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We created Pandora to put the Music Genome Project directly in your hands
It's a new kind of radio –
stations that play only music you like
Where Are You Now
As we walked the city streets,
You never said a word.
When we finally sat down
As we walked the city streets,
You never said a word.
When we finally sat down
Features of This Trackfolk roots
a subtle use of vocal harmony
acoustic rhythm piano
acoustic sonority
slide guitars
a prominent banjo part
acoustic rhythm guitars
prominent percussion
These are just a few of the hundreds of attributes cataloged for this track by the Music Genome Project.show more
Similar Tracks
The love that we had shared.
As I took my leave to go
It was clear you didn't care
I dearly want, to thank you...for the fun, the laughter and all the joy...that You brought into-- my life :-)
8. Say you love him
9. Hold his hand
10. Say school day
11. Dont post on 15 songs
2 say your crushes name
3 close your hand
4 say school day
5 post on 15 songs
6 your crush will say they love you and ask you out
Its amazing how EVERY song, especially this one and the cave, apply to my life so perfectly... .
2. Say your crushes name
3. Close hand
4. Say school day
5. Post on 15 songs
6.your crush will say the love you and ask you out


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2013 NHL Playoffs — Conference Finals Preview & Schedule
Detroit Red Wings Eliminated from NHL Playoffs, Doug's Beard Growing Comes to an End
As you may know, I love the game of hockey and the Detroit Red Wings. This year I made the decision to grow a beard during the playoffs, similar to when players in the NHL grow one until they lose in their round. I joined the beard-a-thon sponsored by Just For Men as a page to post my beard photos as it went from totally shaven to what you see now.
This Weekend in Sports: The Indy 500, UFC 160, NBA & NHL Playoffs
Who Is the Hottest Team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? [SURVEY]
2013 NBA Playoffs — Conference Finals Preview
The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in the sixth game of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series on Saturday to join the Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs in the NBA's conference finals. Here's a preview of what to expect as these four teams each attempt to advance to the NBA Finals:
2013 NBA Playoff Scores: Spurs Beat Warriors, 94-82, Advance To Western Conference Finals
San Antonio Spurs 94, Golden State Warriors 82
Tim Duncan scored 19 points and teammate Kawhi Leonard added 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Golden State Warriors, 94-82, in Oakland on Thursday night to win the best-of-seven NBA playoff series between the teams, 4-2
2013 NHL Playoffs — Conference Semifinals Preview
With an exciting first round of the 2013 NHL playoffs now complete, eight remaining teams will continue their quest for the Stanley Cup in the conference semifinals beginning this week. Here's a preview of the four NHL playoff series ready to get underway:
All series are best-of-seven
The College Football Playoff Will Be Called the College Football Playoff
In the most glaring example of a lack of marketing creativity and out of obvious desire for a paid name sponsor, the new four-team college football playoff system that is replacing the Bowl Championship Series will be called the

subset: commoncrawl


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Get It Now: Toned Arms and Shoulders
4. Lateral Raise
Fitness Focus: Shoulders
- Stand on the middle of the band, feet hip-width apart, abs engaged.
- Cross the band in front of knees so that it forms an X, wrapping ends around each hand (thumbs up) with palms at hip level.
- Slowly lift and lower arms 4 inches up and down, keeping elbows and wrists straight but not locked, shoulders down.
What do you think of this story? Leave a Comment.
Jump start your weight loss with Herbalife! Hello, My name is Priscilla Jarrett. And I am an Independent Herbalife Distributor, here to build a weight loss plan for you! There is Also a Weight Loss Challenge you can join, our companys version of "The Biggest Loser". With products that WILL help you lose the weight. If you would like a FREE SAMPLE PACK, please contact me at: email@example.com I will gladly work with you. -Priscilla Jarrett Independent Herbalife Distributor1/10/2012 06:56:11 PM Report Abuse
This is a great exercise10/23/2009 11:10:38 AM Report Abuse
I like this exercise10/23/2009 11:05:41 AM Report Abuse
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Inspired by her 2-year-old cousin, the reigning Miss Minnesota, Danielle Hooper, will go to Menomonie High School's prom this weekend with Charlie Gainey, an 18-year-old junior who has Down syndrome.SEE ALSO: Target praised for using model with Down syndrome in adHooper, 20, is a junior at UW-Stout. ... More >>
The pageant has a strict "no fat chicks" policy.A beauty queen in Texas lost her title, according to Reuters, for a variety of infractions, including eating too many tacos.The 17-year-old Miss San Antonio, Domonique Ramirez, was initially stripped of her crown in late January, with pageant direct ... More >>
Paula PrestonThe crown is not foil-wrapped chocolate. Newly crowned Miss Minnesota Kathryn Knuttila is everything you want representing our state: the Detroit Lakes native is a junior at McNally Smith in piano performance and classical competition, is a tireless promoter of the Children's Miracle ... More >>
Free flapjacks for all tomorrow.
Beauty-contest comedy 'Little Miss Sunshine' comes in last
Playwright Lisa D'Amour organizes a mosquito beauty pageant
Lee Blessing embraces the wounded; Martin McDonagh parades the wretched
A stinging beauty-pageant satire set in Minnesota wins no prizes for congeniality


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Mobile Advice Service
The Mobile Advice Service
The Mobile Advice Service will be in the following areas in the coming weeks
Wednesday 11 June
09.30 – 12.00 Havant Services Plaza. Civic Centre
2.00-4.00 Gosport High Streeet. Nr Discovery Centre
Monday 16 June
9.30-12.30 Andover Hospital, Charlton Road. Andover SP10 3LB
2.00-4.00 New Milton Library, New Milton Road
Wednesday 18 June
10.00 – 12.00 Eastleigh Town Centre (Leigh Road & High Street)
2.00 -4.00 New Milton Library
Recent News
Recent Tweets
Error: Twitter did not respond. Please wait a few minutes and refresh this page.


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College Events / Archives
Class of 2010 Design Competition Mass Meeting
East Review Space
Art + Architecture Building
In conjunction with the Class Gift Initiative, the Dean has announced a design competition for the transformation of the current faculty research room (3rd floor) into a reading room/lending library. The space will be utilized by all students, faculty, and staff. Class of 2010 hopes new third floor reading room will inspire future students, faculty, and staff to grow and sustain an interconnected college community.
Attend this informational session to learn more.


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Providing Solutions for a Better Tomorrow, Reducing the Risks Associated With Lead in Soil (EPA/600/F-01/014) March 2001
This brief publication describes the health risks associated with exposure to soil and dust contaminated with lead. It also describes an innovative method for immobilizing lead contaminants in the soil, thereby reducing the risk of exposure at Superfund sites.
A discussion is included of bioavailability and the associated findings of the In-Place Inactivation and Natural Ecological Restoration Technologies Soil-Metals Action Team.
Lead in soil: Jim Ryan
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page.


text: Speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, Satya Nadella revealed Microsoft's plans to take on Amazon Web Services in the world of startups. We all know that Microsoft Azure is now competing well against AWS in both PAAS and IAAS. But, Microsoft Azure's growth is mainly because of Enterprises who are already a Microsoft customer. Hundreds of startups still rely on Amazon for building their product, the problem here is that they don't even consider Microsoft Azure due to perception issues. Satya exactly spoke about it at the conference. He spoke that Microsoft faces two challenges in reaching out to startups, one is a perception issue and the other is selection bias. He said that a startup even if they use Amazon Web Services, can also use Azure's Active Directory, there's also single-sign-on—another identity management service—for Microsoft's Office 365, startups can use Microsoft's cloud-based machine learning services to perform advanced predictive analytics while using another ...Read More →


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My husband and I both loved this stew. It was easy and seems foolproof. Used cod and didn't have any parsley, but it still worked well. Didn't try the garlic toast.
Halibut and Chorizo Stew with Garlic Toasts
Jackie4246 Posted: 02/04/13
liafinney Posted: 02/07/13
Very nice change of pace. I'm trying to add more fish to our weekly dinner menus and I had a pc of frozen hake from TJ's that needed to be used and it worked out very well in this stew. Can't find Spanish chorizo around here but had linguica (Portuguese sausage) as a substitute. Made enough for dinner and leftovers. Will keep in mind for future dinners.
barbi3142 Posted: 12/31/12
This stew is delicious. I have never made or eaten a fish stew before mainly because i have this unfounded aversion to fish and tomatoes and fish and soup, but no longer. This was fast and easy and full of flavor. As with most stews it was even better the second day. I didn't have halibut, so I used cod. This will be a mainstay for me this winter.
karinemarc74 Posted: 02/09/13
Great recipe! Used the same ingredients as mentioned. Just let the mixture cook a little bit longer before adding the fish to be "creamier"
ajvinande Posted: 11/14/13
Great mix of flavors and brilliant pairing with the garlic toast! Mashing up the fish while eating helps distribute the flavors more. Also, dry vermouth can be substituted for the sherry. A very easy and lovely Spanish dinner!
TCUnurse Posted: 12/12/13
great mixture of smoky/spicy flavor from chorizo...served over some white jasmine rice to absorb the leftover moisture in the stew
carolfitz Posted: 01/30/14
Made to directions with some ingredient changes: diced a full link of chorizo and subbed clam broth for chicken and cannellini for chickpea. Spinach-mushroom salad, stew & garlic toast made a pretty good weekend lunch.
MollySimon Posted: 12/31/13
I've made this twice, and it was a big success both times. Served it tonight for New Year's Eve and I replaced the garbanzo beans with black-eyed peas to bring "luck" for the coming year. It's so fast and easy AND my kids ate it. Will consider this recipe a staple in our house.


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cool one again! Loooove the looong moooustaches :)
hi Daniel , buddy , thanks for your kind words ... bit italian cat ... spaghetti moustaches .... all my italian friends/family love to chat ....
ok, got it now... so have a long spaghetti and a similarly loooong chat :-)
grazie amico mio !!!


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Voted "Best View of Savannah," Aqua Star inspires romance with shimmering reflections of the Savannah skyline glistening off the river. Take a free ferry ride from River Street, or cross the bridge for free parking while enjoying some of the freshest local catches and Pacific specialties, all presented in...
Gingerbread Village
For Christmas lovers, gingerbread enthusiasts, master sculptors, kids, amateurs, professionals and candy connoisseurs of all ages.
Enter your edible masterpiece in our competition to benefit Savannah Harbor Foundation's local children's charities. And, of course, for a chance to win great prizes and revel in the season's classic tradition of gingerbread-house-making.
Please fill out these forms and submit by Thursday, November 1 to Teresa Berry at email@example.com, or fax to 912.201.2074.


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Have an active crowdfunding campaign at Kickstarter or Indiegogo? If so, All About Jazz can help you promote it for free!
View the step-by-step here
Simply add your crowdfunding campaign title, video embed code, widget embed code and end date to your musician profile admin page and we'll promote your crowdfunding campaign on your musician/band profile page and on the Jazz Musician Database page.
So enter your crowdfunding campaign information and let All About Jazz help you reach your goal!
Related Screens
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Kalavera Studio is a gallery space and residency specialized in Chicano Art
Redesign of my personal logo. New hair, new glasses!
Understanding Data Modules is a project for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in conjuction …
A useful tool developed for faculty members to document and track contributions made to the Department of English
A comic book that narrates the trip to Antarctica by a group of researchers celebrating the International Polar Year
Innovations in Online Learning Conference hosted by The University of Texas at El Paso and The University of Texas at San Antonio
SNEAK PEEK: The IOL Wall is another way to present data in a more interactive way using augmented reality technology.
The ISS trio series of videos were created to show tutorials and how-to's related to common questions we receive from faculty
Promotional video for Instructional Support Services
A collection of logos
National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) at UTEP is an nationwide event organized by the United …
Alejandra and Miguel were getting married.
It's been 4 months since I moved to NY and things haven't been going as …
© 2014 Pantera still loves you.


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Roger Hedgecock Show 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
On Air Now.
On Air Now.
My daughter, who is going on 4 in December is starting Pre-K in a few weeks. Wow does time go by fast. My twins are not even 2 yet...Read More »
This piece by Emily Perl Kingsley was shared with me while I was in graduate school and it continues to be a favorite! H...Read More »
Earlier this week I was using the bathroom stall at a local gas station. (BTW it was a NICE gas station, as proof with this pictur...Read More »
Do you have a video baby monitor? If so you may want to rethink it. I'm glad I just went old school and just got an audio monitor. A...Read More »
The Muppets were one of my favorites growing up in the '80's. Now as an adult, I realize how funny they really were, even to adults...Read More »
So the story goes that Julie and I were driving down to the Twin Cities this weekend to see family! We packed our mini iceberg, er ...Read More »
Researching my last post, I discovered that the three members for the Wiggles lineup (that Caleb grew up with) have since retired! ...Read More »
This is Noah one of my (almost) 20 month old twin boys. We spent last week at "Grammy & Poppa's" lake and had a scary experien...Read More »


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Summer Course for Teachers
American Studies Institute for Scandinavian-Nordic Educators
This years course is is cancelled, and Luther College will do an evaluation of the program. We hope to see the program in 2015, revamped and exciting.
Do you want to be contacted when we have more information about the course? Email your contactinformation to firstname.lastname@example.com.
The Summer Institute
The Institute provides participants with an increased understanding of the diversity and complexity of the United States. It emphasizes challenges, obstacles, and opportunities in contemporary American life and attempts to portray the nation and its people objectively-the successes and the failures, the problems and the potential.
Course participants may use the modern language laboratory to work on their English skills. The college computer facilities and software are also available to participants. There are usually several lectures on computer use in language education, and sessions on other educational computer uses can be arranged depending upon interest and availability of instructors.
The course is designed primarily for teachers and school administrators from Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. Annually, up to 40 selected participants attend; they represent all levels of education and all types of schools, both public and private. The only requirements are an adequate speaking knowledge of English and an interest in gaining a better understanding of the U.S. and its people. Students who have recently completed their teacher training are also welcome to apply.
Spouses, partners, and participant children who are at least 12 years old are welcome to accompany program participants. They are eligible to participate in all field trips plus social and cultural activities but not program lectures.
The course starts with a visit to Chicago, Illinois. Here the participants can get over their jetlag, get to know each other, and do some sightseeing in this quintessential American city.
During the stay in Decorah, there are excursions and cultural events. Visits are made to sites of historic interest nearby, such as the Mississippi, a typical prairie homestead, the Norwegian museum Vesterheim, visits to Amish farms, native American reservations, schools, and churches.
Optionally, participants can go to Madison, WI or New York City at the conclusion of the course, or travel on their own.
Luther College
Luther College
is a fully-accredited university-level institution, offering the baccalaureate degree. The four year school has an enrollment of 2,400 students. Students and faculty represent a who are variety of religious, ethnic, and racial groups.
The Lectures
Lectures are presented by faculty members from Luther College (most of whom have Ph.D. degrees) and by professionals and leaders. Lecture topics include:
Native American Indians
Aspects of American Literature
American Jazz
The U.S. Education System
Sports in America
The Social Welfare System
State and Local Government
Renewable Energy Options
The U.S. Political System
The Black Church in America
The Amish in America
American Foreign Policy
U.S. Science and Technology
Religion in American Society
Modern U.S. Art and Architecture
U.S. Second Language Teaching
Immigration and Cultural Diversity
Social Welfare System


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Steve McClaren in the frame for Wolves job
Former England boss Steve McClaren today emerged as a contender for the vacant Wolves head coach's job.
The 52-year-old is understood to be undaunted at the prospect of relaunching his career in the third tier after high-profile postings here and abroad.
McClaren has joined Kenny Jackett and Owen Coyle among a list of several contenders to be Dean Saunders' successor as chief executive Jez Moxey and director of football operations and recruitment Kevin Thelwell take their time to get the right man.
Wolves say their head coach must introduce a new and attractive footballing philosophy and integrate the club's homegrown players.
And McClaren is said to be excited at the prospect of building a club from the bottom upwards.
During his time in charge of Middlesbrough, he famously helped produce a complete team of homegrown players, all born within a 10-mile radius of the Riverside, winning the League Cup in 2004 and leading them to the 2006 UEFA Cup final, and would relish the opportunity to do something similar at Molineux.
Wolves are looking for the new man to be without a sizeable backroom staff and McClaren has worked alone in recent times.
But to choose McClaren, the Wolves board have to be bold enough to gamble on the former Boro boss's reputation, which took a battering and infamously saw him branded 'the wally with the brolly' after he failed to guide England to the 2008 European Championships.
He has since repaired his standing as one of the most progressive and innovative coaches in the game after taking Dutch club FC Twente to their first Eredivisie championship in 2009-10.
After Twente, McClaren managed German side Vfl Wolfsburg from May 2010 to February 2011.
McClaren returned to Twente in January 2012 after a short spell as manager of Nottingham Forest.
As a coach, he led Derby into the top flight with Jim Smith then enjoyed huge success at Manchester United.
Steve McClaren factfile:
- Player: 28 goals in 305 games as midfielder for Hull, Derby Lincoln, Bristol City and Oxford
- Coach: Oxford, Derby, Manchester United, England
- Manager: Middlesbrough, England, Twente, Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Twente
- Honours: As coach; Derby Second Division 1986-87; as assistant manager – Manchester United Premier League title – 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, FA Cup 1999, Champions League 1999, Intercontinental Cup 1999; As manager: Middlesbrough League Cup 2004, UEFA Cup final 2006, Twente: Eredivisie 2009-10.


text: Okay so I had a dream that I was walking home from somewhere and there I was, walking past John Green's house and for some reason he was married to Gavin Creel. So out of nowhere Gavin walks out of the house and I'm like "Oh my god. Hi!!" And he's like super creeped out and is like "Hey…." And starts walking to his car outside the house. AND HIM AND JOHN GREEN'S TWIN BABIES ARE SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR!! And so I say "Oh my god, your kids are so adorable." And he gets in the car and drives away without a word to me. Yeah. It was very strange. I was starstruck even after I woke up.


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Perhapanauts Lost Covers
- Posted by Johanna on October 2, 2007 at 7:27 pm
- Category: LinkBlogging
At the perhapablog, Todd Dezago has posted the images from the Lost Covers portfolio, which is also now for sale at the site. I love this series.
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ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) - The husband of a northern New Jersey woman who went missing last month has been charged with her murder.
Union County prosecutors announced the charges against 39-year-old Abayuba Rivas of Elizabeth on Wednesday, one day after the body of 32-year-old Karla Jose Villagra Garzon was found in a vacant home in Chatham Township.
Garzon, the mother of a 2-year-old child, was last seen on Feb. 23. Rivas said she had left their home that night to walk to a local pharmacy but never returned.
An autopsy conducted Wednesday by the county Medical Examiner's Office determined that Garzon died of asphyxiation, with blunt-force trauma a contributing factor.
Rivas bail was set at $2 million, and it was not known if he has retained an attorney.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
KSAZ-TV & KUTP511 W. Adams St.Phoenix, AZ 85003Phone: (602) 257-1234Fax: (602) 262-0177


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- RatingBed and Breakfast
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Your booking 100% confirmed. Any problems and we'll give you $50.
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Bed and Breakfasts in USA, North America
Check out the Hostelworld.com selection of Bed and Breakfasts in USA. Read customer reviews of USA Bed and Breakfasts and view B&Bs on map of USA. Hostelworld.com - the definitive guide to USA Bed and Breakfasts and guesthouses.
Top Cities in USA
|La Sienna
|Rating 89%
|New York Homestay
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|Serenity Guest House
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|Chic&Budget 127 Guest House
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|The Missing Lantern Guesthouse
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|See all 11 Bed and Breakfasts in New York
USA Travel Features
- Top Los Angeles Tips - Your Insider Tips for Los Angeles
- From the glitz and glamour to the sun and sea, Los Angeles is a uniquely beautiful city so much to offer.
- Read More»
- Top San Francisco Tips - Your Insider Tips for San Francisco
- You'll have lots to do in San Francisco from cycling across one of the world's most iconic bridges to sampling arguably the city's finest chowder.
- Read More»
About USA
Since Columbus arrived just over 500 years ago, the US has attracted visitors in their millions, and not without reason.
Read More »


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- Posts: 2
I can confirm that putting "isFavorite" betveen "displayID" and "name" works.
However it was not on line 52 for me. its on line 38 and on line 63.
File opened in Wordpad.
For those who dont find the file its located in: ...../World of Warcraft/interface/addons/battlepetqualitynotifier/
name of file is: BattlePetQualityNotifier.lua


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I love a chocolate mousse pie, in fact when I was in my teens I asked for one instead of a birthday cake every year. This no bake recipe is perfect for a busy fall day. Make sure you have all the ingredients measured and prepped (mise en place) because when it comes to the filling, it's all about timing. You'll need to plan time to let the pie chill and set too before serving.
You can buy your own Oreo Cookie crust or you can make you own with this recipe that calls for 24 Oreo cookies pulsed in a food processor until crumbs and mixed with ¼ cup melted unsalted butter. This is a kid favorite, young and old. Want to add a little more chocolate decadence? Then add a little Godiva liquor to the whipped cream for those older "kids."
Recipe and top image via
Just because summer is nearly over (officially in 2014, the autumnal equinox brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere on: September 22 at 10:29 P.M. EDT) doesn't mean you can put away your trowels and hoes. There's a few more things to do and we've created a checklist for you.
You can either leave your grass clippings on the lawn this time of year or use a good combination fertilizer. With early fall feeding you'll thicken top growth to crowd out weeds and strengthen your grass roots for winter.
2. Mulch Planting Beds
A covering of mulch, such as shredded bark, insulates plant roots against hard freezes and holds down mud. One cubic yard (27 cubic feet) covers 108 square feet with a layer about 3 inches deep. A 2-cubic-foot bag covers 8 square feet 3 inches deep.
Shrubs, trees, and groundcovers get a head start when planted in fall: nature does most of the watering for you, and plants have fall (and winter in mild climates) to send out roots. Your plants will be well established by the time spring growth starts.
Apply several inches of organic mulch around the plants (don't let it touch the trunks) and keep roots moist if rainfall doesn't do it for you.
Every spring bulb is a perfect package, containing everything necessary for a splendid spring flower show.
Bulbs appear in nurseries right after labor day. Plant them right away. They're most effective in big flower pots, and in kidney-shaped drifts at the front of garden beds. Some excellent choices include bluebells, daffodils, grape hyacinth, hyacinth, and tulips.
Dig and repot herbs growing outdoors, or take cuttings to pot up and grow indoors. Bring houseplants that spent the summer outdoors back indoors before night temperatures fall below 55 degrees. Some tropicals begin to suffer even when nighttime temperatures dip into the 40s, so don't wait too long. Gradually decrease light to acclimate plants and help reduce leaf drop. Check for insects and disease before putting them with other plants.
Weeds like to perk up again in the fall. If it's been three or more months, reapply a product like Preen Garden Weed Preventer in your gardens and around trees and shrubs. It will prevent new weed seeds from sprouting this autumn.
If they are growing beyond their assigned spaces – or ones that are dying out in the middle, then they need some attention. Discard the dead centers and replant divisions from around the perimeter. Fist-sized pieces are fine. The exception: perennials that bloom in fall, such as mums, sedums and asters.
8. Plant a Winter Garden
While many of our gardens start winding down in September, southern areas of the U.S. are coming into prime gardening season. Even if you garden in the northern regions, there are still things you can plant this month to keep your vegetable garden producing well. Consider arugula, peas, lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnips, kale, bok choy and even in some areas broccoli, leeks, cabbage and brussels sprouts.
Image via
Along with the latest iPhone 6, Apple announces no the new iWatch, but the Apple Watch set to go on sale early next year and not in time for the holiday gift rush. But will customers flock to it?
Sure, there will be those "tastemakers" that will camp out overnight at Apple locations all over the country to be the first to get one, but it's what happens after that with consumer purchases that will clue Apple in as to whether or not they've created another iconic product, like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
From fitness monitoring to checking emails on the go, to Apple Pay, this watch will definitely have some cool things going for it. The Apple Watch will "know" when you lift your wrist to look at it and will and activate the display with your personal settings and apps.It comes with the standard apps of clock, calendar, text messaging and iTunes–the biggest question now that it's announced is what apps developers will create once it comes out that will maximize its particular abilities and potential uses. That's the exciting unknown.
Zooming and scrolling functions will be a little different. Pinch and zoom is out as the Apple Watch now uses a "digital crown" (a knob on the side of the watch) to perform a variety of actions including zooming, scrolling and selecting (kind of like the old click wheel on the iPod before "touch".)
A wearable computer: according to a recent LA Times article 'The good news for Apple is that consumers are tuning into wearables. According to a recent Forrester report, 25% of U.S. online adults think they may buy a wearable device in the next year. And they are much more likely to buy something for their wrist than their face (sorry, Google Glass).'
"The Apple Watch positioning is more up-market than we had expected and it only works with iPhone 5 and newer devices, further limiting its initial addressable market," Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., wrote in a note to clients. "While the device is aesthetically attractive, and has a very innovative user interface ["digital crown" and differentiated touch], we struggle with the fact that the majority of the Watch's functionality is dependent on the presence of an iPhone."
Oh, and price…MSRP $349…nothing to sneeze at. (You can always go for the ballin' 18 karat gold version, but there's no news on the price of that one yet.)
Henry James once said that the two most beautiful words in the English language were "summer afternoon." I cannot say I disagree. Summer afternoons are wonderful, languid and lazy, but also a little melancholy because you know they will soon come to an end. This is especially true in August: kids are starting back to school, the days are getting shorter, and the less carefree season of fall is only days away.
Summer unofficially ends on Labor Day, but the real last day of summer is September 22, the day before the autumn equinox. So why rush summer's end? September is still hot in most places, too hot for heavy fall clothes and too hot for the richer fragrances many of us turn to when the temperature drops. So in late August and through September I still prefer lighter scents, particularly those with a hint of the beach and the ocean.
When I wear beachy scents they are of two types. In my previous post I wrote about fragrances I enjoy that smell like suntan lotion. The other scents I gravitate toward in summer are perfumes that echo the ocean itself and the salty breezes that blow from the waves to the beach. There are a surprising number.
Two of America's top designers, Tom Ford and Oscar de la Renta, have fragrance collections that include scents inspired by the ocean. Ford's Neroli Portofino, one of the most popular fragrances in his Private Collection line, is a favorite of mine, a perfect way to escape to the Italian Riviera without actually going there. This summer Ford has added two more scents inspired by the Mediterranean to his Private Collection: Mandarino Di Amalfi and Costa Azzura. Of the two, Costa Azzurra, reminds me more of the sea. Its azure blue bottle houses a light woody scent that is a blend of oak, cedar and vanilla, and I seem to detect a hint of juniper as well. The result is a fragrance that evokes a breeze blowing through a grove of evergreens that are perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. You can find Costa Azzura and all of Ford's summer scents online and at major department stores.
Designer Oscar de la Renta grew up surrounded by the sea in his native Dominican Republic and still has a home there. A few years ago he launched a line of fragrances called Essential Luxuries that were inspired by the people and places that are important to him. Sargasso is a light eau de cologne named for the Sargasso Sea, an area of the Atlantic named for the type of seaweed that covers large areas of the ocean's surface, and which frequently washes up on the beach of de la Renta's oceanfront home.
Seaweed may not sound like the ideal inspiration for a cologne, but Sargasso is a perfect summer scent. It's crisp and green, with light notes of citrus and watery cucumber, a shimmering combination of fresh, salty and sunny, just like a beach in the Caribbean. De la Renta calls it "the essence of sea spray," and it is as light and refreshing as that description implies. Sargasso is available at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, and online at the Saks and Oscar de la Renta websites.
Another perfume line with a collection of scents inspired by the beach and the ocean is New York's Bond No. 9. Its new summer fragrance, the light and airy Shelter Island, joins Montauk, Hamptons, Fire Island, and Sag Harbor as the latest Bond scent inspired by the beaches of Long Island. Often called the "un-Hamptons," Shelter Island is located in the bay between the North and South Forks of Long Island. Perhaps because it is separated by water from the glitzy Hamptons, it is more low key than it's famous neighbors.
I grew up on the beaches of Long Island Sound. Like the Sound, the waters surrounding Shelter Island are the still waters of a bay rather than open ocean waves, and the scent reminds me of the summer days of my childhood. It's not a pronounced fragrance, but instead hints at the subtle smell of salt water as it dries on your sun-warmed skin. According to Bond, Shelter Island opens with a blend of citrus zest and freshly ground black pepper, followed by middle notes of white lilies and algae extract (which explains the salt water essence). It finishes on a warm note with a mix of sandalwood, amber myrrh, musk and oud. The clean and casual bottle design captures the spirit of a bay filled with sailboats: it's adorned with simple nautical blue and white stripes. I am very tempted to add it to my collection. You can find it online and at Saks Fifth Avenue.
I finished my imaginary trip to the ocean with Épice Marine from Hermès. The fragrance is a collaboration between house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena and Breton chef Olivier Roellinger, and was inspired by their mutual love of spices and the smell of the sea. In an interview with England's Telegraph newspaper, Ellena said Roellinger inspired him to try to capture the scent of ocean mist. "He talked about the mineral taste of wet pebbles, the smell of the rain on the sea, shamrock, peat and wet sand. So I tried to translate that into perfume." When previewing the fragrance, Ellena told journalists that the notes inspiring the scent's composition included a peaty, smoky single malt scotch called Bruichladdich, toasted cumin, Sichuan peppercorns, bergamot, oak moss and mint (I also get a bit of iodine). The result really does smell like the sea, but not the shimmery Caribbean of Oscar de la Renta. Instead Épice Marine is the cold, gray and wild ocean of Brittany, windswept beaches wrapped in fog and covered with battered driftwood. Although billed as unisex, it is not a light and pretty scent, and unlike the other ocean scents I tried, it is not something I would wear. But I truly admire the artistry behind it: no other fragrance I've smelled has so closely captured the aroma of the ocean. Épice Marine is part of Ellena's Hermessence collection, which Hermès refers to as "Poem Perfumes," designed to reveal "unusual and poetic aspects of nature." The Hermessence fragrances are available exclusively at Hermès boutiques and on the company's website.
It's time for you and roomie to figure out your decor style for the upcoming year or change up that tired, old look from last year…. But like every other college girl, you need to do it for basically nothing, it needs to be campus regulation, i.e. no nails in the wall, yada yada yada, and it needs to be fabulous. Here are some great ideas"cheap and easy" to make you the envy of the rest of your friends.
Boring walls are traditionally a problem. There's some great DIY ideas such as making your own wall photo mural. It's temporary, it's personalized as you can use any photo you take and it's fast as many copy centers have engineer-print capabilities to do it. You just match up the images and hang with double stick tape.
Washi tape is also another great way to decorate. Use it to trim book shelves, or to tape around pictures and prints to create a pretty photo gallery board on the wall. Looking for another idea for your photos? Hang them on a string of Christmas lights for a pretty way to light up your room.
I love this idea of taking a favorite thrift store book with illustrations to make a wall paper for your room, and then adding a DIY lighted marquee made from cardboard letters, a little elextrical tape and some twinkle lights. Fun wrapping paper also makes inexpensive wallpaper for a dorm room or lining for the backs of those boring book shelves.
Check out Wall Pops by Jonathan Adler. Not necessarily cheap, but some are on sale, they are removable and reusable wall decals in happy chic colors and styles. You can apply them to furniture and walls to get a whole theme going. There are even kits to make it easy for you to pull it all together. There are even dry erase calendar decals to keep all your school work and parties scheduled. Check out all the different designs and looks on Wall Pops.
For 26 more DIY ideas like your making your own T-shirt Rug or taking a shoe box and turning it into your own smart phone projector to stream movies on your wall, click here.
Attention, fellow readaholics! How much money do you spend each year paying for novels? What if you could access hundreds of thousands of them for only $10 a month? Sounds like your library just got a whole lot bigger, sister. It's time to feed that inner bookworm properly…
Amazon has just launched the Kindle Unlimited, offering readers the freedom to explore over six hundred thousand titles and thousands of audio books with a touch of their hands. This product allows for hours of unlimited reading and listening on any device for $9.99 a month. While this may be a bit pricier than the average cost of an e-book, remember that in this case, you are only paying for the access.
And yes, that's right: I said any device. You don't have to own a Kindle to use the Kindle Unlimited! You can get the free Kindle reading app at your Android, Apple or Windows app store for your smartphone, tablet or computer.
• Unlimited Reading
After downloading the app to your device, you will need to visit the Kindle Store, click the Kindle Unlimited icon, and then the "Read For Free" button. Enjoy access to comedy, drama, mystery, romance, sci-fi, tragedy and plenty of other genres to suit your mood! Editor recommendations are already listed on the Kindle Unlimited page, but you also have the ability to independently categorize novels in your favorite genre and freely sift through the Kindle catalog to better refine your preferences.
• Unlimited Listening
In order to access the audio books, just browse the catalog of titles with free audiobook companions or keep an eye out for the Kindle Unlimited "With Narration" icon on Kindle book pages. This "Whispersync for Voice" feature allows users the chance to seamlessly transition from listening to reading or vice versa. And, if you're using the Kindle reading app on a different device, press the headphones icon to begin your narration. Or, you can take advantage of the free three month subscription to "Audible" that Amazon is offering its Kindle Unlimited subscribers featuring access to about 150,000 additional audiobook selections.
Still not sure if it's the right move? In that case, Amazon is currently running a special that allows U.S. users to try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days at amazon.com/kindle unlimited. Not in the U.S.? That's okay! Amazon is working hard to expand this service to book lovers overseas in the near future.
Here's another great cocktail from Saveur. Summertime and as they say it's more fun in Manhattan where Jim Meehan of PDT bar created this drink as an alternative to the favorite rum and Coke. Here Meehan adds a grapefruit soda for a lighter, summery flavor, but the "bold character of a pot-distilled English-style rum [still] shines through." I happen to love grapefruit juice so this is my kind of cocktail. And if you can't get your hands on some Izze, just use some fresh squeezed juice with soda water.
2 oz. English-style white rum, such as Banks 5 Island or Mount Gay Special Reserve
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
3 oz. pink grapefruit soda, such as Izze
1 crosswise slice lime
Combine rum and juice in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice; shake until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass and fill with ice; add soda and garnish with lime.
If you don't have one–boy, are you behind the curve. Sure, you've done your daily squats and lunges, but if you haven't done "The V" and worked out your forehead then you can kiss your smooth skin goodbye. Some skin experts, like Julie Lindh of Ageless Beauty incorporate "Skin Fitness" into their programs and others call it anti-aging face yoga. Whatever it is, there's real results and experts say you need to start doing it today.
You can tone and firm your face through some of these daily exercises. In an interview, Lindh says, "The face has several large and small muscles…just like the body, these facial muscles can be exercised and increased in strength. The more you build, the tighter [these muscles] get. The stronger the muscles beneath the skin, the tighter it looks on the surface."
According to one article, 'L.A. dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu agrees that stretching certain sections of the face can lead to increased blood circulation in that area: "Every time you work your facial muscles — just like in your arms and legs — it's pumping blood closer to your skin," she says. For example, Wu attributes wan, sallow "smoker skin" to lack of circulation, which is why smokers can usually see an improvement in skin tone and condition immediately after quitting. In the short term, increased blood flow can lead to healthier-looking skin (think youthful, rosy cheeks); in the long term, Wu says increased blood flow can help bring oxygen and antioxidants to the surface of the skin, as well as nix toxins and free radicals.'
We do lose muscle tone in our face as we age, just like the rest of the body, and doing exercise sure beats the cost and discomfort of needles or going under the knife.
So what exercises should we be doing? Here's a few:
Parts your mouth and push the tip of your tongue against the top of your palette for a few seconds at a time, five to 10 times morning and night.
Press both middle fingers together at the inner corner of the eyebrows, then with the index fingers, apply pressure to the outer corners of the eyebrows. Look to the ceiling, and raise the lower eyelids upwards to make a strong squint, and then relax. Repeat six more times and finish by squeezing eyes shut tightly for 10 seconds.
Hide the teeth with the lips to make an 'O' shape with the mouth. Smile widely while keeping the teeth hidden and repeat six times. Next, hold the smile shape while placing one index finger on the chin. Then start to move the jaw up and down as the head tilts gently back. Relax and repeat twice more.
Place an index finger under each eye, pointing towards the nose. Hide the teeth and tease the top lip and bottom lip away from each other at the the mouth. Flutter the upper eyelids while gazing at the ceiling for 30 seconds.
To read more about these exercises and see illustrations, go to MarieClaire.co.uk
A few years back up in Napa, my mother bought a jar of Pineapple Mango Habanara. I couldn't remember where she got it or what the brand name was, but I set about duplicating it and then used it with salmon. The combination is unbelievably good if I do say so myself. Even non-salmon lovers tend to love this recipe because there something about the sweet from the fruit and the heat from the pepper that completely mellows the flavor of the salmon and combines in the mouth for something really nice. I serve with rice.
Servings 6
Salmon (4 to 6 fillets, 6 ounces each)
¼ Cup flour
4 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. butter
½ Pineapple diced
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. brown Sugar
2 Tbs. butter
1 Garlic clove minced
½ Onion finely chopped
½ Jar mango chutney
1 Habanero pepper finely chopped
1 ½ Tbs. Honey Mustard
Sauté pineapple in the butter, sugar and brown sugar until it caramelizes. Put half in a blender and pulse a few times. Combine with the remaining pineapple and set aside in a bowl. It a saucepan, sauté onions, garlic and habanera. When onions are translucent, add pineapple mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Add mango chutney and honey mustard. Cook 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Salt, pepper and flour the salmon on all sides. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan that is oven proof. Sear both sides of the salmon until gold. Generously top with the sauce and then bake in the oven for 5 minutes or until done.
Have you ever walked into a superstore on a Saturday afternoon in hopes to find that last minute gift for a friend with just minutes to spare? I mean you've literally given yourself enough time to find parking, navigate through the maze of carts and chaos, search for the gift, grab something else instead because you can't find what you wanted, avoid the eardrum-busting tantrum sprouting up from isle 700 and finally huff n' puff your late self over to the self check-out section, only to find a longer line than you expected because half of the machines are out of order? Yeah girl, you've been there huh?
While I can't help you with your unfailing urge to procrastinate, I can get you up to speed on Apple's newest iConsumer venture that will definitely encourage you to pursue an even lazier lifestyle. It's called indoor mapping madness and it's your new best friend.
Though Apple has been using different technologies to support this venture, its iBeacon software is its most recently featured threat for rivals looking to knock Apple off its indoor mapping throne. Using Bluetooth technology, the iBeacon is able to communicate with any iPhone it comes across. Currently, Apple is persuading businesses to share a map of their indoor space so that iBeacon can verify the space's accuracy using its top-of-the-line sensory technology. Once this space is verified, vendors will have instant ad targeting control of any iPhone user on location.
Remember that gift you couldn't find earlier? Well, let's say this superstore was "Apple Mapped" with the iBeacon software. You'd simply initiate the app sequence to verify your current location on your iPhone, determine a promising section of the store in your category, get there and locate the item you need if they have it in stock. This will probably save you a lot of time and stress if you haven't been there in quite a while or if that particular store has undergone significant changes like a revamp or remodel. Oh, and don't forget that you'll be constantly alerted with discounts and promos from active marketers that want your business. You can thank Apple's iAd System for that. Monopoly anyone?
Many sources are already proposing a debate of iBeacon's Bluetooth tracking software, acknowledging its significant interference with the ongoing fight of identity theft and its push to evolve iUsers within the Appleshere. Well, if you aren't being tracked by Bluetooth, you can thank your wifi, GPS or cell phone signal for giving you away, right? Talk about your private life. Duh! It's 2014 already…Who has that anymore? According to Onyx Beacon CEO Roman Foeckl, iBeacon & Bluetooth are opt-in technologies and any iPhone user can opt-out of those features at anytime. Business Insider touches on this subject by reasoning "Apple's updated iOS 8 mobile operating system will also come with much more detailed privacy controls, in part for this reason."
Just to be clear, no one's knocking Apple here. It's pretty clear there's a market for a mass indoor tracking system. I mean, look how much revenue Google is pulling in from the outside mapping world? It's really just a question of who's opting-in and whose opting-out. There are plenty of companies looking for your business. Where does your loyalty lie?
When you spend time outside observing nature, you notice the delicate balance and harmony between plants and their environment. I knew that it would be a great challenge to learn to combine my love of nature and art into a profession. I guess you could call me "old school", since I choose to hand draw my designs instead of digitally creating them, but I love how it keeps me connected to the "organic" process of designing with plants.
Every good design has equal parts art and science. You cannot have one without the other. If there is a plan with beautiful, full sun, summer blooming perennials created for a home that is in dense wet shade – it will not live. No matter how expertly rendered and skillfully sold. As a garden designer, your art must live. You must also be able to predict the future, through the science and know how your art will grow though the years. I wonder if Van Gogh would know where to properly plant his sunflowers????
I always start a plan with a solid base map. This is the footprint of the house located on the property. The measurements taken on site are translated onto a vellum sheet and converted into the proper scale.
Then the fun starts! I use a roll of yellow trace and produce layers and layers of concept sketches. Using very fluid, unrestricted and organic lines, I create bed shapes and planting configurations.
The next step is plant research. Taking the site analysis, notes from the client interview and my sketches, I start looking for plants. I look at it as a process of elimination. There are so many plants to choose from at first. Say, you have a patio in full sun, you start eliminating shade plants, plants with no summer interest, plants that will not grow in that area and then what colors the homeowner doesn't not want or would not blend with the architecture or theme of the hardscaping.
The hardscaping as well, involves the art of shaping, theme and texture of the materials. As well as the science of dry or wet laid, proper drainage and location on the site.
After the plants and hardscaping materials are chosen, I take my concepts and create a final plan. This marriage of art and science should come together and flow naturally. The more you design, the easier this becomes. You become aware of the natural balance of art and science. For example, if you are designing a garden that will be in the shade, the plants that thrive there will dictate the design. These are plants with large leaves and may some have white accents that will brighten up a shaded area. If you are aware of all the cues, designing comes easily and things will feel unforced.
I guess that's it, in a very small nutshell. I hope that this helps you better understand what it is that a landscape designer does for the big bucks! Oh yes, and for the environment too!
Bridget Kelly Huzar is a Landscape Designer with over 17 years experience, and is the off camera designer and expert consultant for a "curb appeal" pilot on A&E filmed in the Philadelphia area. You can contact her through www.bridgethuzar-gardendesigns.com
Every year, nothing makes me happier than the start of summer. Life becomes simpler and more relaxed as we enjoy time outside, easy meals on the grill, and spontaneous gatherings with friends and family. And of course, my perfect summer day—sitting on the beach with a stack of magazines, a great book, and the perfect combination of sand and sea.
My love of the beach extends back to childhood summers on Long Island Sound. There was no real surf, but the Sound's sometimes-brackish water concentrated the feel and the smell of the ocean's salt water. Later I lived in D.C., which meant beach houses on North Carolina's Outer Banks, or weekends at the Delaware shore. Now I live in Los Angeles, a city that epitomizes surf and sand for much of the world, yet I seem to take the beach for granted and don't go as often as I should. However, knowing it's there makes me happy.
When I can't make it to the beach, I try to recreate it in my head. So every summer my love of perfume, and of the beach, lead me to search for "beachy fragrances," scents that mirror the seaside smells I will always associate with summer. I have found two principal types. First are the "suntan lotion" scents—fragrances that smell like Coppertone or Hawaiian Tropic. Then there are the more unusual perfumes that evoke the smell of the ocean itself—salt, sand, even seaweed. I wear them both at this time of year, and am always looking for new ones. This summer there are some wonderful options.
First, the suntan lotion scents. Beachwalk by the Belgian designer Martin Margiela smells exactly like it sounds. It is part of his new "Replica" collection, which is a "reproduction of familiar scents and moments of varying locations and periods." Each fragrance in the Replica line is meant to capture a specific time and place, and for Beachwalk that time and place is Calvi (which is on the French island of Corsica) in 1972.
I have never been to Corsica, but I imagine the beach scents there are similar to those we all remember—a mix of sun, salt and suntan lotion. Beachwalk has top notes of bergamot, pink pepper and lemon, and a heart of ylang ylang, heliotrope, coconut milk and something called "tranluzone" (which apparently is a molecule that smells like water). The lemon and coconut come through, but softly, resulting in a pretty scent that takes you to the beach without smelling too literally like suntan lotion. The Replica line is available at Sephora and Barneys New York.
I sampled Beachwalk at Barneys, where I was also introduced to the namesake scent of Los Angeles jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth, who is the newest collaborator in the store's Designer Fragrance Collection. Available exclusively at Barneys, Neuwirth's new fragrance not only smells like suntan lotion, to me it smells specifically like Coppertone, which is a good thing.
Described by the Barneys website as "a luminous, beachy white floral bouquet inspired by perfumer Ralf Schwieger's daydreams of California sun and sea," Irene Neuwirth's fragrance mixes notes of orange blossom, jasmine, vanilla, coconut and musk. Its Coppertone essence definitely brings the idea of the beach to life, and I enjoyed it so much I made an impulse buy, despite the perfume's high price.
Neuwirth's perfume made me wonder what exactly is in Coppertone that gives it such a distinctive, memorable scent. I assume it is a trade secret, as I had a hard time finding any information. The closest I came was in The New York Times T Magazine, which singled out orange blossoms as the key ingredient (they are also a central component of Neuwirth's fragrance). According to the Times, which called Coppertone "arguably the single greatest work of scent branding ever," the fragrance's formula, created by Schering-Plough, is referred to inside the company as "Coppertone 6." I imagine the formula is locked in a safe deep inside corporate headquarters, with only a trusted few given access. I don't know if Coppertone still smells like it did when I was a child, but if it doesn't, I can always enjoy Irene Neuwirth Eau de Parfum.
There are other suntan lotions that, like Coppertone, have such a distinctive smell they transport you back to the summers of your memory. Hawaiian Tropic is one of them. To me Hawaiian Tropic has always smelled distinctly of coconut, with an exotic underlay of tropical fruit, island flowers, and even a hint of vanilla. I found two scents this summer that capture the essence of Hawaiian Tropic without being too coconutty – Heeley Coccobello and Guerlain's Terracotta Le Parfum.
English designer James Heeley founded Heeley Parfums in 2006. The simple glass bottle of Coccobello is etched with a black palm tree, and the Heeley website describes the scent as a "tropical island paradise." It's notes of palm leaves, gardenia, fresh coconut, sea salt, and bourbon vanilla mirror my memory of Hawaiian Tropic, and when I wore it to work, a colleague who came into my office said, "It smells like the beach in here." I liked Coccobello more and more throughout the day, as the gardenia cut through the coconut and came to the forefront.
Guerlain's Terracotta Le Parfum Eau de Toilette is a limited edition, created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fragrance and cosmetic company's Terracotta bronzing collection. Guerlain's perfumer Thierry Wasser describes the scent as "the allure of the sun in a bottle." Its opening notes include bergamot, coconut, and the tropical tiare flower, which then bloom to a heart of jasmine, ylang-ylang, and orange blossom, all notes reminiscent of Hawaiian Tropic. I found Terracotta at Saks in New York and bought it on the spot, worried it would soon disappear from shelves. It has become one of my go-to scents this summer.
Coming next, beachy scents that smell like the sea.
Last night, it became apparent to me that I am becoming a bat. Unlike previous people who made similarly fantastic transformations, I haven't been violently orphaned or bitten by a radioactive anything. I just am slowly turning into a bat. It's not so much that I'm growing wings and thick black fur–I'm sure that comes later and my hair is as stubbornly blond as ever. I do, however, look amazing in black so maybe I can just wear my leather jacket and hope that my brethren don't notice my lack of bat appendages.
It's more my recent behavior that has led to this conclusion. No, I'm not hanging upside down from cave ceilings or trees, though this is my favorite yoga pose…does that count?There's no eating insects or drinking blood either. (Although I'm currently obsessed with apricots, do bats like apricots?) Rather, I'm referring to my refusal to sleep at a reasonable hour.
Wee hours of the morning…and the not so wee hours of the morning…I'm lying there awake. And then I end up sleeping half the day in an attempt to get at least a little bit of shut eye. Obviously, this means I am becoming nocturnal. And what is a nocturnal animal? A bat! Therefore, I am becoming a bat. (Yes, I know that there are many other nocturnal animals and bugs–like cockroaches, but I will do just about anything for an alliteration, even claim I'm becoming a flying rat. Beats a cockroach any day.)
It's not on purpose, I swear! I'm not out partying all night or up on my computer searching through the hottest internet videos and stupid shit like that. No, I'm in my bed, tossing and turning from dusk till dawn, praying that a chunk of plaster would fall from the ceiling and knock me on the head. Sadly, that hasn't happened. Or maybe that's a good thing- ceilings are expensive! And if it does fall in, what will my bat friends and I hang off of?
I've tried everything. I've tried reading, drinking sleepy teas, abstaining from caffeine, staying up later to make me more tired, working out the day before in an effort to drain my energy, even taking a hot shower, but to no effect. It's just not happening. Even when I'm actually tired, I can't relax enough to drift off. My mind is too preoccupied–with what, I don't know because all I'm thinking of before I fall asleep is: fall asleep! Please let me fall asleep! I really need this! I really, really, really need this! Just eight hours! Oh, I wonder which college I should go to…and if you give me eight hours of precious sleep, I will never ask for anything else ever again! Just please!
But if just wishing for something to happen made it happen, I'd be stinking rich with a smoking hot boyfriend and Kim Kardashian's ass. Obviously, this has not happened, my ass remains unremarkable, and sleep remains a distant goal, like becoming president. In fact, it's starting to become just as likely. Seemingly with sleep I don't really have a choice in the matter. I can decide whether or not to become president (for the sake of the American people, I will choose not to), but sleep is not a voluntary thing. We don't choose when or where we fall asleep. I've fallen asleep at restaurants, parties, movies, and car trips not only easily but with no effort at all. However, falling asleep in my bed remains a foreign concept. How sad is that? My chances of becoming the first seventeen-year-old, female president are the same as me falling asleep. I just hope I don't have to wait until the next election for some shut eye.
So girl on her way to transforming into a bat it is. I would like to go on record saying that I do not have rabies, I will not get caught in your hair (unless you make me mad), and no, I don't know Dracula…yet. If any of this changes, I will let you know immediately, especially the Dracula thing because I think that would be an awesome interview! So, if you see any blond bats tapping away at a battered Dell in the middle of the night, please do not call animal control. It's just me and my computer…no need to involve the authorities.
This summer it's about makeup survival of the fittest, so I'm bringing you all some tips direct from the sultry south.
How to do make-up in a "flash"…or since its now summer, make up in a "hot flash" might be more appropriate. This past month I have logged more than 30,000 miles flying across the country and can fully relate to ALL the women who asked me how to do their makeup quickly, with minimal products during the summer, so it doesn't just simply melt off.
I understand that today many women are in such a rush that their four course breakfast consists of coffee, cream, sugar and a stick of gum, so I'm going to discuss a few "must haves" that are multi-functional, and saving time equals saving money. Many clients I talk with want to know how to keep their eye makeup from fading or creasing even if it is not summer time. If you want your shadows to stay on, try a bit of a multi-function product such as Guerlain's Precious Light Illuminator. This product can be used as an eye shadow base, concealer and highlighter, so its 3 products in 1 (again saves time and $$). To use Precious Light as an eye shadow base, pat the product lightly all over the eye from lash line to brow bone and dust with a little powder to set. Follow with your favorite shadows. When applying shadows, start with the lightest color first and press it all over the eye 2 times. This increases pigment, increasing longevity on the eyes and holds medium or darker colors on for even less creasing. After applying shadows, apply eye liner at the base of the lashes, go over with a little darker shadow, and this way the heat of the day will not melt the eye liner. Now you can clean under the eye with the Precious Light concealer, even pat a little above the brow bone to give the eyes an instant eye lift.
Precious Light Illuminator sells at Nordstrom and Sephora for $48.00.
The next summer must have is one that the divine Diane Driscoll swears by and that is Guerlain's Le2 mascara as it really does not melt off. If all you have time for is concelaer and mascara, this mascara will give your lashes length, thickness, curl and separation, so your eyes will still be your weapon of mass seduction!!!
Set all of your makeup with a brush of bronzer powder like Guerlain's limited edition Terracotta Sun Celebration bronzing powder and blush rolled into one–who knew multi-tasking could create a sublime sun-kissed glow at a stroke?!
Since I can't give all my tips in one column, I'll just tell you one more summer must have. If you want your lips to be fool proof this summer AND summer is when we drink more liquids (yes, wine and margaritas are still considered to be in the liquid category)…try Guerlain's lipliners this summer. Line your lips, fill them in with the lipliner, wait 1-2 minutes before applying lipstick or gloss, or just use the lipliner alone as your lip color, and voila you will have color that stays all day even if your lipstick fades away. The best shade of Guerlain lipliner for wearing nudes is #41, for wearing berries is #62 and the most universal is #42, as it can be used softly for a daytime lip look and add a little more for an extra punch of color for the eve.
Always remember, VENI, VEDI, VISA: I came, I saw, I did a little shopping
Have a great day,
Marcus Monson
Marcus Monson is the national makeup and celebrity artist for Guerlain cosmetics and has worked with A-listers such as Hilary Swank and Liv Tyler. Marcus' name and artistry have appeared in national publications including Glamour, Harper's Bazaar and Women's Wear Daily.
Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day – the trifecta of busiest beach days of the summer and and tomorrow's Fouth of July comes out on top. Miami, one of the countries top luxury destinations, gets over 14 million overnight visitors a year. That's a lot of sun worshipers hitting the beach tomorrow and a lot of sun burns. So the city of Miami decided to come out with their own suncare line, tested and approved by Miami Beach life guards– they've put their beach in a bottle.
Did you know that 43% of people get a sunburn once a year? Did you know that sand reflects 17% of UV radiation? I spoke with Desiree Rodriguez, a VP with Destination Brands, the company behind the new Miami Beach Suncare line, who said the city of Miami contacted them about creating a line and they came up with five great products to protect your skin: SPF 15 Salt Water Sport Sunscreen Gel, SPF 30 Triple Action Sea Kelp Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 Sport Spray Sunscreen (my personal favorite), SoBe Nights – an Instant Color Sunless Bronzer Glow Lotion and a Daily Exfoliating Wash.
I took all of the products out for some hard days in the sun: sailing on the Southern California ocean and an afternoon Dodger's game. I am very fair skin and even with all that sun exposure, the SPF 50 Sport Spray kept me fully protected for five hours and I did not even have to reapply. Plus I loved the fragrance. Rodriquez reavealed, "The products have natural sea elements…so you are taking the essence of Miami beach with you in the bottle." One of the key ingredients is sea kelp, "A natural sunscreen that replenishes proteins and minerals that you lose when you're in the sun," says Rodriguez. "It also firms the appearance of your skin and protects against aging…when added to a SPF you are hydrating the skin."
So just how good is the line? "Obviously they're out in the sun every single day," said Rodiguez of the Miami Beach Life Guard testing, "and their job is to protect the visitors of Miami Beach…and they love it and are using the product exclusively." What the lifeguards really like in terms of preference is the SPF 50 Sports Spray, which is water resistant, and broad spectrum, which means it products you from UVB and rays. It lasts a long time, they can go in the water and it does the job very well.
I also tried the SoBe Nights – an Instant Color Sunless Bronzer Glow Lotion. This product is fantastic! Its creamy lotion is very easy to apply and the color of cafe latte which is ideal for most skin shades. What's unique is in addition to giving you color over time, it gives you instant color, so if you are going out in a skirt you have color that will wash away, but what's left is the over time color. That's a great two-in-one product. It gave my skin the perfect sun kissed color and then overnight it took my skin about two shades tanner (and it didn't stain my palms and blended well on the palest underside of my arms.) It works better than any of the higher priced self tanning products I have tried like Clarins and even the much raved Jergens Natural Glow. You can also try the SoBe Nights continuous spray–it looks clear when you spray it on and it's going to give you color over time and you will have beautifully glowing legs or arms, wherever you put it. Just the thing to even out the spots you didn't hit in the sun.
Another great thing about the product line is Miami Beach and Destination Brands wants to give back with each and every sale–a portion of the sales will go to beach clean up and education in the use of sunscreen. "It was important to us to give back and support our own beaches and to make sure for generations to come that is is protected," said Rodiguez, "with a sun screen product we can give back and educate in the use of sunscreen daily with skin cancer being such a big issue."
The suncare line is absolutely kid friendly. Rodriguez uses all of these products on her kids and she reminds that for the sprays, do not spray on their face, spray on your hands and then apply.
The line of products is available all over Miami Beach, on their website miamibeachsun.com, and it Bed Bath & Beyond stores.
With summer in full swing, now's the time to get to those last honey do items and spruce up your outdoor space and get ready for warm nights hanging out with friends. Rather than going the costly, ho-hum route of string lights, why not go for some beautiful DIY ideas?
My summer garden is in full bloom, highlighted by the fragrant night blooming jasmine. I've hung some solar powered string lights for a carefree ambiance. The scene is set for evening dinners and barbecues…I just need that DIY touch to bring out some personal style and make it all my own.
Chandeliers have been the big trend in past years and they are still going strong, but perhaps my personal favorite are ones you can do simply with with Mason jars – and cost effective too because a box of twelve jars goes for less that $15.00 at your local grocery store. I love the fast and easy idea of glow sticks for something a little more fun and kid inspired.
The possibilities are endless when you consider you can take almost any vintage lighting fixture and simply adapt it by hot gluing the tops of some cheap, solar powered stake lights or even drill a hole to fit in string lights or simply add candles.
I also bought some beautiful Moroccan-styled wooden lanterns that I'm going to take a page from these DIY ideas and line with wax paper and then add a micro led wire string light to give it a nice glow.
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade cake! Lemon has been a long time favorite cake flavor whether chiffon, pound, layered, or this delicious sheet cake. It's the perfect bring along for any summer get together and you'll love the bold, tart flavor and the simplicity of making on any hot day. Serves 15.
Yerba Beuna translates as good herb, and it's the mint in this spring cocktail that brings to mind those April showers and traipsing through puddles. It's a delicious and refreshing splash with a twist from the agave nectar and ginger beer.
This drink takes it's origins from the Mojito as there's muddling involved, but the base alcohol here is the smoother reposado tequila. Partida Reposado Tequila is recommended for this drink as it's smooth and rich with Partida's signature touch of sweetness.
Garnish: Mint sprig and lime wheel
Glass: Highball
In a highball glass, muddle the mint, lime juice and agave nectar. Add the tequila and fill with ice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.
It was the end of summer in Eastern France and my boyfriend Gerome and I were broke as hell. Between us we had zero savings, zero quick cash prospects, few marketable skills. We needed cash and there was only one thing for it…
Our destination was a small village whose name I no longer remember, in the neighboring region of Alsace. I sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery go by. Everything looks the same until you cross over into wine country. The plains suddenly fill with row after row of grape vines, which continue up and down throughout the hills and valleys, and even stretch half-way up the Vosges mountainside. It's hard to think of grape vines as being just like any other shrub or bush, but that's exactly what they are. They even change with the seasons. In fall, wine country is all oranges and reds and yellows – bursts of color everywhere you look. In winter, the vines lose their leaves and need cutting down. In spring, they blossom and bring forth grapes. At the end of summer, those grapes are picked to be turned into wine.
We pulled up the driveway of Eschbach & Co. about fifteen minutes late. The only one there to greet us was a short and sturdy old woman. The first thing I noticed about her was that she wasn't wearing a bra. We pretended to have been lost, looking all over for the place for the past half an hour.
"Well, now that you know, the next time you'll have no reason to be late," she said in a heavy Alsatian accent. As she shook my hand, the second thing I noticed about her was the fact that her glasses were smudged.
At the vineyards, the grape-picking was already underway. There were about 15 people, mostly young kids like us but some old timers too, filling buckets with Riesling. Monsieur Eschbach, Madame Eschbach's surly husband, didn't even bother shaking our hands or hearing our excuses. He threw us each a bucket and a pair of shears and told us to find a row and get our late asses to work.
As it turns out, picking grapes is a simultaneously simple and complicated task. You pick bunches off one vine, put them in your bucket and then move on to the next. When your bucket is full, you pass it over to the foreman, who empties it into his bin, then passes it back. But the whole team needs to work at more or less the same rhythm; if one person picks up the pace or slows it down, the whole process gets turned on its head. I was placed facing Madame Eschbach, which meant that we would be picking from the same vines on opposite sides. Cool, I thought to myself, how hard could it be to keep up with an old lady?
Two minutes later, when Madame Eschbach had already filled her bucket and I was still trying to figure out how to work the shears, I realized the error of my reasoning.
"Eimer!" she screeched and plunked her bucket down in the middle of my row. The others took up the call: "Eimer! Eimer? Ja, Eimer!" The foreman launched a bucket from under the grape vines and hit me right smack dab in the middle of the shins.
"Pass the grapes!" he barked as I hopped up and down on one foot, holding my battered knee and squealing in agony. By the time I had gotten my act together and managed to haul Madame Eschbach's first bucket over to the next row, she'd filled up a second one.
"Eimer!" she yelled out. "Eimer!" the foreman answered. The buckets went flying. This time I had the sense to step aside.
That night, on the way home, both Gerome and I must have been thinking over the day because when I asked him what the word eimer meant, he registered no surprise. Instead, he gave it a few moments' thought, complete with contemplative chin-scratching.
"No clue," he finally admitted, "Maybe 'finished', maybe 'done'? The only thing I know how to say in Alsacien is 'pass the beer.'" He smiled. "I'll try that one out on Madame Eschbach, see what she does."
We both smiled at the mention of her, the crazy old lady with the funny accent.
"Did you notice she was limping at the end of the day?" Gerome asked me, serious all at once.
"Yeah, I did." I told him, serious myself.
A few mornings later, Madame Eschbach spoke to me. I cut myself with my shears at the sound of her voice – another jagged gash of red to go with the others that were multiplying all over my hands.
"Is it true that you're American?" she asked in her heavily accented French.
"Yes," I answered. God knows how my French must have sounded to her.
"It was the Americans that destroyed my father," she told me matter-of-factly, "even if they were just finishing what the Germans began." It took me a while to realize she was talking about World War II. "First the Germans, with their tanks and their trucks, rolling through the vineyards like there weren't any roads, tearing down almost everything they came across." She paused, stooped to cut some low-hanging bunches of Pinot Noir and I winced for her back. "Then the Americans tore down whatever was left when they saved us. Grapes were my father's life. When they were gone, it was like he stopped living."
I was stunned. This was the first conversation we'd had and it was about the death of her father.
"I'm sorry," I told her.
"It's not your fault," she shrugged and limped over to the next vine.
Madame Eschbach had decided to like me. She showed me this by telling me about her life whenever we happened to be working together. Soon we were working with each other all the time.
As the weeks continued, there were moments when Madame Eschbach's back and hip hurt her so much that she couldn't go on, that each step she took caused her agony. But she wouldn't stop picking grapes, not until we had reached the end of the row.
"That's how my father did things, no rest for anyone 'til the end of the row," she explained. It still didn't make sense to me, this not wanting to rest when you clearly needed to, but I shrugged and passed her my bucket of grapes.
"Eimer!" she called to attract the attention of the foreman. I still hadn't figured out what that damn word meant.
As the days passed, whatever Bohemian appeal picking grapes may have had completely disappeared. We were now all exhausted, including Madame Eschbach. "Oh là," she sighed and stretched as much as her sore and aching body would allow, "My back hurts."
"Then quit picking grapes and go rest," Gerome told her crossly from across the row. I resisted the urge to smack him. This is not how one talks to one's elders.
The conversation ended there, cut short when the sky suddenly made up its mind to start pouring down rain. Within minutes we were soaked. When Monsieur Eschbach threw down his shears and went to grab a beer from his truck, we all took that as a signal to stop. All, except one.
"Shouldn't we go get her?" I asked Monsieur Eschbach.
He shook his head. "I try to tell her it's not worth it. She won't listen. Always was the stubbornest woman I ever knew." I remembered then that he had only married into the grapes.
Five minutes later, a call came through from the Cooperative. They had closed the press and weren't accepting any more grapes for the day: something about rain water diluting the natural sugars of the wine. I volunteered to tell Madame Eschbach.
"Scheisse!" she exclaimed. My eyes widened at her profanity; I would have laughed if it had been funny.
She looked over at the buckets full of grapes that she had picked for nothing. I felt like I owed her an explanation. "It's the people at the press, they say the water is bad for the wine – "
"Bullshit!" she interrupted me, "In my father's day we picked in rain, in sun, in snow, in hot and in cold! We never stopped picking, not when there were grapes left!"
"I'm sorry," I told her.
"It's not your fault," she said, calmer already. "You go on now. I'm going to keep picking."
"But Madame Eschbach, you're soaked – "
She gave me a hard stare. "Times change, I know. But not always for the better," her voice softened even if her stare didn't, "I'll go to the end of the row and then I'll stop. Now, eimer."
I just gaped at her, stricken. My time in Alsace had taught me a lot about the grapes but I still didn't know what that word meant.
"Bucket," she said, reading me like an open book. "Eimer. It means bucket."
I smiled, passed her a bucket…and then took one myself. Together, we finished that final row.
On our last day in Alsace, Monsieur Eschbach handed us a white envelope full of cash. We waited until we were on the road to open it and count the cash inside: four hundred lousy euros for three back breaking weeks of labor. But it was worth it, if only for the moment when Madame Eschbach approached me as Gerome and I were getting into our car. For the first time since I'd known her, she seemed timid and hesitant as she passed me a bag of beautiful red tomatoes from her garden. Her goodbye to me was very formal; no traditional cheek kisses, just a handshake. I, American gal that I am, wrapped her delicate frame in my arms for a hug…and smiled when I felt her hug me back.
At the time I thought those tomatoes might have been my bonus. Now I know that they were Madame Eschbach's way of saying thank you.
Any time you show up to a hospital, one of the first things you encounter is a nurse who's armed and ready to check your vital signs? You know the drill: "Roll up your sleeve," "How are you feeling?," "Are you taking any medications?" "Take a deep breath," etc. We LOVE our nurses and doctors. But would you feel safer knowing that you had a gadget to check your vitals on hand in case of an emergency?
Something's Wrong! What Do I Do?
Place the Scanadu Scout on your forehead for 10 seconds and just like that, your vitals are displayed on your smart phone. You can track your temperature, current heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and oxygen levels all on one device. From there, send it off to your doctor and take the necessary precautions to keep yourself on track.
After that, just take a damp toilette and wipe down the gadget so that it's ready for next time. Don't overdo it though, it isn't waterproof. Made in the USA, this device uses a micro-USB adapter that plugs into a USB port for energy. It also takes less than an hour to get charged after low battery status.
Where Do I Get One?
The scientists who've created the Scout concept do have a prototype in play but still need the funding to enhance the product before bringing it to the attention of the FDA. They are going to market it as an over-the-counter consumer-grade diagnostic tool and are pressing the subject that it should not be labeled as, and by no means is, a medical device. However, it can be used as a research tool to collect data and report that data to regulatory authorities such as a primary doctor or physician.
This is a truly remarkable step in bringing patients closer to their doctors. If approved, Scout may also contribute to less Emergency Room visits and quicker diagnoses. The company is currently testing its product on several continents giving users the opportunity to provide public feedback and of course, promote their favorite product features.
Go Here to See Live Trends: http://global-body.scanadu.com/


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A large number of Consumerist readers are in the "Millennial" generation, and really love Costco. That's just anecdotal information based on the contents of our inbox, though: some investment analysts are starting to wonder whether today's young adults will buy their own memberships and get their frozen meat by the crate, their toilet paper by the truckload, and their honey a gallon at a time, just like their forebears. [More]
9 Tips To Take Shopping With You At Warehouse Stores
One of the best parts about working here at Consumerist is our dedicated legion of readers providing a vast array of expertise that's perfect for sharing with everyone. That's why it was great to hear from a worker in a big warehouse store who writes that he wanted to pass along the knowledge he's gleaned on the job to help all of you have a successful shopping trip. To the tip list! [More]
4 Things You Might Not Know You Can Save On At A Warehouse Store
The typical mental image of shopping at a warehouse store like Costco or Sam's Club is shopping carts overflowing with bulk packs of toilet paper and kitty litter. But those who have actually shopped at these places know that you can purchase a lot more than just huge packages of the bare necessities. And in addition to the stuff you'd find at most superstores, warehouse clubs may have some additional perks you won't get too many other places. [More]
Experience The World Of Sam's Club At Next Week's Open House
To some, member's only warehouse store Sam's Club is kind of like a semi-secret society of savings and free food samples. That may or may not be true, but you can find out for yourself next week when the retail chain tries to get its hooks into more members by hosting a three-day open house. [More]


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Dr. Allen C. Jones
Allen C. Jones teaches as Visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of Puget Sound. As a creative writer, a digital humanist, and a scholar, he makes a habit of approaching literature in an interdisciplinary fashion. His digital work centers on interactive 3D visualizations that encourage users to experience alternative readings of a text. He has recently been investigating ways in which gaming forms can encourage interactivity with these models. His creative work appears in Ekleksographia (see link), Fiction Southeast (see link), The Louisiana Review, The Bitter Oleander, The Texas Review, GSU Review, Third Wednesday, Zillah, The America Journal of Nursing, and other journals and anthologies.
Recent Events: The Dylan Thomas Machine
Presenting the demo video of the DT Game at the University of Arkansas on their six screen integrated presentation monitor at the Digital Humanities Summer Research Institute. I am presently working with programmer Billy Rathje on developing a prototype for this interactive poetry analysis game.
Links to My Creative and Scholarly Work
Links to Lit and Digital Sites
Best Site for Poetry (hmm...what is best?)


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Reigning world champion, Australian Anna Meares and Great Britain's Olympic champion Victorian Pendleton staged an epic duel in the women's sprint competition but neither walked away with gold on day three of the final round of the UCI Track World Cup Series on London's Olympic Velodrome.
That honour went to China's Shuang Gui while Meares claimed silver and Pendleton finished fourth behind Hong Kong surprise packet Wai Sze Lee.
Meares and Pendleton are cycling royalty who between them have won dozens of world and Olympic medals and their encounter in tonight's sprint semi-finals will go down as one of the most hard fought contest.
"I don't think I've seen in the history of women's sprinting three matches go 11.3, 11.1, 11.2 (seconds for the final 200 metres) so we really pushed each other to the limits but unfortunately we paid for it in the medal rounds," said Meares after being beaten in two straight heats by Guo, the 2008 Olympic Games sprint bronze medallist.
But the story began earlier in the day when Meares clocked an Australian record time of 10.939 seconds for the flying 200 metres to be top seed and the only rider to break 11 seconds in the sprint qualifying round. Pendleton meantime qualified fourth fastest in 11.111 putting the pair on a collision course for a semi-final battle.
Both comfortably dispensed with their rivals in the early rounds to set up what would prove to be the feature bout of the evening session of racing.
"I felt a bit nervous, I felt very excited, I felt prepared, I was prepared for anything. I haven't raced Victoria since the world championships almost a year ago," said Meares who in 2011 beat Pendleton in three before going on to win the sprint world title in two straight heats over Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania.
"I was expecting her, off the back of the fantastic team sprint she and Jess Varnish rode yesterday, to have some fantastic form and I wasn't let down."
In their first encounter Meares led out and kept Pendleton high on the track smoothly increasing her pace to propel herself into the bell lap with too much speed for Pendleton who couldn't get around her. In the second heat Pendleton led out and on the first lap stalled in the back straight in a bid to force Meares to the front but the Australian held her nerve until she was ready to pounce. However Pendleton was ready this time and latched onto Meares' rear wheel before powering past her on the line to even the score.
The two warriors then retreated to separate corners of the track for a 15 minute respite like prize fighters who had gone nine rounds in the ring and were still even on points.
In the third and deciding race Meares shadowed Pendleton's every move until the bell lap when she spotted a gap and went for it diving down the track and underneath Pendleton whose reaction time was too slow to counter the move which sealed the win for Meares.
"I saw an opportunity and when you see an opportunity you have to take it," said Meares. "I'm not sure whether she saw me or not or saw me late but I just had to commit, I was on an angle that was quite precarious but I did have right of way in the sprint lane and (I'm) very proud that I didn't hesitate on that one and made the move.
"You couldn't hear it but I was down the back straight going 'Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh', she said screaming and motioning as if throwing the handlebars from side to side. "I was just trying to get everything I could out of it (because) I knew she was coming.
"But that's what you have to do at these sort of competitions you've got to find another level and you have to challenge yourself and I believe I did that tonight."
However the energy expended in the semi-finals left her little in the tank for the gold medal final which for her came just six minutes later.
"That's nasty, that's nasty in anyone's books," said Meares of the compressed world cup sprint program. "It's just a challenge and I had to go out and deal with it as best I could and unfortunately Guo dealt with it much better than I but I think I'll be better for it.
"That's the name of the game and it could happen at Olympic Games (that I) draw the toughest girl in the field in the semis but still have to back up for the final," said Meares. "Guo had two races in her semis but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
"When you're physically fatigued it then becomes difficult to mentally make the decisions required on the flip of a coin. You have to think so quickly when you're legs are burning and your head's going, 'No, go go go, you're fighting with yourself'," said the Beijing silver medallist. "I've taken a lot from it and I'm very proud of how I held myself physically, emotional and mentally to get through."
Meares believes the events so far, which also saw her and team mate Kaarle McCulloch go up against Pendleton and Jessica Varnish in the team sprint final won by the home team, have provided invaluable experience ahead of the Olympic Games.
"In the pits you're hearing the 'gong, gong, gong' of Big Ben over the speakers and it sounds a little like The Undertaker coming from the WWE," said Meares applying a wrestling rather than boxing comparison to the contest. "But that's what I wanted, that's what I needed to experience if I'm going to come back for the Olympic Games and be as prepared as I possibly can be. I couldn't have asked for anything better."
Pendleton, Meares and Guo were on the podium in Beijing and Meares says she's not surprised they are on track to be the riders to watch in London.
"This is a sport that is very responsive to age and to time. It's not something where you can click your fingers and have strength and speed and power and experience and ability to be able to apply it on the track, it takes time and if you stick around the sport long enough you're going to be able to see those improvements consistently roll throughout your career," she said. "Vicki, Guo and myself have been around a long while and we're always trying to raise that bar higher and push ourselves."
Some key contenders were missing tonight including Krupeckaite and Olga Panarina who have both performed well at earlier World Cup rounds this season.
McCulloch clocked the tenth fastest qualifying time of 11.318 and won through in her first round match up but was outgunned by an in form Lee in the quarter finals and ended the sprint competition in eighth place.
In the women's 3km individual pursuit competition Tasmanian Amy Cure, 19, who had qualified fourth best, was hungry for a medal and went after it with gusto in her race for bronze against Lithuanian Vilija Sereikaite. Cure started at a steady pace while her rival was quick out of the gate but Cure had matched her pace by the one kilometre mark. Sereikaite then clawed back the lead by the end of two kilometres before she faded as Cure came home strongly to complete the 12 laps in a time of 3.36.707 which was .430 up on the Lithuanian.
It was the second bronze medal for Cure who was a member of the team pursuit trio that finished third on Friday.
"That (teams pursuit) definitely gave me a lot of confidence for today and going in there after qualifying fourth this morning I just really wanted that bronze medal," said Cure. "So to come out here and win that bronze medal really means a lot to me."
Although still a teenager Cure has four junior world titles to her name and is the current world record holder in both the under 19 individual and team pursuit events and despite being five years younger than her opponent said she was confident she could match her pace.
"You look at the times from the qualifying and she's a very fast starter in the first kilometre but tends to drop it off in the last kilometre but I tend to be a slower starter but bring it home in the the second and third kilometres," she explained. "But I knew at the start and I wasn't stressing if I was down a little bit but more-so towards the end I needed to pick it up and give my best and finish it off strong."
Also in action today was another member of the team pursuit lineup being 20-year-old Annette Edmondson today turned her attention to the six race omnium event.
She placed fourth in the flying lap that opened the competition before placing eighth in the points race and fourth in the elimination. That has put her at the top of the rankings on 16 points, one ahead of American Sarah Hammer while three other contenders sit equal on 20 points apiece.
On Sunday the women will race in the individual pursuit and scratch races before the omnium concludes with each women contesting a 500 metre time trial. Edmondson is strong in all three of the remaining events coming in as the reigning Australian pursuit champion and in the wake of a junior career as a sprinter and 500 metre specialist.
Australia could only field one starter in the men's keirin so world champion Shane Perkins made way for Matthew Glaetzer, 19, to gain some valuable experience. The young South Australian was swamped in his opening heat but in the repechage rode strongly before being pipped on the line halting his progress through to the second round.
The final day of racing will see Perkins, 25, back on he track when he and Scott Sunderland, 23, line up for Australian in the men's sprint. Meares and McCulloch will race the women's keirin and the much anticipated team pursuit show down between Great Britain and Australia is also on the program.
Reigning world champions Jack Bobridge, Michael Hepburn and Rohan Dennis along with as 2011 junior world champion Alex Edmondson (Annette's younger brother) posted a time of 3.57.885 to qualify half a second quicker than Great Britain (Steven Burke, Edward Clancy, Peter Kennaugh and Geraint Thomas) who rode 3.58.446 for the 4000 metres and were the only other team to go under the magic four minute barrier.
That gave the Australians a target to aim for as to guarantee a start in the gold medal ride and with Russia scheduled to ride after them, they had to better the British mark They started slower than the British but built momentum quickly to be the fastest team through the one kilometre mark. It was a lead they maintained to the end where they stopped the clock in
340 riders from 48 nations and 18 trade teams are contesting the four-day competition that is the official test event for the 2012 Olympic Games. It is the last round of the four round series that kicked off in Astana last November before heading to Colombia in December and China last month. After the World Cup Series the world's best cyclists will head to Melbourne to contest the 2012 UCI Track World Championships from 4 to 8 April. The Australian Cyclones for the world championships will be named on 14 March.
The team for the London UCI World Cup round and results summary is listed below:
- Melissa Hoskins - scratch race
- Anna Meares and Kaarle McCulloch - team sprint (new Australian record of 32.828)
- Anna Meares - women's sprint (flying 200m Australian record in qualifying of 10.939)
- Josie Tomic, Amy Cure & Annette Edmondson - team pursuit (new Australian record of 3:19.164)
- Amy Cure - individual pursuit