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VK Preston, Assistant Professor
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Office: UC A307
View CV
Ph.D. Degree conferred, 2014
Theatre and Performance Studies with a Ph.D. minor in History
Stanford University, Palo Alto, Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS)
Dissertation Title: "Sovereign and Forgotten Bodies: Performing French and Trans-Atlantic Baroques, 1581-1653"
Supervisors: Jean-Marie Apostolidès and Janice Ross (co-chairs)
Committee members: Paula Findlen, Mark Franko, and Stephen Orgel
Ph.D. Minor, Department of History, specialization in Early Modern Studies, Supervisors: Paula Findlen and Laura Stokes
UC Berkeley-Stanford Exchange Program, 2008-2009
M.A. Degree conferred, 2001
Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY, Comparative Literature
Summa Cum Laude, Graduate Certificates in French Translation and Gender Studies
B.A. Degree conferred, 1999
Concordia University, Montreal, Liberal Arts College
B.A., including two years in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts (studio and performance)
Research & Teaching: History and Performance Historiography, Performance Studies, Intersectionality, Dance and Theatre, Early Modern Studies, Queer Performance and Dramaturgy
VK Preston is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies and University College at the University of Toronto. She pursues contemporary as well as historical research, writing on the witches' Sabbath in the early modern Atlantic World, the colonial invasion of the Americas, performance art, early ballets, dis/ability, and choreography. VK is the recipient of an early career fellowship from Australian Research Council's History of Emotions project and a short term fellowship at the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. She has participated in research communities including the seminar on Early Modern Cross-Cultural Conversions at the University of Cambridge, the Sense Lab's Immediations project in Montreal, the Universität der Künste Berlin's KlangKunstBühne, and the Mobile Academy in Warsaw. VK is an inaugural member and contributor to the Mellon Dance Studies in/and the Humanities program. She completed her dissertation in Paris as a Stanford research fellow at the École normale supérieure and as an artist-researcher at La Cité internationale des arts. VK arrives in Toronto by way of a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship McGill University's Institute for the Public Life of the Arts and Ideas and a position as Visiting Assistant Professor (2015-2016) at Brown University's Theatre Arts and Performance Studies program. She has received funding from SSHRC, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Mellon Foundation, the Montreal Mayor's Foundation and Stanford University.
Her publications include "How Do I Touch This Text?: Or, the Interdisciplines Between, Dance and Theatre in Early Modern Archives" in The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Theatre (2015) as well as texts in TDR / The Drama Review, the Canadian Theatre Review, TheatreForum, and History, Memory, Performance. Her "Tendering the Flesh: the ABCs of Dave St-Pierre's Contemporary Utopias," co-authored with Dr. Alanna Thain, won the 2013 Richard Plant award from the Canadian Association for Theatre Research for best article in English on a Canadian topic in theatre and performance. She comes to performance research with a background in practice, and she teaches Laban-based movement research, dramaturgy, and interdisciplinary performance fundamentals.
Selected Research Awards
Connaught New Researcher Award, University of Toronto
Articles and Chapters
(Forthcoming). "Baroque Relations: Indigenous Protest and Precious Metals in Early Ballet, 1626." In The Oxford Handbook of Danced Reenactment. Ed., Mark Franko. New York: Oxford University Press.
Preston, Virginia. "A Dictionary in the Archives." In Performance Research, special issue on Trans/Performance, ed. Amelia Jones, 21(5): 85-88.
Petra Kuppers, Stephanie Heit, April Sizemore Barber, and VK Preston. "Mad Methodologies and Community Arts: The Asylum Project." In Theatre Topics, special issue on Devised/Collective Performance. 26(2): 221-237.
"How do I touch this text?: Or, the Interdisciplines Between: Dance and Theatre in Early Modern Archives." In The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Theater. Ed., Nadine George-Graves. 56-89. New York: Oxford University Press.
"Un/becoming Nomad: Marc Lescarbot, Movement and Metamorphosis in Les Muses de la Nouvelle France." In History, Memory, Performance. Eds., David Dean, Yana Meerzon, and Kathryn Price, 68-82. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
"Curating Performance: Artist as Curator, Curation as Act." Introduction to "Views and Reviews," on the Montreal International Symposium on Curating the Performing Arts. Canadian Theatre Review 162: 76-77.
With Alanna Thain. "Tendering the Flesh: The ABCs of Dave St-Pierre's Contemporary Utopias." In TDR/The Drama Review
Preston, Virginia. "Imag/ing Theater: Wajdi Mouawad's Seuls," Theatreforum 35: 17-25.
"Curating Performance," Views and Reviews, Canadian Theatre Review 162 (guest editor).
Kornas, Tadeusz and Caryn Swift. Between Anthropology and Politics: Two Strands of Polish Alternative Theatre. Institut Teatralny. Warsaw, Poland, 2007.
Beauvoir, Simone de. "Must We Burn Sade?" in Political Writings. Trans. by Kim Allen Gleed, Marilyn Gaddis Rose, and Virginia Preston. Simone de Beauvoir Series. Eds., Marybeth Timmermann and Peg Simons. Illinois UP: 50-101.
Performance Texts
(Forthcoming). "Trans-scriptive Things" and "The Last Wor(l)d" in Imagined Theatres: Writing for a Theoretical Stage. Ed., Daniel Sack. New York/London: Routledge.
Preston, VK. 2016. Tanya Tagaq in Concert with Nanook of the North in Theatre Journal 68(4), 649-650
Preston, VK. 2012. La Délivrance de Renaud: Ballet Danced by Louis XIII in 1617 (Brepols, 2011), Dance Research Journal 44(2): 95-100. (Book review).
Preston, Virginia K. 2010. "Voyages: Revisiting Québec's Delegation to Avignon," Canadian Theatre Review 144: 99-101. (Festival review).


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1214 Eastview Road, North Vancouver
Located on one of Westlynn's finest Culdesac is the PERFECT family home to raise your family. One of the largest Crest built homes. This 1 owner home features 4 spacious bedrooms on the main with a family room off the kitchen. Beautiful hardwood floors, 3 gas fireplaces with 1,639 sq ft on the main an ideal 2 family home. Easy to suite down if required with a massive rec room and large unfinished area. 1 or 2 bedrooms perhaps and retain some of the rec room for upstairs. Facing south this is a very bright and sunny home with some peekaboo views. The backyard backs onto Eastview Elementary so the kids can come home for lunch. Roof, furnace, hot water tank approx. 10 years. OPEN Sun Aug 5 2-4
Taxes (2017): $5,562.10

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I hereby certify that I have an accurate and working knowledge of the rules and officiating mechanics of the sport(s) in which I desire to be licensed as an official. I will uphold all WIAA's policies, including those of promoting wholesome amateur athletics in the member schools of Wisconsin and conducting them in an atmosphere of sportsmanship, free from gender and ethnic bias. I clearly understand that: I am acting as an independent contractor and not as an employee of the WIAA or its member schools. By submitting this application, I agree to review the WIAA Guide for Officials, found on the WIAA website, and will abide by terms and conditions stated in this Guide.
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Individuals that are in high school and reciprocity applicants cannot use the online form. You must print the application and mail it to our office. Click here for the high school student application and here for the reciprocity application.
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The WIAA is offering individuals that have served or are still serving in the Armed Forces the opportunity to license as a WIAA sport official by waiving the basic licensing fee and the sport fee for two years. This offer is extended to those individuals that are licensing as a WIAA sport official for the first time or renewing their license for their second year. In order to take advantage of this offer you will need to print the application. For the appropriate application click here.
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text: This is an analysis in which we played the games "Journey" and "Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" with the goal of identifying game design patterns that were used to convey the games' narratives. Using the method known as formal analysis we examined different situations in the games. Having identified which design patters seemed significant we decided upon a template with which we would present our findings. We found three patterns that we deemed were important enough to be defined in this paper; "Player guidance through Non Player Characters", "Manipulation of controller effects" and "Visual reminders of the Player's Goal" and explain these thoroughly. In our discussion we examine the value of our findings and how effective we found our method to be.


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Special Event – Season Opener
Wine, Winds and Song
Salem Symphonic Winds presents its
Eight Annual Summer Concert at
Youngberg Hill
on August 26, 2018 at 5:30 PM
with Jeff Witt, Vocal Soloist
Relax to the sounds of the Salem Symphonic Winds with a glass of world class wine, a gourmet picnic meal and some classic tunes from Broadway, rock and jazz at picturesque Youngberg Hill Winery near McMinnville. Jeff Witt will thrill you with songs like Bring Him Home from Les Miserables and Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. The band will bring you favorites by Leonard Bernstein, The Beatles, Abba, Queen and much more. Pre-order a gourmet picnic provided by Roth's Fresh Catering or bring your own picnic, but don't miss another beautiful evening at Youngberg Hill!
Jeff Witt
Vocal Soloist
Jeff has been performing musical theatre around the valley for the past 25 years. Some of his favorite roles at Pentacle Theatre are Gomez in The Addams Family, Igor in Young Frankenstein, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden, Angel in Rent, Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, and Horton the Elephant in Seussical the Musical. At Pentacle he has also directed Brigadoon, co-directed City of Angels, and was vocal director for Urinetown and Jesus Christ Superstar. He was most recently seen in The Verona Studios production of Marry Me a Little. Currently Jeff is the vocal music and drama director at Central High School in Monmouth. He spends his free time with his partner cooking and working in the garden.


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Make good choices for the most important meal of the day if you want to stay on top of your game.
You can be your own fashion stylist with the right tools and guidance.
Crowdfunding is social media meets fundraising. Take control of your project by letting the crowd finance it.
Here are some questions you must ask to check if your business is in the clear.


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About Us
Surfside Inn Resort has long been a favorite destination.
In 2012 the resort underwent major exterior improvements that included all new siding, unit decks, windows, doors, corridors, stairs and handrails, along with new exterior lighting, and a new vestibule.
In addition of the exterior improvements we were able to do some wonderful interior improvements. We expanded the lobby area adding a very inviting check-in desk, elevator, guest lounge with fireplace, a business center, vending area, guest laundry, commercial resort laundry area and new boiler room replacing electric hot water tanks for gas.
The exterior and interior of the pool building has been renovated as well and a new exercise room was also added.
In the first quarter of 2016 the units at Surfside Inn received a much needed facelift. The units received new paint, cabinets, tile in the kitchens and bathroom, new carpet, new kitchen appliances and all new case goods. Upgrades include LED flat panel TVs, murphy beds, king beds, overhead fan and black out shades in bedrooms.
As always we remain committed to ensure you and your family enjoys a superb vacation experience.
We feel confident that you will be extremely pleased with the result in your next visit.
Resort Rules and Regulations
Washers and dryers are located on the second floor, off the lobby, and are free for your use. Laundry soap is available at the office. You are responsible for securing your laundry. PLEASE ~ NO SHOES IN THE MACHINES.
Pool towels are available at the front desk. Please drop off your used towels and pick up clean ones there.
You must be 18 years or older to rent available units.
Check-in is at 4:00 PM and Check-out is at 12 noon.
One bedroom units have an occupancy limit of 4 people; two bedrooms have an occupancy limit of 6 people. THESE OCCUPANCY NUMBERS INCLUDE BABIES AND SMALL CHILDREN.
Public beach access is within walking distance, only two blocks west of the resort.
Please do not litter or leave items on the property or the beach.
Swimming is prohibited in most areas along the Long Beach Peninsula due to dangerous tidal undercurrents. Please contact Guest Services for further information regarding ocean conditions. Use caution when playing in the surf on the beach
Pets are not allowed, this includes inside vehicles parked on the premises. Our staff will be happy to recommend area facilities that will accommodate your pet during your stay with us. Service animals assisting individuals with disabilities are permitted
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Our vision is that people in our communities will be more confident in accessing and using IT, so that they are able to connect on line, use online services, with barriers to using IT reduced.
Digital Inclusion is one of our newer themes, but we have already worked with Townhill Park Community Association and Lovell to provide laptops and tablets at Townhill Park Community Centre. This enables us to run a weekly Tea & Tech session, alongside a weekly Job Club. Here residents can get support with job searches or writing CVs, or our Tea & Tech mentors can help with IT queries.
We also work with Woodlands Community College to provide IT courses, and have run short computer courses, workshops and more recently, tablet taster sessions.
SO18 Big Local is now also a registered UK Online Centre – please ask us for more details. Going forward we are concerned that some residents may "get left behind" as more services are moved to being online (often exclusively so) so we are looking at how we can effectively support local people to overcome the barriers they may face to using the internet.


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Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon out with broken foot
Colorado Avalanche centre Nathan MacKinnon will be out 6-8 weeks because of a fractured foot.
Avalanche coach Patrick Roy confirmed the news Friday. MacKinnon could possibly return this season if the Avalanche make the playoffs.
"Obviously, it's never good news when you're losing a player like Nate, especially in a key moment in our season," Roy said. "We're going to have to find ways to win without him."
MacKinnon hurt his foot blocking a shot Feb. 22 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but X-rays came back negative. He hurt the foot again Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and an MRI Thursday revealed the fracture.
""He came to the practice yesterday complaining a bit about it," Roy said. "After practice, he had an MRI, and they revealed that he had the fracture. The doctor made a decision basically that he was out."
MacKinnon, 19, has 14 goals and 38 points in 64 games. He scored the winning goal in the Avalanche's 3-1 defeat of the Penguins.
The first pick of the 2013 draft, MacKinnon won the Calder Trophy last season after leading rookies with 24 goals and 63 points while playing all 82 games.


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Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's push for more than three dozen government recordings of him to be played during his defense case got off to a rocky start Wednesday as a federal judge blocked the jury from hearing many of the conversations.
(Click HERE for updates during the trial and HERE for complete coverage)
U.S. District Judge James Zagel at times seemed to search for new ways to call the recordings irrelevant to Blagojevich's corruption trial.
"Excluded on the grounds of uselessness," he said of one transcript.
"It's basically professional politician's chatter," he said of another.
Blagojevich has famously implored the court and prosecutors to "play all the tapes" at his trial. His lawyers asked Zagel to let jurors hear another 38 beyond the dozens already played during the government case.


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Learn to Crochet Linked Stitches
Linked stitches eliminate the gaps often left between crochet stitches, allowing you to create truly solid projects in half-double, double, treble crochet or taller stitches.
It's always good to learn new techniques and expand your repertoire. Designer Brandi Isham teaches you all of the ins and outs of crocheting linked stitches.
Each stitch is clearly illustrated using left and right-handed photos to ensure your success. Working in rows and rounds are also demonstrated.
Designs include home décor items such as cushions and a sampler afghan as well as fashion accessories such as a scarf, cowl and beanie. There is even a fun play mat for babies and toddlers.


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Banyan Tree Residence Riverside Bangkok
Price from HKD 7.5M with 839 sq.ft
A luxurious freehold condominium overlooking the Chao Phraya river 's most spectacular bend with a collection of one to four-bedroom units and a penthouse, from 839 to 9,006 sq.ft
Exclusive Launch
Date: 14 & 15 April (Sat & Sun)
Time: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Venue: Churchill 1 & 2, 26/F, The Park Lane, Causeway Bay
Property Seminar:
Bangkok Riverside Property Price Forecast
(12:00 pm & 3:00 pm)
Enquiry: 3468 7299 / Whatsapp: 6187 9014
Experience unparalleled luxury in the heart of Bangkok
Enjoy the intoxicating view of Chao Phraya River
Previous successful Pre-launch attracted over 200 attendants
Project video
Details are correct at time of going to press. Computer generated images are for illustrative purposes only. Banyan Tree is not the developer and is not affiliated with NVD. *Terms and conditions applied. The information contained in this publication, its pictures and other related material issued by FM Investment Group Limited are for information purposes only. All descriptions and other particulars are given in good faith and are believed to be correct. Readers are advised to make their own enquiries to verify such information. We and our representatives or affiliates only work in relation to real estate situated outside Hong Kong therefore FM Investment Group Ltd., its representatives and its affiliates are exempted from obtaining license under the Estate Agents Ordinance (Cap. 511 of the Laws of Hong Kong) to deal with real estate outside Hong Kong and we are not licensed to deal with any property situated in Hong Kong.


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We are excited to broaden our horizons with PCN's Complete Plant Proteins, and to introduce them to many new customers
Boca Raton, FL (PRWEB) October 19, 2015
Pure Charge Nutrition (PCN), a company dedicated to providing customers with all natural, gluten, dairy, and soy free plant protein powders, announced that its products are now more widely available for purchase in a variety of channels throughout the American market.
"We are excited to broaden our horizons with PCN's Complete Plant Proteins, and to introduce them to many new customers," said Igor Mihajlovic, owner and founder of Pure Charge Nutrition. "Between the taste profile and the quality of ingredients in our formulations, we feel very confident in saying that these are nutritional supplements that people are bound to love once they try them."
Igor Mihajlovic started Pure Charge Nutrition in 2013, and has 12 years of experience as a fitness trainer. He has provided services like personal training and lifestyle coaching to clients throughout his career and has helped many people make better dietary decisions. About five years ago he decided to pursue dairy free and gluten free products, because having them in his diet was affecting his digestion, recovery, and performance. Making the switch from dairy based to plant based proteins was tough because many of them available on the market were not palatable. Therefore, he decided to make his own plant based protein powders that taste great while being inspired by his lifelong commitment and passion for health, fitness, and optimal nutrition.
PCN Complete Plant Protein powders come in two delicious flavors: dark cocoa and vanilla bean. With a concise ingredients list, customers can be sure they are getting an all natural and healthy product that is rich in pea and brown rice proteins. Each serving contains 21 grams of non GMO protein that has a complete amino acid profile, no added sugars, and is no more than 120 calories when mixed with water.
PCN Complete Plant Proteins: The Cleanest Way to Fuel Your Lifestyle!
For more information about Pure Charge Nutrition, visit the company's website at http://www.purechargenutrition.com.


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What Does My Credit Score Actually Mean?
If you have ever applied for a credit card, you probably know that your likelihood of getting the credit card depends on any past experiences with the company and your credit score. Your credit score can determine your eligibility for credit card offers and what their credit limits would be, and can affect whether you are approved or denied for a home loan or car loan. It can even affect the rates that you pay! A person with a high credit score will undoubtedly pay less in interest on any loan than someone with a poor credit score.
What is a credit score, exactly? It is important to note that there are different credit scores by different companies:
Credit Score
This is the most widely used credit score model in the United States, and this is usually the credit score that lenders will refer to when they assess your eligibility for a loan or credit card.
A Credit Score can range from 300 to 850.
This credit score model was introduced by the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion
A VantageScore Credit Score can range from 501 to 990.
How Is My Credit Score Calculated?
The Credit Score is calculated based on a number of different factors. A brief breakdown of the score is included below:
10% of your score consists of recent credit inquiries. If you apply for a new credit card and you are denied, this can affect your credit score.
10% of your score is based on the types of credit that you have managed. For example, being able to consistently pay and manage installment accounts, credit card accounts, and a mortgage will reflect positively on your score.
15% of your score is based on the length of your credit history. If you have only recently obtained your first credit card, it will take some time before your credit score will improve.
30% of your score is based on how you utilize your credit. This portion of your score involves a ratio of your current balances across all of your credit accounts compared to the maximum total allowed credit from those credit accounts.
35% of your score is based on payment history. If you pay your bills and accounts in a timely manner, then this will be reflected positively on your account.
Does Your Score Put You in a Good Buying Position?
A very common question when preparing to buy a home is "What is the minimum credit score to get a mortgage?" The answer is generally, "it depends".
Conventional loans typically have the highest qualification guidelines with minimum scores of at least 640.
FHA loans have a couple of tiers related to the minimum qualifying credit score. Borrowers with a credit score of at least 580 can qualify for a loan with as little as a 3.5% down payment. Borrowers with credit scores between 500 and580 can also qualify for a loan, but will be required to produce a down payment of at least 10%.
Subprime lenders and hard-money lenders can write mortgages for borrowers with credit scores down to 580, but the interest rates associated with these loans can be very high.
If you have a credit score that is lower than the minimums shown here, then it's usually valuable to spend some time understanding what's bringing down your score. Bad credit can be repaired using legal dispute techniques, and simple things like reorganizing your debt can have a significant impact on your credit score.
The team at My Financial Gateway specializes in helping bad credit buyers get approved. We can help you get your credit scores, understand which loan programs might be best for you, and even refer you to a credit-repair agency. Simply complete the form above. We'll help you find the answers you need.
Average credit scores have fallen over the past 10 years.
To stay competitive, mortgage lenders have continued to develop programs for borrowers who are seeking bad credit mortgages.
Though there are multiple types of bad credit mortgages, the most common ones are conventional loans and FHA loans. Conventional bad credit mortgages typically accept borrowers with credit scores down to 640 and require a 20% down payment. FHA bad credit mortgages can accept borrowers with credit scores as low as the 500s, and typically have lower down payment requirements (between 3.5% and 10%).
These programs allow bad credit buyers to get approved for a mortgage, but frequently at a higher cost. Before getting started on applying for a mortgage, it's recommended that you become familiar with your current credit profile. Once you know where you stand, our team can assist you with determining the program that's best for you.
The mortgage application process can be quite time consuming, and it's possible to improve your credit scores during the time it takes for the process. You might be able to negotiate a better rate at closing if you do.
The team at My Financial Gateway can help get you your credit scores, understand your options between FHA and conventional loans, and even refer you to credit specialists to help improve your scores. Simply complete the form above, and we'll help you find the answers you need.


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Barry Shetrone's height is
6ft 2in (1.88 m)
Barry Stevan Shetrone (July 6, 1938 – July 18, 2001) was an American professional baseball player. He played parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Senators.
First Name: Barry
Middle Name: Steven
Last Name: Shetrone
Birth Full Name: Barry Steven Shetrone
Born: 6 July, 1938
Birthplace: Baltimore, MD
Died: 18 July, 2001
Death Location: Bowie, MD
Height: 6ft 2in (1.88 m)
Weight: 190 lbs (86.2 kg)
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Nationality: American
High School: Southern (Baltimore, MD)
Occupation: Former Major League Baseball Player


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Lodging and Institutions
Allied Communications has been serving the Lodging and Institution marketplace for over 20 years and is the industry leader in this vertical market. With clients ranging from local Hotels/Motels & Assisted Living Facilities, to national clients including Caesar's Entertainment Group, Allied brings vast industry experience to the table. Allied engineers integrate 'best of breed' communications components with Property Management Systems, leveraging technology to deliver voice, data and video solutions to provide an enterprise level user experience. Our integrated solutions allow our clients to both SAVE money and deliver the best service available to their guests and residents.
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- Structured Cabling Solutions
- Carrier Services
- DirecTV (Best Entertainment & Value)
- Experience in HIPPA Compliance
- Video Surveillance & Recording Systems


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The Interfaith Alliance
of New York State
People of Faith Working for Justice in Public Policy
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Sunset Nebula, Magic Pillow Factory and Super Furniture at The Chameleon Arts Cafe in Nottingham. Really enjoyed the set by Magic Pillow Factory from Israel, seen here using Sunset Nebula's kit
Peter Barghwords pictures sounds
Sunset Nebula, Magic Pillow Factory and Super Furniture at The Chameleon Arts Cafe in Nottingham. Really enjoyed the set by Magic Pillow Factory from Israel, seen here using Sunset Nebula's kit
An off the spur …"must try new things" moment, sent me in the direction of African Drumming…and a beginners class run by Steve Rivers of Unbeatable Energy
The class runs in an upstairs room of an old building owned by the Sheffield Transport Club. Several djembe drums are cased and ready for those without their own to grab and uncase.
We start with a warm up session involving rubbing hands over the drum skin to warm hands and drum. Then several stretches for the hands and arms.
Then we begin. First a quick instruction on how to hit/tap the drum using the flat hand for centre boom, and more of the finger tips for the edge sounds. Then we begin a basic rhythm with Steve overlaying a more detailed pattern. It's an easy pattern to pick up and soon we're moving into more advanced sequences…and the more experienced students take on different patterns. So a full sound begins to emerge and I, on my first ever session, am fully engrossed in a series of beats. Great fun. We learned how to do loud clapping and then applied this pattern to drumming. The session was soon over and I came away exhilarated, and with slightly sore hands.
I'm looking forward to my next session.
A proud day for me as my son, William, graduated with a 1st in Maths at Sheffield Hallam University. Today was the graduation ceremony at Sheffield's City Hall. I met up with family to help Will celebrate the day.
I stopped in Galway Bay for three nights at Galway Bay Sea View Apartments, The Promenade, Salthill. Great accommodation with spacious kitchen, large lounge and huge bedroom.
While in Galway I visited the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Then drove to the Sky Road and through Connemara National Park
Travelled using car hired by Sixt Direct.
I was over in Ireland for a week from today and hired a car. Ryanair flight over from East Midlands FR535 at 6:30 and arrived in Dublin at 7:40. First stop just outside Dublin and the beautiful Malahide Castle.
My first trip with the Yorkshire Walking Group who arrange trips on Meet Up. The route was from Woodhead Tunnel, on the Longdendale Trail past the Woodhead Reservoir then up to Clough Edge, on the Pennine Way to The Wain Stones (Kissing Stones) and Bleaklow Head, coming back down Middle Black Clough to the start.
A lovely meal of Tapas prepared by my friend Anto with a bottle of Saint Emilion Grand Cru wine.
A Venezuelan breakfast prepared by my friend Anto – Perico and Bollito
On the way to Whitby I spotted a sign for Yorkshire Lavender (just north of York) so had a quick look around. It's fee to enter and a wide variety of plants for sale including mints in all flavours.
My friend Anto from Venezuela showed me how to make one of their traditional dishes – Arepa using P.A.N. corn flour.


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Friday, December 19, 2008
Bouncing All Around the Moon
The world is wondering, where did HoneyLuna disappear to? She's been missing for months, only to be seen by, well, quite a few people really, probably more than anyone is used to see of her, except her beloved Mama and Daddy. But that is where the real problem lies.
She has a hard time writing these days. She thinks, "Why would anything I say be something someone wants to read? It's all the same really- school, grades, roommates, boyfriends, cottage cheese and pineapple." Ok, so that last thing isn't really something she talks about all the time, but it's on her mind right now since it's sitting so patiently six inches away from her MacBook, ready to be devoured.
"Oh yummy," HoneyLuna says after a nice chow down on her curdled milk and acidic, yellow fruit. How pleasant a meal is after five hours of working in a Sushi joint, where everything smells like soy sauce and tempura, (and sometimes, on a most unfortunate evening, tonight for example, it smells like a fetid diaper because the exotic fish was ordered by some fool). But cottage cheese and pineapple remain a welcome treat for Miss. HoneyLuna of the Night.
Now, back to the story of where HoneyLuna has been since we last heard. She's been to the moon, of course! A hell of a place, she would like us to add. It seems as though she has been floating around, touching ground every few minutes, enjoying the sights and feelings as she picks up moonstone memories as souvenirs.
HoneyLuna also reports that she is very proud of herself for "getting shit done". Take for example today. After driving Mr. Spaniel (name has been changed for sheer fun) to his house of work, and having a lovely chat with her ever so beautiful and bright sister, Miss. Maybetheawesomestpersonintheworld, HoneyLuna started her day of doing stuff. She traveled to her own house of work, we will call it Sushi YumYum for now, to pick up her much appreciated paycheck, and did a bit of Christmas shopping in the Market Square plaza. As it turned out, this shopping trip was not in the least overwhelming like most Christmas shopping tends to be, which delighted HoneyLuna to the sun and back. Then, bravely she ventured to the bank and chatted with a very nice finance lady about applying for the evil, but much needed, credit card. HoneyLuna found out she knows nothing about credit and financial stuff, but she is still waiting eagerly to see if she has been approved so she can start building up her credit- "something that adults do," thinks HoneyLuna.
Now that HoneyLuna thinks about it, she realizes that she really didn't do much today, but that fact's not bothering her at the moment. She has a table growing with gifts, which makes her happy to see, even though she doubts anyone is really going to like their presents. But that's not what Christmas is about. We all know it's about finding something that a loved one probably doesn't need but is getting it just because it's what we found in a moment of desperation. Haha, just kidding, (sort of).
HoneyLuna is sorry for the poor quality and oddness of this blog. She is tired and believes she has completely forgotten how to write. Truth be told, she's just being lazy and wanted to write something. And so this is what you get. HoneyLuna hopes you are well, and says, keep smiling because someone will notice, just like the sushi chef at Sushi YumYum did tonight when he said to HoneyLuna, "I like you. You know why? Because you always smile, even when this place is shitty."
What a nice compliment, don't you think?
Posted by honeyluna at 11:47 PM 4 comments:
Friday, October 31, 2008
So it's Halloween night, and it's just me and Elephant, (who is my roommate Abby's new bunny rabbit whom she so nicely surprised me with yesterday) at the house tonight. I do have plans to go out with my new man tonight, and since I still need to take a shower and gussy myself up, then I guess I better make this short.
I really wanted to put my pumpkin picture up, which I carved on Monday. This means her face is caving in just a little bit, but I think she's still looking hot.
What do you think? I did not win the pumpkin carving contest that I did this for, but in the end, every time I look at her I get a smile on my face, which is as good, if not better, then the stupid beanbag chair that was given to the winner. Hehe, just kidding, it was a fine beanbag chair that I would have been proud to own.
Happy Halloween everyone!
I really wanted to put my pumpkin picture up, which I carved on Monday. This means her face is caving in just a little bit, but I think she's still looking hot.
What do you think? I did not win the pumpkin carving contest that I did this for, but in the end, every time I look at her I get a smile on my face, which is as good, if not better, then the stupid beanbag chair that was given to the winner. Hehe, just kidding, it was a fine beanbag chair that I would have been proud to own.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Posted by honeyluna at 10:09 PM 6 comments:
Sunday, October 12, 2008
This is Me Smiling
I just had such a great weekend. I really did not expect it to be as good as it was, since my four exams are on Wednesday and Thursday and usually this would weigh me way down, but somehow I put that aside and enjoyed these two school-less days more than any other days in quite a while. I did get some studying done, not as much as I really need, but I'm sure I will be ok.
Saturday night was amazing with it's rhythm and blues, older dancing hippies that are so fun to watch, late night talking, hay gathering, bat watching, contest spinning, cheesy-joke telling, and more giggling than one girl should ever be allowed to sound. My face is still sore from all the smiles produced last night. It was also the latest I've ever stayed up. I feel like a bad girl, but in the most innocent of ways.
Today was really nice too. I did something that pleases my soul- I played music with my friends and recorded a few songs to send off to The Florida Folk Festival. It's amazing to me that we actually did it in a few hours, and really, what we made was not all that bad given the lack of rehearsal and lack of good recording equipment. We ended up using the microphone on Stephanie's MacBook and using Garage Band to "mix" it. I use quotations here because for each song, we recorded only one track and added nothing. It's quite the bare bones recording. But it's something I'm pretty proud of. Thank god for MacBooks and their ease of use. I just hope it's good enough to get us a spot on the Folk Festival line up.
Oh, our band name is Cicada. What do you think?
Now it is my time to get stuff done. Take a shower, read tons of text books, and get sleep (my favorite of the three).
I just wanted to let you know that today, I am a happy girl. And it feels really nice.
Posted by honeyluna at 10:48 PM 8 comments:
Labels: Giggles, Hay Fields, Making Music
Thursday, October 2, 2008
What Are They Afraid Of?
I'm so pissed off. I came home from my 9 p.m. Anatomy Lab, rushing to catch this Vice Presidential Debate. Being that this is the first Presidential election that I can vote in, I've been trying to learn about the candidates and, even though it is something I don't necessarily like, I've been learning about politics.
So, I came home, turned on this debate, which is still going on as I write this, and watched for about thirty minutes up until both fucking vice presidential candidates agreed that they will never think of marriage as anything other than something between a woman and man. Sure Barack Obama and Joe Bidden will give rights to homosexual couples, and Palin said that the McCainies wouldn't take their rights away either, but no, they won't ever let them get married. I don't understand why they are so afraid of same-sex marriages. Who is this going to hurt? I really wish I could understand. No, I really wish they would understand.
And how many times can Palin say that she and John McCain are "mavericks"? I'm really quite tired of these people. Right now, I don't trust anyone. Yes, I want Obama to win. I actually have hope in my heart when I hear him speak, but I can't say if this is due to what he preaches or how he preaches. But I've decided that I really don't like politics in general. It's so much back and forward, "well I did this", "no, you didn't", "well you did this", "no that is not true".
And Joe Bidden can't pronounce "controversial" and Sarah Palin can't pronounce "nuclear". Did she not pay attention in her high school chemistry class? It's called a nucleus. Gawd.
Okay. Well, I'm not used to this much people-bashing. I have the habit of wanting to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, even if it does seem like everything they stand for is something I don't agree with. And I know that this gay marriage issue is a relatively small topic in this debate, compared to the massive economy fuck-ups and the war, but to me it's big. It's not just about gay marriage; it's about how these candidates view people that are unlike themselves. There is estimated to be 25 million gay people in the U.S. and if these candidates don't even respect and grant them the same freaking rights as themselves (if they are indeed straight candidates), well than I don't feel like I can completely trust their judgement on larger issues. It fills me with sadness that we are not a loving and open minded society.
To put it from a teenagers point of view- this sucks!
Posted by honeyluna at 9:57 PM 19 comments:
Monday, September 29, 2008
I just found out my grade for the first Anatomy and Physiology Lab practical that I took over a week ago. Amazingly I got a 97.56%, which I think it is pretty funny that they gave such a precise number. This is the way of a science teacher, I guess. This is an ok grade, I guess. Hehe. Actually, when I read that number, I said, "yesyesyesyes, Ha HAh!, I did it. I did it!" and then I slapped my face a little. I don't know what made me do this part. Maybe it was to wake myself up and out of this wonderful dream of acing my first anatomy exam, and all the other ones that I've taken so far.
Things just seem to work out for me some how. It's not as though I feel everything is easy. Nay nay. Just ask Mama about all the times I called her last week, crying because it was "all so hard". But after I have these moments of breaking down, I do what needs to be done, and with a lot of help from the family, everything ends up really nicely.
I have a hard time giving myself credit. I don't know why really. I know that I get a lot of help from people, and maybe that's why, but I also think that because I know I have to do these things, like study or clean up after myself or whatever it is, I don't deserve to take credit for it. It's just what I do. I know I'm not a genius, even if one of my professors tells me that this is the case. (She really doesn't know me. She just sees my grades and knows my mama, who really is a genius.) I know I was born too lucky for words to express. The family I have is amazing, and the outlook of life I was born with doesn't suck either, for which I credit my papa's genes. I'm also tall, so I get to see things from a higher point, which really makes a difference. Just kidding.
Abby, one of my roommates, has been saying lately that she doesn't like living with me because I'm too perfect and she can't be as good as me, or something like that. This is someone who is trying to get into nursing school (with the pressures of a dad telling her that if she doesn't get in, she has to live at home next year and go to school there), who works a couple days a week at the mall (which would drive me crazy, especially where she works because it is dark, there's bad, loud music and the ceilings are low- a claustrophobic's nightmare), and she's in a sorority. Plus this girl has many friends, and she manages to keep in touch with all of them throughout the week. I feel good about myself if I hang out with one friend in a week.
Even though I'm pretty darn proud to be who I am, I often times think I should be more like Abby. She has friends, she's making money, and she's doing relatively good in school. Sure I've got her beat in grades, but does that really matter in life? No, it doesn't. Of course, it can make it a hell of a lot easier to get into the nursing college.
I don't know where I've been going with all this gibber-jabber. I just wanted to talk about school and grades and what it all means. It's basically my whole life right now, which is really alright. It's actually a lot of fun, when it's not tearing me up from the inside out.
At least I can still watch new episodes of The Office.
I do love Jim and his sexy smile.
Posted by honeyluna at 10:25 PM 5 comments:
Monday, September 22, 2008
Interview and the Beat that Wouldn't Stop
Well I just got back from my interview for the International Medical Outreach. This was only my third formal interview I've ever had, and let me tell you, it was intimidating, nerve-racking, and maybe just a little bit of fun. I really was trying to be myself and to think quickly. I was determined to wow them with my intelligent, deep answers, but I guess that's not who I am because everything that came out was pretty silly, and not in the least intelligent. Formal interviews are so scary to me.
At this interview it was three seniors, who have all been on the trip before, sitting in front of me, judging every word I say, never smiling, asking tough questions, and making me sweat and giggle like a pig being tickled. (I guess I giggle even more when I'm nervous). The second question they asked me was about altruism, and Jesus God, I had to ask the interviewer what the freaking word meant.
So I write this to say that I don't have high expectations that I will be getting called back for a group interview. Oh well.
I've been super busy lately. I should be studying right this second. I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to get everything done. I haven't made below an -A yet in college, and even though my focal point in this whole ordeal is not grades, it's still makes me worry to realize just how easy it would be for me to screw myself over by messing up my record.
The person above my room has, of recent, been either creating a rap cd or is playing a game that requires the same beat to be played for longer than thirty minutes at a time. Bum chick bumbum chick bum chick bumbum chick. Over and over again. Once in a while it will do an extra bumbumbum in there. I'm trying to be chill about it, but it's starting to drive me up the wall. I might go ask him what the hell he's doing.
I think it is my time to study some Lifespan Development. I've got my first exam tomorrow and I'm not that enthralled with this notion. I'm just praying it's going to be easier than I've been anticipating. It's my third test in the past week and I am bout ready for a break. Usually after taking a test I at least feel relieved that it's over, but lately I haven't even had time to feel that way. I have to focus on the next on. Really, if I think about it hard, which I'm not to keen on doing at the moment, this is more like real life than I'm used to. Life doesn't always give us breaks, even if we do feel deserving of one.
And the bum chick bumbumbum chick keeps going on.
Posted by honeyluna at 9:10 PM 9 comments:
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
International Medical Outreach- My new Passion?
So tonight I've spent hours upon hours trying to create the perfect essays that will get me chosen to be apart of something called International Medical Outreach. It's basically a small-scale Doctor's Without Borders type program, except it's for pre-health students at FSU. They go to Jamaica, St. Vincent and Belize and do amazing things, even though they are just six or so students with basically no experience and two or three doctors leading the way. I have decided that I want to do this with a passion. I've only written two of the four essays, not because they are long and hard, but because they are short. I have a problem with writing down too much. My limit for each essay is 300 words, and like my mom said, "that's only half a blog". How am I supposed to tell strangers my background in 300 words? Well, I tried to do that very thing in the first essay. The second one wants to know why I'm interested in the program and how it relates to my future goals/interests in the health field. I don't think I did a very good job explaining this, but I gave it a shot.
So I'm going to post my essays, or what they are at this moment, right here for you to read, if you feel like being one wild and crazy guy (or woman, if you are one). If you have suggestions, or think they are both total pieces of crap, tell me about it. I know I've probably got some grammar issues. I'm not really sure how to do commas and semicolons and parentheses sometimes. I appreciate all the help I can get.
Here it goes...
My mom gave birth to me in our home in Tallahassee with the support of midwives, my papa, a group of good friends and family, and of course my three older siblings, although I have reason to believe they stayed out of my mama's way. I tell you this because even though I can't take credit for what happened that day, this beginning of my life tells a lot about who I am now.
I chose to go to a different kind of public high school; one with a population of two-hundred and thirty students and a tight nit group of teachers who love what they do. It was at this school that I met some of the most generous, creative, open, and loving people, and they quickly became a family to me.
During my high school career, I discovered that I have a true passion for playing the mandolin (who knew?), and have since started up a bluegrass/folk band. I also was involved with the Student Government Association and became the President during my senior year. I was active in the Drama Club all four years, the Dance Club where we got to create our own dances and perform them, and a Tai Chi class.
I graduated Valedictorian, (mind you my class size was only seventy-five), knowing that I wanted to be a nurse-midwife and that I would try with all my heart to make this world a little more cared for and loved.
I decided to come here for college with hopes of getting into the nursing program. So to cope with the huge community difference I applied for, and was accepted, into the Nursing Living and Learning Community, which turned out to be a great group of girls that are now my good friends and support.
I.M.O. is exactly the program that I have wanted to be apart of! Every ounce of my being wants to go to a place that is unlike the U.S.A., (which is fortunate in so many ways), to work hard, get a hands-on-experience, and share whatever it is that I have with people who really need medical help.
The moment I knew nursing was for me was when a man from the Maasai Warriors came to my school and told us about the need of medical attention in Africa. I thought about how prosperous we are here, and how it only makes sense that we go and help our brothers and sisters who are in need. I then realized that I could be the one making a difference. So even though it is my desire to focus on pregnancy and childbirth in my future career, this need to go and help others is what pushed me to choose a life in health care.
I appreciate my schooling and am thankful for it all, but I feel like I never do anything real with the knowledge I acquire, at least not yet. For the most part, my schooling has been from lectures and textbooks only. I'm ready to do something real! I don't want to take a exam which only testes how good of a test-taker I am. I don't want to write a paper that will be looked at once and thrown away. I want to help. I want to go to a beautiful land, with beautiful people who appreciate the small pleasures of life, and who can teach me things that aren't taught about in textbooks. I want to be apart of a team of students and doctors who just wants to make a difference and who is actually doing it!
If you are interested, that picture really has nothing to do with this post. It's a photo taken of an organic farm in Belize. I just liked the look of it.
Posted by honeyluna at 12:14 AM 5 comments:
Sunday, August 31, 2008
It's all about the Wall
I came back to my apartment today from a day out with my mama, and what did I find but all three of my roommates (plus one cute Asian guy) painting the living room walls yellow and lime green. Wow! I knew that they were all wanting to paint the place, because they've been complaining about the whiteness since they've moved in, but I certainly wasn't expecting to come home today to find a totally different apartment. They also moved in a bunch more furniture and rearranged what we already had. It's pretty cool that these girls get something in there mind and actually follow through so quickly. It's making me realize how negative and inactive I really am. It's a fun thing to realize about oneself, for real.
For example, when they first told me that they were going to paint, what popped into my mind and eventually came out of my mouth was, "Who's going to be doing all this painting? Does anyone really know how to paint a house? It's going to be really hard to paint around all the doors, cabinets, outlets, and the refrigerator. And do you really want to paint it all white again when we move out in less than twelve months?" But I'll be damned if we all didn't just do it in two hours, which includes moving the fridge after Paige, one of the roomies, persuaded me that it could be done.
Now I'm the only one in my apartment that doesn't have her walls painted. And I must say that it's made me feel a little left out and behind. This feeling is not unfamiliar to me though. (I just realized that I could start talking about me feeling like I never fit in, but I've decided to spare you and me of that agony tonight.) Let's just stick to this decorating thing. So instead of painting my walls, which even after witnessing how easy it really is I'm still not convinced I need to do it, I've decided to put up lots of things up. This includes, but is not limited to...
a mermaid mirror my Aint Liz gave to me,
my happy, Mexican, paper flags,
a Maxfield Parrish calender,
a hanky my mama got at Goodwill,
a dry erase board that I keep my schedule and notes written on,
and a few paintings.
So I'm pretty content at the moment. At least have these few things up, right? There is still one wall of my room that is completely bare.
Do you have any ideas for my room? I'm open to any suggestions. Even if you say, "Hey Honeyluna, I think you should line one wall with a snake tank (say that ten times fast), and get yourself a boa constrictor as a pet." Although if you do suggest something such as this please don't expect me to follow through on your very thoughtful suggestion. Thanks and lots of love. -H to the Luna
Posted by honeyluna at 10:34 PM 12 comments:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
First Day of School
Today was my first day of being a sophomore. I felt the most stressed I've felt in three months, but it's almost refreshing to have something to care about, work on, anticipate about and all those other stress-inducers. Almost.
I'm taking a nutrition class, my first class of the day which starts at 11:15 am, and I think this one won't be too bad. A little bit of Chem, a little Bio, some knowledge that I got from all the years of attending my mama's Weight Watcher meetings, and good old fashion studying should do the trick.
I also have an Anatomy class at 5:15. This one is going to strangle me, whip my life around, but then I'm going to give it the old Jessie domination that it needs so I can get into Nursing School. One of the many things my teacher told us 240 hopeful nursing students about the class was that on all exams and quizzes we must spell all words correctly, or else it will count wrong. (By the way-FSU Nursing College only accepts 75 students each semester into the program. I'm sure you can see that the majority of us girls, oh, and the occasional gay guy, will not be fulfilling our dreams of becoming nurses. And looking around the huge lecture hall today, I saw quite a few determined looking ladies. and 3 enthusiastic boys. It scared me just a little.) So the thing about the spelling shouldn't have surprised me. I guess it makes sense that nurses know how to spell the correct body part that is giving you trouble or spell the medicine that is going to save your life, instead of something that could possibly kill you. This is all very fine and dandy, but hell, I couldn't even spell Ibuprofen or Aleve when I was asked what drugs I've taken in the last 4 months at the blood bank today.
This class may possibly bring out some bad memories of my dreaded reading/spelling disability. Which is ok, because every time I work through an obstacle like that, it makes me feel that much more accomplished. Learning to read for me was the hardest thing I've had to put my brain through.
God it was hard. The only way I got through it was because I had some amazing teachers and an even better mama who would listen to me struggle but only ever give me positive encouragement. I still cry just thinking about all the times she would sit with me as I tried to sound out words. I'd get so frustrated with myself and tell her "I can't do it, I can do it," and she would only say, "Jessie, yes you can. You can do it." She was right. But I completely believe I wouldn't have been able to learn to read, and love it at the same time, without her help.
So my Anatomy class might be like that; a whole lot of struggle and hard work, but an even bigger sense of accomplishment.
So tomorrow is my second day of being a sophomore, with two whole different classes. I'm nervous and excited. I also feel a little lost right now, but once I get a system down I'm sure I will be feeling better.
Posted by honeyluna at 1:42 AM 3 comments:
Thursday, August 21, 2008
New Home
Well, I'm here! I've made it to my very own (not counting my three roommates) apartment, complete with a full-on kitchen, my own room and bathroom (which I'm super happy about), creaking noises from my neighbors up above and a strong bass pounding through the ceiling. But I understand the need for music, oh, and the need to move around, which in these cheaply made apartments means I'm going to be hearing a lot of creaking. I'm not worried about these noises though. When I'm awake, they will become part of the background noise that our brains somehow can magically make seem to disappear and when I'm asleep, well, I'll stay that way.
This morning I was completely aware that once I packed up my clothes I was no longer going to be able to stay home. That's why I laid on the couch for hours, watching something that I can no longer remember what it was, thinking about how I was perfectly happy being a stay-at-home daughter, and why the heck should I move out and go to college when I've been perfectly happy doing nothing? Well logic got to me, or societies expectations did, and I went through my clothes, put the ones I like most in a trash bag and let myself except the fact that I can do this and it's going to happen even if I can't.
Mama, Daddy and I all meet at the new place, unloaded my bed, my desk, my mandolin, and a hell of a lot of other things. My favorite part was when I was in the kitchen, putting away my canned foods and new cooking utensils. My daddy was laid across the couch, his head resting on my mama's lap. Mama was looking at him with eyes full of love and possibly tears. I think they were whispering to each other, or maybe they were using telepathy because something was definitely being said between those two. Whatever it was, it filled me with emotion. Right then, as I was settling in my new home, my parents were settling with their togetherness. Last year when I moved out for the first time, my parents definitely got closer. Now they seem to hold hands all the time and they even stopped to kiss on the stairs of my new apartment like they were teenagers in love for the first time. Hehe. I love that they do that. I only wish that same kind of love for myself one day, because it sure hasn't happened yet.
So mama took me shopping and we got quite a lot of food and household items, which I am so very grateful to have. After mama left me I unpacked and listened to the Beatles White Album. The day really flew by for me. By the time I was half unpacked I was starving and figured it was time for me to create my first meal. I made the fast, simple, trusted meal of spaghetti, salad, and garlic toast. My stove and oven both performed beautifully and the food was good enough. Nothing like Mama makes, but I figure I'll have time to be more creative than a jar of tomato sauce, noodles, a simple salad and sliced bread toasted with butter and garlic powder.
There is so much I could mention about being on my own in this new place. Like the fact that my bathroom smells like plastic from my shower liner, or that I'm just using my dishwasher as a drying rack because truth is I like washing my own dishes. The walls in this place have been painted a billion and one times, and I can tell one of the last tenants had the walls a purple color. Now everything is white and bare, but that will change soon enough. I have a beautiful painting of a girl reading a book that I somehow got from my friend Robert's house for free. I didn't steal it, I promise, but Robert is never going to let me forget that his parents gave me this painting. So she is going to be on my wall. I have some other things that will go up, and since I love the feel of Mama's house, there will probably be some aprons hanging on my wall to emulate what I have grown up with.
Think I will go eat some frozen grapes and read Harry Potter now. I don't have a TV, although I did find out today that cable comes with the apartment. The idea of having a TV in my room is pretty tempting. I can picture myself coming home from school and turning on Project Runway as I eat leftover pizza on my bed. That does sound awfully nice, but I'm sure I'll get a ton more done without a TV. So, no Jessie, you can't have one in your room.
I'm a happy girl. It's been an emotional week, but I think it's all going to be really good. Really good.
Posted by honeyluna at 9:58 PM 11 comments:
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
So many choices.
What to do today?
Play my mandolin?
Read Harry Potter?
Watch a movie on one of the 100 movie channels we have?
Dance around the house in my bra and shorts to the Dixie Chicks or maybe the Rolling Stones?
Wash my dogs?
Hit some notes on the piano?
Eat lunch?
I've cleaned the kitchen up from last night and this morning's egg-salad bagelwich I made for breakfast. I've swept the porch, which reminded to water those plants. Which now hosts the nests of two different bird families I believe. I went to the garden and picked approximately 15 red ripe tomatoes and made a bouquet of those funky zenias. That's really all I have done today. I guess I will now wash up those stinky pups. I could definitely benefit from that.
Play my mandolin?
Read Harry Potter?
Watch a movie on one of the 100 movie channels we have?
Dance around the house in my bra and shorts to the Dixie Chicks or maybe the Rolling Stones?
Wash my dogs?
Hit some notes on the piano?
Eat lunch?
I've cleaned the kitchen up from last night and this morning's egg-salad bagelwich I made for breakfast. I've swept the porch, which reminded to water those plants. Which now hosts the nests of two different bird families I believe. I went to the garden and picked approximately 15 red ripe tomatoes and made a bouquet of those funky zenias. That's really all I have done today. I guess I will now wash up those stinky pups. I could definitely benefit from that.
Posted by honeyluna at 12:54 PM 3 comments:
Sunday, July 27, 2008
I just feel like writing
I am just going to write like my drama teacher taught us how. If you are stuck you just write nonsense or whatever pops into your mind. You never let the pencil leave the paper, or in this case I guess you never let your fingers rest from typing. Sometimes crazy ideas come out of nonsensical things and ideas spring forth that turn out to be masterpieces, or that is the idea of it anyway. I always really enjoyed my drama class. We would start out by sitting on the ground, because there were only ever a few chairs spread out in the room and on days I wore a short skirt I would always grab one up before another classmate got it. So we would all sit around, usually chatting with someone or reading or maybe sitting on your boyfriends lap and talking to him in sweet little wispers. Of course I never really did much of those things. I was the one who would get prepared for class, taking out my notebook, a sharpened pencil or favorite thin point pen and would wait until Trish would start the class. Trish was my teacher. She has long black hair with a few gray streaks set in to get lost in. She would smile at me every time she looked at me and this made me feel loved. Sometimes I would talk to her as kids would stream in, always after the tardy bell had rung, and we would just chat about yoga or a new play we were working on or the school's bluegrass band that I had the pleasure of being in. Trish was, and I'm sure still is, one of the coolest teachers a kid can have. I only ever saw her lose this cool on the rare occasion when a student would get really disrespectful, which wasn't often because Trish's coolness demanded respect and we all could sense that.
Trish wasn't the only cool thing about my high school. My whole school was like her. Calm, respectful, creative, loving, beautiful, and usually very joyous. It was my perfect home away from home. I have plenty of friends who couldn't wait to get out of high school, but the whole time I was there I knew that I would miss it. I don't long for it, I don't believe I'm the type of person to wail over the past for long, but I look back on those days with such appreciation and love. I miss the little things. Like sitting under the two trees all year round, with all my friends jammed together on one picnic table. I loved the different times of the year on that campus. During the fall, the pecan trees would drop their fruit and I would eat them with pride. Then when winter came, usually lasting only a few weeks if we were lucky, I would wear my denim jacket lined with the most comfy faux wool and I felt so chic and cool. When spring came, the flowers in the cemetery neighboring my school would bloom and we photography students would spend most of our class period outside experimenting with the new light. Summer was the fun time, with school almost out and adventures awaiting. I will never forget my ninth grade year when just about everyday around one o'clock it would start pouring. I loved the rain then and I love it now. It was magical how it rained at almost the exact same time everyday, and then a few hours later it would be bright and sunny again.
So I do miss my school. They say I can go and visit, and I have, but really it's not the same. For one thing my school moved to a different campus. It's nice, but so much of why I loved my school was because of the old campus. Sure it wasn't at all adequate for what we had grown into, but it was damn special. Also when I go to visit, I feel just like that, a visitor. It's no longer mine. Which is good. I had it once, and now it is there for the others. Other kids will get to have Trish's love smiles, and the experience of walking down the hall and greeting teachers and other students as family.
Oh me oh my. It is nice to let words flow, even if they are sometimes jumbled and would never do for an official essay. I think Trish was right. Maybe I haven't discovered a masterpiece but I did get to thinking about some joys in my life that I haven't thought about in a while. Good times, good times.
Trish wasn't the only cool thing about my high school. My whole school was like her. Calm, respectful, creative, loving, beautiful, and usually very joyous. It was my perfect home away from home. I have plenty of friends who couldn't wait to get out of high school, but the whole time I was there I knew that I would miss it. I don't long for it, I don't believe I'm the type of person to wail over the past for long, but I look back on those days with such appreciation and love. I miss the little things. Like sitting under the two trees all year round, with all my friends jammed together on one picnic table. I loved the different times of the year on that campus. During the fall, the pecan trees would drop their fruit and I would eat them with pride. Then when winter came, usually lasting only a few weeks if we were lucky, I would wear my denim jacket lined with the most comfy faux wool and I felt so chic and cool. When spring came, the flowers in the cemetery neighboring my school would bloom and we photography students would spend most of our class period outside experimenting with the new light. Summer was the fun time, with school almost out and adventures awaiting. I will never forget my ninth grade year when just about everyday around one o'clock it would start pouring. I loved the rain then and I love it now. It was magical how it rained at almost the exact same time everyday, and then a few hours later it would be bright and sunny again.
So I do miss my school. They say I can go and visit, and I have, but really it's not the same. For one thing my school moved to a different campus. It's nice, but so much of why I loved my school was because of the old campus. Sure it wasn't at all adequate for what we had grown into, but it was damn special. Also when I go to visit, I feel just like that, a visitor. It's no longer mine. Which is good. I had it once, and now it is there for the others. Other kids will get to have Trish's love smiles, and the experience of walking down the hall and greeting teachers and other students as family.
Oh me oh my. It is nice to let words flow, even if they are sometimes jumbled and would never do for an official essay. I think Trish was right. Maybe I haven't discovered a masterpiece but I did get to thinking about some joys in my life that I haven't thought about in a while. Good times, good times.
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text: Chinese for Smart Kids is all about simplicity and ease of use. Our software is designed to be easy to use and is the best all round ware available for teaching Mandarin Chinese to children aged between 3 and 8 years old. Chinese for Smart Kids is divided into 2 segments – Simplified and Traditional Mandarin Chinese; both of these segments will teach your child the basics of Mandarin in an easy to follow, intuitive manner.


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The Instigator
Pro (for)
3 Points
The Contender
Con (against)
0 Points
School is good
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after 1 vote the winner is...
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Accept then debate!
i acccept thiss debate with 2niijacatr. Good luk bud,, youll kneed it!@ haha@
School is cherished by 2nd world countries more than 1st world onse. Education is valued as it increases your likeliness to get a job. Getting a job means money, money meaning you can thrive and survive. Life is all about money and trying to live off what you have. You need to start off some where and that some where is here.Here are some obvious reasons why school and education is good for you according to https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org...:
-Friends. I can't think of anything more luxurious than spending every day with my friends. When you leave school, meeting up with even one friend can take a lot of organising.
-Free knowledge. My school was free: it cost me and my parents £0. £0 for English, Maths, Geography, History, Art, and lots of other subjects. What a bargain! Learning can be really expensive when you leave school -- especially in the UK, where university has now become almost as expensive as buying a little house.
-Uniform. In England, school kids wear a uniform to school. Mine was blue. It wasn't fashionable or particularly flattering, but it saved a lot of time in the mornings. Now it takes me ages to decide what to wear.
-Short days. My school days sometimes felt very long but they were, in fact, very short. The school day started at 9 and finished at 15.30. I used to think of 'home time' as the beginning of the evening, but nowadays I think of 15.30 as the middle of the afternoon.
-Exercise. I'm not very good at sport, and I don't really like it. But at school, sport was compulsory -- twice a week we had to play netball, hockey, rounders, etc. I now realise that this was a good thing! Without compulsory sport, you become very lazy...
-Bunsen burners. Unless you become a scientist, it's unlikely that you will encounter Bunsen burners (or, indeed, other pieces of scientific equipment) in your post-school life. What a shame!
-Holidays. Christmas, Easter, Half-term, and, of course, the jackpot: the summer holidays. There was always a holiday to look forwards to at school. Time to ride your bike, to sit around watching films, to have sleepovers, and then the last day to do your homework.
-Teachers. Believe it or not, I miss teachers. Okay, so they give homework and they make you stick to the rules. But they also share their knowledge with you and help you get to the right answer. When you no longer have teachers, you have to find the answers all by yourself!
-Resources. School had all the resources I could have asked for: books and paper and glue and paint and bats and balls. If I now wanted to make, for example, a papier mache, I would have to spend all day shopping for the 'ingredients.'
- Not-knowing-what's-coming-next. I never really knew what I would 'do' or 'be' after school, but it was okay: The Grand Future was far away in the distance – filled with all sorts of different paths and possibilities.
School is where friendships are made, knowledge is created and life skills learnt.
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1 votes has been placed for this debate.
Vote Placed by Diqiucun_Cunmin 3 years ago
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Reasons for voting decision: Both parties FFed, but Pro's arguments, while variable in terms of quality, were the only ones present. Con did not put forward a single argument to support his case and, as such, loses.
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Southern Wine Knows Vegas!
Southern Wine & Spirits is Nevada's largest distributor of beer, wine and spirits but we're much, much more than that. Southern Wine is deeply integrated in the community. Employee nominated as the Best Place to Work in Nevada in 2010, SWS promotes the feeling of family above all else and that goodwill pours out into the community that we serve. Welcome to Southern Wine & Spirits!


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For the past week or two, I keep having dreams that I buy a big fancy house that is abandoned and run down. Each dream, the house gets bigger and more overwhelming. Last night the house I dreamed we bough had so many rooms I couldn't count them. It was, like the others, a beautiful grand historic house that was abandoned and left to ruin. It was fixable, but I was overwhelmed with what needed to be done. Also the one in my dreams last night also seemed to be haunted by a little girl who had died in a fire there that she accidentally started a hundred or so years ago.
In these houses there are bats and owls and animal droppings, and spider webs everywhere. All the houses seemed to have furniture left in them all kinds of things that were lovely in their day, but were left to rot. Most of them were fixable, but at considerable time and expense.
I think it has something to do with healing childhood wounds. We went to a family reunion recently and I found out, unfortunately, that an unhealthy close family member's chronic bad treatment of me since childhood is at the root of a lot of my anxiety and a lot of my other issues I don't want to go into here. I wonder if these dreams mean I'm overwhelmed with what needs to be healed and feel like I can never be free of the baggage this person has dumped on me, because that's how I feel in real life, or is it telling me something more?
At the same time, the dreams feel hopeful. They are bigger houses and each one beautiful. I don't know exactly what it all means.
updated by @sarah: 02/23/17 01:54:26PM


text: Colorado Multisport is located in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Our newly expanded store with it's expansive inventory is here to meet all of your triathlon needs. Colorado Multisport offers fittings for your existing bike or help with purchasing a new bike. We specialize in triathlon bike fittings, time-trial bike fittings, road bike fittings, mountain bike fittings and junior (18 and under) fittings for 50% off. Come let us help you get ready for your next Triathlon! Swim - Bike - Run!


text:
Raptor FPGAs keep start-up afloat
Keywords:FPGA programmable logic FPGA market software
Abound Logic's founding team has been developing FPGAs for 22 years and the company's 65-nm Raptor FPGAs represent the tenth generation of hardware based on the team's technology, according to Frederic Reblewski, Abound Logic co-founder and CEO.
Not only that, executives say, but Abound Logic's technology has been used by thousands of engineers, though many of them are probably unaware of it. The company's programmable logic technology is used in Mentor Graphics Corp.'s Veloce emulation product family, which is capable of emulating up to 512 million ASIC gates using the technology, according to Francisco Moreno, Abound's director of strategic marketing.
Previous generations of Mentor's emulation tools were also based on the same technology that forms the basis for Abound Logic's product, developed by Abound Logic's founders while at Meta Systems, according to the company. Meta Systems was acquired by Mentor in May 1996. (Mentor is also listed as an investor in Abound Logic).
Semantics aside, Abound Logic (formerly M2000) is one of several promising FPGA companies to appear in recent years. But history is littered with failed programmable logic ventures, and speculation has been that these companies could have a particularly rough go as potential customers tighten their belts and shy away from doing business with company's whose financial viability may not be adequately proven.
At least two companies, Ambric Inc. and MathStar Inc., ceased operations last year as financial resources ran dry.
Reblewski and Moreno say Abound Logic is above the fray. The company's SRAM-based Raptor FPGAs claim to offer the industry's highest density, with 750,000 look-up tables (LUTs).
"Today, for somebody who needs something that is bigger than 500K LUTs, we are the only game in town," Reblewski said.
The 65-nm Raptor offers 38-Mbits of memory, 448 DSP ALUs capable of 24 x 24 bit multiplication, up to 1,200 I/Os and up to 32 SerDes lanes, according to Abound Logic. The silicon consumes half the power of other 65-nm large FPGAs with no trade-offs in performance, according to the company.
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If you live above ground, ie not under a rock, in any major city you are aware of the shift in the ever-changing cocktail world. Over the last year or so, cocktail menus have been making a change. Gone are the days of masking the flavor of alcohol. Cocktails are making a complete 180 and history is literally repeating itself: we are saying goodbye to the sugar filled spirits, the flavored rums, vodkas and tequilas, the rooty-tooty fresh and fruity and we are getting back to the root of cocktail culture.
Every woman over the age of 25 has given themselves a mental kick in the ass while standing in line about to fork over their credit card to purchase a pile of clothes costing damn near the amount she pays in rent and identical to the free pile she turned down from her mother's closet-cleaning years ago. History has been repeating itself in every other aspect so why not in what we drink?
There is no longer an urge to whip out your smart phone and book a dentist appointment while watching the bartender mix your drink. We have burned the little umbrellas just like our mothers burned their bras. We have taken a stand for freshly squeezed juices and sought after herbal combinations of chartreuses and bitters. We are channeling our inner flapper and bring a little golden era back into our lives.
Here's a recipe to do just that.
dry rye gin
Jamaican #2 Bitters (ours are from Milwaukee's Bittercube)
pineapple & banana: we promise it's not crazy sweet!
1. Muddle pieces of banana and pineapple.
2. Add 1.5 ounce of dry rye gin.
3. Add 4-5 drops bitters.
4. Shake it!
5. Serve over ice.
6. Do not add an umbrella.


text:
What we do
We will work with you on every aspect of your wedding, and can customize our services to fit your needs. From finding a venue, to choosing a caterer, to recommending and hiring vendors, you can count on us. And on the big day, we will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly. We make your special day an unforgettable celebration.


text:
Her name is McLovin and she's an English Bulldog. I hadn't done any real digital painting in quite some time so I was a little scared going into this. Previously, I'd just worked in monochromatic color schemes, but I wanted to try out some color this time around. I was talking with my friends at the Rust Belt Monster Collective and they pretty thoroughly drilled into my head to concentrate on my values and then lay my colors over the grey scale image. I'm happy with the results, but the camera flash as the light source kind of limited what I could do with it. All and all, I had a pretty good time with this. It really only took about 5 hours over 2 days. Makes me wonder why I don't do it more often. All brushes were from Marta Dahlig's painting tutorial in ImagineFX magazine. Download Here
Couple of things that really helped me this time around:
- Start with the values first. Just keep playing around in the grey scale image until you get all of your form and shadow to where you want it. The color is pretty easy after that (I like using the Overlay mode in Photoshop).
- Flip your drawing horizontally in the middle of working. For some reason, you will always get comfortable with how the drawing looks and your brain will stop seeing the flaws. Flip that drawing and you will see everything you did wrong. Every short arm or uneven eyeball will be screaming at you to be changed.
|Original Reference. I made a mirror version to see the mistakes when I flipped my art.
|The Original Sketch. Muzzle was originally too short so I had to stretch it out before painting. (Sketchbook Pro)
|Started work in grey scale and flipped to see my mistakes. This makes me laugh because she looks unintentionally goth. (Photoshop)
|Starting to add color on a separate layer using "Overlay" as the blend mode. (Photoshop)


text:
Phone: 519.488.1890
Website: www.ardene.com
Entrance: Bradley Ave. Entrance
» Directory and Map
Category: Apparel ~ Women
Ardene is a one-stop-shop for complete fashionable outfits at affordable prices. As new goods arrive weekly, our choices of styles are always fun and inexpensive for the fashion-conscious customer. Ardene offers girls a unique shopping experience featuring a wide selection of accessories, footwear and apparel!


text:
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
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Chief Electric can be found at Schooleys Mountain Rd 190. The following is offered: Phonebook. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Long Valley there are 15 other Phonebook. An overview can be found here.
Chief Electric is located at 190 Schooleys Mountain Rd, Long Valley, NJ..


text:
Why do a Cartagena Getaway?
A Cartagena Getaway is less than 5 hours nonstop from the east coast of the United States and airfare is under $500. When you get there you can enjoy delectable meals, walk most places you want to go, buy beautiful, handmade mementos, tour UNESCO sites and easily visit a Caribbean beach.
Isn't Colombia dangerous?
If you still think Colombia is terrorized by violent drug gangs, kidnappings are common and the police are corrupt you aren't entirely wrong. However, Cartagena, a small, walled city has mostly ordinary petty tourism crimes such as pickpocketing.
Various theories abound as to why Cartagena has a higher level of safety than the rest of the country. One is that the drug lords in Cali and Medellín agreed to stay out of Cartagena as it was a playground both enjoyed. Others credit former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe with kicking terrorism out and bringing tourism in. Whatever the reasons we never felt unsafe for a minute during 4 days in Cartagena.
Cartagena is such a rewarding and accessible destination that if you're even reasonably sensible (the best that could ever be said of us) you should experience nothing except delight (served with a side dish of massive currency conversion confusion).
Where to stay for your Cartagena Getaway
Stay at a hotel in the walled city. We did two nights along the coast outside the walls and two inside and can save you the bother of staying outside. It wasn't bad but it was at least a 15 minute cab ride each time to town with drivers who seemed to have been thrown out of Sicily for being too prone to anger and aggressive driving.
The restaurants and shops you want in the walled city and the beach right outside the city has unappealing dark volcanic sand. So, as we said, stay at a hotel in the walled city!
We stayed at the Hotel Boutique Ananda which is in a location that seemed to be within 4 blocks of everything and everywhere. The Ananda is a small, well-cared-for 5 star property with a lovely pool in the courtyard, free Wi-Fi and breakfast, much-needed strong air conditioning and one of the highest rated restaurants in Cartagena, Carmen. There are at least four different areas where you can sit and relax and enjoy either the pool or city views and the guest rooms are quite spacious.
They also were able to produce (on no notice) a private guide to give us a walking tour of the city on a holiday when none of the other guides were working and a reasonably priced, very cheerful, private driver to take us to Castillo San Felipe de Barajas and Convento de la Popa.
What to do on your Cartagena getaway
Go on a walking tour of Cartagena's walled city
Schedule, ideally online before you arrive, a walking tour of the walled city. We met with William Salazar who is a man worth meeting; he knows everyone, can get you whatever experience suits your interests, takes your safety seriously and will not steer you wrong just so he can make a buck. He owns and runs The Cartagenian a small company and will personally work with you to ensure that you get what you want in terms of tours, accommodations, private drivers, reservations for good restaurants and even airport pickups. (Rather unsportingly he draws a strong line against drug dealings and prostitution.)
Go to Playa Baru (about 45 minutes outside of Cartagena)
We had long-wanted to go to the Rosario Islands near Cartagena. Brunette had read about their white sand, completely transparent water and general desirability for years. The time had come to take action. We had hoped to get there by ship but were only able to find crowded party boats or expensive private charters so were discouraged. We can afford the former but would abhor it and cannot afford the latter but lust after it.
William Salazar solved the problem. He had a driver who picked us up at our hotel, drove us to a relatively secluded non-party part of the island, stayed with us for about 5 hours (and watched our belongings) while we swam, ate, got massages and bought beach jewelry. His services cost less than $100 USD total for the 2 of us. Such a deal! We bought his lunch which added some horrific amount like $10 to the deal, enjoyed our day at the beach and didn't have to bother our pretty little heads with any of the logistics. (Or our old and less pretty heads either.)
Go on a human-led tour of the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
This attraction and much of Cartagena is a UNESCO site of "Outstanding Universal Value". Once again we hired a private driver to go to Castillo San Felipe de Barajas (as well as Convento de la Popa which we didn't feel was worth the trouble).
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a fortress built by the Spaniards, or more precisely their slaves, in 1536. Cartagena was (and still is) an important port that needed to be protected. The fortress sometimes did that (against the British) and sometimes didn't (against the French, go figure). We think it has a fascinating history but because we went on our own we didn't learn as much as we would have liked.
When you get there you can hire a private guide at the far left window, purchase audio guide tours at the middle window (whose credit card machines don't work) or buy an admission only ticket at the far right window. We went with the audio guide option. The recording was excellent but the map that supposedly corresponded to the numbers you punched in to play was woefully inadequate. We never knew if we were looking at the leper hospital or where Def Leopard played a concert so it was very frustrating. If we had a do-over we would see if William could recommend a good English-speaking guide.
This is an activity best not done in the mid-day sun and only for those with good mobility. There's quite a bit of walking, some of it quite steep, that needs to be done and no accommodations of any kind for mobility issues.
Do some shopping on your Cartagena getaway
We had a ridiculous amount of fun buying linen clothes at Malvi Castameda. If you look at the link the woman in the middle picture is the one who runs and probably owns the shop. She is a retail force to be reckoned with but in a fun way. She only speaks Spanish and we only speak English (when you get right down to it) but she speaks "You look mahvelous dahling" better than anyone!
Blonde tried on a dress on our first visit (yes, there were two visits). It was too tight (would like to lie about this but what the heck). No problem, our new BFF elaborately pantomimed how she could let it out to fit perfectly by the next day. Skepticism ensued (by Blonde) followed by purchasing the dress and engaging in wishful thinking of "I weigh more than usual today so it will end up being fine".
We went back to get it the next day and suffice it to say that Blonde bought two linen tops and an elaborate necklace/scarf sort of thing and the always more restrained Brunette bought a shirt. The dress, which is excellent quality linen, fine tailoring and made in Colombia cost $74 USD.
On our second visit we were getting into a level of shopping quantity that resulted in calling our friend Jim back in Boston (or wherever in the world he was at the moment) so he could negotiate for us in Spanish. Jim is the ultimate lifeline friend (and speaks at least 5 languages)!
If you don't want a new wardrobe of linen clothes you can do some fabulous shopping for high-end crafts/artwork made in Colombia. There are wonderful hats, woven purses and our personal favorite; decorative objects with designs made with wheat straw. Straw marquetry uses wheat straws opened, flattened and dyed by hand. Then it's made into clean iridescent patterns that are inlaid on boxes or other decorative objects. Blonde lusted mightily after the beautiful piece shown above but the cost (pre-negotiating) was about $500 USD so it was, sadly, an unrequited love/lust.
Where to eat on your Cartagena getaway
OK, even we can see that this is turning into a book. At some point we will write a separate post on the topic of dining in Cartagena because it's totally worthy and because we did so much of it. But for now here's a cheat sheet of places where you can't go wrong.
Alma – This is the restaurant of the hotel Casa San Agustín. We spent hours there one night enjoying at least 4 courses of exquisite food and wine and practically had to be sent back to our hotel in wheelbarrows we were so full (and happy). Definitely make reservations and even if the idea of octopus carpaccio sounds unbelievably disgusting to you have it as an appetizer and you will not regret it. We both rank this in the top 10 of meals in our lives and we have had a lot of meals in a lot of wonderful places around the world. Don't miss the chance to come here!
Cande – We went for lunch and had wonderful service from the charming (English speaking) Yusmiriam.
The eggplant stuffed with crab and cheese was excellent as was the Grouper with lime and butter. If you go in the evenings they have entertainment. The restaurant's focus on locally sourced ingredients and Columbian cuisine.
Brujas de Cartagena – We just bumbled in here early (they hadn't even opened yet) and without a reservation. It was a national holiday and almost everywhere else was closed so we just took a chance. Not only did we enjoy the bare-breasted wall art but our scallops, potato croquettes (nothing like you're thinking) and vegetable ceviche were top-notch. This is where it sunk in to us that Cartagenians (and that seemed to be the crowd, not tourists like us) dress nicely for dinner. Everyone makes an effort and we admire that lost art.
El Burlador de Sevilla – This is Spanish cuisine, not Colombian, and has been a restaurant in Cartagena for over 20 years so they obviously are doing a lot right. The chef (who has only been there a couple of months) enjoys evolving traditional dishes and creating new ones.
They had fabulous Sangria and we aren't even Sangria lovers so that's saying something. We had croquettes made of Serrano ham, and mushrooms and fought a bit over the last one. The paella was far better than what we have had in Spain and the Crema Catalunya will result in Blonde going up a size for her next Spanx purchase. There is also excellent flamenco singing and dancing every night at no extra charge so this is a two-in-one experience.
There's so much more we could say about Cartagena but this is our effort to give you a semi-short trip success kit. If you follow this you can have a fun Cartagena getaway, avoid some of the dumb things we did and benefit from the wonderful things we enjoyed immensely.
Impress your friends with how adventuresome you are by going to Cartagena and then indulge yourself silly while you're there. And don't be surprised if your Cartagena getaway turns into a South America gateway as you develop an interest in sampling other countries.
Required FTC Disclosure that we always resentfully provide: We got free dinners at Alma Restaurant, El Burlador de Sevilla and Cande. We were guests of the Hotel Boutique Ananda which is why we didn't say anything about how pathetically small the chocolates they gave us were. So apparently we can be bought.


text:
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