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2 We Three Kings --The Search for JesusFrom Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
"Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know the most of Christ and his salvation. But no curious arts, or mere human learning, can direct men unto him. We must learn of Christ by attending to the word of God, as a light that shineth in a dark place, and by seeking the teaching of the Holy Spirit. What joy these wise men felt upon this sight of the star, none know so well as those who, after a long and melancholy night of temptation and desertion, under the power of a spirit of bondage, at length receive the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with their spirits that they are the children of God."
This sermon will consist of excerpts from several sources, but the bottom line to which we will be wending is the symbology of the Wise Men who use the art of nature to search for Jesus.
You would think that, chronologically, a sermon on the Three Wise Men would come AFTER Christmas, because that is when the Wise Men are traditionally thought to have come to the manger, January 6th, to be precise. I have chosen this strategy because it is with the same fervor of seek-to-find, that preoccupied the three kings, that I am preparing myself to solemnize the anniversary of the coming of the Messiah into the world; and it is with the same wonder that illuminated the eyes of the Magi on that first day of Epiphany, that I hope to contemplate the savior lying in a manger on Christmas Day in the morning.
The symbology of the Magi divides neatly into two distinct stages of discovery; seeking is the first stage, while the finding is merely the culmination of a much longer process. When you think about it, the thinking about the symbol, the preparation for the spiritual symbol, takes a lot more time,, and is lot more involved than the actual revelation of the spiritual reality. The fact is that, although the Three Kings are usually associated with Epiphany, the FINDING of Jesus, the moment of RECOGNITION in which the Christ Presence is made manifest to Man, this is not the whole story--there is the whole issue of the SEARCH for Jesus that preceded the FINDING. Thus, seeking and finding are very much a part of the Christmas season. Looking back and looking forward may be thought of in the same way. Remember our discussion of sehnsucht as the intense joy of unfulfilled desire, and our discussion of HOPE as the realization of a future good brought into the present.
Munachi E. Ezeogu, CSSP says:
"We are all seekers. There is something about this time of year that reveals the hunger in our hearts, this yearning for something."
The Wise Men must have been filled with longing, a yearning for an undefined reality which, when it finally fell on them in that first moment of epiphany, must have been as overwhelming as it was transforming. How the realization of an expectation must have been completely unexpected! How it must have looked so completely different, from what they thought they were going to see, how new! How they must have struggled, in those first few moments, to get their minds around such a radical departure from the past.
The Rev. Shawn Hughes, Queen's University, Ontario:
"This is exactly what this feast day is about – change – transformation. Our spiritual lives can never be stagnant, they must always be moving, always be seeking, always striving for that more intimate experience of Christ. ... The Magi are transformed by the revelation at the end of their journey. They live on uncomfortably as men of the new dispensation among people of the old. That is a lifelong spiritual tension with which we must all learn to live. ... The spiritual journey is long. The journey is difficult. But, like the Magi, the reward is so great we leave completely transformed. The reward is not possible without the journey."
In this preceding paragraph we have heard how the Kings existed in two time frames at once, the old and the new--the older frame of reference was the seeking of they knew-not-what, and the new is the moment of finding they know-not-how-to-say.
Writes scholar David W. Congdon:
"The quest of the Magi has been the topic of poems, stories and artwork for centuries. For C.S. Lewis, the Magi teach us to see the universe through a "baptized" lens: they understood that the world is infused with significance, and they were willing to trust what they saw and experienced. We too are called to see the star, trust our instincts and act. Our lives, T.S. Eliot says in Journey of the Magi, will never be the same:
"'A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kiking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death."
Before we go any deeper into the symbology of the wise men, let us turn to Wikipedia, to provide some background information, all of which is very entertaining, and very useful in filling out Christmas trivia questionnaires:
Biblical Magi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"The Magi (play /ˈmædʒaɪ/; Greek: μάγοι, magoi), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men, (Three) Kings, or Kings from the East, were, according to Christianity, a group of distinguished foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity celebrations of Christmas and are an important part of the Christian tradition.
The Gospel of Matthew, the only one of the four Canonical gospels to mention the Magi, states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews." Although the account does not tell how many they were, the three gifts led to a widespread assumption that they were three as well. In the East, the magi traditionally number twelve. Their identification as kings in later Christian writings is probably linked to Psalms 72:11, "May all kings fall down before him".
Original account
The New Revised Standard Version of Matthew 2:1–12 describes the visit of the Magi:
"In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another path."
They are mentioned twice shortly thereafter, in reference to their avoidance of Herod after seeing Jesus, and what Herod had learned from their earlier meeting.
[Sidebar: I don't think it is a trivial point that seeking the truth is very often an activity that is accompanied by danger. The truth always represents a threat to those who are small- minded, and determined to avoid change. Indeed, the idea of change must necessarily be thought of as the object of the seeking process, even if we don't know what that change will consist of. We know that we are seeking something we lack, and that, when we achieve what we lack, there must be change. Since change is always a threat to the status quo, is always a threat to the left brain's insistence on rational sequentiality and definition, change will always be perceived as a threat to those who insist more on thinking that they are right than on thinking what is true. Thus, for the rigid-minded individual, apart from the familiarity and sanctity of repeated traditions and rituals, Christmas ought to be a terrifying time. For those of us who enjoy change, and who are prepared for change, the meeting of the past in the face of the emerging present is both terrifying and wonderful at the same time. Hoo-yah!
Back to Wikipedia:]
The Magi are popularly referred to as wise men and kings. The word magi is the plural of Latin magus, borrowed from Greek μάγος magos, as used in the original Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew. Greek magos itself is derived from Old Persian maguŝ from the Avestan magâunô, i.e. the religious caste into which Zoroaster was born. The term refers to the priestly caste of Zoroastrianism. As part of their religion, these priests paid particular attention to the stars, and gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that time highly regarded as a science. Their religious practices and use of astrology caused derivatives of the term Magi to be applied to the occult in general and led to the English term magic. Translated in the King James Version as wise men, the same translation is applied to the wise men led by Daniel of earlier Hebrew Scriptures (Daniel 2:48). The same word is given as sorcerer and sorcery when describing "Elymas the sorcerer" in Acts 13:6–11, and Simon Magus, considered a heretic by the early Church, in Acts 8:9–13.
The three Magi (Balthasar, Caspar, Melchior)
Traditions identify a variety of different names for the Magi. In the Western Christian church they have been commonly known as:
Melchior, a Persian scholar
Caspar, an Indian scholar
Balthazar, an Arabian scholar.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Magi found Jesus by 'following' a star, which thus traditionally became known as the Star of Bethlehem. Various theories have been presented as to what this phenomenon refers to, since stars do not visibly move and therefore cannot be followed. Some believe that they followed a planet, which without a telescope could be mistaken as a star, as it slowly moved across the sky.
On finding him, they gave him three symbolic gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Warned in a dream that Judean king Herod intended to kill the child, they decided to return home by a different route. This prompted Herod to resort to killing all the young children in Bethlehem, an act called the Massacre of the Innocents, in an attempt to eliminate a rival heir to his throne. Jesus and his family had, however, escaped to Egypt beforehand. After these events they passed into obscurity. The story of the nativity in Matthew glorifies Jesus, likens him to Moses, and shows his life as fulfilling prophecy.
The historian of Christianity, Sebastian Brock, has said:
"It was no doubt among converts from Zoroastrianism that… certain legends were developed around the Magi of the Gospels".
And Anders Hutgård concluded that the Gospel story of the Magi was influenced by an Iranian legend concerning magi and a star, which was connected with Persian beliefs in the rise of a star predicting the birth of a ruler and with myths describing the manifestation of a divine figure in fire and light.
The Magi are described as "falling down", "kneeling" or "bowing" in the worship of Jesus. This gesture, together with the use of kneeling in Luke's birth narrative, had an important effect on Christian religious practices. They were indicative of great respect, and typically used when venerating a king. Inspired by these verses, kneeling and prostration were adopted in the early Church. While prostration is now rarely practiced in the West, it is still relatively common in the Eastern Churches, especially during Lent. Kneeling has remained an important element of Christian worship to this day."
I find it very interesting that so many of our religious ceremonies come from the accepted reports of the Magi-behavior--the "kneeling" is just one element of the whole royalty obeisance bit. The reference to Jesus as the "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords" definitely puts Jesus, as a descendant of the House of David, into the upper social class of a world in which class consciousness was (and is) a major indicator of the prestige enjoyed by royalty. I really think Jesus has to laugh at this--I believe He must be more democratic in His social attitudes, at the same time being aware that all men are NOT created equal.
Of course, the main Magi-behavior we imitate today is the gift-giving. Thus, with the following Martin Luther excerpt, our discussion of the Wise Men shifts from seeking to giving gifts.
Sermon for the Epiphany; Matthew 2:1-12:A Sermon by Martin Luther; taken from his Church Postil of 1522.
"3.This Gospel harmonizes with the Epistle and speaks of the temporal coming of the heathen to Christ, by which their spiritual coming to Christ, mentioned in the Epistle, is signified and commenced. It is both a terrifying and consoling Gospel: terrifying to the great and wise, the self-satisfied and the mighty, because they all reject Christ; consoling to the humble and despised, because to them alone Christ is revealed.
4. These wise men are usually called the three Kings. As not much depends on this, we will grant this opinion to the simple minded people. However, it is not known whether there were two, three or more. But they certainly came from the rich country Arabia or Sheba, which is evident from their gifts viz. gold, frankincense and myrrh. All three of these are very precious in that country. It can certainly not be assumed that they had bought these elsewhere, for it is customary in these Eastern countries to do homage and make presents of the choice fruits and wealth of the country. just like Jacob commanded his sons to carry presents of the choice fruits of the land to Joseph in Egypt. Gen. 43, 11. Had these gifts of the wise men not been of their own country, why should they then have brought frankincense, myrrh and gold produced in the land of Judea, instead of silver and precious stones or fruits of some other country?
5. Therefore these gifts were not presented to Christ like artists paint the scenery that one offers gold, another frankincense and the third myrrh, but they presented the gifts in common as one man. And probably there were quite a number present, a few of them being the leaders, just as now a prince or a city sends a few brave men as messengers to the emperor with presents.
6. The Evangelist calls these men wise men which means in German weissager, i. e. (predictors, diviners); not in the same manner as the prophets predicted, but like those whom we call wise men and wise women, who can tell people all kinds of things; who know a great deal about the secret arts and follow adventures. The art of such people is called magic, which is sometimes accomplished by the black arts and the help of the devil, but not in all things as by the witches and sorcerers. For the wise men imitate the true prophets and prophesy like the true prophets, though not by the spirit of God. For this reason they sometimes happen to be correct as their work is not, like that of the witches, altogether the devil's work, but rather human reason aided by the devil.
7. Again, their miraculous deeds are not altogether done by the devil's cunning, like the doings of the witches, but by a combination of natural forces and the power of the devil. Hence a magician always imitates the real natural arts. For there are many hidden forces in nature, and he who knows how to apply them performs miracles in the eyes of those who know no better as, for instance, the alchemists make gold out of copper.
8. Of these secret forces of nature Solomon knew a great deal by the spirit of God, and made good use of this knowledge when he judged between the two women concerning the living and the dead child, I Kings 3, 25, discovering the real mother by appealing to the deepest feelings of nature. Again, Jacob also made use of this art when he used the peeled rods and the flocks brought forth speckled and spotted lambs, Gen. 30,39.
9. This is a fine and a truly natural art by which is derived all that physicians and others know about the properties of herbs, plants, metals, stones etc. The Scriptures also recognize this art when they make comparisons of animals, stones, trees, plants etc. This art was especially practiced and studied among the Persians, Arabians and in other Eastern countries, was an honorable art and made wise people.
10. But later on swine and block-heads meddled with it, as usually happens with all arts and doctrines, and have gone far from the truth, have confounded this noble art with juggling and sorcery, and have tried to follow and master both. But when they could not do this, they relinquished the real art and became jugglers and conjurers, prophesying and do-ing miracles by the help of the devil, though sometimes through the forces of nature. For the devil has retained much of this art and at times uses it through the magicians. Thus the word magic has become disreputable, meaning nothing else now than foretelling and doing miraculous deeds through the evil spirit, though at times it is reliable and helps men because natural forces, which are always reliable, are coupled with it and used by evil spirit.
11. Hence these magi or wise men were not kings, but men learned and experienced in this natural art though without doubt they also practiced conjury. Even to this day men from these eastern countries are possessed of great and various magic powers and, when this real art ceased, being despised they brought forth sorcery and spread it throughout the world but prior to this they relied entirely on the course of the heavenly bodies. Thus presumptuous human reason has always mixed and disgraced that which was good by imitation and indiscretion, attempting to ape everything that it sees and bears. Hence false prophets imitate the true prophets, false work-righteous saints the true saints, and the falsely learned the truly learned. If we look at the world we will find, that the work of human reason is but aping to imitate the good, only perverts it and thus deceives itself and others.
12. These wise men, therefore, were nothing else than what the philosophers were in Greece and the priests in Egypt, and the learned among us in the universities. In short, they were the priests and learned in the rich country of Arabia; just as if learned men are priests from the universities were now sent to a prince with presents. For the universities also claim that they teach natural arts which they call philosophy while in reality they are teaching not only tomfoolery, but also poisonous error and idle dreams.
13. For the natural art, which was formerly called magic but now physiology, is to learn the forces and work of nature; as for example, that a deer with its breath through the nose will draw a snake from the crevice in the rocks, kill and eat it and then on account of the great heat of the poison pants for cooling streams as stated in Ps. 42, 1. Again, that a weasel will induce a snake to come out of its hiding place by wagging its tail before the opening to anger and excite the snake; and then lies in wait so that, when the snake looks up after its enemy the weasel fastens its teeth in the neck of the snake below the venomous fang and thus killing its enemy in its own house.
Such arts the wise men studied, and in them is concealed a great deal of wisdom concerning Christ as well as the conduct of men in life. But this art is not taught in the universities now. Hence even the peasants know more about it than our wise men or natural masters who are not wrongfully called natural fools, because in spite of so much labor and trouble they have only retrograded and are the devil's mockingbirds. If we would therefore truly interpret this Gospel we must say: The masters of nature from the East or the naturalists from Arabia have come.
30. But how these wise men could see in this star a sign that unmistakably signified a new- born king, I do not know. Perhaps they read in their histories and chronicles that aforetime the birth of other kings had been signified in the heavens or through a star. For we find also in the histories of the Romans and the Greeks that the coming or birth of some great princes and extraordinary men had been foretold by miracles and signs in the air and in the heavens. These wise men also knew quite well that these Jews were the chosen people of God, who were and had been above all other people, especially favored of God. Therefore, as this was such a beautiful star, they certainly thought that God had given this people a new king. But the claim of some that these wise men knew the saying of Balaam: "There shall come forth a star out of Jacob," etc. (Num. 24, 17), will avail nothing, as this speaks mainly of the spiritual coming of Christ, who is the star himself. But whoever is not satisfied with this may think as he pleases about it. Perhaps they knew all by divine revelation."
This preceding Martin Luther excerpt is quite involved and has many intertwining ideas. Perhaps the most important overarching point, that Luther is making, is that: as we seek the Christ, and we give him his presents, we must be careful to remember that Jesus does not suffer fools; finding the precise distinction between magic philosophy and true spirituality is a slippery slope, a razor's edge. I find that the whole idea of the word "Magi" leading to "Magic" is an untrivial philological coincidence, and is emblematic of the feeling of magic and wonder associated with our Christmas traditions and ceremonies. But cultivating wonder does not mean accepting false prophets for mere dramatic effect; neither does the fact that there are false prophets out there mean that every strange and new thing is also false. Every natural event must be evaluated on its own merits, with an open heart and mind. Thus as we seek, and find, and then give, we must make sure that we are seeking the right thing, finding the right thing, and giving of ourselves, our truest selves and not counterfeits. With Jesus as our arbiter and interpreter we cannot go wrong.
The following Rudolf Steiner excerpt throws some significant light on the quality of the symbology of the gifts of the Magi:
Rudolph Steiner: The Festivals and Their Meaning: I Christmas--On The Three Magi: Schmidt Number: S-0994 VI (Extract from a lecture) Berlin, 30th December, 1904 GA B60
"You will remember that I have spoken of the meaning of the Christmas Festival in its connection with the evolution of races, or, better said, the epochs of civilisation, and indeed the significance of the Festival lies in this very connection both in respect of the past and of the future.
I want to speak to-day about a Festival to which in modern times less importance is attached than to the Christmas Festival itself, namely, the Festival of the Three Kings, of the Magi who came from the East to greet the newly born Jesus. This Festival of the Epiphany (celebrated on the 6th of January) will assume greater and greater significance when its symbolism is understood.
It will be obvious to you that very profound symbolism is contained in the Festival of the Three Magi from the East. Until the 15th century, this symbolism was kept very secret and no definite indications were available. But since that century some light has been thrown on the Festival of the Magi by exoteric presentations. One of the Three Kings — Caspar — is portrayed as a Moor, an inhabitant of Africa; one as a white man, a European — Melchior; and one — Balthasar — as an Asiatic; the colour of his skin is that of an inhabitant of India. They bring Myrrh, Gold and Frankincense as offerings to the Child Jesus in Bethlehem.
These three offerings are full of meaning and in keeping with the whole symbolism of the Festival celebrated on the 6th of January. Exoterically, the date itself throws some light; esoterically, the Festival is pregnant with meaning. The 6th of January is the same date as that on which, in ancient Egypt, the Festival of Osiris was celebrated, the Festival of the re-finding of Osiris. As you know, Osiris was overcome by his enemy Typhon: Isis seeks and eventually finds him. This re-finding of Osiris, the Son of God, is represented in the Festival of the 6th of January. The Festival of the Three Kings is the same Festival, but in its Christian form. This Festival was also celebrated among the Assyrians, the Armenians and the Phoenicians. Everywhere it is a Festival connected with a kind of universal baptism — a rebirth from out of the water.
Of this epoch the Bible says: 'The Spirit of God brooded over the waters.' The principle of Love was not within the beings, but outside, manifesting as earthly Kama (that is to say, earthly passion or desire). Kama is egotistic love. The first bringer of Love free of all egoism is Christ Who appeared in the body of Jesus of Nazareth.
Who are the Magi? They represent the Initiates of the three preceding races or epochs of culture, the Initiates of mankind up to the time of the coming of Christ, the Bringer of the Love that is free of egoism — the resurrected Osiris.
By what are the Three Holy Kings guided, and whither are they led? They are guided by a Star to a grotto, a cave in Bethlehem. This is something that can be understood only by one who has knowledge of the so-called lower, or astral mysteries. To be led by a Star means nothing else than to see the soul itself as a Star. But when is the soul seen as a Star? When a man can behold the soul as a radiant aura. But what kind of aura is so radiant that it can be a guide? There is the aura that glimmers with only a feeble light; such an aura cannot guide. There is a higher aura, that of the intelligence, which has, it is true, a flowing, up-surging light, but is not yet able to guide. But the bright aura, aglow with Budhi, is in very truth a Star, is a radiant guide. In Christ, the Star of Budhi lights up — the Star which accompanies the evolution of mankind. The Light that shines before the Magi is the soul of Christ Himself. The Second Logos Himself shines before the Magi and over the cave in Bethlehem.
The Festival of the Three Kings is celebrated every year on the 6th of January, and its significance will steadily increase. Men will understand more and more what a Magi is, and what the great Magi, the Masters, are. And then understanding of Christianity will lead to understanding of spiritual science."
To reiterate the subject line of this sermon:
the bottom line to which we will be wending is the symbology of the Wise Men who use the art of nature to search for Jesus.By that we mean that, the search for Jesus may involve the seeker in signs and symbols that appear in the natural world, but which resonate in Eternity. As the search evolves, the seeker is transformed in unexpected ways, and the final Epiphany is a Rite of Passage into a new world. This arrival results in an out-pouring of spiritual gifts which, again, symbolize spiritual realities potent with energy and meaning.
This last quote of today's sermon is taken from the very end of my favorite Christmas movie The Bishop's Wife. It is a Christmas Eve sermon delivered by the Bishop at the end of the movie, and is a profound reflection on the best Christmas presents we can give to each other and to Jesus on his birthday:
"Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking. Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child's cry. A blazing star hung over a stable and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven't forgotten that night down the centuries; we celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, the sound of bells and with gifts. But especially with gifts. You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer, and Uncle Henry could do with a new pipe. We forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled -- all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger. It's his birthday we are celebrating. Don't ever let us forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most, and then let each put in his share. Loving kindness, warm hearts and the stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth."
Let us pray: Jesus, as the enactment of your birth approaches, let us open our eyes to the magic of the Magi, and discover with them the incalculable gifts you have given to us in the infinity of Your love. Amen


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(I am sitting blogging at an Oceanside coffee shop, watching the people who obviously have no sense surfing the big waves during the "Tropical Storm" conditions we are suppose to be having. This is the only sign of a hurricane 220 miles south of the Island. It was raining now the sun looks like it's about to come out..geez all that worry for this?)
The Bike:
Wow the bike portion..it took me on an unexpected ride that challenged me physically and mentally. Not in a way I actually ever thought of quitting, but man it was difficult! I will admit near the end I wondered if I would make the cutoff, something I have never been worried about before. I am embarrassed to say I didn't even remember what the bike cutoff was, but knew the hours were passing..too many hours passing for my comfort level. In the end, I made it in time but not without fighting the wind for much of the ride..
It started out coming out of the chute and straight up Palani Dr., probably a 2 block 8% grade hill. That'll wake your legs up! There is a 4-5 mile section around Kona in the beginning which is nice, I got to see spectators and part of the family!!
I was riding Arero, down in the bars for much of the first 20 miles or so. The Queen K is a great road surface, the whole road was closed for the race so smooth sailing from a long bike ride perspective. The only bummer, and this was a big bummer 7 hours later, was that they did not allow spectators on the bike course. Let me tell you, riding almost 8 hours in mostly solitude is very challenging! I did however, have one ray of sunshine ..they allowed folks that were staying in the resorts on the Northwest Coast to go out to the Queen K to cheer folks on. My wonderful sister in law (H's sister) and brother in law (her husband), two of my favorite supporters were staying outside such a resort. I looked for them by the first Aid Station and didn't see them. They had the awesome Team Wess T-shirts on. My SIL told me she was screaming and could have reached out and touched me she was so close! I must've had my eye on the water station because I never saw her going out. The water stations came up frequently, thank goodness. I would grab one water and pour it over my cooling sleeves, then one water to pour into my bottle. I would have to stop to add the electrolyte tabs because they wouldn't go through aero bottle top. I did manage to do it a couple of times on the bike but once the wind came, forget it. That wasn't such a good plan..
The bike to Hawi to the turnaround
|The bike up to Hawi to turnaround..
The wind, ah the wind..at about mile 25 (aproximately) there started to be wind. I had biked out of Kona with a tailwind/side wind of sorts-it wasn't an issue. So It was windy already but this was a crazy, swirling headwind. Ok, I am in Kona doing the World Ironman Championships and this is why it is considered one of the hardest courses in the world! I carried on, drinking, eating and fighting the wind. I looked at bikes in front of me and they looked like they were struggling also so this somehow made me feel better. I got hit with some side winds that took me and pushed me across the lane of the road. I started riding on the far right shoulder so if I got pushed sideways again into the other lane, I wouldn't hit anyone. It was crazy..that's all I can say. I was soooooo grateful I had done the Acoma Century ride. We had crosswinds on that ride and headwinds, granted not as harsh as this but I remembered that feeling of having your wheels pushed out under you and staying upright. When the wind decided to be against me, I was barely moving on an already sort of rolling course. Nothing I coudn't have rocked had the wind been down. The first real gust of side/headwind, I yelled Bring it!!! Don't know why it was kind of like you can't break me, no matter what you do Madame Pele, i can handle it! So I used that kind of Bring It attitude the rest of the ride up to Hawi. There is about a 6 mile climb up to the turnaround that is a bit steeper and longer than the other hills. Before I got there the Pros started coming back. They were flying, which gave me hope that I would have a tailwind on the way back. I said a little prayer to that affect. I had to stay out of my aerobars much of those 40 or so miles up to Hawi. I saw a woman flat on the ground, race officials around her. I deduced she had been blown off her bike (total of 8 athletes got blown off their bikes in the race)...I tried to remember all my tricks to riding in wind. Keep knees together, use core to center, just plain hang on! I wasn't particularly tired, which is a good thing. This meant I had trained right. It was super hot but the wind was a good distraction from that! Someone told me the gusts were 50 MPH. I don't know, all I remembered was my coach saying it will be windy but nothing as bad a Geelong (70.3-race from hell wind). Uh, Coach you are awesome but this wind is worse. Alot worse it seemed at the time. I tried to look around and enjoy the view. We were climbing and the sight of the ocean and lava rocks was stunning! I couldn't look for long because I never knew when a gust might hit in the headwind so I held on tight, literally to my bike. At one point I realized my arms were so tight they were getting sore..My neck was killing me. I tried to stretch but very hard to move around when you are trying to "stay center". I honestly thought my neck would be a mess the next day..I think I didn't go over 11 MPH for 25 miles...wicked conditions.
Finally, finally I got to the turnaround. The time it took me to get there was LONG and I anticipated flying back with a tailwind, where I would make up for the slow-ass time it took me to get there. The volunteers and spectators in Hawi were so great. Mostly local people, these folks are donating their time and their community for me! I thanked as many volunteers as I could when i remembered to do so. The only annoying moments at Aid Stations was when they didn't open the water bottle. Pretty difficult to do on a bike..Mostly I was smiling because I knew about the downhill coming. Turned around-wheeeee!!! Maximum speed 35 MPH.. The wind was now mostly at our backs, sometimes a sidewind but I didn't care. I tried to fly down the hils as much as I could.
Then, a couple things happened. I couldn't find my last 2 electrolyte pills, thought I left them at Special Need at the turnaround (actually found them later in my bike jersey-geez). I thought well, I can either switch to water, knowing I had a couple hours to go? Or: drink the nasty ass Perform which is like Gator Aid only worse and tastes like crap.. I chose the latter. The temp was in the 90s probably more out on the lava rocks and I knew people get in trouble in Kona because of heat/sweat/electrolyte loss. I was super paranoid about this. Had continued to consume Shotz Gels and 2bars, one with protein. The only thing missing was the electrolyte tabs for the last 1.5 hours.
I still wasn't tired physically, just mentally tired of being on the course. In the wind. I checked my tires a couple of times (they weren't low or flat). I finally had to give in that these were the conditions so suck it up or you better work b#*%ch! (Daughter Allison showed me this-made me laugh soooo hard!). I thought of these random things on my odessey bike ride.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me, then the wind decided to switch and we had a direct headwind for the last 30 miles. I just went with it. This was the race of my life, I wasn't breaking any speed records, NBC wasn't chasing me for the IM Kona TV special-may as well enjoy! I kept leap frogging with two other women in my AG on the way back. They were super serious. I tried to say a few words in passing just being light. One woman said how much this sucked and I said But we are at KONA! She said oh yea, I guess there's that. Then my goal got really small. Beat this grumpy woman on the bike. Every time I would pass her, she would pass me. Well, I guess it is a race, even at 10 MPH..lol
My feet all of a sudden felt like they were on fire! Not just one but both. I loosened my new larger sized Tri shoes. Nope..not working. So I stopped and took my socks off. Ahhh, that's better! It bothered me one more time. I needed to stop and take my shoes off to move my feet around. My stomach started to get a little funky at the end of the bike. I pee'ed twice on the bike so knew I was hydrated.
Then I saw my sister and brother in law!!! In the shirts and everything. I yelled Hi guys! but it was brief. Just knowing there was someone in a 25 mile radius around me that knew me was a relief. I worried a little about making the cutoff, I thought it was 5:00. I learned later was 5:30. I picked up a little speed passing the Energy Lab because there were all the runners running in and out. They were 17-23 miles into the marathon. My heart kinda sank for one second. I was about an hour past the time I thought I could do the bike. Oh well, I am in Kona! Finally, was headed toward the turn into town and I passed those two women in my AG and never looked back! I knew they would probably kick my ass on the run. Who cares? I had met my brief yet shining goal on the bike. The wind died down in town then it was just HOT!
This was the bike course and my data:


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The long range plan (can't say when because it depends on the other green - money) is for Betty to include a dining guide, but in the meantime I have to give a shout out to two local eateries: Sublime and Brix.
I stopped by Brix, a favorite cafe of mine, yesterday while the kids where at TaeKwonDo. Karen Laetare has been quietly green-conscious since opening her Marketplace on Route 53 eight years ago. When I spoke to her last summer she was continuing to research the lowest-impact containers for her new restaurant at Pantops. I wasn't able to chat with her yesterday about how much local foods she incorporates in her delicious recipes, but I do know she is ever-conscious of how to reduce waste in the running of her business. She provides mugs and napkins and a recycling option in the cafe (no disposable plasticware for in-house diners, which I love) and the take-home options are all eco-friendly. Compostable coffee cups and paper boxes (no Styrofoam here - not even for the soups).
I also ran into Geoff Robinson, part owner of Sublime All-Natural food and juice bar, on the Corner. Walking into their store is lesson in conscious eating. What impresses me most about this green eat is their complete mindfulness and consideration at every step of the way: delivering food from the Earth to you. They offer local cheese and local fruits from Henley's Orchard. If you haven't tried one of their delicious smoothies in a compostable cup, you have been missing out!
Geoff and I were chatting about the challenges of owning a total green eat (unfortunately they took a hit this Summer with the students gone). Their menu items may be higher cost but they are higher (more natural, more nutritional, more sustainable) quality and higher purpose.
When I saw Geoff he was picking, choosing, debating the best bread options for his customers. The inside scoop: this fall they are adding sandwiches to their ever-growing menu. (You heard it here first!) He was excited because he had just found a supplier of grass-fed beef from Crozet. I plan to interview him this fall to get more of the details of all the better world efforts of this local business.
In the meantime, find time to patronize one of these local green eats in the coming week. And be sure to tell them Betty sent you!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Two Green Eats...
The long range plan (can't say when because it depends on the other green - money) is for Betty to include a dining guide, but in the meantime I have to give a shout out to two local eateries: Sublime and Brix.


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I have written this tutorial for the WI Website and am posting it here as a freebie in case anyone fancies a go at Singleton Buttons! I love them and make a lot of them to match different projects – slightly more work than a manufactured covered button but a lot more fun and cheaper too. This is one of the historic thrift crafts of my home county, Dorset.
I will be teaching this method at a handmade button dayschool at Denman College on 16 September 2013, alongside traditional woven Dorsets and embroidered buttons.
Just click the link into the pdf below to get started with the tutorial, and please do let me know how you get on with it, and send any photos of your buttons – I would love to see them!


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by George Garrett
Here everything is white and clean
as driftwood. Pain's localized
and suffering, strictly routine,
goes on behind a modest screen.
Softly the nurses glide on wheels,
crackle like windy sails, smelling of soap,
I'm needled and the whole room reels.
The Fury asks me how I feel
and, grinning turns to the brisk care
of an old man's need, he who awake
is silent, at the window stares,
sleeping, like drowning, cries for air.
And finally the fever like a spell
my years cast off. I notice now
nurse's firm buttocks, the ripe swell
of her breasts. It seems I will get well.
Next visitors with magazines;
they come whispering as in church.
The old man looks away and leans
toward light. Dying, too, is a routine.
I pack my bag and say goodbyes.
So long to nurse and this Sargasso Sea.
I nod to him and in his eyes
read, raging, the seabird's lonely cries.


text:
As we walked toward the back of the vast storage yard, I must have been in something of a zone.
|E-mail Ron Jones at firstname.lastname@example.com.
As we walked toward the back of the vast storage yard, I must have been in something of a zone. I get that way sometimes. The winter sun was about to set, and it had stained the late-afternoon sky with colors that caused the nearby mountains to appear ablaze. When that happens, I often lose track of what I am doing and have difficulty concentrating.
"I like what you said about the stone," my companion repeated, "that you need to get to know it better before you can set it." I realized he was referring to an offhand comment I had made in a phone conversation with him about an hour earlier. He has helped me select, process and apply various types of stone for several years, but we don't always talk about stone in these kinds of terms.
He had called about rescheduling the delivery of several large sandstone slabs that was set for the following Monday afternoon. The slabs were to be used as massive lintels spanning hallway entrances and as the mantel for the main fireplace in a house we have under construction. The stone company had just finished cutting the pieces that afternoon but faced a conflict in meeting our agreed delivery time.
He hadn't begun the call by asking if he could reschedule. Instead, he had asked if the equipment needed to set the stone in place was lined up for Monday. I replied that we needed to get used to the pieces before we installed them and that I had the machinery lined up for much later in the week.
Upon learning that the cuts had been made, I told him I would stop by the yard at the end of the day so I could see the pieces and think about them during the weekend. It had taken weeks to come up with an acceptable set of stones, and I needed to satisfy myself that these were the right ones for the project. Thus the visit to the storage yard.
Boom Ballet
When the boom truck arrived Tuesday, I saw that the 9-foot, three-quarter-ton mantel stone and the largest lintel — a slab measuring 6 feet by 2 feet and 8 inches in thickness — rested separately on wooden pallets. The two lesser lintels were on another pallet. The largest of the pair was 5 feet long and matched the 6-footer in depth and thickness.
The boom-truck operator was skilled and experienced, but the boom range was limited. The building site is complicated, so I settled for distributing the pallets to either side of the truck. This meant I would need both the crane and the forklift that were scheduled for the installation of the massive chunks of reddish-chocolate sandstone.
Had we come up with stone we were happy with earlier in the process, we could have set the pieces with a crane before the roof structure was built. Now we needed to lift them with the crane, transfer them onto a forklift, ferry them into a more completed structure and maneuver them into place. We were dealing with a much tighter operating space and minor obstacles such as a fork carriage that would hit the roof trusses on two of the lifts unless we blocked the stone above the forks a full foot.
The equipment rental company delivered the forklift right on time at 10 o'clock Friday morning. The deliveryman went through the operating instructions with me and said to call as soon as we finished to stop the rental time, and then he was off on his next run.
The machine could lift 4,000 pounds almost 12 feet but was built to operate on hard, smooth surfaces such as the concrete floors of a warehouse, so we couldn't stray too far from the house. We had left a large opening at the front entry for just this sort of contingency and had ramped onto the front-porch slab and wide door stoop with lumber from the site.
My crew had masked all but the smallest traces of skepticism when I had explained weeks before what I had in mind and how we would accomplish the task. They have grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected in our projects and with their familiar air of business-as-usual had built the kind of structural support the stone slabs would require.
Our stonemason would secure the large mantel stone into position on the concrete-filled block columns he had prepared. He would drill holes for steel pins in the backside of the mantel and then form and pour a reinforced bond beam to hold it permanently in place. He showed no sign of surprise when I told him what I wanted to do.
Stage Setting
It sounds pretty easy in the telling, but it was a fairly complicated effort, and careful planning made everything go smoothly and safely throughout the operation. As each stone went into place, we would pause and briefly discuss its unique attributes, and I would hint as to why I had selected the stone for its place. The men displayed more excitement and satisfaction as each piece went up, eventually voicing their impressions the way people do when they describe what they see in a bank of clouds.
The texture, color, shape and shadows of each stone made it seem to take on a life of its own. Even the crane operator got into the act, helping tweak by hand the final positions of the slabs as we neared the end of the installation. He said the fireplace mantel reminded him of a distant mesa that rises away from the onlooker and leads the eye up toward the mountains.
Our little adventure with these slabs could be considered successful, I suppose, because we didn't get anyone hurt or damage the stone or the rest of the building. We'll lightly sandblast the stone when the wood posts and beams are being cleaned and then seal it to protect the surfaces during the rest of the construction. Eventually the stone pieces will become spectacular elements in the blend of materials that will make the house special.
My job is to move on to other parts of the project and leave the stone to its own effect. But every now and then I slip into that zone and can't help imagining how the stone will look when the late-afternoon sky sets the mountains on fire and the color reflects off the stone's surfaces. It makes me glad we took time to get to know the stone just a little.


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Filed under: Alternative Therapies, General HealthThe symptoms of multiple sclerosis have been noted to ease for women during pregnancy, and scientists believe it's due to the hormone prolactin. In MS the human body attacks the myelin that surrounds nerves, and it's been thought that during pregnancy the immune system no longer attacks the myelin. Now, though, according to data published in the Journal of Neuroscience, it seems the body could be repairing myelin as well. This means that prolactin could be used in the future as an official treatment for MS -- although it does have a tendency to increase inflammation, so that would need to be addressed somehow.
So far the theory has only been tested in mice, but researchers are optimistic.


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How Superman Resolved the Issue of Zod *MEGA SPOILER*
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Senator Pleasury
Banned User
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 2,844
Re: How Superman Resolved the Issue of Zod *MEGA SPOILER*
Originally Posted by
Yep. Considering he had no distinct interaction with anyone outside the military I really don't know how they'll just have him immediately show up a hero in a sequel when he'd be preceived as just "one of the aliens that busted up the city." He has yet to be introduced to the world. If anyone other than Goyer were writing the script, I would have faith this would be addressed
This is why you don't introduce General Zod and co. to the world before properly introducing Superman. Goyer really screwed it up there.
Originally Posted by
I think that will be answered in the sequel. At this point Superman is an unsung hero or to some an alien that refused to leave and caused massive destruction.
Yes. It's far less than it could have been. It's almost like having a Batman origin movie that's only about how Bruce Wayne got trained and his gadgets. Full costume for the sequel.
Originally Posted by
Which is funny because up until the film's release one of their major talking points was how the world would react to Superman, but they pretty much left that reaction to a handful of people.
Oh yes. The world only know of Kryptonians and super-powered beings because of Zod, not Superman. Way to ruin a good story.
Senator Pleasury
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Friday, December 18, 2015
A model Christian-Muslim discussion
3 comments:
Do you guys realize you have some trouble with your website frequently automatically forwarding to another site (gogarden or something like that)?ReplyDelete
It's happened to me on different computers with different IPs. Pretty sure the problem is on your end: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=gogardenclubReplies
Thanks, Jonathan. It looks like the problem is related to Site Meter. So I've removed Site Meter from our weblog. Hopefully this fixes the problem. Please let us know if it doesn't? Thanks again.Delete
yeah, I would often be directed to "gogardens" or something like that in the past and nowadays to http://go.goadvs.com/. It was curious to me that it would happen only (or most often) when on Triablogue. I'm still not sure I don't have a browser highjacker in my registry or browser addons or extensions etc.ReplyDelete


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Tuesday, May 4, 2010
15 comments:
- AnonymousMay 4, 2010 at 6:04 PM
lol I think my Dad has that cardiganReplyDelete
Pretty fly for a white guy....ReplyDelete
You'd never see my people wearing pink! Unless, it came in a plaid maybe...ReplyDelete
Pastel is all the rage at the office, not that I work in one, but it seemed to be, right Jesse? Esp. in the ad world. Those dumb pink or purple shirts. Those shorts are awful!ReplyDelete
Perfect. I'll meet you at the yacht club, but you'd better not EVEN think of bringing Tiffany with you!!ReplyDelete
I don't know any people like this.ReplyDelete
I don't anymore and I'm grateful for that, ms anthropy!ReplyDelete
Dickies? For boofs?ReplyDelete
Why, that outfit looks positively smashing! I think I would look quite dashing in it while I played polo with Blake and Niles this weekend.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Felt like commenting again just to bring you to an even number.ReplyDelete
PS Hint I may have mentioned you in today's post. Maybe.
Oh, I'm making it odd. Sorry Ally. I'm a white guy and this stuff is happening.ReplyDelete
Wow, ya know I have to pass on this one.ReplyDelete
I want that scarf.ReplyDelete
Um. Ick. ??ReplyDelete


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October 21, 2013
DIY: Make an Ice Cream Stand out of a Cardboard Box!
We recently bought Miss O and Mr. A a bookcase, which arrived in a very large box. When I see the endless capacity for creativity inherent in cardboard boxes, I automatically dream of what they could become. In this case, I asked my husband to transform a box into an ice cream shop complete with ice cream cones to sell. And boy did he deliver! Read on for more details!
Photo paper and a printer came in handy for this project, as Ben decorated the ice cream stand with a flower box, grass trim at the bottom, bubblegum trim at the top, pink "ice cream" letters and ice cream scoops. Ben then drew the brick building and the "wood" sign using a brown marker.
Ben also printed up some ice cream cone images and glued them to cardboard which he then cut out. Next he made a refrigerator in which to store them. He also lined the interior of the box with wood contact paper and gave the ice cream stand counter a layer of marble contact paper. Are those not the cutest ice cream sellers you've ever seen?
Posted by Petite Planet at 10:27 PM
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Sep 29, 2010
A Different View That Amuses Me
I am awed by the fashion scene here. Its like this whole new discovery thats blown me away. Exciting and beautiful.
A couple I captured in the streets of Changchun.
Enjoying my trip to China so far. Only drawback is there are some sites that are not accessible (my blog too!!!), which is quite a menace sometimes. Nevertheless, more streetstyle coming up soon.
17 comments:
- विवेक Call me Vish !! said...
nice hair stlye ....goood work !!
- Wednesday, 29 September, 2010
- Jonna said...
Enjoy your trip!! :))
Looking forward to see more streetstyle pictures, and everything else too. Love these hairdos!! x
- Monday, 04 October, 2010
- She is Sara said...
Oh I love it! I want her hair!
- Monday, 04 October, 2010
- Cristina Suspiria said...
enjoy your trip!! thanks for the lovely comment, I haven´t posted much lalety but I just have been busy, hope to post more often this month!! I have been travelling too in Europe and I have just started my lessons at uni again, but things are going well
- Tuesday, 05 October, 2010
- Cindy Whitehead said...
love their look and that hair - so cool!
- Tuesday, 05 October, 2010
- Marta said...
glad to see you here again! and glad that you enjoyed the trip to china as well! i haven't been to this country before and i know how isnpiring its culture and customs are!
- Tuesday, 05 October, 2010
- THESTREETFASHION5XPRO said...
amazing hair...great shot...would be an honor for me to be on the list of your favorite blogs
- Tuesday, 05 October, 2010
- magiceye said...
neat captures!
- Tuesday, 05 October, 2010
- Taj Acosta said...
Awesome pics! I love the hair! Can't wait to see more pics you took and hear about your experience! hugs
- Tuesday, 05 October, 2010
- Style, She Wrote said...
Love their punk style!
- Wednesday, 06 October, 2010
- Tere said...
hello darling! thanks for your comment, in glad to know you liked my post!!
i hope you have been able to get online!
great post this!
- Wednesday, 06 October, 2010
- Panda said...
Yay! Hope you having fun in china, I had an incredible time there. Love the couple too, they are so cute! Thanks for you comment, I've just done a new post =) But thanks again, you very sweet! Panda xo
- Thursday, 07 October, 2010
- Annie @ Wiloh said...
I love her hair! How cute!
- Saturday, 09 October, 2010
- Elaine said...
They look SO cool!!
CLOTHED MUCH, a modest fashion blog
- Saturday, 09 October, 2010
- Fashion Insanity said...
Awesome photos! Love it!
- Tuesday, 12 October, 2010
- Tammie Lee said...
I am glad you are having fun exploring, discovering and finding new.
- Tuesday, 12 October, 2010
- Samm said...
I saw your blog and I wanted to invite you to follow my blog.
Check out my blog @ www.afterstylecomesfashion.blogspot.com
I hope you like it!
With love, Samm
- Friday, 15 October, 2010


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I just get tangled in the sheets
I swim in sweat three inches deep
I just lay back and claim defeat
Chapter read and lesson learned
I turned the lights off while he burned
So while he's three hundred degrees
I throw the sheets off and I freeze
Lately, and I know I'm not alone in this, I've had a very hard time sleeping. Lots of tossing, lots of turning, my mind thinks about all sorts of mundane things that don't matter one iota at three in the morning. At first I thought I was just stressed about some medical test results that were pending, and when that resolved, I blamed it on the moon. But now the moon doesn't seem to be bothering anybody else, so I'm not too sure what it's all about.
Lids down, I count sheep
I count heartbeats
The only thing that counts
is that I won't sleep
I countdown, I look around
My hands are locked up tight in fists
My mind is racing filled with lists
of things to do, and things I've done
Another sleepless night's begun.
Everyone tells me "Sleep when your children sleep." As if such a luxury was something like a switch. I could just crawl into bed at quarter after eight when the shortlings are snoozing and go to sleep. Now, don't get me wrong, dear blogfans, I would love to do just that. But sleep is so elusive as of late. And I don't know why. I think about it. Actually, when I get out of bed in the morning, my daydreams for the first hour or two are usually about my pillow. I love my pillow(s).
There's so much joy in life
so many pleasures all around
But the pleasure of insomnia
is one I've never found
With all life has to offer
There's so much to be enjoyed
But the pleasures of insomnia
are ones I can't avoid
My mother informs me that one simply "Can't just continue on like that," and assures me that I will "crash and burn," eventually. Crashing and burning really doesn't sound like something I'm into, but at this point, I'd take what I can get. Last night, after an excessively long day of errands, doctors appointments, dinner with the shortlings and hubbin', a drive to and from Tysons Corner in DC rush hour traffic I decided that enough was enough. I examined a bottle of outdated prescription Ambien, and decided that the expiration date of 2+ years ago was just too much. A good nights sleep was just not worth poisoning myself over. So, I took two benadryl and called it a night. I insisted that the grouchy hubbin' rub my back until I fell asleep. I don't know how long it took, but truth be told, it didn't feel all that long before I drifted off into blissful sleep.
Oh yes, I said it: blissful sleep. Prior to the never-being-able-to-fall-asleep drama of '09, I was plagued with the super-realistic-and-horrendous-dreams trials. However, last night I had no such experience! My dream, the one that I remember, was quite pleasant:
In my dream I was with my sister in the MAC store. This was no doubt fueled by my longing gazes at the new MAC store in Tysons earlier that same day. Anyway, so we were shopping, and there were all these truly wonderful eyeliners - ones with sparkles, and ones with big blunt tips, and ones with tiny little points, and brushes and lipsticks and I just couldn't help myself! We were filling up basket after basket of stuff, it was like children in a candy store. Everywhere we turned there were more wonderful cosmetic products to play with! I turned to my sister, and asked where the eye shadow was. A salesgirl, overhearing directed us to a separate room - one filled floor to ceiling with eye shadow. Colors from every inch of the spectrum, lined ceiling to floor. And blog readers, believe me when i tell you - Angels Heralded in my dream. Choruses of perfectly pitched, exact key "ahhhhhhh" rang out in my dream.
And on that note, no pun intended, I have very high hopes for tonights sleep. Oh, and I think I might have some underlying issues with that whole Heaven-is-a-MAC-store bit.
Who needs sleep?
Well, you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
Tell me, what's that for
Who needs sleep
Be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War


text:
Advances in Operations ResearchVolume 2012 (2012), Article ID 574710, 17 pageshttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/574710
Department of Mathematics, Islamic Azad University, Arak-Branch, Arak, Iran
Received 2 March 2012; Accepted 25 April 2012
Academic Editor: Yi Kuei Lin
Copyright © 2012 Mohammad Izadikhah. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Deriving the weights of criteria from the pairwise comparison matrix with fuzzy elements is investigated. In the proposed method we first convert each element of the fuzzy comparison matrix into the nearest weighted interval approximation one. Then by using the goal programming method we derive the weights of criteria. The presented method is able to find weights of fuzzy pairwise comparison matrices in any form. We compare the results of the presented method with some of the existing methods. The approach is illustrated by some numerical examples.


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marolin23 wrote:when i reached level 25, malistare summoned me for a quest and i was thinking "yay! finally i can go to marleybone!" but there was no exclamation mark. i was thinking "i should have done the krokosphinx and tomb of storms first". still no exclamation mark. a friend told me to talk to him many times but that was for nothing. can anyone tell me what ambrose was planning with me or was he just playing a prank? :?
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Sundang sword is tradition weapon used by the Bugis and Sulu. 'Sundang' is the name for a traditional weapon which originates from Mindanao in the south, and the Sulu archipelago in the southwest of the Philippines. The estimated origin of the sundang can be traced back to the fifteenth century, when Mindanao and the Sulu islands were tributary states of the Javanese Majapahit Kingdom (1292–1500). In the early stage of development the sundang, it functioned primarily as a symbolic weapon, and was valued as a sacred pusaka heirloom item. Through the course of time, the sundang gained a much more practical function; it soon became a weapon used for combat, and served the purpose of a genuine pedang sword.
Movement Sundang in Silat
Tari Sundang
Langkah Sundang


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I unearthed this piece of pottery in the park. It had a strange hieroglyphic carved into it. Perhaps a bird.
Imagine my surprise when I turned it over and saw... my initials.
I was messing around with clay and the thing went wrong. I was going to throw it away but my stubbornness took over. This was the result.
Tomorrow I leave for Ireland. I will be gone for just under two weeks. But I will leave you with a nice giveaway, so check back tomorrow.
And I'll see you back here around July 5.
Simplicity is the removal of the useless and the unnecessary--source unknown


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BHP BILLITON hosts its AGM on Monday. The decision by the Australian government to impose a 40 per cent tax on mining profits, the rise in the value of the dollar and the general slump in commodity prices has seen BHP Billiton's shares fall nearly 23 per cent in less than a month. With the current climate for commodities not looking like it will improve any time soon, and the threat of a return to recession, BHP Billiton shares could re-test the 1,650-1,685p level before staging a recovery. Spread Co offers a spread on BHP Billiton of 1,778.2p -1,782.3p.
It's been a sweet twelve months for the sugar producer Tate & Lyle, which has consistently outperformed the FTSE 250. But are things set to sour for Tate & Lyle when preliminary results come out next week? Analyst opinions are becoming steadily more bearish on the stock due to its incredible run in recent weeks. If the global economy does stumble, discretionary spending on sweet treats by consumers will be cut yet again and this could muddy the outlook even further. The current IG Index price is 424.7p-427p.
Operating in over 40 countries worldwide Daily Mail & General Trust may have been able to insulate itself from the troubles we've seen in Europe and is doing well in the UK. If things get any worse then the stock could struggle to gain upward momentum. But it remains a popular choice with analysts who are eyeing price targets as high as 625p. But this could be optimistic since any wholesale slowdown in demand for advertising would increase downward pressure on the stock. The current IG Index price is 467.9p-470.8p.
This has been a turbulent week for the markets and stocks have fallen to their lowest levels in six months. However, that doesn't mean that there are not good value equities out there. GlaxoSmithKline is particularly attractive. It has a dividend yield of over 5 per cent and it is a defensive stock so should perform well through the market turmoil. Spreadex offers a spread of 1,138.30-1,141.20.
Kathleen Brooks


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How to open RESTRICTED site !10 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 6:19 AM
Finally after a couple of hours browsing and surveying for the most BEST method to open restricted site that has been blocked by the administrator such in the college, workplace, or school, such as in my college which include you tube, myspace, friendster, tagged and much more.
I did a little testing ago, and it WORKS PERFECTLY + i could log in and log put as though there is no restriction. Moreover its AD FREE, and worked quite fast.
I've found and tested on this software and no worry's it is virus FREE then the previous method i use which affect me to format my notebook again "SO Fucked up !!"
The name of the specify software i was talking about is the GODLY UltraSurf, damn ur the greatest software ever build, thank god !
It is a small EXE. There is no need to install the application. Just run in .. where u can put it in your pendrive and use it when your in need of hacking ^^
3. Almost all schools, universities and corporate offices raise firewalls to filter out not work related sites, now those firewalls will be of no use or they have to change their plans.
4. Everybody can access various social networks like Orkut, Youtube, Myspace, Hi5, Facebook, Linkedin etc. which are blocked almost in 99% schools and offices.
5. 100% real time and it's encryption is better then any online banking system.
If you are using browsers other than IE, You have to manually change the proxy settings .
Proxy settings as follows..
But for me, i just set it automatic.. see how it goes guys
DOWNLOAD : here
SUPPORT My browser : here
Tips to Increase Your Nokia Battery Life0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 6:17 AM
Unfortunately symbian phones are spending too much battery. I have a Nokia N82 and It's working 1 1/2 days without charging. It's really hard to say the same thing for S60 devices. But we can increase our battery life with a few tips
1. Close applicatons that you're not using – If you press to Menu button for 1 seconds you can see applications currently running.
Running applications means loosing more battery. If you don't use them press to C button and close them. You will notice the difference
2. Turn off Bluetooth connection if you're not using
3. Don't use any additional Screen Saver. Use Nokia's Default Power Saver
4. Set your Power saver time-out to "1 minute"
5. If you're getting Low Signal, don't talk with your phone. Because in Low signal, your phone is spending more energy to reach to the base station
6. Use Original Nokia batteries… Fake Chinese batteries can be explosive!
If you know other tips, you can share them with us
850,000 Phones Meet Death By Toilet Yearly In The UK0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 2:07 AM
Research by SimplySwitch, a company specializing in price comparison and switching carriers, found 4.5 million handsets are lost or damaged in the UK each year.
Second to the death by watery grave, 810,000 handsets end up amongst the peanuts and broken hearts at a local pub, 315,000 stay behind for an extra long cab ride, 225,000 keep riding public transportation after their owners leave and 116,000 ended up in some dirty laundry. Interesting stats, and sure, the stats aren't from a hugely reputable source, but seriously, take care of your phone.
Bruno the movie review by me..0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 1:28 AM
I have watch the most FUNNIEST gay movie that has ever been created titled BRUNO. Normally i wont watch this kind of movie, as it is mostly created for the gay organization, as they're is so many nude and showing their dic* scene (WHERE THIS GUY CAN DO MOVE IT LIKE NO ONE CAN).
Short introduction on this movie a bout a gay German guy who is a famous television personality got fired, and plan to start a new life and finding a dozen of stupid ways to get famous.
I give 3/5 stars, since is quite hilarious, check it out..
15 Best Diet Tips Ever3 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 5:42 AM
Been traveling on each site, checking out something interesting, and i came across on this site which provide information on the '15 best diet tips ever'
That is kinda interesting to be shared with everyone, that star with :
Best Diet Tip No. 1: Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages.
Best Diet Tip No. 2: Think about what you can add to your diet, not what you should take away.
Best Diet Tip No. 3: Consider whether you're really hungry.
Best Diet Tip No. 4: Be choosy about nighttime snacks.
Best Diet Tip No. 5: Enjoy your favorite foods.
Best Diet Tip No. 6: Enjoy your treats away from home.
Best Diet Tip No. 7: Eat several mini-meals during the day.
Best Diet Tip No. 8: Eat protein at every meal.
Best Diet Tip No. 9: Spice it up.
Best Diet Tip No. 10: Stock your kitchen with healthy convenience foods.
Best Diet Tip No. 11: Order children's portions at restaurants.
Best Diet Tip No. 12: Eat foods in season.
Best Diet Tip No. 13: Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables.
Best Diet Tip No. 14: Use non-food alternatives to cope with stress.
Best Diet Tip No. 15: Be physically active.
More information can be obtain from here
The day has come !0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 1:29 AM
Finally its friday, where it would be the day where i go back to JB for my short holiday. Can't hardly wait to smell the fresh JB air again, which actually is not that fresh i guess.
By the way the day just started, with a cancel on the 9am class (ABIT), so here i'm stuck with only one class for the day which is at 11am (MPWagama).
So here i'm with my hawaii design shorts typing this, without thinking of going to shower yet, as i'm still excited to go back.
So who ever is going back to their home town then have a safe journey then.
Mark Appleyard ! Who ??0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 4:26 AM
Presenting the NO.1 skater 2 me !
Well who else could it except Mark Mppleyard.
Damn awesome with his consistent shredding, and perfect transaction on every tricks that he ever want to land it, check him out !
Cant wait to get back and flip the streets clean !!7 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 4:15 AM
Finally the day is almost at dawn, as i'm coming back to JB tomorrow.
The only think that kept me thinking now is,
"how much i miss my FREAKING baby that is lock up in the store"
may be some of u kept thinking on "what the fuck is that?"
well the answer is that my deck that i adore so much, we have been during good and bad time's. Just cant wait to get it out, and shred it any obstacle or ledge that i ever see. That's what we call as obtaining EXTREME fever.
Sabar yewk bb ku syg, i'll be back for ya
Alesana - Ambrosia0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 1:20 PM
I don't know why, but i cant stop hearing this song.. damn You rock guys !!
A touch of poison seals my fate
the dawn echoes the night with my glory...the sun himself honors me
once king of roses, now lord of gold
the Gods themselves envy my hand
blessed with the gift of gilded touch
fate wields its knife to cut the thread
I curse the day my dream became my descent
suddenly I long for you, my only love
in my perfection I have no want
yet eyes still glint with greed untold
a folly as fatal as sin has now become the end of me
I curse the day my dream became my descent
suddenly I long for you, my only love
have I not earned this, the gift of beauty within?
how selfish were the Gods to keep their riches from my rightful treasure?
I truly have become one of them...my fatal flaw
oh yeah! Ive got her hook, line, and sinker!
thanks to me, shes her own new necklace!
now shes good as gold!
I curse the day my dream became my descent
suddenly I long for you, my only love
Another day pass by !7 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 10:16 AM
What a tiring day, got 2 classes today. One is at 10-12am while another is at 4-5pm.
Got nothing else to do during the break except enjoying my PSP and hanging out at home, while waiting for the time to past by to the end of the week, as i'm planning to go back to JB. Probably theyre i'll be watching some movie's at the cinema "Except harry potter !" since i heard so many negative impression on the movie that make me think "Wasting of my $$ !!" rather i watch transformers again and again, it has better graphic and action that suit my taste. No matter what i'll plan something up when i get back to entertained my self then.
Well hopefully tomorrow be a better day then guys (Cross my fingers)
Michael Jackson is Murderd !!0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 3:46 PM
LOS ANGELES: the death of the the king of pop Michael Jackson is has been investigated as a murder case, after yesterday a autopsy is being made has prove, showing that he has been given a overdose quantity of medicine, that has been injected in his body.
According to Michael friend which is one of the close relative of his family, Terry Harvey, the police has informed michael family that they have suspected the killer for this couple of days, and investigation is being made.
According to the police report, the suspek is the person who is incharge isn giving Michael the intensive treatment, and taking care of him.
Information is being taken by the Metro newspaper, link
David Blaine Street Magic: YouTube Edition!0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 8:27 AM
This is like the most stupid David Blaine wanna be in action on you tube, check it out !
And tell me how hilarious it is, cause truly it really fucked me up so much here.
I could roll around giggling just watching this video again n again n again.
N CHECK OUT THE FREAKING STARE after each magic trick that the freaking guy did.
David Blaine Street Magic 1
David Blaine Street Magic 2
David Blaine Street Magic 3
Kapersky 2010 is out !! Give it a try for FREE0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 2:58 AM
Check this out, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 which is known as the backbone of the most best PC's security system that i DO RECOMMEND (as i'm using it for ages), offering protection from a range of IT threats, and damn its freaking good.
Instruction for activation KAV/KIS 2010:
1). Enter 4GYPT-HXHZZ-Z6RK2-WR1HR in activation window
2). Activation will fail
3). After this step you will see an other option
4). Now you can choose activate with keyfile from keys directory
5). Press OK button and enjoy program
Keys for Kaspersky Antivirus 2010 (not for KIS 2010!):
^ above
P.S: Also you can download KAV/KIS keys from kavkiskey.com!
Thanks to Kaspersky LAB for the GREAT program, and damn they did a freaking good job!
Download site :
DOWNLOAD KIS Filefactory
DOWNLOAD KIS Filefactory
Download Filefactory - 2 in 1 KAV & KIS
Family day in KL !!0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 2:44 PM
Just got back from KL. n truly damn its so freaking exhausting. we had our family day where all my mothers bro and sis gather around in Ampang just to hang out, eat, eat, eat, sleep, sleep, and do nothing of course just to chill around and spend some family time together. Ohhh !! yeah not forgetting playing with the small kids, kinda cute at first, but when they start to kick your ass, it would be a HUGE problem.
Scary rite !!
By the way my cute cousin is trying to do a peace symbol with his finger while is shoot some pic, and damn it looks HARD !!
Free online activation for kapersky 2009 internet security0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 8:34 AM
I've been using this key for age's. And when ever it get busted, the only thing i have to do is :
1) Delete previous key
2) Reactivate the same key again and again and again
Trust me ! it 100% works.. kinda cool thought.
So who ever wanna give it a try then just reactivate the key
Activation key : Mpq9t-eazhx-9s3gf-x2y3z
Any problem, please do ask ok..
Another day in college, NEED HELP HERE !5 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 5:36 AM
Another boring day in college, starts at 10-11 a.m.
Where a early morning wake up would start the day, how i wish i could still continue my holiday..
kinda miss my freedom then.
Well truly i have no clue what to do now as class has ended, give me some suggestion guys on what can i do during my free time here, except sleeping my ass off all day..
Finally the new harry potter coming out TOMORROW !!0 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 3:21 AM
It must be a shock as finally the new harry potter and the half blood prince is going to be played officially tomorrow. As this is the box office movie that every kids, adults, and even old person is craving for. Not sure whether is rite, but i'm having a slight feeling that the headmaster in the school is going to get killed on this episode by snape, whether is true or not, who knows.
Just keep me inform guys as how the movie goes on?
CAUSE i wouldn't have the chance to watch it SADLY, OR NOT...
So have fun with the movie then all !!
The start of the FINAL sem !!3 comments Posted by Syed Salleh at 2:09 PM
I would like to start with ah HELL YEAH !! as finally the final semester come's..
where after all the hardwork and dedication towards this course is going to end in this final sem..
So during this period of time i'm stuck with two subject which is ABIT (where the subject is more specify in creating of a software, hopefully is not by using the VB software)
While the other is the subject that i fear the most which is the Sejarah agame (which is about the history of the islam religion) AND truly that's the subject that i fear the most..
as i believe that the only two subject that i cant cope with is history and math's..
Pray for me guys, hopefully i'll make it on this final sem, and achieve what i'm working hard for.


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Thank you for your vote!
You have already voted!
Lesllie Bovee
- AKA: Leslie Boivee, Leslie Boveé, Leslie Boveen, Leslie Dubuex, Lesllie Bovel
Biography: Porn Star Leslie Bovee is a ribald brunette with an appetite for lust who was one of the top stars of 1970's erotica. Leslie Bovee was a breasty little trollop who savored sex in all its forms and was always ready to go that one step further for the benefit of her viewing public. Leslie Bovee was very pretty, and came across like a sexually available substitute teacher that you always dreamed would show up at your high school. Leslie Bovee was definitely a fine example of the 70's liberated woman, taking control of and responsibility for her own sexuality without a hint of shyness or guilt. Leslie Bovee was into sex without strings, spouting a free love philosophy that she really did live by. Leslie Bovee always enjoyed herself on camera, and felt that sex was nothing if it wasn't fun. She appeared in over 50 features between 1975 and 1980, reveling in group sex and huge studs. One of her best performances can be found in 1977's 'Eruption,' where she takes on John Holmes in a trio of torrid trysts. Her sexual energy never flagged, and Leslie Bovee was always ready for more. Other memorable films featuring this smiling and lovable woman are 'The Ecstasy Girls,' 'Champagne For Breakfast,' and 'Maraschino Cherry.' She has been inducted into both the XRCO and AVN Performers' Halls of Fame, an honor she earned with years of top-notch on-screen sexing that has rarely been rivaled. Leslie Bovee currently lives and works in San Francisco, where she says she pursues 'a sexually, politically and socially free lifestyle.' Here's wishing Leslie Bovee all the peace and love she could want. Right on.
- Birthday: May 1, 1949
- Astrology: Taurus
- Birthplace: Bend, United States
- Years Active: 1976 - 2008
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Nationality/Heritage: American
- Hair Color: Brown
- Measurements: n/a
- Height: n/a
- Weight: n/a
- Tattoo: n/a
- Piercing: n/a
- Frequent partners: Annette Haven, John Holmes, John Leslie, Paul Thomas, Vanessa Del Rio
- Website: n/a
As Actress (68)
Movie Title
Essex Video
Caballero Classics
Essex Video
Alpha Blue Archives
Caballero Classics
Military Classified
Caballero Classics
Diamond Films
Caballero Classics
Excalibur Films
LBO Entertainment
Kemal Enterprises
Alpha Blue Archives
LBO Entertainment
Electric Hollywood
Electric Hollywood
Alpha Blue Archives
Caballero Classics
No actors found here. Please visit this page later.


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"There are a lot of fun, upbeat songs on this new album. It's very diverse and kind of all over the map," says Keifer Thompson. "The songs on the album are autobiographical and tell the story of our journey over the last few years – an incredible journey that I am still trying to wrap my head around."
"Only a few years ago we were playing to 5 people a night down on Lower Broadway in Nashville," adds Shawna Thompson. "Over the last couple of years we've been blessed to play to crowds of 30,000 people touring with Jason Aldean, Lady A and Luke Bryan. So many of our dreams have come true and it's so much sweeter because I've gotten to share them with not only my husband but my best friend."
Keifer and Shawna Thompson co-wrote 5 of the 13 songs on the album alongside such heavyweights as GRAMMY Award winner Brett James ("Jesus Take the Wheel") and GRAMMY nominated songwriter and artist David Lee Murphy ("Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not").
Other notable collaborations include the album's title track, "Just Feels Good," which was written by chart-topper Bobby Pinson alongside Brad and Brett Warren (The Warren Brothers).
Track Listing:
1. Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About
2. Here We Go Again
3. You Don't Get Lucky
4. That's So Me And You
5. I Can't Outrun You
6. Testing The Water
7. For The Life Of Me
8. If I Didn't Have You
9. Here's To Being Here
10. Just Feels Good
11. Maybe It's You
12. Run
13. Home Is You


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Those who don't have dedicated ebook reader device like Kindle or other device or those who don't have books in mobi , epub formats or other mobile device formats will generally have them as PDFs. So we mainly have our e-books as PDF files and read them not only on our desktops but also on laptops and smaller screen Netbooks.
Here's a small tip for reading these PDFs comfortably on our PC. Let us read them in Full Screen. Open the ebook in PDF readers like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader. (I use Foxit because of its small footprint, lightweight and its enough for my requirements).
- For this Press F11 . Though it makes it full screen but the magnification reduces as it brings the whole page within the screen which makes it normally unreadable.
- Next press Ctrl+M , which brings 'Zoom To' window . Press down arrow key to change the magnification to 100 or 125%. Once its set , now the page is Full screen with 100% magnification which makes it best to read the books even on Netbooks.
- Use the Down arrow key to scroll the page, left/right arrow to jump to previous/next page.
- Using Mouse scroll wheel to scroll, right click button for Next and Left click for previous can also be more comfortable.
When the pages are in full screen mode , one cant access any other open app or Windows task bar without pressing the ESC key and thus disturbing our full screen e-book reader settings. For this Press Alt+tab to cycle through open apps and select/switch to the required app and again switch back to PDF reading using the ALt+tab key.
Hope this small tip will make your PDFs reading more enjoyable.


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Author Archives: sportsfan718
New-look Nets Ranked Second in ESPN Poll
ESPN Insider Tom Haberstroh ranked the Nets second behind the Miami Heat in his Eastern Conference Power Rankings for July. According to Haberstroh:
With the additions of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Andrei Kirilenko, Shaun Livingston and Jason Terry, this might be the deepest team in the league. A lot of ink (err, bandwidth) has been spilled on the aging core, but let's not forget that their two best players — Deron Williams and Brook Lopez — are in their primes.
The Kirilenko addition should do wonders to keep Pierce and Garnett fresh for the playoffs, which will be huge with their lofty goals for next season. There's a very real possibility that the Nets show their age and fail to make strides in 2013-14, but they've cooled those concerns with a monster bench.
The Nets (on paper) may arguably be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but I think it's little premature to give them a #2 ranking. The Indiana Pacers grew leaps and bounds in the playoffs without Danny Granger and a legitimate bench. In the offseason, the Pacers have not only retained a key piece in David West for another three years, they've also added players (C.J. Watson, Chris Copeland, Luis Scola) to bolster their bench. Considering its offseason additions, the run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Granger's return and the emergence of big man Roy Hibbert and Paul George, Indiana should be held in higher regard. The Chicago Bulls are also a team not to sneeze at. Even without the services of Derrick Rose, Chicago gave the Heat and Nets fits during the regular season and postseason. Now that Rose is healthy, along with the offseason addition of sharp shooter Mike Dunleavy Jr., the Bulls figure to be better than they were a season ago and are just as talented as the Nets and Pacers to contend with the Heat for supremacy in the East. My Eastern Conference Power Ranking:
- Heat
- Pacers
- Bulls
- Nets
Would you agree?
Nets Survive Scare in the Valley of the Sun
Here's a game clip from NBA.com:
For the second straight game on this eight-game road trip, the Nets found themselves in a competitive battle against a Western conference foe. Only this time, the final score was in favor of the Nets. Brooklyn held on to a 102-100 win over the Phoenix Suns, who could have sent the game into overtime if reserve forward Hamed Haddadi had connected on a putback at the end of regulation. Continue reading
Clippers Clip Nets
Brooklyn had no answer for Clippers guard Chris Paul and his pick-and-rolls in the second half. Paul scored 17 of his game-high 29 points to lead Los Angeles to a 101-95 win over the Nets at the Staples Center Saturday night. Brooklyn held its own against one of the Western conference's best teams. Up to the closing seconds in regulation, the game was in doubt for the Clippers. After a timeout, Deron Williams hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 99-95 with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. But that was the closest Brooklyn got because the Clippers iced the game at the free throw line. Williams and Lopez each scored 18 in the loss for the Nets, who will look to rebound when they take on the lowly Suns in Phoenix on Sunday.
Related articles
- Chris Paul leads Clippers past Nets (newsday.com)
Nets Clinch Playoff Berth
When the Philadelphia 76ers lost 101-100 to the streaking Denver Nuggets– winners of 14 straight–Brooklyn clinched a playoff berth for the first time in five years. The Nets (40-28) are vastly improved from last year's team (then the New Jersey Nets) that won only 12 games. Two factors have been instrumental to the Nets success this season: the productivity of Brook Lopez and the firing of Avery Johnson. Lopez has been nothing short of spectacular when he's been healthy (he missed some games earlier in the season because of an ankle injury). He's averaging 19 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and was named to his first All-Star team. As for the firing of Coach Avery Johnson, it was a decision that I did not agree with. But it's easier to dispose of a coach than it is with players for underperformance. Since the firing, Brooklyn's record is 26-14. Unfortunately for Johnson, the Nets' recent success speaks to how desperately they needed a new voice to salvage a promising season.
Nets Top Mavs
Deron Williams came to play Wednesday, leading the Nets to a 113-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. He was unstoppable especially in the second half, scoring 26 of his 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting. Continue reading
Brooklyn Edges Knicks in MLK Matinee
Here's a game clip from NBA.com:
Joe Johnson has enjoyed playing the role of Mr. Clutch this season. His jumper with 22 seconds left lifted the Nets to 88-85 win over the NY Knicks at MSG today. Johnson finished the contest with 25 points; Deron Williams added 14 points and 12 assists. Carmelo Anthony scored 29 for the Knicks but shot only 11-of-29 from the field and was 0-for-6 in the fourth quarter. This is a good win not only for Brooklyn, who splits the season series with their crosstown rival, but also for the metropolitan area, which now has the privilege of having two premier basketball teams playing in its backyard. The Nets have won 11 of 13 under P.J. Carlesimo and will look to avenge an early season loss to the T-wolves when they face off again in Minnesota on Wednesday.
Nets Beat Hawks in Rematch
Deron Williams poured in a game-high 24 points to lead the Nets to a 94-89 win over the Atlanta Hawks at the Barclays center Wednesday night. Continue reading
Hawks Stop Streaking Nets
The Brooklyn Nets' seven-game win streak came to an unceremonious end Wednesday night after losing to the Atlanta Hawks, 109-95, at Philips Arena. Though without the services of star player, Josh Smith, who was suspended a game for poor conduct, the Hawks were efficient on offense. Guards Jeff Teague and Devin Harris (former Net) combined for 46 points and 16 assists. Continue reading
Brooklyn Continues its Winning Ways Versus Raptors
Brooklyn extended its winning streak to seven games after topping the Toronto Raptors, 113-106 at Barclays center on Tuesday. The Nets had five players in double figures. Brook Lopez had 22 points and nine rebounds. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson each scored 21 points. The top reserves for the Nets, Andray Blatche and Mirza Teletovic accounted for 24 points off a Brooklyn bench that scored a season-high 40. Continue reading


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If you scan the internet, especially blogs, for WoW addiction you will find some interesting opinions out there. [Edit: 1/25/08 - Read this interesting blog.] Here's my take on it with my recent bout of WoW addiction.
Last Friday, my laptop went out. I took it back to Best Buy to have them look at it. I purchased it last April and so at least it's covered by the protection plan. I haven't heard back from them yet, but the guy thought it was due to the video card being burnt out. He then told me that if that's gone the motherboard will have to be replaced. I'm an idiot when it comes to computers. The last time I felt caught up on the whole computer thing was when the Tandy 1000 was the computer of choice.
Well, Best Buy had to send the laptop back for repairs. I should get it back by the end of next week. I've actually managed to go a week without playing WoW. I deserve a medal! Actually it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. But I've had a crutch to lean on. Call of Duty 4!!! I also spent the time to finally complete Assassin's Creed as well. Both are great games and diversions from WoW.
I never played a MMORPG before. Refused to purchase any game that required a monthly fee out of principle. Felt that I already paid the game, why keep paying? Anyway, I fell for it and wish I'd done it sooner. I have to admit that I'm one of the people spending about 4 hours a night and 8 hours/day on the weekends playing WoW.
How did I get addicted to WoW? My wife can't figure it out and doesn't understand the obsession. She also regrets that it was her idea to buy the game in the first place. We were at the store buying the laptop for her. I was looking around and saw the game and expressed mild curiosity about the game, mostly because the new expansion came out and I had read about the success Blizzard was having with it. I still couldn't understand why anyone would pay a monthly fee though. Since my wife always has a guilty conscience whenever she spends money, she suggested I pick it up and play it for 30 days. I guess she didn't think I'd get hooked! LOL! Her bad!
What is it that addicts me? Well originally it was the new experience of learning a class, getting talents, learning skills, upgrading weapons/armor, questing, exploring, etc. Now that I'm finally level 70, it's about getting that blasted epic flying mount, getting to Karazhan, daily quests, and getting tier 4 armor. Eventually I want to get tier 6, but I need to remember to take baby steps. I kept trying to get tier 4, but wasn't geared for it. Finally I got into the battlegrounds to get the Ornamented Gladiator's Armor. I finally have all that. There are a couple of more items I'd like to get, but I think I burned myself out on the BGs for now.
So I'm addicted to WoW! But I don't care! It's my escape from the real world, helps me calm down after a rough day, and is something I thoroughly enjoy. I just need to remember; I have a family and need to spend time with them. As long as I'm able to find that balance, I should be OK. I've been able to cope without playing a little better than I thought I would, but I do miss it. Hopefully, I only have to endure this one more week. Maybe this was a good thing for me. Hopefully it will refresh me for when I get back. I have to admit that the last month was starting to get real repetitive and I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere.
Anyway, Blizzard knows how to cater to my addiction and to everyone else's apparently. Give us the satisfaction of working hard at something and we'll keep coming back for more. I can't wait until Wrath of the Lich King comes out!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
World of Warcraft Addiction
Posted by Kyrilean at Thursday, January 24, 2008
Labels: Addiction
No comments:
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Ok, so I came across several pictures that I had saved on my camera & just hadn't posted. So, this is a rather large post. As you'll notice, these first few are REALLY old. (You'll not only notice the snow but also Peytie's long hair!) Enjoy!
Ridin' my bike while dad tries to clean up some of the ice in the gutters.
This was obviously awhile ago. This was the last heavy snow we got. Joe kept very busy with snow & ice removal for weeks!
My cheesy girl...
We've had several really nice days lately so we've taken a couple trips to the park. Peytie LOVES the park!
We stopped by Grammy & Papa's house on the way back from the park one day & hung out with Luke & Matthew for a bit. Fun in the sandbox!
Peyton really enjoys posing for the camera (sometimes).
Play/Fight time with Addie! (They really DO love each other.)
Well, I hope to get better about posting more often. With spring right around the corner - I plan to start taking more pictures. (I'll try.)