text:
KVUE | Quita Culpepper
|First cooler used for transplant, KVUE
AUSTIN -- Seton Medical Center in Austin on Friday observed 30 years of being the only hospital in Central Texas to perform heart transplants.
Physicians and former patients gathered at the hospital to exchange memories.
"To look around and know that each individual story is so touching and so poignant that's why we do this," said Dr. Bill Kessler.
"The flu damaged my heart, and I had to have a new heart," said transplant recipient D.J. Ellison.
Numbers on name tags show the order in which each person underwent a heart transplant.
"My heart come from Little Rock, Arkansas," said Harold Washington.
That's all he knows about the 19-year old whose heart gave him a second chance. Continue reading


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What I'm Reading: Texas Baby by Kathleen O'Brien
What I'm working on: Revisions, Unexpected Danger.
I leave in a few hours for the Southern Lights Conference. The Powerpoint is loaded on my flash drive and my laptop; I have the handouts packed. I even have a good idea of what I'm going to say. I have my eBookwise loaded with some new books. I'm looking forward to seeing Suzanne Brockmann again, and one of my publishers will be there as well.
I sent "Redshirted" off. As I put the SASE in the packet, deja vu washed over me. I don't miss the turmoil of waiting for the mail each day -- will I get one of my SASE's? Do I want one, because it might be a rejection? No response means things are still out there. If I do get one, there's the heart-pounding anticipation when I open it. Good news? Bad news? Since I signed with an agent, submissions became her worry. But because this is a short story, I'm on my own. According to the publisher's website, response time is 3 months, so I'll do my best to forget I even mailed the story.
I wrote the scene my agent wanted to see for Dalton. It's off to my critique partners for comments, and to my army contact for corrections on the combat stuff.
I'm looking forward to a weekend spent with writers. I always come home invigorated, ready to tackle a new project. And now that I'm on the home stretch with my current manuscript, I'm ready to start the next one.
Friday, March 28, 2008
2 comments:
- Dara Edmondson said...
I can relate to the mail thing;-) The story is good and I'm confident they'll accept it. Expanding your readership is always good.
- Katie Reus said...
Good luck at the conference this weekend! Wish I could be there :)
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Ohh! Great Interview! I have been following the progress of Stitch seekers, and can't wait to see what they bring out next!ReplyDelete
I'd love to win the Men in Knitwear club to be part of the fun, to admire the gorgeous models and of course the gorgeous patterns too! (Sezza)
- RachaelJanuary 13, 2014 at 11:42 PM
why? because I am addicted to looking at Mr January and since I currently don't own the pattern it may get suspicious. If, however, I am actually knitting the bandana I can print it off and lay it on my bedside table, with the appropriate wip, and it suddenly becomes ok.ReplyDelete
ravelry name: rachaellaves
I would really like to have such patterns. Thanks for the chance!ReplyDelete
Ravelry name: lindajm
I love the tongue in cheek styling of these patterns, and I am looking forward to more!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 14, 2014 at 7:38 AM
as a mom of only boys, w/ a grandson on the way, finding men's knit projects always sound appealingReplyDelete
ravelry: feelGR8
I've already subscribed so don't enter me in the draw, but thanks for a great article and best of luck to Stitch Seekers.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 14, 2014 at 11:05 AM
Well... a gal has to have something to look forward to, hmmmm?ReplyDelete
Gratuitous nudity, hunky blokes and glorious knits; there's no better way I can think of to celebrate the start of each new month.
- AnonymousJanuary 15, 2014 at 2:54 PM
Well, looking at Mr January makes me want to look at Mr February, March etc. to December.ReplyDelete
Ravatar is AKnitterInNZ.
Why wouldn't you want to win a years worth of eye candy and bonus handsome men in the pic too!ReplyDelete
ravelery: zjuniper


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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
A World without Archer, Marcotte and Hilton
Am I the last to know about Citizendium? It was started by Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia, in an attempt to get away from the loonies masquerading as experts who kept tinkering with entries. Citizendium is still user-written but applies 'gentle expert oversight'. Unfortunately, it is, for the moment, very limited. Jeffrey Archer is not in there and neither is Amanda Marcotte, nor, amazingly is Paris Hilton. Perhaps this means it is the best encyclopaedia out there, but, for the moment, I have taken out a subscription to the online Britannica.
Posted by Bryan Appleyard at 10:42 am
4 comments:
And the Britannica, I discover, also has no Hilton, Archer or Marcotte.ReplyDelete
Hm. The Wiki lords are finally coming out of their cloud of denial.ReplyDelete
'Tis true, ye lords of Wiki! Accurate research writing does require a professional and they usually don't do it for free!
Here is a bit about my tangle with Wikipedia.
That article garnered a nasty letter to the editor (see "Wiki Fit") from one Daniel Case.
All in all, wikipedia's pretty accurate and surprisingly comprehensive.ReplyDelete
I don't feel much need for an alternative.
- AnonymousJune 21, 2007 2:15 am
Ali, you never were one to fully appreciate the blessings and guidance of "gentle expert oversight". Ingrate!ReplyDelete
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text:
The journey of a Southern widowed lady stranded in the Mid-west surviving the
perils and pearls of grief, adult children, grandchildren, writing, retirement, and assorted crises.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year......
I guess I thought maybe there would be some radical change in the way I feel. That things would look brighter. I wouldn't feel the weight of 2009. I thought when the calendar flipped over that something would change. But if there was supposed to be some excitement or magical feeling, I missed it. The year is an hour and 45 minutes old and nothing has changed except the time and date.
I never remember a new year that I cared so little about. I don't have any goals to meet. I don't make resolutions anyway (remember the post: Lies in Fancy Dress). No positive ideals to pin to the refrigerator. Just another day at the office.So, I'm on my way to bed. I've pretty much wasted the first two hours anyway.
First Laugh of the Morning
In a rush to work one morning, I pulled up to the drive-through window at a fast-food restaurant and ordered some coffee.
Because I was in a hurry, I asked them to put a couple of ice cubes in the coffee so it would cool down more quickly and I could drink it faster.
I sat there at the pick-up window for a few minutes, wondering where they had to go to get my coffee, when a frustrated teenager finally came up and said, "I'm sorry for the delay, but the ice you wanted in your coffee keeps melting!"
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Four Days of . . .?
But I always get sidetracked. Everyone needs something.I really don't want much company these days. I'm what the head guys call an introvert, and probably a pretty extreme one if they knew the whole story. Social events actually tire me out. Extroverts are energized by social events.
So, what will I do. At the moment, I'm exhausted. It has been a rather trying week and I'm just spent. We all went out tonight to celebrate my youngest son's birthday. He's 26.
I came home and have been making some CD's to listen to in the car so I can continue to brush up on the Spanish. I haven't been doing it much at night the last couple of weeks. Mainly because I've been so depressed I haven't touched the book.
I"m going to bed I think now. I'd like to get up in the morning and feel good. It is raining out, been pouring for hours.. I do hope it won't be too cold or it will be ice and that will sort of put a crimp in my plans for tomorrow night.
Everyone have a happy new year, if I'm not back before then. You are all the most wonderful friends. Thank you all for your encouraging comments the last couple of days. I do read them. And they do help. When things seem darkest, it is nice to have someone strike a match.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Long Dark Night
There were several places that described it. Wiki says, "a phase in a person's spiritual life, marked by a sense of loneliness and desolation." Another site that I believe has something to do with eastern religion said, "It is a feeling of having been abandoned by God, characterized by an extreme sense of loneliness, and often a sense of futility and an experience of all efforts coming out the opposite of what is expected." (http://www.kundalini-teacher.com/symptoms/darknight.php)
I actually read the page where that was found because it seemed to fit several periods in my own life where things just didn't make sense and melted away to a kind of blackness. It is where I reside at the moment. Abandonment, desolation, loneliness, everything you attempt fails. . . pretty much sums it up. A long dark night.
I wrote the preceding at 9:33 this morning. The day degenerated from that point, a spiral into an abyss. I fell apart around 2 p.m. A coworker came to my office and found me. After failing to find a way to help me the boss came in and sent me home for the day. Probably for the best. When I got to the house I was basically an emotional train wreck. Took nearly two hours to get to the point I could get out of bed.
I asked to get Sarah earlier in the day and I went and got her and spent the rest of the evening trying to stay focused on blue eyes, blond hair and gamin grins. We made supper together, ate, played with the doll house, watched Barney, played with some other toys, read about four Curious George stories (she has a huge book of about eight).
A few times she caught me upset and said, "Don't be sad Mawmaw, I'm here." Once she said, "Don't be afraid. I'm right here Mawmaw. I not gone leave you." I wanted to smile but couldn't quite pull it off. She has gone home now and I'm on my way to shower and to bed. I feel as if I've run 50 miles. I've been sleepy for hours.
But a long dark night of the soul. I experienced such a thing once years ago. I didn't know that is what it was then but after reading the explanation, I'm certain of it. And this is another version. You would think, after all this time, I'd be used to it. I'd just straighten up, wash my face and get on with my life. And it sounds like a good idea. If I thought I had a life. If I thought it matter, or if I cared. I'm finding it harder and harder to find something that would make me care.
Maybe I want life easy. I probably do. Jerry and I made our plans. We knew what life would be. We loved our church and little family. We didn't have anything else. But it was just enough to keep us happy. We were happy, for a little while. We would work. Our sons would grow up to be productive men, honest, Godly men who loved God and who would have good jobs and families of their own. We'd have grandchildren, several, just down the road where we could be surrounded on holidays with those who meant the most to us and that we could see in church on Sunday carrying on the faith we had tried to instill. And we'd grow old together and watch their children have children and we would leave a legacy behind of, not money, but character and dedication and devotion.
The last month of his life I watched my husband lose all those dreams at once. I watched him let go of them and weep for his life. I listened to him talk about the disappointment he felt at all of it. I didn't know I was getting a last confession. But I tried to reassure and absolve him, I hope. At least I told him it wasn't his fault. He did the best he could to see that it all happened. I have hoped every day since January 29th that he found some comfort in those things. That he did not die feeling like a failure because of what was around him. People should not die with no sense of achieving something good. I think he did. I'm certain he did.
Now, I am not sure it is possible to ever feel like I did the right things. I am sure that there is nothing anyone can say or do to change that. Truth cannot be changed.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday Morning Yuck
Wait! That's not how it goes... is it?
It is in Indiana. And colder than. . . well, I don't know if there is a song for that. It is 28 degrees. Only a few degrees warmer than it was last night. If we had some sun it might be better.
I didn't have a very good evening yesterday. I woke up feeling o.k. but it was a slippery slope and all downhill. I went to church but it was very difficult for some reason. I just felt closed off and distant. The day wore on and I wanted to feel better but couldn't seem to get there. I didn't go to church that night and that was probably a bad idea. But I sat and cleaned out two desk drawers. I have a third to go. It kept my mind off some things but I kept finding these little notes Jerry wrote reminding him of either an appointment or phone number. I still have his social security card with his signature. He had the loveliest handwriting for a man. When I run across these things I just have this dagger shoved in my chest and I can't breath.
I'm going to start throwing away stuff but it is really hard. I tend to hang on to things thinking I'll "need" it but some of it I've not touched in years! It is terrible. I did that in the garage and ultimately it was a good choice. It is harder in the house. I still don't know what to do about some items.
I want to get rid of some furniture that I have, too. I am trying to get things sorted out. I am going to try and do the faucets this weekend myself. Mike said he will help me but it will require a lot of supervision since he tends to be careless and I don't need a plumbing disaster on a Saturday. It is my shower so if it gets messed up I have a serious problem. I tried calling a handyman service but they would only recommend a plumber!
Remember to keep Jilly's grandson in your prayers. Flynn went back to the hospital and is not doing well. He is only 5 weeks old and has lost 10% of his body weight. That's very bad for a baby.
I'm going home to lunch now and take a much needed break. The day is not going well I think. I just feel very depressed.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Catching Up With Myself
I'm about to leave to pick up Mike and head off to church. I almost did not go this morning. Neck, hands, and BOTH calf muscles are hurting. The calf muscles hurt yesterday but today I think they are a bit worse. I haven't really had pain in the left one much before but today they're a match. Got a headache, too.
Tried to call to see if I could take Sarah to church. No answer. Surprise. Why do I even bother? Because I am accountable if I don't at least try.
Sorry, not going there this morning. I can't handle it.
Last night I took my laptop to bed and watched the first Lord of the Rings while lying in the comfort and warmth of my bed. That was really NICE! I do not have a television in my bedroom. I think it is a terrible idea. I have sleep problems anyway and that will only add to them. I was up until 2 a.m. watching them. I have been up since 8 a.m. this morning. I've stopped worrying about getting enough sleep. I am taking my meds regularly, although two night I didn't take the muscle relaxant... (could be why the calves are hurting). I was very late getting to bed those night and don't like to take it after 10 p.m. However, I also went and bought my melatonin. I had run out a few weeks ago and just have not remembered to get it.
I was getting all the supplements I take and Mike looked at my basket and said, "MOM! What is all that?" I told him I have to take it all. There was Super B complex, melantonin, Calcium, Vitamin D, Chromium Picolante, milk thistle, and vitamine E. I told him that wasn't all I take either and did not include prescription meds.
I talked with my friend in Michigan last night, the one whose daughter has not been well. He said she is going to have to stay with him and drop out of school here. I think that is a good thing. She needs to be with family for support. There was too much pressure here.
It is very odd really that call. I was on my way home from Mike's and had picked up my cell phone to call Mike about something I forgot to tell him. While it was ringing something said Call R--- R----. It was so strong that I forgot why I was calling Mike and hung up. I drove a few blocks and finally decided that was a instruction that demanded attention. I thought about waiting until I got home and finish calling Mike. But the reason I was calling Mike was totally gone. My phone rang and it was Mike wanting to know why I hung up before he could answer. I told him I forgot why I was calling. I told him I'd call back. Then I immediately tried my friend's number and no answer. I left a message to say I was just checking up on them to see that all was going well and if his daughter was doing better.
I went home and about half an hour later I got a call. It was my friend. He had got my message. I told him why I was calling and asked how things were going. He said, "Well, when you called we were having a discussion and that's why I couldn't answer. I can't believe the timing of your call! It's amazing." I told him about my "orders" and that I usually try and follow them. He told me he was glad I did.
Apparently, the discussion was about things they had not said to one another and was emotioinal for both of them but he felt they had begun to work some things out. He wanted to talk a bit about it. So we did. When we hung up I was glad I had called, too. It was apparent that things were looking better for them and I was relieved. I think he was relieved to share the load a bit. But that's what friends are for.
And now, I must get to church! Mike will be having a cow.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
My Bow (and Tree) To the Season
I do now wish to celebrate as I've said before. I bought the bow from a girl at work who makes them and taped it to my front door. I'll have to take a photo of it. It really is lovely. I have a Santa on my coffee table. And today, I put up the tree... on Multiply. Lovely blue lights.
Currently, it is a bright.... scratch that. It is a dark gloomy day. I don't believe I've ever seen as much cloud cover in my life as I have this winter! It is unreal. Not much snow, some rain, and lots of darkness. I thought we were going to fry and instead, we will die from lack of sunlight!
I forgot to get my vitamins and have to go to the store today and pick them up. They increased my Vitamin D from 2000 units to 3000. Well, with no sunlight I can't expect much help.
I'm depressed and have a headache today. I took the wrong meds this morning. I took the ones I usually take at night. I have a pill minder but I have done this a couple of times. I was distracted and not thinking.
For the most part, it isn't serious but I have to figure it out because it could be if my meds were more serious meds. I take two meds both morning and night and they are probably the most risky. So that's fine. But I don't take my fluid pill at night and I don't take metformin (diabetic med) at night. So, I had to go take those. I take a different BP med at night from in the mornings so, that could be a potential problem and I'll call the pharmacy about it. Could be where my headache is from. The only remaining pill is the muscle relaxant. I only take it at night although it is prescribed for 3x a day. It won't hurt me except at some point I expect to be sleepy.
A l little excitement arrived today. I stopped posting this long enough to go check my mail at the front desk this morning. I had a card from someone. I thought it was Jilly because of the postmark and wondered why she'd send me a second Christmas card at this address since she already sent me one at home. It wasn't from Jilly. I opened it in the front office and was showered with stars... and hearts, and snowflakes, and glittery wreaths. I laughed and said, "KATEY!" I had just read Riete's blog this morning and remembered Katey's blog a week or so ago. Yes, she sent me glitter. It was so funny. I went to show a friend, sharing a small bit of my glitter on her desk. She smiled and grabbed it up saying, "Its pink! I have to keep it." Everything in her office is pink.
So, Katey, thank you for the sparkly card and the stars. I like getting cards at work now and then. I'm here all day and it is a bright spot in my day. Everyone wonders who they are from. I get to say things like "My friend on my blog." or " My friend in England." They ALWAYS say, "REALLY?" And I get them at home too so I have had nice things waiting for me after work.
Lisa, I got your card and the CD but don't know if I told you. I forget sometimes. I love guitar music and so it was perfect. It will be playing this week at home. I still have last year's, too. I like playing holiday music.
Thank you all who have sent a card or gift. I so appreciate your thoughtfulness. I always liked getting Christmas cards but this year they have meant so much more to me than usual. To know you thought of me and took the time to tell me had been so lovely. I always try and send cards out but this year I just didn't even think about it so I apologize for not sending any in return. BUT I've written down all the addresses! So, I hope next year will be more cheerful and I will be able to send out lots of cards.
I have to go to lunch now. I've taken several hours to compile this. A break here and there. Good thing there is a draft feature to Multiply. If I don't talk to you all before Christmas Day, I hope it is a lovely one for every one of you. I probably will be here. You know I'm here all the time!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Late Night
So, I just got home. David (Sarah's daddy) was in the ER for the same bug. Vomiting and fever. Becca is sick and vomiting and has to stay with Sarah tonight. I felt bad for her. I don't know what to do. There isn't anyone else who can do it. I have to work in the a.m. but I don't know how Becca is going to rest and look out for that baby. David was seen and will stay with her. He felt a bit better only because they gave him zofran. But he can't buy the script for it since he has no money and no insurance and no job. I sure can't pay for it either. It is nearly $100 a pill.
Of course, we know that Obama is going to fix all this. Everyone will be given all the medicine they need. When they need it. FREE medical care for all. Since I don't believe ANYTHING on the planet is free, I wonder who will pay for it?
Anyway, they are all at the hospital spending the night. We tried to get Becca to go through the ER but she said she wasn't spending $10,000 to get a shot of zofran and a bottle of salt water. She went and bought gatorade and will try and make it through the night on her own. At least she is in the hospital. Although, they won't help her unless she goes through the ER.
If you pray, you might say a pray or three for them all.
It's Snowing In S. Indiana
They've had Sarah at the E. R. twice today. The second time was because she was still vomiting and she couldn't keep the medicine down that kept her from vomiting. They have given her an IV to get fluids in her but I don't know if they will keep her or not.
Going to shower now.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Saturday Snow
It is snowing. Tiny, wet flakes that aren't sticking to the ground are swirling around an covering things. It has been cold enough here to make it stick. The ground has not frozen this season so until that happens, I don't look for any snow to stick. Fine by me.
I bought myself a pretty today. A new quilt and shams for my bed.
Once it was on the bed, I was so excited and I realized that my rug that I had bought went perfectly with the spread! Don't mind the blue blanket hanging down. I'm going to get a cream colored one so it blends better. I will buy a bed skirt in the summer perhaps, when the blankets come off.
Later, I went shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond looking for a bed table. You know, the kind that you can have breakfast in beds with. I found curtains I think would be perfect in with it. The picture of the online isn't as pretty as the curtains because you can't see the detail. They are room darkening and lined with a fleece for warmth. They are burgundy silk with gold flowers embroidered. They have a pair the color of the rug and quilt but I think too much of that light color will make the room a bit dull. I love rich tones like those in the prints. '
Now I just have to paint it all. I'm quite excited about it. Of course the curtains will cost me the earth. If I buy them I'll spend over $150 for two windows! That's obscene. But I could see it in my head! Now for a wall color. I'm thinking the dark gold in the curtain embroidery and the background of the rug.
I hope you can read the article. I get emails from the Mercola site and that is where it came from. I've posted some of the content below the link. He gives comments after the short article but I didn't copy those.
December 17 2009 | 30,626 views
Scientists at Northwestern University reported that playing specific sounds while people slept helped them remember more of what they had learned before they fell sleep, to the point where memories of individual facts were enhanced.
Researchers taught people to move 50 pictures to their correct locations on a computer screen. Each picture was accompanied by a related sound, like a meow for a cat and whirring for a helicopter.
Then, 12 subjects took a nap, during which 25 of the sounds were played along with white noise. When they awoke, none realized that the sounds had been played or could guess which ones had been used. Yet almost all remembered more precisely the computer locations of the pictures associated with the 25 sounds that had been played while they slept, doing less well placing the other 25 pictures.
The study adds a dimension to a theory that sleep allows the brain to process and consolidate memories.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tales in the Dark
The title for this post and the scripture came several weeks ago, on Dec 17. I put the title in the box and wrote the scripture and then. . . nothing. I had nothing else to say. A tiny bell had rang and I it felt important. So, since I thought it was stupid to post like that, I saved it in my drafts. I've looked at it several times in confusion wondering what I had wanted to say. I didn't know. Still I had the sense it meant something. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it so I just closed it up again.
January 1, I was reading my Bible and a second bell went off. I thought fleetingly "That's odd." I learned long ago that nothing is really coincidental. Things happen for a reason. You don't have to agree. But small things are like pebbles dropped in a lake. They start ripples that move outward, forever if the source is large enough. In theory, if you drop one in the middle of the Atlantic there will be ripples that become waves that have great impact somewhere.
A second bell went of when I read the following scripture. "So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was" Ex. 20:21 The word "was" was not in the original Hebrew text. It is put there for clarity. It is italicized in the KJV to show this. So, Moses drew near the thick darkness where God.
I did nothing at first when I found it. But it kept coming to my mind and eventually I got out of bed that evening and marked it in yellow in my study Bible. Again, I had that sense that this was important... at least to me. Remember, I once said this blog is about me? So, I set up a marker and left the verse in the Bible.
Today, I became restless. That verse has continued to 'gnaw' at me and the post I had started but not finished. I decided to search for the phrase "darkness" in the Bible. Nothing else. Just that. I began to read each entry that fit my search criteria. Darkness is a broad term and not all verses I found seemed to relate, they didn't give me that same clanging sound in my head. But I did start to notice the connection to the word "God" in some of the results. Mentally, I refined my search farther.
Of course, as Christians we don't connect God to darkness. He's all about light. Bringing light to the world and lighting our paths. He's the bright and morning star. His light has expanded to encompass the globe in nations once shrouded in thick darkness. Everything we learn about God is stated in terms of brilliance. The Bible clearly states these terms in regard to God's character. It even says that God is not found in darkness.
As I searched I started pasting all the scriptures to my document. I realized I was in trouble because I usually over research things anyway and the Bible is a big book and the word "darkness" is repeated . . . well. . . a lot.
Bells and Voices
So, I further refined mentally. I formulated a filter to assist. What was I looking for based on the two verses already "given" to me? Surprisingly, I sort of knew the answer, too. God can be found in darkness. That bell clanged loudly. Well, that flies in the face of all Christianity! It was just a little voice that slipped past the sound of the bell.
However, after reading all the scriptures that I felt were closely related to my first two and seemed catch in my filter, I noted two things. In the Old Testament God was frequently mentioned as "inhabiting darkness". In the New Testament, he was frequently mentioned "inhabiting light" and literally banishing darkness. It confused me at first but after thinking about it a bit, it made sense to me. Jesus is considered to be the light of the world. We believe he illuminated the darkness where God dwelt. There was a distant clang there but I felt that was not the direction I was headed today. I note it for another study.
I listed all the scriptures I felt related in some way to my first two and my filter. There are dozens but I won't use them all and only include them for those truly interested in reading them. For my purpose, I'm looking for the reason those first two verses keep ringing in my head. What do they mean?
As I did my search, I notice that in many places where God revealed important information to a person, he did it in thick darkness. Sometimes, the human being was terrified. Sometimes, they simply took the news and made the necessary changes. But most of the time I suspect they were scared witless. That's why so much dictation took place. When you are afraid and in the dark, you don't think too well.
"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him." Gen. 15:12
"And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:" Ex. 10:22
"The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness." 1 Kings 8:12
"Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne." Ps 97:2
In each instance God was cloaked in darkness but he was there, acting in some capacity. Giving Abram a dream, dealing with the stubborn Egyptians. That was interesting to me. I've been living in very dark places. Today I was still in those dark places. It was frightening and I don't think to well but. . .at least I am hearing bells.
Fire And Smoke
The next thing I found was the story of the Exodus that tells of where God put a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. This was to protect the Hebrews and not allow their recapture. What I didn't know was that there was a dual perception to this cloud/pillar.
To me the pillar of fire could easily be seen as a cloud in the daylight because . . . well, it produced huge quantities of smoke. I've seen enormous fires that appeared to be nothing but thick billowing smoke. You couldn't even see the fire! Until it got dark. What I found in the scripture was that the Egyptians only perceived the darkness. They never saw the pillar of fire! Read the verse with an emphasis on the terms "them" and "these" and you will see what I mean.
"And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night." Ex. 14:20
This cloud was darkness to the Egyptians but it was light to the Hebrews. The Egyptians didn't see the light! They saw only a great towering darkness before them and they aren't about to cross that line. Remember that I said in the Old Testament God cloaked himself in thick darkness.
"And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness." Ex 4:11
"These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me." Deut. 5:22
Everyone outside the cloud saw thick darkness. Moses walked along the road and stepped into that darkness.
Down A Dark Road
Many of the things I found referred to the impact of this darkness on others. Frequently, darkness is laid across someone's path. This darkness was so thick, so terrible that the wicked couldn't even speak when confronted with it.
"He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail." 1 Sam 2:9
It always surrounded the Almighty. "And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies." 2 Sam. 22:12 & Ps. 18:11
"He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet." 2 Sam. 22:10 & Ps. 18:9
Trouble in the Dark
Job said that God set the darkness in his path. He couldn't avoid it; it was across the path he had to take. Moses had to go into the darkness? Why? Why would God set darkness in the path of anyone, particularly people he held in high regard? Would God put darkness in our paths?
"He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths." Job 19:8
"He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old." Lam. 3:2 & 6
"When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness." Job 30:26
WHY? The question screamed at me. WHY? Why he do that? And if it was there, why would anyone enter that darkness as Moses had? Why would they have to go through the darkness at all? There is no light there. It is a darkness you can feel, that burns its way into your soul and consumes you. You don't know what is there waiting. Why would I go into that darkness? Dear Lord! Do you hear those bells? There are secrets in the dark.
"He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him." Dan 2:22
"And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." Isa 45:3
"He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death." Job 12:22
There is more to this story, but not today. There are a dozen more scriptures, but they'll still be there later. Today, that is what I needed to know. I heard it in the dark.
"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." Isa 60:1-2
"And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." Isa. 42:16
"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." Micah 7:8
Can you hear the bells ringing all over the house?
I can.
Leaky Faucets and Rotting Corpses
Around 10 p.m. last night I simply descended into hell. Sometimes it feels like I'm dying and it frightens me. You just can't breath. I don't think I've descended that far in a while. It is the worst place to be and there really is no escape. Once you hit the steepest part of the slope there is nothing to stop you, nothing to grab onto. You end up at the bottom with bloody knees, torn nails and a bruised soul.
This is as far from normal as you ever want to get. Everything is upside down. I look around my house and feel, despite it being clean and fairly organized, that it is a waste land. Devoid of anything that makes it home. I don't love it anymore. It doesn't love me either.
I see things I'd like to get done and find I just really don't care anymore. The hot water faucet in the tub is leaking. The half bath toilet has no water in the tank because it was leaking and I just turned it off, cleaned out the bowl, and poured cleaning solutions through it to make sure it was clear of any odors. The kitchen faucet has a leak; I've mopped up water underneath it twice this week. The leak in the bottom of the tub I've stopped, I think with spray foam that expanded to form a round glop in the bottom of the tub. It's stuck there until I discover if I'm up to taking it out and put in a new one.
But I don't care, actually. I know these things need fixing. I just don't see how or when or even if I want to. I've no problem turning off the water to the kitchen sink and tub but I actually have to wash dishes and take a bath. But I no longer use the half bath toilet since it has no water. I just brush my teeth in there and fix my hair because it has the best light and mirrors. Most of the time it is closed off.
We're just rotting corpses. Dust to dust. Eventually, we'll just be dust.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Twiddling My Thumbs
As most of you know, I've been in fairly dark places the last week. I apologize if anyone is bothered by that. I wish I could say it won't happen again. I can't. At the moment, I'm better. I have gotten some much needed rest. I went to bed last night at 9:30 p.m.. I've said before I am pretty sure that lack of sleep is one of the biggest problems and it makes everything else profoundly worse. I have noticed when I don't sleep, I become severely depressed and distraught. Everything snowballs.
With that early night, I got up at 6 a.m. this morning! That's a lot of sleep. I was so tired I could hardly stand it. It was such a dreadful weekend that I think I was just spent by Monday morning. When I got home I was nearly a zombie. And I was frustrated about going to bed so early but I simply could not stay up any longer. Once in bed, I was out in in minutes
I'm doing something you will think very odd. For the last two nights, I have turned on one of my Spanish language tapes when I went to bed. Last night I only woke up once that I recall when there was a change of speaker on the tape. It only last 45 minutes anyway.
I've used this technique for years to learn things. I did it all the time in college, taping my notes and listening to them. I've recommended this to probably half a dozen other people and each one who tried it said it was tremendously helpful. My theory is that hearing your own voice actually helps your brain accept the information. There were several information intensive course I had and this worked for me. I need to find my pillow speaker, though. I am just using the player's speakers and last night I had to turn it down. Sunday night it didn't bother me but it did last night. I finally got a comfortable level and was fine but I recall the speaker pillow was really good.
I'm trying to brush up on my Spanish and I figured that a good way would to get my "ear"in tune by letting it play when I was asleep. I read Spanish fairly well up to a point; I'm rusty. But understanding spoken Spanish is difficult for me because I've never got to use it. I'll let you know if I can detect an improvement. I plan on making recordings of my own voice soon and see if that will help with my spoken Spanish, too.
I began editing The End of Winter this morning. Yes, this morning at 7 a.m. I wanted to start this weekend but when I'm so mentally stressed and tired I simply can't function. I was very upset by not being able to do any writing this weekend. This particular story is probably one of my favorites and I'd really like to get it presentable. I have a good group of writers whose opinions I trust so I think I'll know if it is worth the effort. But if I can't keep my focus I'm never going to be able to do this. I'm beginning to think I'll never be clear headed again. Surely if I can crank out 20,000 in one week I can edit an already written work!
Now, I should get back to work. I'm here twiddling my thumbs and I'm thinking about asking to leave a bit early today. I have 3 hours of personal time and if I don't take it I will lose it at the end of the year. Maybe I should wait until Friday and take it all? I'm already wanting to go home so I don't know.
Hope you all have a good Tuesday.
Monday, December 14, 2009
I will never love snow or the thought of snow again.
I'm about as tired tonight as I can ever remember being. And I did very little this weekend but sit and keep a tight rein on my emotions. But they still slipped the reins and took off across the field. I was left behind in a heap.
Now, I want to lie down but I have things I'd like to do. I wanted to write but I can't think. I wanted to read, but I can't think. I wanted to watch something, but I can't think.My brain seems to be straining to even get this simple, unimaginative post out. I've had a headache all day but am too frightened anymore to take the meds for it. Ludicrous.
I'm going to bed. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Ain't it the truth.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Holiday Hells
What are these Holiday Hells? Amazingly enough they are everywhere.
Yards filled with elf, snowman, or Santa balloons half filled with air. I passed one the other day of a toy soldier who had lost half his air. He was bent at the waist, his face near the ground, one arm raised. He looked like he was praying. What does a toy soldier, an air filled toy soldier, have to do with Christmas? Maybe he was praying, asking the same question.
Stores with long lines of people who are generally in a nasty mood because they are having to stand in a long line to buy gifts for people they don't actually like anyway. Or complaining because they can't afford it and will be miserable into June because they spent too much.
Traffic jams at already poorly planned intersections, where horns blow for no apparent reason and to no apparent effect except to annoy those of us waiting patiently for the moron at the front of the line to realize the whole world has stopped in their tracks and is waiting for them to GO ON!
Christmas songs, with few religious ones, in every store in town that play over and over and over beginning in August and that we are all heartily sick of by December 1 but still have four weeks of them left. We don't even hear the words anymore, never mind feel the spirit that they were originally written to express.
Oh Holy Hell is what you hear the stressed mother in the toy aisle singing because she's trying to shop with her children and they are kicking and screaming and throwing tantrums because she won't let them pick up every item on the shelf. She's forgotten all about the wonder of the Holy Night. And Silent Night? That won't happen until after the kids are in bed and she can pull the plug on the television that had been running for 12 hours because her husband has been glued to the sports channel.
And my own personal holiday hells?
Waking up every few hours to pain strapped around my shoulders like a yoke.
Dragging myself out of bed for church and wondering why I have to live another day with this kind of pain, without Jerry. Wishing my children would go to church with me but knowing there is no point even asking anymore.
Sitting through worship service at church, clutching a fist of tissue until it is little more than dust so I can keep some of my dignity and composure while actually wanting to crawl under the pew and scream and scream and scream.
Enduring hugs from wonderful, well-meaning friends who tell me to hang on, it gets better.
Finding the sun shining as I come out of the church and as I head toward home, thinking how nice it would be if Jerry and I could take a drive somewhere this afternoon all while realizing it will never happen again.
Watching my son do something the way his father always did it.
Happy Holidays.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Live from My Study, It's Saturday Night
I don't know if anyone could view the snowball fight video I uploaded. Seems some might not have been able to work it. I'm reposting it with Youtube so we'll see how it works.
I'm going for a hot shower. As I suspected, I didn't get to write today. No spare time anywhere but I have pulled off the first chapter of The End of Winter. I think I will start there. We'll see.
Snowball Fight
Snowball fight
Friday, December 11, 2009
Are We Having FUN Yet!
I've got a couple of NaNo'ers joining me. But you don't have to be a NaNowrimo to participate in this challenge. Just love to write. Remember you set the total goal, divide it up and write the appropriate number of words each day that wiil get you to the big finish.
Cass, I think Nina is going to join Multiply so who knows, she may catch the late train.
I have a birthday party to go to tomorrow night. Shhhh, it is a surprise so I won't breath a word until after the festivities. She isn't on this blog but I don't know if she reads my blogs! So, quiet!
I had a busy day at work and am thoroughly tired. Sitting four hours in a chair watching the overhead and computer screen for training is a literal pain in my neck. I'm going to the shower soon and then, I plan on pulling up my old NaNo and see if it is up for rewrite. I want to work on an existing work so it will be a bit harder to count my words. I"ll have to do a bit more math. I hate math.
By the way, I've fallen apart about every day this week, usually at night around bedtime. Particularly when I turn out the lights and look at the ceiling with the tiny glowing stars we put up. How will I ever take them down to paint now?
I think I'm more or less learning that it is going to happen. I can't prevent it, stop it, or make it any better. I've managed to gather some wonderful people around me that are just tremendous at popping in with a call, email or lunch (feeding the wounded is ingrained in all of us) and they have made life tremendously easier to cope with. I'm grateful for that. The night the writers group is here are so filled with laughter that is is very difficult to be depressed afterward. Of course, I manage somehow 8-(. I seem to love a challenge.
I'm finding nights in general a real problem at the moment . . . yes, I know, again. Look I have no idea what comes next. I don't like this position I'm in. If Jerry were alive, I'd be ranting and raving at him for doing this to me. That's stupid. I wouldn't be in this position if he were. I'd throw something, I'm sure. . . . . not that I ever did that before.
It is just so frightening to be approaching this . . . this deadline. I've considered what I'd be doing on the critical days the 25th, 11th, & 29th. It defies me because I don't want to think about them. So, I don't. . . much. A little.
For now, shower. Later, plotting.....
20 Day Challenge Prep
Also, here is a link to Writetopia's page where you can find a word count gadget to put on your page showing what your total word count is and where you are each day. They have several fun one. You just have to paste the code on your page and it shows up. If you have trouble with the coding.... ask me and I'll try and give you a hand.
Writetopia Toolbox
All right. We're doing our stretches. The event starts tomorrow, whatever time you want to start. Set a daily goal, find the total you should be at on the 20th day an get started before midnight tomorrow. Good luck! You can't lose!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sacrifices and Service
I only ran across this story tonight. Next time you think you have sacrificed anything, or that you've given some great service, remember these men.
I was speechless when I read it. Honored that these were American men willing to risk everything in service to their country. And amazed at their family's ability to sustain such a terrible loss. They couldn't even bury their children but instead, had to settle for memorial stones.
Challenge Issued, Hurdles to Come
His dare is 800 words a day for 20 days beginning Saturday. So far, Sarah and Kathy have accepted but Sarah went for a higher count, around 1071 and I shot back with a challenge of my own. 1000 x 20 days. That is 20,000 words.Piece of cake.
He won't let me back out either. He'll send me thousands of emails calling down all kinds of wrath on me. He'll taunt me unmercifully, call me all manner of coward.
So, beginning Saturday, I'm writing again, dashing down the road to reach a goal, jumping 1000 word hurdles! Any NaNo'er's out there care to join us?
Our group has tentatively titled ourselves the Misfit Writ Crit - al la our Empress Sarah in jest (Sarah of the writing group, not my G'daughter). We all discovered last night than none of us had ever been in a clic or one of the in-crowd. LOL, ergo, MIsfits. Sarah has a gift . . . of gab and words and all kinds of things. All my Multiply friends would love her immensely. I'm betting her title is going to stick.
I spent the afternoon in software training. We're getting better with it but still not really pleased. But you do what you have to do. That is my philosophy about pretty much everything. Now, my back, esp my neck is not good from sitting and craning my neck back and forth to see the overhead and the monitor and talk to my neighbors, show someone how to do something they didn't get, etc.
They did tell us they've moved the roll out back another month to February. Glory be! Glad someone grew a brain. It has been horrendous. You could hear a huge sigh go up around the department.
I'm going to go now. I want to plan some stuff to write for the coming three weeks. I'm really thinking of working on one of the previous NaNo's. That would be really cool. So, I'll go for now. Might be back later.
Weekend alert! It's right THERE!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
And Tuesday Arrived Wrapped in Shimmering Gray
I went to bed at 9:30 last night. I just was so tired. I didn't get up until 6:30 this morning. That's 9 hours sleep! I have not been taking the Doxepin because I just needed my head cleared for a bit. It does get me foggy after about a week but it makes me sleep better at night. Although, I still take the muscle relaxant and melatonin. Maybe I just need a regular bedtime.
I'm not good and I can't tell why. I'm very depressed. I recognize the signs. Then, there is that hollow feeling that never really leaves and looms larger some days. I don't know if you can understand this concept but have you ever stood next to an open elevator shaft that had no elevator in it? I have and that is what it feels like. This yawning hole, not really threatening, just disconcerting.
Lately, I've been on the verge of tears all the time. I manage to maintain my composure for the most part. Yesterday, at my desk I just started to cry and had to close my door. I've been hearing things in the house again, as if someone is there. One night I got up and searched the whole place. It wasn't fun. I don't actually tell that to people much. I'm not imaginative in that way. I've always been pretty down to earth. A noise is a noise. I can't say the noises frighten me. I don't frighten easily, thankfully. I just don't like hearing sounds of people walking or moving about. I've not had mice for some time and they are not shy about leaving me signs so it isn't mice. I guess I'm not used to being afraid. And I am, most of the time.
I'm seeing my counselor today. I don't anticipate a very positive session. I'm very depressed. I did take Mike to lunch with me. He's the only one who calls these days or answers his phone when I call. It is always an adventure with Mike. You never know what mood he will be in. Today he was still coughing from the cold he can't seem to shake. But I think his mood was good all the same. I think he's been getting more sleep.
I'll be glad when my aunt comes back from her cruise. She calls everyday and it is nice to hear from her. My writer's group meets tomorrow night and that crew is always entertaining and just a pleasure to see.
Let's face it. I despise this whole thing. I'm not going to "get used to it". I'm not going to "get past it". I'm not going to "adjust". Makes me sound like one of those old televisions with the "rabbit ears" (you know those two pronged antenna that you had to put foil on and have someone adjust them so you could see a picture). I don't know how I am supposed to adjust.
I'm going to go home tonight and maybe go to the Y or I may be taking Mike to the store for some items he needs. We can argue about the merits of what he wants and who's paying. LOL, adventure, remember?
Monday, December 7, 2009
It's Oooooverrrr!
Unless I win the lottery.
I don't believe in the lottery and never bought tickets before. I think my husband bought one once. But my boss plays it religiously. He goes around spending his winning... which he has yet to obtain. As a joke, I' tossed a few dollars at him telling him that it is money down a black hole but if he feels luck then I'm game. He laughed. I've been right so far. But sometimes I wish God had a perverse sense of humor and would let one of those dollars win the big pot. Proving that my lack of faith in anything is incorrect. Neither I nor God are laughing at this point.
No, I do not regularly play the lottery. Never have played before now. Last time I looked stupidity wasn't a sin. Be terrible if it was since there is sooooo much of it. But I'm two dollars broker. And that is probably a bigger sin. I would have been anyway when I spent it on a coke and apple pie that are neither good for me. Do not go out and buy lottery tickets. They are a waste of money. I don't advocate it. But I told him today that when I woke up I wanted to quit my job and if I felt even the least lucky I'd buy a ticket. If I dreamed the numbers tonight I might be very tempted.
I went to the doctor. I have bursitis in my upper arm and am to go to the orthopaedic doctor. They will give me a shot of cortisone to get rid of the pain. You know, I seem to recall months ago hitting my arm up there and thinking, "that's going to hurt tomorrow." I don't remember thinking about it again. But apparently, IT didn't forget. I can't remember what I hit but I hit it rather hard. Now, I can hardly brush my hair, can't lift a coffee mug from the shelf, and can't carry some items in a certain way without terrible pain. My arm just won't comply without biting me. And my shoulder is giving me fits on top of that.
My doctor told me to TAKE caffeine. He said my migraine was a rebound headache. I don't think so.I think I was dehydrated. I had the headache when I got up. I had coffee last night so I wasn't short of it. I've stopped trying to tell him anything on this issue. There all believe caffeine cause headaches and I don't doubt it does in some people. It has never affected me that way and my own evidence tells me it helps me stay migraine free longer. When I told him they get worse in the fall and better after spring, he said, "Oh, that sounds as if you have an allergy!" I told him I had reached that conclusion some time ago but didn't know what to do. So, we are going to get a spray and he will schedule me for allergy shots. Anyone ever had those? Do they work? Forever or just until they end?
My blood sugar is excellent he said.... still. I forgot to get my vitamin D refill. I'm tied. I don't want to go to the store. I'm sick and don't want to go to the Y either.
My blog is dismal, boring, and unenlightening. I hate being this way. Look back at some of the post two years ago. I had a BRAIN at some point. I actually could think for short periods of time. I know there are some lousy posts too but there were some thought provoking ones, interesting one, funny ones. People actually WANTED to read them. Now I feel as if everyone sees the title and wonders what ails me today. "Wonder what she's whining about now?" "How long can she yammer on about that?" "When will she get a clue that we are BORED?"
Don't say you haven't thought it. I have!
I do not like being a curmudgeon. I wonder what happened to the nice southern girl with the lovely manners who never spoke her mind but allowed everyone to speak theirs? What happened to the girl who believed everyone was nice, or good, or salvageable?
Beats me. Not sure she was even real.
You know, sometimes in my mind, I can actually seem myself 30 years ago, walking along with my arm in Jerry's and we're laughing and having a great time. I don't remember a care in the world. They rested on such broad, strong shoulders. I didn't have any reason to be concerned about anything. He always fixed it. Until he got sick. And I resented that he didn't fix things anymore because I didn't know he was sick. And now, I just want someone else to carry the load because it is way too much for me. I'm really just tired. I think sometimes my shoulder hurts because of the load I'm carrying on it.
Monday is over and the bathroom is warm now.
Monday Morning Blahs
I have a mild migraine headache on top of that. I think I may take something in a bit if it isn't better.
I had to go get that lab work done that I keep forgetting. They had to stick me twice in the back of my hand and said they still did not get enough. I think I was dehydrated. I had not had anything to drink and I was sweating when I woke up. The reason for my headache most likely. My doctor will probably be annoyed. I don't care.
My sister's tenant moved out of her rental unit. She is stressed and as a result so am I. I wish she had never bought the thing. The market is bad and she can't keep anyone in it for more than a year. She asked if Mike would want to move into it but he doesn't want to move in. I did ask him and then she asked him. It is a nice apartment but people don't want to pay their bills. They want everything free.
First Dave and Becca lived in it they didn't pay their utility bills and had to go somewhere that the Landlord would pay them. Then, Becca's mom and dad moved in and they didn't pay their security deposit and complained about rent half the time. They just moved out without any notice and they still owe rent because they have the keys. Do you think they will pay it? I doubt it. Actually, the wife moved out first with a cockamamie story that they were going to live in separate places. I told Phyllis to advertise then because I didn't believe he would stay. She believed he'd stay. He calls on the 1st to say he's moving. But he hasn't paid his rent. I told her to file it in court and report it to the credit bureau. They are both on the lease and it is a record for future landlords. There will be others. There always are.
Sadly, I had suggested Dave and Becca and Becca's folks. I thought these were people who were reliable. And they did take care of the place. But you can't live and not work and pay your bills. I've learned my lessons. Mike wants to stay where he is and that is better for him. Probably for me, too.
You know, I'm done with handouts. I give everything I can and all I get is smacked. No matter how nice, no matter how much money I fork out, no matter how I bend over backward to help, I end up with a knife stuck in me. I've been praying about it and asking God if I should change my character to stop this destructive behavior or sever ties with people who behave this way. There are times when someone needs help. And if I can do that then I want to do it. But when the same people come back again and again and again and never offer to return the favor, you got to wonder where the problem lies. I'm thinking I just need to stop rescue operations and everything that resembles favors. Start saying no.
I was asked today who I wanted to give as an emergency contact. Do you know, there wasn't anyone locally? Isn't that crazy? There isn't anyone capable of handling my affairs if something happens to me and I can't act. That is scary. Oh, I give my sister as primary but things are just crazy here.
I've thought over and over about moving but I can't do it. I have my house, my job, Jerry for all that he is dead, is here. I have a church that I truly love, warts and all. I don't know where I'd go. It is a very strange position to be in where those who love you most are gone. I've never realized how hollow life is without that. It pretty much doesn't mean anything. I can see why some people stop believing in anything and become bitter and hard.
Sorry for the depressing rant. I have lots of new friends and I'm grateful for them. I have my friends here on Multiply, nearly all long time friends. I do have family that love me. It just doesn't seem like it sometimes. I looked at Michael the other night and I thought how very very blessed I am to have Michael. In the early months of this nightmare I've been living, Mike was here. He stayed around when everyone else was gone. He didn't ask me questions, try to cheer me up, ask for anything. He sat here watching television or on the computer... just in case. And when I fell apart, he did his best to keep me together and when he couldn't, he made the calls.
He has no job. He has no money. He has no prospects. He has nothing at all. But Michael loves me completely and without any reservations or expectations. He is difficult to handle at times but Michael has, all his life, made my life brighter. He was the sunshine in nearly every day of his life. And the greatest heartbreaks have been for him. But he was just a good boy and still is. Everyone should have a Michael in their pocket. He was well named.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Loose Ends
My father is taking me on a cruise in April. I had to buy my passport this week. I only found out about it a few weeks ago when he emailed to ask me to go with them. He, my step-mom, and my aunt Joan (dad's sister) will all be going together. But Jilly, I had planed on taking a trip to England. I had been thinking about later in the coming year. It would be wonderful. And I just would love to do it. And now, I'll have my passport all ready! So, fingers crossed.
I've never been on a cruise and this will be a five day cruise to Mexico. I'm very excited about it and do so hope I'm not prone to seasickness. I've been on boats before but not for extended periods of time at sea. I have had problems with vertigo in the recent past so not sure how this will play out.
Nano finished on the 30th as you all know and I check out my word count. As I mentioned early on you must write 1667 words a day to be able to finish NaNo and I was all right at first but got dismally behind. By the 15th of the month I was supposed to be at 25000 but was not even close. By the 20th, I was around 10,000 behind without much hope to catch up. Well, here are the number of word I did each day for 30 days. You will see that there are several days of zeros where I was not able to do any writing. Most days, I never made the required total. But notice the last five days.
Those last three days, Saturday - Monday, are unbelievable even to me. And honestly, I do not know, even now, now I managed that. I do remember I was taking frequent breaks because I didn't feel well either. But that's how it broke down. Folks, that is NOT the way to do NaNo. Take my word for it.
So, that catches up some loose ends, I hope. I'll go for now. Have a good week.
I hate Mondays.
Unsunny Sunday
I will be leaving in a moment to pick up Mike for church. He's the only one who goes with me these days. I'm glad for that at least. I don't understand anyone not going. My faith says not to forsake the assembly (of those with like faith). And I so wish Sarah could go to Sunday school. She never gets to interact with children from good backgrounds. And she is not learning her heritage either. I can't do anything about it but it hurts a lot.
Sadly, I see the results of such upbringing in my job. Parents who said, "I don't understand what got into them." But there is no training, no teaching of Godly principles, nothing that would ground a child in holiness. There is a story in the Bible that tells of a whole generation that turned away from God and some bad things were happening. I don't have the scripture here but I think I did post it somewhere. I'll look. The Bible says that it was because they had never heard the teachings of their parents. They didn't know because their parents neglected to instruct them. They didn't take them to the sanctuary to be taught. They forgot to relate the miracles, the blessings, the salvation, the Law. The parents simply didn't get out of bed. A whole generation lost. I have seen another.
I've been depressed for the last week, not horribly, but enough. And there is nothing I can do about that either.
So, I'm out of here to get Mike. I'll be back later or tomorrow or sometime.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Smoking Pen 2009
What a blast it was to visit the Smoking Pen Bar and Grill 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Dancing Shoes
I think I'm getting a cold. My boss was saying yesterday, "You're sick!" I told him I was NOT sick and if he didn't want me missing any work he better not put that on me. But I do think I have a mild cold. I hope it stays mild.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, and dash over to her page for a wave, Nancy January. She just came over to Multiply. Nancy is a new friend that I met in the Smoking Pen Bar and Grill over in the NaNo forums. She is a smart and talented lady as you will see if you read her posts. That's the only kind I have on my blog, by the way.
I went through my contacts this morning and last night. I do not like dropping people but I cleared out people who seem to have disappeared. If I haven't heard from them in a year, I probably won't keep them unless I know something is going on that has kept them away. {sigh} As a result, I find that my contact list doesn't grow past 40. However, that's a manageable number. I can read all the fun and still have time to take care of mine. And they are people who are serious about blogging, and keeping friends they make in the process.
I like that Panorama feature Multiply has come up with because I can read the blogs much faster and comment on the inbox page. The there is one major drawback. I can't see what the pages look like or when you make changes to your pages and that is part of the fun. . . to me. And I spend a lot of time on mine so I would hope people visit it too! I still visit just everyone's just to see how your pages look. {smile} And I announce when I have been making changes to mine. Mine is real purty right now... LOL!
Well, work is calling and despite the 24 degree temp, I have to drag myself out into it. The drive is only about 20 minutes counting stopping for juice and a breakfast burrito. I will be back tonight I'm sure.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Post NaNo TGIO Party
Still, the five of us just sat around and laughed and talked and got to know a bit about each other. The two youngest were Alex and Cassie - 18 or 19 and both college students, Snowgoon (Doug) and Tricksie (Sarah our ML) and I were the older ones in the group. NanNo'ers come in all ages. It was nice and I think we all had a good time just talking, telling amusing things about ourselves. Although, Doug was rather quiet on that point, now that I think about it. Now, I'm just tired and glad it is all over. . . until next year.
Writer's meeting is next week. I really enjoy those meetings. I think we all do. I don't know if they do as much as I do. LOL. These are just very special people and they all make me laugh and forget how lonely life is now. I mentioned to Sarah (Tricksie) tonight before everyone arrived that Kathy had said she thought our writer's group had been brought together by divine intervention. Sarah said that she also felt it was really strange the way we all sort of found each other and that we all really liked each other and seemed to be meeting a need in each other's life.
What is odd is that I haven't really come out and told any of them that I was actually praying for God to please send just such people into my life. You may laugh here but I actually was praying this. I was really losing the battle to hold it together when these four people showed up. . . on my doorstep, so to speak. And they ALL showed up at the same time! Even Doug, whom I'd not even talked to for a year except in an occasional "hi-how-are-you" email.
But this little band of strangers have become very special people to me. Each one is unique and yet the group seems to mesh. Sarah, with her bubbly, laughing personality, inquisitive mind and compassionate heart. Kathy, soft-spoken, open, friendly and so caring. Doug, "our guy", possessed with a great sense of humor that keeps us laughing at every event and in his emails and chats. At first he was quiet but once he gained his confidence in his ability to write, he has opened up and become someone with important things to say. He even settles us down now and then. And finally, Katie, filled with exuberance, excitement about everything, her emails are filled with lots of exclamations points, just like her personality. They've saved my life, my sanity. I don't now if any of them will read this. I'm not arrogant enough to think my blog is everyone's reading of choice, but if they do, I can't thank them enough for extending their friendship and sharing a part of their lives with me.
Now, I am going to bed. I've had a rather frantic week and I'm not done yet. I sort of got my feelings hurt at work, not intentionally but the usual kind of thing people say to people like me without thinking. It just overwhelmed me on my way home and I sort of fell apart when I got home. I kept trying to blow it off, even posted that earlier blog, and kept pointing out to myself that I should just ignore it but still I was hurt but the crassness of it. I finally just decided to go the Panera and leave it for a bit. Of course Sarah met me with that hug of hers and I almost lost it again. LOL, that helped. But um.... I can't actually think about it now either!
Good night all.
This is not a party in the usual sense, folks. So, don't expect much. I expect to be home by 9.
I'm tired from work and it doesn't feel as if the week is half over. But it is and I'm so glad. It is still raining and colder. My Google gadget says 43 degrees F. So, I can't decide what jacket to wear and should I carry a sweater? Will the restaurant be cool or cold or warm or hot?
Well, off now to take care of the pearly whites. Back later with details.
Post NaNO Slow Down?
Tonight it is TGIO party at Panera. I'm kind of glad about that. I like all my writerly friends and it will be nice to listen to all the garbage that we all talk.
Thursday should be quieter....
Friday, I'm thinking that if Becca and Sarah and Dave want to come over and watch movies, we could do that. We didn't get to last week. Too much stuff. But this week looks better.
Saturday, I want to clean up, put my tree up, and go shopping for Christmas presents. Oh, I wish I had unlimited funds. I'd love to buy some nice things for a couple of people. But I have to be a careful.
Still have to get the passport. THIS WEEK!
MIke missed his doctor appt yesterday. He has a dental appt today. Will he keep it? Sheesh.... who knows.
I have to go to work now. Byeeeeeee!
{turns of computer, brushes teeth, grabs handbag, and coat. Slamming of the door can be heard in the distance.}
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Holiday Cheer
I'm annoyed by a problem. My navigation bar looks just fine in Firefox... the whole page does. But in IE7 the nav bar is right in the middle of my picture. Anyone else see that? Please let me know. Means I have to work on coding to figure it out. They keep making changes that mess up the CSS or they change the CSS and you have to start over. That is VERY time consuming.
More later, after my TGIO party tomorrow.


text:
Revlon is hands down the Winner when it comes to creating classic no-brainer risk free lip colors in Drugstore.
I think they are the YSL of the Drugstore, because if you rank drugstore brands for the sheer range of colors, finish and consistent quality of lip colors, Revlon stands taller than others.
Do you agree? No?
Just think of Cherries in the Snow, Fire and Ice, those Lip Butters... ah, now you're nodding.. :)
Revlon's Colorburst Matte Balms have been in the market for some time but its only recently that I got a chance to buy this particular shade because most of the time they are either sold out or the tubes are opened & smeared all over!
I hate when that happens, don't you?
Price is around $8-10 CAD but I got mine on sale [yay!].
Packaging is pretty neat - a sleek matte violet-purple casing with a silver bottom.
About the product:
Like all other lip crayons, these are twistable retractable chubby crayons.
They have a minty feel - common to all Revlon Lip Crayons and I like that.
I was initially a bit worried that like some matte lippies, this one may not be very easy to apply, but it was pretty smooth in application.
However for dry skinned ladies, I would suggest prepping your lips before applying this - which is true for any matte lipsticks.
Why I love this...
The color. That's the answer in one word.
A bold violetish purple shade in a Drugstore brand? How often do you find that!
Lets all support the Drugstore brands to come up with such natty colors!
This color does not apply sheer, unless you want to dilute the finish by applying over a nude lip balm or something.It applies patchy if you try to dull the intensity by rubbing your lips.
|This happened when I tried to get a sheer color - patchy, aint it?
This is not a true matte, its more of a Satin matte finish - which I feel is more forgiving on lips than a true matte lipstick.
I love the bold color that it gives in just 1 swipe.
This shade from Revlon has been compared to MAC's Heroine, so if you don't want to shell out for Heroine, here is the dupe!
Staying power is also pretty neat - around 4-5 hours.
It doesn't stain lips as much as Revlon Lacquer Balms, but still, there some staining.
And what I don't like...
Hmmm... tough.. Nothing much, except that when the color fades, it can be a bit patchy, so either carry your wet wipes or be ready to re-apply.
For the price, this is one bold lipstick you should try.
Making a bold lip color like this, more wearable..
If you're scared of the too bold brighter color, here is what you can do to make it more easier.
- Exfoliate your lips with a lip scrub or sugar-honey mix
- Apply lip balm and lightly massage your lips in circular motions. Leave for 10mins.
- Apply a tinted lip balm or sheer lipstick - either in a very nude shade or a shade closer to the bold lip color you're trying to wear.
- Avoid a stronger shades cos that can dilute the lip crayon shade.
- If you have a spatula, warm the spatula under candle flame. If not, bring a candle flame or lighter slightly close to the crayon tip, so that the wax can melt a bit. Caution - don't bring it too close, as the intent is only to get the wax a bit more melted and not to burn the stuff!
- The purpose is to get the color is a bit more creamier. Use a lip brush or a q-tip in either of the above case to apply the lip color.
- Start applying from the inner part of your lips to the out side.
- Once you have applied the lip color, give a minute or two to set. Do not rub your lips or it may transfer.
- Now, if you're happy with the color, good. If you wish to dilute the color further, use a pink-ish nude lip gloss or tinted lip balm over this.
Remember that this may result in a non-matte effect. If you wish to get a diluted matte look, go for the "Blot- and Re-apply" till you get the color and finish you want.


text:
Devon Carew and I spoke about how we built the Chrome Dev Editor on the Chrome Platform at Google I/O 2014. It was great to see developers excited about Google building a dev editor for web development that also works on Chromebooks! I'm looking forward to unlock many more dev workflows in the Chrome Dev Editor. You can learn more about the Chrome Dev Editor on our GitHub page and install it from the Chrome Web Store.
Make Dev Easy
Monday, June 30, 2014
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Building Awesome Android Apps with Google Cloud Endpoints
Here's a follow up on my Google IO 2012 talk on building awesome Android Apps using Google Cloud Endpoints. You can sign up for the Google Cloud Endpoints Trusted Tester program and try this out!
Google Cloud Endpoints allows you to define business logic on App Engine and access them via RESTful or RPC APIs on multiple platforms including Android, IOS and JavaScript. Cloud Endpoints are built using Google's API infrastructure, which means that you get all the benefits of Google APIs (Google+ API, GMail API etc):
- Built-in authentication support
- APIs Console to manage your APIs
- APIs Explorer to discover and try out your APIs on a browser
- Automatically generated client libraries for Android, IOS and JavaScript
The Google Plugin for Eclipse (GPE) allows you to create and easily consume Cloud Endpoints. GPE provides the following features to help you develop Cloud Endpoints:
- Automatic generation of an Endpoint class that contains code to create, get, list, update and delete your entity class - an entity class is just a POJO with JPA/JDO persistence annotations.
- Automatic generation of API configuration.
GPE provides the following additional features for Cloud Endpoints for Android:
- Generation of an App Engine Backend project.
- Generation of a strongly typed client library for Android. GPE copies over the generated client library and their dependencies to the Android project.
- Support for Google Cloud Messaging (GCM). GCM allows your Endpoints to notify Android devices of changes to any API resources on the App Engine.
Get started with Cloud Endpoints by picking one or more of the following target platforms. Do note that you can use the same App Engine backend for one or more target platforms.
- Android
- Javascript
Cloud Endpoints for AndroidPrerequisites:
- The latest Google Plugin for Eclipse (GPE)
- The latest Android Development Tools (This plugin is also available via the GPE install)
- Sign-up for the Cloud Endpoints Trusted Tester program.
- Creating an Android Application that uses Cloud Endpoints
- Adding Authentication to the Cloud Endpoints
- Using Google Cloud Messaging with Cloud Endpoints
Creating an Android Application that uses Cloud Endpoints
- Create an Android project using the ADT's Android Application Wizard.
- Create an App Engine Backend project for the Android project.
- Create your Entity class (POJO) - this is a class that represents the Endpoint resource with a bunch of class attributes, setter and getter functions. You can add JPA annotations (@Entity, @Id etc) or JDO annotations to specify that this entity class needs to be persisted. As an example, here is a class representing a Note.
package com.cloudnotes;
import javax.persistence.Entity;
import javax.persistence.Id;
public class Note {
private String id;
private String description;
private String emailAddress;
public Note() {
public String getId() {
return id;
public String getDescription() {
return description;
public String getEmailAddress() {
return emailAddress;
public void setId(String idIn) {
this.id = idIn;
public void setDescription(String description) {
this.description = description;
public void setEmailAddress(String emailAddress) {
this.emailAddress = emailAddress;
- Generate the Endpoint class for each Entity class. This generates an Endpoint class that has the implementation for insert, update, remove, get, list methods on the Endpoint class using JPA or JDO as specified in the Entity class.
The @Api annotation indicates that this is an Endpoint class. You can modify this class as per your needs. To add additional methods, you will need to add the @ApiMethod annotations for these methods. Example: a searchNote(String note) method would have the annotation: @ApiMethod (httpMethod="GET", name="note.search")
- In the Endpoint methods, the return value type cannot be simple type such as String or int. The return value needs to be a POJO, an array or a Collection.
- The listXXX(), getXXX(id) are exposed as HTTP GETs, insertXXX(XXX) is exposed as a HTTP POST, updateXXX(XXX) is exposed as a HTTP PUT, and removeNote(Note) is exposed as a HTTP DELETE.
- Generate Cloud Endpoint Client Library for the App Engine project by right-clicking the App Engine project, and selecting Google > Generate Cloud Endpoint Client Library
- Modify your Android Application to call into your defined Endpoint. You can write a class that extends the Android AsyncTask to make sure that the network call to the Endpoint does not block any UI thread.
The following code snippet shows how you can call into Noteendpoint.insertNote()
Builder endpointBuilder = new Noteendpoint.Builder(
new JacksonFactory(),
new HttpRequestInitializer() {
public void initialize(HttpRequest httpRequest) { }
Noteendpoint endpoint = CloudEndpointUtils.updateBuilder(
Note: Android authentication code shown here requires the google-play-services.jar file to be included in your libs/ folder. This JAR file has not yet been released. I will update this blog once the JAR file is released.
@Api(name = "noteendpoint",
To specify the credential while creating a handle to the Endpoint:
endpointBuilder).build();try {
Note result = endpoint.insertNote(note).execute();} catch (IOException e) {
//Handle exception
- Test Cloud Endpoints in the local environment.
- Run App Engine local development server for testing. Hit the Run button on the App Engine application to start the local development server.
- In your Android project, set CloudEndpointUtils.LOCAL_ANDROID_RUN to true. This indicates that the Android application connects to the local development server.
- Run your Android application in your emulator.
- Test Cloud Endpoints with App Engine.
- Set the Application ID for the App Engine project.
- Deploy the App Engine project to App Engine.
- In your Android project within the CloudEndpoints class, set LOCAL_ANDROID_RUN to false. This indicates that the Android application connects to the remote App Engine app.
- Run your Android application in your emulator.
Adding Authentication to the Cloud EndpointsCloud Endpoints can be authenticated with Google Accounts using OAuth 2.0. This allows your Endpoint to verify and know the identity of the authenticated user. The following steps will help you add Authentication to your Cloud Endpoints.
Note: Android authentication code shown here requires the google-play-services.jar file to be included in your libs/ folder. This JAR file has not yet been released. I will update this blog once the JAR file is released.
- Register a client ID in the Google APIs Console for your Android application
- Register an App Engine App ID.
- In the Endpoint class, under the @Api annotation (or the @ApiMethod annotation), set the registered Client ID the "clientIds" attribute, and the App Engine App ID as the "audience" attribute. The following code snippet shows this:
@Api(name = "noteendpoint",
clientIds = {"7232929396-4d7boi9meg5qmir9q80eg048qfval6rc.apps.googleusercontent.com
audiences = {"cloudnotes2012.appspot.com"})
public class NoteEndpoint {...}
- Modify your methods to take in a User object (com.google.appengine.api.users.User) as an additional parameter. For an authenticated call, App Engine automatically fills in this attribute with the logged on user. The following code shows adding a User parameter to the listNote() method.
public List<Note> listNote(User user) {...}
To fetch a GoogleAccountCredential instance:
- Modify your methods to modify the Datastore queries to query by the logged in User's email address. The following code snippet shows querying for Notes for a given User.
Query query = mgr.createQuery("select n from Note n where n.emailAddress = :emailAddress");
query.setParameter("emailAddress", user.getEmail());
- GoogleAccountCredential.java allows you to manage Google Account selection and authorization of Google Accounts on the Android Application. You can modify your Android Application to use GoogleAccountCredential to get a handle to the Endpoint.
To fetch a GoogleAccountCredential instance:
GoogleAccountCredential credential = GoogleAccountCredential.usingAudience(
context, audience);
context is the Android Application Context
audience is the App Engine App ID (eg:cloudnotes2012.appspot.com)
To specify the credential while creating a handle to the Endpoint:
Builder endpointBuilder = new Noteendpoint.Builder(
new JacksonFactory(),
Noteendpoint endpoint = CloudEndpointUtils.updateBuilder(
For example, let's say a user uses a Note application from 2 devices: Device A and Device B. If the user is adding a note from Device A. Google Cloud Messaging can be used in the Cloud Endpoint for the insert operation to ping Device B to indicate that a note has been added.
You can perform the following steps to use Google Cloud Messaging with Cloud Endpoints.
DevicePing.pingAllDevices(user.getEmail() + ":" + note.getId() + ":insert");
Java Codelab
Using Google Cloud Messaging with Cloud EndpointsGoogle Cloud Messaging allows your Cloud Endpoints to send notifications to registered Android devices whenever the state of a resource changes.
For example, let's say a user uses a Note application from 2 devices: Device A and Device B. If the user is adding a note from Device A. Google Cloud Messaging can be used in the Cloud Endpoint for the insert operation to ping Device B to indicate that a note has been added.
You can perform the following steps to use Google Cloud Messaging with Cloud Endpoints.
- In the Google APIs Console, enable Google Cloud Messaging
- In the Google APIs Console, create a server API key. This will help App Engine securely communicate with the Google Cloud Messaging Server.
- In the App Engine project, DevicePing.java is a helper class that allows you to ping all registered devices. You should update DevicePing.API_KEY to specify the API key obtained in the previous step.
- In the App Engine project, you can modify the generated Endpoint class to send pings to registered devices. The following code snippet can be inserted in the insertNote(Note) method to send a ping to all registered devices.
DevicePing.pingAllDevices(user.getEmail() + ":" + note.getId() + ":insert");
- In the Android project, GCMIntentService.java is a helper class that helps register the device and perform actions when a message is received from the Google Cloud Messaging Server.
- Specify the Google APIs Project ID in GCMIntentService.java in the PROJECT_ID field. The Project ID can be obtained from the URL to the API console project. Example: https://code.google.com/apis/console/?pli=1#project:<PROJECT_ID>:services
- Modify GCMIntentService.onMessage() to handle the incoming GCM notification.
- In your Android project, call GCMIntentService.register(..) from your application (eg: onCreate() of your activity) to register the device with the Google Cloud Messaging Server and App Engine.
I/O Overview Talks
Java Codelab
Source Code for GoogleAccountCredential.java
import com.google.android.gms.auth.GoogleAuthException;
import com.google.android.gms.auth.GoogleAuthUtil;
import com.google.android.gms.auth.TransientAuthException;
import com.google.android.gms.common.AccountPicker;
import com.google.api.client.googleapis.extensions.android2.auth.GoogleAccountManager;
import com.google.api.client.http.BackOffPolicy;
import com.google.api.client.http.ExponentialBackOffPolicy;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpExecuteInterceptor;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequest;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequestInitializer;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpResponse;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpUnsuccessfulResponseHandler;
import com.google.common.base.Joiner;
import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
import android.accounts.Account;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.Intent;
import java.io.IOException;
* Manages account selection and authorization for Google accounts.
public final class GoogleAccountCredential implements HttpRequestInitializer {
final Context context;
final String scope;
private String accountName;
private final GoogleAccountManager accountManager;
private Account account;
* @param context context
* @param scope scope to use on {@link GoogleAuthUtil#authenticate}
private GoogleAccountCredential(Context context, String scope) {
accountManager = new GoogleAccountManager(context);
this.context = context;
this.scope = scope;
* Constructor a new instance using OAuth 2.0 scopes.
* @param context context
* @param scopes OAuth 2.0 scopes
* @return new instance
public static GoogleAccountCredential usingOAuth2(Context context, String... scopes) {
Preconditions.checkArgument(scopes.length != 0);
String scope = "oauth2:" + Joiner.on(' ').join(scopes);
return new GoogleAccountCredential(context, scope);
/** Sets the audience scope to use with Google Cloud Endpoints. */
public static GoogleAccountCredential usingAudience(Context context, String audience) {
Preconditions.checkArgument(audience.length() != 0);
String scope = "audience:" + audience;
return new GoogleAccountCredential(context, scope);
* Sets the selected Google account name (e-mail address), for example {@code "email@example.com"}
* , or {@code null} for none.
public GoogleAccountCredential setAccountName(String accountName) {
this.accountName = accountName;
account = accountManager.getAccountByName(accountName);
return this;
public void initialize(HttpRequest request) {
RequestHandler handler = new RequestHandler();
request.setBackOffPolicy(new ExponentialBackOffPolicy());
* Returns the selected Google account name (e-mail address), for example
* {@code "firstname.lastname@example.com"}, or {@code null} for none.
public String getAccountName() {
return accountName;
/** Returns the selected Google account or {@code null} for none. */
public Account getAccount() {
return account;
/** Returns all Google accounts or {@code null} for none. */
public Account[] getAllAccounts() {
return accountManager.getAccounts();
* Returns an intent to show the user to select a Google account, or create a new one if there are
* none on the device yet.
*

* Must be run from the main UI thread.
*

public Intent newChooseAccountIntent() {
return AccountPicker.newChooseAccountIntent(account,
new String[] {GoogleAccountManager.ACCOUNT_TYPE},
* Returns an OAuth 2.0 access token.
*

* Must be run from a background thread, not the main UI thread.
*

public String getToken() throws IOException {
BackOffPolicy backOffPolicy = new ExponentialBackOffPolicy();
while (true) {
try {
try {
return GoogleAuthUtil.getToken(context, accountName, scope);
} catch (TransientAuthException e) {
// network or server error, so retry use
long backOffMillis = backOffPolicy.getNextBackOffMillis();
if (backOffMillis == BackOffPolicy.STOP) {
throw e;
// sleep
try {
} catch (InterruptedException e2) {
// ignore
} catch (GoogleAuthException exception) {
IOException io = new IOException();
throw io;
class RequestHandler implements HttpExecuteInterceptor, HttpUnsuccessfulResponseHandler {
/** Whether we've received a 401 error code indicating the token is invalid. */
boolean received401;
String token;
public void intercept(HttpRequest request) throws IOException {
token = getToken();
request.getHeaders().setAuthorization("Bearer " + token);
public boolean handleResponse(
HttpRequest request, HttpResponse response, boolean supportsRetry) {
if (response.getStatusCode() == 401 && !received401) {
received401 = true;
GoogleAuthUtil.invalidateToken(context, token);
return true;
return false;
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text:
She is dangerous and she wants your money.
In an interview in today's Helsingin Sanomat (subscription) she. Grybauskaite claims that the Finnish proposal (1,1 % of GNP going to the Central EU budget) might not be enough, but "it is a great leap forward". Bizzarely the paper describes Ms Grybauskaite as having "an exceptionally humorous personality". She also reveals that she has been practising karate, which she says she is still using "mentally" when negotiating with other people.
The Left's War on Science
3 hours ago


text:
Today was my last day of "slingin' hair" at my hair and makeup studio in Spring Hill.
It was a
I opened Canvas Hair and Skin Studio during a significant and pivotal time in my life. I had decided that I wanted a divorce from my husband when my son Zane was only a few months old. Daycare did not work for my schedule because stylists have to work late, on Saturdays and most major holidays in order to make a good living. I knew that the only way to afford a nanny to keep my 3 children while I worked, was to have my own studio closer to home. I was still commuting to Tampa to work even though I had moved to the small town of Spring Hill a year earlier when my oldest daughter was going into high school. I got uneasy thinking that she would be driving in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Tampa, so moving north and commuting to work seemed a small sacrifice for her safety.
I set my goal and in Febraury of 2009, with the help of my mother...Canvas Hair Studio opened. Then a few short months later on April 1st, I found out that I was pregnant with my youngest daughter Abrielle. I was devastated, because now I would have to continue the marriage with the man I was hoping to divorce. Being a single mom of 4 just sounded ridiculous, so I did what most would do and stayed. I did not connect at all with the pregnancy, I was depressed that I was "stuck" and it was the pregnancy's fault. I shudder at this thought today; that I was so selfish to think like that knowing how many people would die for the opportunity to connect to the thought of having a child. It wasn't until I was twenty weeks pregnant that I realized that when we are headed in the wrong direction, God gives us a little nudge to steer us straight again.
To be continued tomorrow...


text:
Friday, April 23, 2010
NOBODY BEATS THE BIZ!!!! For real though yall, pay attention to the clean energy fight, the internet freedom debates, and slow food! BOOM. I dont have enough brain cells to read anymore, but if biz wants to break it down for me over old beats, I'm down.
Posted by MagicDongHuang at 6:39 AM
1 comment:
You may be qualified for a new solar rebate program.ReplyDelete
Click here and find out if you are qualified now!
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text:
Nigeria's government announces mass arrests following this month's deadly clashes between Muslims and Christians in central Plateau state.
Nigerian police have taken more than 300 people into custody in the days since the fighting broke out in Plateau state's capital city, Jos.
Relief agencies and religious groups in the state say more than 500 people died in street clashes between Muslims and Christians armed with guns, clubs and machetes. The government, fearing further reprisals, has issued a much lower death toll.
Outside of an announcement on Nigerian state television Sunday, officials have not commented on the arrests or on the identities or affiliations of the detainees.
Clashes began September 7 in Jos, when a Christian woman crossed a barricade that had been set up near a mosque. Skirmishes quickly spread across the city with fighters attacking a number of buildings. At least two churches and scores of cars were set on fire.
The violence subsided after President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered federal troops deployed in the state. Fighting erupted again for several hours on Wednesday.
On Saturday, President Obasanjo got a first-hand look at the devastation. The Nigerian leader renewed his calls for an end to ethnic and religious violence.
The fighting in Jos erupted amid brewing tensions between Christian natives of Plateau State and Muslims who are seen by some as newcomers.
Those tensions were heightened recently after the federal government appointed a Muslim to head a poverty alleviation program. Some Christians accuse the government of placing the new director in a position where he could favor Muslims in the distribution of aid.


text:
Monday, August 23, 2010
Twitter Giveaway! Receive 10 Henry greeting cards!
Our first Twitter contest was a huge hit and thanks to everyone for participating! Well.....we hit 600 followers which means its time for another giveaway to show our appreciation.
Here's the scoop:
What: Twitter contest to win 10 Henry cards and envelopes.
When: Thursday August 26th
1-4 PM Central Time
Who: All our followers
Check out the Henry cards!
The winner will get to choose their choice of Henry cards and receive the matching envelopes.
Here are the rules:
1. Must post/retweet our CONTEST TWEET during the time allotted (1-4 pm Central time)
2. Must be a @letterpresslove follower
3. Smile....it just makes you a happier person!
Posted by SPARK LETTERPRESS
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