text:
The Best Of The Platters: The 20th Century Masters - 1 CD 11 Songs
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The Best Of The Platters: The 20th Century Masters
The Best Of The Platters: The 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection)
Original recording remastered 20 Classic Hits - 1 CD
A vocal talent of astonishing range and emotion, Tony Williams led the Platters through nearly two dozen Top 40 pop hits,
starting in 1955. The Platters drew inspiration from predecessors such as the Mills Brothers, yet had a style all their
own that came to be treasured by the first generation of rock & roll and doo-wop fans. This set features the group's
Top 10 smashes "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "The Great Pretender," "Only You," "(You've Got) The Magic Touch," and several
others. Shy of the two-disc Magic Touch: An Anthology, this is about as good a Platters best-of as you can find right
now--and at a budget price, no less. --Daniel Durchholz
1 The Great Pretender
2 Twilight Time
3 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
4 Only You (And You Alone)
5 My Prayer
6 (You've Got) The Magic Touch
7 You'll Never Never Know
8 I'll Never Smile Again
9 Harbor Lights
10 Red Sails In The Sunset
11 Enchanted
The Best Of The Platters: The 20th Century Masters - 1 CD
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Linguaviagem, Brighton Concrete Poetry Festival, 1967
Linguaviagem: poemcube by the Brazilian Concrete Poet and founding member of the Noigandres movement, Augusto de Campos. 250 x 255 mm folded. Unfolds to cube shape with three letters screen printed on each side – the outer sides in blue, the inner sides in green. The three letter groupings are LIN / GUA / VIA / GEM. Therefore the letter groups combine (as is printed on one page) to make: " LINGUA: tongue / VIA: via / LINGUAGEM: Language / VIAGEM: voyage". One of de Campos' most successful and famous poems. A beautiful poetry object/sculpture. Printed in an edition of 100 in conjunction with the Brighton Concrete Poetry Festival, 1967. Screen print and object, clean & fresh. Very rare. See Form magazine no.4 (Bann & Steadman) for advert for this item & full breakdown of festival.
Caixa Preta, Edicoes Invencao, Sao Paulo, 1975
Edition of 1000. One of de Campos's most ambitious publications, published together with Julio Plaza: effectively an exhibition within a portfolio; the mixed-media contents creating numerous paper-sculpture possibilities. Indeed, large-scale versions of VIVA VAIA and Cubogramas Montaveis, originally featured in Caixa Preta, were exhibited in Poesia concreta: o projeto Verbivocovisual (Artemeios, Sao Paulo, 2008, p. 155 of the catalogue). Caixa Preta (1975) is also richly illustrated in the Poesia concreta catalogue across two pages, showing its contents constructed. The author discusses the significance of Caixa Preta to the development of de Campos's practice: 'The kind of work with the visual aspect of the word 'in concrete parameters: construction, critical intentionality', with which Augusto de Campos already experimented in his Popcretes of 1964/66 (montages from newspaper clippings…), acquires new dimensions through the poet's collaborations with another artist, Julio Plaza. Together, they launch Poemobiles (1974) and Caixa Preta (1975), consisting of object-poems that invite the "reader" to handle them.' (ref: Poesia Concreta: o projeto verbivocovisual, Artemeious, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2008, p. 54). This is one of de Campos's most sought after publications: despite being an edition of 1000, it is very rare to find.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Sunny afternoon on the Ertholmene. View from Frederiksø across the natural harbor towards Christiansø. Slightly left from the center you can see the pedestrian bridge which connects both islands. The bridge is actually constructed as a double swing bridge so it can be "split" in the middle and both parts swing to the side to let bigger vessels pass through. The round tower in the center is called "Store Tårn" (=Big Tower) and contains the lighthouse.


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NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A death investigation is underway after a body was found in Northwest Miami-Dade, Friday morning.
Around 4:48 a.m., police received a call about a woman shot.
7Skyforce flew over the scene where a body could be seen covered by a yellow tarp, along the southbound lanes of 27th Avenue at 92nd Street.
Police have shutdown Northwest 27th Avenue, north and southbound, between 91st and 93rd streets.
Investigators have not yet released any information on the victim.
If you have any information on this shooting death, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
Copyright 2018 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Pumps and Cisterns
Cisterns involve the collection of water typically via the roof. The idea of a cistern is very similar to using a holding tank, lake or river. Water quality may sometimes be a concern with cisterns but with proper filtering and treatment they make a viable option for many locations. A system of gutters and downspouts directs the rainwater collected by the roof to the storage cistern. The cistern, typically located underground, may be constructed of various materials including cinderblock, reinforced concrete, polyvinyl or precast concrete, fibreglass, or steel. The cistern supplies water to the household through a standard pressurized plumbing system.
Underground cisterns are used when:
- Your well does not produce enough water for surge periods. A surge period would be: showering in the morning, then running a load of laundry and also running the dishwasher before leaving for work.
- You have a source of water that is intermittent. Perhaps your incoming subdivision water or well water is unreliable; or you have to have water hauled in.
- Your incoming water does not give you enough pressure or maybe the pressure fluctuates due to other water users on the system.
- You need to treat the water. Water needs to have 'contact time' with chlorine or ozone for sterilization. Contact time is also needed for the Iron or hydrogen sulfide to 'grow' or oxidize so that filtration can remove it.
Many home and business owners are emphasizing sustainability. A pump and cistern system allows We have decades of experience with every sort of water system that exists in our area, including pumps and cisterns. Municipal water has its own challenges, while pressure tanks and septic systems present a different set of issues to contend with. Whether your water comes from the city, or from a well, lake or pond, Cook's can get it working right. It's what we do.
Pressure Tanks
By applying compressed air, a pressure tank and pump keeps you with a steady supply of water from your well system. If your home is supplied by well water, odds are you have a pressure tank close to it. The pressure tank has two chambers inside of it; one for water and the other contains compressed air. When it comes to water storage needs, Cook's can help you beat corrosion with polyethylene, fibre glass or metal pressure tanks.
A Recognized Leader in Composite Pressure Tank Design
WELLMATE has become synonymous with innovative solutions for water storage and pressure boosting applications. State-of-the-art winding equipment, the best materials and an ISO-9001 certified manufacturing facility guarantee that their one-piece composite construction is second to none, providing you with truly world-class products. In addition, their latest quick-connect advancements demonstrate an ongoing commitment to making the best tanks in the industry.
Amtrol Pressure Tanks
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Amtrol's invention of the diaphragm expansion tank. This innovative new product not only controlled system pressure in heating and chilled water systems, it also helped to significantly reduce energy consumption.
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Shore Wells
Dwellings on or around water sources such as lakes and rivers can be provided a constant supply of fresh water with a properly planned and installed shore well. The construction of a shore well is determined by the structure of the shoreline, equipment accessibility, the volume of water needed and the porosity of the soil around the area of construction. Ideal for lakeside homes and cottages, they also meet high flow needs and can be utilized for irrigation purposes. When properly planned and installed a shore well will allow for slow filtration of the water as it enters catch basin. They allow for year round access of the pump system while it eliminates the hazards of electric cables in the water. When it comes to shore wells, Cook's has accepted a wide range of challenges and provided creative solutions. Call Cook's today to discuss your water demands and concerns.
Sump Pumps and Sewage Pumps
Used to extract water from a collection basin, sump pumps and sewage pumps are generally found in basements where flooding is a concern due to rain or existing ground water. Transfer black-water to waste-water systems or away from low-lying areas by selecting a sump pump, effluent pump or sewage pump. Cook's understands how proper water management around the home or office adds years of life to your property.
Usually hardwired into a home's electrical system, sump pumps may have a battery backup. Myers battery back up pumps ensure that if the power goes out, and when you need them the most, your pumps keep pumping. Keep your basement and properties dry during black outs, fits from mother nature and any other uncontrollable power situations. These fully automatic systems include alarms to warn of power loss. Additionally the home's pressurized water supply can power some pumps, eliminating the need for electricity at the expense of using potable water. This can potentially making them more expensive to operate than electrical pumps and creating an additional water disposal problem.
Want a sump pump that can protect your home well? A Hydromatic pump can.
Liberty Pumps is a leading U.S. manufacturer of pumping products for ground water and waste-water removal in residential and commercial applications.
Water Pumps
If you need to move water Cook's knows how to move it. We use the toughest and most cost-effective water pumping products on the market.
Submersible Pumps
More efficient than a jet pump, submersible pumps with their hermetically sealed motors push fluid to the surface, eliminating many traditional issues found when significant elevation differences exist between the pump and the fluids surface. Used for drainage, sewage and slurry pumping, submersibles have both domestic and industrial applications. Pond filters, water wells and irrigation are traditional submersible pump uses and Cook's has the experience no matter your needs.
A Grundfos Constant Pressure pump will maintain a steady supply of
water no matter the demand. By speeding up as faucets are opened you can experience city water pressure straight from your well. While the pump and motor is within your well the control panel is conveniently located in your home. Call Cook's and start experiencing the benefits of a constant pressure pump to today.
- Comfort of city like water pressure
- Push button selection of desired pressure
- No more wimpy showers
- Turbo charged lawn irrigation
- Multiple built in diagnostics to prevent damage to your pump
- Uses a miniature space saving and low cost diaphragm tank
Jet Pumps
These low maintenance pumps are great for home, cottage and farm applications. Consisting of an electric motor, impeller and jet assembly, jet pumps greatly increase suction and discharge pressure over a centrifugal pump. Routinely used for household water supply along with a pre-charge pressure tank.
With shallow, deep and convertible jet pumps to choose from, let the knowledgeable staff at Cook's help determine your pumping needs.
Water Storage Tanks
Water storage tanks are nothing new. Whether for drinking, livestock, gardening, irrigation or personal hygiene, a reliable source of water is imperative to not only comfort but survival. A water storage system can be a simple or complex as needed. For every use one might have for storing water there are designs and solutions.
Cook's offers the leading edge in water storage and handling products and systems for both above ground and buried applications. All of our tanks are manufactured by means of the rotational molding process, which produces a one-piece, seamless, watertight tank.
We offer tanks constructed with polyethylene to insures they will be unaffected by soil chemicals so tan
Fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) tanks offer a superior option for underground storage of potable water, fabricated from food grade resin they insure top water quality. Low profile tanks are ideal for campgrounds, resorts, vacation homes and construction sites and are constructed with the same durable materials and manufacturing techniques you can trust.


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The BARSKA Biometric Safe is one of the finest security products on the market. Perfect for storing small valuables and firearms it offers a complete solution for all home and business needs.
Currently, one of the most popular safes to be found anywhere, it offers the perfect combination of durability, accessibility, and portability.
Thanks to the biometric design it unlocks within seconds allowing for fast access to firearms in the event of an emergency.
Designed for both static and portable purposes, this safe is also very durable and will be easily capable of withstanding even the most determined of attacks. So for anyone needing a comprehensively secure means of storing their valuables, the BARSKA Biometric Safe truly demands plenty of attention.
Table of Contents
Highlighted Features
- Professional standard biometric access protection.
- Dual dead bolting door mechanism.
- Heavy duty yet transportable design.
- Can store up to thirty individual fingerprints. Registration for new users takes seconds.
- Supplied with all necessary components to secure to floors and furniture.
- Includes fourAA batteries.
- Includes two emergencies backup keys in case of failure or compromise.
Whom ls This BARSKA Biometric Safe Designed for?
- Anyone looking for total security, especially people requiring plenty of room for weapons and valuables.
- Residential users are looking for sturdy and reliable static safe.
- Business owners are needing to transport valuables on a frequent basis.
- A good choice for people who often spend time away from home.
BARSKA Biometric Safe Review
Total Biometric Security
The technology capable of making this standard of security affordable for domestic or small business use has only really been available for a few years.
The good news is that it's available for only a little more than a classic combination lock gun safe.
The BARSKA Biometric offers up to thirty unique fingerprints to be added to the system. Easy, convenient plus it takes only seconds to authorize individual access.
Easy Access Within Seconds
Even the best trained and experienced individuals can panic and forget codes. Adrenaline can do strange things to the body, and the last thing anyone needs in an emergency is a delay in being able to access their gun safe.
When there may be only seconds to respond, biometrics have the advantage of being instantly unlocked with just the press of a finger.
Remember that it can also be done in darkness, an essential feature for any biometric gun safe.
These products are marketed as being accessible within moments, and the BARSKA Biometric Safe is as reliable as any product out there.
A Practical Multi-purpose Safe
Don't just assume this is a safe suitable for pistols. It is just as good an option for the money, documents, medicines and precious jewelry.
Altogether this makes for a complete home security option for anyone who needs to be sure their essentials are secure.
The safe has no internal pockets or holsters, so remember to try and keep documents in binders other items in suitable separate containers or holsters.
Perfect For Travel
Of course, not everyone is looking for a stationary gun safe. This unit is portable making it a fantastic option for individuals needing to transport valuables and weapons on a regular basis.
Range regulars will enjoy the practicality of safely carrying a selection of pistols and ammunition from their vehicle to the premises. However, l would recommend weapons and other technical tools be also holstered or stored within their own carry case to help prevent unwanted scraping during transit.
It's perfect for business owners too. Payroll, banking, contracts, insurance documents and spare keys can be simply and sensibly secured wherever desired.
In certain situations, the BARSKA Biometric Safe may even be able to help lower insurance premiums, especially for those who need to transport monies on a frequent basis.
Heavy Duty Steel Design
It would be next to impossible for any opportunist thief to break into the BARSKA Biometric Safe. Even with a crowbar and sledgehammer, it'll take a great deal of noisy pounding to force open any pressure points.
This makes for another reason why it's superb for transporting valuables too. It's just the right side of bulky and heavy to prevent anyone from being able to carry it following a B&E. Those who escape with the safe will always be highly noticeable and burdened down too.
- Complete storage solution for valuables that can be installed securely or kept available for transport.
- Biometric design overrides any potential for observational code stealing." Plenty of room for
- Plenty of room for high-value items and pistols/ammo.
- Easy to transport and can be fitted to any heavy duty surface or shelving unit.
- Long lasting battery life – usually 18 months plus.
- Not fireproof. It is something those storing essential documents may wish to be aware of.
- Biometrics need to be kept clean for reliable performance. Smudges and dampness can affect performance.
- Weapons and heavy metallic objects will need to be holstered or otherwise secured to prevent the risk of denting.
Is it suitable for use solely as a gun safe?
Absolutely. For many people, the BARSKA biometric is going to be one of the best solutions out there. lt offers plenty of space for conventional sized sidearms and ammunition or accessories. Factor in the need for holsters and it's still very suitable for this exclusive purpose. Will fit into any trunk space.
Is the lack of fireproofing a major issue?
A: Many safes are advertised as being fire or heat resistant without being necessarily fire proof. It's a factor that may influence some people yet be utterly inconsequential to others. Assess your personal requirements for the safe and take it from there.
What happens when the battery dies?
The safe won't open! The BARSKA will offer a warning beep before the batteries expire. In the unlikely event of system failure or breakdown, two emergency keys are supplied for opening the safe.
Final Verdict
It's absolutely fair to say that the BARSKA biometric offers a fabulous means for keeping valuables safe without compromising either security or functionality. The biometric system is a major plus (just keep it clean!) and being constructed from heavy duty steel it isn't going to give in without putting up a heck of a fight.
Personally l like it because it's also portable. It is a great solution for people who spend plenty of time on the road and stay away from home on a regular basis. The BARSKA Biometric Safe is an excellent choice that will not break the bank!
Feedback or Question? Feel free to let me know leaving a comment below! ????


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Resourcing Parents provides parenting information to parents and carers of children aged 0-18 years through parenting programs.
The Family Action Centre, University of Newcastle (Australia), conducted a survey of 600 families to find out what makes a "strong" family. Read about the 8 Strengths of Strong Families.
Tresillian provides a range of child and family health services.
The Australian Institute of Family Studies web site details information and facts on families in Australia, as well as the journalFamily Matters (some full text issues available).
The South Australian Child and Youth Health site is comprehensive, with over 300 articles on specific parenting issues, as well as a child's site (age 6-12) and a youth site (age 12-25) with topics requested by and written for young children and young adults.
Strengthening Families (New Zealand) has produced a document informing people who work with children about strategies for promoting mental health and recognising mild-moderate mental health problems in children.
Parenting Research Centre has compiled informative guides for parents on how to assist children in obtaining benefits from using TV, the Internet, electronic games and mobile phones. Check also the document informing parents of strategies and suggestions for supporting children when they have viewed traumatic events through mass media.
Auburn University (Alabama, USA), the College of Human Sciences has produced the Principles of Parenting, a series of short publications grouped under three areas:
Parenting South Australia has produced the Parent Easy Guides, a series of 70+ factsheets on particular issues experienced by families with children of different ages. PEGs are also downloadable.
Triple P – Positive Parenting Program that is available in the Inner West (see calendar for details). The web site outlines the group and also the book Every Parent by Matt Sanders. Check at your local library for copies of the book and the video.
Magic 123 is another well known parenting method by Thomas Phelan. See calendar for details of groups in the Inner West. Check at your local library for copies of the book and the videos. See the web site for information and subscribe to a free e-newsletter.
The NSW Department of Community Services (DoCS) promotes the safety and well-being of children and young people and works to build stronger families and communities. The web site has information on child protection services, parenting, support and early intervention, foster care, adoption services and help for communities affected by disaster.
NAPCAN The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is an independent Australian charity committed to stopping child abuse. The website details national campaigns and free resources that promote practical and positive actions, such as 30 Ways to Boost a Child's Self Confidence and the Importance of Play.
The Australian Childhood Foundation has created the Kids Count campaign and web site. There is factsheet-type information for parents on common parenting and childhood challenges, a section authored by Michael Grose, details of parenting seminars and an opportunity to suggest topics for further information.
Tresillian Family Care Centre in the Inner West suburb of Canterbury offers a number of different services to families with young children including Out Reach, Day Stay and Residential Care, as well as presentations to groups of parents on specific issues. There is also the 24hr Parent Help Line 9787 0855.
Child Link is a resource for families and service providers for children's services in the Northern Sydney Area. It has information in Italian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese for choosing a child care centre. It also has a comprehensive Guide to Managing Challenging Behaviours, with strategies, suggestions and information.
CatholicCare NSW provides many services to all people in the community. The Family Services section of their web site details family focussed services, including:
Kid Safe NSW is a non-profit, non-government organisation that provides information to all regarding injury prevention in children. Visit the Kid Safe house at Westmead for ideas, or read guidelines and suggestions for home, playground, road and water safety on the web site.
Karitane offers many services to families. Available to those living in the Inner West are the Survival Tips for Parents, presenting informative seminars and the 24hr Careline 9794 1852.
My Baby and Me is a website run by Karitane and offers practical parenting advice. The website is optimised for mobile phones.
site by Still Moving Design


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The recently-released Senate financial reform package contains a number of provisions designed to prevent a recurrence of the performance problems that triggered the recent financial crisis. The most widely discussed initiative requires "securitizers" to retain a minimum of 5% of the credit risk of any sale or conveyance of assets through the securitization process.
To its credit, the bill does attempt to differentiate between various types of assets, while giving regulators broad authority to exempt some classes of issuers. (This almost certainly will include the GSEs, although the current bill does not specifically exempt Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac from the requirements.) By focusing on the securitizers of ABS (and originators that sell assets to them), the bill also exempts sales of non-securitized assets.
The legislation's focus on "skin in the game" is, however, unfortunate. First, the notion that securitizers' lack of credit risk exposure was a primary cause of the financial crisis is patently untrue. Both originators and securitizers had plenty of credit exposure, given their portfolios of loans and their holding of MBS residuals and CDO tranches. The failure of institutions such as Washington Mutual, Countrywide, and Merrill Lynch arguably took place because they had too much exposure to products backed by flawed and nonperforming assets. (As a friend put it,"They already had skin in the game -why do you think none of them are around?")
The capital requirements and costs associated with risk retention will also put smaller lenders at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis larger originators, forcing them to sell their production in whole-loan form. This will ultimately lead to the development of a multi-tiered, highly consolidated, and consumer-unfriendly mortgage industry.
The requirement of risk retention also creates the probability, albeit small, that in the future the entire framework of asset securitization could be called into question. While the consensus is that the 5% retention requirement is too low to prevent sale treatment for most securitizations under current accounting practices, it's possible that future statements from the FASB could directly or indirectly change the accounting treatment for securitized assets.
Taken together, the risk retention proposals risk creating the illusion of a solution to problems related to securitized finance while offering little additional protection to investors. Moreover, the bill misses an opportunity to truly improve the securitization process by strengthening and codifying the representations and warranties associated with ABS deals. While a section of the bill does address the issue, it is very limited in scope. This provision requires the rating agencies to include a description of the deals' reps and warranties "in any report accompanying a credit rating," as well as requiring securitizers "to disclose fulfilled and unfulfilled repurchase requests across all trusts aggregated by the securitizer."
A robust enhancement of deals' reps and warranties would require a few straightforward provisions. For example, there is currently little standardization with respect to when and how investors can gain access to loan files - which are necessary for a full forensic analysis of any deal's compliance with its governing documents - from the servicers and trustees.
Rep and warranty language should also be standardized. For example, most PSAs contain a clause stating that loans collateralizing a deal must conform to their program guidelines; however, the loan programs are typically outlined in very general terms. A requirement that the loan programs must be outlined in each deal's governing documents, and that all loan data contain ways to identify each loan's program, would be a major improvement.
In my mind, stronger and more enforceable reps and warranties would have a much greater impact on securitization quality than forced risk retention.
Bill Berliner is a mortgage and capital markets consultant based in Southern California. His Web site is www.berlinerconsulting.net


text: I used to own a farm not far from there before I bought a bigger place in another county. Lots of public land and lots of deer which also means lots of hunters. Study your aerial and topo maps and find the best looking spots that are the hardest/furthest to get to. Once you find a few of those types of places on the maps, get back in there and do some scouting. There are some monsters in there if you work hard and smart. Try to hunt week days too if you can. Good luck.


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Sony confirms previous rumors and presented a new ultrathin tablet – the Xperia Z4 Tablet – at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Alongside with it the Japanese company also show a mid-range smartphone – the Xperia M4 Aqua. As traditionally for Sony both devices are waterproof.
Previous reports suggested the debut of a Xperia Z4 Tablet in Barcelona, but without gave a way too much information. Most speculations were for a compact 7-inch version, but Sony revealed a 10-inch full fledged model. The new Xperia Z4 Tablet is thinner and lighter than the version from the previous year. It is only 6.1 mm thick and 329 grams for the Wi-Fi only model which makes it the thinnest model in the market.
Xperia Z4 Tablet tech specs
Inside Sony is integrated a Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor. The 10-inch screen is 2K with 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, and will be water and dust resistant to IP68 standard. This become normal for all premium and even mid-range devices made by Sony.
But unlike the previous devices produced by the Japanese company, the new Xperia Z4 Tablet will not have a waterproof "cap" on the microUSB charging port. Those caps were one of the most vulnerable parts in the Sony's smartphones and tablets.
Following the Microsoft's footsteps the Japanese tech giant also presented a feature a physical keyboard which can be easily connected. But unlike Surface Pro 3, the new Xperia Z4 Tablet is running Android 5 Lollipop.
Sony didn't provide an exact date when the new device will hit the shelves. The company only specifies as "this Spring".
The Aqua smartphone
As expected Sony didn't reveal a new flagship smartphone, but unveil a new mid-range handset – Xperia M4 Aqua. As the name suggesting it is waterproof. It has two cameras – a 13-megapixels in the back and a 5-megapixels in the back. It has a pretty good specs for a mid-range.
An octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 4G connectivity and battery which can last up to two days (as Sony claims).
Image credit: Sony


text: May 1, 2017 I hope this is the right place to post this, if not just let me know so I can put it where it needs to be I started my first NPP cycle last night. I'm 5'3" and weigh 138 lbs. I have about 19-20% bf. This is my first cycle of NPP, and I'm ex-ci-ted!!! Finally. Been waiting a LONG time for this. I will be eating 2100 calories a day with my cheat day (yes day, but usually not anything ridiculously excessive) being Sunday. Occasionally I may have no more than 1 cheat meal for the entire week. I will eat everyday at 35% protein (184 g). I try to keep my carbs at 40% (210 g) and fat at 25% (58 g), but honestly as long as I keep my protein the same, I may have more fats and less carbs while still keeping my calories 2100 in any given day. I do one body part a week (except abs I do twice a week) because that's what I feel works best for me. Is as follows: Chest/Abs Back Legs/Glutes Shoulders Biceps/Triceps/Abs I do 3-4 sets of 10-12 per exercise, and 3-4 exercises per part. I will be injecting 15mg e3d for as long as I can, but no longer than 12 weeks using an 1" long Tuberculin syringe alternating glutes. I'm willing to deal with quite a bit of sides because the muscle is worth it to me, so I'm pretty sure I can hold out for the entire time. I will take my measurements tonight and post them tmrw. I was going to post my updates in the comments, but I think for the sake of continuity I will just edit this post and whoever is interested can bookmark it and check back. I will not hold anything back about my observations regarding my body and this cycle. Nothing is TMI.. this is after all an honest female cycle log and if I can't be honest about everything, what's the point? Immediately after the first injection, my husband and I had sex 4 times in the space of 3 hours. All my initiation. The sex drive came on THAT quick. Day 1: Sex drive is back to normal I think, but I'm not home with the husband so who knows... My clit and vulva seem a bit enlarged, not sure from the sex yesterday or a side already.


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Editor's Note: This story first appeared online on CPJ.com, the Committee to Protect Journalists. We reprint in part here.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned for the safety of Anabel Flores Salazar, a Mexican crime reporter who was abducted from her home in Orizaba, Veracruz state, at about 2 a.m. today by armed men who claimed to have an arrest warrant for her, according to reports. The general prosecutor for Veracruz released a statement saying it is investigating the disappearance.
"We are shocked by this kidnapping and urge Mexican authorities to do everything in their power to locate Anabel Flores Salazar and bring her back to safety," said Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior program coordinator for the Americas. "Veracruz has become one of the most dangerous regions in the world for the press, crippling citizens' rights to access vital information about crime and corruption. The Mexican federal government must put an end to this cycle of endless violence by bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice."


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This is my favourite compo story
Hanafin's mum makes compo claim after she falls in Leinster House - National News, Frontpage - Herald.ie
The claim arose nearly four years after Mary Hanafin, then the minister for education, hit out at an emerging compensation culture in Irish schools.
"Children will run, children will fall and children will hurt themselves," said Ms Hanafin, who is now the Minister for Social Welfare. It was "ludicrous" that some schools were introducing no-running policies in the playground due to fear of litigation, she added.
My younger brother was playing on some of these boxes as a child, he was about 8 at the time, I was supposed to be minding him but being 14 I was too busy sniffing after the ladies to pay him much mind.
Long and short of it is that he ended up in the ICU for a week with a cracked skull and still has a lovely scar to show for it. I was in big trouble with the folks, pity I didnt have a solicitor.
Anyway, as for the brother, the scarring and trauma made a man out of him and he knows it (although never says it).
I agree 100%. But it's near impossible to achieve bar locking them indoors.Parents should be ensuring their children don't play on dangerous EBS boxes.
I've never been inside a court in my life, I never sued and I have never been sued so yes I am naive on where these numbers come from and what an acceptable compensation figure is. My point was if the parents had been offered 3k or 5k instead of 30k they might have been happy with that? I assume their solicitor had some precedent case/figure on what was attainable?Oh, how very naive.


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Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
The Doctor, Vicki and Steve arrive in England in 1066 and are pitted against Saxon logic, brutal Vikings and a fellow time traveller.
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The Doctor, Vicki and Steve arrive in England in 1066 and are pitted against Saxon logic, brutal Vikings and a fellow time traveller.
It transpires that Steven (of 'The Chase' fame) stowed away aboard the TARDIS, so at least The Doctor won't need to deal with Vicki on his own. The Stevemeister refuses to believe that they can travel through both space and time, whereupon Doc does what he claimed incapable of doing for Barbara and Ian, namely, take them to England. Alas, it's the year 1066 and the Battle of Hastings is just around the corner, as are some weirdly trusting Saxons and some vicious and ill-coiffed Vikings.
That's not all, though. Also present is a Meddling Monk, who goes by 'Father', has an electric toaster and isn't really human. In fact, he's a fellow Timelord. Which is pretty awesome, since this is the first time we encounter anyone from Gallifrey who is neither The Doctor nor Susan.
Incredibly mini-review for The Time Meddler.
Quite possibly the most giggles from the 1st Doctor in a single serial! For a Doctor that most people find a grump I recommend this serial as i) It will ingrain the sound of Hartnell's giggles into your mind for an eternity, completely eliminating any thought of him as a big old grump. And ii) It's one of, if not the best, Hartnell serial.
The first renegade Time Lord (although we don't know the race name yet), played brilliantly by Butterworth, the first time we see another TARDIS, the Doc actually being rather heroic for a change, and in such an upbeat manner; seriously, what more do you need!?
P.S Ponken take note, the Monk will be important for you further down the line…cryptic warning over.
Forgot to add my rating, which was 4.2.
Before I start, let me just say that I enjoyed this serial. But not as much as the Chase or Space Museum. Don't kill me, please. Anyways, let's begin. This serial starts out in 12th century England, where Vikings are about to attack. In the first episode, it almost seems like we are about to watch another historical. Then the "Doc….TOR!", finds a phonograph and Steven finds a watch. Anyways, the Doctor travels to a small town near a monastery, where he meets the locals. They tell him about the monastery, which he then decides to explore. Here he learns that there is only one monk, and the singing came from a phonograph. And he is promptly captured.
Meanwhile, Steven offers Vicki blackberries for breakfast. Then eats all of them. Vicki gets none. Steven, you pig. Seriously, you steal Ian's role and Vicki's blackberries.
They decide to follow in the Doctor's footsteps, and ask the Monk if they've seen him or not. He says no, and Steven pulls a Keys of Marinus on the Monk. He has the Monk recall the description of the Doctor, even though Steven never described him. Then Vicki thinks that the Monk tricked them into thinking they tricked him. What?! Vicki, go get your brain checked. I'm concerned. They go back down to the TARDIS, where the tide has come in. Cue the Davis Principle.
They go back up, and they get into the Doctor's cell. He's not there. Vikings begin to attack. Vicki and Steven find a passageway. Stuff happens. The Doctor takes the Monk hostage. Steven and Vicki find the Monk's TARDIS (cue the Daleks: TARDIS! TARDIS! TARDIS! TARDIS!). More stuff happens, and the whole crew plus the Monk are in the new TARDIS. The Monk unveils his plan to screw with time and ties up everyone. They escape, the Doctor does timey-wimey stuff to make the Monk's TARDIS bigger on the inside. The end. I give this serial a 4.0 out of 5. It started out so slowly, and wasn't incredibly interesting at first. Then around episode 3, it became awesome. The Monk mystery was interesting. Finally, we get super creepy glowing faces against stars. I marked up for that.
Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 9: The Time Meddler Review in 500 words or less.
Having sent Ian and Barbara on their way home, The Doctor and Vicki discover Steven, delirious but alive, who has hitched a ride from Mechanus (10 pts to Ponken). The TARDIS materializes on a beach in Northumbria, and after splitting off along different paths, The Doctor, Vicki and Steven find themselves embroiled in the lives of a small village of Saxons, and a somewhat alcoholic and inept Viking scout party, all the while unravelling the mysterious machinations of The Meddling Monk.
From start to finish, Dennis Spooners wonderfully crafted story, coupled with steady direction by Douglas Camfield, is tight and engaging. Each episode is a new and enjoyable experience. There seemed to be very little filler, and even the slightly sillier bits (Monks Diary of Dirty Deeds, Obvious Checklist is obvious, BAD FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY), didn't really detract from the general flow of the story. From tip to tails, I was hooked.
The development of The Doctor, specifically, is epic. Hartnells performance is very much a step forward in the evolution of the character. There is a renewed strength and sharper mind at work in The Doctor of this serial. It's like we finally see, in my opinion, the actual beginning of The Doctor as an iconic, resourceful, brilliant hero. He utilizes his intellelect and cunning to outsmart the Monk, and stays just on the periphery of history, allowing it to take its own course. And miraculously, while adjusting to the headstrong and somewhat obtuse character of Steven, i had a hard time finding any fault with Vicky.
The big win here is Peter Butterworth. The Monk is the first member of The Doctor's race (so far, unamed) we have met, aside from Susan. What a character!!?? Out of all of Who, The Monk remains one of the most intriguing and interesting counter point characters to The Doctor. We meet him again (spoilers), but of all the Time Lords, The Monk is sorely underused.
I need to point out the short-lived yet palpable pre and post tension of the blatant rape of Edith (Hur from An Unearthly Child). It was staggering to watch. I cant remember seeing something quite so raw in a show of the period before.
Additionally, this serial is the first of its kind to blend the two elements of actual history and science fiction, without distorting either. The Monks plan to harness his knowledge of history and subtlely twist it to his own ideal purpose is not inherently evil, which makes the scenes between The Doctor and The Monk all the more intriguing.
The Time Meddler is by far one of my top ten Who serials of all time, if not top five. It is creative, imaginative and moves with an easy grace from opening shot to closing sequence. It earns a very special 4.7, taking away only for the weaker subplot between the villagers and invading Vikings.
In my opinion, one of the weaknesses of a lot of the older Doctor Who stories, at least compared to modern entertainment in general and modern Doctor Who in particular, is pacing. Because the stories are aired over usually four-to-six weekly serials, the pacing is generally much slower. As a result, some serials can be harder to get through than others in the middle sections.
That said, "The Time Meddler" is better than most about this. While some scenes may drag on a tiny bit, nearly every scene feels like it contributes to the story as a whole and lack some of the padding seen in some serials such as the extended haunted house sequence in "The Chase."
The Doctor is in good form. Twice escaping capture on his own, in one case before Steven and Vicki arrive to rescue him and stopping the Monk's meddling in a particularly amusing fashion.
Despite how past Who Back When reviews regard her, I don't have a particular issue with Vicki. I haven't seen many serials with her, though it did feel odd having her be the experienced companion next to the initially skeptical Steven. I wonder how it must've been for viewers in the 60s, watching this entirely new pair of time travelers now that all three original companions were gone.
The Monk was probably the best part for me. I got a kick out of the anachronism of watching him use an electric toaster and stove to make him and the Doctor breakfast. Also his growing frustration as he kept getting visitors ("It's as if a man can't call a monastery his own, anymore") was good for a chuckle too. It was also interesting to see two Time Lords interact before we even had the concept of Time Lords in the story. All that's said is they're from the same place.
I'm not entirely certain what to call it for a score. The pacing was slow in some areas, which I tend to find normal for the older serials. There were some issues with the viking characters. They seemed especially dim (they were told to go scout carefully then run up and attack the first person they find, causing them no end of trouble) and unless I missed something we never saw anything of the ship that dropped them off that they were supposed to be reporting to after they got left.
At first, I wasn't going to mess around with the decimals and call it a solid four out of five. On second thought, I'm going to give it a 4.5. It was a solid story, no glaring flaws that I could see (but then I tend to be forgiving UNLESS the flaws are very glaring). I'm sure there are good and bad points I missed, but generally unless they interrupt my ability to actually watch the story at the time, I'm not prone to worrying about them.
The Time Meddler is our first psuedo-historical. I found it fun and engaging with the Doctor running into another Time Lord, rapey Vikings, and the addition of new companion Steven. This being the first story without Ian & Barbra, we are left with annoying & useless Vicki. The Doctor, so desperate for company, wants to make sure she does not want to leave him. Doctor, you can do better. Then Steven stumbles out, teddy bear in hand. I hope this is the last of the stuffed animal's appearances. So far my initial reactions to Steven: He's no Ian. Less sciency and not the greatest fighter… However, I enjoyed Steven and Vicki's paring during most of the story. Although Steven doesn't listen to Vicki at the beginning (and why would anyone), somewhere amongst the bickering they manage to develop a reas! onably balanced relationship ( the part where they both say "Follow me" and Steven, though grumbling, caves in and follows Vicki).
We meet the Monk, a fellow time traveler who tampers with time, meddling with history in an attempt to improve the future from his own perspective. The monk is able to control of both the landings of his TARDIS and its camouflage unit (now called chameleon circuit), which the Doctor hasn't been able to do. What I enjoyed most about this story was the interplay between Harnell and Peter Butterworth's Monk. The monk happily travels through time, changing things as he goes, to try and improve things. We find he's already changed history as 'we' know it anyway, by helping in the construction on Stonehenge using advanced anti-gravity technology. Then we have the weaker subplot of the invading Vikings, who are swilling mead, fighting Saxons and apparently rape Edith (who you may recognize as cave woman Hur from An Unearthly Child). It wouldn't be Doctor Who without some implied rapeyness.
Stray observations:
Does the Doctor just keep hundreds of different capes in the wardrobe, because Steven looked like Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi and Vicki looked like a hobbit.
The Doctor noticing the record scratching, his escape from the cell (by the way, why would a monastery have cells) and his threatening the monk with a stick.. Brilliant
And I freaking love the Doctor's line "No more monkery"
And isn't the cliffhanger for Episode 3 when a shocked Vicki and Steven discover that the Monk's got a TARDIS still jaw dropping, cant imagine how the audience in 1965 reacted to that.
Favorite flub of the episode : "I'm not a mountain goat, and I prefer walking to any day. And I hate climbing!"
The Monk's checklist, written on a whiteboard in marker, where his plan is broken down step-by-step. Nice touch.
Overall, It was good story with at least a few memorable characters and some interesting back story on the Doctor and where his stance on "non-interference" stems from. Steven and Vicki make a good duo and I cant wait to see The Monk again in The Daleks Masterplan. My rating it a 3.2.
The really important part of this is the list of changes this serial brings.
Please read as much as possible, you guys will like knowing a lot of this stuff and many listeners will too probably.
This was a big finale. But this is not just the Season 2 finale. Nor is it Ian and Barbara's finale; that was last week. Not even a finale the viewers would notice. This is one of the most important finales in all of Doctor Who, the finale of Verity Lambert, the first producer (in modern terms show runner) of Doctor Who.
This incredibly mysterious and inventive serial not only created the pseudo-historical (occasionally used in Classic Who, but absolutely essential to New Who), it also brought many changes to series as a whole and marked a major turning point with Verity Lambert giving control to John Wiles. This story may seem slow and filler heavy to some new viewers but during the more dull scenes with a lot of historical dialogue, the viewers at home would have been freaking out. This must've been the biggest shock to their system yet. I give this story a 5 out of 5 for what must've shocked the 60s audience; a truly mysterious villain, an absolutely unique plot (for the time), some great cliffhangers, and the overall chemistry of the actors. The idea was also so good it was worth copying many, many times.
List of changes (Minimal spoilers and pretty important to consider)
-Producer, Verity Lambert to John Wiles following this story
-Script editor, Dennis Spooner to Donald Tosh starting with this story
-Much more missing episodes (sadly only 5 out of the next 25 serials/3 Seasons are complete)
-William Hartnell becomes much more crotchety as his health begins to deteriorate, he is much more unhappy in general on set
-Due to Hartnell's health Steven is written as a possible action stand-in for the doctor, doing most of the work and fighting while the doctor stays back
-Due to Hartnell's attitude toward attempts at being written out John Wiles (the new producer) only stays 6 months, fearing a heart attack from so much arguing and infighting with Hartnell
-Companions, this is Vicky's last fulling existing story and from this point on the Tardis doors will open and close to a lot more people
Also, between season 2 and 3 was the release of the first Peter Cushing movie, Dr. Who and the Daleks, so you guys should really do it next chronologically.
Too long; didn't read = this is that middle part of adventure in space and time where it starts to get really sad
The Monk is a great character here (as opposed to the Master Plan, which I'll discuss then). Secret passages, abandoned monasteries made to seem inhabited, Vikings, bonks on the head, a lovely little town with a sweet and honest woman, villager torch mobs, what's not to like here? That's the best way to describe this story. Unfortunately the other half of that is to say that many of the interesting things are not explored to their full potential. The Vikings are really threatening at first, but end up being somewhat bumbling and slapstick, without a plan. The special gun that is a major part of the story is never fired (not to mention that it looks very WWII for a laser weapon), the village consists of one hut and a clearing. The merging of technology from different times is wasted on a dropped wrist watch. How cool would it have been if the villagers or Vikings found out about the advanced tech and tried to take it for their own? The Vikings could have fought over the wrist watch with the dr pointing out that such a trivial thing could advance them prematurely and change everything. The monk uses a record player? Really? How about at least a tape machine that doesn't skip. He's got all of time and space to choose a media player and he uses a record player. A Zune would have worked better. This one mistake is what points the dr to the monastery, ultimately causing the Monk's downfall. Do we even get to see any ships arriving? I forget.
Conversely, the monk is a wonderfully realized (except for the task list, that was cheesy). The banter between he and the doctor was great with layers of subtext even when they weren't actually talking. The monk should have been in more scenes with the main chars. The acting was good, with some exceptional moments here and there. The villager woman was amazing. The dr's cleverness shines here.
I like this episode, but it could have been better. It had a lot going for it, but some things were missed opportunities that could have drove the overall theme of the story to new heights. It's visually also a little too dark, but perhaps that's just the version I have. 2.8


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|Sisar Egan, Sisar Nielsen, and Sisar Hubner - one last picture together
Monday, October 28, 2013
|Sisar Nielsen and her new companion Sisar Lund - "We are basically clueless, but we're ready to work!"
10/28/13 - Long Story Short, I'm Alive! I'm Well! and I'm Happy!
After my last email, I boarded a train (BY MYSELF. weird.) and rode 3 hours to the North to my new city. The longer we rode, the more snow there was. When I finally arrived, I was greeted by my new companion Sisar Lund. She's from Utah and we get along really well! I'm so excited to see what we will do together this change. We are officially the youngest companionship in the mission. I've been in the country for 2 months, she's been in the country for 4. We are by far the most inexperienced and neither one of us knows the language all that well. She's only been in Kuopio 2 weeks longer than me because of a mid transfer transfer so everything's pretty much new to her too. Long story short, WE ARE PRETTY MUCH CLUELESS. But we're ready to work! This area apparently has a rep for being a low baptizing and low finding area. When I got here, there were no progressing investigators (somebody who learns about the gospel continually) and only about 2 investigators (people who are interested in learning more). We decided that we don't care what the past is here. We don't care what is "expected" or "possible" here. We don't care what people say we can or can't do. We're just gonna do it! We drove around Kuopio (WHICH IS GORGEOUS BY THE WAY) and found a place to stop. We got out and said a prayer together asking the Lord to help us to take Kuopio where He desires it to be, because we both know that He has greater things in mind for this place than the limitations that have previously been set for it. After we said "Aamen", we were ready to work.
On one of the days this week, we didn't have any plans at all. So we decided to make it a "finding day" so we could find more people that would be interested in the gospel. We also made it a "pray always" day (which we pray all the time anyway, but we reaaaaaally prayed A TON that day). We felt we should go stop by a less actives house, so we took her some cake and went to introduce ourselves. She let us in and we were able to give her a nice teach. Then we decided to tract her whole building. It was interesting because earlier that day, I had been praying to ask the Lord where we should go. I had gotten the feeling that we needed to go tracting. Now here's the thing, I hate tracting! I think it's so inefficient and quite frankly having the door slammed in your face time after time after time eventually starts to get old (call me crazy). But I had gotten that impression and I knew that's what we needed to do. We also knew that the Lord had brought us to this area for a reason so we tracted that building. And guess what! WE FOUND 3 NEW INVESTIGATORS. AND TWO WERE FAMILIES. It was amazing! We also had met a really awesome 20 year old girl on the street the day before and we set up an appointment with her the day we found those other 3 investigators so that means we found a total of 4! WE MORE THAN DOUBLED the current investigator count. It was insane. As we walked home in the freezing rain, I could not wipe the smile off my face! This is why I'm a missionary! And it just amazes me that we have a Father in Heaven who cares about us and loves us! And lets imperfect people like ME do HIS work. I have witnessed so many miracles in my lifetime, and I think on my mission I am just more aware of even more. God lives. and He cares! When we called our district leader that night (we call in every night to let him know we're home safe and give a mini reporting of the day) he could not believe that we had found 4! He just kept being like "4?! What?!" We're going to take Kuopio to the next level. It's not going to be easy. It's actually gonna be way hard. Pretty much impossible if we didn't have the Lord on our side. But we do and with Him, all things are possible.
I have witnessed the miracle of the gift of tongues even more apparently since coming to Kuopio. Both Sisar Lund and I are at a similar level of understanding... which basically means most of the time we are totally clueless as to what is happening. But here's the thing, so many times this change I feel like all of sudden I can understand everything perfectly! It's crazy. And then all of sudden, I go back to not being able to understand anything at all, like literally nothing. It's the craziest thing. But I've noticed in times where we need to understand what is being said, all of a sudden it comes clearer to me and it's almost as if I'm hearing it in English. CRAZZZY. And then on Sunday there were some nonmembers at church who were from China and didn't speak Finnish. The teacher of the class asked if Sisar Lund and I would translate for them. UHHHH MITÄ?! We didn't really have a choice so we said "okay....". And I mean it was probably the worst translating job in the history of translators (and who knows... we might've just taught them our own lesson instead of what the teacher was saying) but we did it! Through the Lord, we were able to do it.
So long story short, I'm alive! I'm well! and I'm happy! I drove in Finland for the first time here so that was pretty exciting. We have a car so we drive a lot. It makes it harder to contact people but it's nice when it's raining/showing and it's freezing cold. Pray for the people of Kuopio. They don't know what's about to hit them. Pretty much, they're all gonna join the church, the teens are all going on missions, and everybody's gonna get married in the temple and live with their families forever and be HAPPY. Sounds like a pretty good game plan to me.
Sisar Nielsen - p.s. I just got myself a new reflector. Because it's so dark here, it's required by law that everybody wear reflectors all the time. So now I'm all legit and stuff (and obeying the law... ya know us missionaries - we gotta be obedient.)
Monday, October 21, 2013
10/21/13 - I'm Ready To Go (Alternate title - Crying, Crying and More Crying)
This has been quite the week.
On Friday we were expecting change calls. All of the missionaries in the mission patiently (and by patiently I mean not very patiently!) wait around their phones for President to call. He calls to tell us if any changes are being made to our companionship. Well Friday came and went and there was NO CALL from President. We were staying with the Sisters in Turku because we went down there for exchanges and we were all freaking out. Well Friday came and went and Saturday morning dawned bright and early. Sisar Hubner and I woke up and went on a run at 6 am through the streets of Turku. It was absolutely beautiful. Turku is a very old city and we ran across the cobblestone roads past the beautiful architecture until we made our way to a very old church in a different area of the city. It looked like something out of the Middle Ages. It was amazing. We returned back to the Sisters' apartment and were getting ready for the day when the phone rang - it was President. Sister Hubner and I weren't nervous at all because we have only been here for 9 weeks and we still have 3 weeks left of training and they don't normally split up new missionaries from their companions for the first two changes. Also, we had basically been hinted to by the Zone Leaders it was pretty much decided that we would all stay in Tampere. Welllllll, it just constantly amazes me how President can rock our world. His voice came clearly on the phone and said "Well, this is actually a real change call. Sisar Nielsen, you're going to Kuopio." WHAT. So basically I'm being transferred today (Monday) to Kuopio. I'm the only sister in my zone and the only one of the 15 of us who arrived to the country together to get transferred! Kuopio is in the North Zone so it's even COLDER. Apparently they have a craaazy accent and many Finns have told me that it's hard for them to understand them! Pray for me! However I've heard that it's absolutely beautiful there and that it's the perfect "Finnish experience." I'm really excited to go, but I'm also so sad! I'm gonna be honest, I've done a lot of crying since I found out. I cried pretty much all through both wards at church yesterday. Both made me bear my testimony. In the first ward, my district leader gave his goodbye address because he's going home to America. In the second ward, my Zone Leader gave his goodbye address because he's going home too. It was so emotional! Sarah, the recent convert, just cried as she hugged me. She also bought me a very expensive sweater that has a really big turtle neck as a going away gift. She said it was so big so "it can keep my neck warm so I have my voice to preach the gospel in the cold." Baaaaaasically I love her. It broke my heart having to leave her. Many of the youth wanted to know my name so they could add me on Facebook when I go home. I had many a tearful goodbye. The night before we were sitting at home, and Sisar Hubner was like "what am I gonna do without my twin? I'm gonna start crying" and then tears literally started BURSTING from her eyes. It was actually the weirdest thing. hahaha and even she was like "uh what is going on?" as they started streaming down her face. Long story short, it's reallllly hard for me to say goodbye because I already love all of these people so much. But I know that I'm needed in Kuopio. Before change calls happened, I had prayed that the Lord would keep me in Tampere unless I was needed somewhere else. When President first told me I was going, I felt the Spirit confirm to me that I'm needed there. Then yesterday at church, the young woman who's friend we are teaching tearfully said goodbye to me and said (in Finnish) "they need you there". The Spirit instantly hit me. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to travel by train (BY MYSELF) for a couple hours North to storm castles, preach the gospel, and save souls!
MISSIONARY WORK IS BOOMING HERE. We had the most amazing lesson of my life. (which is another reason why it's going to be so hard for me to leave). We taught that teenage girl again. This time we taught her at the church. We discussed the second half of the Restoration and focused more on the Priesthood. First we started by giving a church tour (she comes to church a lot but she doesn't know what all the other classes at church are). We talked about the restoration of the Priesthood, how it's the power of God and the authority to act in God's name, and how it blesses our lives. We talked about the different ordinances we perform with the priesthood-sacrament, baptism, and gift of the Holy Ghost. We then showed her a Mormon Message called Power of God (http://www.lds.org/media-
library/video/2012-01-001- power-of-god?lang=eng). The Spirit flooded the room. We then bore testimony of the power of the Priesthood and the blessings it brings. The member shared a personal experience about the Priesthood which was very good. Then the Spirit told me to share the story of Matthew's head injury. I was scared because I didn't know lots of the vocab for it, but I felt the prompting again so I just opened my mouth to say it. And guess what! My mouth was filled with the words I needed to speak. WE HAVE A GOD OF MIRACLES PEOPLE. I told her how when Matthew was little, he fell down and hit his head. I explained how he wasn't acting normal and how Dad gave him a Priesthood Blessing. I then explained the rest of the story about how the doctors said he could possibly die or never be the same, how the Priesthood saved his life, and how the doctors couldn't explain it. As I was telling the story, the Spirit became so intense that every single one of us started crying. I then bore my testimony about how I don't even want to imagine what would've happened to my brother if he hadn't received a Priesthood Blessing. How I love him so much and my life would be empty without him. I talked about how grateful I am for this power and how I want my future husband to have it so he can bless our children. Right after that I looked at Sisar Egan and she turned and asked the investigator if she wants to receive all of these blessings and more by being baptized by this Priesthood authority. With tears in her eyes, she said yes! The member looked soooo shocked! It was wonderful. Then she just started crying and grabbed her friend. So then we were all crying again. It was so beautiful. She's getting baptized Dec. 7. I'm so sad that I won't be here to witness it, but my heart is so full of happiness and joy for this amazing girl. The member (the same one who told me that I'm needed in Kuopio) hugged me and told me how grateful she is that I was her missionary. It made me feel so good. Basically one of the reasons I knew I was supposed to come on a mission was for the youth and that's governing almost all of my actions. I make interacting with them a top priority and my trainer told me that she has noticed this. Maybe it's just because I'm so awkward that I feel like I fit in with them better. Or maybe it's because most of them know English well so they can help me with my Finnish. Either way, I love em! They're going to be the future leaders and teachers and missionaries of Finland.
I had to whip out my winter coat for the day it snowed. Like my real $200 winter coat that comes down to my mid-calf and is about the warmest thing I've ever worn in my life. I've heard that there's already quite a bit of snow in Kuopio... we shall see about that.
Basically, I'm still way awkward. When we were at the train station going to Turku I tried to walk through doors that were automatically closing the other way. I about got squashed in them and I had to shimmy my way out. Sisar Egan just looked at me as she walked through the doors next to me with ease (because they were actually the correct doors to go through) and just said "wow, can you get any more awkward....?" Luckily, Sisar Hubner is also way awkward. On Saturday, we were sprinting to our bus (something that we do quite often) except this time we had our suitcases with us because we were heading home from Turku and had our backpacks full and were wearing like a bajillion warm clothes and boots that pretty much acted as ankle weights. Sisar Hubner and I were sprinting towards the bus when all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw things flying around. I turned and saw that Sisar Hubner's backpack had come unzipped and pamphlets and cards were going every which way. Also, she had broken one of her boots earlier and we had just picked it up from a shop where it was fixed so it also went flying and almost landed in the street. As I yelled at her to stop running, she whipped around and more things went flying out. The bus' doors were starting to close so I just continued to book it to the bus. I got there just in time to stop the bus and get on, completely out of breath (did I mention we had to run up a sloped street in the middle of the busy city to get to the bus stop?) I said "Anteeks, meilla on ongelma" (sorry, we have a problem) the bus driver just looked in the side mirror and could see everything and just said "yessss...." I yelled out "Sisar, oletko ok?" (Are you okay) and the entire bus turned in one accord to look out the window at my two companions struggling to pick up everything. I felt kinda bad for drawing the entire bus' attention towards them but I needed someway to stall the bus driver! After a lot of running around and grabbing things, they finally stumbled on the bus with pamphlets, books, and boot in hand.
Well, next time you hear from me, I'll be up north. Hopefully I'm not a total popsicle. KIRKKO ON TOTTA. just remember that okay? The gospel changes lives! This is the only way that we can find lasting happiness, in this life and the life to come. I miss and love you all. But I know I'm exactly where I need to be right now.
Sisar Nielsen
Monday, October 14, 2013
|Trainer and Trainee - Sisar Egan and Sisar Nielsen
|Sisar Hubner and Sisar Nielsen in their new matching winter boots - bring it on!
|Sisar Nielsen and Sisar Egan
|Sisar Nielsen and Sisar Hubner on their bikes
10/14/13 - Then We Went To Work
MOI. So for starters, I saw the most beautiful sunset in the whole wide world the other day. We were riding our bikes trying to find a less active's house and we got to witness the whole thing. It kept changing colors and had the most brilliant clouds and sunbeams. Seriously, it was so good that even other missionaries mentioned it the next time we talked to them. Heavenly Father is truly a master creator, and I'm so grateful to be in this beautiful country.
This was a good week. It was tiring, but it was good! Every week we set goals that we want to achieve (example: number of teaches we want, number of investigators at church, number of referrals from members of their friends that we can teach, etc). By setting goals, we are able to put our trust and faith in the Lord. Well this week, we all felt really strongly that we needed to set some pretty high goals. Even though most of the numbers were higher than we have ever reached, we decided to follow the Spirit and trust in the Lord. Then we went to work.
We taught this teenage girl who is the friend of one of the young women. We had a great meal with them before and then we taught about the Restoration. From the moment we started talking it reminded me of when Kimmy took the missionary discussions. (Jenessa's high school friend who was baptized 2 1/2 years ago.) The lesson went great and the Spirit was strong. At the end I was bearing my testimony and I just started crying. Through my tears and broken Finnish, I testified to this girl that she is a daughter of her Heavenly Father. That He loves her and that He knows her. That she is special and that she is worth it. I told her that Jesus Christ is her Savior and Redeemer and that He loves her perfectly. I could feel the love Heavenly Father has for this precious daughter of His as I was speaking. She started tearing up (okay actually everybody did) and at the end we invited her to pray. She said a simple but beautiful prayer. Her friend had to help her say "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen" at the end. When she finished, her friend threw her arms around her and they both had tears in her eyes while they hugged. This is why I'm here. Because everybody needs this gospel. Everybody needs more happiness, purpose, and hope in their lives. I love my life!
We also had a great teach with the most adorable girl ever! She's 20 and I met her on the bus. She's super outgoing and friendly, likes practicing her English with us, and is genuinely interested in learning about the church. She's come to FHE (Family Home Evening) with the young adults twice (they have a lesson, a meal, and then an activity. it's really fun). This past week, she came a little early and we were able to give her a tour of the church building. When we were in the Relief Society room, I bore my testimony of the power of the Relief Society. As we were talking about this amazing women's organization, she said "I have chills as you're speaking. This is truly amazing". We finished in the room with the baptismal font. We talked about baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We explained to her that the feeling she had felt when we were upstairs in the relief society room is the Holy Ghost. We explained to her what the role of the Holy Ghost is-that one of His main roles is to testify of truth-and that through the Holy Ghost she can know the truthfulness of our message. After Perhe Ilta (FHE), I felt that we should show her this video. http://www.lds.org/
pages/mormon-messages# daughters-of-god. As we watched it, the Spirit was so strong. She even pointed out that she could feel it. We met with her again on Wednesday at a cafe and it went so well. She said that when she's with us, she feels an incredible peace and feels warm in her heart. It is obvious that the Spirit is working on her. Our invitation to everyone is to not just take our word for it. We invite everyone everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ask God in the name of Jesus Christ if it is true, and by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things. I know for MYSELF that this is God's one true church on the earth. No mortal man could've just made it up. I'm sorry, Joseph Smith was smart but he wasn't that smart. This is obviously the work of the Lord.
So anyway, our goals that we had set were going fine, but we weren't quite reaching them. The majority of our investigators weren't able to come to church on Sunday which was sad. There's a one hour break between the two wards that we attend. During that hour, we went to the center of the city to pick up one of our new investigators and bring her to church. When we got to church, we had to practice a song that we were singing in Sacrament Meeting (in front of everybody... in FINNISH. okay I know that makes sense but still, sometimes I freak out when I think about the fact that I'm singing/speaking/thinking in Finnish!). She's 17 so we introduced her to some of the young women so they could talk to her while we practiced. When we got back, we saw that they had brought her into the chapel and had all sat down and surrounded her. There wasn't even room for us! It was amazing! And she looked so happy! One of our other investigators came who we taught for the first time this week after a member referred her to us saying that she needed help cleaning her house. Before we left her house, we ended up giving her a spiritual thought and committing her to be BAPTIZED. When we later told the member, she was shocked! PEOPLE ARE READY FOR THIS GOSPEL. The Lord knows who is ready. We need to help His work by inviting our friends and praying for ways that we can share the gospel. A simple act of service is enough to provide the perfect gateway to lasting happiness and salvation people! This is important! :)) so that was really exciting! Then we were talking with the young woman about the lesson we had with her friend earlier that week (the one in the story above) and the other young women heard us and one of them said "wait! I have a friend I want you to teach too!!. Then before church started, Sarah (our recent convert) shows up to church with her children and another woman and her son. This other woman is not a member of the church, but she absolutely loved it! When she saw a flier for a Relief Society activity, she turned to Sarah and said "Sarah, we should go to this! She asked me if she could buy a Liahona (church magazine) and I told her she could have it for free. She gave us her number and said she wants to learn more. AND GET THIS. SARAH HAD MET HER ONLY 2 DAYS EARLIER IN THE TOWN CENTER. WHAAAAAAT?! She had just started talking to her and ended up inviting her to church! And she's totally interested and wants to learn more and now she and Sarah are friends! This is what missionary work is about people. Inviting EVERYBODY. So basically, KIRKKO ON TOTTA AND GOD LIVES. Through all of these amazing miracles (and more) we met almost all of our goals (which was UNBELIEVABLE). I know that when the Lord asks us to do something, He provides us a way so that we can do it. I love being able to witness His hand in all that we do.
OKAY, so here's a list of some more "Finnishisms" (things that reflect my life here/Finnish culture)
1. everybody wears crocs
2. when teenagers learn to drive here, they all have to drive these little cars that look like smart cars that can only fit 2 people in them and have a big orange triangle on the back of them
3. they eat rye bread like candy
4. and we eat candy like candy. they especially like salted black licorice (which i'm trying reaaally hard to like... it's a bit of an acquired taste)
5. everybody's a "member" of the Lutheran church but most people don't attend
6. so many people wear American athletic wear (but then when I try to use it to strike up a conversation, they don't even know anything about the teams...)
7. as soon as you walk into pretty much any house or apartment, you walk right into a mudroom. it doesn't matter how big your house is or how small your apartment is, essentially everybody has a mudroom as their entry room... if that doesn't show you how wet and muddy and snowy this place gets, i don't know what does....
8. you haven't seen pine trees until you've seen Finnish pine trees
9. you flush toilets by pushing a button on the top of them
10. and everybody's legit scared for winter (you'd think they'd be used to it by now).... and apparently we're supposed to get actual snow this week. wish me luck. :)
Sisar Nielsen
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
10/6/13 - We Were Able to Walk Away Feeling Triumphant
This week was really good. And really crazy. I spent almost all of it in Helsinki for Interim Training. Since I've been here 6 weeks, everybody who came in the same day as I did all met in Helsinki for 3 days of training and a day of language school. It was amazing. I absolutely LOVE Helsinki. It is such a beautiful city! And our Mission President pretty much blew our minds away. It was all so good. I learned a ton and I can't wait to practice what I learned and become a better missionary!
This week was really good. And really crazy. I spent almost all of it in Helsinki for Interim Training. Since I've been here 6 weeks, everybody who came in the same day as I did all met in Helsinki for 3 days of training and a day of language school. It was amazing. I absolutely LOVE Helsinki. It is such a beautiful city! And our Mission President pretty much blew our minds away. It was all so good. I learned a ton and I can't wait to practice what I learned and become a better missionary!
Sisar Hubner and I had quite the interesting experience. All during Interim, my companions and I stayed with the sisters in Espoo (pronounced es-poe.. not es-poo!). It's about a 15 minute train ride from Helsinki. So the day of the language school, all of our trainers went on splits (meaning they went with other missionaries) while we newer missionaries worked on our language skills. When it was over, Sisar Hubner and I had to travel to a city called Killo while our trainer was somewhere completely different. We navigated our way through Helsinki and made it to the train. We got on and sat down. This man across from us started talking to us. It was obvious that he was very drunk. He started getting up in our faces and making both of us feel very uncomfortable. He said "where are you from?" we told him America. He said "no you're not! where are you from??" we said "we're from America" he started getting more angry and said "no you're not!". At this point, Sisar Hubner and I got up and walked to another train car. We did not want to have to deal with that. We sat down and all of a sudden, this man sat down next to us. He had followed us! He started asking us more questions and kept telling us that all of our answers were wrong. Well, needless to say, both Sisar Hubner and I got the "you need to get out of here now!" feeling. We excused ourselves, got off the train, and literally sprinted towards the front of the train so we could get back on in another train car. We did, slid into our seats, and thought phewww that's the end of that. Well, we were wrong.
We got to Killo and we visited some former investigators and contacted on the street. As we were walking, I turned to Sisar Hubner and said "we need to talk to this man" so we did. We had an awesome experience with him. Turns out, he has met with the Elders before. He said at that time, he was just too busy for these kinds of things. But now, he's ready to learn more. We talked about the hope and happiness the gospel brings to our lives. He said he's read parts of the Book of Mormon before. He said, "At first I thought that this cannot be. There is only one Bible and this book is wrong! but as I read it, I realized that this book says the same things as the Bible. It's just another testimony of those things. It's a good book." As he talked about the Book of Mormon, I felt the Spirit so strongly. It was amazing. After that, Sisar Hubner and I went to go meet 3 punk kids we had met two days earlier. They are all atheist and we asked them to try praying then report back to us. As we were walking to meet them, we saw the crazy drunk man again! He had gotten off at our same stop. We had to quickly dodge out of the way - and this is when things got crazy. Some of the punk kids had actually showed up and were waiting for us in the parking lot of a store. We were walking over to them when the drunk man showed up. He went up to them and started harassing them. Then, more punk kids showed up. Then this random woman runs up to us and says "sisters, sisters!" turns out she had a meeting with the Espoo sisters that we were staying with and they had planned to meet in the parking lot where we were. But the Espoo sisters were on the other side of town! This woman is a new convert and wanted to introduce her friend (who was with her) to the Gospel. So basically, there Sisar Hubner and I were, two new missionaries that can't really speak Finnish, with a group of punk kids that we want to meet with, a random sister who we apparently have an appointment with, and a drunk man who won't leave us alone! This is my life. The kids bought the drunk man a drink and ushered him away, we told the lady with the friend to wait for a second while we went to talk to the punk kids, then we told the punk kids that we wanted to talk to them but we needed to talk to someone else first, then we went and introduced this woman's friend to the Gospel, then the other Sisters finally showed up. We finished that teach and by then the castle was HUGEEE (See previous blog post if you don't know what this means :). There were so many punk kids! So we said a quick silent prayer and then we stormed that castle! We stormed it really well if I do say so myself. It was the biggest castle we've ever stormed. We just marched up and shook their hands. The ones we hadn't talked to earlier were way surprised. We talked to them for a while, were able to share little pieces about the gospel without being over bearing, and were able to walk away feeling triumphant. As we were walking to the bus stop, we came around the corner and the HELSINKI TEMPLE WAS THERE. Oh my word, it was beautiful! It literally radiated! It shown brightly in the darkness. The Spirit hit me like a wall. This is why I'm here. To get people there! The temple is seriously my favorite place on earth. I'm so grateful for the blessings of it in my life. I haven't had the opportunity to go to the Temple in Finland. So here's what I say to you all. If you have the opportunity to go to the temple in the near future, DO IT. It's where the Lord wants you to be.
So basically General Conference was AMAZING. I loved every single minute of it. We didn't get to watch Sunday evening's session because of the time difference, but I'll be sure to do that on one of my p-days. As I watched conference, it really just hit me how important it is to share the gospel. How important it is to share the light that we have. To share the happiness and hope that it brings. I love how they don't call it "missionary work". They call it "the work of Salvation". Salvation. That's huge. I encourage you all to pray daily for ways you can share the gospel. Ways you can help others. The word of God heals the wounded soul. We're not trying to get more members for our congregations, we're trying to heal souls and save them. So put a Book of Mormon in your backpack and pray for the Lord to give you an opportunity to give it away. Post a Mormon message on Facebook. Invite your friends to hear you speak in church or to an activity. If you're not a member of this church, find somebody who is and ask to learn more. I promise, this is what everybody in the world needs. If we don't share the gospel with our families and friends, who will?
I love you all and the church is true. I know it. I love it. I testify of it. And I'm so grateful to be able to represent my best friend, represent my Savior and Redeemer every day.
"doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" dieter f. uchtdorf
Sisar Nielsen - PS The night of our adventure, we talked to the AP's (Assistants to the President). They said that after we left the office that afternoon they had thought "Wait, was that smart? Letting two new missionaries go off on their own?" but then they said they were like "Ehhh, one's from Chicago and one's from New York. They're fine." hahaha
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text:
Police used DNA analysis of a mask, a state ID card and a cell phone to tie a man to the February slaying of a woman and her boyfriend in the Gresham neighborhood, prosecutors said today.
Derrick Pearson, 22, of the 7300 block of South Damen Avenue, today was ordered held in Cook County Jail in lieu of $3 million bail in the slayings of Maryrosa Russell-Green, 44, and Charles King, 28, in Russell-Green's car on Feb. 2. On Monday, he was charged with murder in the killings.
Pearson turned himself in to Calumet Area detectives on Monday. Detectives had identified Pearson as the suspect in the slayings after he left his state identification card and a mask used in the shootings in a car he borrowed as an escape vehicle, said Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.


text:
… I thought about your question. Specifically, I thought what if I was checking out a guy for my sister.
Two annoying things I've seen in pickup games that often may be indicative of character flaws:
1.) How a player uses his mouth as part of his game. The worst situation is with guys who never miss -- they either score or are fouled. Uggh. Since pick-up is self-officiated you occasionally get the worst of the worst, guys who'd rather argue than play. I have had the experience in a couple places of playing in leagues with refs where there are guys who I've also played pick-up. Quite often the guys that argue in pickup are also the guys who argue with the refs. So, to be fair to the jabberers and not claim that it's a sure indicator of character flaw ... there are counter examples....
2.) It's a team sport: if you like bouncing balls by yourself, take up billiards. And I'm not just griping about ball hogs -- I'm not so good that I expect to spend a lot of time handling the thing myself. But that's part of the point -- try to remember why you're out there. Ever since Michael Jordan was on TV, I see a lot of guys who dribble between their legs or behind their back for no reason. To show they have the skills? To waste time? I've seen kids dribble into a corner and then spend a few more seconds dribbling and looking at the floor. Meanwhile nine guys are standing around. Get a grip. Michael Jordan was good for the sports in some respects and bad for it in others. The Globetrotters do some silly dribbling, but they also do .. pass plays, with precision cuts and precision passes.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Rich Mack on the Obama Hoop Question..
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Hoop, Obama, and character - Jim Haas says ...
During the inauguration hoopla, I read that Michelle Robinson Obama, back in Chicago in the day and before she had been too very long originally dating Barak, asked her brother to play basketball with him and give a report. The thinking was that if Obama had genuine character flaws of any kind they would probably surface in a pick up game. I think that is a sort of street smarts; I like the idea. The idea that you study a person this way - it's almost Shakespearian to ask your brother to run the ploy. With that in mind I asked old buddy pick-up game all stars of yore for their take on suspect traits in a pick-up game player - traits that could divulge deep inner traits of character - ugly ones - ones you wouldn't want to endure for a lifetime. How did they gauge other players? I invited my b-ball buds to forward the question to their team mates too.
Jim Haas says ...
Allright jack, you're talking to a hoop fan and a player. I try to watch every Warriors game, in spite of their record and play two hours of full-court each Wednesday night in what we call "the geezers league". Playground ball comes on the weekends.
What I find objectionable is a player who hogs the ball and feels he has to take a disproportionate number of shots - even if he's good and he makes a high percentage. That's not why the rest of of us are out there, to watch some other guy crank up his jump shot the whole time. We want in on the game too! Seems to me that someone like that has an inflated view of his own worth: the kind of person who is often blind to his defects and is oblivious to the talents or needs of others. In other words: an egotistical son of a bitch and I don't like him!
Another thing I don't much care for is serious trash-talking. But then, I don't really encounter it amongst the people I play with. Seems to me so very childish, unless it's done in a "friendly rivalry" sort of way. If someone I don't even know were to openly put me down for doing the best I can on the court or because they're better than I am, I feel it says a lot more about them than me. "Insecure"..."feelings of inadequacy"...even "malevolent" all come to mind. In fact, come to think of it, many years ago when my boys were probably 8 and 10 years old, we three were challenged to a playground game by a trio of 12-13 year olds. They could play and were beating us pretty handily - which was OK. We were having fun and getting exercise. But then they started taunting. After a while I took umbrage and decided to pass less, crash the boards more, defend harder and essentially drive to the basket right through them. It didn't take long before they felt threatened and stormed off retaining their bravado, calling out names and insults from a safe distance. When one finally yelled "suck my dick", I maturely came back with the rejoinder of a lifetime: "I would if you had one" (...wait a second, that's not how it was supposed to come out!)
Oh yeah, one more: the player who gets frustrated and as a result intentionally fouls hard or sets a pick with a fullback's block - more often than not it's the guy who weights 220 pounds, too. Gotta admit I'm not very fond of that. As seen in the previous paragraph, this can lead to unpleasant and regrettable results. I think such a person could use a little anger management and is unlikely to have the tenacity to remain steady in the face of adversity.
Running the ship of state or shooting hoops - it's all about the same human foibles and capacities. Michelle was right in looking for a team player, one with smarts and game as well.
(Drawing above by Jack Vaughan and Jacob Vaughan.)
Hoop, Obama, and character - Jake Widman says ...
Jake Widman says ...
People who intentionally foul as a way of playing defense. There's this one guy I play with--if you're going in for a layup against him, he'll hold your arms down. If you start to drive around him, he'll reach out and grab you. If you cut to the basket without the ball, he'll step into you to knock you off line. I know this stuff happens in the NBA, but it's a sign of a personality flaw in pickup ball because there's no real consequence--you don't get your two shots, and he never fouls out. To me, that makes it contrary to the spirit of the game, or at least of the types of games I like to play in. (Part of it is that none of us are so good that a layup is a gimme--let the guy get his shot off!) It tells me he's someone who's willing to exploit loopholes in the rules to his own advantage, even though it's not in keeping with the spirit and is not the way everyone else is approaching the game. Maybe it's a good trait in a lawyer, but it's not an attractive trait in a playmate.
Hoop, Obama, and character - Jeff DeMark says ..
Jeff DeMark says:
I haven't been playing basketball for a few years now but I can think of a couple things:
1) If a person drives to the basket and misses or misses an outside shot they call "Foul" when they were clearly not fouled. They blame the miss on someone, not themself .
I used to just hate that and always looked at that person as a cheat.
2) Some one who is a ball hog, who will not pass and constantly shoots even if teammates are open. I always looked at them as selfish and egocentric, the opposite of a team player.
3) People who flashed anger quickly or took the game way too seriously I thought were out of balance and immature. If they had to win at all cost I usually thought I would not want to be their friend.
I saw people's character flaws revealed many times of the court.
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text:
The cold that hits when you step out of a hot shower
the pain when you hit a snowbank face first
the head pain when eating too much cold too fast
he said he doesn't love you and he never did.
All those days and nights and moments
invested in a soul mate without a soul
Why are you telling me this
Why am I the first to know
the first touch of a warm towel.
The first waves of a roaring fire.
The first sip of a cappuccino.
I'm saying I love you and always will
but I've always been here
like a monument down the street
so you don't see me, not really
Why am I the first to know
Let's fall in love **
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Our hearts are made of it
Let's take a chance, why be afraid of it?
it's barely a touch from a floating feather
the sensation of sunlight breaking through the clouds
the fragrance of hot chocolate from another room
that musical you wanted to see, what was it?
I have tickets lower level, not too close
maybe dinner at that Italian restaurant
would you like to, would you
Why am I the first to know?
** "Let's Fall in Love" is a song written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler