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Bruce King has a sad post about a sow losing some piglets while farrowing outdoors. The weather has been warm (80s) lately, but it doesn't take much to kill a little pig. Besides getting crushed, piglets die of exposure, infection and other causes.
In general, people farrow indoors because it greatly reduces mortality and morbidity.
Farrowing outdoors can still be optimal economically though, because some consumers will pay more for pigs farrowed outdoors. Even if consumers don't pay more, it can pay to farrow outdoors because the low cost of facilities balances out the extra deaths - explaining why outdoor farrowing is still common in warm places like Missouri.
I've talked with people who farrow pigs and sell them to a large "niche pork" producer. As one guy said, he generally farrows 5 to 9 pigs per sow per turn, depending on the weather. If the general consumer ever makes the connection that "naturally raised" = unnecessarily dead piglets, we may see sentiment move against primitive pig keeping systems. At a minimum, if animal lovers knew the facts, they'd probably be in favor of farrowing crates.
Video on Sow Housing Options and Tradeoffs
Most people don't know about pig production, so they don't understand that there's many ways to keep them indoors.
For example, these Mangalitsa pigs farrow in pens. There doesn't seem to be a heat source for the pigs, but there's a rail to help prevent crushing. It doesn't look easy to clean though, so there could be various diseases in the building itself, continually infecting the piglets from turn to turn.
These F1 Mangalitsa sows farrow in crates. They've got a heat source in the corner for the piglets, explaining why they crowd there. Everything is set up for easy cleaning, like a hospital. This facility is better than the first, in terms of reducing mortality and morbidity - but it looks the ugliest (like a hospital) and bothers some consumers. I would want to be born on that farm, if I had a choice.
In general, getting the farrowing right starts will controlled breeding. A lot of small farmers just have their boars running with their sows. The boar breeds the sows when they come in heat. The farmer never knows exactly when that sow will farrow, because he doesn't know when she came in heat. When sows farrow in the wrong place (easy to happen if you don't know when she'll farrow), the piglets die or suffer, as explained in this video.
As soon as you've got farrowing facilities, which are expensive, you want to avoid putting sows in them unless you know they'll farrow soon. Hence the need to control the breeding. One way is the "heat check" the sows regularly (e.g. once or twice a day), to see if they are in heat. But that sort of routine isn't very compatible with other things. You might as well just run pigs all the time, if you've got the facilities and skilled labor to do it.
This explains why people specialize, and why we only see a few different ways of keeping pigs in America. E.g. you'll have a small number of people running a large number of pigs (like these Iberico) in a very focused, modern way, or a smallholder running a relatively small number of pigs, chickens, turkeys, cattle, etc. It doesn't pay to be in the middle. E.g. you probably aren't going to have a small 4-crate farrowing house, next to the rabbits, turkeys and chickens. You might have 4 pens though.
Around 80% of Iberico are produced intensively.
Making it even more extreme: you aren't likely to see someone with a small number of sows kept in a gestation crates (small metal cages to hold pregnant sows during their pregnancy) - you either won't see them at all, or you'll see a lot of them (e.g. 200+). Over time, the minimal numbers that are optimal keep going up and up, as things get more efficient.
I've heard restaurants are the same: a lone chef can feed a few. One chef and an assistant can probably do meals for 15 people. Any more and he needs a lot more help. So you've got various modes that are optimal - and nothing in between.
When you do things small-scale, you can't be excellent at all of them, but there are advantages to it. If you are a smallholder and the pig business tanks, you get out of the pig business until it recovers. If you specialize in pigs, you are stuck.


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Trick or Treat with us this October in Boston & Syracuse! We are hitting the Orpheum Theater in Boston on October 29, before 2 nights in Syracuse October 30 & 31. October 30 is at F Shed, while October 31 will be at The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater! BiscoTix presale begins Wednesday, August 5 at 10am ET here.
Camp Bisco is coming home to Pennsylvania. For the 13th installment of our flagship event, we have landed at Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA. We feel extremely fortunate and blessed to have found such a perfect venue for our festival. Montage Mountain has become one of PA's premier music venues over the past few years - featuring beautiful grounds, a world class waterpark, plenty of overnight camping space and a bevy of hotel options.
The Camp Bisco 13 lineup is as deep as ever. We have personally helped curate a lineup that's going to feel like everyone's favorite Camp Bisco ever. The Disco Biscuits are on fire right now. We just had our best two weeks of shows in years. We're firing on all cylinders, and cannot wait to get back on stage at Camp Bisco 13.
-The Disco Biscuits
Tickets will go on sale this Friday at 12noon ET on CampBisco.com.
The Disco Biscuits are psyched to once again be a part of this year'sDominican Holidaze! Join us December 3-7 at Breathless Resort & Spa Punta Cana for another tropical music adventure where we'll be playing three shows right on the beach.
Also joining us this year are co-hosts Umphrey's McGee and STS9, plus special guests Lettuce, Papadosio, Break Science, Gigamesh, Nightmares On Wax (DJ set) & Lee Foss. It's shaping up to be another great week on the beach!
Room packages go on sale next week and include all food, drinks, concerts and more. The pre-sale for returning guests is on 4/21 and the general on-sale is 4/22 at 12pm ET. www.dominicanholidaze.com
Together again! Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and The Disco Biscuits! Taking Colorado by storm this April, we'll be at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre April 17, and The Biscuits will play solo shows at Denver's The Ogden Theatre April 15, 16 & 18. Tickets are available starting today at http://bit.ly/BiscoTix, and single day tickets will be available starting this Saturday, January 24.

subset: commoncrawl


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Assumption: Values matter in a company because they form the foundation of how people behave in the company. What we are really after are a set of behaviors that will best give us the results we are after.
In Patrick Lencione's book Advantage he recommends as one of the best ways to identify what values are core to an organization is a three step process:
- First, the leadership team picks the employees in the organization who already behave in the manner that makes them admired my the leadership team. Make a list of all the attributes that make them so revered and this list is the pool of candidates for your core values.
- Second, the leadership team then identifies people who drive them crazy and would be more valuable if they were not there. Take the opposite of whatever makes then so annoying and those things are candidates for your values.
- Third, the leaders honestly self-evaluate themselves to verify that they too embody the values thus selected.
We use this methodology as part of the Entrepreneurial Operating System. It works well with small companies. The smaller the better for this method. If you've kept up on the hot topics of behavior and bias you will recognize a big flaw with the process. That's because the sampling method is highly biased. Where the population size is very small, this is a smaller problem. But, the larger the pool of people gets, the less representative the selected people in Lencioni's method become.
We did this with a company of 11 people. Four of them were in the room. This allowed the leadership team to look at all of the other seven people remaining and while they pick three of them as representative of the good, and one of the bad, they agreed that the three were indeed fairly representative of all the rest. Had the company consisted of 250 people, or 5,000 people, no claim of representativeness would have been credible. The method works ok for a company of 11 people. What we end up defining is really a set of behavioral guides.
We utilize this method because human beings believe in causal relationships between what someone values and how they behave. And since we work with smaller companies, in the grand scheme of things we get close to the result we're after using the methodology, so why fight the brain's city hall.
But, it is just not true that values drive behavior. What turns out to be true, is that the environment makes a huge difference in how our values influence our behavior. Starting with the Milgram experiment, there is a ton of psychological research to demonstrate this. Without going into a lot of detail here, look at the video below and you will realize that the degree to which our values influence our behavior depends upon the context.
The point is, we really can skip all this nonsense about values and go straight to answer the question, how do we engender the behaviors we are after?
The point is, we really can skip all this nonsense about values and go straight to answer the question, how do we engender the behaviors we are after?


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At the onset of the Great Depression, Buffalo had 573,000 inhabitants, making it the 13th-largest city in America. In the 75 years that followed, this once-mighty metropolis lost 55% of its population, a decline most dramatic in its blighted inner city but also apparent in its broader metropolitan area, one of the 20 most quickly deteriorating such regions in the nation. 27% of Buffalo's residents are poor, more than twice the national average...read the rest.I've been interested in the work of Edward Glaeser for a few years where he explores the intersection of poverty and the built environment. Here, the last section of this article is particularly resonant.
The best scenario would be for Buffalo to become a much smaller but more vibrant community—shrinking to greatness, in effect. Far better that outcome than wasting yet more effort and resources on the foolish project of restoring the City of Light's past glory.fixBuffalo readers no doubt will remember this related piece Richard Florida v. Buffalo, NY from last year and of course Beaten Down Buffalo from New York Times reporter Ken Belson last month.
Are we moving forward or still falling behind? Let me know...
Artspace • BAVPA • Woodlawn Row Houses • faq • my flickr
the creativity exchange • top ten or eleven


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One of the beauties of the blogosphere is that it gives easy access to quirky and original material.
Jerusalem Headgear is one of the most original blogs I've come across in a while. Its anonymous author has collected hundreds of pictures of the hats, kippot, scarves etc. worn by Jerusalemites. In the latest installments, she visited the Old City on Eastern Orthodox Holy Saturday and included pictures of worshippers on the way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
It's a brilliant portrait of a very eclectic and diverse city. Enjoy!


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Oh my I have had a busy couple of weeks. No excuse for not blogging...but whew I'm tired.
First, just as we were getting quotes to finish our basement (can we say expensive), the person who was upstairs fixing our washing machine told us that we would be needing a new washer. Fantastic! As I said, our washer and dryer our upstairs...in this closet:
Now, this is kind of nice because I don't have to go very far to hang up clothes, fold, etc. I also kind of like that there is no laundry "room". For procrastinators such as myself, it forces me to put the stuff away. But and I say this with a big BUT, the problem is what do you do if it breaks? Well. Let me tell you. You need to have two people and one who can perform this move:
Except with a dryer. Then the other guy climbs under and hooks up the washer. It costs like $300 just to have it looked at. Oh and forget about cleaning. Tried that. You end up disconnecting the dryer vent and then you have to pay $300.
Now that the washer is broke we thought maybe we should just put it in the basement. Well there is no hookup. Of course. So, next Tuesday they're jackhammering the floor and putting in a hookup. Fun stuff.
Which brings me to my question of: Can anyone recommend they're washer and dryer? I'm just not sure if it's worth spending a lot to get a new fancy one. But then I don't want to be buying another in 5 years. So maybe it is?
On the up side, last weekend was my birthday. I'm the big 25 now, so I can officially rent a car!!!! I think I'm going to buy a new camera with some of the money I got. I also got these lovely flowers:
Bring on the washer dryer suggestions!!!


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The more digital we become (define and measure that how you will), the more advantage we can gain from being 'human' in our communications and sales approach.
As community and privacy is eroded, social skills and the ability to network become high-value attributes, where once they may have been called soft skills.
I think everyone would agree with that. Here's my attempt to define human in business:
- Taking note of, and raising in conversation, another person's professional and, where appropriate, personal tastes and interests.
- Having some knowledge of a person's career trajectory, their past, present and future.
- Communicating with a person on a regular basis, neither too frequently, nor once in a blue moon.
- Prioritising the most relevant people to your business (to avoid wasted time on both sides).
- Maintaining good relations with a person, no matter where they sit in the lifecycle of value connoted to your business.
So, if this is the ideal, how does it translate to social CRM? How close are we to a time when B2B sales can be done on a decent scale, across multiple communication networks, whilst retaining a focus on engagement?
Recently I spoke to Jon Ferrara about social CRM platform Nimble (he's the CEO). (BTW, we have a great free report discussing some of these issues of changing sales - The Sales Organization of the Future).
Jon was founder of Goldmine, and has been the industry long enough to have seen the advent of digital CRM systems and the splitting off of contact data (email, calendar etc) from CRM.
In Jon's words 'the way we engage with networks is broken'.
Traditional CRM systems are designed to log detail. Not enough employers empower their staff to undertake their own personal branding, building out their own networks.
Nimble is one of the leading social CRM SAASs, and seeing it in action is fairly impressive. So here's a rundown of what it does, for those who haven't seen or used a social CRM platform.
Please allow me to point out that there are other social CRM platforms available, notably Sugar CRM, but Nimble appears to be the new force, when it comes to combining contact, social and sales.
Social and email on the same profile page for each contact
Essentially, a unified inbox and also contact profile pages that display each contact. Here, email in the system can be across an open group, if all sales people need transparency.
Engagement opportunities flagged up
Insights across your comms that allows you to see opportunities for engagement you might previously have missed.
Plug-ins (Salesforce, Dropbox, Outlook, Zendesk)
A properly platformised SAAS with tie-ups with other very useful tools such as Dropbox, allowing you to stay within your social CRM platform and send files to contacts, or add detail of contracts to Salesforce, or add a customer service ticket for another department.
List upcoming deals
A central place to track engagement around a particular deal.
Social listening
Within the platform, undertake social search. Track influencers. Get directed towards people you don't know, but who may be of interest (used for PR or sales).
Reminders to contact people of high value
Top people to contact today, from your list, and reasons to engage with them e.g. birthday, just tweeted about something etc. Managing your contacts effectively.
If the outcomes of a well-integrated social CRM platform are quicker contact and higher engagement with your prospects, on a human tack, then this kind of SAAS is going to take off in a big way.
Let me know if you're using social CRM or have any comments below. If you're interested in data or multichannel marketing, Econsultancy runs CRUNCH and JUMP respectively, as part of the Festival of Marketing, October 8-10th in London.
Comments (3)
I have a ton of respect for Jon. The guy really knows his stuff and understands the needs of companies and customers alike. He's a big inspiration for me as we build out our own, less social-focused CRM software.
Agree, Jon was great when we chatted with him. His understanding of relationships/sales means he sort of approaches data and platforms without fear. The point about personal branding in sales is really important.
There's a nice thought piece by Minter Dial on the subject, that's free to download. Here's the link. I've added to the post, too.
Cheers Ben, Jon is clearly an expert when it comes to CRM. I agree few employers currently have the vision to let their employees develop popular twitter and pinterest accounts etc. That's a shame as this social currency can be used to retweet and pin the employers content, sending those social signals that Google in particular loves.


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I haven't been around the blog much because I have been busy setting up a new community on Facebook. Web Jedi, Mark and I are pretty excited about it. We've invited our membership from Photoshop Basics and a lot of other people to join in and see what happens.
We've announced our first contest...and there's even a prize.
This isn't something we're making money from. It's a free community designed for all sorts of Photoshop users from advanced to beginners. We really want to create a community that allows people to share ideas and concepts, pictures and feedback.
We're nearly 30 members right now and the exciting thing is that they are from all over the world so we get a great cross section of people. Check it out at this link. Remember it's free. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2332124074
Feel free to pop by and have a look.
Build gardens. Not walls. Pt 4
1 year ago


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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Here is an interactive secret Santa Village to count down to Christmas with stories, movies and hiddentreasure…. BEST of all…its animated! The kids can read it to themselves or have it read to them Village: http://www.northpole.com/ Workshop: http://www.northpole.com/Workshop/ Santa's Den (Click on the books to read or the DVD player to watch a movie http://www.northpole.com/Den/ Weather Station http://www.northpole.com/WeatherStation/ Toy Shop http://www.northpole.com/ToyShop/ Mail Room- Send Santa a letter and get one straight back! http://www.northpole.com/Mailroom/ Clubhouse- Learn all about the Elves! http://www.northpole.com/Clubhouse/ Reindeer Barn- Find hidden stories http://www.northpole.com/ReindeerBarn/ Mrs Claus's kitchen- Check out the COOL RECIPES!!! http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/ Elf Academy- WOW check out the wicked links!!!!! Interactive games, Teacher Resources and more! http://www.northpole.com/Academy/ Or http://www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/content/games/snowman_v4.html Build your own snowman http://www.learn-ict.org.uk/resources/rudolph/rudolph.htm Interactive story to find Rudolf (More for juniors) http://www.akidsmath.com/flashes/mgames/tree.swf This is very cool! Click on the maze to change direction, once you connect the wires the tree lights up! http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/christmas.html#online More links and games related to Christmas
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My friend got this letter yesterday. I have nothing to add, other than the fact that the work he refers to took place sixteen years ago, not ten.
Oh, also that the recipient of the letter says he was me'ya'eish years ago, and he is mochel, so he is giving the money to tzedaka. His gentile partner, who is entitled to half the money, agreed 100%.


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Artists take their cues from babies. When we are born the first things we can see are darks and lights. As our sight develops we begin to discern shapes and movement, and then finally we see color!
When I visit a fellow artist's studio or a gallery I usually take a quick glance around. I make a sort of mental inventory of what the experience might be promising. I am almost always attracted to one or two pieces that "catch my eye." No matter if the work is representational, expressionistic or abstract it always comes down to the masses of lights and darks, the shapes they make and the way my eye follows them through the painting. Then there are the glorious colors.
So religiously I start each painting with a value study. My sketchbooks are filled with black, gray and white thumbnails that might even pass for Rorschach inkblot tests. When the shapes have a "sameness" about them I rearrange them to create more interest. I love to go back through old sketchbooks and remember the place and the resulting painting. It is sort like connecting the dots, enjoying the thought process and the experience all over again.
Today I have been challenged to come up with twenty ideas for future blog posts. My sketchbook can tell at least 100 times that many stories. So I hope you stay tuned and follow me through my painting process and my travels. In future posts I will share more pages from my sketchbooks, the images and the thoughts of what goes into my paintings. You'll see the places I explore and the inspiration I find. And you'll probably hear a funny story or two along the way.


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"Heilemann and Halperin have conducted hundreds of interviews to provide the inside story of the 2008 campaign . . . It vividly shows how character flaws large and small caused Obama's opponents to self-destruct." (Jacob Heilbrunn, The New York Times Book Review)
On Wednesday, June 23, 2010, co-authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann will be at The Reagan Library to discuss and sign copies of their latest book, Game Change: Obama and
the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. The lecture and book signing are free to attend; however, reservations are required by registering online via the link below or by calling 805-522-2977. For those people who are interested in purchasing dinner, Reagan's Country Café will remain open until 6:00 p.m.
In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the country's leading political reporters, use their unrivaled access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. Game Change answers questions such as "How did Obama convince himself that he could beat the odds to become the nation's first African American president?", "Why did McCain make the novice governor of Alaska his running mate?" and more, laying bare the secret history of the 2008 campaign. They unearth the quiet conspiracy in the U.S. Senate to prod Obama into the race. They expose the twisted tale of John Edwards's affair and the doubts of those responsible for vetting Palin about her readiness for the Republican ticket.
Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel. Character driven and dialogue rich, replete with extravagantly detailed scenes, this is the occasionally shocking, often hilarious, ultimately definitive account of the campaign of a lifetime.
Mark Halperin is editor-at-large and senior political analyst for Time Magazine. He has covered six presidential elections, including during his decade as the political director for ABC News. John Heilemann is the national political correspondent and columnist for New York Magazine. He is an award-winning journalist.
If you cannot attend the event, but would like to purchase a book to be shipped, click here.


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Here are the photos for the Mommy and Me class on Saturday, February 8th. (A Dad, Grandma, Auntie or Friend can also bring a young one to this class!)
While this class is designed for an adult assisting a child in making cards…feel free to join in the fun as a single grown-up who is young at heart! Want to make Valentines perfect to give to the young ones in your life? You can sign up, too!
The images will be pre-stamped and ready to color. Insides are blank, ready for stamping, writing messages, and drawing. A glue stick is needed for this class.


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Owners deliver to nearby airports
Travelers pick up the car at the owner's location
Owners deliver to custom locations around town, within a set radius
See where people are traveling, all around the world.
In the busy schedule of everybody prefers the vehicle to move from one place to another place. There are different kinds of vehicles are available in the world and those vary with respect to the space allocation inside the vehicle, mileage provided by that and the infrastructure, components which are used for manufacture the vehicle etc. The user can access the vehicles through online and have some benefits through that. It is applicable for every vehicle especially vans and it could be the best way to explore the world or carrying the things as per the wish of the user.
In the mobile application, which is used to book the vans, there is an availability of the complete information about currently presented vans. Initially, the user has to create an account and login into the service. It distributes the departure and arrival time of the particular vehicle to reach the particular destination. With the support of this online service-booking tool, the user can easily find the nearby van facility for the transportation. After entering the result in the option of "my current location" by the user, the mobile application will deliver the number of vans, which are available currently.
Visit whatsapp clone script for more details in accordance with the distance and members to travel, the amount will be charged. The user can pay the amount via an online itself and that will be trustworthy. Most of the transportation services prefer the direct payment and it has three types of bookings. Those are booking he vans through online, booking via phone and it can be achieved by contacting to the original number of the service. It is possible that booking the vans with help of the live chat, which is connecting the number of people, each other.
Booking the van through online provides more advantages to the users and they can save the money in the time of festivals or access the provided offers. Health checking of the vehicle is most important one and after checking its performance towards the transportation, the details of the specific vehicle is updated on the mobile app to access. In an online, the user can rent their desired vehicle and there will be some limited restrictions. Online booking is achieved in the following way that inventory, choosing the van and book that with zero registration fee.
In fact, numbers of vans are available in the world, which has the different infrastructure. This one is best that accessing the van which has 8 to 15 seat passenger who is spending on this vehicle for an occasion. Facilities for Pre-defined reservations, viewing and canceling if needed and adding some additional service are available in the online van booking. Mostly, this vehicle is available in the airports to carry the luggage of the people who want. The booking process, which is achieved through online, will value the time of the user who demanded a task with the support of a mobile application check Zoplay Chat app.
To go on with a trip, the selection of van through the mobile application and the process of an online booking are much important. Wheelchair accessible minivan, Cargo van, intermediate van, premium van and the different vans which are varying respect to the seat availability are accessible through online. Before, booking a particular van, it is better to watch out the testimonials, which are updated already on the respective platform. Most of the transportation service will be in a partnership and help the respective service to complete its projects towards the satisfied ride hailing by a van.


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Looks like the provincial archives in Italy have forayed into the blogging world. What a great way to help reseachers keep abreast of new acquisitions and to learn about new resources they didn't know existed.
Have fun exploring Rome's blog (in Italian)! Click on the title of this post to link directly to it.


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DAC Collection Artist Information
Katsukawa Shunkô, aka Denjirô, Sahitsuan, Sahitsusai
Artist ID number in the Union List of Artist Names®: ULAN 500121075.
The ULAN link above leads to a cataloging authority record at the Getty Research Institute.
Objects related to Katsukawa Shunkô, aka Denjirô, Sahitsuan, Sahitsusai:
|Katsukawa Shunkô
|Actor Otoni Hiroje as Pilgrim with Post, ca. 1775-1800
|Color woodcut
|Katsukawa Shunkô
|Tall Actor as a Woman Reading a Letter by Bamboo Screen, ca. 1775-1800
|Color woodcut
|Possibly by Katsukawa Shunkô
|One of the Segawas as a Salt Woman holding a high rose hat
|Color woodcut
|Possibly by Katsukawa Shunkô
|Actor Nakamura Matsuge Portraying a Young Woman Holding a Pot Containing a Dwarf Tree
|Color woodcut


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- an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities
- the right or ability to make, or possibility of making, such a selection
- a range of possibilities from which one or more may be selected
- a course of action, thing, or person that is selected or decided upon
Why choice for this year?
I value having the freedom to make choices... everyday... on so many levels. To me life is a series of choices. I believe that each one I make has the potential to cast a positive impact not only in my life but also in the life of each person I encounter this year.
So here's my first project for 2011... a journal to keep my random thoughts in... loved getting painted and artsy with my Chip Art tools. I don't break them out nearly enough. Here's to a messy (super fun), therapeutic, crafty 2011!
Love these quotes about choice...
You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. ~Steven D. Woodhull
When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice. ~William James
Life is the sum of all your choices. ~Albert Camus
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. ~David Russell
To decide is to walk facing forward with nary a crick in your neck from looking back at the crossroads. ~Betsy Cañas Garmon
Everything is something you decide to do, and there is nothing you have to do. ~Denis Waitley
I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude. ~Anonymous
Its our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ~Joanne Kathleen Rowling
There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy. ~unknown
Did you pick a word for the year?
So here's my first project for 2011... a journal to keep my random thoughts in... loved getting painted and artsy with my Chip Art tools. I don't break them out nearly enough. Here's to a messy (super fun), therapeutic, crafty 2011!
Products: Journal, patterned paper, ChipArt tools and ChipArt shapes (gcd Studios); flower (Prima); paint (Making Memories); trim (Webster's Pages), bling (Michael's Stores, Inc); other (Modge Podge)
My idea to do a word of the year came from here: http://aliedwards.com/2010/12/one-little-word-2011.htm


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Don't forget to keep checking the calendar page to keep up to date with what is happening throughout the season.
Competition nights are each Friday
Warm ups at 5.30pm with the first event commencing at 6.00pm.
If rain has fallen during the day of our club night, a decision on the condition of the grounds will be made at approximately 2.30pm. If a cancellation is necessary a community announcement will be made on 2DU and Zoo FM also a notice will be placed on the Club House door. A cancellation notice will be placed on this website if the competition is on or off for that night. Competition is only cancelled if it has rained sufficiently to make the grounds unsafe.
If in doubt please phone one of the contacts listed in Centre Contacts of this Information Package. No points will be allocated to athletes on competition nights that are cancelled prior to the commencement of the first event. If a competition night is cancelled part way through due to rain, lightening or any other unsafe conditions, points will be allocated only for the completed events.
The committee are responsible for the safety of all athletes and may be forced at times during the season to cancel a nights competition before or during the night due to lightening, the committee will always be guided by the LAANSW guidelines.


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I started a post last month that I never finished. It was a response to the latest viral video from Levi's called "Guys backflip into jeans." I was planning on taking Levi's to town for doing a disservice to a great American brand through a lack of creativity. But before I could finish the post, Ian Schafer beat me to it when he asked if "we have run out of viral video ideas…or just directors." You see, that Levi's video was a plain rip-off from a Ray-Bans viral video from 2007. What was sad about the Levi's effort is that it was the same director as Ray-Bans…and the Marketing Director at Levi's who bought the idea was at Ray-Bans ad agency when the video was first crafted. Even worse, when your brand's major equity is "original", it is just plain bad business to not be original in your marketing.
So needless to say, I wasnt very impressed with "Backflip" because that type of lack of creativity gives all of us marketers a bad name. However, Levi's is starting to win me over because they didnt stop at just one film. In fact, they have created a YouTube channel called Unbuttoned Films and have continued to release two more films called "Super chill monkey does Hollywood" and "Guys fill their jeans with helium." What is impressive is that they have found a way to keep their 501 Jeans at the center of each film. You can tell that the creative brief for each probably said "You can film anything you want…but it needs to have at least one shot where the main character buttons/unbuttons the 501 jeans." Good branded content isn't about slapping your brand logo everywhere in a film. But at the same time, it isnt just about making funny or outrageous content either. To make something work, it needs to be entertaining AND it needs to build your brand equities in some way. Levi's seems to realize that, which is why I am giving them a second chance.
Now I'm interested to see if Levi's continues to have success with these videos. The "Backflip" video has almost 4 million views so far. But the "Chill Monkey" follow-up only has 400K views and "Helium" doesn't even have 100K views. Not exactly strong numbers but I applaud their efforts to keep going with this branded content….that is, as long as they stay original and faithful to the brand.


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Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Outdoor Wednesday+Watery Wednesday
Today more pictures from the "Keukenhof" .No tulips today but more pictures of different plants in the glasshouse and one of the park. For watery Wednesday I have this picture of this sort of houseboat in a canal very near the "Keukenhof
Ï love houseboats.
NOw don't forget to enter my giveaway. The link is on the sidebar. My followerslist is at the bottom of my blog so just scroll down.
28 comments:
every thing you featured here delighted my senses. thanks.
- March 30, 2010 at 1:00 PM
- Marie Höglund said...
Hi Riet. Just awesome all your lovely photos of the wonderful flowers. Thanks for sharing.
- March 30, 2010 at 1:23 PM
- sissie said...
Hello Riet,
I'm trying to catch up on your posts. Of course, they are all so lovely and todays is no exception.
Love the flowers and wouldn't it be wonderful to live on a houseboat?
- March 30, 2010 at 1:53 PM
- Ruth said...
The flowers are stunning, and the houseboat isn't bad, either!
- March 30, 2010 at 2:31 PM
How wonderful to see, that there's a place that comes close to poetry.
Please have a nice Wednesday.
- March 30, 2010 at 3:32 PM
- A New England Life said...
Look at those gorgeous Amaryllis! I bought one after Christmas. The flower came up, and died. So sad : (
That's what you get for buying a bulb on clearance!
Beautiful flowers! I can hardly wait for a few of our own to pop open.
- March 30, 2010 at 4:06 PM
- EG Wow said...
The amaryllis are stunners! Wonderful post!
- March 30, 2010 at 4:42 PM
- xinex said...
The flowers are gorgeous, Riet!....Christine
- March 30, 2010 at 5:02 PM
- Ebie said...
What a beautiful landscape! Those amaryllis are just gorgeous!
- March 30, 2010 at 5:03 PM
- A Garden of Threads said...
Beautiful flowers, such vivid color.
- March 30, 2010 at 5:24 PM
- Ruth's Photo Blog said...
More beauty! I am so impressed with all these lovely pictures.Oh,yes I want to be in the give away,if I'm eligible.
- March 30, 2010 at 6:16 PM
- Rajesh said...
Very beautiful and lovely flowers. The reflection in water is wonderful.
- March 30, 2010 at 6:18 PM
- Coffeeveggie addict. said...
soooo beautiful.... words are not enough to say it on your photos....love it!!!
- March 30, 2010 at 6:25 PM
- eden said...
What a beautiful place! And lovely photos of beautiful flowers.
My entry
- March 30, 2010 at 7:01 PM
- June said...
Those Amaryllis are gorgeous Riet. All these blooms are making me wish my garden was further along. I love the picture of the yellow houseboat.
I hope that everything in your world is going well.
- March 30, 2010 at 7:34 PM
- Allison Shops said...
Beautiful photographs. Thanks for sharing.
I hope you'll drop by AtticMag and see the butterflies I found. #8 at Outdoor Wednesday.
- March 30, 2010 at 7:42 PM
- Carolyn Ford said...
Such beautiful colors in those gardens...the amaryllis are so perfect and vibrant. Wow, Riet!
- March 30, 2010 at 9:09 PM
- sherri@lavenderfields said...
Beautiful pictures! The reds really pop! Hope you have a great Outdoor Wednesday and enjoy the Easter Weekend!
- March 30, 2010 at 9:38 PM
- Maria said...
The flowers are stunning.Are the pictures from Keukenhof?
- March 30, 2010 at 11:12 PM
- Kom Achterom said...
Ha Riet
Nou ik had wel een hele blonde actie gister Ik denk waarom kan ik toch nergen op klikken bij jou. Ik maar indrukken de icoon van volgen.
druk ik op mijn eigen icoon bij jou op de site zie ik dat ik me al lang bij jou als volger heb gemeld.
Nou dan ben je wel weer lekker bezig.
Ik had dit nog niet eerder gehad.
Ik ben nog niet zo heel erg lang actief in blogland dus zullen er nog wel een paar van dit soort acties gebeuren.
Nou ik wens je een heel prettige dag vandaag
aen hopenlijk met wat meer zon
- March 31, 2010 at 12:03 AM
- Madelief said...
Hoi Riet,
Leuk om zo met jou mee te genieten van de mooie bloemen bij de Keukenhof. Ik zal ook nog even een linkje plaatsen naar jouw giveaway, ben ik helemaal vergeten. Sorry!!! Fijne dag!
Lieve groet, Madelief
- March 31, 2010 at 12:05 AM
- Fluitenkruid said...
Jullie hebben daar een heerlijke dag gehad en heel veel mooie foto's gemaakt. groetjes Jannet
- March 31, 2010 at 12:15 AM
- klaproos said...
prachtig gezicht riet,
bijzonder die mooie grote rode blommen
- March 31, 2010 at 12:44 AM
- hobbyentusiast said...
Nice pictures, and nice collage. I like it!!!
- March 31, 2010 at 1:39 AM
Beautiful! And looks a lot like where I live. Thanks!
- March 31, 2010 at 5:51 AM
- Hedwig said...
Wonderful Keukenhof ! I have been there may years ago and every Spring I'm longing to Keukenhof. Thanks
- March 31, 2010 at 6:01 AM
- LV said...
All your pictures and that place is wonderful. I really like the one of the path and lovely flower bed.
- March 31, 2010 at 7:43 AM
- Ms. Bake-it said...
Beautiful flowers! What an interesting boat!
~ Tracy
- March 31, 2010 at 9:31 AM


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|Photo Courtesy of "Grant Cochrane/
Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel, Angelguard, is now available in the USA, Canada and UK. It is scheduled to be released in Australia in May. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website and on his author Facebook page.


text:
Africa in Flux:
How Urbanization and Digital Technology are Changing a Continent
"The convergence of African urbanization, technological change and digital media are driving major changes. Perhaps most dramatic, cellphones and other mobile devices, already in widespread use, could become a nearly universal platform, not only for telephony but also for audio and video information and entertainment: Guy Berger, UNESCO's director of freedom of expression and media development and a former newspaper editor and leader of the South African National Editors Forum, predicted that mobile devices will surpass broadcast receivers as the continent's primary medium."
"In 2000, you had about five million mobile phones in Africa," Gauthey said. "Today, we have about 500 million. In 2015, we expect it to be 800 million. Already, 20 to 30 percent of these phones are Internet enabled. In 2015, it will be 80 percent."


text:
Well, considering it is now well into January, I guess I need to finish reflecting on 2013. I've come to the conclusion that if I don't do it in the next day or two, it probably won't happen. Last year, I summarized 2012 and my first experiences with student teaching and teaching in my very own classroom. It was fun to read back over what I had considered to be the most important and life-changing experiences of that year. If 2012 was the year of new experiences, then 2013 was the year that trying and challenging experiences that forced me to grow in ways that I never dreamed possible. I think one of the reasons I've been putting off this post is that 2013 wasn't a fun year. A lot of things happened that I haven't talked about on this blog thus far. Well, that's about to change. If it seems like I'm speaking very vaguely about something, it's probably intentional. :)
Let's review...
January 2013 started off with the celebration of Universal Letter Writing Week. One of the first things my students realize about me is that I don't believe in showing movies or giving them free days. We do math every single day. Throughout the year, though, I will occasionally take a day or part of a day where we pause our curriculum and create something I deem worthwhile. Writing letters of appreciation to teachers and staff members in our building and folding them up as origami letters is one of these. Origami cubes, hexaflexagons, and mobius strip hearts would also fall into this category. Algebra is important, but saying thanks every once in a while is important, too.
Towards the end of January, I had a life-changing experience in my classroom. It involved a student and a weapon. Nobody was hurt, but it's something that I will never forget. This situation and its aftermath turned my life upside down for months. Frustrations with my job and how certain things were working out had been growing for months by this time. And, this situation brought them all out in the open. There were confrontations. I cried, I yelled, I said some things that I probably shouldn't have, and I cried some more.
In retrospect, there were many positives that resulted from this terrible situation. But, it took me a few months to see those positives. Those were dark months, but through them, I made some amazing friendships with coworkers. Up until this point in my first year of teaching, I had been trying to go it alone. I thought that asking for help from others was a sign of weakness. I thought my principal would think less of me as a teacher if I admitted that I didn't have everything under control in my classroom. I couldn't have been more wrong. January was a month where I learned to communicate. I learned to accept help. I learned that teaching was a lot more enjoyable of an experience when I shared my journey, my triumphs, and my failures with coworkers. January was both a month of pain and friendship.
February was a month of reflection. I relived the events of late January so many times that I almost made myself sick. February was a month where I had to choose what was most important on a daily basis: my feelings or my students. As much as I was in pain over the things that were happening that I couldn't control, I knew my students needed me. They needed 100% of me. I poured myself back into my classroom and my lessons. This time, however, I decided that the world wasn't going to come to an end if I went home before all my papers were graded or every single copy was made for the next day. And, the world didn't come to an end. My early mornings and first-hour planning period were busier, but I was happier.
March brought with it Spring Break and a MUCH needed break from school! My sister celebrated her 20th birthday. I spent almost all of Spring Break sleeping and recovering from a terrible stomach bug that landed me in the emergency room on Pi Day after five hours in urgent care. I took an 11-day break from the Internet over the break, and it was refreshing. After returning from Spring Break, my students jumped immediately into EOI review for the upcoming state tests.
April was the month of state testing. I was a NERVOUS WRECK. The morning of the Algebra 2 test, I was pacing and giving my students last minute pointers, and I made them even more nervous as a result. 100% of my Algebra 2 students passed their EOI. And, my Algebra 1 pass rate, if I remember correctly, was in the low 80's. The results were good. My counselor and principal were THRILLED!
April also went down in the record books as the month I finally took down my Christmas tree! After I got back from spending Christmas Break at my parents' house, I decided to leave my tree up for another week or so in order to enjoy it. Well, you already read about what happened in January. Needless to say, I didn't exactly feel like taking it down in February. And, by the time March rolls around, what's another month of leaving your tree up? By April, I did force myself to take it down. I decided that there was no way that I was still going to have a tree up come summer vacation.
May marked the end of my first year of teaching. I even wrote a reflection piece on 50 things I learned during my first year of teaching. I took down all of my decorations off the walls. This led to rumors that I was leaving. I wasn't. I watched my first group of students walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I only new about 5-6 of our 32 graduating seniors, so the graduation was not as emotional of an experience as it could have been.
I might have overbooked myself for the Summer of 2013. I attended my first OCTM Annual Summer Conference. It was a blast! I served as director for my church's Vacation Bible School. We wrote our own curriculum that led our students through a Kingdom Adventure. Probably the best week of my summer was the week I spent in Edmond at the Oklahoma Geometry and Algebra Project (OGAP). It was an amazing week of Common Core Training! At the beginning of the week, most of us knew next to nothing about what CCSS truly meant. By the end of the week, I felt like the other teachers in the training were part of my family. None of us wanted to leave! And, we left with the confidence that we could tackle Common Core. We knew we had a lot of work in front of us, but we had been equipped with tools and support like we had never imagined possible.
July was a flurry of last-minute preparations for my classroom. I spent a week serving as a sponsor at church camp. Every summer, my church takes a group of 3rd-6th graders to the Kiamichi Mountains in Talihina, OK. I went three years as a camper (4th-6th grade), and I've been going back as a helper for the last ten years. This was my 13th week spent in those mountains in July, and it was amazing as usual. I also attended an AP Statistics week-long conference in Tulsa and a 4-day Pre-AP High School Math training in Tulsa. At the Pre-AP training, I was able to reconnect with the middle school teacher that I had done my student teaching with. I was busy, busy, busy!
I attended my first tweet-up. It was a blast to meet other local math teachers that I had been talking to via twitter! And, I went to my first minor league baseball game with a friend. (I did go to part of a game in the fifth grade on a field trip, but I don't count that.) Later in the month, I was able to catch up with a group of friends who I hadn't seen in over a year. While student teaching, we formed a sort of support group that met once a week for dinner and lots of venting. This was our opportunity to talk about the things we were too scared to bring up in our weekly seminar meetings.
School started early in August. Students claimed that my classroom was more colorful than ever before, something they had previously deemed impossible. I had a blast watching my students participate in The Marshmallow Challenge. I started teaching a new prep (statistics) in addition to my regular load of Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.
I made my Algebra 1 students take an oath. And, I started posting all the crazy things that my students say on my blog. Good Things became a Monday staple in my classroom. The stress of homecoming was very real. Student council is in charge of selling homecoming t-shirts as a fundraiser. I am in charge of student council. Therefore, I was in charge of all things t-shirt related. I took a group of students to a Chad Cargill ACT Workshop. I learned a few things from the workshop myself, but I never got around to blogging about the experience. Oops...
I went to my first Math Teachers' Circle with the lovely @druinok. Student Council attended our first District Meeting of the school year. We had parent/teacher conferences. The school I work at is notorious for low to no parental involvement. Last year, I had 6 parents (out of 65 parents) come for conferences. And, 3 of those parents are employees of the school district. This year, I had 51 parents! (And, I only have 85 students.) What changed? My principal mandated that each teacher give extra credit points to each student whose parents come to conferences. It looks like it worked! I've never talked to so many parents in my life! I talked to a lot of the other teachers, and they only had 20-30 parents show up. Apparently, a lot of students decided my class was the only one they needed extra credit in. I hosted an Algebra Bootcamp for students who failed the EOI last year in order to help the prepare for the PLAN test. Turnout was extremely low. But, I hope it helped some of my students.
In November, I celebrated my 24th birthday in style. My students brought me cake. We did math. It was fabulous. Over Thanksgiving Break, I made a giant coordinate plane for my classroom out of a shower curtain and electrical tape with the help of my mom and sister. I'm seriously proud of this thing. There was no way it wasn't make it in the year-end review!
I attended my second Math Teachers' Circle. Student Council helped put on a Veterans Day Assembly. I played bunco for only the second time in my life. I even won the prize for losing the most! I worked the basketball concession stand twice which turned out to be a lot of fun.
December was cold. We suffered the wrath of Cleon. We were out of school for three days. Some districts in this area of the state were out of school for five days. Including the weekend, we were out of school for five days. Since I live alone, that means I went five days and fifteen hours without seeing another human. So, in other words, December was the month I almost went insane. On the first Saturday of break, an ice storm hit the area. I spent Christmas with my parents and sister. It was fun! I spent a lot of time playing KenKen puzzles and reading. Relaxation at its finest!
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Tuesday, January 7, 2014
2013: The Year in Review
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text:
Last week, a lot of things started to happen because it is almost time for finals!! Yes, they have finals and they have 6 of them: English, Catalan, Religion, Math, Science, and Spanish!!! That seems like a college finals week to me! They are only 3rd graders! I have been so impressed with language that these students have to learn. They HAVE to learn Spanish, Catalan (another form of Spanish) and English. They study three languages during heir whole school career. It is sad that in America we get 2 years in highschool of a language that we choose. It really opens my eyes and it makes me want to learn another language!
We have been preparing for their finals in Science and English. Their English final is over using the gerund -ing, "I can, you can't" sentences, asking questions etc. In Science, they are learning and studying about jobs (anything prior to this unit). For example, arable farming, livestock farming, craftsmen etc. I really enjoyed this weeks science because the students had the chance to be play roles of these "jobs". The boys got to design a car and the girls got to design clothes. They took a filed trip to a dairy farm/factory and we are going to make our own yogurt and cheese! They also got to make their own clay pottery! We had so much fun last week with the hands on activities. Along with the hands on activities, they worked in groups on vocabulary, worksheets, matching etc. For a 45 minute window I feel like the students do get a great sense of what is going on. It is really student centered which I love and it is all in English!
Along with studying for finals and wrapping up the units, I had the opportunity last week to conduct an interview setting with each boy and girl in my 3rd grade classes. The interview took about 8 minutes and the student had to present their self to me in English. It took a couple of days to get through all of the students because it is only a 45 minute instruction block! The girls did really well. I had to score them on a scale of 1-10 and take notes of what they had trouble on! The girls did outstanding; majority of the, scored around a 7. The most common mistakes they made were sentences being very translated, past tense, and nouns were all called "she". For example, "We go to the house of my brother." I feel like this is very common because in English it is switched; "We went to my brother's house." The boys were a different story, I hardly understood majority of them. They really did try, but I don't think they practice as much as the girls. Most of the boys scored around a 4. A lot of their weak points were naturally mixing Spanish with their English--they need to build their vocabulary. During this whole interview, only 2 girls and one boy started off the interview with, "My name is..." I had to correct everyone else. Mrs. Marsia loved that I did this because in 4th grade they have a huge English speaking exam through Cambridge--which is equivalent to our testing state tests.
On top of studying for finals and wrapping up the English and Science units, my 3rd graders (and the whole school) have to learn Christmas or religious songs for the holidays. They will put on a performance in front of their parents in three weeks. The songs they are learning are in all 3 languages!!! They have to learn English songs, Catalan songs, and Spanish songs!!!! 😳 That takes talent and hard work for an 8 year old!!!
At home I have been studying with Marian and Victoria. Marian and I work on spelling, sentences, and vocabulary. Marian does so well with English! In return, she teaches me Spanish sentences. We also read together! I brought a picture book that has English and Spanish mixed together; Marian loves it! Victoria on the other hand is a hoot! She loves to sing songs, so that is what we do! Her new favorite, to get into the holiday spirit, is Jingle Bells. She has her own bells and she runs around the house dancing, jingling, and singing jingle bells a gazillion times! It is too cute! I also like to play a game with her that we started the other night. She has a box that she puts items in and I have to guess what they are. I will ask her questions in English to figure out what is in the box! We have so much fun playing this game--her items are so unique.
On Wednesday, we all went to the famous Barce Futbol Stadium! Barcelona is one of the best teams! I was so excited to see the stadium, but I also wanted to cry! I've been wanting to go to an European Soccer Game my whole life, but I went to Paris instead! I know I will be able to come back one day and watch one!
Thursday was special day here at the Molins house because Victoria lost her first tooth! She was so excited; she ran to me first thing that morning to show me! She was so excited to lose a tooth, she stuck it in her pocket to take it to school with her. We didn't know until she came home with it taped in her agenda 😉. Victoria got great gifts from the tooth fairy that night! I think she can't wait to lose another one! Also on Thursday, Sarah, Amanda, Mary Bruce, Shannon, and I went to Place de Catalyuna and we walked the streets of the city center to the Picasso museum. That was pretty interesting! I loved seeing some of his earlier works!
Well, well, well...my weekend in Paris was a pretty good one! I have been there before so it was exciting to go back after 12 years to see if I could remember everything and see if anything changed. I did notice the people have changed. It definitely is a mix of people then it was 12 years ago. Anyway, Faith and I left Saturday morning at 5:30. We flew to Paris to meet 2 of our friends, but we never saw them! We don't know what happened there?! We got to our hotel and we were generally pleased with it. We were just excited that we found it in our own! After our hotel, Faith booked a walking tour so that is what we did. We met at Sant Michael's fountain and went from there. It was a general tour so we didn't go into anything, but we saw all the major Paris musts with a little bit of history behind them. I really enjoyed the tour, except the fact it felt below zero and we walked for 3 hours. My feet were frozen! After the tour, we got tickets for a boat ride on the Seine River--this was my favorite part of the trip! We did get a little stressed finding the place because Paris is so spread out; it took us about an hour and a half to find it! It was definitely worth the trouble of finding it. We rode the Seine at night with all the buildings lit up and it was magical! The Eiffel Tower sparkled (literally) and Notre Dame was gorgeous! During our boat ride, we met all kinds of people. We talked to Germans for a while and we all went to the Christmas market! The Christmas market was on Champs Élysées and it was next to the Arc de Triumph. It was beautiful! Vendors lined the streets, Christmas music was playing (in English ha), everything was lit up, and the smells were amazing. We ate at the Christmas market and walked the streets of Champs Élysées for a while. We even tried Gluewein; which is German for hot wine! It tastes like hot cider, but in different flavors! After being up for almost 24 hours we had to call it a night!
The next day was just as amazing! We waited in line for the Eiffel Tower and we met people from Chicago! It was nice to hear a familiar sound! We waited in line for about an hour and Faith and I made our way to the tip top of the Eiffel Tower. Faith's face was priceless! It was also much colder up at the top so we rushed that part! However, the views were breathtaking! I could see for miles! It sure hasn't changed from 12 years ago! After the Eiffel Tower, we took the metro to Montemarte which is more of a village scene. I was not a big fan of Montemarte; I didn't feel comfortable being there, but it was still an amazing experience! Faith and I are pretty proud of ourselves for navigating Paris just the two of us! We feel like we can do anything after that! I was so wore out and slept the whole plane ride home! I was so excited to see Victoria and Marian!!!! I couldn't wait to be back in Barcelona where it was 15 degrees warmer!
Overall, the second week has been amazing and I can't wait to see what my last two weeks bring me!!
Victoria is dying for me to play with her so Audios Amigos!
One of my 5th grade boy's pencil drawing on perspective!!!! Pretty amazing!!
Ines and Andrea at recess--I love these girls!
My 3rd grade boys singing and learning Holly Jolly Christmas!
Victoria losing her first tooth!!!
Locks of love bridge. Fun fact: every so often, the city has to come clip locks off and throw them away because it weighs down the bridge!!!! Yes, so your love lock is not forever on the Locks of Love bridge!!!
At the Louvre with Faith!
Our boat ride on the Seine!!! My favorite part!!
The Arc de Triumph.


text:
Starting March 1st (next Monday!) I'll be moving from my M-F 7-8pm slot to M-F 2-4pm, Hannity's old slot. This is in large part to ratings, and telling the brass that you want another hour of the show. Thanks so much for your support these past two years. Also big thanks to my station, KFTK 97.1 FM, and my producer, Kevin, and associate producer, Liz, for being so fantastic at what they do.
The new deets on the programming:
2-5a.m. The Dave Ramsey Show
5-6a.m. The Wall Street Journal This Morning
6-9a.m. Allman In The Morning
9a.m-Noon Glenn Beck
Noon-2p.m. Laura Ingraham
*NEW!*2-4p.m. Dana Loesch – The Dana Show
4-7p.m. The Dave Glover Show
7-9p.m. Sean Hannity
9-11p.m. Michael Savage
11p.m.-2a.m. The Mark Levin Show
My Sunday night 8-10 p.m. slot will be commandeered by the fabulous Marc Cox of KMOV Channel 4 beginning March 14th. My last Sunday night show will be this Sunday, February 28th, where I'll hand it off to Marc. Because of the new time schedule, this also means that this week will be my last Wednesday and Friday with Allman in the Morning, the place that started it all.
I'll be sad not to be Savage's lead-in every night, but glad to have family dinner time back. Everything else will remain the same, podcasts, Danacam, guests.


text:
Your personal or professional life could encounter a substantial hitch if any of your past criminal records pops up while someone is doing a background check on you. If you were charged with any criminal offence at some point of time, it may jeopardize your chances of getting a good job or obtaining a bank loan. However, everybody deserves a second chance and to remove such obstacles from your way, let consult an experienced lawyer to seal criminal records that all you need.
How does a Criminal Record Affect your Life?
If you were ever arrested or convicted for a criminal offense, a criminal record surely exists for you which anyone can access. The same could also be true in case of unfair suspicion pertaining to illegal activities. Sometimes even a minor brush with the law could taint your future. Some criminal records create prohibitions for you where you lose certain privileges and benefits like serving on a jury or having the right to vote
Criminal Records that can be Expunged or Sealed
Although not all cases can be sealed, there are many which are eligible to be removed and, subsequently, cannot be accessed by conventional means. Your criminal records that can be expunged only if, you were previously acquitted, but were found 'not guilty' post trial or adjudicated as a juvenile delinquent or were arrested but no charges were filed against you. Offenses which involve controlled substances can be sealed following a waiting period, which further depends on the level of offense. Criminal records pertaining to convictions for municipal and petty offenses are also eligible to be sealed.
Criminal Records that Cannot be Sealed
Certain convictions are not eligible to be sealed so you must check out your eligibility before filing petition for sealing of records. The ineligibility criterion includes:
· Records which include conviction on DUI (Driving Under Influence) or DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired).
· Conviction for an offence having a factual basis of unlawful sexual behaviour.
· Class 1 or 2 misdemeanor traffic offense or class A or class B traffic Infraction.
· The offences related to a CDL (Commercial Driver's License).
How Sealing Differs from Expungement?
Although a sealed criminal record is inaccessible by normal means, it still exists. Legally you can deny the existence of such records, but they could be unsealed by some entities if the court orders for the same for public interest. However, expungement completely wipes out your records, leaving no evidence of your arrest or conviction anywhere. Under expungement the records are permanently destroyed and, even by the court order, are never made available to anyone. Although expungement sounds much better than sealing, you don't always have an option for the former. Certain cases are only eligible to be sealed and not expunged, whereas, some states do not at all offer expungement. Now if you are wondering "whether my criminal record is eligible for sealing or expungement", you can straightaway get in touch with a Denver lawyer to seal criminal record and proceed towards the right option.
How to Seal your Criminal Records
If you are eligible for sealing your criminal history, contact Denver Lawyer to Seal your Criminal Records is the first step, as the job is quite complex.
· A petition must be filed in the district court where your criminal records are located. A separate petition needs to be filed for each case along with the payment of appropriate fees.
· The petition can be filed only if three or more years have passed since the date of final disposition of all criminal proceedings against the defendant or if the defendant has been released from supervision concerning a criminal conviction for three years or more; whichever is later.
· All the criminal justice agencies, having a copy of your criminal record, must be specified in the petition.
· Subsequently, a hearing date is set by the court and the agencies listed on the petition will receive a notice for the same.
· A skilled lawyer to expunge criminal records could convince the court in your favor so that the court orders to seal or expunge your criminal records.
How Sealing of Criminal Records Helps?
Criminal records could impact your life severely as many employers or institutions hesitate or don't prefer to have people with such records. Sealing of criminal records makes your endeavors like housing or employment hassle free. Also, your records cannot be accessed by educational institutions or state or local government agencies. However, sealing does not remove your records from the FBI's records, but your potential employer or the bank where you applied for a loan gets nothing to stop you from proceeding. When the records are successfully sealed anyone who investigates about you regarding any criminal history will get the result "no such record for that person present." The procedure might be a little tedious, but under the guidance of a proficient lawyer you can clear out the hurdles that are blocking your way to success.


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|600 posts and counting!
From his remote tower, The Silent Sorcerer sends forth nonsensical artwork and useless gaming tools. He also likes to discuss RPGs, boardgames, miniatures painting, writing, movies, books, and whatever else strikes his fancy. Mostly though, his goal is to provide fun and goofy things to inspire others in their games. Enjoy!
Saturday, June 25, 2016
600th Post +1
Posted by John R. Lehman at 8:18 AM
Labels: General Thoughts, RPG
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I feel like I've been caught in a whirlwind the past few weeks - finishing up at two jobs, hosting a (wonderful!) new friend during the DNC and starting in my new position. Abe and I are figuring out how to do life from what feels like the beginning. New hours mean new bedtimes and setting new alarms, new work locations mean new traffic jams and new routines for everything: when and where to grocery shop, who starts supper and who feeds the animals. (Cash suggests having Watson for dinner.)
I'm still in the middle of my first week at my new position, so I'm really just ducking in. I don't think I'm quite ready to come back to a regular or frequent blog posting schedule.
This afternoon we're starting the fall garden, so I will try to get back soon with pictures and at least a brief update.


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I just figured out that blogger has a mobile phone app. I'm hoping this will help me post to the blog more often.
I recently had a few extra minutes and squeezed in a photo shoot with my handsome little man. It was supposed to be a 3-month shoot, but time flies and Silas is 4 months now. He is changing so much every day!
Rae made the sign for him in the second to last photo. :)


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CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A federal appeals court says the U.S. Highway Administration had authority to revoke a $696,000 construction grant for Cleveland's Kinsman Road streetscape project. Cleveland's Fannie Lewis Law -- which requires that city residents comprise 20% of the workforce on public works projects -- was at the heart of the dispute. The federal agency said the local hiring-preference law violated U.S. rules requiring competitive bidding and non-discrimination in employment.
The Kinsman Road streetscape was supposed to run from East 130th Street to the city limits, and involved construction of a brick sidewalk, tree planting and installing pedestrian lighting. Its goal was beautification and safety in a depressed neighborhood struggling to shake off urban blight.
The complete text of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals 18-page decision is available here. City officials contend the purpose of the Lewis Law -- an ordinance named for a veteran councilwoman and adopted in June 2003 -- is not anti-competitive. They say the goal of the measure is to alleviate unemployment and ensure that Cleveland residents can find jobs on City of Cleveland construction projects. On Kinsman Road, the feds were supposed to put most of the money into the $870,000 total price of the project; the city's share was about $175,000.
The ruling did not strike down the Lewis Law. It said the federal agency had discretion to reject the contract because the 20% Cleveland resident employment was not specifically advertised to prospective bidders. The court said federal law puts state and local governments are "on notice that substantive contract requirements must be specifically advertised to prospective bidders before they can be incorporated into a federally-funded contract."
Moreover, the 6th Circuit said federal agencies have discretion in whether to fund projects and their "decisions may be based upon any lawful factor that the agency deems relevant under its broad power to administer federal programs."


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Source: Xinhua 2016-05-01
PHNOM PENH, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday warned foreign countries not to interfere in the country's internal affairs over recent arrests of opposition politicians and human rights activists.
"Foreign countries must respect Cambodia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and must not interfere in Cambodia's internal affairs (because) Cambodia has never meddled in their internal affairs,"he said during the celebrations of International Labor Day at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in southwestern Preah Sihanouk Province.
"We just take action against the anarchists," the prime minister said. "Lawbreakers must take responsibilities before the law."
Hun Sen also rejected a report by the opposition lawmakers claiming that Cambodia was in chaotic situation after the recent jailing of opposition politicians and human rights defenders.
"It is an untrue report,"he said, referring to the report that some 53 lawmakers from the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) wrote to King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday.
Hun Sen said Cambodia is now full of peace and stability and does not have any political crisis.
"People are living happily because they do not make any mistakes, but you have committed crimes, so you must sleep at the Prey Sar (prison),"he said, referring to those jailed politicians and activists.
Recently, two opposition politicians -- a senator and a lawmaker -- had been arrested for falsifying a Cambodia-Vietnam border treaty and accusing the Cambodian government of using fake border map with Vietnam.
An opposition commune chief and five human rights activists were also arrested this week over claims they convinced the alleged mistress of CNRP vice president and lawmaker Kem Sokha to deny a sexual relationship.


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Carragher: Reds building from the back
Liverpool centre-back
Jamie Carragher feels the side are returning to their defensive best but knows they will have to maintain that over the coming weeks if they want to sustain their challenge for Champions League qualification.
A resolute rearguard action in the 213th Merseyside derby, for which they played more than 55 minutes with 10 men after Sotirios Krygiakos' dismissal, earned a 1-0 victory thanks to Dirk Kuyt 's 50th goal for the club.
"For the last four or five years we have been good defensively under Rafa and we are just getting back to our normal selves," said Carragher. "If you keep clean sheets you are going to win games."
A seven-match unbeaten Barclays Premier League run has now brought 17 points and six clean sheets, lifting the Reds into the top four for the first time since early October.
But they face a tough test on Wednesday when they travel to Arsenal, where they have not won in the league in three days short of a decade.
Manager Rafael Benitez will allow his players a couple of days to enjoy the derby victory, their fifth in the last six, before concentrating on the Gunners.
Bootle-born Carragher, who played in his 25th meeting between the near-neighbours yesterday, knows how important the victory was for morale.
"It is not just three points, it has a massive impact and everyone is buzzing," said the 32-year-old. "But that can change if the result doesn't go our way at Arsenal.
"We beat Manchester United (in the league) and then played Arsenal in the Carling Cup and lost.
"It is important we keep that feelgood factor after the Arsenal game and that will be by making sure we get a good result."


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1. Betty Blocks - keep making progress: I'm slowly working. Many of you have asked me what Betty Blocks are - well - My Great Aunt Betty was a quilter in Michigan and she donated many of her quilts to the Quilt museum and Michigan State University. I found a picture of one of them and am reproducing it - and calling it my Betty Quilt.
http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2010/09/quilters-accountability-91510.html You can see some of them here.
2. Keep working on Fall Foliage: Whoo hoo - all the pieces are sewn, and I am staring cutting the blocks out!!
3. Get my Veterans Rail Fence pattern all tested and ready to go - fabric requirements will go up on November 7th!!! ANNDDD there are two ways to do this - with yardage or with scraps.... So far so good - it's looking good and will truly be so easy - any one can make it!!! The quilt will be about 60 x 80 when its done... a perfect Quilt of Valor size!
Goals for Next Week:
- Finish instructions for Veterans Rail Fence
- Put labels on Two Quilts of Valor
- Send Shari her box ( its almost ready Shari)
If you want to see what others are up to - or join in go to Bari's blog at


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Achei um artigo interessante: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2005/06/the-broken-window-theory.html
Don't leave "broken windows" (bad designs, wrong decisions, or poor code) unrepaired. Fix each one as soon as it is discovered. If there is insufficient time to fix it properly, then board it up. Perhaps you can comment out the offending code, or display a "Not Implemented" message, or substitute dummy data instead. Take some action to prevent further damage and to show that you're on top of the situation.
We've seen clean, functional systems deteriorate pretty quickly once windows start breaking. There are other factors that can contribute to software rot, and we'll touch on some of them elsewhere, but neglect accelerates the rot faster than any other factor.


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Paul McCartney to make first visit to David Letterman Wednesday - Kansas City Star
Shared via AddThis
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Paul McCartney - Magical Toronto Night - Exhibition Stadium - Toronto, ONT, Canada 6/6/93
This is a special bootleg to me. I went to this show. I went with a few others. We stayed at the Delta Chelsea and stopped at Sam the Record Man
Full details here.
I just wish someone videotaped it as well. My memory's not as good as it used to be. I hope next week's show is also filmed and taped.
Posted by John Sposato at 9:35 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: bootlegs, live, mp3, Paul McCartney, summer, The Beatles, tours
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Pink Floyd - Stoned Alone
1967-09-13, The Star Club, København, Danmark
1. Stoned Alone [06.43]
2. Arnold Layne [04.01]
3. One in a Million [06.40]
4. Matilda Mother [06.58]
5. Scream Thy Last Scream [05.36]
6. Astronomy Domine [07.44]
7. Interview with Syd Barrett [05.55]
8. Interview iwth David Gilmour, Peter Jenner, and Nick Mason [14.24]
Posted by John Sposato at 10:22 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: bootlegs, live, mp3, Pink Floyd, prog
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The Beatles - Rarities (US edition)
Tracks missing are on releases still available:
Don't Pass Me By - The White Album (mono)
The Inner Light - Past Masters Vol. 2
Across the Universe - Past Masters Vol. 2
You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) - Past Masters Vol. 2
Sgt. Pepper Inner Groove - Sgt. Pepper (all but US LP)
Also know that the official remasters shall be released this fall!
Posted by John Sposato at 11:32 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: mp3, music, Paul McCartney, The Beatles
The Beatles - Beautiful Dreamer
Bootleg of BBC performances. Some tracks not on 1994's Live at the BBC. Taped from Auntie and released on poor-quality LP (be warned!). Thanks Ben Lambert for copying it.
Track listing
Posted by John Sposato at 11:28 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: bootlegs, mp3, music, Paul McCartney, The Beatles
Friday, July 3, 2009
The McCartney Years II
I made this by reversing images and colours of the original cover.
Here are the videos that I want on the next volume of the 2007 DVD The McCartney Years:
Listen to What the Man Said (1987 TV performance)
Maybe I'm Amazed (live)
Getting Closer - Wings
Spin It On - Wings
Old Siam Sir - Wings
Arrow Through Me - Wings
Winter Rose/Love Awake - Wings
Waterfalls (complete)
Ebony and Ivory (solo version)
No More Lonely Nights (dance version)
Only Love Remains
Once Upon a Long Ago (version two)
We Got Married
Ou Est le Soleil?
This One (Dean Chamberlain version)
Get Back (live)
Biker Like an Icon (version two)
The World Tonight
Young Boy
Lonely Road
From a Lover to a Friend
Your Loving Flame
Jenny Wren
Dance Tonight
Ever Present Past
Sing the Changes - The Fireman
Dance 'Til We're High - The Fireman
Here Today
This would be released by Rhino and not Abbey Road Interactive because of Paul's split from EMI. I had memorised most of this. I put this on his MySpace and an Italian fan's Facebook page, but I couldn't get to them.
I'd also like a DVD/Blu-Ray release of Rockshow and Let It Be, even though I have pirate copies to tide me over.
Posted by John Sposato at 12:43 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: music, Paul McCartney, The Beatles
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Paul McCartney reissues
Paul McCartney has recently announced his switch from long-time home Parlophone to indie label One Little Indian. He has expressed that he has grown distant from EMI since their sale to Terra Firma Capital Partners. 2007's Memory Almost Full, along with a couple live EPs, were released by Hear Music, a joint venture of Starbucks and Concord Music Group. McCartney was satisfied with how OLI promoted side project The Fireman's last album, Electric Arguments, which outsold the first two combined. I'm not sure if the label has McCartney in the States, since Dave Matthews's ATO Records has the rights to that album here.
What will happen is most if not all of the back catalogue will be reissued. Benchmarks like Band on the Run are likely to be remastered. More bonus tracks may be included, as Tug of War could use more, so we don't have to resort to bootlegs and second-hand singles. A compilation would be a good idea as well, and it could include "The Girl is Mine" with the recently departed Michael Jackson (posts on him on Twitter), and in turn, "Say Say Say" can appear on a memorial Jackson release. I also suggested to Macca on MySpace that he get some of the cancelled dates at O2 Arena in London.
I'd like to know when these reissues will be in shops. I take it by Christmastime at best. Ironically, OLI are distributed in the EU by EMI-owned Virgin Records, so he's just moving around the pipeline really. ATO are distributed in the States by RED Distribution, the indie unit of Sony, which own his former label here, Columbia. Small world, isn't it? These are indie labels, so I can go to emusic again.
Still waiting for the show on 21/7 at Citi Field.
Posted by John Sposato at 2:04 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: music, Paul McCartney
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Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War Gold Edition CD KEY (STEAM) Activation details
Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War Gold Edition CD KEY (STEAM)
- Developer: THQ
- Genres: Strategy
- Languages: EN, FR, IT, DE, ES
This package Includes 2 items: Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Game of the Year Edition, Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn Of War® – Winter Assault
The Game of the Year Edition features eight additional maps, additional online modes, and all the patches previously released online. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War builds upon the most exciting, visceral, front-line battlefield ever seen in an RTS game.
Dawn of War Game of the Year features:
- Single-player campaigns employing classic storytelling elements of treason and conspiracy
- Two to eight multiplayer via LAN or Internet providing endless re-playability
- Four unique races, each with their own unique strategies
- Resource model that focuses action on the frontline and minimizes the tedium of resource gathering
- Cinematic quality melee and ranged combat that show battle in detail never before seen in a RTS game
- Eight additional maps
- All Dawn of War patches
System Requirements
Minimum: Windows 2000/XP, 1.8 Ghz Intel Pentium III or equivalent AMD Athlon XP, 256 MB RAM, 4.5 GB free hard drive space, 32 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible AGP video card with Hardware Transformation and Lighting, 16-bit DirectX 9.0b compatible sound card, Mouse, Keyboard
Recommended: 2.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent, 512 MB system RAM (required for 8-player multiplayer games), nVidia GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 or equivalent with 64 MB of Video RAM
Required for Multiplayer: Internet: Cable modem, DSL modem, or 56.6 kbps modem for online multiplayer play; Network: TCP/IP compliant network
Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War Gold Edition -- Copyright © Games Workshop Limited 2005. Dawn of War, the Dawn of War logo, Dawn of War: Winter Assault and the Dawn of War: Winter Assault logo, GW, Games Workshop, Space Marine, 40K, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 Device, and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/logos/symbols, vehicles, locations, weapons, units and unit insignia, characters, products, illustrations and images from the Dawn of War game and the Warhammer 40,000 universe are either ®, TM and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2007, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world, and used under license. All Rights Reserved. Source Code for the Dawn of War game © 2004 THQ Inc. All Rights Reserved. GameSpy and the "Powered by GameSpy" design are trademarks of GameSpy Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. THQ, Relic Entertainment and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
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So there's a lot of shit that I want to cover here tonight/tomorrow/whenever and while none if it is going to fill an entire post, exactly, if I smush all of it together and make one big totally freaking random wandering post out of it, it will work. Promise. It will be like Ben & Jerry's "Everything But The..." flavor ice cream where they throw a bunch of stuff in with the ice cream and it WORKS (ome it works). Only this will be better than that. [For the sake of full disclosure: no it won't be; nothing is better than "Everything But The..." flavor except maybe Chubby Hubby or possibly mixing Hagen Daz Caramel Cone and Chocolate flavors together. Because that shit's a guaranteed multiple taste-bud orgasm.
Plus, this randomness will give us more time to work on other more enlightening, "Deep Thoughts with JJ & STY"-kinda posts. Like the one JJ has been working on that's tentatively called "how music keeps me from going apeshit and murdering my fellow commuters." I'm looking forward to reading that one about as much as I'm looking forward to my next gynecological exam. I wonder - do they actually put the speculum in the freezer beforehand? Hey - I warned you: random, remember?
Anyway, here's "the scoops," in no particular order:
We are going to Forks the last weekend in September [9/29-10/2-ish]. I am really, really sorry if these dates doesn't work for everyone (even JJ was actually rooting for the last weekend in August while I voted for September). You can expect that there will be much much MUCH more inane rambling-on about this trip in the forseeable future. Seriously, we are going to talk so much about this trip to Forks that you are going to BEG us to shut the fuck up about it, even if you're going. But I feel especially sorry for the 17% of you who answered the poll with "Are you NUTS?! I'm not going to Forks!" because you're going to HATE us by September. And after September. Because after we get back, our visit to the Twitarded holy land is all we are going to talk about until Breaking Dawn comes out and who the hell knows when that will be? We promise we will make it up to you somehow. Even if it means that JJ gives oral to each and every last one of you.
Yay! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRKKKS!
Now, on to the sad news. [Is there an award for "most insensitive, asshole-ish segue"? yeah, I just won that]. You are no doubt aware that there is a telethon tonight to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Things are massively fucked up there but went from bad to horrifically, heartbreakingly worse, and they need our help. I know I'm having a MAJOR "pot meet kettle" moment when I say this but we all need to stop whining about how crappy everything is every time we are stuck in traffic or our train is late (ahem, JJ - looking at you, twat-monkey) or the Starbucks barista doesn't froth the non-fat soy milk in your Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte just so or the stupid a-hole in front of you at the grocery check-out spends ten seconds too long rooting for coupons and your head just freaking e-x-p-l-o-d-e-s. Take a chill-pill and/or a deep breath (depending on your access to chill pills) and put it all in perspective. And then please donate. If you haven't already, take a minute today to do it. If you've already donated, do it again if you can afford it. If you're really lucky you might get to talk to Taycob or someone else uber-famous. Don't hold your breath for RPatts, though, ok? Nobody looks better when they turn blue unless they were in Avatar.
[note: ok we suck and the telethon will be over by the time we post this (oops), but you know what to do if you didn't do it already, right? Go to HopeForHaitiNow.org to donate.]
Speaking of which (fund-raising for Haiti, not Taycob or Avatar), one of our very own very talented bloggy besties is auctioning off a print of her artwork! Team Six Pack created an excellent replica of the Twilight novel cover and is selling a frame-worthy print via The Fandom Gives Back! Check out her auction HERE and don't forget to take a look at all the other things that FGB is doing to raise money for this cause. Do what you can.
Oh and Rob showed up REALLY beard-y. I'm pretty sure I heard Jenny shrieking all the way from New York City. She likes her men-folk beardy; I'm wishing he wasn't obscuring the prettah but I'll take what Rob-sightings I can get at this point. Even if he's appearing with the rarity and hirsuteness of Bigfoot (but you know what they say about big feet so whatevs).
Moving on...
My work week sucked and ended with a virtual slap on the wrists from my boss, who either hates me, doesn't hate me, or doesn't care. One of those. Aaaand he probably knows about the existence of this blog. Fucking swell all around. Excuse me while I go back and read my own paragraph about how I should quit my incessant and not-very-well-justified whining. Where the fuck is the cheese and crackers? They would go perfectly with my whiiiiiiiiiiiine...
On the upside, I really got a HUGE lift in my day when the mail showed up with not one but two packages for me! I love getting stuff in the mail that is not bill-related. I suppose this is a hold-over from childhood when Sister Snarky and I used to fight over who was "Resident" and who was "Occupant." One of the packages was addressed to "Snarky fill-in-my-real-last-name-here"!! Apparently a couple of people took pity on me when I mentioned that I was coveting JJ's RPatts calendar and didn't have one of my own (and was messing up dates as a result) and sent me calendars! Well, Dangrdafne felt sorry for me and Twilove1 wanted to contribute to our prizes for out 1st Anniversary contest/give-away and I asked her if it would make me a REALLY bad person if I kept it for myself and she said no. Because she's cool and not judge-y like that. But thanks to the joint efforts of Dangrdafne AND Twilove1, I can totally have my RPatts calendar and eat it, too. Or something like that. Translated: I get to keep a calendar for myself (ok two - one Twilight and one RPatts) and STILL add one to the prize kitty. Thanks Dangrdafne & Twilove1!
[JJ's note - WHAT THE FUCK? You can't keep BOTH!!!]
OK fine I will just keep one of the Robert Pattinson Calendars. Sheesh! JJ, you ruin ALL my fun! Because the January/February page of the Twilight calendar is Edward pics and I REALLY want to keep it. Damn you. Ruiner! Oh and there's also an Edward bookmark from Twilove1 which will be added to the prize list ('cause it's paper!).
I am also thrilled to be able to tell you that Red Bella has graciously agreed to donate another custom-embroidered masterpiece to the Anniversary contest/give-away prize pile!!! I can't say if it's a t-shirt for you or a t-shirt for your mini-Edward or racy undies (just remember: our design is TAKEN) because she's so fucking fabulous that she'll work with you to create whatever Twilighty goodness it is that is embroiderable and fulfills your little heart's desire. And that stuff is time consuming on her part and expensive and she rocks for making the offer again. Thanks Red Bella!
Oh and don't forget that you gotta be in it to win it, so send us something Twitard-y already, you whore flaps! Submissions should go to email@example.com. Those of you who sent to me directly at my Snarky email will be shot. I kid, I kid! Sort of... Aaaaaand I need another cocktail AND another read of my earlier "stop whining!" paragraph, clearly.
On a totally unrelated note (and without a good segue, natch), The Bloggess has accepted our marriage proposal and I think we'll arrange it so that we'll all be honeymooning in Forks in September. Because really, what could be more perfect for the Bloggess-Jerkface-Snarker family (we're "The BJs - WOOOOOT!)??? Nothing, that's what. Except possibly moving to Twitardia with all of you and living the Twitarded way, surrounded by friends. Or bedding RPattz. It's a toss up, I gotta be honest.
And as promised, here's your RPatts vid! Because I really am that much of a twat. You're welcome.
P.S. This vid is from Suzy in Germany and I hope that she is not 12 years old (but she could be for all I know).


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Judging a book by its cover
During my last semester at university, I worked for the first couple of weeks making student cards. It was fun; it involved getting to look at a person's photo I.D. ("Ha ha, your middle name is _____!" -- just kidding), taking his or her picture with a fancy digital camera, and then waiting for a card to pop out. I was finishing my B.A. in Communication. I made a student card for Christine; she was starting a post-baccalaureate diploma in Communication. We chatted for a minute or two. I saw by her driver's license that we were the same age and lived two blocks apart. Above all, I just thought she looked like a cool lady -- someone I wanted to know. I think it was later the same day that I ran into her at a café on campus, and we exchanged phone numbers and talked about getting together. And then we did! And we've kept in touch, even though I left the city about four months later. The fact is, I met Christine because I judged a book by its (stylish vintage leopard-print) cover.
I tell you this because I know there are a lot of library types in the knitblog world. My friend Christine has been working in libraries for a decade, but now she's in library school and she has a relatively new blog, called Ask Nettie Day. And since she's smart and funny, you should go and have a look. Check out her links, too, especially Librarian Spotting, where she addresses the stereotypical depictions of librarians in mainstream media (and also provides a link so that you can order your own Librarian Action Figure!). Oh yeah, she paints and knits a bit and she's a fellow Grammar Avenger, too. Go and say hello, will ya? And then put those books back on the shelves where you found them. And keep your voice down! Heh.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Judging a book by its cover


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Will be spending 2 weeks in San Antonio on business, staying near Sea World. Will be with large group of people on business trip, although we don't have to dine together every night. We are staying near Sea World and will be finishing a 12-14 hour day exhausted and in very casual clothes. Looking for recommendations for places less than $25-30 pp, within 20 min of Sea World. We will have access to rental cars, but don't want to venture too far away due to our work schedule. If possible, would prefer local restaurants, rather than large chains.
Will need to do one large group dinner, about 20-25 people where we could order off the menu. Primarily, it will be smaller groups going off by themselves. We will have some vegetarians, so good food that accommodates them would be a plus. Thanks in advance for your help!