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These Coffeys were mainly Augusta Co., VA families.
Margaret E. Hailey was born in Mar., 1860 to William W. & Mary Hardbarger Coffey. She married Zachariah on Dec. 23, 1877 in Lyndhurst, Augusta Co., VA. To them were born at least five children, two of which died in infancy and unnamed. Their first child was Rosana, born c1879 in VA. Second was Minerva, born Apr., 1881 followed by Eugene Bartley, born May, 1883, died Oct. 27, 1946 in Stuarts Draft, VA.
Eugene married Hurcy [sic] Lee Brooks c1906 in VA. Hurcy was a daughter of Joshua Cyrus & Alice Elizabeth (or, Susan?) Forbes Brooks. She was born in Augusta Co. in Mar. of 1887 and died at Stuarts Draft on Aug. 29, 1954. Eugene died on Oct. 27, 1846. Both he and Hurcy are buried at the Mennonite Church Cemetery in Stuarts Draft.
Obituary, Waynesboro News Virginian, Sep. 1, 1954
Mrs. Hersey Lee Coffey, 69, died at 4 p.m. yesterday at her home near Stuarts Draft, after a long illness.
She was born Oct. 14, 1884, in Augusta County, daughter of the late Joshua and Alice Elizabeth Forbus Brooks. She was a member of Rankin Methodist Chapel.
Mrs. Coffey was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene Bartley Coffey on Oct. 27, 1946. Survivors include three sons, Alfred, Elmer, and Phy all of Stuarts Draft; four daughters, Mrs. Lloyd Stinnett, Mrs. Guy England, Miss Minnie Coffey and Miss Hersey Ellen Coffey, all of Stuarts Draft; 11 grandchildren; two brothers, Sandy Brooks and Carl Brooks, both of Stuarts Draft; four sisters, Mrs. Nellie McCray of Waynesboro, Mrs. Otho Humphreys of Stuarts Draft, Mrs. Floyd Young of West Virginia and Mrs. Levi Fitzgerald of Crozet.
The body will remain at Etter Funeral Home and be placed in the Valley View Mennonite Church near Stuarts Draft, tomorrow at 1 p.m. Funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. by the Rev. E. B. White, assisted by the Rev. Jason Weaver, with interment in the church cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be William Tillman, Harry Hailey, Lyle Hailey, Lawrence Dameron, Ollie Fretwell and Walter Pannell.This union produced at least seven children: Willa Bell, Margaret R., Alfred Cyrus, Elmer Franklin, Minnie Lee, Fie Landon and Hurcy Ellen.
Willa Bell was born Jun. 30, 1908 at Stuarts Draft and died Feb. 5, 2001. Her husband was Lloyd Lewis Stinnett, born Apr. 28, 1908, died Mar. 23, 1983. Both are buried at the Mennonite Church Cemetery at Stuarts Draft.
Obituary, The Daily News Leader, Staunton, VA, Feb. 7, 2001
STUARTS DRAFT- Willa Bell Stinnett, 92, of 63 Vance Lane, died Monday (Feb. 5, 2001) at her residence.
She was born July 30, 1908, at Stuarts Draft, a daughter of Eugene Bartley and Hurcy Brooks Coffey.
She was a homemaker and a member of Stuarts Draft Mennonite Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lloyd Lewis Stinnett; and a son, Bobby Stinnett.
Survivors include two daughters, Eunice Rachel Stinnett and Martha Elizabeth Stinnett, both of Stuarts Draft; a son and daughter-in-law, Orvin K. and Dawn Stinnett of Stuarts Draft; a daughter-in-law, Audrey Stinnett of Stuarts Draft; seven grandchildren, Rodney Stinnett, Regina Ott, Beth Campbell, Jennifer Eavers, and Jonathan, Amanda and Darrick Stinnett; and three great-grandchildren, Josh and Lindsey Ott and Isaac Campbell.
A service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday at Stuarts Draft Mennonite Church by the Revs. Terry Miller and Charles Ramsey. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.
Pallbearers will be John Ott, Tim Campbell, Dave Harris, Maynard Weaver, Jerrel Suter, Eddie Burkholder, Billy and Grover Coffey.
Honorary pallbearers will be Steve Wallace, Tommy Fretwell, Larry Hepler, Frankie Robertson and friends attending the service.
The family will receive friends from 7-9 tonight at Reynolds Funeral Service of Stuarts Draft.Margaret R. was born Dec. 14, 1909 and died Jan. 15, 1994. Her spouse wasa Guy P. England, born Nov. 11, 1910, died Sep. 19, 1985. They too are buried at the Mennonite Cemetery in Stuarts Draft.
Alfred Cyrus, born May 17, 1913, died Sep. 28, 1979. Alfred married Tressia M. Fretwell, a daughter of William & Myrtle Fretwell, born Jun. 2, 1919, died Dec. 11, 1985. Both are buried at the Rankin United Methodist Church Cemetery in Sherando, Augusta Co., VA. Their children were Julia Marie Coffey Losh (1937-2009); Emily Jane Coffey Hepler (1939-2009), Annia Belle (1941-2004); Scottie Ray (1946-2003), Joyce, Becky and Billy. Annia Belle married a Mr. Latsko. She died on Jul. 8, 2004 and was buried at Rankin. Scottie Ray married Mary Sue Fitzgerald, daughter of William Homer and Ruby Lee Vance Fitzgerald. She was born Mar. 23, 1949 in Waynesboro, VA and died Oct. 30, 2011. Both are buried at Rankin.
Obituary, Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Home, Stuarts Draft, VA, Nov. 1, 2011
Mary Sue (Fitzgerald) Coffey, 62, of Augusta County, passed away early Sunday, October 30, 2011 at Augusta Nursing and Rehabilitation.
Born March 23, 1949 in Waynesboro, she was the daughter of the late William Homer and Ruby Lee (Vance) Fitzgerald.
Mrs. Coffey retired from Hollister in Stuarts Draft. She also worked for Augusta County as a special ed driver.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by husband, Scottie Ray Coffey; brother, John M. Fitzgerald; sister, Judith Quick.
Survivors include her children, Stacey Moreau and husband Andrew of Crofton, MD and Nick Coffey and wife Jennifer of Lyndhurst; grandchildren, Katie, Brodie, Josie and Emmie Moreau and Isaac, Asher and Noah Coffey; siblings, Betty Eckard and husband Richard, Henry Fitzgerald and wife Dottie and Patsy Lunsford and husband Byron.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at the Stuarts Draft Chapel of Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Homes, 1870 Stuarts Draft Highway, with Pastor Matthew Coiner and Charles Ramsey officiating. Burial will follow at Rankin Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be Nick Coffey, Andrew Moreau, Ricky Mutherspaw, Jerry Hite, Mike Elliott and Jim Addie.
Honorary pallbearers will be retired and current employees of Hollister and Augusta County.
There will be no formal viewing or visitation at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Stuarts Draft Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 260, Stuarts Draft, VA 24477.
Arrangements under the direction of Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Homes Stuarts Draft Chapel, Stuarts Draft, VA.


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What did you think about the reading?
The reading throughout the book was great. Rebecca Skloot's diction and emotion drew the reader in from the very first page. The sections at the end of the book describe the moral trials and tribulations of taking someone's cells without permission and leave some hope for the Lacks family.
What did you learn?
This book has thought me about not only the life of Henrietta Lacks, but the legacy of her cells and the history of medicine. The book started with the life of Henrietta and her family before the fame and fortune, while snapping from one character to the next. By the time Henrietta dies, it's as if you know her and feel sorry as she passes away. At the same time we learn how Henrietta's cells cultured in Doctor Gey's laboratory into the first immortal human cells. Along the way the book has also described many of the immoral practices of medicine at the time. Further into the book we learn how HeLa started multi million dollar businesses that nearly crumbled because of the cell's infectious properties; how the cell created countless drugs and saved countless lives; and how the cell lead to many regulations in medicine. In Part 3 we find out that the cells had little affect on the family, which was still poor despite HeLa's success. We also discover the emotional and physical perils the family has gone through because of the cells and in general. Through the process the reader learns that the family is proud of their mother's cells, but just wants enough money to take care of themselves. Finally Skloot ends by discussing the morality of taking the cells. Although taking the cells was ethical, the question of consent and compensation is still up for debate and unresolved.
What questions do you still have?
How will the HeLa issue end for the Lacks family? Will they ever get compensation? Will more laws be put in place for or against informed consent for medical studies? Did this book help put the Lacks family at ease?

subset: commoncrawl


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This must-see 90-minute adaptation of Hamlet gives new context to Shakespeare's play, redirecting the text with some clever conflation and cuts. This is creativity on par with Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, done within the aesthetically pleasing nutshell of a theater, and the only thing that should be bound is you--off to see it, that is.
Reviewed by Aaron Riccio
It's not as if Shakespeare needs to be adapted, but if you're going to, it'd better be something new, bold, truthful, or necessary. Bound in a Nutshell is all of these things, a modern 90-minute Hamlet that (like last year's brilliant Macbeth adaptation, A Walking Shadow) begins near the end (Hamlet having just killed Polonius), and then strikingly wends through Hamlet's mind. Imprisoned, Hamlet is now physically tortured, too, and remains on stage throughout. To do this, Gregory Sherman and Gregory Wolfe take liberties with the text, merging characters like First Player and Laertes with Horatio, repurposing the Gravedigger as a torturer (a nifty feat in redirection, Yorick and all), and excising comic characters like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
For fans of Hamlet, it's an exciting shakeup, but for strangers to Shakespeare, it's also one of the clearest tellings of this haunted tale, thanks largely to Chris Haas, whose Hamlet is violent yet fluid (like Bill Irwin). Wolfe's ingenious staging also plays each scene to its strength: his "too too solid flesh would melt" is defiantly delivered to a surveillance camera: for the first time, we see Claudius (Christopher Yates) and Gertrude (Kathy Keane) react to what is usually a secondhand account. There's restraint too: when Hamlet yells "get thee to a nunnery," his words go unheard and unfelt by Ophelia (Monique Vukovic), who sits helplessly on the other side of a prison visitation cell's solid glass window, begging her lover to pick up the phone. Best of all is the poetic license taken with the imagery: Hamlet, strapped to a chair, being tortured into a confession of madness, sees Ophelia--who has just drowned--walk slowly and silently by.
Brevity may be the soul of wit, but it's hard to keep from waxing poetic on Moonwork's fantastic production. This is what it means to adapt a play, and on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being "not to be" and 5 being "wondrous strange," Bound in a Nutshell gets a perfect 5.
Cherry Lane Theater (38 Commerce Street)
According to Lincoln Center's new LCT3 project at its slogan, it takes "New Audiences for New Artists." It also takes new critics, hence the establishment of Theater Talk's New Theater Corps in 2005, a way for up-and-coming theater writers and eager new theatergoers to get exposure to the ever-growing theater scene in New York City. Writers for the New Theater Corps are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the off-off and off-Broadway theater scene, learning and giving back high-quality reviews at the same time. Driven by a passion and love of the arts, the New Theater Corps aims to identify, support, and grow the arts community, one show and one person at a time.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Fringe/Bound in a Nutshell
Posted by Aaron Riccio at 8/11/2008 09:08:00 PM
Labels: Aaron Riccio
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Born from a decade of cutting-edge research on the secrets of aging deep down at the cellular level in human skin, Pond's Institute presents the next breakthrough in the science of aging - The revolutionary New Intelligent Pro Cell Complex™ technology. This potent combination of 6 Youth Enhancing Bio-Actives, actually makes your skin act younger, making it possible for you to turn back the clock & look up to 10 years younger. Now, isn't that the miracle that you've been waiting for!
Pond's Institute has created a revolutionary breakthrough in anti-aging—New Intelligent Pro Cell Complex™, a potent system of 6 Bio-Actives that work together like a miracle. Available for the first time in New Pond's Age Miracle, an anti-aging cream so advanced, that it gives your skin cells 3x more skin renewal power*, helping you turn back the clock and look up to 10 years** younger!
The Pond's Institute combined the power of up to 6 bio-actives to create the youth-enhancing miracle that is New Intelligent Pro Cell Complex™. The 6 bio-actives work in combination with each other and with the natural processes of your skin, to comprehensively ensure that age simply cannot catch up.
· CLA: Miraculous ingredient that stimulates skin cells, thus promoting faster cellular turnover.
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Does all the hard work while you sleep. Slather on this night cream and while you sleep, let Pond's Age Miracle Deep Action Night Cream work hard to repair accumulated damage, promote cellular turnover and help your skin rejuvenate itself.
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Start the journey to a younger looking you with this extra moisturizing cleanser, that not just rinses off youth dulling impurities from the surface of your skin, but also helps prepare your skin for the goodies from Pond's Age Miracle Cell ReGEN™ Day Cream.
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Accelerate the rewinding of time with this super concentrated formula, packed with 20 times the power of a day cream. For best results, use after thoroughly cleansing your face and revel in the silky luxe feeling, just before using Pond's Age Miracle Cell ReGEN™ Day Cream.
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(Press Release)


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My photography does not do these streamers justice. My son said he is going to have all of the streamers framed under glass. I will have to post an image when the flies are framed. Alan is not only a superd fly fisherman but excellent at tying flies.
Just wanted to share with you guys an image of the HUGE 3"snow we got this Thursday


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"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." Famous words from a loving homage to Film Noir vixen. Jessica Rabbit, the 'femme fatale' of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, while a cartoon and a contemporary creation, is a prime example of how sex and sexuality was used in the film noir genre. She is a prime example of how women have been pegged as the femme fatale for centuries. It isn't simply the femme fatales who utilize sexuality to further their goals in film noir. It permeates every inch of these films from the sets to the music to the thoughts running through the characters minds.
Double Indemnity is a prime example of film noir dripping with sexual overtones. Stanwyck's Phyllis understands her appeal and uses it to her advantage. "Barbara Stanwyck as the femme fatale isn't as much a testimony to her beauty as it is to her superb acting and the magical noir cinematography of John Seitz. She's no voluptuary, no garter-belt maw of erotic death, but an atmosphere." Phyllis's appeal is not some much physical, even though Stanwyck is luminescent in the film, her appeal is more visceral. She uses sex like a weapon and her pleasure is more political then sensual. Recalling the scene when Neff kills her husband, the audience sees a look on Phyllis's face unlike any she has anywhere else in the film. It is a look of sheer pleasure. For the Phyllis character, the death of her husband and the pinnacle of her manipulation of is the climax of her planning. "Within the modernist sets of the classic film noir sex is primarily an act of self-destruction."
"Marilyn Monroe and 'Niagara' – a raging torrent of emotion that even nature can't control!" In 1953, and in today, Marilyn Monroe was the sexiest film star of them all. While the movie Niagara may not fall into the classic pantheon of accepted film noir standards it contains all the ear marks of the genre. In a role entirely different from anything she played prior, or after for that matter, Monroe transforms herself into the quintessential femme fatale. The character of Rose manipulates her husband, the unsuspecting Cutler couple, and everyone else around her. Like every good film noir, the bad guy gets it in the end. Monroe meets her fate at the bottom of a stairway, seductively placed of course. The film was not a critical success garnering a less than stellar from the New York Times. "Perhaps Miss Monroe is not the perfect actress at this point. But neither the director nor the gentlemen who handled the cameras appeared to be concerned with this. They have caught every possible curve both in the intimacy of the boudoir and in equally revealing tight dresses. And they have illustrated pretty concretely that she can be seductive—even when she walks."
Modern Noir uses sexuality in a more overt manner. With the dissolving of the Hayes code, the film world has become free to paint a stronger picture with sexuality. Films like Chinatown and Sin City parade their sexual content out in front. It is no longer kept hidden or suggested such as in films like A Touch of Evil or Gun Crazy. Vera in Gun Crazy is a meant to be a femme fatale, whether the actress pulls off this title is debatable, but her seduction of Al is subtle. For Vera, as with Phyllis and Rose, the seduction occurs with a look or a subtle touch. This is in direct conflict to Nancy in Sin City. Hers is an overt sexuality.
L.A. Confidential blends the delicate seduction of the Golden Age of Hollywood films with the post Hayes code films. The character of Lynn is our femme fatale, but she doesn't truly fit that mold. She is used by Pierce Patchett to manipulate police officers, high political officials, and studio heads. But with Bud the seduction is wholly for her enjoyment. She is drawn to Bud much the same way Annie and Bart are drawn together.
While the love affair, sexual relationship, in Gun Crazy ultimately leads to the deaths of both Annie and Bart it is still different kind of relationship then say in The Big Sleep. Vivian and Philip have a slow and methodical relationship that takes almost the entire course of the film to develop. Annie and Bart are all but inseparable by the first twenty minutes of the film. This kind of relationship burns fast which is reflective of the end scene. Gun Crazy gives us a moralistic view of love and sex. The couple is not married and gives into their passions for each other and guns, giving them some kind of Bonnie Clyde feel. In Hayes Code Hollywood, this kind of relationship can only end badly, which in the case of Annie and Bart it does, with their deaths.
Music also plays an integral role in the seduction of not only the protagonist but also the audience. For example, L.A. Confidential utilizes its soundtrack to set the mood and to suggest irony. The film starts off with Johnny Mercer singing "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Postive" just underneath the voice over of Danny Devito talking about the darker aspects of life in the City of Angels. Two of Mickey Cohen's men are brutally murder by gunshots through the windshield of their car and the audience instantly hears Betty Hutton singing "Hit the Road to Dreamland." Much of the music is utilized in this fashion. The underscoring of instrumental music beneath almost all the scenes containing Lynn succeeds in adding to her seductive Veronica Lake qualities.
Love and sex are two sides of the same coin in the film noir genre. If the characters fall in love and try to refrain from succumbing to the physical side of the romance everything will result in a happy ending. For the characters of Annie and Bart and Vera and Al it is the opposite. In Detour, the filmmaker gives us the impression that Al never gives into the seduction that Vera attempts. However, one must assume based on the scenes in the car, the scenes in the hotel room, and Al's inability to shake Vera that they have moved passed the suggestive stage of their relationship and have become physical.
What does all this mean for the modern film interpretation of woman? One recent and prime example that comes to mind is The Avengers. In this film we are given two strong females, Agent Hill and Natasha Romanov a.k.a the Black Widow. However, if the viewer looks at the movies poster we see the male members of the Avengers, i.e. Iron Man and Captain America, in stances of power and strength, where the Black Widow has her back to the viewer showing of her posterior. Yes, the actress portraying the character is lovely but that is not the main tool of the Black Widow. So then we must ask why do the men in the film populate the poster in heroic poses and yet we accept the woman in a glorified sexual position?
Sex and love, even in Hayes code Hollywood, played an integral role in Film Noir, as well as many modern genres. It was used to further the plot and to add a subtle, tangible essence to the films. However, it seems it is always the woman who must bear the brunt of the misuse of sexuality. She is the creation that leads the seemingly good guy into a dark path. The Neo-noir films have also picked up on this aspect and have attempted to continue the trend. The old age rings true, sex sells and it will continue to be used as long as audiences are crying for it.


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Freedom in the World 2005
Table of Independent Countries
Comparative Measures of Freedom
Since 1978, Freedom House has published Freedom in the World, an annual comparative assessment of the state of political rights and civil liberties in 192 countries and 14 related and disputed territories. Widely used by policy-makers, journalists, and scholars, the 600-page survey is the definitive report on freedom around the globe.
Freedom in the World is the Michelin Guide to democracy's development.
—The Wall Street Journal
While there are many sources of economic data, good political data is hard to find. Freedom House's survey is an exception. For anyone concerned with the state of freedom, or simply with the state of the world, Freedom in the World is an indispensible guide.
—Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek
Seychelles 3 3 Partly Free
Sierra Leon 4 3 Partly Free
Singapore 5 4 Partly Free
Slovakia 1 15 Free
Slovenia 1 1 Free
Solomon Islands 3 3 Partly Free
Somalia 6 7 Not Free
South Africa 1 2 Free
South Korea 15 2 Free
The complete pdf file is available here.
Freedom House does not maintain a culture-bound view of freedom. The methodology of the survey established basic standards that are derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These standards apply to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.
The survey includes both analytical reports and numerical ratings for 192 countries and 18 select territories. Each country and territory is assigned a numerical rating, which is calculated based on the methodology described below, on a scale of 1 to 7. A rating of 1 indicates the highest degree of freedom and 7 the least amount of freedom.
The survey findings are reached after a multi-layered process of analysis and evaluation by a team of regional experts and scholars. Although there is an element of subjectivity inherent in the survey findings, the ratings process emphasizes intellectual rigor and balanced and unbiased judgments.
The survey does not rate governments or government performance per se, but rather the real-world rights and freedoms enjoyed by individuals. Freedoms can be affected by state actions, as well as by non-state actors, including terrorists and other armed groups. Thus, the survey ratings generally reflect the interplay of a variety of actors, both governmental and nongovernmental.
Survey Methodology is available here.
Human Rights


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XLLoop Without the INI File
April 7, 2010 1 Comment
The following post shows you how you can customize the XLLoop XLL addin without having to deploy the INI file along-side the XLL. It involves embedded the INI file inside the XLL addin.
The steps are:
1. Download WinRun4J from winrun4j.sourceforge.net.
2. Unpack the zip file and grab
3. If you run RCEDIT without any arguments you will see the following usage information:
WinRun4J Resource Editor v1.0 (winrun4j.sf.net) Edits resources in executables (EXE) and dynamic link-libraries (DLL). RCEDIT <option> [resource] filename Specifies the filename of the EXE/DLL. resource Specifies the name of the resource to add to the EXE/DLL. /I Set the icon as the default icon for the executable. /A Adds an icon to the EXE/DLL. /N Sets the INI file. /J Adds a JAR file. /E Extracts a JAR file from the EXE/DLL. /S Sets the splash image. /H Adds an HTML file the EXE/DLL. /C Clears all resources from the EXE/DLL. /L Lists the resources in the EXE/DLL. /P Outputs the contents of the INI file in the EXE. /R Loads a script file listing resource settings. /W Same as /R but clears all resources first. /D Further help on /R command.
The option you need is /N. This allows you to embed your INI file inside the XLL.
4. Run the following command:
RCEDIT.exe /N xlloop.xll xlloop.ini
Where "xlloop.xll" is the name of the XLLoop XLL file and "xlloop.ini" is the name of the INI file.


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Thursday, May 22, 2008
Everybody cut loose....
"The Romance Dance for Valentines Day. I'm wondering if I should go? I guess I will. Even though I feel funny about he way I dance. Krista wants me to go. (But what should I wear?) I wish I was pretty! Oh, why couldn't I be pretty and have perfect eyes and teeth? Why? If I went to the dance I bet nobody would ask me to dance unless they were desperate! And if that weren't enough, I found out my grades for the year...History B, English A, Math C, Science D, Typing C and PE C. Bad! Terrible! Grotesque! Disgusting! and don't forget AWFUL!
Hullo again! I can't wait to go to the dance. (The dance is this coming Thursday, February 7.) I'm going to where a faded pair of LEVI'S with my peach & green & white striped shirt and the animal sweater that Lynda gave me plus my grey boots and pink socks, I sure hope I don;t make a fool of myself, and I hope there are dance tickets left! Nothing is happening so I guess I will ******Sign Of ****
I want to go see That's Dancing"
Of course I didn't go. I chickened out and then my mom was in the hospital. Seriously though, peach and gray and pink? The shirt was an oxford shirt with a white collar, I have no idea what the animal sweater was. It wasn't Animal from the Muppet show, I know that at least. My problem with dancing back then was that I grew up watching Elvis movies and while I did enjoy watching American Bandstand, I preferred to dance like a go-go dancer in Clambake and well, that was just weird. I got over my fear of dancing when I was around 16 or 17. The bulk of my dancing was done at the Goth clubs around Los Angeles with a bunch of early secret L.A. raves thrown in. I decided to go with my gut which ended up with me doing the swim or the twist at a goth club. It would embarrass my gothic almost-boyfriend who bedecked himself in velvet and lace. All in all we had so much fun back then. The mister and I dance. We don't go dancing but we dance. We dance in the living room, at the supermarket, on the street corner. One of our first non-dates was spent at the mister's place dancing to Vince Guardaldi a la Peanuts style. At our wedding, we polka'd and in the market we swing.
If only we weren't both sick right now I would pack up a picnic lunch and go to the park so we could eat, nap and swing dance under the eucalyptus tress. Make sure you make time for dancing. It is always a good thing.
5 comments:
I just love the diary entry! And your new (is it new?) thread banner. Hope you feel better soon!ReplyDelete
Hope you feel better soon too.ReplyDelete
I love your blog....you are so creative and I agree we are big dancers around here. I kind of feel bad for the non-dancers in the world.....have a wonderful weekend. I gave you a shout out in my bog today. Thanks for you inspiration.
I remember the Surf Punks! It is weird because I was just thinking about them the other day. But, I grew up in So Cal, so it still may be a Ca thing. :-)ReplyDelete
So Jessica...I simply MUST know where your scissors went! hehehe, I have just found your blog through Artfull Blogging of course and I am dieing to know! Did the gnomes take them?ReplyDelete
When I first saw the photo on this post it reminded me of another blog I have seen where the writer takes photos of her feet and writes about the circumstances surrounding the photo...reminded me that I need to do the same thing!
Love your blog!
I love to dance, now that my sis has kids I get to dance with them, to silly songs, in the living room or by the computer playing something on youtube....ReplyDelete
I heard of the surf punks but I think it was a cal thing.....
I went to one dance it was bad, I never went again, no dance no prom nothin...
Dance!!! Dance just keep on dancing when you guys feel better!!!!


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This particular Monday started off late and great!
I had the whole day off and I was able to sleep late and have strawberries for breakfast.
I ran some errands and then got down to the dirty business of making cards.
Here are two for your consideration:
A Birthday and an all purpose.


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There is no Easter meal in the plan for us this year. Starting this Friday, we will be living on a houseboat for a week touring Germany's Mecklenburg Lake District of Germany in the company of my husband's family.
However, for those of you who are plotting an Easter feast, here are some last minute (relatively) easy Easter cookie ideas to throw together to make your holiday table more festive.
Here we go:
I love these speckled egg French macarons. I divided up the macaron shell batter and tinted each portion a different color. They are filled with luscious chocolate ganache. For a clever presentation, serve them, line a bowl with Easter grass and place the macarons on top.
|Speckled Egg French Macarons
These butterfly shaped Meringue cookies are girly, pretty and like the speckled egg French macarons above, a great way to use up leftover egg whites. Meringues come together quickly but take a long time to bake on a low oven temperature. A sprinkle of nonpareils amps up the cute factor.
|Butterfly Meringue Cookies
|Easter Bunny Ears Madeleines
These bird's nest cookies come from one of my favorite cookie recipe books, The Cookie Jar Cookbook. In the book the author cleverly matches up cookie recipes with vintage cookie jars. Creatively adorable. I've lost count of how many times I've made these cookies over the years for Easter and just to celebrate Spring. The years I lived in Germany, I could not find malted chocolate eggs so I used speckled jelly beans instead. These are always a crowd pleaser.
|Bird's Nest Cookies
|Easter Seven Layer Cookies
Keeping with the Italian theme, classic Italian Easter Cookies also provide a splash of pastel prettiness to any dessert platter. The decorating options here are many. You can leave the glaze white or tint it colors. Or, like I did, you can tint the glaze and add extra embellishment like quins, sprinkles or glitter sugar.
|Italian Easter Cookies
This last treat is not a cookie. It falls under the candy category and is so easy to make, I wanted to include it. I took a basic Easter bark recipe and used pastel colors and an assortment of Easter candy to create Easter Bunny Bark. Something an Easter bunny might eat. A cute idea for the kinder.
|Easter Bark
That's it! I hop, er I mean I hope you found some inspiration or something you want to make yourself. More importantly, wishing you all a hippity hoppity happy Easter!


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Himitsu Sushi and Teriyaki in Bothell, WA
You will find my first review about this Himitsu Teriyaki shop.
Just go through my blog and find the first entry.
In my first entry I explained how we found it, how it looks like and how we were greeted there.
I was so happy with this place, that I decided to bring my parents there to have lunch with us.
That is exactly what we did Thursday August 8th 2013. After a short round of golf we showed up at the Himitsu Sushi & Teriyaki .
Again all look good from the outside. Clean and inviting. We were greeted by the same nice lady and I even introduced my mother to her, which made her even more smile.
We were assigned the same table as we had a few days ago.
This time I wanted to try something else for lunch and decided to go with the chicken and beef combo. So did Christiane.My parents ordered the chicken Teriyaki. We ordered the Egg Rolls as appetizer again.
Also we went with the same drinks.
It only took a few minutes to get the appetizer and the Egg Rolls were as good as the first time. Hot, fresh and tasty.
Shortly after we got the Terriyaki.
Himitsu Sushi & Teriyaki in Bothell, WA Chicken and Beef Teriyaki Combo
It looked great yet again and the taste was as good or better then a few days before this day.
My parents were surprised by the size of the platter and what was on it. We ate for a while and we could finish it, but my parents had to take a box to take some leftover home.
After paying I explained the lady that I am in Florida and hope to see her next time. Thanked her for the great experience and she thanked me for coming in.
Outside we all agreed, that it was a great lunch with great food and that we would come back again if we are here and in the area.
I am excited to report , that I visited this place 2 times and both times the quality and service were excellent. Which confirms what I wrote in my first more comprehensive review.
The Himitsu Sushi & Teriyaki in Bothell, WA is one of the best Teriyaki places I have been to in many years and I hope I can come back when I am in the area again. If you have the chance, stop by and if you try something new or Sushi, please. comment or let us know.
You will find the menu we saw in the review from earlier.
Thank you very much for stopping by.


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Today's blog is about business and being in the business of nail polish. The integrity of the Mentality Nail Polish brand is extremely important to us, and to all of our fans that wear our polish. We have worked very hard to bring you the best and highest quality pigments that are to be found and will continue to do so at the most affordable price that we can. We often refer to it as "T-shirt boutique". It's boutique made affordable.
We have seen comments in various forums regarding the quality of our polishes versus the low prices that we strive to keep them at. It has been our goal to drive down the cost of inputs so that we can keep prices low. This means we have sought out the primary manufacturers of raw ingredients wherever possible.
To this extent, we are in the beginning phases of registering with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the FDA. We believe in the product that we make and believe that our government will stand by it as well. It is an ongoing bureaucratic nightmare at times, but the effort is worth it every time that a fan posts another one of what is becoming a relentless stream of nail art pictures to one of our pages. Those pictures keep us motivated.
International shipping
Nail polish is a big deal. It is a really big deal. I mean it is an every world government United Nations controlled dangerous goods throw you in federal prison tax collector postal inspector and men in black kind of big deal. Nail polish is a flammable substance and mail goes on airplanes. We do not have the luxury of ignorance in the 21st century regarding the actions of hateful people and what they might do to their fellow human. We have even been required to sign anti-terrorism papers by our major suppliers just to be in this business. It is a massively big deal.
So, we are now certified with the International Aviation and Transportation Administration. MSDS sheets are available for our product including ingredients declarations for the European Union. We have secured a special permit with the US Postmaster to ship via the United States Postal Service. Mentality Nail Polish is registered with the US Department of Commerce as an official cosmetics manufacturer. We are registered with the US Customs and Border Protection after registering with the US Transporation Security Administration as known shippers of dangerous goods so that our products can legally leave the country. We are even authorized to use the US Customs Automated Export System so that we can be tracked in the official import/export GDP numbers of the US and every country that we ship to. We have done this to secure the integrity of the Mentality Nail Polish brand so that our product can make it legally onto the hands of our fans.
That said, we cannot knowingly an international package to a domestic address for international forwarding. Don't ask. We can't do it because we are required by law, like every other nail polish manufacturer, to tell the government where our product goes, what it is packaged in, and how it gets there. That is what the shipping label is about. It is an automatic registration of the route each bottle of polish has taken. It is information communicated directly to the governments of the world that can be tracked to anyone that handles or receives our product.
If you live overseas, we will only ship via Fedex legally which is reasonable only for very large orders. Otherwise please see Sally Magpies or Edgy Polish for international orders. They have taken the time and made the investments necessary to retail our product at the international level.
Prices, Coupons, and Black Friday
You will notice that our prices have changed. Domestic orders still receive free shipping. Some polish prices have gone up. Many, many prices have gone down. Reasons range from accounting adjustments to changes in the real costs of inputs at the manufacturing level. Where we can save our fans money, we have aggressively done so and will continue to. We will send you a bottle of top coat for $5.50 shipped domestic. The Brilliant Collection went up to $9.25 to reflect the real cost of materials. So for all of those pictures that our fans have submitted with Rapture or Fervor on a shelf next to one of the more costly designer or boutique polishes, you are correct. That is where a high-quality boutique stained glass holographic polish belongs, and we are delighted that we can bring you such a product as inexpensively as we can.
Black Friday is coming up, so everyone expects their favorite brands to offer incredible discounts. We are less-than-fans of Black Friday. The news is filled each year with people hurt in stampedes, mob fights over the latest toy understocked, and people forgoing holiday time with family to camp in front of their favorite store for a chance to out-sprint the next person in line for a soon-to-be-discontinued thing. We would rather not participate in that type of activity. There are no coupon codes active. We will instead continue to offer our current promotions: free domestic shipping and free shipping to Canada on orders of $50 or more.
Thank you for reading and we hope all of our fans around the world have a happy and safe holiday season.
Danny and Hillary
Mentality Nail Polish


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Delivery Information
Spend $200 & get free delivery to most of Australia
Click here for all Australian freight rates
Typical delivery times - not guaranteed*
- Melbourne 1-2 working days
- Sydney 2-3 working days
- Brisbane 3-4 working days
- Adelaide 4-5 working days
- Perth 5-10 working days
For express service, call 1800 069 295 for a quote.
International deliveries click here We cannot ship to all countries.
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2001 Ainsworth Estate Chardonnay
Yarra Valley, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
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- Closure: Cork
Bright pale gold colour with straw hue. Aroma of butterscotch, yeast lees and cashew, followed by toast and honey. Creamy palate texture, however the fruit is drying out and fading. Some honey, yeast lees and butterscotch flavours emerge. The acidity is fading away. Aftertaste of honey, yeast lees and toast.
Drink (2005)
Alc/Vol: 13.0%


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Javier Luna, Still a Spammer
While in Minneapolis for a wedding last, I opened up my e-mail on Thursday (6/9/2005) and saw a new e-mail from your friend and mine, Javier Luna, nearly identical to the last one I received from him on (5/26/2005), other than one was from his avalon.geek address while the other was from his indigo.geek address. The major difference I found interesting between the two was his closing with:
PD: If you reply with subject REMOVE then I dont send to you this email again.
Given his posting (which has since been deleted by me) to my past blog entry on him, I suspect he is starting to realize that some (or perhaps many people) don't want to hear from him and at last he is giving them a way out.
Have I unsubscribed from his list? No, I am curious to see how long he continues this crap, especially with my rise in Google for searches of his name. I am happy to see that because of my previous entry on him, my blog is #10 on Google for a search of Javier Luna, #4 for Javier Luna spam, and #2 for Javier Luna Spammer.


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Hanne Blank: Fitness Coach for Fierce 'Fat Girls'
Part pep talk, part practical manual, The Unapologetic Fat Girl's Guide to Exercise is a manifesto for any "fat girl" who wants to exercise but doesn't know how to start. Author, movement coach and self-professed "lifelong fat girl" Hanne Blank turns the classic exercise book on its head by emphasizing how exercise makes you feel rather than how it might make you look. There are no weight-loss promises, no detailed plans to follow, just encouraging, often-humorous advice from someone who's found peace in her plus-size body and hopes others can too.
Books for Better Living: Why did you write this book?
Hanne Blank: I wrote this book because years ago, I wanted a book like this one and there wasn't one!
We live in a society that has really unforgiving expectations of women's bodies and really strict agendas for what women do with their bodies. Figuring out that I didn't have to do it that way, that it really could all be about what made me feel good in my skin, was a very big deal.
It took me a long time to figure out that it was okay if I wanted to move my body and be physically active, even if my body didn't look like it was "supposed to." It took me even longer to figure out that I didn't have to share the priorities I was "supposed to" when it came to why I was physically active or what my goals were, either.
I wrote this book because I wanted to try to shorten that process for other people. Finally getting to a place where you can move your body happily on your own terms for your own reasons, no matter what you look like or how big your butt is, is a fantastic, liberating thing. I want as many other people as possible to find that out for themselves!
BBL: You encourage readers to shift their focus away from appearance and weight loss and let fitness and the joy of movement be their motivation for exercise. Why did you take this approach?
HB: To me it's just logical. Anybody, no matter what they look like and no matter what size or shape they are, is better off when they feel good in their own skin. When we feel good in our own skins, we tend to feel more empowered, make better decisions, and enjoy our lives a whole lot more.
By contrast, the only thing that is guaranteed to happen if you obsess about your appearance and your weight is that you'll be obsessed about your appearance and your weight. Obsessing about your appearance or your weight is no guarantee that you'll ever be happy with either one, no matter what happens with them.
In fact, the more we tend to focus on our appearance and our size, the less satisfied we tend to be — having our bodies seem "good enough" becomes a moving target, and it seems there is always something that isn't quite right. The further a person is from the slender, unblemished, symmetrical, young, white, able-bodied "good body" ideal, the more of a losing battle this can be and the worse it can feel.
By contrast, it doesn't matter what you look like, how old you are or what you weigh, you never have anything to lose by focusing on what makes you feel good in your skin. Deep down, we just want to feel good — to feel robust, to feel healthy, to feel energetic, to feel like we can roll with what life dishes out. We all want to feel that physical sense of well-being, that being in your body is a pleasure! If you ask me, it just makes sense to cut to the chase and let that be your focus.
BBL: What kind of response have you gotten to the book so far?
HB: The response has been enthusiastic and really powerful. I get the feeling I have vastly underestimated the number and kinds of people who have issues and worries about exercise and movement, because the variety of people who've reached out to me to say "thank you for telling me it's okay for me to move my body in my own ways for my own reasons" has been pretty remarkable.
It isn't just fat girls who wrestle with feeling incompetent or clumsy or weak in front of other people. A lot of people say they are relieved to get permission to just do physical activities because they think might be fun, instead of feeling like they're doing exercise all wrong if they don't subject themselves to some rigid schedule of calisthenics and stair machines. And I have been very impressed — but not actually surprised — by the number of people, of so many different physical types and shapes and sizes, who have been relieved to know that locker rooms are terrifying for other people too.
My favorite response to the book so far has been the number of people who have told me the book helped them feel safe and encouraged, sometimes for the first time in their lives, in deciding to try adding some kind of movement to their lives on a regular basis just for the sake of their own subjective well-being. I've had so many people mention this that I set up a totally free, open-source, opt-in group experiment for this, actually, through my blog — inviting people to spend 100 days this spring with me, adding a new activity to their lives that they'll do at least every other day for 100 days. I'll be doing it too! (Here are the details.)
BBL: Besides "buy this book," what would you say to the person who wants to start exercising but doesn't know where to start.
HB: I'd say that you don't have to "exercise." You are totally entitled to move your body in ways that you think are worthwhile, or that you're curious about, or that make you feel good. And you should! It is a great thing to do for lots of reasons.
But really, you don't have to "exercise." Your body doesn't care if you think of your physical movement as "exercise" or not, it just cares that physical movement is taking place.
So start by playing around. Every day or every other day, do something that is physical that you like, or at least don't mind, doing. Whatever it is that moves your body and that you can find at least a little enthusiasm for doing is fine. Walk your dog. Fire up some song you love and dance and sing along. Get your geek on with your WiiFit or Kinect. Maybe you're an architecture buff and you find it fun to go for walks and look at buildings. Maybe you're a budding birdwatcher and want to head to the park with the Audubon guide you got for Christmas and see what there is to see.
Or maybe there's something you want to do for other reasons that happens to be physical, like scrubbing a floor or reorganizing your linen closet. I am a big fan of doing housecleaning as a way to move my body because I love killing two birds with one stone. It makes me feel super efficient.
Perhaps you have social things going on that have physical aspects. Maybe you've been thinking it would be good for your career if you learned how to play golf. Or you know you'll be going to a themed wedding next summer and you want to learn how to swing dance because that's what they'll be doing at the reception.
So long as you're moving your body for a while every day or every other day, you're doing fine. As you get used to moving your body regularly, you can go ahead and figure out what you might want to do differently, or what other things you might want to try… and they don't have to be "exercise" either, unless you want them to be.
BBL: You tell readers to focus on what make them feel fierce. What makes you feel fierce?
HB: Some of the things that work for my body, and make me feel physically fierce:
• If I'm at a gym, sustained moderate-paced walking or elliptical trainer time; an hour or a bit more usually feels right.
• Fitball sit-ups! I don't know why, I just like them. I think it's because I'm sitting on a ball, and it's ridiculous and bouncy.
• Singing. I'm a trained classical singer. It's a workout all its own.
• Urban/suburban walking. I'm not the outdoorsy woodsy type, but give me sidewalks and I'll walk for hours.
• Swimming backstroke has good childhood memories associated with it, and I can do it forever.
Hanne Blank is a lifelong fat girl and movement coach. A writer and historian, she is the author of six books, including Big Big Love: A Sex and Relationships Guide for People of Size (and Those Who Love Them) and has taught at Brandeis and Tufts universities. She divides her time between north central Massachusetts and Atlanta, Georgia.


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Well, here we are sitting in Beaucette, Guernsey, looking at the black clouds and missing the French language and especially French tv – it is amazing how much! Yes, even Steve, he is devastated that he can no longer watch his "Les Carnets de Julie"! A wonderful programme about, yes you've guessed it, food!
So a quick recap of what we have been up to.
In total we spent two weeks and two days in Cherbourg. The marina was great, although the walk to the showers/toilets was quite long – we were on Pontoon H and almost the farthest from the Capitainerie – but the exercise did me good! The biggest issue was, as it is an all-tide access port, the pontoons rise and fall with the tide resulting in inclines especially with Spring tides (the highest highs and the lowest lows). This meant careful planning (if at all possible) of shower and shopping trips!
The first week was a focus on using the clear waters of the harbour and removing any signs that we had been so friendly with the ugly French buoy, so Steve set about removing the evidence of the up-close and personal kissing of the buoy. The first stage was cleaning the topsides, this was done both from the pontoon and then from the dinghy. My role was Safety Officer which, on occasions, I took seriously but with so much going on around us I did get a little distracted, this was evident to Steve when, several times, he had to ask me for something more than once. With the topsides back to pre- kissing condition it was time to clean under the boat. Steve rigged up a 10ft cleaning brush which proved successful at cleaning off the winter growth (well impressed with the Jotun anti-foul , it has been on since the re-launch in 2014). He then undertook his underwater survey (which was done during one of my now traditional afternoon siestas). His 20 Euro video camera worked a treat, it showed that the anodes were in good condition and the only area that could do with a bit of cleaning was the prop and prop shaft. This meant that he had a chance to try out his newly purchased face mask and snorkel (for some reason he thought the flippers were a step too far!) He donned the wet suit and he was going to get under and give it a clean. He hadn't taken into consideration that what looks like the Med isn't always the Med and that the water was obviously still in its winter plumage. As he stood on the ladder at the back of the boat with most of his body in the water, "getting used to the temperature", and even with my encouragement to "man up and just get your head under" it was, in his words: "bloody freezing" he stated that perhaps that's a job for when we get to warmer waters! The rest of the underneath was good to go; the prop work would only cost us a bit of drag which he was prepared to live with on a big ship.
We went out on the bikes a few times – mainly to the supermarkets (Carrefour and Lidl) but also along the seafront and across to La Cite De La Mer (which, although was probably only 200 metres from us as the crow flies, was a pleasant enough 10-15 minutes' cycle). There are three major attractions there:
- an aquarium – the deepest in Europe at 11m (but in our opinion not a patch on The Deep in Hull)
- a Titanic exhibition and
- Le Redoutable – France's first nuclear submarine. The main reason we wanted to go there and also the subject of one of my better "blonde" comments. Whilst sitting on the back of the boat on our first rising tide there I commented that it must be floating as I could now see more of it. Steve pointed out the reason I could see more was because we were rising not it. I think my head was still at St Vaast where even though we were going up and down I couldn't see any difference but then again I couldn't focus past the bedroom (that's my excuse anyway).
Our berth at Cherbourg was next to the Allures/Garcia yacht berths. It seemed that this was where they were put for the new owners to take possession. These are "shiny, new" aluminium go-anywhere yachts. When we arrived there were at least four new owners taking possession, a mix of nationalities – Swiss, French, Dutch. Shearmyste sat proudly alongside these ¾ million Euro yachts! But I think you can buy a hull for less than 100,000 Euros (dependent on the current price of aluminium).
In line with our usual naming of individuals we had John Le Measurer (a French man and not the English actor with a similar name!!) So named as the back of his padded gilet said "Measurement" which we later found out was because he was part of the scrutineering team for dinghy racing at international and Olympic level and not a QA man as we had assumed and was, in fact, a banker by trade! He liked his tape measure and also had a very lax approach to health and safety – highlighted by grinding his brand new Fortress anchor with no safety gear whatsoever. He then later used both his favourite items (tape measure and grinder) to cut his anchor chain with his hands just millimetres from the spinning disc. He and his wife were very friendly and must have taken pity on us. She enjoyed baking and on two occasions they appeared with cake and then tart. The cake was definitely the best cake we have eaten in France – we thought it was pear and chocolate cake but it might have been apple. The tart was not as successful for me as it was an apple tart but with a custard-type base. Steve asked her if it was 'Crème Anglaise' and her response was "no, it is milk, sugar and eggs".
During evening drinks on our old tub, which John couldn't believe was aluminium so had to go outside and tap it to be sure, he explained his sailing style and the fact being that he now has a "push button"boat. He can just push the buttons and sit inside as he gets seasick. He accompanied his comment with a gesture – he would lick his forefinger and then imitate pushing a button. He also explained that it was "an old man's boat" – he is 62 and not getting any younger or stronger. He also said that he didn't like using the engine very much and admitted that his wife was a better sailor than him. During this conversation we said that we don't mind using the engine and that almost made us a "push button" boat too where he conceded "15 all" as Steve had mimicked his gesture.
We got in touch with Serge to let him know we had arrived and he invited us out for a meal. He knew that I was a vegetarian and thought that there must be a vegetarian restaurant somewhere in Cherbourg or at least a restaurant with a good vegetarian selection. However as it turned out he couldn't find one so he and Francoise invited us on board Kazan 4 for a completely vegetarian home-cooked meal (Steve was a little worried as he is not the biggest vegetable fan!) We had a wonderful evening conducted entirely in Franglais! At one point Francoise was speaking away to Serge and he replied "you can speak to me in French, I'm French, you're French!!"
Close to the end of our pontoon there is a public toilet block on the quayside which Serge had warned that it wasn't the cleanest of facilities and when Steve had been there before, Serge had commented that "ladies of the night" frequented it. Every day, whenever we passed the facility, on route to the town or the 'sanitaire' there were two suspicious, not very young or pretty, "ladies". We only ever saw them in daylight so they couldn't possibly have been "ladies of the night" although they may have made more money if they were! Being a country girl it was a first for me when, one afternoon as we were returning to the boat, a "Mr Magoo" lookalike on a three wheeled moped kept circling the area. Just after I spotted one of these "ladies" he parked up and appeared to go shopping! I may be paying him a disservice but this was the first time I had ever seen a man shopping in the public toilets! It made me smile and I had to keep looking back to confirm my suspicions!!
Our next "Everest" on this trip was to be the notorious Alderney Race – where Walti lost his mast last season. We planned to leave on as calm a day as possible knowing full well that the white flappy things were not going to be used as we didn't want to spoil the start of the season!! We had decided to go to Beaucette marina, as it had been recommended by someone on a Cruising Association forum where Steve had asked about refuelling – diesel in the Channel Islands is a lot cheaper than it is in France. I had tried to contact them by email, but on reading their website they seem to prefer phone contact – great, we were still without one. We then contacted them via the "Contact Us" page on their website and waited patiently for a response. Steve started thinking that we would have to go to St Peter Port instead and wanted me to contact them, but I held firm – Beaucette appealed a lot more than St Peter Port!
The trip to Beaucette marina was 40nm so should be completed well within my 8 hour wellness window!! So we spent a few days watching the weather closely and looking at best tide days for a daylight trip with a dignified wake up time and waiting for an email response from Beaucette as I still had no phone. We decided on Saturday 22nd April and everything seemed to fall into place – North-easterly winds (Beaufort 2-3), 6am high tide at Cherbourg which meant an 8am leave and a tide window at Beaucette of between 2 and 6pm – and we had even heard back from them!! "John" got up especially to see us off – what a nice man!!
The pilot books and almanacs recommend that leaving Cherbourg two hours after high tide is about the right time to get the most comfortable advantage from the Alderney Race which started 14 nm from Cherbourg at Cap De La Hague. We arrived there at 10 am as planned and this is where I got the boat speed record (although admittedly under power). We were receiving five knots of assistance and my top speed was eleven knots, which beats Steve's nine knots under sail around Norfolk! The race was like a slightly bubbling mill pond and was nothing like I'd expected from what I had read and been told previously. We had encountered quicker tides on the West Coast of Scotland when we travelled round Britain. The weather was slightly overcast although we had been able to see Alderney from 12 nm out. This is where I saw my first ever Shag (enough of the giggles, we aren't in Cherbourg anymore!) They are slightly smaller than Cormorants but with a wonderful quiff on the top of their heads. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough with my camera to get a picture (sounds familiar).
With the fair tide we decided we should slow ourselves down as our ETA at Beaucette was looking to be at least two hours before entry was possible. We arrived outside the marina just after 12 (BST) and, luckily our phone had been reconnected the day before, so we were able to contact Ricky the harbourmaster to ascertain the earliest time to enter due to our draught and the height of the water above the sill. Ricky confirmed our calculations and said that 2.30 would be a good time to enter. So this then gave us the opportunity to look at the entrance from afar and bloody hell was it scary! All we could see were rocks and a brick wall! As we had to wait a couple of hours we thought we would have a little sightseeing tour along the coast and to check out the "block of flats" I had previously spotted anchored just outside St Peter Port. It was, in fact, the sister ship to Ventura (we'd seen in Cherbourg), the Azura.
So, at 2.30 we met Ricky on the fairway with the plan to follow him in – however he took off at great speed and we were only doing 4 knots! I stood at the mast so I could easily see the entrance and be in a position to do anything if needed. Steve's suggestion that I get my boobs out was not well received!! (Too cold for that nonsense and I wasn't even standing right at the pointy end!) Now, imagine this, our 4.5m wide boat going through an 8m gap (however with the tide higher the gap was slightly wider, thankfully) with the most jagged rock face, no smooth sides to bump against and a brick wall dead ahead.
Guess what? No dramas here, my super skipper followed Ricky and made the turns (even though he was probably going a little fast!) and we calmly moored against a nice long pontoon! Ricky helped with our centre line and left us to it as he had other customers to attend to. Beaucette Marina is Beautiful (with a capital B!) if you like rocks and couldn't be more different from Cherbourg. Here for at least a week, possibly two!!


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This week at Paper Wings (an Angels Only Forum) we are celebrating NSD week!! and yesterday challenge was to do a Progressive Page!! here is my take! You can visit the gallery here and is open to everyone!
I started using a 6 X 6 white cardstock where I add the picture and stamp a sentiment from Lineart Sentiment, then I add this to a 8 X 8 green cardstock from Mimi. I also stamp and cut some flowers from Graphic Blooms and two strips of Catelynne! I add the scalloped cardstock and mount it on a 12 X 12 Kraft cardstock where I stamp some Flourishes from Playful Parenthesis and a line of dots from Linear Sentiment!
Hope you enjoy it! It was a real challenge for me because I like better the 8 X 8, so at that point I thought my layout was complete!! then to mount it on a 12 X 12, was a real challenge! and I need to point out that I started this journey as a 12 X 12 scrapbooker! can you tell?
Don't forget to go shopping with me here. Remember that during this month and only during this month you can get the Mabelle Favorites set at a special price and with your $30 order you can buy the Floral Vine SOTM and one of each of the Spring into April sets. PLUS, the 25% in all of the soon to be discontinued stamps and the TAC bags while supplies last! WOW, we have a lot going on, RIGHT? so don't wait a little more, get your order in!
To get this even sweeter, I am going to be giving away one of each of the 3 Spring into April sets! Want to get in? Just place an order with me during this month! and you can be the lucky winner, I will be doing a raffle to pick ONE winner! it can be YOU!! don't wait and get your order in (on my site or e-mail me)for every $30 you get a ticket! and if you host a FUNshop or a Catalog Party you get 5 tickets!! Ask me!!


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|Josephine (Tony Curtis) and Daphne (Jack Lemmon)
My favorite comedy movie of all time is Billy Wilder's classic comedy "Some Like It Hot". IMDB describes it thus:
"When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all female band disguised as women, but further complications set in."
Even after 50 years and I don't know how many times I've seen this movie I still find it hilarious. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were so very funny in this movie and Marilyn Monroe was a scream. If you haven't seen this gem I can't recommend a movie more highly.
I will raise a Manhattan to Tony tonight.


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[Natanyahu] said that he would not agree to talks whose results were determined in advance. How does this macho condition jibe with the conditions he himself is presenting, according to which a Palestinian state that would be established must be demilitarized and recognize Israel as a "Jewish state?" The idea that he alone can specify conditions and stipulate limitations, and that the Palestinians must agree and carry them out, is unfounded.
we are beginning to understand Ben-Gurion's proposal made three days after the conclusion of the Six-Day War – to return all the territories and reach an agreement over Jerusalem and the north of the country.
The difference between Obama and his predecessor is that Obama wants an all-encompassing peace and a Palestinian state. The idea that Bibi can bluff the Americans is foolish. There is no possibility that we would get aid from the Americans while, on the other hand, not paying attention to what they expect of us. Obama is not opposed to Israel, but he is against being misled by us.
via Suckers, get off your high horses! – Haaretz – Israel News.


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Thursday, November 15, 2012
9 comments:
I absolutely LOVE the child's hutch! I'm so glad you rescued it from lanquishing in that shop, unwanted and unloved. It deserved a good home and if it can't be mine, I'm happy it's at Ashton House!ReplyDelete
What a fun time you two had! It reminds me of something my friend Mary and I would do.ReplyDelete
So glad the hutch went home with you! It is darling. Nice antique shopping excursion.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 15, 2012 at 9:57 AM
wow, your shopping was great. Love the childs hutch. that is amazing. Thanks for sharing your images! LizzieReplyDelete
What a lovely place to have a rummage - lucky you. The quilts are divine aren't they?ReplyDelete
Every Stitch
what a wonderful trip. I love the child's cupboard, great details.ReplyDelete
Eight shops!! omg what town or area were you in? The shops just look wonderful, esp. the one with the stove fired up...no wait, the cute kitties were better lol. Very glad that you got that doll hutch, it is a honey.ReplyDelete
I saw your comment about my linen collection on Melody's blog (or was it Christine's? Can't recall, but we are all Aussies anyway!). Had to come over to visit - love your blog! And love that sign about all you need is love and a cat - lol! Poe and Teddy are gorgeous. I have two cats, one of them (Topsy) is black and the other a grey tabby.ReplyDelete
Oh! I wish I could have been with you ladies! I love going antiqueing and the shop you shared with us looks so wonderful. The quilts do look nice in their settings and that sewing machine is so cute. The child's cabinet is darling! Thanks for sharing! GinaReplyDelete
I love hearing from blog readers. Due to the amount of spam I receive, comment moderation has been enabled. SPAMMERS TAKE NOTE: Your comments will NOT be automatically published!


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CICS has been selected for UKAS' ISO 50001 Pilot Assessment Programme.
Online PR News – 14-August-2012 – UK – CICS, a leading provider of management systems certification and sustainability assurance, is pleased to announce that it has been accepted onto the UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) pilot assessment programme for accreditation of certification of Energy Management Systems to ISO 50001.
CICS is already accredited by UKAS to provide certification of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, EMAS, Product Conformity and CE Marking, along with being licensed to provide BES 6001 certification and works with clients around the world to certify their management systems.
Starting in September, the pilot will run until June 2013.
Tim Watts, Operations Manager at CICS, said:
"We are pleased to yet again be working with UKAS on one of their pilot schemes. Thanks to the sustainability assurance side of our business, we already have specialist auditors who have extensive knowledge of energy-intensive industries and of the environment, something which can only be of benefit to the scheme and to our clients."
CICS is holding a webinar on 27 September on energy management and ISO 50001 certification. To sign up and to view their video on energy management, visit www.cicsglobal.com/iso50001.
About CICS
CICS (Complete Integrated Certification Services Ltd) provides sustainability assurance, management systems certification and training, and product certification. With industry-leading experience and knowledge of CO2 verification under both mandatory and voluntary (carbon/water footprinting, sustainability/corporate responsibility/environmental reporting) schemes, they provide emissions verification under the Emissions Trading Scheme, North American Climate Registry, WRI/WBCSD GHG protocol, Carbon Disclosure Project and PAS 2050.
CICS also provides ISO Certification services, including management system certification to ISO 9000, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, and Product Certification. All services are accredited to internationally recognised standards and guidelines and based upon a policy of providing a unique combination of: industry sector knowledge, specialist auditors, service orientation and cost effectiveness, and international recognition.
Tel +44(0)1782 411008
Fax +44(0)1782 764363


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As we prayed and considered Eden's name, this is the verse God brought us to. We feel she is a restorer, and have prayed for a great capacity for joy in her life! She is already bringing this into our family. It is a novelty to be closer to the other end of the age spectrum now, with older children to help out and enjoy a new baby in our midst.
Photo Credit: Gert Roets, Upper Mustang, Nepal
These photos capture a glimpse of the first serene moments when the kids woke up to a new baby in the family. My heartfelt thanks to Anne Evans Marais who used her skill and gift to bless us.


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A nice pop song from James McNew of Yo La Tengo, covering Prince's Pop Life.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Dump covering Prince's Pop Life
Posted by Mark Ferguson at 12:14 PM No comments:
Labels: Dump, Prince, Yo La Tengo
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Joss Whedon John Cassaday's Astonishing X-men motion comic
Netlfix streaming and youtube have Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's Astonishing X-men motion comic. It is a good sci-fi story that was originally published in 24 issues. The motion comics work well with the artwork. The story line relies a little too much on many years of X-men history, so if you're only familiar with the movies, you might be a little lost. The voice acting is good. The only thing that is annoying is that Netflix and youtube break up the story into 6 episodes and so you have to watch the 1 minute long opening credits each time or fast forward. Netflix also has added a bunch of Marvel animated series and motion comics. The Iron Man Extremis, and S.W.O.R.D. are worth checking out.
Posted by Mark Ferguson at 2:35 PM No comments:
Labels: Astonishing X-men, John Cassaday, Joss Whedon
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Russian films on youtube
The Russian film archive Mosfilm has upload a lot of Russian movies with English subtitles to youtube. There is an amazing selection of films. Start out with "Viy" a ghost story based on a Gogol short story. Found via dangerousminds.net
Posted by Mark Ferguson at 10:29 AM No comments:
Labels: Russian films, viy
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Stream the new Gang Gang Dance album
Matador has kindly allowed me to stream the new album by Gang Gang Dance.
Posted by Mark Ferguson at 2:10 PM No comments:
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Monday, January 22, 2007
Welcome to the Fortean Historical Archive, a blog devoted to exploring historical accounts of unexplained phenomena and shedding light upon these strange events. This blog will cover events from all over the vast spectrum of Forteanea, with a primary focus on those that have occurred on Long Island and in New York State. With that said, let the blogging begin!
Posted by Brian Gaugler at 11:10 AM
2 comments:
- Purple Haze said...
Good Luck. I hope you find Champ
- January 26, 2007 at 1:38 PM
- caubeck said...
Here's hoping you don't get bored after the first half a dozen!
Chris Aubeck
- February 28, 2007 at 3:58 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Jennifer & Ro's Away Mission (Part Two)
Guest Poster: Jennifer Baxter
This is a fine pickle!
Ro Laren and I were making a routine scan in the Aurora shuttlecraft on the Coral Nebula when a piece of space opened up in front of us and drew our craft in then closing up.
I know Data will be frantic over my disappearance; he left his emotion chip on after kissing me and wishing me good luck.
"What are we gonna do, Jen?" asks a worried Ro, "However are we going to get back?"
"I'm not sure yet, Ro." I reply, "But the first thing I have to do is change my clothes."
"Why's that?"
"I've a feeling that I might need my leather fighting outfit here." I tell her, "Fortunately I also packed my trusty multi-phase disruptor. I never leave home without it."
"Good thinking." laughs Ro, "The trouble is this ship is not operating by itself. It's been drawn somewhere."
Eventually, we see where our shuttlecraft is being pulled to....a large warship.
As it lands, I get my guns already. I'm ready to ventilate a few nasty aliens that brought us into this universe.
We run out, me with my disruptor ready to shoot. I don't mind asking questions later.
As I start to fire, I realise my disruptor isn't working.
"Do not try." says a booming voice, "Due to the energy dampening field in this ship, your weapons will have no effect. Consider yourselves lucky. From this ship, you will be able to witness the destruction of your universe."
To be continued...
5 comments:
- The Curmudgeon said...
Invited guests at such a big event. Wow.
Oh, wait, though, this probably isn't the end of the Universe as in the Restaurant-At-The-End-Of-The sense, is it?
- 17:21
- Cheerio said...
Thanks for dropping by. Jennifer is such a pretty woman.
- 22:33
- The Mistress of the Dark said...
I want her dress that's snazzy!
- 02:45
- Michael Manning said...
I want Jennifer! :) (of course, that said, I am concerned this situation is getting dire too!!)
- 02:48
- Jean-Luc Picard said...
Everybody seems to like Jenny in some way, particularly Michael!
- 20:10
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Russia, Canada & Finland win again on Hockey World Championships Day 9
Following a disappointing opening day defeat to the Czech Republic, Russia has been on the march towards the knockout rounds and all but confirmed a place in the quarter-finals by defeating the Swiss at Moscow's Ice Palace.
Oleg Znarok's men were coming off the back of hitting ten goals against Denmark and confidence was clearly high against Switzerland.
Ivan Telegin gave the competition hosts the lead after five minutes, while a second period effort from newly arrived Evgeny Kuznetsov gave the Russians some breathing space with a spectacular mid-air conversion.
Unreal hand-eye coordination from @Kuzya92 to help @russiahockey down Switzerland 5-1. RT to celebrate. #IIHFWorldspic.twitter.com/TuLwbT4nHs— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2016
It was not until the final 20 minutes that the victors hammered home their authority, with three goals from Telegin, Sergei Shirokov and Sergei Mozyakin confirming victory.
Alexander Ovechkin was making his tournament debut and said victory was the most important thing.
"It was a tough game," he said.
"For a long time we couldn't get a goal even though we had lots of chances. But, thank God, we won."
Elsewhere in Group A, Sweden beat Scandinavian rivals Norway 3-2 and Latvia overcame Kazakhstan 2-1.
Sweden is only a point behind Russia after the win that came after an all-action third period in which both teams scored twice.
Nyquist goal helps Sweden beat Norway. #IIHFWorldshttps://t.co/rd6V2XnkW7— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2016
Жеребец Никвист https://t.co/3mqmNeMgDspic.twitter.com/3PYK0XDdAU
Latvia has a slim chance of qualification after beating basement dwellers Kazakhstan, coming back from a goal down to prevail 2-1.
In Group B, a powerful second period helped Finland to get a 3-1 win over France and extended their winning record to five games.
Finland stays perfect at #IIHFWorlds with fifth straight win https://t.co/rd6V2XnkW7pic.twitter.com/3JwcmFf5QM— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2016
Goals from Esa Lindell, Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine in the space of nine minutes in second period gave the Finns the spoils.
Canada flexed their muscles by beating Slovakia 5-0, which put them on top of Group B on goal difference with an impressive 30:4.
Timely scoring and clutch goaltending result in Canada's fifth straight win at #IIHFWorlds. https://t.co/GQgctFJcqzpic.twitter.com/lhrO4hheE5— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2016
Bill Peters' men were always in the ascendancy from the moment Morgan Rielly opened the scoring after 11 minutes in the first period.
Additional goals from Matt Duchene, Taylor Hall, Mark Scheifele and Derick Brassard converted to give Canada victory, with the competition favorites having 33 shots compared to Slovakia's 18.
Finally, Hungary claimed their first victory at the world championships in 77 years and did it in style, beating Belarus 5-2 to move off the bottom of Group B.
Hungary: 1st #IIHFWorlds win in 77 years! https://t.co/r4eUl3RIjh— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 14, 2016
Ледяной душ для Беларуси. https://t.co/0QWrIb20t1pic.twitter.com/TJFtSZIktz
The score was locked at 2-2 in the second period, but three more goals helped the them make history.
In Sunday's action, four matches will enthrall the crowds in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Group A leaders the Czech Republic will look to stretch their points advantage over Russia with a win against Denmark, while Switzerland entertain Sweden.
In Group B, the United States will take on Germany and Finland can retake top spot by overcoming Slovakia.
Russia returns to the ice on Monday against Norway.


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Pumpkin muffins
Granola with homemade yogurt
Eggs and toast
French toast with fruit
Though it may still be hot down here, with the beginning of Autumn and dawn of somewhat cooler weather, I think it definitely time for soup again...especially if there's bread fresh from the oven to go with it! :)
Monday- Potato soup with fresh baked bread
Tuesday- Mexican lasagna with salad and bread
Wednesday- Parmesan chicken with twice baked potatoes
Thursday- Breakfast for dinner
Friday- Lots of snacks in the car as we head up to Missouri for Steve's wedding. Hurrah! We can hardly wait. :)
For many more menu planning ideas, visit here.
10 Ways to Happy Up a Houseful of Littles
6 months ago


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Three more arrests in Woolwich murder3:41
Three men have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder the British soldier who was hacked to death in Woolwich.
BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron is planning new powers to muzzle Islamic hate preachers accused of provoking terrorist outrages such as the killing of soldier Lee Rigby.
David Cameron wants to stop extremist clerics using schools, colleges, prisons and mosques to spread their 'poison' and is to head a new Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation Task Force (TERFOR) made up of senior Ministers, MI5, police and moderate religious leaders.
The high-powered group will study a number of measures, including banning extremist clerics from being given public platforms to incite students, prisoners and other followers – and forcing mosque leaders to answer for 'hate preachers'.
It will also urge Muslim 'whistleblowers' to report clerics who act as terrorist apologists to the police.
The launch of TERFOR signals a major overhaul of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy in the wake of the brutal murder of Drummer Rigby on Wednesday.
A senior Whitehall source said: "The PM is determined to challenge the poisonous narrative of extremist clerics and confront religious leaders who promote violence."
The move comes as:
IT was revealed that Woolwich suspect Michael Adebolajo was known to MI5 after being held over terror charges in Kenya and deported to the UK.
THE Mail on Sunday has been told that Adebolajo was offered cash by MI5 to work for them - then sought legal help to 'get them off his back' after refusing to do so.
CLERIC Omar Bakri described Adebolajo as a 'hero' for remaining at the murder scene.
TWO-thirds of Britons backed a clampdown on hate preachers in a Mail on Sunday poll, which also found strong voter support for the way Mr Cameron reacted to the horrific incident.
The Government, police and security services and religious and ethnic leaders have all struggled to come to terms with the Woolwich outrage. Government insiders say Mr Cameron's new TERFOR group is intended to 'disrupt' the activities of extremist clerics wherever they preach their 'hateful message'.
One said: "We are looking at the range of powers and current methods of dealing with extremism at its root, as opposed to just tackling criminal violent extremism.
"And we will look at ways of disrupting individuals who may be influential in fostering extremism.
"We cannot allow a situation to continue where extremist clerics go around this country inciting young people to commit terrorist acts.
"We will do everything we can to stop it."
The source stressed that Mr Cameron was "aware of the importance of avoiding a kneejerk reaction," and added: "This new group will study the issue in great depth before acting.
"There is no question of restricting freedom of speech - this is about preventing people spreading the message of extremism and radicalisation in a totally irresponsible and reckless way.
"We cannot stand by and let people whip up violent hatred of Britain and its values and culture with the appalling consequences that we have seen."
Mr Cameron will tell moderate Muslim groups they must be much more proactive in condemning pro-terrorist clerics.
He believes that while mainstream organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain have unequivocally condemned the slaughter of Drummer Rigby, they have failed to take a similar firm stance in the past. Mr Cameron will also ask police and security chiefs for more details on the number of young people who have been radicalised like Drummer Rigby's murderers.
"It is hard to measure the extent of radicalisation but we know there are many hundreds of individuals,' said one source. 'We have to encourage clear condemnation from groups that those vulnerable to radicalisation may listen to. TERFOR will want a better assessment of the size of the problem so they know what they are dealing with and can counter it.
"We must find ways to identify and tackle radicalisation in places which can be very hard to reach, such as unregulated schools and madrasahs.
"We must ensure imams and other religious leaders are not promoting extremist messages.
"Mosque committees need to be held to account for the choice of imams they make.
"And those attending religious services need a route to express their concern about extremist messages they hear at mosques."


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I first saw this idea in Martha Stewart, about 10 years ago. It was always in the back of my mind. I thought I'd use it for my own save the dates. I always pick up vintage postcards whenever I come across them. One day I was looking at my pile of them and realized I needed to put them to use! We are happy to now offer custom save the date stamps in many different styles. It's really a great idea. You can use the stamp on thick paper, vintage postcards, new postcards, or get photo postcards printed. Above, the San Francisco Style.
And a hand lettered style.


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Bright beautiful and 20*.......somehow you don't notice the cold when it is sooooo incredibley beautiful outside...everything sparkles with the new snow. Looking very Christmasy around here.
This is what I am working on today. Finishing up this fairy and getting ready to put a couple of things in my Etsy Store. I am so excited about doing that. Just learning the ins and outs of it. I know I need to work on writing a good script for the item...but I am sure I will get the hang of it as I go along ....learn as I go sort of thing. Mistakes will be made but that is also learning.


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WESTMINSTER - Rows and rows of the finest virtuosos will be marching in the Chapter XIII Championship at Westminster High School Saturday.
Keen competition and high stepping mark the day 23 bands, including all five from the county high schools, take to the field.
The chapter includes schools from Carroll, Frederick, Washington and Garrett counties in Maryland, as well as several from Eastern West Virginia.


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News Release
Illinois Woman Sentenced On Crack Cocaine Offenses
APR 14 -- (Benton, IL) - A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on April 11, 2008, GLADYS SHANEA WILSON, a/k/a "Nikki," age 26, of Murphysboro, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton, Illinois. WILSON, who had previously pled guilty to four counts of distribution of crack cocaine, was sentenced to 200 months imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, and was fined $800.
The distribution offenses occurred in January 2005 in Jefferson County. At sentencing, the district court found that WILSON was responsible for more than 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine that was distributed in Jackson and Jefferson Counties. One co-defendant has pled guilty and is awaiting sentencing. One co-defendant has pled not guilty and is awaiting a May 5, 2008, jury trial. The codefendantawaiting trial is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation conducted in this case was a cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Murphysboro Police Department, Joint Narcotics Unit of the Mt. Vernon Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office pursuant to those agencies' participation in the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. The goal of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is to remove illegal guns and drugs from our communities. Under the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors are working together to prosecute drug dealers, felons in possession of firearms, and criminals that use firearms to commit violent offenses or drug trafficking offenses in the system that will get them the most time.
The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson for prosecution.


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Indian/ Ethnic LookBook
It has been many years since I got my suits (Salwar Kameez) got custom stitched. During my University years, I always used to buy material and get it stitched from the boutiques or tailors, I liked by selecting designs from their magazines with full Patiala salwars. But now whenever I visit Punjab, I end up buying pre stitched/ready-made suits because of shortage of time. These ready-made suits do not come with full patiala salwars the way I like. So I contacted the owner of EkSat Boutique from Chandigarh. I sent them the pictures of the suits I was looking for. They purchased the similar material and custom made them for me. She really did an amazing job. The charges per suit were very nominal. She did not charge me in dollars but in rupees. It was way cheaper than online shopping. I have bought other Indian outfits online directly from the websites in past but this way was much more inexpensive. I love how all of the suits came along. Check out the final looks below.
All Suits Are Custom Stiched From : https://goo.gl/40b9VK
Video Link


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Here are some guidelines that I found to be useful before, during and after training:
} Make sure kids arrive to practice well-fed. They should eat a meal that contains sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, 1-2 hours before the practice session or competition.
} During training, kids should be encouraged to take "water breaks" every 20-30 minutes even when the young athletes do not feel thirsty. Research studies have shown that providing a cooled and flavored beverage produces greater fluid consumption among children and helps prevent dehydration.
However, it is in my belief that while sports energy drinks taste good, the best source of hydration is still good old fashioned water. As stated here, kids do not need the additional sugar in their tiny active bodies.
I have found a natural alternative by making my own sports drink. I simply mix a few tablespoons of honey and a pinch of salt in a cup of warm water. Let the mixture dissolve well, and mix it with cold water and a couple handful of ice cubes. You can also follow the recipes here and here.
As you might expect, since honey is sweeter than table sugar, it also has more calories as well -- 22 per teaspoon compared to granulated sugar's 16 per teaspoon. However, it is healthier in that it is a natural form of sweetener; thus there are trivial amounts of minerals and vitamins in the bee product while white sugar has none.
} Let the kids eat carbohydrate and protein within the first 30 minutes after practice. Replacing carbohydrates that were used during training within 30 minutes is essential for repairing muscle tissue and preparing for the next athletic training period. This is perhaps the most important time to eat to maximize body recovery!
Just the other week, I made granola bars for my kids to enjoy.
It is relatively easy to make and is also nutritionally great just about any time of the day. The rolled oats provide an excellent source of fiber and are a good source of complex carbohydrates. The raisins, dried blueberries and dried cherries are a good energy source, and the almond, sunflower nuts, and wheatgerm provide protein. The flax seeds are a good source of omega3.
High-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, low-fat, and moderate-fiber. Granola offers more bang for the buck, so to speak.


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This should be pretty easy - there's no end of movies out there (many made by the SciFi channel, for instance) that attempt, successfully or not, to depict geoscience and geoscientists. Which one is your favorite? Your least favorite? What do you hate or love about it? What does Hollywood do that drives you crazy? What's the dumbest mistake you've seen them make?
I can guess the obvious culprits, but this is a chance for all you film buffs out there to show off your knowledge of cinema history and pull out some older offenders for our castigation pleasure. TV movies and series are also game, since the SciFi channel (at least) seems to be really determined to give us such prime material for ranting. (And to allow for a wide range of submissions, space movies are fair game as long as there's some sort of rock science involved.)
I'm setting the final submission date as Easter Sunday (March 23rd); entries should be in by 6 PM Eastern Standard Time to be included. Post a link to your entry in the comments section, or email them to me using the address in my profile. I'll post it all up on Monday the 24th, in honor of John Wesley Powell's birthday. (He could even be considered the first geology action hero; after all, a crusty one-armed Civil War veteran rafting into uncharted lands on the Colorado is pretty adventurous.)
Let the ranting begin!


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If you ever visited Disneyland, or enjoyed it in some way, then this blog is for you!
Check it out HERE
I am reposting my own mid-century Disneyland memories:
Allow me to indulge in the "way back machine" here for this post.
I came across a Disneyland Monsanto postcard on eBay and it brought back a whole flood of memories.
I was born and raised and grew up in southern California (still live here) and every Birthday, Mom would have Dad take each of us somewhere special for our Birthday.
I remember going to Disneyland several times back then. Mom didn't know, it wasn't all that fun going with Dad because he couldn't go on any rides that would spin or drop or do much of anything fast, and he seemed to need to sit down an awful lot while I wanted to go, go go.
But I do remember having fun and being excited regardless.
I wasn't like all the other girls; I didn't want to go to Snow Whites castle. I wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and The Ride Through Inner Space:
I also loved the Carousel of Progress with its silly song:
I just loved it. It was the futuristic home of the future part I loved so much. And I thought they tore it down, but turns out they moved it to Disneyworld in FL. I just watched a youtube vid of the updated version. They changed the (outdated but very cool) futuristic home part for a modern, current home display. It's not as good.
And after the ride, you walked by a big futuristic city in a big plastic covered bubble display that had all the little moving futuristic cars and such. Someone, a Disneyland collector I knew on a chat board, sent me a picture of it, but alas, my other computer died and I have it on back-up disk somewhere to re-find someday.
At any rate, I don't remember ever riding the rocket ship ride that went around in circles (a make-Dad-sick ride):
I never saw The House of the Future display:
I believe it was built in the 1970's and I'm going to write a post about how I think 1970's style was different than "Mid-Century" style.
Monsanto display (remember the catch phrase "better living through chemistry?):
I think they said that during the Monsanto-sponsored People Mover ride:
Which was a Dad-approved ride, but one I found not exciting enough for me:
I think I rode this once:
…with my brothers on a rare, family trip to Disneyland.
Oh and somewhere I have original black and white photos of Disneyland before they even opened their doors. Dad and Mom rode out there and took some photos. Mom said it had a dirt parking lot at the time. I'll dig those up as I have to go through all the family photos one day soon.
I remember having a whole $16 one trip to Disneyland. $16!! It was the most money I'd ever had at one time before in my life and it seemed like a small fortune to a kid like me. I bought a ceramic Dalmatian puppy and a Lady from lady and the Tramp wooden necklace. Somewhere I have a photo of the purple outfit I wore with that necklace, and I still have the necklace.
Ah, those were the fun days. It was a big deal to go to Disneyland as my folks didn't have a lot of spare cash, and I enjoyed it so much.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
A Blog with Fantastic Mid-Century Disneyland Photos
Posted by 1950s Atomic Ranch House at 3:59 AM
Labels: 1950's, 1960's 1970's, Disneyland Anaheim


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this past weekend Dave's sister Angela got married
not only because marriage rocks, but also because it gave us an excuse to go home :)
our trip was short
we were only there for 5 days
but they were days full of family and fun!
Angela asked me if i would make the wedding cake
so w/ the help of my mom, i went for it
it was a small wedding (around 50 people) so i decided to make 3 smaller layered cakes
symphony cake
vanilla cake w/ buttercream frosting
carrot cake w/ cream cheese frosting
the wedding took place back at Dave's parents' cabin
Wesley and Angela love the outdoors and spend a good bit of time back at the cabin
the laid back nature of the wedding and the beautiful outdoor setting fit them perfectly
i didn't do very well at getting pictures of the rest of our time in va, but here are a few...
enjoying the hammock swing
checkin' out the cows
eating grapes w/ Mummsy
Brighton thought the cornhole boards were made as a table just for her lol
a few of the corn hole spectators
Benjamin - Grandmother - Melissa - Mummsy
Rebecca roasting veggies over the fire for our delicious supper one evening
we had grilled salmon, roasted veggies, corn on the cob, Grammy's amazing pickles, cantaloupe, and fresh grapes off the vine
Brighton quite enjoyed eating corn on the cob!
licking up the last of the cantaloupe juice
thanks to everyone who made our time at home so wonderful!!!
i can hardly wait until next time :)