text:
A few days before the third Test between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions, I chatted with Graham Henry, the great All Blacks coach. I suggested that accurate selection goes 90 per cent of the way to ensuring a winning coach. Henry pondered on my assertion, and then told me: "Spiro, I would make good selecting about 75 per cent in achieving success as a coach."
Henry went on to praise Warren Gatland for his shrewdness and bravery in dumping Brian O'Driscoll and opting for the big Welsh centres, Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies. British rugby writers were so hostile to this selection that they predicted the end of Gatland's coaching career if the Lions were defeated. It is part of rugby history now that the big Welsh centres monstered the smaller Wallabies backs. 75 out of 75 for Gatland.
And, it is also part of rugby history that Robbie Deans, generally a shrewd selector, made a selection error in continuing to play James O'Connor as the Wallabies number 10 in the last Lions Test. Greg Martin even suggested that Deans was somehow playing the Trojan Horse for New Zealand rugby in not selecting Quade Cooper. The Wallaby squad to play the All Blacks on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium was announced at 3.30pm on Thursday. And, astonishingly, Cooper was in the squad but relegated to the subs bench. Given the fact that Ewen McKenzie's campaign to become Wallaby coach was based on a Quade-led revival, this was a selection gamble in the Gatland class of risk.
The starting five-eighth is Matt Toomua. The theory is that Toomua will take the initial pressure from the All Blacks and when the game opens up then Cooper will come on to run the visitors ragged with his outrageously brilliant plays and ploys. The suggestion was also made that this left-field selection will "shock" the All Blacks who have been preparing to apply pressure on Cooper at the beginning of the Test.
The NZ Herald published an interview with the All Blacks coach Steve Hansen on Thursday, just hours before McKenzie's bombshell announcement, where he predicted Toomua's selection and also that the Wallaby backs would play a Brumbies-type rush defence to put the All Blacks under pressure. So much for the surprise element.
The other interesting selection in McKenzie's first Wallaby side is his front five: James Slipper, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, Rob Simmons and James Horwill. Moore and Horwill are the only strong scrummers in this unit. When he was asked about the new scrum regulations that de-power the hit and require more scrumming technique from players, McKenzie said at his media conference that the scrum was only part of the game and that he looked for other things from his props in general play.
The experienced Benn Robinson, a strong scrumming prop, has been dropped from the squad because his play around the field is not effective.
The All Black selectors have gone the other way with their front row. They have discarded Dane Coles, a hooker who plays with the verve of a flanker, and selected two veterans, Andrew Hore and Tony Woodcock. Luke Romano is in the second row ahead of Brodie Retallick because, as Hansen explained, Romano had played last week's practice games against Wellington and Canterbury.
The inference here is that the All Blacks expect scrums to be physically torrid affairs.
McKenzie has picked an exciting squad, despite the fears about the toughness of the front five. There are five uncapped players in it. One of them, Toomua, is a starter. There are 10 Brumbies, a reward for that team's splendid season in defeating the Lions and almost defeating the Chiefs in the Super Rugby final. There are some strong runners in the forwards. The side has enough pace and strength in the back four to trouble even the formidable All Blacks defence.
I would give McKenzie 70 out of 75 for the selection of his squad. Scott Sio, the best scrumming prop in Australian, should be a starter. But the other crucial 25 points, which relate to the implementation of the game plan, will be decided on Saturday night.
This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on 苏州美甲学校.


text:
A Homemade Gift
We have so much to be thankful for this November. And, we're so thankful to all of you throughout Maine who take the time to think of our pediatric patients and their families throughout the year. Today, we had the honor of meeting Lily, a 4th grader from Winterport. Lily made three blankets for our pediatric oncology patients, and today, she and her mom dropped them off at the Raish Peavey Haskell Children's Cancer and Treatment Center in Brewer. Thank you, Lily. We truly appreciate your kindness and generosity.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Meijer enters the grocery delivery showdown
Meijer announced it will offer round-the-clock grocery delivery across its six-state footprint, starting with Grand Rapids, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, and will quickly follow with other major markets in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.
"We are excited to expand our relationship with Shipt because together we can offer customers across the Midwest a whole new level of convenience, product variety, and service not available before," Meijer President & CEO Rick Keyes said. "Now customers can shop a complete grocery list online, having access to our world class assortment of fresh produce, meat, dairy and a number of other essentials that Shipt will hand select from a local Meijer store and deliver to a customer's doorstep."
Meijer joins Walmart, Kroger and many others who have expanded delivery across their stores. A fifth of shoppers bought groceries online last year, up from 16% in 2015, according to a recent Nielsen survey for the National Grocers Association. More than half of those online shoppers said they used Amazon's Prime delivery service for groceries, compared with just 22% at the online offerings of traditional grocers.
Beginning on March 29, Meijer customers in Grand Rapids with a Shipt membership will have the ability to shop 55,000 items across our stores using the Shipt smartphone app (iOS, android) or place orders directly through shipt.com. Customers can schedule their orders to be delivered in as little as one hour, seven days a week. Meijer and Shipt will also launch the service in Fort Wayne and the Indianapolis area in April. Other major markets in the Midwest will be announced in the coming months.
"The way our customers shop continues to evolve," said Meijer Chairman Hank Meijer. "We believe the high-touch service that Shipt offers, coupled with what our customers love about shopping at Meijer, creates a new type of shopping experience."
The retailer's decision to expand the availability of digital home delivery comes after its highly successful launch of the service in the Detroit area last fall, which prompted Meijer to roll out the service to other markets. Shipt members in the Detroit area placed more than 65,000 orders since September 2016. Retail Leader sister publication Progressive Grocer spoke to Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes about the partnership.
The Shipt delivery service is membership-based, with either annual or monthly options. For $99 a year, Shipt members receive unlimited free grocery deliveries on all orders over $35.
After signing up for Shipt, members can digitally shop a large selection of Meijer groceries, fresh produce, and everyday essentials including baby, health and beauty products. They can also note any preferences, choose a preferred delivery window and pay for their order. A Shipt shopper will hand pick their items and deliver them in as little as one hour after the order is placed.
Because most Meijer stores are open 24 hours a day, Shipt deliveries will be available at most Meijer locations around the clock, seven days a week, with the exception of certain holidays.


text:
What is an expat?
An expat, often called "expatriate", is a person who has left his/her home country to live and/or work in another country.
How do I become an expat?
If you want to move abroad, it varies on each country/city. There could be different VISA requirements, you have to take care in forehand.
What is ExpatsWorld?
ExpatsWorld is a community for people who live or move abroad. We offer different services and categories, such as local job offers, events or specific city blogs.
Who writes ExpatsWorld blogs?
Our editorial team and various number blogger around the world writing our global blog and city posts.
Is ExpatsWorld free of charge?
We do offer two different kind of memberships. As Freemium member you just need a profile, which is free of charge. But you can upgrade as "Premium/ Resident" to use more functions – e.g. our mobile app or our loyalty program.
How can I create an account?
Just visit our register page to setup your profile for free.
How can I delete my account?
If you dont want to join ExpatsWorld any longer, please contact us here.
How do you ensure Data protection?
Please take a look at our Privacy Policy. Here you can find all informations. To protect your data is highly relevant to us.
Can I change the privacy settings for my account?
Of course, you can. If you go to your profile and choose "My account", you can change your settings.
Can I download the mobile App?
Yes, if you are our "Premium/Resident" member, you can download our EW App at Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
My city is not in your list. What can I do?
Please send us a message and we will check if we can set up a new city page. Or just choose the nearest one.
What is the Loyalty program about?
In our Loyalty program you can collect points for every action, you are taking. So you earn points for visiting our page, inviting friends or being a guest blogger. You can use your points within our Points Shop and choose a reward.
How can I become a guest blogger?
You just need to register as member and then you can upload your blog article here.
How can I advertise my business at ExpatsWorld?
Add your service at our city pages. You can setup your business profile within one minute here.
Which payment possibilities do I have?
Payments to become a "Resident/ Premium" can be done with Credit Card. For your Advertisement we will send you an invoice via email to pay by bank transfer or Credit Card as well.
If you have any further question, please send us a message


text:
Art shows are hosted in cities around the world, but the annual Art Basel Miami Beach is a unique beast. Launching on Dec. 1 and running through Dec. 4, the art, music, and cultural event (now in its 15th year) has grown into one of the biggest happenings of the year. Tens of thousands of people descend on Miami Beach during the first week of December to experience the exhibitions and installations, walk amongst celebrities and major collectors, and fill their Instagram and Snapchat stories with FOMO-inducing views from the most exclusive parties and live performances.
Last year, attendees took in art created by some of the best in game, relived the history of Ronnie Fieg's ASICS collaborations at the first KITH art gallery, and sweated out the toxins of the previous days at an art and concert series curated by Swizz Beatz, with Pusha T, Alicia Keys, and DMX as the headliners. It was lit before the internet ran that word into the ground, and Art Basel Miami Beach 2016 is sure to follow suit. A big part of the fun is learning about secret events once you're on the scene, but here are a few that should be on your radar ahead of time.


text:
There's no denying that 2018 will be remembered as one of the best years in gaming. Right up there with 2007 and 2013 – the latter of which brought us my favorite game of all time, Bioshock Infinite – 2018 saw the revitalization of many classic franchises, as well as the birth of new titles from esteemed game creators. It's been one hell of a year, and while I personally missed some critically-acclaimed hits like God of War and Celeste, I still experienced a ton of what 2018 had to offer. So without further ado, here are my nominees for Game of the Year.
No. 5: South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Four years after its predecessor, The Stick of Truth, blew fans away with its crude hilarity and dedication to its source material, Trey Parker and Matt Stone once again dove into the world of video games – and superheroes – with The Fractured But Whole. Tying into a story arc from the television series, this genius installment saw the South Park gang donning their superhero costumes to save their town from…each other. Just like The Stick of Truth before it, the game played out like an entire season of South Park, complete with inside jokes and references for the most die-hard fans. The Fractured But Whole also revamped the series' gameplay by adding a grid to the turn-based combat system. This allowed more characters to be on the playing field at once and brought a larger sense of depth to the action onscreen.
Furthermore, character abilities can be swapped out, allowing you to customize your "New Kid" to be the greatest superhero South Park has ever seen. Superpowers help shake up each battle, and the whole game successfully straddles the line between serious superhero thriller and goofy adult cartoon. South Park: The Fractured But Whole was as funny as it was fun to play, and it makes the possibility of a South Park cancellation a bit less depressing, knowing that the series can always survive in video game form. This latest trip to Colorado left a lasting impression on me, and it's earned The Fracture But Whole a game of the year nomination and a spot on my list.
No. 4: Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
Kicking off the AAA-filled holiday season, Assassin's Creed Odyssey delighted audiences by breathing new life into what was considered a fairly exhaustive franchise. After Syndicate made strides in the story department and Origins changed up the gameplay entirely, Odyssey swooped in to deliver a perfect blend of these previous installments. Right from the start, players were excited by the ability to choose the gender of your assassin, with both Alexios and Kassandra experiencing their own unique journeys across ancient Greece. Dialogue options made for a story that felt much more personal, giving players the choice to act honorably, or to be a total dick. Above all, Odyssey felt like the most fleshed-out RPG experience in an Assassin's Creed to date. Weapon customization was turned into a necessity, with an extensive ranking system for every piece of gear.
Thanks to the aforementioned dialogue options, choices felt like they actually mattered, and the world adapted to your actions, whether you were working for the Spartans or the Athenians. Quite possibly the most important part was the experience system, allowing your assassin to level up and receive new attributes from a downright impressive new skill tree. These upgrades could change up the combat in ways the series has never seen before. Odyssey took the Assassin's Creed franchise in a completely new direction, but it's one that it desperately needed. While previous installments may have felt a bit bland and uneventful, Odyssey helps the series find a new niche in the best way possible, and a spot on my list.
No. 3: Detroit: Become Human
The latest title from director David Cage was my first foray into his brilliantly twisted mind. A story about futuristic androids vying for their independence, Detroit delivered an emotional gut punch that I truly wasn't ready for. Detroit is a story told in three parts, allowing players to visualize an android uprising through the eyes of Connor, Kara, and Marcus. Each android has their own specific intentions in life, and while their stories eventually diverge into one, the majority of the game is spent apart with all of them living drastically varied lives. For example, Connor works for the government, Kara works for an alcoholic single father, and Marcus works for an ailing millionaire artist.
Detroit is visually stunning, and this helps keep its extensive story enticing throughout. There was never a dull moment, and I recall spending my days at work just watching the clock, yearning for the moment I can go home and pick up my controller again. I was glued to the screen, and Quantic Dream had me screaming, crying, and questioning my choices the entire time. Many found Detroit to be overrated, and some even called it unoriginal and uninspired. On the contrary, I found Detroit to be a gripping tale of hope and courage; the story of three peaceful machines longing to become human by any means necessary. Dialogue options and a branching narrative make Detroit an extremely replayable adventure, and I fully intend to return to it every few months to have another go and see where the story takes me. It certainly made an impact on me – one that will carry into 2019 and beyond (no pun intended, Mr. Cage) – and for that, it's one of my favorite games of this year.
No. 2: Red Dead Redemption 2
Most likely a lot of my coworkers' game of the year, Red Dead Redemption 2 is easily one of the greatest games of 2018, as well as one of the greatest games of all time. What this game has done for the games industry in two months alone is a feat in itself, and deserves to be commended. I have never seen another game like Red Dead 2, but I certainly hope to see more in the future. The way the narrative pulls you in through strategic pacing is brilliant to watch unfold, even though it can be extremely annoying at times. The opening sequence, for example, is memorable for being both incredibly painstaking, and incredibly deep. It's pacing that not many other studios can pull off, but Rockstar has the magic touch when it comes to building an epic story over the course of 60+ hours.
Emphasis on the "+," as Red Dead Redemption 2 is hands-down the most jam-packed video game I have ever played, with so many side quests and random encounters that I've barely hit 50% completion and I've been playing since nearly day one. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a journey, but it's one of the most emotional and graphically impressive journeys I have ever had the pleasure of embarking on. With hours of content and the recent addition of Red Dead Online, I don't see people growing tired of this game at all anytime soon. As I said, it's most likely everyone's game of the year, and I'm sure it will come out on top in sales this holiday season. But for me? There's one more game that stole my heart this year and earned the top spot on my list.
No. 1: Marvel's Spider-Man
Having grown up with Spyro the Dragon and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man movies, Insomniac's Spider-Man is an absolute love letter to my childhood. Simply put, this game blew my ever-loving mind from start to finish. But what I find the most satisfying (and insane) about Spider-Man is its staying power. As I previously stated, I have played Red Dead Redemption 2 for countless hours since its release. But the reason I haven't beaten it yet? I can't stay away from Spider-Man! The DLC content over the past three months has kept me coming back to Manhattan time and again, tossing the biggest game of 2018 to the side for a couple hours just to swing through the city streets and punch some thugs. There is nothing more satisfying – in any game, ever – than the web-swinging mechanics of Insomniac's Spider-Man. From the first moment the game let me sling a web, I was hooked.
Couple this with the Arkham-esque combat mechanics and the endless amount of collectibles, weapon upgrades, and costumes from all across Spider-Man lore, and you've got one of the most entertaining thrill rides I have ever played. One of my friends said it best, that Spider-Man doesn't do anything new, it just does everything better than those before it. While this may be true, and Spider-Man doesn't bring much originality to the table in terms of gameplay or even overall narrative – which is heavily derived from comics and other Spidey culture – there's no denying that the game is stunning, entertaining, and fun as all hell. Personally, Spider-Man is my game of the year because it gets everything right, and it scratches that "superhero video game" itch perfectly. At least, until Ultimate Alliance 3 comes around!
2018 was a year of sheer brilliance in the field of video games. Series like Assassin's Creed and Red Dead were put back on the map, where they are once again being recognized as action-adventure icons. Others, like Detroit and Spider-Man showed the world that new titles are still forces to be reckoned with, as they can become instant classics within a matter of months. Every game I played this year left an impact on me, even games from previous years that I hadn't gotten to earlier. 2018 was a year for the history books, and it certainly made its mark on my heart for years to come.


text:
PVYO Spring Gala
Friday, May 15, 2020, 7pm
The Music Center
$20 - $25
Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra Spring Gala
Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra presents its annual Spring Gala celebrating thirty years of musical excellence. The PVYO Philharmonia, Symphony, Sinfonia, Concert Orchestra, Preparatory Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Flute Choir, and Clarinet Choir will perform.
This concert is not presented by Strathmore
Support Strathmore
We rely on charitable gifts from individuals to sustain and expand our visual and performing arts experiences and arts education programs. Your gift will foster incredible social impact by allowing Strathmore to remain a strong and vibrant resource in your community.


text:
Cerum Dental Automates Scanning of Prescription Work Orders with DocuFi
Prescription Drug Orders Scanned with Barcodes to Automate Indexing
Capturing or scanning of Prescription work orders is an everyday requirement for many in various medical professions.
Cerum Dental, part of the Aurum Group, of is a 40 year provider of state of the art cosmetic and restorative dentistry. With an influx of prescription work orders for it's 27 branch operations, the company was in need of streamlining the work order process.
Using Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 scanners, incoming work orders are scanned to a single PDF file and stored in a watched folder. These PDF files are picked up by ImageRamp Batch as a single file, each page is analyzed and barcodes representing the prescription Case ID are identified and extracted. As Case IDs are found, new PDF documents are created and stored in a network file.
The resulting named prescriptions are picked up by the company's central lab software, called LabTrac, which monitors the incoming network folders. These are then attached to the appropriate Case ID for retrieval by any department within the company.
"...it's because you're not afraid to stand by your product, you have nothing to worry about so you can let people try it out without question. Thanks a lot David, your software is truly a no B.S. product that does exactly what it says it will and keeps up to high production like it was made for it!" Andrew Minardi, Cerum Dental Supplies IT


text:
Modern Gourmet
Here we have a modern kitchen design that brings some fun colors and design elements together to create a kitchen space perfect for the gourmet cook. I love the grey and dark brown island at the middle of the kitten. It is perfect for prep, and you could easily have two people using the space top prep different ingredients. I also lobe the light brown wood paneling on the cupboards, and love the black countertops. The big window in the background gives off great natural lighting, which brings the whole space together as an ideal gathering space for good food and good company.


text:
Our flagship hotel is located on Wibautstraat, aka Knowledge Mile, the social, creative and entrepreneurial hub of the city. We're located in former printing press facilities of Het Parool and Trouw newspapers, in a space that has since been obsessively re-designed as a giant playground for travellers, mobile professionals, creative nomads, students and local change-makers.
Be part of a bright, young international community. Learn more about our semester packages here.
Cheerful and well-executed interior design with excellent guest service. Great, brand new hotel.


text:
The long-awaited Department of Justice report on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email case has been released. Associate Editor of RealClear Politics A.B. Stoddard breaks down the findings.
The 2018 World Cup has kicked off without a team from the United States. Former U.S. Men's National Team Coach Bruce Arena discusses what went wrong and what should be done to make us more competitive next time around.
FOX's Tonya J. Powers has your good news of the day.
Plus, commentary from FOX's Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano.


text:
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
This is the one hundred and ninth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Scapa Flow. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series. To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.
Have you ever been diving in Scapa Flow before? If so, I'd love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we'll all learn something we can use.
Diving Scapa Flow Wrecks
Background – Scapa Flow is a body of water sheltered by several of the Orkney Islands, which are part of the northern isles of Scotland situated 16 kilometers (10 miles) off the coast from Caithness. There are 70 islands, in all, 20 of which are inhabited, that have a total population of 22,100. They have been occupied for at least 8,500 years, and with some of the best preserved Neolithic ruins, are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Agriculture is the most important economic sector and there is an abundance of marine and avian life. Scapa Flow has a sandy bottom no deeper than 60 meters (200 feet) but most of it is around 30 meters (100 feet) making it one of the top natural anchorages in the world. For a more detailed look at the history, culture, and demographics of the Orkney Islands, please go here: Orkney – Wikipedia
Undersea World – After the end of World War I under the terms of the armistice, the German High Fleet was held in Scapa Flow. To keep the 74 vessels from being exploited by the Allied victors, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered them scuttled. 52 were successfully sunk and some were beached. 44 were later raised and salvaged leaving 8 on the seabed. These 8 are all large ships classed as a cruiser, battleship, or destroyer and rest in water from 12-45 meters (40-147 feet) in depth upside down or on their sides. In addition to these 8 are another 20 wrecks in Scapa Flow. 2 are British Battleships designated as war graves, a number were sunk as blockage in the eastern and western channels to prevent passage, and the remainder sunk for one reason or another over the years including a disconnected WWI U-Boat and another U-Boat sunk during the second world war.
These wrecks bathed in the rich waters of Scapa Flow have created a rich marine habitat on the sandy bottom amongst the seagrass and kelp, with a nice variety of encrusting life forms like soft coral and herringbone hydroids and macro critters including many species of sea star, urchins, hedgehogs, horse mussels, crabs, and lobsters. Larger attractions are codfish, lings, wrasses, common skates, basking sharks in summer, and grey and common seals.
Seasons and Conditions – Diving is possible all year with the visibility best during the winter. The air temperature gets as high as 20°C (68°F) in summer and down to 8°C (46°F) in winter. The water temperature reaches its warmest in September at 14°C (57°F) and hits lows of 4°C (39°F) in April. This is cold enough for a drysuit with hood and gloves year-round. The best visibility reaches 30 meters (100 feet) in winter and below 10 meters (35 feet) in summer. Currents are often 1-2 knots. With wreck sites from 15-45 meters (50-147 feet), there are sites suitable for all levels. Several dive shops operate out of Stromness on Orkney Mainland that provide a range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises. Some local operators offer short liveaboard safaris, as well. A tune-up or class in the use of a drysuit is available.
For information about cold water gear, please check out my review:
If you are interested in another great UK dive site, please check out this review:
For a liveaboard to a warmer climate, check out this review and liveaboard yacht:
MV Seawolf, Red Sea Liveaboard – Check the Price
Selected Scapa Flow Wrecks
1) SMS Cöln: 36 meters (120 feet) maximum depth, 112-meter (367-foot) Cöln class light cruiser lying on her starboard side, accessible at 21 meters (70 feet), there is an open deck hatch, skylights, anchor chains, and armored control tower to examine, marine life highlights include schooling fish, cod, pollock, urchins, crabs, and lobsters, little current, suitable for all levels of diver
2) SMS Dresden: 38 meters (125 feet) maximum depth, 112-meter (367-foot) Cöln-class light cruiser lying on her port side with the stern at 38 meters (125 feet) and the bow at 25 meters (82 feet), many artifacts are still in place, crabs and lobster in nooks and crannies, schooling pollock come during the summer, suitable for experienced level divers
3) SMS Brummer: 22-36 meters (72-115 feet), 140-meter (460-foot) minelaying cruiser lying on her starboard side, largely intact, deterioration is making penetration a little less straightforward, much of the weaponry on the sea floor, a lot to explore on the big ship, suitable for experienced level divers
4) SMS Karlsruhe: 24 meters (80 feet) maximum depth, 112-meter (367-foot) cruiser, lying on her starboard side, very damaged but still much to see, bow anchors, forward deck guns, and control tower still there, no serious penetration possible, suitable for all levels of diver
5) Kronprinz Wilhelm: 12-39 meters (40-128 meters), 146-meter (480-foot) battle cruiser lying on her port side, half of her 12-inch guns are visible, the stern is accessible at 12 meters (40 feet), armor bands have been removed allowing penetration into several sections, suitable for all level of divers
6) SMS König: 38 meters (125 feet), 146-meter (479-foot) König class battleship, lies nearly overturned and mostly broken apart, many interesting components are left to explore including the engine room, less dived than most, suitable for experienced level divers
7) SMS Markgraf: 45 meters (148 feet), 175-meter (574-foot) König class battleship lying almost completely capsized on her starboard side, the ship's superstructure prevented complete overturn, bow, stern, and rudders largely intact, much underneath is in place including some guns, suitable for experienced and technical levels
15) Blockship Tabarka: 14-18 meters (46-60 feet), 100-meter (327-foot) cargo steamship built in the Netherlands sunk to block entrance of submarines through a western channel, heavy currents bring lots of nutrients, rich marine life with anemones, starfish, urchins, lobsters, urchins and colorful encrusting invertebrates, several penetration access points, suitable for all levels of diver
20) James Barrie: 43 meters (141 feet), 55-meter (180-foot) steam trawler that ran aground in 1969, sunk while under tow at the entrance to Widewall Bay, lies on her starboard side, some souvenirs have been taken, starboard anchor, the aft W-frame, winch, and fishing blocks are intact, the steam engine top is visible, and the rudder is on the seabed, suitable for experienced level divers
Extensive details concerning the Scapa Flow wrecks and their history is available here: Scapa Flow Wrecks
For a detailed history of the Scapa Flow wrecks, please check out this great authoritative book:
Dive Scapa Flow by Rod MacDonald
Things to Do in Orkney (aside from scuba diving)
The following video is a nice introduction to the scenic beauty and historic sites to visit on the Orkney Islands:
Scapa Flow Transportation, Hotels, and Diving Services
Air – Loganair has flights to the airport at Kirkwall, Orkney from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Sumburgh.
Ro/Ro Ferries
- Scrabster to Stromness service takes 90 minutes. There are 3 trips per day, every day.
- Aberdeen to Kirkwall service takes 6 hours and is available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This is not available from November 1 to March 31.
- Gill's Bay to St. Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay service takes 60 minutes. There are 3 trips per day, every day.
Passenger-only Ferries – A 40-minute trip runs from John O'Groats to Burwick from May 1 to September 30.
Hotels and Diving – There are a number of lodging options in Stromness and Kirkwall in the $100 per night range. At least three dive shops operate out of Stromness which provide services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours. Short liveaboard diving cruises can also be arranged at times. The website linked below has the details and can arrange hotel booking. You can easily find the location on the map provided on this site. Their rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.
Photography in Scapa Flow
With the intriguing invertebrate life, variety of fish, macro critters, historic wrecks, and scenic shoreside targets, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:
Scuba Diving Trip Insurance
A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and give scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Feedback and Comments
I hope you found this post on Scapa Flow scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I'd love to know of any experience you have. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<


text:
Event, Winery & Brewery Buildings
In years past, winery and brewery structures mainly encompassed production facilities – with only one-third of the space for retail and other uses. However, as customer interest and the demand for additional revenue streams increased over the years, smart owners realized that creating space to nurture all aspects of their business was a necessity.
At Conestoga Construction, we provide the knowledge and attention-to-detail that you need to design an effective winery or brewery plan and bring it to life. We'll work with you to accommodate operational equipment, such as grape presses and fermentation tanks, while also creating an atmosphere where customers want to lounge and enjoy tasting their favorite wines and brews. In fact, many wineries and breweries now include public event spaces that allow them to augment revenue with special events, concerts, weddings and more.
Thanks to decades of experience building these unique structures, we understand that all wineries are not the same. A custom winery building can help your business stand out from the rest, and our design-build experts can help you plan the perfect building to fulfill your own unique vision.
Our custom winery and brewery buildings can include:
- Open floor plans
- High, vaulted ceilings
- Large windows to take advantage of beautiful views
- A variety of exterior and interior options
- Dedicated space for production
- Gift shops, stores and tasting rooms
- Special event space
- Brewing areas
- Kitchen and food prep areas
- And more
Our services on winery and brewery projects includes:
- Construction management
- Design & engineering
- Excavation
- Concrete
- Framing
- Interior finishing & fit out
- Mechanicals & electrical
- Exterior finishing
If you're looking for a partner with experience building wineries and breweries, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about our construction services. We look forward to hearing from you.


text:
Immigration Publications
Displaying 1 through 8 of 449
80,051 Deportation Hearings were Canceled Due to the Government Shutdown and New Filings Plummet Published: Feb 20, 2019 Via Syracuse University's TRAC: Canceled Hearings. The tally for hearings canceled during the shutdown and its aftermath has also been affected by delays in getting their status updated in the court records. As of February 1, a total of 80,051 hearings that had been scheduled during the shutdown were either marked in the court's database as canceled due to
Matthew Kolken's Appearance on WBEN News Radio 930 Published: Jan 9, 2019 Click here to listen to the segment.
Matthew Kolken quoted in Business INSIDER Published: Jan 2, 2019 Matthew Kolken, an immigration attorney in Buffalo, New York, echoed these sentiments and suggested an alternative to a physical border wall." "As I like to say the most effective wall is an immigration law that permits immigrants to come here legally," Kolken told INSIDER. "America needs a viable guest worker program that suits the needs of industries
Matthew Kolken quoted in Business INSIDER Published: Nov 27, 2018 Matthew Kolken, an immigration attorney based in Buffalo, New York, said the "biggest shift" between Obama and Trump on immigration is in their rhetoric. "The Trump administration wants everyone to know that he's harsh on immigrants," Kolken told INSIDER. "Obama was the exact opposite. His rhetoric was very lofty, and favorable to immigration reform."
Matthew Kolken quoted on FOX Published: Oct 23, 2018 "It's unspeakable," immigration lawyer Matthew Kolken told Fox News. "In this day and age, we don't allow our children to walk to school alone… The actors that are smuggling individuals are unscrupulous. They take advantage of them. Women are subjected to sexual assault and rape. Children too." Kolken says
Matthew Kolken Quoted in the San Jose Mercury News Published: Oct 8, 2018 Matthew Kolken, a New York immigration lawyer whose firm helps clients immigrate to both Canada and the U.S., said he's had about a dozen foreign-citizen clients decide to move to Canada even though they were already in the midst of official proceedings to come to the U.S. "They gave up on their American dream," Kolken said. "You
A Toddler's Death Adds To Concerns About Migrant Detention Published: Aug 30, 2018
Matthew Kolken Quoted in Yahoo News Published: Aug 23, 2018 But Matthew Kolken, a Buffalo-based immigration attorney and elected member of AILA National's board of governors, told Yahoo News that "those of us who have been in the trenches are uniform in our concern about the way he is handling cases." Kolken said he's spoken to about a dozen other attorneys with expertise in deportation


text:
And here's the big story of the tour:
4/4/01 Wednesday - After work I walked all the way from the Mining Circle on
campus to National Rent-a-Car near the Berkeley Marina a long ass walk.
Got the van a white Plymouth Montana the most roomy rental van yet this
year, with a CD player, and 4 quarters strewn about on the floor. I drove
home and took all but one of the five seats out of the back.
Jenya was playing with Mark Growden at the Great American Music
Hall. I packed my music equipment and clothes while waiting for her to
return, during which I realized my sleeping bag was missing. Frank called
and reminded me I forgot it in the van during the last Species Being
tour and he said he'd bring it over but he never did.
Erik and Virginia arrived and we organized his guitar strings by note
value. Jenya came home and we finally packed the van, somehow managing to
create a flat surface on the equipment for which someone could sleep or be
launched through the windshield like a torpedo in the event of an accident.
We called this the "stunt bunk."
Having not eaten much all day, I was grumpy and so when we hit the road I
tried to sleep first on the stunt bunk as Jenya got us way past Reno. This
wasn't very exciting as I did this fucking boring stretch of road like 4
times in the past month. Jenya, our hero, got us well into Nevada by
4:45am. Then we ate at a truck stop diner. Mmm. Eggs.
4/5/01 Thursday - I took over driving during sunrise, listening to
Genesis's Foxtrot. Only now Im realizing how sloppy the
playing on that record is (namely Phil Collins). When Erik took over
I twisted my arm entering the stunt bunk as it was way too close to the
ceiling of the van and I had no room to turn over.
Erik drove us into Salt Lake City, and we stumbled on some hippie veggie
restaurant. Mmm. Nut burger. We also stopped by the club Ya'buts and our
name was on the marquee.
I should point out Virginia procured a cell phone for "work" but we got to
use it for our tour. Quite convenient, I should say, though I think cell
phones should be illegal.
Nobody we knew in town was home, so we went to the Coffee Garden (my
regular SLC spot) and it turns out Jesse was there waiting on Eli to pick
him up. It's raining and he gives us a key to his pad. At the pad Eli was
on the phone with his mom. Jenya and I crapped out on their couch.
Eventually headed to the club. Loading in was an adventure we pulled up
front and were told to pull around back. Around back I drove the van way
down the wrong ramp and waited for somebody to let me in. Being this was
the incorrect entrance, nobody came. I finally put two and two together and
found the correct load-in spot.
We were early. The soundguy was cool. The doorman was helpful. Everybody
involved was just plain nice. Liza (who seems to be at all the shows I play
in SLC) gave Jenya and I restaurant suggestions. We walked five blocks to
get some burrito action at La Cha Cha's. On the trek back I spotted many
references to bees and beehives in SLC's downtown architecture. Mormons
like their bees.
The bands started soon after we returned. Alchemy was a rockin'
4-piece. Optimus Prime was a 5ive Style-ish funk band with
Dave from Red Bennies on guitar. During their set Hope arrived, and
we chatted for all of 15 minutes before she split. She just doesn't like
hanging out in clubs. In fact, most of the crowd split by the time we went on.
We didn't play our best set to start the tour two broken guitar
strings weird tempos for songs I ended up doing a solo rendition of
"Nine" to occupy some time. But some people stayed and were drawn to our
amazing concessions case (painstakingly organized and decorated with Xmas
lights by Jenya). We sold one work shirt for 5 bucks.
Nevertheless we got $70 at the door great considering nobody cared,
really. This set the tone for the remainder of the tour incredibly high
door deals considering nobody cares, really. My feeling is this has
something to do with Erik being a booker and the clubs are just playing
nice, and has nothing to do with us deserving the money at all.
As we loaded out the back, some drunken freakazoid cowboy appeared, spazzed
out about the door being open, hurled a 50-gallon drum at us, said "now
you're really pissing me off," and slammed the door shut. The drum (which,
as it happens, was left there by Ether over a year ago), missed us.
Turns out this was the crazy owner of the club going on his nightly
alcohol-fueled power trip. So much for everybody at the club being nice.
The soundguy opened the door for us so we could finish loading out and
Jenya went inside to idiot check. I missed this, but while inside the
lunatic owner cursed Jenya out for being around past 2:00am, and she yelled
right back in his face, leading to a loud cursing match but not much else.
He followed her outside, still muttering as we wrapped up packing. Erik
made clear to the guy that he just fucked up his chance to get any Kork
Agency bands to play a show there. The soundguy surreptitiously apologized
to us for that dude's behavior, as if it was his fault.
Headed back to Jesse/Eli's. They left a key in their mailbox which didnt
work in the deadbolt lock. It just turned and turned to no avail, and
eventually the whole lock shaft fell right out onto the porch in many
pieces. Meanwhile Erik just walked into the back door which was open. Jesse
arrived minutes later, we drank some bourbon, and we all hit the hay.
4/6/01 Friday - Got up early for the day's long drive, loaded out, and since
nobody else was home we just split. Into Wyoming Jenya was giddy about the
plethora of fireworks shops so we had to stop and get some. Of course this
meant we had a bag of fireworks slowly getting destroyed during the
remainder of the tour.
We got stuck in dead-stop traffic for a while. Actually got out of the van
to stretch right there on the highway. When we got moving, we passed the
scene of a devastating head-on collision between two cars. Nobody lived, as
evidenced by the towels covering the mashed corpses in the unbelievably
compressed automobiles involved. Ugh.
Down Highway 25 to Denver. Two days later this highway will be closed
thanks to a late-season snowstorm. Arrived around dinnertime and loaded
into the dive 15th Street Tavern.
Jenya and I got a bad feeling about this town punk fucks in the bar,
numerous aggressive homeless people, a pedestrian strip mall one block away
(which I traversed 10 years ago during previous cross country travels)
featuring bland chain stores and obnoxious chain restaurants and clotted
with off-putting strip mall types. We searched this mall for food Erik
quickly fled back to the club to have beer for dinner. Jenya and I did
finally find one place with expensive salads.
Waited around forever back at the bar. Jaime and bandmate from
Danghead arrived without their drummer (who just couldn't make the
gig). They set up for the alt-country-psychedelic set. Nobody cared or
clapped. I having the standard "why the hell are we doing this" nervous
breakdown only two days into the tour.
We played much better than last night, but nobody cared. Sold another
single work shirt after the show and that's it. Yammered over the
way-too-loud jukebox to the few who did come and cared. Discussed how all
bands pass through Denver if only to break up their trip towards somewhere
Speaking of which, we loaded the van to head out that evening. I,
Tetris-master, took Jenya's advice and repacked the van and somehow managed
a new method that availed to us a less treacherous and more
spacious sleeping area in the back.
I took the first shift just to get us to the next diner on 70, but it turns
out there ain't dick on 70. Not until we crossed the Kansas border. I asked
some (typically) misshapen Midwestern convenience store clerk if I'd ever
hit a diner up the road and he said in another 30 miles. Sure enough, there
was a weird 24-hour all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet for six bucks each.
After eating too much Erik took over and I slept in the back.
4/7/01 Saturday - Jenya, dying from lack of sleep, drove the last hour on
our way into Kansas City, MO. Found our way to the club (the Hurricane).
Turns out there's a vinyl heaven nearby. Erik dove deep into their dusty
record bins. I even found a rare Motorpsycho CD but didn't get it
because it was $22. Of course I regretted not getting it later.
Erik called his pals Josh and Hannah (the latter from the cross pollinated
Cape Cod/Oakland scene) and they met him at the record store. Meanwhile
Jenya and I went to a nearby thrift store and bought me some shorts as it
was fucking hot (unlike chilly Denver).
Met the gang at the café. Since we were fried we headed back to Josh and
Hannah's pad to crash for a couple of hours. Yeah baby dreams and
everything. Erik woke us up when it was time to rock. Hannah (who works
there) was finishing her shift as we arrived as we loaded in.
With time to kill, Jenya, Hannah, and I went to get Middle Eastern fare at
the nearby restaurant "Jerusalem." When we got the bill it was way more
expensive than we thought turns out me and Hannah got lunch menus with
reduced prices. What a ripoff. We complained and got the bill fixed.
We got back in time for soundcheck and then we played right away. A usual
set including Erik playing a solo tune for his wayward homies. A lot of
people were there, but strictly there to see the Elders. You see, we
were originally booked with more appropriate bands, but on the wrong date
due to some miscommunication. So we got planted on this bill with an aging
Celtic rock band. Naturally, nobody cared about us.
Much lagging as Erik drank and caught up with friends and we finally headed
back to Josh and Hannah's along with Sharon and Julie (two more relatives
of the Cape Cod scene of yore). Hung in their den, shooting the breeze,
playing with the crazy boxer dog, Lula, or their coy gray kitty, Monkey.
Sleep schedule fucked, I was the last to make it to bed and it took a
couple hours to get into Dreamland. Once there, I had a lucid nightmare. It
was great.
4/8/01 Sunday - We slowly summoned ourselves awake around 7:00am, got our
shit out of the house, left a thank-you note and hit the road. Coffee, gas,
and the highway.
Jenya made good time on the first shift, all lost when some woman of
foreign descent at a rest stop pleaded with Jenya for information about how
to get to highway 80, completely unclear of the concept that exit 80 has
nothing to do with highway 80. Took forever to pry Jenya away from this
And once in Iowa, she got pulled over for speeding. No muss, no fuss, and
after brief, polite exchanges with the policeman Jenya became the proud
owner of a $93 ticket. Bummer! Not much speeding after that, so we made
lousy time.
Made it to Chicago by 4:00pm. Guided the van to the downtown area and the
long trek up Western Avenue ugly as hell miles of slums and condemned
buildings. Nobody at the Fireside Bowl. I called my pal Tom on his cell
phone and he gave us directions to a nearby quality restaurant. I was
hungry and nobody had any better plan, so we headed there for din-din.
Sat by a table of about a dozen grandparents exchanging stories about their
grandkids (or their anxious longing for some grandkids already). Example:
"My grandson.. 7 years old.. He does algebra!" Towards the end of
the meal one of the older gentlemen presented to his stunned friends.. a
blue potato! Anyway, twas a delicious plate of sesame noodles,
but not the Chicago stuffed pizza Jen wanted.
Killed more time driving around the downtown area by the big buildings, and
by the pretty Lake Michigan. Back to the Fireside Bowl the doors were open
so we loaded in. Ah, just like last October when I was here with Species
Being, with the same archetypical Chicago-style bartender.
Met the local band Lozenge and had polite discussion about who was
playing first, second, third, and fourth. Turns out the booker already had
a grand plan for that. Also turns out Illusion of Safety were
playing first. When Mumble & Peg went on that pointless NXNW tour
back in '97, JOB had a show with Illusion of Safety which I
performed remotely by recording my drum parts on DAT.
Despite the rough treatment (no guest list, no drink tickets), it was
probably the most entertaining set of bands all tour. Illusion did
his amazing solo shtick, during which Tom showed up with his gal, Dina, as
well as old Oakland scenesters Tommy and Stacey. A mini Oakland reunion,
and then we played our set and Tom/Dina split shortly thereafter.
Lozenge was hilarious (and even more so since that was one of the
previous names of Mumble & Peg). They would fit in perfectly in the
well-executed goofy Oakland art rock family. And finally, the band Jenya
and Erik were terribly excited to see all tour, the Fire Show and
they rocked.
Once again we sold one thing and one thing only. And we headed back to
Tommy/Stacey's to party. We parked, and I re-parked in a closer spot.
Caught up on the whereabouts of old Oakland friends until 2:30am. Erik
slept in the van. Jenya and I got the futon.
4/9/01 Monday - Stacey and Tommy headed off to work as we summoned ourselves
around 7:00ish. I was driving the first shift and too anxious to get the
fuck out of town that we were wholly unable to find the quality coffee
Jenya and Erik require every morning. Best we could do was McDonald's
coffee, which was bought grudgingly and left untouched in the coffee
holders until spilled out at some rest stop hours later.
We stopped in Ann Arbor for real coffee. The woman parked ahead of us told
us that there was still time on her meter so we should park there. Almost
jaywalked in front of a cop who I thought was giving us a parking ticket.
No, he was just taking notes about the meter.
Nervously approached the Canadian border, minds reeling with stories of
American bands getting fucked with at the crossing. But I think since we
had a chick in our band, we were good as gold. Ended up being no big deal.
Four hours across pleasant Canadian farmscape to Toronto. Beautiful
city last time I was here I was like 9 years old. Slowly made our way
through the local Chinatown and to the club El Mocambo. Cool club but on
an unparkable corner. Tried circling to the back alley to unload went down
the wrong one which was nearly impossible to back out of. And the right
alley was blocked. Had to load in the front, which was quite frustrating
with all the main street traffic, and then I had to find parking a few
long blocks away.
But now we had time to kill. In the meantime I was passing out from hunger.
I needed a fix I got $20 Canadian out of an ATM and hit the corner Burger
King like the lame ass American that I am. Then Jenya was hungry so we went
out again got tasty Indian food on the opposite corner.
While playing pool, Emily arrived Jenya's junior high school friend from
Poughkeepsie which she hasn't seen in 16 years! What a trip! Met her and
her husband, Dave. Nice folk.
Erik wanted cigs and Jenya wanted film so I had to head back to the car to
get some. It was a pain in the ass walk, but then I realized I was parked
illegally, and re-parked nearby. Phew!
The Shut-Ins were on first. Local indie pop loud, fast and slightly
skewed. Then us. We played a short set to a large crowd who couldn't care
less. It was at this show that my damper pedal started to work only
intermittently. Then the headliners Pony Da Look - goofy all-female
keyboard/drums/bad singing/we're-so-cute stuff which won over everybody in
the crowd except me.
Erik yammered forever with Dan the booker as Jenya and I coordinated the
loadout (with help of Emily and Dave). Took forever to crowbar Dan away
from Erik. All 5 of us crammed in the van back to our host's top-story
Loaded all of our stuff out of the van two packed elevators. What a great
pad! Talked with Dave about computers out on their amazing scenic balcony
overlooking downtown and the potential future Olympics site. Yanked off the
stinky clothes and finally had a full night's sleep.
4/11/01 Tuesday - Day off in Toronto. Got up late and Emily took the day off
the guide us around town. Went to the hip shopping districts. For lunch we
went to a neat Thai kind of place. Hit up several book, comic, and record
stores, but Erik found nothing special to buy for his prized vinyl
collection. Still a beautiful city and simply walking around it was
cool nice to be in a totally different country where I can speak fluently
with the natives.
Began the painful load out procedure back at the apartment. Bye and thanks
to Emily. And then we hit the road to Niagara.
Got to the falls at 4:30pm. I was there as a child, but Jenya's never been.
Fucking beautiful. We all got fudge at the gift shop which was devoured
immediately. Parked back in the touristy part of town. Window browsed the
wax museums and other stupid shit until we decided to go on the straight
ahead fare of Raleigh's for dinner. Burgers and stuff. We spent the
remainder of our Canadian money.
Hit the falls one more time on the way out now that it was dark they
reduced the water pressure and turned on the colored lights. Baudy. Hit the
border crossing which was a slight ache in the ass but nothing more. A
couple questions and we were free to enter our country.
Once over the border we hit the cell phone to call all our buddies in the
Boston area as we were headed there through the night. I got a hold of
Mark/Kim and they offered their place for sleeping. Sweet!
I stayed up with Erik as we plowed thru northern NY. Haven't been around
these stomping grounds in a long ass while.
4/11/01 Wednesday - Man was I out. Woke up in a rest stop right outside
Boston. It was about 8:00am. I called Mark and warned him of our ETA and he
gave me directions to his job.
Once is Boston Erik maneuvered us to a main corner. He grabbed his bag and
split. In lieu of sleep he was going record shopping. Jenya and I headed to
Cambridge and found the building where Mark works I was able to get in and
I surprised him at his carrel.
He took a break and guided Jenya and I back to his house. He set us up real
good with a futon, an e-mail connection, and then headed back to work.
Crash city! Woke up again at 4:00, washed up, ate some steamed buns we
found in the freezer, and split to the club at 6:00.
The club, TT the Bear's, was on the same corner where 2.5 years ago we
heard one Bostonian query another: "Whaddaya stuck on stupid?!" Loading in
was quick. Rabbit was soundchecking and soundchecking was slow. Mark
and Kim came at 6:30 and we told them to come back at 7:30. They came back
at 7:30 and Rabbit was still on stage. But we soundchecked fast and
Jenya and me headed out to dinner with Mark and Kim. They treated us to
delicious Indian food, god bless them.
When we got back, the first band, Bluegrazer was already on.
Soundguy's band. He actually read the lebofsky.com website and asked me
about some of my essays. Then Bipolar Coaster featuring Craig from
Erik's old band Earshot (and we found out later Craig was from
Rockland County and we grew up a couple miles away from each other).
Around this time my old WHRW pals Jen and Paul showed up! I haven't seen
them in years. So me and Jenya and all my buds sat around a table, yelling
over the music about Boston music, catching up on the whereabouts of old
band members, etc. These are the parts of touring I like a lot catching up
with old friends in far away cities though I could do without the
deafening background music.
Then it was our set. My least favorite set of the tour. Erik was ripped and
exhausted from being up all day. Set cut short and for some reason we did
"Hangman" in lieu of any of my tunes. Erik insisted on it and I refuse to
argue on stage. But oddly enough we had our more positive response yet,
sold a few things, met some cool people who liked it and gave me CDs of
their bands, etc. Rabbit went on and my friends left.
I called my sister Lisa from a pay phone to warn her we were coming to NY
tonight. Watched some interesting world music band through the window of
the next club, the Middle East. When our show finally ended, Erik was still
drinking, partying with the Earshot gang, and we finally loaded out
and impressed everyone with our styley van with the automatic doors and
On the road to NY Fog and rain all through RI, CT, and NY. What a bummer.
Took us till 6:00am to make it my old house. Erik was so crashed he stayed
in the ban. I found the hidden key, set up camp with Jenya and hit the
friggin' hay.
4/12/01 Thursday - Got up at 11:00ish. Made breakfast of eggs, toast, and
hash browns. No sign of Lisa. Oh well. We soon headed off the WFMU in
Jersey. Playing a live show on the radio just like Species Being did
there back in October. Even with the same host, Scott, but a different
engineer, Jesse. We even got lost on the way there just like last time.
Anywho, we arrived at 1:30, Jenya and I tried desperately to find the
secret FMU lot. Her wrist was bothering her she must have sprained it
carrying equipment/playing "Hangman" last night. Luckily the station had
several adhesive ace bandages laying around.
We set up I roamed around the station remembering the various cool crap
this station had velvet painting, hilarious records on display, and a
classic Asteroids video game in Spanish ("Juego Terminado"). Soundchecked
and rolled tape. Played a 40 minute set which I thought was pretty good
then recorded an interview and our answers weren't terribly inane.
Then we were in a hurry to get to the Brownie's show in NY. It was 6:00 and
we were slated to go on at 8:00. Loaded out lickety split and headed for
the Holland Tunnel. Bit of rush hour traffic. I rode shotgun and navigated,
nearly leading Jenya over the Williamsburg bridge to Brooklyn by accident.
She deftly maneuvered a wholly illegal u-turn right in front of a NYPD car
to get us from going over the bridge and getting lost in Brooklyn.
Found the club (Brownies) and loaded in, and parked around the corner. The
third band, Alger Hiss were going through their infinitely long and
loud soundcheck. Booker's roommate's band. Jenya and I snuck out and got
some pizza down the street. Lots of sausage.
We set up and line checked. I noticed John Berger (Erik's pal who set up
with our last NY show) was in the bar. We said hi and he was introducing me
to his wife when I was Heimliched out of the blue. Shocked, I found out the
person grabbing me was my old housemate Jeremy. I saw him in October on my
last time through. At this point, Lisa arrived alone. So many people to
greet at once, but we had to go on stage and perform to our audience of 8
or so friends/relations (including my old pal Evan and his gal Suzi who I
didn't get a chance to greet yet).
We played a decent 40 minute set and got the hell off stage for the
remaining three bands. Those bands being the Liars, the
aforementioned soundchecking band, and headliners Flux Information
Society. Screaming indie rock sandwiched between new-wave.
I more or less spent the remainder of the evening outside gabbing with my
NY associates. First Jeremy and two of his friends he met during a
meditation retreat in CA recently. Then Evan and Suzi. They all split and
it was down to me, Jenya and Lisa. We walked up/down the strip several
times trying to decide on a place to grab some food. Eventually settled on
the same pizza place we ate at earlier.
The final band finished playing to the packed house a packed house means
10% of the door adds up to a nice chunk of change. Once again we score
money without deserving it at all. Erik, drinking by the concessions
display all night, sold nothing.
Once the crowd thinned enough we loaded out, our equipment in puddles of
beer and broken glass. Jenya went with Lisa, and I hauled Erik back in the
van. Thick fog and Erik snoring the entire way home. Good night's sleep.
4/13/01 Friday - Got up around 11:00. Erik already anxious to leave for his
old digs on the Cape, which is understandable but he's always anxious to
leave anywhere. Lisa made us oatmeal waffles for breakfast. Same lame ass
4-hour trip through CT/RI up to the Cape of Cod.
After thick weekend traffic, we arrived in Hyannis, right where we played
2.5 years ago, this time not in that art gallery but in the café around the
corner called Prodigal Son. We loaded in onto its microscopic stage. Erik
found out quickly his buddy Jay double booked himself and so we wouldn't be
playing this show.
Erik went wandering around as Jenya and I went in search of dinner. Ended
up getting relatively good Thai food at Ying's Noodles. Afterward, on the
way back, we ran into Erik and sister Lacey in the street and headed back
to the café.
Set up our stuff. Chatted with Lacey and an old friend of Erik's he hadnt
seen in 11 years. Then Erik started the set with the butchering of Jay's
tunes. After fumbling through five of those we actually started the first
of two "lite rock" sets for the café crowd. The crowd was a nice size,
consisting of Erik's pals we saw in Boston a couple days ago, or last time
we were here on the Cape, or people he hadn't seen in like 5-12 years. Also
one guy who was an actual fan who heard about the show from reading our
website of all things. Imagine that.
Anyway we played a second set and afterward sold a lot of crap. More money
in concessions than all money from any single previous gig on tour. Plus we
got door money on top of all that. That was nice. However, Brett, Erik's
pal who was supposta hook us up with a place to stay tonight, did not.
Instead I coerced Erik to call his pal Emily who offered her place to crash
and there we went.
In the dark we found her house (she was outside waving at us). Met her
hubby Dave (another Emily/Dave couple). We all hung out, playing with their
dog, Daisy, drinking, talking, observing the pet frogs and finally sleep in
the den. Snore central.
4/14/01 Saturday - Got up reasonably late. Lounged around outside in the
pleasant New England backyard with the gang and the dog. Coffee and chat.
Thanks and goodbye.
Next stop: Lacey's place up the Cape, mostly for Erik to visit his niece
Maya. Last saw Maya at age 1.5. Now she's 4 and a whirlwind of energy,
singing songs on the fireplace mantle, running in circles while listening
to the Powerpuff Girls CD, being completely entranced by Jenya's "coily"
hair. We adults, meanwhile, practically collapsed to sleep on the couch.
Then off the to restaurant to find Brett who we missed last night but he
stepped out. Killed time on the corner shopping for shoes, getting Jenya a
wrist brace (her wrist was still bothering her), browsing an Army/Navy
surplus store. Erik found the gregarious Brett and we went out for coffee
and hung out a while outside in the pleasant New England spring air.
Then off to Hyannis. Jenya and I went to find mallets (which she broke in
Boston) but the drum shop failed to have them. Erik went record shopping.
While Jenya and I were getting sandwiches the cell phone rang and we
refused to answer it. I walked the phone a few blocks over to Erik and it
rang again. It was Shihzad (from NY)! I walked the cell phone back to
Jenya. Very tentative plans were made with him in case we get to NYC early
Speaking of which, we were now faced with the option of bumming around 2-3
hours and wiat for Jay to get off work. Instead we hit the road for NY,
since I was bored outta my gourd. Bye Cape. Hello same damn 4 hour trip
down I-95 to Rockland.
Arrived in Rockland much later and much more tired than we thought. It was
early enough to make a jaunt into NYC a possibility, but late enough that
after Jenya called Anthony back at our house, then her dad, and then her
pal Ruth in D.C., NYC was an impossibility. That was fine by me since I got
to hang out with my sister who was in for the night. Erik was bumming since
we didn't stay at the Cape but Jay never called us back anyway so whatever.
We all drank and played the Simpsons trivia game. Then we hit the New City
Diner a place I used to hang out in high school all night long. This place
had a total facelift since then, resulting in more food options at
incredibly high prices, but with the same quality and service (and that
sickening "I can't believe Im back in Rockland" feeling). Ate up, played
more Simpsons trivia, paid the check, split, drove home, crashed.
4/15/01 Sunday - Got up, showered, Erik once again anxious to hit the road.
Lisa made us eggs and toast. Another nice breakfast with the kid sister,
and then goodbye and we hit the road.
Nice drive to Baltimore - a lot of cars but no dead-stop traffic. Got into
town with plenty of daylight hours and patience for record stores. Headed
right to the Fleet Street area which seemed like a cooler place to hang out
last time we were here. Not so great this time. A couple record stores with
nothing special. A garlic pretzel. Accosted by many aggressive beggars, all
with long stories.
We headed toward the club (Ottobar) last time in town we ate at a nearby
gay burger joint. No such luck this time. Nothing was open. It was after
6:00pm on a Sunday. It was Easter Sunday. It was tax day. Ugh.
So we headed to the areas around the many colleges but couldn't find shit
except boarded up buildings and large residential slum areas right next to
the school campuses. An hour of driving and we couldn't come up with
anything better than a Hardee's. We needed food so we headed back to Fleet
Street. The only place open that seemed reasonable (and didn't have a
terribly offensive phallic pun for a name) was Admiral's Cup. Mmm. Chicken
Back to the club almost 8:00pm but nobody was there. It started drizzling,
and we decided to just wait in the van. Pretty soon a car pulled up and
parked. Somebody got out and approached our van. He looked like my old
Binghamton, NY housemate, Joe, but it couldn't have been him. He walked
right up to the driver side window and asked, "Matt?!" It was Joe. Holy
shit! I lept out into the rain and asked him "What the hell are you doing
Haven't seen him in almost 9 years. He just happened to do a web search for
another one of our housemates who I mentioned on my website, and then
caught wind I was playing this show. He lives an hour south in Centreville,
VA, at this point. It was a real blast he decided to attend this show,
especially since nobody else came. I pretty much gave him all my drink
tickets for being the audience.
Turns out one of the other bands cancelled, leaving it just us playing
first and then a local instrumental indie rock band, the American.
They were nice, but had no draw. As well, various members of that band
played here in other projects over the past few nights. And being
Sunday/Easter/Tax Due Tomorrow, that adds up to maybe 3-4 people paid to
get in. Tops. And where were all the people we expected to come? This was
the location of our best show last time we toured this area. This time,
possibly the worst.
At the end of the night we were handed $30 out of sympathy. That and Joe
showing up were the only reasons to waste this day in Baltimore.
So long, Stinktown! We hit the road south towards Asheville, where Erik's
mom and step-dad live. Jenya drove first shift past DC. Then Erik. We all
crashed at some point at some rest stop.
4/16/01 Monday - I woke about 100 miles out and took over for the collapsing
Erik. He crashed but woke up to navigate once we were in town. And a small
town it was woods/farms/random stores. Pulled into the family's property,
loaded in to the guest house, and then greeted the folks in the main house.
Colleen and Dinny (sp?).
Despite it being 2:00pm, they began to make us dinner. Incredibly nice
people. Erik's step-dad is also a musician/computer guy. He had his share
of tour stories from back in the day. I played their grand piano. Checked
out their barn in the back. Skipped into the main part of town to the one
music store and they didn't have the mallets Jenya wanted. Damn!
Back home for early dinner. BBQ steaks, baked potato, hummus and veggies,
salad, and RC cola. Dee-licious. Shot the breeze some more then went around
the expansive yard taking band photos with the folks' digital camera. Jenya
napped and I wrote in my journal. Apple pie was consumed while watching Law
and Order. Erik crapped out as Jenya woke up to have her slice of pie. I
stayed up the longest, chatting with our hosts about work and touring.
Passed out at 10:00.
4/17/00 I got up since I couldn't sleep and it was still pitch black. Then
I realized it was 6:00am and I've been out for 7 hours or so. Tossed and
turned till 8:00ish, showered, then while Jenya showered Erik came by and
pointed out the major snowstorm going on outside.
Yay! Snow! I haven't seen real snowfall in years. We had mountain driving
ahead of us, but I personally wasn't too worried about bad road conditions
in light of the snow not sticking too much and the quick and varied
quality/quantity of flake.
I stomached 3 cheese blintzes for breakfast, packed up and hit the road.
Bye and thanks to Colleen and Dinny, who spent these final minutes
videotaping us eating and packing a box of random food for the road.
Erik drove us through the Great Smoky Mountains. It was snowing but warm
enough so conditions weren't bad as expected. Once through the hills we
stopped in Knoxville to get coffee. At the shop we got directions to the
music store. Jenya finally found replacement mallets there. Thanks, Knoxville!
Back on the road to the middle-of-nowhere Murfreesboro. Thirty miles off
any interstate. Tiny college/redneck town. Found the bar (the Boro), and
the friendly twangy barkeep told Erik where all the record stores were.
So we hit the main square to kill time. One store full of used CDs/vinyl
all on super sale, but nothing worth buying. Lots of antique shops. An
internet café. While on the sidewalk one person warned me from a passing
car, "Jesus loves you
" Thanks for the hot tip. No place to pee, so we
headed back to the Boro to pee.
Erik stayed behind as Jenya and I went back to the main square and had an
argument about where to eat, fueled by fucked sleep/food schedule giving me
crushing physical depression and pseudo-illness symptoms. I got my way:
Thai food. Sometime in the last five years a bill was passed ordering every
town in the U.S. to have at least one Thai restaurant. The spicy food
kicked my ass back to reality, but also yielded me nauseous indigestion for
the remainder of the evening.
Once more back to the bar. Tonight we were opening for the Chamber
Strings, a Goth/Mod outfit out of Chicago on the Kork roster. They
themselves were in the throes of a shitty tour. So on top of everything bad
about this show, Erik had to have a meeting with the band and explain why
they were having a shitty tour. During that meeting Jenya and I played pool
on a table so slanted all the balls kept falling into one corner pocket no
matter shot was played.
The PA at this club fucking sucked ass! Shitty mikes, too, on top of that.
One monitor was fried leaving one single monitor in front of Erik. The DI
for the keyboard was fucked as well, causing it to work intermittently.
Quite possibly the worst PA setup I ever played through EVER! Couple that
with the low attendance and this was one uninspiring gig. At least the tiny
crowd was polite and applauded between songs.
Jenya and I marveled how great the Chamber Strings looked
considering they were on tour. Glasses on wine on their amps n all. But
they had more of a "sound" which meant the crappy PA destroyed any traces
of it. The bass sounded good because the bass player borrowed my amp.
Loaded out, got the sympathy "door money" from the booker, hung out in the
parking lot with the other band. Erik made the executive decision we were
leaving now for New Orleans. This was our final long drive, so we might as
well do it overnight. I felt like shit so I slept through several driving
shifts between Jenya and Erik.
4/18/01 Wednesday - I woke as the van was frantically pulled off the highway
and Jenya and Erik, tired and flustered, were trying to figure our where we
were. Turns out they missed an interchange, so instead of going directly
south through Mississippi, we're taking the scenic route through Alabama.
All told, this boner added only an hour to the trip, plus I've never been
to Alabama, so whatever.
Scary truck stop in Alabama. Lots of Jesus paraphernalia. I drove the last
half of the state down to the Gulf of Mexico coast and into Mississippi. We
stopped at a truck stop diner, which was cafeteria style. When I ordered
the grilled chicken breast sandwich, Molly behind the counter said, "you..
sure.. do.. talk.. fast.." Really. She said that.
Rolled into New Orleans, my first time there, around 3:00pm. We found the
club, which was really a new art space/performance space/bike
shop/live-work space the size of a city block. Running the space were a
couple: Cameron (female) and Stacy (male). The whole complex was called A.R.K.
Anywho, there were signs this was going to be well attended, for reasons
not limited to (a) much talking up by the proprieters, (b) actual flyers
all over town noting us as "Idiot Flesh's evil cousin." The core of
the opening band, Machine Screw, arrived and they were already drunk
and friendly. That's how people are around here.
The three of us wandered up Decatur Street right into threw tourist French
Quarter. Erik hit a record shop right off. Jenya and I kept on going,
ending up in the mega flea market of alligator heads, beads, voodoo dolls,
and countless pepper sauces with funny labels depicting fire coming out of
people's bottoms. Whatever. When Jenya went to get money out of an ATM she
then realized she left her card at the aforementioned truck stop in Alabama
this morning.
Considering this faux pas, it was no big deal we recovered Erik from the
store, and Jenya used his cell phone to contact the bank and get the ball
rolling as far as getting a new card. We all then got coffee/lemonade at a
café and headed back to A.R.K..
Machine Screw were setting up. Turns out they're 8 people including
a drummer who only plays an electric kit, so soundcheck took a while, but
since those guys would be doing our sound, we filled them in will the facts
and didn't bother checking ourselves.
With the newfound time, Jenya and I went to go nap in the van. This effort
was nullified when, just as we dozed off, Erik entered the van, slammed the
door, made a series of calls right outside on the sidewalk, entered the
van, and slammed the door once more.
So we got up, set up our gear in the backstage area, then went in search of
dinner. The drunk keyboardist took it upon himself to show us the town. He
led us back to Decatur and toward a cheap felafel joint. "Hell, no," Jenya
said. He then led us into some nearby jazz club as if we out-of-towners
cared to meet the local scenesters. We just wanted to eat. He finally
pointed out the expensive nice place and split back to the club.
Slightly expensive but delicious food. It was actually really nice to
actually have a real New Orleans hour being it was our first time in town
and shit. Food was intriguing in its preparation. Waiter had a delicious
accent. Yay.
Back to A.R.K. and nobody was fucking there! Same old shit nobody just
plain cares. Machine Screw played to a practically empty house. We
went on to play for exactly 9 paying patrons. Had a scare during
line-check it sounded like my tweeter was blown. But then it was suddenly
fine. My equipment isn't liking this tour.
Played an uninspired set. During "Bobby Smoove" Cameron did some fire
twirling. Contractual obligation, I guess, being as how we're "Idiot
Flesh's evil cousin," and shit.
We managed to sell one CD. So where was everybody? Turns out the entire
A.R.K. staff and their legion of friends were down the street at another
event a funeral party for their circus rooster. Cameron evening suggested
we go there instead to play, but we were too tired, or at least confused as
to why they didn't just have the party at A.R.K. as well. Maybe then people
would have seen us.
We went home we Trevor, an ex-SF transient, who was working the door. He
lived in a Bohemian mansion with like 5 bedrooms, 20 ft. ceilings, all for
$500 a month. We set up camp in the front room and crashed, me and Jenya on
mats under a table and out of the way. Shleep!
4/19/01 Thursday - Woke up to Jenya and Erik leaving for coffee. They got
lost and drove around forever, yielding enough time for to sleep, finally
get up, shower, shave, hang on the front porch drying out my towel, fail to
get the house PC hooked up to the internet, and fumble through a bunch of
photos laying around of a naked man about to lie on a bed of nails and then
the close ups of his bloody ass.
When those two returned Trevor was just getting into the shower. Met
another housemate, Jay, who also once lived in Oakland a nice guy. He saw
Idiot Flesh in Houston, and even at that SXSW show where me and Erik
did a Mumble & Peg duo. And being involved in circus stuff he also
knew Virginia's brother Christian. When Trevor was finally ready we split
back to A.R.K. to get our equipment, and then he headed off to a job interview.
Hungry, we hit up a nearby felafel shop for lunch and coffee. What a
beautiful day. Warm and a little humid made me miss the similar New York
summer weather of my youth. Sat outside and enjoyed the slow service. Ah,
the Big Easy. Old Swampy.
Got on I-10 outta there and circled around the Gulf of Mexico. Long trip
out of LA and into TX. During the trip with hit a gas station where Erik
took over driving. As we left the lot a shitload of warnings came on the
dashboard about the traction system needed attention and the ABS system is
off. What the hell? We pulled over at the next exit and checked shit
out all seemed well and it's driving fine. So we chose to ignore the warnings.
Made it into Houston around dinnertime. Erik lived here once so he knew his
way around a bit. Ate at Mission Burrito. We headed to the club early Mary
Jane's. Loaded in. Helped Jenya set up her kit. Played a round of pool.
Read a really nice article about us by this guy Kwame who interviewed us
before the tour via e-mail.
Other bands loaded in the opening band Lost Episodes featuring
Erik's old record store workmates and the headlining band Japanic
which Erik wants to book via Kork. All nice people. But still, we had lots
of fucking around time the part I hate most about tour. While chatting
outside with some folks in the hot humid night air I got accosted by
"Little Randy" who overheard me talking about touring and thus he felt
obliged to shower me with information abot his whatever big Houston outdoor
festival blah blah blah who fucking cares. He eventually split and hit the
blues club across the way.
Lost Episodes started. Loud retro psyche pop. Jenya napped in the
van, the tour catching up to her and all. I believe we played well and
there was a great turnout, including the aforementioned two people Kwame
and Christian. I actually liked the set despite the fact we played both
"Driving me Backwards" and Sara Smile. I manned the concession stand and
sold about $70 of stuff to some people who were seemingly impressed.
Finally. One guy couldn't believe there was such a huge art rock scene in
Oakland. Japanic played their fun-to-watch new wave set. The crowd
thinned. The guy running the bar was happy with us and the turnout. He got
many stickers and t-shirts.
This was possibly the best all-around show of the tour. Except the while
packing an amp into the van, that squeezed my personal luggage bag out the
side door and into a deep puddle of wet clay Texas mud. That really sucked.
Bye to all, and we followed Christian back to his barn where he and his new
wife, Page, live with their dogs, Oreo and Joan of Bark. Set up camp on the
floor. Took forever to fall asleep as insomniatic Erik stayed up watching
some cable flick forever. Then the dogs barked in the middle of the night.
Sleep depravation city.
4/20/01 Friday - Woke up way too early to the sounds of Erik watching a
Nader speech on CSPAN. Dogs jumping on us. Christian headed off to work as
we slowly came to, washed up, and loaded out.
Being as how we were supposed to, according to Virginia, stay with her
folks last night as opposed to her brother (though the latter made more
sense), we had to make good by visiting the elders. Nice people, all Texas
style. Talked about country music, hunting, housing finance, and roadkill.
As we left they pointed out the blood in the street from the latest
squirrel death.
On the road to Austin! Not very far, but very trafficked. Got into town
around 5:00, hitting Guadalupe right off all the hotspot I went to
multiple times back in the day when I visited Austin at least once a year.
Hit Ruby's BBQ. Meat!!! Then Toy Joy, some pawn shop, and some CD store
near the campus. I say a CD from one of the bands we were playing with
tonight. From the looks of it, this didn't bode well as far as having a
"good match" between bands.
Sun was setting, so we tried to check out the famed bats at the downtown
bridge. Jenya loves her bats. At 7:45 people were already on the bridge. We
tried to find parking near the bridge on both sides of it to no avail.
Eventually parked illegally as Jenya and I find an observing spot
underneath. Erik couldn't care less, so he just split to the club.
We waited under the bridge until like 8:30. We could hear them, and
definitely smell then, but only a couple pioneer bats came darting out.
Being as most observers were on the bridge, we ran up there. It struck 9:00
and there were still no bats! What a rip! Suddenly I noticed just below my
feet a steady stream of those little buggers flying out, but unless you
were at the perfect angle you couldn't see them at all due to the lack of
light. And that was that. We gave up and headed to the club on foot,
6th Street was hopping even though it wasn't SXSW time. By this time Erik
unloaded all the equipment himself and found miracle parking right out
front. First band, the Meteorites were setting up and we lounged
about in the outside area.
Two women approached us, "are you Mumble & Peg?" I'm not sure of how
they heard of us, but they both were from Oakland, and one was moving back
to Arkansas and they were stopping in Austin for the night, and happened to
see we were playing. Cool. As exciting as that was, it turns out the two of
them would be 33% of our audience.
The remaining 66% were Gary and Aubrey old Idiot Flesh fans who got
turned on to us way back, and they brought two friends. As the first band
started their set of whatever rock we all headed to another bar for quiet
conversation. For some reason the waitress didn't charge me or Jenya for
our cokes.
Back to the club. The joke punk rock spectacle of Sexy Finger Champs
had started already. I drummed up a set list and sometimes I don't know why
I fucking bother cut half the songs I wanted to play and played "Amore and
Medication" and "Sara Smile anyway. The place cleared. I'm not sure why
the booker wanted the out-of-town band to play last but we still got a $150
Livid about the whole lame show, I drank up some Jager and washed that down
with Shiner Bock while moping at the Red River behind the club. When I
returned inside I found Jenya talking to our Oakland pal Andy! What the
fuck is he doing here?
Turns out he has a new lady friend who lives in Austin and was spending
time visiting when he just saw our name on the marquee and stopped in. He
missed our set, but whatever. We sat around catching up in this weirdest of
Loaded out and headed over to Gary and Aubrey's place. They have 2 dogs and
4 cats animal hair central. It was like a party of animals when we
arrived. Meow! Bark! Ksssh! The last sound was the sound of Goldfish the
cat knocking over Erik's water glass. At 2:30 we were passing out on the
couch when an unexpected housemate arrived (you mean more people live
here?). He was ripped drunk and with three more drunk/speeded/coked up
wastoids being rowdy because one just turned 21. Great. Jenya had the hot
tip: wear earplugs. Thanks to that I was able to sleep.
4/21/01 Saturday - Woke up to one of the cats walking around, in, and under
our blankets, poking random parts of my body with its cold, wet nose. It
was like 11:00 and we had to get a move on. After quick washing we all hit
a café up the way, then a Mexican cheapo restaurant (after Gary had to hit
his van's starter with a hammer to get it start). Got 5 meals for $15
total. Huevos con chorizo muy delicioso. Bye and thanks to the nice couple
for their hospitality, then on the road to Norman.
At one rest stop Jenya bought a large bag of spicy snack mix. Looked like
vomit. Tasted like shit. She coulda easily bought a mounds bar for one
quarter of the price but no! She bought the big ugly shit and threw it away
after two unsavory bites. This boner was the source of much entertainment
for the rest of the trip.
It was a long drive and we started late, so we didn't get into town until
about 6:30pm. Meanwhile Virginia flew into OKC at 1:00pm and was killing
time in those parts.
When we got into town we found the closed Medicine Hall. Then we headed to
the part of town I was before with Species Being. It was
surprisingly dead for a Saturday late afternoon. No people. Stores supposed
to be open were closed. Erik called Virginia to tell us where we were and
we met at a café where I hung out forever back in October. Happy to see
Virginia, we headed back to the Medicine Hall.
In lieu of dinner, one of the few people there said he'd make salads for
us. These came almost 3 hours later. In the meantime we loaded in, Jenya
set up, Virginia napped in the van, Erik talked shop with the guy running
the show, Giani (sp?). Some guy, Gabe, approached me asking, "are you
Matt?" and he said he was setting up the upcoming Species Being show
here in a couple of weeks, so we chatted a bit. I can't believe Im gonna
be back here that soon. Yeeesh!
So the band Syringe we were planning to play with bailed because the
bass player had finals and had to study, thus canceling the tour. That left
three bands. Opening were Huver and Stellar Chromatic. The
former seemed like nice guys but ended up being the worst kind of annoying
prima donna fuckers just 'cuz they were on a major label under the name
the Nixons. The PA was kinda crappy and they were giving Giani the
hardest time because of it, then took forever to set up, bitching and
moaning before, during, and after they played. And then the split right
away. I wish all the bad musicians in the world would just shut up and
leave well enough alone.
Stellar Chromatic were much better on many levels. Plus the
guitarist knew and loved our CD and psyched about us playing a real morale
builder after last night. Also met another guy, Adrian, who was fascinated
with the Oakland scene and had many questions for us in preparation of an
article about Vaccination Records. Dispelled many weird rumors that spread
all the way out to this part of the country.
Then we played. People stuck around and dug it. "Snow Tires" was requested.
Sold a bunch of stuff in fact, our concessions case was emptied except for
one t-shirt we brought the perfect amount of crap. This and Houston were
tied as far as good audience response. Cape Cod wins for most money made
but that was pretty much it. Tour's over, dude!!
Didn't get outta there till 3:30am. Then we followed Giani to his house
which is up in OKC. We were hungry, so the Oaklanders went to a Whataburger
drive-through for late night snax. Giani, the poor guy, took a shower and
hit the road as he had to be somewhere and it was too late to get one hour
of sleep. We crashed on his floor around 6:00am.
4/22/01 Sunday - I was the last one to get up around 11:30. After showering,
Erik was still putzing around on the cell phone. We waited for him to go
get coffee, but his plans were to go to another part of town out of the
way. So we decided that this would be when we'd part ways Erik was to head
to Germany to do a ridiculous solo tour, Virginia was to fly home, and me
and Jenya drove the van all the way back.
Epilog: Jenya and I made it to Santa Fe that evening, ate delicious dinner
at some happy hippie joint, but didn't stay in town since hotels were too
expensive. Instead we stayed at a motel near Albuquerque which wasn't all that
much cheaper. Made it to Flagstaff well before sunset the next day and got
food for several days' car camping, then headed up to the Grand Canyon
where we got some glimpses of it before setting up camp for the evening.
Hiked around the upper rim the following day, then sped all the way to
Death Valley by sunset. Amazing place. We camped that evening in the quiet
heat. Hit many of the neat touristy spots the next day, then drove to
Yosemite. A three hour trip turned into 10 hours since Tioga pass was still
closed and we had to go all the way around the Sierras. That sucked. And
when we arrived at the park we realized we weren't prepared for bear
country. I panicked and we headed back to Sonora to stay in a hotel there.
Hit Yosemite the next day, hiking around the valley and up steel cliffs to
the lower falls. Beautiful shit. Drove home that evening during sunset.
Twenty miles from home, Jenya's excited, flailing elbow nailed me right in
the eye. I nearly swerved the van off the highway in shock. Clutching my
now blinded eye, I made it to the next exit. I was fine but poor Jenya
apologized the entire way as my cheek swelled up. Returned the van the
following day and got a nice chunk of money refunded due to the ABS getting
all screwed up back in Texas.


text:
|Company Name:
|Booth Number:
|Stand Manager:
|Corey Shellenberger
|Contact Number:
|Email Address:
|Company Address:
|New Penderel House 4th Floor, 283-288 High Holborn, London WC1V 7HP
|United Kingdom
|Product Categories :
|Surgical Microscopes Surgical Microscope Accessories
|Company description :
|Why use Prescott's?
• Inventory Prescott's sells and services all makes (Zeiss and Leica) and models (Pentero and M844) of surgical microscopes. We have over 300 surgical microscopes in inventory at all times.
• Warranty Prescott's surgical microscope systems and replacement parts have a 2 year warranty.
• Contract Coverage Prescott's offers 3 levels of contract coverage from comprehensive to PPM. In addition, we provide a free risk assessment to help determine the coverage level required.
• Quality Systems Prescott's is FDA registered and ISO 9001:2008 certified. We are also ISO 13485 certification, which applies directly to medical products.
• Safe, Consistent Value At Prescott's we do everything we can to manage the demanding needs of our customers and maintaining equipment safety and reliability.


text:
Finn Juhl, the master of Danish Modern, originally designed the iconic walnut Nyhavn Desk in 1945.
Originally designed for his Copenhagen studio at the exclusive address of 33 Nyhavn, this elegant desk went on to shape the style of Finn Juhl's designs during the 1950s.
With a sleek veneer walnut table top resting on black steel legs with feet finished in coordinating walnut, the Nyhavn Desk would lend a design edge to any workspace. Finished with three practical drawers in a warm spectrum of colours, the unit is mounted with brackets to further highlight the floating lightness of the desk.
The first Danish furniture designer to achieve international recognition, Finn Juhl is seen by many as the master of Danish Modern. A self-taught designer, he originally studied to become an architect but worked with the mindset of a sculptor when creating his designs. Rather than thinking in terms of practicality, Finn Juhl broke free from the constraints of conventional working methods to create truly innovative designs.


text: Monday, February 18, 2019 / Categories: Exhibitions 2016 Valeport Exhibiting at Oi Americas 2019 Oceanology International Conference and Exhibition Portfolio offers one of the world's leading forums for marine science & ocean technology events, where industry, academia and government share knowledge and connect with the marine science and ocean technology communities. Oi Americas 2019 is a unique event which showcases the latest technologies and developments from across the Oceanographic and Hydrographic Industry spectrum. This event gives organisations the opportunity to reach buyers from various markets and sectors as well as the chance to update their strategies for measuring, exploiting, protecting and operating in the world's oceans. Oceanology International is the world's leading marine science and ocean technology exhibition and conference. Oi started in the UK and runs every two years. In 2019 it's celebrating its 50th anniversary in San Diego. Over the years, the Oi portfolio has established itself as a truly global portfolio with events in London, China and San Diego. Click here to find out more.. Visit the Valeport team at Stand F47 at Oi Americas 2019 at the San Diego Conference Centre, 25 - 27 February 2019. Valeport will be displaying their wide range of Ocenaographic and Hydrometric instrumentation for marine surveying, construction, diving and metrology requirements including the following: Sound Velocity Probes and Sensors Underwater Altimeters Radar Level Sensors Current Meters Tide Gauges Fluorometers Wave Recorders Echosounders Telemetry Equipment and Conductivity, Temperature and Depth Multi-parameter Instruments If you are unable to get to the exhibition there are more scheduled throughout the year at different locations worldwide. Please check Our Website or Facebook page for details. For more information about Valeport and how they may help you with Oceanographic & Hydrometric Technology and it's application, get in touch with the Valeport Product Team email: email@example.com Previous Article Valeport partnership delivers new environmental monitoring system Next Article U.S. Hydro 2019 Conference Biloxi, MS Print


text:
When Is The Right Time To Press Charges Against Card Debt Collectors?
Debt collectors and junk debt buyers are infamous for their aggressive, abusive, and inappropriate collection efforts. While some debt collectors abide by the law, others are just plain stubborn, applying illegal collection practices and sometimes, even crossing the line.
If you got unpaid debts and your creditor or the junk debt buyer is threatening to file a credit card lawsuit, it's never a good idea to take the situation lightly. However, if your creditor is threatening you with wage garnishment, property lien, or even jail time and you believe they crossed the line just to collect the money, you need to consult with a local consumer law attorney who has great experience in handling similar cases. It's highly likely that you will be advised to press charges. Below are some of the most common collection efforts by debt collectors that are illegal under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act:
* Profane, obscene or abusive language
* Threats of violence or bodily harm
* Repeated phone calls each day
* Threats of ruining your credit
* Threats of jail time, calling your employer or your mother and telling on your debts
* Threats of wage garnishment, property lien, extracting money straight from your savings account (They will have to win the credit card lawsuit to be able to do all these)
* Implies that he is a lawyer when he is not, presents misleading information about representing the company to collect debts
* Attempts to collect even after filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy
* Tries to collect a higher amount of money than the original amount
* Continuously contacts even when you sent a Cease and Desist letter
* Phoning your work office even when your employer specifically tells him not to call again
* Phoning you before 8 in the morning or after 9 in the evening, unless you told the collector it's fine to call you during these hours
* Failed to provide a written validation of the debt after you sent them a debt validation letter
It's critical to put keep a good record of all communications you had with an abusive collection agent. The record could make or break your case once the other party files a credit card lawsuit. You can also add copies of letters sent to you by the collector, cancelled checks, receipts and other notes.
Phone conversations can also be a part of record keeping. You can either take note or record the conversation but only with the permission of the person on the other line. Any record you keep may be used if the case reaches the court.
Learn how you can handle answering a summons on your own and WIN your case! This groundbreaking eDocument will help you end all debt claims and fight credit card lawsuit! Visit http://answeringasummons.com for more information.
Article Source: