suggests to him that these lottery-based "transformation" schools are attracting more affluent families as well as more disadvantaged families than what attendance boundaries drawn around segregated neighborhoods typically yield.
To achieve true diversity, it's important to Koprowski to reengage the middle- and upper-classes, and these new schools' exciting curriculum models do exactly that. It's just as important to him, however, to make room for the district's most at-risk students, which is why his office now gives weight to socioeconomics in its admission lotteries.
Take the new Solar Prep school for girls, housed in the former Bonham campus on Henderson Avenue. "That's a gentrifying area," Koprowski says. "If we put an attendance boundary around Bonham, in five years, there won't be many people who can afford to attend Bonham."
"If you don't put the proper controls in place," he says, "affluent families can overwhelm these schools."
New York City is dealing with similar issues in its lottery-based schools. A recent New York Times story overviewed a situation parallel to what Dallas might experience in a few years without some priority given to low-income students:
"… once a school is viewed as desirable by middle-class families, their networking capabilities and social capital are far more powerful than any outreach the schools can do to attract lower-income families," the story says. "All it takes, they say, is a few posts on Facebook, some word of mouth at cocktail parties, preschool fund-raisers and neighborhood playgrounds for a school to be inundated with applications from high-earning families. Those can far outnumber the ones coming from lower-income minority families, so even though seats are given out by lottery, the population can quickly shift."
Already, the demand is high for Dallas' choice schools. Koprowski's office received roughly 400 applications for 50 kindergarten spots at Mata Montessori, for example. The school has a couple of safeguards in place to prevent it from becoming Lakewood or Stonewall Jackson Jr.: One is that two-thirds of next year's slots were reserved for families in the Mount Auburn Elementary attendance boundaries, many of whom are in income Block 2 or 3, and another is that 3- and 4-year-old pre-K students in its mixed-age Montessori classrooms, who have the option to continue at Mata, must meet the state's low-income or hardship requirements.
The safeguards are effective enough to keep Mata from being what Koprowski's office considers a truly diverse school; its current mix is roughly 40/60 affluent to low-income, and the goal is 50/50. Those numbers could shift some next year, but 400 applications for 50 spots no doubt means a lot of affluent families didn't get in — and Koprowski's was one of them. His oldest son will be in kindergarten next year and didn't "win" the lottery. So he will enroll at Robert E. Lee Elementary, the neighborhood school for Vickery Place.
Lee, itself, is a diversifying school — not because it's one of the district's lottery-based choice schools but because in recent years, more homeowner families from surrounding neighborhoods have begun sending their children there. Its new dual language program and International Baccalaureate curriculum are attractive to them, and the result is a socioeconomic make-up similar to Mata's.
Dallas ISD has 227 schools and counting. To diversify, it's going to take more than simply the eight to 10 lottery-based schools the district intends to open by 2020. Programs with broad appeal are needed at more neighborhood schools, for one, but the district faces an uphill battle integrating neighborhood schools when neighborhoods themselves are segregated. Koprowski visited City Council last week with a presentation titled School Policy = Housing Policy for this very reason.
Though Koprowski knows that his choice initiative alone isn't going to transform a school district that has tried — and failed — to desegregate for nearly five decades, he believes that something must be done. Allowing class, cultural and racial segregation to continue is "socially, morally and economically unsustainable," he says.
"It's also personal to me, "Koprowski says. "My kid's going to grow up in this city. I look at him and I wonder if he's prepared for the diversity that lies ahead."
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In a flurry of packing suitcases and double-checking for passports, The Universal Sea is off to Amsterdam, 21-22 June 2018, for our next European station!
This time our event is part of a city-wide multi-day festival called WeMakeThe.City Festival which celebrates and problematizes all aspects of cities and urban living. WeMakeThe.City Festival runs from 20-24 June 2018, all over the Amsterdam metropolitan area and events relate to a range of city-related themes such as sustainability, inclusivity, health, happiness, mobility, creativity etc.
In an odd little coincidence, I happened to be visiting Amsterdam last weekend and was struck by the unique aesthetic and feel of the city. I have to admit that I am not particularly well travelled; I have not been to hundreds of cities around the world. But from time to time, and maybe you've experienced this phenomenon too, I visit a city and am strongly reminded of another. Sometimes this feeling of mirror cities is quite unexpected, for example Oulu – a small city on the North West coast of Finland, perplexingly evokes strong nostalgia for my hometown of Newcastle – a much larger city on the East Coast of Australia. However, Amsterdam did not remind me of any other city I have previously travelled. All of which is a roundabout way of conveying my enthusiasm for WeMakeThe.City Festival, because I imagine that some pretty interesting and creative ideas about urban living will emerge from a festival based in/on such a unique city.
As with our prior stations in Poland, Finland, and Kosovo, the Amsterdam programme boasts a slew of speakers from varied and fascinating backgrounds. Sietse Gronheid, the project manager of WASTED will be presenting. WASTED is a community initiative developed by CITIES Foundation, whereby members who separate their trash are rewarded with digital coins that can be exchanged for discounts and benefits with participating WASTED partners. For a completely hypothetical example – one bag of separated paper waste might get you one digital coin which could then be exchanged for a coffee at a participating cafe. WASTED aims to encourage recycling as well as the transition to a more circular city and economy.
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Shoot out to parents, teachers and schools who want to learn about their environment: the first online platform to let children build their own sensors, Smart Kids Lab, is now also available in English! In this way children, at home or school, can learn in a playful way to measure their surroundings.The online platform offers children a number of tests, varying from homemade tools to measure particulated matter or the clarity of water. Want to get started? Go to smartkidslab.org/english #sensors #DIY #kidsworkshop #makereducation #maakonderwijs 📸: @jimenagabriella
Lucas Evers, head of the open wetlab at Waag Society will also be joining us. Lucas has a rather diverse background. He joined Waag in 2007 but has previously worked at De Balie Center for Culture and Politics and Melkweg in Amsterdam. His background is in fine arts, teaching and politics and his interests lie with interactions between artistic and scientific research.
Waag Society operates at the intersection of science, technology and the arts (based solely on Lucas Evers' bio, I can understand how he and Waag fit together). The society focuses on new and emerging technologies and their potential to influence social change.
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A beautiful collection of trays and vases that can be put on top of each other to create higher compositions, designed by @lindabergroth, using our #duratpalace collection. . Commissioned by The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York Curators:Harri Koskinen & Linda Bergroth Design:Linda Bergroth Food Concept:Restaurant Nolla, Helsinki Photography: Nicholas Calcott . This is DURAT Palace by MOST . Durat Palace is 100% recyclable and contains 30% recycled plastic and natural minerals that make it an eye catching material. . We are showcasing #Duratpalace with @durat.design for the first time during @nycxdesign at @WantedDesign May 18-22 in Manhattan, NYC . . . . . . . . . . . @caragreenproducts @modernsurfaces @thefciny #iconic #materialdesign #ecoluxury #architecture #industrialdesign #dezeen #wallpaper #solidsurface #mocoloco #dwell #surfacemag #zerowastebistroNY #inspiration #mostcollective #architecture #nycxdesign #wanteddesign #interiordesign #material #luxury #durat #interiorarchitecture #recycled #tableware #nowness #avantgarde #solidsurface #surfacedesign #monolith
The next presenter is Kaori Pi from MOST Collective. Her background is very multidisciplinary combining: finance, art history, environmental design, textiles and even pastry and chocolate.
MOST is a global design collective that has collaborated with Durat (presented by CEO Heikki Karppinen at our Helsinki/Espoo station) to create a line of sustainable surface material which blends recycled post-industrial plastics with natural pigments used by painters in the Dutch Golden Age.
Carina van Uffelen, media coordinator from Plastic Soup Foundation is also presenting. The mission statement of the foundation is admirably simple – "No plastic waste in our water!" They aim not to remove existing plastic waste from waterways, but instead to tackle the problem at the source so that more plastic pollution does not find its way into our water. Plastic Soup Foundation constantly draws attention to the epidemic of plastic pollution through campaigns, news and social media.
Also presenting is Jonathan Morrison the co-founder of WasteBoards, which is (and I don't mean to be biased) one of the most innovative concepts I have come across. WasteBoards manufacture skateboards from found plastic bottle caps! Each board is made by hand and has a unique design. Much like Durat, the company aims to alter the perception of plastic – from disposable and wasteful to raw material for high quality and durable products.
Finally, we have Caroli Buitenhuis from Green Serendipity. Caroli is an innovator and consultant with experience in the fields of bioplastics, biobased packaging and circular concept development. Her expertise is put to perfect use within Green Serendipity as the consultancy firm specialises in bioplastics, bio packaging, circular concepts and sustainable chain innovation. The firm's services especially target transition from a linear based economy to a circular one.
WeMakeThe.City Festival has a very full and interesting programme, so there will be a lot to see and do during 21-22 June. However, if you feel like getting involved in an interdisciplinary event that mixes art, science and entrepreneurship with a strong environmental agenda, I highly recommend The Universal Sea Amsterdam station!


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With December now upon us here in the Lowcountry, lower temperatures mean your furnace or heat pump will be working extensively to make sure your family stays warm and comfortable this winter.
Your home's heating system most likely doesn't run very often here in the Lowcountry, so there's a good chance that it may be ignored/overlooked when it comes time for maintenance and upkeep. This means that breakdowns or poor operation can often occur.
So what can you do if your furnace isn't heating properly… or at all? Here are few things you can look at that might get you back up and running:
Occasionally with heating issues, your home's thermostat(s) may be the source of your chilly home. If it's not working properly then your furnace won't kick on when it's supposed to. Also, make sure your thermostat setting is on "HEAT" mode (as opposed to "COOL" mode), to make sure your thermostat is sending the right directions to your home's HVAC system.
If you're really worried about your home's thermostat, especially if you have an analog one, here are some reasons why upgrading to a new digital thermostat can not only manage your home's temperature better, but also potentially save you money on your electrical bill.
Even if your heating system uses gas, it still uses electricity to push the air around in your home's ductwork, so double check your breaker box to make sure the fuse/breaker for your heating system is on.
If your gas furnace isn't starting up correctly, there's a chance the pilot light has gone out or is not working properly. Depending on the make/model of your gas furnace, follow the manufacturers instructions on how to relight it or, as you'll see below, contact your HVAC company.
Dirty air filters can wreak havoc on your home's HVAC system, especially if they're heavily clogged with dirt/debris. Your heater's blower has to work much harder to push air through a dirty air filter, so this can not only shorten the lifespan of your system, it can also drive your energy bills up as it has to draw more electricity while it works harder.
If you've gone through the points above and your heater still isn't properly heating your home, it's most likely time for you to contact an HVAC company near you to have them do a thorough diagnostic. They may even be able to head-off potential large breakdowns with their inspection and could end up saving you thousands down the road, just with a simple checkup.
Even though your heater doesn't see the spotlight much here in Charleston, you may get a chilly reminder of its presence if it's not working properly. Following the steps above, though, can ensure your furnace will keep up with the cooler temperatures ahead.


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Plants > Climbers
A rare and unusual variety with pitcher-shaped true red flowers Height 3m. Spread 1m. Flower colour Red. Flowers July to October. Deciduous Foliage colour Green. Hardy Planting instructions Water thoroughly before planting.
0800 612 2643
Copyright © 2012 Coolings Nurseries Ltd.Registered Office Rushmore Hill, Knockholt, Kent, TN14 7NN, Tel: 01959 532269Registered in England No: 1534529
Website designed and developed by Website engine and hosting by Corby+Fellas


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The book, published by Basler & Hofmann in 2013 on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, has been nominated for the 2014 Best of Corporate Publishing Award (BCP).
The BCP is the biggest competition for corporate communications in Europe and is awarded annually by Forum Corporate Publishing, the industry association for media service providers in the German-speaking world. Some 650 publications have been submitted for the 2014 selection. The anniversary book from Basler & Hofmann, which bears the subtitle Gemeinsam. Mit Kopf und Herz (Working together. With head and heart), is one of six publications nominated for the Gold Award in the category Specials and Annuals – Corporate Book Service / Retail. A silver medal is thus already guaranteed. The winner of the Gold Award will be announced on 3 July 2014 at this year's Corporate Publishing Congress.
The book paints a vivid company portrait while giving a glimpse into the fascinating world of the engineering profession – a tribute to the field as well as the company itself. The book was produced in collaboration with MetaDesign Zurich.
Page through the anniversary book online
Photos: MetaDesign Zurich


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Sustainability and Board Games - Part 2
This week, Tim continues his discussion of sustainability in the board games industry. Where last week's article revolved around an exploration of some of the problems and inefficiencies that plague the manufacturing process of some of our favourite games, here we look ahead to some of the exciting ways that we can implement new and existing technologies in ways that can make our games lower impact, more renewable, and even more fun.
This is the second of a two part series. Part 1 can be found here.
Much of the focus of my post last week related to the use of plastics in the board game industry. Even though almost all game boxes and cards are made using renewable resources, many other components are not. It is with these non-renewable components that the focus should be when implementing sustainable change in the industry.
Take a poll of your average board gamer, and most would probably tell you that one of the main reasons they play board games is for the social interaction. It is about having real components in front of you and interacting with a group of friends (or rivals) while playing. Some may argue that implementing more technology into a hobby that is primarily analog is a step backward for the hobby. Indeed, many of us who grew up playing video games have now shifted away from that to enjoy the tactile experience of tabletop games. And while board games will always exist in some form as a physical medium, the form that they they take can, and certainly will, change.
Changing the way in which we manufacture physical components is something that can and should be implemented as soon as possible. We now have the opportunity and the capability to use other materials for manufacturing our games. All it takes is a willingness to make a change, and an acceptance that this change may come with a temporary rise in costs. It is absolutely certain that petroleum based plastics will never be cheaper than they are now, and so the earlier we invest in alternative and renewable materials (such as bioplastics), the smoother and cheaper the transition will be.
There are a number of ways that we can reduce the ecological footprint that our games have, moving away from a more disposable model and into one which emphasizes long term sustainability. The most immediate and simplest way that our industry can cut back on plastic waste specifically, is to use alternative materials for crafting plastics. Bioplastics are becoming easier and cheaper to make than ever before, and the market for the production of bioplastics is increasing steadily. While the current production of bioplastics is less than 0.2% of the global polymer market, it is an industry that will only grow as petroleum becomes more expensive and exclusive. Bioplastics are not only renewable, but also biodegradable and can be made from many different materials, allowing nearly any country in the world to export materials that can be used to manufacture them.
When considering bioplastics, one also has to look at the huge growth in 3D printing technology. Much of the research on 3D printing technology focuses on medical and mechanical applications, but as they become more ubiquitous they will soon reach the point where many consumers can simply print and play with their own game components made at home. In fact, many are already doing so.
Industrial 3D printers have the capability of locally producing large batches of components more efficiently, and with more decentralization. Instead of having one manufacturer print hundreds of thousands of dice at one facility, which then need to be shipped all over the place, your games could be printed and assembled in a province near you, contributing to the local economy and severely reducing the amount of resources needed to produce and transport a game in the first place. This would also allow for smaller print runs and print-on-demand gaming. Never again will you need to worry about missing out on a game because it was allocated, never to be reprinted.
So what about long term? Hundreds of years in the future, or even sooner, we might find ourselves playing board games very differently. Most of us probably remember the scene form Star Wars where R2-D2 and Chewbacca play a game of holographic chess on the Millennium Falcon (Editor's Note: *nerd voice* Um, actually, it's called dejarik). That kind of gaming is not too far off. Holographic technology is here now, and while rudimentary, has the potential to change the world in profound ways.
Imagine sitting down to play your favorite card game, using bioplastic cards with microchips that can project an image of the cards in your deck onto the faces. You could, conceivably, buy one deck of cards and play any game with them. Wireless charging would keep them powered indefinitely and, using a simple interface, they could be configured to play any game you want. There would be no need for shuffling, no concerns over marked cards, and you would be able have your entire collection with you anywhere you go. In addition, existing card games - such as Blizzard's hit digital card game, Hearthstone - could be ported over into an analog format.
The same solution could be applied to other game components, including dice! Small LED faces could be fitted onto your dice that could be programmed with any face you want, making them usable with nearly any game. Since there are already established sizes for dice, this would be a relatively simple technology to implement. You would probably only need to buy 1 set of dice to last you a lifetime!
What about for games with a board and pieces? How about a roll-up game surface that interacts with VR technology, with interactive holographic components? Being able to play a game like Santorini, using holograms, would in no way diminish the experience of the game. Some of this technology has already been implemented in a similar form via Augmented Reality games such as Lightseekers.
Retail and online stores can and will adapt to this change. It is simply a matter of changing with the times. Instead of needing large storefronts or displays, digital products could be purchased and downloaded from your favorite FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store), or components could be printed right at the counter! Instead of shipping large quantities of boxes in time for streetdate, one could simply send codes out to stores. The possibilities are endless, and only limited by our imagination and drive. The reduction of physical commodities does not have to sound the deathknell for game stores or for collectors. In fact, for those that have the courage and the willingness to adapt, it could open up entirely new frontiers. By focusing on what we, as a community, ultimately want out of the board game experience, we have the opportunity to affect real change in this industry without sacrificing its core values. To some extent, this logic applies to every aspect of our lives, not just board gaming. We can consider the lessons to be learned in this hobby and use them to grow not only as gamers, but as human beings.