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~~ Im just a fool out of love ~~
Posted by Ania On Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Did you see - I'm 3ndypapirs guestdesigner for April!! :D :D :D
I'm so happy and so honored to be asked - seriously love the papers and think they're the best they've come out with ever, and I really really loved their two latest collections aswell so that's really something!! :D I'm gonna create stuff with their papers throughout the month so drop back every now and then to check it out :)
Here I've used Gudruns "vårkolleksjon 09". Such happy colors and such whimsical, cute patterns! I attached the main-pp on 3dfoam before doodling around the frame. To get the edge around the birds they were cut out from the pp, adhered to black cardstock and cut out again.
And yes. I am such a bad (??) mother....depending on how you look at it I guess. Having grown up at the East-coast of Norway I get happy every time strangers point out that I'm speaking "østlandsk". And I'm totally trying to resist being assimilated into the dialect spoken around here. Unfortunately (sorry kids!!) my kids are speaking this dialect..naturally.....but I still try to encourage them pronouncing certain words and sounds "my" way... ;)
Don't forget the giveaway in the post below :)
|This post was:
7 intriguing feedbacks to '~~ Im just a fool out of love ~~'
Vibeke Said,http://aniia.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-just-fool-out-of-love.html?showComment=1238587440000#c2140509700987539670'> 2:04 PM
Kjempekul LO!!! Digger stilen din - og de papirene til 3ndy
er rå fine!!:)
Karmele Said,http://aniia.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-just-fool-out-of-love.html?showComment=1238590560000#c961358224131957018'> 2:56 PM
I love your new page!!! I love the colours!! Beautiful!
Eli Said,http://aniia.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-just-fool-out-of-love.html?showComment=1238593620000#c8188678317041911492'> 3:47 PM
Er ikke noe galt i å se eg Ania!! *fnis* Herlig layout og ja; de papirene der rocker!! Gleder meg til å få de hjem til meg :) Klem
Eli Said,http://aniia.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-just-fool-out-of-love.html?showComment=1238593680000#c381540517375883969'> 3:48 PM
SI eg ja.....ikke se.... Jaja.. *ler*
HegeAL Said,http://aniia.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-just-fool-out-of-love.html?showComment=1238623560000#c6157141144988794554'> 12:06 AM
DIGGER denne LOen!! Og likens som deg har jeg forelsket meg i den nye serien fra 3ndy!
~Sasha Farina~ Said,http://aniia.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-just-fool-out-of-love.html?showComment=1238637600000#c6771097342961107753'> 4:00 AM
*sigh* Chica, you know I love you, right? You JUST ROCK!!!!
Jeni Boisvert Said,http://aniia.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-just-fool-out-of-love.html?showComment=1238737020000#c4695714432513636766'> 7:37 AM
love love LOVE this page. omg ania, this is my new fav of yours....did i mention....i LOVE this page!
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Posting the slides as they come out!
Speaker: Eric Demers, AMD corporate VP and CTO, Graphics Division
Archived Posts from this Category
June 16, 2011
AFDS 11 day 3 keynote – Evolution of AMD's Graphics Core and Preview of Graphic Core nextPosted by Mohamed Ahmed under Events, Fusion11, GPGPU, Multi/Many-Cores
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June 16, 2011
OpenCL Profiling and SimulationPosted by Mohamed Ahmed under Fusion11, GPGPU, Multi-core programming, Multi/Many-Cores, Uncategorized
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June 15, 2011
Some slides from the second keynote – day 2Posted by Mohamed Ahmed under APU, Events, Fusion11, GPGPU, Uncategorized | Tags: Corel, Fusion11 |
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June 15, 2011
Face detection – performance opportunities for CPU-GPU migration in Fusion ArchitecturePosted by Mohamed Ahmed under Events, Fusion11, GPGPU | Tags: Face detection, Fusion11 |
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June 15, 2011
Day 2 keynote Slides from the AMD Fusion Developer Summit 2011Posted by Mohamed Ahmed under Events, GPGPU, Multi-core programming, Multi/Many-Cores | Tags: Fusion11 |
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June 14, 2011
Fusion Processors and HPCPosted by Mohamed Ahmed under Events, GPGPU, High Performance Computing, Multi/Many-Cores
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I'm out of energy to write and post right now. I decided to post photos of the slides of this panel discussion. Panelists were:
- Richard Vuduc, Georgia Tech.
- Wu-Chun Feng, Virginia Tech
- Charles Moore, AMD
June 13, 2011
Memory Model on Fusion APUs and the Benefit of Zero-Copy ApproachesPosted by Mohamed Ahmed under Events, GPGPU, Multi-core programming, Multi/Many-Cores
[3] Comments
More notes for an interesting session about APUs performance. You may not find this somewhere else.
PS: if you were at that session and have some extra content/material to post here, please let me know.
[Update: I have some performance figures but the image is not clear. I'll try to decipher it when I have some rest]
So, what's really new in AMD's APUs?
One of the key parts of the system of the system is the data path between the GPU and memory
Provide low latency access for CPU cores (optimized around caches)
- Random access, branchy, single threaded, scalar code
Provides high throughput access for GPU cores (optimized around latency hiding)
- Streaming, vectorized, massively multithreaded, data-intensive code
LIano introduced two new buses for the GPU to access memory:
AMD fusion compute link (ONION):
- This bus is sued by the GPU when it needs to snoop the CPU cache, so is coherent bus
This is used for cacheable system memory
Radeon memory bus (GARLIC)
- This bus is directly connect to memory and can saturate memory bandwidth, so is
The GPU in the Llano system
On llano, the GPU core is still exposed as a separate graphics engine
The GPU is managed by the OS via drivers
- Leverage existing driver stacks to support the current ecosystem
- Memory is split into regular system memory, and carved out "local memory"
- Allows the GPU memory controller to optimize throughput and priorities of the GFX clients
Existing and familiar APIs can be used to access the GPU core
- OpenCL, OpenGL, DirectX, and multimedia ………….
GPU in the system
Both CPU and GPU have their own set of page tables, caches and TLB
- The memory is generally not coherent
- The GPU can probe the CPU cache…..
- …. But the CPU relies on the driver for synchronization (map/unmap, lock/unlock, flush GPU caches)
The current programming model is direct consequence:
- CPU access will page fault on a single access, and the OSwill page in/out on demand
- GPU access is known upfront, and driver or OS will page in/out on scheduling. (NOT ON DEMAND)
What is Zero copy?
Many different meanings:
- A kernel access system memory directly for either read or write
- A DMA transfer access system memory directly without copying into USWC
- The CPU directly writes into local memory without doing any DMA
- OpenCL offers several mechanisms to effectively reduce extract copying
OpenGL has some driver optimization and some proprietary extensions
- on Llano, this matters even more than on discrete because bandwidth is shared
CPU & GPU Memory Move Scenarios
CPU access to local memory
CPU writes into local frame buffer
on llano, this can peak at 8 GB/s
- on discrete, this was limited by the PCIe bus to around 6 GB/s ( or less)
- the data first goes through the WC buffers on the CPU, then goes to the GPU core and goes back through the unb to memory
CPU reads from local framebuffer
those are still very slow
- accesses are uncached
- only a single outstanding read is supported
- create the buffer with CL_MEM_USE_PERSISTENT_MEM_AMD flag (OpenCL)
CPU access to USWC memory
the CPU writes go through the WC
- this avoids polluting the CPU cache, when it is known that thre will be no cache hit for reads
- this allows further access by the GPU for this memory without snooping the cache
- CPU reads will first flush the WC, then will be uncached (slow)
CPU access to a cacheable memory
CPU access to cacheable memory
- this is the typical case in c++ code
- single threaded performance: 8GB/s for either read or write
- multithreaded performance: 13 GB/s for either read ro write
the memory can be accessed by the GPU
- pages need to be made resistant by the os, and locked to prevent paging
- physical pages need to be programmed into the GPU HW virtual memory page tables
CPU access to local memory
GPU reads from local frambuffer
this is the optimal path to memory
- tadeon memory bus (GARLIC)_ avoids any can ceyh snooping
- memory is interleaved to increase throughput efficiency
- kernels and shaders can saturate DRAM bandwidth (measured at 17 GB/s)
GPU writes to local framebuffer are similar (i.e. memcopy)
- kernel and shaders can saturate dram bandwidth (measured at 13 GB/s)
GPU access to USWC memory
GPU accesses the USWC memory uses the Radeon memory bus (GARLIC)
- memory does not have the same interleaving granularity as local memory
- so slightly lower performance than local memory, but faster than cacheable memory
- reads can saturate dram bandwidth (measured at 12 GB/s)_
writes are similarly fast but …
- usually avoided, however, since CPU reads are really slow from uncached space
GPU access to cacheable memory
GPU access to cacheable memory
- this can be used directly by a kernel or for data upload to the GPU
WC: write combine buffers
There are 4 WC buffers per core
- Once WC buffer is automatically assigned for a write operation
- If the writes are contiguous, then it is efficient
- If there are many noncontiguous writes, then partial WC flushes will lower the efficiency
- The WC buffers are automatically flushed to memory when the GPU is accessed
Cacheable memory
- This is the traditional L1/L2 architecture on AMD CPUs
- CPU accesses are fast for both read and write
- Multithreading (from multiple cores) is often necessary to saturate full bandwidth
- When the GPU access this type of memory, the caches are snooped to ensure coherency.
USWC: Uncached speculative write combined
- CPU reads are uncached (slow), CPU writes got through the WC buffers
- GPU access to this type of memory does not need CPU cache probing
Local video memory:
- Memory managed by the graphics driver, not available to the OS for generic CPU processes
Memory pinning and locking
Operation done by the OS for access of the system pages by the GPU:
- Make the page resident (no long in the swap file)
- Remove this page from regular CPU paging operation
- Program the GPU virtual memory to map the pages into a contiguous
TLB: Translation Lookaside buffer
- A dedicated cache used to store the result of page transaction (both CPU and GPU)
UNB: unified north bridge
- Arbitrates memory traffic from the GPU client, and CPU cores.

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to Knox Elementary School! We are a veteran staff serving students in grades K-4 in a beautiful new building located in Knox Township, Columbiana County. Students receive instruction in Reading, Social Studies, Science, Math, Music, Art, and Physical Education.
Reading and math are our major priorities so we learn by incorporating them into everything we do. Students are building academic, social, emotional, artistic, athletic, and creative skills they will use throughout their life during these early years of formal education. None of this is possible without strong family relationships and the support of our community. We take pride in our active PTO and encourage new families to join us.
The vision for Ohio's children is all students start ready for kindergarten, actively engage in learning and graduate ready for college and careers, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, limited English proficiency, disability, gift or talent. West Branch Local School District is working toward that end, as well as toward ensuring equitable access to high-quality instruction for all student groups. In short, we want to help our students grow intellectually, athletically, and in their character.
On behalf of the faculty and staff, I want to say thank you to our parents and community for entrusting us with your children. It is an honor to serve the Knox community and we look forward to the 2017/18 school year.
Please stop by at any time to see the great things happening at Knox.
Stephen M. Fowler, M. Ed.
R=Ready to Learn


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Mary Poppins Mariah Carey
- Bang Showbiz
- 17 March 2008
Mariah Carey has revealed she is as prudish as Mary Poppins.
The 'Touch My Body' singer, who is famous for her provocative music videos and songs, says she couldn't be more different from her on-stage persona.
She said: "It's a dichotomy, I understand. I understand that people think I'm a ditzy moron. But I'm more like a prude! I'm Mary Poppins. I'm what the buttoned-up girls are supposed to be."
Mariah - who replaced Janet Jackson on 'Saturday Night Live' this weekend (15.03.08) after Janet was hospitalised with flu - also revealed she needs to have a number of personal assistants to ensure she arrives everywhere on time and on schedule.
She added to Allure magazine: "I have three personal assistants just to keep up with my schedule."
Mariah's new single 'Touch My Body' looks set to reach number one in the US charts, which would equal The Beatles' record for the most number one singles.
'Mary Poppins' was a set of children's books written by P.L. Travers, which told the story of a magical strait-laced English nanny.
The books were made into a hit film in 1964 starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.
© BANG Media International


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Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Heat Rating: 3
It's werewolf mating season. All the males are in heat and the driving, sexual lust of their beasts is almost uncontrollable. Mika is human, in an alley, surrounded by four horny werewolves. She knows she's in deep shit. A tall, handsome werewolf rescues her then demands payment. Hot, sweaty, intimate payment.
Grady is a half breed whose his human mother abandoned him to his werewolf father, so he knows human women just aren't safe to fall in love with. The wolf within him wants Mika as his mate, but Grady will not give in. Never. Ever. He's willing to fight his emotions and his beast, no matter how much sexy Mika tempts him.
But neither of them expected her Uncle Omar to assign Grady to protect her from other males—24/7, in her home, sleeping just down the hall. Mika decides to make the best of her vacation and keep the hot wolf in her bed. Grady can't resist the scorching sex, but he is determined to resist the bond.
Yadkny's Review
Mika's upbringing into a world of werewolf shifters and humans hasn't exactly made her qualified to stay out of trouble. Although human herself, Mika's uncle is a werewolf shifter and has taught her the ways of his pack… well almost all of them. Uncle Omar knowingly withheld vital information regarding mating season, thinking that this will keep Mika 'innocent' from the highly sexual natures of werewolf shifters. Her yearly vacation to visit with Uncle Omar couldn't have come at a worse time.
Grady's upbringing wasn't exactly conventional either. His mother is a human who abandoned him to his father when she found out he could shift. Dealing with his abandonment issues has never been a problem since he's in denial. Dealing with Mika when he's assigned protection duties by her uncle, could prove to be disastrous.
This is a fabulously written, emotionally frustrating book and I loved every second of it! Laurann Dohner emotionally pulled me into the story without me even knowing it until I had read the entire thing. From page one there is no hesitation in the storyline and the reader will appreciate the visuals that Laurann provides. I know I did! The two main characters are both very passionate and stubborn which leads to a physically explosive relationship from their first meeting. The emotional frustration kicks in when the characters start actually feeling something for one another but for Grady abandonment issues by a human woman is the drawback. The rest of the cast of characters were very engaging and interesting especially Uncle Omar and Minnie. I've read many shifter stories before and this one rates among the top for me!
Recommended reading for those seeking a highly passionate, highly sexual read that will emotionally pull you in all directions. Note to reader: if you're looking for a new way to use chocolate syrup, there's a fantastic 'recipe' in this book.
5 Tea Cups!


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She married Larry King in Long Beach, California on September 17, 1965. By 1968, King realized that she was actually a lesbian, and in 1971, she began an intimate relationship with her secretary, Marilyn Barnett. King acknowledged the relationship when it became public in a May 1981 "palimony" lawsuit filed by Barnett, making King the first prominent professional female athlete to come out as a lesbian. She was divorced from Larry King in 1987. Concerning the personal cost of concealing her sexuality for so many years, King has said:
I wanted to tell the truth, but my parents were homophobic and I was in the closet. In addition, I had people tell me that if I talked about what I was going through, it would be the end of the women's tour... I ended up with an eating disorder that came from trying to numb myself from my feelings. I needed to surrender far sooner than I did. At the age of 51, I was finally able to talk about it properly with my parents and no longer did I have to measure my words with them. That was a turning point for me as it meant I didn't have regrets any more.On August 12, 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama for her work advocating for the rights of women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. "This is a chance for me — and for the United States of America — to say thank you to some of the finest citizens of this country and of all countries," President Obama said.
Ms. King is a proud signer of Freedom to Marry's Marriage Resolution which reads:
Freedom to Marry salutes Billie Jean King as a Voice for Equality! See other Voices for Equality here.
If Billie Jean's support inspires you - get involved!
**Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today!
Because marriage is a basic human right and an individual choice,Visit the Marriage Resolution page on our website and sign the Marriage Resolution today!
RESOLVED, the State should not interfere with same-gender couples who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of civil marriage.
Freedom to Marry salutes Billie Jean King as a Voice for Equality! See other Voices for Equality here.
If Billie Jean's support inspires you - get involved!
**Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today!


text:
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Glam Girl Bedroom- High Bed & Pillows!
9 comments:
- kimble said...
Ikea has some nicely priced chandeliers. The room is beautiful!
- April 14, 2011 at 1:19 PM
- Summer said...
i LOVE it!!!! You are just getting things done girl!!! Come to my house and motivate me!
- April 14, 2011 at 1:55 PM
- Beth said...
I love the paint color! So pretty. I just ordered a chandelier from Ballard Design, after looking numerous places, I found their lighting to be surprisingly affordable. For future reference, you can get bedskirts with a 18-21 inch drop. I know what a pain in the a** sewing can be...especially something as un-exciting as a bed skirt.
- April 14, 2011 at 5:10 PM
- Jessica said...
I see cute chandeliers at thrift stores and on Craigslist a lot. I love the room, I know pink for girls' rooms is considered cliche and all these days, but I wish I had a daughter so I could decorate a pink room. Visiting from Remodelaholics Anonymous party.
- April 15, 2011 at 3:50 PM
- Christy said...
fabulous color combination...and i love the fabric you chose..the lamps are lovely too! great job..that is one lucky girl. stopping by from tatertots and jello!
- April 15, 2011 at 9:22 PM
- Cindy@Cinsarah said...
Very Pretty!!!
- April 16, 2011 at 12:07 AM
- Kathryn Michelle Jenkins said...
I love the matching lamps. so awesome.
new follower,
- April 16, 2011 at 3:57 PM
- Julie said...
Ok....very cute room :)
I had to say though....while at your Joanne's the workers are always up in your buzness...at mine, I can hardly get em to lift a finger!! Once, I was going in there to buy yards (and I mean lots of yards) of flannel. I had to choose roughly 10 different bolts (and I had my daughter with me). I asked if a worker could walk through with me and another cart to help me gather the bolts. Nope. they were too busy and couldn't help a customer.
An answer to the chandelier question...you could buy an old brass one at a thrift store and redo it. Spraypaint it white and I think on some you could add dangling crystals too. Just a thought I had.
- April 16, 2011 at 9:36 PM
- Trisha @ The Sweet Survival said...
What a great room! I love the lamps they are the perfect touch. Great job!
- April 16, 2011 at 9:47 PM


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Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Game says Dre sacrificed for Detox
4 comments:
- Anonymous27 March 2012 at 17:55
"He could've been selfish and put out 'Detox' years ago," Game says of his mentor Dr. Dre's much-anticipated "Detox" album.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous27 March 2012 at 22:16
Everyone is saying Dre is putting so much pressure on himself cuz he doesn't want his last album to ruin his legacy, but think about if he doesn't put out Detox. That'll be the end of his career that people talk about...him NOT dropping DeToX.ReplyDelete
Side note: he should call it D.R.Etox
- Anonymous28 March 2012 at 02:38
JuDwEi$eR, I agree with you 100%, if he doesn't drop it, THAT will be what he is remembered by, as opposed to if he DOES drop it. He can't be scared of what people are going to think. The tru fans (such as myself) are going to like it no matter how it comes out. As of now, I think if he doesn't drop it this year, I'm giving up all hope, I'm already sick and tired of the rumors, and the false dates, I've had so much false hope over the years, and I'm sure that's how many fans feel too.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous2 April 2012 at 16:51
"tupac cares if don't nobody else do."ReplyDelete


text:
Ok, so I've been away in Aviemore for the last week…
The weather has been mixed, with yesterday being drizzley – the light type that seems to soak you, so we pretty much had to have a wet playtime ie stayed indoors most of the day after a quick trip out to Grantown-on-spey. Today started off dull but began to clear, then rained and by the time I had to catch the train we had patches of blue sky as the clouds were breaking up.
The train was slightly delayed, but not an issue as I had an hour in Edinburgh before my connection, so happily I went along. We then had an announcement that there were problems at Edinburgh Haymarket with flooding and to expect delays. I asked the conductor as he came round how long these delays were, he said up to and over an hour in some cases… Oh dear.
So, after battling our way through to Waverley as being marooned in water between the two stations, I arrived. Only to then be met by all trains south-bound were cancelled as there was major problems at Newcastle and announcements claiming 'please do not travel today unless absolutely necessary'
Well, I would never have ended up here if you had told me at Aviemore!!
I was fuming, why couldn't they have made an announcement up there that no trains were travelling, or even that there was flooding?? I could have stayed up there an extra night and avoided the need to book a hotel room for the night in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival!!
Absolutely atrocious, fair enough, they did have a coach service running to Newcastle, but as the motorway into Edinburgh was also flooded, I imagine it would've been at least a 2/3/4 hour journey to Newcastle, then to fight onto a train a long with hundreds of others, I'd be surprised if I even managed to catch the last train home, either that or I wouldn't be arriving home until the early hours of the morning…
So here I am in a nice hotel room, it's not massive as it was the last single available but it'll do for me as I'm grateful to even have one. And yes, it has given me the opportunity to see the festival, but I can't really enjoy it because my bag is so amazingly heavy from the laptop and camera + lenses.
Anyway, onto the holiday… No photos just yet, because I forgot the camera cable like a nonce, but I do have some nice photos… Alas, no crested tits this time round at Abernethy, although I did get to see the Osprey actually on the nest for once! I also *think* I saw a Goldcrest, all I know it was a teeny tiny little bird in the trees, but the photo doesn't show the face as it was looking up at the time. We'll see once I have it downloaded onto the lappie. Plenty of red Squirrels around the cottage this year, at least two nursing females, I think they were both pregnant again though because they had the same bumps on their sides like a gerbil does when carrying, we also had two different youngsters and a male.
A Visit to Artemesia Daylilies
1 hour ago


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We're planning another great week on the Suspense Sisters. Check out our posts, our interviews, and our awesome giveaways!
On our review page, senior reviewer Iola Goulton reviews PURSUED by Lisa Harris. Iola says: "Pursued is a standalone novel and you don't have to have read the earlier books in the series to understand it. But if you're a suspense fan, you'll want to read them all and it would be best to read them in order: Vendetta, then Missing, then Pursued. Recommended for all Christian suspense fans."
You can find her complete review HERE.
On Tuesday, Suspense Sister Dana Mentink will share What's Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.
On Wednesday we'll get to hear from Dana again. Don't miss another one of her entertaining posts!
Friday I'm so excited to announce that we're interviewing one of my very favorite authors, Tosca Lee! You could win a copy of THE PROGENY, her new release!
"What a fabulous premise—and what a wonderful thriller. Tosca Lee has outdone herself with this twisty, intricate story."
--J.T. Ellison, New York Times Bestselling author of No One Knows
When you wake up, you remember nothing. Not your name, or
where you were born, or the faces of the people you knew. Just a single warning written to yourself before you forgot it all:
Emily, it's me. You. Don't ask about the last two years… Don't try to remember and don't go digging. Your life depends on it. Other lives depend on it.
By the way, Emily isn't your real name. You died in an accident. You paid extra for that.
You start over in a remote place with a new name, a fresh life. Until the day a stranger tells you you're being hunted for the sins of a royal ancestor who died centuries before you were born.
You don't believe him, until they come for you. Now you're on the run.
Every answer you need lies in a past you chose to erase. The only thing you know for sure is that others are about to die and you need those memories back.
But first, you have to stay alive.
Stop by and leave a comment. You could win a copy of The Progeny! (U.S only please!)
That's what's happening this week on the Suspense Sisters. Don't miss a single day. Sign up through email so you'll get updates in the exciting world of inspirational suspense and mystery!
The Suspense Sisters! We love books!


text:
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
You crack me up!
So there I was pondering life's mystery's, when it dawned on me.... you lazy bastards have not signed up for the Vulture Bait yet!!
We are looking for volunteers for the races as well.
So, your uncle may just be getting out of prison for a weekend and you have no room in your double wide at the trailer park.... or maybe you would like to get grandma some fresh air while you do the 50K race, we can use them.
http://www.vulturebaitrace.com/ and you will be whisked away to the fantastic world of Vulture Bait.
Note to American entries: NO PASSPORT REQUIRED to enter Canada.
(but you will need one to get back in to your own country. Hey they are your governments rules not ours)
Each month leading up to the race, one lucky entry will win a Vulture Bait running jacket.
(I don't understand why Jennifer Anne wants to measure the male winners inseam though)
Last but not least, Trail Runner Magazine, August issue, page 12 says it all.
Posted by Play Dirty - Run Trails at 1:37 PM
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text:
My expectations weren't exactly high.
Grandpa got weary in the evenings (when 92 you are, see how much energy you have), so we went back to our hotel rooms in Susanville, Calif., during last week's visit and hung out.
This was near Reno, Nev., and I had the itch to play poker. I rarely get to play live poker anymore, especially the kind in a casino, and if my evenings were going to be free, i.e. without twins or a toddler, I really hoped to take advantage of that.
So when Mom sent me a link to the new Diamond Mountain Casino, I remember being excited. In fact, other than getting to see Grandpa for the first time in 15 years at least, the chance to play live poker was what I looked forward to the most.
Alas, when my brother and I drove out to check it out on our first free night, last Thursday, we walked in to a small, dingy, smoky three-room casino that generously looked like it belonged way off the strip near Vegas.
I doubt the place would survive even in downtown Vegas. It ranked above the downtown place with women sporting C-section scars passing out beads or the place that offers $1 frozen drinks and carpets that smell like cat piss. Barely.
"This place is a dump," my brother said, and he was pretty much right. But I searched for the card room anyway.
I was crestfallen when the security officer pointed me to a table game called "Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em." THIS is your Texas Hold 'Em game that you bragged about on your Web site? If you could see a picture of dashed hopes, mine would look like an egg, with the yolk running off the sidewalk.
As I sulked out, I caught a flyer. "Texas Hold 'Em," it said. Tournaments Saturday and Live Games Sunday.
I didn't see anything about
poker tips, but otherwise it looked good.
Hmmm. So there was hope. I decided I would check it out if I had nothing better to do.
Sunday rolled around and the itch was back. When we got back to our hotel room at 7:15 p.m., I told Mom and Brian I would check it out.
"It'll probably suck," I told them, already cloaking my hopes.
When I got there, I was excited to see some double doors opening to a meeting room. I peeked inside and saw a cheap poker table with 10 middle-aged guys probably struggling with their mid-life crises. It was one table, though, and the waiting list was four deep. Dammit.
"You can help a new dealer while you're waiting," all 10 guys said at once as they looked me over.
This was obviously a regular game, and they were wondering why the hell this 36-year-old guy was walking in on it.
But I did wander over to the other table to help a dealer who was having an incredible time grasping the limits of 3/6.
"It's, um.....3 to call?" she said on the turn numerous times.
No, we corrected her. It's 6 to call.
Then some guy sat down at the table who had never played before. So a conversation like this one quickly took place:
"I'll bet $12"
"OK, um....wait...it's $3 to call."
"Oh. Well, I want to raise."
"Um...it's $3 to call."
"I know, but maybe I want to raise."
"You can't raise. You haven't called yet. I think."
"OK, I call $6. And I raise."
"OK. No, wait, you can't do that. You have to just call if you just say call. And it's $3 to call."
"OK, then, I'll call and raise."
"No, you can't do that either."
"I thought I could raise."
"Wait...you're right, but I think you did it wrong."
After an hour of this, I looked at the floor manager and asked her how long my wait was. She said she would open up a table if five showed up. Thankfully, two younger guys who worked for the Forest Service walked in. The government, mostly jobs like those, was the biggest employer in Susanville.
Five-handed limit poker sucks, basically. Most of the pots were small, and there just wasn't much action. I was about to go home when two ladies sat at the table as well as a Native American named George, and suddenly, we had a lot more action than even the "big kids" table.
My first big hand came with A-K. I raise, got two callers from the loosest players at the table, i.e. complete donks. Truth be told, most of the players were not good at all. It was pretty typical limit poker.
I scooped a huge pot when the K-high flop held up for me and I was on my way.
Of course I took tough beats. I flopped two pair three times and lost all three times, two times to flopped straights. Thankfully I didn't lose a whole lot on all three of them, but later it cost me a nice pot when I folded two pair, thinking I was so smart, and it would have won. That was the worst hand I played all night and really my only big mistake.
When I finally did move to the "big" table, I had a few good hands, including a flopped full house with 4-3 (it was sooted!), a flopped set of threes that turned into a full house on the river and tripped up another guy (trips, of course, are golden, so the pot was capped on the river) and a flopped straight with 7-8.
I also won a 6-12 kill pot with K-10 on a 10-high flop. I called the hand before the flop and bet on the flop and the turn and river. I was never raised once by the woman to my left. Another 10 came on the river, and when I bet, she said, "You'd better have trip 10s." Well, I did. What did she think I had?
She flipped over K-K.
"God dammit. That's not very nice," she said. "I always get screwed on the river."
This is what I call the Ballad of the Mediocre Limit Poker Player. They always feel sorry for themselves.
Sure, I sucked out, but she never did anything to prevent it, either. Remember, this was a kill pot, so she actually had a little ammo to work with. Had she raised me pre-flop or on the turn, I might have considered folding because she was a tight player and the board did look a little dangerous, even if it did stay 10-high.
But she just called, and here came the banjo on the river when the chips were pushed my way.
We all love playing with players who believe that it's the cards, and not their actions, that determine when the chips come their way. It's what we like to call the mashed potatoes of the chicken fried dinner. At least I like to call it that.
But their complaining and bitching and whining does get old. I suppose it's a small price to pay. LIke having to listen to Slaughter before Ozzy hits the stage.
It was 1:30 a.m., and my ears and eyes had had enough. It was time to go home. I was leaving money on the table by leaving, but then again, in a 3-6 game with dozens of callers on every hand, maybe I was saving money by leaving too.
I left with $105. Not bad for a few hours of low-limit poker.
But the best part was the fact that poker really is everywhere these days. It was a fun, friendly game, even if it was in a little dinky casino, and even if it was in Susanville, Calif.
I enjoyed playing with them and playing the game.
Almost as much as taking their money.
Monday, September 15, 2008
One night in Susanville, Calif. with poker in the back
Posted by Dan England at 8:35 PM
4 comments:
- StB said...
Your firm's firewall seems to not like my hotmail address. I have had the Metallica disc for a couple of weeks. Took two listens to grow on me but now I love it. Fave right now is Cyanide.
- HighOnPoker said...
Great post, Peaker. Any chance you took pictures of the poker room or casino?
- Addy said...
cool post like my free uk casino site's post.
you can also visit my article section to find out more on poker games.
- casinodad said...
Great post, I have written how cheating the casino is possible for all you casino and poker players
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Cut underarm gussets last night. Omg, y'all.
T-86: hood embroidery continued
Worked on more hood embroidery. Also working on posts for the smith entry. Soaped the floss last night for the first time, which I think helped but also smells kind of strong. Had a small issue with a couple threads not pulling all the way through, but I didn't realize until it was tied off.
Embroidery last night: about 2 hours?
Two rows finished–will continue these stitches after applique.
Smith entry: Prepping fabric for a project
Happy Monday, my garb-minded friends! Today, we're going to talk about a topic that doesn't get a whole lot of discussion except in criticism–how to prep your fabric before you even get sewing, including washing and ironing. Caring for fabric (and even garb) is a little different from caring for your regular clothes, but following a few simple steps before you get started on a sewing project can really save you a lot of headache during your project and enhance the quality of your finished product.
1. Know your fabric.
Step 1 takes place before you even take your fabric home. When you're purchasing your fabric at the fabric store, read the end of the bolt to get a bunch of info about the fabric, including fiber content, width, washing instructions, and more. Until you get more familiar with fabric or if you purchase a type of fabric you haven't used before, I highly recommend taking a picture of the end of the bolt.
[Image of bolt tag]
2. Hem your fabric.
I wash all of my fabric I will use for garb before I sew with it, but before I wash it, I hem the edges!
Fabrics do all kinds of things when they're washed, but one of the worst things that can happen is the edges of your carefully measured fabric fraying and unraveling in the washer and dryer. You can plan for this by purchasing extra fabric yardage, or you can finish the edges before you wash the fabric.
There are a few different ways you can finish your edges, but I recommend zigzag stitching or serging your edges. Serging requires a special machine.
- Set your machine to a zigzag stitch. I do this on my machine by turning the stitch selector knob to the zigzag setting and turning my stitch width knob up to 3 or 5. It's okay for the stitch length to remain long–we just want a zigzaggy line, not a solid wide line like when we're appliquéing.
- Stitch about ¼ to ½ inch in from the edge on both cut edges. You don't need to zigzag stitch the selvages.
- Line up the cut edge of your fabric with the cutting blade of the serger.
- Stitch the length of the cut edges. You don't need to serge the selvages.
3. Wash your fabric.
I'm gonna be honest, "to wash or not to wash" is a huge question among those in the sewing community. I am firmly in the "wash it, dangit" camp because I am terrified of fabric shrink and bleed. It's gonna get washed eventually anyway, so you might as well wash the fabric beforehand to be aware of any of these issues.
You have two options when washing your fabric:
- Wash it according to the instructions on the bolt, OR
- Wash it how you realistically will wash it when it's garb. Be honest with yourself.
A few tips:
- Completely unfold the fabric and gently, loosely loop it around the agitator (if you're using a top-loading washer).
- Use a color catcher! See my commentary here [will insert link to other post] when I explain why they're pretty much the universe's gift to garbers. You might want to use two for the first wash for especially bold colors or reds.
- Wash different colors separately (especially vastly different colors, and ESPECIALLY reds).
- Don't overload your washer.
- Be aware of your temperature settings. Hot water causes fabric fibers to expand, which can cause the dye to release from the fabric, which can cause bleed. Cold, cool, or warm are best for washing fabrics, with cold being best if you're not sure if the fabric is color-safe. Cold water also helps set dyes.
4. Dry your fabric.
Dry your fabric following one of the two schools of thought above–either according to instructions or how you expect to dry it when it's garb.
A few tips:
- Clean out your lint trap beforehand because it will likely fill up (especially with linen and fleece).
- Use dryer sheets to help deal with static.
- Use heat if the fabric allows it (it helps release the wrinkles because of the steam).
- Untwist your fabric gently when transferring from the washer to the dryer. Any twists in the fabric can result in deep creases, damp patches, or even stretching or distortion of the fabric.
- Take the dried fabric out of the dryer promptly and fold, hang, or iron it immediately.
5. Fold your fabric neatly.
If you aren't going to iron your fabric immediately, it's best to fold it neatly and put it away. Get someone to help you fold your long cuts of fabric neatly!
6. Hang your fabric.
If you can't really fold your fabric, you can hang it instead (for example, over the shower rod). Bonus: the steam plus the weight of the fabric can help remove wrinkles!
7. Iron your fabric before marking cutting designs.
If you're like me, you probably rarely iron, so you might not be sure of the proper way to do it! Here are some pointers.
- Set your iron to the hottest setting that won't damage your fabric. For 100% cotton and 100% linen, that's full blast, baby.
- Make sure your ironing board is clean! You have to replace your ironing board cover once in a while so it doesn't leave gunk on your fabric.
- Make sure your iron is clean! Things like interfacing, synthetic fabrics, and starch can gunk up your iron. There are commercial iron cleaners available in stores. There are also cleaning methods on the internet.Check your steam vents for chalky buildup, too–this is probably mineral deposits left by your tap water. you may want to use distilled water for steam if this is an issue, or you can use a separate spray bottle and forgo your steam feature on your iron entirely.From the voice of experience: dirty irons can ruin fabric. 😦
- Steam is not usually necessary if you iron straight out of the hot dryer; however, it's great if the fabric has little gentle wrinkles all over. 100% cotton and 100% linen can be steamed, but not all fabric types can be! Double check!
- As for ironing board types–there are several! I personally prefer one that is at least 60 inches wide because the widest fabric I regularly use is 60 inches wide.I recommend a large freestanding ironing board. However, I currently use an over-the-door flip-down ironing board that is about 45 inches long. This type of ironing board is good for me because it stays in the room where I do most of my sewing and it's easy to set up and put away, which helps eliminate the excuses I try to make about ironing. 🙂 (Side note: small apartment/dorm ironing boards are best for small things like sleeves and collars, but they totally work if that's what you have to work with!)
- Let your iron heat up. The iron should have an indicator light that shuts off when the iron has heated up completely.
- Place your fabric with the cut edge parallel to the long edge of the board and your selvages parallel to the end of the board.
- Press the iron firmly down against the fabric and move it around in a kind of sweepy, squiggly motion.
- Never leave your iron hot-side down on a piece of fabric–many fabrics burn, distort, or melt very quickly. As a general rule, if the iron is face down, it should be in motion.
- If you are using steam, turn that on before ironing. If you are using a spray bottle, spray the fabric on the ironing board before ironing.
- If your fabric is longer than the distance from the board to the floor, you probably want to gently roll the fabric as it pools at your feet to help prevent creases (which are especially possible while the fabric is still warm).
There's a lot of detail here, but I promise, following these steps makes a clear difference in your end product! Happy crafting! ❤ Lisael
T-129: yesterday and today
Not much to report at the moment. I haven't done as much as I would like for a couple days. Trying to make sure I do at least a little every day, but that I also make significant progress each week. Maybe I should do a weekly summary/plan each Monday, after the weekend's work.
- Cosplay A&S night in town; will measure and cut out pattern for pants on scrap fabric
T-131: Notes from thoughts
Various ideas I've had today:
- Plastidipped shield that looks like a brooch
- Smith blog post: how to read a pattern
- How frequently should the blog be updated? I think once or twice a week.
- Dyeing garb
- 30 minute chunks of ideas
- Fabric paint, ink, and stamps


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Children worst affected by tenfold increase in malaria infections, prompting emergency operation by Médecins Sans Frontières
A tenfold spike in malaria infections in south-east Chad, with many of the severest cases in young children, has triggered an emergency operation by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The number of reported new cases rose from 1,228 in the first week of August to 14,021 by the end of the month at the charity's project in Am Timan, Salamat region. The estimated death toll is more than 50; the town has a population of 213,000.
At its outreach sites, the charity's teams said 73% of patients they have been treating were suffering from the mosquito-borne disease.
One in four deaths in Chad is attributed to malaria and it is the most common cause of death in children. MSF said it was not unusual for cases to peak during the rainy season, from July to November, but the increase was alarming.
Jason Mills, the charity's head of mission in the country, said the most likely explanation was a lack of protective bed nets combined with unusual rain patterns. Heavy rain left pools of stagnant water, which was exacerbated by further rain and a large number of mosquitoes, he added.
The rest of the country has also been inundated, particularly the south. The government plans to treat 800,000 cases this year, an increase of 25% on 2012, and has so far treated 450,000, disrupting medical supplies. Rain patterns were probably the cause, Mills said.
MSF said it sent an emergency team to support local health centres with malaria diagnostic tests and treatment supplies, as well as training health ministry staff and improving epidemiological surveillance.
It erected a malaria treatment tent within the Am Timan hospital compound where uncomplicated cases could receive attention. More than 1,400 patients have been treated in the tent over two weeks.
MSF plans to distribute mosquito nets to households in affected areas and launch a public-education campaign. Mills added: "The goal of our emergency response is to improve the early diagnosis and treatment of non-severe malaria and to improve the management of severe and complicated forms of the disease. Many people who live outside the town of Am Timan have limited access to healthcare. The majority of those who are dying of malaria right now are dying in their homes."
MSF said it would continue its emergency response to the malaria outbreak in Am Timan and surrounding areas until late November.
Cristina Mach, the MSF medical co-ordinator in Chad, said: "While malaria is endemic here, the rate of infections this year is beyond all forecasts. Existing diagnosis and treatment supplies in the country are severely strained."
The organisation quoted one resident, Halima Ibrahim, as saying: "Several weeks ago, my eight-year old daughter Salimata Ali started to shiver and complained of a headache. We took her to a local healer who gave her tablets, but she continued to shiver and couldn't speak properly.
"The next day the head of my village came to our compound with doctors from MSF. They tested her and then gave her medication. Three days later she was a lot better."
Latest available statistics from the World Health Organisation show more than 650,000 people around the world died from malaria in 2010, mainly children in Africa.


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Sunday, August 14, 2005
Mariners, Braves, Marlins Scouting 15 year old pitcher...
Shu-Han Cheng, a 15 year old playing for a Chinese Taipei junior national team, was clocked in the low 90's while competing recently in the Enzo Civelli Tournament held in Italy. Cheng was born 12/7/89, stands 5'10'' tall and weighs 180 pounds. Keep an eye out on this kid in the next couple of years, when he becomes eligible to sign with a pro team. Chinese Taipei won the tournament with a perfect record. The other stand out player for CT was Kai-Wen Cheng. The 17 year old was the top player in the tourney playing 2 ways: hitting .520, with 2 HR's & 14 RBI's, while pitching a shutout and winning 2 complete games with an eye popping 31 K's in 16 innings.
2 comments:
- J said...
Low 90's as a 15-year-old? Quite impressive. Usually it's a good sign just to see a pitcher hit the 90s by the time they're seventeen.
- TheTaiwaneseTerror said...
Sup dude. Good hearing from you! Registering 90+ mph is pretty darned good for someone so young. My only fear is that without proper training/monitoring ,this kid will blow out his arm further on down the line. Props to the Mariners for getting on the ball and scouting this kid!
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JCPenney needed a way to promote their GO USA Mittens program and partnership with the US Olympic Team during the Super Bowl. Without a Super Bowl commercial. So instead of using the big screen, we came up with a way to get buzz on the little screen. HERE
Admittedly, this is an odd piece to include in my portfolio. But I'm gonna roll with it. The client? My wife. The situation? Her birthday. The problem? Due to work, I wasn't able to be with her on her special day. The solution? I created the world's first Facebook Birthday Gift Opener.
Best Buy asked us to come up with a campaign for their partnership with Universal's first animation motion picture, Despicable Me. Instead, we developed the world's first mobile application designed to be used in the theater to enhance the experience. We called it, Movie Mode. The first installment is known as The Minionator. It translates the gibberish spoken by the loveable little yellow minion characters from the movie.
As an industry first, it definitely picked up some attention. Here's the latest Twitter buzz. But what I've found to be the most amusing are the debates going on about how the application works. Shhh. It's a secret.
Best Buy sells the majority of their laptops during the back-to-school season. This year, they wanted to sweeten the deal by including six months of free Geek Squad support with every laptop. In other words, buy a laptop, get a Geek.
Most people aren't aware that one of the country's largest retailers of consumer electronics is also one of the largest recyclers of consumer electronics. With electronics currently slated as the fastest growing waste stream on our planet, Best Buy wanted to create awareness around their program.
These days, smart phones are more than multitasking communication devices. They're also social status badges. The new sports car if you will. And with Best Buy's amazing mobile department, nobody should have to live with the shame and embarrassment of an inadequate phone. In other words, nobody should have to live with phone shame.
In addition, we created a site that allowed people to send a customized ShameTone (shameful ringtone) to their friends to match their shameful phone. Twitterville lit up with #phoneshame.
Geek Squad wanted to promote their new remote support service. Basically, they can take over your computer and resolve your issues while you watch. We created a simple banner to illustrate the magic. Put your cursor in the Geek's hand. He'll take care of the rest. SEE BANNER HERE
Best Buy wanted to promote their new Buy Back Program on the Super Bowl. So we did.
Best Buy wanted to promote their video game trade-in program. The key advantage is that, unlike other game trade-in stores, you get a gift card good for anything in the store. Which is perfectly great unless you're the one getting traded in.
For a while now, Guitar Hero has reenacted the Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business to promote their titles. We were asked to follow suit for Guitar Hero Metallica. So. We did.
Additionally, we were asked to do another Risky Business spot featuring four famous NCAA coaches. The spot was scheduled to run during March Madness. But, it also needed to feature Metallica. Talk about a mind bender.
This is by far the most immature thing I have ever done. BUT, it was for a good cause so that makes it okay, right? The Sean Kimmerling Testicular Cancer Foundation wanted to spread awareness about Testicular Cancer and to motivate men to self exam. Or, at the very least, to create an interest in learning more about this very common and deadly disease. The budget did not allow for a traditional broadcast buy, so we created a series of online videos about the "sensitive" subject in hopes of generating some momentum.
In August of 2007, I took on creative leadership duties for the Domino's Pizza account. Here is a smattering of work that I've produced since then.
*Note: I was actually the VO talent for Pasta Dude in this spot. By accident. Clearly.
A bunch of YouTube remixes have since surfaced. This one is my fave.
In addition to broadcast, we developed some web apps to make ordering from Domino's more fun and easier than ever before. The BFD Builder was a simple tool that let people build their very own pizza, name it, then officially register it on Dominos.com. To launch the app, we held a contest - five hundred bucks to whoever built the most popular pizza. I registered the SteveHappens, nothing but onions and cheese. I didn't win.
The blog world was a fan.
In the early research stages, we learned that Domino's had a very detailed data collecting system called Pulse. Basically, as a pizza makes its way through the prep, bake, box and delivery stages, buttons are pressed to log the individual times into the system. Pulse was developed to foster hustle in the organization. We thought it would be great to give this technology a consumer face and let people watch their pizza every step of the way. And thus, the Pizza Tracker was born.
This random guy on the internet likes Pizza Tracker.
See what people are TWEETING ABOUT PIZZA TRACKER right now.
Domino's decided to get into the sandwich business. And what better way to announce that than by giving a free sandwich away to everyone named Jared. What? It's harmless and innocent. Jared was just a random name pulled out of a hat. There was no significance at all. Swear. Obviously, the stunt caused a little ruckus.
AWARDS: The above work picked up some awards. Gold Pencil. Gold Lion. Bronze Integrated Lion. Clio. And some other stuff I think.
Volkswagen needed a spot to showcase their product involvement in the new Bourne Ultimatum movie. This seemed like a great way to bring the two stories together.
Volkswagen Marketplace asked for a spot to promote their VW Sign and Drive Sales Event. Immediately I was confused as to why we would suggest that folks sign while driving. My confusion led to this.


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|Hayden, Natalie, Jefferson, and Bhavya created these.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Spring has Sprung!!!
The primary students at Sommerville have been busy creating beautiful Spring lillies. Take a look!
I successfully taught the primary students to draw an outline of their hand on white paper and then to cut it out. Then I demonstrated by using a pencil to curl the paper back they would learn to create lovely petals, then I showed them how to wrap it around a green straw that was to be the stem. Then I showed them how to add pipe cleander to the middle, unfortunately it is black instead of yellow because that is all we had. And voila! The end result was that the students learned to create a lovely lily.
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Crooked HouseOn Smaller and Smaller Adventures, I had accepted the Firecracker challenge and for my efforts my name was the lucky one drawn to receive a Crooked house made by Susie Newell. I'll be honest. First I didn't in any way enter the challenge in order to win (drawing was of participants and not who was best or most creative, etc). I was just interested in the project. Second on hearing that I was the lucky drawing winner I was both excited and not so much. It is so cool to win, but I just wasn't enthused about the crooked house. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a really neat project, it just hadn't drawn me in...yet.
The house came and I found it to be very charming but again, not so exciting to me. I knew that it was something that Susie had started but had decided to change gears. Pam Junk Knapp the owner of SASA, had rescued them (or at least I think this to be the case) from the garbage to become drawing prizes. So knowing it was a reject for someone else I was not concerned that it was not finished and ready to move in. It was missing a chimney and also one window without the mesh. All things I could deal with. But the appeal of it wasn't there.
Then Pam posted photos on SASA of her finished crooked house. She had previously shared the interior. Now that did appeal. She had done it with melted BPF and painted in green and purple. It was cool. Then in the finished landscaped photos were the green lush landscape and purple flowers.
That's when it hit me.
The artist who is going to live there would never leave it yellow. She's like Mr. Pine and his purple house. First, she loves purple. Secondly, others have a yellow house, so this one shouldn't be.
When I get a kit, I don't want it to be like everyone else. I rarely if ever bother trying to find the same color of paint the kit maker used. Maybe I stick to a similar color, but exact color is not an issue for me.
So I painted over the yellow and green with purple. It took a couple of coats - mixing and blending until me and the artist who will live there were happy.
I forgot to take pics of the house as I got it, but in this photo you can see the color it started as.
And here you can see the results of the purple
Pam had also changed her roof moving away from the green to mixed/aged green. She added shingles. My artist liked the shingles but suggested I go with black and to use some of those decorative cut scissors. I found in my stash some black cardboard. They were a folder for my kid's portraits. They have a slight texture and made it easy-peasy to make into shingles. I loved that I didn't have to measure or be straight. The scissors I used were the pinking shear style. I glued them on without even eyeballing the straightness - after all it is a crooked house. Ok, I admit that sometimes I eyed and then made the row more crooked. LOL
Keeping with the black and purple theme with accents of white. I let the artist come out and play with the inside as well. The inside has some texture on it and so I dabbed purple inside and swirled it around. Once I was satisfied with the overall color, I decided it might be fun to do some splatter painting. Of course that worked very well.
Along the same line, the idea of black/white tile was very prominent, but the idea of straight lines was not what came to mind. I played a bit with finding images on line, then got out pen and paper and made up some samples. I hand-painted the floors according to one of the samples. I drew wavy lines going east to west then lines north to south. Then I painted every other section black. It helped me to dot them first, then go back and fill in.
I had also liked what Pam did with her not full floors so that is how I ended up with curved floors.
Next I knew I needed a base to put the house on. I was working on 3 projects at once so I made three bases - building them from blue or pink builder's foam (a dense foam that cuts easy and is lightweight). Each one was built to fit in a 12" x 8" dome. I usually purchase these at my local chain craft stores.
One base was for the Crooked house, another for the Mushroom house and the third for an Egg house.
This post was intended to be posted a long time ago.
Not sure why I didn't post it, but since I did all the above more happened, so here that is:
At some point I decided the base I had made was not working so I built up a new one. This time I didn't use the ridgd wrap on it but used celluclay instead. I wanted a crooked lane so I worked that part until I was happy with it. It is a tad steep but this in mini world.
Influnced by the project Pam did and also the centerpieces, I considered having a cave under the house, but decided it wasn't needed.
The flowering trees are some artifical things I bought possibly for another project and then didn't use. I did cut them before using them as they were in bunches and taller. The color differences was part of the bunch.
After all the fun I had with the Winter Centerpiece base, I knew I wanted something fun here. I liked the crooked lane rhyme so here is where it went and it goes all the way around.
I painted the base another color at first and didn't like it. Then I believe I did the floor and the idea of using black came to me. The letters are done with a silver paint pen and I added three dots here and there that are same color as the purple flowers.
Wire Tree
For some reason, I decided this should have a crazy tree. I had loved using the powder puff trees in the winter centerpiece so I wanted something fun. I know I took pics of this tree at some point and posted it to the web, but couldn't find them. It could have been to a group although still couldn't find where I thought they could be. Should have been on my computer but am thinking those pics got eaten when I had a computer crash after a switch from one to another. I had recovered some others but didn't find these.
So here is new ones
I'm not totally happy with the steps, but not sure I want to try to build them up. If I do then the path would be extra step right there.
In this pic, can also see the new windows. I used paint only for the lines around and the trim. This is how the house was painted before rather than having raised trim. On the inside I did add the wire mesh (art sculpture mesh) and cut window frames. I did those by placing a piece of card on the inside tracing the opening, then cutting that hole and then cutting a quarter inch larger.
The landscaping and around the outside of the house is done.
That's all that is left is the inside.


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Counter relentless eye jabs from a sky poker with a sharp point aimed directly back at peaks, steeples, towers, etc.
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Coming Of Age: Legally Blonde Opens In San Francisco
Coming Of Age: Legally Blonde Opens In San Francisco
Tonight marks the world premiere opening for the Broadway-bound musical Legally Blonde in San Francisco. The tuner is based on the popular 2001 film comedy of the same name.
What's particularly noteworthy is that Tony-winning choreographer and onetime performer Jerry Mitchell is making his directorial debut. Mitchell won his Tony for choreographing the 2004 revival of La Cage Aux Folles, although he actually got his first Broadway break more than a quarter of a century ago as a member of the dance company in the 1980 revival of Brigadoon.
A true Broadway Baby, Mitchell has certainly more than endeared himself to New York's theatre community, thanks in no small part to his leading role as creator of Broadway Bares, the sexy, annual fundraising event that has raised millions of dollars for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS since its 1992 inception.
Given how fresh Reese Witherspoon's silver screen portrayal of Elle Woods remains, it will be interesting to see how well Laura Bell Bundy can claim the role as her own. No doubt, the original score by the husband and wife team of Laurence O'Keefe (Bat Boy) and Nell Benjamin (Cam Jensen) and book by Heather Hach will be instrumental in making or breaking that effort.
The tryout at the Golden Gate Theatre ends February 25, when it will head to the Big Apple. Opening night at Broadway's Palace Theatre is currently slated for April 29.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for San Francisco tickets.
Click here for Broadway tickets.
Related Stories:
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Which New Broadway Musical Are You Most Enthusiastic About Seeing? (October 16, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, California, Film, Legally Blonde, Musical, Tryout


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50 Cent, Jadakiss, and Kidd Kidd collaborate on "Irregular Heartbeat" from 50's Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire To Win album due out June 3rd. 50 and Jada on the same track. Who can be mad at that? Expect the visual within a few hours.
This is hard regardless but I bet I'm not the only one who would prefer a Kidd Kidd-less version.
Now on iTunes.
RELATED: Buy 50 Cent's Animal Ambition Album, Hang Out At His House


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The pressures will be the same, because the depth and the liquid are the same. Liquid pressure = (weight density)(depth).
Work Step by Step
This is discussed on page 246.
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A hot take on the heat
It's been generally OK when I start in the morning and go home late in the afternoon. But nowadays I have some funky hours on some choice days, and biking to work in the middle of the afternoon makes for some sweaty situations, no matter how easy you take it. Anyway, I think I'm in better shape, so I'm eating a ton of ice cream to compensate.
I take this over winter any time.
Hot take:
The Delaware County Fair is not banning the sale of the Confederate Flag. "It's just part of history." Correct.
The Delaware County Fair is not banning the sale of the Confederate Flag. "It's just part of history." Correct.
***The Four:
* Seriously, it's hot out there.
* Look at this hot Kingston promenade that doesn't exist.
* The mayor wants the primary debate to be earlier. Hint Hint: Debate here. We'll live-stream it as we have in the past.
* In the Catskills mountains, voices get their own festival.
Today's video that's trending because pageviews: Daughter Get The Hairstyles Their Moms Want For Them:
Cruel, cruel Buzzfeed.***
Yesterday's Internet, Today! is hotly juiced from the freshest websgetables.
Labels: cats, Google Glass, yesterday's internet


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Challenge #3: Summer Garden Challenge: Find some inspiration in a summer garden for your project!
And really, my whole kit filled with Summer Fresh was perfect for this challenge! I had some photos that I took while making blackberry freezer jam this summer (we have wild black berry bushes all behind our house, and they are yummy!), which I thought would be perfect to scrap for this challenge:
*Edited to add the photos of the stitching:


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Each year more than 4,000 choose NUI Galway as their University of choice. Find out what life at NUI Galway is all about here.
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Since 1845, NUI Galway has been sharing the highest quality teaching and research with Ireland and the world. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments.
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There are over 90,000 NUI Galway graduates Worldwide, connect with us and tap into the online community.
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At NUI Galway, we believe that the best learning takes place when you apply what you learn in a real world context. That's why many of our courses include work placements or community projects.
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Egypt Development Analysis February 1, 2011Posted by Avu in Section 5.
GDP Per Capita: $6,200
Population Growth Rate: 1.997% (58th Worldwide)
Unemployment Rate: 9.7%
Labor Force: Service > Agriculture
Egypt, with a modest, but respectable, GDP per capita rate is clearly not a poor country, but it is rather in transition between undeveloped and developed. This is evident through its rather high population growth and unemployment rates. However, it is notable that rather than relying on the primary sector, the largest distribution of laborers are in the service industry. This is revelatory of its advancement economically.
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slight case of clarity breaking my heart.
-human condition
good to know i can feel... tho the idea of curruption doesn't even irk me right now
just breaking my heart
guess in my recent terms, this would be one layer
what to do?
that's a bit unclear
i don't regret this feeling tho...
think i'll relish a bit our sad state of affairs...
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
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I should start this entry by saying that I am ashamed at how long it has been since I last posted. It's been a couple months. I could tell you all of my reasons, but there are no excuses. But here's a rundown of what has been going on with me.
I participated in my second triathlon, and I still don't even want to talk about it - a month and a half later. It was a poorly run race, and the female novice group was put in a bad position. We had a limited amount of time to get through the bike portion, and the female novice wave started last - giving us even LESS time to get through both the swim and the bike. If I had had an extra ten minutes, I would have been fine. But as it was, they stopped about five of us, ripped off our timing chips, and told us that our race was over. I still bubble over with anger when I think about it. Especially since, before that point, I was having a really good race. I ran T1 and wasn't feeling fatigued. I could have had a really solid race, but no. I dealt with a swim and bike in the pouring rain only to get a forced DNF. And I don't do DNF.
Two weeks later, Jake, Ethan, B, and I participated in the Warrior Dash. The entire race consisted of 6 inches to 2 feet of mud at any given point, so I had to walk most of the race as to avoid injury.
Despite my best attempts at avoiding injury, when the race finished, I removed my shoes and the blood started pouring. A couple of my toes and a section of the arch of my other foot were rubbed so raw that even now, a month later, it's not entirely healed. This was my first reason for taking a break from running/biking - I literally couldn't put on close-toed shoes for weeks.
(My legs and feet after the Warrior Dash. Yes, my bruises are sexy.)
The other reason is that I had a tattoo surgically removed, and I had to heal to a certain extent before I was allowed to do ANYTHING.
So that brings me to here. It's been a month since I've been running, I've gained some weight along with a lot of frustration. That negative triathlon experienced affected me more than it should have. It brought me down mentally and I fell out of love with being an athlete for a little while. Then the Warrior Dash happened, and what was supposed to redeem my love of running just knocked me out of the game entirely for a while.
Technically I'm signed up for a triathlon in Boston in a week, but I doubt I'll do it. I'm entirely physically unprepared, and I shouldn't do anything that extreme on my arm at this point. But running?
It's time for me to fall back in love with running.
I signed up the Atlanta Marathon in March 2012, knowing that the best way for me to get back on the wagon is to have a goal.
I signed up for the Seacoast Half Marathon in November here in NH, because as my (almost) half way point month-wise till March, it'll be a good time to check on my half marathon time. I'm sure I'll sign up for more as they come along.
Tonight, I'm watching the Spirit of the Marathon to get myself pumped up. Marathon training officially starts tomorrow.
Lastly, I get married two months from today. I totally have time to train. Right? Right. (Oof.)
If anyone can recommend any running books I should read, please do. Not really form or strategy - just the love of the sport. Pleeeasse. :)
"The only good race pace is suicide pace, and today looks like a good day to die."- Prefontaine
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Falling in and out of love.
Labels: frustration, marathon, self-pity
1 comment:
You've really had a hell of a few training months, haven't you? You'll get back in the game...I've spent a lot time sidelined by injury and issues, but love it too much (especially running) to be gone for long.ReplyDelete
Kristin Armstrong and Dean Karnazes both have some great running books. If you haven't read it, Born to Run is wonderful also.
Did Spirit of the Marathon help pump you up?
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Click on an artist above to get more information about each inductee or use the drop-down lists/links below to navigate.
2012 index • Yearbook index
Laura Nyro was in the middle of a recording session when her friend Janis Ian got a call from the producer, who asked her to get down to the studio on the double.
"Laura was so frustrated, she was crying," Ian said.
"She couldn't explain to the musicians what she wanted. They were looking at me. Laura kept saying, 'I just want it purple!'
"So I said, 'She wants it legato.' She didn't mean rubato [with a relaxed tempo]. She didn't mean largo [slow]. She meant legato [flowing and smooth]. Then everything was fine."
Nyro "was a very visual writer," Ian said.
"When you've got an artist who isn't terribly articulate about their work, and has no desire to be, really, the frustration level at a moment like that becomes so huge that all words desert them."
Nyro wasn't the most commercially successful singer-songwriter to emerge from the fertile New York City music scene. Yet this piano-playing songbird, whose hard-to-peg sound incorporated gospel, jazz, R&B and other styles, pursued her art with an unfettered spirit that her peers envied and future generations of musicians would emulate.
Nyro died 15 years ago this month of ovarian cancer. She was 49.
Bette Midler will induct Nyro into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Accepting on her behalf will be her son and only child, Gil Bianchini.
"I'm proud to do it," said Bianchini, 33, an aspiring hip-hop artist who raps under the name Gil-T and works samples of his mother's songs into his music.
"We were very close," Bianchini said.
"Every day, she would be playing music. Every morning she was on that piano, every single day. She rubbed off on me."
Nyro was even hip to hip-hop.
"I played a few songs for her that she liked, like Tupac's 'Dear Mama' and the Geto Boys' 'Mind Playing Tricks on Me,' " Bianchini said.
"I don't think profanity was a problem. I know she didn't like lyrics that were derogatory towards women. But she definitely liked all kinds of music."
Nyro was briefly married to David Bianchini in the '70s, although he wasn't Gil's father; that was Harindra Singh, who had a short-lived relationship with Nyro. By the '80s, she had settled down in Connecticut with her longtime partner, painter Maria Desiderio.
Nyro, a New York City native, was born Laura Nigro into a Jewish-Italian family.
Music "was a big part of our family's life," said Nyro's younger brother, Jan Nigro, a musician himself who is the director of the Vitamin L youth chorus.
"Our father was a trumpet player by profession. In our household, we had a lot of music of all different genres being played -- our father's jazz records and our mother's opera records and show tunes. And we had our rock 'n' roll 45s. Those genres and more found their way into Laura's heart and into her writing, eventually.
"We took piano lessons. And she was a good singer, even as a little girl."
If you've ever found yourself enraptured by Nyro's poetic lyrics, this next revelation won't come as a shock:
She also was a formidable Scrabble player, Nigro said.
"I could never beat her," he said. "She could just look at the board and figure things out."
By the time Nyro was in her teens, she was composing her own precociously complex tunes.
"She was a prodigy," Nigro said.
"I think she was 17 when she wrote 'And When I Die.' She was writing songs that were not only crafted at a level that would be brilliant at any age, but also had philosophical depth.
"I first heard some of these songs being written in our living room. They seemed lovely to me. I thought, 'Wow! These are good!' Eventually, the world thought so, too. They were beyond good."
'Eli' was her masterpiece
Nyro and Ian, a renowned singer-songwriter in her own right who had hits with "Society's Child" and "At Seventeen," attended the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan.
"She wore a big coat that clanked all the time, because she took a lot of Cheracol [cough syrup]," Ian said.
"But we didn't actually meet until later, when David Geffen, who represented both of us as an agent, thought we would get along really well. He hired a limousine and put both of us in it. We drove around for two hours in Greenwich Village."
A few weeks later, Nyro was invited to dinner at Ian's home.
"That was very strange," Ian said.
"Laura always wore these long black outfits and bright red lipstick. I opened the door, and there she was, holding a TV set. It had to weigh 40 pounds.
"I looked at her and I said, 'Laura, we have a TV.'
"She explained that her friend Peggy Lipton was starring in a new TV show called 'The Mod Squad,' and she wanted to make sure not to miss it. So we had dinner and watched 'The Mod Squad' and then she went home.
"Laura had that enviable quality of being the person who she wanted to be, and not giving a rat's ass what anybody else thought about it."
Nyro made her debut in 1967 with "More than a New Discovery," later reissued under the title "The First Songs."
One year later, she released her magnum opus, "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession," a freewheeling collection of soul-baring tunes steeped in a range of musical styles.
"It was one of the all-time seminal albums, without a doubt," Ian said.
"I would point you to the first track, 'Eli's Coming.' There's a transcendence to it. She starts out singing, 'Eli's coming. . . .' Then it pauses and Charlie Calello's orchestration sweeps in. It sets a panoramic stage that's difficult to do in music. It's much more like a painting."
Calello, who co-produced the album with Nyro, was blown away when she first played diamond-in-the-rough versions of the "Eli" songs for him on a piano in her apartment.
"She lit candles and sat at the piano in a long black dress -- it was very Laura," recalled Calello, a former member of the 4 Seasons who also has worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Eric Carmen to Bruce Springsteen.
"She played me the whole thing, from beginning to end," Calello said.
"I sat there on a little couch in utter amazement. . . . I was blown away with the concept and the emotion that she attached to it. And the songs were extraordinary. They weren't like the pop music that was happening at that point."
Nyro used visual terms to describe her music to him, too.
"How do you hear this song?" Calello asked her once.
Nyro stared into the sky. "Blue," she replied softly.
When they were working on her "Smile" album, Nyro said she wanted a tune to sound like the plain wooden chair in which she sat. Calello took it to mean that she was after a simple acoustic arrangement.
"She would have a sense of what she wanted, but she couldn't always explain it musically," Calello said.
'In line with the times'
In concert, Nyro lost herself in her songs. She performed at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, where -- contrary to the popular myth that she was booed -- she wowed the crowd.
"She was a very good performer," Ian said.
"I think 'stark' would be the word. Nervous, in an endearing way -- although you would never say that she was endearing. But visibly nervous, every time I saw her.
"Yet very much in the style of the '60s . . . she gave herself over to the music. She really did, in a way that many performers don't. It was artless."
Nyro's recordings and performances won a devoted following, although other artists had more chart success with her songs than she did. Blood, Sweat & Tears had a Top 5 smash with "And When I Die." Three Dog Night scored a hit with "Eli's Coming." And the Fifth Dimension went to No. 1 with "Wedding Bell Blues."
Nyro's tunes also were tackled by Barbra Streisand and Peter, Paul and Mary.
Nyro "was very much in line with the times," Ian said.
"She caught the zeitgeist. That's a rare and difficult thing. I think the performers who cut her songs realized that.
"She pulled off some stuff lyrically and vocally that the rest of just can't do.
"And she was breaking ground for women at a time when there weren't many of us doing that."
On the heels of "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession," Nyro released three other highly regarded albums in short order: "New York Tendaberry" (1969), "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat" (1970) and "Gonna Take a Miracle" (1971). That last one found her reworking oldies such as "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and "Spanish Harlem," with additional vocals by the R&B group Labelle.
Nyro briefly retired from show biz when she was 24, only to swing back into action with "Smile" in 1976.
Her ninth studio album, "Walk the Dog and Light the Light," came out in 1993. Four years later, she was gone.
"Any time I see a female singer-songwriter, especially sitting at a piano, it's hard for me not to feel that they're part of the chain that pretty much began with Laura, the chain of the female confessional singer-songwriter," Nigro said.
"Her music created a freedom for others to pursue. . . . Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, Rosanne Cash and on and on, they've all expressed an indebtedness to Laura."
She inspired plenty of male admirers, too, including Alice Cooper and Todd Rundgren.
Nyro "was the most innovative artist I've ever worked with," Calello said.
"No one ever changed feels before. To go from a little shuffle to eighth notes, to go from a faster tempo to a slower tempo . . . She changed the face of pop music."
And what might Nyro make of getting into the Rock Hall?
"I'm sure that she would appreciate it," Nigro said.
"But I don't think Laura was looking for world recognition. She wasn't that type of person. She had been offered things that would've catapulted her into the public eye, but she turned them down, for whatever reason.
"She wasn't a fame-seeking person. Enough people loved her music. She just wanted to do her art.
"That was enough for her."
"Stoney End"
"Wedding Bell Blues"
"And When I Die"
"Eli's Coming"
"Stoned Soul Picnic"


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PS. This is my first attempt at doing a YouTube thingy in a post. Let's see if it works.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Bloggy Bragging Rights
PS. This is my first attempt at doing a YouTube thingy in a post. Let's see if it works.
52 comments:
It is just wonderful - you have every right to feel happy and proud! :-)ReplyDelete
I agree this is fantastic you must be fit to burst.ReplyDelete
A very good sign for the future too, if this is the way your son deals with stress.
oh good on him! What a clever kid . . .I remember I got an 'encouragement award' at school . . . ha! Not quite the same. You've both done well! lovTReplyDelete
Ohhhh A-M, I've got goosebumps listening to those wonderful sounds!!!ReplyDelete
Yes, I would be a proud mama too, if my son played so well.
Makes me wonder how people can ignore such talent & keep blabbing & drinking with no appreciation for those glorious sounds *rolls eyes*
I would have been standing there transfixed.........
Oh I was transfixed...... and dancing. That's why the iPhone video was a bit bumpy! A-M xxReplyDelete
How fantastic A-M! What a wonderful achievement and such a special night. Just LOVE the guitar ensemble - they are so accomplished. Was that your big WHOA! at the end - lol! ;)SharyneReplyDelete
PS (My son Matthew was there with his cricket boys -can't wait to ask him all about it!)
Ha!I could imagine you being whooping it up after every piece. And so you should. Well done to your son.xxReplyDelete
WOW you should be proud!!! The video was great - they sound amazing :)ReplyDelete
Congrats to the big one!
Congratulations to your son! You should be so proud, hard work always pays off. I get the renting thing, that is why we are doing it - to keep our boys at their school. Mimi xxReplyDelete
What an important night, you can feel your pride bursting out of the computer screen. Congrats to all of you but especially big boy! ;-)ReplyDelete
Wow! You must be the most proud Mum in the whole of Brisbane! And look at your handsome young man, when I started reading your blog he was just a little boy.ReplyDelete
When I clicked play on the youtube vid Will gave a gasp and came running over to hear. So beautiful!
Glad something good has happened xxxReplyDelete
- AnonymousThursday, November 10, 2011
Big Congratulations to your boy...great scholar and great guitarist.....also BIG Congratulations to you A.M. you have done a brilliant job of keeping your family 'together' and keeping your boys at their school...well done....ReplyDelete
Congratulations A-M!ReplyDelete
Tonight my son plays his violin with the school orchestra and the whole family (my daughter and I) will be there to clap for him. Kids are so amazingly strong, they can rise and shine even in the face of a tough year/ life.
Cheers to them! You and I deserve a glass of Champagne.
- AnonymousThursday, November 10, 2011
Congratulations, you must be very proud of both your boys, they look like lovely young men. xReplyDelete
I would have been crying! Actually what am I saying, I've got tears in my eyes just watching the video and it's not even my son. My kids all laugh at my mummy tears! they always look over to check.ReplyDelete
You should never apologize for being proud and their number one fan. Imagine having or being a mother who isn't proud!
Well done A-M and thanks for sharing.
Cheers Fiona
Congratulations to your boy, I was there last Friday for BBC's speech night... They all well deserve to have crazy fun in schoolies!ReplyDelete
Thats certainly worth bragging about. Congrats to you and your son.FionaReplyDelete
Such a beautiful post to start my day with. Your sons are amazing.ReplyDelete
Hey A-M congratulations to your handsome Bryn on the award. "Ya done good!" My dad's an old boy and was at some function in the cricket shed a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to ask if he went to Speech Night last night. I resonated with your last line. I feel the same way. If renting is what it takes to give our kids all that they deserve, so be it! It's just bricks and mortar, remember.ReplyDelete
Jennifer xx
How wonderful for him and you ... love the clip. Catchy music.ReplyDelete
Love proud mums. I am one too!ReplyDelete
All we ask of our boys is to be good people. look like you have done just that.
HOw wonderful - what great sons you have. I can see why you're so proud.ReplyDelete
What 2 fine young men you have A.M so glad the evening went well I love the performing arts centre what a great venue to have the evening & confidence to get up on the stage :)))) xReplyDelete
How wonderful. And a big Congratulations to your big boy.ReplyDelete
Love how you climbed over people to get the photos. Parents are meant to embarrass their children. It's good for the children's sense of humour lol.
And lastly a big Congratulations to you A-M. Kids don't grow up to be this wonderful without the nurturing and guiding hand of a loving parent. You are a great Mum:)
HI AM Wow you must have been bursting with pride. Both boys looks so handsome in their uniforms. What a stellar job you have done and are doing. The girls who snare your boys will be lucky indeed. You have survived your year from hell and you 3 have survived well. You can now tackle anything head on life throws your way. Thanks so much again for the bookshelf post. Construction will start in the New Year. Will post photos when done. How did you frock go? Would love to see a photo. Well done. A Year well lived. Love NataliexxReplyDelete
Life will always be full of ups and downs (some more pronounced than others), but when you get to a high like this you should most definitely be allowed to be proud and loud! Great that you are there behind your boy encouraging him. Resilience is a gift - hold it tight.ReplyDelete
Who says we don't want to hear about it!ReplyDelete
I love how proud you are of your beautiful boys, tell the world!
I am always so happy when you are able to post about something wonderful in your lives. You've all had a rotten year but have come up trumps. The three of you are a tight little unit and stand strong in the face of adversity. Well done, boys, but a special well done to a super Mum.ReplyDelete
PS Couldn't help but smile at how one guitarist's head spun in your direction when you let out a whoop.
It's these moments that fill you with such pride. Congratulations. My son picked up the Student of the Week award this week (he's 5) and i was so proud of him.ReplyDelete
Oh A-M, my breath hitched just a little bit to see how big your boys are getting. They are so resilient ~ you all keep leaning on one another. The tough times will eventually go away. Have a fantastic day friend!ReplyDelete
Such a special night for your special boy. Love the video!ReplyDelete
Such a special night for your special boy. Love the video!ReplyDelete
Ooohh.... Pride. Great video- they really sounded excellent!ReplyDelete
It's a great thing being a mum... Thanks for sharing :-)
Your boys are so gorgeous and I don't even know your son and I am bursting with pride. Those firstborn sons are special kids I tell you !!ReplyDelete
Secondborn sons aren't too bad either :)
Thank you for sharing and well done on raising such great boys.
Oh, I'm SO pleased for your family. You must have felt so proud!! Well, I can see that you did!!ReplyDelete
I'm really glad that you all had something so wonderful to enjoy.
I think of you often.
Big hugs,
Whoo alright!!! They were great! Well done B, what a champion effort.ReplyDelete
Congratulations to your special Boy :) I loved listening to the guitar ensemble, sounded fantastic!!ReplyDelete
V x
Congrats to your beautiful boy and his mum for moulding such a wonderful young man...not an easy task in this day and age! How incredibly proud you all must be. Sensational XReplyDelete
Oh Sweetheart. I am so utterly delighted for you. What a fine young man you have raised. Just gorgeous. You both should take a bow! J xReplyDelete
What a special night, the video is priceless. Great memories for you & your sons. KPReplyDelete
That's a great post...ReplyDelete
You must be...oh I know that you are one proud Mama.
Congratulations for raising such intelligent and talented kids.
LOVE this. I wrote a post tonight about the fact that one of the best things about blogging is the recording of family moments, big and small.ReplyDelete
Bamboleo - The Gypsy Kings!!!!ReplyDelete
I love that song. How incredibly awesome is this happening right now in your life? Oh My Goodness!
New plan: Move to Brisbane, become A-M's neighbor and get my son into this same school where he can get the best education and learn to play a killer guitar. WOW!!!
No doubt about it, I know you are proud. I know I am. Love, Heidi
- AnonymousFriday, November 11, 2011
'bamboleo...bamboleo...' :) Love it! They sound *great*. You have every right to be proud of your boys. They are clearly very sweet, very bright and, may I say, both very handsome young men. I can see in photo 4 the potential heartbreaker your older son could be. I don't doubt the same is true of both your young lads. Proud Mummy, and deservedly so. :)ReplyDelete
Such a beautiful post. I was proud for you. xReplyDelete
Nice one! Just wanted to mention that there are a few Churchie boys of varying ages that catch the bus with me every morning. They are so incredibly polite and well behaved, whispering amongst themselves, always giving their seats up for adults, always courteous to the driver. They must be doing something right at that school. If I had boys they would go there too!ReplyDelete
Oh so wonderful! What a proud mum moment. They are just amazing boys :)ReplyDelete
What a lovely way to end the year. Well done to you and your boys. I hope that my big one plays guitar as well as your big one when he reaches high school.ReplyDelete
Congrats to you on steering your way through 2011 and coming out the other end with smiles on your faces.
What a beautiful post, you must be so proud. And what a handsome son you have.ReplyDelete
I cry/sob at every public performance my children do...who doesn't?! Something about children + music....particularly when they belong to you :)
.....can you hear that?......That's right the hearty clapping sound.....that's me absolutely gobsmacked by the gorgeous guitar music - one of my favourites so fabulously executed....plus I love the little 'Woo!' at the end A-M!ReplyDelete
Also hearty congratulations to your Big Boy for all of his efforts in achieving his academic award - brilliant!
Happy weekend to all of you.
Lovely post! I remember back in my days at highschool (all of 10 years, not long I know), I remember when we'd have our musicy competitions and how the girls, me included, swooned over Churchie's guitar ensemble. For the beautiful music of course.ReplyDelete


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Pam Geller is telling her followers to contact their legislators to urge them to vote against a resolution in Congress that would condemn the persecution of Muslims (and those of other faiths) in Burma. Even the Heritage Foundation has called what is going on in Burma "ethnic cleansing" as the Buddhist majority has oppressed both Muslims and Christians.
Muslims are waging jihad in Burma. But the Buddhists aren't having it. Muslim Brotherhood groups in the US are agitating for UN intervention. Scroll and read Hamas-CAIR's call for support of US resolution 418 calling for intervention. Please contact your Congressmen and Senators and tell them to VOTE NO on resolution 418. We have seen this before. It led to President Clinton sending US troops to fight for the Bosnian Muslims against the Christian Serbs, leading to the establishment of the first Islamic state in Europe (Kosovo).Support the Buddhists in Burma. Seriously. Do this. I am in Boston, as our free speech lawsuit is being heard today, but I will be working the phones, and so should you. Burma is 90% Buddhist. These are a peaceful people. The Muslims have brought war to Burma. Bodh Gaya, the holiest site for the Buddhists the world over, was bombed in a series of Islamic terror attacks. Hamas-CAIR must be stopped from using the most powerful government in the world as its battering ram to impose Islam on small, defenseless countries.
Yes, you cannot stand up for human rights without "imposing Islam on small, defenseless countries." And notice how she spins this. A huge range of groups, from conservative groups to international human rights organizations, have called for an end to the rampant human rights violations there, but all that matters to Geller is that some of the victims are Muslim and Muslim groups also want the violence to end. So therefore "Muslim Brotherhood groups" are the only ones that matter and the well is therefore poisoned.


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You had no idea Ryan and Kaci would become your mommy and daddy.
You would become mine. I would become yours. We would be a family.
We had no idea what we were doing. We became parents of two with a week warning. But it was right. It was good. It was beautiful, but oh so scary.
You are unbelievably strong. How frightening to be thrown into a family. A new school. New rules. New life. Stripped of everything that was normal for you.
the BIG feelings
without the words to be able to share.
Mad. Sad. Scared. Happy. Those words will never do justice for where you have been nor should they ever.
God is writing a story. It is good. It will be good. Perfectly good.
There are hard days. On your knees praying hard days. There are beautiful days. Hands in the air praising God beautiful days.
We have seen healing. Transformation. Redemption. Beautiful redemption.
A stranger the other day with the most sincere joy said to me 'you are so blessed.'
I am.
You have blessed me. Daily. Moment by moment. Undeservingly.
We love you. Miss Magoo and Mr Man. You have stolen our hearts.