text:
Each week I join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers to share all of the reading I've done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Since school started last week I've also been sharing samples of what my students are reading. It's #IMWAYR.
Last week we put together our classroom library. Students sorted though boxes of books and decided that they wanted some books organized by reading level and some books organized by favorite series, topics, or authors. They also created a book check-out area.
Each week I will chose some more to share. My class is also participating in #Classroombookaday so make sure to check that out on Twitter.
Here's what I read this week:
Young Adult
Tension and stakes were high in this sequel to Ember in the Ashes. I enjoyed all three points of view. Hopefully we don't have to wait too long for book 3.
If you like my reading choices, you can check out all the books I've read on Goodreads and please leave a comment below.


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February Meeting (Monday, 2/9/15, 6:30 – 8:30 pm): Bringing Homeopathy Home! Homeopathy for Beginners with Amity Engleson, CHom.
A graduate from the Homeopathy School of Colorado in 2009, Amity Engleson, CHom is a classically trained homeopath. Classical Homeopathy is where one homeopathic remedy is given at a time and changed as necessary. This ensures that we know if the remedy worked or did not work which can be confusing if multiple or combination remedies are given.
Currently, Amity is part of the wellness team at East Side Wellness Center in Fairport. Using her past fields of study, she especially enjoys helping children and pregnant women find health and balance through homeopathy.
Join us to learn more about healing with homeopathy and Amity's journey that brought her to us!
"Homeopathy cures a larger percentage of cases than any other form of treatment and is beyond doubt safer and more economical."
~Mahatma Gandhi
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fjall Raven Nils Trousers
Prekės aprašymas anglų kalba:
Comfortable, durable trousers in soft, brushed G-1000 Silent with G-1000 Original reinforcements across the rear and knees.
Functions just as well for everyday use as for picking mushrooms in the forest.
One leg pocket and two hand pockets.
Mid waist and classic fit. Raw length.


text:
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
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Hope everyone has a wonderful day with their Sweetie. Mine always writes me a poem, I treasure each one because I know they come from the heart.
Posted by Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio at 3:10 PM
I am a
"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."


text:
My birthday is finally over and I can post and know that if anyone ever actually reads my blog they will know that I've updated! I'm still keeping my wishlist up to date so that everyone can find it, but it's not going to be on top anymore! Yay!!!
Well, I would like to put a public Thank You Note on here to everyone that came to my party. You guys are really great, and spoil me way too much. I love all of you, and am so thankful that you're in my life.
I got a Wii!!!
Well, I don't really have anything to blog about, so I guess I'll just get off now.
Have a nice day!!!


text:
As a French resident you will be entitled to social security benefits in France. As a French employee you will make contributions to French social security. The system is made up of many different bodies and is complicated to understand in detail. The following page gives you a broad outline of Social Security in France.
Contributions & Benefits
The French social security system is highly complex and constitutes over twenty organisations each concerned with collecting or allocating contributions for various welfare programs.
As an employee your social security contributions will be deducted at source and indicated in your pay slip (bulletin de paie). URSSAF is the principle organisation responsible for your contributions although others may well be cited.
Your social security contributions in France support welfare programs such as unemployment benefit, basic health care, state retirement and family benefits which you are also entitled to as a French resident.
Your employer will explain these standard contributions to you in detail and may also offer extended health cover (mutuelle), deducted at source.
Certain categories of people will fall under a different regime, for example, if you are self employed or retired. It is important to approach the relevant bodies to assess your situation for contributions or benefits.
If eligible for social security you will be issued with a registration number and card – the carte vitale is issued to the insured employee and lists the members of the family that are also covered. Remember to keep all bills, stickers and receipts and your social security number must be quoted on all medical documentation, bills, prescriptions so that you will be able to be reimbursed.
If you are on a prescription you will normally be able to have your prescription filled from a French pharmacy although you may be provided with a different brand or alternative if the exact product does not exist on the French market.
Different countries class different products differently and some over the counter drugs that you get in your home country may require a prescription in France. It would be sensible to bring a stock of products with you for the first month or two as well as copies of your medical records.
Social Security
France has a compulsory social security system which covers retirement, unemployment and national health. Contributions to the various schemes are paid by companies, employees and professionals.
If you are coming to France as an expatriate and are employed and paid by your company in France, the formalities will be taken care of by your company and you will contribute to, and be eligible for, social security in the same way as a French national.
If you are coming to France on temporary assignment the situation will be slightly more complicated. You may be covered by social security agreements between your country of origin and France. (e.g. EU countries and US) in which case your company will take care of the formalities, although you may also need to register with your local social security office.
It is worth checking with the embassy in your country of origin about social security coverage agreements with France. If you can not be covered make sure that your company provide ample private coverage for your health care.
If eligible for social security you will be issued with a registration number and card – this card is issued to the insured employee and lists the members of the family that are also covered. Remember to keep all bills, stickers and receipts and your social security number must be quoted on all medical documentation, bills, prescriptions so that you will be able to be reimbursed.
Remember that Social security will only cover the portion of the bill that is 'conventionee' so check with doctors, hospitals before you make the appointment. The excess charges can be covered by an independent (mutuelle) insurance which may be provided by your employer or taken privately and also covers dentistry and glasses. These too however are strict in the type of charges they will cover.


text:
HP OfficeJet 7200
Device driver details
Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
Caution Level: Safe
Operating System: Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
Latest Version / Release Date: 126.96.36.199 / 10/22/ 2002
Before you download: We recommend you scan Windows for registry errors
Windows device driver information for HP OfficeJet 7200
HP Officejet 7200 is a multifunction device with the capabilities of a printer, a fax machine, a copier and a scanner. The inclusive flatbed scanner is integrated and consists of a document feeder which is automatic and legal-sized. For basic functionalities of printing, HP Officejet 7200 uses a HPIJS driver, but for those functionalities that are more advanced, including the maintenance features, printer status, unloading of the photo card and scanning, the HPLIP driver should be used. The HPLIP driver is inclusive of the HPIJS. The HPIJS driver is used for reaching the most ideal output quality that is generally reachable. The 1200-dpi high-resolution mode commonly produces print photos of excellent quality. When the HP Officejet 7200 printer is used with HPIJS HP driver, it auto-detects and appropriately dithers and adjusts the color internally while the hardware plays the role of controlling it.
Outdated Printer Drivers?
A. Manually verify every device on your system for driver updates
B. Automatically scan all your device drivers using DriverScanner
A combination of HPIJS driver and Ghost Script ensures the image is rendered with a 600 0or 3oo dpi. Once a photo paper is inserted, the printer uses its highest quality to print while no choice of paper type is needed in the options of the driver. HP Officejet 7200 contains an enhanced handling of paper with a 50-page automatic document feeder as well as an automatic optional duplexer .3. It is capable of enhanced handling of paper, powerful color and black faxing, an outstanding optical resolution scanning of 2400x4800 dpi, photo printing without the PC necessarily using the card4 memory slots, a Proof Sheet of HP Photo or a front USB consisting of cameras that are PictBridge-enabled. Digital photos can be fixed, enhanced and organized using the HP software for Image Zone while printing photos that are long-lasting and can resist fading for many generations. It is highly recommended you run a free registry scan for and HP OfficeJet 7200 errors before installing any driver updates.
Browse more device drivers
- HP OfficeJet 7200
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- HP Scanjet N7710
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text:
Sunday, I used my Farm Fresh to You delights of homegrown rhubarb, strawberry and apples and made two pies. One straberry/rhubarb and one apple...both whith a crumble top. They were delightful, if I do say so myself. I come by it honestly. Alice Jane is one fierce pie maker. Hint: I don't make my own pie crust. I buy the Pilsbury roll out...magnifiect! If you have the opportunity to acquire a service like Farm Fresh to You...DO IT. For a family that loves fruits and veggies like ours, there are fewer more amazing luxuries in life...and honestly, it is about the same bill that you would get buying organic at your local market. {Apple and Strawberry/Rhubarb Pies}
{The darling}
{The darling}
The remainder of the weekend was spent riding bikes and at the pool. We attended a lovely BBQ this evening with kids galore. Gia was in heaven. Now she is yelling at us about the pool from her room. Go figure.


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Friday, March 14, 2008
Jeremiah Wright's 'Audacity to Hope' sermon
For us thinking individuals, more context is desired... and more information required.
On my Vox blog, I'm streaming a 10-minute excerpt from Rev. Wright's 1990 sermon "The Audacity to Hope" (which inspired the title of Barack Obama's 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope").
Click here to listen.
I have removed the minister's exegesis of the story of Hannah (I Samuel 1:1-18). But you can stream the entire 18-minute sermon – or purchase it as an MP3 download – by following this link to PreachingToday.com (which is a mainstream Christian website... not a black-nationalist hornet's nest).
The image above – "Hope," by the Victorian painter George Frederic Watts – is an element of the sermon.
19 comments:
- Kellybelle said...
Barack mentions that sermon in Dreams from my Father, too. It's such a beautiful phrase and a radical idea. Shame it's being robbed of its poetry.
- March 14, 2008 at 8:40 PM
Wow. Audacity of Hope was taken from a sermon? Does Barack have ANY ideas of his own, or are they "JUST WORDS"?
- March 14, 2008 at 9:45 PM
- Undercover Black Man said...
^ IllHillGuy, you're just rattling my chain, right? Everybody knows Obama got that phrase from his pastor.
You think Hillary invented the phrase "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child"?
Leave those Clinton talking points alone, guy!
- March 14, 2008 at 10:34 PM
- cnulan said...
The mic goes to P6 for handling verbose squeals of terror most adroitly;
I'll be honest...I understand why what is being presented of Rev. Wright scares a lot of white folks. That bothers me, but not for the reason you'd like it to. I invite the people who are disturbed or frightened by those fractional sermons to compare Rev. Wright's teaching to any other putatively racist teachings. I particularly invite comparison to white supremacists.
You know who they are, stop fronting.
All the really problematic folks say, get rid of the Others, they are less than you, they corrupt and destroy. Rev. Wright teaches, "Look at what they think of you...prove them wrong ." And he musters a lot of physical facts that people don't want attached to our national self-image to show what they think of us."
"But we've made progress, P6! You have to admit that!."
I am sooooo glad you said that.
When Chris Rock asked, "Do you know how much better Seabiscuit's life was than my grandfathers?" he put an amusing face on an ugly truth. And yes, my lot is considerably better than Seabiscuit's now. But you know we still have to fight the uneven playing field. Fight to have access as free as the children of those who benefitted from that which our parents were explicitly denied. And I don't want to go on about it for too long, but a lot of us...a WHOLE lot of us...measure progress by whether or not we are under attack by racial means or for racial reasons.
Even using white folks' measure of progress in this arena, doesn't denial of the rest of the problem count as backsliding? What's the net of the two?
Look at this society. All you have to do is suggest a Black person bears racial animus and he or she must prove they have no hostility to white people. Suggest a white person has racial animus...hell, catch evidence of it coming out of his own mouth on his national radio show...and it's all about second chances, and understanding, and why did Black people make me do it?
Can you find a single piece of civil rights legislation in the history of the country that wasn't fought tooth-and-nail, compromised and...if it became law...diluted into uselessness?
No, it is very reasonable to take the position that hostility to Black Americans is still too formidable a force to ignore. I understand why it's not a position you want the majority of Black folks to hold. But we kind of do already, and we kind of will continue to until America brings more evidence to the contrary than mere protestations.
- March 15, 2008 at 1:29 AM
- odocoileus said...
Not gonna work.
This is just excuse making and special pleading.
I hate to see Hillary waltz in to the White House, but evil beats stupid every day of the week.
- March 15, 2008 at 3:57 AM
Context? Thinking? I don't remember anyone in a rush to provide either when it came to candidates appearing at Bob Jones University, or when the subject is Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. Or Geraldine Ferraro's recent remarks.
No, in those cases "racist" and "bigot" is all we're supposed to think.
Superficial simplicity is a bad standard, to be sure, but at least the Rev. is being held to the same standard as everyone else.
- March 15, 2008 at 2:30 PM
No spinning, no matter how eloquent or impassioned, can alter the facts that (i) Wright spewed anti-white and anti-American hate and conspiratorial nonsense from the pulpit repeatedly and (ii) the Obamas stayed to lap it up for 20 years. No one who accepts, or tolerates (let alone embraces) such behavior should be allowed to participate in our national government.
- March 15, 2008 at 3:25 PM
This ridiculous controversy is why we currently have the worst president in American history running the country. Politics has become the art of raising phony bullshit to confuse the 75% of the electorate who never look at the issues or who might actually have the best ideas to be president.
I don't give a shit what Wright, or Ferraro, or Hagee think or say...when they run for president, maybe I will. Until then I want the brightest guy (or woman) with the best plan for the country.
To me, that's Obama.
- March 15, 2008 at 4:59 PM
- Undercover Black Man said...
Wright spewed anti-white and anti-American hate and conspiratorial nonsense from the pulpit repeatedly...
Uhhh... what was the "anti-white" part, drzinc? Is it "anti-white" to say that rich white people run the country?
- March 15, 2008 at 5:33 PM
- SJ said...
Here's something different. A black pastor trashing Obama. Hilarious but very mean.
- March 15, 2008 at 5:36 PM
- Undercover Black Man said...
Superficial simplicity is a bad standard, to be sure, but at least the Rev. is being held to the same standard as everyone else.
Broaden it beyond ministers, Mark. Maybe this is a sort of "coming home to roost" of the leftist and/or black-partisan language policing that brought life-altering consequences down on Al Campanis, Jimmy the Greek, Don Imus, etc. ... because of their "shocking" pronouncements.
- March 15, 2008 at 5:43 PM
- memomachine said...
@ kellybelle
"Barack mentions that sermon in Dreams from my Father, too. It's such a beautiful phrase and a radical idea. Shame it's being robbed of its poetry."
Yep. That's going around the rightwing blogs.
The problem for Barack is that it pretty much proves that Barack did in fact attend at least one of those offensive diatribes by pastor Wright and this proves he is a liar.
- March 15, 2008 at 8:38 PM
- memomachine said...
"Uhhh... what was the "anti-white" part, drzinc? Is it "anti-white" to say that rich white people run the country?"
1. Rich white people run America.
2. America deliberately created HIV to kill off black people
3. Therefore rich white people created HIV to kill off black people.
That's pretty anti-white.
- March 16, 2008 at 10:45 AM
- Undercover Black Man said...
^ Utter horseshit, memo.
Your tendon-stretching syllogism would seem to indicate that Wright's blatant anti-America rhetoric is not bad enough unto itself. (Perhaps because a black man of Wright's generation might have some reason to begrudge the U.S.A.)
So you have to make it "anti-white" because it's more efficiently destructive to label him a "racist" than a "radical."
- March 16, 2008 at 11:27 AM
How many White members does Trinity have?
- March 16, 2008 at 1:26 PM
- cnulan said...
Check it out Dave, the plot just thickened....,
- March 16, 2008 at 5:16 PM
- Tina said...
More on the larger context here: http://acropolisreview.com/2008/03/barack-obama-condemns-reverend-jeremiah.html
- March 16, 2008 at 8:38 PM
- Dragon Horse said...
The Clinton's also have ties with Obama's church:
Trinity members point out that Obama is not the first presidential candidate to have an alliance with a controversial minister, nor is he the first to have a connection, however tenuous, to Farrakhan. In 1996, while running for re-election, Bill Clinton sent out a mass mailing to friends and prospective donors—including one to the Nation of Islam. In it, he invited Claudette Muhammad, who at the time was chief of protocol, to be on his steering committee. "It is my way of saying thank you for your past friendship and it is my way of asking you to join me in this new campaign," he wrote. Muhammad reprinted the letter in a memoir; a spokesman for Clinton declined to comment.
- March 17, 2008 at 3:28 AM
- memomachine said...
If I started a church where I was screaming about how the black man was the root of all evil. You'd be calling me a racist.
So why can't you see the reverse then?
- March 17, 2008 at 6:15 AM


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Status: Closed
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first MLive.com user to add photos or videos of Kitty's Cafe
they have the best pinini's I have ever tasted. The waitress was very friendly. My new place to eat for sure this place gets an A in my book
great food good prices amazing service
Kitty's Cafe is located at 219 W Main St, Ionia, MI. This business specializes in Cafes.
Kittys Cafe can be found at W Main St 219. The following is offered: Restaurants. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Ionia there are 9 other Restaurants. An overview can be found here.


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The thoughts of me and my dog who used to be Harvey, but is now George, who is Harvey's great-great-great-great-nephew.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
There's no logic to it
7 comments:
- katney said...
Extra activity will do it. Just keep moving. I need to find a scale before I start eating more for the holidays and moving less.
- 1:53 pm
Well done you Liz, that's brilliant. I never know whether or not I have put on weight and usually get a surprise on the scales. Still loving Rosemary Conley though, thanks for the recommendation.
- 2:14 pm
- CherryPie said...
Well done :-)
- 7:21 pm
- Rose said...
That's great, Liz! Definitely have some real cheese...you need to keep up your energy for the holidays.
- 1:47 am
- Ruth said...
Well done! ....but real cheese is definitely an essential part of a balanced diet ;-)
- 7:12 am
- SmitoniusAndSonata said...
I must buy some Maltesers !
- 5:09 pm
- Liz said...
Running after babies is the best exercise, katney!
glad you like the class, hulla. What exercise routines are you doing?
Thanks, cherrypie and rose.
I agree, ruth.
They always used to be sold as the sweet with the less fattening centre, didn't they, sonata? Must be true.
- 9:22 pm


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Sometimes it's less what we do than the space we create for doing it. And sometimes both are transformational in ways we can't forsee when we begin.
In yoga, any given day's asana practice may be more or less transitional. But showing up on the same mat to meet the supposedly same body, same self and finding its subtleties and changes, that consistency creates a sacred rhythm, a ribbon through time that in and of itself bestows meaning.
Mantra is like a yoga mat for my mental life. It's the same series of sounds, focused on the same intent, with the same beads for the same number of repetitions each day. A few minutes. A window into eternity I can open each day.


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Saturday, May 2, 2009
IF: Higher-archy!
This is a page out of a kids book I'm finishing up, and I thought it would be a cute play on words illustration for this weeks Illustration Friday topic "hierarchy". I hope you enjoy! Thanks.
Posted by Cartoons Inc. at 6:22 PM
5 comments:
- Holly Main said...
Great illustration!
Love your illustration style :)
P.S. Thanks for stopping by my blog ~
- May 3, 2009 at 2:39 PM
- John said...
hahahaha great play on words!
- May 3, 2009 at 4:04 PM
- John said...
we'll have to colab sometime fun cartoons man hope you check out my scratches I mean sketches
- May 3, 2009 at 4:06 PM
- Josh Frost said...
Dude! You have a great style! I was wondering if you ever have done a Darth Vader? I am creating a tribute book to George Lucas called "100 Ways to the Darkside" where I am having 100 hand picked artist create Darth Vader. I would love one for the book in your style. Please let me know if your interested!
Thanks a million
- Josh
- May 9, 2009 at 2:00 PM
- Loni Edwards said...
You do very nice work! I like the bright colors and the swirls in the sky.
- June 5, 2009 at 12:12 AM
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text:
New to the blogroll is Mike Aquilina's blog The Way of the Fathers. Mike has written and co-written several books including, "The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers", "The Mass of the Early Christians", "Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians" and "The Way of the Fathers: Praying with the early Christians." Needless to say, Mike is a patristics guy, and that's why I love his work!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
New To the Blogroll
Posted by Josh McManaway at 9:24 PM
Labels: New Blog
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text:
Early in the morning you can go down to the river and catch this view. The light is funneled through Lost Canyon and spotlights this little island on the Dolores River.
Dolores Beach is a locals term for this spot where people fish and swim. I wouldn't recommend swimming here though because during the Kokanee run many people loose large snagging hooks in there. Not a pleasant thought.


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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Forming and Texturing Copper
My yearly trek to William Holland School of Lapidary arts always results in some very much needed relaxation, enjoyment and inspiration. I enjoy seeing what all the students and teachers are wearing because most of their jewelry is hand made and their personal favorites. The copper bracelet was fashioned after one that one of the instructors was sporting and everyone was oogling over. It uses fold forming techniques and hammered textures. I bought three wonderful new hammers with two textures on each one.
The earrings were done with a brass texture plate made for PMC but used here with annealed copper and the roller mill.
Everyone says that copper is the "new" silver since silver prices continue to climb. I have always loved to combine metals and love the look of antiqued copper. Copper has that wonderful casual spunk about it. It seems substantial and earthy and looks grat against all skin tomes- especially when you have a tan!
Posted by Divine3Designs at 12:51 PM
Labels: bracelets, copper, earrings, fold forming, texturing metals
4 comments:
- FiberArtisttoo said...
beautiful bracelet. I love the patina that copper gets, so pretty, glad you had a good time
- July 27, 2010 at 1:11 PM
- reanaclaire said...
hi..coming by to visit your beautiful jewelry blog..
- August 24, 2010 at 3:42 AM
- Peter Nygard said...
Copper is a great material for bracelets and bangles too bad not all of us didn't realize that.
- August 24, 2010 at 10:24 PM
- Melissa said...
Those are some beautiful, dangle earrings.
- October 30, 2010 at 7:51 AM
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text:
CES 2007 Winners and Losers
The folks at Wired have just pubbed a nice article listing their picks of the best and worst products on display at CES.
What was the show's best gadget and the best game? Did you know some of the 100-inch TVs are patched together from smaller screens? Wired News staff blows the lid off the show's best and worst, reporting from Las Vegas.
Check it out.


text:
Press Release – Netball New Zealand
2017 Beko Netball League – Round 9 Preview
Thursday 18 May, 2017
Round 9 Fixture
Netball WBOP v High Wire Trust Northern Comets
2pm, Saturday 20 May
Cambridge High School, Cambridge
Netball Central v Netball South
1pm, Sunday 21 May
High Wire Gymnasium, Papakura
Hellers Netball Mainland v Northern Marvels
4pm, Sunday 21 May
Trafalgar Centre, Nelson
LIVE SKY Sport 4
Central to play in Beko Netball League Grand Final
Netball Central have booked its place in the Beko Netball League top two but the jostle for the second spot in the grand final continues to heat up.
The Natalie Milicich-coached side remains unbeaten on 28 points with just three matches left before next month's title decider to be played in Auckland.
They host Netball South at the Walter Nash Centre in Wellington on Sunday and with key players across the court continuing to show form, will be tough to topple.
Te Wananga o Raukawa Pulse defender Karin Burger has been in impressive form for Central in recent weeks picking up 15 intercepts and 11 deflections in the last three games. At the other end of the court Jermaine Howard-Vallance has been netting over 30 goals in her last three outings.
But it is also the mid-court where Central continues to stamp its mark led by Kimiora Poi and Mila Reuelu-Buchanan.
South lost by 14 goals when the two teams met in Round 6 but were without shooter Jennifer O'Connell who showed last week she could make an impact at either end of the court.
Meanwhile, Hellers Netball Mainland needs victory in Nelson this weekend when they take on the Northern Marvels with a pivotal match-up against Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty (WBOP) also looming.
There are just four points separating the three teams with a further two points back to the defending champion South side.
The Marvels have won just two games – against South in Round 2 and more recently against WBOP. But they remain in the hunt for a finals spot thanks to the three valuable bonus points they have earned for finishing within five goals including the point they picked up against Mainland when they last met with just a one-goal difference between the two sides.
Mainland continue to adjust to life without key shooter Ellie Bird, who has made the step up to the ANZ Premiership, and new coach Peter McInnes looked to regular defender Kelera Nawai who spent some time in the shooting circle last week. Goal attack Caitlin Dowden also made her debut in the ANZ Premiership last week in the unfamiliar role of wing attack.
The other Beko Netball League match sees WBOP meet the High Wire Trust Northern Comets in Cambridge on Saturday. WBOP play the remainder of the league round-robin at home venues and will be looking to use that to their advantage as they push for a finals berth.
The grand final will be played at The Trusts Arena in Auckland on June 18.
Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz [1]
Original url [2]


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Aikido Saturday Afternoon - 12/13/08
Aikidokas: Tim, Kim, Trey, and Brad.
Ukemi: Normal set, I did take a couple of big falls with some extra padding out.
The Walk: As usual. Once at a moderate pace and once at my more preferred slower pace. And I spent some timer with Tom working on the last three stones.
Releases: with Brad.
Ju Nana Hon Kata
Brad and I did some work on his shomen-ate and his aigamae-ate.
Koryu Dai San No Kata
Trey and I worked on kote-gaeshi and Ryote-mochi-sukui-nage (Uke grabs both tore's wrists and stands. Tore lifts arms, off-balancing uke, then turns uke into roll-out). I must remember to push uke up, and not out. Then rock him back and make certain both of my legs rotate at the same time to send him sprawling.
Aftermath: None of note.


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I can't control my nighttime dreams but I can control my day-dreams. And yesterday was a special day that deserves a Sunday day-dream of a world with cotton candy rainbows, Snoopy-dog happy dances, and family love that will continue growing in size and depth. Day-dream along with me.... what do you wish for? I'm going to sound like Sandra Bullock in Miss. Congeniality when I say: "I really do want world peace." ©
Welcome to the Misadventures of Widowhood blog!
In January of 2012 my soul mate of 42 years passed away after nearly 12 years of living with severe disabilities due to a stroke. I survived the first year after Don's death doing what most widows do---trying to make sense of my world turned upside down. The pain and heartache of loss, my dark humor, my sweetest memories and, yes, even my pity parties are well documented in this blog.
Now that I'm a "seasoned widow" the focus of my writing has changed. I'm still a widow looking through that lens but I'm also a woman searching for contentment, friends and a voice in my restless world. Some people say I have a quirky sense of humor that shows up from time to time in this blog. Others say I make some keen observations about life and growing older. I say I just write about whatever passes through my days---the good, bad and the ugly. Comments welcome and encouraged. Let's get a dialogue going! Jean
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sex, Bullets and Baby Bliss
I can't control my nighttime dreams but I can control my day-dreams. And yesterday was a special day that deserves a Sunday day-dream of a world with cotton candy rainbows, Snoopy-dog happy dances, and family love that will continue growing in size and depth. Day-dream along with me.... what do you wish for? I'm going to sound like Sandra Bullock in Miss. Congeniality when I say: "I really do want world peace." ©
10 comments:
Jean, you have totally floored me with your writing. I'm hanging up my pen, now, today. Making this dream your catalyst for rewiring our brains for love not war - juxtaposing Lady Gaga and General Sherman? OMG Brilliant. I guess the personal IS political. Empathy starts at home. Babies prove that optimism outweighs pessimism. I don't know. What do I wish for? Something simple like Lady Gaga? That cuddling babies begets hope for babies everywhere, stranded by terrorists or addicted parents? To be honest, Jean, my day dreams are for making the most of NOW. This is ultra simplistic, as in K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, stupid.ReplyDeleteReplies
I really was all over the map when I wrote this, wasn't I. LOL I think your day dreams is brilliant in its simplicity and if we all tried to make the most of NOW, we wouldn't have time for hatred, jealously and the others things that cause trouble between individuals and countries. So glad you shared your thoughts!Delete
What is wrong with me? I RARELY remember my dreams. Dreaming is supposed to be really good for you. Maybe I just day dream ... living out the love that I feel for the baby boys. Even when I step on an "army guy" or a Lego. I smile!ReplyDeleteReplies
You do dreams. We all dream. You just don't remember them long enough in those first few seconds when you wake up to have them transfer to the conscious part of your brain so you can recall them later in the day.Delete
Dreaming is a product of our brains transferring our daytime activities and what we've read, seen, felt, thought and heard to a long-term memory place. That info. gets placed broken up and mixed in with old memories like a computer would store data on a hard drive. Thus the sometimes weird nature of our dreams is us seeing that 'storage process" at work as it whips past old feeling, events, etc. to find a dumping ground for the new---blending them together like a salad. At least this is my understanding from things I've read.
took a bit too much fish oil did ya? bwahahaha too funny!ReplyDelete
smiles, bee
Not me. Fish oil pills would kill me. I'm allergic. lolDelete
All over the map and making perfect sense. Love your blog, Jean!ReplyDeleteReplies
Oh, thank you! Sometimes I worry that when I write about heavy topic it's going to drive people away but then I come back to who am I writing for me, or them? ...and it comes down to I have to write for me, to park what's in my brain some place else so I can quit thinking about things. LOL.Delete
OMG That dream had me laughing so hard. That dream is one of the reasons I love blogging. When I can't sleep, I can come in here and fire up the old Mac and find something fantastic to take my mind off my insomnia, or whatever caused my insomnia.ReplyDelete
I, too, wonder what the world will be like for your sweet nephew and my grands. It's all so unpredictable. I get up every morning and turn on the news, never knowing what may have happened while I slept. We have to believe that the generations to follow will do better than we did or at least find some solutions.
Dreams sure can keep can get you thinking in the morning! And sometimes you just have to laugh and wonder how you subconscious brain came up with that.ReplyDelete
I know so many younger people who don't follow ANY news and therefore don't have a clue about the dangers going on in the world. On one hand that gives them the ability to raise babies in their own little peaceful bubble but on the other hand, if something bad happens here in the States they won't have clue what lead up to it and that's when we could get another president who'd have their total backing to invade countries that had nothing to do with the destruction. We're damned if we do and damned if we don't keep up with the news.


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I recently played tennis with a guy for our first date. Although we'd corresponded a couple of times to schedule the tennis, I really didn't know anything else about this person.
When he met me in the parking lot, I held out my hand to greet him. He held his arms open, suggesting a hug. Ugh. I sucked it up, used my acting skills, and hugged.
An hour into the tennis, he came to the net when I did to pick up balls. Again, he held out his arms to hug over the net. Again, I used my acting skills. Double ugh.
At the end of the match, he ran to the net, licking his lips. I held out my hand and said, "Good match." He went in for another hug and pulled back as if he was going to kiss me. That was it. My acting skills had reached their limit. Fearing he would try it again in the parking lot when we said good-bye, I told him the only touching from there on out was a high-five.
Obviously, this man was raised a hugger. Obviously, I was not. I'm not saying I don't hug people I know well, it's the strangers that I'm not comfortable with. It's my personal space, and these huggers are invading it. For all they know, I could be Ted Bundy's protégé…or even Al Bundy's, for that matter.
I once visited a guy's family, and they were hugging every time I turned around. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other. When they tried to incorporate me into their circle of love, I informed them I would give them a hug coming and going, and that was it. And I didn't mean every time I left their house and returned.
Is there a middle ground between the super affectionate and the not-so affectionate? Is there ever a nice way to tell someone you're not comfortable hugging them and would rather just high-five? Is avoidance of huggers the only way around this debacle?
Admittedly, I'm to the extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to not hugging people I don't know well. I'm sure there is room for improvement. Maybe I was leading the guy on. Maybe, instead of reporting the score as love-love, I should have clarified, "That's like-like to you."
Although you say the word "love" a lot in tennis, there is one thing I am quite sure of: There is no hugging in tennis.
Happy dating…and hugging!
Devil's Elbow, Book 2 of the Harbor Secret Series, is now available in hard copy! Yay!


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This article on Woodstock Farm, the City's new special use park off Chuckanut Drive, appeared in today's Herald and is worth checking out.
More information is available on the City's website at this URL:
Additional details on next Sunday's public event appears here:
For those wishing a little more background on how this new park opportunity came about, an earlier blog is available at this URL:
This latest event in a series held over this summer, is set for 1 to 5 PM next Sunday afternoon, August 23, with parking available at the North Chuckanut Trailhead parking lot, with shuttle service to the site.
Exhibits, refreshments and entertainment will be provided at what is being termed an Inspiration Jamboree with the Woodstock Farm Conservancy.
I hope folks will come and see this tranquil and historic gem of a place, which thankfully is being preserved for the enjoyment of our posterity.


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By Robert Cunningham, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer -
In the afterglow of Thursday's win (and near debacle) and sweep of the Minnesota Twins the Angels continue to evaluate their bullpen pitchers and any means of improving and upgrading the relief staff.
Jerry Dipoto was recently quoted on XM Radio saying, via Jeff Fletcher, that relievers were "Priority No 1" for the team on the trade market.
Based on the continued shaky and inconsistent outings from several of our relievers it is understandable why the Angel's front office and fans are in alignment on this issue.
So who is really available and what do the Angels have to offer in trade?
Currently, after Wednesday's game, the Angels have a 31.4% chance of making the Divisional playoffs with only five other teams, the Tigers, Nationals, Athletics, Dodgers, and Giants, holding better odds.
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, at teams with 5% or less chance of making the Divisional playoffs, you have teams like the Red Sox, Marlins, Rangers, Rays, Phillies, Rockies, Twins, Mets, Padres, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Astros, and Cubs.
Arguably the teams at 5% or less are probably looking at their expendable assets right now to determine which, if any, teams they match up with in possible trades. At this point it would take quite a bit for most of those teams to crawl back into contention and if you can acquire a piece for next year and beyond for a rental, now is the best time to do it in all likelihood.
First of all we need to identify what the Angels want and what they have to offer.
Angels Needs
According to the Angels website the 40-man is full. However, three of those players, Brasier, Burnett, and Moran are all on the 60-day disabled list, which indicates that the Angels could easily acquire at least two more players without disturbing the 40-man roster this season (Burnett and Moran are out for the rest of the year).
To make room on the 25-man roster the Angels would likely send down one or more of David Carpenter, Cory Rasmus, Hector Santiago, Efren Navarro, Grant Green, or Matt Shoemaker. Carpenter and Rasmus are probably the most likely to have targets on their back if the Angels make a move.
In examining the Angels bullpen it is pretty clear that a really good left-handed reliever would be a great add. Beyond that a really good shut down closer type, whether right or left handed, would certainly give the bullpen much needed depth.
Outside of a good reliever or two, the Angels could certainly try to acquire another starting pitcher and then move someone like Hector Santiago into a relief role for the remainder of the season. We will keep this in mind as we look at the available talent in the trade market but we will keep the focus on relief help since that appears to be the most cost-effective way to bolster the team.
Finally we need to have a short discussion about what assets the Angels have that we could trade to another team for the pitching that we desire.
There are three main areas the Angels have some depth in:
1) Second Base – The Angels depth chart looks something like: Howie Kendrick, Grant Green, John McDonald, Taylor Lindsey (AAA), Alex Yarbrough (AA), and Andrew Daniel (Pioneer).
2) The Outfield – Again looking at the depth chart it would resemble something like the following: Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton, Kole Calhoun, Collin Cowgill, Efren Navarro, J.B. Shuck (AAA), Zachary Borenstein (AAA), Brennan Boesch (AAA), Matt Long (AAA), Cal Towey (A+), Michael Fish (A), and Chad Hinshaw (A).
3) PTBNL – The Angels have drafted players recently that teams certainly would have interest in that might have some value in trade discussions. If one of the above players isn't quite enough to consummate a deal, throwing in the proverbial Player To Be Named Later might be enough to close.
The Angels do have some assets to draw upon but the selection is not extensive by any means. Because our asset base is more or less confined to 2B or the OF, Jerry Dipoto will have to find a trade partner that has one of those needs. There may be interest in a player like R.J. Alvarez for instance but it is my feeling that JeDi will try to hold onto valued low-depth assets at all costs.
So without further ado here are some potential relief targets that the Angels should be kicking the tires on:
San Diego Padres (Joaquin Benoit, Huston Street, & Ian Kennedy)
These three have been the most talked about trio on Angelswin.com in recent weeks and rightfully so.
Clearly Benoit is the best choice based on his actual (1.42 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, & 25.4% K-BB%) and peripheral (2.81 xFIP & 2.19 SIERA) numbers. Street is a reasonably close 2nd choice, so either one would be a big addition to the Angels bullpen.
I mention Ian Kennedy as a possible starter acquisition, if the Angels go that route, because he is a free agent after this season and even though his ERA isn't spectacular his peripheral numbers indicate better days ahead. He might be acquired on the cheap.
Benoit or Street could likely be had for one of our 2nd base prospects. Gyorko will likely slide over to 3rd base next season, when Headley departs, so someone like Lindsey or Yarbrough for one of Benoit or Street should be enough to get it done.
Boston Red Sox (Andrew Miller, Koji Uehara, & Junichi Tazawa)
Each of these three relievers has produced great results for the Red Sox this season. In particular Uehara and Miller have put up ridiculously good actual (1.26 & 2.61 ERA's) and peripheral (2.23 & 1.91 xFIP's) numbers. Tazawa is a distant third but his 2.69 SIERA points to a solid contributor.
Miller in particular is of interest because he is a strong left-handed reliever with a gaudy 14.52 K/9 rate. Uehara has been masterful in the closing role this season and has dominated hitters over the last few years.
Since the Red Sox are knee deep in superior 2nd base options (Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts) they would likely only have interest in our outfield depth. Both Miller and Uehara's salaries are relatively inexpensive so they would require more than what the Padres, above, would likely receive in return.
It seems like the Red Sox would only bite on a trade if someone like Zachary Borenstein or R.J. Alvarez were the centerpiece. It would also likely require at least one PTBNL, maybe two.
New York Mets (Carlos Torres & Jake Leathersich)
One, Torres, has suffered from some bad BABIP luck while the other, Leathersich, is a flame-throwing prospect down in AA.
Torres is under club control through 2018. He's a righty that doesn't throw particularly hard but he has a varied repertoire that produces a lot of ground balls. Oddly he gets lefties out better than he does righties so that might be a fit for the Angels if he can be acquired cheaply.
Leathersich is a power lefty and would certainly provide high amounts of strikeouts and walks. He currently sports a 15.34 K/9 rate and a 26.4% K-BB% rate over his Minor League career to date.
The Mets are certainly debating what route they want to take regarding their 2nd base conundrum for next year. Talks with Daniel Murphy have resurfaced in the last couple of days but that could merely be leverage politics in other negotiations.
Leathersich would likely cost us Taylor Lindsey while Torres might be had for Yarbrough. Essentially it would be a swap of long-term controllable prospects.
Arizona Diamondbacks (Joe Thatcher, Brad Ziegler, Addison Reed, & Brandon McCarthy)
Thatcher (LHP), Reed (RHP), Ziegler (RHP), and McCarthy (RHP) are all pitching in one of the biggest home run parks in the Majors. Thatcher and Reed in particular are fly ball pitchers that could certainly use a change of scenery.
The reason that Thatcher is mentioned here is his ability to strike out hitters and control walks (21.9% K-BB%). He's a free agent after the season is over and could probably be had cheaply. Ziegler has some additional years of control but he sports a career 66.1% ground ball rate which is pretty insane. He'd likely be more difficult to acquire because the D'backs need more ground ball artists in their division.
Reed and McCarthy have been the real victims of the D'backs stadium this season. Addison's and McCarthy's actual (23.2% & 14.9% K-BB%) and peripheral (3.08 & 2.99 xFIP and 2.49 & 3.08 SIERA) numbers point to much better results than they have been getting in their relief and rotation roles respectively.
The Diamondbacks have Aaron Hill for two more seasons after this year. Someone like Alex Yarbrough would be a good fit for their long-term time horizon at the 2nd base position. A trade of Yarbrough for Thatcher or McCarthy would probably be a fairly equitable trade for both sides.
Reed and Ziegler on the other hand would require more than just Yarbrough. Reed would likely require Alex plus a right-handed outfielder like Boesch (1.059 OPS in AAA) and a PTBNL. Ziegler would cost a little less.
Tampa Bay Rays (Brad Boxberger, Jake McGee, & David Price)
One can always fantasize and dream about David Price right?
The real targets are of course Boxberger (RHP) and McGee (LHP). Both of them are more of the fly ball types and their actual (26.4% & 23.6% K-BB%) and peripheral (2.85 & 2.88 xFIP and 2.15 & 2.33 SIERA) numbers reflect their talent.
Both of these relievers have some remaining years of club control so they won't come cheap. Taylor Lindsey would likely have to be sacrificed for either one of them. If we wanted both Boxberger and McGee (hey why not!) it would take at least a package of Taylor Lindsey, R.J. Alvarez, and two PTBNL or possibly one of our spare outfielders (unlikely).
These options only represent a sample of what is really available to the Angels front office. Teams like the Phillies (Bastardo), Rockies (Ottavino), Twins (Perkins), Marlins (Cishek), and the Cubs (Rondon) are all possible trade partners. Even a contending team like the Royals, Nationals, or Braves might be a fit for the Angels in trade (the Royals for instance need bench help).
Finally one thing to remember is that relievers don't provide a ton of value to a team's overall ability to win. Most of them are situational pitchers who come in for one inning at a time.
In terms of trade value they aren't worth too much. The only exceptions are when they are under long-term team control (pre-arbitration) or under contract at a reasonable dollar value.
It is worth mentioning because, although we are approaching the trade deadline and acquiring teams will likely have to pay a premium for any player they acquire, many people feel like it will cost the Angels their entire farm to get a good bullpen piece and that is not necessarily the case, especially if it is the relievers walk year or they have a bloated contract (think Papelbon).


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Tagged: Chase d'Arnaud
The 2008 Draft
When it comes to evaluating how well a draft worked out for a franchise be it baseball, football, hockey, basketball or really any other sport I am one who always feels that 5 years is a fairly reasonable time frame. Of course in baseball and to some extent hockey the evaluations have to be done a little differently because not everyone from those drafts are going to be established players but for the most part we should have a fairly good idea as to what kind of player they are. Typically speaking I think the 5th professional year for a draft class, particularly and MLB one is a huge year. The quick risers are likely in their 3rd pro season or so, the slow risers are likely entering their first full season or just ready to contribute and the wildcards are likely on their final chance. Its been five years since Neal Huntington's first draft class and of course 2013 will be that class's 5th full year of professional baseball experience. So according to my rule of thumb it should be a big year for them and indeed it is. To my research there are twelve players who still have at least some level of significance to the Pirates franchise, I have broken down those 12 into 6 different categories and will discuss what the 2013 season holds for them. Think of this as a primer for what to look for out of the 2008 draft class this season.
Organizational Players: Benjamin Gonzalez, Jeremy Farrell, Zachary Foster
Essentially this group has no expectations for the 2013 season. The three above players were drafted and signed in 2008 but have evolved into organizational filler; they will likely serve as bench depth or bullpen arms for one or multiple levels in 2013. They aren't expected to contribute to the major league team and at this point really have no discernible prospect value. +
Wildcards: Jarek Cunningham, Quinton Miller
Cunningham and Miller are not that far from bien organizational players but both remain in the system and unlike the three organizational players I have listed do have somewhat of a ceiling. Cunningham is capable of playing 2B and has plus power for the position and Miller was a fairly highly regarded prep pitcher at the time he was drafted. Both of them face uphill climbs to ever make the majors let alone become a significant contributor there but each of them have enough upside that they will have essentially one last chance to rebound in 2013 and show they have some value. Miller is likely to work out of the bullpen at A+, a level he'll be playing at for a 3rd season and at 23 years old is pushing the high side for a prospect at that level. If he shows signs of progress the Pirates may opt to send him to AA early on to give him one last chace but that appears highly unlikely. Cunningham is a little farther along than Miller as he will likely repeat AA this season and should be the starting 2B. At 23 years old he isn't a terrible age for the AA level but another failed year could prove costly to the little prospect status he has remaining. There is a little more hope for Cunningham than Miller as he showed progress last season with his plate discipline, if he can manage to build off that, refind his power and stay healthy (something that has been a struggle for him) there is a chance he could regain his prospect status. Cunningham is facing an uphill climb but it appears he at least has a fighting chance.
Major League Depth: Matt Hague, Michael Colla
Not much to say about these two. Hague and Colla are essentially organizational players but they have advanced far enough along that either one could be potential non horrible at the major league level meaning they will serve as depth in 2013. Hague is well known by Pirates fans because of his hot spring training last year and the fact he subsequently made the Pirates bench. He struggled with his chances with the big club though and spent most of 2012 in AAA. Hague doesn't really profile to hit for much power so his ceiling at the major league level is limited. Hague will almost certainly start the 2013 season off in AAA but this year he won't have a starting position and will be forced into a utility role. The utility role could be a good thing for Hague though as his best chance of making it back to the majors is probably as a utility player who can make decent contact. Colla has spent the last two years in the AA rotation. His numbers over that time are actually fairly decent. In reality he doesn't profile as a starter and unless he returns to AA for another season will not be one in 2013 but as a reliever he has a chance to become a decent depth middle reliever who could fill in at the major league level when injuries or ineffectiveness occurs. Colla and Hague don't come with much upside and aren't really players that will determine if the 2008 draft was a success or failure but 2013 will be a pivotal year in determining whether either one can carve out some sort of a major league career.
Slow Movers: Justin Wilson, Jordy Mercer, Chase d'Arnaud
Wilson, Mercer and d'Arnaud are ultimately going to play a large role in determining how well the 2008 draft worked for the Pirates. A good rule of thumb is that a good draft should give you 3 solid major league contributors. Well the Pirates have one who we will discuss later and have one more who could pay some dividends for them at the major league level but if they are to get any additional help from this class it is going to have to come from these three players. Wilson undoubtedly has the highest upside of the bunch as if he were able to find some control he has the stuff to be a top of the rotation arm. Mercer and d'Arnaud look like their ceiling is likely a major league average shortstop and that may be pushing it. At the end of the day three solid major league contributors doesn't mean three superstars essentially if the team is able to draft one very good regular, a solid back end reliever and a good bench option it has had a decent year. None of these three except maybe Wilson look like they will develop into a solid regular but they all look like potential secondary pieces. Each player has two options remaining meaning they could in theory be brought back next season if they fail to establish themselves but in reality this is a big year for all three. Should any of them not establish themselves as at least a serviceable major league player they will be in great risk of being removed from the roster after the season and unless claimed by another team that usually severely hurts a player's chances of having a good major league career.
Traded: Robbie Grossman (Wandy Rodriguez)
The importance of Robbie Grossman who was the key piece in the Wandy Rodriguez deal might often get overlooked when discussing the success or failure of the 2013 draft but it shouldn't be. Grossman may no longer be in the system but the reason teams have prospects is not for only developing them for their own use but for using them to acquire major league talent through trades, in short they are assets. How Grossman performs this season is largely irrelevant to how the Pirates 2008 draft should be viewed but how his return, Wandy Rodriguez, performs is in my mind a critical part of it. Rodriguez is an established major league and a good performances by him in 2013 will help push up the value the Pirates were able to get out of the 2008 draft. As I stated this will be often overlooked but in my mind the return for Robbie Grossman may very well end up being the 2nd most important aspect of the 2008 draft.
Fast Movers: Pedro Alvarez
At the end of the day the performance of the other 11 players I've discussed mean very little compared to the draft 1st round pick. The success or failure of that draft will forever be linked to how Alvarez performs in his career as a Pirate. Last season saw some encouraging progress from Alvarez at the major league level but the strike out rate was too high. Alvarez at this point is an established major league player and looks like he has a strong chance of developing into a regular however his upside is so much more. He possess the power needed to develop into a true impact bat. This upcoming 2013 season will be crucial to his development. If he is able to build off his success in 2012 Alvarez begins looking like a cornerstone player but if he struggles like he did in 2011 he will once again look like a big bust. As his fortunes go so will the fate of the 2008 draft. Even in an optimist scenario where Wilson develops into a solid middle of the rotation arm, Mercer is able to be a decent place holder at the shortstop position for a year or two, d'Arnaud starts to hit and becomes a good spark plug off the bench, Cunningham regains his prospect value and Hague or Colla carves out a major league niche for themselves the 2008 draft will still feel light on talent if Alvarez fails to produce. In order for him to be a success and by extension the 2008 draft Alvarez doesn't have to perform all that much better than his 2012 numbers going forward but he has to prove that he can that type of player and not be subject to wild down seasons like 2011; building off of 2012 and taking another step, even a small step forward would go a long way in proving just that.
Infield Bench Battle
One area that causes me great concern regarding the Pirates is in the depth they have for the infield. The starters Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Clint Barmes are all fairly healthy individuals and their play is fairly solid at least in some aspects. However behind them the Pirates really do not have a whole lot. Traditionally two infielders get bench spots on the Pirates to begin the season and I am expecting that to be the case again this season. Once again this crop is fairly unimpressive but there appears to be five players with a legitimate chance of winning one of the bench jobs available. I thought it would be a good idea to review each players strengths and weaknesses and analyze why there is a reason for concern with each player.
Josh Harrison
Harrison is probably the most familiar of the 5 to Pittsburgh Pirates fans as he has been part of the Pirates bench for the last five seasons. He is a player who is easy to like because of his all out style of play. During the 2012 season we even were introduced to his mother on the Pirates broadcasts as she watched him play in games in his home town Cincinnati, he reaction when he got hit probably was something a lot of mothers can relate to. Harrison is an interesting player as he is a free swinger and he will really go deep into the count which means he walks a small amount of time but also means he doesn't strike out very often. As for the other aspects of his game he is a contact hitter with limited power, has probably slightly above average speed and is a below average fielder. It is really a mix bag with Harrison.
Strengths: Harrison can play all over the field, logging innings last year at 2B, SS, 3B and the corner outfield. He is difficult to strike out and is very good at putting the ball in play. He has experience with the Pirates and appears to be a player Clint Hurdle likes. In addition his base running is fairly good and he can steal the occasional base.
Weaknesses: Although Harrison has played all over the field the only position where he looks even semi-decent defensively is third base. His inability to work counts causing his walk rate to be low which in return negatively affects his OBP. He is a contact hitter but the contact he makes is often of a weak variety as he doesn't possess much power.
Overall: Harrison has a great chance to be a part of the Pirates bench this season because of his familiarity with the Pirates coaching staff, his ability to play several different positions and the simple fact he is on the 40 man roster. On the flip side the Pirates should consider going another direction because there is nothing Harrison really does that makes him stand out. With the exception of his ability to not strike out Harrison is at best average in every other aspect of the game. The ability to play multiple positions is a plus but his inability to play them well or even decently negatively effects his value. Overall the Pirates could definitely do worse than Harrison but should try to do better.
Jordy Mercer
Mercer is probably the best defensive shortstop of this group and is also one who should be familiar with Pirates fans as he was drafted by the Pirates in 2008 and has remained in the organization ever since. He spent a rather significant amount of time in the majors last season but got very few at bats as Clint Hurdle gave him the Pedro Ciriaco treatment and he was mainly glues to the bench. Offensively it is difficult to get a read on just what Mercer will be able to do in the major leagues but in the minors he has been adequate with the bat. Mercer's strike out and walk rates for his minor league career appear to be roughly average and he does seem to have at least a little power in his bat as he led the Pirates minor leagues in homers in 2011. Defensively speaking Mercer has only played 2B, 3B and SS but he plays those positions fairly well. As for the other aspects of his game he has about average speed and really doesn't try to steal many bases although he will occasionally sneak one in there. At this point Mercer is sort of an unknown with a high floor and low ceiling.
Strengths: Mercer's best strength is his defensive ability as he is the only one of the five candidates who is capable of even being an average defender at the shortstop position. He does have a few other pluses too though as he is probably one of the safer bets to not be completely useless on the bench and has shown at least some power in the minor leagues.
Weaknesses: The biggest weakness with mercer is that it is really not known how is bat will translate. He has struggled in his very limited sample in the majors but that came over quite a long-span with very inconsistent playing time. He also doesn't have the ability to play the outfield although with all the Pirates options that shouldn't be a large concern.
Overall: Like Harrison, Mercer's strongest case for making the team is quite simply his familiarity with the coaching staff and his presence on the 40 man roster. He also has the additional benefit of actually being able to handle the shortstop position at a good level although with an all glove guy like Barmes starting on most days that is less of a concern than it would be otherwise. I currently have Mercer as my second infielder on the bench but I feel that his position is a lot less secure tha Harrison's. I feel Mercer is probably the safest choice of this group as his glove will at least give him some value but his lack of experience may wind up hurting him.
Brandon Inge
The Pirates signed Inge to a minor league deal this offseason and because of the new CBA he will be able to opt out if he is not placed on the roster by late March. Of the 3 players I consider on the outside looking in when it comes to battling for the two bench spots I believe Inge has the best chance of winning one. Inge is clearly on the downside of his career but was still a valuable player to the Athletics last season and could still have some value for the Pirates. Offensively speaking he is a below average player who strikes out a fairly high amount and walks roughly an average amount. He is not a contact hitter but does hit for some power. Defensively his primary position is 3B and he has spent the majority of his career there although he has logged innings at 2B and in the corner outfield and was a catcher when his career began so he could probably serve as the emergency third option at that position which is a plus. He is a very good defender at 3B and ahs shown himself capable at the other positions. Baserunning wise he is below average and he really isn't a threat to steal any bases. Inge is a veteran and has been around the league a long time and has more experience in the majors than his other four competitors do combined.
Strengths: Inge's best strength and what separates him from the other four is his experience. He has been in the majors for several seasons and has been a part of winning clubs so a pressure pinch hit situation is less likely to get to him than any of the other players. He also would provide the Pirates with a little power off the bench and would provide them with possibly an adequate option to rest Alvarez against tough left handers and to pull him for defensive purposes late in games.
Weaknesses: Unlike the other four players Inge has no experience at the shortstop position meaning the Pirates would only have one bench option capable of playing that position if they kept Inge. He has also been on the decline the past few seasons and is a threat to bottom out this year. Defensively speaking last year was the first time he spent any time at 2B and before that he hadn't played a position outside of 3B since 2008.
Overall: Inge isn't on the 40 man roster and because of that he has a slightly uphill climb to make the team. I still give him very good odds but I think he starts behind Harrison and Mercer entering Spring Training. Inge is also a player this coaching staff is not familiar with which puts him at another disadvantage. His lack of flexibility in the field will also likely play against him. However the Pirates, specifically Clint Hurdle may see some value in his experience and because of that he has a chance to make the bench. Inge has also expressed a willingness to work on other positions outside of 3B so his flexibility issue will be slightly reduced. Inge could be a decent veteran presence on the bench but his declining numbers in recent years are cause for concern.
Ivan De Jesus
De Jesus was acquired by the Pirates as the fourth piece in the Hanrahan trade. Pretty much him and Brock Holt are just consider after thoughts in the deal and are considered to roughly cancel each other out as neither one projects to be much more than utility infielders. De Jesus is a relatively inexperienced major league player but he does have some considerable time in at AAA. He definitely has some upside but it is difficult for me to see him as anything other than a utility player at this point. De Jesus has put up some good offensive numbers in AAA but that very well may be a by-product of the PCL as those numbers have yet to translate to his limited MLB sample size. De Jesus offensive game is predicated around contact as he does not hit for much power and is just an average runner. His strike out rates have been high in the major leagues but they have been right around average to a little above average in the minors. His walk rates have been all over the place from very good to below average throughout his career so it is probably safe to assume he has about average plate discipline. On the defensive side he was originally a shortstop but injuries moved him to 2nd base and he is probably unable to be a regular shortstop now although he is probably capable of being a fill in for a game here or there. His defense in the majors has been poor but that is a small sample. Overall he is probably roughly an average fielder.
Strengths: The best asset De Jesus has going for him is that he is probably the best hope amongst the 5 bench candidates to be a solid two-way player. His defense is at least serviceable at shortstop and around average at 2B and 3B and his bat has shown potential in AAA. De Jesus is not the best player in any particular aspect but he also isn't the worst and he probably balances out to have the best mix of any of the five competing.
Weaknesses: De Jesus biggest strike against him is that he hasn't had success in his limited major league opportunities and that like Harrison there is really nothing he does above average. He has the skills to be a nice balanced utility player but without something to make him stand out it could be difficult for him to get noticed. So his biggest weakness is not a particular flaw but a lack of a true strength, essentially its a double edge sword.
Overall: De Jesus has only very minimal experience in the corner outfield meaning he is essentially limited to strictly infield duty but once again that shouldn't be a real issue. As of right now he appears to be the Pirates fourth choice amongst the bench infielder candidates but he has opted to skip the WBC in an attempt to move up the chart and I think that is certainly doable. De Jesus isn't on the 40 man roster, doesn't have an out clause and has had little success in the majors in the past; all of that is working against him making the bench out of spring training. On the other side De Jesus has some potential with the bat and really lacks a glaring weakness in his game and when combined with his ability to handle shortstop better than Harrison and Inge it gives him a certain appeal which could allow him to find a home. If he doesn't make it out of spring training there is a chance he could see Pittsburgh some time this season but that would be far from a guarantee.
Chase d'Arnaud
Pirates fans are probably familiar with Chase d'Arnaud from his time with the Pirates in 2011. He was a bit of a fan favorite at the time and was seen as a spark plug for the offense while he was up in the majors. Truth be told though he really didn't play all that well. He is a weak hitter and a below average fielder but yet he might have the highest upside of all the players listed. What sets d'Arnaud apart from the rest of this crowd is his plus speed a weapon that if he would ever be able to utilize correctly could make him a solid major league player. With the bat he displays very little power but has shown an ability to maintain a decent average in AAA. His strike out rates are right around league average which is probably a little high for a speed guy like him and his walk rate is also probably about average. Defensively he has played 2B, 3B and SS and he is below average defensively at SS although he is good enough that a team could get by with him there for an extended period of time and at the other positions he is right around an average defender. He has a small sample of major league plate appearances and has mostly struggled in that time. Currently he appears to be a distant fifth in the battle for the final two bench spots but if he can show he is capable of hitting decently his speed could make for a great asset off the bench for the Pirates.
Strengths: As I've already said d'Arnaud's best asset is his speed. He is probably the Pirates best base stealer and would be a nice player to have for pinch running situations. He also has the ability to play shortstop decently well and would be a perfectly adequate backup option defensively especially considering its an all glove player in front of him. Outside of his speed and ability to play shortstop d'Arnaud also has the advantage of being on the 40 man roster and having played for Hurdle. He did provide a certain spark while he was here in 2011 so with a solid spring it is possible Hurdle could consider that as a factor.
Weaknesses: d'Arnaud has many weaknesses but mainly it is his poor hitting that hold him back. If he could show himself to be even a decent hitter he has enough athleticism that he could be a solid contributor. Also working against him is his shaky defense at shortstop. d'Arnaud right now is a very one-tool specific player and that is usually a poor fit for most benches. He is going to need to show a more complete game in order to have any chance.
Overall: I would very much like to see d'Arnaud win one of the bench spots as his speed would be a nice weapon to have available on the bench. The fact that he is a shortstop, albeit a below average defensive one, is another reason it would be nice to have him around. Right now he is probably the longest shot of all five competitors but I think it is close enough that a strong spring performance could vault him into the conversation. His game right now is almost solely dependent upon his speed and that isn't going to be enough; he needs to make an effort to be well-rounded and most importantly make some strides with his bat. If d'Arnaud proves capable of carrying over his average from AAA to the majors he could make for a solid bench player or maybe even a decent starter. If d'Arnaud does not show any improvements in his game during spring training he will head back to AAA and unless he shows something there he is going to be a candidate to be taken off the 40 man roster and would likely only see Pittsburgh as a pinch runner in September.
I thought a good way to summarize everything from above would be to rank the five players on a few different skill aspects.
Power: 1. Brandon Inge, 2. Jordy Mercer, 3. Josh Harrison, 4. Chase d'Arnaud, 5. Ivan De Jesus
Average: 1. Josh Harrison, 2. Ivan De Jesus, 3. Jordy Mercer, 4. Chase d'Arnaud, 5. Brandon Inge
Contact: 1. Josh Harrison, 2. Ivan De Jesus, 3. Jordy Mercer, 4. Chase d'Arnaud, 5. Brandon Inge
Plate Discipline: 1. Brandon Inge, 2. Ivan De Jesus, 3. Jordy Mercer, 4. Chase d'Arnaud, 5. Josh Harrison
Speed: 1. Chase d'Arnaud, 2. Josh Harrison, 3. Jordy Mercer, 4. Ivan De Jesus, 5. Brandon Inge
Base Running: 1. Chase d'Arnaud, 2. Josh Harrison, 3. Ivan De Jesus, 4. Jordy Mercer, 5. Brandon Inge
Shortstop Ability: 1. Jordy Mercer, 2. Chase d'Arnaud, 3. Ivan De Jesus, 4. Josh Harrison, 5. Brandon Inge
Defense: 1. Jordy Mercer, 2. Brandon Inge, 3. Ivan De Jesus, 4. Chase d'Arnaud, 5. Josh Harrison
Versatility: 1. Josh Harrison, 2. Ivan De Jesus. 3. Chase d'Arnaud, 4. Jordy Mercer, 5. Brandon Inge
Experience: 1. Brandon Inge, 2. Josh Harrison, 3. Chase d'Arnaud, 4. Ivan De Jesus, 5. Jordy Mercer
Potential: 1. Chase d'Arnaud, 2. Jordy Mercer, 3. Ivan De Jesus, 4. Josh Harrison, 5. Brandon Inge
Finally I would like to give the percent chance I think each has of making the team. Now remember there are two open spots and the Pirates are probably going to give both of them to two infielders but there is a not impossible chance they opt to go with a 5th outfielder instead of an additional infielder. Since there are two spots the odds add up to 200% and these numbers are really just my best estimate as of now. I have no real knowledge of the situation, it is pure speculation.
Josh Harrison: 75%
Jordy Mercer: 40%
Brandon Inge: 30%
5th OF: 25%
Ivan De Jesus: 20%
Chase d'Arnaud: 10%
2013 Expectations: Shortstops
Last offseason I did a 15 part preview of the Pirates upcoming seasons focusing on what I expected to see out of various positions at the major league levels, the minor levels, the coaching staff and the front office. The series went over fairly well with my readers so I have decided to bring it back for a second year. I'm not sure how many parts this year's series will include but I will do my best to cover every key player I can think of.
Clint Barmes
Barmes had a rough offensive season for the Pirates in 2012 but what most people don't realize is that he was actually on terrible for the first two months of the season. From June 1st to the end of the season Barmes slash line was .255/.306/.344 good for a .650 OPS. Now that is still a bad line but given his strong defensive play it is an acceptable level. Barmes is not going to wow anyone with his bat but if he can be a .650 OPS hitter while providing excellent defense from the shortstop position he is a valuable player to have around. In 2013 I expect Barmes to continue to be a strong defender for the Pirates and I expect to see his offense have a slight uptick. I'm not sure he'll reach the .650 OPS level I set from him but something in the area of .235/.295/.345 for a .640 OPS feels about right. Again I'm not trying to pretend that is great production it is below average even from a shortstop but Barmes game is not about offense. Last season with his glove alone Barmes was worth 2.1 WAR according to baseball reference and his UZR/150 was 15.3. Bottom line Barmes is an excellent fielder and should continue to be so in 2013. With his good glove and a bat that is non horrible it is reasonable to expect Barmes to be somewhere around a 2-2.5 WAR player in 2013.
Jordy Mercer
I currently have Mercer projected as my 5th bench player but there is a good chance he begins the year in AAA. I tend to be a little higher on Mercer than most actually believing the Pirates should be giving him a fairly significant number of starts at shortstop this season. Barmes's contract is up after this year and Mercer appears to be the only internal option who has shown some offensive and defensive ability. Mercer isn't as good a defender as Barmes and isn't a great hitter but he did lead the Pirates minor leagues in home runs in 2011 so he does have a little bit of power. Even if he doesn't make the team out of spring training Mercer will almost definitely be with the team at some point in 2013 but I fear he will be seldom used much like he was last season. Mercer is an intriguing player who I believe has what it takes to be a passable starting shortstop for a year or two but I don't believe the Pirates view him that way. My expectations for Mercer is that he'll get about 125 PA this season mostly in a utility role off the bench and really won't be able to do much with those limited opportunities.
Chase d'Arnaud
I'm really rooting for d'Arnaud to somehow win a bench spot this spring training. He is the one player in the Pirates organization that seems to have some definite idea of how to steal a base. Others like Marte are decent at it but get caught too much for the speed they have. d'Arnaud's speed off the bench would be a great asset for the Pirates in 2013 but in order to be able to carry him on the bench he needs to show that he can hit at least a little bit. d'Arnaud brought a lot of excitement when he was with the club in 2011 but really didn't perform all that well. His speed is nice but his struggles both offensively and defensively made him a liability to play. If he can at least be respectable at the plate and average-ish in the field he would be a good 25th man to have because of the athletic ability he has. However I don't think d'Arnaud can hit enough to hold down a bench position and due to that he is destined to return to AAA this season. Currently I have him slotted a distant 5th in the 5 person battle for the two infield bench spots and I don't see how he claims one. He very well might get a short stint with the majors this season but I'm not expecting it to be as much more than a pinch runner. Hopefully he proves me wrong in AAA though as a guy with his speed could really help the Pirates bench.
Projecting the AAA Roster
Predicting minor league rosters can be a tricky exercise because there are often a lot more options than there are actual spots. The Pirates have roughly 35 players per level who it would make sense to assign to that particular team but obviously you can have 25 at a time. Now at some point during the season it is possible, even likely, that all the players will appear but when talking about original assignments that is not the case. With that disclaimer aside I am going to give my best approximation of what the Pirates minor league rosters will look like this upcoming season. For the record when filling out minor league rosters I go with the standard 8 starters, 5 starting pitchers and 7 relievers. The bench is made of a DH, backup catcher, reserve infielder, reserve outfielder and a utility player.
Candidates: Tony Sanchez, Ali Solis, Lucas May
Analysis: The starting catcher is an easy one to peg here. Barring an injury on the major league level Tony Sanchez will start the year in AAA and serve as the regular starting catcher. There is little to no debate about this. Now who will be his backup is a bit more uncertain but it appears likely that it will either be Lucas May or Ali Solis. May has more experience in AAA and even in the majors and Solis is the better defensive catcher. Both will likely spend some time in AAA this year and are probably the 4th and 5th options to see time in the majors should a slew of injuries occur.
Prediction: Tony Sanchez
Candidates: Matt Curry, Clint Robinson, Matt Hague, Jeff Larish, Anderson Hernandez, Ivan De Jesus, Brandon Inge, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, Chase d'Arnaud, Jared Goedert, Alex Valdez, Jeremy Farrell
Analysis: That is a lot of bodies for 4 starting infield positions. Chances are two of the above players will be on the major league bench, currently I have Harrison and Mercer projected to be there so they can probably be safely dismissed. As far as prospects go the only ones listed above are Curry, Robinson, De Jesus and Mercer and those 4 are more fringe prospects than anything. The Pirates could opt to go a lot of different ways here and at this point it is difficult to figure out just what the plan is.
Predcition: Matt Curry (1B), Ivan De Jesus (2B), Brandon Inge (3B), Chase d'Arnaud (SS)
Candidates: Alex Presley, Jerry Sands, Felix Pie, Darren Ford, Brad Hawpe, Adalberto Santos, Brett Carroll, Andrew Lambo
Analysis: Some of the infielders could come into play here as well as players like Larish and Goedert have some experience in the outfield corners, however I think the Pirates have enough depth where that is likely not to be an issue at least with the starting roster. Alex Presley and Jerry Sands are candidates to start the year in the majors so if they don't they will almost certainly get starting jobs in AAA. The only prospects in the above list are Santos and Lambo and both of them could use some more time at AA although I would prefer to see Santos pushed to AAA. The Pirates glut of right fielders makes this a crowded group and the Pirates will have to sort through it before the season begins.
Prediction: Felix Pie (LF), Alex Presley (CF), Jerry Sands (RF)
Analysis: All of the above candidates who I did not project on to the roster are candidates to be part of the AAA bench. Five players in all will make it with one serving as a semi-regular starter at DH. There are still a bunch of names left so it is difficult to say just how this will go but chances are there will be a backup catcher, backup infielder and backup outfielder with the other two spots either going to utility guys or to someone ton handle the DH spot. There are a lot of ways this could go as well.
Prediction: Clint Robinson (DH), Lucas May (C), Jared Goedert (IF), Darren Ford (OF), Matt Hague (U)
Starting Pitchers
Candidates: Jeff Locke, Kyle McPherson, Jonathan Sanchez, Gerrit Cole, Jeanmar Gomez, Vin Mazzaro, Michael Colla, Brandon Cumpton, Phillip Irwin, Andy Oliver, Justin Wilson, Brooks Brown, Stolmy Pimentel
Analysis: Once again we have a lot of bodies for a very limited number of spots. Some of these pitchers are candidates to make the majors and some are candidates to start in either the AAA bullpen or AA. Currently I have Locke and Sanchez making the major league squad so I will remove them from the discussion. Chances are any of the Locke, McPherson, Sanchez trio that doesn't make the majors will be a SP in AAA and chances are so will Cole. With my current prediction that leaves three spots open to the rest of the group that includes some interesting prospects in Irwin, Wilson, Oliver and Pimentel and some fringe starter types in Mazzaro and Gomez.
Prediction: Gerrit Cole, Kyle McPherson, Justin Wilson, Andy Oliver, Phillip Irwin
Relief Pitchers
Candidates: The above group, Victor Black, Duke Welker, David Bromberg, Erik Cordier, Kyle Waldrop, Mike Zagurski, Roman Colon, Jeff Inman, Kris Johnson, Ryan Reid
Analysis: I'll be honest with you there is no way in the world I can try to accurately judge what a minor league bullpen is going to look like so I'm not going to pretend I know anything here. What I'm going to make is just a guess and really nothing more.
Prediction: Victor Black, Duke Welker, Brandon Cumpton, Kyle Waldrop, Vin Mazzaro, Mike Zagurski, Kris Johnson
Projected Roster
C: Tony Sanchez, Lucas May
IF: Matt Curry, Clint Robinson, Matt Hague, Ivan De Jesus, Chase d'Arnaud, Brandon Inge, Jared Goedert
OF: Felix Pie, Alex Presley, Jerry Sands, Darren Ford
SP: Gerrit Cole, Kyle McPherson, Justin Wilson, Andy Oliver, Phillip Irwin
RP: Victor Black, Duke Welker, Brandon Cumpton, Kyle Waldrop, Vin Mazzaro, Mike Zagurski, Kris Johnson


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Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, part of the Microsoft Office Suite, allows you to put together a presentation of information, data, charts and pictures. Whether your presentation is a single slide or a deck of hundreds, you might have the need to cite your work, giving credit to the person or place where you got your information. This is done through references, or footnotes. While you might be familiar with the quick footnote style through other Office products such as Word, PowerPoint doesn't offer the same feature, but you can still give credit where credit is due through just a few quick clicks.
Open PowerPoint 2007, click "File" and click "Open." Browse to the presentation with the slide to add a reference to and double-click the file name. The slide show opens in a PowerPoint window.
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Highlight the new number and right-click it. Select "Font." Check the "Superscript" box under the "Effects" section to give the number the footnote look. Change any other options, such as font colour and text font on the screen, then click the "OK" button. The number changes to a reference footnote.
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text: Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has learned an important lesson about not sharing his Twitter account, even with family. Following the Grand Prix of Long Beach, where Castroneves finished 11th, a tweet appeared under his account and was later deleted that said: "Indycar officials continuing not punishing some drivers and giving green flag during an accident." It also included an image of a thumbs down over the IndyCar Series logo. It has been preserved online.