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Power: A New Framework for Difficult Conversations
In 2016, I completed training with Cedar Barstow on The Right Use of Power (RUP) and since then I have been developing a greater understanding of the relationship between one's personal power, role power, and status power, and how this framework can be helpful in navigating the concepts and living dynamics of privilege, power and oppression. This has enabled me to see how power is operating in a multitude of dynamic situations and to engage others in conversations about power in a more accessible way. This framework has become a part of our CORE Diversity Seminar and our second level training, The Four I's of Oppression. I also often refer to this framework in meetings and interpersonal interactions, and will be offering a specific training on this topic on October. I believe that Naropa has been a power-averse culture, one in which we are afraid to name power and address both underuses and abuses of power because we believe this could cost us experiences of connection and community. On the other hand, I believe if we engage in a collective exploration of how power operates on the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional level, we might discover a new meaning to our slogan "Transform yourself, transform the world". As RUP teaches, a holistic, "right" understanding and use of power is actually radical—we can view power as simply energy that can be used to effect either positive transformation or abuse and destruction—and I have come to believe that if we were to truly realize, and engage in, the ethical use of our power and privilege, we could co-create a more just world.
Highlights of Progress


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Ceylon tea has a world-wide reputation like Colombian Coffee, French Wine and Scotch Whisky
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Green tea, string & tag envelope 25 x 2g packed in 50g pack (Akbar Green Mint, 50g)
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subset: commoncrawl


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Named for the first day of the shooting season, this document holder is made of fabulously thick vegetable tanned leather. Perfect for storing folded A4 documents, such as car insurance documents or shotgun certificates in the glove box of the car.
Proudly made by artisan craftsmen in the UK.
Dimensions: 12.7 x 23 cm


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Sarah Stage isn't compromising her fitness regimen, even at 8-months-pregnant.
The Los Angeles-based model, known on social media as the "Six-Pack Mom," is closer than ever to welcoming her second child. Sarah's shared much of pregnancy journey with her more than 2 million Instagram followers, and much like her first pregnancy, has defended her lifestyle time and time again from body shamers and trolls.
In her latest Instagram post, Stage shares why she's continued exercising so close to her due date despite an influx of comments urging her to stop. "As I'm nearing #8months I've wanted to share what's been on my mind," the mom-to-be captioned a video sequence of herself completing a series of weight exercises like planks, lunges and squats.
"Since I've announced my second pregnancy," Stage continued, "I've had certain 'Instagram medical experts' tell me what I should and shouldn't do. And while I find some of the comments hilarious, I choose to only listen to my OBGYN and of course I also listen to MY body."


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For many years, Paris was always a place I had wanted to visit and explore, the charm, character and diversity of life in such a bustling city was unlike any other city in Europe. Whilst visiting the United Kingdom, I finally had the opportunity to go on a 3 day excursion, and explore at my leisure. What I discovered did not disappoint me in the slightest.
During the quick trip, I purposely chose to ignore photographing touristic traps such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, as beautiful as they may be, I felt no urge to capture them and avoided them. Instead, I focused my energy on capturing the everyday life which can seen around this city.
The character in this image, was sitting on one side of a bridge, generally ignored by passers-by on their way to queue up to get inside the Norte-dame cathedral. The gentleman was gazing off, seeming to be lost in though, that is until I dropped some change into his mini suitcase and he leapt up and into life, like a coin operated toy.
Although the story hidden behind his eyes is unknown, he still managed to crack a big grin at me, happy to be given a little help and attention. After a few minutes of playing, he sat back down, as if his meter had expired... awaiting for another person to top him up.
Photographer: Martin Madeanu
Location: Paris, France
Camera: Nikon FM2
Lens: Nikkor 2.8/24 AI-S
Film: Ilford HP5
Lab: Downtown Camera


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|$25000.00 ($0.00 shipping)
The 2018 PEN America Literary Gala Benefit will be held on Tuesday, May 22, at the American Museum of Natural History. Legendary suspense writer Stephen King will receive the PEN America Literary Service Award, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc., Carolyn Reidy will be our Publisher Honoree. PEN America will also confer the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award on an imprisoned writer of conscience, as well as the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award.
Benefactor Table $25,000
For further information, please contact the Development Office at (646) 779-4815, or email [email protected] Your contribution, less $247 per ticket, is tax-deductible.
*The PEN World Voices Festival will be held April 16—April 23, 2018. Founded in 2005 by Salman Rushdie, this country's largest international writers' festival brings together 100 writers from around the world for debates, conversations, and performances to promote cross-cultural understanding and a more informed worldview.


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Date: March 13, 2016
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Santosha Yoga, 346 Richmond Rd.(second floor),Ottawa, Ontario, K2A 0E8
What will be discussed:
●Learn about the Ottawa School of Embodied Yoga Therapy's 800+ hour professional training program.
●Talk to OSEYT faculty and have the opportunity to ask questions.
●Learn about the International Association of Yoga Therapy(IAYT).
●Learn about the Yoga Therapy Association of Ottawa (YTAO) and become a member!


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Furnishing you with information
A warm welcome to visitors
There's a frission of excitement here at Back of the Sofa HQ as we enter a live test week for the website. Given the well of talent at FdK Design / Mintedbox - who've collaborated to turn this fanatical vision into a digital reality - we're expecting it to pass with flying colours. That being so, there'll be a launch press release here in a week's time to furnish you with more information about Back of the Sofa: what it's aiming to do and where it's already made an impact. In the meantime, a very warm welcome to any visitors or, indeed, early-adopters… please feel free to have a dig around and share your experience by emailing your feedback to firstname.lastname@example.com


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A Sliver of Shadow (Abby Sinclair Series #2)
Paperback(Mass Market Paperback - Original)
Temporarily Out of Stock Online
Following A Brush of Darkness, the second novel in a dark, fun, and sexy urban fantasy series—featuring a mortal heroine deeply enmeshed in a magical OtherWorld that she's just learning to navigate.
Just when her new life as a TouchStone—a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human worlds—seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate's away...let's just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed. The results are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world are beginning to fade, while Faery is on the brink of war with the daemons of Hell. Along with her brooding elven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion, Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen's magic. But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries she's making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those she loves.
Product Details
|Pocket Books
|Publication date:
|Abby Sinclair Series , #2
|Edition description:
|Product dimensions:
|4.10(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.20(d)
About the Author
A marine biologist in a former life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous violinists. She spends her days in Northern Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats, punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.
Read an Excerpt
Run, Abby."
Sonja's warning slid around me with a wash of power. Startled, I shot up from where I huddled beneath a cluster of fallen logs, decayed bark scattering as a set of claws shredded my hiding place. I ducked, the sharpened talons slicing the air with a deadly whistle.
Grinding my teeth, I narrowed my eyes and concentrated, letting my own form shift. Small, furry, fast …
The Dreaming rippled. I bounded away, sleek and long, haunches bunching and then springing forward to propel me into the darkness. Sonja's low growl of frustration echoed behind me. I didn't know exactly what form she'd taken, but my rapidly twitching nose instantly recognized the acrid scent of something feline.
The urge to go to ground vibrated through my little body, but I pushed forward, leaves sliding beneath my paws. All around me were shadows as my nails dug into the moist earth. The scenery blurred past in a haze of ragweed and pine trees, needles brushing my fur. I couldn't hear Sonja anymore and I paused, my ears rotating to cup the darkness. The faintest breeze caught my attention, and I instinctively flattened against the grass as Sonja swooped past, this time in the shape of a barred owl.
She wheeled, but I bolted, aiming for the tinkling stream nearby. Shedding the last vestige of the hare, I leapt toward the surface, my skin sluicing into scales as I slithered into the depths. My gills opened to shunt out the water, gravel scraping my pink salmon belly.
"Good! Very good." Sonja applauded from the banks. The succubus had shifted into her more human form, the bloodred feathers of her wings shining in the moonlight of the Dreaming. Her skin had an alabaster purity that could never be matched by anything mortal. Between the hidden depths of her dark eyes and the scarlet wings, she seemed more fallen angel waif than daemon seductress. "You can come out now, Abby. I think that's enough for tonight."
My tail flicked me through the current as I changed again, pulling together the part of what made me, me. Emerging from the water, I squeezed the drops from my hair and pushed it from my face. "I'm getting better." I wrapped the Dreaming around me until I was dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt.
Sonja nodded cautiously, smoothing out the wrinkles of her own tank dress. "You are, but you're still barely tapping your potential." She gestured around us with a hint of irritation. "These are your Dreams. You limit yourself to your own sense of physics. Becoming a rabbit was fine and you've certainly improved your shifting ability—but why not change the ground, or the trees?" She yanked on a damp ringlet of my hair. "Why waste time with this when you could instantly dry it? If you're ever going to really, truly defeat your nightmares, you're going to need more than just a few parlor tricks."
"I don't think that way. You know that. We've been through this how many times now?" I concentrated on the water flowing over my toes before giving her a wan smile. "Have patience with me. I'm new to this." One dark brow rose at me sourly, but she let the lie pass without comment. In truth it had been over six months—six very long months. She was frustrated, I was frustrated. I'd been banging my head against the metaphysical equivalent of a brick wall in my attempts to break free from the confines of everything I'd ever known in an effort to make sense of the dark shadows of my inner psyche—which often took the form of vicious, man-eating sharks.
My nightmares certainly hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention either way.
If it hadn't been for a certain incubus awakening me to the existence of the Dreaming nearly eight months ago, I would have continued to experience my familiar nightly cycle of waking up from the intimate practice of having the flesh shredded from my bones. That should have meant something.
On the other hand, sometimes ignorance really was bliss. Discovering that I could visit the place where my dreams occurred was one thing. Being told I could potentially bring my nightmares to life was something else entirely.
I understood Brystion's motivation of having his sister teach me the finer points of Dreaming—we weren't exactly dating anymore, and my chances of focusing long enough past the hurt of his leaving was a bit of a toss-up. I couldn't argue against the need to control myself better, though I wasn't sure Sonja saw me as anything more than a chore. Still. The faint scent of the sea rolled past us as though to emphasize the point and I shuddered. Dreams or not, I had no wish to see the sharks again anytime soon.
The succubus sighed at my woeful expression. "You'll get there. You just need to concentrate."
I waggled my nose, annoyed. I might not quite grasp everything she tried to teach me, but I wasn't completely ignorant. "Is that all there is to it, Endora?" My eyes narrowed as I stared at her, the power rushing through me, a thin rivulet of the Dreaming taking form in my mind.
A small change, perhaps.
The succubus glanced over her shoulder with a surprised laugh. Her scarlet wings now gleamed a brilliant purple. "Not bad," she admitted, ruffling them with a shiver, a flush of crimson staining them back to their normal shade.
Her face sobered. "But seriously, Abby. You have enough potential to make a first-class DreamWalker. With the right training, you'd be able to slip in and out of the Dreaming at will—and not just into your dreams, but into others as well."
"Planning on having me go all Dom Cobb on someone? Let me dig up a top." Despite my words, I couldn't even begin to grasp the sort of power that might take. Hell, I could barely manage to keep from being devoured by my own nightmares—and I knew what caused them. What would my chances be against someone else's private despair? It wasn't any of my business, anyway.
She picked up a stick, sketching out a series of circles on the ground. "Nearly everything that sleeps visits the Dreaming in one form or another. Whether they remember it or not is another story, but I'm sure you've heard of people who have prophetic dreams or astral body projections or some such?"
"Well, sure. But the one time I actually attempted to leave the Dreaming without waking up, I ended up getting lost on the CrossRoads. And attacked by daemons." I frowned at her. The silver roads granted passage between the mortal realm and Faerie and I'd never really figured them out. "Brystion was pissed."
She waved me off. "And rightfully so, but you wouldn't be on the CrossRoads for this. Here … each circle represents a single person's Dreaming Heart. Let's say this one is yours." She tapped the one closest to me. "Now, the Heart of your Dreaming is sacred space, particularly for mortals. No one can enter it without permission." Her mouth pursed. "Or in my brother's case, invitation?"
I scowled at her. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Indeed. Anyway, that's a bit more than the average sleeping person would normally allow, but people who are close to each other tend to form bonds…" She drew a few squiggles from my circle to the ones closest around it. "Friends and family, perhaps. Lovers." Her eyes met mine with a hint of amusement. "TouchStones. As a Dreamer, you could follow these pathways into their dreams."
I shuddered in distaste as visions of accidentally stumbling into Phin's personal unicorn-porn theater crossed my mind. "And what about enemies? Could they traverse those bonds to me?"
"It is possible," she admitted. "But that's one of the reasons why you need more training." She gestured at the thick iron gate surrounding my Heart. "The unwary have their own defenses built in—but Dreamers have defenses of a different sort at their disposal. The Dreaming itself can become a weapon if you know how to use it."
"Ah. Yeah. You know, I'm not really trying for that sort of thing." I had no desire to become any sort of neoshaman and messing with people's dreams was tricky stuff. "I'll stick with the blue pill, thanks."
"Suit yourself, but you might change your mind someday. It wouldn't hurt to at least understand the basics." She held out a hand to help me out of the stream, and we slowly ambled in the direction of my Heart. The inner sanctum of my dreams lay behind the gate in the form of the old Victorian I'd grown up in. Brystion had told me it couldn't be breached—as long as I stayed within its confines, I would be safe. Even from him.
I scanned the dark forest behind the house. My former lover had made good on his promise to be scarce and I'd barely seen any sign of him, short of the occasional sound of bells echoing like some distant memory through the trees. The few times we'd run across each other at the Hallows nightclub had been polite, if a bit strained. I didn't usually hang around to listen to him sing, and he avoided flaunting whoever his latest TouchStone was to my face, a fact for which I was utterly grateful.
The whole point of TouchStones was to give OtherFolk the ability to stay in the mortal world without limitations … and to travel the CrossRoads at will, usually in return for some sort of gift. The sacred bonds between mortals and OtherFolk didn't always involve sex, but in his case it had to. Knowing that didn't make it hurt any less. Knowing that after six months he probably wasn't going to come back to me hurt a lot more.
Sonja arched a brow at me and I flushed. "Have a good night. We'll try again tomorrow."
I waved at her, watching as she passed through the gate to fade away in a slurry of silver. I often wondered how she could manage the CrossRoads directly like that, but Brystion had the same talent.
I reached out and stroked the gate with a curious finger, the rusted metal flaking into my hand. Physics or not, it still seemed so real here. And as far as confronting my nightmares …
I glanced over at the rocky path that led to the sea. So far I'd managed to keep the worst of the memories at bay. It was chickenshit of me, but the worse the memory, the larger the shark. I wasn't any sort of hero to go facing them down. The sharks paid no mind to my efforts. They would continue to lurk in all their sharp-toothed glory, regardless.
"Always the coward." I rubbed my face before shutting the gate and locking it tight. I didn't mind keeping it open when I was here, but now that I knew there were other beings actually wandering around in the Dreaming, I disliked leaving it gaping in my absence.
The fact that I might have been locking the incubus inside didn't bother me so much. He certainly could make his own way through if he wanted to. My gaze drifted over the thick cluster of hemlock behind the garden and the heady taste of jasmine suddenly grew heavy on my tongue. I took a step toward the trees, the scent growing stronger.
Tempted, I gave the darkness a wry smile. "No games tonight." And I meant it.
The one time I'd actually given in, I'd wandered for hours, emerging to find myself richer only by the number of brambles stuck in my hair. I debated mooning the woods, but in the end I merely entered the house, gently closing the door behind me. And if I thought I caught my name whispered on the breeze, I chose not to acknowledge it.
Something sharp prodded my back. Bleary, I shifted away from it.
"Phin, if that's you, you'd better have a damn good reason for pulling me out of my training." I yawned the words and attempted to roll over.
"I thought you might want to know he's awake again." The cat-size unicorn clambered over my hip to dig his cloven hooves into my thigh.
"And he won't go to sleep for you?"
"Abby, in case you haven't noticed, I don't have hands. But I do have teeth, so unless you want that delicious ass of yours blemished, I suggest you get your butt out of bed. Little angel wants his mamma."
I groaned. Normally Talivar took the night shift but he'd gone to Faerie before I'd crashed. Apparently he hadn't returned yet. Some bodyguard. "What time is it?" I cracked an eye at the clock—4 A.M.
"Fine. But I'm not his mamma." I sat up and snarled when my toes hit the chilly floor.
"You're the only thing here with tits. Close enough." Phineas grinned, wriggling under the warmth of the sheets I left behind. "Mmm … cozy," he said with a sigh.
"Don't push your luck." I glared at him, gathering my robe around my shoulders. Sure enough, now that I'd managed to pull myself out of the hazy state between awake and Dreaming, I could hear Benjamin's wailing cry down the hallway. "I'm not sure I get paid enough for this," I muttered. But who was I kidding? Moira said jump, and I jumped. Why should the job stop at a little thing like child care? Especially when it came to the Faery princess's son.
I padded down the hall with a yawn. "I'm coming, sweetie." I winced as his voice jumped two notches from slightly pissy to full-on megahowl. Upon entering the room and switching on the nightlight, the reason was quickly evident. Wedged up in one corner of the crib, Benjamin had managed to get one of his limbs wrapped around the bars. The fact that the limb in question was a neatly feathered wing made very little difference to the furious little eyes peering at me from a squinched-up face.
Angel, indeed. Spitting image of his father.
Startled by how much he looked like Robert when he thrust out that chin, I tsked at him soothingly, gently extricating the wing without knocking any feathers loose. His volume lowered about two decibels and I picked him up to rest his head on my shoulder. He snuffled, dark hair damp against my neck, his mouth rooting to take hold of my collarbone. "That time again, is it?" I patted his back and covered him with a blanket, starting up what had become a twice-nightly ritual of pacing.
This time Benjamin wasn't having any of it, though. I quickly changed his diaper for good measure and then the two of us headed into the kitchen so that I could warm up a bottle. I continued rocking side to side as the pot on the stove heated up. My enchanted fridge always had his milk in good supply, though what it was, I wasn't entirely sure. Moira wouldn't hear of giving him mortal formula, but I'd never actually seen her carrying a breast pump either. In the end, I supposed it didn't matter. Whatever it was seemed to keep him healthy and it's not as if I'd even know where to begin to find food for a half-angel/half-Fae child anyway. Based on the amount the little booger was going through, I could only imagine his metabolism was higher than a mortal child's, although his somewhat limited development was troubling. At eight months, a human baby would have been at least starting to wean, and certainly wouldn't require two feedings a night. On the other hand, human babies couldn't fly, so maybe the comparison was unfair.
Two weeks ago, Moira had been called away to the Faery Court to give her testimony about Maurice's betrayal. Consumed by jealousy, Maurice had concocted an elaborate scheme to remove his former lover from power in a last-ditch bid to land himself a place in Faerie—a plan I had somehow managed to thwart, although that was mostly just dumb luck on my part. Of course, the offshoot of that had nearly been my death, so it wasn't like I'd gotten away unscathed.
Undoubtedly I was on his ultimate shitlist, but I'd been spared the testimony requirement and acquired a bodyguard in the form of Moira's brother, so some things had worked out. On the other hand, staying behind meant I had to run things on my own—including the task of being Benjamin's nanny.
Talivar had been happy enough to take the night shift, but when the infant had sprouted wings a few days ago, the prince had decided it was worth the risk of leaving us behind to tell his sister directly.
Regardless of what Moira had told me, the knowledge of who was Benjamin's father wasn't for public consumption, but feathers would be hard to hide for too long.
Benjamin began to whimper. The bottle was nearly warm now, so I shushed him until it was the right temperature. I retreated into the living room, and curled up on the sofa. He smacked his lips at the sight of the bottle and suckled greedily. "Better be careful," I warned him. "Keep eating like this and you'll be too heavy to fly."
If he heard my words, he ignored them, eyes closing in contentment. "Silly boy," I murmured, shifting him so that he was crooked in my elbow. Now that his needs were fully taken care of, I blinked sleepily myself, my gritty eyes burning. "Not yet. Gotta get you all tucked in first, eh?" I glanced down at the pile of loose papers on the coffee table and turned the lamp to its dimmest setting, grabbing the top few sheets.
Might as well try to get some work in.
Dear Abby…
I rolled my eyes. Just my luck to be stuck with the same name as the columnist. I couldn't recall exactly when the first letters started showing up, but shortly after the whole Maurice debacle, I began to find them. At first, they'd be randomly slipped under the door of the Midnight Marketplace, or even sometimes at the Pit, the used bookstore where I worked. I wasn't foolish enough to think the letters were meant for me. Not really.
Moira was the Protectorate of Portsmyth. Part of her job was to oversee disputes and issues of the OtherFolk living here. As her mortal TouchStone, I was simply a conduit to possibly getting her attention faster.
But as I tentatively began to read the letters, Moira decided I could use the practice and allowed me to try to answer. Like a floodgate opening, they started showing up on my pillow, in my bathroom, taped to the fridge. I drew the line when I found the one in my underwear drawer.
Or really, Phineas blew a gasket.
"I don't mind you having your hobbies," he'd exploded at me that morning, "but goddamn if you could keep them out of your lingerie?"
Even aside from the fact that he wasn't actually supposed to be in my underwear drawer either, this was one time I agreed with him.
I formally set up a separate address at the Marketplace, with occasional diversions to the Hallows, and made it clear that any letters showing up in my sheets were going to be burned.
Still, the flow kept on here and there; how useful my answers were was up for debate.
I was hoping you could settle a little issue between me and this ghost I'm living with.
"Not bloody likely."
I'm a brownie, and I used to work for Mr. Jefferson. Now, technically, brownies work until their chosen masters pass on and then we are set free. But in this case, Mr. Jefferson did not fully move into the light and his ghost haunts the place and refuses to let me go …
I groaned, placing the letter on the cushion beside me. I hated these kinds of questions. Not as much as the TouchStone or the star-crossed lover ones, but without knowing both sides of the story, how was I supposed to answer this?
Even if I meant well, there was no telling what the repercussions would be if I gave them the wrong advice. "Have to find a ghost whisperer, Benjamin." Benjamin's jaw was slack now, the nipple hanging off his lower lip, milk in the corners of his mouth. "All right, little man. Back to bed with you. And Auntie," I amended as the front door creaked open.
"Here, I'll take him." Talivar emerged from the darkness with a quiet grace. The elven prince-cum-bodyguard had finally relaxed his rather minimal dress code of tunics and torcs a few months ago, even as he had relaxed his vigilance.
With a little shopping help from me, he had taken casual chic to an entirely new level. Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, he cut a nice figure in the dim light, his long hair tied in a loose queue and a bit of hipster scruff on his chin setting off the strong jaw. Frankly, I found that the oddest thing about him, given that I'd always thought elves couldn't actually grow facial hair, but I was hardly an expert.
Besides, I liked it.
The delicate points of his ears poked between the sable strands of his hair, silver hoops gleaming near the tips like tiny stars. He still retained the leather eye patch, though. My threats to glitter it up had been met with a slightly chilly smile, and in the end I'd decided to leave well enough alone.
"Ah. I didn't hear you come in." I peered up at him. "Good trip?"
"There is much to discuss, but I think it can wait until tomorrow." He watched the baby, a strange expression ghosting over his face. "My sister wasn't overly happy to hear about the wings, as you can imagine, but she'll manage."
I grunted, not really sure I cared about anything other than getting back to my bed. Not at this hour, anyway. "When do you think the trial will wrap up?"
He gently took Benjamin from me, cradling his nephew's head with a careful hand. "Maurice is not being cooperative, as we suspected. His refusal to explain how he removed all that succubus blood is becoming most … vexing." Talivar's mouth compressed in a way that left little doubt that vexing probably wasn't the word he was looking for, but it curved into a crooked smile a moment later as he shrugged at me.
"I don't think it's the removal so much as what he did with it." Although probably insane on some level, Maurice had somehow discovered a way to use the blood of succubi in the form of paint. Which sounds harmless enough—until he used it on Moira and myself, among others, to trap us in portraits made of our own nightmares.
"No doubt. And Moira has given her testimony, but …" He hesitated. "Well, the truth is our mother is not doing as well as she might. Moira is keeping an eye on her."
"Translation: Things are fucked," I quipped with a sigh. "I already know where this is going." Visions of raising Benjamin to his college years filled me with a weary sort of resignation. "What are the chances I'll be seeing Moira again before my Contract is up?"
"Well enough, I'm thinking. The Queen won't keep her there forever."
Easy for him to say. Maybe six years didn't seem like much to a nearly ageless elf, but it might as well have been forever as far as I was concerned.
"I still think we need to tell Robert. Benjamin is his son, and however uncomfortable that makes people, he should know. After all," I said dryly, "who's going to teach him to fly?"
Talivar shifted Benjamin to his shoulder and shook his head. "We do not recognize paternal claims in Faerie, Abby. All lineages are drawn through the mother. By that logic, I'm actually more closely related to my nephew than Robert is."
"Yeah, I can tell, what with those wings and all. Still makes no damn sense."
"Yes, well, we're a rather promiscuous bunch. We cannot trust our wives to be faithful, any more than our wives could trust us. At least this way I know my sister's children are related to me. But my wife?" He shrugged at my raised brow, a wan smile on his lips. "My hypothetical wife, anyway. She could take a hundred lovers over the course of our marriage and I would have no right to gainsay her that."
"And that doesn't bother you? Knowing that you have no real acknowledgement of your own children?"
"Children are rare and precious to our kind. We tend not to look too closely at where they come from. Usually." He looked down at the baby, his gaze distant. "And that, I think, is enough for one evening. Or morning, as the case may be," he noted, glancing at the false dawn through the blinds. "I'll tend to him now. Hopefully your rest wasn't disturbed much."
"Mmm … you're assuming I like to be awakened by a horn half up my ass."
"Probably depends on the horn." A smirk crossed his face before he slipped through the kitchen and down the hallway to the baby's room. I watched him go, rubbing my eyes again. He didn't have Brystion's blatant sexuality, but there was an ethereal beauty to him that sometimes stunned me.
A pang of sadness twisted in my chest and I told it to shut the hell up, ambling to my bedroom to try to catch a few more hours of shut-eye. Today was Katy's eighteenth birthday, after all, and I had things to do—party plans to set in motion and her werewolf boyfriend to keep under control. My duties didn't get put on hold simply because I had a messy personal life.
Phineas was unabashedly drooling on my pillow, his equine mouth half open. "Lovely." I grimaced, snatching up a spare from the closet. I hunched beneath the blankets, wrapping them partway about my head as though I might shut out the memories.
The unicorn snuggled closer, making kissy sounds.
I shoved him beneath the blanket. "You're an ass. See if I make you any breakfast."
"Be still my wounded heart," he retorted. "However shall I manage without a plate of burned bacon?" There was a snuffling sound and a sigh, and then a miniature chainsaw revving next to my ear.
Out of a perverse sense of revenge I nudged him with my shoulder. "I've got to try to find a ghost whisperer today, if I can. Remind me when you wake me up again."
There was a sudden silence. On instinct, I jerked my backside away from him, peering out of my nest to catch his teeth clicking shut on the space where my ass had just been. The unicorn gave me a sour look. "Almost got you," he mumbled, flopping onto his back with his legs spread obscenely. "Ask Charlie. She's always talking to dead people."
I frowned. I hadn't spoken to Charlie in quite a while. At least not about anything that didn't end up being awkwardly … awkward. "Charlie as in 'the girlfriend of the angel who cheated on her with my boss and whose baby I'm taking care of'?"
"Yeah." His mouth pursed. "Hmm … I guess I could see where that might be a problem. Good thing I don't have to talk to her."
"Nice." I slouched down and rearranged the blankets, rolling to the other side to keep my posterior out of range. "Whose side are you on anyway?"
"Thought you'd have figured that out by now." He yawned, one eye cocking open to wink at me. "Mine."
© 2012 Allison Pang
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Abby Sinclair returns in A Silver of Shadow, the second installment in the series written by Allison Pang. Abby is still the touchstone to Moira, the Protectorate. Like in the first book Moira is gone, though this time we know where she is. Abby has to make difficult decisions to try to reach Moira and fix everything that is going on. I feel bad for Abby, it seems that she cannot get a break in this book. It is a constant bombardment of issues which happen one after another that Abby must take in stride and solve. She is forced to face her fears, and you can see her character grow as the story evolves. The CrossRoads, the pathway between Faery and the human world is closed abruptly. This causes a lot of issues for Faery in the human world since they are essentially stuck. Not only that but without the CrossRoads open, they will begin to die (fade). Having a human TouchStone will give them more time, but the end result is the same. It is up to Abby to try to solve why the CrossRoads was closed and how to get it back open. There are hunky men as usual for a possible love interest, though Brystion (Ion) is no longer the main man. Taliver, who happens to be Moira's brother is in the picture and I found myself rooting for him. When I finished reading book one I had hopes that Abby and Brystion would stay together or work things out. Now I am not so sure who I want Abby to be with. I found myself liking Taliver more and more as this book progressed. A Sliver of Shadow ends in a cliff hanger, which is one thing that I hate in books. Well not hate, it just makes me really want the next book right now so I can see what the heck happens. So on that note, this was a great book and I cannot wait to read the next one.
Well let's start off with the book cover. It is very interesting and ties into the story well. It really makes you curious about what the story holds, even if you knew nothing about it. Doesn't it? Life for Abby has gotten a little crazy. The Queen has closed the door between the worlds, which Abby has to re-open. All the while Abby is a caretaker to a to a half-fae/half angel baby boy. A lovable pervert unicorn who made a nest in her underwear drawer. Oh and her new bodyguard is a Fae prince who is living with her. Not to mention dealing with the nightmares, the family secrets, and her mothers death. What a ride. The characters Abby is the same heroine, with the same insecurities, from the 2st book. She tends to be on the gullible side in this book. Failing for things, and not sticking up for herself as much as she should. Don't get me wrong, she is still the amazing heroine from book one. Just when you get used to the slowly forming romatic relatiship between Abby's and Taliver, BAM! the Author throws in Brystion. I think I smell a Love Triangle coming. I am looking forward to see Abby grow stronger as a person in the next book. The world setting is duo. Earth and Faerie which is on the brink of war. The doors are closed between worlds. Which is causing the Fae to start to fade. The Faerie world is so descriptive it is easily pictured in my head. The plot is riddled with twists, turns and a cliffhanger that'll leave you salivating for the following book. The pace was good, although it did slow down a little, it recovered nicely. Writing style is great. I love the snarky humor that the author mixes in there. This story is really Original, with the way the Urban fantasy and fantasy genre were mixed together. Caution: Personal Opinion is you MUST read this book in the series order. Considering this is book two, you don't have far to go. My Rating 4 Stars Were Vamps Romance Reviews
Reviewed By~April Review Copy Provided By~Bewitching Book Tour Amazing, extraordinary, out of this world! Sliver of Shadow is an amazing follow-up to A Brush of Darkness, the first in the Abby Sinclair series! I first fell in love with Abby and her friends in the A Brush of Darkness. I loved the spunkiness, uniqueness and sassiness of her, as well as the sexiness of her incubus lover, Brystion. When we begin this latest installment, Brystion has some competition of the very unexpected and elvish kind. This, however, is not the most dire of issues - the fact that the CrossRoads and the Doors which allow the OtherFolk to travel easily between different worlds, has been shut down by the Faery Queen who, as it happens, has gone completely mad. It comes down to Abby, who has the power to save the OtherFolk, hopefully without losing her own life. Full of surprises and endless twists and turns, this story hooked me and never let me go from beginning to end. A Sliver of Shadow tosses Abby and the reader into the thick of the immortal world in which Faeres, Daemons and all things from Fairy Tales are alive and on the brink of war - a war that will destroy all of life as it is known - for everyone. Readers will be shocked at revelations that occur (I know I was!), discoveries made and a love triangle that will leave the heart pounding. Not only is this installment action packed and full of excellent paranormal writing, but the heat and chemistry between Abby and her two suitors is heady and hot. I love Allison Pang's style of writing. Not only has she become one of my favorite paranormal writers, but she has an amazing way of weaving a story that includes humor, suspense, romance and surprising twists - not to mention her writing is simply beautiful at times. It is not many who can turn a panty-loving, rear-end poking, perverted "pet" unicorn into a character easily endeared by a reader. I do have to admit that the ending had me ready to scream and sob - it did not turn out like I had planned or hoped, lol. However, it does make for the perfect segue into the next book in the series (ok, I also read the expert for the next book that appears at the end of A Sliver of Shadow and I still wanted to cry, lol). Yes, this is a book and a series that I become emotionally involved within. Needless to say, I cannot wait for the next installment in this series to release and I HIGHLY recommend both A Sliver of Shadow and A Brush of Darkness to anyone looking for an amazing paranormal read. I do want to mention that though A Sliver of Shadow is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone, as it has it's own storyline and there are mentions of bits and pieces from the first book that will cover any questions that may arise. To end things, A Sliver of Shadow is paranormal perfection! Favorite Quote (though there are many!): Something hot blurred my vision, scorching down the side of my face. Her gaze become curious as she captured it, turning her fingers to peer at the crystalline softness of my tears.
This is the second in the series and I loved it. Ion is back in this causing emotional chaos, and she is also romantically involved with someone new. To save the fae and otherworld people she has to put herself on the line and find out the conspiracy behind the closing of the crossroads and the mentally unstable Fae Queen while trying to avert a war with the Demon army perched on the door step of the Fae Castle. The twists were fun and exciting, but my favorite part is that when the book ends they give you a free glimpse of the beginning of the next book. I highly recommend this series.
A Sliver of Shadow is the second book in Allison Pang¿s Abby Sinclair series, the first book A Brush of Darkness (review here) was fantastic and I could not wait to get my hands on A Sliver of Shadow. Let me warn you though, reading book one is a must in order to read this installment. Allison just dives right back in with A Sliver of Shadow and does not give you any summary whatsoever. It took me a couple chapters to get back in the swing of it because it had been so long since I had read A Brush of Darkness. However, I enjoyed getting right to the heart of the issues Abby faced and not dealing with filler chapters composed of unnecessary retellings of events from book one. So make sure you have read A Brush of Darkness first and maybe read the last couple of chapters before starting A Sliver of Shadow.All the usual suspects are back in this book, my personal favorite being Phin. I don¿t think I have found a character that even comes close to matching him in personality. He is hysterical and I laughed every time that unicorn opened his mouth. He keeps the mood light when it is often dire and I always enjoy his comic relief. I also really like Abby¿s friend, Mel. She has such an interesting back story that I want to learn more about. Little pieces of her past are reveled in this book, but not nearly enough! I hope we get to see more of her in the next book because I am every interested in how she got that violin and what her future holds.While this book is labeled urban fantasy it definitely takes on more a fantasy feel once Abby steps into Faerie. There are obstacles at every turn, spells gone wrong, the whole of Faerie on the brink of war and Abby stuck right in the middle of it. Many in the world of Faerie seemed very happy letting Abby solve their problems and all of the pressure started to weigh her down. Allison kept the plot moving at such a rapid pace, so all the characters were kept on their toes and struggling to hold everything together. Faerie is falling apart under a sick queen¿s rule and no one seems to do anything about it until Abby comes along and forces them to reevaluate their decisions.One of the strongest aspects of these books is the amazing mythology. I am not sure how Allison keeps everything that goes on in this world straight, but it has continued to get better with each novel. The world building is amazing and so descriptive I can picture it all in my head perfectly. I want to soak in all the details and just leap right into the book myself.As for the romance, there is a love triangle going on. If you have read my reviews before you are probably aware that I am not a fan. I am anti love triangle actually, but somehow Allison made it work in this book. After reading A Brush of Darkness, I was certain I was on Brystion¿s side and wanted to see him and Abby to end up together. So when I saw her feelings for Talivar start to turn romantic I was upset at first. However, somewhere in the middle of this book I switched sides. I just adored Tavilar and how he acted with Abby. The elven prince is almost broken in a sense. His life has been riddled with pain and heartbreak and while we don¿t get the whole story of what has transpired in his lifetime, we know enough to sympathize with him. He won me over completely and I fear for what his future holds with Abby and in Faerie.While the ending was a little killer because we are left on somewhat of a cliffhanger, I really enjoyed watching Abby take her life into her own hands. She is taking charge of her destiny instead of letting it lead her. Allison has created a fantastic urban fantasy heroine and I love watching Abby try to sort through the mess she always seems to end up in.Overall, this is another fantastic edition to this series. With a strong, loveable main character, an intense mythology, a little bit of romance and a plot that moves at a rapid pace it is a must read! The next book, A Trace of Moonlight, is due out in October and I cannot wait to get my h
Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyOne of the real strengths of the Abby Sinclair series is the fresh and innovative mythology and worldbuilding. The supernatural species may be familiar (fae, angels, unicorns etc.), but the rules for this world are anything but. Creative, yes, but unfortunately, it¿s a little confusing too. Pang has really infused the kind of meticulous and nuanced worldbuilding that I¿m more accustomed to reading in epic fantasy series. Most of the terminology is unique to this series, along with the etiquette, politics, and history of the varied creatures that populate this series. As much as I enjoy all the layers and new ideas, it is a little tricky to try and keep everything straight while reading. I had hoped that I¿d have a better grasp of things since this is my second visit to this series, but I would have killed for a glossary even just after the first few chapters.A SLIVER OF SHADOW gets a lot less urban and a lot more fantasy when Abby and her group cross over into faerie at about the halfway mark. Lots of corsets, horseback, and sword fights. For my taste, I could have done with a shorter visit to faerie, but the action and romance picked up considerably once we got there. Unfortunately, those weren¿t the only things that picked up. There is just a ton of stuff going on. A messy love triangle, half angel/half fae babies, deamonic armies, botched spells, crazy queens, fading fae, shocking family revelations, and on and on. The plot got more complicated as the story progressed, and by the end, I was kind of overwhelmed and not a little confused.Those complaints aside, there is enough good stuff in this book to make it worth picking up. Abby is a great UF heroine. Tough even when she is scared, gutsy even when the odds aren¿t in her favor (and they never are). The best thing by far is Phin, the cat sized unicorn who sleeps in Abby¿s underwear drawer. He was even more bawdy and hilarious in A SLIVER OF SHADOW than I remembered from the debut. Lots of urban fantasy series have sidekick type characters, but I¿d be hard pressed to find one as flat out entertaining as Phin. I¿ll be looking forward to more Phin and Abby (and hopefully a glossary) when the third book in the Abby Sinclair urban fantasy series called A TRACE OF MOONLIGHT is published probably early in 2013.Sexual Content:Scenes of sexuality. One graphic sex scene
Originally Reviewed at: Mother/Gamer/WriterRating: 5 out of 5 ControllersReview Source: Bewitching Book ToursReviewer: HeatherIt¿s not very often that a story has the ability to make you laugh, and then make you cry. For me, this is typically the foundation for an entertaining story. With A Sliver of Shadow, the second book in the Abby Sinclair series, I would have to agree. I absolutely loved, loved, loved Phin the mini unicorn, and I loved how all the characters interacted with each other. Everyone flowed even during conflict, and even during the fascinating and hilarious love triangle between the ex-boyfriend incubus and faerie prince who is her bodyguard!This story brings action, romance, sex, mystery, intrigue, and I could go on (and on) forever. What struck my heart chords was the sacrifice that Abby Sinclair gives, and gives, and gives right up to the very end of the story.Join Abby and her collective band of friends (and lovers!) as they try to restore the virtue of the throne in the land of the faeries. Turn each page as the story unfolds before your eyes and be transported right into the flow of the words.Due to the sexual nature, and language, I would suggest this book for adult audiences that love supernatural fantasy stories. While there is love and romance found within the pages, this story has so much more to offer. I look forward to reading the rest of the novels, and have found another great author to add to my MUST-READ list.(less)
It's been several months since the end of A Brush of Darkness and Keystone Abby Sinclair once again finds herself on her own. Moira, the Protectorate, has returned to Faery to deal with court matters, leaving "Auntie" Abby as guardian of her son Benjamin and both of them under the watchful eye of Moira's brother, Talivar. When the mysterious Tresa shows up and announces that she has been sent to be the new Protectorate, Abby quickly enlists the aid of the OtherFolk in Portsmyth to determine if Tresa's claim is valid. Tresa attempts to spell Abby to force the TouchStone bond and making her the Protectorate in truth. Abby thwarts the attempt, but it had a devastating effect on the OtherFolk leading the Faery Queen to close the CrossRoads. Abby and company head to Faery to convince the Queen to reopen the CrossRoads before the OtherFolk trapped in the mortal realm begin to perish. Only the Queen is quite mad, Moira helpless to intervene and Hell is poised to attack. There are a lot of revelations in A Sliver of Shadow. Some concern the incredible world Allison Pang has created and some are about Abby specifically. Just when Abby thinks she has her role and personal life figured out, she's left reeling from new discoveries as well as having to sort out her feelings for Talivar and Brystion. I'm a huge fan of Allison Pang's writing. She's snarky, witty, and pulls the reader so far into the story that you don't want to ever leave her world. And what a world she has created! In this installment, we get to visit the human realm, the Dreaming, and spend a good deal of time in Faery. We're able to catch up with all our favorite characters from A Brush of Darkness as well as being introduced to new players from the Fae and Daemons. A Sliver of Shadow is the second book in the series, but could be read as a stand-alone. Fair warning though, it does have a cliff-hanger ending. Thank goodness book #3, A Trace of Moonlight, is already out so you can dive straight into it and find out how the trilogy ends....I did!
"A two backed monster" something Abby said to Phin. It took me minutes to figure out its meaning. The writer is developing right along with her sequel and it is magnificent.
I absolutely loved this sequel in the Abby Sinclair series. Brystion , Brystion where are you ? The hunky daemon, Brystion takes a nice amount of leave from this instalment. Who we do get instead is Talivar, the body guard in spades, whose character progresses in this instalment. We are introduced to Talivar, Moira's brother at the end of 'A Brush of Darkness'. I love this, taken from Allison's page. Brystion is keeping his distance for the most part, he packed up and left the Heart that Abby left for him. Abby is pining for Brystion but at the same time a light is glowing for Talivar and things move a lot slower than they did with Brystion. Talivar is into courting and not bamming in the cheap room , even though if Phin hadn't been causing trouble with Melanie and Katy , it may have been the cheap room * waggles eyebrows* Phin is still super naughty and mischievous , but we learn more about the little fellow. I liked what Allison did with his character. Phin is a total scene stealer. Whenever he pops up , his dialogue and actions steal the show. I quite liked seeing Abby in mamma mode with baby Benjamin, it was quite cute. Baby Benjamin is very cute with his wings, but mamma Moira is in Faery attending to her mother who appears to have lost the plot a little. Yes, I think I am Team Talivar. I do love Brystion, but he needs to pick himself up. Abby - Brystion was quite full on and smexi from the word go in 'A Brush Of Darkness'. A total of like two weeks they knew each other. This story takes place six months down the track. I love at virtually the half way mark of this story we took off to the CrossRoads, due to a reason you can find out for yourself. There begins an adventure for Abby who is separated from Talivar for a short bit and we meet some great sub characters. I quite liked Jimmy, and now this is the second book only I have come across a Kitsune, oh and a talking horse that isn't really a horse....hehe!! Team Brystion does turn up again, but now we have me all confuzzed as I got myself a t-shirt with Team Talivar as he is gorgeous and we see things develop at a more manageable pace and it wasn't based on sex . I don't like the term the Crippled Prince, but this is what he is known as. I love that he is an Elf. So we have the daemon and the elf. We actually get some lovely twists all round with several characters. There are a lot of places Allison takes us that really made this book enjoyable. The pace was exciting and smart. Plus the errrr.... triangle......* wink * I am almost begging for 'A Trace Of Moonlight' due out October 2012. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend this series. Allison really pulled out all the stops in this instalment and then some...* wink* . FAVE QUOTES: The elf had changed into an outfit I hadn't seen before, dark leather vambraces at his wrists and a thick vest over his tunic. His sword hung lose at his side , but now he also had a massive bow slung over his shoulder, a quiver of nasty looking arrows bristling at his hip. His hair was neatly braided and tucked out of the way. "It's like having my very own pet Legolas." His mouth curled up in a private smile. "You have no idea." "Not to interrupt the whole kumbaya vibe you've all got going on , maybe we ought to can the love-in for the moment.
So happy I took a chance on reading a new author. Love these books. Can't wait till October and see whats next for Abby. I'm kinda hoping she gets to keep both her guys. :) I wouldn't be able to choose.
Love love this series. It so much fun. Cant wait for the 3rd book. Ion is so so so yummy. If u like the fever series then you would like this


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September 21, 2019, All Day
Pedal for a purpose during STARS' Biking the Boat charity ride! Participants choose from a 26, 55 or 70 mile challenge ride or a 5 mile family fun ride. Form a team or ride solo, enjoy music and beer at the after race party! 2019 event date and details will be released this spring.
September 21, 2019, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
This races offers two distances on Emerald Mountain, 12k (ends up being closer to 7.75 miles long) and a 5k. This scenic course will begin at the base of Howelsen Hill and tour Emerald Mountain through aspen lined single track. Hikers are welcomed in the 12k.
September 21, 2019, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM @ Yampa Street & 7th Street
The Main Street Steamboat Farmers Market, located on 7th and Yampa streets and the 7th street parking lot, is held on Saturdays from mid-June to Mid September. Our official hours are 9 am to 2 pm but if you are out riding your bike or getting in a quick run before the day's events, you can usually pick up a cup of coffee, pastry or even a breakfast burrito before the crowds arrive.
The Main Street Steamboat Farmers Market features fresh fruit and vegetables each week, many of our vegetable vendors are from right here in Steamboat, but a lot of folks drive in from Palisades or the front range to round out our selection. We focus on food and offer a wide variety of local and cottage industry products. You can pick up fresh bread and pies, local beef, bison, pork and lamb as well as jams, syrups and even horseradish.
September 22, 2019, 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM @ Bob Adams Field - Steamboat Springs Airport
Seatbelts are fastened; The runway is clear; We're on final approach...
And the Steamboat Springs Airport is ready to welcome pilots from around the country and the community on this special day!
Join us for all things aviation and celebrate the airport during the Inaugural Regional & Vintage Aircraft Fly In & Airport Appreciation Day on Sunday, September 22.
Enjoy special activities, demonstrations, home cooked breakfast from the Lions Club and get up close to all types of airplanes.
Fuel Special: $3/Gallon Jet A (w/PRIST) and 100LL
September 28, 2019, All Day @ Yampa & 7th Street
Our Annual Steamboat Downtown Chili Challenge is an friendly competition between chefs and anyone else who would like to showcase their culinary skills! Buy a tasting kit and cast your vote for red and green chili, cornbread and salsa!
September 25, 2019, 5:30 PM @ Centennial Hall
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At the beginning of December we were lucky enough to be in the middle of a typical winter cold snap. A still evening with clear skies gave us the chance to feed 120 guests from creative communities throughout Cornwall.
We teamed up with Anna Heart Design and Mark furniture design. Anna had always been the catalyst for her community to get together and celebrate Christmas. These celebrations steadily grew over the years and it was late summer when Anna asked us if we could take it to the next stage.
Feeding 100 plus guests in a derelict manor house with no heating was always going to be a challenge but this challenge allowed us to set a scene of candle light, wood smoke, mulled cider and a brass band playing carols.
As you can imagine, it was a magical night. We can't wait to go back to Enys and really look forward to working with this community again.


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The Eagle Ford Shale drilling rig count held flat at 278 this past week. Activity began approaching current levels in March and the region hasn't experienced a big change in either direction over the past ten weeks. That's good news in the face of falling oil prices. We've touched on this before, but it is worth mentioning again. If there is going to be an impact from the oil price decline over the past four to five weeks, we will not know for a couple of months. The rig count normally lags commodity price indicators by roughly three months.
Talisman Energy is up for review this week. Talisman is the operating partner in a JV with Statoil in the Eagle Ford Shale. The company entered the play through the acquisition of Common Resource's acreage in May of 2010. Talisman entered a joint venture with Statoil shortly thereafter. The partners have made subsequent acquisitions and Talisman now controls over 85,000 net acres across the play. The majority of the partnership's activity targets the Eagle Ford in Karnes, La Salle, and McMullen counties along the liquids-rich/gas-condensate portion of the play. The company has 12 rigs running as of June 2012, with seven targeting gas and five targeting oil. Drilling activity is up from ten rigs at the end of 2011.
Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Rigs
The natural gas directed rig count (Smithbits) rose to 72 this past week. Karnes, Live Oak, and Webb counties are the only counties with more than ten rigs targeting natural gas. Henry Hub futures prices traded up over 10% on Thursday after bullish natural gas storage data was published by the EIA. Prices were still trading up around $2.46/mmbtu on Friday afternoon. Oil prices remained flat again this week. WTI was trading at $84.00/bbl. During the past week, oil directed activity decreased by one rig to 205.
256 horizontal rigs are running in the region and one water well is being drilled in McMullen County. Karnes County leads development with 40 rigs and La Salle has 35 rigs. Dimmit (32), McMullen (30), Gonzales (23), Webb (23), DeWitt (22), Live Oak (14) and Atascosa (10) make up the top Eagle Ford counties.
News items this week included:
- Oil Prices Will Tell Eagle Ford Story
- ZaZa Energy - Hess JV Terminated in the Eagle Ford and France
- Blue Dolphin Purchases Option to Acquire Ingleside Refinery
- Enterprise Products' Eagle Ford Crude Oil System Starts
- Eagle Ford Oil & Gas Corp. Acquires Frio County Acreage For $6.26 Million
Come back weekly for updates or sign up for alerts.
Drilling Rig Count by Operator
What is the Rig Count?
The Eagle Ford Shale Rig Count is an index of the total number of oil & gas drilling rigs running across a 30 county area in South Texas. The South Texas rigs referred to in this article are for ALL drilling reported by SmithBits and not solely wells targeting the Eagle Ford formation. All land rigs and onshore rig data shown here are based upon industry estimates provided by the Baker Hughes Rig Count and/or Smith Service Co's (Schlumberger) Smith Rig Count.


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Day 1 | What's Up With CHaNGe?
Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus. Some would say (and I agree) that this is a life long journey. Becoming like Jesus obviously involves change and, well.. change can be uncomfortable. But sometimes change is amazing.
Getting married was an awesome change for me. Becoming a father was another awesome change. Becoming a Christian has been the greatest change of all.
What's Up With CHaNGe is designed to help you walk this out for a month and realise that we are all changing all the time. There is far more to be said for how good change can be. We either change and become like Jesus or keep letting society change us The bible says, don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
You will look back, with many others, who all agree there have been significant changes. These changes are usually in your conversations, your thoughts, the way you treat people and the way you go about daily life in the world around you.
How have I changed?
Do people around me suggest I have changed?
Father, you made me and you love me and you know the best way for me to live my life. I don't want to become so well-adjusted to my culture that I fit into it without even thinking. Lord, please help me to embrace everything you do for me. I want to be more like you, in Jesus name. Amen.
Romans 12:1-2 MSG
"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."


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Consider the following scenario:
- You use Remote Desktop Connection to connect a client computer to a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based terminal server.
- One or more printers are connected locally to the client computer.
This problem occurs if the following registry subkey is missing:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WindowsThis behavior typically occurs if the default user profile on the terminal server is corrupted.
To resolve this problem, follow these steps:
- Locate the Default User folder on a working computer.
- The working computer must be running the same operating system as the terminal server.
- By default, the Default User folder is located along the following path:%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and Settings\Default User
- Copy the Default User folder from the working computer into the following folder on the terminal server:%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and SettingsNote When you are prompted to overwrite the existing Default User folder, click Yes to All.
- Delete the problematic user profile on the terminal server. This generates a new user profile that is based on the default user profile that you copied in step 2.
- Log on to the terminal server again.


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#LuckLists - Paul Thorn
The beer garden is always busy during Luck Reunion, but damn the #LuckFamily came out in force for Tales and Ales. Paul Thorn and Lagunitas Brewing Company Founder Tony Magee swapped stories and songs for a captivated audience. They finished by serving freshly grilled SPAM Sandwiches for the faithful crowd. We caught up with Paul to talk about his #LuckList and the recipe for those famed sammies below.
Paul's #LuckList:
1. You're My Favorite Waste of Time - Marshall Crenshaw
It's a simple melodic masterpiece!
2. This Old Road - Kris Kristofferson
It's about looking back at your life. It's very touching.
3. The Logical Song - Supertramp
It reminds me of high school and the girls who were out of my league.
4. Snake Farm - Ray Wylie Hubbard
It's a perfect love song.
5. Here Comes The Rain Again - Eurythmics
Annie Lennox is numero uno.
6. Cuts Like A Knife - Bryan Adams
It's raw and rockin'. What a voice!
7. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Devo
They put their own spin on a Rolling Stones classic.
8. Good Advice - Guy Clark
I just love this song. He was a master of painting pictures with words.
9. Eyeball Kid - Tom Waits
This song is crazy in a good way.
10. Blue Moon - Elvis Presley
A beautiful, sad love song. They don't call him the King for nothing.
The Story Behind the SPAM:
"When I was growing up we always had SPAM in our house. The only way I've ever eaten SPAM is to grill it, and then place it between white bread with a generous portion of Miracle Whip. Years ago I mentioned one night on stage that I occasionally indulge in a little SPAM. After that, people started bringing cans of SPAM to my shows for me. I have so many cans of SPAM at home that I could probably feed the whole city of Tupelo (my hometown) in an apocalypse."
The recipe:
White bread
Miracle Whip
Grill the SPAM until it's brown on both sides. Spread a generous portion of Miracle Whip on one piece of bread. Make sure that the Miracle Whip is spread all the way to the edges, so that it touches the crust on all sides. Place the SPAM between the two slices of bread. The Miracle Whip is sweet, which makes for a nice contract with the saltiness of the SPAM.
Catch up on #LuckLists with playlists from Devon Gilfillian & Hiss Golden Messenger and more coming soon from Artist on the Rise Winner Thomas Csorba, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Caleb Caudle and more!


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Training for hiking added a not-so-familiar element to my regular training. As in, it was time to suck it up and do the cardio training I never want to do. Mainly because I find it boring, but also, who has the time?
This will also be my very first backpacking trip. Go big or go home, yes?
Here is what the plan looked like 12 weeks out:
- Strength Training 3x a week
- Steady State Cardio 2x a week
- Active Recovery 1x a week
- Outdoor Training about every other week (hiking w/a heavy pack)
Strength Training
I stuck with training for kettlebell sport since I have a competition coming up at the end of July. Since I knew I was missing a big chunk of training, I decided that I would only compete at 5 minutes for biathlon with the 16kgs instead of 10 minutes. It still kept me on track to keep up with my strength training up until I leave for Hawaii. It is always way easier to stay on track when there is a plan to follow.
Steady State Cardio
Oh, cardio. Why must you be the bane of my existence. The first few weeks I found it hard to get it in, so I was only hopping on the rower for 20 minutes. After week 3 I finally got serious and started adding stair training (back to Howe St. Stairs) and upping the rower sessions to 30–45 minutes. In week 6 I started to add biking back in once spring decided to show up in Seattle. In week 9 I was combining brisk walks outside with rower sessions during the week to prep myself for the harder hikes on the weekend.
Basically, I was trying to mix it up as much as possible so I wouldn't bore myself to death.
Why steady state cardio? Otherwise known as Low Intensity Steady State cardio, LISS is light cardio at around 50 to 60 percent of your max heart rate, done for long periods of time. LISS is beneficial for a few reasons: to help aid in recovery from high intensity work, train your body to use fat as an energy source and a low impact way to condition your joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles for higher intensity work ahead.
Active Recovery
Apart from low intensity cardio, for active recovery I needed something fun, so I started going back to indoor bouldering. Stone Gardens is my favorite place to boulder because their setters always make it interesting and come up with super fun problems to solve. It also helped me work on my opposing muscles from KB sport (a whole lot of pushing in Sport, climbing is a whole lot of pulling).
Outdoor Training
Since there was a ton of snow this winter, it made it rather difficult to access a lot of the longer trails that are still closed. We were able to get in 6 training hikes within the 12 weeks, gradually building up the weight in our packs. I will be hiking with my REI 40L since Conor will be hiking with his 75L and will be carrying most of the camping equipment (Have I mentioned how amazing and great he is?).
Our training hikes ended up being:
Lake 22 5.4 miles, roundtrip / Gain: 1350 ft.
Poo Poo Point - Chirico Trail 3.8 miles, roundtrip / Gain: 1760 ft.
Oyster Dome 5.0 miles, roundtrip / Gain: 1050 ft.
Multnomah Falls 1.2 miles, roundtrip / Gain: 100 ft.
Eagle Creek Trail 4 miles* (only made it 2 miles in and had to turn around since we were short on time. Lesson learned, skip Multnomah Falls and leave it for the tourists)
Cape Flattery 1.5 miles, roundtrip / Gain: 200 ft.
Mt. Storm King 3.8 miles, roundtrip / Gain: 1780 ft.
Mt. Si 8.0 miles, roundtrip / Gain: 3150 ft.
The Ne Pali Coast is 22 miles roundtrip with a gain of 5,000 ft.
We are leaving today and I couldn't be more excited! Check back in a few weeks to see if all this training paid off.


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Columbus Day Parade 1892
Central Avenue
Central Avenue
This historical essay is provided free to all readers as an educational service. It may not be reproduced on any website, list, bulletin board, or in print without the permission of the Dover Public Library. Links to the Dover Public Library homepage or a specific article's URL are permissible.


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Guys I'm just in the process of gaining weight and training properly.
I just wondered what might be your training routines. Post and share them here.
-I do bench press, free weights I start of light then go straight into heavy sets. I also do bicep curls and triceps.
Abs and squats.
Clean and jerk. I love this because it exercises every muscle in your body and good for overall core strength.
Thursdays: Rest
Forearms, which involves winding up a 10kg weight on a bar and then shoulders and calves.
Weekends: Rest.
Additionally, I eat like a monster, so I have a protein shake straight after then try to eat as much chicken or steak and mixed with fruit and vegetables.
So what's your routines and what do you do?


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This 'alternative' article first appeared on NectarClimbing.com on 29th May 2015.
We hammer down the straight, the cliffs of Trem-dawg rising on our right. Eric's cafe is rammed, the sun is shining and we're on a mission. We spin into the muddy car park and glance up at the Vector headwall. The lines of Cream and Void follow obvious wide cracks, but the face to their left looks blank. I only know the route that climbs this face by it's reputation.
We walk to the top of the crag, heavy legs, slippery roots, humid woods. Lying flat on my stomach, head poking over the top, my eyes gawp at the drop. Far below, oak sways in the wind and the updraft pulls at my hair. I inch out further and further, eager to see the line I'd heard so much about; but the line remained hidden.
Yes, I can see the start: the fat lip of a black and grey ledge at the base of the headwall. The finish: a jug just below the square top of the crag, hanging like a lure to pull me over. The beginning and end were obvious, but the middle? The rest of this infamous line? A bulge hid the secrets of Strawberries. 'But where does it actually go?' The blood ran to my head so I ran away.
Abseiling over the top, I hung in space, slowly kicking my legs in circles. The line looked desperate, fierce, steep. rumours were confirmed. A line of most resistance, of pain, of true colours. It looked more angry red than soft blue. Bright, warning of poison. The sting in your fingers will last for days.
Of course, everyone wants to onsight Strawberries. But there's only one Steve McClure, and I'm certainly not him. A flash attempt? Sure, but who's going to mess around for hours showing me every move, every bit of gear, every sequence? I'm not talking 'James Pearson style' - although that obviously get results - but a bit more info than 'up and left for a hold' would be nice. I suppose the psyche took over and I (unsurprisingly) just got on the thing instead of going for a flash. Oh well, another time. There's still loads of routes I'm saving for the onsight/flash, so they can wait.
Nick and I tried ground-up, and I think we did quite well. We took some lobs but got pretty high and dry. Since we're not in 'alpine-mode' and probably started climbing shortly before lunch, we didn't have loads of time left when I finally topped out after a few falls. For the sake of progress we dropped a rope down it and I managed to do the crux whilst boxed. 'It goes, boys!'
The following day was wet. Shit on it. I hate resting, and I hate rain even more, but it was all I needed; a red rag to a bull (or an enforced rest day to a mad-for-it climber), as they say. The day crawled by, moves floating through my mind over and over again. I must've climbed the route five times, getting more and more psyched for it. The more you wait, the more you want.
The next day was bright - 'fat suns' to be precise. We made the pilgrimage to Tremmers and the line glared down at us from the car park again. I wanted to escape but was snared, condemned to walk the line until I climbed it.
I love the difference between feeling tired and fresh. The moves felt fine and I decided to go for a lead, choosing to place only three bits of gear in the meat of the route.
I nervously set off and fired through the jams. I placed my first two pieces of gear but couldn't find a restful position for the top piece so just pressed on anyway. It would've been quite a pisser but I knew the fall was safe, so ignored the run-out and set up for the crux. Autopilot kicked in (hop, hop, hop the right foot and ssstrechhh!) and in a quick second I was on the finishing jug and whooping with delight. Nick's voice wafted up, keeping me focused: 'don't fall now!' I might've gone past the belay!
There's so many little technicalities, specific tweaks and mini-moves which make it a delight to climb, and perhaps so hard to onsight/flash. Nico and Caff didn't onsight it, and they're total onsighting wads. (I did hear Caff placed a wire on the crux section though - legend).
As ever, I'm really pleased I climbed it; but in the same breath it's a shame the 'relationship' with the route is over. The climbing is brilliant, with intricate, fierce moves and a slightly spicy run-out. It made for a great start to the season. I can see myself going back to climb this route again at a later date, which is quite rare for me.
I'll probably get smashed for six but I'll still be laughing as I fall, all the way down… and down…
Strawberries (E7 6b). Tremadog, north Wales.


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Drive My Future gets on the road
The launch of Drive My Future is set to give learner drivers increased confidence and time behind the wheel.
The Youth Barossa project is a collaboration with The Barossa Council and sponsors to support young Barossa people aged 16 to 25 facing disadvantage.
The in-car support program matches experienced volunteer drivers with learner drivers to boost their driving hours and experience.
Drive My Future Coordinator Kathy Schilling said independent surveys show many young people are struggling to achieve the hours needed for their P plate licence.
"Barriers include single parent working families, availability of a suitable car, young people who are primary or secondary carers or have a sibling with a disability, or who may be living independently," said Kathy.
She said the program gives them access to a volunteer and a vehicle.
"It's not a replacement of a Learner Driver system; the volunteers act as a parent or care giver who would assist the learner driver gain the hours needed for their P plate licence," Kathy said.
"The program is based on a simple idea, yet it can make a world of difference in someone's life."
Mayor Bob Sloane commended the program, saying it will have many positive flow-on effects.
"In many cases it will assist young people to gain independence or employment, participate in sport and access training opportunities," he said.
"The role of the volunteer driving supervisor is equally important and an opportunity to play a positive, caring role in the life of a disadvantaged young person."
Kathy said the program was only possible because of the collaborative effort of sponsors.
"We acknowledge the generosity of many organisations, businesses and community who have laid the foundation for a sustainable, long-term program that will put young people on the road to independence," she said.
Bookings will open in October at a cost of $16.50 per one hour session. Eligible participants are required to participate in a road safety forum and interview, and are also offered a free car maintenance session.
For information on Drive My Future contact 0448 020 303.


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Pace University Science Labs
Loci completely renovated two research classrooms, two teaching classrooms, and the corridor serving them as part of Pace University's phased master plan renovations at 1 Pace Plaza. We worked closely with the faculty of the Biology and Chemistry departments to custom design each classroom's layout to suit the needs of the students and staff. The labs were fitted with all new casework and shelving, fume hoods, sinks, natural gas, and other utilities.
In the corridor, we designed a pattern of voids and extrusions to improve wayfinding on the third floor. The bold school colors and new LED lighting define the architectural elements and set the corridor apart from the building's dozens of similar corridors.
New York, NY
John Bartelstone


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Situated at West Charleston Boulevard within the City of Las Vegas in Nevada, Red Rock Resort, Spa, and Casino features a very nice gaming facility where people can easily find superior gaming experience. It showcases an expansive selection of slots and video poker machines, a very attractive poker room, and a complete list of some of the most exciting table games ever created in the world of gambling. At the same time, it also owns a classy bingo room, a beautiful keno lounge, as well as an irresistible race and sports book for a complete gaming experience.
Over 2,900 slots and video poker machines are available at Red Rock Resort, combining all-time favorites with super cool new games. Some of the most popular games at this supreme gaming facility are Jumbo Dollars, Cash Bonus Blitz, and Jumbo Penny. For some high-stake slots, why not try playing at the exclusive VIP rooms available within the casino. In here, people can find slot machines with denominations as high as $100. Almost all the best video poker, video slots, and progressives are available within this extremely fine building.
In the meantime, it is really nice to play at the very attractive poker room at Red Rock Resort. In here, players can find some of the best and most popular game variations such as seven-card stud, Omaha, and Texas Holdem. This place is perfect, not only for great poker players, but also for new players who want to improve their knowledge and skills in the game. For more excitement, players as well as guests can participate in the daily No-Limit Texas Holdem Tournaments.
At Red Rock Resort, people can also find some of the most exciting table games ever invented, including popular games such as roulette, craps, and baccarat. At the same time, they can also find here other nice alternatives such as baccarat, blackjack, and other versions of poker. All in all, players can choose from 60 highly enticing and super addictive casino games. To get the most out of their gaming experience at Red Rock Resort, players must avail the Boarding Pass promo, where exciting rewards, cool bonuses, and other nice benefits await some of the most consistent and loyal patrons of the casino. They can use the Boarding Pass to earn restaurant discounts, access to bowling lanes, and special invites to shows and concerts.
Additionally, the Bingo Room at the casino of Red Rock Resort is also a very good place to spend some quality time. Huge bingo board displays, a complimentary bar, and a 610-seating capacity are just some of the many qualities that characterize this special gaming facility. On the other hand, a stay at Red Rock Resort is not complete without spending some time at the irresistible race and sports book, where people can place bets on their favorite international sports like boxing, tennis, and golf.


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Seoul Motor Show 2015 - Part 1
Finally, here we are.I was able to make it to the KINTEX exhibition center in Ilsan, North of Seoul, on press day (April 2), thanks to an invitation from a good friend.
It was nice being there while it was really quiet. I cannot begin to imagine how crowded the place is going to be this weekend!
I had all leisure to admire the cars on display. Some of the concepts were interesting, like that Renault Samsung concept (which unfortunately will never see production). Of all the trends I saw there, I notice a lot of cars with suicide doors (yes, that's the most common term for these).
However, a lot of the models were missing on press day, so I might have to go back (the show runs through April 12).


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Cosmetics are beauty enhancers and are a goldmine for retail players too. Here is the glance to the beauty retail industry that is abundantly sharing spaces in par with other categories in the malls.
The Indian beauty retail industry is decked up with number of unorganised and organised players. It is one recession-free business that can vouch for all time success irrespective to country and season. Today, Indian market is great consumer of organic, herbal and premium brands of cosmetics. Thanks to the influx of more and more number of indigenous and international cosmetic brands.
With the growing demand of branded cosmetics, beauty retail brands are occupying big spaces in the malls and high streets. Consumers with rising disposable income and great spending power are ready to shell out any amount to look and stay beautiful, which is why the international brands are penetrating in the malls of tier-I and II cities. Also, the more discerning shopper with higher spends on beauty and increased brand loyalty towards more high end product are the reasons behind the increasing number of beauty retail brands at shopping malls.
Why should a beauty retail franchisee launch a store at a mall?
Few of the major players in the cosmetic brand segment are Lakme, Lotus, Biotique, L'Oreal, Revlon India, Maybelline, Himalaya, Colorbar and Elle 18 have their present across malls pan-India. However, premium International brands like Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Clarins, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Kiehl's, Lancome, Loccitane, M.A.C., The Body Shop are also getting amazing response from Indian consumers at malls in Metro cities..
Vijay Shanker, Chief Operating Officer, New U, Dabur India Ltd. says:"Whether Indian or international, malls are serving as the launchpads to all cosmetic brands. The high footfall of consumers from all walks of life and all sorts of business format available, under one roof are the main reasons behind why malls have great number of beauty retail brands."
As per Rajendra Kalkar, President (West), The Phoenix Mills Ltd.:"Cosmetics is the third largest category after fashion and F&B that occupies maximum spaces in the malls. Franchising has played a significant role in aiding to the growth of the retail industry. High Street Phoenix has more than 500 brands under one roof in the mixed-use development model and we have taken cognizance of the pertinence of the fashion, hospitality and beauty segment, thus ensuring our brand mix is centered around these three."
Another home grown wellness and beauty brand Vert Home & Personal Care is a new entrant in beauty retail arena. The brand has opened its first outlet in Select City Walk Mall in New Delhi and another in Gurgaon. Vert now eyes on expanding its footprints across India via the franchise route preferably over an area of 300-500 sq . ft and invites franchisees with the expenditure power between Rs 15- 20 lakh.
What's new
· The growing demand for natural products and awareness about their benefits among the population is leading to the increasingly shifting towards 'organic' and 'herbal' cosmetics.
· With indigenous brands like Khadi, Fabindia, Patanjali the demand for handcrafted herbal cosmetic products are increasing their foothold in the Indian cosmetics industry.
· Besides, rural India is also showing its willingness to look attractive.
· The color cosmetics market is growing at a rapid rate in comparison to other segments.