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We recently returned from a trip through Idaho, Washington and Oregon. We went through miles and miles of growing wheat, beets, potatoes, onions, corn, safflower, garbonzo beans, and of course, sage brush. Spring is a nice time to travel while the temperatures are lower and the hills are green. It made me reflect on just how much Heavenly Father loves us. This is still the best country in the world. We are a great nation and we have the ability to feed nations. This trip also fed my soul and I better appreciate this world of ours. I got too used to hearing negative press about people, places and things. I got so I wouldn't watch the news. This trip was a let down of that negativity for me and gave me a renewed hope for our country in so many ways.
We saw these beautiful flowered hillsides above, surrounded by pine trees below. That's a little different from what I am used to. It's usually the tops of the mountains covered in pines and farmer's fields below.
We saw old mansions that were restored or kept up, as opposed to homes that are new and are 90% are stucco like mine. It was refreshing.
We visited cities with diffrerent architecture, climate, and art venues.
City parks
Someone's idea of big old butterfly statue and I like it.
Hotels that have hosted presidents, poets and history making pioneers
The Columbia River Gorge where barges and tug boats operate as if it was the ocean instead of a river.
Museums about the Lewis and Clark expedition
"Old" reminders of where we came from... (the car) not my model
A reminder of how far we have come in medical science
How important our railroads were and are to us. This shows Wayne on top of the gorge.
the middle
and down below
I'm not opposed to a great motel room either and this was the view from ours in Sun River, Oregon.
This was the deck off our room which contained two rockers like this. We could just sit and look at the view and pretend, yes I said PRETEND, that we are getting old and rocking away on our porch.
Wayne got to play 2 of the 3 beautiful golf courses surrounding Sun RIver Lodge, one of which is a PGA course with white sand, baby eagles, water everywhere and which he played one of his best games since taking up the sports 40 years ago.
Our room also had little silly ammenities like extra TP in a bag.
And included cotton balls and swabs.
The walking tunnel
This was home for a few days.
I don't know what they are but they were gorgeous
The fireplace in our room
The front deck
The refrigerator is behind those doors.
We went to a couple of banquets that were to die for. This was the centerpiece at one table. I thought it was simple and clever. The food had everything from salmon, steelhead, steaks, chicken, ribs etc. and all the sides and desserts you could ever eat. Catered food is not always that good but this one riveled the best I have ever had. I thought for sure I would gain 5 pounds before we got home but at the end I had gained 4 ounces.
OK, it's not like I am an over busy person with trials and stresses that I needed to get relief from. I am the first to admit that I have a pretty good life. So what's wrong with that? We got away, we ate, we played we saw and I want to do it again.


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Hells Headbangers Records
1. Letanías de Satán - Intro
2. Holocausto
3. Genocidio
4. Warfare Noise
5. Revelaciones
6. Altares de Pandemonium
7. Madre muerte
8. Hambre, peste, guerra y muerte
9. Ego Svm Satana
Splits, demo tapes, live recordings and finally after 15 years this Peruwian monster recorded a debut album which was released by the HHR. Fans worldwide expecting their heads to be smashed with the onward going machine of fucking war & blasphemy will be more then pleased. The intense of each song is overwhelming and I am feeling like someone took my head and start bashing it against the wall. This means this is amazingly good stuff then! Abnormal rhythm section that is blasting almost all the way through the record, growls & screams of vocalist are so evil, filled with hatred towards holiness & humanity, almost with fucking animal instinct. Also at the longest track lasting more then 10 minutes 'Hambre, Peste, Guerra y Muerte' the vocals are mad, possessed, totally depraved and is like hearing agony of mental person. It's so fascinating! Bestiality of Southern America scene and fucking hearing such devoted material made with fucking passion, honestly an honour to me to listen to. Black Metal combination with Death Metal of old days, simply astonishing killer stuff. Fuck preety sound, this is Hell! Massive riffs that destroy all your living will and hope for anything good at this planet Earth. Vocals that will rape your soul with the demolishing terror, it is like a nuclear tornado. Argh! My day today is done, Goat Semen will blaspheme couple of times more here.

subset: commoncrawl


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Why the Brits Are ProtestingNovember 25, 2010 at 2:48 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Cambridge University, Governnor Arnold Schwarzenneger, Harvard University, Oxford University, state of California, student protests in Britain, tuition increases, University of California, University of California Berkeley, university tuition
Sometimes, it seems, even the best tv news coverage is worthless. Repeatedly in the past few days we have heard on PBS about the student protests in Britain over increases in university tuition. But did the newspeople tell us what the increases are? Nah. We heard a while back that the Greeks were protesting because the minimum retirement age was going from 60 to 62–what the current minimum age for Social Security is here. Tuition figures, however, are apparently too complicated to be repeated on the tube.
Today, however, the local paper of record has filled in the details. University tuition in Britain is scheduled to go from a cap of $5,624 to a cap of $14,400. This because the deficit-wary government is giving less money in direct grants to universities. And, the Times mentions, up till the late 1990s, university tuition in Britain was free. (I'm still not up to speed on embedded link technology, but you can find the article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/world/europe/25britain.html?ref=world )
So one way you could look at this, if you figured university tuition in Britain as $1 in 1995, is to say that there has been a 14,000% increase in allowed tuition charges, more or less, since then, and a 100% increase since the most recent cap. I can imagine why students might take to the streets over that.
To gain a little perspective, though, bear in mind that these figures include the maximum allowed tuition to Oxford and Cambridge, two of the greatest universities in the world. The undergraduate tuition at Harvard is $32, 557. In-state tuition at the University of California is a good deal lower–$6,230 (at Berkeley at least)– but California is on the verge of bankruptcy, and the outgoing governor, Arnold-baby, has proposed an 8% increase in tuition, on top of a 32% increase in 2009. Students were protesting there, too, last week (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/us/18calif.html?pagewanted=2&sq=student%20protests%20University%20of%20California&st=cse&scp=4) . Maybe if they hear what the tuition cap at Oxford and Cambridge is, they'll quiet down a bit. On the other hand, in Britain the government throws in health care for everyone on the side.
All of this makes me grateful my student days are behind me. I have a feeling this won't be the last we hear about these matters. Stay tuned.
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I have decided to move the sewing room around again.
I was not crazy about the "flow"!
This is what I did.
I do not know why a clean sewing room seems so much more creative.
It is so hard to keep it clean though.
I realized that I did not show you this finished quilt top...
or this quilt top that I am trying decide how to set...
But I think it will make a GREAT kids quilt.
The snowmen have so much detail.
I got these blocks shown and another 20 for only $2 at the "Fabric Sale"!
I will probably be talking about that sale for another few years. LOL
In this post, I showed this picture of my sewing area
I was going to use them for my Quilted Hugs project, but they just seem too "mature" to give to kids. What do you think?
Should I complete it and send it?
Should I just hold on to it to give to someone else??
Anyways, I had to show you my new toy that Detto sent home.
Well, it is really a new toy for the whole family!
Its a Panini Press! Alyssa and I are loving it so far!
She even made me lunch with it...
I love grilled cheese and tomato soup and that is what we had!
I was given this quilt top
I can't decide if I should fix it and keep it, or pass it along to someone who would love it more than me. Is there someone out there who would love it more than me??
Whoever made it took a lot of time piecing it.
I have good news....
Detto will be home soon.
The Army takes him away too much!
I am ready for him to be home for another few months.
I also was given a new phone! Yippy!
Now I have a smart phone, but I don't have a picture of it!


text: With the snow piling up here in NH. I have been working through my list of projects. Today, I put my Sansui 5500 receiver on the workbench for a thorough cleaning and adjustment. I aquired this 5500 this past Summer at a fleamarket, and put it aside and added it to my Winter to-do list. Back in October I used it as a cadaver for its lamps to replace those in my TU-9500. Today, I put this lovely receiver on the bench and gave it a thorough cleaning, vacuuming, and liberal DEOXIT application. I adjusted the vitals per the manual and replaced the vacant lamps with my homemade LED/Resistor pieces. When I was finished I applied a good dose of Howard's Finish Restorer (walnut) to the lovely wood veneer case. I'm amazed at how this receiver sounds. Even its phono stage is clear and crisp, in the best Sansui way. I had figured that I would find swollen, or leaking caps, but all of the original Elnas looked great. I know that they are way past their prime in age, but this thing sounds like a Spring Chicken. I pulled the 771 out of my third system and replaced it with this 5500. All I can say is that I am amazed with this Sansui and I have not seen another like it. Al. Wise


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Just as a heads up I will be taking a short break from blogging, a few weeks at most. I have a lot going on with my life including a final project for my pattern drafting class, designing and drafting AND constructing a matron-of-honor dress for my sister-in-law's wedding, a sick husband, and assorted other time-suckers.
Don't worry, when I come back I'll have a lot of stuff to share, including a tutorial of sorts. So don't write me off, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Catalog Sunday
5 days ago


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Today was a really hard day. I got up on time feeling good and got a good breakfast of sweet potato and sausage hash.
When I was chopping sweet potatoes for breakfast I chopped an extra one to use for lunch and I'm glad I did. Work was crazy today. I love my job but taking care of other people and making decisions that affect their health is stressful. I didn't get off at lunch on time so I didn't have much time to cook lunch at home. Lunch was ready 5 minutes before I had to leave to go back to work so I just took it with me. The 2 year old is sick and whiny and clingy. I meant to put lunch in the crockpot before I left for work this morning but I ran out of time and didn't have time at lunch either. Hubby was going to try to fix dinner but he was home with cranky baby so it didn't get done. As I pulled into the grocery store parking lot I barely had the energy to get out of the van and go inside. Straight in front of me was the Chinese restaurant. Many, many days this would have been our option. Long stressful day at work, sick kid at home, everybody needs a break and a little TLC so let's just order Chinese and be done with it. This is real life. I'm not living in a fairy tale world where healthy eating is easy. So when you come see me in the office and tell me how stressed you are and how you don't have time to cook real food, I get it. But, I pulled myself out of the van and made a different choice today. It was after 7 by the time we ate dinner. Later than I like but we had steak and mashed potatoes with coconut milk that is whole 30 approved and salad.
If you attempt this challenge of 30 days of whole foods have a partner to do it with you. If Hubby was not on board I would not be surviving this. When I got home he cooked dinner while I held the cranky baby (I have to stop calling him a baby he's 2).
Also update on the coffee situation: I found coconut milk that is whole 30 approved at my local grocery today. I was reading labels on spices for the steak (do you know that a lot of the mixed spices have sugar in them? No wonder we have an obesity problem in this country!) and happened to see the condensed milk right next to the spices and there on a shelf mixed in with condensed milk and evaporated milk was coconut milk. I'll be using it in my coffee soon and will see if it make it easier to drink.


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Monday, August 15, 2011
Destination anyone????
And yes, I know, I know, shouldn't be that difficult to choose a destination. After all, it's pretty much a splurge vacation. But Matt and I have had some trouble coming up with places we would like to go. What's the issue, you ask? Most people love to do the beach thing for a honeymoon. And, for starters, I'm about as dark as an albino. Plus, I don't tan, I glow. No really, I DO. If you're next to me in the sunlight, you need sunglasses because of me...more than the sun. Yeeeeuuupp!
Soo, because of this, I'm not exactly enthralled with the idea of a tropical setting. Sure, it's fun to lay on beach, but only when you can stay in the sun longer than ten minutes. Did I mention I burn like crazy??? I drove down the canyon in my car last weekend with my arm in the sun....I now have a sunburn. That would be a fifteen minute drive. Fif-teen. Minutes. So you see, we're trying to think outside the box with this whole honeymoon thing. Does anyone have any suggestions? Where are some fun places? Where did you go on your honeymoon? We've never been on a cruise, so that would be fun. But since we've never been, I have NO clue where we should go or anything about a cruise! I would be grateful for any and all suggestions on this one. We DO have a lot of time, so there's no need to panic about scheduling it yet, but I'd like to get some ideas! :)
2 comments:
I was thinking Alaskan cruise, but late April may not be the greatest time frame for that. Plus, after going through a long hard winter, you may want something warm. What about Florida - Orlando - and hit Disney World and Universal, etc.? A cruise would definitely be good, and I recommend Caribbean, out of Florida or even out of Puerto Rice. Avoid the Pacific. Unless it's Hawaii. :)ReplyDelete
What happened to the road trip up the west coast idea? Do you have a budget for your honeymoon? That might influence where you go and what you do?ReplyDelete
Sun Valley, Idaho is way cute (kind of Park City-ish) with skiing, hiking, snowmobile trails, great hot springs,great scenery, way cute shops and really yummy restaurants.
Or New York -- that's what I would've chosen if we had the money.


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From YG representative: The top class show, Bigbang's BIG SHOW! Until now all the members have worked hard in different area, now finally they're back at one place. Along with the announcement of the third album, this concert is held to fulfill the fans thirst that have waited for 2 years and 3 months. Apart from their personal activities, the members are going to show you not only music, but also various performances as well ^^ Don't miss the greatest show made by the greatest people, 2011 BIGBANG Concert, [BIG SHOW]!
◆ Concert Outline ◆
Concert name: 2011 BIGBANG Concert [BIG SHOW]
Fri, 25th February 2011 /8pm
Sat, 26th February 2011/ 6pm
Sun, 27th February 2011/6pm
Place: Olympic Athletic Stadium
Ticket: VIP 88.000 KRW / R 77.000 KRW (tax included)
Host/Directed: YG Entertainment
Sponsored by: Gmarket, FILA Korea, Nikon, etc
◆ Ticket Sales ◆
Reservation: Gmarket (www.gmarket.co.kr), phone: 1566-5702
Purchasing date:
Fri, 25th February 2011 concert –> Tue, 18th January 2011, 8PM
Sat, 26th February 2011 concert –> Wed, 19th February 2011, 8PM
Sun, 27th February 2011 concert –> Thu, 20th February 2011, 8PM


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Every semester when I begin teaching, I tell my students that literature, unlike many other disciplines that require specialized study or training or language to access, is an intellectual commons. I point out that everyone can contribute to a discussion of literature and that everyone can benefit from participating in a discussion of literature.
I have complete faith in literature as a commons, in poetry as a commons, even the poetry that some would argue is inaccessible to the novice or to the lay-person – conceptual poetry, sound poetry, language poetry, avante garde poetry. Accessibility is a myth created by those who seek to create a division between poetic traditions of narrative or lyricism or protest or activism and poetic traditions of experimentation and innovation. I do not champion working-class poetry because it is accessible; I champion it because it is important, and often moving, and often grounded in experiences critical to the formation of a larger social identity.
This isn't to say that I don't privilege openness in a poem, the idea that a poem invites its readers in instead of shooing its readers away. I think Rodrigo Toscano explains this well in his recent blogpost on Harriet ¡ONLY TWO TYPES OF POETRY! when he makes a distinction between come-to-me poetry and go-to-you poetry (and then expands on this idea delightfully when he includes fuck-you-both poetry and fuck-me poetry – a premise that Julie Carr riffs on when she introduces the wanna-fuck poems in her blogpost Shame and the Shape of the I).
And so. Electronic literature. Is this the commons' new frontier?
Take, for example, Your World of Text. It is a digital model of a commons. An infinite tabula rasa that invites everyone to take part in its de(con)struction, and everyone has the power to create new tabula rasae, new worlds in which others can generate text or type art. It's fascinating in places and filled with gobbledygook or dross in other places and I found a castle which was populated by other people's text which was so cool…but is it literature?
It's not fair of me to start there because that isn't really the question I want to explore. I'm more interested in the media and whether or not the digital realm (which combines the public and the private/the political and the personal in ways that I believe we are just beginning to understand and negotiate) is conducive to the creation of a commons as opposed to isolating or exclusionary practices. There is so much electronic literature that I love, like almost anything by Andy Campbell (Spawn and Dim O'Gauble) and Stephanie Strickland's The Ballad of Sand and Harry Soot, Jason Nelson's Wittenoom and almost everything I've experienced on The New River and on SpringGun. And I think the poems themselves are open.
But does the advanced technology leave some people out? And it that important? A book is exclusionary in that it is available only to those who are literate and who can negotiate a library or a bookstore. Digital literacy is increasing at a rapid pace and is, I suspect, not much of an issue for anyone born after 1980. There is the question of access to the medium, the need for computers and software and at least a rudimentary understanding of navigating through a digital poem, which may present a larger challenge to a larger population than I can readily grasp.
I also wonder about the experience of reading electronic literature. I mean, reading a book is, for the most part, a solitary activity, and consequently isolating, and the reader must seek community in the commons to share her experience. But printed text provides no illusion of interactivity, and so the reader must seek it out, must participate in the commons to have an interactive experience. Does digital poetry bypass a reader's need for a commons? Or does it merely bypass a reader's need for a traditional commons and instead provide a new commons, one in which a reader can have a public exchange/experience while remaining private?
I'm not sure. I'm really not.


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Sunday, November 25, 2012
The street with no name - but with a lot of rubbish
Actually this is just very little at that evening - I have seen that street double or triple with rubbish. Cheers !
Posted by The Visa Man at 11:09 PM No comments:
A little rain - big chaos
Posted by The Visa Man at 11:01 PM No comments:
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Your weekend music - When the Music's Over .......
Yes - The Doors swan song for all the corrupt chinese people - quite a match - even the original meaning of that song is slighltey different - doesn't matter: Some day the music will be over for all of you:
Enjoy - this is real & this is good:
Slow maybe from You Tube - patience please !
Here one more - perfect match for THE LEADERS - will they ever reach that:
This is a famous trailer - I hope you know what movie for:
Enjoy - this is real & this is good:
Slow maybe from You Tube - patience please !
Here one more - perfect match for THE LEADERS - will they ever reach that:
This is a famous trailer - I hope you know what movie for:
Posted by The Visa Man at 12:42 AM No comments:
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Congress is over - Business as normal
Did anybody expected something else ? The power has been handed over to just another bunch of leaders: Main purpose to keep THE PARTY alive - as since years they tell us: PEOPLE MUST PARTY:
And here the sound for that: LET'S GET THE PARTY GOING:
And here the sound for that: LET'S GET THE PARTY GOING:
Posted by The Visa Man at 11:39 PM No comments:
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Coming back to grandpa Wen
China Probes Wen's Family Wealth After NYT Story, SCMP Says
China began a probe of Premier Wen Jiabao's wealth at his request after the New York Times reported his relatives had amassed at least $2.7 billion of assets, the South China Morning Post reported today.
The premier called for a formal inquiry in a letter to the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, of which he is a member, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people. Conservative party elders who dislike Wen's more liberal stance have called on him to explain the New York Times's reporting, the sources said, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Times story on Wen's family wealth cited corporate and regulatory records and unidentified people familiar with the family's investments. Among the assets was a holding in the name of Wen's mother, Yang Zhiyun, in Ping An Insurance Co. that was valued at $120 million in 2007, the Times reported.
A faxed request for comment to the Chinese foreign ministry's news department wasn't immediately answered. On Oct. 29, the foreign ministry confirmed Wen's family had lawyers issue a statement responding to the Times story and suggested the report was a bid to provoke instability. The South China Morning Post had reported that lawyers representing Wen's family issued a statement disputing some of the Times story.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stanley James in Hong Kong at firstname.lastname@example.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stanley James at email@example.com; John Liu at email@example.com
Surely all is under cover - dont worry Wen - your term will be over soon & your family will treat you nicely !
Posted by The Visa Man at 11:33 PM No comments:
What happens to rejected products in China?
This one is from here Renaud Anjoran - Good blog !
See the photos & read - I copy / pasted the whole thing here:
See the photos & read - I copy / pasted the whole thing here:
In China, a conscious effort is made to avoid wasting anything. For example, they will try to eat all organs of an animal.
This good habit naturally made its way in the manufacturing industry:
- There are some defects? Let's just mix them with the good products, to avoid being caught.
- The entire batch is rejected by a customer? Let's try to sell it to another one, or to local shops.
In other words, don't expect your Chinese suppliers to destroy a production that you have refused. They will never accept to take that kind of loss. They will try to do something else with it.
The designs were licensed and bear your brand name? So what?
The products are actually unsafe and should not be used by anybody? Who are you to judge that?
On Saturday I found a good example. Something weird was going on, in the fisherman's wharf of Shekou:
Here is what I saw:
- The cans contained powder milk.
- Every single can's lid had already been punched before getting to this place.
- The workers opened the lid fully, and others emptied the cans inside large bags.
These cans had clearly been rejected. That port is very close to Hong Kong, so one can imagine many scenarios.
What will they do with all this milk powder? I hope they feed pigs with it, but I am afraid they re-package it in a dirty factory and re-sell it in stores…
Milk powder has been suspect in the eyes of most Chinese since the Sanlu scandal of 2008. Tons of milk are purchased in Hong Kong and brought to the mainland every month.
Old habits die hard…
Cheers & have a nice NATIONAL CONGRESS !
Posted by The Visa Man at 11:27 PM No comments:
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Hope you all have a great weekend !!
and if you want to play along with the blanks..go heaaa
My thanksgiving plans this year will include a day off work with my boys N and Birry and Oli. Not sure what we're going to eat yet but unfortunately we're missing out on a big feast this year. But that's okay because I'm looking at it like a free "get out of jail" card for my waist ;) Lord knows I'm a sucker for holiday food!
My favorite Thanksgiving was the thanksgiving holiday when my Nana and Jeffrey came to spend it with us in Colorado and my grandpa Jeff got on the ladder the very next day on his skinny golfer legs and insisted on hanging Christmas lights the very next day.
My signature Thanksgiving dish is ..once I start cooking and embracing my housewife role I'll get back to you.
My favorite Thanksgiving food is the dessert :) duh
Thanksgiving free association! Will someone please explain to me, what this means???!!!! Do you just say random words about Thanksgiving that relate to you?? I know I know..it's the German thing.
I am thankful for a family that loves me unconditionally; someone to love me for who I am; family and friends that would travel the world to see me; my health; loving myself for who I am; knowing who I am; a younger sister to protect her big sister; a younger brother whom I can use as an excuse to watch Spongebob and play video games; a best friend that let's me tease him till the sun turns green; a goofy puppy; the ability to love and be grateful.


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The education department is worried about the increasing rate of teen pregnancy in Gauteng, saying 4 446 girls fell pregnant in the province last year.The alarming numbers, which included the case of a grade 5 pupil in Ekurhuleni, were announced by MEC Panyaza Lesufi on Wednesday.
|Department of Health Losing War Against Teen Pregnancy
Education spokesman Oupa Bodibe said: "According to our records, 61 cases of sexual misconduct have been reported over the past three years.
"So far, 23 teachers have been fired for misconduct involving pupils." Asked about solutions, Bodibe said they were working with the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance to train support teams.
Ekurhuleni was the worst affected, with 1 289 pregnant girls. Tshwane came in second, with a total of 1 136. The worst affected grades were 10, 11 and matric.
Shockingly, a total of 39 primary school girls fell pregnant. MEC Lesufi tweeted: "We're not winning the battle against teenage pregnancy within the schooling environment in Gauteng!"
He said he was terrified. - Daily Sun


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I got my new Zoyas in the mail as part of the 2fer promo - my favorite of the 2 I picked was this brilliant candy apple red called Sooki. It's a new swatch part of their summer line. I had my lovebird, Cleo, out for a romp and thought i'd snap a shot of her perched on my Zoya fingers since she matched it so well! Below Cleo is Faye, the other polish I got in the promo.
Monday, April 4, 2011
My Lovebird Modeling With Zoya Sooki
Posted by Julie at 3:47 PM
6 comments:
What a gorgeous bird!ReplyDelete
Which color did your love bird like the most? :)ReplyDelete
Your bird is gorgeous!ReplyDelete
cute birds!ReplyDelete
love faye!!
thank you!! I think Cleo is a huge fan of the reds :) I love reds, but I can't stand how they stain my fingers!ReplyDelete
I love Cleo! Oh my goodness, what a beauty! I used to have a couple of parakeets that passed just this past year :( I had had one of them for around 13 years!ReplyDelete
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I am not a spider. But it is pretty freakin cool.
Fascinating - doesn't apply to me
Thought out by Jezcabelle at 22:58
No comments:
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The inch of difference between gilded chamber and padded cell. Or the ramblings of a mad woman who keeps losing everything but her reason.


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I really enjoyed making this card for our niece birthday.
For this card i used
Tattered lace die Olivia coloured with promarkers,
Spellbinders dies,
Poppy stamps dies flowers and flourishes some of them coloured with promarkers,
Couture creation embossing folder,
Sentiment from computer,
ink and a gem stone.
Just wanted to say to my new followers Thank you for following my blog.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving your comments


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Another new year and so are the predictions (the world and the web are full of those). Here is the quick snap shot of what web pundits are predicting:
Facebook will feel pressure: Facebook emerged as king in Social Networking in 2010 while others Google Wave, Orkut, Myspace failed miserably. Facebook came under the clouts of privacy laws and in coming years will face the heat and the social pressure. Mobiles (rather say Steve Jobs) will try to redefine social networking on mobiles. Instagram buzzed early trends in 2010 and Web Summit 2.0 already had talks about mobiles roles in social networking.
Web based Application Development: With Android gaining popularity as new platform and emergence of new hardware devices (tablets), more mashup-able Apps will be developed. It definitely depends how the demand-supply equation of tablets goes in the market. With the lowering of hardware prices reaching "affordable domain", cloud computing and development tools framework will focus upon portable (or cross-screen) application development. Whether it is Flash or Flex or Siliverlight or HTML5, the target is to design user interfaces for multi-devices, especially mobile based web-designing (better say experience design) will be on higher priority (in comparison to desktop screens).
E-Books Publishing: Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iPad and many other e-readers/tablets emerged in the market in last few years. With the increase in adoption of tablets, ebooks business will definitely get a boost. However the war among the e-readers is yet to go in full swing. It is still not over. Price-war hasn't started yet (note a Kindle book of $9.99 is still very expensive.)
TVs and convergence: TV models will see the convergence of mobile, internet and setup boxes. This has been pending for a long time. 3D TV still in its infancy shape will remain as it is. Let us see if your living room TV becomes an important collaboration and communication resource. Wake up CISCO giant, see if it can trigger this innovation or will it come from a small start up. Let us see what CES 2011 has to show?


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Update on the art quilt. After my last post and the great encouragement I received from you, I feel I should say that I knew I could do the quilt because it is rather small, 18″ x 36″ and I know I work best with a deadline. I thought I would show you my progress thus far. It doesn't have quite the ethereal feel I want and I don't know that I am able to get it but I intend to try. Perhaps the back ground needs to be less varied in value but too late for that. Oh well. Suzannah said it looks great so I am happy even if it doesn't match the image in my head or my sketch from the previous post!
The birds have stitching done to blend the fabrics. I decided to stitch first and quilt later. That way the images will project rather than receed. At least I hope that is how it turns out.
I worked at Singer retail store in the early 80's while I was in college. I remember making a bird, some sort of crane I think. I used raw edge applique (like the birds above) and then I created a trupunto effect by stuffing the feathers. The store hung this piece for a while and I took it home when I quit. I wish I knew where that piece was; I bet it is very similar to what I am doing here (although I am still debating on the trupunto).
Tags: art quilt, birds, fiber art, free hand machine embroidery, thread painting


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Going to visit the Graffiti expo in Paris
April 10, 2009 at 4:58 pm Leave a comment
Am going to go visit the TAG expo in the Grand Palais (a prestigious glass roofed expo palace in Paris). Am looking forward to it. Hope there is a good variety of pieces in there.
Will be blogging my visit, it will be a long post.
Entry filed under: art, art on walls, dolk, graffiti, graffitti, new release, paris, pictures on walls, street art, tagging. Tags: graffiti, paris, stencil, street art.
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By Jared Leone, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Television celebrates its best and brightest stars and shows during the Emmy Awards Sunday.
Here is a list of winners for the 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards:


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All done !
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Quaker Heart, Susan - Complete
Posted by Beate at 8/10/2008 10:47:00 AM
5 comments:
It amazing!
Love it!
- August 10, 2008 at 3:01 PM
- Milly~ said...
It turned out beautifully Bea. I love hearts so will have to add this to my stash.
- August 11, 2008 at 1:03 PM
What a great finish Bea! Congrats!
- August 11, 2008 at 5:26 PM
- Deborah/LavenderRose said...
Fabulous! I just love your quakers... I especially love your little biscornu you made some time ago in the blue on white. Wonderful work!
Hugs, Deb....a TGOSM friend
- August 22, 2008 at 5:45 PM
- Charlene said...
Scrolled through your work and it is really amazing! You do such lovely work! That Quaker sampler is awesome, and love, love this quaker heart. Where is it from? Happy to have found your blog!
- September 8, 2009 at 10:53 AM
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posted on:October 15, 2009
Revisited Creating Custom Write Panels in WordPress
Learn how to extend the possibilities of WordPress using custom write panels. Taking our popular tutorial from last year and extending and improving the techniques to help you make the most of WordPress.
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Today was YUCK. A complete pile of doo. I had to take two exams of two hours each, back to back, with a combined NINETEEN PAGES of essay writing. No, not pages of test, pages of ESSAYS. My right hand hurts all the way up to my elbow. I got a voicemail after my four hours of misery that was from my dad. He told me that he was in Lansing and wanted to surprise me and take me out to dinner, but that I wasn't around when he called so he just went home. DARN! He was on an expense account too, so I could have gotten appetizers and non-water drinks and everything!!!! Plus, you know, I miss him and stuff.
So then I get back to Yakeley with 15 minutes to spare before I had to go on rounds. Well, rounds have been crap too. I just had to write up two of my friends from Bible study for underage drinking, and I don't even think they were drinking. They were in the room with alcohol, though, so they all had to be written up. GAH! That's the absolute WORST. So I wrote up the report and then decided to do some wedding chores online while I waited for my next set of rounds. Guess what? The bridal toolkit isn't working!!! This had better be a temporary problem, because my entire guest list, addresses, people attending, etc. is ALL on that site. If it's gone, I am complete toast. Burnt toast, even. I've tried getting it to work for the last fifteen minutes on every browser I could possibly try, and no luck. I've given up. I think the world just hates me today. I'm scared to go on my next set of rounds....what will I find???
Oh, and also: when I went to the caf for dinner, I knew that Rex was working in the dishroom. I thought it would be a good idea to get a tray, spell out "I (heart shape) REX" in M&M's, and send it down the conveyor belt. I did this, but at the last second the tray bumped the side of the conveyor belt and the entire message was ruined. I'm sure whoever in the dishroom got that tray was like, "What a dumb person to put all of these M&M's on here." Lame. I worked hard on that. There was even a smiley of M&M's below my message.
Crappy day. Bleh.


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Imagine my surprise when I began looking for news on Black Friday this morning, and the mainstream media greeted me with... Thanksgiving stuff. It seems they're so hung up on Thanksgiving being celebrated by Occupiers that they are ignoring Black Friday protests. Or they are simply trying to hide them.
Here's what news I could get my hands on:
-- Occupy Oakland had a potty problem during Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Port-a-Potties were delivered to the plaza, but police refused to allow them to be unloaded. A small fight broke out, leading to two protesters being knocked to the ground. After cries of "call an ambulance" rang out, the video provided by Occupy Oakland shows an officer pulling a taser, but being stopped by a female protester. You can watch the video here: http://sfbayview.com/2011/police-turn-occupy-oaklands-thanksgiving-into-potty-riot/ (That girl who stops the taser is bad-ass, in my opinion.)
-- Occupy Cleveland is saying their permits have been renewed, allowing them to remain in the square until the end of the year.
-- 3 people were arrested in Edmonton early this morning as police swarmed the park. They dismantled tents at around 4am, with 40 officers present.
-- The ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of Occupy Minneapolis earlier this week. They are arguing that the procedures implemented by Hennepin County, both written and unwritten, violate the First Amendment of the Constitution. You can read more about this here: http://www.fightbacknews.org/2011/11/24/lawsuit-filed-aclu-protect-occupy-minneapolis
Here's the info I could find on Black Friday:
-- Occupy Eugene planned on occupying the Valley River Center mall this morning. They are doing a flash mob type gathering, with music and dancing.
-- Occupy Atlanta is holding a "free market" in Woodruff Park today. The market will offer free food, clothing, and other goods to those who attend.
-- Occupy Albany will be protesting at two different malls, where they will be singing Christmas Carols to bring attention to the corporate perversion of the holidays.
-- Protesters in Idaho are dressing up to show just how much society is ingrained with 'corporate zombie' thinking.
-- Occupy Las Vegas is taking on several malls. Nevada currently has the highest jobless rate in the country, and they want to remind people what their spending money is feeding- Corporations.
-- According to this article, all Occupiers are disciples of Adbusters, and we are "doing their bidding" by protesting Black Friday. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/occupy-instigators-adbusters-urge-disciples-to-wreak-holiday-shopping-havoc-134483263.html
I know this isn't much, but I'm sure I'll be able to find more info tomorrow. Hopefully.
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If you have any questions, comments, corrections, or other news, please email me at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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|Project by kolwdwrkr
|posted 08-28-2008 05:28 AM
|1925 views
|6 times favorited
|9 comments
This is the 2006 Philharmonic House Of Design. To explain this house what happens is that every year the Philharmonic society gets a bunch of designers together and get one homeowner to commit their house. Each designer gets their own room and designs it they way they want (in theory). When everything is done they put on a show for the public. You have to pay to walk through the house and there is booths in the yard to buy shirts and things. The proceeds benefit the children. I donated all the labor on this project to build and install it. Another company who I know well now came in after the install and finished it onsite. I could not afford to donate the finish and the build. That would have killed me. This is the first part of a series I will post. Sorry I don't know how to use photo bucket to do it in this one thread. I will learn that though in time. Thanks.
-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~
9 comments so far
#1 posted 08-28-2008 05:31 AM
Great project. I hope many contascts came your way from the job.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Southern Delaware soon moving to Virginia email@example.com †
#2 posted 08-28-2008 10:21 AM
kolwdwrkr, there is no limit who you could do a job for.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
#3 posted 08-28-2008 10:32 AM
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
#4 posted 08-28-2008 10:42 AM
Amazing, i would love to live in a house like that :D
Good job.
-- Woody, UK
#5 posted 08-28-2008 02:50 PM
Truly beautiful work! You say the project benefited the children but Id say it benefited the home owner more. They got a $200K+ kitchen for 60% to 70% off. Were the materials donated too? If so they got it for 100% off : ) I want to be part of this Philharmonic society, sounds like they have some kickass benefits. After all that amazing work I hope you at least got a few referral jobs.
Take care and thanks for sharing
#6 posted 08-28-2008 07:13 PM
Great job!
Thanks for the post
-- For wood working podcasts with a twist check out http://thetimberkid.com/
#7 posted 08-28-2008 07:24 PM
this project lead to several jobs. In fact, I just finished 250k worth of cabinets for a client that walked through the house. It's worth the donation.
-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~
#8 posted 09-06-2008 11:14 PM
Did you build the range hood? The cabinets look beautiful and looks like the work we do in our cabinet shop. We are currently working on over .5 million dollars worth of cabinets in a $20M home.
-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps
#9 posted 08-11-2009 10:14 PM
Great job!
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So that includes Sunday Football, Sunday new recipe, check email, and blog! Which brings me to my recap of Christmas 2010.
There were hardly any presents. Especially for Finn.
1) A serious viewing of Packer Football. Do you even see these Tutu's? They are homemade and green and gold. Enough said.
So that about sums up our Christmas. Fun, Family, Football and lots of Finn/Leo!!


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All products listed here are nutritional or food supplements as provided by the European Directive 2002/46 / EC on food supplements and all of them can be sold legally in all countries of the European Community, by articles 28, 29 and 30 of the treaty Of the European Community and by Articles 1 to 4 of European Parliament Decision No 3052/95 / EC. Food supplements do not attempt to substitute a balanced and varied diet, they are only presented in order to complement the intake of nutrients from a normal diet. Nor do they treat, prevent, diagnose or cure any disease, facts attributable to medicinal products, as defined by the European Directive 2004/27 / EC, of March 31, of the Council and of the European Parliament on medicines. The products should not be used as a substitute for a diet or medication and should be out of the reach of children. The consumption of the products should be controlled by a professional, if in doubt, always consult your doctor.
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Remember that time junior year of college I called you crying and you told me that the world is not against me and that I had to stopping acting like it was?
Today, my dear friend, I feel as if the world is against me. I feel like I cannot win and I wish you were around with some words of wisdom to help me put things in perspective. I am trying so hard to do all the right things and to stay and look on the bright side of everything. It's just... well I feel as though I've had the wind knocked out of my sails one to many times. I desperately need something to give. I am exhausted by everyone else's needs and wish I had the capacity to focus on my own, to be a little selfish.
I am ruled by the constraints of social expectations and work expectations and financial expectations and it's just miserable.
The only thing that seems to be going well is my relationship, which is surprising I know, considering I usually find a way to ruin relationships before they really go anywhere. It's safe to assume most of the credit there goes to the other party.
There was a glimmer of hope over Thanksgiving break. I could breathe and I was happy and I had time to do what I wanted to do. I thought that would make the next few weeks easier but it's only made them worse because now I have glimpsed what my life could be like if only I wasn't obligated to so many other people.
Maybe the world is not against me, I am after all not significant enough for the whole world to put forth that sort of effort, but I am at the very least surrounded by idiots.
If you were only a phone call away.


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Friday, October 24, 2008
New Day #302
In lieu of that, here's a picture of Mom's work instead, which she'll be selling at the upcoming Artisan Invitational Show at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral November 8-9th. Her name is Megan Garcia, but she'll happily be your Guru Mom, too.
Working on one reminded me how satisfying it is to do a right-brained visual art project, a welcome respite from all of my left-brain blather.
4 comments:
- Ellen Kimball said...
Hi Marc,
Your (unfinished) work is quite beautiful. When I want respite from writing, I love to string beads, of all things.
I like Ouzo and Black Vines, so I ought to try absinthe sometime. Isn't it spelled with a "Y"?
Are you going to "High School Musical 3" the movie?
After we give all the little rascals their raisins(!)on October 31, we're flying out to Las Vegas on Nov. 4 -- should be some Democratic party somewhere, or we'll make our own!
Make it a great weekend!
Ellen Kimball
- October 25, 2008 at 1:02 AM
- Rick said...
That's quite beautiful.
- October 25, 2008 at 4:44 AM
- "Just David!" said...
Fascinating! I hope you're videoing your Thrill the World Event today. I went to the one here after reading about the one you were doing, it was priceless!
- October 25, 2008 at 3:08 PM
- therese said...
Have you ever noticed how much beauty we can absorb from art, where words have to be a one keystroke at a time exercise?
Music is similar, we can absorb layers of notes and chords from numerous instruments in the moment. Yet to describe it, we struggle with one word at a time.
- October 27, 2008 at 11:04 PM


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The best deal in MS is back again for Thanksgiving week! OfficeMax stores is giving $20 off instantly when you purchase $300 in gift cards or more in store. As I've explained many times before, this is the best deal in Manufactured Spending since you not only earn points, but you also get paid to do it.
This deal, however, is even better because it doesn't seem to be limited, aside from the $1,800 transaction limit. That means you'll get $20 off for EVERY $300 in gift cards!
If you buy the maximum $1,800 in Visa gift cards (9 x $200), you'd normally pay fees of $62.55 on top of that. With this deal, you'll actually make $57.45. There are no rebates here either, so you'll walk out the door having paid $1,742.55.
That's right – using your Chase Ink card you'll earn 8,713 Ultimate Rewards points and make $57.45 for your troubles!
This is most definitely a deal I am taking advantage of….multiple times. Note that I recommend Visas over MasterCard because they are easier to liquidate.
If you need help with liquidation, check out my post on Bluebird, which has been my favorite way to unload these types of gift cards for years.
Note: I've been informed me that the official T&Cs do state a limit, however this is not necessarily being enforced. It is not a cash register limitation, it is a cashier/human limitation.


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Florida State Football: Seminoles Impress 5-Star Recruit Tracy HowardNovember 17, 2011
Miramar High (FL) standout Tracy Howard was in Tallahassee last weekend for the game between Florida State and Miami. He didn't get to see the prettiest of games as he watched the 'Noles top their rival. However, according to WarChant.com, he left with the feeling that they would be a good fit for him.
His official visit gave him an opportunity to reconnect with former high school teammate and host Rashard Gholston. Gholston apparently did a pretty good job at selling Florida State, because all Howard had were high remarks after his visit.
He was able to watch first-hand how the defensive backs played and what type of coverages they used. Though Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes are both talented, they play a different style than what Howard likes to play.
"I like to play press coverage, so I would have done more with the press coverage if that was me because of how much I like to be aggressive and force the issue," he said in the WarChant article.
Mike Harris stood out to him the most because he plays the exact same way he does. That hard-nosed, bump-and-run, aggressive defense no matter the size of the receiver.
Visiting with defensive coordinator Mark Stoops was also something that intrigued him because he loves his style of defense. Stoops gives his defensive backs the option to press or play off coverage a lot of the time. It just depends on what the players are more comfortable doing.
Overall the trip was a huge success for Florida State in the recruiting of Howard. Picking this rival game to attend allowed him to witness the atmosphere and what Doak Campbell Stadium is like at its best.
"The crowd was very intense—that's for sure," he told WarChant. "I liked how the coaches are energetic about their coaching and the players respond to that."
Currently he is ranked the No.1 cornerback in the 2012 rankings on Rivals.com. Also, Rivals just named him the recruit of the week.
Right now it's anyone's guess on where he will end up, but this visit didn't hurt the 'Noles at all.
It will probably come down to Florida State and Florida when he plans on making his commitment announcement during the U.S. Army All-American game on Jan. 7.


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|Wedding Card
Curtsey Boutique Designer
Jess Mutty
It's nearly prime wedding season and I like to add a personal touch to all those gifts picked off of registries.
A handmade card for a wedding or engagement is likely one that will be kept forever. I created a paper doily dress for this card and let it take center stage with a few pops of bright, sunny yellow. I think the look is clean and fresh!
Curtsey Boutique Supplies
To see more of Jess' fantastic work visit her blog, The Examined Life, or click on her picture below.


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In Germany the bigger publishers usually publish their list of releases for each month and not on a weekly basis like some American publisher's do. Also every publisher in Germany has a fixed time when they release all their manga:
Carlsen usually releases in the first week of the month, sometimes even earlier. Tokyopop's releases follow them a bit later and Heyne in shares a spot with Egmont in the middle of the month. Lately it felt like Egmont published their books a bit later as well. The end of the month is reserved for Panini to put their books on the shelves.
I'm not sure if that has an impact on the sales figures, but as the average German manga buyer is 14 and female, they might get their pocket-money at the start of each month and tend to spend it all on the earlier released manga, just a thought though.
So here's Tokyopop's release list for October:
Archlord Volume 4
Beck Volume 15
Bleach Volume 16
Blue Dragon Ral Grado Volume 1
Death Note Volume 8
Grenadier Volume 4
Ichigo 100% Volume 10
The Prince of Tennis Volume 18
King of Hell Volume 4
Recast Volume 4
School Rumble Volume 12
The Prince of Tennis Volume 18
Aisuru Hito Volume 4
Honey x Honey Drops Volume 1
Mamotte Shugogetten! Retrouvailles Volume 5
My Barbaric Girlfriend Volume 2
Sweet & Sensitive Volume 14
The Tale of the Child Pedlar Volume 3
Ultra Maniac Volume 2
Global Manga
A Midnight Opera Volume 3
I Luv Halloween Volume 2
Iscel Volume 3
Selena Lin: Burning Moon Volume 4
Steady Beat Volume 2
Seinen: 0 | Shounen: 12 | Josei: 1 | Shoujo: 6 | Shoujo Ai: 0 | Shounen Ai: 0| Global: 5 | Art-books: 0 = 24
Tokyopop: 24


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Drift Girls v1.0.40 Apk – Android Games
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Keep on drifting!
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|On a walk at City Park
Esther finished her third radiation treatment today, 17 to go. Please pray this eliminates any microscopic, stubborn cells that may cause Esther to relapse. I have found myself fighting fear of relapse the last few days. I think I understand what it means when we are told others could not weather this journey because I don't think I would make it if Esther relapsed. There is enough worry for today, I've been telling myself this over and over.
Our friends, the Fryes, did have confirmation that Suzanne's tumor is malignant. It is an extremely rare cancer, so rare that very little research has been done and there are only a few centers that have ever treated this tumor. The shortened version is that she has Adrenal cancer. They aren't sure the tumor was fully removed and there may be cancer cells in the margins around the tumor. The family is doing research and consulting with facilities that have treated this type of cancer. Collin was diagnosed with AML Leukemia in August. He did not respond to the first two chemotherapy treatments. For the third treatment they used a more experimental therapy used in relapse. Collin's body responded, and he went into remission. They are praying God would give them the same mercy for Suzanne's life, that when the light of day is black, there would be a shining grace. Here are some specifics from the family:
- Wisdom and God's leading for us as we try to absorb a lot of information from many sources and then make a fairly quick decision about which place(s) to go for evaluation and where to pursue Suzanne's next step in treatment.
- Some periods of quiet and rest in the midst of the new flurry of activity to be able to absorb the reality of our new circumstances and hear from God how we are supposed to go about this.
- Freedom from fear and discouragement for Suzanne, especially as she considers all the possible implications of this.
- The same especially for Caroline, Collin and Ethan as we try to guide them in dealing with their own concerns about their mommy and what the future holds for our family.
- The same again for myself and all of our close family that are fully engaged in this, as we try to provide the right support to Suzanne, Collin and the other kids at the right place and time.
- God's mercy to be poured out again in this situation, much like we saw with Collin's sudden remission just six short weeks ago.
- That He would stem the tide of growth of any of the cancer cells that remain in Suzanne's body, while we quickly seek out next steps for treatment.
This family is living a nightmare anyone would confess to not being able to survive. I am temped to say I couldn't imagine, the reality is that it's just too painful to enter into that kind of empathy. God wants us to weep with those who weep, there is beauty in that kind of empathy and God meets us.
Tonight I watched the movie "October Baby." It was good, a worthwhile watch and I was moved by the subplots. Maybe it's because I am emotional today or something, but I felt like I could related to the main character a bit. Not in the direct theme of the movie, but because I often wonder how life will ever return to normal. The soundtrack is good. I was struck by the lines of a couple of the songs...
The world is broken in too many pieces
But the brokenness is beautiful, it's beautiful.
How can brokenness be beautiful? How can this world, broken in too many pieces, ever be beautiful?! HOW?!
Life is full of hardship, and it all matters. God doesn't look at our trials and change the way he comforts or cares for us according to the severity of the trial. He cares about it all. All of our brokenness is met with equal love and care from a God who hears, but we've got to take it to Him. A line in a different song in the movie caught my attention....
I woke up this morning
And I heard the news
I know the pain of a heartbreak
I don't have answers
And neither do you
I know the pain of a heartbreak
This isn't easy
This isn't clear
And you don't need Jesus
Till you're here
Then confusion and the doubts you had
Up and walk away
They walk away
When a heart breaks
When a Heart Breaks, Ben Rector
(there's a link to listen below)
When our world is broken and in too many pieces, hope can not be in the pieces fitting together. Most of the time we don't have control over the pieces before us. Our striving is in vain, we are not the architects in this life. This will cause heartbreak. We can't avoid the pain, and our heartbreak is a gift as we are renewed in our need. Over the last 13 years of my life, I have needed Jesus as my Savior, yes, every day. But in my heartbreak, I enter into a vivid need...when I've screamed at my children, hurt a friend, wept over the lives of little children, admitted my own hurts, I've realized this full color need. In those times it is beautiful and the confusion and doubts walk away because I'm open, raw. Suddenly life is simple. My heart is broken and spilled out before the Jesus I didn't realized I needed in my pain, as well as my sin. That Jesus loves me and has a hope and future for me. Even if life is one heartbreak after another, and I have to wait until Heaven to escape any of it, He is good nonetheless. That is beautiful.


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About 4am Smallest came into our room complaining of being too warm. I turned the heating right down, opened his window and gave him some medicine to bring his temperature down (it was just over 37*). Small also woke up and I opened his window which is ridiculous because when we got up it -23*. I told Smallest he wasn't going to school tomorrow and when he got up he was full of beans saying he was going to school today but not tomorrow (someone got mighty confused). He had also had a nightmare where zombies had bitten off Small's head and when he woke up he went to check if Small was okay. Right, so the film about cartoon zombies we were watching right before bed was a no-no then. I told him zombies weren't real and he said "but they were a long time ago". NO REALLY THEY WEREN'T.
He looked and felt really warm this morning but his temperature was fine. He started to get ready for school and then told me he didn't want to go as his throat felt like it was closing up. I wasn't convinced he was poorly enough to stay off but I would rather he was 100% when we go to England so I wasn't overly concerned about him being off. However mid morning I remembered it would be his last swimming session and if he didn't go he possibly wouldn't get his next badge. When I mentioned about swimming he asked if he could go back to school as he felt better! Kids, how are we supposed to know what to do with them? I told him he wasnt going in and that if he rested plenty, and felt okay later, he could go to swimming.
He played in his room with his lego and then helped me to bake a Birthday Cake for Huffle. We made an almighty mess and ended up with mixture on my newly painted walls. Not so much Soft Linen now as Yellow Cake Mix ha!
Grandad made me put this many candles on, I was just going for a mere four but he said we needed more!!
MrBasement primed the walls and ceiling today. Everywhere pristine white which makes me think even more that we should paint the whole room white. When we wanted to paint the loft white, the painter suggested otherwise saying it would look too stark and hospital-like. They don't like white here, thats why they paint everything 'Canada'. I like white and I am sticking to my guns on this one. MrBasement said we could just paint the whole room with primer if we wanted and that it was on offer at the moment. Ummmmm maybe!
Day 10
Smallest played on the computer, skyped Moo and Grandma, played on his DS, helped me play on his DS, had a couple of games of Stack 'Em Up and Jenga and watched a bit of TV.
Huffle had a birthday meal out at work and another birthday cake.
And blowing out his candles.
Small came home and we had a quick game of Dominoes falling down and then they got ready for swimming. Smallest wasn't going and had a quick lie down so I called Huffle to come home, then while Huffle was on his way, Smallest decided he did want to go. In the end Huffle came home and stayed and worked and the boys and I went to swimming. Smallest did swim for about half the lesson until he felt sick and had to come out. His teacher said he had passed last week so that was fine. Well done Smallest. Small carried on swimming with his new goggles. He said they helped a lot. He also passed and is now going into Swim Club which is a Non-competitive competitive club for swimming (yes that makes perfect sense! NOT!). Well done Small. The only problem is that Smallest's lesson will be 4:45pm till 5:30pm and thn Small's would be 5:30pm till 6:30pm and it takes about 20 minutes to get home. When do they eat? Smallest struggled this evening because it was about 6:30 when we finally started eating and because it was so late and he was so tired, he left most of it!
We came home and Huffle had our Jacket Potatoes ready. Small was supposed to go to Youth Club Games night tonight but he was too tired so we will look at going once we are back from our trip.
We lit the candles,
We sang Happy Birthday to you, we went to the zoo, we saw a big monkey and we thought it was you - lots of laughing from the boys as they sang
And Huffle blew out the candles. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUFFLE XXXXX
Smallest went to bed very early and was fast asleep by 7pm with all his clothes on and no teeth cleaned! Bless him.


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This week I've come across a few posts and situations where I've begun to wonder if all subs think that Doms are mind readers. Do they really think that just because a Dom prefers to be in control of a given situation that they can reach into the recesses of a subs mind and know what it is that's bothering them? The funny thing is that I've heard men say this of women for years, but I'm finding that it doesn't matter the gender.
Let me give you some examples of what I've seen/encountered this past week. First a female sub who is upset because her Dom wasn't able to spend their scheduled time together because she has been having a bad month and needed him and their time. A male sub who gets upset when his Domme instructed him to stretch out his arm before starting work because it was hurting, but he had already done so without her knowledge. And the most jaw dropping one I read this week was from a sub who was questioning whether or not her Dom has raped her because he had had sex with her after a punishment and she wasn't into it nor did she want it, but she never used her safe word. From what I gathered from the post, she didn't even attempt to stop him in anyway.
In all three of these examples I am left with the perplexing question of why these three subs did not open their mouths and communicate with their Doms. Good Dom/mes want to know what's going through their subs heads. It helps them to not only understand, but also plan for other situations they both may encounter that this new information could effect. It may be as simple as staying in for the night rather than going out into a crowd or just the need for a long conversation so that everyone is on the same page with expectations. The worst thing a sub can do is not talk to their Dom about things that are bothering them. That means that even if they are in the middle of the scene and something isn't right, they use their safe words so that it can be addressed.
I'm not saying that Doms are always the best communicators because I've met a few that were horrible at it. But I will say that those Doms who truly do try to be good Doms at least make the attempt.
Have you had any experience in this, from either side? Have you seen it happen?


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11 years ago, Warner Bros. attempted to adapt DC Comics' snarky British mystic, John Constantine, to the big screen. Problem was, its star, Keanu Reeves, hot off the "Matrix" trilogy of films for the studio, couldn't be bothered to adopt a British accent. Same problem, for all intents & purposes, doomed "Bram Stoker's Dracula" in 1992. Reeves didn't want to dye or bleach his hair, either, and so, Constantine came off, based on what I've been told, as a generic Reeves character. I'm not even sure Reeves even bothered with reading any comic books.
Fast forward to now. DC & WB are trying again, this time with a TV series for NBC. Matt Ryan (ex-Criminal Minds) has the right look and captures Constantine perfectly. The only quibble lies in the writing.
Here's a sample clip:
I'm not really thrilled with Constantine having a guardian angel (Harold Perrineau, ex-Lost), because I don't think he has one in the books. What he does have, however, is an on-again, off-again relationship with DC's sexy sorceress, Zatanna, so one wonders if we'll see her appear on this show.
What sets Constantine apart from DC's other series is its creative pedigree. No, I don't mean Constantine's creator, Scottish writer Alan Moore, who has disowned everything he's done associated with Marvel & DC, it seems, but rather, producer David S. Goyer, who has some serious cred with comics fans thanks to the "Blade" trilogy of films, and his contributions to "Dark Knight Rises" & "Man of Steel" the last two years. What this says is that Constantine may play closer to its source material than Arrow, The Flash, & Gotham, rather than dwell in a pocket universe like those shows. Either that, or Goyer will develop his own world. Manny, the angel, seems to be a step in that direction.
History tells us that placing a fantasy/horror series on Fridays at 10 (ET) is risky at best (i.e. the original Night Stalker, last year's Dracula). NBC is hoping Constantine can retain the audience from its lead-in, Grimm. We'll see soon enough.
Rating: B.


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My POD…the "Full Monty" ..? (ChriS in Transit: ? pre-tour)
Poem…the full monty =MyPOD?
just another facebook message from a distant fan?
"you are welcome to visit" she said..
4000 kms I rode
to find out about Branka, a RED?
such a friendly greeting
its clear to see
meeting here mates Ana and Mel 2
this is the place to be
lets form a base
before destiny takes me away
for REDS around the balkans
and celebrate together in may
Blog/Facebook .
a week in Transit from t'Cabin, win @ Buch, and finally …the "Full Monty(e)"
MyPOD feb21-28…
Sunday 21 Feb
Leaving t* cabin Merksplas woods
((e46 fuel)
about 10.30 am I finished loading the lats of my stuff on the "Zbus"…my overnight bag and blanket up front if I have a stop en route..a weird but contradictively familiar feeling of "change" as I start the long journey down, to Trento, Ljubljana, Bucharest (for Liverpools europa league game @ Uniceni) and then…to visit Branka K a RED who sent a very positive "welcome to visit" message…in these days of carelessness, I value very much anyone who shows enthusiasm…
Liverpool were playing the billionaiires "man citeh" but my chances of news or views were limited as it wasnt due to be screened, and as Tom wasnt around to have a farewell beer and Dix hadnt replied to my email about the team I may as well just get on with the "habit of leaving"..
Having already tanked locally I knew The bus could chew up a large part of the first section to Trento If I keep on a a steady spped around 100kms p/h on that first tank of diesel and sure enough as I drove down passing by AAchen and Koblenz , I had passed Stuutgart before I filled up again, (and a coffee /p-stop for me !)…but , of course, as I passed round Muenchen looking for the Innsbruck road, (having decided due to the continual cold wather to use the usually open Brenner pass) a very dirty unmarked car was hanging back inside me on the hard shoulder, it then followed and over took me and as it pulled in front I thought it looked like some crooks,
and yes it WAS the "polizei" a "follow me" sign in the back window, and we took an exit to parking area, in the dark, I thought "what again?"…
So, when the plainclothes agent and his student-looking female "colleague" I didnt waiy, and asked in a slightly aggressive but polite manner "so whats the problem" – "control" as he flashed an ID ( that, of course, anyone could make with a photoshop programme) he said I gave him my passport, So I continued "I suppose its because I am driving a dutch vehicle?" he sort of shrugged and nodded , the girl smiled, and he said "ok"..and I carried on.
Apart from our brains being conditiuoned by the system to fear uniforms, (which allows them to do ll the things that ordinary people would be convicted for, in the name of "givernment") IS there ANY JUSTIFICATION for U or I to stop and be "interrogated" even in a "polite" way by PLAIN-clothed people in UNmarked cars…?…and isn't stopping people because they drive durch cars or look like muslims just more racial discrimination? "in the name of the law"
So I continued through the Brenner pass after midnight and the roads were still abit difficult, as Europes extrene long and cold winter has made travel more diffiicult (if that cuts down on the 6 billion tonnes of vehicle made pollution its a GOOD thing, how may more more "disasters" do U need, before we wake up to the need to change our ways?)…I started thinking about where I could park, to sleep a while before getting some noney for the rest of my (current) journey, the motorway parks were full so in fact I parked near the bank, oppositie a police station, and the "CIA" weer obviously sleeping to allow a "subversive" like me to be situated outside a major bank for such a long time…<smile>
(note Fuel e50 + Brenner/tolls to Trento e17.50)
Monday 22 Feb
Trento…to Ljubljana
After a cold night half-sleeping at the front of the bus, had snack and a cofffee whilst waitng for the bank to open, before moving on..however, snow and ice and a tiredness led me to consider an earlier than planned stop, as I entered the slovenian region of the "former Jugo"…and met my first "rip-off" of the journey..as I needed to "tank" again…a Fifteen Euro "vignette" for me to travel through the country (albeit for a weeks travel) …even after a mere hours drive from the italian border and only 5 / 6 hrs "on the road" was looking for somewhere to sleep..and the "kongo Hotel" just outside the capital city wsa on the way to Zagreb ..the e70 was way above my "budget" but it did include free drink, breakfast and internet for a nice room where I really could relax before making the rest of the larger and more strenuous drive through to Bucharest… Receptionist Nina was friendly enough and unfortunately my email/sms to nearby (FB friend) Tina (who I had hoped could accomodate me with a free cheap or bed ) were n't answered..
But I was able to catch up on our game at M city (0-0) and messages (including phoning Dix whose reply arrived after I left ) and I kept in touch with Branka with a freecall to remind her of my progress and (as the brakes on the Bus seemed to "moan" ) sent out the following FB message ; "half way to Buch, the "Zbus" is complaining and so am I , 1500 kms since yesterday, so i am going to crash in Ljubljana…need a hot shower and a siesta.." and I joined the Mac-reds on FB…good timing?
(Notes ; Fuel e50 ; vignette e15 Hotel ; e70)
Tuesday 23 Feb..
from Ljubljana….to somewhere
09h Had a slow and full breakfast then on my way, Nina had advised that I could drive via Croatian / serbian routes Via Zagreb and Belgrade rather than my first plan of going via Budapest..on the map it looked more "direct" and maybe a shorter routes, but appearances CAN be mis-leading..
for the 3rd time (also near Aachen and in Trento) i noticed a police helicopter overhead..as I started off to Zagreb, the bus seemed ok, although a strange noise when I braked so I decided to take the pressure of the main brakes by using gears and handbrake to help slkow me whenever I could…the tolls were expensive too
I paid another e24 to go through Croatia and the Croatian border controls were friendly but wanted to see briefly inside..when I stopped on the motorway, to check oil and clean windows and have a p-stop after about 4 hrs the only other customer in the cafe was from Stuttgart, working there we talked a bit of footy as they played Barca that night. The Serbian controls were "heavy" after a snotty woman wanted to see everything but my horoscope for the day, 2 armed thugs in uniform not only looked inside but also turned out my bagfs etc, THEN ONLY 5 metres further on the customs official who hgad watched me be "turned out" ALSO chyecke my "documents" and ALSO wanted to see inside, my constant refereals to Liverpool at Bucharest and charity/football only had a slight deterence on their determination to delay me as much as possible..
I hadnt realised just how big Belgrade is and "hit" their rush hour , and it was a crisis drive, with little cars wizzing in and out , and large holes in the motoway, and NO signs for the motorway OUT of the ring road, having surviived that "experience" and used the gears a lot to help avoid hitting anyone,
I was contronted with a virtiual "decent like driving down a mountainside on coming out of the city, it was a NIGHTMARE, because NO-ONE was making any allowances , not least to the "tourist in the bus" I stopped at tne next m-way services to tank and re-check the route that Nina had printed out for me
the E70 m-way had disappeared but nice people in the shop showed me a DIFFERENT route (off the E75 on small country roads to Severin on the Roumanian border)
After tanking, a p-stop, cofffee and snack it ewas about 17h when I proceeded to follow the "notes" given to me , just names of towns on the way to the border…Pozarevac->V. Gradiste-> Milanavac->T.Severin,,,HOWEVER, most parts of this route had NO road sings or directions at all..at Gradiste I went lookign for a police station, as i was lost, it was funny, there a lot people waiting to be seen, and I just walked straight into the police office and they almost put their hands on their guns to shoot me, when I said "i am lost!" …Golabac was the next town, and knowing that helped me get back on the right road
even though just at Milanavac it was confsuing I flashed own a another car of local "bizzies" who were REALLY good; they took me to the next junction and set me on the road to the border…
Thankfully they told me that it was about 50kms to the border town of Severin, because there were NO signs (because SEVERIN is in Roumania!) so I had the instinct to stop at 50kms and noticed there was some sort of "industrial structure" to my left (nothing about bridge or any helpful signs) so I saw a roumanian truck and asked him, with hands and feet , which way to Bucharest, I had guessed correcty that turnign WAS the crossing…
It was about midnight and although on the road already 15hrs I wanted to "make it" to Bucharest that night..
(Notes; Tank e38 cash + map e4 cash + meal e 3.40 Serbian toll e11 + e2 = e13 cash)
Wed Feb 24
The Bemused Serbian border guards seemed to be over-whelmed by my approach and their boss came out as I was explaining about going to the game, and waved me on after only a brief look inside but at Severin – around midnight a whole team of police were there, but some had humour and Iwas joking with me about the score…one particularly wanted a "Liverpool souvenir" for the officel, so now there is a "Torres number 9" scarf proudly pinned up on their wall…(I am not sure if I would have had "trouble" had I not been generous, but as I often gave away REDS scarves and banners on my "missionary tours" and trips to games, it was no big deal..
The "Vignette" was cheaper (e6 for 3 days) mind U so were the roads, the Serbian roads werent much , but the Roumanina roads without lighting like the Serbian were like swiss cheese…my average speed was 55 k p/h so I ddint need much braking <smile>
I went through toans in the early hours which were quite busy, bars and hotels (Craiova?) on about 01h a police car stopped me, but as they were Roumanian got the "I am going to watch LIVERPOOL in Bucharest" message quickly..there were a lot of hills.on via the main E70/E574 via Slatina and I had a short nap just before the Pitesi-Bucharesti , and expected to get into the city before rushg hour, but they are another hour different…so there was already a lot of people travelling into the capital so it was a "hairy" last few kms, and therefore I stopped by a taxi and paid him (e10!!!) so I could be "escorted" to the "hello hotel" …where I parked and asit was still before 07h told the receptionist not to wake Graham (as we might be sharing a double room) I had some breakfast and (despite some "looks" from the waitress -as I probably looked "dishevelled" ) then she let me go up to his room, but Graham had suffered from his ailments and was anyway awake, although the room couldnt be shared, so my budget was getting "busted" – so far costing me something like e400 +…)
Rather than sleep in his room, or get my own if the waether hadnt been so bad, I would have slept in th back of the bus where I have a comfortable bed..but anyway, we went out for a walk a cofffees (14ron) and to see the "old town" where I could change some money (just e20 to start) and find a "spec" ..for when the other REDS arrive later..we got a metro, which seemed to be the best form of transport in that country..we checked out the Victory and University station and the area around..I got my own room (e31) & after Gra and I had had "warmed" up wiuth a few bevvies in the "Graham's ocal" almost direectly across from the "gare du nord" metr0 (the language seems a mix of slavic, french and italian) ..Graham stayed in the bar whilst I had a much-needed Siestq but was back in the Hotel when I woke up, and we had a few more bevvies (20ron) and an "exchange of ideas" about LFC whilst waiting for his mates Andy (Stafford) Paul (Anglesey) and Dave (LP) to arrive ..I enjoyed a "specy kebap with chips take-away (4 ron) ..I had a great chat with Katarin the barman and got a ticket for him (e10) from one of the LFC fans in the pub..although lack of sleep caught up with me so I went back to hotel and bought an Intrenet coupon (10ron) so I could check messages and keep Branka informed..(note the 4hrd coupon i used uip if U disconnect during its use) ..
(Notes ; vignette e6 ; drinks e20 ; room/net e 34)
Thursday 25
Hello hotel, Bucharest
Finally got a nights sleep before the Europe League match day Unirea Uniceni in the Steau Bucharest stadium , paid for another caught up with Katarin and the lads at "our local" ..Katarin helped me change up money (e30) at the nearby bank, and was going to help with other things before I told him to get off and sort out his intervew ..we stayed there in the pub all afternoon, sang a few songs and I had a "local dish" of Polenta and a mushroom sause , local wine was cheap enough and so I stayed on that for the day..Kat took us by metro and tram to the stadium and there was only 6 of us and a tram packed with some of the local / Unirea fans who shared their alchoholic drinks carried in cola bottles , (nose-thumbed at UEFA…)
There was no cover at the Stadium and our support was split into 2 sections at one end, I felt good about the game even though Unirea started well and an early goal, which seemed to wake our lads up and Masch smashed in a shot from outside the area, a sharp reaction from Babel after a goal-mouth scramble , so 1-2 at half-time (winning 3-1 on aggregate) was fairly comfortable but not the weather as rain poured down quietened our support. Some neat work by Benny and Stevie smacked in a low shot under their keeper and then it was certainly "game over". Understandably Graham (who was already suffereing from his ailments before the game) wanted to get off early, but I have never done so, I met a lad called Steve and we joined the packed tram back to the metro..and I caught up with the rest (although Kat had gone home, he had a souvenir scarf so i hope this is a memory he keeps, he s a good lad, and I wish him success at "Dwights").
(Notes e30 drinks/meal scarves for Kat & me , e31 room, )
Friday 27 Feb, leaving Bucharest….
Had a coffee with Graham and another Paul , a few short stories of travels then I checked out and a 2nd rip-off ..parking was e20 – may not seem much but was high for a "cheap" city…(and there was no mention of any charge when i checked in) ..rip-off number 3 came when I put in some fuel with only euros (30 in my pocket) …they only gave me 21 litres because "we have to take euros to the city to change into our currency"..The receptionist printed out the Route (eventually) when they found where Podgorica was, (or even how to get out of the city on to the m-way!!) but once I was back on the road, I looked again at the journey and didnt want another "turnout" or to go back via Belgrade on a Friday, I had warned Branka that I might get there that night, but then the routeplanner proposed 18hrs journey, I decided to return via the same border crossing at Severin, and fog had already slowed me down , even though it was daytime I was once again only managing an average 55 km p/h …
I got stopped AGAIN, by a road-side polce check, and found the return roas to severin fairly easily , I dd not want to risk having to pay in liocal currency so I asked a lad at the Tank station in Severin, if I could pay in Euros, so the clever young "businessman" said, "yes" then sold me snacks to make up the difference, (to e50) but at least he was freindly and several of the same border-criossing "team" were there..and one old joker asked me for my remaining (Unirea-LIVERPOOL) scarf…again…but again there was a small delay getting through and it was dark again as I tried to find the m-way connection to serbian roads ..I checked out a couple of motels, but either e30 was too dear for the stadard, or e50 to dear for the better room, so I found an m-way restaurant to have a meal, (goulash) which had free wi-fi so i could get a message to branka that she wouldnt be waiting up late and to be in Podgorica saturday ..It poured with rain like a waterfall…so I slept on the front seat of the bus.
(notes pkg e20; Fuel e30 / e50 ; meal e8)
Saturday 28 Feb. almost there?
I had 3/4 hrs sleep and left about 05 hrs ..driving slow and another small toll fee (e5) and then the roads seemed ok , because there were signs to the next 2 towns on my own chosen "route" …but then…the roads "disappeared" into the hills and the signs run out, the rain had stopped, but there were floods and detours …then I saw a man standing by the road, waiting to get a lift to work, ..I stopped to check directions, he spoke no english and I spoke no serbian – but I offered him a lift and he told me the way , with gestures, then I pointed to the LIVERPOOL scarf, he said then "Vidic"..I said "NO!" …he insisted "Vidic" ..I replied again "NO!" and again (thinking I didnt know the manc defender) "Vidic!" …I laughed and said " NO! ….TORRES! ..now get out" .which he did with a smile and hand shake at the next bus stop…,<smile>.
about 100 kms from the frontier with Montenegro, I had been on the road 4/5 hrs already and wanted to check my location and have a p-stop and double expresso to keep me alert as I was now starting to acend the mountain range..and it started to snow, few little traffic so I was able to drive accordingly without massive gear change, as it was obvious that the brakes were now suffering and although they worked I didn't want to ruin them so that I would ahve to replace them before continuing..at the serbian export frontier, i was again checked and discussed briefly football with one of the friendly police (happy I was leaving?) he said something in serbian about my passport being wrongly stamped by the other controls..and I was quickly on my way, a really terrible stretch of about 500 metres of road before the Montenegran control..and a shock a guy comes up to me and starts asking me to buy a vignette for 80 euros ! (thats more expensive than Switzerland!!) so I asked him to get someone from the office who speaks english. and he confirmed it..80 euros so that I can drive on the roads..and they still have holes (although not as many as in Roumania)
Another inquest and check inside, and I am now starting the ascent through the Mountains of Montenegro, wow, I have sriven around the Swiss Alpine roads and Trentino dolomites but never such a long period of acute and difficult road, up and down, down and up up up, then as there was considerable traffic overtaking me , almost riding the gears and handbrake, a truck lost its load in front of me, but many drivers seemed angry with me, even though I more or less kept close to the speed limit going up and down…and then after a seemingly endlessly decending road…I was approaching the end …Podigorica…the FULL mont-y(e)negro!!
There were lot of cars buzzing around the city as I looked for a parking space in BRILLIANT sunshine..what a welcome !!! after 4 months of hard winter in the cabin, the warmth felt so good, and the sun was strong..!..a GOOD sign ..and a warm feeling too, especially as I quickly found the bookstore and ( RED supporter ) Branka..and another SUNNY welcome..
A short siesta and Branka, and her freinds ; Ana and Melina took me out to eat and drink , certainly made me feel even more welcome, & later that evening dancing in the pub I could feel all the winter cold, problems and the strain of the travel leaving me…and they filled me up the next morning with a brunch of "priganice"could this "full monty" be a "home from home" ???..MY POD? …<smile>
thank YOU ,"hvala" & "zivjeli" ladies!!! x
(notes ; coffees e2 ; vignette e80! ; meal/drinks e12)
ftf pre-tour .
N.B ; totals ; e683 – first week of pre-tour = 100% over budget!!! 😉 ….ooops !