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- CurriculumThe classes listed below are a combination of the core classes (Yi Ren Qigong Levels 1-3) and some of the other non-core classes that are offered on a regular basis and occasionally. With time the list of non-core classes will grow and expand to meet the demand and need of the student base. Tai Chi & Qigong Seattle Training Curriculum Core Classes and Current list of non-core classes -Level 1: Foundation, Chi Gong Exercise Awakening the Healing Powers Within (The prerequisite for all subsequent courses) Yi Ren® Qigong -Tai Chi Movement: Taoist Tai Chi For Internal & External Strength & A Peaceful Mind (Completion of Level 1 Required) -Moving With Qi: Chi Kung & Tai Chi Style Movements (Completion of Level 1 Required) Yi Ren® Qigong -Level Two: Development Of The Twelve Major Meridians and Organ Networks (Completion of Level 1 required) Yi Ren® Qigong -Jing & Rou: Integrating The Qi Into The Muscles & Tendons To Build Physical Strength (Completion of level 2 required) Yi Ren® Qigong -Level Three: The Extraordinary Meridians (Completion of Level 2 required & Jing/Rou suggested) Yi Ren® Qigong -Sound/Energy Center Correspondences (Prerequisite: completion of Level 2) Yi Ren® Qigong -Forms of Meditation: To Help People Enlighten Their…
- Yi Ren® Qigong Level 1: Internal Qi Activation & Cultivation
- Level 2: Activating & Developing the Internal Organ Energy Pathways
- Level 3: Development of the Extraordinary Meridians
- Moving W/ Qi: Qigong w/ Taichi style Movements
- Jing & Rou: Muscle & Tendon
- Tai Chi Movement: Taoist Tai Chi
- Sound / Energy Center Correspondence
- The Sacred Gates of Internal Cultivation
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Taking Yourself Out of Your Imagination. Seattle Tai chi & Qigong
By Brian Kane 4/12/2011,
"Analyzed that thought 'til I thought it made sense. Seems that I forgot, just how easy life is. Quixote, would appreciate, this mess I've made: The proof is in my armor plate. Imagination leads me to my grave…"
I wrote those words when I was 22 years old, but they still often apply to me today. Imagination: It can be our best friend or our worst enemy it seems. I have a huge imagination, as many of us do, and some would even say that I live and/or find solace in my imagination. This is not necessarily a bad thing as Einstein said," "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand."
However, having a vivid imagination is different than being delusional and not being able to cope with or decipher reality from unreality. This affliction could be part of a mental malady—a psychological sickness–but perhaps more often it is the result of an individual trying to avoid the pain that reality can bring. Ironically, the imagination that brings us joy and freedom can also evoke scenes of darkness and despair. It could be that imagination is important when applied to knowledge and creativity, but detrimental when it is used as an escape or substitute for the realities of some of life's most basic needs: including forming friendships and finding love; having a vocation and living place.
The key to me is to know when to step out of one's imagination and address the realities that organize our lives so that both our internal and external realities are tended to. One way to find the strength to do this is by studying YiRen Qigong. But first let's explore my ideas of imagination and how it applies to dreams, demons, QiGong and self-consciousness, and the effects of music on mediation and in turn the quality of our lives.
When I first started studying YiRen QiGong, instructor Brendan Thorson said to pay attention to my dreams. After about one month of practicing QiGong, my quality of sleep had improved vastly. I would no longer wake up a grump—which I was notorious for—but feel vibrant and refreshed. About two months into the practice, I was definitely having vivid dreams, the content of which was at times humorous, at times troubling, and even informative. Thorson told me that not every YiRen QiGong practitioner will experience vivid dreams (he said he often forgets his) but that if you do dream of something you deem significant, don't disregard it as merely a trick of the mind. Although some of your dreams might be of things that could only exist and manifest themselves in your imagination, they could also be giving you important information that could improve your life.
So then it is time to take the ideas from your dreams out of your imagination and put them to the test. This is where your strength is tested. It is a universal understanding that following your dreams is not easy. The more you desire something, the more pain and disappointment you could face in reaching your goal/s. However, in order to find balance in life, I believe you have to give your best effort at obtaining that which you want most, whether it be a particular vocation, a romantic interest, spiritual awareness, financial security or just having peace of mind. It is often inevitable that you will have fears and apprehension on your journey.
I am experiencing a bit of ambivalence and fear myself with regards to some life decisions I must make. During warm-up for the Tai Chi class on April 12th, the Level II Stomach and Pancreas exercise really helped me find strength and clarity. One thing I was unaware of and that Brendan brought to my attention is that what hand mudra that you use can affect your experience with this exercise. If you have a lot of emotional gunk to get rid of, your thumb should be between your index and middle finger with a closed fist. If not, it should be between your middle and ring finger.
I certainly had some garbage to dispose of and so I opted for the index and middle finger mudra. During the mediation with this exercise, I was able to generate the strength to feel positively about my life. I then realized a very important thing: When your imagination generates positivity and happiness, embrace that feeling as much as you can. However, when your imagination produces negative and despairing thoughts, it is time to meditate and bring tranquility to your mind.
However, meditation will not always be a pleasant experience. I mentioned in my earlier writings that meditating is like a glass of water with sediment or sand on the bottom. That sediment is all the emotional trash that a person has gathered over the years. When you meditate, you shake the vessel or stir its contents and the sand begins to rise to the top. Many Toaists call these demons. When these thoughts arrive, it is quite natural to want to stop meditating and repress those thoughts again. However in order to dissolve those pesky pests, you have to work through them and send them back down to the bottom of the glass, eventually dissolving them.
YiRen Qigong Instructor Brendan Thorson once told me that some students have come to him and said that they have an emotional blockage or hang up that they just cannot seem to get past. They have even gone to counseling or taken psychiatric drugs to try to cure their condition. However, he has seen students gain better clarity and emotional relief by practicing QiGong. You might say that instead of dealing with the problem down river or as it manifest itself, many students, myself included, have solved problems and improved their moods by dealing with the problem at its source.
Recently, I have gained some very interesting insight into some of my blockages. I am aware of my problems now and am at peace with these issues. The next step is being vigilant in destroying your demons. Like training your muscles, you might not get results right away, but before you know it, your efforts will be very rewarding. One benefit that I have had with taking classes with Brendan, is that whenever I have a personal problem I am dealing with, he is usually available to discuss it with me and offer advice not only in what action I might want to take but even more importantly, what YiRen QiGong exercises I should practice in order to help my mind see things more clearly.
Two exercises that really help me when I am having problems with negative visions are the Wisdom Gate meditating exercise (the Wisdom Gate is between the Life Gate and Solar Plexeus), and the Brain Gate exercise. Also my new favorite Level II exercise, the pancreas/stomach exercise works for me as well. Interestingly, according to Dr. Guan-Cheng Sun the stomach is a Yang organ associated with the virtues of logic and reasoning. At the Conscious level, the stomach is associated with imaginations and delusions and the pancreas with self-blame.
This week was also a QiGong breakthrough for me in that I have finally shed any doubt that QiGong is helping improve my life and that I don't care what others think about my involvement with the practice. YiRen QiGong has become as much of part of my life as music, writing, working out and you might say shaving every morning. It is now just part of my routine. However, I do not push QiGong onto others I think might benefit from it. I live by the Woody Allen idea that life is tough, and for the most part, to find happiness, just do whatever works. I would like to add that whatever works as long as it is ultimately not detrimental to your overall being or the being of others. I would definitely not suggest taking drugs, consuming alcohol in excess or anything else that is harmful to your body. But I have friends that are perfectly healthy that do not practice QiGong. They could definitely benefit from the practice, but maybe Yoga works best for them, or studying the Bible or the Quran.
From my experience with YiRen QiGong, you do not lose yourself through the practice, but actually gain a better understanding about who you are. It is important to me to keep my individuality and not try to be just like my teacher/s. Brendan Thorson is on his own path as we are all on ours. What he can divulge are recommendations to better your life, but you do not need to feel obligated to follow his suggestions. I have disagreed with him on what is best for me and been wrong, and I have also been right. The important thing is to do the exercises, seek advice from your teacher and then come to your own conclusions. This is how I see it anyway.
Moreover, I have learned to not become frustrated with detractors of the practice of YiRen Qigong—the skeptics. The bottom line is, unless a person has practiced QiGong, it is virtually impossible to have a constructive conversation with that person about the practice. Not everybody is going to like QiGong or believe it is helping them. It is their right to think this way and it in no way indicates who they are as people: again, whatever works.
"Women they will come and they will go. When the rain washes you clean, you'll know." These are lyrics from the song "Dreams" by one of my favorite bands, Fleetwood Mac. In fact this week I have been listening to that song repeatedly. Stevie Nicks' voice is very hypnotizing and the lyrics, although about lovers going their separate ways, are very encouraging to me and just downright beautiful. When I mediate I will often listen to soothing music like this. Although in deep meditative states I often lose contact with the words and melodies, these tunes help me relax.
This is not to say that one should only listen to positive music. Music is art and art should depict all aspects of life, from love to hate, despair to discovery. Music can definitely spur our imaginations about things and create visions in our minds.
When I was a kid, my father, heeding the advice of our church pastor, discarded many of his Rock N' Roll albums at the local dump. The pastor thought that Rock was the Devil's music. I remember when I was about 10 we used to play "Stairway to Heaven" backwards and try to hear the Satanic message. Interestingly, the only time I could decipher any sort of message from below was when a person would tell me what I should be hearing. To me, "Stairway to Heaven" was a beautiful song. A song of hope as Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin's lead singer, would often introduce the song as. However, there are actual transcriptions online of the entire song backwards, and the message is much darker: almost the antithesis of the song forward. One thing to note is that live recordings of the song have the same message so it is possible that the band did not record any hidden messages. I honestly do not know if Led Zeppelin purposefully created song lyrics that would have a different message when played backwards. I think the important thing is to remember that our imaginations can falsify reality and that we are being influenced by many outward forces, most of which we might not be aware of.
Although my imagination has caused me a great deal of discomfort in the past, I will never cease living a large portion of my life in the spiritual realm of my dreams and imagination. Ultimately I believe this will lead me to a happier life. The darkness of life and my imagination will always exist however, now I have my personal weapon of choice, YiRen QiGong, to battle those intrusive thoughts. Now I have a greater hope that instead of it leading me to an untimely death, as long as I follow my dreams the correct way, my imagination will liberate me to a long and fulfilling life.
Incorporating QiGong Exercises and Attitudes into Your Everyday Life. Seattle Taichi Qigong
By Brian Kane,
A Week of Random Observations and Revelations
This was a bi-week for the Tai Chi class. I decided to attend the Level One class on Wednesday. Before I give any reflections about the class, I must divulge some inner revelations that I had this week. The main revelations: I believe you should try to incorporate both QiGong exercises and attitudes into your everyday life, and when you project positivity, positivity is projected back to you.
I work a desk job for a fairly large company. Honestly, I would rather be doing something more creative and/or labor intensive, but a job is a job. I work in close quarters with my co-workers. In fact, we sit right next to each other, staring at 30-inch monitors all day. I have grown fond of some of my co-workers: The people I sit by are some of my favorite people in the world (although some of them are moving on to different jobs.) However, when you sit right next to people, their foibles become fairly apparent to you and it can add to work stress. Personally, I am very tolerant of people, but we have some characters in our group, myself included. What has helped me remain calm, is to take a break every two hours or so and do a YiRen QiGong exercise or meditation outside for about five minutes. For stress, I like to do the energy grounding exercise along with the Energy Center Enhancing Exercise . However, you should experiment to see what works best for you.
During class, Brandon Thorson, recommended to a student that she do a YiRen QiGong exercise for 20 minutes every morning to quiet her mind and relax her body. From my own experience, this really helps me keep my composure at work and my production numbers have increased since practicing every morning.
One of the perks of this my job, is that we get free lunches. Unfortunately, most of us used to dread what they would serve us contractual workers, as it was often a greasy mound of mush.
However, our old chef was replaced by a woman named Chris who is amazing. She has drastically changed the quality of the food and unlike the slouch the used to prepare our meals, she takes tremendous pride in her work. She always greets us with a hello as we walk into the lunchroom and is happy to cater to our needs. One day she even walked around the lunchroom with a pan of freshly baked cookies and asked each table if they wanted one.
What is the lesson I have learned from Chris? It's simple: When you project positivity, no matter what your situation, positivity will be returned to you. Chris has the same ingredients and facilities to use as the lunchroom louse before her, yet despite obviously being over-qualified and not having the most glamorous job at this time, she takes tremendous pride in her work and exceeds what is expected of her.
This was also a week of reflection and regret for me. The cause of my regret is not important necessarily. The root of it is fear and having too high of expectations. You know, we all sort of imagine what a person that we are interested in is like. We have a picture in our mind of a romantic interest and oftentimes our imagination can be enough to suffice the basic human longing to be intimate with someone. The ironic thing is, oftentimes the more we like someone, the more freaked out and unlike ourselves we become, at least initially. I often wish I could just come out and say what I feel about a romantic interest. But in the past, I have been accused of seeming too anxious or needy. I believe that in order to live a healthy life and even to optimize your YiRen QiGong experience, not only is it best to remain as positive as possible, but also chose friends and lovers wisely. Perhaps more importantly one has to learn to really love one's self. By nature, I am a pleaser and used to forget to think about my own needs. In order to really connect with someone, you have to project positivity, confidence and self-esteem and respect. Otherwise, you will end up in toxic relationships.
One of my favorite people ever, author and QiGong practitioner Jane Alexander (who authored the book "Possessing Me" which can be found here http://www.amazon.com/Possessing-Me-Healing-Jane-Alexander/dp/0983070903/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292013959&sr=8-1 ) once wrote the following to me when I sough her counsel about a few life issues I was having. About relationships, she wrote:
A healthy mature woman looks for guys that exude confidence. Not testosterone confidence or ego but settled, mature sense of self. A guy that is comfortable with himself, has inner confidence that radiates out. You could say that women can smell it like a scent. If you don't love your own being the way I described than you are not ready or capable of offering the same to other people, especially women who are going to want and need more emotional support or understanding. Unless you like self-harming emo girls, girls with no appreciable self esteem and self love will latch on to guys in the same developmental phase in order to save the guy or themselves. But you know what? Two self hating people do not make a healthy, loving relationship….It's an important issue. If you want healthy, mature, successful girls that do not need to be or want to be saved than you are going to have to work on developing that kind of personality. Guys with especially low self esteem, depression or lacking inner confidence entirely might fall under the pathetic but cute section. Usually it's just a turn off.
That was written to me almost three years ago, and the more I study YiRen QiGong, the more I realize that what we project affects not only our love lives, but also every other aspect of our lives. One thing that I have begun to dissolve is what I call the pessimistic filter. Just because you have had bad experiences in the past regarding a certain issue or situation, does not mean that it will continue to happen–that, that occurrence set a trend. If you have a pessimistic filter, then you will misinterpret other's actions and your own successes and failures.
Bottom line, my advice to all of you is, be bold. You might not get the desired response from the person you long for, or the result of an attempt at a goal you have, but your boldness will definitely leave an impression on that individual and further your progress on improving yourself. Also, don't take rejection as always being your fault. Remember, you are not the only one that has fears or hang-ups. The other person might have reasons for not wanting to get to know you better, which have nothing to do with you. One of my favorite hip-hop artists, Canibus, wrote "A wise man see failure as progress…" I agree.
In addition to this, remember, whether we are conscious of it or not, many of us play games with other people. Most of us don't do this because we are just plain malicious and evil, but because we are uncertain about a person and put them through certain 'tests.' This is quite natural, I believe. But not only do we play games with each other, we play games with ourselves. One unfortunate habit people get into is what Brendan Thorson calls the "broken record" effect. From my own experience, this involves negative thoughts that prevent us from doing what is best for us. To me, these repetitive thought patterns are like bad habits. It's like when a person gets nervous and lights up a cigarette. Some people, myself included, get nervous and turn on the broken record, which just feeds our minds with excuses and lies. I had a friend who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder who said that one of her symptoms was not being able to stop thinking about something. She would obsess over a dark thought. I too often suffer from this issue. From my experience, YiRen Qigong has helped me break negative thought patterns and see the issue in an objective way, controlling my Ego. Instead of dwelling on the problem, I seek the solution, which is usually much easier to find than I initially thought. I remember one time I told a counselor that I truly believed my so-called depression was actually an excuse not to go out there and fulfill my dreams. His eyes lit up, as he agreed. I think it became quite fashionable during the '90s and my youth to have the sort of attitude that the world is cruel, our futures are bleak and humans are beyond redemption. This trend needs to end.
I was looking through my old writings, and ten years ago I wrote the following lyrics:"So I tried to find comfort in words. But the man from Algiers says it's all absurd—all absurd. He addresses the worse-case scenario and it buzzes in my head and it plays on my stereo. It's the modern day trend, my friend and I'm telling you all, that it all needs to end. 'Cause I know we'll be fine, in time, We'll be back again, back to when, we were all sane…"
As a new adult, I was beginning to experience for the first time a bit of post-adolescent angst/idealism. If I had been studying YiRen QiGong at the time, those thoughts would have surely still entered my mind, but I would have been able to digest them more healthily, and stopped the development of my pessimistic filter. Going "back again" is dissolving that filter and finding the same peace in one's mind that a child has. It can be done. (Incidentally, the man From Algiers is Albert Camus. Algiers is now Algeria.)
So all these thoughts and revelations I brought into the Level One class on Wednesday. During the class we practiced the Small Universe Developing Exercise, Small Universe Enhancing Exercise, and Energy Center Enhancing Exercise. As YiRen QiGong teacher Brendan Thorson has stated many times, each time you take the same class, you will have a new experience. Needless to say, this was true for me. Not only did I feel the Qi energy around my body more strongly than when I tool the Level I class about a year ago, it also opened up many of my Energy Centers (which are analogous to the Chakras in Yoga). I arrived to this class with a heavy heart and a bad stomach. After class, I felt much better. My body was less tense, my stomach pain lessened and I felt more positive. One student arrived about one half hour late due to traffic. She commented that as soon as she entered the room we were practicing in, that her mind—which had been racing all day—began to quiet and she felt more at ease. I too have experienced this.
All in all, it was a week of ups and downs, but whereas in the past, I might be still brooding over trivial events, by incorporating YiRen QiGong into my daily routine, projecting positivity, not dwelling on the problem and stopping the broken record, I feel that the trials of the week were handled wisely and I am stronger for it.
Listen to Your Body Talk! Seattle Taiji & Chi gong
By Brian Kane 3/29/2011,
Throughout my time studying QiGong (and Tai chi), I have found myself relating more and more to what might be considered Billboard Wisdom, or simplified Taoist or "New Age" ideas borrowed by the West. Ideas like a strong connection between the mind and body, or the healthy benefits for men to "explore your feminine side" no longer seem like just nifty notions for progressive thinkers: Lately, I have begun to experience their effects at an increasing rate. During this week's Tai Chi class, we discussed how the mind and the body are connected and how we should pay attention to how our bodies can actually help us decide how to react, or what decisions to make, in difficult situations.
QiGong instructor Brendan Thorson attended Dr. Sun's seminar this past weekend at which he gained a greater insight into how our minds affect our bodies, including all of our organs such as the kidneys and heart. For instance–and again this might seem cliché to you– let's say you really like a lady, or gentleman. I am sure many of us have heard the saying "I got weak in the knees" or "I got cold feet" due to being attracted or feeling in love with a person. Well in YiRen QiGong, when we work on building up our kidney energies, our feet get warmer. When we have a sudden fear or moment of anxiety, the feet—and the hands for that matter–being affected by a lack of kidney energy, can feel cold. Thorson has also stated that we can hold a great deal of fear and anxiety in the knee joints which can make them shake and ache.
From my own personal experience, when I am nervous, let's say, before a performance of any kind, I sometimes get really tight in the stomach and my mouth turns dry. The stomach is associated with the emotion of anxiety. Since I am fearful or worried about my performance, my mind communicates with my stomach—and vice versa–which is negatively affected by a debilitating emotion.
Off and on during my teens, my stomach problems were so bad that I would often vomit in stressful situations and not be able to eat sometimes for days. This was especially bad for me, because my metabolism was lightning fast. As I have gotten older, my stomach problems have subsided, and my metabolism has slowed down a bit, thank goodness. When I was going through my bout of stomach issues (most certainly a result of an over abundance of anxiety and worry created by a youthful, overactive imagination) I would often think about rock musician Kurt Cobain, who had crippling stomach problems himself. I guess I thought it was cool that we had that in common. Unfortunately, Kurt used heroin partially to cure his stomach pains, but I am certain that YiRen QiGong would have helped restore balance in his body and mind, curing him of his ailment.
Brendan quoted Dr. Sun as relating the brain to being the Federal Government of the rest of the body. I then made the joke that the goal of QiGong would then be to turn your mind from being a George W. Bush-type Federal Government, into more of a Barack Obama-type Federal Government, which garnered a few laughs. Brendan responded with a smirk saying, "Well it's different for everyone. You have to find the type of federal government that works best for your particular body." I would have to agree. Besides, I think I would like to have the characteristics of both Condoleezza Rice (a Republican and part of Bush's Cabinet) and Hillary Clinton (a Democrat and part of Obama's Government) in my brain. They are both brilliant.
Another interesting way the body can communicate with us through QiGong is by letting us know what foods and what quantities of food are best for our bodies. In fact, I have heard stories of Dr. Sun eating enough food at times to feed a few people and his love for dumplings. However, as he became more developed in QiGong, he got a better sense of how much he should eat according to what was best for his body. I personally experienced this before class on Tuesday. One of my weaknesses is Dick's Hamburgers. Before class I got my usual: two cheeseburgers, a Deluxe and a small coke. In my mind, I knew that this was way too much to eat at the time, right before class and before dinner, which I usually eat at Aladdin's Gyro-cery on University Avenue. But my emotions got the better of me and I HAD to have my usual.
Well, during class I became more aware of how negatively the fatty burgers were affecting my body. In fact, during one of the warm up exercises I got nauseous and felt unusually uncomfortable just from my regular delightful Dick'a burger binge. I now know to trust my intuitions more when it comes to food. I think my usual afternoon snack of an apple and a bottle of Kombucha would have agreed with me much more.
(As a side note, my brother–22 months my junior–when he was 16 or so, ate 10 Dick's cheeseburgers before a Seattle Supersonics game. Although some say he had a little "medicinal" help of the common teenage kind, I think the kid just had that big of an appetite. And he weighed about 135 pounds at the time, with the usual youthful-Kidd metabolism. As a kid Kidd, this feat was fine and fairly innocuous. But now that we are both in our early 30s, I don't think either of us would attempt to break the 10 Dick's cheeseburgers record. I have contemplated it though, hehe).
To me, it is clear that there is a mind/body connection. To most of us, this is fairly obvious. What might not be so obvious is how to create a harmonious relationship between the mind (The Federal Government) and the body and its organs (the more localized branches of government). It reminds me of what Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers, which helped shape the U.S. Constitution. As to why government is necessary he wrote, "Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint." I believe that YiRen Qigong is kind of like a government advisor for my brain and in turn, my body. It can help me see and feel more clearly what is best for my well-being. Dr. Sun and Brendan Thorson both encourage us to treat our organs as if they are our pets and to make sure each is taken care of with love and attention. By doing so, we will not only keep our organs healthy, but also our minds and our quality of life.
Brian Kidd
Third Eye Visions Becoming Clearer: Losing and Loosening the Rigid Body and Mind. TaiChi & Qigong
By Brian Kane 3/22/2011,
During this third week of the Seattle Tai Chi class the energy has begun to move deeper into my body. In fact whereas before, it felt like I was in the midst of a Qi(Chi) mist during each lesson, this week I felt like I was getting a Qi shower. I cannot even completely remember the warm up exercises, as my mind was hearing the instructor's voice from a distant place and surreal scenes flashed into my mind as I moved with my eyes closed, and my Third Eye open.
Once while helping Brendan Thorson at the U District Street Fair last summer, a solemn man approached me and asked me why I practiced QiGong. I told him that my ultimate goal was to have the happiness and freedom of a child with the intelligence and thoughtfulness of an adult. He simply looked at me with a knowing look on his face and stated, "Of course, isn't that the goal for all of us? Look at these children, they are pure," he said while pointing to a little boy and girl walking by. "They don't really know about the hardships of life. Of the pain it can bring." He then turned from me, and rode off gracefully on his bike as his blonde mane flowed behind him.
I then began to think of my recently deceased grandfather. I noticed that while he was on his deathbed and barely conscious, he began to take on mannerisms like that of a child and speak with innocent child-like inflections. Although I did not witness this, my aunt told me he even recited Pat-a-Cake from Mother Goose.
The owner of the group home at which he lived explained that when people approach death, they begin to act child-like again and have vivid memories of childhood.
I wondered why this was. Oftentimes hazy childhood memories will creep into my mind—some good, some bad, mostly in my dreams. However, this week, some beautiful nostalgia revealed itself to me during the first half of class. I remembered, again, all the crazy tree forts (and insanely deep underground forts) my brother and friends built and the smell of the woods in the Queensgate neighborhood, where I lived as a kid from 1980-1989. I built many BMX tracks in those woods and often came home to my mom with fresh BMX wounds that never felt so good.
I also had memories of my late Grandmother's kitchen in West Seattle, and the amazing meals she would make me. Of my dad and I launching those red water rocket toys and my mom and I jogging down the pipeline trail. I had memories of my brother and I making cat forts for our two cats, Monty and Mittens, and of my Grandpa Fred trying to teach me to play the banjo while Grandma Betty was sewing something in the next room at their house in what was North Seattle and now the City of Shoreline. I wondered how I could have lost sight of some of these things and how they lost their importance. These visions seem so basic and almost meaningless as I type this blog. But while I was having them during class, they meant the world to me. I was happy.
One of my favorite songs by Everything but the Girl is "The Heart Remains a Child." I believe this is true. I am uncertain as to why adulthood seems to drive some people literally mad. This is one of life's mysteries, it seems. I have several friends who were extremely talented and had promising futures as teenagers, but are now not quite all there. This really saddens me.
Our growing brains into adulthood seem to make us smarter, but they also seem to make some people angrier, greedier, meaner, and out of touch with how their actions affect others. I remember when I turned 13 and some of my friends changed very much over just one summer: from nice kids to complete jerks. The time of innocence was definitely behind us.
However during the class warm up, I began to look around the room, and think about the students in class and other kind souls that I know. It made me feel more at ease and realize that the negative actions of others are often done out of fear and insecurity. It might sound cliché to "tap into your inner-child," but it makes more sense to me now. When you are a kid, you are excited and curious about everything. And when you laugh as a kid, it is seen as being cute. As an adult you might seem silly or simpleminded. People get too serious. They take themselves too seriously.
During the second part of the class, we began the YiRen Tai Chi movements, which included twisting the torso, loosening the sacrum, releasing pent up energy. When I first took the Tai Chi class about 18 months ago, I remember the instructor, Brendan Thorson, warned the students that they might feel angry the next day or two because we can hold a lot of frustration and anger in our sacrum. Sure enough, the next day I woke up and wanted to punch a hole in something. Today, 3/23/2011, I felt the same way. This feeling intensified as something unfortunate happened at work. When usually I would just grin and bear it, today I lashed out a bit in frustration and was rather hostile in an email to a co-worker. Thankfully he has a good sense of humor. However, as the day progressed, I gradually began to calm down and actually felt really at ease–more than I usually do. Interestingly, according to Thorson, a rigid sacrum can also make a person age faster, so loosening up the sacrum can make us feel and look more youthful.
This week's lesson was definitely a breakthrough for me. I feel that the Qi is moving deeper inside my body and helping me find greater inner strength. My visions and dreams are becoming more and more lucid. I believe they have something to tell me. What it is, I am anxious to find out.
Post Script: Stay tuned for my next article (one with actual interviews) about how QiGong could help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thanks.
Brian Kidd
Finding Our Truth. Seattle TaiChi & Chi Kung
By Brian Kane 3/ 15/ 2011,
This was the second week of the Tai Chi Class. However the important lesson I learned was not during class. It is a lesson that pertains to honoring the lineage, teachers and students, as we are all one, on the same path towards happiness and spiritual freedom.
Many of us want to feel powerful, beautiful, smart, highly esteemed et-cetera. This is part of our egos. However, one of the great cosmic paradoxes is that we are all, in a sense, one. All part of the universe and all connected to each other—whether we know it or not. In the YiRen School, every person involved is following a similar path. In order for all students to feel the healing power of YiRen Qigong, we must all learn the same techniques taught in a sequence which has been developed by Dr. Sun, who is carrying on a teaching lineage that is thousands of years old.
Of course Qigong will evolve over time and become more effective as the masters develop it. But this process takes time. It also takes time to improve and develop yourself through Qigong, but once you have surmounted personal obstacles, the feeling of freedom is very rewarding and empowering. However, everybody's path and rate of progress will be different, and a great deal of it depends on how much effort the student is willing to put forth, which will require courage and open-mindedness.
On Friday, March 18, Brandon Thorson held an Intro class at the 8-Limbs Yoga Center on Capitol Hill. One of the attendees, a man named Andrew, brought up a very insightful observation during the class. After one of the exercises, he said that he was becoming aware of new sensations and realizations in his mind and body. Upon discovering these things, he felt that he had two choices: either explore this new found territory (which could be uncomfortable) or hold off, and wait until he felt ready to venture into this newly discovered area of his being.
I think this idea applies to each of us in our own lives. Qigong is away to improve our lives. Just like learning a new skill to get a better job. This in turn can improve the quality of life for our families, which can help your spouse and/or children and friends, relatives (all the people you know) find inspiration to improve their own lives. But these individuals must find the courage and strength fulfill their dreams.
To me, it is kind of like turning frustration, into inspiration; it is like turning jealousy into joy. I experienced both of these feelings this week. An acquaintance of mine, I can tell, is really improving her focus as an artist. Her recent musical efforts have received attention and accolades from a few revered publications. This brought attention to my own aspirations and the fears or hang-ups that have prevented me from exploring new territory in my own music and other interests. At first I felt very jealous and even angry about her recent achievements. However, then I thought about it: I am sure that she had her own fears and internal blockages at one time. Just about all of us have fears. However, she overcame them, at least enough to whip up the courage to really go for it and release some great music. And then I thought about it more: What I was jealous about was even the wrong thing. I was jealous of the praise she was getting from critics and fans alike. But it was jealously from an egocentric perspective about her being exalted. (I want to be deemed brilliant too, I thought.) What I should have been jealous about was the elation she has experienced by having spread happiness to others. However I should not have felt jealous about that at all, but rather joyful and inspired. This is how I feel now.
I think that by realizing that we are all part of the universal consciousness and are all one, I have begun to free myself from jealousy and resentment. I now better realize that my actions can have a profound impact on others, especially those on the same path. I have stepped outside myself for once and am aware that I am no greater or lesser than anyone else. If my goals keep all of those around me that I hold dear in mind, and if I continue to develop a view of life from a universal perspective, I will feel satisfied, happy and successful. It will take courage. It will take time. I have both. I hope all of you all find the same.
Brian Kidd
New Realizations: Qi Communication with the Environment
Brian Kane 2/19/2011,
It was late September and the incessant sound of the Pacific Ocean calmed my spirit as I sauntered down the South Promenade towards downtown Seaside, Oregon. As I began to approach Broadway, my heart filled with anticipation at what would await me: ice cream shops, bars, restaurants, music stores, an historic arcade, clothing stores and of course the novelty shops that I even enjoyed as a kid. In fact, I had not been to Seaside in more than 10 years, and many memories flooded my mind as I turned right onto Broadway.
It had been so long since I had visited Seaside that I hardly recognized any of the shops, so I couldn't tell if they had been there long ago or not. One shop in particular really sparked my interest. I would have remembered this shop as a kid because it stood out amongst the rest, but I did not remember ever visiting it. Upon approaching the store, I noticed there was no sign outside. Oriental decorations were on display in its windows including Buddha statues and garden bird baths.
I entered the store trying to appear calm and collected, but upon breaking the entryway threshold, I noticed that my whole body began to feel energized. Two places on my body in particular were tingling very strongly: the Internal Energy Promoters. This point is located between the index and middle finger where the tendons meet on the inner palm. While practicing YIRen QiGong, this is the area where both hands are faced toward each other in order to generate an energy ball of Qi.
At first I thought it must be imagining the sensation, and it was just because the shop reminded me of QiGong (part of Chinese culture) that I was experiencing a kind of Pavlovian or conditioned response. After checking out the Katana Blades and garden displays, I went outside to collect my thoughts. What in the world was happening?
I thought, okay just walk quickly inside and check out more of the oriental figurines in the back. I scurried back inside, trying to avoid looking at the shop owner, who had a sort of impish smirk on her face. Did she know? This was all in my imagination. It had to be. However, just like the first time entering the store, my Internal Energy Promoters were activated and my mind seemed very alert.
After about five minutes of browsing the items in the store, I left empty-handed, but made note of a couple statues that I would purchase upon returning, hopefully sooner than in 10 years. I actually plan to return this summer.
Back in Seattle I told a fellow QiGong student about my experience and she thought it might have happened because some of the items in the store had been blessed. I wasn't sure what to think, but it did make me feel good knowing that there was a possibility that I had somehow connected with the energy of inanimate objects that very well could have been blessed and were most certainly from China, where QiGong was developed.
This January, I went to Las Vegas as part of the celebration of my dad's 60th birthday. I visited there in 2003 with a friend. During that visit I had more of a Hunter S. Thompson mentality of engaging in every depravity, mostly legal of course, that I could. Of course I was younger then, and quite honestly, this time I really wanted to visit as many of the Hotels and other tourist attractions that I could, being mostly sober.
I was with my Aunty Marge and brother Steven as we approached the Bellagio. Just inside the entrance we took in the beautiful ceiling display of Chihuly glass, formed into different colored flowers. After relishing the beauty of the Chihuly display, we entered a large area with glass ceilings through which natural light illuminated the Chinese New Year Exhibit.
I was in Vegas. For the most part, QiGong was one of the furthest things from my mind. However, as soon as I entered the Bellagio Garden with the Chinese New Year exhibition, just like at the arcane store in Seaside, my Internal Energy Promoters began to pulse with Qi. This time when it happened I casually told my Aunt what was going on. I thought she would kind of grin and dismiss it. However she simply said, "Yeah, 'cause you're probably picking up on sensations created by the exhibit…" I think she was probably right.
So what's to make of all this? I am really not sure. I consider myself an avid QiGong practitioner, but there is no way I can explain what happened during those two incidents. The phenomenon was definitely a positive one and although foreign, it has left two impressions on me.
First of all, I believe that whether we are aware of it or not, everything we do affects us more than we might be cognizant of. This includes not only who we consort with and what we put in our bodies, but even the places we visit. For instance, Seattle during the winter always leaves me sort of in the doldrums. It is almost like the Seattle I knew of during the summer (that of a very energetic, beautiful city with the most gorgeous cherry blossoms I have ever seen) is a completely different place. My mind thinks back upon July and August, and I feel as though a celestial veil of gloom has been placed over the beautiful Emerald City, and that it will never be lifted.
Regarding this feeling, Noble School of Tai Chi and QiGong instructor Brendan Thorson stated that when you practice QiGong, no matter where you are, it can always feel sunny inside of your mind and body. Recently, after one class, a student of his actually stated that he read that Seattle was created as a place to torture people. I found that notion fairly humorous, but in a city with the highest suicide rate (and curiously the greatest number of college graduates) one cannot ignore the fact that for some reason, depression pervades in Seattle. I have battled with depression myself, and Yi Ren Qigong andTai Chi have definitely helped stabilize my moods.
However, one's immediate environment, such as a person's living quarters, can also affect the energy a person feels. The idea of Fung Shui used to seem preposterous to me, but after living in a studio apartment for years now, I noticed that when I remove clutter from my life and actually clean and organized my domicile, that my mind feels more peaceful and I am less stressed.
Secondly, I am certain that when you practice QiGong, it is possible to develop yourself to the point that you can communicate nonverbally with other people, even from afar. For instance, I now believe that prayer works perhaps because a higher power is involved, but also perhaps because our thoughts of healing and/or helping a person can reach that individual and affect their state of being. When I walked in that Seaside shop, it is possible that I was receiving messages from the people that had blessed the items in the store and the energy was very positive and nourishing. It is also possible that the store owner herself practices some sort of energy work such as QiGong or meditation and I picked up on her energy.
Obviously many of the explanations I have proposed in this blog are just guesses. As I continue to grow with Yi Ren QiGong and find greater inner peace and understanding, I am sure better explanations will reveal themselves. For now, however, I am just happy and excited that my whole being seems to be traveling a path to a much better place.
Tai Chi 4 Self Empowerment @ E.W.Bookshop
March 1st, 6:30-8pm, $10@ E.W. Bookshop
6500 Roosevelt Way Northeast
Seattle, WA 98115
Call E. W. to reserve a space 206-523-3726
Tai Chi & Qigong class @E.W.Bookshop
Transcending Stress and Self-Empowerment: will be the main topics discussed in this March 1st Yi Ren® Qigong class.
Transcending Stress & Self-Empowerment by Brendan Thorson 2/2011
Transcending Stress and Self-Empowerment will be the main topics discussed in this March 1st Yi Ren® Qigong class. Many people in our fastpaced society suffer from too much stress and do not know how to manage, release or increase their capacity for stress. As a result, as every day, week and month pass their stress continues to build up, as this stress continues to build up it begins to cause havoc within their bodies and lives (muscle tension, stomach ache, ulcers, anxieties, frustration and irritation…) and before they realize it life can becomes more challenging and less enjoyable. See Helpguide.org for more information or excerpt below
Self-Empowerment will be the other main topic for this class. Everyone goes through highs and lows with their ambition and following through with what they prioritize in their life. Remember the dreams you had as kid? Your plans to begin a new exercise program to improve your health? Or your desire to work on changing the way you communicate and treat your friends and loved ones? If you were at the last stage of your life right now would you be happy or content with what you have accomplished during your lifetime? Commonly we struggle with ambition and following through with our ideas because we lack the life force (energy) or the Internal Will to act and follow through with our grand plans and wishes. Therefore, in the class we will do exercises to activate (the Life Gate/ Kidney Center) our internal engine to upgrade our Internal Will and Ambition. During this class we will also discuss how (and do Yi Ren qigong exercises to begin to initiate these internal changes) Yi Ren qigong can help you to increase your stress capacity, transcend your stress and how we can improve our internal will and creativity so we can live up to our potential.
At the core of Yi Ren Qigong is its unique design for self-healing, balance of unhealthy organ systems and longevity. The system has been designed to work in conjunction with other health care modalities and healthy exercise programs. Yi Ren Qigong also shares much of the same foundational philosophy as Traditional Chinese Medicine like Yin/ Yang and The 5-Element Theories.
For more information and questions see www.qigongedu.com or call Brendan @ 206-354-8216
You may be asking your self what is Qigong? Simply stated (Qi= energy) & (Gong= work or development over time). For example if someone wants to study piano they have to study to gradually learn and advance and the same is true with qigong.
In Yi Ren Qigong we learn exercises to help us transcend our stress like:
- Building up our energy levels so we can handle a greater capacity of stress
- Nourish our Autonomic Nervous system so we can feel calm and deeply relaxed
- Cleanse and refresh our bodies to release excess stress
- With the assistance of the "Qi / Chi" energy we increase our mind-body connection so we can better understand the bodies' signals for better self-care. Integrate and amplify the mind and body connection to create better harmony within
In Yi Ren Qigong we learn exercises to help us with Self-Empowerment like:
- Recharging our kidney and Life-gate energies to improve our internal Will and Ambition
- Creating balance throughout the system so the intention and the will are in integrity with our true-self
The following is an except from Helpguide.org
Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress isn't always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you're constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price.
What is stress?
The Body's Stress Response
When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.
Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it's real or imagined – the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the "fight-or-flight" reaction, the stress response.
Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.
Many health problems are caused or exacerbated by stress, including:
- Pain of any kind
- Heart disease
- Digestive problems
- Sleep problems
- Depression
- Obesity
- Autoimmune diseases
- Skin conditions, such as eczema
You are Your Own Worst Enemy (or Your Best Ally)
By Brian Kane 1/19/2011,
My late Grandpa Fred had many sayings. Some were funny. (Lemonade in the shade is as big as a baby elephant's asssssssk your mom for 10 cents to by a glass. A dinner-time prayer: Here's the bread, here's the meat, why the hell don't we eat?) Some were serious. (Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone. To the more laconic: You are your own worst enemy). The last one always stuck with me. Why would you be your own worst enemy?
When we are born, we are a clean slate, for the most part. We haven't really had our hearts broken, gotten let go from a job, had a loved one die, been told we were stupid, ugly, nerdy, et-cetera. The problem is not when we are told these things, it is how we react to them. If we react negatively and store those ideas about ourselves in our minds, they can create blockages that prevent us from being who we really are. They can prevent us from being happy.
During a recent meditation, I sought to answer why it is that I often expect the worse to happen. Some have called me paranoid, neurotic, skeptical, cynical. The truth is that the more I want something, the louder the inner voice of doubt speaks up, often with ridiculous assumptions and scenarios. The simple answer is that I should be able to handle anything. No matter what happens, I must remain hopeful and optimistic. It's easy to be depressed and doubtful. And that is why some people chose that path. It is harder to be optimistic, but the payoff is much larger.
I've been my worst enemy many times. I used to think I just had really low self-esteem, but the problem is a bit more complicated than that. For me, as I am sure for many others, being self-sabotaging is a way to avoid failure and the pain that it can cause. Moreover, we often avoid situations that caused us heartbreak in the past. I am reminded of Paul Simon crooning: "I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved, I never would have cried," in the song "I am a Rock." The character he is depicting with song, finds solace in his books and his poetry: But how can one survive by being a lonely, morose recluse? I am not sure you can.
Over the past few years my view of people has changed dramatically. For instance, in 2008 I met a woman (we'll call her Courtney) who is blindingly brilliant. She attended a prestigious college, did well for a couple years there, but then dropped out. Her reasoning was not quite clear, but she stated that most of it had to do with not being on good terms with her guidance counselor. I believe it had more to do with her self-doubt, which led to drug abuse and self-mutilation. Her reasoning for that had to do with many things, including the way she was treated in high school (she was harassed for being a minority at her school and often physically and psychologically abused ) to her father dying when she was only in her 20s. These are definitely some tough things to endure, but like I stated earlier, it is not what happens to us in life that determines who we are, it is how we choose to react to those hardships. Of course there is always a time of grief and sadness in life, but what happens in our lives can either make us bitter or better.
I've also met other people who aren't so smart. They aren't so talented or attractive. Yet they are living happy, successful lives and fulfilling their potentials. This is because the quality of life we experience is almost certainly affected by our attitudes. Whereas my super smart friend, Courtney, has actually been homeless, partly due to her being her own worst enemy, some of the people I have met recently who were not given as many gifts, are living happy, healthy lives.
All in all, at least half of the success you will experience in life has to do with attitude. It was Woody Allen who quipped "80 per cent of success is just showing up." Being brave can be tough, but hardly anyone who is successful did not take chances.
Many of the aforementioned ideas are not new to us. They seem so basic. Yet many people opt to avoid situations that make them vulnerable. Whether it's giving a presentation in front of your boss, or asking a girl or boy out on a date, applying for your dream job and on and on, most of us have been our own worst enemies, making excuse after excuse for not being the person we really want to be.
So how does Yi Ren Tai Chi and QiGong and meditation fit into all this? For me, the best way to break through my internal blockages has been to observe them from an objective view. This can be accomplished by quieting the mind. I have become much more self aware by studying QiGong. This process has not always been easy. I have come to many plateaus over the last year and one half that I never thought I would advance from. Currently I am very aware of my blockages and the unnecessary fears they have created in my life. Because of my Ego and proud-nature, I used to repress my problems. However, I have been very humbled by the teachings of Dr. Sun and Brendan Thorson. The first step I had to overcome in order to make personal progress was to be able to take criticism. I have become much better at not taking constructive criticism/advice personally. Now that I am privy to my problems, I am confident I can surmount them and live a fruitful life. I am confident that I will one day be my best ally…
Reverse The Aging Process!! Look Younger Feel Younger
Seattle Tai Chi & Qigong Training
In Chinese medicine, they believe if you have Strong Kidney Energy then you are likely to have longevity, health and a quality life. Regardless of age, many people have experienced appearing and feeling older than they desire too or than they believe they should look or feel. And sadly many of those people also believe nothing can be done to change their fate. But, I know that is not true, I have seen countless people who have studied Yi Ren® qigong, including myself, who have dramatically improved their energy levels, (from feeling exhausted all the time or feeling just less energy than you remember from 5-10 years ago). In addition, people naturally begin to look more and more beautiful. I have and continue to see people change dramatically in a matter of a few months. For example, I have watched people faces transform from tired and droopy to firmer and more refreshed, and others with lifeless and gaunt faces gradually become brighter, fuller and healthier. You too can become more beautiful and enlivened from Yi Ren qigong.
Transcending stress!! (Seattle Tai Chi & Qigong Training)
Stress like most things in our lives needs to be in balance. Too little stress and we become stagnant and do not grow. However, too much stress from work, relationships and lifestyle is detrimental to our health, and is damaging to the nervous system and all the organ systems of the body. Many people are aware of the negative impact stress can have on the heart system, like hypertension and high blood pressure. Most of us have personally experienced how short periods of excessive stress can lead to muscle tension, irritability, impatience, a short temper, and poor communication with friends and loved ones. Many of us have also experienced long-term stress, feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, and seen or experienced how it can cause people to develop undesirable behavior patterns in most areas of their life.
Scientific research has found excessive stress to be the cause for anxiety, depression, and insomnia. When stress is experienced over long periods of time it begins to create havoc in the body. For example, in the case of Anxiety it causes the body to become overloaded with chemical bi-products that contaminate the body. In regards to depression, it represses/inhibits the development of new nerve cell production necessary for feeling fresh. And insomnia is the result of the body getting stuck in a hyper arousal state and, thus the body is unable to reach deep levels of relaxation necessary to fall asleep or reach deep levels of sleep. With time the stress continues to grow and a domino affect begins to take place that can weaken all the bodies systems.
I know from personal experience how stress can completely alter and degrade your health. I once suffered from insomnia, anxiety and mild depression. They all started out very mild and as time passed they progressed and became stronger to the point where my health and body inversely became weaker and weaker. As a result, my life was very difficult and frustrating and my vitality continued to degrade as every month and year passed. Every system of my body became weak and fragile. I suffered from many weaknesses associated with every organ system. In addition, a few of the ones that stand out for me were the "chronic pains" fibromyalgia, I lived with throughout my body, the depleted immune system that caused me to get sick almost every week with a cold, Flu or serious allergy/sinus problems and the "exhaustion", chronic fatigue syndrome. To summarize I experienced and extreme case of how stress can negatively affect the quality of one's health and life.
Transcending Stress
How do we overcome our stress? Many people go on vacation, seek massage or counseling to manage their stress and associated problems. And many people experience temporary results from those types of therapy. But they are all short term relief because they do not improve the origin of the problem. From the point of view of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the best way to help someone overcome excessive stress and its side affects are too improve one's energy levels so they can handle a greater amount of stress, eliminate the stressors stuck in the body, and heal or balance the unhealthy organ systems.
In Brendan's Yi Ren® Qigong and Tai chi classes you will learn exercises that will improve your energy levels and thereby your capacity for stress. Nourish the nervous system to help you feel calmer and have a more peaceful mind. Process/eliminate the damaging stress related pollutants trapped in the mind and body. Begin to reprogram and rebalance unhealthy organ systems. The goal of this workshop is to give the participants first hand experience of how these exercises can give them long term assistance and tools for overcoming stress and enhance their health and quality of life.


text: The Cadies & Witchery Tours take a light-hearted look at Edinburgh's darker side including tales of witchcraft, plague and torture. Your ghostly guide will blend history with humour and facts with fables, while 'jumper-ooters' provide guaranteed ghastly appearances. Tours commence outside the Witchery Restaurant in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle (Castlehill, The Royal Mile). You can also meet our ghosts in person by visiting our shop at 84 West Bow.

subset: commoncrawl


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Never let it be said I'm not responsive to those few readers I have. I posted a video yesterday of the various clocks in our house. Turns out I missed one; the thermostat has a clock in it too, but we never use it.
Rebekah asked for more ou words. There's a bit of an in-joke there I explain in the vid. Turns out maybe those people looking at a camera and reading a script are earning their money after all. It's surprisingly hard to do.
This is pretty raw. No colour enhancements, no extra lighting beyond a desk lamp. The reflections from what's on the computer screen shows up on my glasses and there's no way I know around that that doesn't have me looking in some other direction entirely, which would look even more dorkish than this does. I've tried using the computer camera during the day, but the light from the window behind me lights up my hair and makes it look like a halo.
My only workout today is core. 3x100=300 crunches. 11 pushups. 50 squats. Plus a bunch of other stuff, including the dreaded plank. Which isn't as bad as it used to be. Even the crunches have improved, since I got through all of them without having to support my head. I guess my neck muscles have improved, even if nothing else has.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Those ou Words
5 comments:
Having an audio problem on my end, but I'm guessing "ou words" is a reply to people saying Canadians pronounce "about" as "aboot" or "aboat." I've struggled to get rid of my Minnesota accent, most noticeable in "roof" and "root," which have no real phonetic equivalents.ReplyDelete
I'm now wondering if Cananda-talk and SoCal-talk are the same because that sounded completely normal to me...ReplyDelete
Keith. That was epic... I think I caught all the ou words, although you can't really 'hear' the spelling.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 21, 2010 at 8:55 PM
nice! Rebekah said you made cookies too ... ready to copy my address? LOL!ReplyDelete
I'm a bit behind on reading the blog, but....ReplyDelete
I LOVE IT!!!!!!! Sounds fabulous! ;)
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Volkswagen Beetle Dune: More Fun Than It Should Be
Volkswagen has introduced a new trim level to the Beetle lineup. The Dune is a throwback to the Baja Bug of the 1960s and '70s, making it a fun drive for adventurous drivers. Let's look at what's included in the new Dune.
Outward Styling
From the get-go, you'll notice the Dune's good looks. As the VW Beetle's evil twin, the Dune is a rugged and masculine take on the modern Beetle. Start with the front grille that has a honeycomb-esque look, perfectly suited for the Sandstorm Yellow color option. New fasciae in the front and back along with fender flares add to the Baja-Bug look while updating it to look modern. A wider wheelset and aluminum skid plates along with the 18-inch wheels complete the off-road feel of the vehicle. Choose either a hardtop or a convertible depending on your needs and preference. Add on the Lighting Package for even more flair and get LED rear license plate lighting, HID headlights, and LED running lights.
Vehicle Performance
Though the Dune's look and feel are inspired by the Baja Bug, don't let it fool you into believing this is an off-road vehicle that will take you through the desert. The only option is front-wheel drive and automatic transmission, which disappoints those hoping for an all-wheel drive experience. Definitely made for paved roads, the Volkswagen Beetle Dune is a speedy bug with the 1.8L-turbocharged four-cylinder engine that has a 0-to-60 time of 7.4 seconds. Commuters will love the gas economy, with the engine getting 25/34 city/highway mpg.
Dune's Interior
The interior of the Dune is where the car really shines. The yellow model includes two-tone leatherette and cloth seats with yellow accents along with matching yellow highlights on the inside doors and dash completing the styling from exterior to interior, while the white and black models feature a black interior. The front seats are very roomy and comfortable, though note that the back seats are a little tight for the typical adult passenger. The hatchback provides 15.4 cubic feet of storage with 29.9 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded, comparing well with other cars in its class.
In the dash, drivers will enjoy the 6.3-inch touch display infotainment system with the Car-Net App-Connect standard, which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is a technology package you can add on as well that will give you push-button start and dual climate control, among other additions.
What's Fun About Driving the Beetle Dune?
Climbing into the cockpit, you're reminded that this isn't the typical run-of-the-mill car but a stylish retreat. Start that turbocharged engine and pull out onto the highway where you quickly speed up. As you drive, the suspension and responsiveness make for a comfortable ride that turns corners like a dream. Driving the yellow Dune down the street, you'll definitely turn heads.
If you're looking for something different, something that stands out from the crowd of coupes available on the market but at an affordable price, consider the Volkswagen Beetle Dune.
Source: Hiley VW Blog


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Definitions for "Winch"
A crank with a handle, for giving motion to a machine, a grindstone, etc.
An instrument with which to turn or strain something forcibly.
An axle or drum turned by a crank with a handle, or by power, for raising weights, as from the hold of a ship, from mines, etc.; a windlass.
Keywords: impatience, uneasiness, kick, beast, shrink
To wince; to shrink; to kick with impatience or uneasiness.
A kick, as of a beast, from impatience or uneasiness.
1). A thing you grind till it squeals. 2). A female practicer of the occult. A sorceress.
a great way to assist in falling a tree where you find the direction hard to control


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MLB Game Preview: Seattle Mariners vs. San Diego Padres - Date: 4/24/2019 Mariners hope King Felix still has Padres' number Even when he was indeed the "King," Felix Hernandez had mixed results against the San Diego Padres.In 13 career starts against the Padres, Hernandez had a 6-4 record with a 2.88 ERA.But most of his struggles with San Diego came in Seattle, where Hernandez had a 1-3 record with a 5.70 ERA.Hernandez, however, has been royalty when pitching at Petco Park. In the home of the Padres, Hernandez has a 5-1 record with a 1.63 ERA, a 0.775 WHIP and an opponents' batting average of .170.In 60 2/3 innings in eight starts at Petco Park, Hernandez has allowed 11 runs on 35 hits and 12 walks with 69 strikeouts."I like the mound here," Hernandez said years ago during what was then an annual Mariners visit to San Diego when the two teams were "natural rivals" in interleague play. "The mound is always the same and it stays the same throughout the game," Hernandez continued.Now 33, Hernandez returns to his throne at Petco on Wednesday afternoon as the Mariners conclude a two-game visit to San Diego trying to stop the Padres' longest winning streak in the series. Franmil Reyes hit two of the Padres' three home runs Tuesday night to score a fifth straight win over the Mariners.Hernandez (1-1, 4.91 ERA) will face Padres rookie Chris Paddack (0-1, 2.25 ERA) Wednesday in a pairing of right-handers.Although his stuff might no longer be that of a two-time American League ERA champion and a six-time All-Star, Hernandez is still tough when he keeps the ball down in the zone."Hernandez is one of the great pitchers of this century," Padres manager Andy Green said several seasons ago. And he wasn't joking.Even after last year's 8-14 season with a 5.55 ERA, Hernandez has a 169-129 career record with a 3.35 ERA in 407 career starts and one relief appearance. He is Seattle's all-time leader in wins, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts (2,480 with 96 coming in 90 2/3 innings against the Padres).At the opposite end of the spectrum is the 23-year-old Paddack, who will be making his fifth career start while facing the Mariners for the first time.In the first 20 innings of his major league career, Paddack has allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits and seven walks with 21 strikeouts -- for a .134 opponents' batting average and a 0.800 WHIP.The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Paddack will be seeking to give the Padres a third straight win to cap what had been a disappointing homestand. Handicappers Watchdog. The Padres opened the eight-game homestand with five straight losses -- stretching their overall losing streak to six straight games -- before rallying with two straight wins going into Wednesday."All we want from Paddack is more of the same," said Green. "We like everything he is doing from demeanor to pitch mix to command." For all his good numbers, Paddack is missing one thing -- his first big league win. But the Padres are 3-1 in his first four starts."If the team wins, I'm fine as long as I've contributed," said Paddack.--Field Level MediaCLICK HERE TO GET FREE PICKS / ODDS FOR THIS SEATTLE MARINERS VS. SAN DIEGO PADRES GAME
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Aftershock 2017 wrapped with a lineup that included: Five Finger Death Punch, Halestorm, Them Evils, News Year Day, Hollywood Undead, Butcher Babies, Ded, Starset, In This Moment, and many more. So what scoops do we, Mischievous Mel and Rockwell Anderson of ROCKwell UnScene, have coming for all of you music fans?
Let's start with this Hollywood Undead
and the Butcher Babies,
who both have albums dropping Oct. 27. They will be performing together in Vegas for the release of both albums. My advice for anyone going to this show is… get ready to be rocked to the core when you see Hollywood Undead take the stage with the bravado of a bull let loose in the Prado. But, it will not end there. The Butcher Babies will be up on that same stage melting your faces. If you want to know what the crowd at Aftershock was treated to, take a listen and get the scoop from both bands coming soon to Tattoo.com.
In This Moment is a band that likes to keep you on your toes and switch up the set show after show. Today their performance earf*cked the crowed with visuals to match. Aftershock was happy to have this band up in them.
Halestorm took the stage today with another new hairdo for Lzzy, but what wasn't new is that her and the band delivered another awesome performance. She and her band have come back onto the scene recently and are proving again that they are one hell of a force to be reckoned with in the music scene.
Speaking of Ladies of Music, huge horns up to the one and only New Year's Day. This band is a band that captivates from the first note dropped. If you are new to the band you stop to see the stunning Ash Costello. But after she starts the set she does more than raise the bar for women of music, she sets it. Judging from the crowd at Aftershock I am not the only one to think this.
It's been wayyyyyyy too long since we've seen Suicidal Tendencies and their performance on day 2 of Aftershock 2017 reminded us and everyone in attendance that they're not fading or going away.
We first met Them Evils at Aftershock 2016 and fell in love with them immediately. One year and many encounters later at festivals around the U.S., we finally got together again on camera. One of the Evils bares all (technically not all, but let's just there was a moon sighting around 4pm at Aftershock) for official interview 2 with ROCKwell UnScene & Tattoo.com – coming soon.
Highly Suspect put on a smokin' hot performance at Aftershock 2017
August Burns Red put on a performance of a lifetime.
Run the Jewels ran away from Aftershock 2017 with a lot of new fans.
Yes… through all the darkness and fog, that's Maynard performing with A Perfect Circle
Nine Inch Nails – the band Mischievous Mel sold her soul for – 2x – for tickets in the 1990's, headlined Aftershock 2017.
Aftershock is a festival that also includes a Music Experience tour that lets fans see the behind the scene of what happens in the music media area. The tour includes all ages. I got to meet an itty-bitty who at 3 was on her second Aftershock. She was a fan of the music and came from a music family that included 2 older sisters in bands.
As you can see, festivals are more than just the music, so be sure to get your tickets for next year's Aftershock (featuring headliners System of a Down), and until then, enjoy seeing it through our eyes.


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Oster 78004-011 Powermax 2-Speed Clippers
Heavy duty professional corded animal clipper. Powerful perminent magnetic rotary motor. 2-speed. 3,700 strokes per minute on low speed and 4,200 strokes per minute on high speed. Compatible with all Oster CryogenX detachable blades. Whisper quiet motor, rubberized cool running grip and contoured shape for added comfort. Includes: clipper with standard Oster #10 blade, blade


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Four 96-page print issues of Planet, published in February, May, August and November.
Access to Planet Digital. Planet Digital is the digital edition of Planet exclusively available to subscribers via password. It includes access to the same material as in the current issue of Planet + back issues dating from 2015 onwards + extra multimedia material.
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Cooling Water Treatment
we offer wide-band biocides for the control of bacteria, fungi and algae in industrial cooling water systems.
The products are used alone, or in combination for protecting open and closed cooling water circulations or air washers from corrosion and deposits.
Divinol system cleaners/dispersants are products used for conditioning such systems for product or water changes, and are used to remove dirt, oil, dead biomass and lime scale from closed and open systems.


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The Geo Group
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Job Description
Job Description
Facility: BIG SPRING CEDAR HILL
Compensation Base: $23.00 per hour + $4.22/hr H&W
Compensation Bonus (if applicable): $1000 sign on bonus
Equal Opportunity Employer.
A world of opportunities awaits you!
Officers seeking a career opportunity, isn't it time to find the kind of opportunity that truly challenges you to use the skills you've worked so hard to build? We can help!
We are a leader in our industry. We ensure our employees a stable career, competitive benefits, and a diversified range of employment. With us, there's no telling how far you'll go. Now's the time to start your journey!
Job Responsibilities
With your background or interest in security operations/corrections as our Officer, you will be overseeing and monitoring the activities of the inmates or detainees in living areas, recreation activities areas, dining areas and visitation areas. You will be coordinating and monitoring inmate or detainee movements, conducting counts and providing emergency response as needed. In addition, you may be assigned to various posts including, but not limited to, the control room, front and sally port entrance, health services, special housing, perimeter safety, transportation, work details, reception, intake and visits officer, etc., as required by management.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Providing safety in program activities and supervising labor crews in various areas around facility.
- Conducting shakedown for contraband materials, either individually or as part of a specialized team; confiscating contraband in accordance to facility and contracting agency policies and procedures.
- Initiating disciplinary reports on inmates or detainees.
- Preparing reports and maintaining daily logs as required.
- Ensuring prompt and appropriate assistance to inmates or detainees in the event of injury, illness or trauma.
- Promoting facility cleanliness and reporting need for maintenance or repairs.
- Serving as member of special teams to respond to emergencies as required.
- Completing training courses as required by facility training standards.
- Performing correctional duties for any shift as defined by management.
- Performing other duties as assigned.
Job Requirements
Job Requirements
- High school diploma or equivalent certification.
- College coursework and advanced training in behavioral sciences, correctional services or related field, preferred.
- Possession of applicable state requisites for employment.
- Ability to work overtime as required.
- Ability to handle physical and mental stress associated with working extended hours.
- Must be able to regularly report to work without being late.
- Ability to be physically alert on any shift that is assigned.
- Ability to work up to sixteen (16) hours within a rolling 24 hour period.
- May be required to possess valid state driver's license.
- Training in cultural diversity or sensitivity, preferred.
You will be part of a stable, established and yet still growing organization with a great deal of diversification, which will present you with a range of different challenges. Since we do prefer to promote from within, you will have opportunities to move to other facilities, as well as to different divisions within the company. We value your hard work and professional dedication and will reward you with a competitive compensation package that includes full benefits.
- Medical, Dental and Vision coverage
- Term life insurance (includes spouse and dependents)
- Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
- Short- and long-term disability
- Flexible spending account
- 401(k)
- Stock purchase program
- Tuition reimbursement
- Legal program – Legal Club of America
- Paid time off
- Direct deposit
- Theme park and attraction discounts


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A majority of residents in the suburbs along C-470 oppose adding toll lanes to the congested highway, a poll by Douglas County, Colo., found.
Douglas County wants the state to conduct a full-blown environmental study of the plan, arguing that tolling cannot be justified by the level of study the state has done, the Rocky Mountain News reported.
The county's poll, conducted by the National Research Center in Boulder, Colo., found 64% of residents in Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties oppose toll lanes. It interviewed 400 residents and the survey has a margin of error of 5 percentage points, according to the newspaper.
The results contrast a poll that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) conducted two years ago that found that 67% of C-470 drivers supported express toll lanes. CDOT interviewed nearly 2,000 commuters and residents back then.
According to Tom Norton, CDOT executive director, some of the questions in the county poll were intended to obtain a negative response.
"I find it interesting that the polling we did is exactly the opposite," Norton said. "It seemed to me there was an awful lot of leading questions in their poll."
Two questions in particular asked people whether they would support or oppose toll lanes if they knew they would increase congestion or decrease safety, Rocky Mountain News reported.
In those cases, opposition went up to 73% and 72%, respectively.
Douglas County's position is that putting four toll lanes--two in each direction--in the center of C-470 would make congestion permanent in the remaining four free lanes, the newspaper reported. That is because without congestion, drivers will not be enticed onto the toll lanes.
The environmental assessment done by CDOT is currently in draft, and the state expects to receive a decision from the Federal Highway Administration about whether the lanes can be built this year.


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Let's make digital mental health more accessible for everyone, together. No matter what stage of exploration you're in, we're here to talk about your goals and aspirations, or simply answer any questions you may have.
Our Return-to-Health program offers immediate care for employees on leave, so you can:
Shorten the duration of leaves and workforce disruptions for better coverage
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Provide employees with immediate, evidence-based therapy when they need it most
Give employees the skills they need to integrate back into the workforce with confidence and resilience
How it Works
Mental Health Disability
Our Return-to-Health program for mental health helps employees build the skills they need to successfully integrate back into the workforce with confidence and resilience. This leads to lower disability costs, higher job engagement, and better organizational outcomes.
Physical Disability
Our Return-to-Health program for physical injury helps employees better understand their own mental health and how to use scientifically-proven strategies to build up their resilience to stress, anxiety, and depression. The goal is to ensure a mental health issue does not arise as a secondary illness.
Key Features
- 01
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What People Leaders Say About Starling Minds
Starling Minds is the only digital mental health solution that fits exactly into our approach for addressing workforce mental health. Our workplace health and safety strategy touches employee experience, early intervention and prevention, and absence and disability management. Starling's spectrum of programs couldn't be a better fit for our people leaders and the employees they serve.
Executive Director of Workplace Health & SafetyRead Case Study
Why Disability and Absence Managers Love Starling
A simple referral process completed in 2-steps that gives employees immediate access to mental health support
Regular, timely and standardized progress reports to see where the employee is at in order to provide better support and guidance
A way to coach employees who are either at work or off-work and struggling with a common language supported by CBT best practices
Key Metrics
Starling Return-to-Health gives you the data you need to measure efficacy and disability managers the information they need to better support employees.
Aggregate Symptom Scores
Aggregate symptom score improvement or decline for anxiety, sadness, and worry
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Seasonality in aggregate mental health symptom scores so you can respond proactively to dips
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Adoption and engagement metrics so you have visibility on how many employees are using the platform
Scores by Unit, Department, Profession Type
Symptom and engagement scores by unit, department or profession type
See What Organizations & Employees Are Saying
I'm so grateful this program is offered online as I cannot drive. Being able to access CBT support in the comfort of my own home has been lifechanging for me. I like the assessment from session 4 and want to continue using it to monitor my mental health. I like the strategies/tools. I really appreciate this little community and I truly feel less alone in my journey.
Insurance Member
Starling has an easy referral process, allowing employees to have immediate access to support in the comfort and privacy of their home. Our employees' reactions have been positive and I think it's a great program for our organization to provide to them when they need it most. It's an incredible feeling when employees say they are getting better and don't feel as alone.
Disability and Absence Manager
- 01
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Is the personal element lost with a 100% digital solution?
On the contrary. Starling Minds' treatment modules are 100% prescribed to the needs of individual members.
What's more, members tend to give pure and honest answers about their struggles when they're answering questions in a 100% secure and private setting. This means the prescribed treatment matches their real issues, and the likelihood of successful outcomes are higher.
Self-guided treatment is a great example of how employees can get proactive and access therapy tailored to their specific symptoms and professional stressors.
Be the Change Agent Your Employees Need
Let's talk.


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Castlebar Book Club
The Book Club meets once a month (usually the second Tuesday of the month) in Castlebar Library at 8.00pm. Check events page for next meeting or check out the club's Previous Book Club selections
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
In recent times Ireland has been enjoying a feast of exceptional first novels. Outstanding debuts from Mary Costello, Eimear McBride, Sara Baume and others have found favour with readers and critics alike and garnered many a literary award. The standard is high, perhaps higher than ever. Now comes Galway-based Lisa McInerney with The Glorious Heresies.
McInerney writes an award-winning blog called "Arse End of Ireland", a phrase that might have served as epigraph for this novel. Set in post-bailout Cork, the book presents the story of how a bizarre murder unleashes consequences for a handful of people whose relationship with authority is complex, to put it mildly. The characters are colourful and the colours are murky. We meet Ryan, a teenage drug-pusher, his drunken dad Tony ("his father was many things, but none of them responsible"), prostitute Georgie, and Maureen, the accidental murderer who despatches her victim by bashing him on the head with a religious relic.
"He was definitely dead, whoever he was. He wore a once-black jumper and a pair of shiny tracksuit bottoms. The back of his head was cracked and his hair matted, but it had been foxy before that. A tall man, a skinny rake, another string of piss, now departed. She hadn't gotten a look at him before she flaked him with the holy stone and she couldn't bring herself to turn him over."
You're probably getting the picture.
Maureen has recently returned to Cork after four decades away, only to learn that her son, Jimmy, is now a criminal godfather, the cruellest gangster in town. If the lovely Lee had banks, he'd rob them. In trying to come to terms with the murder, or at least to make sense of it, she threatens to destabilise the empire he's constructed.
To summarise the book is to make it seem bleak – as indeed it sometimes is – but it's more often sardonically funny. McInerney has a juicy way with a phrase. A girl "would get dolled up for the opening of an eye." "Do you know a fella by the name of Robbie O'Donovan? A right hand-me-down-the-moon." "Tony Cusack's terrace was only one of dozens flung out in a lattice of reluctant socialism." "I had a head of hair on me like a mushroom cloud." A Cork-based brothel is "the Munster Moulin Rouge".
But there are other textures, too. The book is, in part, an atonement story, and it becomes morally complex and gripping in a more sophisticated way during those sequences. Popular stories all the way from the western to The Godfather and Love/Hate have found modes of exploring themes of salvation, sin and shame, and The Glorious Heresies does something similar, slowly revealing itself to be a layered, nuanced and somewhat elusive novel dressed as a Carl Hiaasen romp.
It's a hard book to pigeonhole because it does so many things, nearly all of them very well. There is, for example, a beautifully conveyed account of a teenage love affair, written with honesty, warmth and immense heart. It's rare that the intensity and sexuality of teenage life are written about at all in fiction, and rarer for it to be done with such empathy.
It works because McInerney writes with truthfulness. She incarnates her characters on the page rather than describing them from a distance. Nor does she judge them. These sequences of the book are funny and sometimes very moving. Two young people begin to discover in sex that the other is real.
McInerney, an artful and ambitious writer, constructs a capacious narrative of Dickensian scope. This is a great strength of the book and at the same time it's a minor weakness. There are a couple of moments when plausibility is a bit compromised by the needs of the architecture, and sometimes the plot-gears grind. At the same time, her courage is hugely admirable and enjoyable.
This is a big, brassy, sexy beast of a book, set in a place very far from the conveniently out-of-focus watercolour Ireland that readers and writers of my own age grew up with, a land rich in sheep and epiphanies. McInerney is a truth-speaker and a powerful storyteller who writes with exactly the sort of furious energy this novel needs. Without her intoxicating love of language the book might be exhausting – at 370 pages it's substantial – but she has the linguistic wizardry (and the naughtiness) to keep you hooked.
"The whims of the Corporation were rickety as a city of sticks and the only trait required in its tenants was a wallet full of moths." "The door was opened by an ould wan, about his mother's age, dressed like a chilblained scarecrow with a face that would have reversed the course of the Grand National . . . He didn't want to acknowledge the presence of this ghoul in a cardie."
This would be a useful novel to look through before the office Christmas party, because when your drunken colleague bothers you, you'll have an arsenal of ripostes. But this strong, confident debut is also something very much more: an accomplished, seriously enjoyable and high-octane morality tale, full of empathy, feeling and soul.
The Irish Times
A rich, touching, hilarious novel
Financial Times
A spectacular debut . . . a head-spinning, stomach-churning state-of-the-nation novel about a nation falling apart
A superb debut from a confident and comic writer
Mail on Sunday
Fiendishly hilarious
The Times
All the trappings of a possible future classic . . . a fascinating and accomplished commentary on modern Irish life
Big Issue
A daring, exuberant and generous novel
There is the humour and the sheer, seething, broiling energy of the prose, which is peppered with the kind of language your mother would call unforgivable. As in Roddy Doyle and Irvine Welsh at their best, it doesn't feel gratuitous. It just feels true
Sunday Times
This year's Baileys prize winner, the interlinked stories of chancers, gangsters and no-hopers in Cork city, is crime caper, teen romance and blisteringly dark social satire all rolled into one. Angry, funny and full of heart
Guardian summer reads
Reader Resources:
Dedicated to book clubs, ReadersPlace.co.uk (Random House) is a website where reading groups can find inspiration, have their say on books, and connect with other book clubs and authors.
- CompletelyNovel.com links readers as well as new writers, offering a one-stop author-reader experience.
- Reader's Review site with active discussion board
- Book Group Links:A selection of sites compiled by the Salt Lake City Library.
- Great Books Foundation: The grandfather of them all
- Reading Group Choices Online: Over 550 guides from publishers. 150 can be printed from the site
- Reading Group Guides:A very useful selection of reading group guides from Random House Publishers
- Writer's Resourcesite for writers of all abilities
- Reader's Area of this site