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Ryan, Natalie and I just got back from a family trip to Seattle! Yes, again! hehe. I'm sure your asking yourselves "Why Seattle again?" Well, the last time we were there for my cousin's wedding, we felt as tho our trip was cut too short. We didn't get to do all the things we had hoped on doing and we didn't get a chance to spend any time with the newlyweds. Plus, we had the pleasure of staying at my Aunt and Uncle's beautiful home set in a nice suburban neighborhood. Not to mention, a fully stocked pantry with lots of goodies to eat, a fridge with all the beverages you can possibly think of, a nice cozy room with a flat screen TV for Natalie to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every morning and they let us use their SUV for the week! My Auntie even washed and folded our laundry! We couldn't get better than that! I love my Auntie!
This trip was a little different from the others we've had, only because it was just the three of us. We didn't have my sister and her family. No other cousins. We only had my Mom and Dad for a day (they left for home a day after we got there so no baby sitter). We had my Auntie, my cousin Angel, my cousin April and her husband. And that was it.
I have a million pictures to show like I usually do. lol. I decided not to take my DSLR camera on this trip because it would be another thing I had to carry aside from Natalie's baby bag, laptop bag, bottle bag and my purse. I opted not to bring it. So, how did I take pictures? I used the camera on my iphone. hehe.
We had an amazing time. Lots of food as usual. lol. And last but certainly not least, we had the best tour guide! Thanks to my cousin Angel! Thank you all for your sweet hospitality! We love our Seattle family!
Here are the highlights of our trip to Seattle....
Natalie loves books =)
A trip wouldn't be complete without a quick stop to the Public Market for the best Piroshky! Piroshky is a russian bakery that sell baked goods.
We had one of my favorite things to eat...KOREAN BBQ!
My Aunt's suburban neighborhood is beautiful!
Natalie on her 1st car ride at the mall and she hated every minute of it...from the moment it started to move she wanted to be out. I wasted $1 on that ride! lol. After, my cousin and I took her to get a book at Borders while waiting for her Daddy to be done at the gym.
Yes! It was indeed weird! lol.
We had to try Portland's best doughnuts....VOODOO DOUGHNUTS!


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Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Look what I made!
Aren't these cute!?! I joined a hair bow exchange with Amber. There were 12 girls and we each made 12 pairs (yes, 24 bows each!) Then we met, had brunch, and exchanged bows. It was so much fun. And E came home with so many fun bows. I highly recommend this to anyone who knows how to work a glue gun, because they can be so easy! And now E never goes without a bow or clip! :) I should have snapped a picture of all the fun ones I got, but...I didn't. Just had to show off what I made! :)
2 comments:
longnecker said...
That will be on the project list next time I come home, although after seeing T's pictures I am kind of hoping for a bald baby this time around.
Letia said...
Hey, I just learned how to make these on Saturday and am going a little crazy, it is so much fun. What did you use for your flowers? And I never thought to do the bow thing, I think I can figure out how you did that from the photo.
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"Bertoline," The lanky man replied excitedly. "Bert, c'mon mate you have got to remember."
Toeryn smiled and laughed, hugging him as best he could with me on his back. "It'd be hard to forget, old friend!"
Bertoline looked between Toeryn and me, his expression curious. He then looked around for something or someone. "Where's the Missus?" He asked softly, not wanting to offend.
"There isn't one, Bert," Toeryn started to explain. "Lyssa is my kid sister. Our parents died a while back and I finally decided it was time to move her away from the family lands."
"Toeryn!" I exclaimed, appalled that he openly lied about Mother being dead. "That's not–"
"Lyssa," Toeryn said firmly. "I know you don't want to believe the truth, but you must accept it."
I fell silent, stewing on how the anger I held. Tears well up in my eyes and once more I hide my face in Toeryn's shoulder. Bertoline must have portrayed it as me accepting the so called reality, when really I was upset with Toeryn lying.
"Say, Bert," Toeryn said. "Do you know where I might be able to find some work?"
"Hmm," Bertoline said. I peeked up to look at him; he was thoughtfully stroking his chin. "I think I might know a few people. But you'll have to come alone. Can you get rid of her?"
"Well I can't get rid of her, but I can make sure she is in bed for the night." Toeryn said. I seriously considered biting Toeryn at that point, but rolled my eyes and rested my head on my shoulders. "Lyssa is a big girl; she's able to take care of herself, for just a few hours. Can't you, Lyssa?"
"Yes, I can," I said smartly. "I've been on my own before."
Bertoline laughed softly, mussing my hair. "She's got fire, in them eyes of her."
I wasn't sure what he meant by that, but Toeryn seemed to understand. "That she does. Listen would you like to join her and me for supper at The Empty Barrel?"
"That would be splendid, my good friend," Bertoline said with a sly smile. "And as a show of good faith, I'll buy a round of drinks. What would you like miss Lyssa?"
I glared at him and said nothing; there was something about him that made me feel ill. Perhaps it was just my imagination working overtime, but I knew he couldn't be trusted. Everything about Bertoline screamed caution, and Toeryn seemed to be blind to this.
"I'll tell you what, Toeryn," Bertoline began, "You and miss Lyssa go ahead, I have to pick something up and I will meet you at the inn."
"Alright then, see you in a few." Toeryn agreed with an equally sly smile. Bertoline moved along the streets, blending into the crowd. Toeryn and I continued our way down the street and to the inn before he set me down.
"Lyssa," he said taking my hand and leading me up the steps. "You must be on your best behavior, no smart comments, nothing that gives our story away."
I woke the next morning to find Toeryn passed out in the bed next to mine. I hadn't heard him come in. The room at all. Sliding from the bed, I shivered slightly as my feet touched the cold wooden floor. I made my bed and dressed quickly in the still too big clothes. Toeryn had left his clothes on the floor, I picked them up and folded them neatly. My eyes spotted a red stain on his shirt, shaking it out to examine it better. The rusty brown color told me immediately what it was.
"Toeryn?" I said shaking him awake. He didn't respond immediately, so I shook him more violently, my voice filling with panic. "Toeryn!"
It took several attempts to wake him, but he finally did.
"What Ana?" He mumbled. "What's wrong?"
"There's blood on your shirt," I cried "Are you hurt? What happened last night?"
"Nothing happened," He lied, rolling over. "I'm not hurt, I had a job moving some meat is all."
I eyed him suspiciously, I could tell he was lying to me. "Oh, okay." I said unconvincingly.
We lived in the inn for several months, Toeryn always paying for the room weeks in advance. I badgered him about getting a place of our own, but all for nothing. Toeryn left every night and didn't return until I was well off in my reverie. Every time I approached him about what he did he would tell me it was menial jobs that required hard labor and not something for a girl to do.
"It's not fair Toeryn!" I shouted at him one evening. "I want to help too! I'm sick of being stuck in the inn all day long."
"Then go out." he told me flatly.
And I would just that. The next morning I dressed quickly, tucking my hair underneath a newsboy cap. Toeryn eyed me curiously for a moment.
"I'm going to need some money," I said softly.
"What for?" He asked.
"Food, some clothing that fits." I said in return.
"Alright then," he said pulling out a medium-sized pouch.
Toeryn counted out five gold coin. My eyes widened at the amount, noting my expression he just smiled and placed them into a small brown pouch.
"Don't lose it," he told me firmly, handing the pouch to me. "Get what you need and don't spend it all, Ana. Promise."
"No," I replied. "I can't promise that I won't spend it all. But I will see about a way for me to earn my own."
I bolted out of the inn, excited to spend a day in the square. Everywhere the colors were bright and stood out against the thick gray walls. The sun was shining, the cobble shone with wetness from the melted snow. It was cold, but not bitterly so. I weaved my way down the roads looking at all the stands, looking for one in particular. It wasn't there like it had been when we first arrived. Perhaps he moved on. I continued on through the square, looking at the items that each merchant had, purchasing a few trinkets, then located the tailors. The tailor had clothing sitting out on tables, carefully I looked through them.
Later that evening I returned to the inn with my coin purse containing only a few coppers. I had disposed of the ill-fitting clothes and wore my newer ones back to the inn. Not even stopping to say hello to the innkeeper and Meg, I bounded up the steps two at a time, eager to get into the bedroom and hide my goodies.
A year had passed since we had been there and living in the inn. Several murders of high positioned aristocrats were targeted The city officials couldn't find who had done it and that's when the Knights of Stonebridge showed up from Halde to investigate. There had been a series of murder that were all too much alike, and in a small city like this, they were hardly unnoticeable. I had been working with Meg and keeping the inn tidy, her father, paid me two silver and five coppers every other week. Toeryn had told me that he was working with Bertoline down at the docks, unloading ships and cargo. Each night he came home with a full coin purse
"You lied to him and told him our parents were dead!" I said in a loud whisper. "Why did you do that?"
"We have to pretend Mother is dead to protect her," he told me. "Do you want Grandmother to hurt Mother?"
"No." I said shaking my head. "But I don't like lying about it."
"It will be alright," Toeryn said comfortingly. "Bert will take care of us, he'll get me some work and we'll have a place of our own in no time. I promise."
I should have realized then that was the start of many broken promises that Toeryn made me. The inn was common at best, tables scattered throughout the common room, and a bar right in the center. Stew and bread as well as ale and other liquors filled the air. Toeryn picked out a table near the bar, as I climbed into the chair; I realized that none of the chairs matched. It added to simplicity of The Empty Barrel. Bertoline returned a quarter of an hour later. In his hands, he carried a small wrapped object, as Bert sat down he placed the small item in front of me.
"A truce, miss Lyssa," he said to me as I eyed the object suspiciously. His voice, oily as he spoke. "I will do anything to get a little girl to smile."
I opened the small package and giggled happily. It was a little iced cake in the shape of a fairy. What caught my attention the most was the jeweled charm that was sitting on the top of the cake. It was a tiny crystal in the shape of a blooming rosebud. The light of the candle reflected off the many facets, making it sparkle. Carefully I picked it up and examined it.
"Bert, you shouldn't have done that," Toeryn said. "You'll have her spoiled in no time."
"It was nothing, I swear," Bertoline chuckled, as he produced another small package. "Miss Lyssa, in this one is a bracelet in which the charm can go on."
"Thank you very much," I said softly as I opened the box, removed the plain silver link bracelet and placed the charm on it. I looked up and made a huge effort to smile at him. I still didn't trust him.
"Ah, you're most welcome," he said with an oily smile that churned my stomach. "Anything for a petite lass like yourself."
That night after Toeryn left me in the care of the inn keeper's daughter, Meg. She was a nice lady. Her eyes were slanted upwards slightly and were the clearest blue I had ever seen. Long blond hair fell pass her waist in a waterfall of curls. Meg's skin was warm, rich, peaches and cream tone. She dressed in a simple brown dress and white waist apron.
"Well miss, what would you like to do tonight?" She asked me, after she finished brush my hair. I had just gotten out of the bath; the cotton night gown was warm against my skin. Meg had helped me with my hair, even getting a pair of scissors to straighten the jagged edges my hair was left in from when I had cut it myself. "There ya go miss, now you don't look too much like a boy."
"Can we play Wari?" I asked, looking in a small hand mirror at my hair. It was up to my chin and shortened more in the back. She had taken the front of my hair and cut a fringe. I shrugged a bit; there wasn't much I could do about my hair, except wait for it to grow back.
Wari was a counting game I used to play with the staff in the kitchen back in Meadow Brook. The object was to take color stones, or baubles and move them, one by one, around a wooden board that had six small cups and two reservoirs. The person to fill their reservoir first won. It was an easy game that kept us occupied for hours on end.
While Meg was out of the room, I moved over to the window and looked out over the main square. Some where in the street there was arguing, a cat screeching, and a few dogs barking. Just below me were a woman and a man. She giggled as the man pressed her against the wall and kissed her bosom. Blushing I moved away from the window, pulling the shutters closed as I did.


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I wrote an article titled "Chi-Squared Goodness of Fit using C#" in the March 2017 issue of Microsoft MSDN Magazine. See https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/mt795190.
A chi-squared goodness of fit test is most often used when you have a dataset of "count" values and you want to see if those count values correspond to some hypothesized counts. For example, in my article, I describe a problem where you are looking at an (American style) roulette wheel that you suspect might be biased.
A roulette wheel has 38 slots: 18 red, 18 black, and 2 green. If the wheel is fair and you rolled a ball 1,000 times, you'd expect to get (474, 474, 52) — 18 / 38 * 1000 = 474 red results, and 18 / 38 * 1000 = 474 black results, and 2 / 38 * 1000 = 52 green results.
But suppose you actually perform an experiment and instead of getting (474, 474, 52) you get (450, 460, 90) — fewer reds and fewer blacks than expected and more greens. Even if the wheel is fair, this could have happened by sheer luck. A chi-squared test gives you the probability of the observed results, and from this you can infer if the wheel is fair or not.
As I point out in my article, there are plenty of tool that can do a chi-squared test, including R and Excel. However, if you want to implement chi-squared directly in a software system you might want to write the code yourself. The key to implementing chi-squared is calculating an area under a chi-squared distribution. I show how to use a special algorithm named ACM 299 (which in turn uses ACM 209).


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|2009 - Rodney the dog left his mark when his owners extended the 1949 mystery slab, surrounded it with chain link fencing, added a wobbly trellis and turned it into a dog kennel with access to the garage.
Our back yard is already pretty small, so I don't think adding more concrete is our way to leave a mark the property, so we're going to break out of the concrete mold and reclaim the yard!
We had no use for a dog kennel, so after a couple of months of trying to come up with some way to make use of the concrete pad, I finally decided that what we really need is a play area for the boys. Concrete + kid's play area = cracked heads, so I'm giving up on the concrete pad and going with demolition! I already pulled down the trellis a while back, leaving this view of the yard with the concrete slab marked. I think it will be great to have a swingset in this shady area.
I like to think that I'm a DIY girl, but I'm not quite up to hauling concrete to the dump and I'm a little nervous about what might be lurking beneath a 62-year old mystery slab, so I've hired someone to come over and take care of it for us. Next week I should be able to show some lovely photos of my yard sans concrete!


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A Moment with the Manager – A Community Worth Being Thankful For
By: Natalie M. Zeigler
City Manager
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the many things to be thankful for- a home, a family, a job, and many other things. Among these usual things to be thankful for, I challenge all of us to be thankful for the aspects of our community that make it unique.
Looking at recent political events around the nation, our community is fortunate to have community leaders that strive to build bridges in cooperation with our community […]


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waves, barrier reefs and understanding public opinion
September 27, 2010 § Leave a comment
waves, barrier reefs and understanding public opinion
When it comes to public and private aptitudes and behaviors and climate disruption and the engendered response, we tend to rvert to thinking of the "people" as a mass of consumers. I've been looking for opportunities to re-metaphorize this. A brief talk on what happens to waves on barrier reefs suggests the following.
We tend to think of social process as a wave of influence moving outward into a population. But the population is already organized in sub groups, such as a pocket of high unemployment or a gated community of the upper middle class, of office buildings, factories, military bases, or hospitals. Each has different characteristics when it comes to the ability of such larger flows to penetrate, or be invited in.
Often the wave of social influencing – fads, policies, attitudes, mediated by the press run into barriers. The barrier has the effect of slowing much of the wave, chopping it up (imagine a wave hitting a barrier reef), which slows the moment, produced bakward moving waves and increases complexity (and entropy) in the process. This gives some protection to those on both sides of the barrier, creating little nooks where the old can survive, but also where the new can avoid being knocked over before (say by rapidly mobilizing public opinion social disaggregation prevents hysteria and rumor) it takes root.
We might speak of the morphology of the wave as it is influenced by the places where it runs up against stuff, and where it flows freely. The front edge of the wave hitting resistance (such as a claim to scientific legitimacy hitting a community of the religiously inclined)loses its coherency an becomes many small wave fronts of opinion and outlook.
Those who are most rooted create a kind of boundary layer of conservative thinking over which the wave moves, being little affected, and the rootedness and density of such populations constitute a real barrier, a drag, on the moving wave of new opinion. A new wave can only maintain full momentum if it is felt to be responsive to local conditions ass they are perceived.
It would be a good task to look at a larger number of possible parameters that determine this move of a wave of new thought or new sense (such as fear, rumor, opportunity) through established populations. Obviously some waves connect with almost everyone, and others with very few. At the moment it might be the difference between the affecting power of the wave of interest in Paris Hilton vs the interest in the wave of acidification of the ocean. In the ocean case the physical impact is huge and unseen, and in the other case miniscule and seen by everyone.
The question of the difference of impact: the what/why/ who/when for these two "waves", is not well understood.
There is a danger that we mistake the flow where it is visible, towards the surface, with what is happening underneath. The media can be in a flurry of activity and apparently powerfully affecting, but most people remain inert and unaffected by it.
An example would be the difference between the way capitalist ideas (vs feudal arrangements) along with market oriented agricultural practice, affected the peasants in England in the 16th and the French in the 17th century. The scale of France was larger and the nobility had a deeper grasp on the land, and resisted the new market ideas, giving some protection to the peasants. The result was that England moved rapidly – and avoided a violent revolution – but France did not.
As the wave of idea and perception flow through the locally segmented population some people at a distance from the waves origin are affected as if there were no distance, and others are not affected. There is a kind of transfer of momentum of the messages, but it is not even. The mental receptivity, relevant local conditions, and clarity of the message are not at all evenly distributed.
We could speak of friction to the movement of a wave, friction which has an impact on local conditions ,even if the wave – such as the tea party – is powerful. The friction is always the result of the struggle to maintain local conditions, and this, in the process, in the process changes the quality and content of the wave.
And while the wave dissipates, it might pick up resonating centers (local leaders and media and relevant conditions) – altering the message – There are also lagoons of quiet that remain unaffected by the new wave, but this is always because they are large bodies of public opinion caught up in other ideational themes. For example, those most concerned about the bank crisis seem among the least affected y climate change. The example is not perfect, because of churn at the edges for the small number who are affected – and open to affected – by both.
The overall point here is that we should not look at populations as homogeneous ensembles of like dull minded people, but as microenvironments of people who are in some cases going to be very receptive, because of local conditions of economy, education , land use – and others who, for equally solid reasons will be impervious.
Those people are partially organized by class, racial identity, sexual orientation, income level, and many other factors, some unseen, that will turn out to be very relevant. Spatial distribution and age cohort not the least.
the book connected Christarchus
September 23, 2010 § Leave a comment
The full title.Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas A. Christakis
A good study of how people close to each other have a solid influence on each other, the spread of obesity is a major example in the book. For human behavior the idea is that we need to look at the actual networks of relationships people are in (including "imaginative" ones with media figures).
This leads to the power of looking at how networks are segmented from each other.
as in political reading, see http://www.orgnet.com/leftright.html
Erich Fromm with Mike Wallace on what makes us happy.
September 22, 2010 § Leave a comment
September 22, 2010 § Leave a comment
The rhetoric of curent politics includes
If you are closer to the center than I am you are an extremist.
This makes any discussion almost impossible.
It is amplified by calling the other "stupid, ignorant, partisan.."
Like calling Krugman stupid, or Gingrich an idiot, since they are not at all true, makes truth a more vague concept.WEhen anything goes in argument, anything goes elsewhere as well.
September 22, 2010 § Leave a comment
Human Resource Use: Timing and Implications for SustainabilityTainter's article
September 14, 2010 § Leave a comment
At least part of the answer is that complexity is a basic problem-solving tool. Confronted with problems, we often respond by developing more complex technologies, establishing new institutions, adding more specialists or bureaucratic levels to an institution, increasing organization or regulation, or gathering and processing more information. While we usually prefer not to bear the cost of complexity, our problem-solving efforts are powerful complexity generators. All that is needed for growth of complexity is a problem that requires it. Since problems continually arise, there is persistent pressure for complexity to increase.
This is solid.
The Oil Drum | Joseph Tainter – Human Resource Use: Timing and Implications for Sustainability
September 13, 2010 § Leave a comment
oseph Tainter – Human Resource Use: Timing and Implications for Sustainability
Posted by Nate Hagens on September 9, 2009 – 10:17am
Topic: Environment/Sustainability
Tags: complexity, energy gain, joseph tainter, sustainability [list all tags]
Joseph Tainter, a Professor in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah State University, and author of the seminal work "The Collapse of Complex Societies", recently gave a speech on complexity and resource use at the 94th Annual Meeting of Ecological Society of America in New Mexico: (Conference theme: Human Macroecology: Understanding Human-Environment Interactions Across Scales). The speech, 'Human Resource Use: Timing and Implications for Sustainability', based on a forthcoming paper, is reprinted below with the authors permission.
Taint-or's assessment of complexity, collapse and future prospects. Those who follow me know that his Collapse of Complex Societies is one of the more important books for me.


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Offer Search Agent
Looking for agents selling walnuts
Profile:Manufacturer - Producer|Ref:PSL414992YH | Country: Chine | Export: Yes
Our company mainly sells the walnut kernels ,of course ,we have other products including the peanuts and apricot. First hand source from original planting orchard, natural and healthy. Long sunshine hour, melt-water irrigation, clean and pollution-free.
Dry in the sun, natural color.
Light yellow smooth shell, big kernels easy to take out with high yield.
We have been conducting internal trade for seven years.We have a stable internal trade profit,We have just established a foreign trade department, so we will make a considerable profit for our agent
Contact the company


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Duck season opens half-an-hour before sunrise this Saturday (Nov. 11) in the Coastal and West Zones. Hunters who don't have a private lease or book with a guide have several public, state-managed wildlife areas with good duck habitats to pick from.
Biloxi in St. Bernard, Pass a Loutre in Plaquemines, Salvador in St. Charles and Pointe Au Chien in Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes are all excellent choices.
On WMAs, hunter will need a WMA hunting permit in addition to their basic license and waterfowl stamps. Those same areas are prime for redfish, bass and speckled trout, so don't forget to pack your rod along with your shotgun.


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Things I'd like to do before I go:
1) Routinely buy flowers for my home and office.
2) Take a helicopter ride.
3) Ride a horse.
4) Adopt a dog.
5) Go to Rio for Carnival
6) Skinny dip in the Pacific
7) Cross the Mexican border
8) Own land
9) Revisit Rome, and while there eat a gelato-filled crepe in Piazza Navona; visit Trevi in the early morning to take photos while no one is there; and picnic in Villa Ada.
10) Help my kids with school projects.
11) Host a kick-ass party
12) Decorate our place
13) Go to a tea party in England
14) Drink whiskey in an Irish bar
15) Take Zilla on a European excursion
16) Live on the West coast
17) Visit Vancouver
18) Aid in natural disaster relief efforts
19) Zipline through a canopy
20) Spa trip with the ladies
21) Visit Tibet
22) Polish up on my Italian
23) Travel to Budapest
24) See Paris in the Spring
25) Shop in a market in Japan
26) Have Christmas at my house
27) Make sushi at home
28) Help someone get through it
29) Sing Karaoke
30) Plant a small garden without being frightened of the snakes.
Friday, April 11, 2008
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What the hell do I know about raising a baby? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
Yet here I am, the sole guardian of my niece. I'd be lost if it weren't for Katherine, the beautiful girl who seems to have all the answers. Katherine, who's slowly finding her way into my cynical heart.
I keep reminding myself that I can't fall for someone when we don't have a future. But telling myself this lie and believing it are two different things.
When Brady shows up on a Harley, looking like an avenging angel—six feet, three inches of chiseled muscle, eyes the color of wild sage, and sun-kissed skin emblazoned with tattoos—I'm not sure if I should fall at his feet or run like hell. Because if I tell him what happened the night his family died, he might hate me.
What I don't count on are the nights we spend together trying to forget the heartache that brought us here. I promise him it won't mean anything, that I won't fall in love.
I shouldn't make promises I can't keep.
Shameless is an adult contemporary romance/spinoff featuring a character from The Dearest Series, but it can be read as a complete standalone
US: http://amzn.to/1QgeNwJ
UK: http://amzn.to/1YBCvK4
Universal Amazon link: http://myBook.to/Shameless
B&N: http://bit.ly/1VnRtFy
Kobo: http://bit.ly/248KdiD
iBooks: http://apple.co/1S3GPBl
The Dearest Series Boxed Set is FREE on KU for a limited time. Get all three Dearest Series books, including Dearest Clementine, Finding Dandelion and Kissing Madeline, as well as bonus scenes and the first chapter of Shameless.
US: http://amzn.to/1U0pB97
UK: http://amzn.to/1YBClSN
Universal Amazon link: http://myBook.to/DearestSeries
I am a huge fan of Lex Martin's Dearest Series and was thrilled when she announced a spin-off. Brady plays a minor role in that series and you definitely don't have to read them in order to enjoy this one. However, it is one of my favorite NA series, and I highly recommend them if you are looking an awesome NA experience. Brady may come off as a "bad boy" but he really is a good man and has a heart of gold. That is evident from the early chapters when his world is turned completely upside down.
"I'm sorry brother. You had a beautiful dream."
Katherine does not appear in any of the Dearest books, but I adored her character right away. She has a sweet and nurturing personality. She and Brady are dealing with heavy and life changing issues, but the book never feels sad or depressing. Right away these two seem to share a connection. Isabella, Brady's niece, is adorable and completely steals the spotlight. Some of my favorite moments are with her and Brady. How can a big, tattoo artist, be such a softie for a little girl? I also enjoyed all the tension between Brady and Katherine. This is definitely a slow burn in the beginning. I felt like singing "Kiss the Girl," throughout several chapters. The two have sexual chemistry, and once things take off, they really get quite hot. It was always obvious at some point, one or both of them would have their heart involved.
…Brady makes me want to take risks.
While reading, I often become so involved with the people, I overlook the background and minor details, but that is not the case here. The setting is a vital aspect and added depth and uniqueness to this book. It's obvious that Lex Martin is either familiar or has Texas in her soul. I appreciated all the small details and nuances she includes about the region and the farm. I could close my eyes and see the lavender fields. All the town people and little critters added a sweet and endearing charm. The book would not have felt the same without it.
I adored this book, but do have a few minor complaints. Even though it is a spin off, I was sad there are no appearances from the Dearest clan. Secondly, Lex Martin can write saucy scenes, but there are times when I felt it distracted from the progression of the story. Lastly, I wanted more at the end, but then again, I usually do. Despite these few small issues, I really enjoyed Brady and Katherine and hope to see them again.
If you are looking for a sexy but sweet, friends to lovers romance, I recommend this one for you! Some of the story line is melancholy in the beginning, but it never felt more than a light hearted read. I cannot wait for whatever Lex Martin writes next.
Enter HERE to win a $25 gift card from Lex Martin.
Lex writes adult novels, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. When she's not writing, she lives a parallel life as an English teacher. She loves printing black and white photos, listening to music on vinyl, and getting lost in a great book. Bitten by wanderlust, she's lived all over the country but currently resides in the City of Angels with her husband and twin daughters.
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1CgVvUO
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(secureamericanow.org).While American Jewish voters, like the rest of the country, believe that economics is the most important issue facing the nation, they also believe that for the American Jewish community the single most important issue for the Jewish community is Israel.
In a poll conducted by Democrat Pat Caddell and Republican John McLaughlin for the non-partisan organization Secure America Now http://www.secureamericanow.org/ , American Jewish voters expressed admiration for many of President Obama's personal qualities (honesty, leadership, intelligence...) they also expressed deep concern about the state of Israel/US relations and policies being championed by the Obama Administration.
* 93% are concerned about Israel being threatened by Arab nations and Iran that want to destroy Israel.
* 81% are against Israel being forced to return to its pre-1967 borders.
* 81% agree with the Administration as they oppose the UN recognizing a Palestinian State
* 76% are concerned about Islamic terrorism committed in the US by American born Muslims
* 73% believe Jerusalem should remain the united capital of Israel and only 8% support that the US should force Israel to give away parts of Jerusalem.
* 88% believes that a prerequisite for Palestinian Statehood is their recognition of Israel as a Jewish State.
* And by a a 54-21 majority they feel that the Arab Spring has made the world more dangerous for Israel.
That this divide may have political consequences can be seen in the answers to the following: Despite a job approval rating of 63% for President Obama, only two in five Jewish voters (43% ) say they would vote to re-elect President Obama. The plurality (48%) would consider someone else and 9% are undecided.
The bipartisan poll, also found that Obama is likely to have particular trouble with Jews in the all-important state of Florida, as only 34 percent of Florida's Jews would vote to reelect him.
Mr. Caddell commented on the results:" These most loyal of Democrat voters are very concerned about the future of Israel and the tense relations between the Obama Administration and the State of Israel."
John McLaughlin added "This poll adds to the growing evidence that right behind concerns about the economy are concerns about security, and among Jewish Americans voters growing concerns for the future of our ally Israel."


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OK, well then I'll never goto a Springsteen concert or buy a Springsteen album. It's my right to vote with my feet if I so choose. If he is choosing to be politician, then I won't vote for him in other words. I did the same thing to Elton John when EJ had Boy Scouts stripping on stage at one of his concerts. It's called going over the line. Society calls it Post-Modernism. I call it disgusting. On the day I heard about EJ doing that, I threw away all my EJ albums and vowed never to purchase another one by him.
Does anybody else feel like that? Is it important to put our "rubber" where the road is?


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I'll write something next week, but this would take too long to write.
I really hope you guys enjoy this one. It's special to me. I love all
of you. (:
¡La Iglesia es verdadera!
Foto con Lesly, my recent convert and my son, and my people from my
first area! I went back and visited... They all said that I was too
skinny.... I thought it was just because they had gotten me fat there!


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Santa Maria Sun / News
The following articles were printed from Santa Maria Sun [santamariasun.com] - Volume 14, Issue 3
In the March 14 article "A dog we can depend on," the Sun failed to acknowledge that Santa Barbara County has a second canine search-and-rescue team. Juanita Smith and her dog Blaze, of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, are also certified and are regularly called out to incidents.
News Briefs is compiled by Sun writers from staff reporting and local and national media. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
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Yosemite was pretty awesome. I REALLY liked the snow, even if it was cold and wet and slippery (especially because I was wearing my mom's rain boots, which have NO traction whatsoever, as proven by the perfectly flat footprints I kept leaving in the snow whenever I left our room).
During our last night, we played the Name Game (as usual), which gave Linus an opportunity to be Linus. I think this exchange between the two of us perfectly illustrates the WIDE range of his mind:
It is Linus' turn to pick names out of the basket and have his team, to which I belong, guess. He doesn't recognize this particular name which he has just pulled out, so he's using clues to have us guess the separate parts (keep in mind that there's a time limit).
Linus: Oh, um, Amelia, this is that really tall guy in Romeo and Juliet at Burroughs last year. He played Capulet.
Me: Evan?
Linus: No.
Me: I don't know. Um, John? Lex? I didn't even see this production!
Linus: No, keep going! He's tall!
Me; Uuuhhh, I don't know! Jacob? Linus, I DIDN'T SEE THE PLAY!
Linus: He goes to school in Monterey.
Me: Oh! Isaac.
And then to have me guess this person's last name...
Linus (in a perfectly bored tone): Oh, this was one of the Gilded Age presidents.
Seriously! It took him FOREVER to get me to give the name of one my own FRIENDS, but he knew right away that Hayes was a president during the Gilded Age!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
1 comment:
- judityE said...
That was so Linus! I hope we can do it again really soon.
- January 13, 2009 at 6:49 PM
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I'm a big lover of personality testing. I'm not a fan of allowing the test results rule your life, but I do think that the more pseudo-scientifically based ones can definitely help us discover more about who we are as individuals and how we operate in the world around us. One of the more broadly utilized personality tests is the Meyers-Briggs (If anyone cares or is interested, I'm an INFP, which you can read about in several places on the web, or in any number of books). There are many different versions of the M-B test (there have been shortened versions created, and free versions created), but I really do believe it provides insight into our own self. I also believe that self-awareness is always invaluable, so who wouldn't want to find out more?
One of the things I have long known about myself is that I am incredibly indecisive. It's not that I can't make a decision, but rather that I prefer to leave my options open. I don't believe in closing doors so that a window can open, I'd rather have all the doors, windows and possible entrances or exits wide open and deal with whatever small drafts or major storms come my way.
That said, I recently made the decision to give up the pursuit of my BFA in painting, and instead pursue a BA in Behavioral Science. It sounds like a strange switch (because it is), but I had several reasons for this decision. One of the biggest reasons was my fear of not being employable after spending so much time and money pursuing a fine arts degree. This is a very, very real concern, as it is relatively well-known that there is a reason we are called "starving artists." Another reason for my departure from the degree is the attitude amongst fine art students. As a whole, they are quite full of themselves, and I find myself often wondering how I wound up in such a complete travesty. I don't believe being an art student or artist is about how grand you can make yourself feel, and I also don't believe it's about making others feel badly about themselves, yet this seems to be a common, and sadly, encouraged behavior. I couldn't help but ask myself what I was doing punishing myself in such an environment.
I started having really horrible anxiety dreams about the time school let out for summer, and I couldn't figure out why. I knew I would be out of the school system for about twelve weeks, so it shouldn't have been stressful by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, I think the above thoughts were silently running through my subconscious. I came to the realization that I have two distinct sides to me when it comes to working. One side of me hates routine, loves when things are just thrown at me and I have to figure them out, enjoys using creativity to come up with solutions, doesn't want to be on a schedule, wants to be alone to 'do my thing,' and prefers utter chaos around every corner. However, the other side of me is extremely analytical, wants to help others in some way, needs a certain amount of order to keep from going insane, and wants to just do whatever needs to be done. The trouble I have found is learning how to balance these two sides so that one doesn't become over powered by the other.
This 'balance' I've been seeking brought me to the Behavioral Science degree. It's basically a nice, generic, liberal arts degree that I can use to focus on Sociology, History, Psychology, or Anthropology, and not get sick of any one piece of the puzzle. The problem I have faced since this decision was made (and my schedule for the fall was changed to reflect the new goal), is that I feel a piece of me giving up on the art side of things. While I know that a degree in art will not an artist make, I still hold on to the belief that there is more for me to learn, and that the "good" teachers are still to be found in this department. So, I am now seriously toying with the idea of pursuing both degrees simultaneously.
Here are the benefits I see to doing so:
1) I completed my general education studies many years ago when I started college right out of high school. The disadvantage to this seemingly overachiever act is that then one becomes a fine art student who has no outlet other than art to focus on. The entire world becomes wrapped up in the hideousness that is the art department, as well as its insanely boastful, self-absorbed, narcissistic students (again, this is the greater whole and not every student). If I were to pursue both degrees, I would be able to have a balancing act of sorts to provide me an outlet from the creative side, and also an outlet from the "study" side of things, thus making me a more balanced (at least in theory) person.
2) I don't want to give up on a dream. Sure, dreams change for me and actually are quite fluid as a rule, but I was truly excited about the idea of having a fine arts degree. Honestly, even if I was never able to professionally survive as an artist, I love the fact that I made a decision as a non-traditional (college code for 'old') student to pursue something that seems frivolous and meaningless to many adults. It's that child part of me that I don't want to give up on. Is it silly? Yes. Do I care? Not really. People can say that only a fool would pursue such a thing, but it really doesn't bother me in the least.
3) As Kermit the Frog said, "Time's fun when you're having flies." While I am not anxious to
extend my time in school, I think that having a well-rounded education could leave many doors (and windows, basements, attics, etc) open for me, and perhaps even allow me to create my own position at some future point in time. One of my strong suits is coming up with alternative answers to seemingly single-answer questions, so why not allow myself to pursue more than one thing at the same time, so as to not hate what I'm doing. I find that I do better when there is more on my plate, and more importantly, when there is variety on my plate, thus allowing me to swing back and forth from the analytical to the creative side. Plus, I can always opt out of the art degree at a later time, if I feel it is becoming more of a hurdle than a ladder.
Perhaps I am just fantasizing about something that is not the greatest solution, but then again, maybe there is some goodness to be had from the thoughts flowing through my mind. I just don't want to look back and regret decisions that I made at some point later down the yellow brick road. If nothing else, I do think it's food for thought.


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BirdiePurple understand English and is between 18 - 22.BirdiePurple pictures - lateengossip.com. I'm gentle and beautiful lady. Last update: , category: Girl


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Okay, it originally aired four years ago, it's won an Emmy, lots of critics (justifiably) think it's one of the best shows ever produced for television, and it's already spawned a weak-kneed American version. So, I'm late to the ballgame. Fine. I love The Office anyway, and here's why.
If there's one thing television does better than cinema, it's the portrayal of work life. By offering its art in serial form, television shows allow us to watch how the day-by-day small progressions of workaday life actually build—or stubbornly refuse to build—into actual moments and eras of significance. A feature film condenses life into its defining moments, its brightest spots and darkest places. Movies portray the news. A serialized TV show, at its best, can do precisely the opposite, portraying the everyday happenings that, by dint of being everyday happenings, are by definition not news.
The Office—a show about the sad, sad lives of office workers in a dreary town (Slough; the name is brilliant) for a dreary paper supply company—is dazzling; Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's creation justifies the medium and foregrounds its possibilities. The concept is not so much simple as it is perfect—a silent TV crew documents the exploits of the Slough branch of Wernham Hogg Paper Company, presumably for either a reality TV show or a training exercise. The branch is run by David Brent (Gervais), a inept boss who barely contains his racist and sexist tendencies, and who doesn't contain his ego at all. He's oddly pompous—he blows himself out of proportion by putting on a nice-guy, friendly-jokester act for the camera. So he's most pompous when he's eager to portray himself as a man of the people. He's got no sense that he's an asshole, nor that his underlings only laugh at his jokes to keep on his good side. He undermines the confidence and efficiency of everyone he works with; he unsettles everyone with his embarrassingly inappropriate comments; he's constantly getting caught in lies and being proven inept. Everyone around him knows it, which is the source of most of The Office's dry, mordant comedy.
But everyone also knows that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can done about it, which is the source of the show's tragic undercurrents. From the naturalistic light—dull grays, fluorescent lighting scheme, perpetually overcast weather—to the dry wit, The Office captures how work can be mind-numbing and infuriating all at once. The show's best relationship is between Tim (the smashingly droll Martin Freeman) and his nemesis Gareth (uptight, frightening Mackenzie Crook). The two work side by side, and hate each other. Their mutual derision comes not from overblown circumstances (although there are some of those, such as Tim's perpetual burying of Gareth's office supplies in Jello, or Gareth's violent fantasies), but from the run-of-the-mill annoyances that build up as time goes on. Gervais and Merchant get lots of mileage from the fact that Gareth can say things so wildly inappropriate that you think you've entered the Twilight Zone. And, just when you think he can't possibly top himself, he does.
Character quirks snowball over the course of the series' six episodes, heightening the tension (ahem, hilarity) to small, acute breaking points. The Office's foibles draw guffaws because they're so muted, so rooted in sly glances, opened mouths of disbelief, and offhand quips. The cinema verité camerawork and editing works like an eavesdropper, so that we feel embarrassed and uncomfortable watching this stuff. In particular, the casual sexism is hard to watch. The women, generally, hold up better than the men—they're more mature, more resourceful, and yet sadly more resigned to dealing with untoward advances and bad jokes at their expense. The Office captures the casual sexist cruelty of practically every office place and how it can't just be eliminated by legislation alone.
By the end of the sadly hysterical series, we've watched people lose their jobs, their holds of sanity, and their dignity. Gareth's distraught tears almost make us sorry for him, even as we're chuckling. Tim's fumbled flirtation with Dawn (Lucy Davis) rings true because it's so awkward and poorly conceived. And, in the most authentic note of all, only David is blithely untouched by the end. He goes on to a ridiculously undeserved promotion with his feral, maniacally idiotic smile intact. I'd never want to work at Wernham Hogg, but it's a helluva place to watch.
Come to think of it, in some ways The Office IS news, in that it offers us a honest portrayal of workplace life that's so rarely seen otherwise. It makes The Apprentice look like the complete nonsense that it is.