text:
I found a graded paper that Emma left out on the table this morning. On the bottom was a "Writing Activity" instructing the student to write a paragraph about what you can do to help the planet and to use at least three spelling words. Here is Emma's paragraph (I think she's found her voice, don't you?):
Do you live in a city or what? Well, city or not, we have to make a giant change. Stop smoking! Find something else addicting like chocolate! You should see the changes we can make.
Chocolate! I love it!


text:
Created 29 Nov 2002 at 11:14 UTC by weasel.Homepage: http://mixmaster.sourceforge.net/
Freshmeat page: http://freshmeat.net/projects/mixmaster/
Mixmaster is the reference implementation of the type II remailer protocol (called Mixmaster as well). Anonymous remailers provide protection against traffic analysis and allow sending email anonymously or pseudonymously. Mixmaster consists of both client and server installations and is designed to run on several operation systems including but not limited to *BSD, Linux and Microsoft Windows.
License: Mixmaster license (DFSG free)
This project has the following developers:
New HTML Parser: The long-awaited libxml2 based HTML parser code is live. It needs further work but already handles most markup better than the original parser.
Keep up with the latest Advogato features by reading the Advogato status blog.
If you're a C programmer with some spare time, take a look at the mod_virgule project page and help us with one of the tasks on the ToDo list!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Here is a quick post featuring what I wore to church today:
Sunday, February 5, 2012
OOTD: Vintage Tweed-ing It and A Couple of Notes
Here is a quick post featuring what I wore to church today:
9 comments:
I love your outfit, and that was one of my favorite images that came out of the fall line!ReplyDelete
As if you can read my mind, yes, I was a little panicking when I saw the boy shirt in heart throb disappear mysteriously online just before the weekend. Have you received your shirt yet? Looking forward to read your review. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!ReplyDelete
DaniBP: Thanks SO much!!! This was one of my favorite images from the fall line too. I knew that I'd have to own this skirt after seeing this image. I actually squealed when I saw the image for the first time!ReplyDelete
Small Town Gal: I hope that you can get the heart throb shirt!!! The shirt is really lovely. I received it earlier this week, and I did a review of it here: http://jcrewismyfavstore.blogspot.com/2012/02/j-crew-has-my-heart-throbbing.html
Please let me know when you get the shirt. I'd love to know what you think, as well as how you plan to style it!
Thanks SO much for being here ladies!!!
Thank you for the link love! And, I never knew it was on Rachel Ray - that was interesting! Hope you had a great weekend!ReplyDelete
You're wearing one of my favorite outfits from J.Crew last season. It looks great on you! :)ReplyDelete
Add me to the club! This was my favorite outfit too. I bought the sweater then returned with buyers remorse since I was on a shopping ban then have returners remorse and tried to stalk it on a popback, alas with no success... Oh the things we do for love... You and Suzy both look so good in it!ReplyDelete
Suzy: You're welcome! Thank you for the outfit inspiration! I had a great weekend, I hope that you did too!!ReplyDelete
A Bigger Closet: Thanks SO much!!! I'm with you, this was one of my favorite outfits from J. Crew last season. I actually squealed when I first saw it on the website!!
ajc: Thanks SO much!!! Oh I know that feeling of returning something and then stalking it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you can find the sweater again! And, you're so right, "Oh the things we do for love." Thanks again!
Thanks SO very much for being here ladies!
I would have never thought to pair those colors together but they work so well!ReplyDelete
Lisa: I would have never thought to pair these colors either!! My husband said the same thing. I agree, these colors really work well together!ReplyDelete
Thanks SO much for being here; I really appreciate it!


text:
Charles Ungkim ~ http://terchampin.blogspot.com/
e-mail : email@example.com, facebook me
for me, the general term of photography is to paint pictures with light. ain't that sounds super interesting. it's like creating a creation.
thinkin of yesterdays and yesteryears are like reminiscing wonderful memories. to show that to others would be a lot easier by showing photo rather than yabling with a lot of crap. even better when it has the touch of someone who has the passion for it. just show pictures (or even better,... a custom made album) to our children of their growing years and a sense of belonging, love, sacrifice, etc.. will pop in their head.
do browse through and pen-in some comments at the end of this page. tq
one of my Latest project - 'a zoom from my crystaL baLL'
below are some samples. (click picture to enlarge)
outdoor w' toppoi n' jean (17 may 2011)
kaamatan - Lahad datu 2011
MPAK smk sepagaya 2010
kaamatan - Lahad Datu (30/04/2010)
sabah state museum - pre & post
High Dynamic Range - HDR
hdr - aman jaya
sms L.datu - compound
hyatt during a dramatic aftanoon
strawberry (soto-berri)
a jalopy
promenade hotel, tawau
belmont marco polo, tawau
how toHDR (click here)
madai waterfal - a shot of 28mm, f/14 @ 2.0 sec
quite fast but totally not furious
rabbani: the concert - dewan perdana L.datu, 24 oct 2009 (official photographer)
HY Juta annual dinner s/b (14 dec 2009) cheque presentation to orphans
st dominc L.datu - renovation
@ smk sepagaya
faces of TOT 2009
- vignetting due to Lens abberation
Ligatech - 2009
smk sepagaya handball team 2010
some winners
TOT '10 ~ temasya olaraga tahunan 2010
some awesome pictures that I borrowed from some amazing photographers
fish-eye Lens
The Tree by Terry Shuck
A Cold Sunday in November
On 'The Turning Away'
some pics of me...
entrance of Disneyland
with donald duck
st paul, macau
at timpohon in kinabalu national park
reflection of me
river near my house
imposed (sample)
sumthin to read - - - - -
Superman - the story
One sunny afternoon, superman was out flying around. Crime was slow that day, so he decided to go over to spiderman's house to invite him out for a drink. But a spiderman replied "no I can't, I've got a problem with my web-shooter. Can't fight crime tomorrow without it
So superman headed over to bat cave to see batman who replied "not today my friend, my batmobile is down and it must be repaired today, can't fight crime tomorrow without it.
Disgruntled, superman took to the air cruising around the skies when he flew over a penthouse apartment, with his supervision, he saw wonder woman lying on the deck, spread-eagle, stark-naked!
Superman has got a brilliant idea! People said i'm faster than a speedy bullet and I've always wondered what she would be like with all her wonder power. So he zzooooooooommmmm down and did her in a flash!!! And was gone before anyone could notice.
All of sudden wonder women sat up and said, what was that? Then the invisible man got off her and replied i don't know, but my arse hurts like hell
An Imperfect Pot
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the masters house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his masters house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." The pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the masters house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pots side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We re all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Fathers table. In Gods great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.
why did the boss fire the secretary - retold
This is a true story. Last week was my 40th birthday and I really didn't feel like waking up that morning. I managed to pull myself together and go downstairs for breakfast, hoping my wife would be pleasant and say, "Happy Birthday!", and possibly have a small present for me. As it turned out, she barely said good morning, let alone "Happy Birthday." I thought… Well, that's marriage for you, but the kids… They will remember.
As I walked into my office, my secretary Joanne said, "Good Morning Boss, and by the way Happy Birthday!" It felt a bit better knowing that at least someone remembered. I worked in a zombie like fashion until about one o'clock, when Joanne knocked on my door and said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day outside, and it's your Birthday, why don't we go out for lunch, just you and me." I said, "Thanks, Joanne, that's the best thing I've heard all day. Let's go!"
We went to lunch but not where we'd normally go. Instead she took me to a quiet bistro with a private table. We had a couple of mixed drinks and I enjoyed the meal tremendously. On the way back to the office, Joanne said, "You know, It's such a beautiful day… We don't have to go right back to the office, do we?" I replied with "I suppose not. What do you have in mind?" She said, "Let's go to my apartment, it's just around the corner."
After arriving at her apartment, Joanne turned to me and said, "Boss if you don't mind, I'm goinna to step into the bedroom for just a moment. I'll be right back." "Ok." I nervously replied. She went into the bedroom and, after a couple of minutes, she came out carrying a huge birthday cake…
Followed by my wife, my kids, and dozens of my friends, and co-workers, all singing "Happy Birthday".
And I just sat there… on the couch… naked.
My kids came trampling down the stairs to breakfast, ate their breakfast, and didn't say a word to me. So when I made it out of the house and started for work, I felt pretty dumpy and despondent.
As I walked into my office, my secretary Joanne said, "Good Morning Boss, and by the way Happy Birthday!" It felt a bit better knowing that at least someone remembered. I worked in a zombie like fashion until about one o'clock, when Joanne knocked on my door and said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day outside, and it's your Birthday, why don't we go out for lunch, just you and me." I said, "Thanks, Joanne, that's the best thing I've heard all day. Let's go!"
We went to lunch but not where we'd normally go. Instead she took me to a quiet bistro with a private table. We had a couple of mixed drinks and I enjoyed the meal tremendously. On the way back to the office, Joanne said, "You know, It's such a beautiful day… We don't have to go right back to the office, do we?" I replied with "I suppose not. What do you have in mind?" She said, "Let's go to my apartment, it's just around the corner."
After arriving at her apartment, Joanne turned to me and said, "Boss if you don't mind, I'm goinna to step into the bedroom for just a moment. I'll be right back." "Ok." I nervously replied. She went into the bedroom and, after a couple of minutes, she came out carrying a huge birthday cake…
Followed by my wife, my kids, and dozens of my friends, and co-workers, all singing "Happy Birthday".
And I just sat there… on the couch… naked.
Some Quotes
• A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. - Lao Tsu
• A little learning is a dangerous thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad. - Bob Edwards
• All jobs are easy to the person who doesn't have to do them. - Holt's Law
• Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. - Chinese proverb
• Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night. - Anonymous
• Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers
• Good judgement comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgement. - Rita Mae Brown
• He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. - Benjamin Franklin
• How could there be any question of acquiring or possessing, when the one thing needful for a man is to become, to be at last, and to die in the fullness of his being. - (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French poet, 1900-1944)
• If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking. - Anonymous
• If everything is coming your way then you're in the wrong lane. - Anonymous
• If one has not given everything, one has given nothing. - Georges Guynemer
• If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. - Charlotte Bronte
• If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? - Albert Einstein
• If you can't convince them, confuse them. - Harry S Truman
• If you choose not to decide - you still have made a choice! - Neil Peart
• In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. - Theodore Roosevelt
• It usually takes a long time to find a shorter way. - Anonymous
• It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. - Alfred Lord Tennyson
• It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open one's mouth and remove all doubt. - Samuel Johnson
• It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. - Albert Einstein
• My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way. - Henny Youngman
• The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits - Anonymous
• The greatest risk is to risk nothing at all. - Leo Buscaglia
• The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. - Anonymous
• The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. - William Arthur Ward
• There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self. - Aldous Huxley (1864-1963) English Novelist
• To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have. - Anonymous
• What does not kill me makes me stronger. - Goethe
• When nothing is sure, everything is possible. - Margarete Drabble
• Wretched the man whose fame makes his misfortunes famous. - Lucius Accius
Happiness - Quotes
• Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action - Benjamin Disraeli
• Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. - Jim Beggs
• Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it. - Jacques Prevert
• Experience praises the most happy the one who made the most people happy. - Karl Marx
• Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens. - Douglas Jerrold.
• Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. - Ernest Hemingway
• Happiness is like a cat, If you try to coax it or call it, it will avoid you; it will never come. But if you pay not attention to it and go about your business, you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap. - William Bennett
• Happiness is not having what you want. It's wanting what you have - Unknown
• Happiness sneaks through a door you didn't know you left open. - John Barrymore
• I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them. - John Stuart Mill.
• If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than others, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are. - Charles de Montesquieu
• It is better to desire the things we have than to have the things we desire . - Henry Van Dyke
• It is not doing the thing we like, but liking the thing we have to do that makes life happy.
• It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. - Agnes Repplier.
• Life is a tragedy for those who feel, but a comedy to those who think. - Horace Walpole
• Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. - Helen Keller
• Often the greatest enemy of present happiness is past happiness too well remembered. - Oscar Hammling
• Seven days without laughter makes one weak. - Mort Walker
• Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go - Oscar Wilde
• Success is getting and achieving what you want. Happiness is wanting and being content with what you get. - Bernard Meltzer
• Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
• The joyfulness of a man prolongeth his days. The Bible: - Ecclesiasticus. XXX. 22
• We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. - John Mason Brown
• When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us - Helen Keller
• When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters - one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity. - Saul David Alinsky –
• Yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope... - Kalidasa
Life Quotes
Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death. - Auntie Mame, by Patrick Dennis
When people search for "Life Quotes" they are often looking for quotes about life. Why do the major search engines only give them hundreds of pages of commercial garbage about Life Insurance Quotes? - Bill Austin
Motivational Quotes
• Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. -John Wooden
• Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing. - Albert Schweitzer
• If people are coming to work excited . . . If they're making mistakes freely and fearlessly . . . If they're having fun . . . If they're concentrating doing things, rather than preparing reports and going to meetings - then somewhere you have leaders. - Robert Townsend
• Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it. -Sir Winston Churchill
• Let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today? - Mary Manin Morrissey author
• Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. - Unknown
• Nobody is stronger, nobody is weaker than someone who came back.There is nothing you can do to such a person because whatever you could do is less than what has already been done to him. We have already paid the price. -Elie Wiesel
• People prefer to follow those who help them, not those who intimidate them. -C. Gene Wilkes
• To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. - Donald Laird
• You cannot raise a man up by calling him down. - William Boetcker
Provers Quotes
• A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. - Proverbs 17:27
• A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash. - Proverbs 15:14
• He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. - Chinese proverb
• He who begins many things finishes but a few. - Italian proverb
• If a man does only what is required of him, he is a slave If a man does more than is required of him, he is a free man. - Chinese Proverb
• Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it - Swedish Proverb
• Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it. - Proverbs 22:6
• To know the road ahead, ask those coming back. - Chinese Proverb
• Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly. - Proverbs 3:18
• Yesterday is a dream, tomorrow but a vision. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore to this day. - Sanskrit Proverb
Quotation Quotes
• Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone. - Unknown
• Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, But beautiful old people are works of art. - Eleanor Roosevelt
• Experience is a great advantage. The problem is that when you get the experience, you're too damned old to do anything about it. - Jimmy Conners
• Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. - Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934)
Excellent One Liners....
• Money is not everything. There's Mastercard & Visa
• Save water. Shower with your friend.
• Love thy neighbor. But don't get caught.
• Behind every successful man, there is a woman. And behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.
• Wise never marry. And when they marry they become otherwise.
• Success is a relative term. It brings so many relatives.
• Never put off the work till tomorrow what you can put off today.
• Love is photogenic, It needs darkness to develop
• A good discussion is like a miniskirt Short enough to pertain interest and long enough to cover the subject
• Children in backseats cause accidents. Accidents in backseats cause children
• "ALCOHOL KILLS SLOWLY" So what? Who's in a hurry?
• "Hard work never killed anybody " But why take the risk! (I don't want to be an exception!)
• When two's company, three's the result !
• A dress is like a barbed fence. It protects the premises without restricting the view
• The more you learn, the more you know, The more you know, the more you forget The more you forget, the less you know So...... why learn ..!!
These are some of the romantic countries in the world.
B.U.R.M.A - Between Us, Remember Me Always.
C.A.N.A.D.A. - Cute And Naughty Action that Developed into Attraction
C.H.I.N.A. - Come Here... I Need Affection.
E.G.Y.P.T. - Everything's Great, You Pretty Thing!
F.R.A.N.C.E. - Friendships Remain And Never Can End.
H.O.L.L.A.N.D. - Hope Our Love Lasts And Never Dies.
I.N.D.I.A. - I Nearly Died In Adoration.
I.T.A.L.Y - I Trust And Love You.
K.E.N.Y.A. - Keep Everything Nice, Yet Arousing.
K.O.R.E.A. - Keep Optimistic Regardless of Every Adversity.
L.I.B.Y.A. - Love Is Beautiful; You Also.
M.A.N.I.L.A. - May All Nights Inspire Love Always.
N.E.P.A.L. - Never Ever Part As Lovers.
P.E.R.U. - Phorget Everyone... Remember Us.
T.H.A.I.L.A.N.D - Totally Happy. Always In Love And Never Dull.
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to break down and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
Watch Out
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. Frank Outlaw
A wish
Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight
A wish I make this very night, a wish that all my friends sleep tight
A wish that all good dreams come true. May God bless everything they do
A wish that every day they'll wake to find a helping hand to take
Someone to trust, someone to hold, someone to truly call their "own"
For days they cry, for days they pout. A wish for peace without a doubt
For days our happiness will thrive a prayer to God I am alive
A wish of joy, and peace, and love, for these are all gifts from above
For everything we do together I pray that it will last forever
Excellent poems by not so famous poets... found on toilet doors and walls
Here I lie in stinky vapor,
Because some bastard stole the toilet paper,
Shall I lie, or shall I linger,
Or shall I be forced to use my finger.
Here I sit broken hearted
Tried to shit but only farted
You're lucky you had your chance
I tried to fart and shit my pants!
I came here to shit and stink,
But all I do is sit and think.
Some come here to sit and think,
Some come here to shit and stink,
But I come here to scratch my balls,
And read the bullshit on the walls...
Words Of The Wise
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth.
In 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall how fabulous you really look at that time.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing gum.
Do one thing daily that scares you. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with other people who are reckless with yours.
Remember compliment, forget insult. Keep old love letters. Throw away old bank statement.
Don' feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. Some of the most interesting 40-years-old I know still doesn't know what to do with theirs
Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much. Your choices are half chance, like everybody else's.
Read the direction even if you don't follow them.
Don't read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You'll never know when they're gone. Be nice to your siblings. They're the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick to you.
Understand that friends may come and go, but with a precious few you should go on. The older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Accept these certain truth.
Prices will rise. Politician will philander. And then you'll fantasize that when you're young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you.
May be you have a trust fund. May be you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when other one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful to whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the trash, wiping it off and recycling it for more than it is worth.
Growing Old
Many people are afraid of growing old. I'm afraid of growing old and boring. Many people are afraid of growing old, alone. I'm afraid of growing old, insane. Many people are afraid of losing their looks. I'm afraid of losing my dreams. Many people are afraid of losing their youth. I'm afraid of losing my soul.
When you're 15, 35 seems ancient.
When you're 35, 15 seems juvenile.
A turnaround in a split second - two decades zoom past and before you know it, it's only a mile to the next millennium.
Don't fear age- it's a right of personhood.
Don't fear death- it's God's greatest jest.
Don't grow old - you don't have to.
Don't date because you're desperate.
Don't marry because you're miserable.
Don't have kids because you think your genes are superior.
Don't separate because you think it's fashionable.
Don't drink because you have troubles.
Don't gamble because you think winning is inevitable.
Don't philander because you think you're irresistible. Most likely, you're not.
Don't associate with people you can't trust.
Don't cheat.
Don't lie.
Don't pretend.
Don't try to buy your way into the kingdom of God.
Don't dictate because you're smarter.
Don't demand because you're stronger.
Don't sleep around because you think you're old enough and know better.
Don't hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
Don't sell your self, your family or your ideals.
Don't stagnate.
Don't regress.
Learn a new skill. Find a new friend. Start a new career.
Don't live in the past. Time can't bring anything or anyone back.
Don't put your life on hold for possibly Mr. Right.
Don't throw your life away on absolutely Mr. Wrong because your biological clock is ticking and you can't afford to have your eggs harvested before the new millennium.
There's always a mad rush to something, somewhere but victory does not always belong to those who finish first. Sometimes, there is no race to be won only a price to be paid for some of life's more hasty decisions. You can't always go with the throng who could be wrong. Sometimes, you have to be alone to be enlightened. To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless. To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy. To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy. Don't bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons. To keep yourself warm, buy a jacket. In the long-run, it will be less complicated and less costly. To make yourself happy, pursue your passions and be the best of what you can be.
Simplify your life. Take away the clutter. Get rid of destructive elements - abusive friends, nasty habits and dangerous liaisons. Don't abandon your responsibilities but don't overdose on duty. Don't live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family. Be true to yourself. Don't commit when you're not ready. Don't keep others waiting needlessly. Fall in love - it's the greatest thing on earth. But take care and remember, after the fall must come the rise.
Go on that trip. Don't postpone it. Say those words. Don't let the moment pass. Do what you must even at society's scorn. Write poetry. Love deeply. Walk barefoot. Hold hands. Dance with wild abandon. Cry at the movies. Take care of yourself. Don't wait for someone to take care of you. You light up your life. You drive yourself to your destination. No one completes you except you.
It is true that life doesn't get easier with age. It only gets more challenging. Don't be afraid. Don't lose your capacity to love. Pursue your passions. Live your dreams. Don't lose faith in God. Don't grow old. Just grow-up.
Mark Of Inspiration
Take time to WORK … it is the price of success.
Take time to PLAY … it is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to GIVE … it's too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to LAUGH … it is the music of the soul.
Take time to LOVE AND BE LOVED … it is A God-given gift.
Take time to be GRATEFUL … it is the key to joy.
Take time to MEDITATE … it is the path to peace.
Take time to PRAY … it is the greatest power on earth. Adapted from an Old Irish Prayer
ABC Resolutions for Everyone
Avoid Negative sources, people, places, things and habits.
Believe in yourself.
Consider things from every angle.
Don't give up and don't give in.
Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come.
Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches.
Give more than you planned to .
Hang on to your dreams.
Ignore those who try to discourage you.
Just do it.
Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier.
Love yourself first and most.
Make it happen.
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.
Open your eyes and see things as they really are.
Practice makes perfect.
Quitters never win and winners never quit.
Read, study, and learn about everything important to you in life.
Stop Procrastination.
Take control of your own destiny.
Understand yourself in order to better understand others .
Visualize it.
Want it more that anything.
Xcellerate your efforts.
You are unique of all God's creations, nothing can replace you.
Zero in on your target and go for it. Author Unknown
So what?
(Carol James, 7/12/1998)
So what if I am confused, I can attract clarity.
So what if I feel overwhelmed, I can attract focus.
So what if I am upset that I didn't know that sooner, I know it now.
So what if that didn't turn out okay,I gained a lot of new knowledge from it.
So what if I lack money, I can always attract more.
So what if I am in a bad mood, I have the power to change it.
So what if I am feeling negative emotion, I am only a shift in focus away from relief.
So what if it has not come yet, I know it is on its way.
So what if I did that wrong, I can always do it over.
So what if I've got stuff in my life I don't want, I will release it when I am ready.
So what if I don't know the answer, I can always attract wisdom.
So what if I am not as far as others, I am as far as I need to be.
©1998 Inspired Living, L.L.C. and Carol A. James All rights reserved.
And more at http://www.inspiredliving.com/
Chinese proverbs:
• If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will avoid one hundred days of sorrow.
• To know the road ahead ask those coming back.
• The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.
• The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.
• With virtue you cannot be entirely poor... Without it you cannot be really rich.
• To understand your parents' love you must raise children yourself.
• To learn a good behavior takes at least 3 years, but to learn a bad behavior takes 3 days!
• If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person.
• If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house.
• If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation.
• If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
The adventure of life is to learn.
The purpose of life is to grow.
The nature of life is to change.
The challenge of life is to overcome.
The essence of life is to care.
The opportunity of life is to serve.
The secret of life is to dare.
The spice of life is to be friend.
The beauty of life is to give. William Arthur Ward
thank u for spending your time browsing thru'. i'd be glad if u could pen-in some comment(s) or suggestion(s). do browse from time-to-time as i'll be updating my blog with more new pictures & events.


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Thanks for popping in, I've got the kettle on!
It can't have escaped your notice but today Her Majesty The Queen has become the longest reigning monarch for 1,200 years of British History beating Queen Victoria's record of 23,226 days. What an achievement.
Photos from The Monarchy Facebook page.
In 1965 the Queen visited the Isle of Wight when I was there on holiday. We stood in Ventnor Botanical Gardens watching as she planted a tree and as we watched I let go of my beach ball which hurtled down the hill towards her followed swiftly by my Dad who fortunately caught it in time. I don't think she noticed though.
I wonder what's happened to the tree, it should be enormous by now . . .
Bye for now


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pinto beans. In my US life, when given the choice, I would always choose black over pinto. My French life makes me crave the most basic things. I still love black beans and get completely insane over them, but these days I'm on a pinto roll.
After a long day and heavy lunch, a nice little bean juice fix was perfect for tonight's menu.
Serve 4-5 depending on what you serve with
Serve 4-5 depending on what you serve with
1 cup shredded chicken (or leftover turkey, why not?)
1 cup cooked pinto beans
1 small can corn
1 handul chopped celery
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, grated
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cups bean cooking liquid (or just use water)
1 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Some red pepper flakes
1 cube bouillon
Shredded cheese
Chopped green onions
Salt/ pepper
Some EVOO
1. Sweat the onions in the EVOO until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and stir, cooking 2 - 3 minutes.
2. Add the corn, bell, cumin, chili powder, and pepper flakes. Then add the bean juice and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil then lower heat and let simmer until carrots are tender.
3. Add the chicken and level with water. When the simmer returns, add the beans and pepper and heat through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve garnished with green onions, cheese, and Tapatio.
Mmmm if I had an avocado handy, it would have been an integral part of this dish.
Can be eaten over fries, as a soup, or even over rice and a lemon wedge.


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I love my congregants. They're interested, they're attentive, and they have passions that I am only beginning to learn about. It is a pleasure to hear them and to work with them.
For example, regarding my High Holy Day sermons: Each one has received reactions, and they're basically positive ones! Oh, yes, there is some disagreement over my assessment of the Obama administration's strong support for Israel, but in fact, I have received upbeat reactions to both the messages that I delivered and the services overall.
I have received the majority of comments about my sermon on mental health and mental illness, and my call for an ongoing Temple-based support group for congregants who are mentally ill and their families. I have received offers of help from at least ten members who, for various reasons, expressed the hope to be involved in some way.
Knowing what I know about them, each of them has either a personal or professional connection to the area of mental health and mental illness, and all are willing to be helpful. That says a lot about them, and it also bespeaks a need that we can fulfill. So an agenda is set for the future. And if you're a member of Temple Beth El, and you are reading these words, please contact me to get involved.
May we all have a wonderful and productive New Year of 5772!


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needlepoint executed by Alice B. Toklas, designed by PICASSO
image from the book Picasso and the Lure of Language.
I love these chairs and was talking about them recently with a friend of mine. They are (or were) on display at the Beinecke Library at Yale, in the manuscripts division. I used to gaze upon with quite covetously whenever I was there buried in research.ReplyDelete
What a relief from silk damask or unbleached linen. I like the the complexity of the Braque perhaps more than the Picasso, but all are inspired combinations of pattern, form and history.ReplyDelete
Have never before seen this heavenly chairs! Inspired!ReplyDelete
I hope this is going to be a long series as I am head over heels.ReplyDelete
alice and pablo. imagine.
(& how fabulous it would be to gaze upon the real thing with one's own eyes!)
I wish I had the patience to do something substantial like this-no great needleworker though and oh so not the master Picasso-but something. Mrs. B. you have it in you to do something monumental in thread, and yes feed me any inspirations for a stitch in time. Mz Zhush-yes indeed. Aesthete,it would be hard to gaze upon these and not covet. Victoria-see, just ask the Aesthete,I think He has seen lots. Blue, me too-on all counts,but to my mind Givenchy could do NO wrong (I feel a post coming on-)ReplyDelete
I first came across these chairs as a boy when attending a monumental show at MOMA on the Steins (Gertrude and her siblings) as collectors, and was quite captivated by them. Aesthete is correct, they were once displayed at the Beinecke Library at Yale, where they are part of that university's astounding collections. As an undergraduate there I, too, would go into the library to look at them from time to time. The lust in my heart for them was tempered, somewhat, by their diminutive size. For only someone as tiny and birdlike as Ms. Toklas could sit in one of them without shattering it.ReplyDelete
Reggie,They do seem smallish, that visual of the birdlike Toklas perched in one will now be an added reference! pgtReplyDelete
Every time I see these, I want them more than the time before....ReplyDelete


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Congress is required by Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution to determine its own pay. Prior to 1969, Congress did so by enacting stand-alone legislation. From 1789 through 1968, Congress raised its pay 22 times using this procedure. Congressional salaries initially were $1,500. By 1968, they had risen to $30,000. Stand-alone legislation may still be used to raise Member pay, as it was most recently in 1982, 1983, 1989, and 1991, but two other methods — including an automatic annual adjustment procedure and a commission process — are now also available.no one ... and I mean NO ONE who makes 169k / year understands the working class American citizen.
Under the annual adjustment procedure, Members are scheduled to receive a 2.8% adjustment in January 2009. Members originally were scheduled to receive a 2.7% increase in January 2008. The increase was revised to 2.5%, resulting in a salary in 2008 of $169,300, to match the percent increase in the base pay of General Schedule (GS) employees. By law, Members may not receive an increase greater than the increase in the base pay of GS employees. Congress voted to deny the scheduled January 2007 adjustment. Members previously received a pay increase (1.9%) in January 2006, increasing their salary to the rate of $165,200.[emphasis mine]
now 174,000 - 169,000 = 5,000Projected January 2009 Member Pay Increase of 2.8%Under the formula established in the Ethics Reform Act, Members may receive a pay adjustment in January 2009 of 2.8%. This adjustment — if not revised by Congress or constrained by provisions of the Ethics Reform Act related to the pay increase for General Schedule employees — would increase salaries for Members of Congress to $174,000.
on a personal note, their raise will be approximately equal to my income for 6 months.


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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
More Paintings from the Exposition Universelle de 1889 - Matthew D. Innis
[Anders Zorn, A Fisherman - St. Ives, 1888]
at 1:45 PM
2 comments:
- Hels said...
I love the paintings but isn't it interesting that they chose to show a traditional and almost timeless image, instead of a modern thrusting view of Britain. My image of world fairs was that they were a vehicle for showing off a nation's modernity.
- April 11, 2012 at 2:30 PM
- Hermes said...
I found it hard to find a painting I actually liked and that is hardly modern. Good points.
- April 12, 2012 at 9:36 AM
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Two years after Hippiefest 2009, I, Nicky, and Nicky's uncle Jeff (this time, accompanied by Nicky's cousin Stephanie) finally followed up with another visit to Baltimore's Pier 6 for another nostalgia-flavored concert. Actually, Nicky and I did have one false start earlier in the Summer when we tried to attend a gig featuring Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. That was during the period of extremely hot weather, however -- if you live on the East Coast, then you probably remember which one -- and we couldn't stay past the end of McDonald's set. I can't say I enjoyed that experience. Seeing Chicago, however, more than made up for it. It was decaffeinated Chicago, to be sure, since lead vocalist Peter Cetera hasn't been with the band for some time, but everyone else was there, with considerably less hair and apparently mellower politics (they even displayed an American flag during the encore!) but still giving forth that distinctive and enjoyable horn-flavored sound.
Speaking of horns, that's where I have a connection to Chicago, of sorts. Supposedly, while the band was developing at DePaul University, they sought brass instruction from a young priest, Fr. George Wiskirchen. Fr. Wiskirchen later served as assistant band director at Notre Dame for three decades. When I attended ND, Fr. Wiskirchen directed me in the concert band and brass ensemble.
The band opened with "Make Me Smile" and pretty much played straight through for two hours or so, with occasional breaks for solo performances and the like. Breaking the official Pier 6 policy on videography, they invited the audience to take all the pictures and videos it wanted, since "it all winds up on Youtube in the end anyway." Matters were sufficiently relaxed that, as part of an ongoing benefit for Susan G. Komen for the cure, some schmo who had won an auction on the Chicago web site got to perform a dangerously realistic version of karaoke by signing the Cetera part in "If You Leave Me Now." He didn't do half badly, though his voice was about a half-octave lower than it needed to be, almost as if he were trying to "Elvis" the thing up.
Guest vocalists aside, there was far less "cheese" visible here than during Hippiefest, where several of the participants self-consciously treated their performances as something of a joke. The only tacky moment came when the band did "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" to promote their upcoming Christmas album. That wouldn't have been so bad, except that a lighted Christmas tree was carted on stage and the boys goofed around with it a bit, including a run-around-the-pine-perimeter routine ("Rockin' Around," get it?) that got positively Little Black Sambo-esque before the end. The song sounded good, at least, so I don't think we're looking at a Yuletide disaster of Dylan-esque proportions here. What made this so irritating in retrospect was that the band later only performed part of my favorite Chicago song, "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" -- the fast part -- to end the performance. What's the point of doing the fast part without the slow part? It's like turning on the car and instantly accelerating to 55 mph. I would gladly have traded a couple of those scampers around the tree for a full version.
Are we ever going to see bands like Chicago again? I seriously doubt it. Music is simply another mass-produced item now; Nicky and I are constantly joking about how every young male or female singer sounds the same. As for rap and hip-hop, no comment. This "sunset glimpse," however, was great.


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What Type of Vacuum Cleaner is Very best?
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Read More Here Canister Vacuum Cleaners
You will discover two major types of vacuum cleaner: upright and cylinder. Each offer you benefits and disadvantages. Before deciding when you ought to by a canister or upright, you'll want to ask your self a number of concerns. The following recommendations will help you come across the answer.
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Cylinder vacuum cleaners are a lot easier to utilize mainly because the motor units tends to become smaller and also you can vacuum a sizable region with all the head, with out possessing to move the motor. Most cylinder vacuum cleaners include attachments that are housed inside them for rapid retrieval and put-away. The Electrolux Harmony canister vacuum is definitely an fantastic vacuum and has been made to become ultra quiet.


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a while back, my friend, sam, suggested we do a show together. sam is an uber-talented artist, and she and I showed our stuff together last year when I had the holiday clearance sale at work. knowing I don't have a lot of pottery to show (most was sold at the holiday sale and then spring was mostly commissions and MUGS!), knowing I would have to come up with some art to show, and knowing it's been a LONG TIME, I said yes.
the sale has grown to 6 of us arteests, and is a one-night-only sort of deal. on the first thursday of september. so now it's Go Time. (though for some reason, I keep slipping into Freak Out Time. so far, I have recorded Discouraged Crisis Numbers I and II. hm.)
anyway, here's the info. so if you find yourself in the portland area on september 2nd, you should stop by! (that means you, mom.)
Aug 23, 2010
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Friday, April 24, 2009
Loot: Incentives vs. Rewards
If you want to know the details of what I'm about to go off about, read this thorough and intelligent article by Allison Robert with which I disagree violently. Though I think she's wrong, I appreciate that her article was very respectful to the other camp and written in a thoughtful and intelligent manner that strove for objectivity. She made it possible for me to understand and empathize with the other side, and is the strongest presenter of these arguments I have seen. Of course, usually these arguments are accompanied by "lol 10manz r 4 nubcakez roflmayo". :)
To summarize: Allison argues that 25-mans are more difficult to organize, and therefore if they offer the same loot as a 10-man, players will rationally choose to run 10-mans exclusively, killing 25-man raiding. She considers an incentive necessary to make 25-man raiding desireable. On that point, I don't think she's wrong. My quarrel is with the details, and mainly the degree.
First, I want to get the "difficulty argument" out of the way so we can focus on talking about loot. Some believe 10-mans are harder, some believe 25-mans are harder. For the sake of this discussion, let's declare a temporary truce and assume the two instances are of similar difficulty.
The main disconnect I have with Allison's article is a perspective on loot as an incentive vs. a reward. Allison argues that Blizzard should use loot to incentivize desired behaviors, so that players, acting in their own rational self-interest (as I agree they tend to try to do) will want to choose the behavior Blizzard finds desireable. Being an incentive has always been a part of how loot works.
However, the other function of loot is as a reward for performance. I say performance rather than time because we are talking about raiding loot, and no amount of time invested in a raid boss is going to get you a reward unless you can perform at at least the minimal level necessary to actually down the boss and loot it.
Loot only makes sense as a reward when the reward is commensurate with the challenge and required investment of the task. More challenging bosses and instances should give stronger rewards. If they don't, then the reward aspect of loot breaks down. And it's all relative: every use of your time in game will be compared to others.
To use a simple example: let's say I have two quests that are mutually exclusive. One offers 10g for doing 2000 dps on a dummy for a minute. The other one offers 500g for doing 2500 dps on a dummy for a minute.
Yes, the second one is harder. But the rewards are so out of whack that suddenly, I don't feel very rewarded for doing the 2000 dps one. The designer would have succeeded in making everyone want to do the latter, but they could also achieve incentive by offering, say 20g instead of 500g. Going too far throws the reward structure out of balance.
If we look at loot as a reward, and claim (as Allison agrees) that the main challenge of 25-mans over 10-mans is organizational, then the only rational conclusion is that if there is better loot, it should only go to the raid leaders, who are handling all of the organization. It should not be available to the 20 other people in the raid who had no hand in organizing.
So right there, by having a full tier higher loot available to the entire 25-man raid, we are simultaneously:
1) perverting the idea of rewards, and
2) failing at the stated goal of incentivizing
in two ways at once, by both giving something for nothing and by giving the same reward to the Organizers as we give to the Organized. If the Organizer is the only one doing extra work, but the entire raid reaps the loot, then it fails as both a reward and an incentive.
Consider the current difference in rewards between 10- and 25-mans. The following are only available in 25-man raids:
1) Loot is a full tier higher, and even more for weapons. That's a 13 iLevel difference for armor and a 19 iLevel difference for weapons.
2) Access to a Legendary (and the accompanying fun questline)
3) Patterns for high-end BoE gear
4) Crafting materials for that gear (Runic Orbs)
So yes, they've got the incentive aspect covered. There are lots of reasons to run 25-mans even if they are harder to organize. But they've overshot on the reward aspect. As you can see, there is a massive difference in rewards between the raid sizes, even though the main added challenge is simply organizational.
Yes, I'm aware that 25-mans are tuned for gear a tier higher, but that's incidental because they are supposed to be two different tracks. We are going on the assumption that actually playing through Uld 25 in Naxx 25 gear is about as difficult as playing through Uld 10 in Naxx 10 gear. If we change the rewards, we can change the tuning at the same time to balance it.
We were told that 10-man raiding was meant to be a viable alternative path. Right now it's a ghetto for "casual losers", due to the reward structure. The devs have stated that they want both paths to be viable, but they have created such a massive incentive difference and reward disparity that's NOT commensurate with difficulty, that they thoroughly undermine their own ability to create two comparable tracks, making 25-man the only "real" option.
Ghostcrawler has argued that the devs aren't sure there is demand for 10-man hard modes. They don't seem to think that there are enough serious 10-man raiding groups to justify focusing on supporting that content. It's scary how willfully blind that stance makes them sound. GC talks about how incentives are necessary or 25-man raiding will "die", and then completely ignores that very point when considering 10-man raiding:
Of course few serious raiders are interested in the raid with crappy rewards!
It's by your own design, GC! Incentivize it, and they will come!
As stated by Ghostcrawler and acknowledges by Allison, equalizing loot between the raid sizes would necessitate shared raid lockouts (meaning you can't run Uld 10 the same week as Uld 25, etc.). The current implementation and this new one each have their own pros and cons. Allison makes a strong argument that shared lockouts would be bad, most compellingly because they reduce the number of options. She says that players won't feel as free to help fill out pugs or friend's raids, for instance, and she's right.
I think that particular objection is alleviated by the large number of separate instances available, which will only increase with time. If you are saved to Ulduar 25, you can still go to Naxx 10, OS 25, VoA 10, and EoE 25 that week. You still have 4 other raid lockouts. Not to mention that most people who play enough to actually want to raid the same place twice a week would probably have an alt at 80 capable of filling that slot anyway. Sure, we lose some options, but the harm here seems pretty darn minimal.
In the case of raid lockouts, we have to look at which is worse: a slight constriction on available raids per character, or a breakdown of the raid loot reward system. I think the pros of shared lockouts heavily outweigh the cons.
Right now, we have a situation where 25-mans are over-incentivized, wreaking havoc on the Reward Balance and "killing" serious 10-man raiding in the same way that it's feared that loot equalization would kill 25-man raiding.
The solution? Don't put the best loot out of reach for 10-man groups, just make it take more time and accomplishment to earn. For example, instead of having the Legendary pieces ONLY drop in 25-man, have them drop at a much, much lower rate in 10-man.
That way, the incentive for 25-man is that you get geared up much faster and a bit more easily. The only way to get the first Frostmourne on the server is to do 25-mans. The fastest route to profit off of patterns and Runic Orbs is 25-mans. The fastest way to get geared is 25-mans.
If the challenge is organizing more people, then reward them with more loot to give out. Don't reward them with exclusive access to legendaries, patterns, crafting mats, and an entire tier of gear above what is available in 10-mans. Right now, Blizzard has overshot and offered too much incentive to do 25-mans.
I believe we can have this compromise and meet in the middle: make the best ilevel gear, as well as the perks (legendaries, patterns, etc), available in some way to 10-mans, while still making the organizational headaches of 25-mans pay off, and keep people interested. With my plan, 25-man raids get all the best stuff faster and first, even though they don't have exclusive access to it. Isn't that enough incentive? I think so. If you don't, then take an honest look at it and ask yourself: are 25-mans worth saving at all if they require such a large incentive that it warps the entire reward structure?
[edit: I want to clarify that final point a little. I'm not arguing that 25-mans aren't worth saving - I wholeheartedly believe they are. I'm arguing that they don't require so much incentive to get people to do them. I was mainly trying to point out that the 25-man-first crowd defeats themselves when they argue that 25-man raiding will die without this big an incentive. If you require an entire tier of gear plus perks to justify the activity, do you yourself think it is worth doing at all? If you support 25-mans, then you should be in support of reducing the reward disparity because you know that you will still do 25-mans even if they only give you a relatively small advantage.]
4 comments:
- Ixobelle said...
i have to chime in here, and I hate to do it, but jesus christ on a cracker, I ran 10 man naxx for the first time in a LONG while, and it was so retardedly easy and BORING that I wanted to kill myself. It felt like an UBRS run from back in vanilla wow.
not that 25 man is 'harder', but there's just more going on. I've got to say after running it last week, I don't see a single reason to EVER join another ten man naxx run. I honestly don't see the point in doing heroics either, so I'm probably just lazy.
As a healer, there seriously wasn't enough damage being taken to heal, and when I'd pop to holy, a single button affected 60% of the raid.
that's a huge point, and needs to be taken into consideration fully. Circle of Healing, an instant cast heal with a 6 second cooldown, that hits 6 targets (glyphed), INTELLIGENTLY (who needs the heal the worst), out of a 10 man raid. It's retarded. Prayer of healing, which isn't intelligent, but now can be cast on either of the two groups, heals half the raid. Prayer of Mending is bopping around ALSO. It's like I had nothing left to do.
In a 25 man, at least CoH only affects... uhh.. 6/25= less than a quarter of the raid (24%), not MORE THAN HALF. Prayer of healing now is a 5 man chunk of your choosing, but now that's 20% of the raid, instead of half. It certainly gives you more to DO, and more that can go wrong.
I fully agree with you on this point hatch, you know that, but they HAVE to do something about shit liek this, or the argument starts to fall apart. As a DPSer, you don't notice it, but I think tanks, and heals especially 'feel' the ten man difference a lot more intensely.
- April 25, 2009 at 8:28 AM
- Ixobelle said...
... forgot to include:
kara FELT like a ten man run. It was designed to be that, and nothing more. Naxx ten feels empty. Doing live and undead sides on gothik just feels silly when you only have like 3 people on one side. that's less than a 5 man group, and this is supposed to be a raid.
the trimming from 40 down to ***TEN*** is ridiculous there.
- April 25, 2009 at 8:31 AM
- Brent Michael Krupp said...
That doesn't make any sense, Ixo. Of course 10-man Naxx feels easy -- you're utterly overgeared and it was easy in the first place. The point is that it is slightly easier than even 25-man, at least at an appropriate gear level.
Organization-wise, 10-man can have more problems because you need to make an effort to get required raid buffs but a 25-man raid pretty easily has them all.
I don't have a problem with 25-man having slightly better loot but Hatch is totally right that the disparity is far, far too large right now.
- April 25, 2009 at 12:40 PM
- Hatch said...
I get what you are saying about CoH, Ixo, but I think it balances out because the number of healers changes. Let's say you only have CoH priests healing, for point of argument:
10-man group has 3 healers, able to coh 18 targets, in theory.
25-man group has 7 healers, able to coh 42 targets
2.5 x 18 = 45. So CoH has a slight advantage in 10-man groups, but it's minor. Then consider the fact that a 25-man raid is far more likely to have 6 people in range who all need a heal at once. Thinking to the Ulduar fights, I can't think of a time when CoH could hit more than 3 people at once anyway.
Though a *single person* can affect a larger percentage of the raid in a 10-man, the same *percentage of players* (2.5 healers vs 1 healer) have a similar effect in 25-mans.
And while a single person can be more effective in a smaller setting, what I keep hearing from my healers is that they also feel an increased burden. Provided all of the healers are decent, my healers find 25-mans vastly easier to heal because there are 4 extra people to pick up the slack when you are busy. But that may be just them.
On the other hand, I hear PoH is nucking futs and in line for some serious fixin'.
That particular point aside, I think there is room for both types of raiding. I just think the difference in rewards is too big right now. I enjoy the close social interaction I get with my 10-man group, but I've been to enough 40 and 25 man raids to appreciate the epic feel, and sometimes increased urgency, of a larger group. To you the 10-man feels empty, to me the 25-man feels crowded, and both are valid.
I wish the choice was "epic feel and more gear vs. more intimate setting", rather than "You can get gear or you can do a 10-man, but you can't do both". I want the choice to be between 10 and 25 man on their own merits, not between (exclusive access to a tier of) gear vs my friends.
- April 27, 2009 at 2:14 PM


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It is time to enjoy a good movie. I have seen this movie twice and yesterday. I saw it again but still enjoy it very much.
Heaven & Earth is a 1993 Vietnam war film directed and written by Oliver Stone, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Haing S. Ngor, Joan Chen, and Hiep Thi Le. It is the third and final film in Stone's Vietnam War trilogy, which also includes Platoon (1986) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989).
The film was based on the books When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace, which Le Ly Hayslip wrote about her experiences during and after the Vietnam War.


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Editorial: The Tappan Zee mystery
The new Tappan Zee bridge continues to rise without a financing plan.
Taxpayers and motorists deserve to know what their stake in this is.
Add nearly $700,000 to the price of the new Tappan Zee bridge, thanks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's determination to raid a clean water fund for a project he still apparently doesn't know how to pay for.
We're not faulting Mr. Cuomo's can-do approach to getting the bridge built. It's his can't-tell-you attitude when it comes to paying for one of the costliest public works projects in New York memory that's the problem here.
Either Mr. Cuomo is flying by the seat of his pants on a roughly $4 billion project or he doesn't want to level with taxpayers and motorists on how he plans to make them pay for it. It's time he did, whatever the political fallout.
The extra money went to pay for legal work by various law firms in the fight over Mr. Cuomo's plan to borrow $511 million from the state's Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund, administered by the Environmental Facilities Corp. The fund gets money from the federal government to help communities pay for clean water projects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency blocked using that much money for a bridge — an undertaking largely unrelated to the fund's purpose. EPA said only about $29 million could go to the bridge project.
The state appealed, and was also sued by environmental groups. But for all the money the state spent on private lawyers — about $686,000 — the EPA allowed just $1.3 million more to be used.
The decision to hire outside counsel, it's worth noting, came after Attorney General Eric Schneiderman declined to defend the raid. That might have told the governor something, had he been inclined to listen.
That leaves the state with a bridge, due to be completed in 2018, that is $1 billion or more short of funding after a federal loan and money the state is using from various settlements with banks are accounted for. But beyond that gap lies a bigger question, one that anyone who has ever borrowed money has confronted: How will the state pay the money back?
The obvious answer is toll hikes, a topic Mr. Cuomo knows is sensitive. Past talk of toll hikes on the Thruway has brought criticism from truckers and other drivers, business groups, and politicians, especially the Democratic governor's Republican adversaries. It's also a complicated planning issue: If tolls are too high on the new bridge, drivers might choose other routes and bridges, creating traffic problems there, causing wear and tear on roads and spans that weren't designed for that much use, and leaving the state short of revenue to pay back the bridge loans. Raise tolls elsewhere, and other people will be mad.
Yes, it's a lot less fun than a ribbon-cutting, but this is the real work of being the state's chief executive. Mr. Cuomo should lay out his plan, or, if he truly doesn't have one, direct the Thruway Authority to engage in a public discussion on the options.
And, just in case it's on the governor's mind: Don't hire an outside public relations firm to spin this. New York has wasted enough money already.


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Lawrence Superior Court Judge Richard Welch this afternoon sentenced two men convicted of rape to state prison.
Benjamin Archambault, 26, of Ellsworth, Maine, will serve 7-9 years in state prison, and his co-defendant, Larry Morton, 52, Newton, NH, will serve 9-11 years in state prison. Essex Assistant District Attorney Kristen Buxton had asked the court to impose a 12-15 year sentence on Archambault, and a 15-18 year sentence on Morton.
Last Thursday, November 3, a jury had convicted the men following a four-week trial. The jury deliberated for 10 hours over the course of three days before returning its verdicts.
Prosecutor Buxton proved that on February 24, 2006, the men had raped the victim in Archambault's Haverhill apartment. After the attack, the 42-year-old woman managed to drive herself home to Maine, and from there was driven by a friend to a hospital where she reported the rape.
A third defendant, Abraham Archambault, 28, of Portland, Maine, was found not guilty after trial.
Prosecutor Buxton, who was assisted on the case by Essex Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Shaheen, praised the investigative work of Haverhill Detective Andrea Fogarty, and Victim/Witness Advocate Kim O'Rourke, who helped the victim through the court process and trial.


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Well, I sat down and read another freebie Kindle book from Amazon tonight and I fell in love!
This was another short read. It's about three women that are friends and just talking about their day while they are eating dinner.
Ok, that sounds boring huh? Well, It's really not. It has a great story line, all the characters were so lovable and I am now dying to read some more by Shanna Hatfield.
Soon, very soon! I suggest you go check it out NOW! :)


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Because the party was for both of my kids, I had to personalize the printables, food, and decorations to include their initials and ages. I wanted to represent each of them individually yet equally, but also together as the party was indeed for the both of them. Therefore, I created cookies in the forms of 2's and 4's, painted paper mache letters using chalkboard paint (so they can draw on them after the party), but the cake was for the both of them as well as some of the larger printable designs.
Happy Birthday to my little buckaroos!
Mommy and Daddy love you both very much!
Mommy and Daddy love you both very much!


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Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Permed! Second time around.
Or at least it looks like it did.
My stylist was quite pleased. Last time he called my hair his enemy. Actually he did this time too. He also called it steel. But, he added, steel can bend.
I love it. I like me in curls.
Retail Therapy: Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack
I had been meaning to buy it for a while, but the Japan iTunes didn't have it and I forgot about it.
Until I heard Hooked on a Feeling on TV last night and remembered I've been using the US store since I went home a few months ago.
After this realization, I went straight to iTunes and it is proving to be a very satisfying purchase.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Being Me
Sure, there are improvement points. There are always improvement points. But for once, they are improvement points that I've chosen for myself and not just to fit in or not stand out so much.
It's silly. I don't like fitting in in the first place.
And then I realized this look that I like for myself is my trusty t-shirt and jeans with my hair down. If it was sunny, I'd have my sandals on. Such a SoCal girl.
And then I realized I've been trying to fit in here. In Japan. And that is probably my downfall. I'm denying who I am. I am a Californian. Not just that, I am a Golden Bear.
I came upon this realization about a month ago and it's become a mantra.
I am a Golden Bear.
I forget that sometimes, but when I remind myself, things become clear.
I've been on the lookout for a golden bear pendant to help me remember, but unable to find one that is just right.
However, I did order a little something at the Creators Market that I'll be picking up next weekend. Looking forward to it.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
At the Theater: Mockingjay: Afterthoughts
I tend to have issues with adaptations, but maybe I've forgotten a lot about the book, because I really enjoyed that and with no "That's not how it was in the book!"
Things noticed:
-Buttercup sounds just like a pissed off Chicago. Big fluffiness too.
-I like Katniss and Peeta. I'm rather indifferent about Gale.
-Felt a twang in my chest in Plutarch's first scene.
-Love Effie! Love Effie so much.
-And Cinna. Cried at the sketches.
-Cried at a lot of points. I think I needed the emotional release. I am attached to these characters. Especially Peeta.
-I like Julianne Moore as Coin.
The Japanese version started off with a recap of the previous two movies that I felt was unnecessary. However, I did like at the end when it went through all of the Mockingjay symbols and announced Part 2 will open in Japan with the rest of the world. Quite glad about that. Part 1 ended exactly where I thought it would and I am as upset with the current state of things in movie Panem as I thought I would be.
But now, it's time to get back to my room and into my bed.
Are you
Are you
Coming to the tree?
At the Theater: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part One
This whole series didn't really take off here. Two weeks after it opened, there's only one showing at 8:30pm in the Premiere Screen at regular price. The leftover treatment. Small screen, nice seats. No clue if it'll still be around next time I have a night off. So I see it tonight or I might not see it in the theaters. Suckiness. And having read the books, I can guess how this movie is going to end. Sigh.
And note to self, TOHO Baycity, Premiere Screen 1, Row C is DAMN close!
CreaMa vol.32: Day Two: Here we go again
I think I'm done for this time. So much money! So much good stuff!
In line for some food and when I finish that, I might just head to the movie theater early.
CreaMa vol.32: Day Two: A late start and new rainboots
The rain has come so I'm taking out my new rainboots. (The previously mentioned pair of rainshoes is still getting broken in.) The shortness prevents me from carefree stepping in puddles, but on days with lighter rain, they seem to work so far.
Today I'll be picking up a glass charm I ordered yesterday and putting in an order for a canvas bag. Also checking out a few exhibitors who weren't there yesterday. And that's about it.
Should be pretty chill. I emphasize "should".
Saturday, June 20, 2015
At the Theater: Mad Max
Also: More foreigners in the theater than I'm used to. Then again, it's opening night and I usually watch movies on weekday afternoons.
CreaMa vol.32: Day One: Finished!
The largest expense was this bad ass ring. Once I saw it, I had to have it.
I'll post a haul pic later.
Tomorrow is going to be more chill. I have one item to pick up and will possibly place an order that will take me over budget. Need to make some colorway choices...
Now to head back to Meieki, get some food, chill, then it's time for Mad Max.
CreaMa vol.32: Day One: In line
Also, did my nails for CreaMa and for Mad Max later tonight. Whee!
Monday, June 15, 2015
Shapesmithing: Jelly arms
I had noticed a while ago that the training studio had the set up for TRX suspension training. I did it once ages ago post-Boston pre-Nagoya and I liked it. It was damn hard, but I liked it.
So last week, wanting to take my training to the next level, and in all honesty take some pressure off my poor trainer when it comes to my utter inability to do a roll-up (though I am getting better), I asked if we could do some TRX. Knowing full well it was both a smart and dumb idea.
My current condition of jelly arms proves my prediction correct. That was hard. But so good. And my arms are going to be useless tomorrow.
It also helped my trainer get a better idea of the state of my body as well i.e. just how weak my arms, specifically biceps, are. But some of the stuff he said I did really well, so yay! TRX has now been added to the training menu, so I have weeks of jelly, and hopefully stronger, arms ahead of me.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Shoe update: Breaking shoes in sucks
Yesterday I got some pads that came off quite quickly, so I dropped by the drugstore and got some bandages for my pinky toes and bigger pads for the heels.
Just put them in. Getting some relief, but we'll see how they are after the commute home.
New shoes are such a pain. Literally and metaphorically.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Retail Therapy: Rain shoes
I have a pair of jelly shoes, but they rub my left pinky toe and they're multi-colored polka dots, which are lovely, but also hard to match sometimes. A pad should do the trick for my toe (it's on my to-buy list) but I still need some rain shoes that can look formal if need be.
Most rain shoes looked okay, but not quite what I wanted. And then I found these. Padded inside and comfortable without sockes. Sealed to prevent seeping and fast-drying. Putting them to the test today. Not raining yet, but looks like it might pour tonight.
They were a bit expensive, but the salesman was quite convincing.
I even bought a pair of rainboots. Love the ones I have now, also polka dot, but they are long and a bit heavy. Total typhoon gear.
These new ones are shorter. And look like sneakers. I'll post pics when I take them out for their first walk. They were a bit big, but I wasn't wearing socks that day and the sales guy threw in a pair of insoles for free.
Anyways, so far so good with these shoes. I may or may not report back later tonight.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Turning Pages: 図書館戦争 15
Yumi-sensei is doing Bessatsu!!!
Well, okay, maybe not ever, but still, my happiness factor has gone WAY up. It was impossible reading the novels with a straight face; I can't wait to see how Yumi-sensei translates that to manga form.
*dumb smile just thinking about it*
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Against my better judgement
It was fun. Granted I don't talk much in these situations for the combined reasons of the presence of more talkative people, the lack of anyone that I know well, and that groups bigger than 5 intimidate me. I don't know if I seem aloof or uninterested, but in general, I take on a persona that I don't even care for.
I should work on that.
I don't dislike going out, but I don't know how to act. Or how I want to act. I'm afraid of having to engage in conversations that I'm not equipped to handle. Past scars? Fear of exposing weak points I'm not aware of? General suspicion and lack of trust? Grass is always greener complex? You'd think at 33 years old I'd be over that. Maybe I'll never get over it.
But first, to get back to my bed to sleep off this cough. Still have next weekend off and am strongly thinking of keeping it that way.
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They weren't in coordinated outfits, or made to pose...in fact, Sal was sporting his obnoxiously Mickey pjs that auntie steph sent and steamrolling his sister just seconds before this sweet shot was taken.
Each time I look at this picture, I think back to the time in my life when it was filled with uncertainty. My days, hours and minutes consumed with the thoughts of parenthood--more specifically--wondering if we would ever be parents? If so, then when?
I think back to the many tears shed. The juggling of full time employment and fertility doctor visits. The stockpile of dollar tree pregnancy tests purchased each month in hopes that maybe, just maybe I had tested too soon. The pit in my stomach each time a friend posted pictures of their newborn babies on facebook, or announced a pregnancy. I think back to avoiding baby showers and mom friends because I couldn't handle conversations about child rearing.
I was consumed by the thoughts and desire to be a mother. I was nursing a broken heart from the loss of Denise. I was questioning if she was all we would know of parenthood.
I doubt I'll ever forget the road that we've travelled to get to this point. It's made us the people that we are today. I want my children to know how wanted they are and always have been. They represent a love that I wasn't sure I'd ever experience, and one that I will never take for granted.