text:
Most of us have someone from our past who we regret letting go. It's probably something that nags you from time to time. Thinking about all the what ifs: What if I wasn't such a crappy boyfriend/girlfriend? What if I had not been a selfish jerk with commitment issues? Perhaps you feel as if there is some unfinished business between the two of you.
Is it a good idea to try and go rekindle things with the one that got away? One of my friends recently connected with a guy who considered her the one that got away. It wasn't long before he told her that he never stopped loving her and wanted to give their relationship another shot. However, with so much time since they were last together, what are the chances another try would stick this time? Would you be open and willing to the idea?
When you think about how much we grow and change over the time (hopefully for the better?), is it possible to actually reconnect with someone from your past and make it work?
Do you have someone who is on your short list of regrets? Do you ever wonder if they are still available?
By Wise Diva, Misadventures in Atlanta Dating Blog
October 8th, 2012
7:10 am
There is probably that one, for everyone. Life goes on!
October 8th, 2012
8:03 am
No..there ain't any that got away.
Off topic:
The Georgia GirlDogs got beat!
As The Falcons are a surprise
Happy Monday MIA!
October 8th, 2012
8:06 am
I tried reconnecting with the one that got away in college almost 17 years ago and it just wasn't the same. Yep, life goes on.
October 8th, 2012
8:23 am
Morning all.
No, there isn't "one that got away" in my life, however, to answer your question, I do think it is possible to reconnect with someone from your past and make it work. It would depend on how and why the relationship ended and whether the parties have grown and/or the issues have been resolved.
October 8th, 2012
8:31 am
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but going back can be full of regrets.
This like everything else depends on the people. I've went back before. But in going back I was prepared to take the good with the bad. But even then things just didn't work out.
October 8th, 2012
8:54 am
Goooood mertning
When you think about how much we grow and change over the time (hopefully for the better?), is it possible to actually reconnect with someone from your past and make it work? NOPE
Do you have someone who is on your short list of regrets? Do you ever wonder if they are still available? NOPE
October 8th, 2012
9:24 am
Sooooo how was everyone's weekend? crickets…..crickets
October 8th, 2012
9:36 am
Morning All!
Just decided I'd come in and speak. Nothing to add to the topic.
I'll come back later when we start talking about something else.
October 8th, 2012
9:46 am
hey y'all. good morning. I definitely have one that got away. I joke that I went through my allotted share of good guys in my youth when I wasn't even really checking for the good guys. rephrase. I was checking for them, I just wasn't ready for anything serious, long-term, permanent at that time. by the time I was ready (35 or so) the pickings were super-slim.
October 8th, 2012
9:52 am
Disco the pickings aren't super slim, you just looking up to high (rotflmao)
October 8th, 2012
9:53 am
slim – it was a tv weekend or at least a tv sunday. watched an old movie "the heart is a lonely hunter" (or something like that) with alan arkin and cicely Tyson. pretty decent. also watched the new steel magnolias and the carlina white story last night. keke palmer grew up to be such a pretty young lady. not that she wasn't a cute child but I remember thinking repeatedly during the movie that she was so pretty. did the same thing while watching sparkle re jordin sparks.
October 8th, 2012
10:10 am
Disco – What were your thoughts on the Steele Magnolia's??
October 8th, 2012
10:24 am
slim – I wasn't really a fan of the original steel magnolias and I was kind of curious as to why a remake was even done. still, I watched it and it wasn't bad. I won't buy the dvd to watch it over and over but it was okay.
October 8th, 2012
10:29 am
Where is everybody??
October 8th, 2012
10:36 am
I'm still here but I guess some folks are off for Columbus Day…makes for a slow ass blog morning. WACK
October 8th, 2012
10:40 am
ahhh yes. Columbus day. well at least my commute was relatively easy. lol.
October 8th, 2012
10:43 am
disco – I actually liked the original movie but even still, like you, I have no idea why a remake was warranted. It just seemed soooo random. lol
Looks like I'll have the house to myself this week. The beau dipped out this morning for his week long hiatus in Miami. Then when he gets back he has to turn right around and head to Panama for work. I'll be getting my Al Bundy on all week
October 8th, 2012
10:52 am
I've got a jones to visit a thrift store, goodwill, consignment store, something. must be something out there for me to find. last night I watched a youtube video on ways to wear scarves. there are some creative folks in this world. I spent a few minutes practicing a few methods I want to try.
October 8th, 2012
11:19 am
disco – I haven't really been into scarves but i have noticed how it can really make an outfit…I heard that Vagina Power chick on the Bert Show this morning. I'll have to listen to it later when I get off. It was hard to hear what she was saying here.
October 8th, 2012
11:23 am
Salem, your kingdom must come down
Salem, your kingdom must come down
The theme from the show Boss. Don't know why that's stuck in my head this morning.
October 8th, 2012
11:30 am
slim – I have lots of scarves but generally will use them as headwraps or even will wear them around my waist. thinking I might try to get into wearing them around the neck as I often find myself liking the look on other people. I'm also glad it's cooling off so I can wear my new skinny cords. I told my brother I was going out to buy some "young girl boots". he laughed but said he knew what I was talking about.
October 8th, 2012
11:34 am
disco – I get mad when I see someone with some tall fitted boots on. My legs are so skinny so I have not had much luck in finding some that won't be 'baggy' on my legs. They need to be fitted and not looking like me wearing a pair of Oprah's jeans.
October 8th, 2012
11:51 am
slim – I have the opposite problem. my calves are kind of big and I have a difficult time finding boots with zippers that go all the way up my leg. most boots I zip up halfway and they won't budge beyond that. I have a cousin like you though. we laugh at her little pencil legs sticking up out of her boots. she's miss size zero long.
October 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
wow. boots and scarves…really.
October 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
dushawn – it's all we got. besides no one else is/was here. you are here now. what you got?
October 8th, 2012
12:14 pm
Yeah Dushawn….so us what you got in your hands…we're grabbing at straws here. Plus it's lunch time so its about to be tumbleweeds in here soon.
October 8th, 2012
12:16 pm
slim – the tumbleweeds left. said they were getting out of dodge.
October 8th, 2012
12:24 pm
disco – damn now that's bad
October 8th, 2012
12:32 pm
I can say with all sincerity none of them was "the one who got away." I didn't date a whole lot but when I did….I just remember, one did get away…the bus driver that I dated a few months that cowardly stopped seeing me by going ghost. Looking back, he wasn't "the one who got away" because his cowardice was front and center so I dodged a bullet by not putting too much damn stock in someone who couldn't stand up like a man.
Good afternoon.
October 8th, 2012
12:41 pm
@Leggs- "…cowardly stopped seeing me by going ghost." Do you feel he owed you an exit conversation? Sometimes what you don't say, says it all.
October 8th, 2012
12:44 pm
LEGGS! How is it going chica?
October 8th, 2012
12:45 pm
I don't really look at anyone as "the one that got away" anymore. I just look at it as not meant to be. There was one back from college I used to wonder "what if" about, but again, just wasn't for me.
As for reconnecting with someone from the past, under the right circumstances it absolutely can work. I've seen it happen.
October 8th, 2012
12:51 pm
Sometimes what you don't say, says it all.
And there you have it. I can't speak for Leggs, but I have had guys get ghost on me. No, I'm not a "closure" needing chick, but it does say a lot that you can't just say "hey, this isn't working for me". The crazy part is these dudes ending up trying to double-back down the road, each and every one! It's stupid to burn a bridge and stupid is very unattractive to me!
October 8th, 2012
12:51 pm
Like I said before, I don't have a "one that got away' but there is this guy that i know, we were never together, that I was always curious if we would've worked out had we tried it. He was just too dayum busy to even establish a foundation to move forward. So I suppose this really falls under "What If' and not a "Got Away" scenario
October 8th, 2012
12:53 pm
No one that got away for me either.
October 8th, 2012
12:54 pm
Slim – That was more my situation too. Never got together, but I used to wonder…….
October 8th, 2012
12:59 pm
Hey Mrs SCool!
October 8th, 2012
1:25 pm
I don't have any that got away, but I did let some "keepers" go. The timing for me wasn't right. Ironically, I ran into to my "what if" girl yesterday on Grant Park. We have known one another since Undergrad decades ago. I normally run into her about once or twice a year. I always compliment her on her beauty and she blushes and smiles. I ask if she's still married, and she ask me the same. Then we jokingly say dayum! The way we look at each other when we speak, it's obvious what we're thinking. I originally met her husband (unbeknownst to me) in a business setting. He saw the school I went to on some documentation and said "you may know wife". When he said her name my initial thought was, "you lucky mufakka."
October 8th, 2012
1:27 pm
"Do you feel he owed you an exit conversation? Sometimes what you don't say, says it all." – I agree with this to a certain extent.
When we are on the phone discussing dinner plans and what time I can expect you that evening, but none of that takes place, his being ghost did speak, but that was still a cowardly way of doing it. If you can take the time to discuss dinner, location and time all the while knowing none of it is taking place, you is a PUNK!
Hey, SlimUno! How you doing?
Hey Mrs. SexyC!
October 8th, 2012
1:30 pm
Leggs – Wow, sounds like he stood you up, which is totally trifling! I thought he just stopped calling.
October 8th, 2012
1:32 pm
Hello, y'all.
I've been married for a month. (lol)
I finally put the candids from the wedding online last night.
(We're still waiting on the package from the official photographer.)
I know, kimmie, I'll have to email you some.
October 8th, 2012
1:38 pm
Leggs – It's definitely been an interesting few weeks. The marriage of my sis and ole boy is unraveling and she came up here last weekend looking fraile and sunken in weight wise. I ended up having to take her to the ER because apparently she had not been eating due to stress and keeping all the madness to herself. She could barely walk…was severely dehydrated. But we are on a road to getting things together but i think it's in that bottoming out phase. Soooo much drama regarding the dude now. Hows it going….back therrrrr?
October 8th, 2012
1:39 pm
"The one that got away"
Sometimes I wish I had more time to;
1. 1980 – I was at Howard Univ. in Washington, DC and I met Debbie Allen.
2. 1984 – I was working in Baltimore and I met Oprah at a Jazz Club.
3. 1988 – I was working in NY City and I met Janet Jackson. Love @ 1st site
October 8th, 2012
1:42 pm
Yes ma'am, I was stood up. He called me months later saying he needed to speak to me. I gave him the opportunity. Was told he was "digging" me too much and it scared him. I never understood people who date then bail out because they were catching feelings. Why date? Catching feelings is usually part of the equation unless you're solely seeking chicks for that quick sexual fix. If you're seeking more and possibly find it, why run?
1. Found it quicker than you thought you would.
2. Not ready to quick sampling the smorgasboard
3. Scared due to age of settling down
4. Selfish
October 8th, 2012
1:42 pm
Hello Leggs and Kimmie….. my goodness its been ages since Ive been here. I was just looking at a post with all of us chitty chatting back in 09.. lol…
anyway Topic… nah all those that got away should have….
October 8th, 2012
1:52 pm
Leggs – See & the idiot ended up coming back, like they all do! Yeah, and miss me with the "I liked you alot and it scared me" mess!
Hey Fee!!
October 8th, 2012
1:54 pm
"he was "digging" me too much and it scared him……" That's a good one. Let me translate that for you. "I got a better offer that night, some sure shot. I couldn't think of an excuse to give you for not showing, so I didn't call. I'm free tonight. I know you not still mad. Can I come thru?
October 8th, 2012
1:54 pm
Hello everyone, I guess we're the only ones who don't have govement jobs (LOL)
October 8th, 2012
2:00 pm
Dushawn, why you breaking the bro code (LOL)
October 8th, 2012
2:01 pm
Dudes always have a line, other than honesty… SMH…


text:
TORONTO - For the second time this season, the NBA says officials made a mistaken call against the Toronto Raptors that potentially changed the outcome of a close game.
The league said on its website Friday that Raptors forward Amir Johnson should have been awarded two free throws when he was fouled by Chicago's Joakim Noah while driving to the basket late in overtime in Toronto's 107-105 loss to the Bulls on Wednesday.
Instead, officials ruled the foul was on the floor and the Raptors had to inbound the ball with one second left. Jose Calderon's three-point attempt missed and the Raptors lost.
Had Johnson been awarded the free throws and hit them both, the game almost certainly would have went to double-overtime.
"I hope the league looks at that last play of the game when Amir Johnson gathers the shot going up," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said after the game. "I don't know who he's passing to, but I just hope they watch it. I hope they watch it."
It's not the first time the league has had to point out a crucial blown call against the Raptors.
Ferraro: Rielly, Gardiner Leafs top D-men?
Dreger on Booth, Gardiner ready to step up?
Siegel: How to use Franson, Kadri's potential
Duthie: Bettman expanding in West before East
MacArthur goes one-on-one with Gibbons
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subset: commoncrawl


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'Purge' by Sofi Oksanen wins Nordic Council Literature Prize for 2010
The Finnish author Sofi Oksanen has won the Nordic Council Literature Prize 2010 for her third novel 'Puhdistus' ('Purge'). The Literature Prize is worth 350,000 Danish kroner, which equals to 47 000 euros. The prize will be presented in Reykjavik in November. 'Puhdistus' has sold already 142 400 copies in Finland and it is the first novel...
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Ruukki receives important orders from Norway
Rautaruukki has been chosen as the steel structure contractor for the new head office of financial services group DnB NOR and for the construction project of Stravanger's new concert hall. The total value of the two contracts is around 8 million euros. The building of DnB NOR's new head office in Oslo is expected to be completed by 2012. The...
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Tue, 30 Mar, 2010:
Stonesoft expands to Saudi Arabia
Finnish provider of network security solutions Stonesoft has announced its new partnership agreements with four leading Saudi Arabian system integrators. The company is also in the process of establishing a representative office in the capital city of Riyadh. Stonesoft's local partners have a strong focus on ICT and network security. They also...
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YIT takes part in improving energy efficiency of Chinese process industry
Finnish YIT Industrial and Network Services Ltd and China Development Bank Corporation have signed a letter of intent, aiming to improve the energy efficiency of the Chinese process industry. According to the letter of intent the role of China Development Bank is to find potential production plants at which YIT will be able to plan...
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Mon, 29 Mar, 2010:
Aalto University student team acknowledged for promoting energy-efficient timber building
A student team from the Aalto University has received an acknowledgement for promoting energy-efficiency at the Housing and Renovation Market in Helsinki last week. The team will design and execute a zero-energy house for the Solar Decathlon Europe 2010 -competition, which will be held in Madrid in May-June. The student team received a 5000...
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Finnish music export shows international promise
Market research commissioned by Music Export Finland and executed by Mediaclever Oy has revealed that Finnish music export is on the increase. The market value of Finnish music export in 2008 was over 23 million euros, which was 4 million euros more than in 2007. The Goodwill research examined the incorporeal value of Music Export Finland...
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Fri, 26 Mar, 2010:
WinWinD celebrated the opening of new wind turbine plant in Hamina
WinWinD opened its brand new, three megawatt wind turbine plant in Hamina on Wednesday. The new production facility will manufacture two wind turbines per month, and start off with 50 employees. The maximum capacity of the plant is 15 wind turbines per month and 250 employees. WinWinD manufactures one and three megawatt wind turbines, which...
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Pöyry engineers two biomass power plants in the Philippines
Pöyry has been awarded contracts for turnkey delivery of two renewable energy power plants in the Philippines to the subsidiaries of Global Green Power PLC Corporation, Philippines. Pöyry has also signed a letter of intent for a potential third plant. The value of each contract is approximately 23 million euros. The contracts will become...
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Wärtsilä to supply Africa's largest gas engine power plant to Cameroon
Wärtsilä, a Finnish leader in flexible decentralised power generation solutions, has signed a contract to supply and install Africa's largest gas engine power plant to the Republic of Cameroon. The power plant will be located in Kribi sea port on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. The gas engine power plant will be supplied as a turnkey project....
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Thu, 25 Mar, 2010:
Stora Enso is one of the World's Most Ethical Companies 2010
Global leader in the paper, packaging and wood product industry, Stora Enso has been recognised by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 2010. Stora Enso is recognised for its commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility. The company secured its spot on the list...
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Metso delivers board making technology to Taiwan and a complete ball mill to Brazil
Metso, a global supplier of sustainable technology and services for mining, construction, power generation, automation, recycling and the pulp and paper industries based in Finland, has announced two new major contracts. Metso will supply board making technology for Cheng Loong Corporation for their new containerboard production line at Hou-Li...
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Wed, 24 Mar, 2010:
FWBC exports Finnish healthcare and wellness expertise to Japan
Finnish provider of wellness services, FWBC Finland Oy has signed a cooperation agreement with a major Japanese construction company Starts Corporation Inc. The newly established cooperation comprises consulting and education services within the healthcare sector, sales and promotion of Finnish products and services as well as space planning...
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International direct investments in Finland to increase in 2010
International direct investments in Finland are expected to increase steadily in 2010. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD estimated that the decline of international direct investments hit its all-time low by the third quarter of 2009. Last year 128 new international companies were established in Finland. The number is...
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Tue, 23 Mar, 2010:
University of Jyväskylä establishes new cooperation in St. Petersburg
The University of Jyväskylä and Steklov Institute of Mathematics in St. Petersburg have signed a cooperation agreement on establishing a centre for applied mathematics. The aim of the novel cooperation project is to increase the exchange of researchers and post-graduate students between the two universities, and join forces in organizing...
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Wärtsilä and Samsung join forces in developing next-generation gas-fuelled ships
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Pumpkin: Fall's All-Star Fruit
Guest blogger JJ Virgin: This time of year, everything seems to transform quickly. The summer sound of kids' uninhibited laughter as they run through sprinklers gives way to the sound of school bells; leaves turn from lush green to beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow; entire aisles in grocery stores have been taken over by sugar-laden Halloween candy ... and pumpkins are everywhere!
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text:
Getting Lost in a Rhino Snow Storm
"I'll just go on a short morning hike and test out BACKPACKER's GPS app," I thought when I woke up. "Map editor, Andrew, will be proud of me."
I don't know why I think I'm more capable than I really am. I get lost 100% of the time. Every time.
I hate maps, I hate plans and I prefer to wing my adventures and follow random, unexplainable impulses. This preference had me making a three-mile loop around Chautauqua Park and then up under the Royal Arch, a massive rock formation in the shape of 50-foot arch of reddish-orange rock and vibrant green moss, just in time to watch a snow storm roll in.
Gray swirls and gusts formed cloud-like blobs consuming towns and skylines, coming closer and closer. Kind of like the evil rhino storm scene in James and the Giant Peach—the rhino responsible for killing James' parents. And it also made me think of Into Thin Air. If only they would've turned around when they saw the signs of the storm, they could've survived Everest.
So I turned around. And went the wrong way. And lost the trail.
"Great, now my popsicled remains will get shipped back to Texas. And BACKPACKER Magazine will suffer the embarrassment of having an intern who died at Chautauqua Park."
I hiked up, my unacclimated Texan body heaving for the oxygen-rich air of times past. I figured the higher I was, the more I could see, but to no avail.
I traveled back down looking for a trail, any trail. And eventually I found one.
"HEY! DO Y'ALL KNOW WHERE SENTINAL PASS IS?" I shout excitedly at human life forms. That's right—I was going to make it after all.
I ended up following them, keeping a sketchy 50-yards behind. Just enough to keep my distance, but not too far that I would lose them. I think they knew because they would wait for me after a bend or sharp ascent, to make sure I didn't get lost.
It got increasingly colder and the wind blew stronger. I felt a few snowflakes. And I loved these people. With every step we took closer to the trailhead, I wanted to kiss their Boulder-beards, hiking boots and Patagonia jackets.
Snowshoeing Spirit
Snowshoeing Eldora Mountain: the first adventure from my new home in Boulder, Colorado.
My little brother, Josh, my roommate, Kirsten, and I hit the trails. Turns out we didn't need the snowshoes, but being from Texas is like having a license to be wrong—it's expected.
Josh, wearing flimsy fashion sneakers and thin cotton socks, considers the possibility of frostbite. We sit down on the trail and he removes his shoes and, in desperation, replaces them with his gloves. Fortunately, an adventure-savvy family walks by and notices his plight.
"Do you want a pair of wool socks?" asks man. "These socks have been to the highest point in the western hemisphere and the Himalayas."
As josh accepts and puts on the magical socks, I tell the kind family that they are trail angels. The man's young child, Charlie, quickly replies they are not angels. And he pulls out his imaginary gun and proceeds to shoot all of us—at least he backed up his claim with evidence.
Utopia, TX: Barnyard Debauchery
th no destination in mind, I headed west on I-35. Indecision had me three hours out from Austin when I stumbled upon Utopia, TX, "Texas Hill Country Paradise." I pulled into the general store, figuring this would be a good strategic first move in a small town. Shirley, a joyful elderly woman, was unloading her 12 ½ dozen eggs from that morning, weighed and ready to sell. We began talking and I asked if she lived off her farm products. She flashed the 18 dollars and two quarters the cashier handed her, "On this? Lord, no!" She laughed and told me about her farming history, dating back to when she was a little girl in Utopia. She and her brothers and sisters used to collect the eggs every morning. "I swore I'd never touch another egg again when I got out of here…but I came back to Utopia, we always do."
As we continued chatting, I was introduced to every Utopian who walked through. About 30 minutes after my arrival to the General Store, we had ourselves a congregation. I asked for stories about Utopian living and no one was holding back. Nearly every story involved copious amounts of alcohol, some form of tractor or golf cart, a prank and a dead animal.
Scotty, a new 30-year-old Utopian friend, took me into his office next door to show me a video of him and his buds out on the ranch shooting old tires filled with explosives. "We could feel the blow as the tire flew way the hell up in the sky—see look how far it went!" Scotty explained as he handed me the remaining explosives to look at. "This stuff also works as fertilizer."
His boss, Morris, walked in and inquired as to why Scotty had a young lady holding explosives in their real estate office. I told him briefly about why I was there and that I was a student from The University of Texas. "You're not one of those Austin-fruitcake-liberals, are you?" He accused immediately. The look on his face drew an instant, unthinking "No sir, not in the least," right out of my mouth. "Good," He responded, cracked a grin and walked right over to me, contributing his own Utopian tales…he'd already heard there was a young girl in town asking for them. Word travels fast in a small town.
As we finished up an hour of storytelling, Scotty invited me to a barn party that evening I didn't originally intend on attending. He had to head off to work, so he handed me off to Patrick, the mechanic, who handed me off to Chance, the electric storeowner. Chance asked me if I wanted to see Utopia. Because there was only one street, I thought I had seen Utopia, but I said yes anyways. Upon my acceptance, he demanded I get in his truck, so like any good adventurer I eagerly hopped in. We drove out of Utopia, and if he wasn't telling such enthralling tales of backwoods childhood shenanigans I would've been nervous—someone with such stories couldn't be dangerous. We drove off the main road and up into the hills, going through rivers and over shrubs, and after a last steep uphill ascent, we reached our destination. Him and his buddies had built a porch over-looking not only Utopia but thousands of acres of Texas hill country. From this birds-eye view, Chance unloaded the good, bad, laughter and tears of a Utopian upbringing. As a child he would attempt to live off the land, fishing and sleeping under the stars, and he recounted getting whipped by his sheriff father for falling asleep instead of cutting cedar. He caught me off guard with his next memory, "I used to take some kids to their orthodontist once a week out in Bandera. Well on the way home, the car flipped 10 times and two of the kids died…my sister and I survived. The fact that I can still live in this town, own a store and be a member of this community after something like that says something about this place."
Chance dropped me off at my car. Heavy-hearted, I sat in the drivers seat churning over the stories I just heard—I was overwhelmed by the gift of experiences and memories entrusted to me by these wonderful Utopians. But the inability of anyone to explain or undo Chance's tragedy made me sick to my stomach. I looked out the car window at the Lost Maples Café. It was almost 3 p.m. and time for some lunch, not that I had any appetite. I walked in and got a small booth. Wooden ceilings, walls, floors, beams, tables, chairs, and frames give the diner its old country feel. Eclectic old trinkets litter the windowsills and shelves. The menu offers a variety of meats, game, potatoes and a highly-recommended taco salad. My server, a sweet high school girl wearing a big floppy hat and dirtied apron, came to greet me. She asks why I'm there, but she's heard too—she sends her grandma, the restaurant owner, over to tell a few of her stories.
According to her grandmother, a woman had been to Utopia a few years ago for three months collecting information for a book she titled Excerpts from a Small Town. They loved this woman and welcomed her in on the Utopian family, but they were ultimately betrayed by her unflattering portrayal of the townsfolk as ignorant and bigoted, which the café owner admitted to be true, but insulting nonetheless. She contributed her stories regardless, trusting that I would be different.
My lunch at Lost Maples Café inspired a trip, 13 miles out, to Lost Maples State Park. I hiked a mile up and discovered an acre of cool ponds. I jumped in, gliding back and forth through the icy liquid. After a while, I found a rock in the center of the pond to perch on. The water was still and smooth, reflecting the lush green hills and grey rock, as I curled into a ball for warmth. After a while the beaming sun rays thawed out my chills. Unfortunately, a youth leadership group of some sort arrived at the lake, disrupting the peace. They splashed around joyfully and a few of the youth began to narrate a fake and irreverent baptism in the water. One boy exclaimed it wouldn't work because he was gay—I later discovered they were from Austin.
Back in Utopia, Chance texted saying they were drinking beers behind the general store. I hiked back down to my car and joined right in, minus the beer part. They told me about Bill. Bill voted for Obama. No one votes for Obama and no one talks to Bill—he ended up leaving town. We continued prattling along, the old men and I, about town scandals, "inferior" races and people groups and the occasional mention of the night's drinking plans. It's a different world out here, but, despite the offhanded political and racial remarks, it's not a bad one.
Morris invited me to their family dinner. His daughter was home from the Air Force for a mere 24-hours, and I was to be included in the festivities. "No, no, I couldn't intrude on that precious family time…" I started, but Morris assured me that I was coming. So I went.
Morris became a dear friend to me for many reasons that evening, one being his remark that I was "too darn skinny," and that I needed to eat more. No one has told me I was too darn skinny since high school, and, whether or not I deserved it, it was certainly pleasant to hear. I gladly helped myself to seconds of the fruits of his hunt in the form of delicious, tender brisket and potato salad. I was a happy girl.
As we sat outside on the wooden picnic table, roosters and chickens roaming around us, Morris' sister-in-law, a cute spunky little woman, told me about another writer, and politician, she knew—Kinky Friedman. Kinky Friedman bought property backed-up to her property. He had a dog farm; she had goats. His dogs would come over in the night and kill a goat here and there. She wasn't having it. She shot a few of his dogs and hung them on his fence. In Kinky Friedman's book, she was named "Uvula Crabgrass."
The stories kept coming as I found out Morris' son, Bruce, was my age when Morris began to brag that his son had the greatest birthday of all time, "9/1/91 at 9:10 a.m. — not shittin' ya, opening day of dove hunting season." Bruce came over and started talking to me, he was going to Scott's barn party too. He wasn't bad looking either—I've always had a thing for those Hemingway-esque backwoods boys.
So we (Scotty, Bruce and I) headed 45 minutes deeper into the middle-of-nowhere to this barn party. Sketchy? Yes. We picked up a few of their friends: 38-year-old Casey, his 14-year-old son and his 14-year-old friend, Michael. We rolled over to the drive-thru beer barn to stock up for the night. They loaded up the ice-chests in the truck bed full of beers. While we waited, one of the employees began promiscuously dancing against a freezer. Unfortunately for both the woman and my new friend, 14-year-old friend Michael, that woman happened to be Michael's mother. I just wanted to hug that little guy and call CPS…but I didn't do either of those things.
A sheriff patrolled the barn party's entrance. Scott rolls down his window with an open, half-drunken beer in his hand and preemptively howls, "I didn't do it!" The sheriff smiles, greets "Ole Scotty" and nods us in.
The barn party was wild. Live music, poker, barbeque, two-stepping and hundreds of trucks lined up with beer coolers littering the truck beds. At 6:00 a.m. we left for the after-party at Lightning's house. Yes, his name was Lightning. Lightning and I were already buds at this point, family really. After using the word "ambivalent" in a sentence, he remarked, "I love when people use big words, you use big words..mmm Becky, you can be my cousin and our uncle owns all the Trudy's in Texas." I didn't quite follow but I do love Trudy's. This "uncle" was my new favorite.
We pull up to Lightning's house and unfortunately Utopia lost it's paradise. 21-year-old Sterlin (that's right, Sterling without the "g") began to hit on Lightning's middle-aged, yet attractive, wife. Lightning grabs Sterlin by the collar and shakes him, shouting threats and affirming the relevance of his nickname. We all decided it would be a good idea to leave when Lightning retreated into his small pantry. At this point my car was in town, wherever that was.
Scotty passes me on to the next pair of Utopians, Philip and Sterlin—a few boys my age. Poor Philip drives passed out Sterlin and I back into town in Sterlin's truck. After a long, frightening drive including the truck's brakes locking and deer in the road, we make it back to Utopia. We left Sterlin passed out in his car on Main St., per his request, and that was that.
The night finally came to an end as the sun rose at 8:00 a.m. My Utopian experience had quenched any Texas Hill Country thirst I could've imagined. Who am I kidding? This adventure had exceeded my wildest imaginations in the best way possible.
The Literary Pilgrimage: Thoreau, The Lost Generation and The Romantic Poets
Why did Paradise Lost end? The last blank page outraged my insatiable need for more. You took me so far, John Milton, you held me with every word, and now you're through? I consumed Milton's biographies and letters trying to create post-mortem thought for my dead theodical guide, but it wasn't enough—I needed to book a flight to England.
"To set out on a pilgrimage," explains Phil Cousineau in The Art of Pilgrimage, "is to throw down a challenge to everyday life. Nothing matters now but this adventure"(Cousineau XI). As a reader gets lost in the adventure of a good book, the traveler can get lost in the adventure of it's author. A literary pilgrimage is a form of travel physically exploring a work of literature, allowing for the traveler to experience the authors' circumstances, thoughts and influences. The literary pilgrimage searches the marrow of an author's creation.
As a literary traveler, I discovered imagination is key. You'll never know what truly occurred, what a place was like or which landmarks inspired each author. But that's not the point. A Literary pilgrimage frees the traveler to shed the burden of reality and escape into the created world of the author. As C.S. Lewis writes, "We read to know we're not alone." Fears, uncertainties and longings of the author are unleashed into the lifeless geography as you travel in the author's shoes—the same fears, uncertainties and longings we all feel. Their pages of recorded perceptions spark your own perceptions, and the two of you, and any companion you bring along, search out the world's mysteries. As Mitchell says in Walking to Walden, "Nothing plays out in an empty room, stories create landscape—or vice versa: the land begets the story. Mecca was a holy spring a thousand years before Mohammad got there…Geography engenders mythology" (Mitchell 34). Dark forests are properly restored to their enchanting potential.
A literary pilgrimage will grant the traveler a backstage pass to the life-changing experience of a good book. "If the journey you have chose is indeed a pilgrimage, a soulful journey, it will be rigorous…evoking emotion and commotion" (Cousineau XXVII). With your understanding of the reading, pick the path you believe will be truest to the experience of the author. And most importantly, take the author's advice.
For example, Thoreau favored the unmarked paths, as he described:
To walk out into wild nature is to join with the prophets, poets, and explorers of old…it is here on the local abandoned roads and in the unfenced woodlots and pastures that you will discover the mythologies that are the truer histories of America
I cherished my opportunity to experience Thoreau's transcendence throughout my trek to Walden, physically experiencing his words. And while I savored reaching Walden, a tourist-haven replica of Thoreau's cabin, I found greater value in quiet contemplation and journaling alongside a pond a few miles out. When I got lost for hours in the nearly 3000 acres of Walden Woods (Thoreau walked an average of 15 miles in Walden Woods each day), I re-read my treasured highlighted portions of Walden, trembling to bein the very place he wrote them. I felt Thoreau. Starting at Lynn Woods Reservation, passing through Spencer Brook and Walden and ending at Littleton, I was immersed in Thoreau's divine energy everywhere. My next date with Thoreau will recreate the two-week journey he and his brother John took through Massachusetts and New Hampshire recorded in Thoreau's A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.
Over in Paris, France, quite different from the North American backwoods, I embarked to experience the muses of the 1920's Lost Generation—to uncover the romantic inspiration of this era's revered literature. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein and Faulkner, among many other authors, drank their days away, café to café. I set to retrace their decade of debauchery. For this next literary pilgrimage, I put away my hiking boots and readied myself for indulgence. Hemingway made it clear that a writer should be a person of action as well as ideas so who was I to walk away from reading The Sun also Rises without downing absinthe or getting into a bar fight? Beyond excessive drinking, The Lost Generation found value in traversing the winding Parisian streets, as Hemingway describes in A Moveable Feast:
I would walk along the quais when I had finished work or when I was trying to think something out. It was easier to think if I was walking and doing something.
At the café, on the intersection of boulevard du Montparnasse and the boulevard Saint-Michel, these authors would bleed words onto pages and napkins. Today small brass plates denote the table each author preferred. I sat at Hemingway's table. My other beloved expatriate, Fitzgerald, wrote frequently of Paris in his novels:
The Place de la Concorde moved by in pink majesty; they crossed the logical Seine, and Charlie felt the sudden provincial quality of the Left Bank. Charlie directed his taxi to the Avenue de l'Opera, which was out of his way. But he wanted to see the blue hour spread over the magnificent façade.
So I did those things. In fact, my trip was a month spent reenacting such passages found in my favorite Lost Generation novels, walking by their old homes and studios, recreating moments, and imagining what had been. I tested the infamous Parisian muses for personal writing endeavors as well, but I'm no William Faulkner. My favorite evening was at the Dingo, where Hemingway and Fitzgerald first met—I ordered Hemingway's now infamous concoction, the Montgomery Martini, and not too much else happened, but nothing else needed to.
The Parisian nights left me thirsting for steady ground, as Wordsworth observes:
The world is too much with us, late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.
Now in the UK, I was bound for Lake District National Park to pay homage to the nature poet, Wordsworth, and his romantic contemporaries—transitioning from the "thoughtless youth" of Parisian debauchery to the "sad, still music of humanity" experienced in the nature of Wordsworth's stomping grounds (Wordsworth 194). In 1799, Wordsworth and Coleridge spent three weeks hiking the Lake District; I wanted to behold this same England they so reverently described. With their poetry as my map, I started at King's Arms, Temple Sowerby and intended to complete the journey at Pooley Bridge, Ullswater. I never did make it to Pooley Bridge, but I saw an England highly worth seeing. I spent most of my days sauntering through the heart of the Lake District (Grasmere and Rydal) where Wordsworth wrote most of his poetry:
Ill suits the road with one in haste; but we, Played with our time; and, as we strolled along, It was our occupation to observe
It's said these romantic poets invented, "a new kind of Romantic tourism, abandoning the coach and the high-road for the hill, the flask and the knapsack," so that's what I did (Holmes 382). These romantic poets transformed the landscapes with their keen observation and revelations. I'd seen more beautiful geography than the humble Lake District hills, but borrowing the eyes of Wordsworth radically altered my perspective. What was once a cluster of trees and lakes becomes a:
…sweep of endless woods, Blue pomp of lakes, high cliffs, and falling floods, Not undelightful are the simplest charms, Found by the grassy door of mountain-farms
And even the unmistakable beauty of a sunrise becomes sublime:
Just where a cloud above the mountain rears, An edge all flame, the broadening sun appears, A long blue bar its aegis orb divides, And breaks the spreading of its golden tides.
Beyond mere aesthetics, the lines of Wordsworth evoked self-evaluations and longings to mature in selflessness:
The happy idleness of that sweet morn, With all its lovely images, was changed, To serious musing and to self-reproach. Nor did we fail to see within ourselves, What need there is to be reserved in speech, And temper all our thoughts with charity.
The authors became deep companions as I adventured in the pathways of their thought. From Thoreau, I experienced divinity in all things, from The Lost Generation I learned to passionately seek inspiration rather than settle for complacency, and from Wordsworth I learned the transformative power of observation. Sure, I could've experienced this wisdom from my unaffected couch, but I'll never forget the hours, days and weeks passed with these artists in the worlds of their awakenings. The next time I picked up The Great Gatsby, I knew Fitzgerald like a friend and we shared inside jokes as I turned pages. Let literature guide you through the wonders of our world; Imagination, your compass—a book, your map.
Hiking the Holy Lands
Hiking the Holy Lands
Becky Kivlovitz
En route to the trailhead, Gil collects every hitchhiker we see, squeezing a few into the trunk of his beat-up ride. Our hands and mouths are stained deep red from buckets of freshly picked cherries on our laps from the kibbutz orchards. With windows down, the hot breeze carries the laughter and throaty, passionate Hebrew conversation through the car and out into and the lush mountains and trickling streams of the Israeli north. As we reach the trailhead, I emerge from the vehicle wiping off community sweat and catching my breath from laughter as we remove a new friend or two from the trunk.
We trek through valleys, splash in waterfalls of the Hasbani River, climb up into hidden caves and set up camp riverside before nightfall. Gil shimmies up a tree to collect twigs for fire to make tea. We pass around our buckets of fruit and tea while lounging in the river as more and more hikers join.
By sundown the small fire turns into a bonfire over which one of our new Israeli friends sets up a massive cauldron for stew called poyke. The different groups add varieties of meats, veggies, beer and a few mystery items to the pot providing a feast for all. The festivities continue late into the night as people retrieve guitars, flutes and harmonicas and we sing and barefoot-dance in the moonlight.
Throughout our days of hiking in Israel we ran into people from all walks of life — Israeli Orthodox Jews wearing full religious attire in the Middle Eastern heat, Israeli secular Jews, Arabs, Israeli school youth programs, American Jewish Birthright tour groups, Norwegian Christian pilgrims, and non-religious tourists from all over to see what the Israeli buzz is all about.
What is it about hiking in Israel that keeps these trails heavily populated? What brings these otherwise segregated cultures together in the Israeli wild? I set out to sample hikes throughout Israel for the remainder of my stay in the hopes of unraveling the mystery of hiking the Holy Lands.
Maybe it all started with Moses as he led the Jews on a hike toward the Promised Land for 40 years in the desert, parting the Red Sea and receiving divine instruction along the way? And perhaps the other prominent hiking prophets and messiahs, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad and David, helped pave the way as they journeyed through the deserts, mountains, valleys, and rivers of what is now considered modern-day Israel.
Whatever the case, the tradition continues as Israelis and tourists traverse the diverse landscapes, both natural and cultural, of Israel.
"For my army service I was in the paratrooper unit," explains Dovev, an Israeli hiking guide, "I crossed the whole country by foot — 26 weeks of navigation. First we would navigate by day, then we would have to memorize the route, close the map and hike it again by night. This made my connection to my country even stronger. The better you know something, the better you can love it."
I once overheard a holocaust museum tour guide explain while leading newly inducted Israeli soldiers through the Yad Vashem holocaust museum, "What you're about to see will be difficult, but remember there's a happy ending to the suffering of the Holocaust, and that's this land —we have our nation of Israel."
Uri Goldflam from the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel explains, "In the early establishment of the state in 1948, hiking through the land was a form of declaring ownership. If we walk the trails of Israel and know the land like the back of our hand, we'll truly own it. We need to walk, hike, learn and know Israel—every single gravel, stone, flower, and animal. We want generations of Israelis who are connected deeply and physically to their land. Once they acquire this love, they will also invest in protecting it…you love what you know and you protect what you love."
This love has churned out 15,000 km of well-marked trails including the Israel National Trail, recently ranked in National Geographic's "World's Best Hikes: Epic Trails," consisting of 1,000 km of trail starting up north near Lebanon and ending in the southern Negev Desert.
Hiking through these lands will inspire you to rethink preconceived notions of Israel, infamous for it's political conflict, religious dogmatism and gunfire. There's a cryptic depth to these holy lands and hiking reveals the rich treasures of Israel's geography, history and culture.
Israel is nestled between Europe, Asia, and Africa on the Mediterranean coast. It serves as a home for the northern most expansion of African species, the southern most expansion of European species, the western most extension of Asian species. The country is tiny, fitting into Florida about eight times, but within Israel you have the snowcapped mountains in the north, the volcanic flats of the Golan, the hills, valleys and wetlands of the Galilee, the beaches of the Mediterranean Coast, the Negev Desert's Sahara-like sand dunes, the African savannah in the Arava valley, and southern Eilat with it's granite mountains.
Go for a full moon night-hike in the Golan Heights and take a dip in the waterfalls, rent a bike in Tiberias for a ride around the Sea of Galilee or explore the craters of the Negev Desert or float in the Dead Sea — the possibilities are endless. In my experience, the best adventures come from grabbing an Israeli and asking. If this doesn't sound plausible for you, there are plenty of certified Israeli hiking guides with adventurous spirits ready to take you through the country they know all too well.
While hiking you'll see where Gideon fought the Midianites, where David fought Goliath, and where Saul and Jonathon were killed on Mount Gilboa. You can trace the path Jesus walked 2,000 years ago on the Jesus Trail <http://www.jesustrail.com/> , swim where he walked on water and dine where he multiplied bread and fish. While hiking Israel, ancient ruins of Roman temples and remnants from the Crusades become commonplace. You can explore the bible with your feet, whether you're Jewish, Christian, Islam, or generally intrigued by the religious texts influencing cultures and lifestyles globally. This land gushes rich history and while traveling by foot, your mind is unleashed to imagine the thoughts of our backpacking forefathers, experience the exhaustion of long days of trekking and pick and eat the fresh fruits that would've kept them going.
By foot, you'll also experience the modern-day human culture of Israel. La'metayell is a store in Israel (translates to "for the hiker") in which people can post notes on a huge bulletin board to find fellow adventurers for a weekend hike, a few months on the Israel National Trail or maybe even a trip to India. I used the board myself and ended up on an incredible journey hiking up the Zaki River and camping with new sweet friends, Shirli and Rina. So share a meal or a cup of tea, listen to life stories and travel tales — no Israeli will hold back an honest opinion of how they believe injustices of the world should be put to an end. A fellow adventurer, Tom Shay, is starting a community north of Tel Aviv where a group of 30 people come together to share cars, a bank account, meals and meet weekly to catch up on each other's lives, to be reminded that this life isn't just about themselves and their own families. Through hiking, I've also experienced the charity of the Israeli trail angels. Trail angels are Israelis located throughout the hikes who offer their couches, showers, and warm meals to weary travelers, in most cases, free of charge.
In hiking the Holy Lands there is also room for spiritual revelation of your own. There's a reason Jesus, Moses and Elijah headed out to these mountains to listen for God's voice and why many visitors today experience "Jerusalem Syndrome" and believe themselves to be the long-awaited, or second-coming, Messiah.
Being in the midst of natural phenomenon bigger than yourself evokes contemplation of the mysteries of our world, it's creation and all the other unknowns we have found ourselves woven into. Experiencing these thoughts in the same geography some of the most prominent religious figures have explored these thoughts themselves is something special.
Dovev elaborates, "Even if you don't believe in God — you're out in nature, you wake up, hear the silence, see the sunrise, cross a bunch of terrains, go through physical effort, you sweat, you swim, you go through fields of flowers in the spring…it awakens your senses and something spiritual happens. Most people I've taken hiking have experienced this for the first time here in Israel."
Uri of SPNI recounts a spiritual encounter of his own, "I hiked up to a jagged peak in the granite Eilat Mountains to watch the sun rise over the red mountains of Jordan. It made me understand why the Jews needed to go out to the desert to meet God — it humbles you…you come into harsh interaction with the natural forces, you understand how small and fragile our lives really are."
I also experienced a bit of divine revelation myself. I came into contact with so many different, deep faiths. I witnessed Jews learning about and appreciating the teachings of Jesus, Christians delving into the poetry of the Indian Sufis, and travelers from all over the world falling in love with the deep, rich traditions of Judaism over a Sabbath meal. My Israeli journey of finding community in the bigger, unanswerable questions with fellow adventurers in the backyard of the Holy capital of the world has been a life-changing, unforgettable experience I highly recommend to all human beings.
"There will always be a million reasons not to go, and only one reason why you should always go" Eyal explained to me as we indulged in prickly pear fruit he picked from a nearby cactus, our feet dangling in a hidden lake after a day of hiking, "and that is to go."
Shabbat Shalom and Tour de Lebanon
The Sabbath hath arrived. We get to spend the morning reading, laying in the grass, drinking coffee and chatting. Israel does it right.
I sat out front Eyal's house and ran into a few friends I volunteered with last summer, Daniel, Sasha and Benyamin. Daniel just spent the year in Australia, working and adventuring. Sasha plans to head to the US to work and save up to hike the Silk Trail in Asia.
I left the conversation feeling inspired to adventure. It's different from the high school > college > eight-to-five cubicle formula I know all too well.
At about 2:30 p.m. Eyal tells me to put on my swimsuit and we go. Where? Who knows.
He drives past "Stop! No Entry! Military Personnel Only," and then past "Stop! Border Ahead!"
But this is Eyal. Eyal is mobile immunity. Rules don't apply to him and danger and fear don't exist in his presence. Adventure is his middle name and if you ever are wondering where he is at the moment, the answer is he's doing something you didn't think human beings were capable of doing.
He drives us right up the border of Lebanon and Israel to a tree hit by one of the 200 rockets fired at Israel daily. From here you can see the border winding it's way through the land and we stared out as Eyal recounted the incredible history of the land from battles to border changes.
It's weird to look at such a beautiful landscape and discover it drenched in ancient hatred and murder.
We then proceeded to hike past ancient roman temple ruins and old military barracks to a beautiful, and delightfully cold, nature reserve. We swam around and basked in all nature had bestowed upon us including, but not limited to, crystal-clear drinkable water, lilypads and yellow flowers, fruits you could pick and eat from the water, and the shade of the palm trees.
I officially decided which article in which I plan to invest all my remaining time and energy in Israel—Hiking the Holy Lands. Our spiritual predecessors in Christianity, Judaism and Islam experienced the land and their divine communication in this very fashion, and Israelis today have created this beautiful culture of hiking and adventuring which is even heavily incorporated into their school systems, starting with weekly adventures in first grade.
I decided to interview Eyal.
As he sits in his underwear, post-swim, making tea on a portable fire and cutting cactus fruit without incurring the prick of a single needle, he willingly and brilliantly answers my questions. I am so excited to continue this project…there is something incredible about the great outdoors and experiencing them with out an itinerary of plan that we have lost in our culture. Something bigger than just fresh air, but a connection to why we are here in the first place. If all of creation speaks his name, why aren't we desperately exploring it rather than replacing it with buildings and institutions further numbing us from the opportunity to do so?
We head back to the kibbutz for my last evening up north. We eat dinner at Eyal's mother's house with the whole family and head to a kibbutz production of Rumpelstiltskin, in Hebrew. It's amazing to see the whole community out to enthusiastically support their friends and family.
Eyal drives his girlfriend, Tamar, and I back to Tel Aviv.
As he drops me off, he looks at me and says first in Hebrew, then in English, "Now, when you come next, you don't come as a daughter of your father, you come because you're you."
I'll put that moment in my pocket forever.
I woke up to the sound of five 18-year-olds, remembering the night before and that leaving my room would mean round two of shenanigans…not a bad way to start the day. These boys are so full of life — bouncing off walls, throwing stuff, yelling into a megaphone at 3 a.m….let the games begin.
We begin the day with coffee and sincere good morning greetings. We go into the sunshine for some slack-lining and ultimate frisbee. It felt like all the neighborhood kids coming out to play, just a bunch of sweaty, innocent, competitive fun. (of course my ultimate team won)
We played for hours. At lunch time the boys went back to their homes and Tamar, Eyal's girlfriend, and I tag-teamed cleaning up the mess. I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the book Holy Cow. The book is about an Australian women traveling through India, she takes an entire chapter to discuss the prominence of Israeli travel through India.
Israelis have mandatory army service, for boys three years and for girls two years. At the end of their service they travel. My Israeli aunt, 52, still returns to India annually for freedom in spiritual exploration and sculpting. It's hard for the Israelis to seek spiritually within the social construct of their nation. The definition of Judaism has become mangled in the layers of history, culture and traditions.
And in some cases, such as Eden — Eyal's niece, they're sick of it. She deferred her army for one year of service and leaves to begin in October and she is not excited to lose two years of her life.
Eden and I talked about what we liked/disliked about the kibbutz, different countries, and Israeli cities.
I mentioned that I loved being in Jerusalem. She looked at me like I was crazy, "There are ignorant people there, the Jews, the Arabs, blah, blah, it's so dumb…when I'm done with army I want to move to America and marry an American and live there."
I began to wonder about the passion of a city like Jerusalem, which attracts me, and the messes passion creates. Religion is unique in that it evokes human passion, compassion, and hatred so powerfully, but on the other side is the extremism and casualties incurred along the way. Is it selfish to be attracted to a place with it's excitement rooted in tensions of ancient belief systems and modern philosophies which cause so much damage?


text:
The president's re-election has given him more leverage to push his agenda.
President Barack Obama is trying to spend what former President George W. Bush called "political capital."
That's the good will and clout you get from a re-election victory. Obama's predecessor boasted after his 2004 win that he'd amassed political capital and planned to "spend it" in his second term.
Obama is now trying to do the same thing, standing firm with Republicans in negotiations on averting the year-end fiscal cliff and refusing to budge on his insistence that top tax rates — not just overall tax revenues — go up in any bipartisan fiscal deal.
Clearly, his re-election win has given him more leverage.
He campaigned on letting Bush-era tax cuts expire for households earning more than $250,000 a year. And polls show that if Congress can't agree in the next three weeks and the economy goes over the "fiscal cliff" triggering large automatic spending cuts and tax increases, more voters will blame Republicans than Democrats.
Obama met House Speaker John Boehner Sunday for a rare one-on-one talk about the crisis. Otherwise, he's been busy presenting his case elsewhere — including Monday's campaign-like visit to Michigan auto workers.
Republicans gripe the president should be in Washington negotiating — not still out campaigning.
Obama says he's mindful of "presidential overreach in second terms" and will proceed cautiously. Still, "I didn't get re-elected just to bask in re-election."
Of course Bush found he had far less political capital than he'd imagined.
He campaigned across the country in early 2005 for a plan to partially privatize Social Security. After months on the road, he realized he couldn't even sell his plan to many members of his own party on Capitol Hill.
Right now, Democrats are giving Obama running room. "He gets his way — up to a point," said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
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lol.. Professor Jono taking class. School is in session.
lol.. Professor Jono taking class. School is in session.
We miss you, Fardin. :(. RIP.
A cricket supporter forever
Member of CW Red and AAAS - Appreciating only the best.
Check out this awesome e-fed:
PWE Efed
Flattest pitch ever for the Third Test please. Lankans can break as many batting records as they want then.
Better to be safe than sorry imo.
Shame to see Murali so over the hill. Used to be impossible to prepare a pitch that negated him.
haha, I'm sorry Sri Lanka decided to throw their wickets away, and that I bought up the absolute fallacy that scores in test cricket might be increasing, when I of course know the complete opposite is the case.. and I did not have sexual relations with that woman..
Haha go Jono!!
Indiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa
Good to see Sreesanth in the wickets as, for some unknown reason, he got the brunt of the backlash for his involvement in slapgate
Obviously bowled well but, according to cricinfo, took quite a few wickets with rubbish balls
Pressure paid off, I assume
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
© Copyright 2014 Newton Citizen
COVINGTON -- Three people were victims of a home invasion Wednesday evening, according to the Newton County Sheriff's Office
Around 6:30 p.m., three men kicked in the front door of a residence at 125 Gross Lake Parkway where a 63-year-old woman, her 16-year-old daughter and a 33 year-old male reside.
"Three black males entered yelling, 'Police,' but they weren't in uniform nor did they show any badges," said NCSO spokesman Lt. Keith Crum. "They made the victims lay down on the floor and then they went through the house, stealing several items and cash. They then fled the area on foot."
Crum said the items they stole were small things they could carry away and he said investigators were withholding the amount of cash stolen.
"The crime scene was processed, investigators conducted interviews with victims and they're working the case now," Crum said.
In other crime news, a man was arrested by NCSO deputies around 4:30 p.m. Monday after he allegedly attempted to extort money from a 78-year-old man.
Jason Dean Wuerdeman, 24, of 245 River Brooke Terrace faces charges of theft by extortion in connection with the incident.
Crum said the elderly man contacted the sheriff's office and said the younger man was trying to extort money from him and had demanded that he meet him in the parking lot of CVS Pharmacy at the intersection of Ga. Highway 36 and the Bypass with $1,000.
Crum said when the younger man showed up, NCSO units were in place and attempted to arrest him.
"He tried to flee on foot, but units picked him up and arrested him, although he did struggle," Crum said. "He's now in jail."
Also, on June 28, a 16-year-old reported that she had been raped by a man known to her.
"The girl called the Sheriff's Office, an investigation was conducted, information gathered, charges of rape were made and an arrest warrant issued," Crum said.
Being held at Newton County Detention Center without bond is Richard Timothy Dillon, 43, of 50 Country Woods Drive who was charged with rape.
Also, Newton County Animal Control was the victim of a burglary when nearly $1,000 worth of dry dog food was stolen from the facility after hours between July 18 and July 19.
Included in the 33 bags of food taken was Purina One Beyond, Pedigree Large Breed and Puriina Beneful. Also taken were three bags of cedar chips.
Chris 2 years, 1 month ago
Stealing food from dogs is as low down as you can get. This will be handled in a special corner of hell.
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More like this story
- Newborn man faces sexual exploitation charge ( August 25, 2011 )
- 20-year-old leads Newton deputies on chase after allegedly firing gun at security guard ( August 21, 2012 )
- Altercation leads to gun play on Dry Pond Road in Newton County ( January 12, 2012 )
- 2 arrested in sexual assaults ( July 1, 2011 )
- NCSO charges man with rape; warrants issued for second suspect ( May 4, 2011 )


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To view the 2013 - 2014 MCA Rules and Regulations for all players - click here
The Mexico Cricket Association is the annually elected body that presides over and has responsibilities for cricket in Mexico and is a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the Americas Region which has the responsablity to oversee cricket throughout the continent and the Caribbean Islands.
The MCA's main role is to promote, support and supervise the development of the sport and its players in a variety of different ways, including a competitive league of eight teams in two divisions in order to ensure that the long and illustrious tradition of cricket in Mexico is looked after and that cricket in the country today might burgeon.
Outside of Mexico City, cricket is currently thriving in Cancun, Guadalajara and in the town of Tequisquiapan, Queretaro.
This year the MCA is establishing a far-reaching new programme of youth outreach which is designed to enourage young Mexican players to take up the sport and continue with it into their adult years. In the last year alone, more Mexican players played the sport than in the previous twenty years combined. See video below


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In your third act, your hero threw himself over the cliff with no fear of dying, all for her. Do you really believe that kind of love exists?
That's what we all dream about, isn't it? Someone who looks so deeply into our soul that they'd find something worth dying for.
When Fates Collide.
Did no one else draw this parallel or was that always just me?


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Widget Logic Visual is now available in the official WordPress plugin repository (GPL license):
The original widget logic plugin allowed you to restrict what pages or sections of your WP website widgets were displayed on (as opposed to sitewide by default). You had to add conditional tag template code in an input box at the bottom of a widget to do this.
Widget Logic Visual allows you to restrict your widgets to any page or section of your website "visually". Just add the limitations you want for specific pages, posts, author pages, tags, categories. You can add specific pages only, or "all posts", "all tags", or just about any combination you can think of. You can even add exception rules like, all pages "except the homepage".
This plugin can be used by WP users of any experience level - with no understanding of conditional tags or template coding at all. Just point and click "and it works". Now you can easily make your widgets appear (or not appear) on virtually any page(s) within your WP website.
Learn more, view screenshots, and watch a short tutorial video at the official Widget Logic Visual page:


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Carmen Medina at BIF9: Awaiting the Second Enlightenment
Lois Kelly on Rebels at Work's mission:
This brilliant video depicts bureaucracy at its best….and worst. The protagonist is definitely a rebel. This is a wonderful example of the need to master the bureaucratic landscape if you are going to be a successful rebel at work.


text: My final before & after! It took me 5 months to lose 56 pounds, I'm 5'8.5" for reference! it was a hard journey but I'm so proud I did it! Through exercise & clean eating I made a lifestyle change that I plan on maintaining through even harder exercising to tone up. I posted this before and after today instead of once I hit my final 140 because I'm done losing weight, I just want to tone up and watch my body get harder not thinner. Follow for fitness :)


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A common view in my workstation… While working my cat is watching like a boss~~ #homebaseproblem?notreally
High Five in the Air on Flickr
High five because finally were together again after a year! High five because Gen is getting married! High five because its a stress free weekend reminiscing the funny & sad moments!
Recently I've been traveling alone.. escaping from my boring/stressful lifestyle.. looking for life… meeting new friends with the same interest - to see the world. I had fun.
But I missing the joy of being with my old true friend where I can always be me without any limitations.This girls are my college best friends, my old true friends, most of the time we just talk online/mobile, meet somewhere for dinner or coffee but its been years since our last travel together. Always planning but never happened maybe due to our different priorities in life.
Thanks God for giving us sometime :)
Morning walk at the beach
Every now and then I give my self a vitamin sea. A time to Rest. Relax. Recharge. No wonder why I look so tan? haha negra! I love watching sunrise. I'm happiest when I'm floating in the sea swimming with the fishes. In love with the big waves, its a sort of massage every time it strikes my body. I CAN'T SWIM.
"Trust your self you know more than you think you do" Maybe this quote best describes the feeling. Anyway I just love watching the waves. There's nothing more beautiful than the way ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it sent away.
It's like reminding my self to take a chance… You'll never know unless you tried and no matter what happened just keep going. That life is like an ocean.. It can be calm and steady ( just like today ) then rough and rigid ( when you have to decide and take a risk ) but in the end it will always be beautiful.
You'll love this place and the long stretch of manila bay early morning and late afternoon. (at Manila Yacht Club)
Twilight on Flickr.
I travel places not just for fun, experience different culture, meet new people… I have this personal goal to see and shot sunrise and sunset, so this is it El Nido after sunset.
Snake Island El Nido on Flickr.
View from the hill. One of my favorite spot in El Nido. It's not just the sandbar the connects the two islands, not just the 360 spectacular scenes and a crystal clear water…
Big Lagoon El Nido on Flickr.
A pleasure to relax and swim along with the fishes and other sea creature :)
Tappiya Waterfalls Batad on Flickr.
After a 2 hours trek at Batad Saddle… Hello waterfalls!
Portions of Batad Rice Terraces
Visited Batad Rice Terraces last weekend!
'Tis the Season! Eat bibingka & puto bongbong :3
I visited my childhood church Las Pinas Bamboo Organ earlier… Crowded as usual, Pinoy Tradition at this place never change. Paskong Pinoy.
Ohh… It's my photo journal's 4th year birthday!!!
Colors of Christmas on Flickr.
At Makati Lights & Sounds Show last Saturday.
Getting Lost! Its more fun in the Philippines on Flickr.
"Not All Who Wander Are Lost "
One of my favorite Bicol adventure was Sailing Caramoan Islands. Every island has its own identity, sand.. corals…
Bagong Umaga on Flickr.
I love the color of the sky before the sun rise, from cool blue to hot golden red orange.. Well it depends upon the location/season. I love sunsets too :3 Anyway this photo was taken recently at my grandmas town where I spent a quick vacation after resigning from my 5 years old day job.
Chocolate Hills Early Morning on Flickr.
Taken early in the morning, it was raining during my Bohol trip maybe the reason why Chocolate Hills looks so green.


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- reza boushehri
- Dubai
- United Arab Emirates
student at the international school of choueifat,
This conversation is closed.
Helping Teenagers all over the world to grow and become more confident and faithful in themselves. To build a brighter future.
As the citizens of tomorrow, us young people should be able to build confident,faithful,and more optimistic characters in order to survive in tomorrow's ups and downs. "We are a product of our own thoughts" as Stephan Covey says. So why not think in a better and more ambitious way? All young teenagers should find out about their limitless power and imagination.They should all strive to work diligently and faithfully towards attaining their goals.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
Dec 24 2012: An individual has 2 choices regarding life one is to be effect one is to be cause. The democracies of the world would have you believe that you need to be taken of as in the case of Greece, Argentina, France, UK, Spain, U.S., and others.
In other countries they believe that freedom is more important. The key to sucess in this environment is the exchange of what you have with another. To create something else is willing to exchange for requires purpose, integrity, hard work, the ability to work with others, and bunch of other qualities.
Of course there are shades in between these 2 extremes but the standard of living the world has today is because of the latter.
Dec 25 2012: Once again my profound words are met with:
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Wow crazy. Is the plan to fire OC's until Flaco is elite? Well this seems like good timing for us. They might be a trainwreck next game.
Wow crazy. Is the plan to fire OC's until Flaco is elite? Well this seems like good timing for us. They might be a trainwreck next game.
He will play like a HOF vs us though.
Fantasy headline quotes:
-Insanity, with "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background, accumulated the highest point total this week and beat Hakeem Nicks 137.95 - 100.75, overcoming an 18.22-point spread.
-Legend of Seawright Throat-Punches Mediocrity.
-20-page Eli Argument Knocks Out Insanity, Delivers an Early-Season Message
this is interesting tho bc it gives precedent to those who despise KG. im not stating MY opinion on KG, just that often a lot of ppl complain about him and the response is "top 10 offense" "won 2 sbs" "1rst place"...another team with some success got rid of their OC at 9-3
Hopefully it goes as well as the e-girls new DC is going.
well their offense sure wasn't the problem on sunday. that defense just isn't what it used to be. i mean people make a big deal about ray lewis coming back but how much of an impact is an aging linebacker who's not as god as he used to be going to make? plus suggs is out and ed reed is also up there in age.
Cameron has ran one of the most vanilla offenses these past few years. It's disturbing, so nice move in my eyes.


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The Baltimore Ravens took care of business on Saturday against the Denver Broncos to clinch their spot in the AFC Championship. On Sunday, the Ravens watched from home as the New England Patriots easily took care of the Houston Texans. One of the players watching, Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, was not impressed with New England despite the Patriots blowing Houston out of the water.
Ayanbadejo specifically pointed out the Pariots "gimmick offense" and didn't stop taking shots at next week's opponent there.
New England does some suspect stuff on offense. Can't really respect it. Comparable to a cheap shot b4 a fight
— Brendon Ayanbadejo (@brendon310) January 13, 2013
Are you watching the game pats vs texans? If so you see the hurry snap offense catch em b4 they set up. It's a gimmick. — Brendon Ayanbadejo (@brendon310) January 13, 2013
That was likely enough bulletin board material for Ayanbadejo to provide the Patriots, but he felt like he had more to say.
You know the same organization that did spygate and cut a guy the day b4 the Super Bowl
— Brendon Ayanbadejo (@brendon310) January 13, 2013
This probably wasn't Ayanbadejo's smartest move.
It's a shame that Ayanbadejo is primarily a special teams player, because we won't get to see him line up against that "gimmick offense" that New England runs.
But while Ayanbadejo may not be facing the Patriots offense, you can be sure they will catch wind of these comments and be fired up to face the Ravens defense. If Tom Brady's previous performances against trash talking players is any indication, the scorekeeper in New England could be in for a busy day next weekend.
Tags: Baltimore Ravens Brendon Ayanbadejo New England Patriots


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College football sources told FOX 26 Sports Wisconsin and LSU are set to play in 2014 at Reliant Stadium in the Texas Kickoff Classic.
Officials with the Texas Kickoff Classic would not confirm the story when contacted by FOX 26 Sports.
The inaugural Texas Kickoff Classic at Reliant Stadium in 2013 has Oklahoma State playing Mississippi State on Aug. 31.
According to the Texas Kickoff Classic website the game is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, and is managed in partnership with Lone Star Sports & Entertainment (LSSE), an event-management affiliate of the Houston Texans.


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- Compare to the active ingredient in Claritin
- 24 Hour Non-Drowsy Relief from: Sneezing Runny Nose; Itchy, Water Eyes; Itchy Throat or Nose
- For Indoor & Outdoor Allergies
- 5mg/ 5mL
- Fruit flavored
- Dosing cup included
Active Ingredient
Loratadine 5 mg ...... Antihistamine
Temporarily relieves itching due to hives (urticaria). This product will not prevent hives or an allergic skin reaction from occuring.
Severe Allergy Warning: Get emergency help immediately if you have hives along with any of the following symptoms:
- trouble swallowing
- dizziness or loss of consiousness
- swelling of tongue
- swelling in or around mouth
- trouble speaking
- drooling
- wheezing or problems breathing
These symptoms may be signs of anaphylactic shock. This condition may be life threatening if not treated by a health professional immediately. Symptoms of anaphylactic shock may occur when hives first appear or up to a few hours later.
Not Substitute for Epinephrine. If your doctor has prescribed an epinephrine injector for "anaphylaxis" or severe allergy symptoms that could occur with your hives, never use this product as a substitute for the epinephrine injector. If you have been prescribed an epinephrine injector, you should carry it with you at all times.
Do not use:
- to prevent hives from any known cause such as: foods, insect stings, medicines, or latex or rubber gloves. This product will not stop hives from occuring. Avoiding the cause of your hives is the only way to prevent them. Hives can sometimes be serious. If you do no know the cause of your hives, see your doctor for a medical exam. Your doctor may be able to help you find a cause.
- if you have ever had an allergic reaction to this product (loratadine) or any of its ingredients
Ask a doctor before use if you have:
- liver or kidney disease. Your doctor should determine if you need a different dose.
- hives that are an unusual color, look bruised or blistered
- hives do not itch
When using this product do not take more than directed. Taking more than directed may cause drowsiness.
Stop use and ask a doctor if:
- an allergic reaction to this product occurs. Get medical help right away
- symptoms don't improve after 3 days of treatment
- the hives have laste more than 6 weeks
If pregnant of breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.
Keep out of reach of children. In case of overdose, get medical help of contact a Poison Control Center right away.
Adults and children 6 years and over:
- 2 TEASPOONFULS daily; do not take more than 2 TEASPOONFULS in 24 hours
Children under 6 years of age:
- Ask a doctor.
Consumers with liver or kidney disease:
- Ask a doctor.
Other Information
Safety sealed: do not use if imprinted safety seal is torn or missing.
Store at room temperature.
Inactive Ingredients
Citric acid, edetate disodium, flavor, glycerin, propylene glycol, sodium benzoate, sugar, water.
For more information on this product, please call 1-888-974-5279.


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Off Belay forum
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Topic - Storey Arms Outdoor Education Centre
The Green Giant - on 12 Feb 2013
Storey Arms outdoor centre is one of many centres which is getting its budget cut. I don't know much about this individual centre, maybe someone more knowledgeable could fill us in, but what I do know is that outdoor centres need to be protected. I think the UKC collective can vouch for the importance of the lessons that can be learnt from outdoors that can lead to becoming transferable skills used in life.
If you could just simply read, sign this then post it elsewhere that would be great. I wouldn't hesitate to do it for another petition if anywhere else is in the same situation:
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Great Schools Partnership News
Edutopia published this story on July 7, 2014 under the title A Working Model for Blended Learning in an Urban School. The post was written by Nicholas Donahue is the president and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, and Dr. … Read Full Article →
The grassroots online newspaper The Evolution, which publishes news about the impact that nontraditional educational programs have on higher education and society, recently interviewed Linda Schott, president of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and Ray Rice, provost, about the university's transition to proficiency-based learning. Schott and Rice discuss the reasons why the … Read Full Article →
The push to get proficiency-based education into more New England high schools got a boost this week, when 55 public universities in five states endorsed this hands-on approach to learning. Under proficiency-based systems, students need to continuously show that they're mastering key skills in their subjects throughout their high school careers. Proponents say the stamp of approval from public universities and community colleges will mean a more … Read Full Article →
Most Maine high schools say they need more time to begin awarding diplomas based on proficiency and not seat time or credit hours. Last week, the state gave high schools the option to complete this work by 2020, instead of 2018. A handful, though, don't need any extension. Jay Field reports from the Midcoast on a high school that's been focusing on proficiency-based learning for years, and is now serving as a model for others across the state. … Read Full Article →
All of the Public Institutions of Higher Education in Five New England States Endorse Innovative Strategies for Teaching Today's Young Adults
All the public institutions of higher education in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont have joined the New England Secondary School Consortium and three private institutions to endorse educational … Read Full Article →
At its 2014 National Excellence in Urban Education Symposium held on May 21-23 in San Diego, the National Center for Urban School Transformation awarded Revere High School a Gold Medal award as the Best 2014 Urban School in the United States. The Great Schools Partnership has been working with Revere High School since 2010.
Read Full Article →


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Steamy Hot Den Wok Coverboy Magazine
Steamy hot Den Wok goes shirtless covers for Coverboy Magazine issue 4 captured by photographer Salvador Pozo. What a fantastic muscley body and his wet jock is incredible looks like a very nice package, a very HOT guy ,would love to join him on that shower he looks very inviting.
More on Steamy Hot Den Wok Coverboy Magazine photos…
More Men Shirtless
DISCLAIMER: All Images you see in this blog were taken from the internet and are regarded as a public domain. We don't claim ownership over the images posted. The images remains the property of their respective owners. If you are the legitimate owner and wish to have the images removed, please email us and we will remove them immediately. We also try to acknowledge and give credit to the owners of the images. If you are the owner of the images and wish to have your names attached, let us know.


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The Real Cost of Trucking – Per Mile Operating Cost of a Commercial Truck
The Real Cost of Trucking
$1.38 The average per mile operating cost for the trucking industry
$180,000 The average total yearly cost of operating a commercial truck
The largest operating expense is diesel fuel. A commercial truck can easily consume more than $70,000 of diesel fuel per year.
Driver Salary is the second largest operating cost. Standard commercial truck driver salaries are based on the distance driven, per mile. Although drivers spend a fair amount of time in docks and traffic, their operating costs are only derived from miles traveled. 26% of overall expenses ($0.36 per mile)
Repairs & Maintenance – issues with air line/hoses, alternators, wiring, and brakes are all common in commercial trucks, and can cost $15,000 annually ($0.12 per mile)
Insurance – There are more than 9 different types of insurance policies for the industry. Multiple insurance policies can cause coverages to cost over $6,500 a year ($0.05 per mile)
Tires – Retreading is less expensive than new tires and is a large portion of this cost. Although mere pennies per mile, an average tire can cost over $250 and annual tire expenses can exceed $4,000 ($0.03 per mile), enough to purchase 16 new tires annually, but still not enough to replace every tire of an 18-wheeler.
Permits, Licenses, and Tolls – Required permits and licenses for the industry and equipment, as well as continuous travel on toll roads, are cause for this expense $3,600 annually ($0.02 per mile)
Coffee – Truck stops sell more coffee than convenience stores. The average commercial truck driver spends more than $0.004 per mile on coffee, resulting in over $600 a year on coffee per industry driver.
There are additional expenses that are harder to quantify on a per mile basis, such as the expense of finding loads, either by paying commission or salary to a dispatcher, or using freight matching services. Other expenses, such as freight factoring services that help trucking companies receive faster payment on invoicing, are only used by some trucking companies.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
- November 26, 2013 at 2:42 pm
Many thanks for the inf0 and the for the subsequent comments. There are lots of national trucking companies these days that are putting the squeeze on newly trained drivers to lease their trucks at rates that just don't make any sense what-so-ever but these guys are grateful to have a job, mostly uninformed about what they are getting into and anxious to "be their own bosses". Hopefully, this information and the comments will help them become better informed.
- January 21, 2014 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for the well put together information on trucking costs. It is a big help in computing my start up costs and putting together my business plan. I agree with Howard that new truck drivers like myself are easily taken advantage of by the larger fish. Like working for the company store if you ask me…
- March 12, 2014 at 8:40 pm
There's a lot of good info here in a great visual format. I'd like to add the fact that many owner operators will go through brokerage firms like ch Robinson, access America or others to find loads. As a broker I can say this is a huge hassle for operators and can take up a major portion of every day. If you're thinking of starting up be prepared to multitask constantly, be assertive, and work day and night. (And for gods sake use a broker that does not get paid on commission)
- April 9, 2014 at 8:16 am
what about TQL!
- August 29, 2014 at 11:51 am
As Steve requests, I would also like to learn more about why not to use a broker that works on commission. Please enlighten us!!
Leave a Comment


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I have finished several schematics in eagle 5.11 which I used the Wire tool to make connections, I recently found a tutorial that said not to use Wire but to use the Net tool to make connections, is there a difference and if so what is the difference and why does it matter?
Should I go back and redo my schematic part connections with the Net tool? Will it make a difference in anything?