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This story was written for JAustenLover and Durameter for The Fandom Gives Back: Eclipse. I can't thank them enough for their generosity, both for donating to such a great cause, and for letting me share this with all of you. They've also been pretty damned patient waiting for me to finish this, if you ask me.
Nominally, this is an expansion of a one-shot I wrote during the Twi25 last year, but it ended up growing into something much larger than that. The finished story will be told in 13 chapters and approximately 50,000 words.
Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Everything Phantom of the Opera belongs to Andrew Lloyd Weber, Charles Hart and Gaston Leroux. (While this is not in any real sense a cross-over fic, the importance of the latter will become clear in the next couple of chapters.)
Thanks to antiaol, bmango and hunterhunting for their help, commas and kind words.
And now, without further ado, I present to you … PhantomWard.
Chapter 1: The Music Of The Night
In 1918, Edward Masen wakes from a sleep of fire and ash, his eyes opening to stare up into a cold, golden gaze. For a moment, there is disorientation. Silence.
And then the world is a cacophony of sound. Voices. Darkness. With his hands over his ears, Edward finds himself in a crouch in a corner of a room he doesn't know, the floor tiles cracking beneath his feet as he shifts. The golden eyes are in front of him again, one voice ringing out just slightly louder than the others. After a few moments that feel like hours, Edward realizes that this voice, alone amongst the hundreds waging war inside his skull, matches the motion of the lips before him.
"Edward? Edward? My name is Carlisle Cullen. You're safe. You were dying, but now you're safe."
The word lifts something to the front of Edward's consciousness, and he scans his body for signs of injury. Finding nothing, he begins to breathe more easily, relaxing slightly, until the sound and sensation of his breath make him notice what he doesn't feel.
His heart.
Shuddering, Edward sinks even deeper into his crouch, his hands still tight around his ears.
Finally, he finds words for the question pressing hotly against his lungs. "Am I dead?"
On some level, he wishes he was.
The loudest voice says, "No. Not exactly."
But another voice, one that hovers just above the fog of all the others, says, Yes. For this is no real life.
I'm sorry.
Edward's first year of unlife passes in a rush of blood and the search for blood. He finds an uneasy companionship with Carlisle, who he learns is his creator. Sometimes, Edward stares at the man and mulls over that word.
In another life, it meant a very different thing to him, and while Carlisle may resemble some sort of a god, he is not Edward's God.
But then again, Edward never expects to see his God again.
The two of them quickly depart the city of Edward's birth – the only place that he has ever really known – and they leave behind almost everything that Edward ever thought of as home. As the brick and stone give way to prairie and then woods, the chaos in Edward's head slowly lessens, and the ache that cannot be silenced at least becomes something he can bear.
They take up residence in a cabin far from anything that could tempt Edward's control. Together, they pass many nights in conversation about what it means to be what they are. About vampires. Carlisle explains the difficult truce he has made between his conscience and his desires, and about how animal blood, while unsatisfying, is enough to keep him strong.
Edward says little in response, the taste of grass and earth and thin, weak life leaving a bitter sensation on his tongue. Conversation, which once came so easily to him, is almost impossible now. He hears the words that come from Carlisle's mouth, but he also hears a different, conflicting point of view. The two voices overlap and dovetail, but sometimes they dramatically diverge. In moments of confusion, Edward sometimes answers the wrong one, and he must run far into the surrounding woods to find any sort of peace inside his head.
Alone beneath a canopy of pine and sky, he finds some solace in silence. Swallowing down watery, earthy blood, he buries corpses and exhumes memories that are almost as thin as the liquid he forces down his throat. Carlisle has told him that to hold on to his human memories – and, by turn, his humanity – he should access them as much as possible in this first wild and thirsty year. But it is difficult.
Over and over, he recalls images of a father he watched slip into death and of a mother that, through the fog of fever and fire, he didn't. He tries to remember what it felt like to be home, but the essence of the memory escapes him, time and time again.
One night, he returns from his lonely wandering to his and Carlisle's cabin full of a new set of scents, a strange amalgam of pine and spruce and steel. Carlisle is nowhere to be found, but there is a warmth to a place that Edward is not accustomed to, and he follows the glowing currents of air to the living room to find it occupied.
Not by someone. But by something.
And by so, so, so many memories.
The sight of the instrument and of the bench set in front of a row of black and white keys opens something strange inside of him, a coolness easing the burn he has suffered since the moment he awoke to this unlife. He feels the phantom of a pulse in the center of his chest, where he used to have a heart, and suddenly there is a picture in his mind.
Inside it, he is a boy. A child, really. A woman with red hair and green eyes sits by his side, and together they move their hands with abandon over keys, creating something beautiful as sound and careless melody blend with laughter and with … love.
The memory of love is one that has eluded Edward in these long, bloodthirsty weeks, and he almost feels his knees give out beneath him, the stone of his new body wanting to melt to flesh and bone beneath the weight of emotions that are too powerful for him to carry alone. Staggering, he makes his way toward the piano and sits too heavily, the hardwood flexing beneath his thighs.
The first note fills the room and his empty chest, but it is accompanied by a crack and the smell of fresh ivory as it is exposed to the air. The second is equally satisfying but more sour, the end distorted by a piece of wire stretching and then snapping. The third hears the breaking of a hammer and the obliteration of a key, and Edward is already relearning all over again that vampires cannot cry by the time his hands move automatically for a chord that he remembers his mother teaching him.
As the three keys depress at once, the entire front of the piano collapses, a host of wires surrendering en masse to the call of non-being, steel and wood all giving. With a dry sob, Edward looks at the destruction his monstrous hands have wrought through the blur of dry, unsatisfying sobs, his fist coming down on the top of the piano as he abruptly stands.
He flees back into the woods, leaving behind him the shattered ruins of the piano, and with it, the broken shards of his lost memory.
Of his love.
And of his humanity.
Edward sits in silence in the parlor of his and Carlisle's new home. Slowly, over the course of three difficult, trying years, he has come to exercise control over himself. The thirst which once consumed him and the voices which nearly drove him mad are all more manageable now, the torment of his throat and of his mind both fading. While he still prefers to spend most of his time in solitude, he has come to recognize a third player in the delicate balance of needs.
In deference to his heart, his throat and his mind have both needed to be tamed.
Time has given him perspective on his relationship with the vampire that created him, and Edward is now at a loss for what he would do without Carlisle's friendship. While he still does not understand all of his companion's compunctions, he knows that the loneliness that lives deep within his heart would fester were it not for Carlisle and for the brushes with humans that they now have in their life on the edge of town.
And so, for the sake of that friendship, he forsakes the blood of humans and tolerates the voices he can never completely silence. He gives up and gives in, and finds that a half-life is better than no life at all, and that the sacrifice of everything he was, and of so much of what, as a vampire, he could be, is acceptable, if not necessarily comfortable.
His ruminations are brought to a sudden end with the sound of voices approaching the house, and Edward instantly abandons his book and falls into a defensive posture near the door. With some concentration, he realizes that one of the silent voices is Carlisle's, but the tenor of the other, unknown mind is so unsettling that he cannot let his guard down completely.
Kill me … Die … Baby … Why?
There is wordless agony in and amongst the disconnected words, and Edward's own abdomen coils in reflex.
He recognizes this agony.
With the memory of flames licking hotly at his heels, he rushes forth from the house to meet Carlisle and a woman whose body is utterly broken. From multiple wounds along her neck and ankles and wrists, she is seeping blood, and there is a taste, too, of venom in the air.
Jumped. Couldn't let her die. Not her.
Carlisle's physical voice is rendered useless by worry, but Edward takes the disjointed thoughts and assembles them in his head. There are memories there, none of which Edward has ever seen in full before, although at times he is certain he has caught passing glances. A girl. A broken leg. Warm thoughts and a feeling of possessiveness.
And love.
Already, there is love.
Mate. My mate. Esme.
"Carlisle." Edward's voice is choked and flat. He has been told about the idea of vampires and their mates, and in flashes of memory, Edward has heard that word pass in a ghostly wisp through Carlisle's thoughts.
There is another rush of panic through them both as the woman's body shivers and wracks, the air split by a piercing scream, and Carlisle is also a wreck.
Let her survive. Let her forgive me. Let her want this life.
Please. Please. Let her want me.
Prayers are no less potent when they bypass frozen lips, and Edward realizes that his friend is suffering with every wracking sob and shudder coming from this woman. From Esme. From Carlisle's mate.
Sucking down the bittern knowledge that, even when seen through the fog of fire, Carlisle was not nearly so destroyed during his transformation, Edward springs into action, moving ahead to open the door to their home and preparing an unused, unnecessary bed. Carlisle's gratitude, while palpable, is only offered silently and without words as he sinks down onto the mattress, Esme's shattered body still held tightly in his arms.
Certain that they are alright and that there is nothing more that he can do, Edward retreats, feeling for the first time that he is unneeded and unwelcome in his own home. For a few hours, he sits in silent support, until the audible and inaudible torrents of Esme's pain become to much for him.
Out in the cool night air, he is alone again.
Uncertain what he is seeking or fleeing, Edward runs. For hundreds and hundreds of miles, he runs.
But the festering feeling of his own obsolescence still chases him.
A year after Esme's scarlet eyes snap open, Edward finds it hard to believe that he ever had a difficult time remembering the concept of love.
Or that he had never, in those three long years before her arrival, considered physical love.
The woods have become more of a home to him than the secluded cottage that the three of them now ostensibly share. Edward winds up in the forest often, seeking escape from the things that his two companions now share, and yet which he feels quite certain that he will never, ever be party to.
Even as he nears the property line, thoughts of all-consuming, passionate love overwhelm him, and in the thoughts he cannot push out, there is a new kind of cacophony. He is bombarded with images of skin and sensations of wet sliding, with open mouths and depraved combinations of lips and hands and sex.
At the unwelcome reaction of his own body, Edward turns, his form soon ensconced again inside the crook of an aging tree. The sounds of love and love-making and mating are out of range, but there is no way to push the images from his mind. He tries, though. In his head, he recites poems and performs the most complex calculations he can manage, but still the pressures inside his body persist until his own need becomes yet another voice he cannot push away.
With reluctance, he takes a hand to unsatisfied flesh, indulging in a necessary but unsavory orgasm, venom spilling uselessly to the forest floor. With the physical act of release, he finds his mind is once more clear.
But still, he does not dare return.
On so many levels, there is already no home for him to go to.
For hours, Edward stares at the painting. It is old, he knows. Older than himself, and already, nine years into his unlife, he feels ancient.
Over the past few years since Esme's transformation, he and the two of them have reached something of an understanding. More than once, he has offered them his absence and their privacy, but each time, they have declined. Slowly, he has come to understand that, while not exactly necessary to their union, he is not entirely unwelcome either.
And so he has continued to make a home with them.
After all, he has nowhere else to go.
This new house that they are settling into is larger than the last few have been, and Carlisle has sent for more of his things with which to fill the space. The most fascinating of them all, for Edward, is the painting.
In it, he recognizes the hard lines of bodies made of stone but hidden beneath silk and brocade. Vampires, all of them, he is sure. As if their postures and complexions were not enough, Edward can tell what they are from the sight of their glowing, crimson eyes. They look regal, he thinks. Commanding. On the cusp of life instead of hidden amongst its shadows.
All of them, that is, except one.
In the back of the scene, Edward recognizes a head of dirty blond hair and a glimmer of gold. Even in the picture, there is a haughtiness to Carlisle's countenance, and a distance that he keeps from everyone around him. Clenching his fists, Edward wonders what it must have been like to choose a life of denial – to live forever in a shadow of humanity in the face of so much glorious and unabashed immortality.
Inside himself, Edward feels a coiling. A strength that he has put such pain to moderating. A chorus of unchecked voices that he has bent his will to ignoring.
And he wonders what it would be like to set all of that free. To become a monster and a god.
To become me.
The thought gives him pause, but he lets it roll around in his mouth for a while. The idea that he could be something other than the shell of a not-quite-man he has become is tempting, and the painting just reminds him that there are others who do not deny temptation and who do not deny themselves.
Edward has become so very, very tired of sacrifice.
Silent voices and the quiet opening and closing of doors alerts Edward to the fact that he is no longer alone with his musings, and he takes the few moments before Carlisle joins him to check his thoughts and to regather his wits and his restraint around him.
Carlisle's footsteps move up the stairs , and Edward feels the rush of air as his only friend enters the room and joins him.
Troubled, Edward? Carlisle thinks. Through Carlisle's eyes, Edward takes in a shifting vision of the room, until finally the sight matches that of his own eyes. Ah, I see. The Volturi.
Carlisle has spoken to Edward before about his time in Italy with that oldest and most powerful coven of vampires, but it is only since this painting arrived that Edward has begun to regard Carlisle's memories with something like envy.
You remember them, Edward.
"Of course, I do."
Pure decadence. Excess. But a tight respect for the law. Theirs is a fascinating society.
"Excess," Edward scoffs. The untapped strength in his joints tightens again.
Yes, Edward. Excess. How else would you describe a complete disregard for human life?
There is a high chuckle in Edward's ears, and too late he acknowledges to himself that it is his own. He cannot hold the irony back from his voice. "Oh, I don't know, Carlisle. Perhaps I might call it 'being a vampire.'"
"Edward." Carlisle's spoken voice is even enough, but his thoughts, Edward realizes, are chaos. Memories churn past his inner eyes. Memories of blood and thirst and denial. Of being the only one in a room to still be wanting when everyone else is sated.
It's a feeling that, in other, equally carnal ways, Edward knows far too well.
It's a feeling he is tired of.
Another rush of air shifts through the room, and Esme appears at Carlisle's side. Edward can read in her thoughts that she was surprised to hear Carlisle's voice, since typically he prefers to speak to Edward through his thoughts alone. In silent support, she wraps herself around her mate's pliant, willing body, and already their thoughts are starting to turn.
To flesh.
To stone and wet and to loving in the dark.
And suddenly, the twin visions of the two of them, arm in arm, heart in heart, maddeningly and utterly in love, strikes Edward cold. He lets his gaze dart from their golden eyes to the ruby ones that seem to stare at him from the surface of the picture.
It is as if Edward is surrounded, and if he still needed air, it would alarm him that he is markedly unable to breathe. All around him, all he can see are the things he cannot have. The pieces of humanity that are forbidden to him and the joys of vampirism that he has never given into.
Love. Sex. Blood.
And suddenly, his half-life is nowhere near enough. His throat and his mind and his heart all speak as one when they tell him that it is. Not. Enough.
A new thirst opens up as he stares at bewildered golden eyes and at knowing, satiated scarlet ones.
For the first time, Edward wants.
And he will no longer be denied.
He will no longer deny everything that could make this life enough.
His eyes widen, and he laughs.
"Carlisle, my friend," he says quietly. "Esme."
Edward pauses, looking around himself one more time.
And then, finally, he whispers, "Goodbye."
For the first time in ten long years, Edward Masen feels alive.
Pushing the chalk-white corpse away from him, he runs his tongue across his lips, feeling flushed and full and strong. The lush taste of the most potent blood still lingers on his teeth, and he is greedy, seeking, after so much time of self-denial, to catch it all.
There is only the tiniest twitch of remorse as he drags the lifeless shell of a man on whom he has fed over a ragged road of cobblestones. If anything, he deposits the body into the sewer with calculated efficiency, his mind already bent to the next hunt. His next feast.
Edward always wants more.
Sticking to the shadows which no longer confine but which embolden him, Edward listens to the night, life coursing through him with a warm and spreading flush. He lets the blood that he has stolen strengthen him, making him run faster and jump farther, taking to the rooftops of buildings for no reason beyond the simple joy of doing so.
And of being what he is now.
A monster.
A god.
Laughing, he spreads his arms to the sky and takes in the stars with blood-red eyes. Nights like this, high on the lust and on the kill, it is easy to convince himself that it is all worthwhile. That he does not miss his friend or the clarity in his mind when he practiced some level of restraint. That the loss of human life means nothing to him.
That he does not feel every single victim's pain.
No. Please.
His thoughts are cut off by the silent voice inside his mind. There is a flash of panic and a jolt of pain. Another voice. Triumph. Sadistic exultation. The pleasure of a bone snapping and of hardened flesh meeting air and then an unwilling, straining thigh.
Edward descends from the rooftop and follows the shadows to the source of the voices. He takes in the scene and the impending murder and rape with detached and calculating eyes.
Falling into a crouch, for just one moment, he pauses. And then the strength in all his limbs is releasing, his hands closing around an arm, snapping it, and he revels in the power.
There is a certain sadistic … joy in it.
A pleasure, even.
A tiny itch appears in the back of his skull as he recognizes that one similarity between himself and his prey, but he shrugs it off nonchalantly, not choosing to hear his old friend's voice in his ear. Instead, he lets the blood and the call of blood sing through him, letting his prey's victim fall backward as surprised and dying hands release her. Edward is only cognizant enough of her frantic eyes and of the need for discretion to retreat a few steps back before he drains the man.
Back into the shadows.
Back into memories of pain.
No. Please.
The same thoughts that called him to the scene echo through his head as he lets his teeth rest against warm and pulsing flesh. Edward savors the aroma of lust and life beneath that thin layer of skin and tries not to listen.
But there is only so much he can do.
As always, Edward experiences the kill from two different points of view. The strongest is his own, a delicious feeling of power and of flesh, rent and tearing. A taste of hot, rich blood across his tongue.
A scream.
Even as Edward is biting, sucking, feeding, living, he acutely feels the dying. The bite is in his own flesh. The stolen essence is his own, and even as he is filling, he experiences the sensation of being drained.
And for that moment – that one, slim instant – he can hear Carlisle's voice amongst the hundreds all fighting for position in his head.
No respect for human life.
Edward drinks the last hot gulp of blood and then lets the corpse fall.
Supernaturally stable hands want to tremble. His throat wants to gag.
Just like the taste of copper and salt, the scent of pain lingers like a fog.
There is a moment of darkness as he looks at himself and at what he has wrought. He never thought that he would fall so far. That he would become the silent evil that he hunts. That he would become the sort of man his only friend would refuse to speak to.
That he would reach the point of no longer being a man at all.
Darkness. Pain.
And then a trickle of steadily flowing light.
In a tidal wave of relief, warmth rushes over him.
Moving swiftly through crystalline vessels, blood infuses his every limb and finger and cell, and he can feel them all.
For the first time in so long, Edward Masen feels alive.
Pushing the chalk-white corpse away from him, he runs his tongue across his lips, feeling flushed and full and strong. The dark thoughts that always accompany the kill recede, leaving him with only the faintest twitch of remorse as he drags the lifeless shell of a man over a ragged road of cobblestones. If anything, he deposits the body into the sewer with calculated efficiency, his mind already bent to the next hunt. His next feast.
Edward always wants more.
But in the back of his mind, there is still that itch. With all his new-found strength, he denies it, but still, he knows.
He knows that the more he drinks, the more the borrowed memories of pain seem to linger.
And even he can see the slight shakiness to his gait as, once again, he stalks off into a bloody, monstrous night.
The corpse is barely drained before Edward is pushing it away from him, recoiling in horror, his eyes and ears and mind awash in pain. Agony. Fear. The voices join together now in an echoing call that washes out behind him in an ocean of blood and death, and all of it is dripping from his trembling hands.
Three years' worth of blood.
Three years' worth of murder and death.
And he wants more.
He wants it almost as much as he wants to die.
The skin of the throat against his teeth is warm, the blood so close.
But the screams are even closer.
As if they are pressed against his own burning, aching own throat, Edward can feel the pressure of razor-sharp teeth and the first prickling stings of venom on tight-wound nerves.
And it's too much.
Convulsing against the cries and the fear and the pain and the death, Edward doubles in on himself, releasing his prey to that lonely night and falling to his knees. A thousand voices scream out at him in memory until the blood itself is tainted with a suffering that lives inside him now. It courses through his veins and through his ears and through his crimson, murderous hands.
Too much.
The city streets fly by him in a blur. He does not even know where he is going, except that it is away from the voices.
So many voices.
There are voices of lovers and of lonely, angry people. As he runs, Edward hears passion and laughter and life, and none of it is meant for him. Their blood is not meant for him either, though, the very idea of it tainted now with pain.
For him, there is nothing.
He is nothing.
Eventually, Edward finds himself again in the middle of a twisted, knotted wood, alone but for his memories, and the freshest among them are of murder and blood.
So much blood.
And he is thirsty.
Yet still, he runs.
A watery scent of life hits his nose, his black eyes narrowing, his feet stilling as he falls into a crouch. There is a defensive closing in his mind, a reaction against what he knows will sustain him, but which is now so inextricably entwined with visions of fear and pain. He tastes the adrenaline on his tongue, a heartbeat lush and wet just to his side.
He pounces.
Liquid flows through the arid desert of his throat, watering the parts of him that have grown desiccated and old. The anticipation of terror winds a sticky ribbon around his heart, but for once his thirst is slaked without fear, and he drops the frozen, lifeless body of the elk at his feet. The blood coursing through his limbs is unsatisfying.
But Carlisle was right.
It is enough to keep him strong.
For months, Edward pretends he doesn't know where he is going. In wandering circles, he closes in on the place, drawn there as if there is a magnet at its center.
Surprisingly, Carlisle's and Esme's scents are still all over the town, moving in glowing arcs through its streets. Edward had always assumed that they would have moved on by now, but as he approached the house they all once briefly shared, there can be no doubt. They are still there.
Everything inside of him is tense as he approaches, the very walls of the house thick with memories of his own foolish betrayal.
But then, there are sounds.
Edward physically cringes away from the familiar bombardment. Flashes of ecstasy make his stone body harden, his mind fascinated and repulsed. But inside, the lonely center of his being is once again melting.
Love. Sex. Blood.
He is denied all of them.
He doesn't even pass close enough to the house for the mated, mating pair to hear him. He wonders idly, as he is turning, if when they finally emerge, they will catch his scent and know that he was here.
If they will remember him. If maybe, just maybe, they even miss him.
But it does not matter.
Not now.
Because in a flash, he is already gone.
In 1933, Edward Masen awakens from a sleep of cold, grey mourning. His eyes have been open for fifteen years, and they have drifted from crimson to gold and back, again and again. Most often, these days, they are black.
No more than a ghost, he wanders from the woods whose quiet company he keeps to cities where the constant onslaught of spoken and silent voices splits his mind. He stays there, amidst so many walls of misery and stone, for as long as he can at any given time, grateful that the ocean of thoughts and sound at least drowns out the voices from his memory.
That the grey of industrial skies is enough to blur a river of flowing red.
The hour is late as he finds his way into another town, the stink of poverty assailing him, along with that of dead, stale blood. He is so hungry in his body and so hopeless in his spirit that he does not know what to do with the heady scent, and when he finds a near-dead man, lying prone in the middle of the street, he is tempted.
He can count on his two murderous hands the number of times he has given into his lingering desires for human blood in the last few years, and each time has proven worse than the last, screams echoing inside his silent, aching heart for months.
But he is thirsty.
And the whole place stinks of death in any case.
The man scarcely stirs as Edward pulls his limp form behind the corner of a house. Edward lets the dull thump of the man's heart warm his coldest parts, but winces against the memories that are awakened, too. With his jaw and throat both open, his teeth scraping indelicately against skin, Edward hesitates, waiting for pain.
And when it comes, it is overwhelming.
Edward drops the man and disappears in a whirl of spinning dust, his heavy footfalls taking him anywhere except back.
He can never go back.
He is just wandering past the general store when suddenly, Edward feels his stone skin becoming warmed. The heat is so intense that it almost feels like life, and Edward flexes his fingers with the unfamiliarity of that sensation. Too late, he looks down at his hands, brilliant in their motions.
And then he looks up at the sun.
Horror and fear are a thick spike running hotly through Edward's already desperate throat as he is impelled into motion. Storefronts blur and then there is shadow, instinct leading him to the darkest places available, a relative silence guiding him away from curious eyes.
When his flesh finally feels cool again, the voices in his head receding as much as they can inside a town, he finally stops. The burst of panic has left him more drained than usual, a weakness settling heavily into his limbs as he looks around.
Leaning heavily against the closed doors through which he entered, Edward takes in a huge and darkened room, dusty floors that were once bright with polish. Staggered rows of plush seats. A stage.
And finally, terrifyingly, a set of ivory and ebony keys.
It is the first instrument of its kind that he has seen since the one he ruined all those lonely years ago, back before he knew his own strength, and he is surprised to find the memory of that failure so fresh. He can smell the broken ivory and the fresh steel of snapping strings.
And he can see his mother's hair.
The steps that take him to the bench are silent and swift, and his unsteady breathing is calmed slightly when he manages to sit without incident, the wood failing to creak or to crack under his weight. Edward does not even dare to blink as he lifts a cold white hand to off-white keys, pressing down so subtly. So gently.
The warmth that moves through him at the resulting note is almost as powerful as that of the sun, and Edward exhales raggedly, unnecessarily, with the lifting of a weight that has hindered him for so long. A second soft, musical tone rings out, and then a third and a fourth. Stinging with venom, his eyes cloud and close as finally he dares to make a chord. And then another.
And before he knows it, lost in memories of his mother and of love and of home, Edward is playing. There are old songs and silly songs. Songs that haven't even been written, but which flow from his hands like water. Like blood.
And like blood, the music sustains him. Beneath the slowly rising notes, there is a silence he has never known, the thoughts and voices outside of the theatre slowly fading until it is just him and his memory.
It is enough.
So absorbed is he that he does not notice the day slipping away, or the opening of a door. Even the scent and sound of a living, beating heart does not rouse him from his revery and his sudden, surprising joy.
But the clapping does.
Damn fine playing. Damn fine.
The cover slams down over the keys with a dull clap, the bench scraping across the floor as Edward turns and stands.
Wide, surprised eyes look up at him. They feel like the first eyes to really see him in years, and Edward is staggered by the sight of his own haggard visage in the man's mind's eye. To his own eyes, Edward appears hungry. Angry.
A sudden shiver of fear rushes harshly down the man's spine, and Edward can sense his uncertainty and his sudden doubt.
How did he get in here, anyway? I was sure I locked the place last night.
"I'm sorry," Edward says, responding to the unspoken question without fully thinking it through. It has been so long since he has spoken that his own voice shocks him, but still he soldiers on. "I did not mean to trespass. I'll be going now."
No sooner has Edward turned away from the man than a warm hand closes around his arm, a lush scent scorching his already burning lungs.
"Now, hold on just one minute, son."
Freezing his body and his breath, Edward turns thirsty, black eyes on the man. But then, in his mind, he sees a vision. A proposal.
A plan.
And the theatre rings with the improbable, near-forgotten sound of Edward's laughter.
The first time Edward plays in front of an audience, his mouth is a flood of venom, his mind a chaotic swell of voices and thoughts as he hovers, near-panicked in the wings.
Poor boy looks nervous. He's so pale.
"You alright, son?"
Edward swallows a half dozen times and nods. It is a terrible plan. It must be. To be here, a monster among men is unthinkable, really.
But then again, so is the idea of living without the music that brought him such solace, rising up around him like the arms he has so long been denied, cradling him against thoughts in a blanket of sound.
He moves forward, his mind full of a myriad of images of his own pale face, cast in a strange glow by the hot intensity of the stage lights. There is a natural reaction of recoil, and Edward has to work hard to restrain a snarl, instinct pushing him to confirm his otherness to his prey.
Only they are not his prey. Not tonight.
The bench scrapes backward, Edward's body bending as he settles his hands so carefully on ivory keys.
The hall echoes with soft tones. Music.
And everything else – all the voices and memories and fears – all float away.
An unbearable lightness settles over Edward's being, with just the faintest of thoughts pushing through the warm edges of the music he is now surrounded in.
It's beautiful.
Edward feels a stabbing pressure in his chest, and he knows that it is right where his heart would be if only his heart still beat. Playing on, he is surrounded by joy.
He marvels at the word. The feeling.
His music has brought people not pain. Not fear.
But joy.
Edward closes his eyes against the tears he cannot shed.
Stone shifts. A life changes.
And he knows.
Music is not only his salvation.
It is finally his chance to atone.
A/N: Chapters will post every other Thursday until my other WIP, Our Lives Unbound, is complete. Then every Thursday after that.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think?


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Board Vice President Matt Ortega cast the only vote to retain Salazar in the position.
After a four-and-a-half-hour special meeting Monday (Jan. 8) the Questa Independent Schools District board voted to remove Superintendent LeAnne Salazar from her position.
Salazar has been out sick and was unable to attend the meeting in which a 4-1 vote from the board ended her employment in the district. Questa School District has seen its share of transition in the superintendent's chair with Salazar being the third full-time superintendent since mid-2017. Board Vice President Matt Ortega cast the only vote to retain Salazar in the position.
"At this point, I have been assigned as the interim superintendent," said acting Superintendent Felipe Blea. "We're going to pursue the most qualified [candidate] and one who is basically going to move the district forward."
Blea has been with the district for several years and has posed as acting superintendent while Salazar was on leave. Blea said Salazar was an at-will employee and did not comment on her termination.
Despite the minor setback in staff, Blea said the schools are searching for someone to work to improve the district and have posted the job opening. The district will be searching for someone who would feel comfortable and understand the challenges and culture of rural towns in Northern New Mexico.
"It's definitely a concern," said Lt. Governor and acting Public Education Department Secretary Howie Morales. "The PED stands here to be a resource, for our children and our communities and we're ready to do so."
Salazar was hired in the district in March of 2017 to replace former superintendent David Albert, who was placed on leave by a unanimous board vote in March 2018. Albert was hired to replace Valerie Trujillo, who left in July 2017 after nearly three years in the seat.
Blea said there would be more intensive background checks to ensure the next superintendent is a good fit for both the schools and the community. Those interested in applying for the position are encouraged to contact the district at (575) 586-0421.
Salazar said she has not received official notice of her dismissal but declined to comment further on the situation at this time.
School board members did not respond to emails requesting comment before deadline.
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text: Volunteer April 30, 2018June 4, 2018 by Tracy LeBlanc VOLUNTEER WITH US 1 Our volunteers dedicate thousands of hours each year to help the children of our community. We could not do the important work we do without support from our community. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, complete the volunteer application below. Name *FirstLastEmail *Phone Number *Comment or Message *CommentSubmit


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Oncology and Hematology Expert Witness
Robert E. Burdick. MD
2201 39th Avenue East
Seattle, Washington 98112
Seattle, Washington 98112
(206) 329-5948
Robert E. Burdick, MD, is a board certified medical oncologist and hematologist with 43 years of academic, clinical, and expert witness experience. Trained at the University of Washington, he is licensed in the state of Washington, maintains a faculty position at the University of Washington as an A
Areas of Expertise
- Anemia
- Aplastic Anemia
- Blood Disorders
- Bone Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Cancer
- Cancer Causation
- Cancer Therapies
- Causation Analysis
- Cervical Cancer


text:
"There is truly something for everyone at Optik and I encourage anyone to experience what great customer service is all about."
"We were greeted warmly & offered coffee, and didn't have to wait more than a few minutes for the doctor. The doc was super nice and easy to talk to..."
"The choices are amazing and always changing. Pleasant and happy experience! I can't wait to go back and order another pair."
"Dr. Ales and his staff are fantastic. We always have the best experience and find the perfect frames for every member of our family."
"Personable and knowledgeable staff. Dr. Ales is amazing! Unique and very cool selection of frames you won't find anywhere else."


text: February and March 2014 Adoptions Sweet Ellie Mae found her forever home with her foster mom, Heather, and dad, Michael, on Valentines Day 2014! Holly found her forever mom, Ginny, on March 1st! Gracie found her forever home with mom, Martie, and dad, Michael, on March 19th! Tyler is living the good life with his forever mom, Jennifer! She took him into her heart and home on March 19th!


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MEET THE PROFESSIONAL – Rollo Gabb, Managing Director Journey's End
We meet with Mr. Rollo at the iconic restaurant R Trader, situated in Al Fattan Currency House for lunch. Joining him was Mr. Mark Brough of MMI and as with all the wine tastings, we started ordering food to taste along with his selection of wines. Mr. Rollo comes from an English Family that has produced wines for three generations.


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text:
Grimes: Flesh without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream
Grimes is finally back with a pop hit, reminiscent of About You Now by the Sugababes from the off-set, with driving drums and guitars. I've been waiting for this comeback for a while now, and it still has the initial grit that Grimes always brought to her writing, yet I do feel it lacks the strength to fight with a Taylor Swift monster.
Interestingly, I am totally looking forward to the next release to see if this were just a re-introduction to Grimes, or if she's gone totally off path.


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Though rudimentary Neurodynamic relationships were put forth by researchers early in the 20th century, it was not well understood how it could be applied in the clinic until research was born out in the 1990's. Still, it was a working hypothesis needing further application and research to validate the mechanisms. This process has occurred slowly over the last 25 years. During this period, Michael Shacklock has played (and continues to play) a significant role in creating a treatment system around the burgeoning research. Hence, the utilization of this system as a treatment option is only now beginning to gain traction with application by musculoskeletal therapists worldwide.
What is Neurodynamics?
We know muscles and joints move in our bodies to give rise to complex actions like walking or reaching. Our nerves also need to passively move unrestricted through all the surrounding tissue it passes by, through and around. We have about 45 miles of nerve tissue in our bodies. If restricted, we can feel stiff, inflexible and in some cases discomfort or pain. Neurodynamics is the ability for the nerves to slide and stretch as we incorporate complex actions in our lives. It is also how the nerve tissue functions in the presence of changing body conditions. Healthy nerve tissue is resilient to mild compression forces, and also resilient to moderate stretch along it's length. This resiliency is dependent on adequate blood flow into and out of the nerves, which in turn is reliant on the aforementioned sliding action.
What's so important about nerve health?
Nerves are the super-highways of information that gets passed to and from the central nervous system. Things like sense of touch, being touched, knowing where your body is positioned in space rely on information from specific cell receptors that then gets successfully transmitted by nerve tissue to the brain. Also, the nervous system transmits commands to our muscles and other tissues to contract (shorten) or relax (lengthen) to facilitate movement. When nerve tissue is compromised subtle things can happen - like reduced ability to keep skillful balance as we move or a feeling of light numbness and tingling in our foot when our leg "falls asleep". More notable things can occur as well - like losing grip strength in a hand or having a sharp pain when bending our back a certain way. Nerves can also become more sensitive to sensation when they are deprived of blood flow, kind of like a person with a short temper. This (over) sensitivity can produce a painful response when usually under normal conditions it doesn't.
What can be done?
Firstly, a manual therapist trained in Clinical Neurodynamics can assess for the possibility of nerve tissue involvement in your particular disorder. Once a clinical connection is made implicating a nerve tissue interaction, then a treatment plan can be made to address the neural dysfunction through specific tissue manipulation / mobilization techniques and movements.
What nerve conditions can be helped?
The list below are the most notable conditions that can have a neural connection to the disorder. Often times, nerve issues can mimic a disorder due to the proximity of nearby tissues that present commonly with pathology (e.g. plantar fasciitis).
Back Pain
Neck Pain
Plantar fasciitis
Pronator syndrome
Piriformis syndrome
De Quervain's disease
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Cervical or Lumbar radiculopathy
Radial tunnel (Supinator) syndrome
Lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow)
Medial epicondylitis (Golfer's elbow)
Headaches or migraines due to neural tension
Other conditions where pain seems to travel down an extremity
This list is not exhaustive, as many common generalized pain complaints can have a nerve tissue component. Please contact us if you have any questions about your unique situation. We serve the communities of central Sonoma County at our office in Santa Rosa.


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In past and present, in parallels and in -betweens, the never known before hadn't happened. For which almost time stood still, winds changed, and the atmosphere embraced a new notion of the incoming. Time travelers reveled in the unforeseen, a clash of junctures, momentum sought,
but it hadn't happened.
For which lovers came to unite, on peaks of mountains, declaring loudly a love story written in clouds. Waited until such passion to thrive, for lustful awakenings, intertwined,
but it hadn't happened.
For a new color to emerge in the rainbows lighting up skies, the moon and stars must have shied, forever in the Thousandth Night. Unspoken nature, brought by all intimidation, for which the emergence of a warrior light arose, in full awe of his Master to shine. The sheer lightness of such magical hue drawn, promised to deliver,
but it hadn't happened.
Intangible cosmic energies, worlds apart, took new form to attraction. Bursting in agony to let free, to roam and multiply. The union of souls remained far distanced to be met with ecstasy. Only if such lunacy was given sense, what it would entail, the manifestation of such, lived in smitten love,
but it hadn't happened.
Buried hearts and souls breathe a story of you and I, of foregone eras written in old dusty books, romancing princes with honorable reigns. Dusk till dawn, bodies withered, in motion and submission. Only if such fairy tales come into existence, to be true and forgiven. I wait eternally, solely, unquestionably, for it shall become the answer to my affliction, but surely...
it hadn't happened.


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Prints from PictBridge cameras and memory cards. LCD for previewing photos. Highly portable, with a built-in handle.
Does not print from computers. Photos are tacky immediately after printing. Even after drying, they are easily hurt by water.
Bottom Line
The Lexmark P315 takes the idea of printing from cameras and memory cards one step further than most 4- by 6-inch photo printers by not printing from computers at all. It's portable enough to take anywhere, but as it doesn't have a battery, you can use it only where you can plug it in.
The ink jetbased Lexmark P315 ($100 street) is a little different from other dedicated photo printers. Like most, it focuses on the 4- by 6-inch photo format. And like many, it prints directly from PictBridge cameras and a wide choice of memory card formats. But don't plan on using it to print photos from your computer or even for transferring photo files from a memory card to your hard drive. The P315 is strictly a camera accessory. It offers direct printing only, with no way even to connect to a computer.
One advantage to limiting the P315 to direct printing is that setup is trivial. Snap in the single tricolor cartridge, load paper, plug it in, and you're ready to print. Just connect to a PictBridge camera or plug in any of the memory cards the printer supports: CompactFlash I or II, SmartMedia Card, Sony Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo (with adapter), Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Microdrive, or xD Card. If you're printing from a card, you'll find a built-in menu system and 2.5-inch color LCD to let you preview and print your photos. You can also do some limited editing before printingincluding cropping and adjusting brightness, but not much more.
At 5.6 by 10.8 by 8.3 inches (HWD), the P315 is a bit larger than most dedicated photo printers. But it's only 4.9 pounds and easily portable, thanks to the built-in handle that is hidden when not in use. Just pick up the P315 and carry it like the lunch box it resembles. There's no battery or battery option, however, so although you can take it with you anywhere, you can use it only where you can plug it in.
The photo-quality rating, at the high end of very good, translates to essentially true photo quality. We saw some minor issues, including one indoor shot where the skin tone was a little yellow, making the person in the photo seem jaundiced, but for most photos, skin tones and other colors were well within a reasonable range.
A more troublesome issue is that you have to be more careful with the P315's photos than with most photo printers' output. Photos come out tacky, so you have to give them time to dry. And even after drying, a drop of water or sweaty hands can ruin the photo. The Hewlett-Packard Photosmart 385 GoGo Photo Printer has the same shortcoming, but almost every other photo printer we've seenincluding the ink jetbased Epson PictureMate and PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Editionproduces photos that are at least water- and smudge-resistant, if not waterproof.
Performance is best described as sluggish. The vast majority of dedicated photo printers take between 1 minute and 2 minutes 20 seconds to print a 4- by 6-inch photo. The P315 took 2:44 to 2:49 to print from a memory card in our tests, and 2:58 to 3:11 to print from a Canon PowerShot S60 camera.
One final difference from most dedicated photo printers is that you can buy separate packages of ink and paper for the P315. As with most, however, you can also buy both together. Lexmark sells packs with enough ink and paper for 140 prints for $40 (street), which works out to 29 cents a photo.
The P315's relatively slow performance, lack of water resistance for photos, and lack of a battery or battery option work against it. But the total packagewith its relatively low price, reasonably good photo quality, and simple, computer-free approach to printing photosgives the P315 a certain appeal. If you'd rather print without a computer, it's definitely worth considering.
Compare the dedicated photo printers mentioned above side by side.
Quality ratings:
Text: N/A
Graphics: N/A
More photo printer reviews:
HP Sprocket Select
Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Small-in-One Printer
Lifeprint Harry Potter Magic Photo and Video Printer
Canon Pixma G4210 MegaTank Wireless All-in-One Printer
HP Sprocket Plus


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Hi i'm a black very attractive female 6ft 175lbs looking for white/latino men over the age of 2944 and he have to 5'11 and up. I have a full time job, own place and car. I like a man that takes care of himself and since i'm in good shape he should be as well or average. I have tons of G rated pics i'm NOT on here for Intimate encounters. I have no problem attracting men but I'm having a problem finding REAL men. Thanks for reading my post and remember i'm only looking for White/Latino men..If you don't fit my description I will ignore your mail. When you reply type OHIO... in the subject line so I know your real Thanks again
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Do you need help getting your house dust free?
Having work done on the house is a messy business, and will inevitably leave a lot of dust and dirt behind, which can be difficult to tidy up with your normal household cleaning equipment. Thankfully, here at Cleaner Cleaner, we have a team of specialist after builders cleaners, who can clean your home from top to bottom. Check out our rates for After Building Cleaning Service We also offer carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning at extremely competitive rates as well.
Professional teams of after builders cleaning techniciansHere at Cleaner Cleaner, we have our own professional teams which specialise specifically in cleaning up after repairs and decorations, who have years of experience in the industry. No matter how big or small the job is, our team will know exactly the approach to take and the equipment to use.
Fully trained , certified and insuredAll of our cleaners are also fully trained, vetted and insured, and as a company, we have been accredited by various professional bodies such as Trust Mark, CheckATrade.com, the NCCA and more. Do bear in mind though that all building work will need to have finished before we come in, and we'll also need access to working electricity and hot water to be able to get the job done!
Affordable rates and no hidden costsIn terms of price, all our services are extremely competitive and reasonable, with no hidden fees, unlike some other London after builders cleaning services.
Comprehensive checklist and sparkling dust free homeAs true professional builders cleaners in London, we are working on a special program for cleaning after renovation and it involves every corner of your home. When the team are finished, only sparkling cleanness will remain, everything neat and tidy ... exactly as you want it!
Quick and easy no obligation online quotations within 1 hourCleaning after decoration performed by Cleaner Cleaner is a service that is worth its cost.. Do not hesitate to contact us to ask all your questions, or to get an offer for cleaning after repairs. We will be happy to provide the information you need to satisfy your curiosity and last but not least - to be helpful!
Our professional cleaners are certified and accredited by:
Our track record speaks for itself:
You can Get a quote or Book a after builders cleaning service with us directly on:
07789 426 358 & 020 3757 6248
Or fill in the contact form and we will get back to you within an hour:
We are the go to cleaners in London for most well known estate agents:
Bedrooms & Living Rooms
All door frames dusted & cleaned All doors cleaned and handles & locks polished All light switches cleaned and polished All electrical sockets cleaned & polished Walls and Ceilings dusted and cobwebs removed Light fittings dusted & cleaned Flooring vacuumed / swept & mopped Mirrors & frames dusted & polished Window frames dusted ,cleaned & polished internally Window glass dusted ,cleaned & polished internally Audio visual equipment dusted & polished All free-standing furniture dusted & polished Sofa cushions vacuumed All rugs moved, vacuumed & replaced Mattresses vacuumed & turned where applicable All fitted / free-standing wardrobe / cupboard doors dusted and cleaned All hanging rails dusted & polished All wardrobe / cupboard hinges dusted & cleaned
As per all interior rooms plus Cupboard interiors, doors & handles dusted ,cleaned & polished Wall tiles cleaned dust removed and polished Worktops cleaned & buffed where applicable Stainless steel appliances left smear free All chrome / metal plated surfaces dusted and polished Under sink area & U-bend dusted and cleaned All kick boards dusted and cleaned All areas between cupboards & appliances cleaned where possible Kitchen utensils, crockery, cutlery and glassware can be cleaned for an additional fee Ovens Interior de-greased if in used condition, dusted and cleaned if New Door glass removed & cleaned (where design allows) All cooker fitments removed & degreased if in used condition, dusted and cleaned if New Extractor Hood External body dusted and polsihed Filters removed degreased and cleaned if used Fridges & Freezers Shelves & food compartments dusted ,cleaned & polished Internal walls & base dusted ,cleaned & polished Rubber seal to door cleaned Exterior door & handle dusted ,cleaned & polished Freezer / freezer compartment must be emptied and fully defrosted beforehand Kettles Exterior body dusted ,cleaned & polished Flex & plug dusted ,cleaned Microwaves Glass tray removed & cleaned Internal walls, top & base dusted ,cleaned & polished Internal glass door cleaned Exterior cleaned and polished Flex & plug degreased and cleaned Dishwashers Exterior dusted ,cleaned & polished Interior dusted ,cleaned & polished Washing machine Inside drum dusted ,cleaned & polished Rubber seal cleaned inside & out, mould may not be removed if in used condition Glass door dusted ,cleaned & polished Soap dispenser washed & cleaned Exterior dusted ,cleaned & polished
Bathrooms and WCs
As per all interior rooms, plus:
- All bathroom fixtures cleaned , dusted & polished
- All chrome / metal plated surfaces cleaned , dusted & polished
- Basin , bath & shower areas cleaned , dusted & polished
- Shower screens descaled & polished if in used condition
- Waste removed & cleaned (where design allows)
- Toilet dusted & polished & sanitised
- U-bend & area behind toilet cleaned , dusted & polished
- Toilet cistern cleaned
Why Choose Us?
So how does it work?GET A QUICK QUOTE
- Step 1: No obligation quote
- Step 2: We clean your premises to perfection
- Step 3: Sit back and put the kettle on


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Men Ultra-Light and packable swimtrunks Sydney - Web Exclusive
Additional Information
Head down under to Australia with the koalas on these Mahina men's swim shorts with a Sydney print. Their extremely light fabric means they dry quickly and can be folded into the zipped back pocket for easy carrying. Their historic Vilebrequin 1971 cut boasts an elasticated waistband, a drawstring with stainless zamac tips and two side pockets. The Vilebrequin Tour stops in Sydney on July 6th.
- Ultra-light fabric packable Swimtrunks with Elastic waistband and drawstring with Zamac tips
- Two side pockets, one back zipped pocket tone on tone and two back eyelets
- Side leg length in M : 15.6"
- Swimsuit can be folded into the back pocket to become a pouch with a Vilebrequin rubber label
- Men Swimtrunks
- Sydney Swimtrunks
- 100% Polyester, ultra-light and fast dry fabric
Model: WB-MAHE9J03-HOM-307
Color: TROPEZIAN BLUE / BLUE
Care instructions
To take care of your Swimwear, we advise you to follow our suggestions below:
- Washing your Swimwear to 86F
- No bleaching
- No tumble dry
- Regular ironing, steam or dry, may be performed at low setting 230F
- No dry cleaning your Swimwear
- Iron inside out
- Wash with similar colours
- Rinse with fresh water your Swimwear after each use
Absolute comfort and unbeatably smart look.
A short and stretchy cut for great freedom of movement.
A stretchy version of the classic cut for maximum comfort.
The iconic original Vilebrequin swimsuit cut.
A stretchy cut with flat and adjustable waistband for a modern look.
A long version of the classic cut for a cool surfer look.
Free Ground Shipping
Home delivery within 3-5 working days from order confirmation. Please check our FAQ for more details.
Free Return
For online purchases, returns are accepted within 30 days of receiving your order. Please use the return form and shipping label included in your package.


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Good Privacy is Good for Startups
Privacy is very important for startups, although it may not seem that way in the beginning, so I wanted to share this important piece written by Richard Beaumont, Privacy Services Manager at Optanon.
When you have an exciting new idea that you are trying to bring to market, it is natural to focus your limited energies on quick wins, and leave the worrying about the long term to a time when you are more confident there is going to be one.
Those quick wins usually revolve around getting your offering to market, getting your first customers and getting their feedback for your next iteration. In the fast paced world of tech start-ups these priorities are often even ahead of considerations like how the business will actually make money.
It is therefore easy to put issues like compliance and privacy into the 'difficult things to do later pile'. After all, what's the point of worrying about protecting customer data until you have enough of it, right? And the more data you have, the better placed you will be when you can figure out how best to make use of it, surely?
Unfortunately, this is the wrong way to look at things. And in a world where customer data is central to more and more business, getting privacy right is not just about boring compliance, it's about the foundations on which your business will be built, including two of the most important – Trust and Value.
Gaining trust is key to any new business, you cannot grow your customer base without it. You want customers to trust you in what you do, like deliver your service promise. If you use customer data in ways they don't like, or even lose control of it in a security breach – the resulting loss of trust can sink your business very quickly.
Many start-ups also look for outside investors to help them grow. An investor may like your idea but will be looking for a valuation that will give them the biggest possible stake. One of the key ways they do this is look for uncontrolled risks in the business. Risks attached to your data privacy practices and compliance, even if they are currently more theoretical than real, are an opportunity to lower the valuation, and leave you owning a smaller percentage of your business.
So how do you get privacy right first time and avoid this?
The two most important pieces of legislation you need to worry about from a privacy perspective in the UK are the Data Protection Act (DPA), and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). These laws are enforced by the Information Commissioners Office, and their website has a lot of very helpful guidance.
Here are some basics:
The DPA covers the rules on the handling of personal data – which is any information that is or can be linked to an individual.
Generally you should only collect data if you need it, use if for stated purposes only, and dispose or archive it when you don't need it any more. You also need to tell your customers how you use their information in a privacy policy.
PECR largely governs rules on contacting people for marketing purposes by either telephone or email. Telephone calling in particular is something you should be careful about, as the ICO has issued lots of large fines in recent months. The bottom line here is that to be safe, you should have very clear consent to communicate with people like this.
PECR also covers the rules on the use of cookies on a website. Although risk of enforcement in this area is low, there is a lot of consumer mistrust about how data is collected in this way, so expect this to become of increasing importance.
Getting cookie compliance right also helps you to prepare for upcoming changes to legislation in this area, which are set to make privacy issues even more central. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a major overhaul of privacy rules across Europe, which are due to take effect sometime in 2017/2018. This may seem a long way off now but the changes will require some preparation. Expect to hear a lot about the details of this early next year as the legislation is finalised, but one sure fire headline grabber will be the levels of fines available to regulators, which may go as high as 5% of turnover.
Two important ideas in the GDPR, are Privacy by Design (PbD), and Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs). PbD is a set of principles for building privacy into systems and processes from the beginning, rather than bolting it on afterwards. The GDPR requires you to follow these principles when handling personal information. Privacy Impact Assessments are project tools designed to help you follow PbD principles. The GDPR is very big on the idea of organisational accountability, and it is likely that being able to demonstrate that you have gone through a PIA process in certain circumstances will become mandatory under that new laws.
There is some light in that the smallest businesses may be exempt from some requirements of the GDPR. However, if you plan to grow quickly, you could equally quickly find yourself bound to comply – so it makes a lot of sense to think about these issues right at the beginning, or they may become a drag on your ability to build your business as you would like.


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Summer is here in Indiana and man, it's hot! I promised myself that I wouldn't complain about the heat once it was here due to us having such a long winter but dang!
Now that I stay at home with the kiddos I certainly do have some time during the week to pack the kiddos up and take them where ever we want to go! That's one amazing pro of staying home. My Mama wanted to take the kiddos to Big Splash Adventure in French Lick, IN. Big Splash Adventure is an indoor waterpark and you guys, it's pretty awesome!
Inside Big Splash Adventure there is 40,000 square feet of fun and it has a retractable roof, whaaaaaat!? Something else that's really cool, the waterpark is open until 9:30pm right now. I loved that so much because going with two toddlers who usually sleep in seperate rooms, on in a crib, I need them to be completely worn out by bedtime so us adults can get some sleep too!
My favorite part of our trip was the lazy river, even though we all know with two young kiddos there is nothing lazy about that river. I was so surprised that Emily, my little timid girl, actually wanted to go down a big slide with me! She sat on my lap and we screamed and laughed when we were at the bottom and she wanted to go again and again and again... It was awesome! I love seeing her face her fears of water! There is also an awesome sized three-four foot pool that had basketball goals that we loved and an all-toddler area and pool. The toddler area is mostly where we hung out during our two days there. The kiddos loved the swings in the toddler pool. They thought it was so fun having their feet tickled by the water that was underneath them while swinging! Eventually they both fell in love with the toddler slide. They could do it alone and Mama and Mamaw got to relax a bit!
Would you love Big Splash Adventure?... YES! The only small part I didn't care for was the bottom of the pool in the toddler area as it scrapped up knees a bit but I understand it because it's super slip resistant!
To learn more about Big Splash Adventure click here!


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Dealing with Sudden Loss of Key Talent
Leaders and managers face perhaps their greatest test of their succession plan upon the sudden loss or departure of a key contributor. As a leader, you will be presented with both opportunities to shine and stumble.
Answers are important. Yet, asking the right questions might be just as necessary and important.
- How well did the succession plan address this loss?
- Were you able to run the operation or service adequately in the short-term until you were able to fully implement the particular plan?
- Did circumstances change that were not earlier addressed, which necessitate a new direction?
- Might you consider combining or changing functions and/or responsibilities?
- Can you fill from within, or do you need to look outside?
- Will you keep an open mind to various possibilities?
How do you respond in the midst of loss and possible confusion?
In the event of the death of a fellow team member, colleagues will need time to mourn. Call your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and arrange to have counselors and/or pastoral counselors available. Memorialize the person in appropriate and meaningful ways.
What words should be used to describe the process of filling the vacancy? It is better to say, we are seeking a "successor" rather than a "replacement." You will never be able to fully "replace" another human being. Fellow team members will remember the talents and unique approaches, style, personality and most of all, spirit that the departed brought to the job. This cannot be replaced.
What if the opening is created by the sudden resignation of a key team member? How do others in leadership respond? Do some treat the one leaving as a traitor? Even if feelings are hurt, leaders have an opportunity to handle the departure professionally. One never knows when the arc of life presents an opportunity to mutually benefit from a positive exchange in the future. At the very least, you will know that you wished someone well with dignity.


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Sea salt in its purest, most natural form.
Our Sea of Cortés brand of gourmet sea salt is 100% pure sea salt. It doesn't come from an ancient dried sea, has never been mined, contains no additives, has never been processed or refined, has never been treated with chemicals or bleached and contains no anti-caking agents. Sea of Cortés sea salt is sun and wind evaporated from salt water ocean pools and hand harvested at the right time to lock in natural moisture and minerals that give the best taste and the healthiest option.


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10 Lies We Tell Our Mothers & What They Really Mean
Mother's Day is coming up & it's that time of year to reflect on all of the amazing things that your mother has done for you. So instead of talking about my art, I'm devoting this entirely to my mother. But this year, I reflect on the things that I've done to my mother and I will confess – it's a lot. (more…)


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the Harpsichord
The harpsichord's history stretches back to the thirteenth century when references to a "checker" in English documents are believed to refer to a type of plucked string keyboard instrument. No "chekkers" survive, however, but by turn of the fifteenth century depictions of plucked string keyboard instruments appear in art. Manufacture was well established in Italy by the mid 1400s, and the status of oldest harpsichord is held by an Italian specimen by Vincentius inscribed 1515. Sound production is by means of a plectrum (traditionally made of bird quill; more recently leather and plastic) that plucks metal strings. The tonal characteristics of different styles of instrument manufacture has largely to do with the design of the resonating box below the strings, the scaling of the strings as they progress from high to low pitches, and the position of the pluck relative to the total length of the string. With a range of four and a half octaves, the largest harpsichords have a narrower compass than modern concert grand pianos, but harpsichords often come with two keyboards, and multiple ranks of strings and quills to expand their sonorous range. The harpsichord was in vogue during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and after about 1800 enjoyed less popularity, due in part to the rise in popularity of the piano. The harpsichord was revived by specialist players in the early part of the twentieth century, but it was the early music movement in the second half of the century that established it once again as the principal keyboard instrument of the baroque era.
The Clavichord
From the point of view of construction and mechanism, the clavichord is the simplest of strung keyboard instruments, but its simplicity does not indicate a lack of expressive potential. Drawing on an eminently simple premise and mechanism, the keys on the clavichord bring metal tangents into contact with the strings to both initiate the sound and stop the correct length of string for each note. Instruments of this type are described around the same time as the earliest depictions of harpsichords, but the earliest surviving instrument was made by Domenico de Pesaro in 1543, so some three decades after the oldest harpsichord. Early clavichords were fretted, meaning that one string was used for multiple notes, depending on the placement of the tangent. This permitted an economy of space in the instrument, and its compact size and modest dynamic level made the clavichord was the ideal domestic instrument. Later unfretted clavichords have wider compasses, and a string dedicated to each note. The clavichord's expressivity is attributable to the direct contact between finger and string availed through the simplicity of its key-mechanism, and it is the only keyboard instrument on which the player can influence the pitch of the note once it is sounded. The so-called Bebung was used to imitate the singer's vibrato that enlivened and added expression to the tone of special notes.
The Fortepiano
The early piano—often called fortepiano to distinguish it from the modern concert instrument—shared the clavichord's mode of sound production, but instead of metal tangents that strike the strings, the keys engage wooden hammers covered in leather and/or felt to set the string in resonance. Sometimes called Hammerklavier to indicate the presence of hammers, or Hammerflügel (because of its wing-like shape) the fortepiano rose in popularity int eh second half of the eighteenth century, appearing alongside the harpsichord, and only later supplanting it as a concert and domestic instrument. Although there are other claimants from the same time, Bartolomeo Cristofori is generally considered to have made the first pianos in Florence around 1700. Escapement mechanisms, developed early on and a necessary part of the way the instrument functions, allow the hammers to rebound thus allowing the full length of the string from bridge to tuning pin to vibrate freely. By controlling the speed and weight of the finger, the player can produce both louds and softs, a characteristic that earned the instrument the epithet "gravicembalo [i.e. harpsichord] col piano e forte." The instrument of Mozart and Haydn, the fortepiano lagged somewhat behind the harpsichord in modern revival. This was due in part to its more complex mechanism, and in part to its similarities to the modern piano, but today there is a growing number of exceptional players who dedicate their careers to its unique repertoire.


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Thanks for visiting my page, and in doing so, helping me to raising money, and awareness for Alpha 1 (alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency).
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Deficiency is a genetic disorder characterised by the production in the liver of an abnormal AAT protein. The liver cells cannot secrete this abnormal AAT protein, which accumulates within the cells and results in a marked reduction of circulating AAT levels. In the lungs low-levels of AAT allow for the destructive effects of neutrophil elastase to go unchecked. This results in damage to the delicate gas exchange region of the lungs (alveoli), leading to emphysema in people as young as 30 years of age.
For support, and information, go to: http://www.alpha1awareness.org.uk/
This one's for you Alan! :)


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UNTY IX: Street Wear, Cairo and This Ambiguous Thing We Call Hype
Watching someone draw something by hand can be one of the most perplexing and fascinating of artistic experiences.
Not the act of drawing in itself, but the act of diving into someone's brain for a moment and watching their thoughts unravel perfectly in the form of flat two-dimensional lines being etched out onto a piece of paper.
Everyone can draw; no doubt about that, but not everyone can envision an image and make it come to life exactly as they saw it in their mind; then take that image however ambiguous, insane or brilliant it may be, and create something out of it, for people to share the experience, and quite literally "wear your art".
Writing this article was inevitable for me, but I've been somewhat shying away from it simply because when you witness someone's creative process on a day to day it becomes difficult to describe and do it justice. This is a brand I know by heart, and so an authentic look at their identity is what this article will provide.
Fashion is a grueling business, and in the case of building a street wear label based in Cairo, of all cities, almost impossible. UNTY founded by Omar Mobarek, is doing just that.
Looking at UNTY as a brand, here is the general formula I've observed. It starts with a sketch, on a piece of tissue paper, on the corner of a place mat, in the middle of a book. Wherever. From that moment onward every next step is synonymous with uncanny attention to detail, research and then more research, choosing a design, developing the concept behind each piece, selecting a quote or sentiment that speaks volumes in the subtlest way, then working and reworking every element of a single design until it is "perfect".
The hunt for fabrics and cuts is next, the warmest, thickest and most durable fabric for winter. Simultaneously, sampling different types of silkscreen printing and embroidery.
The late nights followed by early mornings at the production factory discussing shape, fit and form. Effort is what propels a brand forward and ambition takes it to the next level. The IX collection by UNTY is a collation of all of the above, a step away from being simply a clothing brand and a step closer to being a fully fledged design house.
The shoot you are looking at throughout this article – shot by the endlessly talented photographer Omar Harbi and modeled by creative Mahmoud Gahallah – is an authentic street wear editorial photographed in the streets, shops and alleys of vibrant Downtown Cairo. This exemplifies UNTY not only as a street wear brand with a solid identity, but a diverse and capable creative lab of people who know how to get sh*t done.
Vision, aesthetic and consistency are everything. Above all your brand needs vision, followed by a team of people who can implement that vision through a baller aesthetic and then the ability to consistently up your game each and every collection.
Originality is their most obvious strength; with Founder and head designer Omar Mobarek and his partner Omar Fayez - based in Germany - working not only to ensure they maintain the exclusivity of each capsule collection but more so to successfully branch out into the coveted infamous street style scene in Germany. Due to their team work this venture is well on its way, Fayez being the business mind and tactical guru.
Any Hypebeast knows that street wear operates on three main pillars; minimalism, concept and collaboration. The IX collection features four black sweaters that embody the concept of empowerment with filtered down designs, sleek materials, and fine embroidery.
Following this year's trend cycles, embroidery has been a huge part of the High Fashion as well as the Couture scene. Brands from Urban Outfitters, Stussy and Champion to Dolce and Gabbana, Valentino and Chanel all used embroidery as a tool to add depth to their garments.
For the man - above - on the back of one sweater a quote form the bible "Num Custos Fratis" meaning "My Brother's Keeper" hangs over his head. Symbolizing the importance of brotherhood, kindness, protecting those we love. Inspired by the statue of David, who defeated Goliath to save his people.
The woman - below - has a shaved head, in a statement of power and a challenge to stereotypical norms. Featuring a partial quote from one of our favorite novels Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin "Vanity and pride are different things."
I think it is important to think about personal style and how it reflects on who we are as individuals. Every once in a while purchase something that has a story, something hand made, something vintage or old, something that is one of a kind, something that took time to make.
UNTY is a brand, which if nothing else, respects the creative process from start to finish. This is what makes it resonate with people, the fact that you can see a raw element in its pieces that are sometimes lost in the fast forward world of mass production.


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Where There's Resilience, There's a Way
Fatemeh was only 12 years old when she married her husband in Afghanistan. They had a son together and endured many hardships, at one point fleeing to Iran for safety. At 25, she divorced her husband and returned to Afghanistan with her young son. Being a divorcée in Afghanistan was not culturally acceptable, and Fatemeh had to be very resilient to stay afloat.
Unbelievably, due to turmoil in Afghanistan, she fled to Turkey and lived in a refugee camp with her son. There, she received her refugee status under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and was invited to resettle in the U.S. in 2016.
To put this stroke of luck in perspective, only 1% of the world's refugees are ever resettled.
Fatemeh arrived in California, and her case was managed by World Relief Sacramento. World Relief is one of the nine national resettlement agencies in the U.S. tasked with helping newly arrived refugees settle into local communities. Upon moving to Sacramento, Fatemeh took on multiple jobs to provide for her family. She worked as a housekeeper, driver and security guard all at once! She had little time to learn English, and knew this would be a major barrier to pursuing her passions. The language barrier made her feel isolated, and she found it hard to integrate into American society.
We first met Fatemeh in April 2018 through Joy, the Community Engagement Manager at World Relief Sacramento. Fatemeh cooked us a delicious Afghan meal and we spent hours talking about her hopes and dreams. Despite all the hardships she has faced, she told us,
"My major goals are to help other women in the Afghan refugee community become independent. Many women depend on their husbands, and I want to change this."
After learning of Fatemeh's strength and determination, we were compelled to support her journey towards economic empowerment. With our new initiative in place, Fatemeh became one of our very first grantees!
LONA supports Fatemeh with funding to enroll full-time in ESL courses and one-on-one tutoring for 3 months.
Amazingly, World Relief Sacramento matched this grant, agreeing to support her for an additional three months while she continues her education.
As she immerses herself in the English language, she works towards her dream of opening a child care center. For refugee women, lack of affordable child care is a common barrier to attending ESL classes, enrolling in educational programs and joining the workforce. Fatemeh's center would provide a place for refugee children to integrate into society alongside other children, and allow mothers to pursue jobs or education. Additionally, Fatemeh hopes to employ refugee women at the center itself!
From all angles, Fatemeh's child care center would be a major source of inspiration and hope for the refugee community in Sacramento.
Additionally, Fatemeh sees herself thriving in her local community. A touching example of this is her ability to serve as a translator for her neighbor at doctor's visits (how cool is that?!) She also helps support a new initiative for Afghan women that World Relief Sacramento launched this year. The initiative focuses on English learning, community building and self-sufficiency for refugee women.
The realization of her dream will take time and resources, but Fatemeh's ability to speak fluent English will offer a multitude of opportunities no matter where her dreams take her. In just four months time, she has already been exposed to job opportunities that were not previously available to her. We are certain that investing in Fatemeh's ability to learn English is most certainly an investment in her future.
The popular phrase "where there's a will, there's a way" may apply to Fatemeh, but we attribute her success to unwavering resilience and thoughtfulness. We hope you'll join us in supporting this awe-inspiring woman on her journey to obtain economic empowerment for herself AND others.
-Amy Gragnolati, LONA Co-founder
To support future grantees like Fatemeh, donate today!


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This is the fastest post alive. I made this card before we left for vacation in order to participate in this weeks Global Design Project challenge. Forgot to post it, oops. So here's to quick and easy posting. This week is a color challenge over at GDP and these are my favorite. Now onto vacation!
Product List


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Before the CBJ puck drops: Philadelphia Flyers
GAME 76: Philadelphia Flyers
39-27-9 — 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division
6-2-2 in last 10 games
Goals for: 2.80 goals/game – 10th in the NHL
Goals against: 2.72 goals/game – 16th
Goals for: 2.73 goals/game – 14th in the NHL
Goals against: 2.68 goals/game – 14th
SINCE WE LAST MET (on January 23rd):
The Columbus Blue Jackets laid the lumber to the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2, at Nationwide Arena in the divisional rivals' last meeting. The Blue Jackets lead the series, 2-1, with home team holding serve in every game. Tonight's game is in Philadelphia. Gulp.
You can't help but admire what Philadelphia did this season. Management recognized that something was terribly wrong with their team after losing their first three games (and, apparently, a really bad training camp) and fired their coach. Since then, they've not only recovered from the slow start – they're put themselves into third place in the division, all without having messed terribly with the roster. A decisive in-season move by management pays off. That's what teams that are bent on winning do.
Since playing last, the Flyers are 14-7-3. In their last ten, they're 6-2-2. The last two games were shootout losses, but they were shootout losses to arguably the best teams in their respective conferences, the Boston Bruins (East) and St. Louis Blues (West). When you play the best in the league to a standstill in back-to-back games, that pretty much is a signal that you're operating on all cylinders.
Top scorers in the City of Brotherly Love are:
– Forward Claude Giroux (25 goals, 53 assists, 78 points)
– Forward Jakub Voracek (21 G, 35 A, 56 pts.)
– Forward Wayne Simmonds (25 G, 30 A, 55 pts.)
– Forward Scott Hartnell (20 G, 29 A, 49 pts.)
– Forward Brayden Schenn (18 G, 21 A, 39 pts.)
Former Blue Jacket Steve Mason will get the start in goal after skipping the January 23rd game at Nationwide. I largely don't care who the Blue Jackets end up playing in the playoffs – I just want them to qualify at this point – but a Blue Jackets-Flyers game would be so rich with texture simply by virtue of Mason in net for the Flyers. Can you imagine the reception he would receive at Nationwide?
Anyway, Mason has 56 starts, is 31-17-7 and has a 2.53 goals against average. He's carrying a save percentage of .916.
First and foremost, the Blue Jackets are in the final Eastern Conference Wild Card seed. If they want to stay in the playoff picture, they must win. Don't care who they're playing…they must win.
If the CBJ harbor any dreams of elevating themselves out of wild card position and into a 2/3 seed series in the first round, they need to deny Philadelphia any points. As in, beat Philly in regulation. Currently, the New York Rangers are in second place in the Metro Division with 90 points, and the Flyers are in third with 87. Columbus is in fourth with 83. I can't see how the CBJ can make up a six point deficit (should they lose tonight) against the Flyers with six games to play, but a win tonight puts them within two points…and that's well within striking distance.
Lastly, tonight opens the first of three back-to-back game sequences to close out the season. The CBJ will get increasingly tired as the season winds down due to the historically challenging final ten days scheduling. The team will be at their freshest tonight, and they need to capitalize on that to grab two standings points. The experts are saying that the playoff cutoff number will be 92 points in the East, and that means that the CBJ need to find nine points in the next nine games. No time like the present, eh?
After an extended period of healthy scratches, it appears that R.J. Umberger will be back in the lineup tonight. All kidding aside (and there's so much when you're reactivated only to face a crowd in a city that's known for pelting opposing players with batteries and chucking snowballs at Santa Claus, I'm interested to see how he responds.
The obvious parallel with Umberger is Cam Atkinson, who spent a couple games up in the press box. Atkinson suggested that the coaching staff talked to him about it and, more or less, challenged him to find his game within the constructs of the team's on-ice scheme. He's done just that, scoring twice in the past four games. (A goal every other game makes you a 41-goal scorer in this league…nothing to sneeze at!) So clearly, Atkinson was benched in the hopes that he would get a message.
But what of Umberger? R.J. is one of the team's long-time veterans on this young roster, seven years older than Atkinson. He's one of three players older than 30. I can see coach Todd Richards trying to send Umberger a message when the games aren't as critical, but now? No, I'm going with Richards' statement that the other players are just playing better than he is right now. There's a huge difference there, that Umberger isn't necessarily playing bad or worse than he usually plays but rather the talent around him is playing better. So I look at this series of scratches as a competitive firestarter.
The question remains, will Umberger take advantage of the opportunity presented to make a positive impact in tonight's game? That's why we watch.
FOX Sports Ohio has it all for you tonight:
– Brian Giesenschlag's "Blue Jackets Slap Shots" magazine show kicks it off at 6PM.
– Brian and Dan Kamal bring you the "Blue Jackets Live Pregame" with the late-breaking news and info, as well as a full preview of the game, at 6:30PM.
– The puck drops in Philly at 7PM, with Jeff Rimer and Bill Davidge on the call.
– Brian and Dan return immediately following for "Blue Jackets Live Postgame" with postgame interviews, insight and analysis.
A key Metro Division showdown! Go Jackets!


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5 Examples of the Fragment T-Shirt from my Test Knitters
Who else loves browsing through a pattern's project gallery on Ravelry?
I find it so helpful to see the pattern in a variety of colours and yarns on different people. It allows me to imagine how the finished garment would look on me.
That's why I am sharing a selection of the Fragment t-shirts that my test knitters made with you.
I hope that it inspires you to make your own!
Test Knitting the Fragment T-Shirt
Size: 40
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Belle in Natural
What she liked about the pattern: The pattern was just complicated enough to keep me interested but still easy enough to watch TV at the same time.
Size: 38
Yarn: Quince & Co Sparrow in Pink Grapefruit
What she liked about the pattern: It's very addictive but at the same time straight forward and easy to remember. And it looks amazing !!
Size: 44
Yarn: Quince & Co Sparrow in Fen
What she liked about the pattern: The repeats made it addictive! I had a lot of firsts with this project! It was my first time using short rows, Judy's magic cast on, tubular hems, and most importantly it was my first time using linen!
Size: 46
Yarn: Quince & Co Sparrow in Juniper
What she liked about the pattern: A wonderful blend of simplicity and sophistication! This is a very addictive stitch pattern that knits up quickly. And if you're afraid of seaming, don't be! The grid pattern in Fragment makes a great guide for matching pieces together with ease.
Size: 42
Yarn: Katia Lino in Blue and Silver
What she liked about the pattern: It was a challenging pattern and it made me a better knitter. I learned new techniques.
Don't their t-shirts look beautiful? I feel like I should be knitting several more in a variety of colours. Thanks again to my lovely team of test knitters for this pattern - it has been quite the journey!
Would you like to test knit for me one day?
Then join my team of test knitters.
Every time a test knitting opportunity comes up, you will be one of the first to be notified. Once you have been notified of a test knit, there is no obligation to apply - you can choose to apply only to the test knits that appeal to you.
I hope to work with you soon!


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HPV infections are so common that nearly all men and women will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lives. HPV is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. It can be spread during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Most people who become infected with HPV will not have any symptoms and will clear the infection on their own. Some of these HPVs are called "high-risk" types and can cause abnormal Pap tests, cervical cancer, and other cancers in both men and women. Others are called "low-risk" types, and can cause mild Pap test abnormalities or genital warts, growths or bumps that may appear shaped like cauliflower.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the HPV vaccine for both boys and girls by age 11 or 12. Catch-up vaccination is available until age 26. The current HPV vaccine available in the U.S. offers protection against most HPV cancers, including cervical cancers as well as cancers of the vagina, vulva, anus and penis. While studies have not been done for non-reproductive system HPV-related cancers, the vaccine protects against the type of HPV that can cause oropharyngeal cancers. The HPV vaccine may also prevent oropharyngeal cancers.
Looking for clinical guidelines, job aids, or other information?
HPV Facts (CDC)
HPV and Cancer: Questions and Answers
Genital Warts (Warts Information Center)
Infección genital por VPH: Hoja informativa
HPV Vaccine Information Statement (PDF)
HPV Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know
HPV Vaccine for Preteens and Teens - English (PDF)
Vacunas contra el VPH para adolescentes y preadolescentes - Español (PDF)
HPV and Oral Cancer
HPV-related Cancer Statistics (CDC)
National STD Data
National NIH Cancer Data
HPV-Associated Cancers and HPV Vaccination Coverage in California (CDPH) (PDF)
HPV/Cervical Pre-Cancer Surveillance Impact (HPV Impact)
California Cancer Facts and Figures 2017 (ACS)(PDF)
HPV Vaccine Finder Widget (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
California Cervical Cancer-Free Campaign (California Medical Association Foundation)
CDC Division of STD Prevention
American Sexual Health Association
ShotbyShot.org (Real-life stores and PSAs)
Handouts for Parents
Vacunas Y Mi Salud
HPV Vaccine Fotonovela "An Ounce of Prevention" (English and Español) (PDF)
Send an Email or Text to Let Your Partners Know They Should Get Tested (TellYourPartner.org)


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King Yogi
Kenneth Day or as he is more readily known, Yogi, has been in the dnb scene for about 13yrs. Representing San Antonio, TX, He has been spinning the sounds of liquid dnb and rollers at different venues and raves all over Texas. Recently added to the 2Ten Platoon family, his deep jazz stylings mixed with his love for funk and soul have garnered him praise from all over. Recently he just dropped his newest addition to his Yogi's Imaginarium mix series titled "L.I.F.E (Love Is Found Everywhere), too rave reviews climbing the charts in both DnB and Chill. Also a member of the Nektar Collectors, a duo him and 2TP crew member OverlyMedicated put together specifically for Ambient Camping, where they display their prowess in halftime & bass music.
Nektar Collectors
Longtime friends and owners of MiddleMen Digital and the creative minds behind "The Bass and Coffee Show", have come together just for Ambient Camping Shows. Having carved out amazing careers in their respective genres of Drum & Bass; Yogi playing jazzy, funky liquid and OverlyMedicated with his room destroying bass and tech sets, together they aim to show carve a niche thru half-time dnb that has to be scene to believe. Their sets range from experimental to grimey to atmospheric, in a dark rollercoaster of drum and bass that's for sure not something you wanna miss.


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"So are Ash and Skye going to get together or what?" my mom demanded after reading the latest installment of my Syzygy series. I stifled a groan. "Do you think I'm that predictable?" "No, I just know you." Meaning she knows I'm a total sucker for a good ship. Since childhood, I've endured tedious book series and shark-jumping … Continue reading Shipping and Handling, Part 1: How to write romantic subplots
Tag: Harry Potter
Top 5 Wednesday: Book Theme Songs
As both a writer and a musician, songs and stories are inextricable for me. Lyrics are a fascinating narrative form--Springsteen is like Steinbeck with a guitar--and even the flimsiest dance tune develops a narrative in an author's imagination. I've got whole soundtracks for novels! No room for that today, so here are a few of … Continue reading Top 5 Wednesday: Book Theme Songs
How to Write a Novel, Part 8: Publishing
You've written the story, revised the draft, and edited the manuscript to near-perfection, all to reach this point: publication. But don't start decorating that memento box for your rejection slips yet. The digital age has transformed the way people consume fiction, and consequently the way its distributed. Today's authors now have more choices in distribution … Continue reading How to Write a Novel, Part 8: Publishing
Top 5 Wednesday: Characters Most Like Me
I thought this T5W topic would be easy. I've always identified strongly with fictional characters, and over the years I've allied myself with almost every gutsy heroine whoever butt-kicked her way through a novel. But upon considering the subtleties of this week's challenge, I realized that few of those characters are comprehensively similar to me. Katniss … Continue reading Top 5 Wednesday: Characters Most Like Me
How to Write a Novel, Part 3: Narrative Tension
Has a book ever consumed you? Hooked you so completely that you smuggle it to work and read surreptitiously under the desk, and stay up all night devouring chapters to find out what happens? I read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in one sitting, curled in my dad's blue armchair that matched the … Continue reading How to Write a Novel, Part 3: Narrative Tension