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Has anyone out there worked with minky before? I hadn't until 4 months ago…so why am I just getting around to posting about it? Because I JUST finished the project. I wish at this point I could at least say that it was a complex pattern I was making, but the truth is it was just a simple old baby blanket. Four straight seams and your done!
So the tale begins 4 months ago on Labor Day weekend, I was with my sister and mother fabric shopping. We happened upon a fabric store devoted entirely to minky.
I saw this brown minky with paisley cut into it and could NOT leave the store without it, and a red with white dot print was its perfect compliment. I had a friend that was due the following weekend and I knew these were the nursery colors she had picked out.
When I got home my sights were set high for this blanket. I didn't want to make it too easy on myself, I wanted to jazz it up by embroidering Little Misses Name on it – I took a lot of pictures during this process…with the idea that I would blog a how to…
After several failed attempts on my own with both machine (with my normal sewing machine) and by hand I decided to seek help from the online sewing community. What I found were several warnings to not even attempt embroidering on minky…and after several frustrating days, I would advise the same thing.
Even after all the issues I had, I still attempted the embroidery a couple more times unwilling to let the idea go. After several more failed attempts I finally gave up and took some weeks away from the frustrating project. When I came back to it I moved on to sewing the blanket itself.
I found the material impossible to sew to itself. The stretch and the ply of the minky made it difficult at best to sew together without puckering and pulling. Again I went online to look for answers. I couldn't find any tips for sewing minky to minky – it seemed that everyone was sewing minky to cotton. And after my attempts to sew the minky to itself I can understand why there weren't more people doing it. So I was left to forge the path.
The best solution I came up with at that time, was to place heavy books (yes that is Taxation in Colonial America) on the material and run it down to smooth out the fabric along the way. It worked better, but it still wasn't good enough, there was still some sticking, stretching, and misalignment. Additionally, the fabric wasn't cut precisely, so the pieces didn't line up perfectly. I decided to us the white dots as my line and I cut all sides to straight lines. Warning cutting minky will leave a mess at your work station. Fabric.com's blog accurately refers to it as a "cloud of fuzz." After I got the pieces to the same size, lining up was much easier, but I was still having puckering and pulling issues. I was ready to give up FOREVER – my sister convinced me to just step away from it for a while. So I took a few more weeks away from the project.
The next time I came back to it, was after a consultation with my sister (and brother-in-law) and we (he) came up with a possible solution. To sew them wrong sides together. It would leave the seams unfinished and in need of a finishing, but with the smooth sides together the friction that had been causing the sticking and pulling would be eliminated.
I laid the first piece completely out on my dinning room floor (hard wood – smooth surface.) Then place the second piece directly on top of that one. I was now in a large enough room and space that I could move around the compete piece of fabric and pin it without moving the material around. That ability and the fact that the wrong sides together were smooth and not "sticky" like the right sides, allowed me to get the whole thing pinned and ready to sew. And boy did I pin. I pinned around the whole thing, to make sure there was NO shifting this time. Doing it that way, required every single pin that I own.
I also decided to use a zigzag stich, because of the stretch of the material. And it WORKED! Finally things were looking up. I had a baby blanket albeit with unfinished edges, but the two pieces of minky were together - and straight and not puckering or pulling!
I decided to finish the blanket with blanket binding and located and pinned a tutorial on blanket binding. I have never worked with binding before, and even though I would highly recommend the above tutorial I had my own issues with tension, stitch length, and even pinning the satin binding. I had to rip out my stiches more than I would like to admitt. So (you guessed it) I walked away from the project for a few more weeks.
Then came the holidays…I got some quilting pins – much better leverage for the satin binding pinning process.
As you can see I went a little pin crazy at this step too…I didn't want to mess things up again.
I was enjoying the binding process, the tutorial really is a good one. Cornering was fun, the straightaways we going quickly. Everything was going smoothly...as my husband would say - almost TOO smoothly! (he is a realist)
In the last 12 inches I had to sew on to complete the blanket - I ran out of thread…broke a needle…and some how pinned it so poorly that I didn't catch the back side of the binding with the stiches. I had to step away from the project for an hour. But the closeness of the completion of this looming project (and the fact that baby girl is now 4 months old) gave me a new motivation to get the blanket done. So I found some close to the same color thread, switched in my last spare needle and got back to work.
And then I finish it!
Ding dong the blanket's done! And I couldn't be more releaved.
The moral of this story – stay away from minky!


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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
What a dichotomous life he's living, that Scotty McCreery. One day he's releasing the track list for his upcoming debut album, the next day he's heading back into his North Carolina high school to hit the books. "We get a four-day break here before the Philippines, so I'm gonna be heading back and catching up on the books and going back to the high school and getting behind the desk," he said in a recent radio interview about his break from the Idols Live tour. "I'm telling you, all the kids complain about school, but what I'd give to just go take one more test." The grass is always greener, right? But meanwhile, once those tests and papers and bibliographies are behind him, McCreery's album, Clear as Day, will come out. And if the list of songwriters on it is any indication, it is going to be one of the best country albums of the year. Nashville's finest, who have each written one of my favorite songs, contributed new material to McCreery's project. Guys like Tim Nichols ("I'll Think of a Reason Later"), Casey Beathard ("The Boys of Fall" ), Chris Tompkins ("Before He Cheats" ), Craig Wiseman ("The Good Stuff" ), Neil Thrasher ("I Melt" ), Rhett Atkins ("Put a Girl in It" ) and more. I can't wait to hear what they've done for McCreery.

subset: commoncrawl


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Monthly Archives: October 2009
Good tuna, long time no see!
I don't remember when was the last time that I got good tuna.
I believed it was 3-4 weeks ago.
This big eye tuna is the best of October.
It was stomach side and came with oh-toro.
It is available for next few days.
Taka's Update Oct. 26th 2009
Fish delivery of this week
Tuna supply is not great. I have not received good tuna for 3 weeks. It is OK and not bad. Live scallop is not coming today. Japanese fish delivery is same as usual.
Poor Japanese?
Japanese government released a new data.Poverty rate is 15.7% in 2006. This number is 0.8% up from 2003 and the highest number since 1997. Also kids poverty rate is 14.2% and 0.5% up.According to OECD data, Mexico is the top and 18.4%, Turkey is 17.5%, United State is 17.1% . These are top3. The lowest is Denmark and Sweden. It is only 5.3%.It was all middle class before but not anymore. It is getting approaching to US style.
Read More →
Sake tasting. It's fun!
5 sakes and 6 dishes were served. This time's winner was Koshino Yukiwariso, Snow Grass.
I got MRE from my customer.
Thanks, Steve.
He was in Military and retired.
We will eat this on Sunday.
This is turkey and gravy, potatoes.
I have no idea for taste.
I let you know.


text:
Search Results: 'renewable energy'
Solar Decathlon 2005: The Event in Review (October 7–16, 2005)
Paperback: $17.50
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Two years before the contest, when most of the students joined their respective Solar Decathlon teams, little did they know how daunting the task would be. From the long hours designing and building... More > a house from the ground up, to the demanding requirements necessary to build and occupy a house on the National Mall, competing in the Solar Decathlon is hard. For those with the right stuff, it built character and leadership—qualities that will change their lives for the better. That's significant. To power a house day after day on sunlight is a technological accomplishment that many find hard to believe—especially in cloudy weather. What the teams proved is that solar energy really works and energy efficiency pays off. Considering the consequences of billions of people around the world burning finite fossil fuels at an ever-increasing rate, demonstrating technologies that can make a difference is significant.< Less
Renewable Energy
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A simplified explanation of the types and sources of renewable energy with their benefits and drawbacks
Renewable Energy
eBook (ePub): $4.49
A simplified explanation of the types and sources of renewable energy with their benefits and drawbacks
Renewable Energy
eBook (ePub): $7.99
I hope that you will find the information helpful, useful and profitable. The information in this ebook on how to implement a strategy for sustainable energy at home is organized into 20 chapters of... More > about 500-600 words each. I hope that it will interest those who would like to do something about creating their own energy for home use. As an added bonus, I am granting you permission to use the content on your own website or in your own blogs and newsletter, although it is better if you rewrite them in your own words first. You may also split the book up and resell the articles. In fact, the only right that you do not have is to resell or give away the book as it was delivered to you.< Less
Megatrends for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
eBook (ePub): $99.99
What are the major developments and trends which are emerging and evolving to set the course for meeting the growing energy needs of the modern world? This comprehensive book explores this... More > compelling and complex topic, examining the driving and often competing forces which come into play as we move forward. Currently 85% of the world's energy systems are powered by coal, oil and other fossil fuels. However, as growing concern for the climate crisis and carbon emissions move to the forefront, while simultaneously it becomes clear that the end of cheap oil is in sight, the need for increased emphasis on both energy efficiency and alternative sources of energy can no longer be ignored. The author provides an overview of the ongoing energy mix evolution, current technology and alternative fuel developments, sustainable building trends, evolving energy efficiency practices, and more.< Less
Renewable Energy 101
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Renewable energy is energy that is generated from sunlight, rain, tides, geothermal heat and wind. These sources are naturally and constantly replenished, which is why they are deemed as renewable.... More > The usage of renewable energy sources is very important when considering the sustainability of the existing energy usage of the world. While there is currently an abundance of non-renewable energy sources, such as nuclear fuels, these energy sources are depleting. In addition to being a non-renewable supply, the non-renewable energy source release emissions into the air, which has an adverse effect on the environment. Get all the necessary info in this eBook.< Less
New Concepts in Renewable Energy
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Inventor details revolutionary new ways for using wind, solar, bio-fuel, piezoelectricity, ocean currents, pressure differentials and kinetics to generate renewable energy.
Renewable Energy Transformation
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Ray Block is a Sydney based economist and economic historian. He sees a relationship between the transformational innovations now opening up, centered around low carbon energy. This book Renewable... More > Energy Transformation is a very readable report in non technical language on key developments in major industries updated to June 2011. "If you're looking for a fiery polemic, larded with rhetoric but short on facts, you've picked up the wrong book. Ray Block has written a painstakingly precise study on renewable energy in the United States, China and the European Union. Thoroughly detailed, but still crisp and incisive enough to be readable." Foreword by The Hon. Bob Carr< Less
Introduction to Renewable Energy Manufacturing
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Introduction to Renewable Energy Manufacturing
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Genius Matters
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text:
St Luke's Hospice was firmly in the picture as it raised more than £600 for patient care at Art in the Gardens.
Partnered at the annual Botanical Gardens art event by Sheffield City Council. St Luke's had the chance to display its special Celebration of Life felt artwork and its daisy chain of memories as well as a display of some of the pieces of art created by hospice patients.
And special guest artist Sampa Mulenga was on hand to create on the spot portraits of guests to the St Luke's stand, including Lord Mayor of Sheffield Coun Anne Murphy.
"We had a fantastic weekend and would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers of Art in the Gardens and Sheffield City Council for inviting us to be a part of this wonderful event," said St Luke's Community Fundraising Manager Megan Senior.
"We raised more than £600 throughout the weekend, all of which will go to the support of our patients and their families."


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Morton, Paul and Michael Weinstein
was founded in 1940 on Albany Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut by
Herman Weinstein, a native of New Haven whose father was associated
with the Chevra Kadisha in New Haven. Herman, a graduate of the
Cincinnati College of Embalming, Cincinnati, OH, was the first Jewish
licensed embalmer and funeral director in the Hartford area.
Prior to this, Jewish funerals were either held from the home, synagogue or directly at the cemetery. The concept of the use of a Jewish funeral home and the innovation of a Jewish funeral service was accepted by the Greater Hartford Jewish Community and grew with the years.
In 1964, Michael P. Weinstein, Herman's son, also a graduate of Cincinnati College of Embalming, joined the family business, and in 1971, Morton L. Weinstein, Paul's son, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, Inc., New York, NY, also joined the family business.


text:
Challenges I'm entering with this card
Polkadoodles - Anything goes
Little miss muffet - Anything goes
The best quote I ever heard - everything will be alright in the end.... If its not alright..... Its not the end....
Beautiful card Judith. Love the owl.
Lou xo
A beautiful card Judith, lots of gorgeous details and fabulous design.
Such a beautiful creation Judith.
Hi Judith....What a gorgeous card....love all the pretty details and the owl image...
Hope you get some good news about your friend Eileen soon....Hugs Joolsx
So gorgeous Judith, fab design, xxx
Stunning card Judith, such a fabulous design... so looking forward to warmer days and seeing all the pretty flowers out again.
Wendy xxx
Beautiful card Judith, so pretty. Poor Eileen I wish her a very speedy recovery.
Crafty hugs
Beautiful card and love the design. Great owl image and the dies are brilliant. Hugs, Carol S.xx
Beautiful my friend, thanks for the heads up...xx
Wowser! That's gorgeous, what a lovely design. Pretty colours and the dies are fabulous.
Hope Eileen makes a speedy recovery.
What a stunning garden scene Judith, I love that gorgeous gate die and all of the shimmer!
Hugs, Tammy
This is so pretty Judith. Love pink and green together xx
Beautiful card Judith, love the pink and kraft together and the great die cuts, a really lovely make.
Pat xx
What a beautiful intricate card Judith, so pretty. Carol x
Hi Judith, I just popped back to say thank you for joining us for our Anything Goes challenge at Polkadoodles .
So cute... i like your Card.
Thank you so much for joining us at Polkadoodles Craft Challenge #52 Anything Goes.
Hugs, Tina - DT
Polkadoodles Challenge


text:
Against All Odds with Cousin Sal explicit
Mark all (un-)played
Series home•Public Feed
Manage series 1427385
ByDiscovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.
'Jimmy Kimmel Live' on-air personality and the host of "Cousin Sal's Sure Thing," Sal Iacono breaks down the world of gambling across a variety of sports, including NFL, NBA, NHL, UFC, boxing, wrestling, and competitive hot dog eating. Each week, Sal offers up odds analysis as well as his best bets, and brings on celebrities, Vegas experts, and his pack of degenerate friends, who are shameless about discussing their latest wins and losses (mostly losses).
109 episodes available. A new episode about every 7 days averaging 66 mins duration .


text:
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
The Three Muses Challenge - Artist Affirmation
Bill's Blog can be found HERE
24 comments:
Here is my entryReplyDelete
Thanks for looking!
Wouaouh Bill! This is powerful and beautiful!ReplyDelete
My affirmation is at:
Sim's Work
What a magnificent steampunk example affirmation! Mine is on my blog HEREReplyDelete
Cool beans Bill you rick...ReplyDelete
Marie, the Bill's link doesn't work!ReplyDelete
Great sample, Bill!Here's mine, on my blog.ReplyDelete
My artwork is here . I hope you enjoy it. Thanks, Bill, for an unusual and interesting theme.ReplyDelete
Can't wait to check these out. Mine's here...ReplyDelete
My affirmation is on my blog:ReplyDelete
Many thanks to Bill for hosting this week's challenge and for providing this superb sample picture.
Very Artsy Bill. I like very much.ReplyDelete
A real mans delight! I agree. I
give the Lord the glory also.
Without him. We are nothing.
My art work is over at my blog.
Gorgeous piece, Bill. Mine is here:ReplyDelete
What a terrific theme and sample, Bill!! Mine is hereReplyDelete
Powerful, gorgeous work, Bill!ReplyDelete
My entry on:
Magnifique Monsieur Bill!ReplyDelete
My pic is on my blog. Thanks for looking! xx
Creating for the Creator that's what spurs me on. I'm a Mad Bird and my art and textiles are on my blog here http://goodnewsfromthevegplot.blogspot.co.uk/ReplyDelete
Have a happy creative week y'all.
- Anonymous28 August 2013 at 15:51
This had me working, look what I came up with if you have time:http://artbyritva.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/artist-affirmation/ReplyDelete
Aahhh, Bill, creative minds think alike!!ReplyDelete
Mine is on my blog.
What a thought provoking theme!ReplyDelete
Bill, I love your creation.
Here's mine.
We were having severe thunderstorms last night, so I didn't get mine posted on my blog until this morning. It ended up we didn't lose electricity, but we usually do. Phew!ReplyDelete
GREAT theme, Bill... I had fun with this one. Love your sample... mine's on my blog at:ReplyDelete
Happy art!!
Here is my entryReplyDelete
thanks for looking
Nice art and I like the quote you've included there as well. Very inspiring :)ReplyDelete
Art and inspiration really go hand in hand.
louise hay


text: For a little girl who wanted an Olaf (just Olaf) Cake. Her Birthday was Christmas Day and she mentioned wanting a tree. I didn't want to make it Christmasy so decided on the snow covered trees to compliment the design. A beautiful spring flower bursting through the snow completes the look and gives it a girly twist with a burst of colour.


text:
Outils d'accessibilité
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European Commission - Press release
Animal Welfare: Commission steps up pressure on Member States to implement ban on individual sow stalls
Brussels, 26 April 2012 – The Commission has today stepped up calls on Member States to ensure that the ban on individual sow stalls is fully applied from 1 January 2013. Council Directive 2008/120/EC on the protection of pigs requires that sows and gilts (immature female pigs) are kept in groups during approximately 2 months and a half of their pregnancy in all pig holdings keeping 10 sows or more from 1 January 2013. As a result, pigs will be moved from individual narrow stalls to more welfare friendly systems.
Member States are at the front line for the implementation of Council Directive 2008/120/EC and have had since 2001 to ensure that the rules are applied by the farming industry. Three Member States (UK, Sweden and Luxembourg) have so far indicated that they already comply with the impending ban, while data provided by the member States to the Commission shows that 16 of them should have complied by the time it comes into force.
Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner, John Dalli said "European consumers have high expectations for quality food and farmers have high demands for a competitive, level playing field. Balancing these issues against the economic challenges facing our farming industry is a tough challenge. The Member States have had twelve years to implement the provisions of this Directive and the Commission will use the legal powers at its disposal and take action against those Member States that fail to comply with the housing rules on sows."
Background - the need for change:
The ban on individual sow stalls is a response to calls from, in particular EU consumers, to improve food quality and animal health in the EU. It represents an important milestone for animal welfare and was decided jointly by the Member States, the Commission and the Parliament on the basis of strong scientific evidence that the welfare of sows is severely compromised when they are confined in single sow stalls. Added benefits of the new farming system are that it clearly increases the survival rate of newborn piglets as well as increasing the productivity of sows.
The ban not only ensures that food produced in the EU is of high quality benefiting consumer's health but also achieves higher animal welfare standards. The ban on sow stalls was made providing plenty of time for industry to adjust its practices and to spread the investment costs over time.
The Commission has made repeated calls over the last year to flag the imminent deadline when it became clear that many Member States were still not compliant.
Next steps:
The Commission will continue to highlight to Member States the importance of urgently taking all the necessary measures to ensure compliance with Council Directive 2008/120/EC and continue to provide transparent and harmonised data on the implementation of group housing of sows.
For more information:
Side Bar


text:
Research Grant One of Three New Engineering Contracts Totaling $1 Million Awarded to KVH by U.S. Defense Customers
MIDDLETOWN, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2004-- Three current U.S. defense customers have awarded KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) new engineering contracts valued in total at more than $1 million. The largest of the three is a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant for roughly $730,000 to fund continued research into KVH's ActiveFiber(TM) technology. In addition to the SBIR grant, the company also received two follow-on engineering contracts for enhancements to KVH's existing TACNAV(R) M100 GMENS military vehicle navigation system and the company's fiber optic gyro (FOG)-based inertial measurement unit technology. Revenue from these contracts will be recognized during the fourth quarter of 2004 and throughout the course of 2005.
"This new engineering funding will enable KVH to expand and refine the capabilities of our proven navigation and guidance solutions as well as pursue new technologies that could support future product development efforts," commented Dan Conway, KVH's vice president of business development.
KVH's proposed ActiveFiber technology uses the company's patented D-shaped fiber and electro-optic polymers to create components inside the fiber itself, thereby making the fiber an active element within an optical system. In July 2003, the company announced that it had demonstrated in a laboratory what it believed was the world's first in-fiber optical modulator. If successfully commercialized, this rugged optical modulator could potentially be used as a component within fiber optic gyros that must withstand significant shock and vibration, such as those used within artillery shells.
KVH TACNAV navigation systems have been used most recently during ongoing U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. While TACNAV complements the Global Positioning System (GPS), it operates independently of GPS thanks to the use of KVH's digital compass and fiber optic gyro (FOG) technology as well as proprietary software algorithms. As a result, TACNAV continues to provide navigation, position, and heading data to the digital battlefield system, even if GPS is blocked, jammed, or is otherwise unavailable. TACNAV systems have been sold for use aboard U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Navy vehicles as well as to many allied countries, including Canada, Sweden, Britain, Germany, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Italy. KVH FOGs are used in diverse applications including inertial measurement units for torpedoes, precision tactical navigation systems for military vehicles, and image stabilization and synchronization for shoulder- or tripod-mounted weapon simulators.
Complete details regarding KVH's defense navigation and guidance products are available at http://www.kvh.com/Military.
KVH Industries, Inc., designs and manufactures products that enable mobile communication, navigation, and precision pointing through the use of its proprietary mobile satellite antenna and fiber optic technologies. The company is developing next-generation systems with greater precision, durability, and versatility for communications, navigation, and industrial applications. An ISO 9001-certified company, KVH has headquarters in Middletown, Rhode Island, with a fiber optic and military navigation product manufacturing facility in Tinley Park, Illinois, and a European sales, marketing, and support office in Kokkedal, Denmark.
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance of KVH's products and technology; anticipated innovation and product development; and customer preferences, requirements and expectations. The actual results could differ. Factors that may cause such differences include, among others, those discussed in KVH's most recent Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. KVH assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information or developments.
Please log in or create an account to receive access to complete information about KVH's award-winning products and services, including quick and easy downloads of KVH support documentation. It's free and easy and gives you access to the latest info on all of KVH's products.


text:
I also want to welcome LYSA ROHRER to Team Anya 02 as our next Guest Designer! We are THRILLED to have Lysa on board with us for the next three months and I can't wait!!! So if you get a chance pop over and check out her amazing work!!!
Don't forget that the 12 Days of Sketches are still well underway on the TGF Blog! Everyone is having a great time and there are more fun sketches to be used today! This contest will also run through Sunday 1/3/10 at 8pm CST to complete them and upload them to the appropriate galleries) will be entered into a drawing to win the ENTIRE TGF JANUARY RELEASE!!!
Now be sure to head over to The Greeting Farm's blog to see even MORE sneak peeks of the fabulous Ruby and the 9th Day of SKETCHES! Wow!


text:
As cloud technologies allow startups to build companies faster and cheaper than ever before, venture capitalists are rethinking who and how many companies they finance, according to recent research by NEXT Canada faculty Ramana Nanda and colleagues.
Enter the era of "spray and pay," where venture firms over the last decade have seeded more firms than previously, but with less upfront investment of time and money. As someone who teaches entrepreneurial finance, Harvard Business School Professor Ramana Nanda wanted to find out if this new strategy has paid off for investors and their portfolio companies.
Nanda and colleagues present their findings in a paper scheduled to appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Financial Economics, titled Cost of Experimentation and the Evolution of Venture Capital, co-written with Michael Ewens of the California Institute of Technology and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf of MIT Sloan School of Management.
The researchers focus on one of the most important technological shifts in recent years—the introduction of Amazon Web Services, which has allowed startups to cheaply rent server space and development tools in the cloud and scale up as needed rather than purchasing their own expensive hardware and software.Read More


text:
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text:
City of Joliet, ILHome Menu
Assessor's Shed Statement
May 27, 2010
To: Township Assessors
From: David R. Mackley, Building Services Director
Re: Sheds being coded as garages
Please note that we are now following a new reclassification for residential sheds.
If a new residential shed is over 120 Sq. Ft., it will be considered a "garage" and must follow the IBC 2003 building code for a "garage".
In order for you to differentiate between a shed coded as a garage versus an actual garage, we will indicate the shed as a "garage with no driveway".
Should you have any questions pertaining to this matter, please feel free to contact my office.


text:
In the topsy-turvy, ever-changing world of college athletics, members of the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA announced a bold move this week to merge the two conferences into a new mega-conference in an effort to survive and stop the hemorrhaging of teams to other conferences.
The new yet-to-be-named league will start play in the fall of 2013 and will include current Mountain West members Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force, New Mexico and UNLV, incoming MWC members Fresno State, Nevada-Reno and Hawaii (for football only) and Conference USA members Alabama-Birmingham, East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Texas-El Paso, Tulane and Tulsa.
The 16-team conference will likely have two divisions and a conference football championship game.
The idea is to create greater stability at a time when money lust is causing conferences to blow apart as schools search for the latest and greatest television contract and grasp at national prominence.
Money led the University of Utah and Brigham Young University to abandon longtime regional ties and leave the MWC for the supposedly greener pastures of the PAC 12 in the case of Utah and independent status for BYU in football, leaving other BYU programs in the West Coast Conference, which some disparagingly call a "gym league" because of its tiny arenas.
Texas Christian followed suit, first planning a move to the Big East, then switching to the Big 12.
Nationwide, many other schools have sacrificed their other sports for the cash cow, football. Indeed, both BYU and U of Utah men's basketball have fallen off the national radar. The WCC is the 11th-best conference in the college basketball Rating Percentage Index (RPI), while the Mountain West is fifth, ahead, also, of the PAC 12 in 10th place.
As BYU and Utah fled the Mountain West, Boise State briefly joined the MWC but quickly abandoned ship for the Big East, a fading conference that bears little resemblance to its former self as members leave skid marks to depart (West Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse for sure with perhaps Louisville to follow). TCU was planning to join but quickly veered off. San Diego State is heading to the Big "East" – go figure – and Air Force was wooed by the Big East but decided to maintain regional ties and stay in the MWC.
The core five of the MWC – Wyoming, CSU, Air Force, New Mexico and UNLV – will be joined by Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii in the new conference. With Hawaii only joining for football, UTEP – a former longtime member of the Western Athletic Conference – will likely join the western division of the new conference, renewing more traditional ties. Utah State out of Logan may also be invited to join.
Thus, although the new conference will span five time zones, regional ties will be maintained and strengthened through the formation of western and eastern divisions.
Is this an ideal solution? Certainly not. But the Mountain West had to do something to create stability, and the new league is also expected to land a new television contract, realizing that the weakness of the conference TV network The Mountain was a huge factor in BYU and Utah leaving.
Imagine what would have happened had BYU, Utah and TCU stayed and Boise State joined for good. The Mountain West would have been a powerhouse in football.
But that's all water under the bridge. Utah and BYU are long gone, and Boise State was only fleetingly in the Mountain West. TCU – the ultimate carpetbagger of college sports — never really fit in and was always itching to leave. As for San Diego State…who really cares?
The new league will match schools with similar athletic budgets, renew and maintain regional ties and reunite schools with longtime rivalries. It will be good to see the UTEP Miners in the UW Arena Auditorium again and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at War Memorial Stadium.
And maybe, just maybe, THIS league will stay together.
Oh, and what will they call the new conference? Good question. Some have laughingly called it the Leftover Conference. Others have suggested something like America's Conference, the Continental Athletic Conference or the Coast to Coast Conference.
Time will tell, and it will be a lot of fun.
By David Peck


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When Harmoney Rane got in front of the Big Booty Town cameras, it was clear she wanted to make an impact!!! This video production is proof of just that! Hailing from Florida, and finally at 32 years young, she became one of the hottest Big Booty models recruited by your BigBootyTown.com producers!!!
Standing at 5'6" tall, she is a true SHAWTY with a big round ass!!! She has incredible thick thighs and as you can see, a pretty smile. Being plus size model is no joke!! She takes her role seriously and weighs in at a whopping 200 lbs. Those piercing blue eyes will try to get your attention, but with an 48-inch ass it gets HARD not to stare!!!! Get your towels ready because all that ass shaking will make you blow a huge load!!!


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A lot of families get together here and there, but one family that stretches across the globe celebrates every leap year.
More than 100 members from the Draper family met on Saturday, at Woolsthorpe by Belvoir's Village Hall, for their ninth family reunion.
The family is now four generations strong and had 110 members attend the gathering from countries such as Canada, USA, Germany, Ireland and Spain.
Relatives enjoyed a hog roast supper, music, a bouncy castle, children's games such as space hopper racing and Sumo wrestling, and spent lots of time drinking and catching up.
Chief family organiser Mick Draper, of Woolsthorpe, said: "The first reunion happened in 1984. It's the wish of my grandmother, Elizabeth Draper, one of eleven children, who before she died said she wanted the reunion to continue."
Peggy Girdlestone, age 89, was the oldest relative in attendance, while 12-week-old Reuben Kmieciak -Thorpe was the youngest present.
The Draper reunion is usually held on the last weekend of July but was brought forward this year to suit relatives conveniences. The next reunion is set for 2020.


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Yellow Daisy & Berry Garland
Make a natural statement with the simple placement of a beautiful garland. Yellow Daisy & Berry Garland is great for decorating mantels, banisters, and much more with color and texture. The garland features a green wrapped wire composition with paper yellow daisy blooms and little white berries. Create a comforting atmosphere you can enjoy for years to come!
Dimensions (Varies Upon Shaping):
- Full Length: 5'
- Width: 4"
Item not available in Hobby Lobby Stores.
Check your local store for availability.
Inspired?Share it:
I love it! Add to wish list


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Anja's Tea Garden has found a happy home at Plot 317, Zwalu Estate on Graham Road (Lynnwood Road extension)
Travelling east on Lynnwood Road, continue straight over the crossing with Solomon Mahlangu Drive (previously Hans Strijdom Drive) for 7.2 km
You will pass Riverside Castle on your right. Just after the Bafana Café (on your left), turn left onto the gravel road. You will see our Anja's Tea Garden signage
Follow the tea garden signage (pink arrows) and you'll be sure to find us.


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Oracle RAC Background Processes in 11g
Oracle RAC 11g has come up with some good new background processes. Which we will discuss in this session
ABMR – auto block media recovery background process – Filters duplicate BMR requests and performs flood control. When a request of block media recovery comes to ABMR, then ABMR spawns BMRn slave processes to perform block media recovery dynamically. repairing of corrupted blocks on primary site by obtaining the same block from standby site and the vice versa on active standby from primary site. Get terminated when idle for long time along with slave processes. It is BMRn slave processes which actually fetches blocks from real time standby database.
DBRM – database resource manager background process – Sets resource plans if resource plan is enabled otherwise this process is idle. It sets resource plans and performs various operations related to enforcement of those resource plans.
DIA0..9 – diagnostic process 0 to 9 background processes – this process is responsible for dead lock resolution and hand detection. this process triggers another background process called as DIAG to perform diagnostic tasks such as performing diagnostic dumps. DIAG is also responsible for execution of global oradebug commands. DIAG also performs diagnostic dumps as requested by other processes or during instance termination.
EMNC – event monitor coordinator background process – This process coordinates event management and notification activity including streams event notification, continuous query notification, Fast application notifications. EMNC spaws EMON slave processes E000…4. These processes work on the system notifications in parallel, offering a capability to process a larger volume of notifications, a faster response time, and a lower shared memory use for staging notifications.
FBDA – flash back data archiver background process – When a table data get commited by transactions the pre image of the effected rows of table from undo tablespace is stored by this process into flashback data archives so that historical pre images of data for a long term can be querried. this process also maintains metadata of current rows and tracks how much data has been updated. this process also responsible for space, partitioning of tablespaces and retention of flashback data archives. this process keeps track of how far archiving of tracked transactions has progressed.
GEN0 – general task execution background process – the main goal of this process is to offload those processes which potentially blocking other processes. these required tasks are for sql and DML. Other processes request GEN0 to perform those tasks which can safely be run at background and that other process can concentrate on its task and GEN0 notifies back once given task is done.
Innn – Disk and Tape I/O Slave processes background process – these processes are spawned by other background processes such as DBWR, LGWR or an RMAN backup session. I/O slave process can be configured on platforms where asynchronous I/O support is not available. These slaves are started by setting the corresponding slave enable parameter in the server parameter file. The I/O slaves simulate the asynchronous I/O behavior when the underlying platform does not have native support for asynchronous I/O.
Lnnn – Pooled Server Background processes – handles client requests in Database Resident connection pooling. In Database Resident Connection Pooling, clients connect to a connection broker process. When a connection becomes active, the connection broker hands off the connection to a compatible pooled server process. The pooled server process performs network communication directly on the client connection and processes requests until the client releases the server. After being released, the connection is returned to the broker for monitoring, leaving the server free to handle other clients.
Nnnn – Connection broker background processes – monitors idle connections and hands off active connections in database resident connection pooling. In Database Resident Connection Pooling, clients connect to a connection broker process. When a connection becomes active, the connection broker hands off the connection to a compatible pooled server process. The pooled server process performs network communication directly on the client connection and processes requests until the client releases the server. After being released, the connection is returned to the broker for monitoring, leaving the server free to handle other clients.
RCBG – result cache background process – This process is used for handling invalidation and other messages generated by server processes attached to other instances in Oracle RAC
RPnn – Replay processing/Capture processing background process –
RPnn are worker processes spawned by calling DBMS_WORKLOAD_REPLAY.PROCESS_CAPTURE(capture_dir,parallel_level). Each worker process is assigned a set of workload capture files to process.
Worker processes execute in parallel without needing to communicate with each other. After each process is finished processing its assigned files, it exits and informs its parent process.
The number of worker processes is controlled by the parallel_level parameter of DBMS_WORKLOAD_REPLAY.PROCESS_CAPTURE. By default, parallel_level is null. Then, the number of worker processes is computed as follows:
When parallel_level is 1, no worker processes are spawned.
SMCO – space management coordinator background process – this process spawns Wnnn slave processes to do space management tasks like space reclamation and space allocation.
VKRM – Virtual scheduler for resource manager background process – VKRM manages the CPU scheduling for all managed Oracle processes. The process schedules managed processes in accordance with an active resource plan.
VKTM – Virtual keeper of time process – VKTM acts as a time publisher for an Oracle instance. VKTM publishes two sets of time: a wall clock time using a seconds interval and a higher resolution time (which is not wall clock time) for interval measurements. The VKTM timer service centralizes time tracking and offloads multiple timer calls from other clients.
Nagulu Polagani
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
Don't Hate Me
Also, you know, I never thought that anyone could make a fluoro lime green satin suit look good, but he managed it.
Oh, and Sam Neill (plus a smattering of local celebs and demi-celebs) was there!
That is all.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
On The Short List
I like the zip front, the cunning way the rib changes direction to give a nice shoulder fit, and the overall slim fit of it from the stretchy rib. I probably wouldn't make this in white, because hello Blimpy McBlimperton, right? But I would make it in a slate grey maybe. Or a heathery grey green. Or black would be nice, but too hard on the eyes to knit.
Do we like?
[Click the picture to see more detail.]
Call Her "Miss Wainwright"
We began in grand style with some public shaming of ourselves. The support act, a young singer/guitarist from Perth calle Leena, was only mildly engaging with her earnest and complicated folksy songs, and was playing to a half empty theatre. Meanwhile most of the crowd (ie: The Gays and a few others) were still sensibly sipping beverage items in the foyer. Jodie and I sat through her first three numbers or so, and were quietly (we thought) getting our snark on. I mean, does anyone really need to re-tune their guitar before every song? Also, there really isn't any reason to chat to your audience about "this thing that I do" when there is a perfectly good word like "performing" that will suffice.
Anyhoo, to my surprise a tightly wound young woman a few rows in front of us (viewing the concert sans friends it should be noted) turned around and told us to leave if we were going to talk through the entire performance. Well, Leena had one fan in the audience at least. The embarassing thing is, she sort of had a point and I have kind of been that tightly wound person in the past. So we repaired to the gothick splendour of the foyer to get our wine on and look at the pretty boys.
So, the main event. Herr Rufus and his lederhosen. (Actually he started in a sparkly patchwork silk suit with sequins, but the lederhosen made an appearance for the second half.) He was fabulous. He certainly knows how to put on a show, and his little quips and anecdotes, and one song dedication to "the pretty Australian surfer boys" (and then a request for phone numbers if any were in the house) just added to the fun of the show. At one point Jodie turned to me and said "Oh, I've never heard him speak before!". Ha ha! Yes, this boy is camp.
Rufus was particularly enamoured of the splendour of the State Theatre, and proved the acoustics by singing a traditional Irish folk song without the aid of the microphones. This boy can sing out, let me tell you. It was a great moment, and you could have heard a pin (brooch?) drop.
Anyone who is going to see the concert tonight STOP READING NOW.
Ok, are they gone?... Good.
The encores were amazing! After a long closing musical interlude, where the band members exited the stage one by one, they all returned in formal suits and with Rufus in a white robe. Something is up I thought. Yup, at the start of song three of the encore he proceeded to sit front and centre stage and slowly clip on some diamante earrings... then on went some lipstick... then some high heels. The lights dipped and then standing before us was Miss Judy Garland, in black stockings, fitted tuxedo jacket and black fedora! He then belted his way through a spirited perfomance of "C'mon, Get Happy!" while the band members did service as back up dancers.
That my friends is entertainment.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Warm Hands
(BTW "Tight box." is the usual rejoinder between my friends and I.)
I needed a break from the never ending 2x2 rib scarf of doom and despair that I've been knitting, and really wanted a quick little fill-in project. I also wanted to knit something from one of the Japanese knitting books I've been collecting recently.
So I decided to use up the extra skein of Jo Sharp "Silkroad Aran Tweed" that I had left in my stash from the beanie that I knit last year, and make a pair of cunning little easy peasy fingerless gloves. Just perfect for cigar smoking, should I ever decide to take it up!
They were quick and easy, just two rows of knit and two rows of purl to give stretchy horizontal ridges. A simple turn sideways and some seaming that leaves a hole for the thumb and voila! (Or whatever the Japanese equivalent of voila! is.) Of course it's summer here at present, but come the cooler months I will be prepared!
The Short Long Weekend Recap
Friday night I had dinner with friends, Saturday a demi-successful* shopping expedition and coffee with more friends, Sunday afternoon a fun session of knitting at the pub and then a Sunday night barbeque with other friends. Sunday night was a late one, so I had what amounted to a sleep in for me (7.45am) and ended up skipping a breakfast that some other friends had organised. Instead I took some of that down time for myself and spent the day puttering at home, defrosting and cleaning out the refridgerator, doing laundry, and watching DVDs of "Arrested Development". It was nice, but by the end of the day I had that itchy feeling like I should have been out socialising!
So, a good one. Catching up with so many friends that I don't see all the time was great. Oh, and my sparkling, fresh smelling refridgerator gives me a visceral pleasure that only a goal achieved can bring.
* We went to Prints Charming and despite a sign on the door saying that they reopened on Saturday, they were shut. I've sinced noticed a footnote on their website saying that they reopen on 4th February. Mixed messages guys!
Friday, January 25, 2008
An Embarrassment Of Riches
I will have seen him TWICE.
I already have a ticket for Wednesday night, and now thanks to a certain lovely lady I'm also going on Tuesday night! Squeeeee.
What to do? What to do?
I've already celebrated having the house to myself all week by strolling sans pants around the house at whim. Me? Oh I'm just wandering to the bathroom stark naked, thanks for asking! So I can check that off the list.
Likewise I've also celebrated the recent gift of a freebie DVD player by
There's always the knitting.
I'll probably do some stuff around the house. Clean up the garden a bit. Buy some fabric to cover the pin up boards I scored the other day. Start cutting out a pattern to recover my sofa. Ask Gardener to repot the orangery and then instruct the staff on the proper way to clean the silver. (Sorry, tipped into Martha Stewart there for a moment.)
Maybe take to some lazy mornings abed with book and some damn fine coffee.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
5 Things About Thursday 24th January, 2008.
- Mandarin & sandalwood shampoo. Jojoba and lavender conditioner. Sandalwood body wash. Seriously, I smell pretty good right now and kind of like someone's front yard.
- I am so bone tired I can't even begin to tell you. I woke up a heap of times last night and lay there not feeling sleepy at all. I nearly took a pill, but then in the back of my mind I thought of Heath, and logical or not that stayed my hand.
- Because I have kind and generous friends, I scored a freebie dvd player last night! They upgraded and didn't have a use for their old one, so passed it on after reading my blog post about going to buy a dvd player. Isn't that cool?
- I'm going to go and get a sweet, hot boyfriend. Hey, anyone got one they're not using?
- This time next week I will have seen Rufus Wainwright (aka my boo) in concert and will be basking in the afterglow. Oh yes I will.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Scissors & A Glue Stick
I want to play Le Marchand de Legumes! There are a heap more of them, and they are all set up as pdfs to download and cut out.
Remember kids, no running with those scissors!
[Link via How About Orange.]
The Words Flow From My Pen Like... Like...
So, never keep your mouth shut when you could be giving your opinion, apparently!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Reecie's New Tattoo
Colours Of Summer
Red Passion Flower, passiflora coccinea.
My new and thoroughly awesome vintage Hawaiian shirt.
Fashion standby, the classic plastic flower bra.
Not so much 'grass', as raffia and plastic. Beware naked flames.
Don't feel a little cheerier now?
Monday, January 21, 2008
Make Do & Renew
(For a start, whose idea was it to buy enough books to fill 7 bookcases, huh? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical. Oh fie my bookish nature!)
I feel like I need to spruce things up a bit in general, as well as making the place a bit more desireable for potential housemates. I've posted grand plans in the recent past about buying new furniture, but the sad truth is that I'm not in a financial space to be able to do that. Especially while I'm paying nearly 50% of my income on double my usual rent. So I'm thinking a little budget makeovering is the ticket. Something like:
- Getting the carpets cleaned. I need to get the bedroom carpets and my living room rug steam cleaned.
- Making a new slipcover for my sofa. I can do this, I have the mad skillz required. Also, $100 - $150 worth of fabric (or whatever), and some time spent at the sewing machine, is going to be a lot more doable than forking over for a new sofa. Plus more fun. Well my kind of fun. Fun that involves complicated maths, pattern drafting, making piping.
- During a throw out at work I scored two big cork pin-up boards. I'm thinking of covering each of these in a cute fabric and putting one in the kitchen near the phone, and the other in my bedroom. I have a huge collection of postcards and ephemera, so filling them won't be a problem. My kitchen's main colour is a fresh green so I might even go for something like this cute retro print by local fabric studio Prints Charming.
- I need file storage and I also have a non-functioning fireplace in my bedroom. So I'm thinking maybe a secondhand two drawer filing cabinet, or some of those plastic box things that take drop in files. Something that can sit in that unused space inside the fireplace, and then I was thinking of making a folding screen to sit in front and hide everything. The local discount shops in Newtown sell really cheap artist's canvases in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so if I bought 3 or 4 tall and skinny ones, of a size that fit in front of the open part of the fireplace, stapled fabric over them or even painted them, and then joined them in a zigzag pattern with hinges, voila! firescreen. Mad, right?
Projects! It's good to have projects.
That's Ms Stewart to you!
Quiet Times
I spent some time knitting with the Sydney Sity Klickers on Saturday afternoon, and then at The Courthouse Hotel with our regular pub knitting crowd on Sunday. We had three lovely ladies from San Diego in the US visit us at The Courthouse, who were in Sydney as part of a cruise of Australia and New Zealand. They were lots of fun and as it turned out one of them was a published knitting author, and one of our regular knitters Cecilia owned a copy of her book. A brush with fame.
It was a tropical and stormy weekend, hot and with thundering rain one minute and killing humidity the next. My housemate moved out on Saturday in rain that pretty much didn't let up all day. Once his room is cleaned and repainted, I'm in the market for another housemate. In the meantime though I'm enjoying having the house to myself. If I could afford to live alone I definately would.
So, meh. Even though I've filled a bunch of paragraphs here, there isn't much to report from the weekend. I still feel a little 'off colour' this morning, but in general it was nice to have a quiet weekend, and nice to get a some closure and possibility for change for the better in my living situation.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Save The Boston Terrier!
But if you've got any to spare...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
How Does One Spell "Piquey"?
So I had a quiet day away from The Interwebs; did some knitting, read "Italian Food" by Elizabeth David, got hungry, went down the street on a foraging mission, realised that no matter how many lemons and good tomatoes I buy I'm still not languishing in the shade of an Umbrian grapevine, and consoled myself with an impromptu early afternoon trip to the cinema. (In my head the word "cinema" is always pronounced with a posh English accent - Cinemaaaaaah, darling.)
I saw Juno. Run, don't walk (in fact, if you have superpowers fly) to a cinemaaaaah near you that it is playing this film, because it is fabulous. Charming, quirky without being too quirky (if you know what I mean), funny, and above all heart warming. It has three of my favourite boys in it, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons, and some fantastic cameos and supporting roles from amazing comedic actors like Rainn Wilson and Alison Janney. Imdb has the full cast list. Some of the young actors who I had never seen before, like Olivia Thirlby who plays Juno's best friend Leah, turn in fantastic performances. Highly recommended!
The rest of the afternoon was frittered away with some window shopping, back home for some more knitting and futzing about. All in all, just what the doctor would have ordered I think.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
5 Things About Thursday Morning, January 17th
- I wouldn't describe myself as hung over per se, but I could have done without the last beer (or 2) with the boys last night.
- It's overcast and dreary.
- I'd rather be knitting.
- I think I'm going to go out and buy a cheapo DVD player tonight, I've been holding out to buy a new fangled one with a hard drive but I'm going to be poor for the next month or so... and frankly I'm missing the porn.
- I'm thinking of having a party and putting the details on the MySpace so that 500 middle aged ex-party animals can gatecrash my place and show the youngsters how it's really done.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
I'm definately in the 'find funny' camp, and then every now and then one comes along which makes me laugh so hard I nearly pee myself. You're welcome.
I Pledge To Do My Best
The "Prosletize Knitting" Badge: I sing its praises to all who'll listen. And some who only pretend to be.
The "I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess" Badge: My first Finished Object was a beanie which I calculated and knit without a pattern (and it fit perfectly). In the process I made spiral decreases my bitch.
The "Knitting Whilst Under the Influence" Badge: Needs no explanation I would say.
Think you might have what it takes to become a fellow Scout? Head on over to Cast On and grab your badges.
OK, That's Just Plain WEIRD
Oh, and entertaining apparently. I swear to you 100% that I am not making this up.
Last night I was at a Spice Girls concert. (Yes, WTF? indeed.) In some sort of unspecified 'official' (non performing) capacity. I don't know, lipgloss wrangler? Who knows. In New Zealand. With an audience largely comprised of school girls, still in their uniforms. Who were given an open mike question and answer session with the girls (as I'm permitted to call them). And they all asked really dullsville questions in thick Kiwi accents.
Oh, and of course Geri and I got along the best.
Sometimes it's fun to be me.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
My Dilemma
To be specific, my dilemma is that I'm on my last allowable prescription for the next 6 months of some Most Cunning Little Tablets that help me sleep through the night. Little 10mg parcels of Mr Sandman. I only take a half a tablet, and I only take them 2 or 3 nights a week max. Mostly because I don't want to get addicted to them, and partly because I need to make these babies last. My doctor will only give a maximum of two prescriptions for these little miracles in a 12 month period.
Spoil sport.
And because the Universe hates me and wants me to be sleep deprived with sizeable bags under my eyes for ever, they have also clamped down on these recently and made them harder to get. Even reducing the pack size. Some little issue with people having dissasociative fugue states or something whilst on them. Waking up having scarfed the entire contents of their refrigerators. Or having trashed their ex's house, after driving across town whilst asleep. Well, a) I can't drive, b) the only ex whose house I would even consider trashing lives interstate and c) my fridge never has that much in it anyway. Lucky for that ex that it takes a while to board a plane, or I could have had a valid excuse.
So, I went without last night whilst looking whistfully at the packet and thinking I have like 12 guaranteed good sleeps in the next 6 months. It wasn't too bad, I only woke up about 8 times.
And can I just say, this is like the ultimate lesson in how to feign nonchalance, don't you think?
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Weekend Of Awesome
Oh no! There was also swanning around on the Harbour on a 60 foot (20m-ish?) catamaran at sunset, avec wine and nibbly bits. Dancing to Miss Cheryl Lynn's disco hit "Got To Be Real" at 2am on a rooftop garden. (And by 'dancing' I mean walking that runway, natch.) Some serious flirting. A big dinner in Chinatown with a dozen friends. Chatting, knitting and drinking shandies* in the beer garden of The Courthouse Hotel.
Ah, summer! We do indeed love you.
Much of the weekend centered around my friend John's 40th birthday celebrations. I haven't known John for very long, and he and his boyfriend Paul are two of the sweetest people you could meet. Kind. Funny. Handsome.
(Sadly, neither has a single brother of similar ilk, but what can you do?)
The sunset harbour cruise, rooftop party and dinner the next day in Chinatown were all parts of John's birthday celebrations. I had such a fantastic time, and it was so lovely to be included in the big crowd of John's family and long term friends. To see someone who is so loved and has touched so many lives.
Oh, and yes I did chicken out on wearing the grass skirt to John's (Hawaiian themed) cruise, but at least it didn't go to waste...
*FYI - DO NOT listen to any of this ridonkulous 'ginger ale shandy' business, half beer and half lemonade equals the aewsome summer drink. Sorry, I'm a purist.
The Shopping Goddess Smiled Upon Me
So, I'm browsing in my favourite secondhand bookstore the other day... $35 store credit severely burning a hole in my pocket... when I found something I didn't even know existed. The Holy Grail.
A whole book about Tony Sansone, "American Adonis". Oh you can believe there was a small squeal. Mmmm hmmmm.
I'm not sure whether Sansone was particularly daring, or whether attitudes to artistic nudes were different then, or maybe it's because many of the photos were created as physique studies for artists (and some randy men), but pretty much the entire book is frontal nudes.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Sansone posed for a number of sculptors, and in the days well before Mystic Tan perfected a two step process of applying a bronze brown pigment to his body and then a layer of oil over the top, giving him a glorious sheen like a living statue. My favourites are some of the earliest photos, with the soft sepia photography and the stylised art deco inspired poses.
Le sigh.
Seperated At Birth!
[That my friends is what you can do with a camera, some cardboard & markers, a $2.50 plastic lei and too much time on your hands. With sincerest apologies to Ms Kahlo.]
Friday, January 11, 2008
Dress Up To Mess Up
"My Mother's Clothes (The Drag Rag)"
Romanovsky & Phillips
I remember dressing up in my mother's clothes
She had hordes of high-heeled shoes
And plenty of pairs of pantyhose
She had wigs to make me look a thousand different ways
And blouses made of silk and lace and evening gowns for days
My mother's clothes, my mother's clothes
All my dreams came true in my mother's clothes
I remember dressing up in my mother's clothes
In the woods behind my house we'd have our fashion shows
Secretly we'd gather all the old things she'd dispatch
And soon we'd have a wardrobe with accessories to match
My mother's clothes, my mother's clothes
All my dreams came true in my mother's clothes
We could be a princess from a fairy tale
Or Florence Nightingale
Curing all disease in our mother's clothes
We could be Miss Lois Lane (Oh, Superman!)
Or even Tarzan's Jane
Swinging through the trees in our mother's clothes
We could be a beauty queen (There she is!)
Or Mary Magdalene
Sinners we'd forsake in our mother's clothes
(I don't know how to love him!)
We could be Petula Clark (Downtown!)
Or even Joan of Arc
Burning at the stake in our mother's clothes
Until we learned it's not okay
For a boy to dress that way
Not allowed to fantasize
We become desensitized
To all our waking dreams
And the endless possibilities
Of roles that we can play
Now some of us still dress up in our mothers' clothes
And some of us just like to watch and some look down their nose
But we've all got an image that we want to convey
And drag is something each of us does every single day...
Signed Angry, Of Mayfair
It's been damaging my calm, quite frankly. Left me feeling like everyone needs to just get out of my face for a wee while. Do not make me add up your figures for you! Desist asking me if I have been to the bank yet, for the third time! Reconsider your choice of calling me 10 minutes before the report deadline to remind me, again! (For I am brimming over with awareness of that fact.)
Despite the illustration, I'm not a man of violence. Not one to put up the dukes, or even sissy slap and run. Oh, but at moments like this... fear the tongue. If everything goes quiet, and a sort of preternatural calm descends, then run.
And don't stop running.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
I Have To Buy A Grass Skirt
The thing I love about my neighbourhood is that within about 5 minutes of looking I had 2 options to choose from.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Are We There Yet?
Looking & Seeing
On my way home from a short shopping expedition the other day I wandered down a rear laneway near my house, to discover that almost the entire length of the laneway was filled with chalk drawings. There were a couple of kids and an adult just finishing up, and a garden party going on in one of the houses that backs onto the lane. It had obviously been a group project.
It was fun to stroll along and look at the drawings that ran the gamut of childlike animals and stick figures, to these messages of peace and pride.
Just another reason to enjoy looking and seeing.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
The last of my Christmas holiday snaps! On the way back from Ballarat I spent a day and a night hanging out with my old friend Robbie. Robbie lives in the lovely suburb of Melbourne called Prahran. (If you're a local you pronounce it "Pran". Nothing labels you a tourist like calling it "Pra-ran". It's like overseas tourists and the whole "Mel-born" [tourist] vs "Mel-bun" [local] thing.)
Prahran reminds me a little of my own 'hood, except maybe a tad more genteel than Newtown. A few blocks from Robbie's is the funky shopping and entertainment street of Chapel Street, a long, long stretch of cute boutiques, restaurants, cafes and tiny bars. Just step back a couple of blocks back from Chapel St, into the back streets of Prahran, and you'll find all sorts of wonderful Victorian era cottages.
Harrington, I'll take the Bentley.
Rise & Shine (L) and le chat peculiar (R).
Lacework, a pair of Victorian cottages in Prahran.
The gardens of Prahran.
Pets Wonderland and glorious arts & crafts architecture collide on Chapel St.
Architecture loses.
Soaring "Blood & Bandages" architecture in Prahran (L) and some faded glory
on Chapel St (R).
[Click the photos to see them full sized on Flickr.]
Monday, January 07, 2008
A Long Yarn Yarn
More Yohji Yamamoto than Uncle Morty.
The thing is, knitting is a bit like the old fashioned rail gauges for steam trains. Some countries are standard, and some aren't. Japan uses different sized needles to the rest of the world, and their yarns are often different thickness to the rest of the world too. It's not impossible to substitute, but you have to play around with needle sizes and yarn thickness to get what is called 'gauge' in knitting terms, the right amount of stitches across and rows vertically. If your gauge is off, then the garment will be the wrong size you see! So I'm itching to make this cardigan and I think I might have found two perfect substitute yarns!
First off this one. It's about the right thickness by the look of it at 100m per 50g ball (the Japanese yarn was listed at 96m for 50g). I can play around with needle size to get the right gauge. It's a silky/wool mix, only this time it's a soy silk which I'm keen to try anyway (I like the fact that soy silk is more eco friendly and kinder to silkworms than regular silk). The colour is good, and while it doesn't have the tweedy slub in it, it is slightly variegated and that could still give enough interest. It's a little bit dearer than I hoped for at $12.50 a ball, making the cost for the cardigan likely to be around $150. (If you thought knitting was a way to save on garment costs, think again!)
The thought of plunking that sort of money down on a yarn I haven't actually been able to see 'in the flesh' is a bit daunting...
So, the back up plan is to use the same type of yarn I used to make my first beanie, Jo Sharp's "Silkroad Aran Tweed". At 95m per 50g it is certainly about the right thickness and there is a lovely soft grey colour 'Ash' in this yarn, with pale grey slubs in it (intead of the multi-colours like in the purple I used for the beanie). Frankly, I prefer the look as it is closer to the one used in the book. It would work out a bit cheaper as I was able to find this at around $9 a ball recently. The thing is, while I prefer the tweed look of this, having used the yarn before I'm not sure the drape on it would be as nice as the other yarn. The yarn in the Japanese book was 20% silk, so would be quite soft and drapey, but the Jo Sharp yarn is only 10% silk (and real silk, which usually involves killing the silkworm during the processing).
Decisions, decisions... It's a tough choice, and no small investment.
Hey knitters, has anyone used the Karaoke soy silk/wool mix before?
[Updated: Whew. OK, I was right up to the last step of ordering the Karaoke soy silk/wool yarn online, all $150 of it, when I had the inspiration to check the knitting community website Ravelry (still in beta test, otherwise I'd link to it) to see what others thought of this yarn. Some love, some like, but a big percentage HATE. I was surprised. Breakages, poor memory in rib, inconsistent thickness, poor colour transitions in the multicolours, dyelot variations in the solid colours... quite a list. I saw a few projects done in the Blacksheep colour I was considering, and the garments had broad stripes of tone variation. Um, pass. So it looks like I might try the Jo Sharp after all. God I love Ravelry!
Oh, and here is a cute critter I found that is made in the exact same Jo Sharp yarn that I'm thinking of using. So cute.]
Fresh & Clean
Oh sure, the process will be a pain in the ass. Remember, I am a man that has 7 bookshelves at last count. Just the thought of emptying and moving all the furniture so that the painters can get at the walls is making my head ache. At least my soon to be ex flatmate should be gone by then, so his room will be easy to do, and I can get the process done before someone new moves in.
[Speaking of which, the delays caused by my flatmate not moving out yet has meant that I need to find someone else to move in. If you're a Sydneysider and you know of someone who might be interested/interesting - hook me up!]
Anyway the end result is the thing, right? Last time, just before I moved in, the kitchen, living room and bathroom were all done but the hall and bedrooms weren't. I picked the colours last time and they worked really well. This time I get to pick the whole house! Woohoo!
You know how I love looking at paint chips, right?
Sunday, January 06, 2008
I Just Wrote My First Testimonial
Since my late thirties, through to my now earlyish forties, I have been plagued with problem skin. I started to develop a skin problem known as Rosacea in about 2001. What was originally a patch of dry, red, itchy and sensitive skin near my nose became a number similar patches elsewhere. It was misdiagnosed for a couple of years as exzema or dermatitis, and I was even given steroid based creams for it that I have since read only make it worse.
I'm really fair skinned, and people with my sort of colouring are prone to this condition. Eventually it can coarsen the skin and it sort of inflames and brings the red capillaries closer to the surface, making the skin red. WC Fields big red nose? Yup, that's extreme Rosacea. The other thing about Rosacea, and how I originally realised what I had, is that it's inflamed by alcohol or anything that causes you to blush. Hence the Gin Blossoms nose of WC Fields.
Anyhoo. My skin overall is now frequently quite pink and tender to the touch. Like a very, very mild case of sunburn. I have a few spots, like those near my temples, that are quite red most of the time. So, it's a pain in my ass and can dent the self esteem a bit when I'm having a bit of a breakout. Most of the time it looks ok, just like I've caught a bit of sun. I have a medicated cream for when it's bad, but I've also been looking for sensitive skin skincare that I can use as my skin is generally quite dry most of the time now.
Anyway, enough back story.
I bought a new skin cream the other day and in only about 4 days the change has been remarkable! The appearance of my skin has improved, but the change in how it feels has been incredible. It doesn't feel tender, itchy or dry any more. Now I used to be a cosmetics and fragrance buyer in retail and with that background I'm always interested in the science (or psuedoscience) of skincare. I must admit a bias towards technical fancy sounding skincare. Poly this. Co-enzyme that. Active, Pro-active, Dermo the other. Consequently I always felt like 'natural' skincare was probably less effective. Nice smelling, not harmful, but probably not doing all that much other than putting a moisture barrier on the skin.
I had however read glowing reviews of the Aussie brand [A'kin]. That the products were very rich in active ingredients, heavily researched and free of many of the nasties (ie parabens ansd sulphates) found in many other brands. So I bought a special boxed duo of their two step treatment for really dry and sensitive skins, this oil followed by this cream. The oil seems to just disappear into the skin, and then the cream goes on over. I was worried about looking greasy, because the cream is quite rich, and it does give a bit of a shine yet without looking oily. I'm a convert. I was hoping for an improvement but was astounded at how even within 24 my skin felt so much better. As I run out of my cleanser and eye cream I'm going to convert over to try the other products in this brand.
So I logged on to their contact section and wrote a testimonial. The gospel must be spread! Sorry this is such a long entry that reads like an advertorial, but seriously the change was so dramatic. If you've ever been plagued by bad skin you'll know where I'm coming from...
Yesterday Was A GOOD DAY
This year will be the 30 year mark in our friendship, having met as 13 year olds freshly minted into the roles of High Schoolers. 30 years! I lifetime really. How do you describe that feeling of sitting with someone you can be absolutely honest with? This broad shouldered handsome man you have been friends with longer than you haven't.
We talked about his new life in Korea, his beautiful wife (his second) and gorgeous 11 month old son. Of fatherhood in his early 40s and changing his original view that he didn't ever want kids. I think best of all was the way he lit up with pride when he spoke about his wife. About her strong family focus, her very successful career as a real estate enteprenuer in Korea, her strength and her kindness. About families in general; his new one, his brothers and my own family.
We talked a lot about me too, about what a strange and sometimes difficult year I had last year, and about how good I feel now. He expressed his usual concern that I don't have anyone in my life, and we had a few laughs about that. He was the second person I told that I was gay when I was 15, and I still remember the smile and hug that came straight after! Since then we've chatted about a number of ex boyfriends of mine that have arrived and departed over the years.
It was so lovely to reconnect after only having some emails and a few phone calls for the past couple of years. So nice to share a big hug before heading our seperate ways. And so great to be able to remind ourselves why we have stayed so close over all these years.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Pray For Dry Weather
The only place in my wee house where I could fit my lovely oregon (the timber, not the place) dining table is jammed up against the wall in my kitchen. I have 3 guests coming, so we could technically all sit at the table and sort of stare out the window together. Into my neighbour's kitchen.
See my issue? Also, nothing says ambience for the guests, and performance anxiety for the host, like having your guests seated about 4 feet away from the stove. I guess if any of them have long arms, they could stir something at least.
[Updated: Thanks for the good juju! The rain stayed away until some light sprinkles sent us inside for the dessert course. Prior to that it was lovely and mild, and most pleasant. Dinner was a triumph I tell you! Worship at the altars of Delia Smith and Jamie Oliver. Entree: Fried Halloumi cheese with a lime/caper/coriander (cilantro) dressing. Main: Prosciutto wrapped salmon with a green salad. Desert: Homemade coconut icecream with a fresh lime syrup. Delia's entree and desert (from her Summer Collection cookbook) were particular hits. It was the first time I had had friends over for dinner in a long time (see space issues) and I rediscovered how much I enjoy it!]
I'm Not Currently Actually Getting Very Much Work Done Really
These (and many other) cartoons by Dave Walker are available for free download and use on non-commercial blogs from We Blog Cartoons.
[Link originally via the vibrant How About Orange...]
As I mentioned previously, I spent part of the Christmas break with family in Ballarat, about an hour outside of Melbourne. Ballarat has an interesting history [Note: warning aesthetes, ugly website. You might like this one better.], it was a wealthy mining town in the late 1800s and the site of one of Australia's most famous civil insurrections, the Eureka Stockade. You can see the wealth that was centered around Ballarat from the magnificent buildings still standing in the town centre.
Ballarat has about 90,000 people these days, and is growing rapidly as house prices are making it a more attractive proposition for families in Melbourne. (You can buy a heritage listed 3 bedroom house for less than the cost of a single bedroom apartment in Sydney!) A new rail link has cut down the travel time to Melbourne to about 1 hour on an express, so many people are now doing it as a daily commute.
To be honest, it's too small a town for my taste, but it is very pretty and would be a nice place to raise a family I would think. I was especially taken with the broad streets lined with beautiful Victorian style homes, with verandahs and iron lacework. So pretty! As my sister pointed out, it's also like the Day Spa capital of the world or something. Once she mentioned that I couldn't stop seeing them...
I think that's a point in its favour, don't you?
Some of the streets of Ballarat are so intact architecturally, that with minimal dressing they have been used as film sets for movies set in the Australian goldrush era.
I also fell in love with some of the Art Deco facades still exisiting in the town centre, like the one below.
My sister used to be quite the photographer back in the day, so she was very tolerant and understanding of me charging up streets to photograph some building facade I spotted. I think secretly she was just pleased that I was enjoying the town where she has decided to live and raise her kids. She has certainly been able to afford a lifestyle that she wouldn't have been able to afford elsewhere, the kids are in a good school and her career is charging ahead.
Can't argue with that now, can you? Plus, all that Day Spa access...
[Click on any of the pics to see them full size on Flickr.]


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Been sanding away at these gorgeous tree stumps! Aren't these just beautiful for outdoor wedding decor? These are new to the inventory this week, and for the entire month of MAY if you rent one, the second one rents free (new and existing rental contracts). They rent for $19 ea. Must be a blog follower to apply. *One free per contract, pending availability on your event date. Enjoy!
Above: Brossie Belle sanded, unstained tree stump; Rents for $19


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Scrap Car Bramshill, RG27, Scrap your car for free
Scrap Car Bramshill will collect your car for free in Bramshill (RG27), Hampshire. Scrap cars can cause you severe problems, if you have an old car that you are not using you will still be expected to keep the car taxed. You do not need to pay to have your vehicle collected. Use us for our free collection service!
Bramshill (RG27), Hampshire - Latest News
As well as offering a completely free collection, we are also currently able to offer cash for scrap cars in Bramshill depending upon the weight of the vehicle!
If you'd like us to make you an offer just ask when calling or add 'CASH QUOTE PLEASE' in the 'Additional Info' box when submitting our online form.
- Environment agency approved recycling facilities
- Convenient collection times
- Nationwide coverage
- Completely free collection!
- DVLA notification
Just ring 0800 043 5100 or simply fill out the form and we will be there!
Choose Scrap Car Bramshill
We like to offer the people of Hampshire a service that they can rely on, with this in mind we have many happy customers. We know the area so well we can be out to you within 30 minutes. We pride ourselves on being prompt and arriving to take your scrap car at the time you arrange with us. We are able to collect vehicles day or night, seven days a week, even on bank holidays, and we will work round you.
We guarantee that your old car is disposed of in the right way. There are some companies out there that will not even scrap your car the will sell it and not notify the DVLA. Legally this can leave you very vulnerable, often results in you being fined. When we collect a scrap car in Bramshill we always ensure that the DVLA have been notified that the car is going to be scrapped, so that should keep your mind at rest. Whenever we scrap a car we always recycle or reuse whatever we can, meaning we are doing our bit for the environment.
Ensure that you dispose of your car the right way, we would like to keep the streets of Hampshire tidy. When the road is littered with old useless cars it can seriously damage the image of any reputable town, so do your bit and scrap that car. MOT failure, we can dispose of your car for free, call an expert today!
The car scrappage scheme
The scrappage scheme may seem like a superb idea. However, you are in fact limited to what type of new car you can get. You cannot simply go out and purchase any car you wish. People a lot of the time are finding that the car they wanted they can't have, due to the fact that they are not in the car scrappage scheme.
How to scrap your car
You won't believe how easy it is to scrap your old car in Bramshill. Our phone operators are on hand to answer any of your questions. Rather than calling if you would like to find out about our services please feel free to look at the guide on scrapping your car.
Reasons to scrap your car
There are a lot of reasons for wanting to scrap an old banger. In our experience the most common reason of all is that the vehicle has failed its MOT and the required work to repair it is simply too expensive. If you have a car that is unusable you need to either declare it off road or scrap it, otherwise your will continue to need to pay road tax on the vehicle.
Just call us on 0800 043 5100 or fill out the following form:


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Emma Stone Reveals Her Best (Cheapest!) Beauty Trick!
Emma Stone recently revealed her best beautytrick in ELLE magazine. Not only is it super cheap - it's also something most people already have at home.
The Amazing Spider-Man actress says her best-kept skincare
secret involves scrubbing her face with sodium bicarbonate, which usually is used for baking. "When I want to exfoliate my skin, I simply scrub it with some baking soda", she said.
She also said she has no diet tips since she's addicted to sugar and fast food.


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To help remind you, if your vacation autoreply is active, a banner is displayed at the top of each conversation, with shortcuts to adjust the settings or switch it off.


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Augustana Vikings Mens Soccer Team
This is the fourth season soccer has been offered as a program with Augustana.
Regular season started September 10, 2016. First home games of the season are September 24 and 25, against Concordia Thunder and King's University Eagles. See them in action starting at 2 pm at the Augustana soccer field, in Camrose.
Coach Tom McManus


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The Lodge at Valle Chacabuco
Inspired by iconic national park lodges from around the world, the Lodge at Valle Chacabuco's detailed woodwork and original photography of local culture and nature provide a uniquely Patagonian experience. The central living and dining room are the ideal setting for resting after a day of travel, hiking, or exploration. Drink regional wine at the living room bar and enjoy views of looming Mount Tamanguito to the south through expansive paned windows. Nestle into overstuffed sofas, lounge by the fire, or venture to the patio by night to view an endless spread of stars.
The Lodge's respect for the land and commitment to the environment is central to the guest experience. Complementing its surroundings, the Lodge is built from stone quarried in the Chacabuco Valley. Its high beams and floors come from recycled and refurbished wood, and its lush grounds welcome frequent and personal wildlife encounters. We make a concerted effort to use mostly organic and biodegradable cleaning products. The park is moving toward a 100% renewable energy system, which will make it the first energy-independent park in the world.
The Lodge is available for weddings, conferences, and other private events. Please email firstname.lastname@example.com for prices and availability.
The Lodge is open from October 1 through April 30. We are CLOSED from May through September.


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On the one-year anniversary of the death of Cory Monteith, Lea Michele took some time to reflect on her late boyfriend.
The Glee star, 27, traveled to San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, Calif. this past weekend to be with friends during the difficult milestone, Us Weekly has learned.
A source tells Us Weekly she spent the weekend at the relaxing luxury hotel with "a few girlfriends" and her new boyfriend Matthew Paetz in order to "remember Cory on the anniversary of his death."
After meeting her love on the set of Glee and dating for two years, Michele lost Monteith on July 13, 2013, when he passed away at the age of 31. She has stayed strong in the months since, continuing her work on Glee and starting to date again.
"She is in a good place but misses him every day," the source adds to Us.
Michele publicly acknowledged Monteith's memory on Twitter on Sunday, July 13, sharing a photo of her love smiling in front of a picturesque beach background.
"We hold you in our hearts today, and every day we remember your smile," she tweeted with the photo. "We will love you and miss you always."
(E! News also reported news of Michele's poignant trip.)
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!
Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!


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A piece of Hawaii at Olympic games
July 31st, 2012
Photo courtesy Surf Line Hawaii/Jams World
The U.S. Virgin Islands Olympics team donned Jams World's Blutapa retro men's shirts to march in the games opening ceremonies July 27.
In analyzing the national costumes worn during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games, The Bleacher Report assigned the U.S. Virgin Islands team an A, writing:
- "The Virgin Islands went with the sweet Hawaiian shirt that you can't pull off outside of of a tropical island. Although, apparently you can pull it off on the British Isles as well! The Virgin Islands were one of the final nations to walk the parade and really ended it with a bang."
It turns out that "sweet Hawaiian shirt" is really a Hawaiian shirt from Jams World.
Says Surf Line Hawaii/Jams World's Pua Rochlen, "An account we sell (to) in the Virgin Islands contacted us. They said the team asked if they could get a bunch of shirts for their team. They notified us and we shipped it out last month."
This is the second time the team has entered the games wearing Jams World, which was also seen by viewers of the Beijing Games.
The Blutapa men's retro shirt is $98 at www.jamsworldshop.com.
In comparison, the U.S. team outfits designed by Ralph Lauren received a C+ from the site, which said, "These uniforms are just not that bad—although not terribly creative."


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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE:FCN) today announced the appointment of Charlene MacDonald as a Managing Director in the Strategic Communications segment, further strengthening the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences sector expertise in the Americas. She will be based in Washington, D.C.
Ms. MacDonald joins FTI Consulting following nearly eight years of service on Capitol Hill, most recently as Senior Policy Advisor to House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, where she played a key role in the development and execution of congressional Democrats' strategy related to health policy issues. Ms. MacDonald was instrumental in the drafting, negotiation and enactment of numerous bipartisan health bills ranging from the 21st Century Cures Act to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act ("MACRA"). In her new role, Ms. MacDonald is charged with leading and growing Strategic Communications' Healthcare & Life Sciences team in Washington.
"More than ever, corporates are facing complex opportunities and challenges that require sophisticated, multidisciplinary solutions," said Brian Kennedy, Head of the Americas for the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting. "Charlene's front-line experience in healthcare policymaking and deep subject matter expertise make her a tremendous asset to help navigate our clients through this evolving landscape."
Prior to joining the Whip's office, Ms. MacDonald served as Senior Policy Advisor for Medicare & Social Security at the Senate Budget Committee, formerly chaired by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). She also previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), directing policy operations and advising on legislative and regulatory issues in health policy, including Medicare payment systems and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
"Charlene is a great addition to our team of experts, who have a well-earned track record of serving as trusted advisors to management teams and Boards of Directors," added John Capodanno, Americas Head of Strategic Communications' Healthcare & Life Sciences team. "With drug pricing, regulatory reforms, outcomes-based healthcare systems and the digital revolution, the healthcare industry is going through a convulsive transformation. Charlene adds a new dimension to our advisory services as clients evolve their models to seize opportunities and manage crises and market disruptions."
Commenting on her appointment, Ms. MacDonald said, "I'm excited to join FTI Consulting and work with clients that are navigating the demands of balancing their core missions of delivering innovative health services and products with a rapidly evolving regulatory environment and growing pressures to improve quality, value and outcomes across the healthcare system."
FTI Consulting's Healthcare & Life Sciences experts in Strategic Communications work with clients to effectively engage stakeholders and achieve business objectives in a complex, dynamic and highly regulated environment. The team includes 45 specialists throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific who focus exclusively on healthcare and life sciences clients and issues.
About FTI Consulting
FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations manage change, mitigate risk and resolve disputes: financial, legal, operational, political & regulatory, reputational and transactional. With more than 4,600 employees located in 28 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges and make the most of opportunities. The Company generated $1.81 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2017. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com and connect with us on Twitter (@FTIConsulting), Facebook and LinkedIn.
FTI Consulting, Inc. 555 12th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 +1.202.312.9100 Investor Contact: Mollie Hawkes +1.617.747.1791 Media Contact: Matthew Bashalany +1.617.897.1545
FTI Consulting, Inc.
Washington, District of Columbia, UNITED STATES
FTI Consulting, Inc. 555 12th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 +1.202.312.9100 Investor Contact: Mollie Hawkes +1.617.747.1791 Media Contact: Matthew Bashalany +1.617.897.1545
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It's true that I usually like to write letters in my own homemade cards, but it's nice to take a break from that once in a while, and even better when it's a fun, creative, think-outside-the-box-ish sort of stationary that I use instead! So, I created this!
(Dramatic voice) Enter ... Fold-up Heart Shaped Stationary!
This is the first version I made. Each of those rectangles is 5-1/2 inches by 4-1/4 inches. That just means a quarter of regular size copy paper. You can probably guess that that makes the whole thing quite large. And you would be right. This shows the first time I made it, after cutting out, arranging, and rounding the edges as needed. Observe my fancy socks too. They're an important part of the picture, obviously.
Three sheets of 8-1/2 inch by 11 inch paper (not cardstock)
Writing utensils
Paper cutter (optional)(super helpful, but still optional)
Washi tape (optional)
Cut each piece of paper into equal eighths. Each eighth should be 2-3/4 inches by 4-1/4 inches. When you're finished cutting them all out, you should have 24 small rectangles. You'll only need 21 of those for this project, so set aside 3 to use for something cool that comes out of your creative brain later on.
If you're using paper that's patterned on one side and blank on the other, arrange the 21 pieces into a heart shape with patterned side up, using the picture below as a guide.
After the most exciting part is done (the writing of the letter, of course), you probably want to know how to get it in the envelope. So now I'll give you those folding instructions I talked about.
I'm going to use the first version to demonstrate how to fold it up. I colored over the back of this one with crayons partly because coloring is just plain fun, and also to cover up the words on the back (I used scrap paper), and also to make it easier for you to distinguish the back from the front. You can color the back too if you want, but it's not necessary.
Folding Instructions I
1. Lay the whole thing out flat, with the written on side facing you.
2. Fold down 1 and 2.
3. Fold 5 and 6 over on 1 and 2.
4. Fold 4 and 7 back against 3 and 8.
5. Fold 3 and 8 down on 9 and 15.
6. Fold 9 and 15 back against 10 and 14.
7. Fold 10 and 14 over on 11 and 13.
8. Fold 11 back against 12.
9. Fold 13 back against 12.
10. Fold 21 up on 18.
11. Fold 16 and 20 back against 17 and 19.
12. Fold 17 over on 18.
13. Fold 19 over on 18.
14. Fold that bunch up on 12.
I hope that makes sense. If it confused you a little, I've got you all set up with these instructions in pictures!
Folding Instructions II
I used assorted writing utensils and scissors to hold down the paper while photographing. So if you're wondering why those are there, that's why.
Also, I lightly drew big numbers on each rectangle with a colored pencil, so that it's easier for you to see which rectangle is which, and thus make it easier to put the instructions to use.
And you're done with that! Back to the small version...
Notice how I made the hearts point outwards. I think it adds a lot. I'm sorry, but I can't help but think that this envelope is just adorable.
More Fun Ideas
- Don't number any of the rectangles - let the recipient figure it out, using only the words on each as the clues!
- Write only one word on each rectangle, for a (relatively) short and sweet message. Challenge yourself to think of a message exactly 21 words long.
- Draw a picture over the entire heart, instead of writing anything.
- Make a bunch of these and save the 3 extra pieces from each until they eventually all add up and you don't have any extras. Then mail them to a million different people!
- Number each rectangle, but randomly. Jump from the top left corner to the middle right! Get crazy!
What other fun ideas can you incorporate into this craft?