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Make Incense + Inspire Wisdom + Invite Blessings
Let's have some fun and get our hands dirty outside and in the kitchen. With viral concerns lurking everywhere and most of us spending more of our lives at home, it's a great time to make some incense that will improve the quality of our living space and purify our home environments.
Pine resin will provide the base for three different incense mixtures I created. Following are recipes and explanations for all three.
Pine Resin: Trementina is a traditional remedio in New Mexico made with pine resin. It is useful for healing skin irritations and for removing splinters. The aromatics of pine are uplifting to the spirit and invoke the power and presence of trees, savannah, and forest. Pine is healing to the respiratory system, too. Trees are often called the lungs of the forest and of the world. Trees create the very oxygen we need to breathe.
It is easy to find drops of pine resin, either gooey globs of honey colored resin or dried to semi dried pieces on the ground below the trees. Dirt, twigs, and needles may be imbedded and you can remove them as needed. This is seriously sticky business. Wear gloves or wash off resin with cooking oil to remove the resin from bare hands. Working with bare hands is immersive and fun, if you are up for it!
Wildcrafting Note: I never take resin off of a tree itself because it is produced by the tree to protect and heal it from wounds and invasion. Pine resin is anti-microbial and its sticky nature acts as a barrier and adhesive. Enough resin drops to the ground or can be easily found that way. Any species of pine sap, (pitch/resin) can be used from where you live to make incense. Be sure to properly identify your tree.
Water: With recent rains the dry springs fill with rainwater in the Organ Mountains just a few miles from where I live. So, these are recent blessings for the land and all the creatures here as I write this. In talking about incense and the aromatic smoke it brings, I do not want to forget its sister element water and the life force it evokes. I was fortunate to be able to taste the living, flowing waters of a trusted spring above. The aliveness I felt in my mouth and entire being resonated for over an hour. Water we all commonly know, need, and require. This was transformational for me and changed my relationship with water forever. In this same way, water is a universal remedy in life as so much of the world burns. The Gila National Forest and other areas of the Southwest are currently in the midst of burning.
Smoke: Incense offers us a way to create relationship with smoke that is sacred. Safe. In this case, you are creating your own is custom made blend. Unique and Empowering. Personal. Fun. Useful. Healing. Purifying. For ritual or just pleasure. It is a tradition that spans the globe. All ancestors used aromatics for healing, pleasure, necessity, ritual and to invoke prayers, blessings and gratitude.
Aromatic smoke is part of us, part of the human story. That is not to say we should necessarily grab other people's traditions using aromatic smoke and incense. But we can create our own stories. Unravel our past. Lean into our own experiences. And enjoy making our own incense from plants and materials we gather ourselves. We can also have fun creating kitchen incense from herbs we have in our own cupboards and spice shelves.
Dough Preparation: Here is a simple incense I made using three ingredients shown here: coriander seed from this year's garden, usnea collected from the Sandia Mountains, and piñon pine resin from some years ago. I crushed it all together and made a thick coin-shaped piece of incense. I used an old incense tin I had to store it in. You could dry it further in a low heat oven or the sun. But the slightly gooey texture incorporated the dry ingredients nicely. Use semi dried resin. Test it to see if it stretches like taffy.
You may want to grind your materials separately. I just ground it all together making sure the coriander was at least ground in half so as not to pop when lit as incense. It makes a rather impressive flame and smoke. I lit it outside as a way to say goodbye to the land and creatures where I have been living and will soon be leaving. Moving on. Renter's journey….
One of my first batches of incense before this was an inspiration to use the many little remainders of herbs I had in my herb bag. I used pine resin as my base and literally added dozens of ingredients just to invoke a special connection to all the herbs in the incense. I did this to make a special blend and also just to see what would happen when I dove in and gave incense making a try!
I added many herbs including: calamus root for focus, envisioning. Wood betony for grounding and soothing. Orange peel for its aromatics, soloman's seal root for repair and flexibility, cat's claw (the herb), and dried acorn shell from the mountain spring, …too much to remember… though I did write down a list. All these herbs were ground into a powder or fibrous powder. The other many herbs I made into a tea, strained it, and used that tea along with marshmallow root powder to bind the mixture.
So here is where the water comes in: the tea is used to bind the incense. The perfect alchemy of combining the influence of water, the essence of herbs, into the transformation of smoke from fire.
The basic mix is roughly:
- 1/4 pine resin powder
- ½ (or more) powdered herbs
- less than 1/4 amount of marshmallow root powder to bind… or so…. not exact.
- add water or your tea… only drops at a time
You are aiming to make a dough that just barely binds and holds together. Add a touch more water if needed, a few drops at a time if necessary. Add just enough wetness to keep it all together though not too wet. Just enough to use a fork or spoon and keep pressing it together, incorporating the dry into moistened dough to bring it into form. Your mix will start out looking like this:
Add drops of tea (if desired) or just water until you reach the consistency of this dough ball:
Final Steps: Once your dough is prepared, pinch off a piece. I tapered mine at the end to make it easier to ignite when you light it. You must dry the incense pieces before using them. I live in New Mexico and they dried completely in less than a week. If made with too much water, they may end up too damp to light. If that is the case, add more powdered herbs when making your incense dough ball.
Using Your Incense: The incense was made with a flat base and pointed tip so they stand by themselves. You can place them on an ignited charcoal surface or on a heat proof surface such as a flat stone. They do not need an incense charcoal. All of mine have also been lit by a match or lighter on their own. The fragrance is so unique and lovely and empowering.
I have been having these experiences lately using different flours and now incense doughs that bring me into a more ancient feeling. A comfortable feeling. It is very satisfying for me to be working with plant doughs this way. Never mind that it is just fun! And children naturally have a sense of wonder and play making dough! Aromatics is part of all cultures. There are gaps in some cultures, but the threads are still there.
It was fun to use the pine resin I had gathered and to respect it by doing something constructive and enjoyable with it. And fun is constructive to the spirit! I felt like I was rolling and forming little dough beings. All lined in circles on my antique floral, gold embossed plate from the Salvation Army thrift store.
Herbal practice is a reflection of the landscape: remnants of ancient lava flows at City of Rocks State Park look like massive hand- crafted incense cones.
Kitchen Spice Incense:
For this one, I used common spices such as clove, nutmeg, coriander, mace, and cinnamon. I added myrrh and piñon resin. I used marshmallow as a binder with tap water as the liquid to mix it all into an incense dough. It smelled wonderful and with each of these second two batches, I tasted a tiny dough ball because they are both technically edible although I do not recommend eating incense. This is the beauty of making your own incense or anything else for that matter! You know what is in it! And you can make it safe enough to eat, or taste in this case.
- 1/4 resin powder (myrrh and pine resin) or just pine resin
- ½ (or more) herbal powders (any amount each that you want.) I used soloman's seal root powder because it is a root and creates flexibility (of spirit) too. I also used clove, nutmeg, mace, coriander, cinnamon. I included a lot of aromatic herbs in this mix besides the aromatic resins.
- 1/4 or less amount of marshmallow root powder to bind the mixture
- Add your choice of tap water, distilled water, spring water or herbal tea.
Ingredient Notes: It seems I put cinnamon into everything. I always have some on hand. And it smells so good too! All these herbs have traditional and magical/healing uses but we can also just use what we like and have an affinity for. Also consider herbal properties such as relaxation, focus, etc.
Read more about aromatic plants of the Southwest here.
You want the marshmallow as a binder because it acts gummy when mixed with water. Plus marshmallow is soothing, healing, softening, cooling: good energetics! Other binders could be used such as gum Arabic, arrowroot powder, Siberian elm bark powder, or others. But it was marshmallow root powder that I had on hand and I enjoy working with marshmallow root, anyhow.
Preparation Notes: Again, use just enough liquid and keep pressing the powder together to make a paste. More on the dry than wet side. Just wet enough to hold together.
You can also knead the dough, at this point, to incorporate any of the loose powder into the dough ball. This is such a rewarding sensory experience. Play with dough, get your hands in it. Enjoy the sensation of aromatics as you make it and then later as you burn your own unique aromatic incense that you made yourself.
Incense has its roots in the word "incensare": to rouse, inflame, inspire. What rouses you, ignites your passion, brings forth the aromatic heart of your pursuits?
Thank you for reading and I hope you feel inspired to make your own specialty incense!


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Marie Rodet is a senior lecturer in the history of Africa at SOAS. Her research interests lie in the field of modern migration history, gender studies and the history of slavery in francophone West Africa. She is the author of Les migrantes ignorées du Haut-Sénégal, 1900–1946 and coeditor of Children on the Move in Africa: Past and Present Experiences of Migration.
Listed in: African Studies · Religion | Christianity · Islam · Social Science | Sociology of Religion · Media Studies · Africa · African History
Religion, Media, and Marginality in Modern Africa
Edited by Felicitas Becker, Joel Cabrita, and Marie Rodet
In recent years, anthropologists, historians, and others have been drawn to study the profuse and creative usages of digital media by religious movements. At the same time, scholars of Christian Africa have long been concerned with the history of textual culture, the politics of Bible translation, and the status of the vernacular in Christianity.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sure, racing is a competitive activity, but it's still debated amongst many whether race car driving should be considered a sport, and if professional drivers are athletes. Autobahn Indoor Speedway & Events in Memphis wanted to get to the bottom of it, so they tried out an easy experiment, surveying customers of their track between April and October of 2018.Adrenaline Fuels Competition
When employees at the track asked customers this question before they raced, about half (52%) answered that, yes, race car drivers are athletes. That number rose to 98% after people had raced on the go kart track! The adrenaline of driving and competing against others gave respondents more insight and appreciation into what it takes to be a professional racer, from focus, to coordination, to quick reflexes.
Competition Fuels More Purchases
Use this experiment to your advantage. Do you have a timing solution for your karts or provide a driver ranking system for your customers? The adrenaline people feel after a race can be channeled into buying more races or coming back to the track more in the future to beat other racers and even their own personal times. Additionally, the more time they spend at your track or park, the more money they are likely to spend on activities or food and drink.
Beyond Racing
It's not just go karting tracks that can benefit from competition and adrenaline; you can apply the same concept across other activities at your facility. Trampoline parks and general FECs have started incorporating more competitive activities like axe throwing, laser tag, and more, and gamifying activities that were once less competitive, like trampoline jumping, to give guests an incentive to return again and again.
What do you think: are drivers athletes? How do your customers feel after racing; does that adrenaline rush make them want to go and race again? Competition can be of enormous benefit to your business-if you do it right.


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Cameron says, "Hello, My name is Cameron, I NEED HELP! I want to put music on my iPod from Windows Media Player 10, but it won't let me put music on it to sync!"
This is by design. Apple wants you to use their end-to-end experience of iPod-iTunes-iTunes Music Store. The easiest way to connect your music collection with your iPod is through iTunes. Windows Media Player does not natively support syncing with any of the iPod line of players and likely never will. At best, you can bypass iTunes as an interface for your iPod, but there's nothing that's going to let you directly interface with your iPod by attempting to sync the library of music you use in conjunction with Windows Media Player. Here are a couple good options for syncing your iPod without needing iTunes.
Media Monkey
The standard version of MediaMonkey is one way to sync files to an iPod without using iTunes. The software is hands down the best music file manager for Windows. With recent improvements, it's also one of the best ways to sync your iPod without using iTunes. You can manage all of the tracks you download from iTunes in MediaMonkey. You can import your Windows Media Player library and playlists. You can configure automatic sync of music between your iPod and your music library. The only thing MediaMonkey can't do is make files you purchased as non-iTunes DRM files playable on your iPod. I highly recommend MediaMonkey. It's the solution I use to keep my phone in sync with my own music library.
Xilisoft iPhone Magic
Another great alternative to iTunes is Xilisoft iPhone Magic. While the name implies working with iPhones, it also works with iPod devices too. This app handles all the music, video, and photo management for your iPod, while expanding beyond the basic features offered by iTunes. You can convert many audio and video formats so they playback on your iPod automatically. DVD ripping is supported, direct to the video library for your iPod. You can play files on your iPod on your PC speakers when the iPod is connected to your computer. iPhone Magic lets you build photo albums for your iPod (assuming you have an iPod that supports photos). And iPhone Magic lets you backup your iPod music, photos, and video to any computer, even if you aren't nearby the computer you normally sync your iPod with.
Of course, iPhone Magic also includes many of the standard media player features like editing album information, building playlists, and browsing your songs by artist, genre, album, etc.
More Great iPod Tips
How to Copy Songs from your iPod to Windows
Improve iPod battery life
Using your iPod as a portable hard drive


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Last night, we went to the American Lantern Festival at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield and it blew our jaded little minds. We've seen a lot of Christmas lights in our day, you know, and after awhile it all gets a bit samey-same. What we failed to realize (despite the name giving it away),is that these aren't Christmas lights, but lanterns. And lanterns are awesome.
The larger-than-life lanterns are made of silk, porcelain, and steel enhanced by thousands of LED lights and, even unlit, are stunning works of art. Truly, they are dazzling and I loved them all.
If you live within driving distance of Lyman Orchard I highly recommend checking it out! At $26.63 per person 13 and up, it may seem a little pricey, but the experience is completely unique for Connecticut and you can spend as much time as you like exploring the half mile of lanterns. If you have littles, there's definitely enough going on with the lantern display that they shouldn't be bored.


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Saturday, February 2, 2013
Transplanting Trilliums
Trillium luteum seems to be the earliest species to push out of the ground. Because of this happening right when they wake up, I'm only moving two of them as a test. I'm expecting them to abort the flower as they don't do well to disturbance like this.
Of the two that I moved, I only disturbed the soil from one of them, while the other I kept mostly undisturbed in a big clump of earth. Hopefully I'll get lucky, and they won't abort the flowers.
Posted by MrILoveTheAnts at 4:11 AM


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The 10th NECPhon will take place at UMass Amherst on Saturday 9/24. The talks, breaks, and lunch will all take place in/around N400 in the Department of Linguistics, which is in the Integrative Learning Center (650 N. Pleasant St). It is the building directly north of the pond on the map here.
Parking is free on weekends at most university parking lots (all those not circled on the map as 24hr enforced). I would suggest lots 62, 63, or 64 for proximity to the department.
Please see below for the schedule.
11-11:30 Arrive & Welcome
11:30-12 Erin Olson (MIT) "Intermediate Markedness and its consequences for the GLA"
12-12:30 Spencer Caplan and Jordan Kodner (University of Pennsylvania) "A computational model of vowel harmony acquisition"
12:30-1 Kristina Strother-Garcia (University of Delaware) "Local inviolable constraints: A new approach to syllable well-formedness in Berber"
1-2 Lunch (provided)
2-2:30 Aleksei Nazarov (Harvard University) and Gaja Jarosz (UMass Amherst) "Learning parametric stress without domain-specific mechanisms"
2:30-3 Uriel Cohen Priva, Emily Gleason, and Rachel Gutman (Brown) "Toward an information-theoretic assessment of phonological and phonetic cost"
3-3:30 Ariel Cohen-Goldberg (Tufts University) "Integrating grammatical and processing accounts of lexical frequency"
3:30-4 Break
4-4:30 Chris Neufeld (University of Maryland) "Towards a biological theory of phonetic category perception"
4:30-5 Alena Aksenova, Thomas Graf and Sophie Moradi (Stonybrook University) "Tier-Based Strict Locality in Phonology and Morphology"
5-5:30 Kristine Yu (UMass Amherst) "Advantages of constituency: computational perspectives on Samoan word prosody"
5:30 Business Meeting
6pm Informal Dinner


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With the announcement that the CW is expanding its superhero show roster with an Atom/Firestorm/Black Canary team-up show, it looks like we might finally be getting something Smallville tried (and ultimately failed) to do: Create the Justice League on television. But this time, it might actually work.
Aside from their connections having been born out of The Flash and Arrow, if you delve into the comic-book histories of these three characters, their only real connections lie as members of the Justice League over the years — not on the same level as Batman and Superman, sure, but in this instance they don't really have to be. Unlike Smallville, which rushed in to adding Bart Allen, Arthur Curry, Oliver Queen and Victor Stone as quickly as they could, this new opportunity, focusing on what at first might seem like secondary character,s means that DC and the CW are free to try something a little different. This time, it doesn't feel forced, and that means it stands a good chance of sticking and creating a new paradigm in superhero TV.
Having Your Cake and Eating It
One of the key reasons this new League might work is that it doesn't have to be beholden to whatever happens in Batman V. Superman. Although we might look to Marvel and lament that DC doesn't try to tie their excellent shows to their movie's shared universe, in this case it's actually a benefit to the company.
The movies are untested ground — we don't know if Batman V. Superman and its successors will hit it off yet, so hooking the already successful TV shows to that bandwagon could have been risky. However, by keeping the two branches of adaptations separate, yet allowing them to crossover among themselves. means DC essentially gets to have its cake and eat it, too. They get the benefit of a shared universe on both film and TV, unified projects that have granted the folks at Marvel huge success so far, but they also don't get the problems that shared storytelling can bring — a problem Marvel has already faced, when Agents of SHIELD was stuck grinding its heels and taking flak from fans until it could pull its "Aha!" moment with the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. With two separate shared universes for different formats, DC is free to do what they want without one being beholden to the other.
Of course, there's always the chance you could cross them over as different realities in the Multiverse as well, but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
There's Actually a Plan This Time
If we're honest though, this TV Justice League doesn't really need a connection to the heavy-hitting Justice League members we're getting on the big screen. Its equivalents are already the big stars of shows we currently have: You've got Ollie as your Batman stand-in, the darker hero grounded in realism, while Barry represents the more outlandish and the superpowered antics of the likes of Superman. With their own series to themselves, they've had time to get established, to become the main figureheads of this new universe.
And that, unlike Smallville's approach, is another string to this new series' bow (Green Arrow pun unintended, but I'll take it): We've had time to get to know these characters and see them on their own before they're brought together. Smallville rushed to introduce, establish, and then muster its Justice League within a single season of TV, and then essentially promptly forgot about it. Here, we've actually had time to get to know Black Canary, Atom and Firestorm over the course of their appearances in Arrow and Flash before we see them come together. In a way, it's an approach even more careful than the one DC's movie universe is taking (one of the many criticisms thrown at Batman V Superman being that it seems too sudden to go from Man of Steel to establishing the League over the course of a single movie). We don't need to spend time introducing these characters and what they're about, because they'll be entering the show as fully formed characters already.
And the fact that they're established already means the three new heroes mentioned in the initial reports as joining the team — whoever they are — will hopefully get the time they need to be established as they can be anchored by the presence of these already well known heroes.
No One's Trying to Do This on Television
DC's gotten a lot of flack for essentially being a bit copycat when it comes to their live-action stuff. The decision to forgo Man of Steel 2 for a team-up movie led to many accusations that they were merely chasing the money made by The Avengers, but while in this instance the idea is inherently the same, no one else, and certainly not Marvel at the moment, are trying to do something like this superhero team-up on television. For once, DC is breaking a little bit of new ground — even if it is admittedly something they tried and failed to do with Smallville.
"But what about Agent Carter flashbacks in SHIELD?!" you cry. Yes, Marvel's TV shows are connected to each other through the wider umbrella of the MCU, but in terms of actually crossing over, that's not happening any time soon. SHIELD is largely on its own outside of connecting up with the movies and slowly establishing the Inhumans. Agent Carter was an isolated story. Even today, we've had word from Jeph Loeb not to expect Daredevil, A.K.A. Jessica Jones or Defenders to be crossing over among themselves or the rest of the MCU for a while. This new DC show would be an amalgam of all these crossovers and connections between Arrow and The Flash with the addition of more DC Comics characters thrown into the mix — and unlike anything else we're currently seeing from superhero TV: A fully established team of superheroes, kicking ass and taking names on the small screen. That's an incredibly interesting idea, and it's exciting that we could be starting to see a small taste of what we're getting at the movies in a weekly show.
The "Flash vs. Arrow" and "Brave and the Bold" episodes sparked the beginning of something rather special for DC's television ventures with the CW. And although it's highly unlikely they this new show will inherit the Justice League title while the movies are around, let's hope that whatever this new team-up show ends up being, it can be worthy of being the League in all but name.


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In this podcast, healthcare attorney Todd Rodriguez, defines the Civil False Claims Act, identifies common missteps, and provides key compliance tips.
It's more important now than ever to pay attention to the healthcare fraud statutes and ensure that you are complying.
The Affordable Care Act provides an additional $350 million to the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program to ramp up antifraud efforts, which include increasing scrutiny of claims before payment, investing in sophisticated data analytics, and employing additional law enforcement agents to identify fraud and abuse.
New rules written into the reform law also impose stricter federal sentencing for fraud offenses and inflict stronger civil and monetary penalties for violations.
In this podcast, Todd Rodriguez, a healthcare attorney with Fox Rothschild LLP based in Exton, Pa., defines the Civil False Claims Act, identifies some of the common missteps you could be making in relation to it, and provides some key compliancy tips.
This podcast is part of a series of podcasts addressing three of the most noteworthy statutes related to fraud and abuse compliance.Click here for a podcast on the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.Click here for a podcast on the Physician Self-Referral Law
DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this podcast constitutes legal advice. No attorney-client relationship has been or will be formed by virtue of this podcast. For legal advice, contact an attorney an attorney actively practicing in your jurisdiction.


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Dave Caldwell was very open about several hot button topics surrounding the Jaguars franchise right now including his expectations for 2017. He openly said that he wants double digit wins in 2017, which essentially translates to a playoff birth. Now, we all know it's everyone in the NFLs goal to make the playoffs, but for the Jaguars General Manager to come out with such high expectations at this point in the offseason should be a positive sign for Jaguars fans.
Caldwell talked about much more than his expectations in terms of wins.
He was asked about new EVP of Football Ops Tom Couhglin's comments about mental toughness and had this to say on the matter:
"To finish out those 10 games where you're down by seven points, make critical plays in the last two minutes . . . Make a critical play to put the game away"
When asked about free agency Caldwell shared:
"There's maybe one player at each one of the positions that we would kind of like to have . . . and then there's a drop off . . . We're not going to fill all our needs on March 9th . . . We may fill one or two (on the first day of free agency)."
"The players that we like we'll be aggressive for and we'll take our best shot and hopefully we land them and if you don't then you have to circle back."
"I'm not a big fan of free agency, we've been forced to do it to say competitive."
"It's a bandaid."
Caldwell clearly doesn't like how active the Jaguars have had to be in free agency, but understands that it's a necessary evil.
Caldwell was asked which young players on the roster they would like to keep around.
He quickly mentioned the Jaguars two young tight ends Ben Koyack and Neal Sterling. Just after talking about those two he turned his attention to A.J. Cann, who he believes can be a "top level guard at this level". After the first three he quickly rattled off several names that included Brandon Linder, Marqise Lee, Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson, Abry Jones, Telvin (Smith), Aaron Colvin, Jalen (Ramsey). Caldwell isn't far off here. All of the players he mentioned have shown signs that they can become elite players and some of them already are. Cann was a major disappointment in 2016 so Caldwell's high praise of the soon to be third year guard was a little bit surprising.
On Myles Jack being on the field more:
"He will be and probably should have been last year."
On defensive personell:
"Our LEO is a basic 4-3 end and our OTTO is a basic SAM linebacker . . . The changes might be more so in the name then what they actually do."
Caldwell was very candid and seemingly rarely held back his honest opinions. He seems to have a very high level of confidence in this team and how effective the front office will be this offseason.
The Jaguars should consider a QB in the 2017 NFL Draft
Coughlin speaks for the first time since he was introduced as EVP
Is Branden Albert truly an upgrade
The GenJag Podcast ep. 19: Money
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"If its elegant understatement you're looking for then this oasis on the upper east side off Park Avenue is where you'll find it. The prevailing aesthetic here is Hollywood Matinee Idol meets Modern Gentleman. Mixing a respect for tradition with a modern sensibility, Manolo Costa is THE place for tailored clothing for gentlemen who like to look sharp without over-doing it."
"My introduction to Manolo was from the backseat of a black car stopped at a light outside of his shop. From the displays in the window, I could easily see that this was a man of taste, restraint and elegance, all the qualities I need in a tailor. After receiving a few garments from Manolo now, it's not just the fit (which is superb), style and quality of the garments that are outstanding, but what really distinguishes the Manolo Costa experience apart is the advice. He's an adviser that can execute any vision you bring to him, or even take you in directions you didn't imagine."
"Manolo Costa delivers a signature and sensibility that whisper elegance, and sartorial excellence without looking like every other brand out there. You can always tell if a gentleman is wearing Manolo, from 20 paces. It is a lifestyle that you step into off of 65th Street and Manolo is the gatekeeper of that. The showroom is beautifully appointed and one has the feeling of stopping by your favorite private club. While from the street, and for those unfamiliar with the bespoke process it may appear intimidating, the opposite is true. Manolo and his staff are friendly and welcoming and are more than willing to accommodate, or educate every client depending on their unique needs and desires."
"Mr. Costa really gets to know his clients and really works to help you "build" a wardrobe based on your own lifestyle and needs, it's more like chatting mens' clothing with a well-informed friend, than a trip to the sartorial dentist office for a painful experience. The fabric selection is extensive, the house cut is sophisticated, elegant and flattering to a multitude of body types and Manolo is a master at manipulating the silhouette to address your specific body type. If you expect the best, and want to look your best beat a path to Manolo Costa."
130 1/4 East 65th St New York, NY 10065


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Imagine this: You have run the race and you have won. You are just about to receive the prize, when a judge comes over, taps you on the shoulder and says, "This does not belong to you — you have been disqualified." That is the picture Paul paints for us here:
Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. (Colossians 2:18-19)The believers at Colosse had come to faith in King Jesus the Messiah. They had been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through the faithfulness of God. They were in the "winner's circle." But then certain teachers came with elements of Judaism, folk religion and esoteric philosophies and told them that was not enough. That they needed to have special hidden knowledge, certain ascetic practices and unusual revelatory experiences if they were going to know the fullness of God. Otherwise they would not be qualified for the reward.
Paul's answer to all that was, to paraphrase, "Don't let them rob you of what it means to be the Church!" These teachers submit themselves to angels, through fasting and acts of self-denial, invoking them for protection from demonic powers. They present themselves as humble but then go about bragging how they have been initiated into the "deeper mysteries" and how they have seen visions. Their egos have been inflated by the kind of thinking that comes from fallen human nature. They are caught up in themselves.
But those are symptoms. The real problem is this: They are not connected to the Head. Imagine a body without a head, still trying to carry on and function — the proverbial "chicken with its head cut off." That is Paul's assessment of these false teachers.
They are not connected to the Head of the body. That is, they have no vital relationship with Jesus, who is the head of the Church (Colossians 1:18). They are focused on themselves, their philosophies, their practices, their experiences — but not on Jesus.
Paul's teaching is that everything we need is found in Jesus the Messiah. Divine fullness does not come from angels or visions or secret knowledge or self-abasements. We already have all the fullness of God in Jesus the Messiah. "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him" (Colossians 1:9-10). Anything that pulls our focus away from Him robs us of knowing His completeness, and our completeness in Him. He is the head, and it is only in Him that we grow together as His body, with all the life that comes from God.
The Focus of Our Faith
Paul's Letters to the Jesus Believers at Colosse
Bite-Size Studies Through Colossians
by Jeff Doles
Preview with Amazon's "Look Inside."
Available in paperback and Kindle (Amazon), epub (Google and iTunes) and PDF.


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16 hours ago
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Press Release: Greedy For Tatas
~Greedy for Tatas~
Greedy Tournament benefiting Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 2015.
Hosted by *The Club*
Pre-register at: http://bit.ly/1GvuHQJ
Pre-lim rounds held October 10, 2015 starting at 10:00 am SLT
200$L donation or more appreciated.
Championship round held October 10, 2015 at starting at 2:00 pm
Yes (74, 45, 21)
Grand Prize: Basket full of amazing Gift Cards.
Tournament Rules:
1. Each player must purchase seat for a recommended 200 L$ donation to the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Kiosk
2. Each table will have a minimum of two players and a maximum of eight.
3. Zilch Rules will apply with 1000 minimum score to get on board.
4. Each table will play 3 games.
5. The individual with the highest score overall from each table out of the three games moves up to Championship Round
6) If there is a tie at one of the tables for high score there will be a tie-breaking game (1) between the players at the table(s) in question.
Championship Round - October 10, 2015 at 2pm slt.
1. The winners from each tables will play 3 games.
2. The winner of the tournament is the player that has the highest overall score for all games of the championship round.
3. Zilch Rules will apply with 1000 minimum score to get on board.
If any player fails to show up at the said time of the championship round they forfeit their seat.
Players will be allowed 5 minutes if they crash to return. 3 crashes and they will be eliminated.
All judgment calls are determined by the Event Host.
Contact TS Darrow or Dianna Wycliffe with questions or concerns.
Posted by Bixyl Shuftan at 6:00 AM
Labels: charity, event, fundraiser, game, greedy, Making Strides, Press Release, Second Life, Secondlife, sl, tatas, tournament
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The modern world is, and this is an understatement, quite a hectic place. Balancing your professional personal life, all the while maintaining your social life and getting a solid 7-hour sleep cycle every night might seem like an insurmountable challenge. And oftentimes, it really is.
Now, before you say that all it takes to have quality sleep every night is to just turn in at the right time, you need to realize that our sleep cycles and wake times are influenced by a myriad of connected factors, such as daily stress, nutrition, light, sound, and of course, the quality of your bed.
After all, how do you expect to get up all refreshed in the morning if you slept on what feels like a ton of bricks? Exactly, so let's take a holistic approach here and help you optimize your sleep cycles for health, positivity, and day-long zeal.
Start By Eliminating Stress As Much As Possible
Stress management is not as easy as it sounds, and most of the time when we think that the negativity around us doesn't affect our mood, it's actually tearing us apart.
This is why reducing stress as much as possible on a daily basis is a more realistic approach to stress management than trying to eliminate it from your life altogether.
You can start by organizing your professional life. Creating a comprehensive work schedule will go a long way in dealing with the stress associated with the "too much work and no play" problem, and it will help you get your personal life in order as well.
And speaking of your personal life, it's important that regular exercise becomes one of its inseparable parts.
Get Properly Tired Beforehand
Physical exercise has many benefits for the mind, body, and soul, and arguably, it's one of the best ways to alleviate stress, improve your overall health, and prep yourself for a night of quality sleep. In fact, train hard enough, and you will be sleeping like a log.
The trick here is to A) not overdo it, and B) exercise at the right time. In the case of point A, you risk fatiguing your body too much and failing to recover properly for the challenges ahead.
In the case of the latter, you risk pumping up your body with too much energy for it to calm down properly before bedtime. So, make sure you exercise at least several hours before turning in, and that you pace yourself during the workout.
Set The Mood In The Bedroom Just Right
With stress and physical energy taken care of, now is the time to optimize your surroundings for quality sleep.
Your bedroom should be a place of peace, tranquility, and unimpeded serenity, which not only means that you should dim the lights and eliminate all unwelcome noises, but that your bed will have a vital role to play here as well.
Keep in mind that not all beds were created equal, and you want yours to offer comfort and functionality.
So, consider a spacious double bed with storage that has enough space for you and your partner, and also enough storage space for all of your bedtime essentials to be close at hand.
Along with a soft but supportive mattress keeping your spine healthy, you also want to make sure that your head and neck are supported properly by a memory foam pillow.
Leave All Electronics In The Hallway
It should go without saying that if you're in the habit of scrolling through your social media feeds before bedtime, you're effectively ruining your sleep cycles and setting yourself up for a stressful day accompanied by an overarching feeling of fatigue.
Instead, make sure you switch off all electronics (basically anything with a glaring screen) at least an hour before bedtime and witness your quality of life rise as a result.
Eat Just Right Before Turning In
Last but not least, nutrition can have a profound impact on your sleep cycle, as well as your overall well-being. Before turning in, it's important that you don't overindulge, or go to bed hungry.
There needs to be a balance here, so make sure you time and size your last meal of the day just right.
A good idea is for this meal to be the smallest one, boasting satiating protein and minimal carbs in order to prevent food-induced insomnia, or worse, nightmares.
The key to a better night's sleep doesn't lie in a single remedy, but rather it lies in a multitude of deeply connected habits that, as a whole, will help you lead a more positive lifestyle.
By following this holistic approach, you can make your sleep cycles healthier and more beneficial than ever before.
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Bio: Cooper Klein is a cool dad in touch with his feminine side. He's currently working from home as a blogger for several online magazines. You can find him on Twitter.


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Sunil Rao
Sunil Vayassu 20| 1986
Sunil Vayassu 20
1986 | 120 min
Sunil is a drug addict. He kidnaps a five-year-old girl Neela who belongs to a middle class family. What happens next is an unusual twist that turns this thriller into a heart-warming tale. Sunil ends up becoming friends with the little girl who starts addressing him as uncle. This new bond ignites a feeling of guilt within him, thus making him rethink his decision of keeping her as a hostage. more»
Ival Draupadi| 2000
Ival Draupadi
2000 | 90 min
Ival Draupadi is a 2000 Indian Malayalam film, directed by T Rajan and produced by VA Rahman. The film stars Kalabhavan Mani, Vani Viswanath, Madhupal, Sujitha and Spadikam George in lead roles. The film had musical score by NP Prabhakaran, Rajamani, Sunil Bhaskara and Perattupuram Madhu. more»
Login| 2012
2012 | 104 min
Jai is a young office going guy who seeks a girlfriend through online dating sites. Vandana is a housewife who spends her free time chatting on a social networking site. Debu is a guy working in a call center who uses the internet to make money. How the use of the Internet has affected the lives of these three characters forms the crux of the story. more»
Starring:Subtitles:Arabic, English
Kalakkara Chandru| 2007
Kalakkara Chandru
2007 | 148 min
Kalakkara Chandru 2007 Indian Telugu, directed by Raviraja Produced by Sri Ashtalakshmi Films The film Stars Cast Karthik, Pandiarajan, Radha Ravi, Urvashi in lead roles. The film had musical score by Sunil Xavier. more»
Karthik, Pandiarajan ...
The Revenge - Geeta Mera Naam| 2000
The Revenge - Geeta Mera Naam
2000 | 108 min
Sitaram Bhardwaj lives in a village in Central India with his daughter, Geeta, who studies in a city. He is asked to contest the state elections against Dhurjan Singh, which he reluctantly accepts. Geeta returns home to assist her father. When Dhurjan finds out about Sitaram contesting this election, he is enraged and asks Shakuni, his brother-in-law, to convince Sitaram to change his mind. But Sitaram refuses to do so. Subsequently, Police Inspector Patak Singh registers a complaint against Sitaram for looting and leading some bandits, raids his house, finds stolen property and jewelery, arrests him and holds him in a cell. Baba Thakur, another bandit, comes to his rescue, but is unable to save Sitaram's life, who is killed. Geeta wants to avenge her father's untimely death. The only way she can do this is by becoming a bandit herself, and making herself a target - not only by the corrupt police force, but by bandit gang-leader Shaitan Singh, who owes allegiance to Dhurjan; another bandit gang-leader, Hasina; as well as Dhurjan and his men. more»
Starring:Subtitles:Arabic, English
Adu| 1995
1995 | 145 min
Adu is a 1992 Indian Kannada film, directed by Ravi Padmarag and produced by Smt.Pushpa and Sri Ravi Padmarag. The film stars Ravi Padmarag, M.P.Shankar and Sathyajith in lead roles. Music of the film was composed by Sunil Dev-Raj Dev. more»
Iddaram| 2007
Vairam| 2009
2009 | 123 min
Vairam 2009 Indian Tamil Movie directed by S. P. Selvadurai Produce by Star Cast Richard,Navneet Kaur,Ramesh Pandey,Kadhal Sukumar,Chelladurai,Sampath.in lead roles. The film had music by Sunil Xavier. more»
Starring:Subtitles:Arabic, English
Richard, Navneet Kaur ...
Amudhey| 2005
2005 | 130 min
Dhinakar (Jai Akash) hailing from an ordinary middle-class family and Nancy, a software engineer and sole breadwinner for her family, are neighbors in love with each other. But their dreams of getting married are shatters when their self-centered parents decide on proposals of their own choice. Notwithstanding the overbearing parental pressures, Nancy marries Victor, a multimillionaire businessman, while Dhinakar marries his cousin - but not before the lead pair enter into a sly pact. Dhinakar and Nancy contrive to marry the spouses chosen by their parents, only to officially dissolve their unhappy unions later and thereby pave way to their union. After a sequence of events, Nancy successfully convinces Victor about her unreserved enthusiasm for her past love. Nancy gets her divorce and takes the first step towards making a fresh start, but events overtake her in an unexpected final act. more»
Starring:Subtitles:Arabic, English
Madhumitha, Pranathi ...


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Tailor-made lamp
Suspended steel fixture for free configuration. Suitable for holding different light sources and different lighting systems, it can adapt its dimension to them, maintaining its formal aesthetic integrity. Developed through technical production innovation, it can be customized on specific projects made by lighting designers, to 25 centimeters to 3 meters, to allow free combination of direct light modules and modules for direct and indirect fluorescent lighting. The heads in polished aluminum integrate the control system.


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The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX)
What Is NYMEX
The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc., is the world's largest physical commodity futures exchange and the preeminent trading forum for energy and precious metals.
The Exchange has stood for market integrity and price transparency throughout its 132-year history. Transactions executed on the Exchange avoid the risk of counterparty default because the Exchange clearinghouse acts as the counterparty to every trade. Trading is conducted through two divisions, the NYMEX Division, home to the energy, platinum, and palladium markets; and the COMEX Division, on which all other metals trade.
The Exchange pioneered the development of energy futures and options contracts 26 years ago as means of bringing price transparency and risk management to this vital market.
The Exchange plays a vibrant role in the commercial, civic, and cultural life of New York. It provides thousands of jobs in the financial services and allied industries and, through the New York Mercantile Exchange Charitable Foundation, supports cultural and social service programs in the downtown community as well as broader charitable endeavors in the metropolitan area.
What NYMEX Trades
The wide array of trading markets provided by the Exchange include futures and options contracts for crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, electricity, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, and platinum; futures contracts for coal, propane, and palladium; and options contracts on the price differentials between crude oil and gasoline, crude oil and heating oil, Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude oil, and various futures contract months (calendar spreads) for light, sweet crude; Brent crude; gasoline; heating oil; and natural gas.
The Exchange also lists NYMEX miNY™ energy futures, fractional light, sweet crude oil and natural gas futures contracts that offer smaller investors and traders the opportunity for an efficient means of participating in energy markets. The contracts trade via the NYMEX ClearPort® electronic trading system and clear through the New York Mercantile Exchange clearinghouse.
The Exchange also clears off-exchange trades for market participants who wish to avoid counterparty credit risk by using standardized contracts for natural gas, crude oil, refined products, and electricity.
How To Get Started
Investors looking for a fast-paced dynamic market with excellent liquidity that can act as a counterweight to the stocks and bonds in their portfolio will want to learn more about the New York Mercantile Exchange energy and metals futures and options markets.
The challenge in meeting this price volatility takes place in the vigorous give and take among the traders on the New York Mercantile Exchange where the best up-to-the minute price emerges from their consensus. The price quotations are then used as benchmarks by buyers and sellers in the energy and metals markets worldwide.
Futures prices are not price predictions, but are the collective current opinion of the marketplace of where prices appear to be heading. That opinion, and the direction of prices, can change in an instant, which makes trading these markets so challenging and potentially rewarding.
A Market Open to All
The Exchange is a public market forum and anyone can play a role in these vital global markets. Participation is not difficult, but a few requirements must be met. The first step is to open an account through a licensed, Series 3, commodity futures broker.
The broker will be your point of entry to the markets, so make your selection with the same care and due diligence as you would any other financial services professional upon whom you rely.
The broker you choose should serve a clientele geared towards your level of trading. Some brokers mainly deal with commercial and institutional customers, some with individuals of high net worth, while others primarily serve smaller investors. Brokers offer different levels of service:
- A full service brokerage firm will be able to offer advice on investments and strategy, provide research, and contact you regularly with trading advice. A full-service brokerage could be especially useful if you are following many markets. The fees at a full service firm are usually higher than other types of firms.
- Discount brokers offer limited services and charge lower fees. Investors who do their own research and are confident in their trading abilities often find that discount brokers meet their needs. Introducing brokers are full service firms which execute the buy and sell orders through the large well-known financial houses which are clearing members of the Exchange. Introducing brokers are usually found in smaller cities and, while they may not have the name recognition of a big Wall Street firm, their service is often top-notch.
Broker will need to know certain information:
- Your financial situation.
- Your experience in trading commodity futures and options.
- Your tolerance for risk.
- Your risk management or investment objectives.
Each commodity trading account can have its own characteristics and be structured to the trader's needs. Brokers are engaged in a highly competitive business and customers may find that commissions are negotiable.
Many brokerage firms have streamlined the process of opening an account by making the required forms and documents available through their websites.
If the brokerage firm is not also a clearing member of the Exchange, it must have a relationship with a clearing member. The broker should have the proper forms and be able to help you fill them out to establish your account, including your margin account with the clearing member.
Margin Accounts Are a Must
All market participants on the New York Mercantile Exchange must have a margin account with an Exchange clearing member before they can transact any business on the Exchange. Many clearing members provide brokerage services, too.
Unlike the stock market, where "margin" refers to borrowed funds, margin in the commodity futures and options markets represents a performance bond - a "good faith" deposit - which can be used to cover adverse movements in prices for futures and short options positions. In order to protect market participants and the integrity of the overall market, the Exchange must ensure that participants have sufficient funds to handle losses. Margins are set by the Exchange based on its analysis of price risk and volatility in the market at that time. Margins are established at sufficiently high levels to adequately guard against market participants becoming over-extended as prices increase and decrease as market conditions change. The margin on the Exchange is not partial payment on a purchase.
The margin requirement also does not represent the value of the position which makes you responsible for a lot of product with a relatively small amount of money. For example, the initial margin required to open a position in a gold futures contract may be approximately $1,300 to $1,400, while the futures contract represents a quantity of gold that at the same time could be valued at approximately $30,000. This type of leverage can lead to quick and substantial profits - as well as losses. In fact, it is possible to lose more than the amount of money you've deposited so if the markets start moving against you, it is important to know when to cut your losses.
All positions on the New York Mercantile Exchange are marked-to-market each day by calculating the gain or loss in each contract position resulting from changes in the price of the futures or options contracts each trading day. If the equity in a customer's account drops to or under an amount predetermined by the Exchange, the clearing member must issue a margin call for the customer to restore his equity. Positions that show a gain receive a payment from the clearinghouse.
Stepping Up to the Big Leagues
Trading on the Exchange presents an intellectual and strategic challenge to those willing and able to take the risk. Trading can be executed through different financial instruments and venues, making the Exchange's markets extremely flexible and useful to a wide range of market participants which benefits everyone. The more participation, the greater the liquidity of the market and the more competitive the bids to buy and offers to sell.
The overwhelming majority of Exchange trading activity is executed by open outcry on the trading floor during the day. All floor traders, whether acting as a broker on behalf of a customer or trading for their own account, must be a member of the Exchange. Open outcry is a vigorous, often frenzied auction where each participant announces his bid or offer to the market at large, and receives responses from brokers willing to take the other side of the trade.
Energy and metals futures contracts are also available for trading on the internet-based NYMEX ACCESS® electronic trading system when the trading floor is closed, making the markets available for a more than 22 hours a day. To trade energy on line, one must have an account with a clearing member and be registered as a user. To trade metals, trades must be executed by a broker.
NYMEX miNY™ energy futures, fractional futures contracts for light, sweet crude oil and natural gas that offer smaller investors and traders an efficient means of participating in the energy markets, are traded through a broker or directly via the NYMEX ClearPort® electronic trading system.
A Time to Hedge, a Time to Speculate
Hedgers and speculators - also called investors - have divergent goals, which is why their presence in the markets complements each other so well.
Hedgers do not necessarily seek to profit in the futures markets. They use the futures to help stabilize the revenues or costs of their business operations because they have an offsetting position in the physical market. A gain or loss in the futures market is usually offset to some degree by the corresponding loss or gain in the market for the underlying physical commodity.
Speculators, to the contrary, do seek to profit from market movement because they do not have offsetting physical positions. However, for every speculator who tries to profit from a rising market there are those who believe they can profit in a falling market. Most speculators don't try to push the market in any direction - a fool's errand if there ever was one - instead they follow the trend, attempting to time their transactions by buying low and selling high - or first selling high and later buying back low. This flexibility to initiate a strategy as either a buyer or a seller, depending on your view, is one of the beauties of the futures markets.
By taking positions in the expectation of making a profit, investors fulfill a critical market role in providing the liquidity that hedgers need to easily enter and exit positions.
The Best Way to Figure Out What the Markets May Do
Some traders like to keep track of market fundamentals, the nuts and bolts of supply and demand. Is the weather too hot or too cold? Are there reports of production problems or surpluses? Are jewelry sales brisk or stagnant? Such developments in the underlying markets are often indicators of how prices may move.
Other traders study the technical reasons for price movements by using computer programs and examining charts of the market's performance for clues as to whether a buying or selling trend can be expected to continue or is due for a reversal.
The futures contracts on the Exchange are available for trading for many months in the future - several years in some cases. As a practical matter, the most actively traded and volatile contract months are those that are within a few months of a contract's expiration. As the expiration date of the contract draws closer, volume often picks up as activity in the futures market more closely resembles activity in the cash markets for the underlying commodity.
Most of the energy and metals futures contracts that trade on the Exchange are physically delivered contracts, although less than 1% of the commodities traded are actually bought or sold through the Exchange. Giving market participants the alternative of delivering through the Exchange, however, ensures that the futures prices will reflect the underlying market. Concerns over physical delivery obligations can be avoided by utilizing NYMEX miNY™ energy futures, smaller versions of the Exchange's two most popular futures contracts (crude oil and natural gas) that are specifically geared towards individual investors.
Source - The New York Mercantile Exchange


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Don't Take Our Word For It
DoctorLogic has been amazing to work with while creating our new website. Customer service has been exceptional and they are extremely helpful in explaining each step to those of us who may not be quite as tech savvy. We have monthly phone calls with our account manager to keep us updated on our site and what we can do to maximize growth. I highly recommend DoctorLogic!khoobehi.com
DoctorLogic is the best! Working with DoctorLogic: The team at DoctorLogic is top notch. Everyone I have worked with has delivered beyond my expectations. Most companies have great sales people but then after you sign-up it becomes a challenge to get things done. This is not the case with DoctorLogic. Their implementation team is very efficient and delivered our websites on time and without any major surprises. They have their launch plan down to a science and they know what works. The content they created is professional and accurate. The relationship doesn't end once the website is done. The account management team is committed to our practice's success and continuously provide insights and make improvements. If we need a quick change or update to the website, their customer support team will get it done right away. The entire team is well informed and executes with excellence. The Product: DoctorLogic is more than a website development company. They are an extension of our digital marketing efforts. They build and maintain websites that are built to perform well in search results, but more importantly they are designed to provide potential patients all the information they need to convert right then and there. DoctorLogic is a true partner. The dashboard or back end of the website makes it easy to see how we are doing with a few simple clicks. The data provided is relevant and instantly available. Their tool automatically pulls in reviews from across the internet where we can easily post them to our website. When it comes to before and after galleries, we used to have to type out what we wanted in an email and send it off to our web designer and wait to have it added to our website. Now we can upload the pictures directly to site and have it live on the site in a matter minutes. The ability to listen to patient calls has been a great tool for our team. Reviewing calls to see how our staff handles them makes each call a coaching opportunity which leads to a better patient experience. Performance: What matters most are the results! Our website pages are ranking higher and higher each month in organic search results. In fact, content from several of our services and procedures are delivered in snippets directly in google search results. This speaks to the quality of the content they have helped us create. Our website visitors are steadily increasing, and our conversion rates are better than we've seen historically.drsnyder.com
Switching to Doctorlogic was the best decision we have ever made. The keyword tagging options for photographs has increased our visibility immensely. We love the clean look of their designs and the responsiveness of software updates, etc. The staff are always pleasant and quick to address any questions or concerns. We also love the ability to make on page edits. We no longer have to wait on a third party to make simple changes.petroffcenter.com
I have tried many different website design and development companies and none compare to DoctorLogic. The patented technology they employ to ensure your web presence is optimized coupled with their gorgeous designs, excellent back-end technology and detailed analytics are the business side and they are out of this world. But let's not forget about the human side of things that makes this company blow the competition out of the water. Working with Grace and Mary has been instrumental in getting my three websites off the ground, as they have helped me in every step of the way. DoctorLogic is amazing, and their employees are insanely helpful.planofacedoc.com
Nice company to work with. We had a ton of edits to our website, and Doctor Logic implemented each one without complaint, plus they carefully explained how to navigate our dashboard and were more than willing to make corrections or additions. Big improvement over what we had previously. Recommend you give them a try--don't think you will be disappointed.doctorlogic.com
My experience with the DoctorLogic team, specifically that of Christopher Hiltz and John Vakidis, has been nothing short of outstanding. This is the third time in my career as a plastic surgeon that I have launched a new site and I did so with great trepidation because I felt I was starting over. I just wasn't getting the results that I wanted from my former site. But this has been the easiest and most seamless process to date. The team is outstanding and the customer service is second to none. This platform is everything I was searching for and it is very easy to navigate. The platform gives you complete control of your content, photo gallery, analytics, phone call tracking, and monitoring calls and leads. It also tracks and records how calls are handled in the practice. I am able to download new patient photos at my convenience and add personal stories unique to each case I present on the site. Partnering with DoctorLogic has been the best marketing decision I have made to date and I cannot thank you enough for your professionalism, excellent customer service and state-of-the art platform and design!drkouris.com
I have really enjoyed working with the Doctor Logic team on our website and the SEO strategy. First of all, the are very responsive. Their knowledge of procedures and processes really help in creating new pages to reflect our growing Medical Spa. We rebranded this year and they provided several options for us to consider and they have been really great in helping us integrate our brand into their template system. They are really on top on new technology and helping us make the website work in creating conversions. Account service is top notch.beyondbeautifultexas.com
DoctorLogic helped us build a great website and has increased our conversion rate from website visitors. We've been very please with their support as well.startsmiling.com
As a professional marketer and dental marketing strategy consultant, I've concluded that DoctorLogic's website platform is currently the best overall website option available. While it lacks some customization flexibility for experienced SEO/PPC consultants, for a typical dentist looking for turnkey results it's outstanding. Depending how you wish to position your practice, DL developers are very good at translating that into effective visuals and efficient page layouts. If you can generate reviews regularly (I'd recommend BirdEye if you can't) and invest a bit of time each month posting before/after photos/cases, the platform over time will rank you progressively higher in Google search without requiring you to become a blogger to generate fresh content. Organic traffic for a client who already ranked #1 on Google organic and Google local for cosmetic dentistry has increased more than 70% in the year since converting them from a Wordpress site, showing me the SEO and authority building power of the DoctorLogic platform. Search ranks have also increased on key categories where they weren't #1. Customer service has been very responsive and timely for my requests, and development folks have listened to and placed in the IT queue recommendations for changes to areas that will allow more customization by the client. So if you want potential patients to have the best first impression of your practice, check DoctorLogic out!dallascosmeticdentist.us
Outstanding results and team. Best web services so far.wilmartheye.com
I have been working with DoctorLogic for almost a year now. I met with them at the AACD meeting in 2018, and I was very impressed with their technology involved with websites. The entire process of designing a new site along with the attention to detail after the site was built has been refreshing. My site continues to be strong in dental searches and I would highly recommend working with this fine group of people.myextraordinarysmile.com
I have been working with DoctorLogic nearly 6 months now to get my new(est) website launched. This is always a painful prospect due to the scope and amount of effort that goes into such an important project. This team (currently I am working with Missy, who is great), is professional, responsive, and knowledgeable. This professionalism has taken a load off of my mind because I have had the misfortune of dealing with webmasters in the past who talk a great game and produce a clunky site that manages to be invisible to SEO. To make matters worse, these fly-by-night outfits never respond after they are paid. You won't have to worry about these issues with DoctorLogic. There are several teams dedicated to each phase of implementation and hand-offs are smooth. This has allowed me to focus my time an energy on being a doctor. I rest assured that the work they do will be right, and any adjustments I want will be taken care of. DoctorLogic has my full confidence and I have no reservations about giving them my highest review and confidence.txplasticsurgeon.com
They are awesome Very helpful with great turn around time.southeasternretinaspecialists.com
DoctorLogic goes above and beyond every time! On behalf of myself and Dr. Nana Mizuguchi, DoctorLogic has been a pleasure to work with. From building our website from the ground up with images and content to helping us utilize SEO and PPC to the utmost potential. Every task we have requested has been completed quickly and efficiently. Grace Fatseas with DoctorLogic has been amazing in educating us about our website and advising us based on our analytics. She has provided us with a lot of education about our website and had so many great suggestions with continuing to add content. We are so happy to work with DoctorLogic!nanamd.com
My office has been a client with DoctorLogic for almost 2 yrs. I switched from a well known medical/dental website builder/hoster who I was with for 7 yrs. I found that DoctorLogic has a significantly better attention to detail and has a much better understanding of "the ways of the web". But also how they have helped me and my staff understand where to place emphasis on our web site to keep current with the changes of Google. Also with my prior web builder, every time Google had a major change, we had to do a major rebuild at significant cost. It just seemed that every time I turned around they had a reason to charge for additional work. With DoctorLogic I have had none of that happen. Their vast knowledge of web building and SEO is really apparent. But this is all for nothing if you do not have results. DoctorLogic has me on the first page of Google in most web searches pertaining to dentistry in a very large metropolitan area. Not only has our referrals increased from the web but also the quality of the patients have been outstanding. I can recommend DoctorLogic to any medical or dental office looking for a comprehensive approach to their web site without any reservations.parkerwestdental.com/
DoctorLogic has been a wonderful partner to work with for our company's website. My favorite aspect of DoctorLogic is their excellent customer service! Everyone we have worked with has been friendly and accommodating; their turnaround time on requests is super quick. DoctorLogic helps guide us in the right direction when making decisions in order to help us reach our website's optimal performance. Their knowledge and tracking of SEO has been very beneficial. They are constantly adding new and exciting features to their service line which helps keep are website up-to-date with the latest trends. Thank you, DoctorLogic!villagehealthpartners.com
I have referred several clients and all have been absolutely thrilled with their website and especially their SEO results. Highly recommend DoctorLogic.pfpsjax.com
Each individual with whom we have worked has brought an expertise and willingness to spend whatever time needed so that the website reflects our business. We highly recommend DoctorLogic to Plastic Surgeons who want to take their business to the next level.deansorensenmd.com
DoctorLogic has made our online appearance not only more aesthetically pleasing but has drastically increased our functionality. In the digital world we live in your website is the first window to your practice. It's safe to say when people look into our digital window they like what they see!sweettoothdentalloft.com
I am extremely pleased at the website Carson Jones and his team at DoctorLogic produced for me. Having done this a few times before, I know how time intensive it can be. Everyone at DoctorLogic made it easy and with little effort on my part, once they listened to my needs and understood my objectives. I look forward to working with them to develop my practice.drgutowski.com
The creative staff at DoctorLogic has taken my website to new heights. The stunning graphics and video have given our website a sophisticated look and feel. If you're looking to set yourself apart from the competition with your website I highly recommend the doctor, DoctorLogic!primacenter.com
DoctorLogic has been my secret weapon in the battle to the top of Google search. In less than a year I went from page three to the top of page one. DoctorLogic empowers my staff to continually update and add content to our site, thereby growing both our content and our rank position.vipplasticsurgery.com/


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Posts Tagged 'WayUp.com'
Send A Post-Interview Thank You Note
It's that time of year. Students graduating from university and high school, are applying for jobs, and going on interviews.
We came across this great article, written by Wandy Ortiz on WayUp.com, about the super-smart habit of sending a post-interview thank you note. It's a GREAT way to set yourself apart from the many applicants that interviewers see.
Stand out. Send a handwritten thank you note.
(Above image is courtesy of WayUp.com)


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How to request test
Our national network enables any medical
institute in the country to request medical tests.
Specimen collection Be sure to place the specimen in the container supplied by Seegene Medical Foundation with patient name and other information on the container.
Preparation of Test Request Form Please select the Test Request Form according to the test item and fil out the followings. - Requesting institution : Name of the institution, department, name of physician
Storage and transportation of specimen For safe transportation, please give the collected specimen to our staff in accordance to the storage method along with the Test Request Form.
Report of test results The test results can be viewed in real time basis on our website and the test result sheet
Addition of test item To add a test item for the specimen already submitted, visit to our website and add item on the View Result or call Customer Center. (1566-6500)


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Update – Unfortunately the Void has closed at Disney Springs
The Void at Disney Springs just might be my new favourite thing. This 'hyper reality' experience is taking virtual reality to a whole new level, and it's incredible!
Being a family of Star Wars geeks, we knew that we had to try this experience at The Void. Since it was virtual reality, there were 2 in our group that thought it might be a bit much for them and they opted out. That left 4 of us to try it – my nephew, his two sons and myself which worked out well since the experience is in groups of 4. It's important to note that guests must be a minimum of 48 inches tall and at least 10 years of age to participate, and a waiver is signed before you enter.
We purchased our tickets for $29.95 USD in advance and selected a time slot before our dinner at Art Smith's. We had no idea what it would be like – but we were excited for what was to be an immersive Star Wars experience.
Once we checked in, we were taken to a set-up room where we watched a short video and scanned our wrist bands. Then it was off to get our VR gear on – and that was interesting!
The full gear included a vest and a helmet (with microphone) that allowed you to talk to the other members of our group. In total I would say it all weighed about 10 pounds but didn't feel uncomfortable.
When they took us in to the room and we pulled our visors down, we were laughing trying to talk to each other and realized we were now Storm Troopers. It was hysterical seeing the youngest one as a miniature Storm Trooper and when we stuck out our hands we could see that we had 'on' the full Trooper uniform!
The experience took us on a mission where we could interact with things and use levers on the wall to open doors. We knew then that we really had to work together to complete our mission. To say that it was 'immersive' would be an understatement – we were THERE. At one point there was a bridge to walk across, high up above boiling lava, and I can tell you that I literally felt like I could fall off of this bridge! The kids had to reach back and take my hand to guide me across.
The next thing I knew we were under attack. We had blasters in our hands and were shooting at Storm Troopers, feeling the recoil with our shots and ducking behind things for cover. We were shouting to each other to find a safe place to shoot from while one was trying to break the code to get us out of harms way.
I don't want to give away any details of the mission that might ruin your experience. What I will tell you is that you HAVE to try it! The Void was an experience like nothing else and I am so glad we decided to try it. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever, and the big kids did too!
Have you tried this yet?


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Chancellor's Communications – Spring 2018
As a student-centered educational system, we remain focused on aligning our programs and services to...READ MORE
As students and faculty around across the country gear up for back-to-school, I want to acknowledge and thank all of the hard-working students, faculty and staff at CityU who are committed to education year-round. One year ago, I had the pleasure of announcing Randy Frisch as the new president of City University of Seattle. President Frisch along with the amazing faculty and staff at CityU have demonstrated a strong commitment to strengthening collaborations with Seattle businesses, refining the University's global studies opportunities and furthering CityU's mission of changing lives for the better by offering access to specialized, high quality and relevant education to lifelong learners.
As an affiliate of the National University System, CityU has a proud history of serving diverse and non-traditional students. With 50 thousand alumni globally, I was thrilled to see the University strengthen its student and alumni network with the first academic achievement and alumni reception in February of this year. Recognizing the hard work of students and alumni achievements is so important to us, and moreover, this connection allows us to gain feedback that assists us in continuing to provide students with market-relevant programs and meaningful learning.
As nonprofit organization, CityU is dedicated to giving back to the communities it serves. For example, in March of this year, the National University System received a $28 million gift from renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford to expand the development and reach of the Sanford Education Programs. Sanford Harmony is a social-emotional learning program for grades K-6, and Sanford Inspire is an online professional-development tool for teachers. Both programs are already affecting change in Washington communities, as well as strengthening CityU's Albright School of Education programs and offerings. Recently, CityU added the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy, which is part of a national network of Institutes being launched by the founding Sanford Institute of Philanthropy at NUS affiliate, National University. The Institute provides educational and professional fundraising resources to nonprofit leaders and volunteers in Western Washington to learn how to better to communicate their causes and apply a business-minded approach to fundraising.
Beyond serving the local community, CityU serves students at over 20 locations in the Northwest and worldwide. The University offers programs in Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Vietnam. I have enjoyed meeting our international students in Europe, Vietnam and Mexico. Recently, President Frisch and Hiep Quach, a member of our Board of Trustees, traveled to Hanoi to further the global reach of CityU. In addition, last September, President Frisch and I were thrilled to travel to Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS) University in Mexico to celebrate the CETYS University's 55th anniversary with Fernando León García, president of CETYS University System. Even more exciting, in January of this year, we celebrated Eduardo Diaz, who became our first doctoral graduate from Mexico. He completed his Doctor of Education in Leadership (Ed.D.), with a concentration in Organizational Leadership.
I'd also like to say how thankful I am for the service of our military and veteran student community and want to thank everyone involved with the opening of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord site to better serve these students. CityU faculty and staff are dedicated to supporting students of all backgrounds, but the commitment to serving our military community is one that ties back to the roots of System affiliate National University and the entire National University System. I greatly appreciate the CityU community for all of the hard work this past year. I'm looking forward to another amazing academic year, and working together with President Frisch to help identify new strategic partnerships and develop academic pathways that benefit our dedicated students.
As a student-centered educational system, we remain focused on aligning our programs and services to...READ MORE
The National University System (NUS), a network of nonprofit K-12 and higher education institutions, is...READ MORE
One of the instrumental ways we foster student success is through the collaboration of institutions...READ MORE


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Thursday, July 29, 2010
10 weeks to chicago. and mileage.
However. Yes, this is a big fat however. I have been managing to run (despite a week straight of 100+ temps plus at least 30% humidity everyday--don't worry, that's at least, it's usually a good 70% or so) in the flatland summer. Should I continue whining or just suck it up and tell you about my running? I'll move onto running, my whining isn't attractive, although I bet it's a bag of chuckles to read!
Moving on. Running. Yes. It's been going well, China is actually not bothering me too much the past few weeks. I'm keeping it in check and it hasn't caused too much problem. I heeded the advice in my comments and have been taking care of it regularly and also drinking beer. Hey, who am I to defy a commenter? I do tend to wear my recovery socks on a lot of longer runs, despite the heat. It helps. All of which brings me to my big happy news (see, totally done whining).
Interwebs, I hit a mileage PR last month. I was thrilled. A mileage PR.... UNINJURED! SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!
This brings me to my next point. Mileage. Okay, so yes I hit a mileage PR for July, but I intend to hit another one this month, and again next month, then again in October. Sensing a theme here? I've decided, thanks in part to one smart running chicken's running wisdom, that I haven't been running enough miles in training for a marathon. Last spring I was doing maybe 25 miles a week. Then when the this guy mentioned he cramped up thanks to lack of training mileage I started really thinking about it.
I came to the conclusion that my low mileage absolutely had something to do with my OKC fail. I wasn't running enough for what my body needed to go out and run a marathon at the pace I set out at. Go figure! In my training defense of the spring, I was so terrified of getting hurt that I ran a minimal amount to preserve my legs. Of course, in the end it was my downfall even if it did keep me from initial injury (but wow my legs paid for that marathon for weeks afterwards). Since I'm feeling great running wise and have no sign of injuries (we are coming up on the one year anniversary of my last stress fx mind you) I'm going to keep pushing my mileage for Chicago.
And perhaps, with the right fueling (mistake no. 1 in okc this year), higher mileage (mistake no. 2 in okc) and smarter crossing training (not really a mistake, just a little extra lesson i learned) I will finally run a marathon in Chicago like I know I'm capable of, which is well.
Week 5 - Chicago Training
Wednesday = 7 miles
Thursday = 6 miles
Saturday = 6 miles
Sunday = 14 miles
Total = 33 miles
Week 6 - Chicago Training
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wedendsay - 6 miles
Thursday - 4 miles
Saturday - 5 miles
Sunday - 16 miles
Total = 35 miles
Total Miles for July = 117
Normally I would downplay something like my monthly mileage PR, knowing that for a LOT of runners that is nothing for monthly mileage, that is in fact really low mileage. But in the end, it's a PR for me. Like I said, I'm pretty thrilled about it and excited to see where my running goes from here. Especially once the humidity dies down and my body is all....awwwww snap, there it is. Time to run ho-bag! It's gonna be a good fall. I just wish it were going to be here tomorrow.
This week I am struggling a bit though, I'm having sinus grossness and it's been extra hot this week. But that won't stop me. I am going to run seven miles tonight and so help me if I don't come back tomorrow to post the fact that I ran seven miles... This is why I'm posting mileage on my blog this time around. I don't want to humiliate myself and come back here and have to admit I didn't run because I was tired, or didn't feel 100%. So tomorrow. Hold me to it.
Monday, July 19, 2010
12 weeks to chicago.
My training for the week went well enough, despite a few debacles and fighting the desire to sit in air conditioning and sleep in (who doesn't battle this most of the time?), I met my goal mileage of 30 miles this week. If I wasn't trying to cut out most sugar in my diet right now, I'd go stuff my face with all manner of candy. Instead I'll drink some water with Crystal Lite in it. Exciting, I know.
My legs are a little tired and sore, as I mentioned before I was peaking around 32 or so miles last spring for OKC training. Plus, I haven't been babying my legs like I was this spring because for the most part I am feeling great. However, add lack of babying to training at a faster pace with higher mileage and my legs are getting a teensy bit grumpy. Most notably that knot the size of China in my left calf. Right now I'm swearing by "the stick." I am convinced it's keeping me from physical therapy since China sure won't give up and leave. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get rid of that sucker, please share.
I'm at a frustrated loss over that knot, pretty sure I was in tears last night because of it. Both from the pain of digging "the stick" into it so hard I was shaking and just general frustration that it isn't going away. It will diminish and loosen up some, but by the end of the week (after being neglected) China comes back with a vengeance. In fact, I resorted to running most of my 10 miles in recovery socks on Saturday despite high heat and humidity even at 6:30a. I stripped them off around mile 6 and that was a huge mistake,.
If I don't do something about China (and my legs in general which tend to get knotty all over) after every run, it's going to jump up and destroy me. I just know it. I try to go to yoga three times a week and use my arsenal of leg fixers: the stick, the foam roller, and the trigger point ball. Yeah I'm a high maintenance runner, I mean, look at the name of my blog for goodness sake. I never claimed not to be! But come on, I'm 31, scrawny and can't help it I knot up. It is what it is, so yeah, I have to baby my legs. That lesson has been learned the hard way after years of injury and FAILING. It's clearly doing the trick, but just enough. I'm still kind of worried this calf knot is going to turn into something wicked at some point. HYSTERIA!
In the end, besides China, I'm feeling positive and hopeful for Chicago. Maybe the third time really IS the charm, but I still have 12 weeks to go and a lot can happen. For now I'm focused on the fact that running is making me happy, I'm feeling good, and staying healthy. I'm grateful just to be out there doing it. Maybe it's age, but I am so much more appreciative of the fact I can simply get up and run when I want to than I ever have been before. Running makes me happy. Period.
Week 4 - Chicago Training:
Wednesday - 6 miles
Thursday - 8.5 miles
Saturday - 10 miles
Sunday - 6 miles
Total = 30 miles
Friday, July 16, 2010
joggers and lagers.
*channeling rocky, but wichita style. our stairs are SO much less impressive, but we
MEANT it nonetheless! and yes we are total nerds and proud of it. SHAMELESS.*
As for the flight or fight. Well, you see. The thing is that I got up at 4:45a yesterday morning to run what was supposed to be nine miles, but ended up being a very disastrous and awkward 5.5. For those reasons I didn't want to run too far last night, one group was run/walking and the other group was running four miles. I started with the four milers and decided to go about 1.5 miles with them, turn around and book it back to the river path entrance and meet the other group of walkers. And of course I CLEARLY DID NOT communicate this fact to The Lawyer. So I booked it back to the path entrance. No group. Keep in mind at this point I realized I didn't: 1) have my phone 2) my road ID was on my other shoes. Crap.
I decided to keep booking it until I caught up, which had to be soon, I just KNEW it. Uh, no. Not the case. A mile and a half and some speedwork later and right in front of the bar where we end, I caught up to them. Right. It wasn't that I felt totally unsafe, I'm just not used to running without my phone or with someone else. And I was in downtown alone (read: shady characters wandering aimlessly around on the route i was running). The worst was running underneath a dark creepy covered bridge alone when I could clearly see a said shady looking person sitting on a bench at the end of the bridge. Shiver. Oh don't judge. Yeah, I'm a wimp. So what? Regardless I was fine, and I got my speedwork in for the week.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
13 weeks to chicago.
This list is short and sweet and it contains my ultimate must run marathons in my lifetime:
1) Chicago
2) New York
3) San Francisco Nike Women's
Notice Boston isn't on there? I think I could happily end my running career having done those three marathons and never qualifying, I'm actually kinda over the BQ thing for some reason. I just don't care anymore. I know, I can't even believe I wrote that, but it's true. I'm not sure the above listed marathons will all happen, but having No. 1 crossed of the list? Well, that will do for now.
Chicago. So far training has gone well, last week was a bit lax, but that's because I was on vacation. So meh. I still got in some great hilly runs and plenty of rest (which is vital for my running i have learned). Now that I'm back home I am staying on schedule, and feeling good. I'm not even worried about jinxing myself by writing about Chicago, or how I've remained injury free so far, or how I'm loving my runs, or how great I'm feeling inside and out, or how my monthly mileage for Chicago is already surpassing what I did the first two months for OKC. Even though it's hot, muggy and generally disgusting running weather. I love it. I'm excited to get out the door at 5:30a 4-5 days a week to run. And this is why.
Since Chicago is sort of my 'see what I'm made of and if marathons are for me' race (ha race, i use that term loosely). I am giving this marathon everything I have. EVERYTHING. I will run when I'm tired, when I don't feel like getting up at 5a, or feel beat down and over it (uhhh, hello 20 milers in august in kansas with 90 degrees and 70% humidity, can you say hell) or just don't wanna. The thing is I can't run this marathon without giving it my best, something I've never given a marathon before. Yeah I'm totally admitting that. I have never given a marathon my all, and hopefully that's why the past 1.9 marathons didn't go so well for me. I have to go out knowing Chicago got every ounce of everything "running" I had.
I'm still on the no-plan-plan. Kind of. I am planning out my weekend long runs, simply out of necessity: you know, general respect of my spouse and his schedule and needs, being out of town a few weekends during training, a little sanity, etc. My goal is to get up to 45 - 50 miles at the peak of my training. Starting now with no less than 30 miles a week (exception of last week's vacation), and cross train like nobody's business. Please note that at the height of OKC training? I was around 32 miles, that just isn't gonna hack it.
Whew, so now that I have all of that off my chest, in the next few weeks, as I chronicle my Chicago countdown, I plan to include bits and pieces from what I think happened in OKC, what I've learned and different things I'm finding work for me and my running. All of the above? Yeah, it's all for me to note and look back on, stuff you may not care about. Between those posts? I'll still offer you the good stuff.... don't you worry.
Week 3 - Chicago Training:
Tuesday - 4.37 of wicked hills
Thursday - 4
Friday - 5
Saturday - 12
Total = 25.37
Monday, July 12, 2010
things i heart.
It took him a few shots to figure out how best to make this work, there were a few mishaps, but the boy sure has mastered the art of drinking from the fountain for sure. It's quite entertaining and never fails to make me laugh and smile. Every. Single. Time.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
drink my kool-aid.
Love your future twitter stalker XOXOXO,