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Tuesday, November 22, 2016
The Smart Move - Yes, From the Trudeau Government at That.
The federal government will order 18 F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets from Boeing to bridge the gap while it awaits the next wave of new generation fighters for the Royal Canadian Air Force. They're following an idea that Australia implemented a couple of years ago.
Most of America's allies are going for Lockheed's troubled F-35 which, by the time it is fully cleared for service, will be 20-years old. Over those two decades many of its supposed stealth secrets have been hacked by the very adversaries it is designed to attack. That has assisted them in the development of technologies to defeat the F-35's technology while giving them a leg up on constructing and deploying their own stealth fighter aircraft. To this Lockheed would say that the Russian and Chinese stealth aircraft aren't as good as America's. They could be right but they don't have to be nearly as good when used in defensive roles supported by their own advanced ground detection and missile systems.
The Americans are all too aware of the F-35's limitations and vulnerabilities which is why US naval and air force commanders are pressing for the early development of new, 6th generation aircraft to replace Lockheed's offering even before it achieves full operational status.
6 comments:
- Kim said...
This news made me happy as well, Mound. It's the right jet for Canada.
- 2:34 PM, November 22, 2016
- The Mound of Sound said...
It's only a bridge solution, Kim, but it may tide us over until something worth that humongous cost is developed.
- 3:47 PM, November 22, 2016
The purchase of military hardware is an indication of Government policy .
The F35 is a first strike weapon designed to be used in unison with the USA to achieve full capability.
Purchasing the F35 also ties in any buyer to USA foreign policy.
Computer hacking is likely to make any future military procurement obsolete before it hits the production line.
Cyber war is the future of our conflicts.
- 4:06 PM, November 22, 2016
- Ray Blessin said...
All of these machines are "weapons of mass destruction"!
Who are we going to kill with them?
- 5:47 PM, November 22, 2016
- The Mound of Sound said...
Ray, unlike the F-35 which is a stealth light bomber, the F-18 is multi-role which includes fairly robust air defence. Who are we going to kill with them? I don't know. Who have we killed with the old ones?
We do require a credible self-defence capability. The world is becoming a more difficult, dangerous place. It's quickly becoming unstable. Climate change alone is worsening the situation in many nations, a number of them nuclear powers. We can put our heads in the sand or we can be responsible and prepare to discourage those who may wish to come into conflict with us.
It's generally accepted that there are three main causes of war - gain, ideology and/or fear. We're entering an era of major power transition which, historically, is marked by conflict that can take the form of any or all three causes. Even Canada faces some credible threats.
- 11:02 PM, November 22, 2016
- Northern PoV said...
Apparently there are lots of fighter jets on the used market that can be upgraded and cost of fraction of the new stuff.
Better yet - let's build affordable housing with the money, eh?
- 6:43 AM, November 23, 2016


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3 sweet and tart apples, such as Granny Smith and Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
1/4 cup sugar or cinnamon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 (17.3-ounce) package all-butter frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Caramel Sauce, recipe follows, for serving
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
For the filling: Put the apples in a medium saucepan and add 1/3 cup water, the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Cover, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the apples are very tender, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat. Gently mash the apples until the mixture is very soft, but still chunky. Cool completely.
Position 1 rack in the top third of the oven and 1 rack in the bottom third. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
For the pastry: Stack the pastry sheets together, and then roll them out on a lightly floured surface to a 15-inch square. Cut the pastry into 9 (5-inch) squares. Put 1 generous tablespoon apple filling in the middle of each square. Lightly brush the edges of each square with the beaten egg. Fold half of the pastry square over the filling, forming triangles. Press and pinch the pastry edges with fingertips or a fork to seal tightly. Chill the turnovers slightly to firm the dough, about 15 minutes.
Remove the turnovers from the refrigerator. Make small slits or holes on top of each triangle with a sharp knife or a fork so the steam can escape. Lightly brush the pastry triangles with beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Transfer to the baking sheets.
Bake the turnovers until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a generous drizzle or pour of Caramel Sauce.
Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. This is the only time you can stir the sugar. If you stir it while it's cooking, it turns to rock candy. Place the saucepan over medium to low heat until the sugars start to dissolve, 5 to 10 minutes. Then turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the sugar starts to caramelize, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not stir while this is happening. You've got to watch the pot, because it goes from caramel to burnt really quickly. And be careful, the mixture is extremely hot!
Turn off the heat and stand back to avoid splattering. Slowly add the cream. Don't panic - the cream will bubble violently, and the caramel will solidify. Just give it more time to liquefy again-trust me!
Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Space Skimmer
The point of this game is to avoid blowing up. You must dodge the broken areas of the surface and avoid getting hit by explosions set by the enemy.
Played: 1,131
Added: 9 December 2011
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1) Fungi are spore-bearing organisms which exist as a single kingdom.
2) Most Fungi are multicellular except for yeast which are unicellular.
3) Cell wall of fungi is made up of chitin and they store glycogen. They can reproduce sexually and asexually.
4) Fungi can found in primary terrestial and aquatic environment.
5) The body structure of a fungus is called thallus. Thallus consists of long,branched hyphae filaments, tangled into a mycelium mass.
6) The feeding forms of fungi : Mutualistic, Parasitic, saprobic.
7) Telomorphic Fungi produce sexual and asexual spores only. Anamorphic spores procude asexual spores only.
8) Fungus can undergo mitosis to produce a daughter cell through asexual reproduction (budding).
9) Sexual reproduction of fungus involved gametes and spores. Homothallic :Sexually-compatible gametes are formed on the same mycelium. Heterothallic : require outcrossing between different,yet compatible mycelia.
10) Sexual spores types: Zygospores ( spores enclosed in a thick wall), Ascospores ( spores prodeced by ascus) and Basidiospores (formed externally at a base of basidium).
11) Summary of the life cycle of fungi:
Asexual reproduction: Mycelium undergo mitosis to produce haploid spore-producing structure. This structure later on produce haploid spores to germinate.
Sexual reproduction: Mycelium first undergoes plasmogamy (cytoplasmic fusion) then karyogamy ( nuclear fusion). Between plasmogamy and karyogamy is dikaryotic stage (n+n). After karyogamy, diploid zygote undergo meiosisto produce haploid spore-producing structure. This structure will produce haploid spores to germinate later.
12) Fungi consist of 5 phyla:
- Chytridiomycota ( cannot see with naked eye)
- Zygomycota ( mostly mycorrhizae)
- Ascomycota
- Basidiomycota ( mostly mycorrhizae)
- Microsporidia
14) In Zygomycota, most of the Fungi are decomposers and mutualists (mycorrhizae). They form coenocytic hyphae, zygosporangia. The example of zygomycota is Rhizopus stolonifer, the bread mold which under genus Rhizopus.
15) Glomeromycota comsidered zygomycetes by some . They form intracellular associations within roots for almost all herbaceous plant and tropical plants.
16) Zygomycota and chytridiomycota are paraphyletic.
17) Ascomycetes are sac fungi, human and and plant pathogens. They produce conidia in asexual reproduction and form ascus with ascospores in sexual reproduction.
18) Genus aspergillus is one of the genus of ascomycetes. They are ubiquitous and they can cause aspergillosis.
19) The another example of ascomycete is Claviceps purpura. C.purpura is parasite on higher plants and they can cause ergotism. Ergotism is the effect of long term ergo-poisoning due to the ingestion of alkaloids that produce by C.purpura that infects rye and other cereals.
20) In Basidiomycota, basidiomycetes are club fungi and they produce basidiospores. They are decomposers and some of the mushrooms are edible.
21) Urediniomycetes and Ustilaginomycetes are the classes under Basidiomycota and they are dimorphic and some of them are human pathogens.
22) Microsporidia are obligate intracellular fungi parasites that infect insects, fish and humans. They contain chitin, trehalose, mitosomes but lack mitochondria, peroxisomes and centrioles.
23) Mycorrhizae is the mutualistic association between plant root and fungi. This association can increase the surface area and growth potential for plant while fungi can feed from tissues of the plant.
24) Lichens are mutualistic relationship between algae and fungi. The algae produce food and the fungus provides protection, water and minerals.
25) There a 3 types of lichens:
- Foliose lichens: leaf-like
- Fruticose lichens: hair-like
- Crustose lichens: grow flat to the surface
27) Yeast under Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Yeast reproduce asexually by budding, and few by binarry fission. The famous yeast to make bread is Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
28) Dimorphic Fungi undergo dimorphism which is the two form of growth either as mold or yeast.
Activities: Algae and Fungi Crossword.
My Own Explorace:
1) Eumycota means true fungi. It is to differentiate from myxomycota (fungus like slime mold) .
2) Is any fungus exist in the desert? Yes, it is. Desert fungi create symbionts with other host to ensure survival. They resistant to high temperature, dryness and low nutrition. The genus Coccidioides is a soil fungus that live in desert. Each species create hyphae and spore in the soil. After the spores being disturbed by dust storm, the spores are air-borne. People that inhale the spores may causes Coccidiodomycosis (valley fever).body. Cutaneous mycoses: These diiseases extend deep into the epidermis such as hair and nails.
3) Mycosis are diseases that causes by fungus. Subcutaneous mycoses: These kind of diseases may infect dermis, muscle and fascia. Systemic mycoses: These kind of diseases can affect all over the Superficial mycoses: These disease affect the skin of young people.
4) Aerial mycelium : The portion of mycelium that grows upward or outward from the surface of the subtrate.
5) Coenocytic means multinucleated.
6) Dikarya is the subkingdom of Fungi that includes the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, both which in general produce dikaryons.
7) Paraphyletic means having the same ancestor.
8) These are the truffles.
10) Obligate refers to parasites that cannot complete its life cycle without exploiting a suitable host.
11) Cryptococcosis is the most common fungal disease in HIV-infected person and it is the AID-defining illness for 60%-70% of HIV-infected patients.
12) Vampyrellids (vampire amoeba) are predators of fungi because it can detroy the fungi by making holes on Fungi.
I learned a lot from the preparation until the exhibition day of Thank A Microbe. First, I learned how to design poster using power point in A1 size and how to create video by adding background description. I felt lazy to go Bukit Expo because Bukit Expo is far away from my kolej. Due to this project, I have a chance to re-visit Bukit Expo to capture our video. My members and I were having a lot of fun there. Besides that, my group members and I worked together so well. Due to this project, we knew about each other more well and I really appreciate the efforts they did to make this exhibition success. Finally, I learned that preparation is important. I thought I had done enough research and preparation for the presentation. Unfortunately, we can't answer the questions from the judges. I felt not satisfied about this. I think we can do better when facing the questions from the judges. Last, I would like to thanks Dr.Wan for guiding us along the preparation until the exhibition day. Thanks for giving a chance to do this challenge and we did it ! For the fungi lecture, there are a lot of terms that I really not familiar with. I will try my best to understand the terms and memorise the terms.


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So, I suppose this is a bit of a fashion post. I love fashion and I wish I could make my own clothes!!! Why doesn't IUPUI offer a home-ec course!?
Anywho, this fall I am really digging orange & brown, crocheted and embroidered details, shabby floral print, tights, knee-socks and of course, plaid!
This weekend Jacob and I are planning a bit of a getaway in Southern Indiana to do some thrifting and spend some quality time. Nashville, IN is known for it's small specialty shops, and tons of arts & crafts. Bloomington has tons of vintage & thrift stores. Hopefully we can fulfill our back to school wishlist this weekend!
Here is a taste of what I am loving right now!
|Crocheted Knee Socks @ Free People
|Jeffery Campbell clogs @Free People
|Lace detail dress @Anthropologie
|Slip dress @ Free People
|Knee socks @Urban Outfitters
|Boots @Yoox
|Oxfords @ Ruche
|Floral tights @ www.tinytoadstool.com
|Floral dress @ Ruche
|Plaid bellbottoms vintage Free People


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Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Mineral make-up: Particle size and nanoparticles
2 comments:
Thanks for summarizing the research on these controversial particles! It is something I was thinking about reading up on, but didn't have the time/patience to do it. But you did (because you are great like that!) and now I can make my MMU with micronized TiDi and zinc with more confidence.
Thanks for settling that!
- August 9, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Actually, there is some research showing that nanoparticles penetrate healthy skin. For example, fullerenes (carbon nano-spheres) have been shown to penetrate deeply when skin is repeatedly flexed, as it would be in any form of activity: http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=1210.php.
I've been looking at the safety of nano-spheres (fullerenes) because they're already being added to facial moisturizers. As far as I've been able to determine, they can act as powerfully damaging oxidants, or as powerful anti-oxidants, depending on details of the fullerene's structure. So, simply knowing that your moisturizer contains nanotech (let alone which shape or size of particle) just isn't enough to assess safety.
I really wish EWG or other organizations had more money to research this. But, it's still very much Buyer Beware.
- September 21, 2009 at 11:43 AM


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New York City is an amazing place to live, but if you have allergies, living in a metropolitan area can take a toll on your health…especially if you have asthma.
Although this summer has been quite mild, New York City is know for being hot and humid during the summer months. And while most of us enjoy the summer weather, especially after a long winter, the summer heat can be tough on your asthma.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind if you have asthma:
- High humidity, high air pollution and high temps can trigger shortness of breath, especially if you have asthma.
- Make sure to check the air quality index for pollution levels. Weather.com is a great resource.
- Make sure to keep your asthma rescue inhaler with you at all times. And, if possible use it with a spacer.
- If you have a peak flow meter, check it daily. If you see a drop in your peak flow level, this may indicate a higher probability of a future asthma exacerbation, even before you feel symptomatic. Consult with your doctor to put an action plan in place in case this ever happens.
- It's so simple but so easy to forget: stay hydrated!
- On super hot days don't exercise outside. Wait until the evening, when it's cooler.
- If you decide to go swimming to cool down in the summer heat, make sure the pool area is well ventilated. Chlorine and other chemical gases may trigger asthma symptoms, especially if the chlorine smell is strong.
- Try using hypoallergenic sunscreens and lotions.
Do you have any other tips that you'd recommend? We'd love to hear!
Or if you have more questions about asthma, we'd be happy to be a resource. Please feel free to firstname.lastname@example.com or give us a call at 212-729-1283. Hope to hear from you soon!
|Source: http://conservative50plus.com/blog/obama-administration-set-to-ban-asthma-inhalers-over-environmental-concerns/


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Just trying to catch up a little with news.
I picked up these gorgeous buttons from Textile Garden at the East Sussex Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Exhibition. I am a bit of a Magpie where colour is concerned so bought these with absolutely no projects in mind, but you can never have too many buttons.
Needless to say I have cast on a Cardigan from the Noro Mini Knits book which requires 2 buttons and none of these match colour wise. So that means I have to buy more.
Apart form the buttons link to this post title, the best pantomime in my opinion is here.
The title changes every year but it's basically the same slapstick and they give out Newcastle Brown Ale and Wagon Wheels.
Tradition, you can't beat it.
Enjoy your weekend.


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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Wordless Wednesday: Just Hanging Around
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About Me
- Diveboard Dave
- I work for a Community-Based, Not-for-Profit agency. I have worked in the disability field for over twenty-five years. I am the father of two boys, and have been married to my teenage sweet-heart for 23 years. I live and work in the same town where I was born & raised.


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Henry brought home his first piece of art last week. Actually, his Italian preschool teacher hand-delivered it when I picked him up.
"It's fragile," she said solemnly, while Henry was busy ignoring my exhortations to put on his sneakers.
When I saw his work of San Valentino art, I am not proud to say I laughed, completely out loud and with no irony.
His teacher looked at me with a mixture of offense and puzzlement. And why shouldn't she? My toddler is preternaturally talented. Clearly:
I know I am going to hell in a hand basket; this fact has already been established. Also the fact that I do not have an artsy bone in my body.
But, like, really. What do I do with it?


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As a gesture of good faith, I decided to extend an olive branch to the people of Ghana after the honorable defeat of the US in the World Cup. That gesture is to introduce Ghana into the blog through the extremely sexy Pearl Amoah. Pearl is a Ghanian model was runner up for Miss Ghana in 1994 and then was later crowned Miss Universe Ghana in 1996. Through the pageant circuit, she gained a very successful career in modeling. Amoah has modeled all throughout Africa as well as the United States, Paris, London, and Germany. In 1999, Pearl won the Ebony Africa Model of the Year Award.
This picture shows a very sophisticate African queen. She actually almost looks upset in a French pouty kind of way. Her hair is sleek and soft (although that may be a wig). You can see her soft black skin and gorgeous neckline. Her lips are full and plump and you just want to kiss them all night long as well as have them kiss you and many parts of you. She's wearing a tiger print negligee that conceals her body actually. She has a beautiful body with beautiful breasts and legs. It's a shame you can't see them here.


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Mike Cahill ponders the big questions about science, God, coincidence, and the nature of attraction all through the lens of the human eye in his ambitious indie drama I Origins.
We have been charged with the task of giving our lives meaning through narrative. They don't have to be true, but they just pour meaning into our lives. It's our responsibility to give our lives meaning.
With I Origins, writer-director Mike Cahill is now two for two telling human stories through science. His first feature, co-scripted with Georgetown classmate Brit Marling, Another Earth, presents parallel universes explained by theoretical physics' string theory. I Origins, which premiered at Sundance 2014, posits a character-driven squaring of the circle between observable fact and faith, science and God, through the modern technology of iris-biometrics. No, really.
There are those who believe the eye is too complex and specific an organ to be explained by natural selection and evolution, so Cahill's protagonists, Dr. Ian Gray (Boardwalk Empire alum Michael Pitt) and his lab partner Karen, played by Marling, set out to prove the naturally occurring origins of the eye. While there is plenty of science going on and exposition to transmit to the audience, though, Cahill roots himself firmly in two love stories with sharply defined characters, which invests his audience and carries him through.
It was an idea Cahill nursed and researched for years. After Another Earth, which he co-wrote, produced, directed, edited and directed photography (all of which he would do again for his sophomore effort), Cahill developed a treatment for I Origins and brought it to script stage after showing it to Pitt. With his longtime collaborator Marling already on board, the challenges of making a low-budget indie film really began.
This is your second film using metaphors of natural or scientific phenomenon to tell stories of human experience. Why is that a useful or exciting format for you?
I'm inspired by science. As an artist or writer you are trying to transmit an emotion to an audience. You want that to be rare, unique and powerful. For it to be rare and unique, you need new landscapes to tell stories. My last film had to do with parallel universes, this one has to do with my iris biometrics and the reoccurrence of precise iris patterns in infants. If you tell stories using cutting-edge science—string theory, biometrics—you have all of a sudden a new landscape to try and get to some fundamental, existential questions we have—questions of loneliness or death and what happens after we die, fear of death—trying to form a narrative that can explain that feeling that you have when you look in someone's eyes for the first time and recognize them, feel connected immediately. In a way, ever since those Existentialist writers of times past, we have been charged with the task of giving our lives meaning through narrative. They don't have to be true, but they just pour meaning into our lives. It's our responsibility to give our lives meaning. I take that very seriously and want to tell stories that could feel real.
Giving our lives meaning, discovering what makes us happy or content, is the work of philosophy. I've had this thought that truly relevant philosophy might then have to be found through biology as the core of who we are, and therefore potentially revelatory of what we're meant to be doing. Maybe that's where it is?
Right, maybe that's where it is! Exactly. That's definitely where I would sniff around and look for it, for sure. We're learning more every day. If you think about the sum total of human knowledge as a circle, that circle is expanding just like the universe is expanding. Hopefully it will expand infinitely just like the universe is expanding infinitely, but the force that propels expansion is the work of scientists. We know more Tuesday then we did on Monday because on Monday night some scientist discovered something. And that might be a biologist, an astronomer, a chemical engineer. There is something to it. The more and more we learn, the closer we get to understanding what this is all about. I don't think we'll get farther away.
Tell me about the use of coincidence and even outrageous coincidence as a screenwriter. At one point in the story, Ian experiences recurring number elevens, and follows them to his destiny. But how do you use it and keep it believable?
Think of the master writer, Paul Thomas Anderson. He spent so much time at the front of Magnolia preparing the audience to accept a coincidence late in the film. To sophisticated viewers, third act coincidence, the hand of God, deus ex machina, is a no-no. You can't do that. In a fictional story it doesn't feel fair, even if it's realistic, and he managed to set it up in such a way to say, "Hey, look, coincidences do happen. Believe this one, it's a whopper." I'm conscious of that notion that you can get away with a coincidence early on, sometimes, if it's the tear, the thing that sets us off from the status quo. The protagonist's break from status quo can be a coincidence. But later on it's not really helpful. Here I used coincidence in one very specific way, which was those elevens early on in the film. We have a protagonist who is a scientist, a rational guy. The last thing in the world he would ever give credence to is numerology or the sudden appearance of coincidental numbers. It is sort of a testament to Michael Pitt's acting to be able to pull this off. 95 percent of his being is opposed to this. A scientist wouldn't follow this sort of hocus-pocus, but five percent of him, almost as if it were a string jutting from his tooth, drew him towards that.
In a way I was using it to create a three-dimensional character who is human. You might believe something so intensely, but you also have a little touch of doubt. If that doubt can be pulled on, it can be unraveled. After following the elevens and finding this woman, he tries to explain it as a scientist might by saying, "Four and a half billion years ago life was founded on the greatest coincidence of all time, DNA and RNA. Life was forced out of the primordial soup so life is the greatest coincidence." The anthropomorphic principle, the coincidence of life is designed for us to be the viewer of it. It's funny how logicians will try to wrestle with such a thing. It was a way to really inform his character by doing the opposite.
I try and do that a lot in writing. For example, when Karen catches Ian masturbating, I thought, I have a goal as a writer here: to show that they love each other deeply. So what am I going to do? Have them walk on the beach holding hands in the sunset? Or, put them in the worst situation possible and have him do the worst thing he could do, which is to masturbate to video of his dead ex-wife while his pregnant wife catches him. If these two characters can get to the end of that scene without killing each other, I'm going to be convinced that they fucking love each other more than anybody. I like to throw the thing that is the opposite of what I'm trying to get at the characters, and see if they can swim through it.
You have a good deal of highly technical exposition to get through. How do you balance it so that you don't kill your audience?
I hope I pull it off though I'm not entirely convinced I do. I try and layer the technical exposition with romantic subtext, or least subtext of a relationship starting to bud. Karen and Ian might be saying, "Blah, blah, blah, paxis, evolution of the eye, blah blah blah, let's genetically modify these things." But we know that what's really going on is Ian is totally underestimating her, and she is proving to be much more on his wavelength, and more admirable than any scientist he has probably met; that's what's unfolding in the subtext. We, as an audience, have to understand the technical jargon, but we're feeling the subtext. But they could be speaking Greek, really.
Tell me how you found this metaphor of the eyes. Were you looking for the metaphor to fit what you wanted to talk about or the reverse?
The concept came maybe 12 years ago. I approach stories where concept comes first, then the characters that populate that world come second. I had a concept then thought about what kind of story I wanted to tell with it, and who would be the character. You look for what would be the strongest reversal, which is atheist maybe believing. How do you get Richard Dawkins to pray? Good luck. But if you can do it, what a feat!
Is a story like this the wish fulfillment of a logical person, coming to terms with science and spirituality for yourself?
I never thought of it that way but maybe. Take any great narrative that has survived throughout history. It's serving some sort of evolutionary purpose: it makes us feel at ease. Otherwise we're dealing with chaos and insanity. Part of the storyteller's job is to create narratives that make us feel peaceful.
© 2014 Writers Guild of America West


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30 October 2008
DBSK: Around the World 60 Times
The sights of DBSK members hurrying through various international airports and avoiding grabby hands shouldn't be unfamiliar to any fans of the boys. According to estimated calculations, each of the members has logged approximately 300,000 miles in airline mileage since their first overseas activities in April 2004 up to September 2008.
For the folks not in the USA (no thank you metric), that is over 482,803 kilometers!
The circumference of the earth is around 40,000 kilometers, which means each of the boys could have circled the earth 12 times since 2004. The five of them together would have traveled 60 times around the world by now.
Another indication of the high demand outside of Korea for DBSK is the MKMF Overseas Award vote. DBSK is leading with over 95% of the votes at the moment. It seems Cassiopeia has mobilized and is ready to pull off anything for the end of the year award shows. Check out the current stats:
TVXQ! Mirotic 243,054 (96.17%)
Super Junior-Happy Cooking? Cooking! (Where are the ELF?) 2,709 (1.07%)
Lee Hyo-ri U-Go-Girl 1,556 (0.62%)
Epik High One 843 (0.33%)
Wonder Girls So Hot 835 (0.33%)
Girls' Generation Kissing You 813 (0.32%)
Big Bang Day by Day 792 (0.31%)
SS501 A Song Calling for You 724 (0.29%)
SG Wannabe LaLaLa 702 (0.28%)
MC Mong Circus 698 (0.28%)
I guess the debate about who will come back on top can be put to rest now. As much as I would love for DBSK to win in every category, I almost wish there was a bit of real competition. Ah well, best of the luck for our frequent fliers!
Credits: AllKpop
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1) I'm afraid of heights.
2) I once went rapeling off of a 180 foot cliff. Once.
3) When I was about 150 feet up, my hair got caught in the harness.
3b) I was scared.
3b plus) I couldn't lower myself any further.
4) The guide controlling the ropes shouted up to me: "Robyn, do you trust me?"
4b) I lied and said "Yes."
5) I'm afraid of heights.
Here are 5 others I'd like to recognize for their creative blogs:
Okay, go about your creative business, one and all.


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That was one of the questions a reader included in an email yesterday while I was editing Spinward Fringe Frontline, and it occurred to me that I'd never actually answered it even though these books are really just films running in my brain before they're written down.
The answer will probably change in the future, since the Spinward Fringe series is always growing, shifting in style and complexity and talent is constantly being uncovered inside and outside of Hollywood.
So, I'll answer the question and more but quickly since I'm still editing Frontline. I'll also answer as though I have all the cash in the world and access to everyone I could ever want on the project.
If Spinward Fringe were to be comitted to film I'd want at least two 2 hour movies made to be followed up by a 3 hour third part.
The directors I'd choose include; Luc Besson (known for La Femme Nikita, The Professional and 5th Element), Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings and King Kong fame), or Martin Wood (known for Stargate Continuum, Sanctuary, Stargate Atlantis).
For the Soundtrack I'd hire Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo, Batman, Nightbreed, Wanted), or Klaus Badelt (K-19: The Widowmaker, Pirates of the Caribbean). I'd love to see them work with Apocolyptica on a couple pieces for the film as well, and if you haven't seen the soundtrack I've built for Spinward Fringe Triton and Frontline you can check it out here: http://swinwardfringe.blogspot.com/2009/01/spinward-fringe-triton-and-frontline.html
On the production staff I'd love to see Joel Silver (known for the Matrix films, Veronica Mars and over 90 other films). He's known for dedicating himself to projects he believes in and supporting new ideas while maintaining a very shewd business sense. Any of the directors listed above would also make fantastic producers as they're good with production value and long time pros.
Who would I cast for the various parts? It's difficult to say because I've always pictured the core parts being played by actors who have had a lot of theater experience but not much exposure on television or film, so they'd be relative unknowns. As for the supporting cast (cameos and short term appearances), I'd love Wheeler to be played by Christian Slater, Ayan's mother to be played by Amanda Tapping (as long as she doesn't mind dying her hair red), and Lance Henrikson to play Doctor William Marcelles (check the end of the First Light Chronicles Starfree Port for that character if you don't remember). You get the gist though, talented, famous people playing the smaller roles so the main cast doesn't feel like they're playing beside cardboard cutouts or acting class newbies and the fans get a thrill at seeing staples of the industry popping in.
As for adaptation, I'd rather see it adapted closely. The early books are fairly short because they were written to provide an experience that was similar to watching a television show or film so a fairly direct adaptation would be possible. The later books; Triton and Frontline are more complex, so there might be a little more adaptation work there, but not much. Oh, and I'll be getting back to the cleaner, faster style of writing that I started the Spinward Fringe series with (in Resurrection and Awakening), after Frontline is out. Writing an incredibly fast paced 400 page book has been more exhausting and time consuming than I thought, but it's been worth it!
Anyway, that's my quick and dirty pie in the sky wish list for the first three Spinward Fringe films. Considering how little control an author gets when an adaptation takes place I don't think it'll ever happen IF the series gets optioned, and I actually hope it does some day.
Thanks for the question Arthur. I'm sorry I won't cast Jake or Ayan, that's just not gonna happen until the film is made!
Just because I won't cast the main characters doesn't mean you can't! Who do you think should play your favourite character(s)?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
If A Spinward Fringe Movie Were Made, Who Would You Cast?
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Sneak Peak Orlando Florida July 2012
Come paint with many amazing artist in Orlando.
The One Stroke Painting Convention of the year YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS!!!!!
Just a little peak!!!!
Want to see the Whole Painting?????
Got to come paint with Me Donna!!!!!
These shots are just a little piece of each Painting, I have a Realistic Owl, Dog, and more surprises that you will love....Promise!
So we have limited space. Last year we filled up so quick when we put some paintings up so make sure to get your deposit in and get your sleeping rooms reserved on my One Stroke Painting Block!!!
Can you tell I'm excited... Just had to show you guys, tell me what you think about whats coming next.....
I also have some advancements with Certificates Included in the convention price! All new and you can achieve them during convention. Its a secret so don't ask until the convention.... even the office can't tell you ..... shhhhhhhh! Love Donna
PS: don't forget to click on photos to sign up , you will go to my web site, www.dewberrycrafts.com and look under education top bar and find out hotel dates in July and cost.... see you there!
4 comments:
- Facepainter said...
so excited - can't wait to have some fun with you :)
- April 5, 2012 at 9:19 PM
- Renee said...
I can't wait to paint with you!! The peeks are wonderful but sure make it harder to wait!!
- April 7, 2012 at 3:44 AM
- Sandy said...
Beautiful as always!
- April 7, 2012 at 5:05 PM
- Trena in Naperville said...
Wow!! Gorgeous!! I'm going to come one year!!
Take care and STAY POSITIVE!
- April 14, 2012 at 1:15 PM
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As of 2015, there is no standardized staging system for brain tumors since this type of malignancy rarely metastasize or spread outside the central nervous system, states the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Instead of a staging system, a grading system is used for brain cancer.Continue Reading
Grading defines the similarities in appearance between cancerous and healthy cells when observed under a microscope. It also indicates the rate of growth of the malignant cells.
The grading system for brain tumors, established by the World Health Organization, is divided into four types: grade I, grade II, grade III and grade IV, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. The highest grade, which is grade IV, is assigned to the most malignant and the fastest growing brain tumors. These cancerous cells are characterized by formation of new blood vessels to sustain their rapid proliferation.Learn more about Cancer


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Srinath recently wrote about the use of WSO2 CEP for the ACM DEBS 2013 challenge on Real time Complex Analytics which was a real eye opener. The challenge, enabled by sensor networks on player's shoes, the goalkeeper and the football, was to conduct real time analytics on a football game, and provide useful analytics and real-time reports to the managers.
The post describes the usage of WSO2's Complex Event Processor (CEP) which was used to implement the use cases of the challenge – namely Running analysis of the players, Ball possession analysis, a heatmap of player locations at various times and shots on goal analysis. CEP is a high performance and scalable event processor that can read streams of 'data', extract meaningful events and process them real time in memory – this means the ability to process large amounts of events, fast! In this case, continuous steams of data and events would be fed into the system via the various sensors, at a rate of 15,000 position events per second, whilst the player sensors and the ball sensors output events at a rate of 200MHz and 2000MHz respectively. According the blog, WSO2 CEP processed 50,000 events per second, which is quite impressive.
Just imagine the possibilities such an implementation can provide to the game – I'm awaiting the day when the TV alerts me, possibly 2 seconds before the event, that Robin Van Persie's shot would have a 99% chance of finding the back of the net beating Petr Cech – based on analytics of the kick (the curvature , wind speed, rotation) and analytics of the defense (the distance of the goalkeeper and probability of him reaching the ball based on historical data, the distance between defenders). Or based on Theo Walcott's speedy run and Carzola's immaculate pass, as well as the position of the defense and the keeper, Walcott would end up with the ball beyond the defense in an on-side goal scoring position in the next 3 seconds – the mini siren on the TV goes off, telling me to watch the screen for the next 5 seconds (of course, that is assuming my reaction times are good, let alone the goal keeper's). And I can hear us hard-core fans of football saying – "who would take their eyes off a football game anyways?", but what if!
Minority Report for football, anyone?


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Friday, September 27, 2013
Where's the empathy?
I'm lacking empathy these past few weeks. It's hard for me to take in so many people's issues. I've even found myself literally walking away or changing the subject when someone is talking about something that is going on in their life if it isn't something postive. I just can't take it. Maybe it's because I don't know the right words to say? It just seems like if it's not one thing it's another. Things are going okay in my life, so maybe I'm just trying to avoid letting other people's problems take a toll on me.
Where's the empathy?
brianne rae
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Gramercy Park Habitat, 205 East 22nd St, PH6A - Gramercy - Union Square, New York
Situated at the top of a former 1920's pre-war brewery now converted to condominiums, this corner duplex penthouse offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, amazing sunlight, and a large, panoramic private terrace. One arrives into an oversized great room that comfortably houses both living and dining areas as well as a wood burning fireplace. The first level also offers a double exposure with oversized thermal windows, and is equipped with a kitchen that opens to the dining room for comfortable entertaining. A discretely located 17 x12 foot bedroom and ample closet space completes the first level of this home. Upstairs, one arrives to the master bedroom wing, which offers an en-suite bathroom, walk-in closet, and dramatic access to the home's oversized private terrace. The master bathroom offers a separate glass shower stall, offset by subdued cut stone that provides warmth while accentuating the bathroom's spa level quality, double sinks and chrome hardware. The terrace is almost 500 square feet, spans three exposures, and provides separate seating for both dining and entertaining. Located on a bucolic street in one of Gramercy's most coveted locations, this home is close to all major transportation and some of the finest dining downtown New York City has to offer. 24 hour doorman, laundry on every floor, common storage, bike room and a garage accessible from the building. Pets welcome.
This listing courtesy of Douglas Elliman
M: firstname.lastname@example.com
F: email@example.com


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It's an argument that's been around for decades: Which is the better rifle platform, Eugene Stoner's AR-15/M16 or Mikhail Kalishnikov's AK-47? Both are used extensively by police and military forces around the world. These two weapons platforms have been going head to head against each other in various military conflicts around the world for nearly 50 years. Still, each seems to shine in their own particular way.
Caliber aside, probably the biggest difference between the two rifles is the tolerances with which they were built. The AK-47 was built to function flawlessly in any condition. The AR-15 was built to be incredibly accurate as well as reliable, but the finer tolerances increase the chances for failure. It's also extremely lightweight, with most parts made from high strength aluminum with a few critical steel components. The AK on the other hand is almost all steel, making it that much more durable, but also significantly heavier.
Iron sights on the AR platform are much better than the AK, with a rear aperture sight and front blade. The AK by comparison has only a rudimentary Partridge sight system. Scopes are much more difficult to mount on the AK platform, requiring a forward scout style mount or a difficult to stabilize receiver cover or side rail mount. AR rifles by comparison were designed to have optics securely mounted onto the integrated carry handle, or attached to the Picatinny rail on later flat-top models.
Each rifle was designed with certain performance requirements. The US military wanted a precision rifle that was lightweight, very accurate, and which could fire a high-pressure lightweight projectile. The Soviet Union on the other hand wanted a rifle that was tough and nearly indestructible; one which could perform well under the harshest conditions. Both nations got what they asked for.
Below, we evaluate the two platforms on a number of parameters, evaluating their weight, ballistic performance, ergonomics, and price.
|Superior Rifle
|Maximum Effective Range
|400 yards
|600 yards
|Weight (empty)
|9.5 lbs
|7.8 lbs
|Weight (loaded, 30 round magazine)
|10.9 lbs
|8.8 lbs
|Muzzle Energy
|1,500 ft.lbs
|1,300 ft.lbs
|Energy at 400 yards
|462 ft.lbs
|536 ft.lbs
|Accuracy (16″ barrel)
|Functions under nearly any condition
|Prone to failure when exposed to dirt, dust, and mud
|Base Price
|$350 – $600
|$750 – $1,500
|Safety/Selector switch is a bit awkward requiring the user to break their grip on the rifle, cheek weld is virtually non existent
|Excellent cheek weld, safety/selector switch is easily manipulated without losing sight picture
|Noticeable, but easily managed in semiautomatic
|Easily controllable, even under rapid fire
Just looking at the side by side comparison, one has to give the nod to the AR-15/M16 platform. It has better accuracy and superior ballistics at long range, but the higher price can be off-putting to some buyers. The AK-47 is clearly superior with regard to reliability and short range ballistics, making it an obvious choice for anyone needing a short range tactical rifle. It's traits clearly make it the better choice for close quarters urban or jungle fighting where engagements will usually be less than 100 yards.
These ballistic differences disappear when you compare the AK-74 to the AR-15 platform instead of the AK-47. The AK-74 fires a 5.45×39mm cartridge which has a similar performance to the NATO 5.56mm standard round. The AR still wins out on accuracy compared to the AK-74, but the ballistics are the same out to 600 yards. What's that mean? Even though the effects of a hit on a target at long range would be about the same, with the AR-15 you're more likely to actually hit your target at 600 yards than if you were firing the AK-74. This is primarily due to differences in bolt design and barrel attachment.
Still, at the end of the day, the customer staring at both rifles has to make a decision. Do you go with fool proof reliability at a lower cost and choose the AK, or do you drop the extra cash on the AR-15, what Caleb Giddings calls "the Lego System of weapons" and have an accurate and modular system that can be adapted to multiple roles and calibers? If you're like me, you spend even more and get one of each. Which one you choose will ultimately depend on the role you want it to play. Need the ultimate in reliability and close range support? Get the AK. More interested in an easily modified modular system that boasts excellent long range accuracy and ballistics? Get the AR.


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The Warsaw Film Festival announces Polish titles
by Laurence Boyce
- The films announced include the world premiere of Polish co-production True Crimes, starring Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg
The Warsaw Film Festival has announced the Polish titles that will screen in its competitions, as well as two special world-premiere screenings. The A-list festival will take place from 7-16 October 2016.
The festival will host the world premiere of Alexandros Avranas' True Crimes [+see also:
film review
film profile], a US-Polish co-production. Based on true events, the film – starring Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg – tells the tale of a newly published novel that seemingly holds the key to an unsolved murder. Also having its world premiere will be Tales of Mexico [+see also:
film profile], a Mexican-Polish co-production in which eight different directors (Carlos Carrera, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Carlos Bolado, Ernesto Contreras, Alfonso Pineda Uolla, Alejandro Valle, Ivan Avila Duenas, Natalia Beristain) tell eight different stories set in the same room over a period of 100 years.
In the festival's International Competition, audiences will be able to see the world premiere of Memories of Summer [+see also:
interview: Adam Guziński
film profile], Adam Guziński's story of a boy living in a small provincial Polish town in the 1970s, and the Polish premieres of The Sun, The Sun Blinded Me [+see also:
film review
interview: Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal
film profile], Anka and Wilhelm Sasnal's film loosely based on Camus' novel The Stranger, which previously played at Locarno, and Clair Obscur [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Yeşim Ustaoğlu (Turkey/Poland).
In the festival's 1-2 Competition (for first or second features), the Lithuanian-Polish co-production The Saint [+see also:
film review
interview: Andrius Blazevicius
film profile] will receive its world premiere. The film is about a man who loses his job and looks for a man who has claimed to see Jesus. The movie is the debut by Lithuanian director Andrius Blaževičius. Park [+see also:
film review
interview: Sofia Exarchou
film profile] by Sofia Exarchou (Greece/Poland) and Playground [+see also:
film review
interview: Bartosz M. Kowalski
film profile] by Bartosz M Kowalski (Poland) will also be in the section.
In the Documentary Competition, Polish filmmaker Anna Zamęcka will present Communion [+see also:
film review
film profile].
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A laid-back, easy going individual, Gildarts Clive has a hilarious tendency of breaking down walls with his Crash instead of using the door, possibly because he pays very little attention to his surroundings. When fighting, he's rather bad at holding back his strength, although he does fight in a certain way in order to prevent human casualties. Gildarts is said to have a great interest and utmost faith in the new generation of Fairy Tail's Mages.
Cosplayer Elffi makes a rather dashing Gildarts! Even if I'm not too familiar with this series, I dare say that is one job very well done! Thanks to Cynthia for sending this in!
Source: Elffi Cosplay on Facebook
IceRocket Tags: cosplay, cosplayer, holic, role, play, roleplay, costume, anime, manga, game, series, character, photographer, photo, feature, fairy tail, gildarts clive, laid back, easy going, hilarious results, crash, attention, fighting, hold back, prevent, casualties, interest, faith, new generation, mage, elffi, dashing, familiar, elffi cosplay, facebook, コスプレ, コスプレイ, フェアリーテイル, ギルダーツ クライヴ


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Our recent post about Fridge Couch generated lots of interest so we thought we'd follow up with another reclaimed curiosity: a minimalist rocking bed made from industrial waste…
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Asking prices are falling, properties are taking longer to sell, and "this summer's price maximum has already been achieved," says the latest house price report from Home.co.uk.
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The gap between London house prices and average values in England and Wales is at its widest for ten years, new research from Savills shows.
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The water is blue (well, almost), yachts cruise past the full-height windows and, if you so wished, you could step straight from the house onto a souped up power boat whilst fending off a hulking giant snapping at you with iron teeth.
Yes, my friends, if James Bond was Welsh (and there's a thought) he'd definitely live here – in this amazing glass-fronted house carved out of rocks on the banks of the Menai Straits.
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Bethold Lubetkin's Six Pillars, generally regarded as one of the finest examples of modernist architecture in the UK, is currently for sale.
It was designed in 1932 and built in 1934 for the Rev Jack Leakey and his wife whilst Leakey was headmaster of the nearby Dulwich College Preparatory School.
Soon afterwards Lubetkin, a Russian émigré fired with a revolutionary belief in the liberating power of modernist design, built the first modernist high-rise block in the UK – Highpoint in Highgate – as well as the much loved penguin house in the London Zoo.
In their book Lubetkin & Tecton: An Architectural Study, Malcolm Reading and Peter Coe write of the house:
Perched on six pilotis the main façade is cool and urbane, with references to Le Corbusier's Garches and Planeix villas.
The familiar Tecton ingredients of expressed structural frame, snug planning and informal living spaces appear. [The house is] much loved and well cared for.
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It was built in the 1840s, was once the home of the great Victorian Diva Madam Adelina Juana Maria Patti, and is said to be one of the most haunted places in Wales.
Craig y Nos Castle, a 40-bed gothic extravaganza in the Brecon Beacons, is for sale with an asking price of £1.5 million (which wouldn't get you a semi in some parts of London.)
The castle was used as a location for the 2005 episode of Dr Who (the Victorian werewolf pastiche Tooth And Claw) – and you can see why.
The scenery is ruggedly beautiful, the interiors are lavishly ornate and the place comes with its own opera house – a 150 seat theatre with a panelled ceiling, fluted Corinthian columns and a floor that can be tilted downwards towards the stage to form a raked auditorium.
An opera stage. Every home should have one.
Posted in Celebrity Homes, Property News | Leave a Comment »


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Trial of the Goddesses
Once upon a time there was a land known as Hyrule. A beautiful, bountiful land despite the fact that it lay under a curse.
Shortly after creating the world, the Goddesses of Hyrule left for reasons known only to them. Some claim it was for the same reasons a bird will push its children from the nest. Others claim they deemed their Creation unfit, and rejected it. Still others believ their absence was a test, and only once the trials they set before creation were overcome, would they return.
But that wasn't the curse.
The Goddesses left a piece of themselves behind – a golden artifact with the power to grant the wishes of any brave, wise, and powerful enough to hold it. The Triforce. There were those who felt the golden power was a temptation put there by the Goddesses, and only by resisting temptation could their trials be passed. Others felt it was put there as a test, and only once a representative of creation was able to possess the golden power whole would the Goddesses return. And there were those who simply thought it a convenient and useful byproduct of the Goddesses' exit from Creation. Countless souls were lost in pursuit of that golden power, Kingdoms went to war over it, and in all more death and destruction was wrought in its name than any other's. It is rarely held, even more rarely possessed whole, and it does not stay held for long.
But that wasn't the curse either.
In those first days of Hyrule, a trinity arose in the Goddesses' absence. Not deities, though some came close to it, and it remains a source of much debate whether their fates grew tangled by chance or by destiny. The first war fought over the Triforce was theirs. The first to hold it was they. And whether the fact that they were first was enough to bind them to it, or it was their sheer force of will and refusal to let the quest go, bound they were. And once an age they awaken, return, and begin the war again.
They are the curse. And the Goddesses' Trial is theirs.


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This year's Oceanography Department Antarctica Internship, funded by the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC), afforded Midshipman 2/C Alyson Eng the opportunity to observe cutting edge research at one of the most remote environments on earth.
MIDN Eng, joined by Cadet Peter Vonich (USAFA) and Cadet Tanner Ellison (USMA), spent eight days at McMurdo Station, one of three permanent U.S. Antarctic bases. Located on Ross Island in the Ross Sea, McMurdo is home to more than 1,000 personnel during the Antarctic Austral Summer Season (September through March).
Operation Deep Freeze is the name given to operational and logistic support conducted by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Coast Guard since 1955.
While deployed to Antarctica MIDN Eng was able to experience the following:
- Orca tracking, population and eating behaviors
- Seal tagging and seal navigation in regards to geomagnetic flux
- Crevasse detection using synthetic aperture radar, radar pulses and corresponding signal return anomalies
- Seismic Mapping and Ice Shift analysis
- Automated weather stations and their relation to climatological data on the continent and forecasting applications
- Long Duration Balloon (LDB)and its applications to include payloads, cosmic background phenomena, radio telescopes, universe origins, upper atmosphere circulation and super pressure balloons that can suspend payloads indefinitely
- South Pole Neutrino detection and related astrophysics applications
- Laser Measurements (LIDAR) analysis of upper atmosphere temperatures, wind and composition
- Iron-rich water analysis and relation to metabolization of non-organic matter conversion into energy
- Marine life study of species living in and around McMurdo and Palmer stations
With an annual budget of $6 billion, the NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally-supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. This internship exposes the Service Academy's future leaders to a intellectually engaging experience, and each student gained significant exposure to a wide field of academic disciplines, further broadening their operational experience.
If you see MIDN Eng around the Yard to sure to ask her to share her unforgettable sea stories from the land down under.
See more photos from MIDN Eng's trip at the USNA Facebook page.


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Yesterday was Monday. Yesterday was a fucking horrible day. not a nice word, I know. but it was. It shouldn't have been – it started so well with a meditation and action. I 5,4,3,2,1'd myself out of bed to do the morning rituals I aspire to do. but then I remembered that I had to take my daughter to school. and as I remembered that I remembered the quiz night the Friday night before. It was an innocent quiz night to raise funds for my daughter's school. a little Montessori preschool. Why would the memory of that make me cringe and squirm – no one's general knowledge can be that bad right? We're not talking a Mensa quiz night.
it all started when my ex-arrived to join myself and my mother to represent our family at the quiz night. when I say arrived I mean kicking and screaming really. id begged him to come with me. It's pretty crap doing everything alone within a school environment. let me say now if it wasn't clear – he didn't want to come. he called when he was on his way to say I d better have a whiskey and a coffee ready for him when he got there. I jumped to it- old habits die hard. Of course, my instinct said that's a worrying beginning but my mind said 'you don't want to go alone, you don't want to go alone" needless to say one whiskey turned into him polishing off half a bottle of my finest whiskey before we even left the house. He's a huge man with a huge personality and very dominating presence – something that can be very attractive when he's in a good place and terrifying when he's not. tonight he was not.
By the time we arrived at quiz night he had laid into my mother, insulted me, dredged up the past and reminded us how he was a hapless victim with me as the evil villainess. sounds dramatic and ridiculous. sounds like I'm making it up? YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP. By now I'm wishing he wasn't here, hoping he won't make a scene and behave badly and inappropriately. So what ensued was pretty much in exact contradiction to my wishes. He proceeded to drink a large amount of red wine (always a super combination with whiskey) get loud and belligerent, insult two of the teacher's assistants, shout, fight with a father at the end of the table, threaten to take it outside to the car park, throw something across the table at him and tell a complete stranger in the parking lot that I had stolen his sperm. Yip – that was quiz night! So, now you understand why come Monday morning the simple act of taking my daughter to school was the ultimate walk of shame.
As the horror unfolded on that Friday night and I kept trying to appease and placate him I wondered why I had been so determined that he come, why I was doing the same thing I had done our whole relationship which was to try and keep the peace and pacify the monster when he showed up. I wondered why I didn't grab my mother, walk out of the quiz night and leave him in our dust. I suspect as amusing as this story is on some levels that that question is a very important one for me to answer for myself and may unlock the door to a new and brighter future where I chose a different kind of man.


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Friday, 22 February 2013
The best decades in Scottish Music
42 comments:
It's got to be the 1880s. Sir Alexander Mackenzie premiered his cantata The Bride to huge acclaim at the Three Choirs Festival of 1881. Edward Elgar played in the violins at the première and later remarked that meeting Mackenzie was "the event of my musical life".ReplyDelete
Forget MacCunn - Mackenzie's your man.Replies
- Anonymous22 February 2013 at 11:08
'arry lauder may have something to say about that......surely the 1920's opened up access to the masses.Delete
cheers frae the dale
Harry orDelete
There's only one way to settle it - FIGHT!
- Scotch Git22 February 2013 at 20:12
Sir Alex conducted more orchestras than you can shake a stick at...
My Greatuncle Alex MacKenzie was killed @ Ypres in June 1915 .. I've got his button stick.Delete
- Thing-Fish22 February 2013 at 11:46
2000's - Teenage Fanclub & Bill Wells featuring on The Unfairground.ReplyDelete
Baby Come Home by Kevin Ayers. I won't be listening though.
- Adam from Rio22 February 2013 at 18:00
70s shurely:ReplyDelete
Junior Campbell
McGuiness Flint
Gallacher and Lyle
Rod (thought not strictly Scottish)
Middle of the Road
Lena Zavaroni
I could go on ...Replies
Please don't ;-)Delete
Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep from 1970 please. Unfortunately I will not be listening but I dedicate the song tae the bloggersReplyDelete
- Anonymous22 February 2013 at 20:12
Didn't suggest anything. Didn't listen. Checked playlist...at very least 15 of the 21 played were shoo-ins. Happy Friday to you all.ReplyDelete
Julie x
- paolopablo22 February 2013 at 20:44
Did I miss a soul night last night?ReplyDelete
did I miss asshole night tonight?
- Adam from Rio22 February 2013 at 22:07
First McCaff, then the Fish and now Julie!ReplyDelete
The overheated saucepan of the Blog does spilleth over!Replies
DOTH spilleth overDelete
Jeez, you canny even spoke richt
Just listening tae The Original Soundtrack by 10CC, I'd forgotten how good it is. Good idea for the jotterReplyDelete
Big boys don't cry.......Replies
We do occasionally DC ,, fell approx. 25 feet last Saturday on a climb, ice gave way.Delete
RE knackered the knackered right knee in the process,
I see 50 this Spring.
Am I getting too old for that kind of stuff?
All is not lost, "The Original Soundtrack" take me straight back to carefree days .. a classic.
Sorry to hear that MM. My knees are such that I gave up climbing hills a few years back. I even get a few aches after a few hours sailing these days!Delete
I have transferred a fair bit of my record collection to my iPad via iCloud and am enjoying looking for music by checking the album covers, kinda like in the old days, thumbing through the LPs. Original Soundtrack was a result of this last night
- Anonymous23 February 2013 at 17:54
A Doctor replies:Delete
"The problems which come with advancing years can bring with a yearning for younger, carefree days before feelings of immortality and limitless possibility gave way to the realities of infirmity and failure. The attempt to escape from the painful misery of reality into former pursuits (such a listening to the music of the time) is perfectly normal and should not be discouraged unless it results in total withdrawal when professional help should be sought."
- paolopablo23 February 2013 at 19:57
growing old is better than the alternativeDelete
Ah kain.....Delete
Naebody else enjoying browsing old album covers?ReplyDelete
Endless Wire by Gordon Lightfoot on just now. I haven't played that in yearsReplies
He wrote some great songs. Peter, Paul & Mary's Early Morning Rain is one of my favourites. You can't jump a jet plane like you can a freight train. Words to live by.Delete
I recall the sense of disappointment when buying an LP & the sales person gave you the creased cover that had been on display!Delete
There are downsides to my new browsing technique: Petula Clark's picture on her album unfortunately does not match today's realityDelete
Ach weel
"If You Could Read My Mind" is one of a very few records I never tire of hearing.Absolutely perfect.I bought the album,but nothing else came close - although I actively dislike morose gritty reality folky stuff (Ewan MacColl singing about Herring Fishing etc) I also like The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, but don't understand why.ReplyDeleteReplies
Lee of Christian Island also, but perhaps more of a song for a sailor.....Delete
I can't recall Gordon Lightfoot ever having made a playlist but I could be wrong. Not sure if Bryan is a fan. I've a colleague at work whose sole objective for the past two / three years is Lightfoot shouts where appropriate & on trend .. JG has never had a play hence the theory.Delete
- Capt. Ramius24 February 2013 at 16:13
Sundown was played on Wednesday 7 May 2008. It was requested by Craig from Bo'ness.Delete
Wuznae exactly yesterday. Whit happened to Craig?Delete
He married Senga, they settled down in Broxburn. He found out she was a man and they separated. They're arguing about custody of the Brad Paisley albums.Delete
The albums are the least of his worries, wasn't he recently made redundant from Halls?ReplyDeleteReplies
- Anonymous25 February 2013 at 11:39
bit of respect please and no sweary words . the cardinal has resigned.ReplyDelete
cheers frae the daleReplies
This comment has been removed by the author.Delete
Is that why it's called cardinal sin?Delete
Will BB change tonight's theme? What could be on the playlist?Delete
We should be telt........
- Adam from Rio25 February 2013 at 17:48
What could be on the playlist??Delete
You're jist steerin and trying to get us into trouble with the Blog's Religion Monitor.
No ah'm no!Delete
I'm thinking the show could mark such a newsworthy occasion
- A Wellwisher25 February 2013 at 18:44
Could this be a contender?Delete
- Anonymous25 February 2013 at 22:04
'gawd only knows'.................a shoo inDelete
cheers frae the dale
Gawd save the 'Queen'?Delete


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There are so many lovely tablescapes all across Blogland today to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. I'm celebrating, too, but with a twist. I've had a wonderful time tablescaping through the winter and cooler Spring temps, but now that the weather is warming up, it's time to move into "Acquisition Season" for tabletop collectors. The Brimfield Fair is next week, and the rest of summer will be filled with many fabulous shopping opportunities for vintage devotees. Before I can add more vintage linens, dishes and accesories to my treasure trove, I really need to get the rest of my tablecloths into my database. Blogging is so handy this way: a chance both to share with others and to keep up with what you already own!
Today I'm starting with Mexican-themed cloths. I used many of these in tablescapes in pre-blog days. It's fun to look back and see how my 'scaping style has changed over time.
Let's kick things off with some alternate colorways for the Wilendur Manjares tablecloth designed by John Madsen in 1940. Here's the cloth in a cobalt blue colorway.
You can also see the yellow colorway of this cloth in this Summer Celebrations post. All three colorways, including turquoise can be found here.
It will take lots of individual posts to log in all of these cloths, so stay tuned for a Mexican post-a-rama today!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Cinco de Mayo
Posted by Daphne at 10:30 AM
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From 2009-2012 I paid off 28,000 of my own debt. During that time I moved from Long Beach back to Whittier, met the man who is now my husband, and learned tons about how to manage my money. I'm back to blogging now that I'm married and my husband and I work to pay off his student loans. We're adding a baby to the mix this year, to keep things interesting. I don't own a home (and I'm just past 30) but I've come a long way on my financial journey!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
New Grocery Strategy
Baking: Last weekend I had some almost rotten bananas and a HUGE zucchini that a friend gave me. I made a loaf of banana bread and two loafs of zucchini bread. I shared some with my mom, we ate two of them, and I sliced the last loaf up and froze it in individual servings. When I want a quick breakfast I can pop a slice in the microwave next to a wet paper towel for 30 seconds. YUM! I also found a recipe for zucchini fritters and made them to go with my Sloppy Joes for dinner on Sunday. We LOVED how they turned out. The best part: I already had all of the other ingredients on hand, so that was all free!
Inspired by using what I had, I planned Sloppy Joes (all I needed was a bell pepper and some ketchup) for dinner that night. That cost me $2.25 (and of course I have most of the bottle of ketchup left). Last night I made Sesame Chicken with frozen chicken leftover from other recipes. That's the kind of thing I tend to let languish in the freezer, so I was glad to use it. I also have two half-used bags of hash browns in there. I found a recipe for potato soup that uses hash browns, so I picked up the other ingredients I need to make that (spent about six bucks on that. I think I should be able to get a few meals out of it). We also have TONS of jello, so I bought a can of mandarin oranges and some Cool Whip and made dessert from that.
While I was at the store, I picked up some meat on sale. Some was clearance and all pork was half off. I got Italian sausage ($1.98), spicy turkey sausage ($2.99), ground beef ($3.89), beef short ribs ($1.89) and two pork loins ($2.97 & $3.50). I spent seventeen bucks and got quite a stockpile of meat. Now I will meal plan around those items in the weeks to come. I also snagged a pack of buns on clearance that I threw in the freezer for the next time we make burgers or Sloppy Joes (a new favorite. Pioneer Woman's recipe had Freddie and my sister raving).
I usually plan my meals before going to the store, but then I can't always take advantage of items in I find on clearance. This way, I know I am building my meal around the best deals possible.
I spent a total of $40 at the store today. I got all of that meat, ingredients I needed for the two dinners I planned ahead for, fruit, yogurt, cake mix, frosting, and lunch meat. Normally, I can easily spend $60 at the store, so this is a victory!
How do you save money on groceries?
1 comment:
I use coupons on sale items. I stack coupons and price match at Walmart. I buy more than I need if a deal is low enough. I don't worry about having over-bought. I keep two hens in the backyard for eggs. I spend nothing on their feed. We have a Thrift Bread Store. All bread has three or four days left before "sell by" date. Whole wheat, double fiber bread, no preservatives, no hfcs costs me $.99. I buy six loaves at a time and put two in a two-gallon Ziploc bag in the freezer. With two bags of two loaves in the house, I rarely buy bread more than once each month. Plus, after buying a certain amount of loaves/buns, I get $7. in free bread.ReplyDelete
I pick up pecans, pick figs, pick pears, all for free. Growing herbs and tomatoes and potatoes keeps costs down. In an apartment, this can be done indoors for the herbs and on a balcony. Potatoes can be grown in flower pots and still look like a plant on the balcony or indoors.


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Hey guys! I'm soo sorry for the lack of posts but as of today I've officially moved my blog to Tumblr!
I hope you continue to connect with and follow me over there and on Twitter at @NicoleGuice.
I just posted some new info about the "The Color That Never Fades: Pretty In Pink Portrait" and a brand new sketch! I'm now at www.NicoleGuice.tumblr.com
Catch you on the flip side.
Thanks so much for all your support
Nicole Guice


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Hard Times Deals: Diners are economically squeezed everywhere, with the economic slowdown, higher gas prices (which not only raises costs for transporting food, but also just getting around in our car-crazy state), higher food costs in general and let's not forget the recent entertainment industry shut down from the writer's strike, which definitely took a toll on places that caters to the sets and thrives on power-lunches and deal-closing dinners.
So it's no surprise that a few restaurants in the area are marketing themselves as being more budget-friendly to the increasingly frugal diner by offering special deals. Table 8 for example, is offering a "Inflation Libation" ($18/person for a glass of beer or wine with two small plates) and "Recession Concession" ($38/person 3-course meal). David Wilhelm's Culinary Adventures restaurants (French75, Savannah, Sorrento's) are doing a "David's Stimulus Package" with $16 dinners.
As much as I like a good dining deal (and kudos for the rhyming words), I find myself questioning the sincerity of these special offerings. Are they really doing it to for the customers' sakes? Or are they trying to keep themselves afloat now that customers have less discretionary income to spend on eating out?
Regardless of intentions, it's a lofty approach to getting your word out there. As Jonah from LA.Foodblogging noted, if I really needed to pinch my pennies, I probably wouldn't shell out for a dinner that's nearly $50 a person, even if it is a bargain from the usual prices. And as much as I'd enjoy a discount, I don't want to be reminded of our current economic state while eating out and that I *really* should've just saved my dollars going to a cheaper place or, better yet, cook at home. It just creates a cognitive dissonance that inevitably asks for a backlash like reactions to Campanile's soup kitchen deal during the strike. Now, I don't mean to bag on the restaurants and am well aware of their generally thin margins and that chefs & restauranteurs are usually charitable people. It's just that this particularly form of outreach doesn't jibe with me.
A better marketing/PR campaign would shift the focus to something like "indulge a little for not a whole lot", keeping in line with the thoughts that dining out is -indeed- an indulgence while also offering a subtle suggestion for budget savvy diners, or even something philanthropic-sounding like the help the Citrus farmers dinners from a year ago, which reminds potential diners that there are others even more hard hit and appeal them to shell out a bit more to help their fellow folks.
Home Cooking Foodventures: Speaking of cooking at home, I've been doing more of that than usual -- partly to save a little bit more of moolah (to blow on some uber-meal later on ;) ), but primarily because opportunities came about, and being single, I don't get the chance to cook-completely-from-scratch often so I seized them with gusto. Three days ago, for a healthy recipes contest I made a caprese style sandwich (inspired from my Doughboys trip), two days ago I made a cuatro leches cake for an office birthday party (basically a tres leches plus coconut milk, the last ingredient added on an impulse after seeing it featured as Chow.com's recipe of the day), and last night made some super easy chocolate-dipped mini-macaroons with the leftover coconut flakes.
And tonight, a simple DVD movie night dinner with a friend - popcorn with a drizzle of white truffle oil, a tofu stir-fry with brown rice and a pear-honey-vanilla martini (still working out the recipes in my head) and maybe some fruit and chocolate for dessert. But yeah, definitely fun times in the kitchen!
And wow... Easter is already around the corner. I guess I'll report on my vegetarian phase next week; in short, nothing mindblowing, but did come away with a few interesting revelations.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Friday Quickies #19: Economy-Related "Specials" and Cooking at Home
Hard Times Deals: Diners are economically squeezed everywhere, with the economic slowdown, higher gas prices (which not only raises costs for transporting food, but also just getting around in our car-crazy state), higher food costs in general and let's not forget the recent entertainment industry shut down from the writer's strike, which definitely took a toll on places that caters to the sets and thrives on power-lunches and deal-closing dinners.
Posted by H. C. at 3/21/2008
Labels: Events, Friday Quickies, home cooking, Special
3 comments:
- Jonah said...
You summed up my thoughts better than I could have, well put.
I think the point about giving people a reason to splurge is better than calling a $50 dinner a bargain is very pertinent.
- 3/21/2008
- email@example.com said...
reading your blog just makes me hungry! :-)
- 3/21/2008
- H. C. said...
Jonah - thanks for the compliment; honestly, even for a gimmick this is pretty bad.
Natalie - hehe, just like your blog definitely make me thirsty!
- 3/23/2008


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Friday, April 22, 2011
New Imagineering Behind the Scenes Video : How the Hitchhiking Ghosts Come to Life at WDW Haunted Mansion
Walt Disney Imagineering just released a new video going behind the scenes at the new and amazing hitchhiking ghosts effect in WDW Haunted Mansion. The effect, now in place since two weeks, is unbelievably cool and all Haunted Mansion's fans around the world will love it.
WDW Magic filmed the new hitchhiking ghosts effect and posted the video two weeks ago. If you've not watched it yet on Youtube here it is below.
I'm sure that DLP fans would love to have the same effect at the end of Phantom Manor and some weeks ago i told you that the park was planning to enhance Phantom Manor effects - and introduce new effects, too, at Big Thunder Mountain. There is little doubt that this new hitchhiking ghosts effect would be part of it. Unfortunately i have bad news for you as the latest news say that both Phantom Manor and BTM new effects are on hold for now and won't be installed for DLP 20th Anniversary. It's a bit a pity as both PM and BTM needs really some enhancements. Let's cross our fingers, may be they will change their mind, they still have time to put these amazing effects in place at the end of Phantom Manor.
Picture: copyright Disney
Videos: copyright Disney and WDW Magic
Publié par Alain Littaye à l'adresse 11:25 AM
1 comment:
Awesome! I love when they update the classic attraction, especially this one!
DLP did not receive the updates on POTC, is not going to receive the updates on Star Tours anytime soon, so I'm not surprised they are not going to receive this one now...
- April 25, 2011 at 11:10 AM
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Hi Everyone! I hope your weekend is off to a great start!
I made this for the August 1,2,3 Scraplift Challenge over at Webster's Pages. I chose Anabelle's Complex Card. Here's a link if you want to check it out... http://websterspages.ning.com/forum/topics/august-monthly-challenge-its
"LOVE" Card & Matching Envelope
Here's the WP products I used...everything is available in our store if you're interested...
Life's Portrait "Imagine Your Life" 6x6 Paper.
Flowers are handmade using "Imagine Your Life" 12x12 Paper.
The black trim at the top was cut from Life's Portrait "Established & True" 6x6 Paper.
The black trim at the bottom was cut from Life's Portrait "Established & True" 12x12 Paper.
Sage Bloomers.
"LOVE" & Sentiment are Life's Portrait "Fabric Fancies".
The black bracket is from "Life's Portrait" Image & Phrase Stickers.
Here's a close-up of the card.
I used Martha Stewart's "Floral Vine" Deep Edge Punch
Hot Fix Rhinestones and a Hot Fix Applicator
I made the flowers, stamen & leaves with punches.
The "Blossom" flower punch is the same one used in the "Cherry Blossom" set which is available in our store. It's also on sale for 20% Off through Sunday, August 29th.
Here's a close-up of the inside of the card and the back of the envelope.
I made more flowers, stamen & leaves.
I just put black ink on the edges of the leaves for some shadowing.
I should have some flower, stamen & leaf diecuts available for sale soon.
I also have the blank cards & clear cellophane bags that I'll post too.
Well, that's it for now!
Thanks for looking...
Have an awesome weekend!
God bless & big hugs...


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First Command News & Events
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 15, 2013
Financial Worries Prompt ServicemembersTo Rein In Summer Vacations, First Command Reports
First Command Financial Behaviors Index® reveals top money-saving plans of men and women in uniform
FORT WORTH, Texas — Concerns over the economy and sequestration are impacting the rest and relaxationplans of military families, with the majority of active-duty homes cutting back on vacation spending.
The First Command Financial Behaviors Index® reveals that 54 percent of middle-class military families (senior NCOs and commissioned officers in pay grades E-6 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000) are applying one or more money- saving tactics to their summer getaway plans due to the economy. And 68 percentof servicemembers say sequestration concerns are prompting them to change their vacation plans.
Popular cost-cutting approaches related to economic worries include:
- Staying closer to home (43 percent).
- Taking shorter vacations (34 percent).
- Taking "staycations" (34 percent).
- Cooking while on vacation rather than eating out (31 percent).
- Visiting family members (31 percent).
- Driving rather than flying (29 percent).
Similar strategies were reported by respondents who are cutting back to due sequestration concerns. Their No. 1 cost-cutting approach is taking a shorter vacation (23 percent).
These frugal strategies are coming at a time when military families are growing increasingly concerned about their household finances. In June, just 36 percent reported feeling extremely or very financially secure month to month, down from a year-to-date high of 44 percent in March.
At the same time, servicemembers are feeling more optimistic about their longer-term financial prospects. The June survey reveals that 51 percent of respondents reported feeling extremely or very confident that their financial situation will improve in the next year, up from a year-to-date low of 34 percent in February. But that long-term confidence may not last as sequestration supplants the economy as a major cause of financial concern for military families, said Scott Spiker, CEO of First Command Financial Services, Inc.
"Even as the economy continues to improve, our men and women in uniform are beginning to see how sequestration and military budget cuts may impact their lives in even more dramatic ways," he said. "In the months ahead we will likely see military families express new concerns about their financial lives and respond by making a continuing commitment to spend less, save more and prepare for an uncertain future."
About First Command Financial Behaviors Index®
Compiled by Sentient Decision Science, Inc., the First Command Financial Behaviors Index® assesses trends among the American public's financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions through a monthly survey of approximately 530 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Results are reported quarterly. The margin of error is +/- 4.3 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. Financial Behaviors Index
About Sentient Decision Science, Inc.
Sentient Decision Science was commissioned by First Command to compile the Financial Behaviors Index®. SDS is a behavioral science and consumer psychology consulting firm with special vertical expertise within the financial services industry. SDS specializes in advanced research methods and statistical analysis of behavioral and attitudinal data.
About First Command
First Command Financial Services and its subsidiaries, including First Command Bank and First Command Financial Planning, assist American families in their efforts to build wealth, reduce debt and pursue their lifetime financial goals and dreams—focusing on consumer behavior as the first and most powerful determinant of results. Through knowledgeable advice and coaching of the financial behaviors conducive to success, First Command Financial Advisors have built trustworthy, lasting relationships with hundreds of thousands of client families since 1958.


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- What was your favorite food when you were a child? I think it was mac and cheese and hot dogs. We ate that stuff all the time.
- What's the #1 most played song on your iPod? I love Jessica Simpson Angels, and Martina McBride Concrete Angel.
- What is one of your favorite quotes? Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away! I love this quote because it makes me think about what is really important. :)
- What's your favorite indoor/outdoor activity? Indoors I love to dance and run around with my son, outdoors I love playing softball.
- What chore do you absolutely hate doing? cleaning the bathrooms and especially mopping. I hated laundry and dishes but I'd rather do those than clean the bathroom and mop! :)
- What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year? I love christmas time. I love the chill in the air and how beautiful all the lights are and just spending time with our families. (And I love winter here in AZ because it's amazing! We can actually go to the park and play and not fry!)
- What's your least favorite mode of transportation? A bus. I never took a bus anywhere until I was like 18 and I was so freaked out!
- What sound do you love? My son talking and saying mama. Also I love the sound of rain! :)
I'd love to get to know you better. If you want to comment and tell me what your answers are I'd love it!
So I am going to do a referral contest. Tell all your friends to come "like" my page and tell me you sent them. The person who refers the most will get a $10 itunes giftcard. And then once I reach 100 followers we'll do the giveaway for the $25 gift card.


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Default settings for most printers are set to print at a very high quality. Without changes to the settings, your printer will consume the maximum amount of ink per page. By resetting the default, ink and money will be conserved and you can switch to high quality print whenever needed.
If you are not familiar with changing printer settings, follow the instructions below to reset your printer's default settings and save ink. Select the operating system that corresponds to the Windows product key sticker on your computer. Some headings or screens may vary, depending upon your printer's functions and the applications used to create documents.
If you run the Windows 7 operating system, go to the start icon in the lower left corner, then to "Devices and Printers." Select the appropriate printer, then click on "Customize your Printer." Select the "Advanced" tab at the top, then click the "Printing Defaults" button at the bottom. The resulting screen will allow you to adjust print quality, either by adjusting each option individually or by selecting from the drop-down list of settings given at the top. Before leaving this screen, click "Apply" at the bottom.
In Windows Vista, click on the Start Icon at the bottom left, select "Control Panel" then under Hardware, click on "Printer." Highlight the printer you want to adjust, then you will see across the top: "Select Printing Preferences." At that screen you will be able to adjust settings individually or select an economical setting from the drop-down menu.
From the Start Menu (bottom left corner) select "Printers and Faxes." On the right side of this screen, highlight the default printer, which will have a check mark. On the left, select "Set Printer Properties." Select "Printing Defaults" then "Advanced." You may need to click on "Paper/Quality" tab to find printing options.Here you can change print quality or select "Economode." As you exit these screens, click "Apply."
Later, when you want to print a higher quality document or photo, instead of clicking on the print icon or "quick print," go to the top left corner for the drop-down menu. Select Print, then Properties. "Printing Shortcuts," "Advanced" or "Paper/Quality" will allow you to switch back to high quality printing. This change will affect printing until you change it, or shut down the computer. It will not reset the default setting.
Color printers have a "grayscale" option which can be used to conserve color ink. Use color occasionally in order to keep the cartridges from drying out.
Patty Harshbarger, owner of Computer Renaissance in Bradenton, can be reached at (941) 753-8277 or at email@example.com.


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Don't forget! WAJN's giveaway for the CD/Paperback Surrender is ending tonight! ENTER HERE.
And, if you've already entered, you can still share again for another entry!
Another thank-you to all of the bloggers who participated in this release and giveaway. Stop by their blogs -- they all have great posts!


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We went to bless, serve and witness to others and we were actually the ones that were blessed, served and witness to. God is amazing!! He is alive and his spirit is with us wherever we go. I loved to see the love of Jesus in some of the people and churches we visited. Oh, and the stories of how the Lord took some of these people out of the dirt, cleaned them up and made them new.
We stayed at an orphanage in San Salvador. Twenty-one boys live and are being taught the word daily. These children are incredible. Everyone on the team was a little worried that I would end up hiding some of these kids in my suitcase to take back to the USA. I have to admit, that the thought did cross my mind, several times.....
The Lord spoke to me in so many ways!!! One thing that really stands out is that we need to witness every where we go. Not just when we are on short term missions, but right here in our neighborhoods, stores, malls etc. Get busy! Time is short!!
Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.


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1. Double Outfit Recap
Most of the time I share four of my most recent outfits on Fridays, but 4-7 everyday outfits each week on Instagram. So this week I'm doubling up the outfit recap to share some backlogged extras that are still relevant for summer.
Detail View:
Sadly I've still never found an affordable duplicate for this Old Navy necklace and they don't sell their jewelry online. I linked a similar Kendra Scott necklace below but obviously it's quite a bit more than I paid. If anyone knows a cheaper option let me know!
Express / Shorts: J Crew Factory (Hot pink sold out, Similar option Here) / Necklace: Old Navy (Similar but $44) / Watch: Fossil / Bracelet: Purple Peridot / Shoes: Sam Edelman "Sutton" (Similar)
I wore this to lunch with Noelle on Monday and as usual, we had a great time catching up. If you missed it on her Instagram page, you can see our lunch pic here
Express / Sweater: Express / Jeans: Express / Bag: Amazon / Necklace: Chic Couture Online (Sold Out, gift from Rachelle) / Watch: Fossil / Bracelet: Purple Peridot / Shoes: Forever 21 (Similar) / Nails: Essie "Romper Room"
This outfit was inspired by this outfit on Carylee. I loved her pairing of this striped cami with olive but I had to do the shorts version to beat the summer heat. (Also...anytime you see this much hair in my picture it's clip-in hair extensions from Sally's! I gave all the details in this post.)
Express / Shorts: Express (Similar) / Necklace: Express / Bag: Saks off 5th / Watch: Fossil / Bracelet: Sage K & Co (Sold Out) / Shoes: Macy's (Similar) / Nails: Essie "Romper Room"
Back to basics:
Express / Necklace: Express / Black Jeans: Express / Sandals: Target (Out of Stock, Similar) / Watch: Fossil / Bracelets: Express
Front View:
Round Two, Detail View:
Another basic black and white combo:
Express / Shorts: J Crew Factory / Pink Crossbody: Express (Similar) Necklace: Chic Couture Online (Gift from Rachelle) / Shoes: Macy's (Similar) / Nails: Essie "Romper Room"
I recently got this bag for days when I need to carry more stuff than my usual crossbody can fit. The blush color is really versatile and I'm really happy with the quality for the price (so far!)
Express (Exact color sold out) / Sweater: Express / Necklace: Target (Similar) / Shorts: J Crew Factory / Bag: Amazon / Watch: Fossil / Bracelet: Sage K & Co / Sandals: Macy's / Nails: Essie "East Hampton Cottage"
Sadly, the best Barcelona Cami colors for summer have been cleaned out and they're already stocking the fall colors. If you didn't get this in time I linked a very similar option below.
Express (Exact color sold out, Similar top & color Here) / Necklace: Express / Jeans: Express / Bag: Amazon / Watch: Fossil / Bracelet: Purple Peridot / Shoes: Sam Edelman "Sutton" (Similar)
I wore this but never actually posted this outfit on Instagram because I just couldn't get a picture that I liked enough. But I still liked the outfit so I may try to wear it again and do a re-take!
Express / Shorts: J Crew Factory (Option) / Necklace: Express / Bag: Saks off 5th / Watch: Fossil / Bracelets: Express / Shoes: Macy's (Similar) / Nails: Essie Blanc
Round Two, Front View:
2. Favorite Summer Wardrobe Addition
Last summer, Express came out with the Barcelona Cami and it was a wardrobe-changer. This year I feel that way about the Marled Ribbed Cascading Cover Up, and it's a match made in heaven with the Barcelona Cami (and even just t-shirts). It's lightweight and comfortable, but just enough warmth for freezing indoor A/C. If I'm wearing a Barcelona Cami I carry one of these with me to every store, restaurant, movie theater or airport and I'm good to go. You've seen me wear them a lot:
Here / White option Here
It comes in six colors total, and I'm having a hard time talking myself out of wanting all of them! (And yes, prior to this year I was anti-cardigan. But...this is a cover-up. It's different...) If you need a little more convincing you can see how Denise, Rachelle and Erin wore theirs, too.
A few months ago at a family get together and Audrey and I got to talking about blog stuff. She offered to give me a blog makeover, and when your younger, cuter niece suggests any kind of makeover, you know you need one. So I listened and I warned her that I might be her worst client ever. But she was ready for the challenge and was really amazing to work with. I highly recommend her if you're in the market for a little blog makeover of your own!
Thanks for reading today and just a reminder that next week I'm attempting a new Tuesday/Friday posting schedule, so I hope you'll check back on Tuesday!
Linking up with:


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Ave maris stella, Hail,Star of the Sea,Star of the Sea, mistaken for the Hebrew meaning of the name Mary, and Gate of Heaven, paralleling Jacob's ladder to heaven (Gn 28: 10-12, 16-17), later became invocations in the Litany of Loreto.
Dei Mater alma, Loving Mother of God,
Atque semper Virgo, And ever-Virgin,
Felix coeli porta. Happy gate of heaven.
Sumens illud Ave Receiving that "Ave"
Gabrielis ore, From Gabriel's mouth,
Funda nos in pace, Secure us in peace,
Mutans Hevae nomen. Changing Eve's name.
Mirror of Justice: As "unspotted mirror of God's majesty, and the image of his goodness (Wis 7:26) Mary would necessarily reflect Divine justice.And so it was. We used to learn our Marian theology through symbols. They shaped our art and inspired our prayer. Surely the time has come to reclaim that heritage, to reconstruct a culture described by art historian Emile Male in which "everything in the world admired by man is only a reflection of the Virgin's beauty."
Seat of Wisdom: She is the living throne of Christ who is Divine Wisdom.
Cause of Our Joy: She is the means through which the Joy of the Redeemer came into the world.
Spiritual Vessel, Vessel of Honor, Singular Vessel of Devotion: "Vessel" can stand for body, Mary's body being uniquely graced for "containing" Christ. Possible allusion to a virtuous High Priest as "a vessel of beaten gold, studded with precious stones" (Sir 50:9) because Mary offers Christ to us.
Mystical Rose: This is an ancient symbol of love, beauty, and femininity, Our Lady's favorite flower. cf: (Sir 50:8).
Tower of David, Tower of Ivory: These citadels are both well-guarded (SoS 4:4) and splendid (SoS 7:4) images of the Bride's beauty.
House of Gold: Solomon's Temple was richly adorned with gold.
Ark of the Covenant: Mary is the blessed resting place of God.
Gate of Heaven: Through the Incarnation in her virgin body, the Shut Gate (Ez 44:2) and the Jacob's Gate of Heaven (Gn 28:17) are opened to us.
Morning Star: Mary signals the coming dawn of Salvation (Sir. 50:6 and SoS 6:9).