text:
My mom had died. …She was no longer with us… I observed the moment and reflected on her and had to be ok with the decision I had to make: I could not attend the funeral. With me adding a grown man to my list of responsibilities my money was gone. And this grown man could not assist me in getting to the funeral.
In Ghana funerals are the last chance to show respect. In Ghana funerals can last a full week and the families involved come together to make certain it is a festive occasion. I'm guessing that since I was not Ghanaian that these rites did not extend to me, the convenient wife. I reviewed how I felt about not being able to turn to my husband during this time. Leaning on him felt cheap and utterly wrong. He admitted that he was supposed to be the one to help me, but could do nothing. Nothing, despite the fact that his sisters had helped him to traipse back to Ghana. Nothing, despite the fact that he had not too long ago bought himself a new phone and Dre Beats headphones in lieu of helping our household.
The time had come for Emmanuel to go to Ghana. Supposedly he'd gotten a job in Ghana which was being held for him. I was suspicious and asked a lot of questions. Nothing added up, so I had to leave it and see how it would play out. Why would this company which had been non-existent since I met him all of a sudden want him? Which skills did he have that would warrant a company holding a job for him for months? What was his position?
His sisters came through for him for his ticket. Emmanuel pressed that I needed to give him money to go shopping because it wasn't in their culture to return back from a country with no money nor gifts and also his own clothes were not new. I didn't give a damn.
I did, however, go out to buy his daughter a few small items and I told him to tell the others I'll see them later. Our plans were that Emmanuel would finally be making money and I would join him in Ghana later; he would send me some money to come to him there. I was not looking forward to going back to a boring village life, so we'd made plans to live in Accra instead of the countryside.
Emmanuel seemed to bolt when it was time for him to go. He took all the electronic gadgets claiming he could get money for them and that would help. I did not protest. I was grieving in my own way, so my feelings were not all registering to focus on him. I felt that at this moment someone, him, anybody, should have been focused on me…
I didn't hear from Emmanuel upon his arrival. I'd warned him about reverse culture shock effects, but he'd pushed that thinking to the side stating that was for "white people". Insert rolling eyes here.
Upon his arrival we did not talk alot. When we did talk it was about how expensive everything was and how dirty things were compared to the places we'd been traveling. He also reported on how his friends now had "things". I tried to console him by stating that now he had a job he could get these "things" too. Our chats on the phone seemed to be because he needed someone to relate to his travels more.
I received a WhatsApp message: I do not want this marriage anymore. I am divorcing you.
You still haven't bought the book. Nothing that you see on this blog is in the book. I don't know if you're ready for this roller coaster ride of a faux relationship. If you're ready then it's time that you read the book, Wanted: Green Card.


text:
Cardstock: PTI Rustic Cream, Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush
Stamps: PTI Mat STack 5 Collection, Think Big Favorites, Rosie Posie
Ink: Memento Angel Pink, Black, PTI Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist
Other: Michael's Red Satin Ribbon
Kara, I really like this layout, and the pattern you stamped is great!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous. Love the cool, crisp colors and such a fabulous design!ReplyDelete
love the pattern you stamped! we're doing a fondue night with my sister's family - what's not to love?ReplyDelete
Gosh do I ever love this color combination as used in your lovely card. Such wonderful work with the MS5 stamp set. The HB sentiment capping off this pretty card works a treat. So inspiring!ReplyDelete
No special plans...
I'm not very romantic and just having hubby bring in dinner and me not having to cook...
well that's romance for me! :)
Love this card...
the colors are fabulous and that stamped background...
I love this simple design. It shows off the colors and that big bold sentiment perfectly!ReplyDelete
Truly beautiful. I hope you had a great Valentine's day with your human sweetie and your canine one, too.ReplyDelete
This is lovely!!! Your stamped pattern is just perfection!!!ReplyDelete
So very pretty, Kara! Love your custom stamped paper and that gorgeous ribbon! *hugs*ReplyDelete
Beautiful card, Kara. Gorgeous bow. ;)ReplyDelete
Very pretty card Kara, I love your stamped background.ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


text:
02 June 2012
Suzuki VStrom
Ever since I bought "Pizza Bike" I've wanted something I could get off-road with if I needed.
This bike gives me that option.
I've never owned a Suzuki, so another ticket is punched.
Is it stupid to be excited about something so trival?
9 comments:
- eiaftinfo said...
Hell yes - get excited!!! Enjoy each and every day!!!
- 02 June, 2012 14:03
- Bloviating Zeppelin said...
No, it's not dumb to get that excited. I came THIS close to getting a V-Strom 1000 instead of a Wee Strom 650. But, as you already know, there isn't much "wee" about the V Strom 650. It's a friggin' BIG 650! And it's quite versatile. Very popular here in Fornicalia.
There are TWO guys just here at work who have black 650 V Stroms.
I think you'll find it to be very dependable, comfortable, efficient.
- 02 June, 2012 14:49
Just how many cycles do you have?
It seems you either have a very understanding wife OR she has a very large insurance policy on YOU.
With 4-5 machines you can only ride one at a time. My wife has a cousin who supposedly said "motorcycle riders are a good source of organ donors." He has first hand knowledge of this. Your comment?
- 02 June, 2012 18:58
- lotta joy said...
I am just beginning to learn that NOTHING that gives you a sense of happiness and excitement is trivial.
I am so glad you bought it.
FLY!!! Set yourself free darlin'.
- 02 June, 2012 19:11
- Greybeard said...
Your wife's cousin's sister's boyfriend is an intelligent person.
But I'd not care to share a drink with them.
- 02 June, 2012 20:57
- Timothy Frazier said...
I need an off-roader for the Zombie Apocalypse, myself. I've not met a VStrom owner yet who wasn't in love with the machine for adventure tours.
But Robin believes that one is enough. Still figuring out what I can trade for...gave up smoking to get Moon Shine. No other major vices that I can think of. Maybe I'll take up a new bad habit so I have something to trade for a dual purpose bike.
Any recommendations?
Gambling? Golf? Politics?
- 02 June, 2012 21:08
- Old NFO said...
Enjoy it Sir! :-)
- 04 June, 2012 06:07
- Greybeard said...
The Suzuki will be the third bike in my garage again.
I sold the older 'Wing three months ago. I gave the BMW R80RT to my son and he's riding the wheels off the thing in Arizona.
Like BZ, I wanted a smaller, more maneuverable machine to play with.
I like the 90-degree V-Twin on the Suzuki, and the ability to get off-road with it if necessary.
(I think the one I bought has street tires so I may have to re-shod it with dual purpose tires.)
- 05 June, 2012 07:38
I say yes,each adventure is worth the time. You will be able to say i have spent time on that machine.
Like me each new ride is worth the time, from bikes to Helo's
- 10 June, 2012 11:32


text:
Advocaat: Pre-season form no reason to be alarmed
Dick Advocaat is unfazed by Sunderland's run of back-to-back pre-season defeats.
Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat said he is focused on building fitness and not results ahead of the 2015-16 Premier League season, after the club crashed to consecutive friendly defeats.
Advocaat's men surrendered an early lead as they were overhauled 3-1 by Mexican outfit Pachuca in Sacramento on Friday.
Jack Rodwell's fourth-minute opener was swiftly cancelled out by Ariel Nahuelpan's quick-fire brace before the interval, while teenager Hirving Lozano completed the scoring in the second half.
The result condemned Sunderland to back-to-back pre-season losses following their shock 1-0 defeat to Sacramento Republic on Tuesday, but Advocaat is not concerned.
"Everyone wants to win the friendly games, but it is about fitness. The day before the game we practiced two times," the Dutchman said afterwards. "They were very demanding sessions.
"I am focused on making sure we have the right shape and that we know what to do in certain moments against Leicester [City, on the opening day of the season], physical wise. I have no doubts about that."
Advocaat added: "Every day, you can see the progress. The players need less rest in between the exercises, you can see that.
"It is coming. Playing games is the best exercise you can get."


text:
As the year goes to an end, and we all (or should I say most of us...) decide what we want to take in and change for the new year to come, I thought long and hard on what I wanted my new resolutions, or better said goals, to be for the next year...
This past year has been hard for me as I adjusted to being a new mom, and all that comes with it, like up and down hormones, body changes, sleep deprivation, and so on, but most important, how much you are capable of loving such a little creature!
2012 has been an adjustment year for me, not so much of getting resolutions and goals taken care of, but adjusting to all the new that has been added to my life as a mother. It is the greatest experience that anyone can get to live. But as I say good bye to a wonderful and fulfilled year, I wanted to say hello to new goals and improvements of myself as a mother and as an individual.
I have wanted to start a blog for years now, but I was always too scared of not having anything to write about and letting it go to waste, so I always found a new excuse, or just the same plain one of not knowing what would I be writing about since my life doesn't look like it would be too interesting for people to read. BUT, and I emphasize the but, I want to make 2013 a special year for me, a year where I do things that I always thought I wouldn't be capable of doing, a year where I push myself to do things, new things. A year to start and finish things that in the past I would of never gotten to finish because i would procrastinate. A year where I make dreams come true. A year to REMEMBER!!
And so, as I am about to say good bye to 2012 and hello to 2013, I'm sitting here starting one of my new goals already, my blog.
This is going to be followed by another of my goals, which is to do a "Project 365", which is one of the main reasons I made the blog on the first place. This project consists on making a picture a day for each day of the year. I got the idea from a blog I follow on Facebook called "Click it up a Notch", a blog about photography (http://clickitupanotch.com)
I have always been interested in photography, but never really took the step to make it a priority to learn more about it, but since I got a new DSLR camera for Christmas, I thought this would be the perfect time to start putting more of my time into it.
So, for now, I'm writing my first ever post for my new blog and I am hoping that all of you out there reading my words enjoys it and has tips and ideas to bring to keep me motivated.
I will be writing about my New Year's Goals later, but what are some of yours? Anything new trying to achieve or something old trying to change?? Feel free to post and share your thoughts with me.


text:
Oh we know Christmas is coming....but we have a lot to do around the shop~and it really doesn't leave us much time for doing much of any Christmassy stuff at home. Like last night we finally got our tree. It was icy rain and dark outside when Mr. Maison Decor and his 10 year old and I went a hunting for our tree. I think the lady at the tree stand was so happy someone came as she mixed up a cup of hot cocoa for the little guy while we had the entire tree farmstand to ourselves!! I guess everyone else had already bought their trees, and probably decorated them too. At any rate, we found the perfect tree and brought it home to our dark lifeless house....I blurted out "How about we put up some lights outside?" "Now?" was the response~and it wasn't from my husband. But in the end we deemed it a good idea to keep decorating for Christmas in the cold rain~and before we knew it we had the house railings and front door decked out in white lights! It was so cheery and we were frozen to the bone...we dashed inside and pushed the button to our fireplace (nice to have modern conveniences even if I SAY I prefer a real fireplace) to warm ourselves up. A cup of Eggnog and soon we were trading stories of Christmas' past~all in all a nice holiday moment.
But today I am back in the store and tonight we will decorate the tree with Colin's help~I will have my camera to chronicle it all and hope to share it here later this week!
Little touches in the store remind us of the season and that
I am happy and grateful for all of my blessings this year~
the store and its success, along with the willingness of the boys
and my husband who all make this operation a reality from day to day.
Today Colin was busy unloading our shipments of Chalk Paint
and Milk Paint and finally we got to pick a project to paint.
We also had this beautiful bed to wax and finish off for a client as it has been SOLD.
Colin is a great painter now and loves working
with the Chalk Paint. He used Graphite on this
simple country spool chest.
The turned spool details and the big wooden knobs give this piece its personality.
Graphite is the perfect color too~and it will get a light distressing
and head into Boston as the demand for smaller chests and
anything in Graphite remains high! The price on this piece
will be very reasonable so I don't expect it to hang around for long.
I decided to get going on the console table
and planned to do it up in Ironstone Milk Paint.
Milk Paint is so much different than Chalk Paint~
its drippier and you need to pay attention to the consistency of the paint
so you don't have dribble marks. This piece is half way done...
as it dries it will self distress and reveal what parts are
going to chip up and chunk up and fall away!
Woo hoo~lets see what this piece will do. I love surprises!
A great block front desk needs a paint job..
.the auction house said it was a vanity 'cause it went
with a bedroom set...but I am not so sure.
You could use it as a vanity, but it looks quite like a desk to me.
Our shelves are restocked again with every color including
sample sizes and we have tons of wax so
come on in and rest assured we have what you need.
Everything comes to Malden first, gets sorted out
and then boxes are set up for Boston and Colin will run them in~
this goes for the furniture too. Everything comes to Malden first...
Another exciting project that I cannot wait to do
is this beautiful Jacobean buffet...it came out of a house
with this mirror hanging above it. This style mirror is my favorite!!
Pretty right? THe sideboard is going to get the Shabby Chic treatment
in Old White. Soft and pretty and elegant in white...
all the details will scream "look at me!!" after its painted.
You will catch us painting for sure if you pop in this week~
its not the busiest time to sell paint for projects at this time of year,
but I have been surprised to see what is selling~
I was asked to create these:
Gift certificates!
I sell them online at shopmaisondecor.com and they are good for everything!
My Workshop classes are selling out as usual too~
I just listed the February classes with two dates for the "Everything" class
(that's what I call the Annie Sloan Introductory class).
You can sign up online for that as well if you want to secure your spot.
In the meantime Colin just finished this chest and
left to pick up Tobey at the groomer.
He badly needed his Christmas haircut...and so do I!!
I am going to squeeze in an early appointment tomorrow~


text:
After years of practising cognitive behavioural interventions, I came to the conclusion that if a person wants to lose weight the worst they can do is start making attempts to cut down on food. This is so counter-productive. It creates a totally unpleasant concept of lack, scarcity, deprivation.... very unmotivating and disempowering and undesirable way to feel about life. No wonder so many diets fail. I have developed a new concept of losing weight to be launched officially in January next year. So I will not give the name away yet, but will just mention a few things about it. It is well known, researched and documented that all eating is emotional. We use food to give us a feeling of happiness really. So when we 'diet' and 'trying to lose weight' - I hate both of these expressions, the feeling has to be of joy and pleasure and happiness and motivation from seeing the results.
This feeling is achieved in this way: you add foods to your diet you don't try to remove foods from your diet. It's based on a natural law of filling, which I discovered when working with psychological disorders as cognitive behavioural practitioner for six years. You can't be happy and unhappy at the same time. It is as if there is a limited space in the mind that can be filled either with good feeling or with bad feeling. So instead of trying to stop being unhappy, just practise being happy. That will push out the unhappiness as it fills the space with happiness.
The same goes with eating. Fill your day with good foods. That's all you need to do. Then as an inevitable consequence all the bad foods will be pushed out of your diet without you having made any effort to stop them. It is the effort that is very wrong in dieting because it makes the whole exercise laborious and unpleasant. Eat as much as you like good foods. Vegetables. Steamed. Raw. Juicing. After a day of juicing is very difficult for the body to accept cakes. It is more than difficult. It is impossible. And if you find that your body is accepting cakes, that only is a signal that more vegetables need to be consumed by the body. That is all that needs to be done. No effort to remove foods, no feelings of scarcity and lack.
Ok, I can think of the first question in my direction. But what if the vegetables are not enough? Answer: yes that is felt strongly in the beginning but then the body gradually becomes used to less food. Answer 2: eat lots of protein which gives a nice feeling of enough. Answer 3: eat good carb which gives a nice feeling of enough - brown rice, brown pasta. Carb in the evening, protein in the day. Answer 4: add cumin and sesame oil to the vegetables - that gives them a nice comforting feel and they satiate better this way. Answer 5: Don't stop eating fats, lack of fat gives the strongest feeling of deprivation. Also fat is very much needed by the body and the myelin shield of the nerve cells. It can get thin from lack of fat in the body and that puts the nerve cells at a very big risk, it slows the firing of the synapses and all brain processing becomes impaired. Answer 6: Cinnamon tea with lemon juice - drink at the end of the meal and see how it makes you feel satiated. It's gives the meal a very comfortable end. Answer 7: remember losing weight is not only about the food it requires a change of lifestyle - more physical stuff, less sedentary stuff. I was planning to go to the shop to buy food today when I decided to play the latest set of Armin Van Buuren. I ended up dancing for 2 hours and completely stopped needing food. After which I was very hungry but that was well deserved after jumping around for two hours. Answer 8: Hunger is a state of mind and a state of feeling. All eating is emotional. Following that well-known research fact - it will be very detrimental to start removing foods as that will increase the negative emotions. It is not about willpower. It is about feeling good, being kind and gentle on yourself. That is when the results start coming. And if you still need a cake - despite eating lots of vegetables then treat yourself and have complete unconditional trust in yourself that this is just a treat and not a threat to your weight loss. Ensuring the mind that the body is not deprived and can have whatever it wants is the most effective technique for giving up stuff, whether that is bad foods or cigarettes or alcohol. In 2003 I gave myself permission to drink as much as I like and since then I have had about 5 glasses of wine on very rare occasions. This is a picture of me eating cake in July this year - I have given myself permission eat cake as much as I like. The result - I eat cake twice a year max, sometimes once a year. When I get the craving I allow myself to eat it straight away without any mental debating and getting into will battles. In that way the body is happy that it can get whatever it wants any time it wants and this is how the cravings come very very rarely to the point that it is not worth fighting them. It is October now and I still have not had any cravings to eat cake since then. This is the most effective and sustainable method for losing weight - trusting yourself and being kind on yourself. The magical mantra is: I give myself permission to eat as much as I like whatever I like, whenever I like. I give myself permission to feel all the spectrum of emotions. Why do we add the emotions: because all eating is emotional and it is linked with emotional management. More on this subject in another post.
Feel free to ask me more question, I'm happy to help.
Love and Blessings,
Bilka skincare.
|At my favourite Pavilion Tea House, Greenwich
|Lemon cake and I


text: Hannah Senesh Community Day School is hiring a middle school math teacher for Fall 2018. Applicants should be committed to working in a collaborative professional environment and building community based on our School's core values. Responsibilities include teaching Singapore math curriculum, differentiating curriculum to meet students' diverse needs, acting as an advisor and participating in an overnight trip. Qualified candidates will have an education degree, experience working with pre-adolescent and adolescent students, and teaching middle school math. Hannah Senesh Community Day school is a K-8, diverse and progressive Independent Jewish Day School in Downtown Brooklyn. Interested applicants should submit cover letter and resume to: Sarah Kay, Middle School Director, firstname.lastname@example.com. To learn more about schoolvisit the web site at www.hannahsenesh.org.


text:
Re-posted by Nicholas Stix
Killer Mike and his best friend, Sen. Bernie Sanders (Chameleon-VT), above and below
The blog that breaks news!
Please hit the "Donate" tab, and help support WEJB/NSU today!
Please hit the "Donate" tab, and help support WEJB/NSU today!
"The New Odd Couple".Or the alternate title,"Killer Loves Bernie".(remember the old CBS show "Bridget Loves Bernie"?
TV listing
Hijinks ensue as Felix Unger (Bernie Sanders)gets thrown out of his house and marriage,only to wind up at longtime friend Oscar's (Killer Mike)pad.Illegal things occur frequently causing Felix's allergies to act up. (V L)
Coming soon to an ABC station near you (following Blackish).
this is helping to establish a climate of hate that led to the commission of the crime. The person can be sued in civil court.
Killer Mike has for anyone seeing that video established a climate of hate that contributes to crimes as attacking cops being committed. Sue Killer Mike in civil court for everything he has. "Niggaz" and "poe-Leese mother fuck". Great lyrics Killer you dumb gorilla. From your girth I can see how badly you have been mistreated and gone hungry.


text:
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, vol. 50, n° 4, 1997, pages 475-479, 19 réf., ISSN 0895-4356, USA
We examined the relationship between age at natural menopause and mortality of ischemic heart disease in 19,309 Norwegian postmenopausal women.
A total of 2767 fatal infarctions occurred during 29 years of follow up.
Overall, a relatively weak inverse relationship was seen with approximately 10% lower ischemic heart disease mortality in women aged =47 years at the menopause compared to women with an early menopause (<44 years).
Risk estimates were similar for women aged 47 and more at menopause.
However, the inverse relationship was stronger and statistically significant (p=0.01) in women aged less than 70 years.
In this group of women, we observed a nearly 60% reduction in the ischemic heart disease mortality in women with a late menopause (=53 years) compared to women aged<44 years at menopause (mortality rate ratio=0.42 ; 95% confidence interval 0.25-0.72).
This protective effect of a late menopause is reduced with advancing age, however, and is of minor significance in the age groups where the great proportion of the ischemic heart disease deaths occur.
Mots-clés BDSP : Myocarde, Mortalité, Epidémiologie, Femme, Homme, Ménopause, Age, Norvège, Europe, Appareil circulatoire [pathologie], Cardiopathie coronaire, Myocarde [pathologie]
Mots-clés Pascal : Ischémie, Myocarde, Mortalité, Epidémiologie, Femme, Homme, Ménopause, Age, Norvège, Europe, Appareil circulatoire pathologie, Vaisseau sanguin pathologie, Cardiopathie coronaire, Myocarde pathologie
Mots-clés Pascal anglais : Ischemia, Myocardium, Mortality, Epidemiology, Woman, Human, Menopause, Age, Norway, Europe, Cardiovascular disease, Vascular disease, Coronary heart disease, Myocardial disease
Notice produite par :
Inist-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique
Cote : 97-0323757
Code Inist : 002B12A03. Création : 12/09/1997.


text:
What can Listia and 200 credits do for you? Well, how about two dinged corners, chipping at the top, and a nice Fu Manchu?
I was a big Rod Beck fan. Stories have been told about how he would invite fans out to his trailer after games at AAA Iowa to share a meal and a cold one. In 2007 he was buried in his Cubs uniform, may he rest in peace.
I have a small collection of Beck cards that show him in Cubbie Blue. This one, despite the condition, will now join the others.


text:
Had a little shopping excursion to the city today- got a lovely sunset orange nail polish from Topshop that is perfect for autumn's warm colours and a promising eyebrow pencil from Doir that came with a brush and a sharpener (because Dior only fits with Dior of course.)
Monday, 22 April 2013
Monday, 1 April 2013
shopping with wolfgang and his girlfriend...
Bought a pair of gorgeous knickers from Sass and Bide on sale at Myer and received a wooden bracelet from Tasmania as a souvenier from Wolfgang's travels.
The usual Chanel lipstick (Rouge Allure Velvet in 32 La Ravissant) + original vintage Calvin Klein sunglasses.
easter outfit...
My Easter Sunday outfit.
I wore this because the modest hem and neck lines were prim enough for church yet not too formal that I couldn't wear it all day. The colours were very bright making this outfit perfect for a day spent in the garden with the family.
I bought the skinny pink belt last year on a trip to Spain in Autumn and was given the dress by an aunt with very good taste.
I bought the skinny pink belt last year on a trip to Spain in Autumn and was given the dress by an aunt with very good taste.
Posted by Natasha Reibel at Monday, April 01, 2013 No comments:
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text:
Miss Pixie Lou
on her
"lady days"
As if I needed one more thing on my plate, I get a side of a dog in heat topped off with her spotting all over the house...I am walking around with a mop and bucket all while keeping Tealyn from slipping and sliding and making sure she doesn't go into any of the carpeted rooms
She is attracting so many dogs it's unbelievable. So far I have chased away a Pomeranian, Chihuahua, and a large grown Chow from my backyard. We repaired part of the neighbors fence and I even called the pound on one dog that scratched on my front door for three days without leaving.
I have already called the vet/clinic with a long list of questions regarding her getting
I can't wait.


text:
Go to vocabulary list 1 and then to vocabulary list 2. Listen to the recordings of the words and word combinations (click on play or audio icons), practice them and consult the dictionary on their meaning.
You can consult an online English-Russian dictionary here.
Now, do a vocabulary exercise.
Go to the Joint Study Project Japan-Russia page. Read about Japanese and Russian teenages' chores. Now, answer the questions below adding comments to this post:
- Are there any unusual chores mentioned by the Japanese?
- List your chores. Do you have the same or different ones with the Russian teens from school #130?
Now, do listening practice exercise. After you listen, read the quiz script (at the same page)with a commentary to some vocabulary items and do practice activity to review vocabulary (at the same page)
Read your handout The Smart Way to Live (from Click On 4 by Virginia Evans, Neil O'Sullivan) and do activities 34-37.
Doing household chores is not very pleasant, is it? Design your own Smart Home like the one you read about in the handout. Which chores will it free you of? Use as much vocabulary from STEP 1 as possible. Consider the following when writing your Smart Home Proposal:
- who is your proposal for? is it for customers to buy the Smart Home? is it for potential investors? or is it just a piece of science fiction to entertain the public?
- how many room are there in the Smart Home? what gadgets are there in each room and how exactly do they make people's life easier?
- what is the biggest advantage of the Smart Home? are there any disadvantages?
If you add some pictures of your Smart House, it'll be wonderful!


text:
Well, okay, it's just cheddarsphere.com. I kind of wish I'd had my stuff together enough to announce this at Saturday's BlogFest.
Right now it is not much, but my friend Scott Feldstein is hosting the prototype. What I'm hoping is that all of us, whoever we are and whatever we blog about, can use cheddarsphere.com as a hub for all the haps in Wisconsin blogs.
But the site is completely in flux, and I would like to see its growth happen kind of naturally and organically. I'm looking for your input, as my fellow Wisconsin bloggers. If you or anyone you know might want to get involved, we'll need creative people, technical people, and plenty of other kinds of people. The comments section below is for you and whatever you might have to contribute.
That is not to say that I don't have my own ideas, though. Here's some of what I was thinking:
- Forums. There's some free open source stuff Scott and I have looked at that we'll try to have going just as soon as we have clever logos and whatnot (hint, hint).
- I'd like to see RSS feeds from Wisconsin bloggers. And I'm not just talking about political bloggers, either; one thing Scott and I talked about after the BlogFest was how the event was only about political blogs. I would like to see all categories represented here--politics (in left, right, center categories) as well as arts, religion, sports, family, (pop) culture, beer, and so on. That would require some kind of code that would allow people to submit their RSS feeds, list their blog addresses, and categorize themselves.
- News feeds from major and minor news outlets; I think you can snag Google news feeds for certain search terms (like "Wisconsin"), but if there were a way to keep up with what daily and weekly papers are talking about, that would be better.
- A user-created calendar of events, so anyone doing or promoting anything can post it. I'm guessing some off-the-shelf software exists for that, too.


text:
In case you missed the drone rock era of the late 1980s/early 1990s favoured by My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr, you are in luck. LA duo NO AGE has both revived the genre and played Miami more often in the last year than many of our own hometown acts. Their latest LP, Everything In Between, was released last September to wide acclaim. When they aren't kicking out the moody jams in Miami (they recently played both Sweatstock and Art Basel), No Age have found themselves on festival bills with many an alt-rock titan, who are probably amused when they start cranking out G.G. Allin and Black Flag covers.
Tuesday night shows are a rare treat nowadays, so get thee to overtown and support No Age. Perhaps if you buy enough merch, they'll consider hiring a touring bassist.


text:
(Typical Hatlo matrimonial fun, June/July 1932. Click any for bigger!)
Here's my last batch of Jimmy Hatlo's editorial cartoons from the San Francisco Call. I've poked around and done a little research, and it appears that Hatlo's early career is basically undocumented, and the info about him on the web and in the general reference literature is unsourced, anecdotal, and apparently mostly wrong. Some things I've noted in my limited research:
- Hatlo's work from this period was syndicated after all. Newspaperarchive.com (a pay site) includes scans of the San Antonio Light, a Hearst paper, from these years, and they featured Hatlo's comics daily, as presumably did other Hearst papers. He was already referred to as a "famous cartoonist" in the 1935 news stories about his wife's death, a full year before "They'll Do It Every Time" debuted (see below).
- Most of Hatlo's comics in this series appear to be more straightforward, traditional editorial cartoons (See a great collection of examples culled from newspaperarchive.com here). My collection of clippings appears to be biased towards the more comedic and unusual examples. Perhaps they were clipped by a child?
- The "origin" story of They'll Do It Every Time, as featured on the Hatlo Wikipedia page and elsewhere, appears to be muddled and wrong, and seems to have its origin in a vague/confusing statement in a 1936/37 press release about the strip. Hatlo did do a few panels with this title as part of the series I've been featuring here, but to say the TDIET series itself started in 1929 appears to be incorrect. It started as a regular feature in the SF Call in 1934 or 1935 (I'm mistaken here: see above), and was syndicated nationally in 1936.
- Hatlo seems to have ended this series of editorial cartoons in 1934 (not 1932, oops), and then presumably took some time off to develop his new humor series and... uh... to perhaps plan his wife's murder (see part one). He also drew ads for Standard Oil ("Give it a whirl!") around this time.
Anyway, let's get back to these fun things. Here's another "five-column" formatted one featuring another "justifiable homicide":
(March, 1930)
Imagine the look on my face when I saw this one:
And then imagine my confusion when I contemplated that the National Gallery of Art was still seven years away from existing*! Next up, an autobiographical vignette:
More fashion anxiety, and another self-effacing self-portrait:
I wonder what Hatlo would make of today's men, forever clad in their pajamas? Below, a very strange free association on Gandhi's "salt march" triumph:
(Undated, but certainly 1931)
Below, how many can you guess? I only got two:
More Christmas Card anxiety, more domestic strife:
And an uncharacteristically sympathetic note to women:
LOVE this Uncle Sam paper doll:
Condoleezza predecessor Frank B. Kellogg had just won the Nobel Peace Prize for being, basically, the most peace-loving Republican ever. Andrew Volstead gave his name to the congressional legislation which outlawed liquor in the US. Below, a very inventive use of drawings of hands:
More gags starring the artist himself:
And more meta-cartooning, showing his ease, and perhaps boredom, with the conventions of editorial cartooning:
And, finally, more Christmas fun:
And that, unfortunately, is all I've got of this remarkable, forgotten series of non-fiction comics from one of the great practitioners of the genre. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more! I do, however, have close to 1,000 (!!) They'll Do It Every Time clippings from its first few years, so perhaps I'll post some (Not all! OMG.) of those here sometime.
Part one is here, part two is here, and an original drawing from this series is here.
*This could refer to what is now known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum.


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The essential function of sensation is to establish that something exists, thinking tells us what it means, feeling what its value is, and intuition surmises whence it comes and whither it goes.
Jung did not apply the functions to literature at all so far as I know, so I did so, extrapolating from the four psychological functions four potentialities, as described in FOUR BY FOUR. The potentialities don't follow the same ontogeny as the functions, because the former apply not to general perception but to the application of the functions in human art, which result in four potential modes of literary action:
The KINETIC is a potentiality that describes the relationships of sensations.
The DRAMATIC is a potentiality that describes the relationships of discrete personalities.
The DIDACTIC (formerly "thematic") is a potentiality that describes the relationships of abstract ideas.
The MYTHOPOEIC is a potentiality that describes the relationships of symbols.
In Jung's schema every human psyche must include all four functions, though inevitably individuals will favor one over all the others. However, not every work of art is designed to reflect all four potentialities. An artwork can favor one potentiality and display no direct reference to any other, as I also said in FOUR BY FOUR:
I might attempt to use Jung's function-terms to assert that Dave Sim's cerebral CEREBUS privileges the function of "thinking" more than any other, and that Frank Miller's SIN CITY privileges the function of "sensation."
Naturally, even authors who may be fixated upon a particular function always have the potential, so to speak, to try their hands at the other three.
Now, throughout this blog I've largely been analyzing works from the standpoint of the mythopoeic potentiality. This concentration stems from my rejection of ideological criticism, which centers principally upon the the didactic. I've distinguished between "functional" and "super-functional" uses of symbolism, in which "super-functional" implies largely the same as "high symbolic complexity," as well as Wheelwright's notion of "the plurisignative." But in previous essays I had not evolved a symmetrical approach to the other three functions, which is what I seek to do at this point.
For instance, here's Dave Sim, with his focus on "thinking," providing a complex (though not irrefutable) take on the philosophy of one particular character:
In contrast, Miller doesn't tend to give his character particularly complex didactic outlooks:
I could muster other examples of "complex vs. simple" applications of the other two potentialities as well, perhaps one that would be more to Miller's advantage than to Sim's. But the point is that any excellence within a particular potentiality stems from a given author's mastery of the narrative complexity relative to that potentiality. Raymond Durgnat's term "density" has some application as well, for it is through the density of details that even sensational fictional effects have the greatest impact upon readers.
For instance, these three DAREDEVIL action-panels by Miller--
Are innately more complex than these two rather static DAREDEVIL panels from Bob Brown.
I don't plan to continue tracing the different forms of complexity/density within each of the four potentialities: the mythopoeic is still my particular obsession. However, I have a bit more to say in future essays on the general theory of the four potentialities.


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The Luck of the (NYC-based) Irish
If you were in New York City and environs today and someone handed you a book, we hope you remembered to say Go raibh maith agate. (To which the giver might have replied, "You're welcome.") The Irish Arts Center solves the mystery:
To which we say: Tá leabhar agat.
In partnership with Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council, Irish Arts Center will celebrate the inaugural Irish Arts Center Book Day on St. Patrick's Day 2011! Keep an eye out for Book Day volunteers handing out books by Irish and Irish American authors, free, at subway stops and transportation hubs across all five boroughs, and be in the know on Book Day locations during the day by following our up-to-the-minute Twitter and Facebook updates. Books will be handed out starting at 6:00 am until we run out!Sadly, the book supplies ran out around 3:00 pm local time, but the city is the richer for it.
To which we say: Tá leabhar agat.


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had by this time almost died out, so that the survivors, when they met together alive, rejoiced with much delight in one anothers company. This led to the formation of a club of painters, sculptors, and goldsmiths, the best that were in Rome; and the founder of it was a sculptor with the name of Michel Agnolo.
He was a Sienese and a man of great ability, who could hold his own against any other workman in that art; but, above all, he was the most amusing comrade and the heartiest good fellow in the universe. Of all the members of the club, he was the eldest, and yet the youngest from the strength and vigour of his body. We often came together; at the very least twice a week. I must not omit to mention that our society counted Giulio Romano, the painter, and Gian Francesco, both of them celebrated pupils of the mighty Raffaello da Urbino.
After many and many merry meetings, it seemed good to our worthy president that for the following Sunday we should repair to supper in his house, and that each one of us should be obliged to bring with him his crow (such was the nickname Michel Agnolo gave to women in the club), and that whoso did not bring one should be sconced by paying a supper to the whole company. Those of us who had no familiarity with women of the town, were forced to purvey themselves at no small trouble and expense, in order to appear without disgrace at that distinguished feast of artists. I had reckoned upon being well provided with a young woman of considerable beauty, called Pantasilea, who was very much in love with me; but I was obliged to give her up to one of my dearest friends, called Il Bachiacca, who on his side had been, and still was, over head and ears in love with her.
This exchange excited a certain amount of lovers anger, because the lady, seeing I had abandoned her at Bachiaccas first entreaty, imagined that I held in slight esteem the great affection which she bore me. In course of time a very serious incident grew out of this misunderstanding, through her desire to take revenge for the affront I had put upon her; whereof I shall speak hereafter in the proper place.
Well, then, the hour was drawing nigh when we had to present ourselves before that company of men of genius, each with his own crow; and I was still unprovided; and yet I thought it would be stupid to fail of such a madcap bagatelle;
but what particularly weighed upon my mind was that I did not choose to lend the light of my countenance in that illustrious sphere to some miserable plume-plucked scarecrow. All these considerations made me devise a pleasant trick, for the increase of merriment and the diffusion of mirth in our society.
Having taken this resolve, I sent for a stripling of sixteen years, who lived in the next house to mine; he was the son of a Spanish coppersmith. This young man gave his time to Latin studies, and was very diligent in their pursuit. He bore the name of Diego, had a handsome figure, and a complexion of marvellous brilliancy; the outlines of his head and face were far more beautiful than those of the antique Antinous: I had often copied them, gaining thereby much honour from the works in which I used them. The youth had no acquaintances, and was therefore quite unknown; dressed very ill and negligently; all his affections being set upon those wonderful studies of his. After bringing him to my house, I begged him to let me array him in the womans clothes which I had caused to be laid out. He readily complied, and put them on at once, while I added new beauties to the beauty of his face by the elaborate and studied way in which I dressed his hair. In his ears I placed two little rings, set with two large and fair pearls; the rings were broken; they only clipped his ears, which looked as though they had been pierced. Afterwards I wreathed his throat with chains of gold and rich jewels, and ornamented his fair hands with rings. Then I took him in a pleasant manner by one ear, and drew him before a great looking-glass. The lad, when he beheld himself, cried out with a burst of enthusiasm: Heavens! is that Diego? I said: That is Diego, from whom until this day I never asked for any kind of favour; but now I only beseech Diego to do me pleasure in one harmless thing; and it is thisI want him to come in those very clothes to supper with the company of artists whereof he has often heard me speak. The young man, who was honest, virtuous, and wise, checked his enthusiasm, bent his eyes to the ground, and stood for a short while in silence. Then with a sudden move he lifted up his face and said: With Benvenuto I will go; now let us start.
I wrapped his head in a large kind of napkin, which is called in Rome a summer-cloth; and when we reached the place of meeting, the company had already assembled, and everybody came forward to greet me. Michel Agnolo had placed himself between Giulio and Giovan Francesco. I lifted the veil from the head of my beauty; and then Michel Agnolo, who, as I have already said, was the most humorous and amusing fellow in the world, laid his two hands, the one on Giulios and the other on Gian Francescos shoulders, and pulling them with all his force, made them bow down, while he, on his knees upon the floor, cried out for mercy, and called to all the folk in words like these: Behold ye of what sort are the angels of paradise! for though they are called angels, here shall ye see that they are not all of the male gender. Then with a loud voice he added:
Angel beauteous, angel best,
Save me thou, make thou me blest.
Upon this my charming creature laughed, and lifted the right hand and gave him a papal benediction, with many pleasant words to boot. So Michel Agnolo stood up, and said it was the custom to kiss the feet of the Pope and the cheeks of angels; and having done the latter to Diego, the boy blushed deeply, which immensely enhanced his beauty.
When this reception was over, we found the whole room full of sonnets, which every man of us had made and sent to Michel Agnolo, My lad began to read them, and read them all aloud so gracefully, that his infinite charms were heightened beyond the powers of language to describe. Then followed conversation and witty sayings, on which I will not enlarge, for that is not my business; only one clever word must be mentioned, for it was spoken by that admirable painter Giulio, who, looking round with meaning
in his eyes on the bystanders, and fixing them particularly upon the women, turned to Michel Agnolo and said: My dear Michel Agnolo, your nickname of crow very well suits those ladies to-day, though I vow they are somewhat less fair than crows by the side of one of the most lovely peacocks which fancy could have painted
When the banquet was served and ready, and we were going to sit down to table, Giulio asked leave to be allowed to place us. This being granted, he took the women by the hand, and arranged them all upon the inner side, with my fair in the centre; then he placed all the men on the outside and me in the middle, saying there was no honour too great for my deserts.; As a background to the women, there was spread an espalier of natural jasmines in full beauty,
which set off their charms, and especially Diegos, to such great advantage, that words would fail to describe the effect. Then we all of us fell to enjoying the abundance of our hosts well-furnished table. The supper was followed by a short concert of delightful music, voices joining in harmony with instruments; and forasmuch as they were singing and playing from the book, my beauty begged to be allowed to sing his part. He performed the music better than almost all the rest, which so astonished the company that Giulio and Michel Agnolo dropped their earlier tone of banter, exchanging it for well-weighed terms of sober heartfelt admiration.
After the music was over, a certain Aurelio Ascolano,
remarkable for his gift as an improvisatory poet, began to extol the women in choice phrases of exquisite compliment. While he was chanting, the two girls who had my beauty between them never left off chattering. One of them related how she had gone wrong; the other asked mine how it had happened with her, and who were her friends, and how long she had been settled in Rome, and many other questions of the kind. It is true that, if I chose to describe such laughable episodes, I could relate several odd things which then occurred through Pantasileas jealousy on my account; but since they form no part of my design, I pass them briefly over. At last the conversation of those loose women vexed my beauty, whom we had christened Pomona for the nonce; and Pomona, wanting to escape from their silly talk, turned restlessly upon her chair, first to one side and then to the other. The female brought by Giulio asked whether she felt indisposed. Pomona answered, yes, she thought she was a month or so with a child; this gave them the opportunity of feeling her body and discovering the real sex of the supposed woman. Thereupon they quickly withdrew their hands and rose from table, uttering such gibing words as are commonly addressed to young men of eminent beauty. The whole room rang with laughter and astonishment, in the midst of which Michel Agnolo, assuming a fierce aspect, called out for leave to inflict on me the penance he thought fit. When this was granted, he lifted me aloft amid the clamour of the company, crying: Long live the gentleman! long live the gentleman! and added that this was the punishment I deserved for having played so fine a trick. Thus ended that most agreeable supper-party, and each of us returned to his own dwelling at the close of day.
Note 1.
This sculptor came to Rome with his compatriot Baldassare Peruzzi, and was employed upon the monument of Pope Adrian VI., which he executed with some help from Tribolo. [
Note 2.
There were two artists at this epoch surnamed Bachiacca, the twin sons of Ubertino Verdi, called respectively Francesco and Antonio. Francesco was an excellent painter of miniature oil-pictures; Antonio the first embroiderer of his age. The one alluded to here is probably Francesco. [
Note 3.
Mancare di una sìpazza cosa.
pazza cosa
may be the supper-party or the
Note 4.
Cellini uses the word
in many senses, but always more with reference to intellectual than moral qualities. It denotes genius, artistic ability, masculine force, &c. [
Note 5.
Un tessuto di gelsumini naturali e bellissimi. Tessuto
is properly something woven, a fabric; and I am not sure whether Cellini does not mean that the ladies had behind their backs a tapestry representing jasmines in a natural manner. [
Note 6.
Probably Eurialo dAscoli, a friend of Caro, Molza, Aretino. [
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World Lit


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I'm lying in bed about to get up, finish packing and hop on a plane to Winnipeg. We start rehearsals for RENT tomorrow at Rainbow Stage. It will be so bizarre to visit the show again after more than a decade. Wow. It will be so great and weird to be in Winnipeg for the summer. It's been years. I was there in the summer to shoot the movie, LEAVING METROPOLIS, several years ago but that was only for about 10 days. So this is pretty fun. It's beautiful and as warm as it gets cold in the winter. And my family is there and my best friend, Krista, is there and other wonderful friends.
I'm also really looking forward to being in Winnipeg for the Fringe festival. It's been years and the Winnipeg Fringe is one of the best in Canada. Or it used to be. I hope it still is. We'll see. Looking forward to finding out.
Oh people, so much is changing and happening. I feel so full of wonderful things these days. I'm happy. It's just that simple. Life is good. I'm getting to go to my hometown and do a show in the theatre Rainbow Stage, where I did my first professional show, SWEET CHARITY; I'm doing the two shows that bookended OUTRAGEOUS, the show that made me a 'name' in Toronto (RENT and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT) a decade ago – so I get to close that circle/cycle; and then I'm going to New York to do my first Broadway show and begin the next cycle of my life. It's the amazing feeling when you can actually feel that everything you've done up until this point has lead you in the right direction and everything makes sense.
I'm looking forward to the ride ahead. I want to just remain open and ready for whatever comes along. My life is about to change in the most fantastic ways. Bring it!!!


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Friday, April 30, 2010
Spring/Summer 2010 Color Trends
I love Spring. Mostly because I'm from MN and Springtime usually means that the snow is melting and you can finally quit wearing a jacket just to go get your mail. I love how refreshed everything feels and when the leaves finally start blooming on the trees again, you lose that dreariness you felt all Winter. One of my favorite parts of Spring? The way my parent's crab apple tree looked and smelled. They have one right outside the front door and the color of it when it blooms is absolutely gorgeous. They have lilac bushes too, and oh my goodness, the smell is overwhelming when you walk outside. Everything seems so lively, and I love that more than anything.
I love all the colors for Spring/Summer because so many of them can be found in nature. You can't really say that for Winter-unless you like white and brown (those are pretty much the only colors you see where I'm from)! I think this is why I love floral prints so much. There's so much color and vibrancy in those patterns, that it just makes me happy. :) Here are the top 10 Spring/Summer color trends from www.fashionising.com (http://www.fashionising.com/trends/b--Spring-2010-Color-Trends-from-Pantone-Womens-2110.html)
1. Violet
2. Aurora
3. Turquoise
4. Fusion Coral (LOVE coral!!)
5. Tomato Puree
6. Tuscany
7. Amparo Blue (also love this shade)
8. Pink Champagne (makes me thirsty!)
9. Dried Herb
10. Eucalyptus
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Donations Welcome!
Donate online at http://mkt.com/east-valley-young-marines/donations
Thank you for considering a donation to the East Valley Young Marines. The Young Marines is a 501c3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.
Your contribution to the unit will help to insure that we continue to educate and inspire our youth by taking educational trips, purchasing necessary equipment and participating in challenging activities.
In the past, donations have been used for trips such as Code Talkers Appreciation Day, in Window Rock AZ, where the unit had the honor of escorting Navajo Code Talkers (WWII Native American heroes who used their native language to develop the only code that was never broken by the Japanese) and their wives to the event. During the ceremony, the Young Marines met The Navajo Code Talkers, their Families and many high ranking Marine Corps officers. They were then able to tour Window Rock and experience the rich history of The Navajo Nation. It was a trip they will never forget.
In addition to educational trips, available funds are used to reduce the cost of equipment. The unit is currently in the process of raising the funds necessary to help purchase 10 Daisy 1903 Springfield Replica Drill Team rifles for our armed drill team to use during the many up coming events, RESERVE YOU DATE NOW and have our Drill and Color Guard teams at your event. These rifles cost $250 each, so we can use a lot of help in this area.
If you would like to make a donation, you can mail a check payable to East Valley Young Marines at the following address:East Valley Young Marines2591 E. Brooks St.Gilbert, AZ 85296 I would like to thank you personally for considering a donation to this worthwhile cause, the future of our children.
Frank (Gunny) Alger
Unit Commander


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As Serwer noted, this was in stark contrast to the negative accusations hurled at President Obama after his May 19 State Department address during which he restated -- against a backdrop of supportive statements about Israel's security -- longstanding U.S. (and, frankly, Israeli) policy that Israel's negotiations with the Palestinians should take place along "1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps."Perry-phobia is real.
Obama's statement was unremarkable for many reasons: President George W. Bush said as much in 2005 while standing next to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Rose Garden; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reiterated the same formula in 2009; and Netanyahu even issued a joint statement with Clinton using that exact phrase last November. In fact, this common understanding has been the basis of bipartisan negotiations for at least 12 years, if not more.
So why was Obama vilified over this statement, but his critics remained silent as Netanyahu took the exact same position? And why do Obama's critics insinuate that the Israeli government -- Netanyahu in particular -- has concerns with the president and his commitment to a safe and secure Jewish state? Why haven't Netanyahu's quite favorable remarks about the current status of the U.S.-Israel relationship been covered in the media?
Jon Scheyer, the former Duke basketball player, made aliyah to Israel.
Do the Presbyterians know it's not nice to start their whole divestment thing up again?!?
The church's Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment released a report Sept. 9 arguing that the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church divest from Motorola, Hewlett-Packard and Caterpillar.The Jewish outreach for the next election has started already.
The release provoked pushback from Presbyterian and Jewish groups, and the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League issued statements condemning the recommendation.
"This renewed effort by some within the Presbyterian Church to penalize Israel does not advance peace," said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC's director of intergroup and interreligious relations. "On the contrary, threatening divestment undermines those who are truly committed to Israeli-Palestinian peace."
The organization Presbyterians for Middle East Peace released a statement condemning the report's authors as giving a "friendly ear" to "a small group of activists within the Presbyterian Church that has relentlessly sought to punish Israel" and want "to find one party at fault in a conflict where all parties have engaged in positive or negative actions."
The group promised in the statement to fight the report from being adopted.


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Guess those lids don't hold as tightly as I though. Aubrey had no problem getting it open by herself.
Carissa Paper by Michelle Martin
Carissa Solids by Michelle Martin
SpeedByte No. 128 by Pattie Knox
Pinked Circles Pink by Ali Edwards
Cremerie Fruitsnoir Kit (buttons) by Katie Pertiet
Stitched by Anna WhiteNo. 2 Anna Aspnes
distressed toolset no. 6 by Anna Aspnes


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Thursday, November 21, 2013
Young Zee's 'Musical Meltdown' Album Finally Dropping!!
3 comments:
- AnonymousNovember 22, 2013 at 12:34 PM
thank you for the heads up on this! and thank you for helping to make this happen! I just got a copy and hope I'm as lucky when pt. 2 is releasedReplyDelete
They're doing a big mistake if they don't drop the whole album on CD later on. They would sell 4 or 5 times more units, it's one of the most sought out albums of its era.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 15, 2015 at 1:13 PM
Word... and now they are putting out the CD, with liner notes by some guy named Werner... :)ReplyDelete
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It's not like I'm violently tearing wedding dresses off mannequins at David's Bridal, although I admit I received my MOH dress (not from DB but from Dessy via the amazing netbride.com) for my best friend's wedding and haven't tried it on yet. I haven't even gotten to the point of unsubscribing from all the wedding blogs that provided so much inspiration for my own wedding, though I do simply delete almost every post from my Google Reader every day rather than pore over all of them. It's just that I haven't had any desire to do my own recaps here, or for the blog that might post a little feature on my DIY and earth-friendly projects. My dress is still hanging in our garage/basement. I haven't attempted to sell any of the tchotchkes I so lovingly created and collected. Some gifts are even sitting unopened because I know what's in the boxes and don't want to deal with putting them away (ungrateful wretch). And I certainly haven't gotten close to finishing thank-you notes.
Tim and I are going to Milwaukee in a couple weeks (Dec. 28) for a post-wedding celebration with many of my family's friends who weren't able to attend the wedding. I think it'll be a nice way to end the whole shebang. But for now, dear readers, I'm going to officially end this blog, rather than drag it out even longer. A picture-heavy and text-light wedding recap will soon be here. I hope you'll join me.


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Susan McCorkindale was born and raised in the Garden State. She loves Bruce Springsteen, the New York Giants, and the Jersey shore. A graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, Susan spent five long, hard minutes pursuing an acting career before making a detour into marketing. She has held top spots at Family Circle and Popular Science magazines, and today is the editor of SHE! Magazine and an occasional contributor to The Huffington Post.
Susan is also the author of two memoirs. The first, Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl, is the laugh out loud true tale of her move from the suburbs to the sticks. The second, 500 Acres and No Place to Hide: More Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl, is her charming, poignant, and uproarious follow-up.
The mother of two terrific young men, Susan spends her free time drinking wine with her friends, scouring Pinterest for thought provoking Jen Sincero quotes, speed walking, and reading.


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As you are aware and despite recent rains, Texas continues to experience widespread drought conditions. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) encourages local water systems to implement drought contingency plans. In response to the State of Texas recommendation the City of Johnson City will be implenting Stage 2 Response - MODERATE Water Shortage Conditions.
Goal: Achieve a 10 percent reduction in demand
Water Use Restrictions Under threat of penalty for violation, the following water use restrictions shall apply to all persons:
(a) Irrigation of landscaped areas with hose-end sprinklers or automatic irrigation systems shall be limited to Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6 or 8), and Saturdays and Wednesdays for water customers with a street address ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9), and irrigation of landscaped areas is further limited to the hours of 12:00 midnight until 10:00 am and between 8:00 pm and 12:00 midnight on designated watering days. However, irrigation of landscaped areas is premitted at anytime if it is by means of a hand-held hose, a faucet filled bucket or watering can of five (5) gallons or less, or drip irrigation system.
(b) Use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 10:00 am and between 8:00 pm and 12:00 midnight. Such washing, when allowed, shall be done with a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle for quick rises. Vehicle washing may be done at any time on the immediate premises of a commercial car wash or commercial service station. Further, such washing may be exempted from these regulations if the health, safety, and welfare of the public is contingent upon frequent vehicle cleansing, such as garbage trucks and vehicles used to transport food and perishables.
(c) Use of water to fill, refill, or to add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools, wading pools, or jacuzzi-type pools is prohibited except on designated watering days between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 10:00 am and between 8:00 pm and 12:00 midnight.
(d) Operation of any ornamental fountaion or pond for aesthetic or scenic purposes is prohibited except where necessary to support aquatic life or where such fountains or ponds are equiped with a recirculation system.
(e) Use of water from hydrants shall be limited to fire fighting, related activities, or other activities necessary to maintain public health, safety, and welfare, except that use of water from designated fire hydrants for construction purposes may be allowed under special permit from the City of Johnson City.
(f) The following uses of water are defined as non-essential and are prohibited:
1. wash down of any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced areas;
2. use of water to wash down buildings or structures for puposes other than immediate fire protection;
3. use of water for dust control;
4. flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street; and
5. failure to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been given notice directing the repair of suck leak(s).


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I've always liked a Fig Newton and enjoyed the occasional fresh fig, purchased on a whim when I'd see them in season at the farmers market. Then, while living in New York I worked with a woman who had a fig tree in her yard. She didn't much care for the fruit and, every fall, would bring me sacks of them. It was during this time of wonderful glutton that I really came to love them.
One of my favorite ways to prepare a fig:
- Slice an X into the top two-thirds of the fruit while leaving the bottom section connected.
- Pinch the bottom a bit to expose the flesh
- Sprinkle it with a touch of salt, balsamic vinegar, and a teaspoon of crumbled of goat cheese.
- Pop the figs under the broiler for a couple of minutes to allow the cheese to get warm and just slightly browned.


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The leading
USCIS Announces Citizenship and Integration Grant Opportunities
Funding will expand local capacity to prepare legal residents for citizenship
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today the availability of two different grants totaling $7 million designed to promote citizenship education and immigrant integration in communities across the country.
The first grant will strengthen locally-based citizenship preparation programs. The second grant will increase the capacity of members or affiliates of national, regional, or statewide organizations to offer citizenship services in underserved communities. USCIS expects to announce an estimated 50 award recipients in September 2010.
Those organizations planning to apply for either of the grants must send a mandatory letter of intent to firstname.lastname@example.com by March 26, 2010. To apply for either program, visit www.grants.gov. Applications for both grant opportunities are due by April 30, 2010.
During fiscal year (FY) 2009, USCIS awarded $1.2 million in grants to 13 immigrant-serving organizations across the country. These awards are currently expanding services and outreach on U.S. citizenship, educational opportunities, and available resources to nearly 70,000 LPRs in 11 states.
For more information about the FY 2010 Citizenship Grant Program, visit www.uscis.gov/grants. To learn more about USCIS and its programs, visit www.uscis.gov.
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I've written travel pieces on all corners of the world – reporting on a flamenco dance holiday in Jerez, Spain (for Psychologies), the thrilling dangers of the Pacific (for The Guardian) and a matchmaking festival in Ireland (for Easyjet's magazine). I've written on New York's child beauty salons for The Observer and on Bronte-obsessives on their annual pilgrimage to Haworth, Yorkshire, for the Sunday Telegraph.
The most memorable for me was going to Lithuania to trace my ancestors on a genealogy holiday for Psychologies – almost a time-travel adventure.


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We slide along
measuring Creation
with our scales.
You must listen closely
to hear our sibilant song
for there is Wisdom
in each of our tales.
Watch your step!
Know well what risk you take!
Without warning I might…
the hand that saved me
Tempt you
with Forbidden Knowledge
Humble you
with venomous lies
faster than eye
might follow
might follow
Transfixing foes
with steady eye
across the field
of battle.
of battle.
We will sing of Healing
Cause the fires of Creation
to ignite within!
with drum and rattle!
with drum and rattle!
Smell the Truth
to your inner voice.
to your inner voice.
Like us,
you hold all the World
within your grasp,
how you live is,
in the end,
always a choice.
Shed inhibitions
like outgrown skin.
strength from the Sun
in patience remember…
in patience remember…
your lessons
have already
For those new to the game, each poem is inspired by a Teacher found in Nature; a star, stone, animal, plant etc that holds lessons of Wisdom for us. Can you guess who is singing today? Congrats to Beada Beada and Jan Neavill Hersh for naming this Teacher!
"In the field of true spirituality, Experience serves as breakfast; Realization as lunch; Transformation as dinner." Sri Chinmoy
"That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you." Charles De Lint
"... As soon as it touched his tongue he heard outside his window a strange chorus of delicate voices. He went and listened, and found that it was the sparrows talking together, and telling each other all they had seen in the fields and woods. The virtue of the snake had given him power to understand the speech of animals." The White Snake by the Brothers Grimm
Snakes have been feared and revered for centuries in any culture that has encountered them. Fascinating and resilient creatures, snakes are scaled, elongated, limbless reptiles from the Order Squamata, Sub-Order Serpentes. Serpent, another name for a snake, comes from the word serp or herp which translates roughly as "to creep". Because their skeletal system is relatively delicate and fragile it is extremely difficult to track them through fossil records for anything like a close time of appearance in evolution. It is generally accepted that they descended from burrowing lizards, varanids or something similar. Pythons, boas, and other snakes still show vestigial limbs leftover from the long ago days when snakes had limbs.
There are over 2000 species of snake worldwide, all of which are carnivorous. Depending on the snake and its environment they might feed on: other snakes, lizards, rodents, small mammals, frogs and other amphibians, birds, eggs, fish, or insects. Some snakes are venomous, others kill their prey by constricting them in their coils, and some simple swallow their prey while still alive. Snakes have very flexible mouths, and numerous skull joints that allow them to swallow food much larger than themselves. They become torpid after eating, and usually crawl off to a safe and quiet spot to digest.
As reptiles, they are cold-blooded and more active in warmer temperatures, and it is common for them to regurgitate their prey if they are disturbed after a meal in order to make a quicker getaway. It is not uncommon for snakes to die from attempting to eat something too large or too active for them to handle. Any plant matter accidentally consumed will be passed without being digested. It is very rare for a snake to deliberately attack a human, although small children have from time to time been consumed. On the whole, they prefer to avoid us.
"We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little the truth we find bitter" Denis Diderot
"I believe that it is essential to appreciate our potential as human beings and recognize the importance of inner transformation." ~HH Dalai Lama
"I've always liked reptiles. I used to see the universe as a mammoth snake, and I used to see all the people and objects, landscapes, as little pictures in the facets of their scales. I think peristaltic motion is the basic life movement. Swallowing." Jim Morrison
Snake skin is scaled, smooth and dry. Most snakes have specialized belly scales that help them to move in their environment. Their eyelids are transparent scales that stay permanently closed. Unlike other reptiles, when growing snakes shed their skin they peel it off in one piece. If you see a snake rubbing its nose on a rock or root, it is trying to begin the shedding process. This renewing/re-birthing process is what brings the snake its symbolism for renewal, rebirth, healing and powerful medicine.
In snakes with rattles, their rattles are formed by this process are are actually old dry scales that they do not shed. Their age can often be closely guessed at by counting the number of rattles. Shedding is a dangerous process for snakes and if they do not shed their old skin properly or under the right conditions it may result in injury, death or blindness.
Snake vision is unexceptional to poor, but they do all sense movement which often triggers their predator response. Some snakes even have infra-red sensors in their nostril grooves and eyes which allows them to track their prey by body heat. Snakes do not have visible ears but they do have a bone, the quadrate, underneath their skin on either side of their head which focuses sounds into their cochlea. Their sense of smell is their most keenly developed sense and they smell by tasting the air with their forked tongues. The forked design also helps them determine the smells direction.
Being in close contact with the ground, they are very sensitive to vibration. Most snakes reproduce through internal fertilization and the laying of eggs, and most snakes do not raise their young. Some rare few carry their young until they are almost ready to hatch, and it has recently been discovered that some, such as the green anaconda, have live births instead of eggs.
"If you are bitten by a snake, what's the best thing to do? Remain calm, separate the poison from the rest of your body, suck the poison out. Worst thing to do: get upset, chase and kill snake. Same when someone strikes out at you verbally. Remain calm, don't try to strike back at the other person. Don't let the poison spread throughout your system." Unknown
"The more hidden the venom, the more dangerous it is." Marguerite de Valois
Snakes are typically venomous rather than poisonous. Perhaps a fine distinction, venom is injected where poison is ingested, inhaled or of a contact variety. Keelback snakes found in southeast Asia retain the toxin from the poisonous toads they eat which they then secrete to ward off predators. Snake venoms differ and can affect the body in a variety of ways. Some attack the nervous system or the circulatory system, and others bind irreversibly with their prey's nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the brain causing paralysis, respiratory failure and death. Some venomous snakes secrete their poison directly from their fangs, which makes them very effective predators.
"Acknowledging our inner divinity as a step on the path to embodying it is not to be confused with narcissism or individualism, since we must further admit that everyone's divine birthright is the same limitless creational potential of unconditional love." Sol Luckman
"Meditation is not an escape. Meditation is the acceptance of life in its totality, with a view to transforming it for the highest manifestation of the divine Truth here on earth" Sri Chinmoy
"You and I are the force for transformation in the world. We are the consciousness that will define the nature of the reality we are moving into." Ram Dass
In many cultures the consumption of snakemeat is a medicinal treatment or a spiritual empowerment. Snakes have been associated with Thoth, Apep, Medusa, Hercules, Perseus, Hermes, Bacchus, Shiva, Vishnu, Wadjet, Buto,Quetzalcoatl, Apollo, Kebechet, Athirat and many other deities, especially those associated with healing. Naga is the Sanskrit word for a deity or being that takes on the form of a snake. Nag and Nagina from the Rudyard Kipling tale of "Rikki Tikki Tavi" is drawn directly from this word, for in India the King Cobra male is called Nag and the female, Nagi.
In that story, Nag recounts the tale of how they shaded the lord Brahma, a Hindu god of healing and one of the aspects of the Vishnu/Shiva trinity, from the sun. In gratitude Brahma marked the cobras with the spectacle mark on their hoods to show that they were favored by him. There is a yearly festival devoted to the veneration of snakes called Nag Panchami. For all their Underworld connections throughout history, Snakes are most definitely seen as fiery in element. Perhaps it is their love of the Sun's warmth that brought this connection, or perhaps it was the understanding that deep within the Earth, there is a powerful well of fire.
Even J.K. Rowling's villain, Lord Voldemort, appears snake-like and keeps a giant snake named Nagini! The Midgard Serpent holds all the World in it's coils and it's constriction is said to herald Ragnarok. The Ouroboros, a snake swallowing it's own tail, is a symbol of eternity, balance, and the cycle of life, death and rebirth that brings immortality. This symbol has been associated with many religions and cultures.
Snakes have an undeniable connection to all manner of healing, and continue to act as symbols of the medical profession today. Kundalini is a Sanskrit word which translates as "coiled up" or "coiled like a snake". Kundalini comes from yogic philosophy of ancient India and refers to "serpent power", the awakening of balanced power within the self. Balanced and properly opened Chakras with regular meditation opens one to the sensation of Kundalini, an untapped powerful creative force that uncoils in stages and can be felt as energy moving from the base to the apex of the spine. In it's fullest force, it would likely feel as if you had become a volcano of creative fire.
When we experience and understand all levels of healing Kundalini though, we become powerful spiritually awakened beings. This goal might take a lifetime, or we might connect to it within minutes. Everyone's journey is different. Interestingly enough the concept of Kundalini is also found in Red Tail Hawk Totem. Red tails include snakes in their menu and are one of the balancing energies for Snake Totem. I believe that when the majority of Humanity finally achieves an awakened state, we will change our World in a most profound and constructive way that has never truly been seen before.
"If every day is an awakening, you will never grow old. You will just keep growing." Gail Sheehy
"It's exhilarating to be alive in a time of awakening consciousness; it can also be confusing, disorienting and painful." Adrienne Rich
In some Native traditions a Medicine Woman is called a Snake Skirt, and balanced Snake people are honored for their connection to this powerful and healing Teacher. In one tale a person encounters a snake. Sometimes the snake is wounded and in other tellings the snake is fine but asks for help in reaching the top of the mountain. The kind person assists the snake only to be bitten, often fatally, in the end. "You knew what I was when you picked me up." is usually the snakes answer to why he bit the person who did nothing but good to him. Whether you are the snake or the helping individual, this is a good lesson!
In Islam, Christianity and Judaism the Snake appears in the book of Genesis to tempt Adam and Eve with the Forbidden Fruit if Knowledge. Yet, God turned the staff of Moses into a snake as a sign of his power, and Moses later made a sacred object called Nehustan, a bronze pole with a snake on it, which had great healing powers and saved the Israelites from snake bites.
The serpent has even represented Christ the Redeemer who asked us to "be as wise as the snake and gentle as the dove"! I was never content with the notion that the Snake was some evil being who tricked Adam and Eve without the Creator's knowledge. All things are, ultimately, as Creator made them. It is up to humanity to individually and collectively choose to live in a fit manner. Snake reminds us that we must shed many times and make many more transformations than just from egg to snake before we are truly Awakened.
"A kind word can attract even the snake from his nest." Saudi Arabian Proverb
"New ideas stir from every corner. The show up disguised innocently as interruptions, contradictions and embarrassing dilemmas. Beware of total strangers and friends alike who shower you with comfortable sameness, and remain open to those who make you uneasy, for they are the true messengers of the future." Rob Lebow
"The stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.
Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A tree that is unbending is easily broken." Lao Tzu
Well balanced Snake people that I have encountered fostered a great love of knowledge, especially ancient and hidden truths. They tend to take a concept and not so much chew on it, but swallow it whole and then linger in contemplation over the subject for extended periods. Balanced Snake people don't like to be rushed, and can be easily startled if they are lost in their own contemplations. If pushed too far by the perceived bad behavior of another, they will not hesitate to lash back in a quick decisive manner. While Snake people tend to prefer sitting back in quiet observation, when they choose to speak, they do so powerfully.
It is important to remember that the flexibility of the limbless Snake provides this Teacher with food as well as protecting itself. Remaining flexible while walking the path of this life is a tremendous asset in almost any situation. Snake people don't require much food to keep themselves physically sustained, may enter into periods of metaphoric hibernation, and typically prefer warm and sunny weather over cold and snow.
Unbalanced Snake people I have encountered have generally displayed the worst traits associated with this Teacher; malicious or even pathological liars, cold-hearted, self-centered to the point of egomania, horrible communicators who could not open their mouths without saying exactly the right thing to anger or upset those around them, users, abusers, or thieves of material things as well as delighting in robbing others of their mental, emotional, spiritual or physical well-being!
Because of these encounters, it has been difficult for me to be as open to this Teacher's many excellent qualities and lessons as I would like to be. I struggle not to be resentful of these misguided people who have a skewed vision of Snake's lessons, and to remember that this wise and wonderful Teacher is not to blame for the choices of individuals who are drawn to them.
We live in a time when people in general have isolated themselves from Nature, and typically live out of harmony with the World on a daily basis. It only makes sense that the majority are going to be displaying unbalanced energy and actions, whomever their guides in this life are meant to be. The magical Snake has many vital lessons to teach us, and we should try to receive them without the bias of personal baggage.
"Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life." Eckhart Tolle
"When we meditate soulfully, devotedly, we have to accept humanity as our very own. We have to know that humanity as it stands is far, far, from perfection, but we are also members of humanity. We have to take it with us. If we are in a position to inspire others, if we are one step ahead, naturally we have the opportunity to serve the divinity in the ones who are following us. We have to transform the face of the world on the strength of our dedication to the divinity in humanity." Sri Chinmoy
"With the venomous kiss you gave me
I'm killing loneliness (Killing loneliness)
With the warmth of your arms you saved me,
Oh, I'm killing loneliness with you..." Killing Loneliness by HIM
Meditation, silence, and solitude are extremely beneficial to everyone, but I have met more people who seem to be living in abject terror of moments of silence than I could possibly count! Snake people will find these tools a great aid in mastering themselves. Incorporating regular periods of meditation or silence in your day will bring greater clarity, increased sensitivity, balanced calm, and insight into any situation you are facing.
Snake people may even find themselves feeling isolated, as there is something about their nature, the aura they project, that makes others perceive even the sweetest of Snake or Dragon people as someone powerful and potentially dangerous, someone to avoid. Developing a good relationship with a balancing Totem like Rabbit, sweet Apple, or cheerful Grasshopper can help to temper this effect. Trees are inextricably linked to this Teacher, specifically the Axis Mundi, and the study of trees and plants is another extensive area of beneficial study to Snake people.
Those drawn to venomous snakes should be especially mindful of their words, and those drawn to constrictors should be aware when they are holding onto something too tightly or not letting go of a situation, individual, or concept when they should. Next to transformation, one of the Snakes most powerful lessons for us is how and when to let go, shed the old so that we grow and shine. Creativity, rebirth, healing, awakening, spiritual growth, and wisdom are all potent Snake lessons.
There is a bookplate from the Grimms Fairy Tales book that was read to me as a little girl, and I always think of it when discussing Snake. A man and woman stand, dividing the Apple of Life between them, as the snake coils around the trunk behind them. "The White Snake" was one of my favorite stories and this picture recalls many memories for me, as well as the lessons of this Teacher. I still have this book, falling to pieces with much love, and have read these same tales to my own children, wondering if they wished for the powers of the White Snake; to hear and speak with the natural World, as I did so long ago. How does this ancient and amazing Teacher appear in your life?
"Everyday, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can." HH Dalai Lama
"A long time ago there lived a King whose wisdom was noised abroad in all the country. Nothing remained long unknown to him, and it was as if the knowledge of hidden things was brought to him in the air." The White Snake by the Brothers Grimm
"Hence, let me say that while others are involved in philosophies, Zen is involved in metamorphosis, in a transformation. It is authentic alchemy: it changes you from base metal into gold. But its language has to be understood, not with your reasoning and intellectual mind but with your loving heart. Or even just listening, not bothering whether it is true or not. And a moment comes suddenly that you see it, which has been eluding you your whole life. Suddenly, what Gautam Buddha called "eighty-four thousand doors" open. " Osho
Potential Balancing Energies: Other Snakes, Frog/Toad, Hawk, Raven and other raptors or birds like Crow or Sparrow, Mongoose, Mouse, Squirrel or other rodents, various Insects like Grasshopper, Spider, various Trees like Apple, Rowan or Ash, various plants like Snakeroot, Milkweed or Sedum, various stones like Opal, Cats, Weasel, Badger, Horse, Dog, Fish, Crayfish, Lizard, Earth, Fire, the Sun and other stars, like those comprising the constellations Serpens and Hydra.
Key Concepts: Kundalini, Rebirth, Transformation, Transcendence, Magic, Ancient wisdom, Knowledge, Flexibility, Balance, Meditation, Shamanic Journey, Intuition, Healing, Creation, Passion/Creativity, Deception, letting go, Fertility, Desire, Self-indulgence
Associated Gods, Mythic or Popular figures: Gaia, Danh, Indra, Bramha, Vishnu, Shiva, Minoan Snake goddess, Ra, Ouroboros, Gorgons, Naga, Apep, Yggdrasil, Velos, Aesculapius, Scylla, Midgaurd Serpent, Ndengei, Ndengei, Quetzalcoatl, Kebechet, Nehebkau, St. Patrick, Kaa (from Disney's Jungle Book), Sir Hiss (from Disney's Robin Hood), Cernunnos, Mercury/Hermes, Ceres, Wadjet, Athena, Brighid, Dionysus


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Have you laid your eyes on anything more beautiful than this lovely spring wreath? It's the newest DIY creation from Elsie Flannigan of A Beautiful Mess. This is a simple project, a yarn wrapped, butterfly adorned masterpiece! Check out all the instructions and other lovely projects here!
Happy Springtime crafting!!!


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My first thought for these terrible balls was to make a little tree similar to one I saw in ballard designs, but alas I did not have enough to cover the whole tree. I thought to myself, "That's ok. I'll just go buy more."
Fast forward to black Friday when Amie and I went shopping. After spending about 2 hours in JoAnn's draining our bank accounts we went over to Hobby Lobby to get the elusive balls. Upon arrival I was shocked to find all of the white balls were gone! Luckily Hobby Lobby is just a few stores down from Michael's. I thought I had hit the Christmas ball goldmine when I found the white balls in a different brand.
When I returned home I realized they were not the same white. My OCD self would not be able to accept this. So I went back to Hobby Lobby and bought red balls. By now I became very worried about what to do with the balls. I had spent so much time searching for them I didn't want to waste them. I decided to go with what I know best- Wreath Making!
I haven't made a wreath in a while since I went crazy and made a million wreaths last year, but I think this one is well worth the wait.
Behold- The Christmas Balls!
These terrible nighttime pictures do not do them justice. I will try to get a daylight one so you can really take it in.


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So you are going to have a baby!! The time is approaching and you are beginning to think about WHO is going to be present for the big event. Will your mother be there? Your best friend? Your partner/husband? Did you hire a doula? What will your nurse be like? What midwife/doctor will be on call?
While to some these may seem like simple questions for others they cause extreme stress and anxiety. The wrong people can create uneasy conflict in your birth room while the right team can create harmony and peace. There are two primary categories of people who make up your birth team; your health care providers, and your family and friends. The ultimate goal is a winning team where Together Everyone Achieves More, and where they work together to create a conflict free birth room filled with peace, happiness and love.
Let's quickly talk about the people on your team:
Your midwife/doctor: IF it is very important for you to KNOW the provider who will catch your baby, you want to be sure you pick someone in solo practice or choose a group with only a few providers. Make sure you are able to meet everyone of them more than once during the prenatal period. Keep in mind, everyone needs a day off sometimes, so even with a solo practitioner there is the off chance that your provider may be unavailable. However, if this is VERY important to you, you can minimize the chances of having a "stranger" in your delivery room if you choose the right provider prenatally.
If it is important to have your provider present throughout your labor, providing support and encouragement, be sure to talk to them EARLY in your pregnancy about your wishes to determine if she/he is the right provider for you. Generally speaking, if you really want your provider to give you labor support you should choose a midwife. While not every midwife provides labor support, in general a midwife is more likely to be with you in labor compared to a physician. The bottom line about your birth attendant is knowing that you cannot wait until labor starts to choose the right provider for your labor and delivery team. This is a process that MUST begin the moment you find out you are pregnant. Your provider is an integral part of your birth team and you want to be sure you are happy about your choice.
Your nurse: If you will be birthing your baby in a hospital, your nurse will be a critical part of your birth team. She will likely spend more time with you than anyone else. Not every nurse is the perfect fit for every patient but with a little patience and open communication, you can make the relationship work. Know what you want, and be prepared to discuss it with the nurse upon admission. Having a written birth plan is not a bad idea but it is not required. The most important thing is to know what you want and to have a CONVERSATION. With open communication, your nurse can become your biggest advocate and friend. There are times when regardless of communication, you and your nurse are not a good fit. When this happens, you can ask for the charge nurse on duty and request another nurse. While this is not always possible due to various staffing and time constraints, it is worth trying if all else fails and there is a definite conflict.
Your doula: Doulas are not just for women who want to "go natural." While this is where they are primarily used, they can be a valuable asset in any birth room. Like your prenatal provider/birth attendant, it is important that you meet your doula BEFORE labor starts. It's important to choose someone who you feel comfortable with. You want a doula that is going to respect what YOU want, without trying to push her values and beliefs about birth onto you. You want a doula that has the skill to speak up for you without alienating the staff at the hospital. Nurse/doula relationships can create some of the biggest conflicts. Be sure to communicate with both the nurse and the doula to make sure they are a part of YOUR team, not in a competition.
Your family and friends: Some women feel obligated to let anyone into their birth room who says they want to be there. I have seen women become visibly stressed out about trying to decide who should be there and feeling some obligation to allow this one or that one in the birth room although she really doesn't want that person present. Some of the relationships that I have seen create the biggest conflicts for women include in-laws and friends especially friends where she was present for their labor and birth. Birth is a special time for the mother her partner and their infant. Just because you were invited to her birth room does not mean she has to be invited to yours. Those wedding/party "rules of etiquette" don't have any place in labor and delivery. This is a very different experience and should be treated as such. It is a private event and should include only the people you REALLY want to be present. Remember that during labor and birth, much of you may literally be exposed and if you are a having a natural/unmediated birth you will be in a vulnerable state. EVERYBODY does NOT need to be there. Labor and birth is not a spectator sport yet when you have LOTS of visitors during the process just "waiting for the baby," this is what your precious birth experience has the potential to turn into. When you are trying to work with your contractions or rest after an epidural, the last thing you need is your family/friends standing around "speculating, and watching."
To avoid in labor decisions/conflicts be sure to have these discussions with your partner, mother, in-laws, friends and doula BEFORE labor ensues. An easy way to avoid some of the conflict is to keep your "I'm in labor" phone calls to a minimum. After you have the baby and you have had time to rest, THEN you can make all the calls you want. If they don't know you are in labor there will be no stress about uninviting them from the birth room.
If you do end up having lots of people coming to visit, I encourage my patients to send non-essential visitors HOME. Let your nurse or your doula be the "bad guy" to send them on their way. It's like you are the quarter back and we are the offensive line. We protect you. Ask us and your wish is our command.
After delivery, you will want to rest and spend some private time bonding with your newborn. Encourage your friends to come over to your house AFTER you are home. You will feel more like normal and be more open to visiting. As a side note, I also make the suggestion that you ask friends to come bearing edible gifts!! Who has time to cook with a newborn baby! While they love us the most, family and friends are often the ones who create the most conflict. Be careful about who you choose to invite/allow into your birth space.
When it's all said and done, you are the captain and your partner is the co-captain of your birth team. Together you have to decide what other team members will help you win. Be sure to Choose Wisely because your birth team can have a profound effect on your birth experience.
In Birth and Love
Nicole ~ Follow me on twitter @SistaMidwife