text:
skip to main content
Join 3,557 readers in helping fund MetaFilter
Best Of
New User
help! i'm a slob.
January 16, 2010
My apartment is starting to look like I'm trying to audition for the TV show Hoarders. The floor is covered in trash and I have not a single organizational system. How do I deal with this mess by myself and how do I learn to change my behavior?
I've never learned to promptly put away or throw away things but all my life I've lived in small enough spaces that a deep decluttering every week or so was a feasible task. Now I live in a huge studio apartment and the trash just won't stop piling up. I'm ok about taking care of stuff that will smell bad but right now the mess seems insurmountable and I'm terrified that my landlord/boss will drop by. I want to spend the day cleaning, but where should I start and how should I approach it? And how do I develop good habits so I don't let my apartment get this bad in the future? email is: email@example.com
posted by
Home & Garden
(37 answers total)
78 users marked this as a favorite
The place to start is anywhere. Don't try to "approach" it if it's that bad - just
. Pick something up; put it away or throw it out. Then pick up the next thing and do the same. When you fill a trash bag, get it out of your apartment (basement, trash chute, wherever you get rid of it.) The hardest part of things like this is the first step, which is why
getting started
is far more important than anything else.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
2 favorites
Here's one system. You may loathe the style, and the emails or whatever. But it does work. It is also very adaptable to your personal circumstances/challenges/lifestyles. And you don't have to do all the extra 'stuff'.
Fly Lady
Fly Lady Baby steps
to get started.
Beyond this. Pick a system. Any system. Which one works best? The one you'll keep doing.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
2 favorites
Set a timer for 15 minutes. Clean as much as you can in 15 minutes.
If you want to go again, set the timer again and go. Otherwise take an hour break and start again.
Fly Lady is good - Essentially you want a place for everything - if stuff is piling up (magazines, etc.) - it needs a place to be stored. I personally like to hide everything away in drawers, or whathaveyou - as clutter anywhere leads to more clutter.
posted by
backwards guitar
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
First, go to the store, buy a box of garbage bags. fill as many up as you can with unwanted garbage.
Put on some good DVDs that you like to watch while you clean, or some good music. I actually disagree with
backwards guitar
. Don't stop for more than five minutes at a time. Just clean.
As for going forward, you've already provided your own incentive. Pretend the landlord/boss is coming over. Every night.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
As a long term thing, once you're unburied a little (and my friends like Fly Lady for that), I've found
Julie Morgenstern
's books (specifically
) pretty helpful. One of her broad principles is that you should have a way to keep stuff where you use it, and that's really made me rethink where and how I store my belongings. There's a corollary about the stuff you actually use, too--if you're not using it ever, maybe you don't need it.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
4 favorites
Get one of those big black trash bags and throw away things you absolutely don't need/want. It doesn't matter if it's things you would normally want to donate, like used clothes - just throw them away for now, because you don't want to risk setting the bag aside for later and then never taking it there.
Take that one out to the trash.
Then, go back in and get the stuff that you feel sentimental/unsure about and toss it in. Do put this one to the side, and see what it's like without this stuff. (By sentimental I don't necessarily mean grandmother's necklace, but rather that DvD case that you kept because it looked cool even though you have a space-saving DvD holder.) If you find you don't miss it after a few days, toss it.
Take as many breaks as you want, and don't worry about how long it'll take you. Usually, when I do deep cleaning it takes me about a week with several breaks because after about an hour my mind will just go, "This is too much!!" and I start getting sick if I continue. That's perfectly OK.
It's also OK to "hide" stuff that you know you want to sort through later, but can't because the room is too cluttered at the moment. Just make sure you remember to go back through it later (unless you don't care if your drawers and stuff are messy!) I tend to do this when I want to decorate my desk but I have to clean it off first. I just toss random stuff on the bookshelf, or something.
Good luck!
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
My approach to the massive clean-up operation is to do it in several stages. The first pass is just a keep vs. throw out decision. Go through each room and sort the clutter into a "keep" pile, and a "throw out" pile (or several such piles if you need to separate garbage and recyclables). Put the "throw out" pile(s) into garbage bags and/or recycling bins, as appropriate. Things will probably look much better after this.
Then go through the "keep" pile and sort it into "stuff that belongs in this room" vs. "stuff that belongs in other rooms". Move the stuff that doesn't belong, into the room where it does belong.
Next, get everything off the floor and put away. Don't worry about organizing it by some system (like alphabetizing books), just put everything on shelves, in drawers, closets, etc. If there isn't really a good place to put everything, get some filing boxes or storage boxes and just put stuff in there. Just get it all off the floor and looking tidy.
You will probably have a bunch of dishes and cutlery piled up in the kitchen, having moved it there from everywhere else. Clean this stuff next and then clean the kitchen counters.
By now you should be able to see almost all of the floor area. Time to vacuum, sweep, mop, dust, etc., the floors and furniture. At this point it starts to feel like the place is actually clean again. If the bathrooms are a disaster, take care of them last. I have no idea why, but it seems easier to find the energy to tackle these when the rest of the place is already clean.
This doesn't address actually organizing all your stuff, but this is the general approach I've followed whenever I've let the tidying and cleaning situation get out of control for a while. The idea is to get it starting to look cleaner fast, so that it stops feeling like an insurmountable challenge that's going to take forever. If I don't have a whole day free, I'll just do this process in one room at a time, over several days.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
4 favorites
Buy some contractor trash bags. Expensive, but good to have.
Pick one area that will be the TEMPORARY home of things that don't have a designated spot in your home. With my nieces, I put a piece of newspaper on the floor. The stuff without a designated spot cannot exceed the size of that newspaper. This will force you to make decisions about finding a spot or tossing items.
Pick the corner farthest from the door. Start there. Declutter working your way toward the door.
Each time you pick up an item that doesn't have a spot ask yourself - Do I care enough about this to find it a spot? If the answer is no, toss it.
Once you've cleared that path to the door, you take the full trash bag to the dumpster or trash chute.
Take a break.
When you're ready to start again, pick another spot that's distant from the door. Trash bag, declutter, dumpster.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
I do organizing for people. I agree with backwards guitar and set a timer. Do it over and over again. Then set the timer for your break. Then again for the cleaning. What you are doing is setting up accountability for yourself. Even if the accountability is to a timer and not another person, it can be affective. Combined with roomthreeseventeen's advice of pretending the landlord is coming over, it should give you enough motivation to break the inertia.
Start by a massive detrashing. Go from room to room with 2 huge trash bags, one for trash, one for donation. I like to do 10-15 minutes at a time in each room. It is astounding what you can do in 15 minutes. Just don't think too much on each item. If you don't know what to do with it, it is o.k. to come back to it later. Just root around for all the trash you can, even opening drawers, looking in cabinets, etc.
Lastly, don't even start to implement an organizational system until you get rid of all of your trash and donations.
(I like flylady's advice, but the hairs on the back of my neck started going up when she suggested we declutter by getting rid of our animals. It was creepy enough for me to stop supporting her. Although, her method can be very effective.)
posted by
on January 16, 2010
First, don't think it's that big a deal. For me, the more stressed the non-completion of a task makes me, the less likely I am to want to face it. Trash really just does pile up. As everyone else has said, just start somewhere. But it's important that you quit the guilt, too. That's the thing that will ultimately paralyze you.
posted by
on January 16, 2010
Oops, by the time I hit post, everyone posted great suggestions!
posted by
on January 16, 2010
My Nana is a terrible hoarder so I try really hard not to be like her. Like roomthreeseventeen said, it's good to pretend someone's coming over. I often invite friends over on the spur of the moment, or people turn up out of the blue so it's a good incentive.
One room at a time, with a box for stuff you want to keep and a garbage bag for stuff you want to throw out/recycle. Choose a category of items (e.g. bills/receipts/mail) and sort every example of it you can find. For the ones you need or want to keep, get an accordion filing box. Once you think you've found most of that item, choose something else (e.g. magazines) and start all over again. You'll still find things you overlooked earlier but that's okay. I find that I get on a roll and don't want to stop -- in which case fly lady's advice is no good. It feels really good when you can see your floor, even if it's just part of it.
For me it's really important that everything has a home, and that the home is a fairly small space. Magazines have one holder and it can only hold, at most, a dozen magazines. I have a tiny inbox for incoming bills, etc. Little fiddly things like loose screws, buttons, small tools, whatever have a small container in the kitchen.
It apparently takes one month of repeating the same behaviour for it to become habit-forming. If you can take fifteen minutes every day to sort that day's mail/purchases/garbage, and keep doing that for a month, in theory it'll become part of your routine and you'll barely have to think about it.
Even with all these things in place, I still do a deep declutter every couple of months (we have kids, so clothes, toys, etc as well as the usual). You'll still accumulate stuff, but not to such an overwhelming extent.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
Up until very recently I was pretty similar. I knew what needed to be done and I knew how to do it, but I had serious executive function issues and I just *couldn't* do them. I'd finish eating and put the bowl on the coffee table and leave it there for weeks. Laundry on the floor, both clean and dirty. Junk mail piled on the dining room table for months. I'd step over things rather than picking them up. And I'd look at these things and think "I should do ___ with that." but I wasn't actually able to do it.
And then I started Adderall. Now I clean the kitchen before I eat dinner. As soon as I'm done the dishes get rinsed and then go in the dishwasher. I take off my clothes and they go back on hangers or in the hamper. I make my bed every morning. I've managed to organize pretty much everything in my house and complete a ton of DIY tasks that I'd been meaning to do for years. I am always ready to have people over unexpectedly and it is such a beautiful relief to come home to a clean house every night.
I'm not saying that you need to be medicated or something, but I AM saying that in addition to finding a organization/cleaning system like FlyLady, maybe investigate WHY you're a slob? You say you never learned to do things, but the fact that you KNOW that things need to be done kind of indicates that you're aware, you just lack something.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
2 favorites
The easiest way I've found to get unburied is to sort as you go through things: garbage, recycle, shred. If you've got more than just paper and trash, you could also sort into keep, sell, and donate piles. You can use garbage bags or large shopping bags for the first clean/sort.
Once you know what you have and how much you have of it, you can go out and buy receptacles to keep these things in in the future. I have
these bins
right next to my landing pad (the place where I set my keys and shoes and jacket as soon as I enter the apartment). I actually store the small shredder I have in the top one and shred stuff every couple weeks. The bottom one I use for recycle, and I don't empty it unless the papers are falling out, which takes a while. The other thing I do is that when I get my mail in the evening, I take the coupons and junk mail crap straight to the recycle bins for my complex, so they don't even come in to my house in the first place.
I also have a roomba, which makes me at least clear stuff off the floor every week or so in order to run it. I do a quick run over of the little stuff on the floor (trash cans, things that have fallen out of trashcans, boxes, clothes etc.) and put everything on the couch or bed, and then start the roomba right before I leave for work. then when I come home I have to do a little decluttering in order to sit on the couch or get in my bed.
That Hoarders show really fucks me up too. I have a pile of bills sitting on my craft table that have been there over a year that just makes me hate myself every time I look at it. So that's my project for this long weekend: coming up with a better filing system. It's a mind over matter thing, for sure. There are actually certain cleaning things I like to do (cleaning the bathroom makes me really happy, wtf?) that make me feel better about myself, and when I latch onto that feeling, it leads to me cleaning more. Good luck!
posted by
on January 16, 2010
I keep a big clear trash bag on floor behind the couch. Every time the room looks cluttery I do FlyLady's 27-thing-Boogie. Put on a loud energetic song, and put 27 things you don't need into the clear bag by the time the song is over. Re-hide the bag behind the couch. Because the bag is clear, you can see if you're making a terrible mistake, but because it's hidden, by the time you pull it out again, you won't want the stuff in it. Eventually you'll take that bag to Goodwill.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
Start off easy. Start with trash. Trash doesn't need to be filed away or stored. It doesn't necessitate any fancy furniture to put it in, doesn't require any sort of thought at all, really. Just get a big leaf-trash bag and start going around the apartment throwing away the trash. That alone is a great start.
Next: clothes. Clothes are also pretty easy. Not much thought required. Just pick up any and all clothing and put it in a hamper (trash bag if you don't have a hamper). When there are
absolutely no
clothes left in open sight, and you've got a couple hours to kill, clean the clothes,
clothes, and put clothes away. Take this opportunity to
get rid
of anything that doesn't fit you, or you don't wear any longer, or you haven't worn in more than five years.
Everything has a place. The hard part is finding that place. The rule of thumb I like to give people who are messy:
place for
is the
place you would think to look for it.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
2 favorites
Don't be afraid to get rid of things you "might need someday." If you really do end up getting rid of something you need later, it will be available on eBay. Nothing is irreplaceable any more.
posted by
The Deej
on January 16, 2010 [
3 favorites
I speak from some experience on this score. First off, it's useful to think of the task before you as having two major components: Cleaning and Organizing. They're related, but still different. You can clean till you're blue in the face, but unless you have a basic underlying organization to your space, all the cleaning in the world won't ultimately solve the problem. Thinking of them as distinct issues, though, can help you tackle them in phases.
First: Cleaning, Step A. This is where you 1) just pick one spot to start, and 2) simply throw away the trash. Your decisions are pretty binary here: keep or toss? (You can add "donate" and/or "recycle" to the mix, if you like, but the point stays the same: identify the things that are worth staying with you and set them aside, then dispose of the things you need to part with.) Just do this section by section. Give yourself a few days or a week, if you like: the important thing is not to overwhelm yourself with All Of It At Once, but rather to set section-by-section goals that will allow you to see -- and savor! -- some progress within a reasonably short time frame.
Once you've disposed of the trash, you can then move on to Cleaning, Step B. This is just straightforward cleaning: get a broom, a bunch of paper towels, a few cleaning supplies, and maybe some Swiffer-type stuff. Again, go section by section: dust, sweep, wipe down. Since you've already cleared out all your trash in Step A, this can probably be done in its own day.
Now --
-- you can ORGANIZE. The principle is simple: you can hang on to whatever you want or need, but
as long as it has its own place to live. The trick here is to get an idea of A) what kind of things you have, and B) what kind of spaces you need to create to put them in. This could include getting enough shelves for your books and CDs, getting an inbox/outbox system for your bills and paperwork, getting a pot rack for your kitchen, or getting one of
these nifty things
to double the hanging space in your closet. You don't need to spend a mint, either -- these sorts of things can be found easily and inexpensively at Target, Ikea, the Container Store, etc.
The thing to do is to not try to organize everything too early in the process -- otherwise you wind up getting bogged down in trying to make sense of clutter that's often half trash, half treasure. Go through the cleaning process step by step first, in order to get a better idea of the kind of stuff you you really want to keep, which in turn will make it clear to you what organizing tools (shelves, racks, etc.) you need to obtain in order to create a space that will be easier to maintain.
Finally, once it's all under control: make your bed
every single morning
, and hang your clothes up (or put them in the hamper)
every single night
. It's surprising how much those simple tasks alone will help keep you on track. (Again, I speak with experience!) Good luck. It feels good to do.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
Several relatives in my family have issues with clutter ranging from "messy house" to "could be on Hoarders." I've noticed their cleaning sprees quickly get derailed shortly after they start because of three reasons:
a) They try to do too much at one go.
b) They way overthink the keep vs. toss decision (should I keep this item? I paid so much money for it; I hate to waste things; It would be fine if it was fixed; I might need this someday; I'll just put this aside for now and deal with it later.)
c) They can't or won't accept help.
The key is to not let yourself fall into despair: it took a while for your home to get this way, it's going to take a while for you to get it the way you want. All-day cleaning sprees are exactly the same as fad diets: sure, you might thin down a bit quickly but the unwanted clutter + more will creep back.
Take things in manageable chunks: for the next week, once a day attack one spot in your house. It's OK if this is just the top of your coffee table. The goal here is you will remove every item from that spot and right then and there, decide upon its fate: it stays or it goes. If it stays, you must decide where its permanent home will be. The permanent home will be a place that is logical for this item to live: accessible to the ratio that you use it (no Christmas decorations front and center of the closet) and as close as possible to where you will use this item (spatulas in the drawer next to the stove, not in the drawer on the other side of the kitchen). Very Important Note: this permanent home is not the floor of a closet, or the top of another table, or a random drawer. Next, take a notebook and write down where you put that thing, "Chapter One: Kitchen. Page one: Drawers: spatula is in the top drawer to the right of the stove." Draw diagrams if you prefer, just record where this thing lives. It helps to use a timer to push your decision making along.
If you can't decide where an item's personal home is, it goes to the trash bag. If you have more than one of something that you can't use simultaneously, all but one go into the trash bag. If you're not sure, it goes into the trash bag. At the end of your spot cleaning session, immediately march that bag outside and toss it into the trash can.*
Now record in your notebook what lives in the spot you just cleared: Chapter Two: Living Room. Page 1: Coffee Table: a. Remote control. b. Fruit bowl. Now you're on your way to having a map: a list of what you have and where it goes. Once a week, check your notebook: what's on your coffee table? Does it still have Authorized Items on it or has stuff piled up again? Eventually, you'll internalize this map but until then, write it down.
*Many will protest the decision to toss something away without regard for reuse/recycling. Perhaps you'll find yourself rebelling against the notion too. Fight this impulse: if you were organized enough to donate your unwanted goods, you would have done it by now. You've probably already got a few sacks of items squashed at the bottom of your closet that you set aside a while back to donate. Forget about it: no one wants this stuff, just throw it away: at this stage, it's just too complex to deal with.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
2 favorites
What has kept me sane in the past is spending 20-30 minutes in a room or area...then moving on. Yes, you might not finish with that area, but you gradually lessen clutter in the entire house and you don't spend all day in one place, having it look spotless and everywhere else look less than that. Once you've finished every area, you return to the first on the list, spending 20 minutes (or less) until the entire place is done. Good luck!!!!!
posted by
on January 16, 2010
So, people in this thread have given advice on getting your space clean, which is obviously the first step. Maybe you realize you need a few more book shelves, or organizing doo-dads, and you fill them up.
But, what are you going to do when you have your space cleared out? And everything in it's place? And how did you get so much junk in the first place?
Think about a system for everything that comes through your door. Put a box by the door (or cut the top off an old kleenex box) and sort your mail and bills. What will you do with new books or DVDs when your current shelves are full? Buy new shelves? Store some digitally? What about when your closet is full of clothes?
I stick to the philosophy that if I don't have room for it I don't really need it. If I did really need it or want it I could make room for it. Therefore if I can't figure out where I'd keep something I won't buy it. If for some reason I've got it already (like mail, or a useless gift) I'll toss it right away. Don't create junk limbo.
Try to reduce the things you bring into your home in the first place. Do you really need to buy books or DVDs? Netflix and a library card will save you money and space.
A pet peeve of my mom's was when my sister and I would have the "after school explosion", where a spit second after getting in the door we'd drop our backpacks, jackets, lunch boxes, shoes, and whatever else in the hallway. So she'd yell at us to take the extra 15 seconds to walk into our bedrooms, and then explode stuff. I still do this today, and I manage to explode things into a semi-organized location.
I think you've figured out that it's a matter of will power, and mental state, not gadgetry or spending lots of money. So get started, and keep motivated. I think watching shows like Clean House and Hoarders can actually inspire people to change the way they act and keep junk and clutter out of their homes and lives.
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
In addition to all of these suggestions, I'd add that sometimes it's easier to do these things if you have someone to help you.
I keep a clean house, but have difficulty getting my laundry done. Last fall, I reached a point where I had worn basically everything I could or would wear; there was nothing left. The laundry hamper (and full laundry bags beside it) seemed insurmountable. It was only by calling my sister, admitting that I had a problem, and asking her to help me with it that I was able to break through what had become a huge mental block for me. She came over to help, and her presence helped keep me on task. With our joint effort, the laundry was finished in one day, all seven loads of it.
Find someone who can do for you what my sister did for me. And don't think "Oh, I'll wait until my house is a little neater before I ask for help." This is the critical time; if you don't get help now, it'll never get done.
posted by
on January 16, 2010
it's not going to work if you don't maintain. after you do the bulk clearing/cleaning out (which is the easy part, btw) you can make it a habit or something to clear that ONE dish from the dish rack in in passing or whatever. it can be as complicated as you want to make it, or as simple. at the coffee shop i used to work at, we had a rule that every time someone walked into the back room they had to take a dirty dish or mug or fork (just one simple thing) back with them to put it in the sink. this is actually the hard part, making sure that one little thing was cleared away even though it might make more sense to wait until there's more, or I'll be coming right back, or whatever other reason you can think of NOT to maintain. maintenance is harder because you have to constantly be aware of the level of cleanliness instead of waiting till the end of the week to see what it looks like.
not to derail: while I think it's great that someone can be inspired by a tv show that way, it's just so.....depressing.......
posted by
on January 16, 2010 [
1 favorite
After you've taken care of the current mess, keep large outdoor-size garbage bags around. Not just in boxes, but open--ready to put trash into (you can somewhat conceal them in hamper type baskets as long as they're easy to use, or just leave them hooked onto a corner where they're accessible). Dinky little "waste baskets" suck for actually putting things into, basket overflow sucks, and changing itty bitty little bags every day sucks.
Oh, and shell out for the kind with the pull loop to close. So worth it.
posted by
on January 17, 2010
I began to tackle my clutter problem when I moved into a new, modern apartment that I had painted and decorated. I invited people over, which required cleaning. Even with this, ultimately the only thing that solved the clutter problem was getting married to a guy that has excellent cleaning habits.
So after your big clean-up, maybe a fresh coat of paint on the walls? New furniture or new coverings for ratty furniture? Dinner party for friends? Try anything that will transform your image of the place from trash pit to fresh, presentable, public friendly space.
posted by
on January 17, 2010
I cannot recommend Flylady enough, really. I am one of her biggest fans.
(To Vaike: I understand what you're saying about Flylady saying you should jettison the pets~ that bugged me, too, but what I got from that was that it was only if your pets are making everything worse, living in a mess with dog crap everywhere isn't good for you or your pets. Makes sense).
One more thing, is to look at your house through your guest's eyes. What would a visitor see if they were standing there? This has helped me be brutal in decision making, and also makes me pretty happy when I can say, "Oh, they'd say my house was pretty clean!"
Timer, rest, timer, reward ~ reward being reclaimed space and serenity.
posted by
on January 17, 2010
I've spent years being disgusted with the disaster that is my housekeeping. I've begun to keep my place cleaner lately. I think it's a combination of several factors. I started dating someone who's very tidy, and I'm embarassed to have him over when my place is a mess. After cleaning for him, I noticed that my mind is a much quieter place when my house is tidy. And I love cooking, so having a clean kitchen to cook out of makes me that much happier.
My goal for 2010 is to treat life maintenance as a form of self love. I still hate cleaning my house, but I deserve to live in a clean house, so I will make it a clean house.
posted by
on January 17, 2010 [
2 favorites
Lots of good advice, especially about breaking it into increments. What can I add? My name is peagood and I am the child of a hoarder, a collector myself, a flea market enthusiast with a catch and release program, and a fan of Hoarder shows (and the forums that snark on them). I've helped friends, and my parents informally, and my old job was to sort things and value them and put them through auction. I go to friends' homes and mentally rearrange their stuff (not that I tell them I am doing so). We have a lot of "stuff", it's what we do - but it's tidy.
I think FlyLady has a few great tenets too, and I follow the clean sink idea; the tidy-up before bedtime, and the getting dressed first thing and then treating caring for your home like it's a job to go to. And while I don't follow the emails any more, we do have "x-number of things Boogies" around here as a way to keep stuff from hanging around forever. I also find Peter Walsh's book "It's All Too Much" to be a good way to work through the whole house and set goals.
To help you get started (it's the hardest part - but once you have, the momentum is tremendous), try to look at it impartially (like a guest, as was said above) or ask a friend. If you can take a picture of your space from your entrance point (or stand there and have a cup of something and look around), and then spend some time with it make a "Top Ten" list of what would make the biggest difference (better - do a short-term and long-term list).
For example, right now, doing that I'd say, for the good household in the short-term: we need to put away some our winter clothes from the front hall into the closet; put the last three undelivered Christmas presents in the trunk rather than on the table; dinosaur mountain and its guys need to go away from the window seat; the cat's messed up the curtains again; the rug needs straightening and fur removal; last night's board games need to be put IN the buffet, not ON the buffet; newspapers away...and long-term, a floor pillow can't forever disguise that bit of baseboard we've needed to replace for some time after insulating that outlet and the dog's chair is heinously hairy and needs a washable slipcover. You can set a time for that, or a pick a random number of items to complete; but ticking off things in increments and then crossing them off is far more satisfying than attempting to tackle a seemingly insurmountable pile. And doing the things with the most visible results will have a more energizing effect (hence, the excellent suggestions to take on the trash first). And then rewarding yourself afterword (Say...taking time to answer a question in a forum! Or a fresh status update and profile image! A cookie! But keep it brief.)
Back to your maintenance and moving forward questions - I have two rules/mantras as I'm cleaning: One is, "Stuff expands to fit the space allowed." So, when I had a larger desk in the kitchen, I had more room for a giant basket of paper to sort through. My smaller work table needs to be tidier necessarily, and I can't stash things in drawers now. If you are a person who needs to see things to feel comfortable, then stashing stuff in drawers or bins won't work for you long-term. But if your surfaces allow for things to be visible, but are limited, you're more likely to keep them that way. Personally, I stuff things in one basket near my desk and once in a while have a big sort (Oh - I try to have another rule for that: Handle things once!) - but at least I know most things are in that basket if I were to go looking for them.
The other rule/mantra is that "The longer it sits, the more it looks like furniture." I've stopped seeing those last three Christmas presents, because after all these weeks, they just look like they belong there. So, get in the habit that if it takes less than a minute longer to bring something to its ultimate destination, just do it (When our friends couldn't make it over the holidays, I should have mailed them or put them in the trunk for the next time I'd see them at their place). It's really pushing yourself in a hundred little ways all day long, which initially seems kind of like a pain - but eventually that good feeling of doing the right thing and the resulting order will be its own reward. My example would be that our daughter just ate a cup of yogurt and a banana, and after I finish answering this, I'll go rinse it and put it in the recycling bin in one fluid movement and the peel in the compost bin, rather than dumping it in the sink or on the counter in the kitchen and then in the right bins later. One way makes me feel junky, the other virtuous. Being house-proud is like a little high, every day. And then I picture those goblin ladies from the movie Labyrinth making me carry everything on my back and turning the place into a junkyard, and the fear keeps me motivated.
posted by
on January 17, 2010 [
2 favorites
A thing that helps me keep from getting overwhelmed is keeping a 10-minute task list (similar to FlyLady's zone jobs, but I never found that following her Zone system worked for me). peagood made me think of it. Whenever you come across something that needs doing, like washing window sills, add it to this list. When I'm in a good housekeeping groove (which I emphatically am not right now), doing something from that list 3-4 days a week makes a huge difference.
Doing a list like that can also help when you're doing the big de-cluttering because it can help keep you from getting sidetracked as you work on the first big purge.
posted by
not that girl
on January 17, 2010
Stop beating yourself up. We live in a culture of excess.
Pick any spot. 1 bag for garbage, paper groc. bag for paper that can be recycled, plastic bag for can/bottles/plastic to be recycled, box for stuff that can be given to Goodwill/
. Get 1 spot looking good, and move to another. De-cluttering is overwhelming in the aggregate, but do-able in small amounts.
When you fill a garbage/recycling/donate bag/box, take it to the curb or stash it near the door, and reward yourself. The reward can be a star on a chart, a soda, a piece of fruit, 1 download from iTunes, etc. Recycling/donating helps me with the guilt of wastefulness. Yes, it takes more time, but you're building lifetime good habits.
Music helps me a lot. Dance music to get moving, sing along, and get stuff done.
Get help, if possible. Other people have
heinous tasks
. Help each other out.
posted by
on January 17, 2010
"The longer it sits, the more it looks like furniture."
This is so true. I've had an ice chest sitting in my dining room since my holiday party nearly a month ago! (I'm going to take it to the garage after I log out of metafilter!)
posted by
on January 17, 2010
My mother was hoarder. By the time she had a cancer diagnosis and was going in and out of hospital, the house was getting pretty bad. She managed to confine it to rooms that weren't seen by guests, though, and the basement. Her bedroom was impassable, however, and she was sleeping with stuff on the bed with her, and there were the classic little paths through the stuff. I couldn't let her come back to it, so I went in with garbage bags. I just started at the doorway, because progressing
the room was almost impossible. First, just fill up the garbage bags with what you
is garbage. Getting the garbage out at least lets you see the next category of stuff to tackle.
Good luck!
I'm also a natural slob/hoarder who fights very, very hard against it. So like others, my advice is just get the big garbage bags and just start filling it up. Once you get some space freed up, it's lifting the first weight off you, and you may feel up to tackling more.
posted by
on January 17, 2010
Host a party. That in itself will make a good incentive to clean up (well, it works for us in this house).
posted by
on January 17, 2010
I clean other people's houses, for fun. So, while I can't say "hey I've been there" I can say "I've seen worse, here's what we did to fix things..." I'm a non-judgmental cleaner-person and so people let me help because I STFU and just get things done. It's a little disjointed because for me a lot of this stuff comes totally naturally, so it's tough for me to explain how I can look at a room and sort of "see" how it's all supposed to go together. But I can definitely tell you how stuff gets bogged down....
I see a lot of this stuff in terms of some sort of flow. What is the system? How it is supposed to work? How it it not working?
So for an example... the mail. The system is you get bills and catalogs and letters and magazines in the mail. You open it and either pay a bill, read a catalog, read a letter or learn some information. You then [at some point] file or dispose of the mail. How this breaks... you don't open your mail, you sort of open your mail and save the envelopes, you pile the catalogs in a "to read" pile that never gets dealt with, you pile other things on top of the mail and lose mail. How you fix this, you change the system. For me I recycle all my catalogs at the post office [I have a PO box], I always toss my envelopes [you really pretty much don't need them], I have a clipboard where all bills go [highlighted due dates, paid once a week], I have another clipboard for letters, I file everything else. Other people set the bulk of their bills to autopay, or they have a container for catalogs and magazines that's only allowed to be so full and everything else gets tossed, or they write the Direct Mail people to get off of catalog lists, or they toss advertising without looking for it.
My approach for cluttered spaces is pretty much the two pass system. Go through once and get trash, go through again and get other stuff going out [donate, recycle, whatever], then make piles, putting like with like [books with books, clothes with clothes, tools with tools]. Eyeball your things and get a rough idea of what percentage of stuff you'll need to get rid of. Once you've got stuff sorted, look at the space where the stuff goes and see if the space is adequate for the stuff. If not, either pare down or get more places to put stuff. Basically for me it's math. There's no shame in having too much stuff. Forgive yourself for whatever you've done before and just move forward. A lot of the time, with one disinterested person [me, in this case] approaching a problem, it usually takes just a few hours before the place is mostly decent, and a few more hours before the place looks "normal" People sometimes think that stuff like this takes weeks and usually, except for stuff like getting to the thrift store, it doesn't.
Also while you're doing this, keep an ear open to the things you say you can't do, impediments to getting things done *now*. So a few examples from some messy places
- can't get rid of 100+ plastic supermarket bags because we use them for cat litter [this was a combination of not wanting to fill the landfill and inertia]. We kept five, tossed the rest.
- can't put stuff in recycling without washing it first [leading to a queue for washing and drying cans that were heading out anyhow]
- can't take out trash because garbage can has no lid so trash needs to stay in the house til trash day [leading to house full of trash when what was really needed was to get a garbage can lid]
- can't vacuum because we're out of weird-sized vacuum bags [we got new ones]
each of these small issues can seem insurmountable when you've got a big project, so sometimes having a helper person to do some of this stuff [I seriously threw out 80 plastic bags of my sisters and still sort of had to fuss with her about it when she found out] can keep your momentum going. Find a buddy, invite them over for some decluttering and dinner. Say that you're feeling a little sensitive about it, so please no jokes, and spend a few hours in 15 minute increments listening to your favorite music, in your favorite pajamas and I think you'll be surprised at how much you can do. Then think about your systems for the things that are causing your clutter. How they break down and how they need to be fixed.
I'm like a few people in this thread, I have a sort of unyielding routine for a lot of things. Put away clothes, toss out envelopes, brush teeth, do laundry, take out recycling. The more I can make patterns that help me do the things that I know I need to do anyhow, the better I generally feel in the long run. Good luck with your house, it's not as bad as you think it's going to be.
posted by
on January 17, 2010 [
14 favorites
Has Jessamyn just given me permission to throw out my vast grocery bag collection?? What if I need them later??? *deep breath* No, no, I can do this..., I threw out my grandmother's entire drawer of old shoulder pads cut out of dresses, I'm strong...
posted by
on January 18, 2010 [
1 favorite
On the grocery bag thing: I have
this grocery bag container
. If it is full, I am not allowed to save any more grocery bags. Most of the time, it's full.
posted by
on January 18, 2010
This always seems incredibly simple.
Stop making it worse *now*, and every time it bothers you, make the place at least slightly better.
If you get tired of cleaning, at least don't make it worse again.
posted by
on February 4, 2010
« Older
Why do younger women have bubb... | how can I improve my english s...
Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Related Questions
Teach me how to keep my floor clean, like I am a...
August 18, 2014
How to clean house like the professionals.
June 15, 2014
...next to godliness
September 2, 2013
Recommend independent or well-treated Astoria...
May 24, 2010
Is there a Flylady for FlyFulltimeworkingCouples?
March 20, 2007
New User
MeFi Wiki
Buy a Shirt
© 1999-2014
MetaFilter Network Inc.
All posts are © their original authors.
| ☃


text:
Park and Ride
Gatwick Long Stay Plus offers a cost-effective parking service for Gatwick International Airport car parking. Situated on-site at Gatwick International Airport, Gatwick Long Stay Plus is located within a short distance of the South Terminal.
Gatwick Long Stay Plus is open all year round. It is staffed 24 hours a day, is frequently patrolled, is enclosed by security fencing and has CCTV in place. The car park has also been awarded the 'Park Mark' safer parking award.
Gatwick Long Stay Plus is an official on-airport parking service for Gatwick International Airport and they offer their customers the convenience and security of on-site airport parking.
Book Now with Carparking.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Everyone will find something to do in Latvia! The country caters to all interests and different kinds of life-style. Those who are drawn to modern cities – Riga is one of them! A contemporary EU metropolis with excellent restaurants, night-clubs and also unique architecture and sightseeing objects. At the same time, barely an hour's-drive away from Riga you will discover a completely different world, which those who enjoy a leisured recreation in natural surroundings will surely appreciate. Unusual nature objects (the ancient valley of the Gauja River in Sigulda, the land of the blue lakes in Latgale and the steep seacoast in Jūrkalne, to name but a few), the diversity of unspoilt nature, bird- and animal watching, hiking, water tourism, cycling – all of it is available in Latvia.
Architecture and art lovers will be delighted too. They can visit Rundāle Palace – an outstanding gem of Baroque and Roccocco architecture in the Baltics – as well as other castles and manors to be found in virtually every rural district of Latvia.
Though you shouldn't stop at that. Smaller Latvian towns can be equally attractive with their quiet, cobble-paved streets, centuries-old but restored buildings, an unhurried pace of life... That's all in store for you should you dare escape the tourist crowds and go to Cēsis, Kuldīga, Sabile, Aizpute, Ape and other Latvian towns.
And let's not forget about something yet more special, unavailable anywhere else in the world. Want to get high? Literally - as high as a bird? Then you simply have to stop by at the vertical wind tunnel "Aerodium" near Sigulda where you can enjoy the free flight of a bird. By the way, it was the "Aerodium" guys who amazed the whole world with their flying show at the Olympic closing ceremony in Turin and who did it again at the World Expo 2010.
So welcome to Latvia!


text:
Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier is set to enter the UFC after a dominating victory over Dion Staring in the co-main event of the final Strikeforce show.
After he win, Cormier stood in the middle of the cage and let his future plans be known.
"I signed my UFC contract," said Cormier. "April 20 on Fox, Frank Mir, let's do it. It was supposed to happen, and we were supposed to fight in Oklahoma, so he owes it to me."
Cormier doesn't seem to be the only one interested in the match. Mir was interviewed at the World MMA Awards and seemed anxious to get a crack at the former Olympian.
"I'm hoping Cormier has a good outing against his opponent," said Mir. "I can't recall his name right now. (Given) the fact that we all don't know his name very well, I'm assuming that means that (Cormier) should do well and hopefully come through unscathed so that he can do what he wants, which is come into the UFC and I can be more than happy welcome him."
"I think it's an excellent test for him. I think, you know, always be careful what you wish for. I think that his wrestling will definitely be tested in our fight. My submissions have the ability to definitely change outcomes of fights pretty quickly."
Cormier was as prepared as ever for his bout on Saturday because he wanted to put on a good showing for his future boss, UFC president Dana White. Despite a sickness, Cormier went out and finished his opponent early.
"I felt great. I was kind of concerned, because I felt sick all week," said Cormier. "I thought I was going to get tired, but I didn't. I was still going hard, on top of him, punching him. But he was just a really tough guy."
Cormier's teammate at the American Kickboxing Academy is UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, so Cormier will likely change weight classes after his tango with Mir.
Where will Cormier be headed? To the light-heavyweight division where he hopes to challenge the champion Jon Jones.
"I'm going to let Jon defend his belt on April 27," said Cormier. "And then I'm going to kick his ass in the fall."
Mixed martial arts fans have to be eager for Cormier's arrival in the UFC. Whether it be at heavyweight or 205-pounds, Cormier presents a handful of exciting match ups in the world's largest promotion.
Cormier has the skill set to beat Jon Jones, so it will be interesting to see if the two will ever meet in the octagon.


text:
Why not do something like Wizard Quest, but use Disney characters with a role playing story line similar to Kingdom Hearts.
It's kind of a theme park. Anyways, I loved the activities you could do there that were great family together experiences. I wished there would be a similar location in Florida.
Some activities at Stone Mountain...
- a HUGE ropes course
- pedal boats
- petting zoo
- a hands-on activities barn where you shoot each other with balls
- hiking trails
- simple train and boat rides.
PLUS! I had so much fun there, I didn't think of it later that these were all "healthy" fun, activities
Tampa, Fl
I had an idea a while back that I posted to my blog invovlving an interactive 4D motion simulator, built around the characters Remy and Linguini from the Disney/Pixar Ratatouille movie. The premise is that you are Remy, and you're under Linguini's hat, pulling his hair to make him do the different motions required. It would take everybody on the ride, 4-6 people, working together to prepare a dish in the kitchen. Each person would have a pull cord similar to the ones used for Toy Story Mania and would have to pull it when instructed via voice or a special noise or an indicator light. There would be smells from the kitchen, heat, motions and other chefs yelling orders to you all while you're attempting to manuever Linguini to prepare the dish. At the end, once the dish is prepared, Skinner, the diminutive, tempermental Head Chef, would come over and taste your creation, giving you a surprised approval, or an angry disapproval ordering you to try again.


text:
Use this site to find a park, read about its history, and learn about the wildlife found there.
"Packwhiz will generate a comprehensive custom list based on your destination, means of transportation, type of accommodation, etc. Just pull out a suitcase and start packing. Your to-do list will even include a reminder to take out the trash, so that you can go on and leave the house all confident that this time you did not forget a thing."
The creators of Roadsideamerica.com have spent years traveling the countryside looking for unusual landmarks and attractions. Read What's New and find interesting places to visit by state.
Over 10,000 listings throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, Smooth Hound is more complete, easier to use, and faster than other such sites. It provides comprehensive details of facilities, including AA, RAC, and Tourist Board ratings; excellent clickable maps; and for many establishments, lengthy descriptions with color photographs. From tiny bed and breakfast houses to luxurious hotels, there is plenty here for all tastes and budgets.
Recommendations for hotels, resorts, inns, vacations, travel packages, vacation packages, travel guides and lots more.
© 1995-2014 Mid-Continent Public Library. All rights reserved.


text:
Written on: 19/04/2014 by Jasonnaicker (10 reviews written)
Never have I had to write such a negative review as this, but due to the way I have been treated by this company, I feel compelled to advise others to beware or better still, AVOID LIMO BROKER!
On 8th April, I responded to an email by telephone to gain further information regarding hiring a Limo through Limo Broker Ltd. I was advised by 'Mo' (he uses the phrase 'my lovely' constantly) that I would have to complete the booking quickly, as he was about to go home and that I needed to pay £300 immediately to confirm the booking and that he wouldn't send the quote by email as he would be unable to hold a booking.
During the telephone call/booking process, I was then advised that the deposit required had increased and would now be £324, although feeling pressurised and rushed, I gave the card details and was advised that an email with confirmation of our telephone conversation/booking would follow within minutes.
I did not receive a confirmation email on that evening, so contacted Limo Broker again at lunchtime, on 9th April, advising that I hadn't received a confirmation email. I was requested to check my 'junk folder' and reconfirmed my email address. I was advised that another would be sent.
In the evening, on 9th April, I telephoned Limo Broker Ltd again, I was advised that two emails had been sent although I had not received either. I re-reconfirmed my email address and checked as requested my 'Junk folder', I informed the sales advisor that sales assistant 'Mo' had already sent two emails to me, so there was clearly no issue with my being able to receive emails, which is why I started to become suspicious.
The sales advisor stated that he was able to confirm the booking but appeared vague on the details of the booking, he constantly reassured me with ' do not worry, I can confirm' but this was only a verbal confirmation and I had already concerns regarding the previous 'verbal confirmation'.
On 10th April, I contact Limo Broker again. Fortunately I am able to speak to 'Mo' directly, and requested an email confirmation. I finally receive a confirmation email but it is poorly set out and vague and does not include most of what was agreed during the initial telephone conversation at the time of booking. I decide to send an email to Limo Broker in a clearly set out format so there can be no confusion. I follow this up with a telephone call.
I advised that I had concerns as I had not received a confirmation email on 8th April and following receipt of the email from Limo Broker, I started to look at Limo Broker reviews and became aware that the company had extensive negative press previously, including with Watchdog in October 2013.
I requested that the booking be cancelled and that I receive a full refund of £324.00 but I was advised that this was not possible. My call was placed through to quality Manager.
He advised me that he had spoken with me last night (9th April) and had confirmed 'everything was fine with the booking'. I explained that I had not received confirmation of the booking and that I had concerns that on the latest email, that there was no mention of being taken home after the event. Once again he stated that 'everything was fine with the booking' and why couldn't I just accept his word.
I requested that he let me have his email address, he was extremely reluctant to give this and after several times of asking, with what had become a difficult, strained discussion, he advised me of it, so I sent him a copy of what I had sent to sales assistant 'Mo', requesting confirmation by return of email, whilst on the telephone but he repeatedly stated it hadn't come through.
As I never received a detailed confirmation of the booking, I sent an email cancelling the booking as I did not have faith in Limo Broker Ltd. I sent the email and Limo Broker Ltd, responded with a 'read receipt' but I still have not received a refund of the booking. To add to the confusion, Limo Broker Ltd still sent a limo to us despite it being cancelled. The Limo driver had not been advised of the cancellation. I could not take a chance with a company that could not be bothered to confirm details of our booking including the return journey or respond to calls or emails. I am still waiting for their response and/or a full refund of the deposit.
As rated by real users
" Fabulous day, fabulous service. " Read More
" An Absolutely Superb Evening " Read More
" Wedding car hire " Read More
Written by Davidfletcher
" Extremely bad people " Read More
" Great customer service, excellent and bright showroom " Read More


text:
I found this on iamonlyamaid.
In case you're not aware, Stephen Colbert is going H.A.M. on Sen. Jon Kyl over on Twitter.
Kyl (R-Ariz.), you of course remember, infamously stated last week that abortion was "well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does" — it's actually 3% — then had his office issue a statement saying "his remark was not intended to be a factual statement, but rather to illustrate that Planned Parenthood, a organization that receives millions of dollars in taxpayer funding, does subsidize abortions."
Jon Kyl, I think this means you're on notice.
(click through to enlarge)
this is INCREDIBLE!!!


text:
Following the example set by Elmhurst College, Harvard University may soon invite prospective students to self-identify as LGBT on its admissions forms. The change would send a message that the campus is welcoming of all students and would also help better track how many LGBT students are on campus. Already, the Harvard admissions office invites applicants to express if they have any interest in participating in LGBT student groups.
Harvard Considers Inviting Prospective Students To Self-Identify As LGBT
Like ThinkProgress on FacebookDon't show this to me again
By clicking and submitting a comment I acknowledge the ThinkProgress Privacy Policy and agree to the ThinkProgress Terms of Use. I understand that my comments are also being governed by Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail's Terms of Use and Privacy Policies as applicable, which can be found here.


text:
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
© Copyright 2014 Clayton News Daily
By Yasmin NealTo be or not to be a fan, or in the Fan Club; that is the question. Game after game, a spectator becomes a part of the team after a while. Fans sit through hot, humid, cold, and rainy days at football, baseball, soccer games, and so on. Matters of fact, hockey fans endure frigid temperatures, and they watch at their own risk in regard to hockey puck mishaps. Whatever the sport may be, the spectator plays a major role. Many people take off from work to catch flights to see their teams play, and some people even have their internet home page logged into their favorite team's website; my friend Zubal for instance. Some fans have game scores automatically emailed to them on a quarter by quarter and inning by inning basis, via phone instant messaging and regular email. Fans are required to cheer, clap, sing, wave the "jumbo hand, perform on the jumbo-tron, and engage in the infamous wave that begins at one side of the stands and progresses to the other. Fans buy the t-shirts, hats and all of the other paraphernalia. Some die hard fans go to the extremes and paint their faces and/or bodies, embellish their vehicles, or better yet, come to the games and actually out dress the costumed mascot. Fans from all walks of life engage in athletic appreciation whether it be little league, junior high, high school, college, or professional; everyone has this experience at least once in their lifetime. This type of appreciation has urged millions world-wide to engage in some type of activity, that helps them gain the same type of satisfaction that they receive when cheering on their favorite player or team. Especially when they engage in the same sport they love to watch, this way they feel like they have a better understanding and can relate better to the athletes. Regardless, if people are in a sport or not, they do play a vital part in the club. The Fan Club. They can just look at it as being the 10th player on the baseball field, the 6th man on the court, or better yet, the attorneys of sports. Fans fight till the death for their teams and they are quick to come out of the stands to battle a referee or umpire. I have come to the conclusion that being a fan in the Fan Club is a harder game to play. It takes a lot of heart, dedication, and humbleness; granted they don't get paid, to do what fans do. Let's not forget that the lucky fans in the good expensive seats do get the reward of the flying t-shirt, as the fans in the nosebleeds get the satisfaction of watching them fight for it. Either way, every fan is in the club for the love of the game. Nosebleed or not, the true fans who want to be in attendance, still manage to suffer through it, pick up the jumbo hand, and cheer anyway. (Yasmin Neal is an intern with the Daily. She is a Jonesboro High School graduate and a sophomore at Clayton State. She can be e-mailed at firstname.lastname@example.com
More like this story
- Game of hockey is pure action ( March 20, 2004 )
- Game of hockey is pure action ( March 16, 2004 )
- Game of hockey is pure action ( March 17, 2004 )
- Game of hockey is pure action ( March 12, 2004 )
- Game of hockey is pure action ( March 19, 2004 )


text:
Hi, I a total codec noob here. When I try to play certain avi file with Divx Player, it says "this file contains a track in an unknown format (code'''') format. You may need ot install a Directshow decoder for this video format in order to play this file.) What Do I have to do?
It's probably missing the codec. To find out which one use a diagnostics utility like gspot, avicodec, or mediainfo. Then search for the codec on the web.
Ok, i used mediainfo and checked the file. This is what I got:
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
File size : 706 MiB
Duration : 2h 19mn
Overal bit rate : 707 Kbps
Writing application : VirtualDubMod 184.108.40.206 (build 2366/release)
Writing library : VirtualDubMod build 2366/release
IAS1 : Russian / Russian
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : firstname.lastname@example.com
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 2
Codec ID : H264
Duration : 2h 19mn
Bit rate : 570 Kbps
Width : 640 pixels
Height : 272 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.35
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Resolution : 12 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.131
Stream size : 569 MiB
Writing library : x264 - core 54 rev-606
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=1 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x131 / me=hex / subme=5 / brdo=0 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / slices=1 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=2 / b_pyramid=0 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / wpredb=1 / bime=0 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / rc=2pass / bitrate=570 / ratetol=1.0 / rceq='blurCplx^(1-qComp)' / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / pb_ratio=1.30
Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1 / Layer 3
Codec ID : 55
Codec ID/Hint : MP3
Duration : 2h 19mn
Bit rate mode : CBR
Bit rate : 128 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits
Stream size : 127 MiB
How do I find out what is missing?
The fourcc says H264. I don't know of any standalone decoder for it, but you can get ffdshow-tryouts. The package installs a lot of codecs, however if all you need is H.264, uncheck all the boxes during install except H.264 (you'll get to it at the window where it lists the video codecs).
I installed the H.264 codec, but it still does not work. Do I have to link Dixv player to the codecs? or is there any other player that I can try?
I'm surprised it didn't work! Did you try Windows Media Player? (that's where it should work with ffdshow) If all else fails try VideoLan. http://www.videolan.org
The video works with Window Media Player, but it does not show the .srt subtitles. What subtitles formats does windows media player support?
(to Garrison)
I don't have much experience with subtitles. According to
you might want to check the avi is the exact same name as the srt file.
If that doesn't work try Media Player Classic. When you click file, open (NOT file, quick open), you get to pick both the video file and the subtitle file. MPC is a very clean (single file - no install) so you can just unzip it on your desktop and run it (and delete it if you don't like it). VideoLan (link at the top of the page) should also be able to handle subtitles.
If all else fails try vobsub as in the link I posted. I don't have any experience with it so I don't guarantee results.
Hi, for anyone else who is having this problem I found a very easy solution:
to find out what audio codec you need, right click on the divx video you want to play, and go into 'Audio Tracks'. the type of track that appears will show the codec in brackets [e.g. 'Dolby Digital (AC3/A52)'].
then simply go onto the drop down menu for downloads at the top of this page, select 'Audio Codecs', then pick the relevant codec (in this case AC3) to download; install, refresh the page and bingo! works as easy as that.
@ruthysunshine Well how would you do that if it was the web player to complain about that? Unfortunately there is no option that would allow to "find out what audio codec you need" as you described. Also I am on a mac with all the codecs needed to play those that would not otherwise play including AC3/A52. Anyone got a working fix they have already tried? (Should I find one myself will come back to share it also for sake of record). Thanks!
PS: Just to clarify something that may have not come across (my bad), I am not trying to play a local video file but one on a web page that serves it in divx format and I am using DivX web player in Safari 5.1.2 on OS X 10.6.8
Have you got Iconia Tab A200? As a new production, Iconia Tab A200 features a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 800 resolution multitouch display. Besides, the Iconia Tab A200 is equipped with an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core A9 processor running at 1GHz supported by 1GB RAM. A full sized USB port and MicroSD expansion make it so charming among people. The new tablet will be available in either red or gray, with a patterned soft touch rear face. Another available is the 3620mAh battery what is said to be good for 400 hours on standby or 8 hours of video playback.
As the new device is so attractive, we may use it to watch movies or play Android games when we travel or commute. It is great to watch movies on Iconia Tab A200. Maybe you have downloaded many AVI and MKV videos, but the Iconia Tab A200 cant play AVI or MKV videos directly, it only support MP4 format. So in order to play AVI and MKV movies on Iconia Tab A200, we need to convert AVI/MKV to Iconia Tab A200 MP4 format.
Below are some tips for you to convert AVI/MKV videos to Iconia Tab A200.
1. Download Total Video Converter for Iconia Tab A200. If you use Mac, please download Video Converter for Mac.
Its excellent software which can convert AVI/MKV to Iconia Tab A200, besides it can convert WMV/VOB/MTS/M2TS etc videos to Iconia Tab A200.
Iconia Tab A200 video converter main
2. Install and launch the best Iconia Tab A200 video converter. Load AVI/MKV videos to the video converter for Iconia Tab A200. Besides, the Iconia Tab A200 video converter supports loading nearly all kinds of common formats.
3. Click profile column to choose Android MP4 Video (*mp4) format for output. This format is perfectly supported by Iconia Tab A200.
Iconia Tab A200 video converter profile
4. You can click settings to change the output parameters, such as resolution and video bitrate.
Iconia Tab A200 video converter settings
5. Edit function is useful in this Iconia Tab A200 AVI/MKV converter. Click Effect to change brightness, volume, contrast etc. Click Trim to select a period of a movie and Corp to alter the size of screen. You can also add watermark to the output video.
Iconia Tab A200 video converter edit
5. Click convert to start. Nvidia CUDA or AMD APP acceleration is supported, so you can convert AVI/MKV to Iconia Tab A200 in a short time.
After conversion you just need to put movies on Iconia Tab A200. Now you may have known how to play AVI and MKV on Iconia Tab A200, just enjoy yourself.


text:
MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Uncovering some science
behind the type of intuition known as "gaydar," a team of American
and Canadian researchers reports that a woman can tell whether a
man is straight or gay by looking at his face when she is
Women also appear to have a heightened sensitivity towards a
man's sexual orientation whenever they start to harbor romantic
notions or mating aspirations, the new study revealed.
"This effect is not apparent when a woman is judging another female's orientation," lead study author Nicholas Rule, from the department of psychology at the University of Toronto, said in a university news release. "This suggests that fertility influences a heterosexual woman's attention to potential mates rather than merely increasing sensitivity to sexual orientation or nonverbal cues more generally."
Rule and his colleagues report their findings in the June 27
issue of
Psychological Science.
To explore the subject, the authors conducted three
investigations, the first of which involved 40 undergraduate women
who were asked to guess the sexual orientation of 80 men based on
photos of their face.
Half of the men were gay, the other half straight. All held
similar expressions in the photos or were deemed to be equally
attractive. None of the women were using any contraceptive drugs at
the time of the test.
The result: the closer a woman was to her peak ovulation the
more accurate her guess.
The second trial involved 34 women who were shown 200 similarly
composed photos of 200 women, half of whom were lesbian. However,
there was no correlation between predictive accuracy and peak
ovulation, according to the researchers.
"Together," said Rule, "these findings suggest that women's accuracy may vary across the fertility cycle because men's sexual orientation is relevant to conception and thus of greater importance as women are nearer to ovulation."
To test whether or not a romantic disposition might aid the
sexual orientation-guessing process, the research team lastly asked
20 of the female participants to read an outline of a romantic
encounter before all 40 women repeated the first two
The investigators found that those women who read a romantic
story (and were presumably prompted to engage in some degree of
romanticized or mating-related thinking) were "significantly"
better at judging the men's sexual orientation than those women who
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more on
sexual orientation.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Latest News
Crouse Employee Lois Wille Walks the Simply Well Lifestyle Talk
more >
MedEx Bedside Prescription Delivery Service
Free service offers convenience, patient education at discharge.more >
CrouseSports Express After-Hours Ortho Care
Immediate care of orthopedic injuries in kids and adults.more >
Weight Loss Surgery
Is it right for you? Attend a free information seminar held twice monthly.more >
Quality at Crouse
See how Crouse Hospital strives to provide the best in patient care.more >
Cheer Up That Special Someone
Say get well or welcome a new arrival with a gift purchased right at Crouse.
more >
Make an Online Donation Now
Your donation of any amount helps support Crouse services & programs in a meaningful way.more >
Shop Online Now
Say get well, thinking of you or welcome new baby with a unique gift from the Crouse Gift Shop.
© 2014 Crouse Hospital / 736 Irving Avenue / Syracuse, NY 13210 / 315-470-7111


text:
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Blog | About | Contact | Submit Mod | Join Mod DB | Site Map | Media Kit | RSS
© 2002 - 2014 DBolical Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 3108 modders.
This member has provided no bio about themself...
Posted by Slin on Jul 20th, 2010
I already have a blog and don´t really see a reason to have another one here. But I also don´t like it to say that there is no entry. So here you go :P
My "real" blog is www.slindev.com.
If you are interested in getting started with gamedev, I can recommend you Gamestudio for which I also wrote tutorials to get you started with its scripting:
If you are interested in shaders, I recorded a couple of video tutorials on that topic. I am using Gamestudio there, but tried to keep things general. But these videos are actually in german...
You can find the complete playlist here.


text:
Basic Materials: How to Play the Recovery
James is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
For many years now the basic materials sector has taken quite a beating. However, in the end of November 2012 something appeared to change. Many companies seemed to be stabilizing as talk of a Chinese recovery spurred some minor percentage increases. Now one month later those gains continue to mount. So is it time to jump into some high quality names in the basic materials sector?
Vale SA (NYSE: VALE) has been a popular stock to short over the last few years. Even the famed short seller James Chanos was in on the action for some very healthy returns. However, over the last month the short position in the stock has decreased well over 10%. There are many reasons why this happened. For instance, the price was approaching book value. Forward P/E is for the first time in many years lower than current P/E. Also, valuations for Vale were far more attractive than competitors. Finally, the China rebound, if true, could spell exponential returns for this position.
Vale is currently trading at $21.60, which is approximately 18% below its 52 week high of $26.87. With a P/E of 9.49 and a forward P/E of 9.0, things are looking up for the future of Vale. Below (Figure 1) we can see how Vale stacks up to the industry averages.
Figure 1:
What we see is an undervalued company that is returning money to shareholders at a greater rate due in part to its glorious 5 year net profit margins.
Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF) is another stock that deserves some attention in the iron ore space. If there ever was a stock ripe for a bit of speculative value investing this would be the one. Cliffs has seen its stock price slashed over the past year. A $100 stock in 2011, Cliffs is currently trading at $39.00. Looking at the same statistics (Figure 2) as we did for Vale, we can see why this stock may seem attractive to value investors with a long term horizon.
Figure 2:
Cliffs is a major producer of metallurgical coal, and since steel demand has recently been rising along with a 16% price increase over the last month, Cliffs stands to benefit in both iron ore prices and metallurgical coal. However, I must approach this one with a bit of caution. While I peg this position as the one poised to gain the most, it could lose the most as well if the Chinese bull market fails to materialize.
Finally, there are some very obvious calls if the Chinese bull run is really about to begin. The larger materials producers such as Rio Tinto PLC (NYSE: RIO), Freport-McMoRan Copper and Gold (NYSE: FCX) , and BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) are all poised to prosper. Looking at the chart below (Figure 3) we can clearly see how these materials producers are almost in perfect step with the Chinese markets.
Figure 3:
If the Chinese bull market is really about to materialize, as many predict, it would make sense to own a couple of the names that would greatly benefit from increasing demand for the raw materials necessary for China's growth. While there are clear value plays in this sector, I am not going to be so bold as to call a single winner. This is a macro-economic call where the rising tide will lift all boats and well-run companies will benefit. For a bold call try Cliffs Natural Resources. For a conservative call try FCX, since the gold mining and new oil operations may provide an element of safety given the projections for global inflation.
Lulupoopsalot has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


text:
The 2014 Travelers Tankard is being held in Smiths Falls from January 27 to February 2nd, 2014. The Smiths Falls Curling and Squash Club have delegated the hosting of this event to the 2014 Dominion Tankard Host Committee. The Host Committee is now soliciting volunteers to serve the various committees. Time commitment will vary depending on placement but all volunteers will be quite busy several days before as well as during the event. We will be asking volunteers to help us by subsidizing their volunteer package ($125.00). If you are interested in volunteering please complete the volunteer form and send to Bev Lee or mail to The Smiths Falls Curling and Squash Club, Old Sly's Rd. P.O. Box 84 Smiths Falls, Ont. K7A 4S9 before March 31, 2013
Synopsis of Activities
Accounting: 50/50, ticket receipts
Ice: helping to prepare the sheets for each game
Facilities: working with the arena staff to set up and maintain available services e.g. signs
Logistics/Volunteers: medical, security, AV, IT
Games/Operations: timekeepers, scorekeepers, drivers, team hosts
Social: assisting with the lounge, food, decorations and fan activities
Sponsorship/Marketing: facilitate the web site, daily news, and ticket sales


text:
Oprah's Big Book Club Choice
Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth is her latest pick.
According to an AOL report, Oprah said she chose the book because it's so unlike any of his other titles. So, in your tons of free time, dig in! Or comment below to let us know what your book club is reading.
Each time I visit this web site there's new things and improved will be able to learn from. Haha I've experienced your source code several times to understand how you're a little bit of things to use them my site. Thanks! I am able to educate you on about solutions to make money online.
You completed several good points there. I did so looking around the issue and located virtually all people goes in addition to with all your blog.
I was questioning occasion you ever considered altering layout , design of the website? Its really correctly created; I adore what youve obtained to convey. But possibly you possibly can small much more when it comes to content so males could connect with it greater. Youve obtained a terrible total lot of text for only buying a single or two images. Maybe you'll be capable of area against each other greater?
Hi just thought i would inform you something.. That is twice now i've landed with your blog during the last 15 days trying to find totally unrelated things. Spooky or what?
Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your websiteis so cool.I'm stunned at the facts that you've about this blog. It reveals how nicely someone perceives this subject. Bookmarked this site, should come backfor extra articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I discovered this is the info I already searched everywhere and just couldn?t encounter. That of a ideal website. I love this web site as well as your website will probably be certainly one of my new favorite ones.I favor this site given possesses given me some kind of dedication achievement for a lot of purpose, so thanks
Easily i'm not against what you saying but i've got to exclude that you're not valid within this issue. Why on earth human being convertd so much in length of time? Can't we merely coincide on all causes? There was comparable symptom in our business.Decoding the problem want some concentrated analysis
Intriguing article. I know I'm a little late in posting my comment though the article ended up being to the actual and merely the data I'd been in search of. I can't say i agree with whatever you mentioned nonetheless it was emphatically fascinating! BTW…I found your site via a Google search. I'm a frequent visitor on your blog and will return again soon.
Many thanks for taking the time to debate this, I'm strongly over it and love learning more on this topic. If at all possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra information? It is very useful for me.
Hi I stumbled upon this website by mistake while i was searching yahoo just for this issue, I need to say your site is really helpful I additionally love the theme, its amazing!. I dont have that much time to read your entire post presently but I've got bookmarked it and also opted in for your RSS feeds. I am the government financial aid a short time. thanks for an excellent site.
Many thanks spending some time go over this, Personally i think strongly concerning this and love learning more on this topic. If at all, since you gain expertise, does one mind updating your website with extra information? It is very a good choice for me.
I must say i loved this post. You describe this topic perfectly. When hiring home contractors it can be factor to go with a trusted name in construction. Experienced and efficient staff should shoot for excellence and absorb every detail of your house.
Easily i am not against whatever you saying but i can exclude that you're not valid on this issue. Why on earth people convertd a lot in length of time? Can't we just coincide on all causes? We comparable problem in our business.Decoding the problem want some concentrated analysis
I'd been just browsing every now and then and also got to see this post. I have to admit that we're in the hand of luck today otherwise getting such an excellent post you just read wouldn't are actually achievable for me personally, a minimum of. Really appreciate your content.
Hi I ran across this great site by mistake once i was searching yahoo due to this issue, I've got to say your internet site is really helpful Furthermore , i love the theme, its amazing!. I dont have very much time for it to read your entire post right now but I've got bookmarked it and also decided upon your RSS feeds. I am last a short time. many thanks for a fantastic site.
I agree together with your thoughts here and that i really love your website! I've bookmarked it making sure that I'm able to keep coming back & read more later on.
Whenever I visit this website there's something new and improved that i can learn from. Haha I've been in your source code multiple times to master how you're doing a bit of things to wear them my site. Thanks! I could teach you about ways to earn money online.
Excellent read, I merely passed this onto a colleague who was simply doing little research on that. Anf the husband actually bought me lunch because I stumbled upon it for him smile So ok , i'll rephrase that: Many thanks lunch!
Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your websiteis so cool.I am thankful for the important points that you've within this blog. It reveals how nicely someone perceives this subject. Bookmarked this website page, should come backfor extra articles. You, my mate, ROCK! I stumbled upon simply the info I already searched everywhere we look and simply couldn?t run into. Such a ideal website. I favor this web internet site and your website is without question one among my new favorite ones.I like this fabulous website given possesses given me some sort of dedication achievement for some purpose, so thanks


text:
Cortex Professional Clipless Curling Iron
|Max Temperature:
|Number of Barrels:
|Included Bonus:
|Cord Type:
|Technology :
|Plug Type:
|Available Barrel Sizes:
Folica's Warranty
Folica stands behind every product we sell and we honor all manufacturers' warranties. For all electrical appliances we offer complete protection. If you experience any problem with an item purchased from us and it's still under the warranty period, all you have to do is fill out our Warranty Replacement form, send us the items plus a small shipping and handling fee and we will take care of the rest. We'll repair or replace your item with a new product or a Folica Certified Refurbished product. It's that simple.
Cortex Professional Clipless Curling Iron creates salon like curls that are shiny and frizz free at home!
- 100% Tourmaline cone for healthier hair
- Creates a high gloss shine
- Variable temperature setting up to 410 degrees
- Far infrared technology locks in moisture and natural oils
- Sleek, ergonomic, non slip grip designed for comfort
- Swivel cord prevents tangling
- Protective heat resistant glove included
- Dual voltage
- One year warranty
Folica stands behind the authenticity of everything we sell. Since 1998, Folica has made it our mission to provide you with an outstanding selection of hair and beauty products at highly competitive prices.
Most Helpful Reviews
Totally love this appliance. I have med/long hair and this gives me nice big lucious curls. It gets nice and hot, it literally only takes my 5-8 minutes to do all of my hair. Just take a chunk of hair… Read More
Was this post helpful?
Ask & Answer
What is the voltage on this product? Also, what hertz? Read More
Was this post helpful?
I have straight, thick, waist length hair. I don't put anything, so it still has shine. I have tried every roller, curling iron and hot sticks to give my hair some curl. But to no avail, i have the curl for about 30 mins & then it falls out looking really dry or burned kinda. I went to the mall & one of those kiosk people stopped me with a clipless curling iron that's similar to this but pretty colors :-) anyway, he held it in my hair for 15 seconds & the curl was beautiful! The curl… Read More
Was this post helpful?
Herstyler Grande Curl Clipless Curling Iron
HerStyler Grande Baby Curl Clip-less Curling Iron creates beautiful 1 inch flowing curls.
Old Price: $200.00New Price:Free Shipping


text:
Monday 18th February 2013 23:00 by Daniel Alston@efc_danalston
Boss proud of his young Blues following Youth Cup win at Arsenal.
Related Links
Kevin Sheedy hailed his Everton Under-18 side for their stunning FA Youth Cup fightback against Arsenal on Monday evening.
The young Blues fell behind to Chuba Akpom's 11th-minute opener at Underhill, but responded with aplomb to record a 4-2 victory to reach the quarter-finals.
Matthew Pennington levelled the scoring moments later, before Chris Long, Conor Grant and Harry Charsley put the Gunners to the sword during a whirlwind start to the second half.
And speaking to evertonfc.com after the contest, a thrilled Sheedy was full of praise for his united squad.
"It was a magnificent performance," said the Blues legend.
"The players are getting better and I told them before the game that they will continue to get better. The determination, the camaraderie and team spirit that we've got shows in abundance on the pitch.
"There's a good unity. It makes that league defeat to Fulham a bit more galling because we asked our players to play 36 hours after a massive effort against Port Vale in the last round and we lost our unbeaten run, which stretched back a long way.
"That still hurts me, but for the game tonight, Arsenal put their best team out and we've totally dominated the game. There were a lot of great characters out there. I'm absolutely delighted for them. They're buzzing!"
Sheedy's opposite number had approached the game with intent - and opted to rest his entire starting line-up for Saturday's league fixture against Manchester City.
It proved to be a miscalculated move, as it was to be Everton that looked the more refreshed side.
"That was a very, very good Arsenal team - don't underestimate them," said Sheedy. "They've got some excellent players but our work ethic and desire to win was there and we thoroughly deserved to beat them.
"Our finishing was excellent. I said to the lads before the game that we had plenty of players who could score goals, whether it be from set-pieces or open play.
"We conceded a soft goal and there was a good finish for their second, but we've got goals in our own team. If we perform like that, they'll have no complaints from me."
And after three away ties so far in the competition, Sheedy admits a home tie against Norwich or Birmingham City in the quarter-finals will be a welcome prospect.
"It will be nice," he said. "But we've had tough encounters and it's good experience for the players to come away and play at league grounds. They'll learn and it's good for their development.
"I'm chuffed for the lads."
The game between Norwich and Birmingham takes place on 26 February.
- Previous Article Blues Claim Youth Cup Victory At Arsenal
- Next Article Ticket Bulletin - 19 February
patrick liddaneGreat result in the youth cup, come on Everton.Tuesday 19th February 21:54 Report Comment
- Login to Reply
- View Profile
- View on Fan Map
- Reply
martin lloydit make you proud,great performance...Tuesday 19th February 12:23 Report Comment
- Login to Reply
- View Profile
- View on Fan Map
- Reply
eddie murphygreat victory for the young guns and brilliant job by sheedy.Tuesday 19th February 12:16 Report Comment
- Login to Reply
- View Profile
- View on Fan Map
- Reply


text:
- Headquarters:
- The Hague
- Description:
- KPN in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany KPN provides high-quality telephone, Internet and television services and products and is an
- Categories:
- Mobile
- Website:
- http://www.kpn.com
Company DetailsUpdate
KPN in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany KPN provides high-quality telephone, Internet and television services and products and is an all-round provider of ICT services. Consumers in the Netherlands take fixed and mobile telephony, Internet and TV from KPN. Business customers use our entire array of innovative and reliable services. They include everything from telephony, Internet and data traffic/management all the way through to the management of ICT services. In Germany, Belgium and elsewhere in Western Europe, the services of the KPN group consist mainly of mobile telephony
Current Team (1)Update
Bernard Voss
Team Member
Past Team (4)Update
Klaus Juergen Buss
2001 - Jan, 2001
Elderd Land
International Business Development
1995 - Jan, 1997
Jack Rost
Team Member
Rogier van den Heuvel
Several Senior Management positions
Aug 1, 1997 - Dec 31, 2005
Acquisitions (1)Update
Founded in 1996, iBasis (NASDAQ: IBAS) is a leading wholesale carrier of international long...Dec 21, 2009 -$93.3M in Cash
Offices/Locations (1)Update
Maanplein 55
The Hague, 2516 CK
News (3)Update
KPN Sim only planssimonlypro.nl
KPN Acquires Rest Of iBasis For $93.3 Million In Cash12/21/09 -techcrunch.com


text:
2 years ago on May 11, 2012 at 05:47am
Posts tagged a clash of kings.
"A boy becomes a girl," he murmured.
"I was always a girl. I didn't think you saw me."
"A man sees. A man knows."
She remembered that she hated him. "You scared me. You're one of them now, I should have let you burn. What are you doing here? Go away or I'll yell for Weese."
"A man pays his debts. A man owes three."
A Clash of Kings
2 years ago on February 02, 2012 at 10:36pm
2 years ago on January 30, 2012 at 12:50am
2 years ago on January 30, 2012 at 12:37am
I am no evil child.
2 years ago on January 30, 2012 at 12:27am
once for blood and once for gold and once for love.
2 years ago on January 27, 2012 at 03:10am
"Robert wanted to be loved. My brother Tyrion has the same disease. Do you want to be loved, Sansa?"
"Everyone wants to be loved."
"I see flowering hasn't made you any brighter," said Cersei. "Sansa, permit me to share a bit of womanly wisdom with you on this very special day. Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same."
-A Clash of Kings
2 years ago on October 08, 2011 at 02:36am
I am become a sour woman, Catelyn thought. I take no joy in mead nor meat, and song and laughter have become suspicious strangers to me. I am a creature of grief and dust and bitter longings. There is an empty place within me where my heart was once.
3 years ago on September 30, 2011 at 11:26pm
3 years ago on September 02, 2011 at 01:34pm


text:
July 14, 2006
Albany -- A horribly abused dog the Albany Humane Society hopes will bring renewed attentional to animal cruelty is out of the hospital tonight and getting national attention.
The Humane Society of the United States Humane Society is offering a 25-hundred dollar reward for information that leads to the arrest of whoever abused this cocker spaniel. She returned to the humane society today following the amputation of her mangled hind leg.
Someone dumped the dog behind the humane society Tuesday. "We're still hoping that someone would come forward with some information as to where she came from and maybe a little about her past," said Donna Strickland.
Several people have given donations toward the dog's medical bill. She'll be up for adoption after her leg has more time to recover.
Feedback: firstname.lastname@example.com?subject=AbusedDog/NJ
P.O. Box 3130
Albany, GA 31706
(229) 446-1010
FCC Public File
(229) 446-4005
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


text:
Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Why?
Lies0 Reviews
short, I know, but HEY it's still an update! so yaayy!
I woke up in my pitch black room. My arms were bandaged and cleaned. I didn't have the slightest clue what had happened after I'd passed out. All I could do was find the bedside light and turn it on.
The room lit up and I sprang to my feet, I should've known not to do that, a pain in the back of my head screamed for me to sit back down, but I was too persistent to listen. I made my way out of the room and down the stairs, looking for the mystery person that had saved me. I checked every room, but the house was empty. There were no signs of anyone being here. So I threw on a random outfit and made my way to the guy's house. Maybe it was one of them? But why would they leave me here alone and confused?
When I got to the house I didn't bother knocking. I walked straight in to find Mikey, Ray, Frank, Gerard, and Kaitlyn watching tv.
They all turned there attention to me, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I didn't like being put on the spot like this. There was an awkward silence until Mikey noticed the bandages that I didn't bother covering.
"Leda, what happened to your arms?" He got up and examined them. I pulled them away and tried to hide them.
"Did any of you come over yesterday?" I asked, ignoring Mikey's question. They all shook their heads no. Crap, now I was gonna have to tell them what happened, I didn't want to explain it in front of Gerard since he was the reason I was so depressed in the first place. I couldn't tell the res of them, they would all worry, well probably not Kaitlyn, but the guys would. I wouldn't let them waste their time on this hopeless case.
"Why won't you answer our calls? We've been trying to talk to you and find you all week?" Frank asked with a worried expression, he was staring at my arms. I crossed them with great effort, but managed.
"I just..........I've been really busy. I should go." I turned and quickly headed out the door with no certain destination in mind but straight ahead. I had my eyes on the muddy ground as I walked. I was so confused, if it wasn't any of them, who could it have been?


text:
FORT WAYNE – It was a season for taking the good with the bad for the Saint Francis Cougars last year.
On the one hand, they went 9-3, upset then-No. 1 St. Xavier 25-13 and snagged a piece of the conference title with St. Xavier and Marian.
On the other, the week after helping Marian rise to No. 1 by knocking off St. Xavier, they lost to Marian 45-38. Then their season ended against Marian in the playoffs, 45-34.
Here's the breakdown on what to expect this year:
5 key issues
Who replaces Austin Coleman? The Cougars' game-changing receiver/kick returner has graduated, which means someone has to step as playmaker. Likely candidates are Akeim Kelsaw, who caught 46 balls for 444 yards and three touchdowns last year. Cody Appenzeller, Steve Espinoza and true freshman JeRon Terry may get a look as kick returners as well.
Who replaces Brody Kalbaugh? Kalbaugh, who led the Cougars in tackles with 105 from his inside linebacker spot, has moved on, and his is the biggest hole to fill in what should be a solid defensive unit. Kyle Mathewson, Steve Kiermaier, Ethan Chappell, Mike Brevard and Koree Terrell are all in the mix as Kalbaugh's replacement.
Will two be better than one again? Saint Francis coach Kevin Donley, as he's been known to do, went against conventional wisdom and employed two quarterbacks last year. It worked. Josh Miller and David Yoder made honorable mention all-conference. Will one or the other emerge this year as a bonafide No. 1, or will the Cougars be reluctant to mess with a winning (albeit unconventional) chemistry?
Shaking up the defense. Speaking of unconventional, the Cougars will have two defensive coordinators this year. Joey Didier and Eric Wagoner will split the duties, with occasional counsel from Donley, who promises an aggressive defense that flies to the football, spearheaded by NAIA All-American strong safety Taylor Brown and defensive backs Kory Stamps and Erick Humphrey.
Can someone move this roadblock? As it has been for the last few years, the season's ultimate success likely will come down to a neighborhood issue: How to get past downstate rival Marian? The Cougars lost twice to the eventual NAIA champs last year, and, after winning the first four meetings, have lost three straight times to Marian since 2010.
4 top games
Sept. 14, William Penn: The preseason No. 6 Cougars open the season on the road against the 15th-ranked Statesmen, one of six preseason NAIA Top 25 teams on the schedule. They knocked off then-No. 5 William Penn 28-19 on the road last year.
Sept. 21, Saint Ambrose: Saint Ambrose, ranked 10th in the preseason, upset the Cougars by a point last year. Saint Francis will not be eager for a repeat.
Oct. 12, Saint Xavier: Another rematch – this time a night game at Bishop John M. D'Arcy Stadium – between two of the Mid-States Mideast Conference heavyweights. A must-win on the road to the conference title.
Nov. 16, Marian: The nemesis returns in the regular season finale. Depending on what's gone before, the conference title could hang in the balance.
3 key returning players
Taylor Brown, SS, Sr.: The All-American will be the anchor of the defense after making 104 tackles including a team-high 49 solos last year.
Cam Edwards, OT, Sr.: A preseason Sporting News All-American, Edwards anchors an offensive line that returns seven of 10 players from the 2012 two-deep including starters Kegan Morris, Zach Greiner and Jesse Boley. If it all starts up front, up front starts with Edwards.
David Yoder, QB, Sr., and Josh Miller, QB, Sr.: You can't mention one head of the Cougars' two-headed monster at quarterback without mentioning the other. Both were virtually indistinguishable last year; Yoder threw for 1,478 yards and had an efficiency rating of 125.7, and Miller ran for 338 yards and four touchdowns and had an efficiency rating of 122.5.
2 new faces to watch
JaRon Terry, RB, Fr.: The true freshman out of Muncie Central will get a look at returning kicks as the Cougars look for someone to fill the shoes of Austin Coleman.
Drake DeMuyt, DT, Fr.: The freshman from East Noble is expected to get a look at nose tackle.
1 indispensable player
Antoin Campbell, RB, Jr.: If the Cougars' offense is going to go this season, Campbell will be the triggerman. His 1,245 yards rushing not only ranked 10th in the NAIA, it set a Saint Francis record for most rushing yards in a season and made Campbell the first 1,000-yard rusher at the school since 2008. Campbell also ranked 16th in the NAIA in rushing yards per game (103.8), 28th in all-purpose yards (1,307), 35th in scoring (68 points), 44th in all-purpose yards per game (108.9), and 47th in scoring per game (5.7 ppg).