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Croke Park Ireland England Rugby Match
The (Irish) players take the field.
The National Anthems are sung.
A bit of rugby was played as well, as Ireland trounced England by 30 points on the hallowed grounds of Croker.
Update: "Was there something more than a Rugby match going on here?"
I'm sure you're aware of some of the history between Ireland and England, as in the fact that Ireland was an occupied colony of Britain for nearly 800 years. As such, any Ireland vs. England match is very emotional. However, this instance was particularly significant due to the venue.
Normally when Ireland plays rugby in Dublin they play at a moderately sized stadium (ca. 40,000) called Landsdowne Road. This year, however, the Irish rugby association embarked upon a plan to renovate the stadium, and as such there was no adequate stadium available for the soccer international and rugby matches, other than Croke Park. This is where the story becomes noteworthy.
Croke Park stadium has been wholly owned by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) since 1913. The GAA was formed in 1884 to preserve Irish sports, namely Hurling and Gaelic Football, and are a strictly amateur organisation, as in the players do not receive any pay for playing. In fact, the GAA is so protective of their sports that GAA players were, for decades, banned from playing any "english" sports such as soccer or rugby, and to be caught playing even a friendly backyard game of either meant that one was permanently banned from the GAA. The playing of English sports was also banned from Croke Park, from 1913 until the week before the match I have posted videos of above.
About the park itself, due to the fact the the players weren't paid that left all gate receipts to be spent on the main GAA venue itself, Croke Park, and thus it was expanded to hold the 82000 people it can hold today (making it the fourth largest stadium in all of europe). Perhaps more importantly is the historic influence on the stadium itself. One end of the stadium is called "Hill 16" due to the fact that it was built from the rubble (1) left on the main street through Dublin city centre, O'connell street (then "sackville" street) after it was flattened by the english bombardment after the Irish declaration of independence and ensuing war in 1916. There is another set of seats that the camera pans across at the beginning of the second video clip that's called the "Hogan Stand," named after a player that was shot to death on the field by the british army on the original "Bloody Sunday" in 1920.
What happened in that instance was that 12 british spies had been killed by the Irish
Republican Army the day before a GAA match between Tipperary and Dublin, so in "retaliation" the british army mercinary brigade (the "Black and Tans") drove out onto the field during the match and first opened fire on the players, and then opened fire on the spectators, killing more than a dozen people and injuring many more. That was the last time, until the match pictured above, that the english were in croke park.
So for the first time in its history, an english team was allowed to play an english sport on what you might understand from above to be considered by the irish as the "hallowed" grounds of Croke park. That brought up a couple of other big issues, namely (1) that the union jack, the flag of imperial britain that was the symbol of the empire for centuries, was going to fly over croke park, and that (2) the british national anthem, God Save the Queen, would be played at croke park. The first was an issue because after the bloody sunday massacre the GAA vowed that the union jack would never fly over croke park, and after some negotiation the english team agreed to have their secondary flag (a white flag with a red cross, called something like "st george's cross") flown. The second issue was met with threats from very nationalist Irish "Republicans" to disrupt the singing of God Save the queen, whose lyrics are considered inciteful towards former colonies (such as the anti-scottish "Lord, grant that Marshal Wade, May by thy mighty aid, Victory bring. May he sedition hush and like a torrent rush, Rebellious Scots to crush" and the references to their colonial peoples as "knaves"), and whose very meaning is the preservation of the symbol of tyranny and oppression that even the US once fought against.
But, the feared outbursts of disrespect during "god save the queen" never materialised, and upon the songs conclusion (as seen in the second clip) both the english fans and the irish fans applauded respectfully. Then, the irish national anthem ("Amhrán na bhFiann" or "A Soldier's Song" in english) was played, along with the official rugby anthem "Ireland's Call," both of which are songs about Ireland's fight for independence from England, and which were both sung by the 75000 strong contingent of irish fans on hand for the match. One of my favorite bits of the second video is when the BRITISH Broadcasting Company announcer could only eek out a "I've got a lump in my throat after that" when they were finished singing the irish national anthem.
What made the match so important to the irish people was that it was an opportunity for them to set aside the bitterness, anger, and resentment that has torn the nation apart at its seams for centuries, and move forward, leaving behind the preoccupation with anger towards england and instead focusing on pride for ireland, which was displayed in the match's final result, a 43-13 victory for Ireland, which was Englands largest margin of defeat ever. England, who at the time were the reigning world champions of rugby. England, 13-43 to Ireland. At croke park. It was magnificant.
So important was the historic significance of the english team being allowed to play an english sport at Croke park that the english coach had a retired GAA player and historian flown to england to brief the english team on the importance of the occasion. You might also get an idea of what it meant by perusing some of the newspaper articles on the match, available below.
From "The Irish Times"
Hair-raising cry of anthems fills Croker with pride and joy
The music swelled in Croke Park, and somehow, we swallowed the lump in our throat. We sang. Misty-eyed, we sang our hearts out, writes Miriam Lord.
The message, not the words, mattered: Here we are. All of us. Happy. Proud. This is Ireland. We are Ireland. Live with it.
Before this rugby game, there was too much talk of sell-outs and patriots spinning in their republican plots. The good humoured maturity of the Irish fans settled that question before an English boot touched the ball.
On this significant Saturday, with the Cross of St George flying alongside the Ulster flag and Irish Tricolour, England came to Croke Park to play a non-Gaelic game. There was tension in the air.
This journey to the crucible of the GAA had been a long one. Fourteen people shot dead by British forces during a match in 1920. The Hogan stand, named in memory of the young Tipperary footballer killed in that massacre. Hill 16, built on the rubble taken from O'Connell Street after the Easter Rising.
And now, here we were, minutes away from a rendition of God Save the Queen . Oh, passions were high alright. But only about the game.
Outside, the riot police, on standby, stood by. A few streets away, the pursed lip brigade of stubborn old men rehashed their desiccated rhetoric for the media. Then they lodged a protest letter with the GAA.
Back inside the stadium, back in step with time, the English sportsmen got a generous welcome. But when Brian O'Driscoll led out his Irish squad, the noise was deafening.
The players lined up to meet President Mary McAleese. It seemed like an age before she returned to her seat, heightening the sense of anticipation before the national anthems.
The teams waited. The crowd hushed. Finally, but not before she was grabbed and kissed twice by Bertie Ahern, the President sat down. The Garda Band and the Army Number One Band struck up. The English were in good voice. They made themselves heard.
At last, our turn. The Irish may need two anthems, but those who wear the green share a singular passion. Amhrán na bhFiann and Ireland's Call were belted out with such hair-raising intensity that men and women were crying as they sang. No dishonour in that. On the field, the players battled with their emotions too. Hooker Jerry Flannery, in floods. John Hayes, a scary looking prop forward with a shaven head and greased up cauliflower ears, blubbered.
How could England have touched these men, imbued with such an unshakeable sense of destiny on this historic day? They couldn't. In their play, O'Driscoll's men reflected the maturity, confidence, spirit and passion of the fans who cheered them. Marvellous. Ireland 43 - England 13. Cry God for Croker, Ireland and the oval ball!
© 2007 The Irish Times
From "The Irish Independent"
Hatred Kicked into touch
THEY played God Save The Queen at Croke Park yesterday. And the World did not stop turning.
More than 7,000 English fans sang their national anthem with gusto and pride.
And from 75,000 Irish supporters which included The President Mrs Mary McAleese and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, there was the respectful silence that we always knew there would be.
Not a single boo or cat call, not a single derisory whistle.
This was a great occasion and those bigots who tried to drive a political wedge between Irish and English rugby fans got the answer they deserved - complete and utter indifference.
The much-hyped protest outside Croke Park if it could be called such, was a damp squib attended by some 150 misguided souls
They included a hard core of Republican Sinn Fein and various hangers-on included a large number of teenagers.
They were outnumbered by print and broadcast media, stewards and gardai.
The only hint of dissonance at Croke Park came when Taoiseach Bertie Ahern kissed McAleese on the cheek in the preliminary moments before the playing of God Save The Queen. It was the moment as the crowd didn't know whether to cheer or jeer.
The English XV were greeted with a standing ovation from both sets of supporters as they ran onto the hallowed turf of Croke Park to the sound of Aaron Copeland's Fanfare for the Common man.
Mrs McAleese was greeted warmly by the players and some of the palpable tension of the pre-match nerves dissipated amid genuine smiles.
The 60-strong combined Army No 1 band and the Garda band provided a rousing rendition of both anthems starting with God Save the Queen. There was some tension as if 82,000 were praying that no-one would try to make a name for themselves with an unseemly outburst.
It didn't happen. The conclusion was greeted with strong applause.
Then of course our own anthem - never sung louder on even the most passionate of All-Ireland Sundays.
Ireland's Call lifted the roof and the hairs stood up on the back of the neck.
What happened next? Oh yes, there was a game of rugby.
The result was immaterial really.
This was a day when Ireland grew up.
All the talk of protest and old GAA greats handing back their medals faded into insignificance.
It was a moment to savour for those who have fought for reconciliation, another important milestone in the growth of a nation.
This was more than a rugby match between Ireland and England, it was a defiant symbol of a new maturity and a confident battle cry that we will no longer be prisoners of the past.
The eyes of the world were on Croke Park and the stadium was a sight to behold.
Dublin, 1916
More pictures here.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Outrage is purposeless if it is not a catalyst for real social change. Use your anger to change the world.
Category Archives: Spiritual Sunday
Spiritual Sunday: You can do this!
"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
Sometimes in life it feels like we are swimming against the current. At times it feels like the distance between where we are and where we want to be is enormous; however, with enough focus and dedication anything is possible.
I do a lot of yoga but I am not as physically fit as I would like to be. I can stretch but I can't do sit-ups. I can bend but I am not very good at bicep curls :frown:. I want to change that so I joined a boot camp with 3 friends last week to jump start my journey. Throughout the class I thought I struggled but I made it through. The next 3 days were the real struggle.
I woke up on Thursday/Friday/Saturday feeling like my body hated me I was absolutely stiff and sore from head to toe. I could barely walk and attempting to sit down was a silent agony. It made me question whether I wanted to continue the boot camp but I can't I'm not in this alone, God is my biggest cheerleader and together we can do this.


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|Nolan, Madeline, Gunner all ready and bundled up to go cut down the Christmas tree!
Last weekend on Saturday morning I drove up to Wausau to spend the weekend with my family! Shannon, Colleen, and I surprised Nolan and Maddie and took them to see Frozen. I had the absolute pleasure of sitting next to Shannon for the 85 minute film. Have you ever gone to a movie with Shannon? The first 30 seconds of the movie, she looks at me and says, "Okay, this is already too much singing." This was actually my second time seeing the movie, so I'm thinking, Oh, she is not going to like this.
Well, there was a moment in the movie that Shannon seemed to enjoy. A line in one of the songs, "what's a ballroom with no balls" sent her into a laughing fit. The only two people in the theater busting a gut: Shannon and Me! I'm pretty sure the people in front of us, behind us, and next to us were ready to kick us out.
What I LOVE about hanging out with the Mudler family is they always having something going on, but always make time for naps. And, boy did we nap yesterday! It was awesome. What makes napping even better is there are kids eager to snuggle. Nolan, Gunner, and I crashed in the spare bedroom on Saturday night and I woke up with Gunner's head pressed up against mine. Nolan had his arm underneath me and wrapped around my rib cage in an I'm-never-letting-Aunt-Kiki-go kind of grip. There really is no better way to wake up.
|Gunner having a hard time getting back up.


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People ask me all the time. How do you make money online. Do you go for Pay per Click type of things, or do you go for affiliate marketing. There is also the alternative of just blogging and putting some of that Google AdSense to get some money. There are many sources, but here's what I think is the best way to make money online.
List Building.
Yes, list building. You might not make the money immediately, and the process will be long and difficult, but you've gotta start somewhere. But once you got a list that is responsive setup (and relatively big in size), you're set for life. You will have that loyal following that likes what you do. That is interested in what you are doing, and will buy your stuff.
Unlike with search engine optimisation, this is sustainable. You ain't going to have a new update such as 'panda' or some other inane animal name coming in and severely affecting the number of searches coming into your website. I think its not worth it if you're going to waste so much time and money on optimisation when Google are so fickle. There isn't a point.
A list gets you places.
Think newsletter service. Provide people with something that people want to know about. I've always said that people always want more information – hence the boom in e-books, and such. People want to keep learning. Many niches, I'll just mention a few right here and I'll pen another article about top niches in 2013.
I think the top one of course is "how to make money online". After all, you are reading this article! I think the thing about that niche is that in essence it is teaching you how to copy their method – this being just to use that tagline of "how to make money online", and because you bought it, you know it works. Hence of course you're going to use their method.
Think your own product though. Its better to gain 100% revenue then just a cut for your hard work.
What I'm saying is that set up your list first. Then you can move on to bigger things.


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I'm literally a walking "no-boyfriend-since-birth" lady. Having a lover or being on a date is not my thing. Let me clear things out. I'm straight. Yup. A straight girl who's scared of relationships. I believe in love, though. I believe that true love exists. It warms my heart every time I see old couples walking hand in hand across the road and I shed tears of joy in weddings whenever I witness one. I guess I'm a crybaby because I cry over movies and TV series too. I cry whether it has a tragic or a happy ending. Sometimes, I find myself smiling; feeling the butterflies in my tummy whenever I think of a lovey-dovey book I just finished or remembered out of the blue. More often than not, I imagine myself in that situation and it makes me feel thrilled about my own love-hate story. It actually takes me several weeks to get over with such emotions.
I never resented the idea of love. To be honest, I'm in love with the idea of love and everything that goes with it. Love is what makes humanity humane. It causes people to do and want things. It pushes you to your limits and helps you discover things about yourself. It stops you from being and living normally. It's insane but that's what love is all about. Love is a series of highs and lows, of truths and lies, of tears and joys, of storms and rainbows, and of strengths and weaknesses. Love is a free fall to this sensational and phenomenal black hole and I think one needs all the guts and nerves to survive this black hole.
So here I am; the girl who never had the audacity to do the free fall. Am I lonely? No. Am I miserable? Not even close. Will I ever be ready to do the free fall? Definitely yes. For the time being, I will continue enjoying being free and independent.
Well, you should. I am the living proof of a happy independent woman.


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Frugal Remodeler Episode 4
In 1926, when our house was built, a typical home was divided up very formally - a separate parlor for gathering, a separate room for dining, and of course, a very separate kitchen for women to cook in. Now-a-days, family life is much different and many prefer a more open plan, frequently creating a "great room" that includes the kitchen, the dining area, and the living space. I see the good in it. Families enjoy just being by eachother even if they are doing different things. We like that, too.
In order to get that in our house, we needed to create one large room out of our very separate dining and living rooms. We knew that breaking down the wall between them would give our family a larger and more flexible space. So, my friend Tamara and I decided to just go ahead and tear the thing down. I'm tellin' ya, this was not just any wall. It was more like a a wall within a wall. So really, it was two walls and one very large set of pocket doors. Here's the wall is in all of its glory. (And, oh yeah, there some nasty old panelling, too.)
We started by removing the wood trim and baseboards. Then we hit the plaster, using hammers and crowbars to chip it away and gathering it in garbage cans. We wore masks and safety glasses for this - very important. Here's Tamara sportin' the wear.
The last step, breaking down the wall's structure was a real pain. Apparently, this thing was not going down without a fight. I still can't figure out how they built it because the inner wood sleeve for the pocket doors was nailed to the studs from the inside. They must have built each side separately and then titled them up into place... but who knows. Then, there was the matter of removing the pocket doors, presumably installed in 1926 using hardware I did not recognize or understand.
In general, the whole wall was over-kill. It was completely over-built and made for a much bigger pile of wood than I would have preferred. Luckily, Madison has a great recycling program so we were able to recycle most of our construction debris. I still have the pocket doors complete with mystery hardware - destined for reuse.
We started this whole process at 8:30am and finished at 8:30pm - 12 hours minus a quick lunch and dinner. The shower afterwards was the best part of the whole day, with eating the dinner my mother made for us a very close second. Thanks Mom!
Above are the results of our labor. It's not perfect yet - obviously. There's a scar on the ceiling and walls where the monster divider used to be. And... there's some exposed ductwork, but hey - nothin' a few studs and some drywall won't fix. Here's the preliminary plan that Jon and I come up with. It's gonna be a little while since there are some other projects to tackle first. But, when it's done, I promise to share.


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The Particulars: Romantic Suspense, Kensington Zebra, 1998, Out Of Print
The Blurb:
Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Uh, no. After picking up too many "sports romances" that spiked my blood pressure because the author didn't do her homework, I pretty much stay away from them now. Note to authors: girls like sports too. We're not going to overlook sloppy research just because you give us a Mr. Hunky McHunkikins. Well, at least I'm not. /end rant
Jessica Myers is a spirited freelance journalist who has just caught her biggest break: a feature story on the NFL expansion team, the Columbus Knights. She figures the perfect place to start is by hiding out in the team locker room--until she finds herself trapped inside a jammed locker and running out of air. Now, Jessica has no choice but to reveal her embarrassing predicament to the dazzling Knights' quarterback, Tyler James, who mistakes her for some whacked-out groupie.
Ty had enough on his mind worrying about taking the Knights to the playoffs. But then management orders him to pose as the headstrong reporter's lover so that his fellow players will open up to her during interviews. Ty is absolutely furious. Instead of chasing adoring cheerleaders, he's being sidelined by this nosy woman who had the audacity to trespass on sacred team ground and has a knack for putting her two cents in where it doesn't belong.
Now, in close quarters, the inescapable attraction between the feisty reporter and the ultimate player is too hot for either to ignore. And soon, the pair discovers they are in desperate danger of losing a game where no rules apply...the game of hearts.
Any Reviews?: Quite a few actually. The Romance Reader gave this one 3 Hearts (equivalent to a C Grade):
Impulsive is basically a very lighthearted romance-romance, and when it stays a lighthearted romance it works well. It's the addition of the grim subplot (with all the players dying) that seems very out of place. The villain is obvious and the suspense is not very suspenseful.All About Romance was a teeny bit kinder with a B- Grade:
The mystery subplot is a let down. Players begin to turn up dead, and as the bodies piled up, I began to lose it. The ending is way over the top even for me and I am more than willing than most to suspend disbelief. However, if you ignore the subplot and concentrate on the wonderful romantic comedy byplay between Ty and Jesse, you will have a good time with this book - even if you are not a football fan. If you are a football fan, well, so much the better.And RT gave this one 4 Stars:
Ms. Hart chooses to set her latest tale of romantic suspense in the high profile world of professional sports. Those looking for danger and passion spiced with humor will find she delivers.Anything Else?: The college football season kicked off this weekend, hence you all get a "football romance" for Random Romance Sunday. I also thought it would be a good idea to showcase a Catherine Hart book, on the off-chance that someone out there has news to share. She was extremely prolific back in the day, dropping off the radar in the late 1990s. But I'm not kidding folks, I still routinely see her books (especially her historicals) come through InterLibrary Loan here at work. So people are still reading her. Anyone know what her story is? Is she still with us? Retired? Still writing, but publishers ain't buying? Curious minds want to know.
And on a final note: Cherubs? Really, Kensington? Romantic suspense featuring a football playin' hunky hero gets us cherubs holding a trophy on the front cover? If a quarterback hero doesn't warrant a beefcake cover, I'm not sure what does!


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When I was a wee lad of four, my civil-engineering dad's work took us to live in Puerto Rico. By the time we left, at age six, I took with me my (now long gone) vintage GI Joe and a fluency in Puerto Rican street Spanish. I've come to realize that I also brought home a love of travel. The never-ending wonder of new places, new people, new customs, new foods, new vistas and climates gives me a rush to this very day.
And so it was on a recent wine tasting trip to Walla Walla, Washington, a region that has earned international viniculture renown.
One of the best parts of wine tasting trips is that it allows me to get the most out of my vacations. Away from the rigors and demands of work, I can freely pursue many of my passions unfettered. Things like tasting new dishes by creative chefs…
Wood-fired oven-roasted asparagus in olive-oil topped with a poached egg, salt and pepper.
…communing with nature on sea-side runs in the environs of Seattle…
…snapping artsy pictures…
…and, of course, woodworking.
Just when I think that there's absolutely nothing left in this universe for a woodworker to do with a retired wine barrel, they go and prove me wrong. Take this stool for example.
Just look at how the artisan wove the curved staves into the design. The gentle slopes add visual interest while providing the tensile strength to safely support a reveler. The seat is cool too, the product of edge-gluing five stave fragments. In so doing, it leverages the curvature of the staves to provide an ergonomic fit to the sitter's bottom.
I've always admired woodworkers that combine both form and function into their work. That's because function—the building of a solid object out of wood complete with tight-fitting joinery—requires a large measure of left-brain planning and execution. By contrast, the rendering of a pleasing form draws upon right-brain creativity and vision. When a craftsperson melds together both form and function they create a woodworking gestalt that is decidedly greater than the sum of its parts.
Another example of this concept is a hand-carved doorway at a business mogul's former estate-now-turned winery.
The detail work is splendid because the carved relief is about two inches deep. And that adds three-dimensional mass for the eye to weigh.
Note the intricacy of the horse's mane along with the muscular tone that brings to life the shape of the underlying sinews, muscles and tendons. The cottage relief brings to mind a ski lodge and I can all but smell the smoke drifting from the chimney.
One appointment-only tasting at Garrison Creek Cellars offered a breathtaking show of function-based woodwork. This picture from the Cellars' Website gives an expansive view.
The concrete floor is strewn with barrels aging vini-delicious elixir. From this base the ceiling rises about 60 feet to an arched apex. The Douglas-fir beams and slats are native to Washington State and had to be special ordered from a local miller.
To the right, you can see the curved ceiling support beams. These are laminations of multiple layers (10?!) of boards.
Surely, the laminated beams, along with their arched shape, provide significantly more strength and support than single beams at a parallel angle to the floor. Interestingly, the builders couldn't keep themselves from adding some creative design elements like the finials at the bottom of some vertical support beams.
The sheer mass and size of the room as well as the exposed roof beams inspire an architectural awe.
That's similar to emotional experiences I've had standing amidst European churches and cathedrals. For a moment, upon tasting the wine-maker's articulation of a Syrah, I was moved to fall to my knees in homage, eyes to the heavens and arms outstretched as a symbol of my gracious acceptance of such a gift. But the moment passed and I sipped the wine to mingle with a prosciutto-loaded cracker instead.
Back home, I get to enjoy still another one of my passions, writing about it all. Wine, women and woodworking. Such are the rewards of a travel-rich life.


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One thing I've always loved about hardcore is the on stage speeches inbetween songs. Improbable as it seems, hardcore kids do get educated at hardcore shows -- something that can be truly important when the person onstage has something positive and isnpirational to give. Perhaps that's also what the scene is lacking our days, people with something to say and the guts to actually say it. Therefore kids should pay attention when bands are speaking their hearts out because remember, hardcore is not just about the music and the moshing. It's so much more.
This song be 7 Generations is a good example of what I just talked about. Hardcore is a way to live, a way to learn, a way to change yourself and your surroudings!


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The Vinyl Record
You've probably been wondering when you will finally receive your vinyl record.
Current status: After resolving many issues, the test pressing will be here shortly, and then it can most likely go straight to pressing. That means it's only a few more weeks until you get your record. In the meantime, please make sure your shipping address is up to date! You can do so either through Kickstarter or by sending an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
So why did it take so long? In October, when the audiovisual album was released, I thought it would only be a matter of a weeks until the remixes are done and then the vinyl records could be pressed and shipped out before the end of the year. Well, it wasn't that simple.
I had underestimated how hard the material is to work with. Waveforms that are made in order to draw visuals on an oscilloscope come with all kinds of clicks, clipping, offsets, weird phasing and panning and generally stuff that music producers would avoid at all cost. In fact I was already in touch with the pressing plant last year, with the data almost ready to send. But on second thought it still seemed raw and unfinished, and would probably have been impossible to press on vinyl. I then did more of the remixes myself than I had previously planned and was also more involved with some of the collaborations. In the end, the remixes featuring Ivo Francx, Sophiaaaahjkl;8901, Re-lay, Jesus Raves and Opcion did turn out really awesome and I'm proud to present the remix album on Bandcamp:
Oscilloscope Music - Remixes (Bandcamp)
Needless to say that also for the mastering engineer, as well as the vinyl pressing plant, the material wasn't easy to work with, but they were very helpful and after some back and forth it all got sorted out.
Then it also took a bit to get the cover right: The whole artwork is in anaglyph 3D with up-dimensioned stills from the tracks and you'll get red/cyan glasses with your vinyl! Pretty neat, isn't it?


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Regular price
$ 2,500.00
Imagine you're driving down a back country road and you come to a fork. To the left, the asphalt and painted lines take you to your destination. To the right, dirt. Gravel. Bumps. Trees. Just enough of a surface to figure out whats "the road" and whats "the woods."
If you have the Flatout GR, you're going right.
*Camber plates standard on MacPhearson strut applications*HyperCo springs on 2.5" spring applications


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Hi there, been a while since I've posted a card, but here's one. I needed a birthday card for a male and this is what I came up with (with very limited supplies)!
I used SU's Natural white card stock which is nice because it already has a little texture to it. I think a "man-card" should be rather CAS, don't you?
I scored a couple of lines across the bottom to intersect with the adorable little focal frame. Since ribbon would be too frilly or girly I opted to use a twine double wrapped with a (make-believe knot) and a brad from my stash. Guess the photo doesn't show the score lines but they are there.
I know, I know too many shadows, but it's so sunny and bright I had to
take the picture in the shade.
Notice the cute little matching envelope too. I'd show you the inside of the card which is also decked out, but I forgot and already wrote inside. Take my word for it, it's cute.
SU Natural White and Espresso card stock and some unknown striped paper
Frame from PTI's Framed Out #3
Sentiment also from PTI's Think Big Fav # 12
Twine and brad unknown.
Would love to hear your comments on this card, so please leave me a line or two.
Thanks for lookin'
Thursday, April 26, 2012
4 comments:
- Diane - firstname.lastname@example.com said...
Nancy so happy to see your new post and I know you must be missing your "stash" but you did just fine. Great masculine card and I CAN see the score lines if I enlarge the photo. Very nice and I love your lined envelope..of course. I also 'know' the inside is a perfect match.
Now get yourself HOME! hugs.
- April 27, 2012 at 9:22 AM
- Ann Schach said...
Wow, Nancy! This is a fabulous masculine card! I love the twine and brad!
- April 29, 2012 at 6:21 PM
- Cath said...
Great card, Nancy! I'm so glad you linked your blog up to the Moxie Fab World Blogroll. It will be great to stop by and say "hello" from time to time!
- May 16, 2012 at 11:11 AM
- Patti said...
really like the simple design of this card and the use of score lines and twine...I'll be CASING this one for sure
patti moffett
- June 8, 2012 at 6:02 PM
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I c/o 212 stitches on dpn. I was going to make it so I could wrap it around my neck twice without unneccessary length to it. I just wanted a little 'somethin-somethin' for color on a cold day.
Once summer hit I set aside the project because I just couldn't fathom wrapping my neck while I was wearing tank tops & sundresses! Toward the end of summer soccer filled our weekends up and the time came for me to look for simple knitting projects. Easy, I have a basket full of unfinished projects. Better yet, I had 2-3 projects that didn't require a pattern (i.e no thinking involved).
When I finally bo - feeling quite grandiose for finally finishing a project - a cold front blew in. I grabbed the scarf, threw it around my neck, stood back to admire it in the mirror and that's when I saw it......a dropped stitch.
No matter how I wrapped it, the dropped stitch was front & center. Time was running out, I needed to pick up my girls from school - and I wanted to wear the scarf!
I rustled through my jewelry box trying to be the MacGyver my friend use to call me...
Voila! Problem solved. I was given this barrette for attending a jewelry party 4 years ago and hadn't used it once. It paid off for me to keep it all those years! It clipped on perfectly, holding the dropped stitch in place - and no matter how I wrapped it, there it was!
Again years ago (a reoccuring theme) I was given a pattern for a tank top that I was admiring at a local yarn store. From time to time I'll look over the pattern and consider starting it. I'd immediately get intimidated and pull out another project. This time I did it! I chose yarn from my slowly depleting basket and started...
I've jotted down a Christmas list so maybe this is for someone on that list...or not...you never know!
Some evenings I find myself in a midst of clutter but I'll chose this project instead. I'll plop my pattern down and kick a few piles under the table and knit away. Once I got to one of the straps I took the project to a soccer game and knit/purled away. I am determined to finish this project!
Maybe 2007 will be the year I finish projects - just maybe!


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5 Tips for a Good Night of Sleep Induced Naturally
There is no substitute for a good night of rest. Waking up feeling ready for your life will change it. Have you tried a few thing to get some more sleep? Did they work? If they did, please add to our list of tips for a good night's sleep. If they didn't, that is probably what lead you to this online article. We are going to go over 5 Tips For a Good Night Sleep – Induced Naturally.Read Full Post →


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If you are looking for something fun to make for your kids individual brownie filled with ice cream or fruits would be a great idea.
Each bowl measures 5.25″ diameter which is a perfect size for kids. You will absolutely love these Chicago Metallic Silicone Brownie Bowls.
These molds work fantastic, they are durable and very simple to use. Flexible construction makes it easy to remove baked goods. It's microwave and oven safe up to 500 degrees. I would highly recommend it. These Brownie Bowl Set in non-stick and dishwasher safe.


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Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter - Mannish Boy
Johnny Winters got Muddy Waters to go in the studio for the classic album "Hard Again." Waters absolutely tears through the Bo Diddley classic here. This is how the blues is suppose to sound. Messy, primal and raw.
Labels: johnny winter, muddy waters, music


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Danielle & Barry's Perfectly Pink Wedding at St Michael's Church & The Inn at Whitewell
Danielle and her many Bridesmaids were all getting ready at The Inn when Jason, Sophie & I arrived on Saturday morning, the big reveal was first on the agenda and then, the now famous FD bouquet holding lesson...
Danielle's wedding bouquet was a confection in pinks and ivories, I'd used fresh Peonies "Sarah Bernhardt", Roses "Faith", "Sweet Avalanche", "Avalanche" and David Austin's "Patience" & "Miranda" together with pale pink and ivory Sweet Peas.
The wedding bouquet was light and airey with a kind of "Powder Puff" vibe to it, I surrounded it with a gentle collar of fragrant Eucalyptus, just to keep some moisture in and to protect the delicate Sweet Peas.
Danielle's gorgeous Mum's handbag decorated with Faith Roses, Celosia, Pale Pink Hydrangeas, and Pearly Astrantia.
Then we nipped next door to St Michael's to arrange the flowers in there, some of the windowsills had tiny posies of Roses, Orchids, Hydrangeas and Thistles along with a few tea light votives
A couple of lovely luscious Pedestal designs in stone urns on either side of the ceremony space, I included Delphinium Elatum, Molucella, Peonies, Hydrangeas, Astrantia, Dahlias and Passion Flower and Sprengerii trails
I adore Astrantia the variety here is "Million Stars"
The Faith Boutonnieres were all ready for the Groom and his Groom's Men
Elsie was all prepared with the marriage certificatePassion Flower
Lanterns in the Church Porch
Pinning Barry's Boutonniere on
Barry's very special Groom's Boutonniere of a Faith Rose, Astrantia, Hydrangea floret and fresh LavenderDanielle's uber handsome Groom Barry
The Lytch Gate at St Michael's was decorated with hand tied swags on either side of the gate and a series of our ivory filigree lanterns across the top
Barry's lovely Mum with her Handbag Corsage
The Handbag corsage in deep blue & lime green looked great, we included Brodea, Blue Delphinium Elatum heads, lime green bupleurum and Akito RosesThe Groom's Men all were wearing simple elegant Faith Rose Boutonnieres
The very lovely and gentlemanly Peter Anslow from Colne
From the youngest to the eldest everyone of the special guests were wearing Roses
Danielle looked completely gorgeous
The Bridesmaids all were wearing Patience Roses in their hair and carrying smaller versions of Danielle's wedding bouquet
OK so this is a little test of your observational skills, perfectly positioned behind my pedestal design is one of the most discrete wedding videographers, the company is called Cedar Wedding Videography and I hardly saw them all day, Perfect!
The ceremony was absolutely lovely
Huge and ginormous congratulations to Danielle & Barry
Danielle's very proud parents
The Patience Rose is perfect for Bridesmaids and Brides to wear in their hair, it's a light fragrant Rose that opens into a lovely rosette
Sophie & I decorated the cake with some fresh flowers
The Marquee at The Inn at Whitewell is superb with amazing views down the river The tables were dressed with a selection of different designs to add texture and interest, the tables down the centre of the marquee had the tall glass column designs with spheres of abundant fresh fragrant pink blooms.
Bird Cage lanterns surrounded by Peonies, roses and Blackberries and Hand Tied posies tied with Polka Dot Ribbon and dripping in pearlsThe Top Table was dressed with a swag of fresh Passion Flower and strings of Pearls festooned along the front of the table.
Elegant crystal cake stands with vintage liquor glasses filled with delicate posies of fragrant Sweet Peas, Lissianthus and Roses looked perfect on the tables with the Cup Cake Favours
Elegant crystal cake stands with vintage liquor glasses filled with delicate posies of fragrant Sweet Peas, Lissianthus and Roses looked perfect on the tables with the Cup Cake Favours
The table design itself was a Flower Design "Reflections" creation of small vases of posies interesting flowers, each with a different texture and completed with a band of "Summer Fete" ribbons fixed with a tiny seed pearl.
I'd chosen Sweet Avalanche Roses, Celosia, Astilbe, Blackberries, Peppermint, Peonies, Phlox and fresh Lavender and Dill
These are a dynamic duo, the fabulous Sharon who is in charge of all things wedding at The Inn at Whitewell and is always there in attendance and organising everything on the day and her fabulous colleague the lovely Jackie, together they always deliver the perfect wedding day!
I love these tall spherical designs they look almost good enough to eat
Our Vicki used all sorts of spherical blooms to create the look including Roses, peonies, Dahlias, Poppy Seed Heads, Dille, Green Tree Dianthus, Astrantia, Setaria and so much moreThe marquee looked quite splendid


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Filed under: Milwaukee area | Tags: 11, 75, anti-austerity, austerity, class struggle, democratic party, general strike, madison, new york, south central labor federation, wisconsin, working class
Written by some friends offering suggestions learned from a similar anti-austerity struggle in New York in 1975.
All across the country, eyes have been set upon the struggles of Wisconsin's public workers against the imposition of austerity and the abrogation of collective bargaining rights. The solidarity shown by broad segments of Wisconsin's working class—from teachers to firefighters, from steelworkers to clerical workers—has been an inspiration. As of this writing, workers in Ohio have begun to mobilize against similar proposals by the Governor of their state. It is clear that the militant actions of Wisconsin workers are having, and will have, a resounding effect upon how others across the country react to savage attacks on public sector employees.
The situation in Wisconsin has reached an impasse. The most militant force in these protests, the massive wildcat sick-outs by rank-and-file teachers, has been reigned in by union officials. It is unclear if the momentum of the protests in Madison can be sustained as Democratic Party representatives essentially filibuster the 'budget repair bill' by refusing to attend the legislature. There are conflicting tendencies within the labor union leadership: on the one hand, officials have already consented to sweeping concessions on pay and benefits; on the other hand, the South Central Labor Federation has endorsed a call for a general strike in the near future.
The lives of tens of thousands of Wisconsin workers are in the balance. But it is not merely these workers and their families who will feel the consequences of this brutal offensive by politicians in the service of capital. The workers of Wisconsin are on the front lines of an assault that affects us all. Indeed, history has shown that attacks on public unions are an attack on the entirety of the working class.
After all, union participation in the private sector continues to decline, while concessions by labor leaders and service cutbacks are commonplace across the country. States like New York, New Jersey and California face even bigger budget deficits than Wisconsin. For this reason, the developments in Madison are a test case for what will happen across the country.
Fortunately, history provides important lessons on how to fight back against austerity. In New York City, in the mid-1970s, municipal workers faced a similar assault and, despite the heroic response of the rank-and-file, they failed to stem the tide.
What can we learn from their struggle?
And how can we use that knowledge to arm ourselves against this current onslaught in Wisconsin and beyond?
The Contours of Austerity: 1975 and 2011
The parallels between the New York City fiscal crisis and the events in Wisconsin are many.
Like Wisconsin today, the New York City fiscal crisis of 1975 was the result of a conscious decision on the part of capitalists to radically restructure the state in service of their interests. We have already learned of the influence of the Koch Brothers, and their lobbying group Americans for Prosperity, on Governor Walker's program. In New York City, it was the Financial Community Advisory Group, a coalition of local commercial and investment bankers, that led the drive for austerity.
The proximate causes of the crises were similar as well. In Wisconsin, it was a huge tax break to businesses and the rich that precipitated the current crisis. In New York City, it was years of tax breaks for developers and tax abatements on municipal bonds that broke the city's budget. In both cases, the 'solution' to the crisis—beating up on workers and their families—was declared to be self-evident by the politicians and the media.
The ultimate causes of the crises were similar as well. By the 1970s, New York City had seen a massive flight of industrial capital from its borders, due to technological change and as a reaction to the organized power of the working class to set pay and work rules. Similarly, the industrial backbone of Wisconsin has been broken over the last forty years by a bosses' offensive and the movement of capital out of the state (and in some cases, the country), tracking a national decline in conditions for the whole of the working class.
What we saw in New York City is now playing out similarly in Wisconsin. The consequences of a severe economic crisis are being foisted upon public workers. The vitriol and condemnation for the plight of state financing, in the face of a devastating recession, is being placed upon the working class. This, despite the fact that capitalism is inherently crisis-prone and the true blame lies with an irrational social system that produces so much abundance while so many can barely eek out a decent living.
While the situation in Wisconsin is still in flux, there are many lessons we can take from how New York City workers reacted to a similar assault.
The Latent Power of the Rank-and-File
If history is any indication, a defeat by the workers and their allies in Wisconsin will result in decades of impoverishment and an unprecedented decline in working class power. Indeed, the results of the austerity regime in New York City were exemplary of this brutality.
Starting in 1975, over a period of eighteen months, the city's workforce was slashed by 47,412—a decrease of 15 percent. Budgets for the police, sanitation, parks and playgrounds, senior centers, summer jobs programs, hospitals and the City University were axed. Because of the seniority system in the municipal sector, the layoffs primarily fell upon women, blacks and latinos, who had just recently broken the barrier to employment. This is illustrated in the decrease of their percentage of city teachers from 11 percent to 3 percent. In all, minorities constituted 31 percent of the city payroll but suffered 44 percent of the cuts. A city with a traditionally strong working class movement was eviscerated and the social effects can still be seen decades later.
In Wisconsin, the various trade unions are organized under the South Central Labor Federation. Similarly, the prime representative of the working class in New York City during the fiscal crisis was the Municipal Labor Council. The MLC was the umbrella bargaining unit for the majority of the city's unions, representing some 200,000 workers. Through the course of the crisis, the leadership served as a convivial junior partner to the business community and city officials. Indeed, it is telling that the two unions that reacted most militantly to the crisis—the United Federation of Teachers and the Transport Workers Union—were not part of the council at all.
The MLC acted in a defensive fashion from the beginning, seeking only to avert layoffs of its permanent workers—at the expense of temporary ones—while focusing on retaining its collective bargaining rights. To add to its impotence, the individual unions within the MLC were severely divided and could offer no collective solution to the crisis. During the crisis period, each union competed with others for the remaining portions of the city's revenue. Some appeared to have actually welcomed layoffs as a bargaining chip for expanding benefits like health care. The MLC decided from the beginning that sacrifices were necessary and they sacrificed their rank-and-file and, by conceding to a decrease in hard-fought social provisions, the working classes in general.
But the concessions imposed on New York City's working class in 1975 and 1976 were by no means unavoidable. In NYC, as in Wisconsin, New Jersey, California, Ohio and Indiana today, rank-and-file workers held a latent power to stop austerity in its tracks. This was made clear early in the crisis on June 30, 1975, when the sudden firing of 19,000 city workers unleashed a wave of militant self-activity across New York City. This included a police protest that shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, mass sick-outs by firemen, and wildcat strikes by sanitation and highway workers.
These actions were an obvious success, as the city rescinded the layoffs the following day. Clearly, much of the rank-and-file had not acquiesced to austerity and sustained militant activity could have changed the tide. Fatefully though, the union leadership assiduously reigned in the workers. Thereafter, union leaders directly collaborated with the politicians in the imposition of austerity, including the reduction of their own unionized workforce. They even offered their workers' union pensions as collateral in city bond auctions.
The general strike is one of the most powerful weapons the working class holds. Talks of a general strike—a potentially potent weapon against the attack on the working class—were in the air in 1975, but the union leaderships were too fractured and timid to pursue it with any seriousness. The union bureaucrats lacked the militancy and vision that the rank-and-file retained.
The events of June 30th, 1975 were a decisive moment in the fiscal crisis. Had the rank-and-file continued with their militant actions in the subsequent months, austerity could have been stopped in its tracks.
A couple years later, the world watched as the Bronx was burning. As we all know, New York City saw a marked decline in the decades after the fiscal crisis. And things could have been very different had the workers stopped the offensive in its tracks.
This is the lesson of 1975.
New York to Wisconsin and Beyond
If Wisconsin's public workers are to make a real stand against these cuts it will be through the self-organization and militancy of the rank-and-file and not through the union leadership or the Democratic Party. The International Workers of the World and other militant groups recognized this early on in their call for a statewide shutdown. Finally, the South Central Labor Federation has endorsed a general strike in the face of Governor Walker's austerity program. In this sense, they have gone farther than the Municipal Labor Council of New York City ever went in the 1970s.
Since the SCLF does not have the authority to actually call and organize a general strike, it is up to members of the individual unions—and indeed workers outside the unions, workers across all sectors and their student allies—to make this a reality.
The motion passed by the SCLF mentions the tentative date for a general strike to be the day that the bill is signed into law. As we all know, by that time it will be too late. If a general strike is a one-day protest strike then chances are it will remain merely symbolic of the latent power of the working class. If austerity is to be averted, Wisconsin workers need more than mere symbolism or representation by union leaders or politicians.
Make no mistake, the workers of Wisconsin are facing a stark choice, the ramifications of which go beyond even their own vitally important struggle: either stand and fight against these particular cuts as a bulwark against the larger assault on the working class, or see all that we and our predecessors fought for go up in smoke. The 1970s—including the events in New York City—opened up an epochal assault on private and public sector unions that has crippled our ability to fight back against assaults by capital and the state. If there is any hope in turning back this offensive, that hope lies in places like Madison, Trenton, Gary and Columbus, and in the self-organization of workers across the country.
The schoolteachers and students have already shown that direct action remains the most powerful strategy. The truckers, electrical workers, firemen and steelworkers have already shown that solidarity across the working class is possible and necessary. The occupations, mass actions and myriad forms of struggle already taking place on the ground are a reminder that, in a world where inequality and exploitation are the norm, it is we who hold the true power.
And if ever there was a time to exercise our latent power, that time is now.
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Posing for a series of sultry photos for the new FHM magazine, the French actress looked the epitome of a Bond girl as she slipped into some lacy underwear.
She might be one of the most beautiful women on the planet, but Bérénice told the magazine that her ideal man didn't have to be handsome to catch her eye:
Smouldering: Bérénice Marlohe strips down for a racy photoshoot int his month's FHM
She might be remaining tight-lipped about her personal life but it seems as if you don't have to be drop dead gorgeous to be in with a chance.
The 33-year-old actress has started to turn heads since she hit the big screen in the latest Bond film, which opened in the UK last week, and is on the look out for some juicy roles.
The star was at the German premiere last night and has wowed on red carpets all over Europe since the world premiere in London last week.
Bond girl: The French actress has turned heads as Skyfall hit the big screen last week
The full interview with Bérénice is in this month's FHM magazine which is out on Thursday
'I have always dreamed of being the bad guys in the movie. You know, the mafia chief. That would be my dream.'
The actress admitted that playing Séverine in Skyfall was a dream role for her as she got to mix sexy femininity with a dark character.
'She is mysterious: good, evil, adventurous. I had to give her a lot of substance and charisma, and the sexiness came from that,' she said.
Red carpet ready: The Bond girl joined Daniel Craig at the German Skyfall premiere on Tuesday


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Aparna Malikar-Life, before and after KBC
NAGPUR: Aparna Malikar was living a miserable life after her husband Sanjay committed suicide in 2008. She was suddenly responsible for paying a farm loan she never knew her husband had taken. Her in-laws disowned her, did not allow her to take part in the funeral, and refused to feed her or the two children. Above all, the farm cultivated by the family was embroiled in a legal dispute over ownership and the other party was close to winning the case.
Then, luck smiled on her and Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) happened. Aparna received a call from Swapna Nayar, who had been given Aparna's name by farm activist Kishore Tiwari, who heads the Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti. Today, life is on a completely different trajectory now that she has won Rs 6.5 lakh on the game show.
However, it was not all that easy for Aparna. KBC personnel first interviewed her at length. Then, Nayar came down to meet her, see her surroundings and watch her working on the farm.
"I had hardly gone out of the house for some five years after my marriage in 2005. Let alone visiting other cities, the most I travelled was to Pandharkawda. I used to restrict myself to the home and take care of my kids," Aparna says.
Like most women in rural areas, at 25, Aparna was contented with her family of husband and two little daughters - Rohini (7) and Samruddhi (3). However, the world came crashing down when her husband, a cotton farmer, committed suicide in 2008 due to mounting debt.
Aparna was also left facing a family disputes, where she accused her brother-in-law and former deputy mayor Raghunath Malikar of not paying any attention to her family. "After my hubby's death, I was forced out during the last rites and never allowed to speak to the police. In fact, false charges were levelled against my father and brother, and they spent 10 days in jail."
She says that even though she was in a state of shock her in-laws, including Raghunath, never came to her help. She was left alone to fend for herself and her kids. "Me and the kids remained hungry for about three days, with only the villagers helping us," she says.
However, she fought against all odds and took up farming on their six acre plot of land. She started tilling the land to pay off the farm loan that her husband had taken without telling her. Slowly, she not only became adept at farming, but also learnt many intricacies of the profession. "I now use only organic manure made at home using human and animal waste. I want thousands widows like me to live a dignified life," she says.
Aparna also took up the challenge of saving other women facing similar tragedies. She and other women in her Self Help Group (SHG) fought hard to close down a liquor shop in their village. "Our village was in the grip of liquor. First we approached the police, but when they failed to take action we barged into the shop, damaged their stock and forced it to close down," she says.
Then came the invite from KBC and her meeting with Amitabh Bachchan, which left the superstar dazzled and impressed. Aparna, however, was not dazzled by the glitzy world she saw outside her village.
After the KBC win that gave her the license to dream, she has made the education of her children the immediate priority. "I don't mind joining politics, but I am concerned about the education of my daughters. I want them to take up careers like engineering and medical. I never wish them to take up farming, which I this is the worst profession in India."
Despite the huge change of luck, life will still not be easy for Aparna. She is all set to lose her six-acre farm, which she cultivated herself after her hubby's death. "The farm was disputed property, and the opposite party has won the legal battle. But I've some land in my husband's name, and I also plan to open a beauty salon, since I've completed a diploma in beauty parlour. I would have thought of opening another, bigger business, if I had answered the Rs 12 lakh question correctly."


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As a small business owner we're constantly told that we can look at the stats for pretty much everything we do and how insightful and useful they will be to us. Well, possibly controversially, I have to tell you it's not true!
There is a fantastic amount of data out there readily available to us. The insights provided on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pintrest, not forgetting of course Google Analytics, is mind blowing, seriously, even if you've ever looked at the information available I would bet that you've not experienced the full plethora of data and have only really scratched the surface.
We're constantly told by all the social media gurus and the marketing experts (whose adverts conveniently pop upon Facebook when we have just looked at our stats) that we should, no we must use all the analytics and insights available to us in order to have a successful business and to drive our market influence to a point where people come to us. We are coerced into looking at graphs, economic, social, geographical, heck even psycho-graphic demographics, and are made to feel slightly inferior if we haven't analysed our analysis to a point of exhaustion. If you don't know the exact time of day that your best customers (and you know who they are through extensive analysis of your customer base) are on your pages and website you're domed to fail. You're expected to know which channel they prefer to buy your services from, what other business they like to interact with, what they had for breakfast, what newspaper they read and that their dog is called Fred. And that's the problem.
There is so much information out there that it's easy to get bogged down in the numbers, the graphs, the analytics, the collection and presentation of the information. Don't get me wrong, I love these sorts of numbers, the power they have to help consumers find the exact right product, at the right price, in the right place at the right time for them is incredible. The ability for businesses to be able to use information to target their products and the marketing of them to an audience who not only wants them but has a need for them is overwhelmingly exciting for me. The power of data is phenomenal and with my history as a database marketer it's no surprise that I love this sort of information but it used to be my full time job to collect, analyse and present and make decisions on this sort of data, now it's a small part of all the other jobs I have to do in order to run my own small business.
I've done it myself, I've thought I'll have a look at my Google Analytics, see where my website traffic is coming from and who they are. Or maybe even looked at my Facebook page analysis to verify who interacts with Lubylu on there. Whilst it's important to keep a check on the high level information, I've been known to think I'll just create a spreadsheet for the data so I can analyse the trends going forward. I'll just colour code those columns and cells in the spreadsheet and then maybe even add a conditional format and throw in a pivot table to aid with my analysis later on. The problem is at this point I've probably wasted half a day, time I should have been either making candles, ordering new supplies or actually contacting customers and maybe even trying to actually grow my customer base. Analytics can be used as distraction technique, one which you can pretend to yourself isn't actually a waste of time and in fact it's something you practically have to do in order to survive the bear pit of a market place out there. I call this 'Procrastination Analysis'!
It reminds me of when I was studying for my 'A' levels and the lengths I would go to to create the most beautiful revision timetable. This was in the days before computers took over everything graphic so it was all hand done, multi-coloured pens were used to co-ordinate topics and subjects, stickers, drawings, plans were made, themes were introduced and be called revision. It wasn't of course, it was a delaying tactic to try and put off the studying of the Tudors and the Stewarts and the European Wars of Religion and other such subjects that were never going to be as interesting as who was doing what with whom in the 6th form common room!
As small business owners we have a finite amount of time to get everything done. The team running the business is often very limited and the number of tasks that need to be done very large. Whilst data is your friend and it is necessary that you have an understanding of what is available to you, how to use it and a high level knowledge of some of the key insights, it's not necessary for small business owners to spend their very valuable time and effort trying to get to grips with data that wont help them make their day to day decisions.
The key element for me is to ask 'What decision will I make from this information?' If the data available to you is really just of interest and it's not going to impact how you market your product, the strategy of your business or even your product design going forward then I would suggest that spending time on them is ruining your business.
Lucy Pimblott,
Owner of Lubylu Ltd ethical home fragrance products and previously a data geek!


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It has been about a million years since I have taken my handy dandy blog out for a spin…but here I am…I don't know if this is a one time only thing or if I'll be writing more often…I haven't really decided yet…but I just have some things I feel like I need to talk about right now so I'm gonna!!
And with this new entry, it's time to play a riveting game of omg Ashley has a new crush!!!...eeeeee…it's been a while…probably since I last wrote about a crush on here…haha…am I too old to have a crush?!…I don't know...probably…but oh well cause it's happening…
It was one of those things where I was like oh, that guy is cute…the more I saw him around, I noticed that he's very smiley…and that made him even more attractive to me…then he cut his hair and I was like oh whoa, this guy's is really cute!!...but I didn't think too much of it because I knew he was on the young side…as time went on I was like yeah, I could totally see myself with this guy mayyyybeee he's older than I think…when his birthday came rolling around I found out he is in fact younger than I thought…in fact just over 8 years younger than me…that was kinda a bummer!!...so I immediately pumped the breaks on the crush I felt like I was forming on him…I kept telling myself no!
Then about a month later I had plans to go to a baseball game…that day there was an email chain going around with what people were bringing and stuff and I noticed his name was on it…I panicked!!...haha!...I was like omg!! I didn't know he was going, what am I gonna do, I didn't bring anything cute enough to wear…like serious freak out mode guys!!...it was that moment that I realized that there was no more denying it, I have a crush on him…a stupid school girl crush!!...ughhh…how could I let this happen?!?! Haha!!!
So I went to the game…of course in true Ashley fashion I was extremely awkward!!...I ended up sitting next to him…and I felt like chandler when he was stuck in the atm vestibule with jill goodacre…in my head I was like stop being awk! You can do this…just say something, anything!!!!...there were no words coming out of my mouth...seriously what is wrong with me…eventually other people were talking so I was able to jump into the conversation…and it turned out to not be so bad…I was proud of myself for holding a conversation just me and him…I was like yesss you're doing it!!!...like I even looked at him in the eyes when I was talking to him…(side note: dude has really nice eyes!)…I was kinda proud of myself!!...haha!
After the game I was like yep, I'm in trouble!!...I am totally in full on crush mode now…like heart eyes emoji all over the place!!...ugh!...haha!!!
So now here is where all of my crazy thoughts come in…haha!!...I've decided that I'm totally crushing on him, but would he ever consider me like that, he barely knows me…and I've come to terms in my mind with this ridiculous age gap but would he be okay dating a girl that much older than he is?!...and then of course there's all my other insecurities that tell me no guy no matter the age would ever want to date me so it doesn't matter…it's just so hard…and I kinda feel stupid about it!...haha!...I usually go back and forth between "I don't know why I'm wasting my time, it's never gonna work out anyway" and "well, it's not gonna work out anyway so I might as well have fun thinking about it"…and then on the very rare occasion I think "maybe I have a teeny tiny sliver of a change"…so I'm not really giving myself a shot at all…haha...mostly because I don't want to get my hopes up and then shattered just like they have been so many times in the past…so it's hard…
This time though I feel like I'm ready…this is what I want…I've always wanted it…but I don't know…just based on what I know about this guy I feel like he's a good match for me…maybe I'm completely wrong…but this time just feels different than all the other times…I can't quite put my finger on why it feels different, it just does…I've asked some friends for some help and they are willing to do what they can…and that really means a lot to me!!...I am willing to try hard and give this everything I've got…even if it's going outside of my comfort zone…like I said I don't want to get my hopes too high because I'm afraid but at the same time I am hopeful and really excited for the possibility…so we shall see what happens!!...
I will try to keep you posted on any progress…Like today for instance, he passed me as he was leaving and I was on my afternoon stroll, he said have a good weekend and I barely mustered a hi…so things aren't going so great…haha!...but I will get there…let's do this guys!!...I can do this!!...haha!!...but yeah, I'll try to keep you posted but I make no promises on that…haha!
Now on to what you guys really wanna know…what is his cool blog name gonna be?!?!...im sure the suspense has been killing you!!...haha!...drum roll please….ba da da da da da da…SINK MAN…haha!...I know it sounds ridic…but let me explain…before the baseball game…im not talking about right before I'm talking weeks before…I had some people over my house and one of the girls noticed that I had 2 sinks in my bathroom…then randomly she said to me "you need a boyfriend so you have someone to use your second sink"…we all thought it was hysterical…so the second sink became a thing…fast forward back to the baseball game when I realized I was indeed crushing I said to myself "this guy has some serious second sink potential"…haha!!...so I could have went with second sink as his cool blog name…but sink man is just cleaner and easier to say…don't you think?!
Alright…so I guess that's it for now…im just feeling all kinds of emotions right now…I have no idea how this is gonna play out…all I know for certain is any time I see sink man walking around I always end up with a smile on my face…haha!
If anyone has any advice for me, it is welcome…like more than welcome…this is me telling you I need advice…haha!!...you can comment below or reach out to me on whatever platform you normally talk to me on…whatsapp, twitter, text, whatever…I need your help!! Is this a good idea? Bad idea? Am I completely ridiculous? I don't know!! Help!!
Thanks in advance!!! Love you guys!!!


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Military Recruiting Lead: Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Attention Military Recruiters:
It's really great that the College Republicans (CRs) at Marquette University recognize "the need to honor the 'commitments' the United States has made to other nations, such as its involvement in fashioning a democratic Iraq." Money quote:
"It's been absolutely consistent this whole time. [President Bush has] been consistent in stazing the course. Time shouldn't be the measure by which you gauge success. The end result should be," Marquette CRs secretary Robert Fafinski said. "Bush sees us [who, exactly?] as a beacon of hope in the world, spreading democracy. If we stay to ourselves and hoard the things we have, that's selfish."
Well, Mr. Fafinski, the article doesn't mention that you're a veteran, and if you were, it would have. What plans, if any, do you have to "spread democracy" and not to be selfish. Are you planning to enlist? Motivated, healthy heterosexuals under 40 such as yourself are clearly needed.
Or is President Bush's State of the Union Address just a lot of hot air?
UPDATE: Please read the first comment for Mr. Fafinski's response with his plans for military service. Assuming its accuracy, we commend his desire to serve our country. How about the rest of the Marquette CRs?


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Here's my review of the 1994 Italian cult classic, Cemetery Man.
Oh, and in case you've been watching these reviews since the beginning, yes... I've had a cold for the past few days. That's why I sound even more nasally than I do already.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Zombiethon Day 18: Cemetery Man
3 comments:
- Justin Garrett Blum said...
Looks terrible. Or even terribad.
- October 18, 2011 at 11:18 PM
- Mugato said...
I actually think it looks good.
- October 19, 2011 at 7:55 AM
- Donald said...
I think you're both right.
It's the kind of movie that I can guarantee won't bore you, but I can't promise it will entertain you. I liked it, I just didn't love it, but a lot of people did.
- October 19, 2011 at 9:28 AM
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Will "Call of Duty: Black Ops" be a success or a failure? Recent videos on youtube have been showing the gameplay of the upcoming CoD game. Especially with new types of mulitplayer modes that can be played. They have to make CoD: Black Ops into an amazing game with the failure of "Modern Warfare 2", which in my opinion was fun at first, but then it started to get stupid. Lets see how Black Ops will turn out with its release on Nov. 9th, 2010.
Here is a Mulitplayer Gameplay video of Call of Duty: Black Ops.


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Every day, google sends me an email alert with a list of news stories that include the word midget. Most of the results are news stories about football or hockey teams that are a part of leagues that still use the word midget to identify a specific age group. It may take a while, but most of these leagues will probably follow the lead of USA Hockey.
At least once every several weeks, the google report pulls up stories about "Midget Wrestling." There are three or four groups of entertainers that consist of little people wrestlers and that market themselves are "Midget Wrestling." The groups travel around the country, performing at bars and festivals.
It's a challenge to build a case against the word midget when there are scores of little people wrestlers who embrace the word and for whom the word is connected to their livelihood and identity. What business does an outsider have interfering with an individual who made the personal choice to be a midget wrestler? Yet, Midget Wrestling is not defined by wrestlers who happen to be little people. Midget Wrestling is defined by marketing little people as an entertainment spectacle, just as little people were put on display based upon their physical differences during the days of the traditional sideshow and Freak Show. The entertainment is driven by traditional stereotypes of an entire community. When a little person decides to join a Midget Wrestling Group, they are impacting how the audience perceives the wrestlers, and they are impacting how the audience perceives the entire community of little people.
In early 2016, Champs Sports Grill in State College, Pennsylvania hosted a Midget Wrestling Event. Soon after the event, a website called "Onward State," a student run Penn State blog, published a post called, "Overheard at Ultimate Midget Wrestling." With quotes such as "Oh My God! I WANT ONE SO BAD!," "My Snapchat story is fucking lit with midgets," and "WE WANT MIDGETS!" the post makes the case that the entertainment at Champs Sports Grill wasn't wrestling. The entertainment was little people.
Though I believed the post from "Onward State," without intending to do so, made the case for what is wrong with midget wrestling and why it harms the dwarfism community, the Happy Valley Community didn't buy it. Not only did the wrestling group return to Champs Sports Grill late in January of 2017, in a promo published on January 30, "Onward State" referenced the "Overheard . . ." post, implying the content of the 2016 blog makes the case for why a Penn State student should attend the event. The Daily Collegian, a site produced by Penn State Students, also promoted the event.
Most of the dwarfism community is against what we refer to as the "mword," but I understand that it will take time to eliminate the word completely, especially when the word appears to be used in a benign way, as the case may be with football leagues and food products. Similarly, it will take time to eliminate midget wrestling. Nevertheless, it's disappointing that the Penn State campus has, according to Onward State, hosted midget wrestling three times. The disappointment is compounded by the "Overheard" post, which makes it clear that the entertainment is based not on wrestling, but on the physical differences between typical statured people, and people of short stature. A year after the post was published, Penn State embraced the event again.
My hope is that Midget Wrestling has come to Champs Sport Grill for the last time. Because just as midget wrestling affects all little people, not just the little people who choose to participate, when institutions at Penn State celebrate the objectification of people based on their physical difference, it's going to affect the entire Penn State community. If wrestling were to come back to Penn State, and if I were a prospective student, faculty, or employee, I'd want nothing to do with the school.


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I have been thinking for quite some time now that I would like to learn a little Spanish. There are a number of Spanish-speaking immigrants in our community now, and an Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist congregation even meets in our sanctuary on Saturday morning. Some of the congregation members are pretty fluent in English, but not all of them. It has piqued my language-learning curiosity.
When I first started thinking about learning Spanish, of course I went out and bought the prettiest, flashiest set of Spanish flash cards I could find. They are quite attractive, if I must say so myself. They haven't helped me learn any Spanish, but they are sitting right there in my office.
I have asked other people how to go about beginning to learn Spanish. I have gotten a variety of advice, starting from self-directed courses with tapes and CDs, to on line resources and even apps for my iPhone! I even downloaded a free app. Free is free, after all. With the apps, you can make language learning into a sort of game.
Here's my confession, though: even though I am an introvert, I can't imagine myself learning a language from a book and a set of tapes, or even a web site. I can't imagine myself learning a language by myself.
Part of it is accountability. I can't imagine myself sitting down at the same time every day, or a different time every day, and remembering to take the books or the tapes out, or get on the web site and do the lessons. I am sadly afraid (and this is a character flaw) that my language learning self-discipline would last all of two days.
But mostly I can't imagine learning a language by myself. I can't imagine trying to learn a language without the motivation of actually speaking it to someone else, even if the words are as simple as "Buenos Dias."
When I lived in Japan, my best language teacher was the wife of one of the local pastors. I went to visit her every week, and we sat down and had a conversation. I don't remember any more whether we had a textbook or not. But the main thing was, she didn't know any English. If I wanted to communicate, if I was curious about a Japanese custom or a food or anything else, I had to throw caution to the wind and just ask her, with whatever language tools I had. If she had questions for me, I had to try to answer, and keep trying until she figured out what I was trying to say.
Now that I think about it, she wasn't my only language teacher. I had many others, all of them good, in their own way: the four year olds at the pre-school, the children in my church's Sunday school, the history teacher whose desk was next to mine in the Japanese high school where I worked. The parents of some of my students, clerks in department stores, people I sat next to on the train: they were all my teachers. Because I wanted to know them, to learn about their lives, I wanted to learn more.
Of course, language is a multifaceted thing. It is not just speaking, but listening; not just listening but understanding; not just understanding but wanting to understand. It is not just words on a page, but words in the air, between people. It is not just denotation, but connotation. A language suggests a world, and opens the door to that world, if only a crack, at first.
It occurs to me that faith is a language too, even a strange one, from a strange land which sometimes feels far away. But does anyone really want to know the language of faith any more, to open the door, just a crack, and to see what the people know who live there? Does anyone want to sit down across the table from them, and and listen, and try to understand, and find out what it's like to walk on water, or to find your five small loaves of bread suddenly multiplied?
Faith is a language.
I can't learn it by myself.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Language Learning, Incarnate
1 comment:
- Linda McMillan said...
You learn a second language in much the same way you learned your first one... Only a little different. For the second language you may need some help.
But, think about it. Even Scout and Rowan have managed to learn second languages (human speak.) So I am pretty sure you and I can too.
Good luck, Diane.
- May 13, 2014 at 12:10 AM
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Appellate Court Remands ERISA Suit Against Guidant
The U.S. Court for Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated the ruling of the lower court, which decided that the representative plaintiffs, former Guidant employees who took part in the company's employee pension plan, did not have standing to bring the suit because they had cashed out their...
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text: Before I get to the mouth watering Caprese Breakfast Sandwich I thought I would share with you a little bit from our fun Ohio adventure. As a child my husband grew up visiting his grandparents at their Ohio farm every summer and spending a few weeks with them. Before we were married I had . . .


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- ITV Report
Assad warns France over Syria military action
President Bashar al-Assad has warned France it will become an enemy of Syria if it is to take part in a military intervention.
In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, Assad described the accusation his regime had used chemical weapons as "illogical" and also warned of "a regional war" in the Middle East if the US and France were to launch a military strike on Syria.
Europe Editor James Mates reports:
Assad's comments came as the French government said it had intelligence showing the Syrian chemical attack was launched from within Government-controlled areas.
It also described the attack as "massive and coordinated" and concluded the opposition would not have had the means to carry it out.
The report went on to say the chemical attack was an attempt to take back the territories and the Syrian regime later bombed areas where chemical strikes had taken place in a bid to wipe out any evidence.
It added the Syrian use of chemical weapons posed a major threat to French and global security.


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Bad news for the Packers as they go into tonight's game. Three of the players who were expected to be gametime decisions because of injuries have all been ruled out for tonight: Charles Woodson, KGB, and Aaron Rouse. With Woodson out, Jarrett Bush will once again be called upon to pick up the slack. Jason Hunter will have to fill KGB's shoes. Nick Collins was going to return to his starter spot tonight even if Aaron Rouse had been able to play, but combined with Woodson's absence it again affects the entire depth of the secondary. The Packers anticipated this situation earlier in the week, though, when they placed Colin Cole on injured reserve and re-signed safety Marviel Underwood to the squad. Reports are, though, that Underwood will be inactive tonight and Will Blackmon will fill one of the back up spots.
These are key hits on the defensive side of the ball. As noted in my earlier post, this game will be an indicator of how deep the Packers really are. But will it be a true test of team vs. team straight up? That may have to wait until the playoffs. Because these two teams will be meeting again.
Go Pack Go!!!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Packers vs Cowboys: late-breaking news
Posted by packrphan at 5:57 PM
Labels: Aaron Rouse, Charles Woodson, Jason Hunter, KGB, Marviel Underwood


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I made a connection with my New Orleans teaching experience and the priest's homily on the scripture today. The connection was on the idea of letting negativity get to you and losing your cool when you try so hard not too.
It's hard to teach kids that have a tough life. It's very easy for a hot-tempered French heritage person like myself to lose my temper a little. But I remind myself that these kids have a lot of experiences of anger at home, so if I yell, it does little to change their lives for the better.
Luckily, they are much different from the students I taught before in a poor situation, in that those children lived in a constant trauma state of being. The kids I teach now are a little better off, but still willing to fight over the smallest thing. But I like their fire and grit and spice. They love big and they live big.
Christ calls out in the gospel to love the children as the first among us. I cannot compare myself to Christ in any way, and that is not what this article is about. It is about the need to keep your cool in difficult times. Especially when you have experienced pain or aggravation, your brain gets a little mushy and you forget to be your best self.
I hate loosing my temper and I haven't done so in years. I dislike arguing to the point of just not talking about the argument till I have gone to adoration or prayed about it. But you can't always make it to adoration when your working or you have other little people to watch over.
The important thing to remember is that Jesus Christ gives the grace you need for today. I loved in the Magnificat, how the reflection discussed the 'lack of knowledge' of the called disciples. How they would be the last ones you would think, would be picked to inspire a new way of thinking: to love fellow men as yourself. They were given, as we are given, grace enough for the moment.
The comparison of ourselves and the disciples is that we still live amidst other people. Children and adults that have souls longing to know Christ.
I can't say I haven't screwed up and talked too loud to them, because I have. But I can keep trying to hold myself accountable to what Christ calls of me.


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Breathing in The Buddha
By Alan Brigish
If you've ever been curious about Buddhist life, Breathing in The Buddha: A Photographic Exploration of Buddhist Life in Indochina is the book for you. Author Alan Brigish explores life in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia by uncovering the beauty of the people who live there. The book tells two stories with images and extensive captions. The first story takes us on a journey through the daily life of people in Indochina, while the second is an exploration of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
Brigish wants the reader to explore Buddhist philosophy in the context of the daily existence of the people in the most densely populated part of the world where Buddhism is still practiced. He visited a one city in each of the four countries of Indochina uncovering something deeper than what met the eye… mystical people and special places in Burma (Myanmar).
The photography is absolutely stunning… the people come to life on the pages of the book and I must admit that's what drew me to it.
Brigish is a South African-born documentary photographer. He's captured life in faraway places like Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, China and Cuba.
By purchasing a copy of this beautiful gift book, you can help educate children like the young girl on the cover.
100% of the profits from the book are paid to hand-picked educational projects in South East Asia.
To order your copy visit www.brigish.com/orderbook
Will you buy the book and help a child in Asia?


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Tract Club. Scott recalls, "A few months back, I was thinking about another idea for a tract. I remembered a sermon illustration that my pastor, Tracy Boyd, had used years ago. He got it from a sermon called "Eternity" by J. Wilber Chapman."
This is that illustration: The old cobbler sat day after day on his little bench, hammering away at the shoes, and before him was an old-fashioned clock. After a while he thought that the pendulum of the clock was speaking to him and he heard it say as it swung one way, – Eternity, and when it went the other way, – Where? And the old clock became a preacher and he heard it speaking like this:
"Eternity, where? Eternity, where?
The question is a solemn one. Eternity, where?
I messaged Carl about putting the words "Eternity: Where" on the front of a tract. He designed the lettering with the clouds in " eternity" and the flames in "where". The result is an eye catching design with a solid Gospel message.
We pray that the Eternity Where tract will be useful in sharing the Gospel with the lost.


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the imaginary food given to someone bitchin or complainin or whinin 24/7. similar to the whambulance service.
So what he cheated on you with your besfriend.... do you want a whamburger and some french cries??
by Corbet January 13, 2007
when one craps between two pieces of bread and gives it to some whinny d bag
"Shut up and eat a whamburger"
by Whamburgler September 21, 2008
buy the domain for your diy site


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Your 1815 Experience
The 1815 Cafe & Bar Experience
Start your day the right way with a delicious breakfast, enjoy a satisfying lunch or simply a cup of great coffee with one of our scrumptious in-house baked treats.
The 1815 Café & Bar was once the home of a private club and its old world architecture now provides a calming escape. It's also a great place to entertain your guests in the evening for dinner or drinks. Wednesdays are 2 4 1 burgers and join us on Friday nights for happy hour.
Our award winning Chef Ash Hughes produces fresh, seasonal food sourced from local artisan suppliers
Opening Hours
1815 is open Mondays 7am till 4pm, Tuesdays to Fridays from 7am till 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays we are closed.
We serve breakfast from 7am till 11.30am, lunch from 11.30am to 5pm
Our lunch changes frequently and is influenced by the seasons.
We are available for hire for your private function, high tea, wedding or any other special occasion.


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ALL FIRED UP (Novella)
Author: Nikki Dee Houston
Publication Date: November 1st, 2013
Tour Host: Dreams Come True Promotions
Add on GoodReads
Add on GoodReads
Fires aren't all that's sizzling at Hillwood Station…
Cindy always wanted to be a fire fighter. When she tops the class in the rookie academy, she takes her first job at the small but busy Hillwood Fire Station—as their first female firefighter. Some of the crew don't appreciate a woman trying to do a man's job. But when the crew risks their lives in a series of factory fires, Cindy's determined to not just keep up, but to excel.
But the fires aren't the only thing smoldering at Hillwood. When Cindy comes face-to-face with the real-life, fireman-calendar pinup, she's left feeling shaky and gasping for breath. Their attraction is white-hot, the sex is sizzling, and there's no such thing as enough when it comes to their lovemaking. But things turn nasty when a dark past comes back to haunt Cindy, jeopardizing her career before it's even really begun…
So, who is Nikki Dee Houston? I'm a businesswoman by day, an erotic romance writer by night, and a lover all the time. I share a modest beach shack on a small island close to the mainland with my very own real-life hero, and our two cats.
I began writing seriously about three years ago, mainly short stories and women's fiction, but I'd always wanted to write the 'behind closed doors' stuff. When I saw all the hype about readers wanting more erotic fiction, I played around with a few stories, finally settling on erotic romance. I believe that a strong romantic element, combined with an interesting storyline, is necessary for good erotic romance. Having said that, I don't underestimate the expectations of readers for some hot and steamy scenes, and try to deliver on all counts.
Facebook - Twitter - GoodReads - - Author Website - Author Amazon Page
He tilted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes, peering at her carefully. "You know, I feel we've met before. There's something familiar about you."
Oh boy, she'd remember if they had, she thought. "Don't think so." Then it hit her. Hm, maybe I've been caught out. She resisted the impulse to glance over at the female firefighter calendar hanging on the wall. Still he seemed to be racking his brain, trying to place where he knew her from.
"So, what time does your class start? It's just that I wonder if…" He blinked and gave his head a slight shake, as though clearing his thoughts.
"You wonder…what?"
He cleared his throat, and brought his eyes back to hers. "I wonder if you have time for a drink?"


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Friday, August 24, 2012
Three Country Tour!
5 comments:
- Angie said...
Austria is probably my most favorite country...love the scenery! And the delicious bread for breakfast! Skiing rocks there, too, so definitely do it!
- August 24, 2012 at 6:39 PM
- Hanna said...
I love these so many pictures you and Kate took in Europe. Thank you for sharing them to us. :)
- August 24, 2012 at 8:07 PM
- Lori said...
Oh my gracious! Those pictures took my breath away! Absolutely gorgeous!!!
So happy you got spend such wonderful time with your sweet Katie...and in such beautiful places!
And thanks for taking us along!
- August 24, 2012 at 8:32 PM
- Sammie said...
So glad you were able to get away, see some of Europe and visit your daughter. You deserve some "me"time, and I know how hard that is to get.
- August 25, 2012 at 10:48 AM
- Karin said...
Oh my goodness...AMAZING, GORGEOUS scenery! So glad you had that sweet time with Katie! Would have loved to take that journey--although kinda made me dizzy just looking at your pics of the roads your bus had to take. Ack!
- August 26, 2012 at 2:24 PM


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That's all the time left until Christmas. Are you ready? I am just about there. The remaining things on my list don't involve going to any more stores so that's good. Just need to finish wrapping gifts-for my brother, bake cookies and prep the food for brunch at my mom's on Thursday.
3 years ago


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That which does not kill us makes us stronger. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
The month of June, 2008 has been pretty awful for the stock market. According to Dow Hits Bear-Market Territory, Signaling Woe For Economy in The Wall Street Journal, June 28-29, 2008, the Dow has fallen 20.2% from it's October, 2007 high. The article expects that the market has further to go before bottoming.
While I have been hunkering down and expecting the market to get worse, I take very little comfort in being right. Like many others who are retired, my financial situation is dependent on the stock market.
However, even though the bear market will be painful, there is a bright side on which one can capitalize.
Finally, I plan to keep all funds (e.g. daily retirement expenses) needed for the short term (3-5 years) in cash or CDs. That way a bear market decline won't have a catastrophic impact on our short term standard of living.
For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.
This is not financial or investment advice. Please consult a professional advisor.
Copyright © 2008 Achievement Catalyst, LLC
Monday, June 30, 2008
Riding A Bear Market
Labels: Investing, Strategies and Plans
Posted by Super Saver at 3:42 PM
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I attended the July Art Group at
We learnt to distress with paints, stencils and stamps
Here are some of my pages
I distress painted the back side of a
Snickers Ice Cream box
then stamped this lovely Dress form
I will add embellishments soon
Then on this Sample tile from Lowe's
I paint the back side of the tile with gold and black metalics
Then modge podged a black paisley napkin to it.
Will add some laces and gems to this later
On to my manilla envelope on the front side
I painted, distressed, layered and had tons of
Fun expermenting with things
Then I stamped the Fluer De Lis and Cherish on top
Of it all. I have a few small embellisments left for this side
but for now
I like it just fine
The backside of the manilla envelope
I did the same using different distress techniques
And some other fun stamps
A little hand work with my pen
and It is looking pretty good too
I messed a bit with this paint chip ..
Will soon be a fun
Pull out tag
Miss Tracy shared a product that is easy to come by
The packaging from something Prima!
We used different napkins modge podged onto it
On the front I used three different napkins
On the back side I used just one beautiful napkin
Next Month we will be swapping nakins
To build our stash you see!
Then on my own I did a few fun things also
I covered my rings with cute little fabrics covers
A bit of doodling here on my ticket to CATS!
To Zentangles on my Cherrioes Top
Then I Tangled the backside too
Then I had to add a piece of the now famous
Reclaimed Quilt I have been playing with
I made a cute pocket on my pink glittery page
I added a few gems to this page that will soon
Be a journaling page in my book
I hope you are enjoying the journey of my book..
Cannot wait till next months class
To see what Susan teachs us to do
Happy Garbage Collecting..... hehehe!