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Dude, Man Up and Ask Her Out!
If you grew up in Christian circles, these statements will probably sound familiar:
"You don't really need to look for a girlfriend because when God is ready, He'll lead her to your doorstep."
- "If you just focus on your relationship with God [and not on meeting someone], He'll bring your wife to you at the right time."
I hate to admit it, but I once actually bought into that line of thinking as an excuse for not dating. The irony is that I had some great godly female friends who would have gone on a date or two with me if I'd simply asked. But my excuse sounded so spiritual, so admirable, so holy, so worthy of...… OH for the love of Joshua Harris, who was I kidding?!?
It was Christian passivity at its best!
I know this now because I didn't apply that principle to any other area of my life. Not once did I ever think, "I don't need to search out a job. God knows my financial needs, when He's ready, He'll stir up a Human Resources manager at some random company to give me a call and offer me a job."
The truth is, I was scared of being rejected. I was also lazy, because if I'm being completely honest, I was still enjoying the boyhood phase of my life - tittering on the edge of manhood without ever committing fully to it.
Thankfully, a few godly bearded mentors stepped into my life at the right time and called me out on my childish mindset. In perhaps the most spiritually meaningful man-conversation I've ever had about wanting to find a wife, one of my mentors straight up told me that I needed to "Man up and g….." [for the sake of modesty, I will keep to myself the last three words of that sentence]. Needless to say, that conversation set me on a direct course to manhood and I started to take responsibility and initiative in going after the goals that I set for myself.
While I've matured plenty since those days, I unfortunately find myself today in regular conversations with single young men who still seem stuck in the same cycle I couldn't navigate my way out of. So, for the benefit of a generation of manboys who haven't been taught how to act like men when it comes to asking a girl out, I present to you, your graduation ceremony!
Bros, it's time to man up and find yourself a woman!
When Proverbs 31:10 poses the question, "A wife of noble character who can find?", it presumes that such a pursuit involves getting off your couch, burning your comic books and 90% of your video games [things that keep you emotionally locked in childhood], taking a shower so you're presentable, staying healthy, socializing in environments where actual human women exist, learning to hold your own in a conversation, maintaining a budget, and having a clear-enough idea where you're headed in life.
Just so we're on the same page, I'm not speaking here of something casual where you have a cute crush on a girl you just met and wanna "hang out" to get to know her. Rather, I'm speaking to young men who have a cute lady-friend in their life they've known for a while and have decided they're ready to pursue a more intentional relationship with her, but lack the courage to do anything substantive about it.
If that's you, bro, I came up with a solution for you! I'm no longer convinced the issue is courage. I believe the issue is clarity.
You see, when your affections have been deeply stirred toward a girl and you're starting to wonder if she's the lucky lady who will someday haul your future 3.5 kids to Vacation Bible School each summer, the courage to do something about it comes from having clarity about who you are, what you want, and where you're headed!
Let's face it, no girl has ever thought to herself, "I like that he's not really sure what he wants." The fact is, if you're going to invite a girl to play a starring role in your unfolding drama, there are a few things you'll need to man up to, and that need to be "in play" in your life [all of which will result in the courage you need to man up and ask her out!]. The first two have to do with getting yourself ready, the latter two have to do with readying yourself for her.
In Genesis 2:24, God Himself says, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." I'm not suggesting you propose to her on your first official date, or on the second, third, or fourth. I'm simply trying to point out that in those years when you begin transitioning from boyhood to manhood and start thinking more intentionally about dating and relationships, your first step is to move out of your childhood bedroom.
Having your own place is a win for several reasons, but as it pertains to dating, it tells a girl that you're a grown up. The fact is that owning (or renting) and maintaining your own place is a great training ground for being able to someday take financial responsibility for someone else's daughter. When she talks about you to her friends and family (especially her dad, gulp!), it'll be a point of pride for her to be able to tell them you're not mooching off your mom and dad living in their basement.
TWO: You Should Have a Job, Preferably a Career
I understand that college is not for everyone, but you need to be good at something, or at least trained professionally for a trade. Find an area of expertise that comes naturally to you and get the professional training you need to become proficient in that field.
Before He died for the sin of the world, Jesus probably learned professional carpentry as an apprentice under the tutelage of His earthly father, Joseph. So, your Savior had a job! Oh. What? You follow Paul? Fine. Did you know that while he planted churches, the apostle Paul was also a professional tent-maker? Listen, having a job (even if it's one you're not too fond of) or a career bodes well for you in a relationship. For one, it lets her know you are heading somewhere, or at least trying to. Two, it lets her know that you have something else in life you've demonstrated commitment to. Three, when she asks you what you do for a living, or how your day went, you'll actually have something to say.
By the way, unacceptable answers for "What do you do for a living?" include:
- "Nothing much. Just Chilling."
- "I'm waiting for what's next."
- "I'm trying to find myself."
- I would place the "I-don't-know-shrugging-of-shoulders" on this list also, along with any statement that includes the words, "Video Games."
The reality is, when you ask a girl out, you can be certain that she's weighing her options very carefully with each story you tell. She's asking and wondering, "Where is he heading in life and do I want to go along for the ride with him?"
THREE: You Should Learn How to Communicate
A while back, in preparation for a sermon series on relationships I was teaching, I sent out a short survey to a 100 single Christian women in the United States and overseas. I asked them to answer concisely and honestly these three questions: "What's your idea of the perfect guy?", "What two non-negotiable qualities do you look for in a guy?", "What do you wish single Christian men would do more of or become better at?"
While there were some humorous mentions about wanting to be with a godly guy who wasn't creepy or "a weirdo", what the ladies were unanimous about was wanting to be with a guy who "takes initiative and can communicate" (which they defined as the ability to listen attentively and respond intelligently).
Dudes, just so you have an idea what you're in for when you're about to man up and get more serious with a girl, sometimes, "listening attentively and responding intelligently" means not talking. It means acknowledging the "feelings" she has about a problem without trying to solve it for her.
Yes. I know. Complicated, right? Allow me to explain.
You and I have trained ourselves to filter through the clutter of emotions in order to focus on the real issue at hand. This means, when faced with a problem, we immediately want to take it apart and figure out the pieces so we can put it together again. Unfortunately, this method won't always apply to her.
While your stunningly good intentions might lead you to suggest a quick solution to her expressed problem, she would have you know that she doesn't actually want you to fix the problem, but to simply understand [first] how she's feeling about the problem. Then, and only then do you earn the right to ask her if she'd like you to give her some counsel on how to "fix" her problem. So, that means you might someday need to listen quietly as she vents for 17.5 minutes about a frustration, acknowledge her frustration, quietly hold her as she cries for another 5 minutes, and then humbly offer a possible solution!
True story bro.
There's a lot more to communicating with the opposite gender, but I think if you nail this one down, you'll be miles ahead of any other competition vying for her heart.
FOUR: You Should Be Ready to Put in Work (when you don't "feel" in love)
This might come as a shocker, but "being in love" is not enough reason to get serious about a girl you really dig. Gary Thomas, author of the book, "Sacred Search" has written much on this theme. In his book, he explains that because of the way God designed our brains, romantic attraction is sort of like an hourglass. The very moment you, "fall" for someone, that hourglass gets turned over. For some of people, that sand may trickle slowly. For others, it might gush like a broken dam. But here's what both have in common: on an average, the time on that hourglass only lasts anywhere from 12-18 months.
In other words, that "butterfly in your belly" feeling you have for her won't last forever, so your relationship needs to be built on something much stronger than your intoxicating "drunk in love" feelings.
Here's the deal. At some point in your relationship, the real her will begin to reveal itself and she won't be as pretty [emotionally, physically, relationally] as the first moment you laid eyes on her (mostly because she's a human woman). The truth is, there is only so much shimmery lip-gloss a faithful Christian girl can schmear on. In fact, the one thing you can be certain of in your relationship is that she WILL change.
When she does, you will be presented with an opportunity to demonstrate the substance of true love as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. It's a passage couples love to read at weddings, but if you step away from the romantic haze of the wedding day and process this passage, boy, you'll discover that love requires work! Being patient and kind when she takes really long to get ready for a date that started an hour and a half ago requires work! Not feeling jealous when she's genuinely being nice and friendly to more attractive guys requires work! Trying to "keep no records" of her wrongs requires work! See where I'm going with this?
Lest someone hears that and thinks, "This is ridiculous. Love shouldn't be hard work. It should be easy, beautiful, and effortless." WRONG! Love IS hard work. You wouldn't expect someone who wants to produce an Oscar-winning movie to say, "It shouldn't be hard to write a compelling screenplay that A-list actors will flock easily to", would you? WOULDYA?
Success, even in relationships, always comes at a great cost and sacrifice of self.
Now, here's where clarity beautifully collides with courage.
If all the above are present in your life, your confidence level will naturally increase because you have a clearer sense of who you are, where you're headed, and more importantly, how she beautifully fits into it. I've had the privilege of observing many young men as they've journeyed from boyhood into manhood, and I've seen these truths play out in their lives again and again. My wife would also tell you that I speak from experience!
So, having set all the above as a foundation, you can now employ some of these romantic gestures:
- Purchase tickets to a sold-out concert of a band she really likes and invite her to go with you.
- Be super-clear that your time out together IS a date; (e.g: "I was going to check out this art opening on Saturday night. Would you go with me on a date? I think it would be fun if we both went together.")
- Find a healthy balance between shoulder-to-shoulder time [movies, concerts] and face-to-face time [dinner, coffee, apple-picking].
Also, everything in this image below:
On a separate-but-same note, you should also be ready to move on if she blatantly shuts down your offer/invite.
Don't linger. Don't beg. Thank her for hearing you out and move on! (A clean break might actually make you more attractive). Find someone else you're attracted to, someone who shares similar values and is headed towards the same horizon. The odds are really really in your favor!
Dudes, I wish you the best. I really do pray that you find the girl of your dreams. In the mean time, how bout getting a head start?
Be strong and courageous. Man up and find yourself a woman!
Husband. Dad. Pastor. Nigerian American. Storyteller. Aspiring Prayer Warrior. Steak Lover. Follower of Jesus Christ reminding you that God the Father still loves you.


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Pickled Hop Shoots - A Delicious Appetizer!
this recipe that I adapted mine off of.
I was really unsure about cooking the hop shoots with leaves on them, not to mention the fact that the shoots are prickly. I wouldn't recommend using shoots much longer than 6 inches, and next time I think I would chop them first into 2-3 inch pieces just to make them easier to eat. There was no problem with the pricklies or the leaves once cooked, though! They were very tender and were the perfect addition to the cheese plate I made for Tom's brew day where he had a few other guys over to brew beer together. I served them the day after making them and they tasted great.
The other important addition to the platter was some homemade cheese. I've been using the cheesemaking book that Tom bought me for Christmas and the recipe I've gotten down and like best so far is the English Farmhouse Cheese -- which is a pretty fresh cheese, taking only a day and a half until it's ready to eat. I had more cheese than would fit in my big mold this time, so I made a mini cheese wheel. I served this with some homemade baguette slices, roasted red peppers and the pickled hop shoots.
And now, here it is -- the best way to eat pickled hop shoots. Take a slice of baguette, a slice of cheese (if you're not lucky enough to have your own homemade English Farmhouse Cheese, I bet a smear of goat cheese or some Gouda would be good-a!), a slice of roasted red pepper and then top with a pickled hop shoot! These made a delicious (and pretty) appetizer!
|Just simmer for 5 minutes and you're done!
|Cheese platter #1 - the store bought stuff
|Cheese platter #2 - Pickled Hop Shoots in the top left corner
|Pickled hop shoots atop a baguette with homemade cheese and roasted red peppers. YUM!
Hi there! My name is Dana and I live in West Michigan with my husband, Tom and our dog Copernicus. I created this space as a place to share the things I learn along this journey I call life. I work in marketing and I'm a sort of Jane of All Trades, interested in all things nature, gardening, cooking, exploring and learning new things. This blog is a conglomeration of my interests, hobbies, life and life lessons. Thanks for stopping by!

subset: commoncrawl


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I don't think I have done the edits for this theme yet. I maight have them in my file storage but my server is down right now


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How many times have we missed the miracle because there was "no room" for the inconvenient? The birth of Jesus was messy, and loud, and inconvenient, and yet some embraced it and some like the innkeeper sung about in Brandon Heath's song, "Just a Girl," missed out on welcoming the Savior of the World.
I wonder how many miracles we've missed because we said, "no," out of inconvenience?
On this episode I discuss:
- Traditions – how my family loves them and how they were instituted by God
- The perspective of this week's song as being sung by the innkeeper in the Christmas story
- What Scripture really says about the inn – Luke 2:1-7
- A quote from Brandon Heath on his perspective of the song – New Release Today Article
- How it was inconvenient for those in the inn to make room for Mary to have a baby
- What parts of God's plan for Mary's life were inconvenient – Luke 1:28-38
- How Joseph threw aside inconvenience to accept God's command – Matthew 1:18-25
- The inconvenience Jesus endured by leaving heaven to be born a human to save us from sin – Philippians 2:6-8
- The Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 10:30-37
- Matthew Henry's Commentary on how "selfishness governs all ranks"
- A prayer to be wholly yielded to God even if it means messy, loud and inconvenient
Subscribe to More Than a Song in iTunes or Stitcher Radio and never miss an episode! Subscribe in iTunesSubscribe in Stitcher Radio
If you have never heard this song before, you can watch the official lyric video on YouTube below.
Additional Resources
Download the single or album by clicking the link below.
- Lyrics
- About the Song by Brandon Heath on YouTube
- Behind the Song with Kevin Davis – New Release Today
- Unwed and Pregnant in Ancient Israel? – an article by Stephanie Landsem
This Week's Challenge
Dive into the Christmas story! Read Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 1 and 2 for all of the epic details. Consider what messy, loud and inconvenient experiences God is asking you to yield to. Consider the parable in Luke 10:30-37 and in the words of Jesus, "now go and do the same."
Click Below to Listen to the Podcast Now!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


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Dreaming of taking the whole family to Orlando next year? Book 90+ days early and save big. In a Starmark Vacation Home, you'll be in the heart of all the attractions including the Walt Disney World® Resort. Choose from resort-style condos, villas or homes — all with amenities you won't find at a hotel. And, you'll enjoy more space than a hotel suite, for less cost. Next year will be here before you know it, so book your 2016 or 2017 vacation early and save!
Terms and Conditions: Offer ends October 31st, 2016. Travel dates include January 9th, 2017 to December 16th, 2017. Blackout dates: Easter 2017 and June 3rd to July 15th, 2017. Offer only applies to direct booking. Must book by January 31st, 2016 to receive discount up to *20-40% off best available rate based on availability and property, applies to Starmark Vacation Homes properties and cannot be combined with any other offers. Applies to 5 night minimum stay. Does not apply to condos, townhomes or Starmark Luxury collection homes.


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Your Custom Text Here
78rpm "FREE AMERICA"
The freedoms our forefathers died defending are currently being ignored. Inalienable rights, granted by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, are abused and disregarded by the same government and systems that created the laws. This prompted us to ask questions: "Where are our freedoms and liberties?" "How is racism still so prevalent?"
78rpm "BEST FRIEND TO ENEMY"
When a relationship turns toxic you find that your best friend has turned into your enemy. The love has turned to hate and there is nothing more dangerous than a woman scorned.


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WHO reduces Ebola death toll in Sierra Leone
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — The World Health Organization has changed its methodology in reporting the number of people killed in an Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone at the request of the government.
The statement Wednesday said previously probable and suspected deaths from Ebola were included in the count but from now on, only laboratory confirmed cases will be reported from Sierra Leone, reducing the death toll from 58 to 34 as of Tuesday.
The local press in Sierra Leone had criticized the government for reporting lower death rates than the WHO.
According to WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib, the methodology for reporting fatalities in Guinea and Liberia remains unchanged because those governments did not request it.
Some 338 people have died in the three countries in what is being called the worst Ebola outbreak ever.
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Coconut Cinnamon Dream Drink Miracles: Actions Vs. Content- 15 before 30
I am in the midst of something fairly interesting: a cleanse (yes, I know) before two big events this month: my best friend's wedding and my birthday. Cleanse, really? When it feels right, it feels right. Whatever your reason, a cleanse isn't a permanent life solution, however it can give you time and space to hit the restart on behaviors that are not working for you, reduce inflammation, slow yourself down and gain clarity on realities that you may have been ignoring, suppressing and or not letting go of.
I think that this is a moment of letting go, making space for all of the radically cool things happening in (my) life right now and frankly, getting to work on some bad behaviors I have been playing with.
I eat very clean: I walk my talk so to speak. My approach with this cleanse is it is more about putting some thought into my actions vs. content. My content is good: I love walnuts, fresh vegetables and fish, exercising, regenerating and pursuing that pretty cool thing that seems fairly tangible right now: my purpose.
My actions however haven't been in line with my purpose when it comes to some food (snack attack!) behaviors. Take for example over doing it on portions and snacking. Sure, it may be with apples, so you are good there on content, but the action itself is off. Are snacks bad for you? Absolutely not! Listen to your body. Is over eating bad for you? Honestly, I think so, even if it is with something as holy as delicious apple. The action isn't in line with your rhythm, whether you choose to think deeply about it or not. With that notion arrived the desire to do a cleanse. A real one as I think that the three and five day cleanses can be great for marketing, making a sale and feeling a little lighter. What about that spiritual awakening people reference when you go big and cleanse for ten or more days
This is what I am after, except well here is the catch: You can't be after it, you have to let it flow.
Here's to letting it happen. I am five days in, past the treacherous three day hump. Feeling pretty capable when it comes to life. Graduating from IIN this week (Yay Health Coach) and getting closer to realizing my dream of publishing Clean Eats | Dirty Desserts. These highlights are definitely helping.
Did I mention: pureed young thai coconut meat with coconut water and a bunch of cinnamon is a gift from up above?
If you do anything this week, do this.
Coconut and Cinnamon Dream Drink
1 Young Coconut (the white variety with soft coconut meat inside)
1-1.5 tsp Cinnamon, ground
2 tsp Lemon Juice
pinch Sea Salt
1. Drain coconut water into blender pitcher.
2. Using a soup spoon, scrape out all coconut meat from coconut into blender.
3. Add cinnamon, salt and lemon juice. Blend on high to liquefy.
4. Optional: Add 3 large ice cubes to make it a chill treat.


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Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask
Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask
A truly natural mask that gently clarifies blemish-prone skin with Fruit Enzymes, White Willow Bark, Aloe, and Blue Tansy Essential Oil to soothe the appearance of redness.
Directions: Apply a thin layer to clean skin. Slight tingling is normal with this mask as it works to gently exfoliate and resurface the skin. Leave on 15–20 minutes or until the mask is completely dry. Rinse with warm water. Sensitive skin: Leave on 5 minutes and rinse with warm water.
Tips for use: For the first seven days, use every other day for best results. After day seven, use 2–3 times per week to maintain results.
Warning: For external use only. Although slight tingling is normal with this product, if tingling becomes severe or painful, please remove the mask immediately with warm water. Avoid direct contact with eyes or mouth. Do not ingest. Discontinue use if skin becomes irritated.
The color of this mask may vary due to natural ingredients. Color may also fade over time but this does not change its efficacy. It is normal for this product to change from a deep blue to a mossy green/gray.
White Willow Bark: A natural beta hydroxy acid (BHA), it is high in anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial Salicin to help clarify skin.
Fruit Enzymes: Natural alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) including papaya and pineapple work to gently exfoliate and leave the complexion smooth and refined.
Blue Tansy Oil: Naturally high in Azulene which in addition to giving the oil its beautiful blue color, works to reduce the appearance of redness and soothe irritated skin.
Truly Natural. Vegan. Cruelty-Free.
Herbivore products are truly natural, vegan, and cruelty-free. They contain no synthetic ingredients— this includes no dyes, no fragrances, and no synthetic preservatives. Additionally, they are concentrated blends containing no fillers and using the minimum amount of ingredients necessary to achieve the maximum results.
2.3 oz | 70 mL glass jar
Full list of ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Glycerin, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Leaf Extract, Ananas Comosus (Pineapple) Fruit Extract, Alcohol, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Tanacetum Annuum (Blue Tansy) Flower Oil, Jasminum Sambac (Jasmine) Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract (and) Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract (and) Amino Esters-1 (ex Mimosa Tenuiflora) (and) Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract (and) Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract (and) Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract (and) Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract (and) Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, (and) Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract (and) Corallina Officinalis Extract (and) Aqua (Water), Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract (and) Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract (and) Aqua (Water), Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract (and) Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract (and) Aqua/Water/Eau
Ingredients in bold are certified organic.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
*Description from Herbivore Botanicals


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I can see a square cut end of the bar tape in the second picture, under / left of the black ODI tape
not finished properly? should have a taper cut so its a seamless finish, and nothing to catch on which will cause the tape to unravell
Wrapping your handlebar with shiny new tape is worth taking your time over, and with the ODI High Performance tape that's exactly what you have to do. It's not the easiest to put on – but your patience will be rewarded.
The tape is 2.5mm thick and comprises an elastomeric outer layer backed with foam to take out any road buzz heading for your wrists. It's pretty comfortable too, even without any form of padded gloves, having a decent level of squish while maintaining a solid grip.
The outer layer has a degree of tackiness to it which is brilliant in the wet or when your hands are sweaty, plus it's very hard wearing. The shiny finish has stayed bright and if it does get dirty you can just use a damp cloth to clean it.
The outer holds its shape well, which is great on the bike but can make fitting a little more time consuming, especially on tighter bends around the brake levers. It's worth really taking your time here as the finished result looks very professional.
There is another option if you want a bit more padding: ODI's Road/CX Bar Tape (£21.99). This has a similar construction to the High Performance but with both medium and high density backing for more shock absorbing while only increasing the thickness by 1mm. That extra depth is beneficial if you spend a lot of time in the rough back lanes or ride an extremely harsh frame.
I prefer a thin tape so the 2.5mm High Performance was ideal for me, though riding the two back to back I was amazed at the Road/CX's extra shock absorption without a massive increase in bar diameter.
Colour coordination is an important factor when it comes to changing your bar tape and you get more options with the High Performance, eight in fact. Blue, Lime, Black, Celeste, Pink, Red, White, and Yellow. You only get half of those with the Road/CX – Blue, Black, Lime and Red – but with a cut out pattern in the outer the white backing shows through.
Both come with decent quality end plugs and a decent length of finishing tape – one of the first I've used that didn't require help from electrical tape.
Overall I really like the ODI bar tapes, although for ease of fitting they lose out to the likes of Fabric and Lizard Skins. But where they excel is comfort and longevity.
The 2.5mm version is perfect for the majority of road riding with or without gloves, though if you take in a bit of gravel tracks or pothole strewn lanes the 3.5mm offers a lot more comfort for little bulk.
Can be a faff to fit but worth it. Well padded tape with grip that's perfect for wet or sweaty hands
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
Make and model: ODI High Performance Road Bar Tape
Size tested: 2.5mm
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Aftermarket bar tape that offers excellent grip in all-weather conditions, with two thickness options depending on your padding requirements.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
High Performance
*Thickness: 2.5mm
*Includes: Finishing Tape and Bar End Plugs
*Extra soft and tacky elastomeric outer layer for excellent traction in all conditions
*Backed with shock reducing foam for a smoother ride and less fatigue
*Textured surface pattern for improved traction
*Thickness: 3.5mm
*Includes: Finishing Tape and Bar End Plugs
*Extra soft and tacky elastomeric outer layer for excellent traction in all conditions
*Includes both high and medium density backing for improved shock absorption and a smoother ride
*Cut away outer layer provides improved gripping power regardless of condition
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
A great level of comfort and grip.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The grip with wet hands.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Fiddly to fit on tight bends.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your score
On the whole some very decent bar tape, which offers comfort and grip with longevity. You can get tape a lot cheaper, but the ODI HP gives a very professional looking finish and will stay looking new for a long time.
Age: 36 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: Kinesis T2 My best bike is: Mason Definition
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed
Stu knocked out his first road.cc review back in 2009 and since then he's chucked the best part of seventy test bikes around the West Country, a couple of them quite literally! With three alloy and two steel bikes in his fleet he's definitely a metal man (that'll be the engineering background) but is slowly warming to that modern carbon fibre stuff along with fat tyres & disc brakes.
It's not all nostalgia though, after spending the last few years in product design Stu keeps banging on about how 3D printing is going to be the next big thing and he's a sucker for a beautiful paint job too.
I can see a square cut end of the bar tape in the second picture, under / left of the black ODI tape
not finished properly? should have a taper cut so its a seamless finish, and nothing to catch on which will cause the tape to unravell
Don't go there. I just put smootape on my bars, which seems like quite nice tape, but don't look under the left hand hood where I had to bodge a repair after botching the cut (too short) the first time......


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Whether you adore their unique and addictive scents, their equally lust-worthy candles, or love to indulge in their luxurious skincare products, chances are your first Diptyque purchase started a full-blown addiction. And, since we're always here to help, this Thursday and Friday you can snatch up these super-chic parisian products for some seriously sweet prices at the Diptyque sample sale. We're talking room sprays, candles, and body care, all for 40-60% off! And, since only credit cards will be accepted (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover), you might as well get enough scents to last you 'till their next sale (or next year) rolls around.
When: Thursday, March 1, through Friday, March 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
11 East 26th Street, 6th Floor (between Fifth and Madison avenues); no phone. The sale has moved: 225 Fifth Avenue (at 27th street); no phone.
Photo: Via Diptyque/Facebook


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TOMORROW AT 10 AM EST I'm going to be having a STUDIO SALE!
(I know my posts have been dominately about stuff to buy...but the truth is...I'm trying to get rid of stuff!)
I'm going to be selling flat rate mailer boxes full of left over Studio products...fabric, fabric, fabric, patterns, stationery, scrapbook paper, you name it. Products I haven't sold in years, other's that never made it to the shop, and products that I have now, but will no longer be selling any more! Mostly Sarah Jane products that I've been holding on to, but don't have room any more. Want some?
But they are mystery boxes...meaning you won't know EXACTLY what you will get...but I can promise you you are going to love it.
Come by tomorrow and take a peek of what's going inside! Check back here in the morning! 7am PST/10am EST
Here's another peek:
OK! Now back to the giveaway......


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Legend has it that during the colonization of the new world, in the remote lands of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Franciscan monks created perfumes from the lush abundance of flowers, tropical woods and exotic herbs.
For almost 300 years these prized products perfumed the Spanish Empire and entire generations were delighted by such distinguished essences.
Nicolas Malleville, a contemporary landscape architect and perfumer, was inspired by the exotic flora and scents of the Yucatan in the libraries of Kew Gardens in England, Le Jardin de Bagatelle in Paris and Hanbury Gardens in Italy.
Fascinated by travel, history and the explorer's lifestyle, and captivated by the charm of the Yucatan, Malleville founded Coqui Coqui Perfumeria in 2003 with a clear objective in mind: recover the monks' old formulas and fuse them together with the legacy of ancient Mayan medicine.
Crediting scent as the ultimate sensory experience, Malleville dedicated several years of research before the perfumer achieved his goal. Driven to capture the powerful floras of the Yucatan Peninsula and convey the exotic and colorful lifestyle of the tropics, he collated an ever-growing botanical catalogue of lush, exotic notes from the area, Malleville concocts fresh, original fragrances at Coqui Coqui Perfumeria, evocative of the spiritually rich Yucatecan lifestyle that he, and many others after, fell in love with.


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Color Theory/
I've never been one to follow seasonal "it" colors, but I do find trend watching interesting. Pantone, the industry's color experts, have listed Spring 2009's colors. Check them out along with fashion sketches from designers such as Nanette Lapore, Carmen Marc Valvo, Peter Som, Tracy Reese, Reem Acra and Alvin Valley! Which colors would you most likely wear out of the bunch?
Here are some fashion sketches that designers created using the color trends for this season...Pretty awesome!


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Title: Guts
Author: atl340
Pairing: Jalex
Rating: PG-13, I guess
Disclaimer: Not real etc etc, Title belongs to All Time Low
Dedications: Stacey,quirky_anecdote for reading this and assuring me it was good :)
Authors Notes: hi! I haven't posted in so long. I've been feeling like I've completely lost any ability to write in honesty, but I've missed it too much not to try again. Poison and If It Means A Lot To You were so much fun to write and I met and started speaking to lots of awesome people due to writing them so, I couldn't stop writing forever :) Anyway I'm still ridiculously nervous about this, and comments-anonymous or not-would be awesome.
'Did you sleep okay last night?'
Blinking and casting his dark eyes across the breakfast table, Alex found his best friend watching him carefully whilst he ate. His cheeks used to burn at the gaze, but now, after so many years, Alex just tilted his head to the side questioningly.
He watched with with careful eyes, the younger, darker haired boy dropping his spoon into his bowl with a quiet clink.
'You look really tired', He explained softly, and Alex's eyes flickered downwards, small heat enveloping his cheeks.
'Mom kind've...re-arranged my room, I guess', He muttered quietly, 'Threw me off a little bit'
It had more than thrown him off, it had had him writhing all night with frustrated tears in his eyes until he'd finally just given up, flung the covers onto the floor and grabbed his notepad and pen, curled up on the comfy seat beneath his window and let the stars be his light as he scribbled away. It had prevented even a wink of sleep but, he kept that to himself. It wasn't like Jack didn't know the truth anyway.
On cue the younger boy sighed, almost guiltily as he grabbed Alex's empty dish as well as his own, dropping them into the sink for his mom to clean later.
'You'll get used to it', He offered unsurely, and when their eyes met Alex gave a small nod, grateful. It was the same thing Jack always said, simply because there wasn't really anything else he could offer out. And even though they were best friends, and Jack understood more than anyone- even more than Alex himself sometimes- it still made the older boys cheeks burn with a tinge of embarrassment because it really was just stupid, that he couldn't get a nights sleep simply because of his mom making a few minute changes to his room, ones that Jack probably wouldn't even be able to notice.
Alex looked away, eyes lingering on the clock on the wall as Jack sat down again, felt for his hand underneath the table and pressed their palms together. It was a small comfort, one that Alex was grateful for, and he met and held Jack's gaze for a few quiet moments before he sighed, pushed his chair out and gave the younger boys hand a small parting squeeze.
'We're gonna be late for school' He mumbled, and even though they weren't, even though they were going to be so ridiculously early, Jack agreed like he always did with just the tiniest hint of a sigh, zipping up his hoodie before starting out with the older boy on the short walk to their college.
- - -
Jack liked his new college already.
Not so much the education part- because he definitely wasn't cut out for that- but just for the nice campus, the people.
And really, the people were the most important part to him.
High school.. it hadn't been good. Not for Alex, and consequently not for Jack. It was something the younger boy was glad neither he or his best friend would ever have to face again. Granted they'd only been at college for a week, but Jack already knew they were going to be okay here. Or rather, he knew Alex would be okay, and really that was the goal.
The people understood here- teachers and students alike- and the youngest of the two boys had just about given the place his seal of approval. He'd been scoping the place out thus far, judging everybody's reactions to Alex intently and whilst he knew he'd been acting way too over-bearing, he just really, really didn't want their high school years repeated. He wanted the next few years to be good for Alex, and if he didn't think this place was going to provide that then he had no qualms in dropping out with the other boy, going elsewhere regardless of the hassle and expenses.
They'd pretty much been accepted as a package deal now, anyway.
Still, so far Jack's fears and concerns had been for nothing. It was different here, more mature he supposed, and whilst the teachers knew about Alex and some of the kids they'd met had figured it out, everything had been okay. Nobody had laughed at the older boy, neither had they babied him and Jack was grateful for that, really grateful.
He was pretty sure already that it'd all been worth it, all the jobs he'd had to work, all the money he'd have to save and all the extra tutoring sessions he'd suffered to get his grades up to scratch for the college Alex wanted to go to.
Maybe the older boy could finally be happy here, and the thought made Jack grin as he and Alex slipped into their homeroom barely ten minutes after leaving the house, the older boy making for the row of chairs at the back of the room, specifically the one cramped into the corner. Alex didn't say anything, but Jack knew it made him more comfortable to be out of the way of everything.
That didn't mean he didn't try though, try and coax Alex to a seat further up front. He just.. he wanted the older boy to be comfortable, but he also wanted to try and push him a little, improve the way he was socially so that he could really get a handle on his condition, beat it.
Alex wasn't at all compliant though, simply shaking his head adamantly as he pulled some scraps of paper from his bag, all scribbled over with rows of the older boys neat handwriting. Accepting defeat just for now, Jack sighed and slid into the seat next to him, taking one of the pieces of paper from Alex's desk and scanning over it.
As always it was beyond anything Jack could really appreciate, and he smiled at all the details in his best friends writing, all the words that the younger boy didn't even know the meaning of.
Because that was the thing with people, people who were just ill-informed and ignorant. They thought Alex was dumb, stupid. He wasn't. He was more intelligent than Jack, more intelligent than most people at their high school had been, and he dared to think more intelligent than most of the people here at their college were.
Though he struggled socially, learning and education were things that Alex could rarely be beat at.
The proof was on the paper he held, and Jack smiled.
Those with Asperger's are thought to have a talent that they focus on almost exclusively.
It was just one of the little pieces of information carved into the younger boys memory from the countless books and articles he'd read over the years.
Alex's special talent, without any shadow of a doubt, was writing. And really, he was amazing at it. He'd written reams and reams over the years, sometimes just descriptions of his surroundings, and other times long, detailed stories that required more imagination than Jack had ever imagined or known his best friend was capable of.
It was no wonder the boy was studying English, and from the little snippet had Jack read of Alex's newest piece, he knew the older boy was going to fly through his course. The thought sent a splash of relief through his stomach.
'This is really good' He commented, leaning back in his chair with a smile that soon fell when Alex scrunched the piece of paper up in reply. He always did that.
'It needs to be better' The older boy grumbled, absent as he scribbled away at his paper.
And Jack just sighed, ending the repetitive conversation the way he always did.
'Sure it does'
He'd learnt it was easier to agree with his best friend, rather than fight.
- - -
Aspergers put a lot of strain on Alex's life.
Mostly, it took a strain on his time.
Routine, that was what it was all about. Everything repeated just the same every day, minutes to be counted and time to be kept to so that he wouldn't fall apart. The dark-haired boy couldn't remember a time when he hadn't gotten up at 6 o' clock every morning, showered for eleven minutes before dressing and heading downstairs and then waiting restlessly for an hour, before he could walk the short distance to Jack's house.
He couldn't remember a time when he hadn't scheduled a tight twenty minute period for talking and breakfast, before he forced his best friend out of the door with him to school, or college, as it was now.
It'd been that way before he'd even known what Aspergers meant, and on the very few occasions his parents or Jack had tried to vary that routine, it'd always ended in tears.
Mostly ones of frustration, because even now they just didn't understand how much a routine meant to Alex. It kept him sane, kept his anxiety at water level. It was his guideline to life, and his mind just couldn't contemplate being like Jack, just waking up whenever and doing whatever. There was no order, and the thought made Alex's insides churn because he couldn't bare that.
But then again, it wasn't like Jack got much freedom to just do whatever the way Alex couldn't, because their lives were so entwined that the routine Alex lived by so religiously couldn't help but pull Jack in too.
The older of the two couldn't help it, he really couldn't, but if his best friend wasn't up and ready with their breakfast on the table by the time Alex got to his house at 7:40 every morning, there were tears and there were tantrums. The older boy just couldn't bare it, being even the tiniest little bit off schedule.
Routine was everything, and that need for structure didn't just switch off at the weekends.
It was disrupted though, because Alex felt guilty enough every day for pushing all of his baggage onto Jack. He couldn't bare to take away the boys weekend, and so whilst he really just wanted to get up at 6am like usual, and go to his best friends, he forced himself to stay put, pretty much traipsing anxiously through his house up until Jack decided to arrive.
It drove Alex out of his mind that the boy turned up at a different time each weekend, but he never said anything. Honestly he knew how lucky he was that his best friend stuck to his stupid routine throughout the week, and just.. took care of Alex, the way he did. The older boy didn't dictate Jack's weekends because he didn't want to, but also because there was always that scared little voice in the back of his head, warning him not to push it too far.
Because really Jack didn't have to do any of what he'd done in the time they'd known each other.
He didn't have to protect Alex all the way through high school, he didn't have to learn the patience of a saint to keep up with the older boys routine, and he didn't have to work his ass off all summer, just to earn the money to attend the college that Alex had chosen.
He didn't have to do any of that stuff, but he'd done it and Alex just.. he couldn't risk any of that. He couldn't risk someone who stayed by his side so loyally.
And that was the right word, because Jack was just so loyal that it was unbelievable, hard for the older boy to even comprehend.
Alex was the reason why high school had been so bad, why the kids there had done the stuff they did. Jack could have walked away from that at any moment but he hadn't, he'd just dutifully taken another one of Alex's burdens onto his shoulders and carried it around for him, no questions asked, no second thoughts.
And when they'd been gearing up to leave high school behind, Jack had had absolutely no intention of going to college, not at all. He hadn't known what he wanted to do, but education definitely hadn't been a part of his plan. And yet, because Alex had wanted to go, and because for some reason the younger boy was always so fiercely by his side, he'd taken all the summer jobs he could manage, half of the money he earned being saved for fees whilst the other had been spent on tutoring sessions, to get his grades up to standards to go to college with Alex.
Sometimes when he thought about it, the older boy still had to marvel open-mouthed at the fact that Jack had done all that, just to stay with him and stay close to him. He didn't deserve it, that was undisputable. But what was also undisputable was that he needed it.
It was hard enough to cope even though he had Jack. If he didn't... Alex wasn't sure how he'd get by.
Because as much as his parents tried to understand his condition, they just..they didn't. His mom didn't understand why Alex got upset when she changed his bed sheets, or did a little re-arrangement or cleaned up his room. She didn't understand why it made his skin crawl and why it made him unable to sleep. Alex didn't either, really, he just knew when things weren't in the same place they'd been the previous day it made his palms sweat.
And that was the amazing thing about Jack, that he seemed to understand even when Alex didn't. Whenever the older boy would be comfortable enough to explain a certain emotion to his best friend, a certain anxiety or fear, Jack never gave him that sideways glance like everyone else did. He went into teacher mode instead, nodding and reeling off some fact he'd remembered from all the books he's read about Aspergers, all the online articles he'd studied. He'd talk and talk until Alex couldn't help but laugh at his best friends matter-of-fact speech.
And then the older boy would smile, because Jack always made him feel like he was okay, like he was normal even though he definitely wasn't. He just always reassured Alex that everything he was feeling was alright, and that made the world of difference sometimes.
So maybe Alex didn't entirely deserve Jack, but that didn't mean he wanted to let him go.
And that was why even though it killed him, on the weekends the older boy didn't get a routine as such. He just floated around with an itch under his skin and let Jack have somewhat of a normal day or two off.
Some small part of Alex- very small- wanted his best friend not to even come near him on weekends, to just go out with normal people and do normal things that didn't have to be kept to a schedule. He didn't want to take away Jack's life from him the way he knew he did. Sometimes he just wanted Jack not to think about him at all, and just let loose for a little bit.
But it was a small part.
The rest of him was selfish, and he wanted Jack with him as much as possible. The older boy was everything to him, and Alex had so much love and respect for him for sticking around. He relied on Jack, as much as he tried not to. He relied on him, he needed him and he wanted him.
And that was why even though the smallest part of him felt guilty, the majority of him was practically shining every time Jack walked through the door on a Saturday and Sunday morning, grabbed him into a too-tight hug with that signature grin.
Alex's world revolved around him more and more everyday.
- - -
As much as Jack loved his best friend- and he did, he really did- some days it was harder than others, to deal with Alex's ways.
The moment he woke up on Tuesday morning, he knew it was going to be one of those days. Groaning as the red letters on the clock read 7:38, the dark-haired boy buried his head underneath his pillow and groaned. Two minutes until Alex arrived, freaked out about Jack not being showered or dressed, and about breakfast not being ready.
Fuck his life.
Debating what to do, the younger boy sighed and decided to skip his shower, dragging himself out of bed with a glare towards his alarm clock as he tried to dress with bleary eyes.
'Piece of shit' He mumbled to himself, not quite sure whether he'd just forgotten to set his alarm, or whether he'd just hit snooze, or slept through it all together. Either way Alex was going to be pissed and Jack groaned to himself, watching the numbers flip over to 7:39 before he jogged down the stairs, throwing open cupboards and trying to pour cereal, make coffee, set a table and look as though he hadn't just stumbled out of bed all at once.
It wouldn't make any difference, but Jack tried anyway.
Grabbing two bowls from the top shelf, the younger boy sighed at the state of the one in his left hand. It was blue and plastic and cracked all over, wearing whiter with every wash. Still, Alex refused to have any other one.
The wrecked bowl was only just filled with cereal when there was a quick knock on the door, followed by the older boy letting himself in.
Jack was braced next to the coffee pot, teeth clamped to his lip and he didn't offer Alex a greeting, just let his best friend assess the situation.
He looked like he was doing his best not to well up.
'A-Alex', Jack groaned in apology, 'My alarm...'
He trailed off, not knowing what to say. He could see Alex was doing his best not to get mad or upset, and even though it wouldn't work Jack was grateful for the effort.
'I'm sorry', He sighed, pouring two cups of coffee, 'Look we'll just, eat a little quicker today alright? I promise you we'll leave on time..earlier if you want'
He was burbling and he knew it, but he felt that familiar desperation start to edge in on him just a little as he saw Alex's nails curl ever so slightly against the skin on his arm.
'Alex stop it' He ordered, tone a little sharper this time as he watched the pressure Alex's fingers were pressing into his skin ease off just a little, 'You're over-reacting just, just come eat your breakfast so we can leave'
'Just sit down' Jack grit his teeth.
He put his own cereal bowl on the table with a little more attitude, sitting down and ignoring the sheepish stance Alex had took on. Jack wasn't trying to start an argument, he was as understanding as anything with his best friends on most days. But he slipped up sometimes.. he was human, and there was nothing like Alex trying to hurt himself to put him in a bad mood.
It just.. it infuriated him so unbelievably that just a few minutes, a few insignificant minutes could change Alex so much that he tried to hurt himself. Sometimes Jack felt like he understood it, but really when it came down to it he didn't. He just tried his best for Alex's sake, and with a sigh he let his eyes wander up to look at the other boy. He was seated now, stirring his cereal around in disinterest. The sadness was radiating from him.
A sarcastic voice somewhere in the back of Jack's head sneered nice one, jackass.
Groaning at his inner monologue, the younger boy felt under the table for Alex's hand. It was a little cold to the touch but Jack took it anyway, giving a small squeeze as he murmured 'Sorry'.
The older boy let his spoon fall against the side of the cereal bowl, avoiding Jack's eyes as he gave a barely there shrug, and the younger boy knew him well enough to know that for now, that was all he was going to get. With a sigh, he gave Alex's hand another tighter squeeze before he climbed to his feet.
'We should get going'
- - -
The day didn't improve much with morning classes, as much as Alex was trying not to freak out.
Writing always calmed him down, and through the duration of homeroom the older boy sat the slightest bit edged away from Jack as he scribbled on paper. The words came out in a jumble more than a few times and Alex dotted the paper with angry crossings out, fingertips white from the amount of pressure he was putting on the pen.
He answered Jack's various attempts at conversation with small grunts and groans in the right places, ignoring the sighs that were becoming more and more irritated.
As much as Alex knew he was over-reacting- and he definitely was, because technically having left as early as they did, they were actually ahead of his schedule- he still couldn't calm the itch under his skin. He just needed to get his feelings onto paper because if he didn't he would probably fall apart like he used to in high school, and he didn't want anyone seeing that, didn't want the kids here seeing the extent of his problems. They'd all been nice so far, and he didn't want to jinx that. He didn't want college to be miserable. He didn't want Jack to have to suffer with him again.
In an attempt to break the ice, Alex stopped mid-scribble to pass one of the pieces of paper along to his best friends desk. It was just mindless descriptions of places he'd been in the past, sights he'd seen. He hated people seeing the things he wrote, but he'd known Jack since he was twelve and the younger boy had never possessed a talent for understanding boundaries. He always used to take Alex's notebook when he wasn't looking, reading everything without any understanding of privacy.
After so many years the older boy was used to it, and sometimes now he'd willingly let Jack read his work.
As it was now the younger boy read the piece of paper in front of him with a smile on his face, one that Alex saw when he risked a quick glance.
The younger boys hand reached behind his back to curl around his hip a moment later, and he leaned over a little.
'This is really good', He commented softly, 'You know you're gonna ace this course right?'
Alex's answer was a shrug in return. He was taking English language and literature, mainly because they were the only things he was good at. He did like to write though, everybody always said he had a talent for it. The older boy wasn't sure he agreed with that, and he felt a little uncomfortable twang at Jack's words. The younger boy was so certain that he was going to do well, and Alex was a little scared to disappoint.
He started to squirm a little when he felt Jack's fingertips stroking over his clothed hip. People like him.. they didn't like physical contact very much. Alex didn't even like it when his parents tried to hug him. Jack though, he liked to think he was the exception to all of the older boys rules, and Alex supposed he was. When he was in an okay mood, he didn't mind Jack hugging him, or touching him. He was the only one that Alex felt comfortable enough to show affection to himself.
But days like today, when he was on edge and anxious.. the fingertips at his hip were more than uncomfortable. He shifted forward and shrugged out of the grip awkwardly, going back to writing and pretending not to hear Jack's frustrated sigh as he retracted his arm.
By his second class of the day, English, Alex wasn't fairing so well.
Jack had been quiet after the little brush off in homeroom, and the older boy found himself continually biting at the inside of his cheek, to the point where he could faintly taste something metallic.
The younger boy was beside him but his body was pointedly turned away, and Alex didn't really do well with that. Not with the body language or the fact that Jack wasn't even acknowledging him, was instead talking to the boy on his other side whilst they were supposed to be working.
As much as he knew that Jack was just trying to make a point, just sulking, it still made the older boys heart twist guiltily because he'd caused this, he always did.
He cast a quick look around to make sure no-one was paying attention to him before he leaned over and tapped Jack's back sheepishly. The younger boy barely turned his head at first and he sighed loudly, ending whatever conversation he was having with the guy on his other side before he turned his body forwards.
'What Alex?'
The older boy tried not to flinch at the tone. It wasn't very often Jack got mad at him.
'A-are you um, are you okay?'
'I'm fine'
'O-okay but, how I was acting earlier, i-it-'
'Just do your work Alex', Jack cut off quietly, 'I can't.. I can't deal with you right now so just.. do your work'
The older boys jaw didn't even have time to drop before his best friend had turned away from him again, resumed his conversation with the people to his left. Alex felt like Jack had just punched a hole in his stomach.
And again, as much as he knew that Jack was just trying to make him sorry, Alex couldn't help wishing the younger boy could understand just a little more sometimes, understand how his mind worked, how he felt inside. Because with his condition, it was as though every emotion he could possibly feel was intensified by a hundred, and the little nagging guilt or regret Jack probably assumed he was feeling now was so much more than that.
Alex was on the verge of tears where he sat, stomach unsettled whilst his mind was working over-time, that voice in there that he just couldn't get out reminding him of how stupid he was, how much of a burden.
On the occasions that the two boys had a fight, it was so easy for Alex to remember how much Jack sacrificed for him every day. It was easy to remember that the younger boy had slaved all through the summer just to be able to go to the same college as him. It was easy to remember that he hadn't even wanted to go to college, that he'd gone purely to stay with Alex. It was easy to remember what he'd made Jack suffer with him through high school, to remember the taunting and the isolation that he'd brought about for both of them.
It was easy to remember that everything bad that had ever happened to Jack, was a result of Alex's own stupid condition.
You're weighing him down.
The snide voice in his head again, and it was true, it was so one hundred percent true and Alex's heart absolutely ached in his chest like it did every time he and Jack fought because he hated that he was like this, that he'd pushed his hard life onto his best friend like this.
He made life so, so much harder for Jack, and that was a miserable reality for Alex to deal with, along with everything else that always weighed him down.
He didn't mean to hurt the younger boy, or make him feel rejected the way he knew he had earlier. He never, ever meant to upset Jack. But somehow, he always did.
He just.. he wished Jack would be a little more thick-skinned sometimes, wished he wouldn't take something like Alex shrugging off a compliment so hard, so seriously because the older boy didn't mean it, not at all.
But then, who was Alex to say that with all the stuff he put Jack through? The truth was that he had no right to tell Jack how he was supposed to feel, to react to things. Not when he was usually the source of the problem anyway.
Alex just wished more than anything that he could stop doing this to Jack every day, but really the only way that could be was if the older boy was to let him go. And it was selfish and unfair but Alex just couldn't do that. The thought made his stomach churn and that itch under the older boys skin picked up its intensity.
Feeling almost light-headed, he waited until the noise level in the class was high enough, until everyone was absorbed in work or conversation before he climbed to his feet shakily, folding his arms across himself and navigating his way through the halls and to the bathroom. He'd memorized the map of the campus with ease and slipped into the cool white room quietly. It was clean even by his standards and he nodded to himself, slipping into a cubicle and locking the door.
For a while he just leaned against the side partition, eyes closed as he tried to dull out the voices in his head. Over-thinking would only work him up, make him do something stupid and annoy Jack more. As much as he ached to dig his nails into his skin he didn't, because his best friend would find out some way or other and it would turn into something even worse than the mess Alex had already made this morning.
In the end, he didn't leave the bathroom until his first period was over, a fleeting glance in the mirror at his pale skin before he sighed and stepped back out into the bright corridors, a shade too light for his eyes.
He narrowed them slightly and felt the knots in his stomach coil up just a little tighter when he saw Jack waiting for him, leant up against the wall opposite with Alex's bag at his feet, the one he'd left in the classroom.
The older boy tried to read his best friend, kind of feeling like a schoolkid about to be told off. It was Jack that moved first, rolling his eyes and flicking his head back in a gesture for Alex to come over. Avoiding the crowds of people passing through the older boy did as asked, biting his lip as Jack finally let a tiny smile grow on his lips.
He held his arms open, but Alex shook his head a little, folded his arms around himself and looked at the floor.
'I didn't.. I didn't mean to make you mad', He said quietly, barely hearing himself.
Jack earned his gaze with a gentle nudge to the shoulder, and his eyes were warm and they made Alex's chest ache.
'I over-reacted'
And that was what he always did, tried to take the guilt off of Alex's shoulders. And though the older boy didn't agree with that he bit his tongue this time, if only to save from an argument, and pulled his hoodie sleeves over his hands, wrapping his arms around Jack's middle. His nose pressed against the younger boys neck, and he closed his eyes softly with a sigh.
Calm down Alex, He coached himself.
- - -
A few days later and Jack was mindlessly pushing food around his plate as he and Alex ate dinner, the clock reading 5:30pm. Some of the older boys textbooks were scattered around the table, and Jack looked at them absently as he tried to think of how to approach his next subject with Alex.
He knew he was going to say no, and that he was probably going to get upset too, but Jack had to try.
One of the things he'd promised to Alex a long time ago was that he was going to help him as best as he could, to live with his condition and not be beat by it. And really, the main set back of aspergers was that Alex found it incredibly hard to interact with people socially. Jack had gotten around that when he was twelve, mainly due to persistence and thick-skin. Alex had had no choice but to let the walls down with him, because if he hadn't Jack would have likely smashed them down.
The younger boy had to smile to himself a little bit at the truth of that, hoping Alex wouldn't notice.
Jack was doing his best to keep his promise to his best friend, and what he really wanted more than anything was to get Alex out of the rut he was in. The only person he ever communicated with-except teachers and his parents when he was forced to- was Jack, and as much as the younger boy loved that he was the one person Alex was comfortable around, he couldn't help but want to change it.
He wanted Alex to make some friends, because there were some great people at their new college, there really were. If the older boy would just try, maybe he'd see that it wasn't so hard to socialize. Jack was pretty much 99 percent sure that if Alex met some people and conversed with him, he'd find out he was a whole lot better socially than he'd thought, that he could prove the doctors theories wrong.
But that was going to be the hard part though, to get Alex to try.
One thing that boy was, was stubborn, and Jack almost backed out of asking him about the party they'd both been invited to at the weekend, because he really didn't want the fuss Alex would no doubt kick up. But that voice was there in his head, telling him that if the older boy didn't try then things would never get better.
And Jack couldn't argue with that, and with a bit lip and a little bit of a wince he slipped his hand under the table, curling it around Alex's and chewing pointedly on a forkful of rice. Subtlety was never his speciality, but apparantly the older boy didn't see how nervous he looked. He just raised an eyebrow, gave Jack's hand half a squeeze and then went back to his food.
The younger boy was glad at least that Alex wasn't shrugging away from contact with him anymore. He hated that and okay he was stalling now.
Just ask him, He muttered internally, sighing and tapping his foot on the floor as though it might pump some adrenaline into him. It didn't, but he went ahead anyway.
'So um, you know that guy Jake?'
He met Alex's eyes and the older boy frowned, 'The one in our English class?'
'Yeah', Jack nodded uneasily, 'Well um, he invited us to a party this weekend so..'
The younger boy grimaced when Alex's grip on his hand loosened.
'Please don't freak out on me' He groaned, 'It's really not a big deal..we can just go for a little bit okay? And if you don't like it then we'll leave'
The older boy was shaking his head before Jack was even done burbling.
'I-I can't..I don't want to'
'You should go though', Alex cut off quietly, easing his hand out of the younger boys and taking both of their plates to the sink, 'You'll have fun'
Jack rolled his eyes at the older boys attempt to sound nonchalant.
'I want us to go together' He clarified, looking at Alex's back as the older boy scrubbed their plates clean just a little too frantically, 'Lex please..'
'I can't Jack', Alex muttered firmly, 'You know I can't, but you should go alright?'
'But I want you to go with me!' Jack whined, dropping his head onto the table dramatically with a pout, 'I wont have fun without you'
'You've never tried'
It was a good point, but the youngest shook his head stubbornly, 'Don't want to try'
He lifted his head when he heard Alex sit down opposite him again, threw his best puppy eyes hopefully.
They hardly worked on the older boy anymore though, and he shook his head. 'No, and you need to get going okay?'
They both looked to the clock and Jack couldn't help a tiny laugh escaping, tinted a little with bitterness. He didn't need to go at all, it was 6:00 pm. Alex's routine was the one that dictated when he had to stay and when he had to go. Sometimes, the younger boy wanted to tell his best friend where to shove his schedule. He didn't like being told when he could see Alex and when he couldn't.
'Whatever' He mumbled, shrugging his hoodie on and standing up, 'Call me later, if you want'
'Jack', Alex frowned, 'Don't...don't leave when we're fighting. I don't.. I hate that'
The younger boy sighed, 'I'm not leaving because I want to Alex', He muttered meaningfully.
Alex dropped his head in understanding and it was quiet until Jack sighed, hating the atmosphere that had been following them around all day.
Even though he wasn't very happy he still circled his arms around the older boys tiny waist and squeezed him tight, mumbling in his ear.
'Just relax and get some sleep okay? Things will be better tomorrow'
Jack certainly hoped they would be, at least, and he ran a few fingers through Alex's hair before he pulled away with a sigh.
'I'll see you tomorrow'
- - - - - -
So like I said, I'm nervous about this and comments would be awesome.
Asperger's is different for every person, but these little quirks and things that Alex has are based on someone awesome with the condition that I know.
Also, this is going to probably be two or three parts long :)


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Scrap Car Green Street Green, Scrap your car for free
Scrap Car Green Street Green will collect in and around Green Street Green, Kent free of charge, fast response. Scrap cars can cause you severe problems, if you have an old car that you are not using you will still be expected to keep the car taxed. Don't pay to have your car towed away. Scrap Car Green Street Green will take away your scrap vehicle free of charge in Kent!
Green Street Green - Latest News
As well as offering a completely free collection, we are also currently able to offer cash for scrap cars in Green Street Green depending upon the weight of the vehicle!
If you'd like us to make you an offer just ask when calling or add 'CASH QUOTE PLEASE' in the 'Additional Info' box when submitting our online form.
- Nationwide coverage
- Convenient collection times
- Completely free collection!
- Environment agency approved recycling facilities
- DVLA notification
Simply fill out the form to the right, or give us a call 0800 043 5100!
Choose Scrap Car Green Street Green
We like to give our customers a service that they can rely on after trading in the Kent area for over a decade we are still going strong. Scrap Car Green Street Green are very familiar with the local area and will be with you in no time at all. We are proud to be able to offer an unrivalled service and will arrive to collect your car at the agreed time slot. We are open 24/7 and are available to you 365 days a year, and we will work around you commitments.
Scrap Car Green Street Green ensures that your car is recycled the right way. There are some companies out there that will not even scrap your car the will sell it and not notify the DVLA. This can leave you a target for receiving a fine that you do not need to get. We will take away your old car in Green Street Green and ensure that the DVLA are aware that the vehicle has been scrapped and you are no longer the owner. Here at Scrap Car Green Street Green we make sure that we recycle everything, so as you can tell we always do our bit for the environment.
Make sure your old scrap car is disposed of correctly as we want to keep Kent clean and tidy. If your area looks unsightly due to abandoned cars, we can help, call Scrap Car Green Street Green, we will help keep our streets clean and tidy. We collect scrap cars for free, what are you waiting for, book today!
Reasons to scrap your car
There are a lot of different reasons for wanting to dispose of an old car. In our experience the most common reason of all is that the vehicle has failed its MOT and the required work to repair it is simply too expensive. If you have a car that is unusable you need to either declare it off road or scrap it, otherwise your will continue to need to pay road tax on the vehicle.
How to scrap your car
Its so easy to scrap your old car in Green Street Green. We have many lines into our offices and always answer the phone so call today. Otherwise, please feel free to take a look at our guide to help you scrap your car before you call or book.
The car scrappage scheme
The car scrappage scheme in Green Street Green might seem like a great idea at first. However, you will be limited to what you can buy. You can't just go and buy any vehicle you want This can also be a very frustrating issue for the people looking to get a new car as they have to be dictated to as to what car they can buy.
Just call us on 0800 043 5100 or fill out the following form:


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Bull Shark Dive (November to March)
Playa del Carmen
DescriptionTotal Price: 125 USD
Deposit: 25 USD
Balance: 100 USD
Diving with the Bull Sharks is for sure one of the most exciting adventures that you could experience in your whole life! You will feel the adrenaline pumping through your body the entire dive. Experienced Divemasters will share with you this amazing piece of the underwater world. Don't miss this incredible opportunity if you like real extreme adventures!
2 tanks
Diving equipment
Bilingual Divemaster
Water and lunch on the boat
Boat fees
**You need to be Open Water diver with at least 15 dives experience to participate


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Festival Fashion
Summer has finally arrived and it's time to dress up and get your festival outfit, if you haven't done so yet. Therefore Festival Fashion UK is the perfect destination! Eccentric glitter jackets, crazy feather tops, pretty boho dresses and brightly coloured bodysuits, this online destination sells everything and more for men, women and mermaids. Working together with a variety of UK independet brands, and getting more and more brands engaged every week, the online shop is still growing and about to get one of the most desirable online stores for all festival clothing.
Shop your outfit here and gain more festival inspiration via their Instagram.


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To marathon or not to marathon
Lately I've been thinking about running my second marathon. But I only want to do this if I can train properly, which I did not do for my first marathon (Charlotte's Thunder Road).
My errors were many during my training (and also during the race) for Thunder Road. I ran that marathon after only running for five to six months (crazy). I didn't do any speedwork or conditioning. I just logged miles because I was still in the base-building phase of my running. My average weekly miles were about 15 to 20 miles per week (also crazy). On race day, my fueling strategy (and I use the term "strategy" loosely) went out the window and turned into "guzzle as much water as possible." In fact, it was more like guzzle all of the water. By mile 21, I could feel the water just sloshing around in my stomach. Awful.
I finished in 4:39:16. Ugh. A far cry from my four(ish) hour goal - which, for the record, I was pacing for just over that up until the water sloshing - and slower than what my paces from other races would have suggested I'd run.
Don't get me wrong. I had an awesome time training for and running that race, as well as raising money for Family Addition Dog Rescue in the process, and I'd do it all over again just the same way, I'm sure.
That is not how I want my next marathon experience to roll. I have longterm goals of qualifying for Boston, but I know I need at least one (maybe two) more marathon experiences with real respect-the-distance-training under my running belt before I attempt that. The next marathon, I'd be shooting for somewhere around 3:50, which should be feasible once I regain my fitness in the next training cycle or two.
But in order to train properly for the full marathon, I think I also need to actually train properly for a half. None of my half marathons so far have been run with proper training either. Yes, my times improved dramatically (and yeah, I ran my last one at 19 weeks pregnant when my average mileage was about 15 miles a week, so I get a free pass there), but those improvements still only came from logging miles because I was still only building my base and not doing speedwork or conditioning.
I'm still playing it by ear, but either the Charleston Half (which I'm definitely running) or a later race in the spring will be my goal half where I train hard. It just depends how solid I'm feeling after this 10K training to making the leap into all-out half training or just maintaining with moderate training for the Charleston Half.
I've also got to make sure the family is okay with all of this training and fit it into our schedules. Easing in with the half will be a good way to get ready for the more intense (and time-consuming) proper marathon training. The good thing is, when I do train for a full again, Baby B will be big enough for both the running stroller and the bike trailer, so we can make it a family affair with D and B tagging along on the bike. D used to do that on my runs before and he's been missing it since B is too little right now, so convincing them shouldn't be a problem! Then, I think my head will be back in it for a fall 2015 or spring 2016 marathon.


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Regan is an 11-month-old, tortoiseshell kitten with a stunning appearance. She is a playful, confident cat. Regan will enjoy the company of another cat and seems to connect more with adults than children. All combinations of pet/people families are acceptable to her, however, as she is mostly interested in a forever home. Noisy crowds or bustling places are not her favorites. To meet this "Acatemy" Award nominee, contact her foster parent Brittany at (760) 885-4945.
The Burbank Animal Shelter is at 1150 N. Victory Place, Burbank. For more information, call (818) 238-3340. To view more about Regan or all available pets, visit www.basv.org. The shelter hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays and major holidays. Adoption fees are dogs $104, cats $78 and bunnies $30, and prices include spaying or neutering.


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YouTube or Vimeo?
Written by Mikko Långström on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Have you been pondering with this question, at least I have. After flipping through several websites, blogs and vlogs there is, so to say, a simple answer to a simple question. But before revealing what it is, certain foundations need to be made.
A bit more than seven years ago YouTube ended the era of Windows media and Real media as ruling displaying options for online video. In 2009, four years after it was established, YouTube had 81.9% market share while Vimeo was a distant second with 8.8%.
While everyone must give credit to YouTube for pioneering the field of online video, and despite the size difference, certain groups of people are seeing Vimeo as a thought-worthy alternative. These people are artists, musicians and filmmakers sharing their creative work. Why aren't they using YouTube? The reason isn't important, but what is, is that they started sharing their work and giving quality feedback to one another, something that is rarely seen in YouTube. So Vimeo is the option for groups mentioned above who seek for feedback from users like themselves, but would it be the right choice for most companies?
If your company wishes to receive higher position in search engines and a lot more viewers, as I think most companies do, then YouTube is the only real option for you. The reason YouTube videos are getting more views is not only due to the fact that it gets a Google hit ratio of 86 to 1 in comparison with Vimeo, but also because YouTube itself is the second biggest search engine in the world with more than 2 billion searches per day.
To answer the simple question I placed in the beginning, you should consider using them both: Vimeo for better feedback and experience and YouTube as a first source of spreading the content. Or if you are to make a decision between them two, it all depends on what you want to achieve with your video.


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Microsoft, IBM, Jefferson Health // Self Health
Skills: team leadership, user research, ideation, graphic design
Date: November 2015
Tools: Trello, Powerpoint, Photoshop
The Challenge
Health professionals have limited information on their patients because check-ins are infrequent and during the check-ins patients notoriously have poor recall of day-to-day emotional and physical health. At a weekend-long health hackathon by Jefferson Health I cofounded Self Health, in order to solve this problem. Our team consisted of passionate and talented engineers, designers, business people, and medical students. We designed and prototyped a wearable IoT device & service platform to provide higher quality patient information to health professionals.
Research Approach
Research consisted of group discussions, prototyping, online reading, and interviewing mentors at Jefferson Health, IBM, and Microsoft. We researched cutting edge psychiatric and psychological mental health assessment tools. Additionally, we researched the efficacy of learning emotional and physical diagnostic information from analysis of voice, blood pressure and heart rate.
Medical: Most mental health assessments can be completed with three inputs of "happy", "sad", & "fine" or "yes", "no", & "maybe". Additionally, these assessments often require patients to recall information two weeks prior to their appointment.
Technology: With IBM's Bluemix and Watson technologies we can translate audio to text, predict mood from voice, identify common journaling keywords, and analyze data in infinite ways.
Business: We are adding value by creating a proactive care connection between patients and doctor. Target customers are Accountable Care Organizations. We must prove to these organizations that the device improves quality of care and thus reduces their costs.
Impact on Prototype
We prototyped a software platform for recording audio journal entries, inscribing the audio with speech to text software, and organizing the data for mental health analysis. The patient's wearable device interface is shown on a Microsoft Band, but we will also have a low-cost wearable alternative. The physician's software dashboard displays well-organized and insightful patient information; physicians can reference long-term health trends, as well as specific life events.


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Pawar's mid-term poll prediction irks Congress
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's prediction of mid- term polls for the Lok Sabha has not gone down well with Congress leaders in Maharashtra.mumbai Updated: Apr 29, 2013 00:56 IST
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's prediction of mid- term polls for the Lok Sabha has not gone down well with Congress leaders in Maharashtra.
Though the Congress has been claiming that the UPA government at the Centre will complete its tenure, the Maharashtra unit of the party claimed they were prepared for elections at any time.
To rubbish the NCP chief's statement on his prediction, union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde assured party workers in Pune on Sunday that the UPA government would complete its term. However, the common message the party leadership has been spreading was to get prepared for the general elections. The message was loud and clear at the party leader training workshops held in the last few weeks.
Manikrao Thakre said his party was prepared for the election at any time. "There is no reason for mid- term polls of the Lok Sabha. The party is always ready for any election. It's an on-going process to train and groom the party leadership from the election point of view," he told HT. "I don't know on what basis Pawar has predicted the mid-term polls, but our position in the state is strong."
Pawar had said on Saturday that the UPA government has become unstable as its allies are parting ways with it.
Another Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity that even the Congress may opt for mid-term polls. "There are assembly elections of four states, which are not favourable for us in the month of November. If the Congress fares badly in the assembly polls, the fallout would reflect in the LS elections to be held early next year. Secondly, early polls may prove favourable to us in the backdrop of the weaker opposition," he said.
Thakre had alleged a couple of days ago that the NCP had back-stabbed his party in Vidarbha by not abiding to pre-poll agreements in the municipal council elections.
First Published: Apr 29, 2013 00:55 IST


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New Jell-O Commercial Encourages People to 'Fun Things Up' [VIDEO]
Jell-O wants to be part of our lives again.
Jell-O wants to be part of our lives again.
Need a quick pick-me-up? Something to make your mood brighten a bit? Well folks, we've got the perfect solution—the Web's most adorably excited munchkins.
Congratulations to the most recent winners in our VIP program!
Sit. Shake hands. Roll over. Express your deepest emotions about me in a concisely worded phrase.
Thanks to everyone who's stopped by and signed up for a chance to win our incredible prize package!
Not everyone is cut out for this job.
I haven't tried this! but, I saw it on Facbook this morning. Great for Camping!
If you've ever driven on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles during rush hour then the thought of your car transforming into a tank and crushing everyone in front of you crosses your mind once every 2.3 seconds.
At last, summer vacation time is here. If you haven't started planning, it's not too late. There's a lot of summer ahead of us, and you can still find time to get out of town with your family before school starts back up again. Just make sure you you don't fall into a few common traps and you'll have the best vacation ever.
You might have thought "cheap" (read that-affordable!) family vacations are a thing of the past, but they apparently are not.
Spring is here, summer is next. I know I love a cold, smooth milk shake. Here is our list of the five best places to get a milk shake in the Tri-Cities...
How long has disc golf been around?
Since 1970.
What got you interested in it? What do you like about it?
I own a pro-shop, Island View Disc Golf...


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|Abode PDF or ePub Livres
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Télécharger Abode Livres PDF Mitnik-Miller Serena Livress en ligne PDF Abode. Télécharger et lire des Livress en ligne Abode Online ePub/PDF/Audible/Kindle, son moyen facile de diffuser Abode Livress pour plusieurs appareils.
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Customer Loyalty Director – Go Compare
- Recruiter
- Tarsh Partnership
- Location
- Newport, Wales and London
- Salary
- £Highly Competitive Salary & Bonus Package
- Posted
- 24 Feb 2019
- Closes
- 24 Mar 2019
- Ref
- Job Discipline
- Campaign Management, Communications, Data & CRM, Direct Marketing, Marketing (General)
- Experience Level
- Director
- Sectors
- Agency, Financial, Media / Publishing, Retail, Telecommunications, Utilities
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
Customer Loyalty Director – Go Compare
£Highly Competitive Salary & Bonus Package
Newport, South Wales – Flexible working options
Launched in 2006, Go Compare has rapidly become an immensely successful brand; its well-known frontman Gio Compario, disrupting the retail & services market with his distinctive tenor voice. With the simple aim of making sure consumers get exactly what they need with less hassle, less time and less money, the brand was the first comparison site to focus on product features rather than just listing the prices, helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying insurance, broadband, energy, travel, credit cards, and loans and other services.
Go Compare continues to innovate and invest, recently launching a new energy comparison site weflip.com, as well as acquiring MyVoucherCodes, one of the UK's largest online voucher code sites.
Based in Newport, Wales, easily commutable from Bristol, Cardiff, Bath and Swindon, our client is now seeking an exceptional candidate to take on the new role, reporting into the CMO. With a challenging remit to manage and deliver the customer loyalty strategy by acquiring and retaining new customers and driving the strategic direction of customer value across the organisation, through new channels and cross-sell, this a challenging and exciting opportunity to make your mark on a business that is going places fast. You will be supported by a team of 3-4 senior managers with an extended team of 10-12.
Please note that this role is based in Newport, but will require frequent visits to the company's London office. There is some opportunity for flexible working with senior managers spending c.3 days a week in Newport with accommodation provided.
Key Accountabilities
- Building and delivering the customer strategy across each of the company's brands and platforms.
- Identifying and implementing effective and innovative customer acquisition strategies.
- Developing incentive and referral strategies to increase retention and consent opt-in.
- Introducing and enhancing the Go Compare Loyalty & Rewards programs.
- Using customer insight to understand audience motivations, enforcing the value proposition and messaging.
- Managing the development of new comms channels to enhance the customer experience and grow revenue.
- Managing the CRM Team and building a sustainable growth model.
Essential Knowledge & Experience
- Extensive customer loyalty and CRM experience working in a client-side or agency role, including team leadership experience.
- Solid background in developing effective customer acquisition strategies and programmes.
- Robust grasp of customer insight, using findings to create business opportunities.
- Proven experience applying customer segmentation and insight to plan and optimise campaigns.
- Significant technical expertise working with CRM and analytical tools.
We know this role is challenging and needs specific and proven skills and experience, but roles like this do not come up often. If you are up to the challenge, please e-mail or call Adam Tarsh now. email@example.com


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It was easy for the Patriots to put last seasons Super Bowl loss behind them on Sunday, as they took out any frustration with a commanding 34-13 win in Tennessee over the Titans.
It was too much Tom Brady and the Patriots as the Pats were able to put the game away by half, as they led 21-3.
Brady threw two scores, one each to his favorite TE's, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.
Brady was solid, going for 236 yards on 23-for-31 passing with two touchdowns without an interception.
Titans QB Jake Locker left the game after getting hit in the fourth quarter, he ended the afternoon 23-for-32 for 229 yards with a touchdown and a pick.
Last years starter, Matt Hasselbeck threw for 43 yards in relief. Chris Johnson got off to another slow start, going for just four yards on 11 carries.
Steven Ridley went off for 125 yards on 21 carries for the Patriots, who outgained the Titans 390 to 284 in the win.


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Brothers Public Schools - starts with B
The 50States Brothers school directory. Find Brothers , Oregon school addresses, phone numbers and other school info.
Go To: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Brothers Elementary School
Students/Teachers: 3 / 1
Grades: Kindergarten - 8
Hwy 20 East
Brothers, OR 97712


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We help firms obtain the authorisation they need from the Central Bank of Ireland.
We start by sitting down with you and figuring out precisely what you want to achieve and working out with you the most efficient way to achieve it. Often a minor change in the nature of a plan will achieve significant simplifications in regulatory demands or savings in capital requirements.
We help you to:
- plan what you want to do, how you intend to do it and how to slot the various components together
- figure out the timing of your application and when you can plan to go live
- put together and validate your financial projections and regulatory capital calculations
- write your procedures manaual, compliance manual and other operational documents
- write your business plan and describe your operational arrangements
- assemble an authorisation application that addresses the considerations a regulator might have
Call us for a confidential discussion on +353 (0)1 425 5962 to see what we can do for you.


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Pole Dancin' Astrology :: Libra/
Pole Dancin' Astrology is an ongoing series about how astrological attributes are reflected in pole dance. This month is all about the charmers of the zodiac: LIBRAS!
September 23–October 22
Artistic, Social, Diplomatic, Easygoing, Lovable, Sincere, Romantic, Luxurious, Affectionate
The Scales
Blue and Lavender
Libras and Pole Dance:
Ruled by Venus—the goddess of love and beauty—Libras are drawn to pleasure, art, music, and culture… seems like the perfect patron of pole dance, right?! They greatly appreciate the artistic beauty of dance, and will be drawn to this over the more grueling, physical aspects of pole. As aficionados of music, they can make amazing playlists that will keep class fun! Libras also have an uncanny talent for keeping the peace due to their judicial nature and ability to put people at ease: perfect to have around the studio during stressful times of rehearsals and training for competitions! In fact, they are pleasure to be around in all social situations: they are warmhearted, soothing, and utterly captivating! Libra is the zodiacal sign of partnership and are almost magnetic in drawing in relationships. They are total team players… add this to their imaginative, enthusiastic nature, and you'll see why joining forces with them in a routine can be almost magical!
Looking to win over a Libra?
Libras have high-class, luxurious taste, so wow a Libra with your stylish elegance!
Famous Libras:
Gwen Stefani, Oscar Wilde, Brigitte Bardot, Snoop Dogg
Libra Pole Move:
Any doubles trick: Libras meld well with others!
Libra Pole Dance Playlist:
Any personal Libra insight? Or suggestions for the Libra Pole Dance Playlist? Leave your comments below!


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There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this artist.
Rudyard's British Pub
2010 Waugh Dr
Houston, TX 77006
Food, Beer, Music, Comedy, Darts. We have it all.
David Archuleta
David Archuleta became one of the most recognizable figures on television in 2008, when his tenor vocals and boyish charm helped earn him a second-place finish on American Idol. Although born in Miami, FL, he'd spent most of his childhood in Utah, where he lived with his parents (Jeff, a jazz trumpeter, and Lupe Maire, a Honduran salsa singer) and four siblings. Inspired by a videotaped performance of Les Miserables, Archuleta began singing at age six, and his talent helped him secure performances at the Utah Talent Competition, The Jenny Jones Show, and Star Search, where he was crowned Junior Vocal Champion in 2003.
David Archuleta auditioned for American Idol's seventh season in 2007, earning his first praise from the judging panel with a rendition of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change." He advanced to the semifinals and remained with the show throughout its entire season, delivering strong, passionate performances of pop ballads like "Another Day in Paradise" and John Lennon's "Imagine." At 17 years old, Archuleta was the season's youngest contestant, and he ultimately finished as the runner-up to David Cook. "Crush," the first single from his self-titled debut album, debuted at number two later that summer, while the full-length album David Archuleta followed in November.
Archuleta's album went gold within several months, and the singer spent the first half of 2009 touring with McFly in the U.K. and Demi Lovato in America. He also found time to work on a holiday album, Christmas from the Heart, which was released later that year. When it came time to record a proper follow-up to his 2008 debut, Archuleta widened his sound by calling upon producers like S*A*M & Sluggo, who helped helm the peppy lead single "Something 'Bout Love." The accompanying album, The Other Side of Down, was released several months later in October 2010. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi


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Learn more about our Original Line Water & Fire Bowls:
Fire and water are two opposites that look spectacular together. Our seamless lip water/fire pot brings you these two elements side by side. Water runs seamlessly off the side of the pot without touching the dancing fire.
View Seamless Lip Double Water/Fire Pot Order Form>
Double Water/Fire Pots are designed for use with electronic ignition systems.
View Seamless Lip Po Pot with Fire Pan Order Form>
Po Pots with Fire Pans are designed for use with manual key valve systems.